Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (3/445)

Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-ṢāliḥīnIbn al-'Uthaymin

“…Today I have rewarded them for their patience; they are indeed the successful. He will say, ‘How many years did you remain on earth?’ They will answer, ‘We remained a day, or part of a day; ask those who keep count.’ He will say, ‘You stayed only a little—if you but knew. Did you think that We created you without purpose, and that you would not be returned to Us?’” (23:111–115)

[Commentary]
The author, Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Nawawī—may Allah have mercy on him—cites in his Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, in the chapter “Remembrance of Death and Shortening One’s Hopes,” the saying of Allah the Exalted:
“Spend from that which We have provided you before death comes to any one of you and he says, ‘My Lord, if only You would grant me respite for a short term so that I might give charity and be among the righteous.’ But Allah will never grant respite to a soul once its appointed time has arrived; and Allah is fully aware of what you do.” (63:10–11)

Allah commands us to give from what He has provided—that is, from what He has bestowed upon us—and He warns us of the inevitable: “before death comes to any one of you.” When that moment arrives, a person will regret not having spent and will say, “My Lord, if only You would delay me for a short while,” longing for Allah to defer him briefly “so that I might give charity and be among the righteous,” meaning: because of this postponement I would give alms and become one of the righteous.

Allah, exalted is He, says: “But Allah will never grant respite to a soul once its appointed time has arrived; and Allah is fully aware of what you do.” (63:11) When the appointed term arrives, a human being cannot be delayed even for a single instant; he must die at the very time that Allah—glorified be He—has fixed in accordance with His wisdom.

Thus, among people are those whose stay in this world is long and others whose stay is short; just as among people some are granted abundant provision and others little, some possess much knowledge and others less, some enjoy keen understanding and others weaker, and among them are

أَنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ) (أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثاً وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لا تُرْجَعُونَ) (المؤمنون: ٩٩-١١٥) [الشَّرْحُ] قال المؤلف ﵀ محيي الدين النووي في كتابه رياض الصالحين في باب ذكر الموت وقصر الأمل قوله تعالى: (وَأَنْفِقُوا مِنْ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلا أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ) (وَلَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْساً إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ) (المنافقون: ١٠-١١) . أمر الله بالإنفاق مما رزقنا، أي مما أعطانا، وحذرنا مما لابد منه: (مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ) وحينئذٍ يندم الإنسان على عدم الإنفاق ويقول: (رب لولا أخرتني إلى أجل قريب) يتمنى أن الله يؤخره إلى أجل قريب (فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ) يعني: فبسبب تأخيرك إياي أتصدق وأكن من الصالحين. قال الله ﷿: (وَلَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْساً إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ) (المنافقون: ١١) إذا جاء الأجل لا يمكن أن يتأخر الإنسان ولا لحظة واحدة، بل لابد أن يموت في المدة التي عيّنها الله ﷿ على حسب ما تقتضيه حكمته. فمن الناس من يطول بقاؤه في الدنيا، ومن الناس من يقصر، كما أن من الناس من يكثر رزقه، ومنهم من يقل، ومنهم من يكثر علمه، ومنهم من يقل، ومنهم من يقوى فهمه، ومنهم من يضعف، ومنهم من