Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (1/41)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

through reciprocal exchange—for buyers and sellers, partners, and spouses each need one another; a master needs his slaves, and they need him; kings need their soldiers, and the soldiers need them; and this is the basis on which the affairs of the world are ordered—or through the good you do them.

When your relatives, friends, and others honor you for your own sake, they love and honor you only because of the honor they gain through you personally. If you were to turn away, they would turn away from you and abandon you. In reality, they love only themselves and their own interests.

Among all these people, from kings to those beneath them, you may find someone who is a master obeyed by others, yet in reality he is himself an obedient servant. If any of them suffers harm because of his master or someone he obeys, the relationship changes according to the circumstances. Whenever you need them, their love, honor, and esteem diminish in proportion to that need, even if they meet it.

As for the Lord, Most High, it is impossible for any created being to recompense Him or bestow a favor upon Him. This is why the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would say when his meal was cleared away:

“All praise is due to Allah—abundant, good, and blessed praise. Our Lord needs no one to provide for Him; His favors are never denied, He is never forsaken, and we can never do without Him.”

Al-Bukhārī related this from Abū Umāmah.

Rather, Allah alone is always the One who bestows blessings and favors upon His servant, with no partner in this. Indeed, every blessing enjoyed by all created beings comes from Allah. The servant’s happiness lies in his complete dependence upon Allah and need of Him, and in recognizing and understanding this and conducting himself accordingly—that is, in accordance with his knowledge of it.

A person may become poor without knowing it: his wealth may be lost while he remains unaware, thinking that it is still there. Once he learns that it is gone, his state changes. Likewise, all created beings are in need of Allah. Yet the people of disbelief and hypocrisy are ignorant and heedless of this, turning away from remembering it and acting upon it. The believer, however, acknowledges it and acts in accordance with that acknowledgment. These are the servants of Allah.

بِطْرِيقِ الْمُعَاوَضَةِ؛ لِأَنَّ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ الْمُتَبَايِعَيْنِ وَالْمُتَشَارِكَيْن وَالزَّوْجَيْنِ مُحْتَاجٌ إلَى الْآخَرِ، وَالسَّيِّدُ مُحْتَاجٌ إلَى مَمَالِيكِهِ وَهُمْ مُحْتَاجُونَ إلَيْهِ، وَالْمُلُوكُ مُحْتَاجُونَ إلَى الْجُنْدِ وَالْجُنْدُ مُحْتَاجُونَ إلَيْهِمْ، وَعَلَى هَذَا بُنِيَ أَمْرُ الْعَالَمِ، وَأَمَّا بِطَرِيقِ الْإِحْسَانِ مِنْكَ إلَيْهِمْ. فَأَقْرِبَاؤُكَ وَأَصْدِقَاؤُكَ وَغَيْرُهُمْ إذَا أَكْرَمُوكَ لِنَفْسِكَ، فَهُمْ إنَّمَا يُحِبُّونَكَ وَيُكْرِمُونَكَ لِمَا يَحْصُلُ لَهُمْ بِنَفْسِكَ مِنْ الْكَرَامَةِ، فَلَوْ قَدْ وَلَّيْتَ وَلُّوا عَنْكَ وَتَرَكُوكَ فَهُمْ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ إنَّمَا يُحِبُّونَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ، وَأَغْرَاضَهُمْ. فَهَؤُلَاءِ كُلُّهُمْ مِنْ الْمُلُوكِ إلَى مَنْ دُونَهُمْ تَجِدُ أَحَدَهُمْ سَيِّدًا مُطَاعًا وَهُوَ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ عَبْدٌ مُطِيعٌ وَإِذَا أُوذِيَ أَحَدُهُمْ بِسَبَبِ سَيِّدِهِ أَوْ مَنْ يُطِيعُهُ تَغَيَّرَ الْأَمْرُ بِحَسْبِ الْأَحْوَالِ، وَمَتَى كَنْتَ مُحْتَاجًا إلَيْهِمْ نَقَصَ الْحُبُّ وَالْإِكْرَامُ وَالتَّعْظِيمُ بِحَسْبِ ذَلِكَ وَإِنْ قَضَوْا حَاجَتَكَ. وَالرَّبُّ تَعَالَى: يَمْتَنِعُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْمَخْلُوقُ الآخرين لَهُ أَوْ مُتَفَضِّلًا عَلَيْهِ؛ وَلِهَذَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ إذَا رُفِعَتْ مَائِدَتُهُ: {الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ حَمْدًا كَثِيرًا طَيِّبًا مُبَارَكًا فِيهِ غَيْرَ مَكْفِيٍّ وَلَا مَكْفُورٍ وَلَا مُوَدَّعٍ وَلَا مُسْتَغْنًى عَنْهُ رَبَّنَا} رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي أمامة بَلْ وَلَا يَزَالُ اللَّهُ هُوَ الْمُنْعِمُ الْمُتَفَضِّلُ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ؛ بَلْ مَا بِالْخَلْقِ كُلِّهِمْ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ فَمِنْ اللَّهِ؛ وَسَعَادَةُ الْعَبْدِ فِي كَمَالِ افْتِقَارِهِ إلَى اللَّهِ، وَاحْتِيَاجِهِ إلَيْهِ، وَأَنْ يَشْهَدَ ذَلِكَ وَيَعْرِفَهُ وَيَتَّصِفَ مَعَهُ بِمُوجَبِهِ، أَيْ بِمُوجَبِ عِلْمِهِ ذَلِكَ. فَإِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ قَدْ يَفْتَقِرُ وَلَا يَعْلَمُ مِثْلَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ مَالُهُ وَلَا يَعْلَمُ، بَلْ يَظُنُّهُ بَاقِيًا فَإِذَا عَلِمَ بِذَهَابِهِ صَارَ لَهُ حَالٌ آخَرُ، فَكَذَلِكَ الْخَلْقُ كُلُّهُمْ فُقَرَاءُ إلَى اللَّهِ، لَكِنَّ أَهْلَ الْكُفْرِ وَالنِّفَاقِ فِي جَهْلٍ بِهَذَا وَغَفْلَةٍ عَنْهُ وَإِعْرَاضٍ عَنْ تَذَكُّرِهِ وَالْعَمَلِ بِهِ، وَالْمُؤْمِنُ يُقِرُّ بِذَلِكَ وَيَعْمَلُ بِمُوجَبِ إقْرَارِهِ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ هُمْ عِبَادُ اللَّهِ.