Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (1/182)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

you will encounter. Even if all creation strove to harm you, they could harm you only with something Allah had decreed for you. If you can act for Allah’s sake with contentment and certainty, then do so. If you cannot, there is much good in patiently enduring what you dislike.”

This hadith is well known and widely circulated, though it is sometimes narrated in an abridged form. His words,

“When you ask, ask Allah; and when you seek help, seek help from Allah,”

are among the most authentically transmitted sayings from him.

Ahmad’s Musnad relates that when Abū Bakr al-Siddīq’s whip fell from his hand, he would not ask anyone to hand it to him. He would say, “My dear friend instructed me not to ask people for anything.”

Sahīh Muslim relates from ‘Awf ibn Mālik that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took a pledge from a group of his Companions and quietly confided an instruction to them: “Do not ask people for anything.” ‘Awf said, “I have seen some of those men drop their whips without asking anyone to hand them back.”

The two Sahīh collections relate that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Seventy thousand of my community will enter Paradise without being brought to account.” He also said, “They are those who do not seek healing recitations from others, do not resort to cauterization, do not take omens, and put their trust in their Lord.”

He praised these people for not seeking healing recitations—that is, they do not ask anyone to perform such recitations for them. Healing recitation is a form of supplication, so they do not ask anyone to do this for them. The wording “nor do they perform healing recitations” has also been transmitted, but it is an error: performing such recitations for others and for oneself is a good deed. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to perform healing recitations for himself and for others, but he did not ask others to perform them for him. His recitations for himself and for others were a form of supplication for himself and for others, and this is commanded. All the prophets asked Allah and supplicated to Him, as Allah mentions in the accounts of Adam, Abraham, Moses, and others.

أَنْتَ لَاقٍ فَلَوْ جَهِدَتْ الْخَلِيقَةُ عَلَى أَنْ يَضُرُّوك لَمْ يَضُرُّوك إلَّا بِشَيْءِ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْك فَإِنْ اسْتَطَعْت أَنْ تَعْمَلَ لِلَّهِ بِالرِّضَا مَعَ الْيَقِينِ فَافْعَلْ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَإِنَّ فِي الصَّبْرِ عَلَى مَا تَكْرَهُ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا} وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مَعْرُوفٌ مَشْهُورٌ؛ وَلَكِنْ قَدْ يُرْوَى مُخْتَصَرًا. وَقَوْلُهُ {إذَا سَأَلْت فَاسْأَلْ اللَّهَ وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْت فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاَللَّهِ} هُوَ مِنْ أَصَحِّ مَا رُوِيَ عَنْهُ. وَفِي الْمُسْنَدِ لِأَحْمَدَ أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الصَّدِيقَ كَانَ يَسْقُطُ السَّوْطُ مِنْ يَدِهِ فَلَا يَقُولُ لِأَحَدٍ نَاوِلْنِي إيَّاهُ وَيَقُولُ: إنَّ خَلِيلِي أَمَرَنِي أَنْ لَا أَسْأَلَ النَّاسَ شَيْئًا. وَفِي صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ عَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ {أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَايَعَ طَائِفَةً مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ وَأَسَرَّ إلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَةً خَفِيَّةً: أَنْ لَا تَسْأَلُوا النَّاسَ شَيْئًا. قَالَ عَوْفٌ: فَقَدْ رَأَيْت بَعْضَ أُولَئِكَ النَّفَرِ يَسْقُطُ السَّوْطُ مِنْ يَدِهِ فَلَا يَقُولُ لِأَحَدٍ نَاوِلْنِي إيَّاهُ.} وَفِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ {يَدْخُلُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي الْجَنَّةَ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ وَقَالَ: هُمْ الَّذِينَ لَا يسترقون وَلَا يَكْتَوُونَ وَلَا يَتَطَيَّرُونَ وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ} فَمَدَحَ هَؤُلَاءِ بِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يسترقون أَيْ لَا يَطْلُبُونَ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَنْ يَرْقِيَهُمْ. وَالرُّقْيَةُ مِنْ جِنْسِ الدُّعَاءِ فَلَا يَطْلُبُونَ مِنْ أَحَدٍ ذَلِكَ. وَقَدْ رُوِيَ فِيهِ " وَلَا يَرْقُونَ " وَهُوَ غَلَطٌ فَإِنَّ رقياهم لِغَيْرِهِمْ وَلِأَنْفُسِهِمْ حَسَنَةٌ وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَرْقِي نَفْسَهُ وَغَيْرَهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يَسْتَرْقِي فَإِنَّ رُقْيَتَهُ نَفْسَهُ وَغَيْرَهُ مِنْ جِنْسِ الدُّعَاءِ لِنَفْسِهِ وَلِغَيْرِهِ وَهَذَا مَأْمُورٌ بِهِ فَإِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ كُلَّهُمْ سَأَلُوا اللَّهَ وَدَعَوْهُ كَمَا ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ فِي قِصَّةِ آدَمَ وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَغَيْرِهِمْ.