Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/139)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Injustice (1) is to put something where it does not belong. He therefore imposes punishment only upon one who deserves it; never does He impose it (2) upon anyone who does good.

It is reported in the two Sahih collections (3) that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

(“Allah’s right hand is full; no expenditure diminishes it. It pours forth bounty night and day. Consider all that He has spent since He created the heavens and the earth: it has not diminished what is in His right hand. Justice is in His other hand; He withholds and bestows.”) (4)

He thus made clear (5) that He—Glorified is He—bestows bounty and acts justly, and that His action never departs from justice and benevolence. Hence it has been said: Every blessing from Him is grace, and every punishment from Him is justice.

For this reason, He informs us that He punishes people for their sins, whereas His bestowal of blessings upon them is an act of benevolence from Him. This is expressed in the authentic divine hadith:

“Allah Most High says: (‘O My servants, [I have forbidden injustice for Myself and made it forbidden among you, so do not wrong one another.] (6) These are only your deeds: I record them for you and then recompense you for them in full. So whoever—

(1) Ibn Taymiyya mentioned only one aspect above; perhaps what follows explains the second aspect. (2) A, B: “He does not impose punishment.” (3) N: “In the Sahih.” (4) According to *Lisān al-Arab*, the verb *sahha* is used of tears, rain, and water when they flow down from above in a heavy stream. In the hadith, “Allah’s right hand is *sahhā* (ever-pouring),” meaning that it continuously pours down and showers gifts. The hadith—with slight variations in wording—is narrated from Abū Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—in al-Bukhārī, 9/122–123, 124 (*Kitāb al-Tawhīd* [Book of Monotheism], chapter on the words of Allah Most High, “What I created with My two hands,” and chapter, “His Throne was upon the water”); Muslim, 3/690–691 (Book of Zakat, chapter encouraging charitable expenditure); *Sunan Ibn Mājah*, 1/71 (Introduction, chapter concerning what the Jahmiyya denied); and *al-Musnad*, 16/43–44 (al-Ma'arif ed.) and 2/500–501 (al-Halabī ed.). Ibn Khuzayma also narrated it in *Kitāb al-Tawhīd*, p. 47, Cairo, 1353 AH. (5) A, B: “It thus necessarily follows.” (6) The passage between square brackets is omitted from N and M.

وَالظُّلْمُ. (١) وَضْعُ الشَّيْءِ فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعِهِ، فَهُوَ لَا يَضَعُ الْعُقُوبَةَ إِلَّا فِي الْمَحَلِّ الَّذِي يَسْتَحِقُّهَا لَا يَضَعُهَا (٢) عَلَى مُحْسِنٍ أَبَدًا. وَفِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ (٣) عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: ( «يَمِينُ اللَّهِ مَلْأَى لَا يَغِيضُهَا نَفَقَةٌ سَحَّاءُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا أَنْفَقَ مُنْذُ خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَغِضْ مَا فِي يَمِينِهِ، وَالْقِسْطُ بِيَدِهِ الْأُخْرَى يَقْبِضُ، وَيَبْسُطُ» .) (٤) فَبَيَّنَ (٥) أَنَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ يُحْسِنُ، وَيَعْدِلُ، وَلَا يَخْرُجُ فِعْلُهُ عَنِ الْعَدْلِ، وَالْإِحْسَانِ، وَلِهَذَا قِيلَ: كُلُّ نِعْمَةٍ مِنْهُ فَضْلٌ، وَكُلُّ نِقْمَةٍ مِنْهُ عَدْلٌ. وَلِهَذَا يُخْبِرُ أَنَّهُ تَعَالَى يُعَاقِبُ النَّاسَ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ، وَأَنَّ إِنْعَامَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ إِحْسَانٌ مِنْهُ، كَمَا فِي الْحَدِيثِ الصَّحِيحِ الْإِلَهِيِّ: «يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (يَا عِبَادِي [إِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ الظُّلْمَ عَلَى نَفْسِي، وَجَعَلْتُهُ بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا، فَلَا تَظَالَمُوا] (٦) إِنَّمَا هِيَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ أُحْصِيهَا لَكُمْ، ثُمَّ أُوَفِّيكُمْ إِيَّاهَا، فَمَنْ

(١) لَمْ يَذْكُرِ ابْنُ تَيْمِيَّةَ فِيمَا سَبَقَ إِلَّا وَجْهًا وَاحِدًا وَلَعَلَّ مَا يَلِي فِيهِ بَيَانٌ لِلْوَجْهِ الثَّانِي. (٢) أ، ب: لَا يَضَعُ الْعُقُوبَةَ. (٣) ن: وَفِي الصَّحِيحِ. (٤) فِي اللِّسَانِ: سَحَّ الدَّمْعُ وَالْمَطَرُ وَالْمَاءُ يَسِحُّ سَحًّا وَسُحُوحًا أَيْ: سَالَ مِنْ فَوْقُ وَاشْتَدَّ انْصِبَابُهُ. وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: يَمِينُ اللَّهِ سَحَّاءُ. أَيْ دَائِمَةُ الصَّبِّ وَالْهَطْلِ بِالْعَطَاءِ. وَالْحَدِيثُ - مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ يَسِيرٍ فِي الْأَلْفَاظِ - عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -: الْبُخَارِيُّ ٩/١٢٢ - ١٢٣، ١٢٤ (كِتَابُ التَّوْحِيدِ، بَابُ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ، وَبَابُ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ) ؛ مُسْلِمٌ ٣/٦٩٠ - ٦٩١ (كِتَابُ الزَّكَاةِ، بَابُ الْحَثِّ عَلَى النَّفَقَةِ.) ؛ سُنَنَ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ١/٧١ (الْمُقَدِّمَةُ، بَابٌ فِيمَا أَنْكَرَتِ الْجَهْمِيَّةُ) ؛ الْمُسْنَدَ (ط. الْمَعَارِفِ) ١٦/٤٣ - ٤٤ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٢/٥٠٠ - ٥٠١. وَرَوَى ابْنُ خُزَيْمَةَ الْحَدِيثَ فِي كِتَابِ " التَّوْحِيدِ " ص ٤٧، الْقَاهِرَةَ ١٣٥٣. (٥) أ، ب: فَتَعَيَّنَ. (٦) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) .