Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (8/191)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

the authentic hadith:

“He has tasted the sweetness of faith who is content with Allah as his Lord, Islam as his religion, and Muhammad as his Prophet.”

A person should be content with the afflictions Allah decrees for him that are not sins, such as being tried with poverty, illness, humiliation, or harm inflicted by others. Patience in the face of affliction is obligatory. Contentment with it is prescribed, but is it obligatory or recommended? The followers of Ahmad and others hold “two views” on this; the sounder view is that it is recommended, not obligatory.

It is well known that the strongest bonds of faith are love for Allah’s sake and hatred for Allah’s sake. Allah has commanded us to enjoin what is right, love it, be pleased with it, and love those who practise it; and to forbid what is wrong, hate it, be displeased with it, hate those who practise it, and strive against them with our hands, tongues, and hearts. How, then, could we imagine that there is nothing among created things that we should hate and dislike? After mentioning various prohibitions, Allah Most High says:

“The evil of all this is hateful in the sight of your Lord.”

If Allah dislikes these things, although He is the One who decreed them, how could those whom He has commanded to dislike and hate them fail to do so? He is the One who says:

“And He has made disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience hateful to you. Those are the rightly guided.”

Allah Most High also says:

“That is because they followed what angered Allah and disliked His good pleasure, so He rendered their deeds worthless.”

Allah Most High says:

“So when they angered Us, We exacted retribution from them.”

And Allah Most High says:

“Allah became angry with them and cursed them.”

Allah Most High also says:

“They hide from people, but they cannot hide from Allah. He is with them when they plot by night to say things that do not please Him.”

He thus states that some of what is actually said does not please Him.

الْحَدِيثِ الصَّحِيحِ {ذَاقَ طَعْمَ الْإِيمَانِ مَنْ رَضِيَ بِاَللَّهِ رَبًّا وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا وَبِمُحَمَّدِ نَبِيًّا} . وَيَنْبَغِي لِلْإِنْسَانِ أَنْ يَرْضَى بما يُقَدِّرُهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ الْمَصَائِبِ الَّتِي لَيْسَتْ ذُنُوبًا مِثْلَ أَنْ يَبْتَلِيَهُ بِفَقْرِ أَوْ مَرَضٍ أَوْ ذُلٍّ وَأَذَى الْخَلْقِ لَهُ فَإِنَّ الصَّبْرَ عَلَى الْمَصَائِبِ وَاجِبٌ وَأَمَّا الرِّضَا بِهَا فَهُوَ مَشْرُوعٌ لَكِنْ هَلْ هُوَ وَاجِبٌ أَوْ مُسْتَحَبٌّ؟ عَلَى " قَوْلَيْنِ " لِأَصْحَابِ أَحْمَد وَغَيْرِهِمْ: أَصَحُّهُمَا أَنَّهُ مُسْتَحَبٌّ لَيْسَ بِوَاجِبِ. وَمِنْ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ أَوْثَقَ عُرَى الْإِيمَانِ الْحُبُّ فِي اللَّهِ وَالْبُغْضُ فِي اللَّهِ وَقَدْ أَمَرَنَا اللَّهُ أَنْ نَأْمُرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنُحِبَّهُ وَنَرْضَاهُ وَنُحِبَّ أَهْلَهُ وَنَنْهَى عَنْ الْمُنْكَرِ وَنُبْغِضَهُ وَنَسْخَطَهُ وَنُبْغِضَ أَهْلَهُ وَنُجَاهِدَهُمْ بِأَيْدِينَا وَأَلْسِنَتِنَا وَقُلُوبِنَا فَكَيْفَ نَتَوَهَّمُ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ مَا نُبْغِضُهُ وَنَكْرَهُهُ وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى لَمَّا ذَكَرَ مَا ذَكَرَ مِنْ الْمَنْهِيَّاتِ: {كُلُّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ سَيِّئُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ مَكْرُوهًا} فَإِذَا كَانَ اللَّهُ يَكْرَهُهَا وَهُوَ الْمُقَدِّرُ لَهَا فَكَيْفَ لَا يَكْرَهُهَا مَنْ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَكْرَهَهَا وَيُبْغِضَهَا وَهُوَ الْقَائِلُ: {وَكَرَّهَ إلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ} وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ اتَّبَعُوا مَا أَسْخَطَ اللَّهَ وَكَرِهُوا رِضْوَانَهُ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ} وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {فَلَمَّا آسَفُونَا انْتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ} وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَنَهُمْ} وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَهُوَ مَعَهُمْ إذْ يُبَيِّتُونَ مَا لَا يَرْضَى مِنَ الْقَوْلِ} فَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّ مِنْ الْقَوْلِ الْوَاقِعِ مَا لَا يَرْضَاهُ.