Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (1/195)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

Thus, what Allah and His Messenger have prescribed entails affirming Allah’s oneness, justice, kindness, sincerity, and the well-being of His servants in this life and the Hereafter. By contrast, innovative acts of worship that Allah and His Messenger have not prescribed entail associating partners with Allah, wrongdoing, harm, and the corruption of His servants in this life and the Hereafter.

Allah Most High commanded the believers to worship Him and show kindness to His servants, as He said:

“Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and be good to parents and relatives.”

This is a command to cultivate noble character. He, glorified be He, loves noble character and dislikes base character.

It has been reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“I was sent only to perfect noble character.”

Al-Hākim narrated this in his Sahīh. It is also established in the Sahīh that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The upper hand is better than the lower hand.”

He also said:

“The upper hand is the giving hand, and the lower hand is the begging hand.”

This too is established from him in the Sahīh.

What comparison is there between showing kindness to Allah’s servants and troubling them with requests and begging? What comparison is there between affirming the Creator’s oneness—by turning to Him with longing, placing one’s hope in Him, relying upon Him, and loving Him—and associating partners with Him by turning to a created being with longing, placing one’s hope in that being, relying upon it, and loving it as one loves Allah? And what comparison is there between a servant’s well-being through servitude to Allah, humbling himself before Him, and being in need of Him, and his corruption through servitude to a created being, humbling himself before it, and being in need of it?

The Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, therefore commanded those three virtuous, praiseworthy kinds of conduct that set right the affairs of those who practise them in this world and the Hereafter. He forbade the three kinds that corrupt the affairs of those who practise them.

فَاَلَّذِي شَرَعَهُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ تَوْحِيدٌ وَعَدْلٌ وَإِحْسَانٌ وَإِخْلَاصٌ وَصَلَاحٌ لِلْعِبَادِ فِي الْمَعَاشِ وَالْمَعَادِ وَمَا لَمْ يَشْرَعْهُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ مِنْ الْعِبَادَاتِ الْمُبْتَدَعَةِ فِيهِ شِرْكٌ وَظُلْمٌ وَإِسَاءَةٌ وَفَسَادُ الْعِبَادِ فِي الْمَعَاشِ وَالْمَعَادِ. فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِعِبَادَتِهِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ إلَى عِبَادِهِ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَاعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إحْسَانًا وَبِذِي الْقُرْبَى} وَهَذَا أَمْرٌ بِمَعَالِي الْأَخْلَاقِ وَهُوَ سُبْحَانَهُ يُحِبُّ مَعَالِيَ الْأَخْلَاقِ وَيَكْرَهُ سَفْسَافَهَا. وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: {إنَّمَا بُعِثْت لِأُتَمِّمَ مَكَارِمَ الْأَخْلَاقِ} رَوَاهُ الْحَاكِمُ فِي صَحِيحِهِ وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ عَنْهُ فِي الصَّحِيحِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: {الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى} وَقَالَ: {الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا هِيَ الْمُعْطِيَةُ وَالْيَدُ السُّفْلَى السَّائِلَةُ} وَهَذَا ثَابِتٌ عَنْهُ فِي الصَّحِيحِ. فَأَيْنَ الْإِحْسَانُ إلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ مِنْ إيذَائِهِمْ بِالسُّؤَالِ وَالشِّحَاذَةِ لَهُمْ؟ وَأَيْنَ التَّوْحِيدُ لِلْخَالِقِ بِالرَّغْبَةِ إلَيْهِ وَالرَّجَاءِ لَهُ وَالتَّوَكُّلِ عَلَيْهِ وَالْحُبِّ لَهُ مِنْ الْإِشْرَاكِ بِهِ بِالرَّغْبَةِ إلَى الْمَخْلُوقِ وَالرَّجَاءِ لَهُ وَالتَّوَكُّلِ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْ يُحِبَّ كَمَا يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ، وَأَيْنَ صَلَاحُ الْعَبْدِ فِي عُبُودِيَّةِ اللَّهِ وَالذُّلِّ لَهُ وَالِافْتِقَارِ إلَيْهِ مِنْ فَسَادِهِ فِي عُبُودِيَّةِ الْمَخْلُوقِ وَالذُّلِّ لَهُ وَالِافْتِقَارِ إلَيْهِ؟ فَالرَّسُولُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَ بِتِلْكَ الْأَنْوَاعِ الثَّلَاثَةِ الْفَاضِلَةِ الْمَحْمُودَةِ الَّتِي تُصْلِحُ أُمُورَ أَصْحَابِهَا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَنَهَى عَنْ الْأَنْوَاعِ الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّتِي تُفْسِدُ أُمُورَ أَصْحَابِهَا.