Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (8/216)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

supplication—the greatest and most perfect—is the supplication of al-Fātihah:

“Guide us to the straight path—
the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have incurred Your anger or of those who have gone astray.”

For when Allah guides a servant to this path, He helps him obey Him and refrain from disobeying Him, so that no evil befalls him, either in this world or in the Hereafter. Sins are inseparable from the human soul, and the servant needs guidance at every moment. His need for guidance is greater than his need for food and drink, and it encompasses countless kinds of needs. This is why Allah has commanded this supplication in every prayer: the need for it is so immense.

Only someone who reflects on the state of his own soul and the souls of the humans and jinn commanded to make this supplication can appreciate something of its worth. When he sees the ignorance and wrongdoing within these souls, which bring about their misery in this world and the Hereafter, he realizes that Allah Most High, through His grace and mercy, has made this supplication one of the greatest means of bringing about good and preventing evil.

This is further clarified by the fact that Allah Most High [has never recounted anyone’s story to us in the Quran except for us to draw lessons from it] (1). Lessons can only be drawn when we compare the later case with the earlier one, [and the two share the same implications and ruling] (2). Were there not within people’s souls something of the same kind as that which was in the souls of those who denied the messengers—Pharaoh and those before him—we would have no need to draw lessons from people whom we do not resemble at all. Rather, the matter is as the Most High says:

“Nothing is said to you except what was already said to the messengers before you.”

He also says:

“Likewise, no messenger came to those before them without their saying, ‘A magician or a madman.’”

And the Most High says:

“Those before them said the same as they say. Their hearts are alike.”

And He says:

“They imitate the words of those who disbelieved before them.”

This is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

Shaykh Nāsir ibn Hamad al-Fahd states (p. 72): (1) “He has never recounted anyone’s story to us in the Quran except for us to consider it.” At 14/322, the reading is “except for us to draw lessons from it,” which is more plausible. (2) “And the two shared the same implications and ruling.” At 14/322, the reading is “and the two shared the same grounds for the ruling,” which is more plausible.

الدُّعَاءِ وَأَعْظَمُهُ وَأَحْكَمُهُ دُعَاءَ الْفَاتِحَةِ: {اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ} {صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ} . فَإِنَّهُ إذَا هَدَاهُ هَذَا الصِّرَاطَ أَعَانَهُ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ وَتَرْكِ مَعْصِيَتِهِ فَلَمْ يُصِبْهُ شَرٌّ لَا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَلَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ؛ وَالذُّنُوبُ مِنْ لَوَازِمِ النَّفْسِ؛ وَهُوَ مُحْتَاجٌ إلَى الْهُدَى كُلَّ لَحْظَةٍ؛ وَهُوَ إلَى الْهُدَى أَحْوَجُ مِنْهُ إلَى الْأَكْلِ وَالشُّرْبِ؛ وَيَدْخُلُ فِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْوَاعِ الْحَاجَاتِ مَا لَا يُمْكِنُ إحْصَاؤُهُ؛ وَلِهَذَا أَمَرَ بِهِ فِي كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ لِفَرْطِ الْحَاجَةِ إلَيْهِ، وَإِنَّمَا يَعْرِفُ بَعْضَ قَدْرِهِ مَنْ اعْتَبَرَ أَحْوَالَ نَفْسِهِ؛ وَنُفُوسِ الْإِنْسِ وَالْجِنِّ الْمَأْمُورِينَ بِهَذَا الدُّعَاءِ؛ وَرَأَى مَا فِيهَا مِنْ الْجَهْلِ وَالظُّلْمِ الَّذِي يَقْتَضِي شَقَاءَهَا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ؛ فَيَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بِفَضْلِهِ وَرَحْمَتِهِ جَعَلَ هَذَا الدُّعَاءَ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الْأَسْبَابِ الْمُقْتَضِيَةِ لِلْخَيْرِ الْمَانِعَةِ مِنْ الشَّرِّ. وَمِمَّا يُبَيِّنُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى [لَمْ يَقُصَّ عَلَيْنَا فِي الْقُرْآنِ قِصَّةَ أَحَدٍ إلَّا لِنَعْتَبِرَهَا] (١) وَإِنَّمَا يَكُونُ الِاعْتِبَارُ إذَا قِسْنَا الثَّانِيَ بِالْأَوَّلِ، [وَكَانَا مُشْتَرِكَيْنِ فِي الْمُقْتَضَى وَالْحُكْمِ] (٢) فَلَوْلَا أَنَّ فِي نُفُوسِ النَّاسِ مِنْ جِنْسِ مَا كَانَ فِي نُفُوسِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ لِلرُّسُلِ - فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَنْ قَبْلَهُ - لَمْ يَكُنْ بِنَا حَاجَةٌ إلَى الِاعْتِبَارِ بِمَنْ لَا نُشْبِهُهُ قَطُّ؛ لَكِنَّ الْأَمْرَ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {مَا يُقَالُ لَكَ إلَّا مَا قَدْ قِيلَ لِلرُّسُلِ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ} وَقَالَ: {كَذَلِكَ مَا أَتَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إلَّا قَالُوا سَاحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ} وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {كَذَلِكَ قَالَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِثْلَ قَوْلِهِمْ تَشَابَهَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ} وَقَالَ: {يُضَاهِئُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ} وَلِهَذَا قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

قال الشيخ ناصر بن حمد الفهد (ص ٧٢): (١) (لم يقص علينا في القرآن قصة أحد إلا لنعتبرها)، وفي ١٤/ ٣٢٢ (إلا لنعتبر بها) وهو الأظهر. (٢) (وكانا مشتركين في المقتضى والحكم)، وفي ١٤/ ٣٢٢ (وكانا مشتركين في المقتضي للحكم) وهو الأظهر.