Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (2/134)

Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-ṢāliḥīnIbn al-'Uthaymin

and then it rises over the people from the west. At that moment everyone will believe, repenting and turning back to Allah—but it will be of no benefit to them. Allah the Exalted says: “Are they waiting for anything except that the angels should come to them” – that is, at the moment of death – “or that your Lord should come” – meaning on the Day of Resurrection for the reckoning – “or that some of the signs of your Lord should come?” – namely, the sun’s rising from the west. “On the day that some of the signs of your Lord do come, no soul will profit from its faith if it had not believed before, nor from any good it had earned through its faith” (Al-Anʿam 6:158).

These, then, are the five conditions of repentance; it will not be accepted without them. So, my brother, hasten to repent to Allah and return to Him while you are still within the time of reprieve, before the chance slips away. Know that if you turn to Allah with sincere repentance, He will accept it from you, and He may even elevate you to a rank higher than the one you previously held. Consider your father Adam: Allah forbade him to eat from the tree, yet he disobeyed his Lord when Satan whispered to him. Allah the Exalted says: “Adam disobeyed his Lord and so erred; then his Lord chose him, turned to him in mercy, and guided him” (Ta-Ha 20:121–122). When Adam repented, he attained that divine choosing; Allah selected him and raised him to a station higher than before his sin, because the transgression produced within him shame and modesty before Allah, prompting him to return and turn wholeheartedly to Him. Thus his state afterward was loftier than it had been.

And realise that Allah is more overjoyed by the repentance of His believing servant than a man who, while travelling through a barren wilderness on his mount with his food and drink, loses the camel. He searches but cannot find it, then lies down beneath a tree awaiting death. Suddenly he sees the camel’s reins caught in the tree—Allah has restored it to him. He seizes the reins and, overwhelmed with joy, cries out, “O Allah…"

فتطلع على الناس من المغرب، فحينئذ يؤمن جميع الناس، يتوبون ويرجعون إلى الله، ولكن ذلك لا ينفعهم، قال الله تعالى: (هَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ) يعني عند الموت، (أَوْ يَأْتِيَ رَبُّكَ) يعني يوم القيامة للحساب، (أَوْ يَأْتِيَ بَعْضُ آيَاتِ رَبِّكَ) يعني طلوع الشمس من مغربها، (يَوْمَ يَأْتِي بَعْضُ آيَاتِ رَبِّكَ لا يَنْفَعُ نَفْساً إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْراً) (الأنعام: ١٥٨) . هذه خمسة شروط للتوبة، لا تقبل إلا بها، فعليك يا أخي أن تبادر بالتوبة إلى الله، والرجوع إليه، مادمت في زمن الإمهال، قبل ألا يحصل لك ذلك، واعلم أنك إذا تبت إلى الله توبة نصوحاً؛ فإن الله يتوب عليك، وربما يرفعك إلى منزلة أعلى من منزلتك، أنظر إلى أبيك أدم، حيث نهاه الله عن الأكل من الشجرة، فعصى ربه بوسوسة الشيطان له، قال الله تعالى: (وَعَصَى آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَى ثُمَّ اجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ وَهَدَى) (طه: ١٢١، ١٢٢) ، لما تاب نال الاجتباء. واجتباه الله، وصار في منزلة أعلى من قبل أن يعصي ربه، لأن المعصية أحدثت له خجلاً وحياء من الله، وأنابه إليه، ورجوعاً إليه، فصارت حاله أعلى حالاً من قبل. واعلم أن الله اشد فرحاً بتوبة عبده المؤمن من رجل كان على راحلته وعليها طعامه وشرابه في أرض فلاة، لا أحد فيها، فأضاع الناقة، وطلبها فلم يجدها، فنام تحت شجرة ينتظر الموت، فإذا بخطام ناقته متعلقاً بالشجرة، قد جاء الله بها، فأخذ بخطامها، وقال من شدة الفرح: (اللهم