Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/318)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and obeying Him. The same applies to all the other accounts of the prophets in the Quran.

Joseph—peace be upon him—was harmed by his brothers only because their father favored him. Their envy concerned a worldly share desired by the soul, not religion. Consequently, his steadfastness before the woman who sought to seduce him, and under the imprisonment imposed by those who jailed him on that account, was of greater merit than his patience under the harm inflicted by his brothers. The former was steadfast adherence to piety toward Allah by his own choice, so that he would not commit what was forbidden; the latter was patience under harm inflicted by others without his choosing. The latter is akin to the patience of someone afflicted by a calamity, whereas the former is akin to the steadfastness of a believer before those who command him to commit sins and invite him to them: he remains steadfast in obeying Allah and refraining from disobeying Him, and overcomes his whims and desires. This is superior.

As for the steadfastness of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and our Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them—under the harm and hostility of the disbelievers because of their faith in Allah and His Messenger, that is superior to all of this (1). Just as affirming Allah’s oneness and having faith are superior to merely refraining from fornication, and just as [those] (2) acts of obedience are greater, steadfastness in upholding them and in facing the hostility directed at those who practice them is also greater.

Furthermore, those people sought by every means to kill and destroy anyone who believed; they had no love whatsoever for the believers. Joseph, by contrast, was tested only with imprisonment (3). The woman loved him and therefore did not punish him with anything beyond that.

As for His statement, Exalted is He:

“We relate to you the finest narration” [Surah Joseph: 3],

this applies whether qasas is the verbal noun of qassa–yaqussu–qasasan (to narrate), or whether it denotes the object narrated—that is, the finest

(1) N, M: “that.” (2) “That” is omitted in N. (3) N: “with beauty.”

وَطَاعَتِهِ، وَهَكَذَا سَائِرُ قَصَصِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ الَّتِي فِي الْقُرْآنِ. وَيُوسُفُ - عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ - إِنَّمَا آذَاهُ إِخْوَتُهُ لِتَقْرِيبِ أَبِيهِ لَهُ، حَسَدًا عَلَى حَظٍّ مِنْ حُظُوظِ الْأَنْفُسِ، لَا عَلَى دِينٍ. وَلِهَذَا كَانَ صَبْرُهُ عَلَى الَّتِي رَاوَدَتْهُ، وَحَبْسِ الَّذِينَ حَبَسُوهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، أَفْضَلَ لَهُ مِنْ صَبْرِهِ عَلَى أَذَى إِخْوَتِهِ، فَإِنَّ هَذَا صَبْرٌ عَلَى تَقْوَى اللَّهِ بِاخْتِيَارِهِ حَتَّى لَا يَفْعَلَ الْمُحَرَّمَ، وَذَلِكَ صَبْرٌ عَلَى أَذَى الْغَيْرِ الْحَاصِلِ بِغَيْرِ اخْتِيَارِهِ، فَهَذَا مِنْ جِنْسِ صَبْرِ الْمُصَابِ عَلَى مُصِيبَتِهِ، وَذَاكَ مِنْ جِنْسِ صَبْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَأْمُرُونَهُ بِالْمَعَاصِي، وَيَدْعُونَهُ إِلَيْهَا فَيَصْبِرُ عَلَى طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ وَعَنْ مَعْصِيَتِهِ، وَيَغْلِبُ هَوَاهُ وَشَهْوَتَهُ، وَهَذَا أَفْضَلُ. فَأَمَّا صَبْرُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى وَنَبِيِّنَا - صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِمْ - عَلَى أَذَى الْكُفَّارِ، وَعَدَاوَتِهِمْ عَلَى الْإِيمَانِ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، فَذَاكَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ هَذَا (١) كُلِّهِ، كَمَا أَنَّ التَّوْحِيدَ وَالْإِيمَانَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ مُجَرَّدِ تَرْكِ الزِّنَا، وَكَمَا أَنَّ [تِلْكَ] (٢) الطَّاعَاتِ أَعْظَمُ، فَالصَّبْرُ عَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى مُعَادَاةِ أَهْلِهَا أَعْظَمُ. وَأَيْضًا فَهَؤُلَاءِ كَانُوا يَطْلُبُونَ قَتْلَ مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ وَإِهْلَاكَهُ بِكُلِّ طَرِيقٍ، لَا يُحِبُّونَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَصْلًا، بِخِلَافِ يُوسُفَ فَإِنَّهُ إِنَّمَا ابْتُلِيَ بِالْحَبْسِ (٣) ، وَكَانَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ تُحِبُّهُ فَلَمْ تُعَاقِبْهُ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ. وَقَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: {نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ} [سُورَةُ يُوسُفَ: ٣] ، سَوَاءٌ كَانَ الْقَصَصُ مَصْدَرَ قَصَّ يَقُصُّ قَصَصًا، أَوْ كَانَ مَفْعُولًا: أَيْ أَحْسَنَ

(١) ن، م: ذَلِكَ. (٢) تِلْكَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٣) ن: بِالْحُسْنِ.