Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/356)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

awareness of the One whom he worships, remembrance of Him, and love for Him take possession of the heart until he senses nothing else, while still acknowledging the reality of the causes and wisdoms that the Truth has affirmed and worshiping Him alone, without partner, in accordance with His commands and prohibitions. Yet awareness of the One has overwhelmed the heart.

As it is said:

“Through the One present to him, he becomes oblivious to his own existence; through the One he worships, to his worship; through the One he remembers, to his remembrance; and through the One he knows, to his knowledge.”

It is related that a man loved another man. When the beloved fell into the sea, the lover threw himself in after him. The beloved asked him, “I fell in, but why did you fall in?”

He replied, “I became oblivious to myself through you and thought that you were me (1).”

If one who experiences this annihilation is overwhelmed (2) by that state, he is excused, for when remembrance of the Lord overwhelms his heart, he is incapable of remaining conscious of anything else. He is excused just as one who hears the truth and then dies or loses consciousness is excused, and just as Moses—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was excused when he fell unconscious as his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain.

This state is neither the ultimate goal of the wayfarers nor something every wayfarer must experience. [Some people think that every wayfarer must] (3) experience it, but that is not so. Our Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the earliest forerunners are superior, yet none of them experienced this annihilation, swooning, or death (4) upon hearing the Quran. Rather, you find (5) such swooning only among the Successors, especially among the devout worshipers of Basra.

(1) B reads: “and I thought that you were me”; N and M: “until I thought that you were me.” (2) H, R, and B read: “when he becomes oblivious.” (3) The text in square brackets is absent from N and M. (4) H and B read: “nor did he swoon or die.” (5) *Tajidu* (“you find”): thus in Y and N. M reads *yajidu* (“he finds”), while H, R, W, and B read *tajaddada* (“recurred”).

يَسْتَوْلِيَ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ شُهُودُ مَعْبُودِهِ وَذِكْرُهُ وَمَحَبَّتُهُ، حَتَّى لَا يُحِسَّ بِشَيْءٍ آخَرَ، مَعَ الْعِلْمِ بِثُبُوتِ مَا أَثْبَتَهُ الْحَقُّ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ وَالْحِكَمِ، وَعِبَادَتُهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ بِالْأَمْرِ وَالنَّهْيِ، وَلَكِنْ غَلَبَ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ شُهُودُ الْوَاحِدِ، كَمَا يُقَالُ: غَابَ بِمَوْجُودِهِ عَنْ وُجُودِهِ، وَبِمَعْبُودِهِ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ، وَبِمَذْكُورِهِ عَنْ ذِكْرِهِ، وَبِمَعْرُوفِهِ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ. كَمَا يُذْكَرُ أَنَّ رَجُلًا كَانَ يُحِبُّ آخَرَ، فَوَقَعَ الْمَحْبُوبُ فِي الْيَمِّ، فَأَلْقَى الْمُحِبُّ نَفْسَهُ خَلْفَهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: أَنَا وَقَعْتُ فَلِمَاذَا وَقَعْتَ أَنْتَ؟ فَقَالَ: غِبْتُ بِكَ عَنِّي، فَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّ أَنِّي (١) . فَصَاحِبُ هَذَا الْفَنَاءِ إِذَا غُلِبَ (٢) فِي ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ مَعْذُورٌ، لِعَجْزِهِ عِنْدَ غَلَبَةِ ذِكْرِ الرَّبِّ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ عَنْ شُعُورِهِ بِشَيْءٍ آخَرَ، كَمَا يُعْذَرُ مَنْ سَمِعَ الْحَقَّ فَمَاتَ أَوْ غُشِيَ عَلَيْهِ، وَكَمَا عُذِرَ مُوسَى - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - لَمَّا صُعِقَ حِينَ تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ. وَلَيْسَ هَذَا الْحَالُ غَايَةَ السَّالِكِينَ، وَلَا لَازِمًا لِكُلِّ سَالِكٍ. [وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَظُنُّ أَنَّهُ لَا بُدَّ لِكُلِّ سَالِكٍ] (٣) مِنْهُ، وَلَيْسَ كَذَلِكَ. فَنَبِيُّنَا - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ، هُمْ أَفْضَلُ. وَمَا أَصَابَ أَحَدًا مِنْهُمْ هَذَا الْفَنَاءُ وَلَا صَعْقٌ وَلَا مَوْتٌ (٤) عِنْدَ سَمَاعِ الْقُرْآنِ. وَإِنَّمَا تَجِدُ (٥) هَذَا الصَّعْقُ فِي التَّابِعِينَ، لَا سِيَّمَا فِي عُبَّادِ الْبَصْرِيِّينَ.

(١) ب: فَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّكَ أَنَا، ن، م: حَتَّى ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّكَ أَنِّي. (٢) ح، ر، ب: إِذَا غَابَ. (٣) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٤) ح، ب: وَلَا صُعِقَ وَلَا مَاتَ. (٥) تَجِدُ: كَذَا فِي (ي) وَفِي (ن) تَجِدُ وَفِي (م) يَجِدُ وَفِي (ح) ، (ر) (و) (ب) تَجَدَّدَ.