Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (2/477)

Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-ṢāliḥīnIbn al-'Uthaymin

praised. Allah—majestic and exalted— says: “And during a portion of the night, keep vigil with it as an extra act of devotion for you; perhaps (ʿasā) your Lord will raise you to a Praised Station” (al-Isrāʾ 17:79). Whenever the word ʿasā comes from Allah, it signifies certainty, whereas ʿasā from human beings merely conveys hope. So when you say, “ʿAsā Allahu an yahdiyanee (perhaps Allah will guide me),” or “ʿAsā Allahu an yaghfira lee (perhaps Allah will forgive me),” or “ʿAsā Allahu an yarḥamanee (perhaps Allah will have mercy on me),” that is a plea tinged with hope. But when Allah Himself says ʿasā, it is a promise. Hence the scholars state, “ʿAsā from Allah is obligatory,” as in His words: “It is possible (ʿasā) that Allah will pardon them” (al-Nisāʾ 4:99) and “It is possible (ʿasā) that Allah will bring about victory or a command from Him” (al-Māʾidah 5:52), and similar verses.

Thus Allah promised His Prophet ﷺ that He would raise him to the Praised Station—that is, a station for which the first and the last will praise him. This is proven from several angles, among them the hadith of intercession. On the Day of Resurrection people will be raised barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised: barefoot—without sandals; naked—without clothing; uncircumcised—meaning the foreskin removed for purification in circumcision will be restored, as Allah the Exalted says, “As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it” (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:104).

Allah will gather all creatures while the sun is only a mile above their heads. The terrors will be immense: they will watch the mountains pass away like drifting clouds until they become scattered dust. Overwhelmed by anguish and distress beyond endurance, they will say to one another, “Will you not look for someone to intercede for us with Allah?” They will go to Adam and ask him to intercede, but he will recall the sin that he committed.

That sin was that when Allah placed him and his wife in the Garden He said: “Eat freely thereof wherever you wish, but do not approach this tree, lest you become among the wrongdoers” (al-Baqarah 2:35)—a tree specifically designated by Allah, and we have no

محموداً فقال جل وعلا: (وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَكَ عَسَى أَنْ يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَاماً مَحْمُوداً) (الاسراء: ٧٩) ، وإذا جاءت "عسى" من الله فهي واجبة، بخلاف "عسى" من الخلق، فإنها للترجي. فإذا قلت: عسى الله أن يهديني، عسى الله أن يغفر لي، عسي الله أن يرحمني، فهذا رجاء. أما إذا قال الله " عسى" فهذا وعد لذلك قالوا: " عسى من الله واجبة" مثل قوله تعالى: (فَأُولَئِكَ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ) (النساء: ٩٩) ، وقوله (فَعَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ بِالْفَتْحِ أَوْ أَمْرٍ مِنْ عِنْدِه) (المائدة: ٥٢) ، وما أشبه ذلك. فالله ﷿ وعد نبيه ﷺ أن يبعثه مقاماً محموداً، أي مقاماً يحمد فيه الأولون والآخرون، وذل من عدة أوجه: منها حديث الشفاعة، فإن الناس يُبعثون يوم القيامة حفاة عراة غرلاً، حفاة ليس عليهم نعال، وعرأة ليس عليهم ثياب وغرلاً أي غير مختونين، يعني أن الجلدة التي تقطع في الختان للطهارة تعود يوم القيامة كما قال تعالى: (كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُعِيدُهُ) (الانبياء: ١٠٤) . فيجمع الله الخلائق، والشمس فوقهم قدر ميل، أهوال عظيمة، يشاهدون الجبال تمر مرّ السحاب، تكون هباءً منثوراً، فيلحقهم من الهمّ والغمّ ما لا يطيقون، فيقول بعضهم لبعض: ألا تطلبون من يشفع لنا عند الله، فيذهبون إلى آدم فيطلبونه للشفاعة، فيذكر خطيئته التي وقعت منه. والخطيئة التي وقعت منه هي أن الله ﷾ قال له ولزوجه حين أسكنهما الجنة: (وَكُلا مِنْهَا رَغَداً حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلا تَقْرَبَا هَذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ) (البقرة: ٣٥) ، شجرة عيَّنها الله ﷿ وليس لنا في معرفة