Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (1/51)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

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Happiness in dealing with others lies in dealing with them for Allah’s sake: placing your hope in Allah in your dealings with them, not in them in your dealings with Allah; fearing Him in your dealings with them, not them in your dealings with Allah; doing good to them in hope of Allah’s reward, not their repayment; and refraining from wronging them out of fear of Allah, not of them.

As a report states:

“Place your hope in Allah in your dealings with people, and do not place your hope in people in your dealings with Allah. Fear Allah in your dealings with people, and do not fear people in your dealings with Allah.”

That is, do not perform any act of worship or devotion for their sake, whether in hope of their praise or fear of their criticism. Rather, place your hope in Allah, and do not fear them when acting for Allah’s sake, whether in what you do or what you refrain from doing. Instead, do what you have been commanded, even if they dislike it.

A hadith states:

“It is a sign of weak certainty to please people by incurring Allah’s displeasure, or to blame them for what Allah has not given you.”

For certainty encompasses certainty in carrying out Allah’s commands and in what Allah has promised those who obey Him. It also encompasses certainty concerning Allah’s decree, His creation, and His governance. If you please people by incurring Allah’s displeasure, you lack certainty in both His promise and His provision. What drives a person to this is either a desire for the worldly possessions in their hands, leading him to neglect Allah’s commands in his dealings with them because of what he hopes to receive from them; or weak belief in the victory, support, and reward that Allah has promised those who obey Him, in this world and the Hereafter. If you please Allah, He will grant you victory, provide for you, and spare you the burden of dealing with them. Pleasing them by incurring His displeasure arises only from fearing them and placing your hope in them.

This is a sign of weak certainty. And if what you expect them to do for you has not been decreed for you, then the matter rests with Allah, not with them

فَصْلٌ: وَالسَّعَادَةُ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ الْخَلْقِ: أَنْ تُعَامِلَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَتَرْجُوَ اللَّهَ فِيهِمْ وَلَا تَرْجُوَهُمْ فِي اللَّهِ وَتَخَافَهُ فِيهِمْ وَلَا تَخَافَهُمْ فِي اللَّهِ، وَتُحْسِنَ إلَيْهِمْ رَجَاءَ ثَوَابِ اللَّهِ لَا لِمُكَافَأَتِهِمْ وَتَكُفَّ عَنْ ظُلْمِهِمْ خَوْفًا مِنْ اللَّهِ لَا مِنْهُمْ. كَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ: " اُرْجُ اللَّهَ فِي النَّاسِ وَلَا تَرْجُ النَّاسَ فِي اللَّهِ وَخَفْ اللَّهَ فِي النَّاسِ وَلَا تَخَفْ النَّاسَ فِي اللَّهِ " أَيْ: لَا تَفْعَلْ شَيْئًا مِنْ أَنْوَاعِ الْعِبَادَاتِ وَالْقُرَبِ لِأَجْلِهِمْ لَا رَجَاءَ مَدْحِهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفًا مِنْ ذَمِّهِمْ بَلْ اُرْجُ اللَّهَ وَلَا تَخَفْهُمْ فِي اللَّهِ فِيمَا تَأْتِي وَمَا تَذْرُ بَلْ افْعَلْ مَا أُمِرْتَ بِهِ وَإِنْ كَرِهُوهُ. وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: {إنَّ مِنْ ضَعْفِ الْيَقِينِ أَنْ تُرْضِيَ النَّاسَ بِسَخَطِ اللَّهِ أَوْ تَذُمَّهُمْ عَلَى مَا لَمْ يُؤْتِكَ اللَّهُ} فَإِنَّ الْيَقِينَ يَتَضَمَّنُ الْيَقِينَ فِي الْقِيَامِ بِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ أَهْلَ طَاعَتِهِ وَيَتَضَمَّنُ الْيَقِينَ بِقَدَرِ اللَّهِ وَخَلْقِهِ وَتَدْبِيرِهِ فَإِذَا أَرْضَيْتَهُمْ بِسَخَطِ اللَّهِ لَمْ تَكُنْ مُوقِنًا لَا بِوَعْدِهِ وَلَا بِرِزْقِهِ فَإِنَّهُ إنَّمَا يَحْمِلُ الْإِنْسَانَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ إمَّا مَيْلٌ إلَى مَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ مِنْ الدُّنْيَا، فَيَتْرُكُ الْقِيَامَ فِيهِمْ بِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ؛ لِمَا يَرْجُوهُ مِنْهُمْ. وَإِمَّا ضَعْفُ تَصْدِيقٍ بِمَا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ أَهْلَ طَاعَتِهِ مِنْ النَّصْرِ وَالتَّأْيِيدِ وَالثَّوَابِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ فَإِنَّك إذَا أَرْضَيْتَ اللَّهَ نَصَرَكَ وَرَزَقَكَ وَكَفَاكَ مُؤْنَتَهُمْ فَإِرْضَاؤُهُمْ بِسَخَطِهِ إنَّمَا يَكُونُ خَوْفًا مِنْهُمْ وَرَجَاءً لَهُمْ؛ وَذَلِكَ مِنْ ضَعْفِ الْيَقِينِ وَإِذَا لَمْ يُقَدَّرْ لَك مَا تَظُنُّ أَنَّهُمْ يَفْعَلُونَهُ مَعَك: فَالْأَمْرُ فِي ذَلِكَ إلَى اللَّهِ لَا لَهُمْ