Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (11/84)

character; it is not dry asceticism.

[Another example is the saying of Abū Ismā‘īl al-Ansārī: “Chivalry means welcoming those who seek you, honouring those who harm you, and treating kindly those who mistreat you—with generosity rather than suppressed anger, and affection rather than mere patient endurance.”] (*).

It is reported that Ahmad ibn Hanbal—may Allah be pleased with him—said: “Chivalry means abandoning what you desire because of what you fear.” As Allah Most High says:

“But as for him who feared standing before his Lord and restrained himself from desire.”

Whoever calls people to the noble qualities of character to which Allah and His Messenger have called them is doing good, whether or not he calls this chivalry. Whoever introduces into Allah’s religion something that does not belong to it will have it rejected. Usually, however, they include forbidden practices in chivalry. They must therefore be forbidden to engage in these and instructed to do what Allah and His Messenger have commanded, just as they must be forbidden to engage in the clothing and drink-giving practices, to attribute these to ‘Alī—may Allah be pleased with him—and to do similar things.

(*) Shaykh Nāsir ibn Hamad al-Fahd stated (p. 96): “This text contains transcription errors in both passages: in the first, ‘draw close to whoever seeks you’; in the second, ‘affection, not musāra.’ The wording in Madārij al-sālikīn, 2:345, is: ‘The second degree: draw close to whoever distances himself from you, honor whoever harms you, and apologize to whoever wrongs you—out of magnanimity, not merely suppressing anger, and affection, not forced endurance.’”

الْأَخْلَاقِ؛ لَيْسَ هُوَ النُّسُكُ الْيَابِسُ. [وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُ أَبِي إسْمَاعِيلَ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ: الْفُتُوَّةُ أَنْ تُقَرِّبَ مَنْ يَقْصِدُك وَتُكْرِمَ مَنْ يُؤْذِيك وَتُحْسِنَ إلَى مَنْ يُسِيءُ إلَيْك سَمَاحَةً لَا كَظْمًا وَمُوَادَّةً لَا مُصَابَرَةً] (*) . وَنُقِلَ عَنْ أَحْمَد بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: الْفُتُوَّةُ تَرْكُ مَا تَهْوَى لِمَا تَخْشَى. كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى} فَمَنْ دَعَا إلَى مَا دَعَا إلَيْهِ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ مِنْ مَكَارِمِ الْأَخْلَاقِ كَانَ مُحْسِنًا سَوَاءٌ سُمِّيَ ذَلِكَ فُتُوَّةً أَوْ لَمْ يُسَمَّه وَمَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ. وَالْغَالِبُ أَنَّهُمْ يُدْخِلُونَ فِي الْفُتُوَّةِ أُمُورًا يُنْهَى عَنْهَا فَيُنْهَوْنَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَيُؤْمَرُونَ بِمَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ كَمَا يُنْهَوْنَ عَنْ الْإِلْبَاسِ وَالْإِسْقَاءِ. وَإِسْنَادُ ذَلِكَ إلَى عَلِيٍّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - وَأَمْثَالُ ذَلِكَ.

(*) قال الشيخ ناصر بن حمد الفهد (ص ٩٦): ووقع في هذا النص بعض تصحيف في الموضعين، في النص الأول: (تقرب من يقصدك)، وفي النص الثاني: (ومودة لا مصارة)، والعبارة كما في (مدارج السالكين) ٢/ ٣٤٥: الدرجة الثانية: أن تقرب من يقصيك، وتكرم من يؤذيك، وتعتذر إلى من يجني عليك، سماحة لا كضما، ومودة لا مصابرة).