Hidāyat al-Ḥayārā - Ibn al-Qayyim - (الكتاب/141)

Hidāyat al-ḤayārāIbn al-Qayyim

and that he would remind them of everything Christ had said. It is obvious that this can only occur if he bears witness to him with a testimony that people can actually hear; it cannot be something hidden away in the hearts of a small, obscure group.

No one ever bore such a public testimony to Christ except Muhammad ﷺ. He made Christ’s true status manifest and bore witness to him with truth until people across the whole earth heard his testimony. They came to know that he affirmed Christ and cleared him of the slanders the Jews invented against him and of the excess to which the Christians went. He, then, is the one who testified to him in truth.

For this reason, when the Negus heard from the Companions the testimony Muhammad ﷺ had given concerning Christ, he said, “Jesus has not added to what you have said by so much as this stick.” Allah thereafter made the nation of Muhammad ﷺ witnesses over mankind: they testify about people according to the truth they have come to know, for they are a balanced, upright community that does not bear false witness. A witness must be just—unlike someone who deviates in his testimony by adding to, or subtracting from, the truth, such as the Jews’ testimony to the Christians about Christ.

Moreover, if the meaning of “Paraclete” is “the Praiser,” “the one who praises abundantly,” “the praised one,” or “praise” itself (1), this description is clearly fulfilled in Muhammad ﷺ. He and his community are the ḥammādūn, those who praise Allah in every circumstance. He is the bearer of the Banner of Praise, and praise is the opening of both his sermons and his prayer. Because he was profuse in praise (ḥammād), he was given a name derived from that very quality: Muḥammad—on the same pattern as mukarram (honored), muʿaẓẓam (venerated), and muqaddas (sanctified). He is the one who is praised more than anyone else and who most deserves it. Since he praised Allah abundantly, he was Muḥammad. Ḥassān composed:

A radiant one upon whose hand rests the seal of prophecy—
A blessed gift from God, gleaming forth and bearing witness.

(1) In the “G” manuscript, the reading is: “Muhammad.”

شيء، وأنَّه يذكرهم كلَّ ما قال المسيحُ. ومعلومٌ أنَّ هذا لا يكون إلا إذا شهد له شهادةً يسمعها الناس، لا يكون هذا في قلب طائفةٍ قليلةٍ. ولم يشهد أحدٌ للمسيِح شهادةً سمعها عامَّةُ الناس إلا محمد ﷺ، فإنه أظْهَرَ أمْرَ المسيحِ، وشهِدَ له بالحقِّ حتي سمع شهادتَهُ له عامةُ أهلِ الأرض، وعلموا أنَّه صدَّقَ المسيح ونزَّهه عمَّا افترته عليه اليهود وما غَلَتْ فيه النصاري، فهو الذي شهد له بالحقِّ. ولهذا لمَّا سمع النَّجاشيُّ من الصحابة ما شهد به محمد ﷺ للمسيح قال لهم: ما زاد عيسي علي ما قلتُم هذا العودَ. وجعل الله أمةَ محمدٍ ﷺ شُهَدَاءَ علي النَّاسِ، شهدوا عليهم بما علموا من الحقِّ، إذْ كانوا وَسَطًا عدولًا، لا يشهدون بباطلٍ، فإن الشاهد لا يكون إلا عدلًا، بخلاف مَنْ جارَ في شهادتِه فزادَ علي الحقِّ، أو نَقَصَ منه، كشهادة اليهود للنصاري في المسيح. وأيضًا: فإنَّ معني "الفارقليط" إنْ كان هو الحامد أو الحمَّاد، أو المحمود، أو الحمد (١)، فهذا الوصفُ ظاهرٌ في محمد ﷺ، فإنه وأمَّتَهُ الحمَّادون الذين يَحْمَدُون الله علي كلِّ حالٍ، وهو صاحبُ لواءِ الحَمْد، والحمدُ مفتاح خطبتِه ومفتاحُ صلاتِه، ولمَّا كان حمَّادًا سُمِّي بمثل وَصْفِه، فهو محمَّد -وزن مكرَّم ومعظَّم ومقدَّس- وهو الذي يُحْمَدُ أكثرَ ممَّا يحمد غيره ويستحقُّ ذلك، فلمَّا كان حَمَّادًا لله كان محمدًا. وفي شعر حَسَّان: أَغَرُّ عليه للنُّبوَّةِ خَاتَمٌ … مِنَ اللهِ مَيْمُونٌ يَلُوحُ ويَشْهَدُ

(١) في "غ": "محمد".