Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (230)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(35) “O you who believe, fear Allah, seek the means of drawing near to Him, and strive in His cause, so that you may succeed.”

This is a command from Allah to His believing servants to fulfill what faith requires: fearing Allah and guarding themselves against His displeasure and wrath. This is achieved when a servant strives and exerts himself to the utmost of his ability to avoid everything that displeases Allah, including the outward and inward sins of the heart, tongue, and limbs. He must also seek Allah’s help in abandoning them, thereby escaping His wrath and punishment.

“And seek the means of drawing near to Him”—that is, seek nearness to Him, His favor, and love for Him. This is attained by fulfilling the inward obligations He has prescribed, such as loving Him and loving for His sake, fear, hope, repentance, and reliance upon Him; the bodily obligations, such as zakat and Hajj; and those combining both, such as prayer and similar acts. It also includes the various forms of recitation and remembrance, and every form of kindness to people through one’s wealth, knowledge, influence, physical effort, and sincere counsel to Allah’s servants. All these deeds draw one near to Allah. The servant continues drawing near to Allah through them until Allah loves him. When He loves him, He becomes the hearing with which he hears, the sight with which he sees, the hand with which he grasps, and the foot [with which] he walks; and Allah answers his supplications.

Then, among the acts of worship that draw one near to Him, He singled out striving in His cause. This means exerting one’s utmost effort in fighting the unbelievers through wealth, personal sacrifice, counsel, and speech, and striving to support Allah’s religion by every means within the servant’s ability. This is because such striving is among the noblest acts of obedience and the most excellent means of drawing near to Allah.

Moreover, one who fulfills this duty is all the more likely and better able to fulfill other duties. “So that you may succeed”—if you fear Allah by abandoning sins, seek the means of drawing near to Him by performing acts of obedience, and strive in His cause in pursuit of His pleasure.

Success means attaining and securing everything desired and escaping everything feared. Its true essence is everlasting happiness and enduring bliss.

﴿٣٥﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾ . هذا أمر من الله لعباده المؤمنين، بما يقتضيه الإيمان من تقوى الله والحذر من سخطه وغضبه، وذلك بأن يجتهد العبد، ويبذل غاية ما يمكنه من المقدور في اجتناب ما يَسخطه الله، من معاصي القلب واللسان والجوارح، الظاهرة والباطنة. ويستعين بالله على تركها، لينجو بذلك من سخط الله وعذابه. ﴿وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ﴾ أي: القرب منه، والحظوة لديه، والحب له، وذلك بأداء فرائضه القلبية، كالحب له وفيه، والخوف والرجاء، والإنابة والتوكل. والبدنية: كالزكاة والحج. والمركبة من ذلك كالصلاة ونحوها، من أنواع القراءة والذكر، ومن أنواع الإحسان إلى الخلق بالمال والعلم والجاه، والبدن، والنصح لعباد الله، فكل هذه الأعمال تقرب إلى الله. ولا يزال العبد يتقرب بها إلى الله حتى يحبه الله، فإذا أحبه كان سمعه الذي يسمع به، وبصره الذي يبصر به، ويده التي يبطش بها، ورجله التي يمشي [بها] ويستجيب الله له الدعاء. ثم خص ﵎ من العبادات المقربة إليه، الجهاد في سبيله، وهو: بذل الجهد في قتال الكافرين بالمال، والنفس، والرأي، واللسان، والسعي في نصر دين الله بكل ما يقدر عليه العبد، لأن هذا النوع من أجل الطاعات وأفضل القربات. ولأن من قام به، فهو على القيام بغيره أحرى وأولى ﴿لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾ إذا اتقيتم الله بترك المعاصي، وابتغيتم الوسيلة إلى الله، بفعل الطاعات، وجاهدتم في سبيله ابتغاء مرضاته. والفلاح هو الفوز والظفر بكل مطلوب مرغوب، والنجاة من كل مرهوب، فحقيقته السعادة الأبدية والنعيم المقيم.