Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (11/330)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

Secondly, we say:

Even if someone who performs extraordinary feats were to attain greater leadership and wealth than a religious person, he would, at most, become one king among others. Indeed, if he does not combine his kingship with religion, he is like Pharaoh, the leaders of the Ismāʿīliyya, and others of their kind. We have already explained that the worldly leadership kings attain through statecraft, courage, and generosity is greater than leadership attained through extraordinary feats alone, for the latter generally lasts only a short time.

Fifth: Religion benefits its adherent in this world and the Hereafter and protects him against harm in both, without his needing any accompanying unveiling of hidden matters or extraordinary influence. As for unveiling or extraordinary influence, unless accompanied by religion, they bring ruin upon their possessor in this world and the Hereafter. His ruin in the Hereafter results from his lack of religion, which consists in fulfilling obligations and abstaining from prohibitions. As for this world, extraordinary feats are perilous pursuits that people attain only by exposing their hearts, bodies, families, and wealth to danger. If someone follows the path of hunger and excessive ascetic discipline, he endangers his heart, his bodily constitution, and his religion. He may lose his reason, fall physically ill, and lose his religion.

If he follows the path of ecstatic derangement and mental confusion through renouncing desires, seeking contact with jinn spirits and a state in which souls lose awareness of their bodies—as do those among the Ahmadiyya who cultivate such derangement—he has deprived himself of his reason, squandered his wealth and livelihood, and brought the utmost misery upon himself. He has also exposed himself to Allah’s punishment in the Hereafter because of the obligations he has neglected and the prohibited acts he has committed. Likewise, if he seeks to subjugate the jinn through names and words used in oaths and adjurations, he has exposed himself to their punishment

ثُمَّ نَقُولُ ثَانِيًا: لَوْ كَانَ الْخَارِقُ يَنَالُهُ مِنْ الرِّيَاسَةِ وَالْمَالِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ صَاحِبِ الدِّينِ لَكَانَ غَايَتُهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَلِكًا مِنْ الْمُلُوكِ بَلْ مُلْكُهُ إنْ لَمْ يُقْرِنْهُ بِالدِّينِ فَهُوَ كَفِرْعَوْنَ وَكَمُقَدِّمِي الْإِسْمَاعِيلِيَّة وَنَحْوِهِمْ وَقَدْ قَدَّمْنَا أَنَّ رِيَاسَةَ الدُّنْيَا الَّتِي يَنَالُهَا الْمُلُوكُ بِسِيَاسَتِهِمْ وَشَجَاعَتِهِمْ وَإِعْطَائِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ الرِّيَاسَةِ بِالْخَارِقِ الْمُجَرَّدِ فَإِنَّ هَذِهِ أَكْثَرُ مَا يَكُونُ مُدَّةً قَرِيبَةً. الْخَامِسُ أَنَّ الدِّينَ يَنْفَعُ صَاحِبَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَيَدْفَعُ عَنْهُ مَضَرَّةَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَحْتَاجَ مَعَهُ إلَى كَشْفٍ أَوْ تَأْثِيرٍ. وَأَمَّا الْكَشْفُ أَوْ التَّأْثِيرُ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَقْتَرِنْ بِهِ الدِّينُ وَإِلَّا هَلَكَ صَاحِبُهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ أَمَّا فِي الْآخِرَةِ فَلِعَدَمِ الدِّينِ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدَاءُ الْوَاجِبَاتِ وَتَرْكُ الْمُحَرَّمَاتِ وَأَمَّا فِي الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّ الْخَوَارِقَ هِيَ مِنْ الْأُمُورِ الْخَطِرَةِ الَّتِي لَا تَنَالُهَا النُّفُوسُ إلَّا بِمُخَاطَرَاتِ فِي الْقَلْبِ وَالْجِسْمِ وَالْأَهْلِ وَالْمَالِ فَإِنَّهُ إنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقَ الْجُوعِ وَالرِّيَاضَةِ الْمُفْرِطَةِ خَاطَرَ بِقَلْبِهِ وَمِزَاجِهِ وَدِينِهِ وَرُبَّمَا زَالَ عَقْلُهُ وَمَرِضَ جِسْمُهُ وَذَهَبَ دِينُهُ. وإن سَلَكَ طَرِيقَ الْوَلَهِ وَالِاخْتِلَاطِ بِتَرْكِ الشَّهَوَاتِ لِيَتَّصِلَ بِالْأَرْوَاحِ الْجِنِّيَّةِ وَتَغِيبَ النُّفُوسُ عَنْ أَجْسَامِهَا - كَمَا يَفْعَلُهُ مُوَلِّهُو الْأَحْمَدِيَّةِ - فَقَدْ أَزَالَ عَقْلَهُ وَأَذْهَبَ مَالَهُ وَمَعِيشَتَهُ وَأَشْقَى نَفْسَهُ شَقَاءً لَا مَزِيدَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَرَّضَ نَفْسَهُ لِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لِمَا تَرَكَهُ مِنْ الْوَاجِبَاتِ وَمَا فَعَلَهُ مِنْ الْمُحَرَّمَاتِ وَكَذَلِكَ إنْ قَصَدَ تَسْخِيرَ الْجِنِّ بِالْأَسْمَاءِ وَالْكَلِمَاتِ مِنْ الْأَقْسَامِ وَالْعَزَائِمِ فَقَدْ عَرَّضَ نَفْسَهُ لِعُقُوبَتِهِمْ