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the gardens of Paradise, graze freely.”
They asked, “What are the gardens of Paradise?”
He replied, “Gatherings in which Allah is remembered.” (1)
In the same vein is his statement:
“What lies between my house and my pulpit is one of the gardens of Paradise.” (2)
For this was the greatest of the gatherings in which Allah was remembered.
The Jahmiyyah and Mu‘tazilah, who deny that He will be seen, also deny this pleasure. One who interprets (3) the vision as an increase in knowledge may explain this pleasure as the pleasure of knowing Him, like the pleasure found in this world through remembering Him, though the former is more perfect.
This is the view of the Sufis among the philosophers and negationists, such as al-Fārābī, Abū Hāmid, and others like him. Thus, what appears in his works—including al-Ihyā’ and others—concerning the pleasure of gazing upon His Face is meant in this sense (4). [The philosophers affirm intellectual pleasure, and Abū Nasr al-Fārābī
(1) The hadith is narrated from Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) in *Sunan al-Tirmidhī*, 5/194 (“Book of Supplications,” a related chapter). Al-Tirmidhī said: “This is a hasan gharīb hadith through this route, narrated by Thābit from Anas.” The hadith also appears in *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 3/150.
(2) The hadith is narrated from Abd Allāh ibn Zayd al-Māzinī (may Allah be pleased with him) in *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, 2/61 (“Book of the Merit of Prayer in the Mosques of Mecca and Medina,” chapter “The Merit of the Area Between the Grave and the Pulpit”). It is also narrated from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) in *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, 3/23 (“Book of the Virtues of Medina,” chapter beginning “Musaddad narrated to us from Yahyā…”), where the addition “and my pulpit stands over my Reservoir” appears; see also 8/121 (“Book of Heart-Softening Reports,” chapter “The Reservoir”) and 9/105 (“Book of Holding Fast,” chapter “What the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) Mentioned…”). It also appears in *Sunan al-Tirmidhī*, 5/376–77 (“Book of Virtues,” chapter “What Has Been Narrated Concerning the Virtue of Medina”), as well as in *Sunan al-Nasā’ī*, *al-Muwatta’*, and *al-Musnad*.
(3) Manuscript *nūn* reads: “one who denies.”
(4) Al-Ghazālī discusses the pleasure of beholding Allah Most High in *al-Ihyā’*, 14/62–76. He states at 14/62: “Know that pleasures follow upon perceptions.” He discusses this point at length and then says at 14/64: “This makes it clear that knowledge is pleasurable and that the most pleasurable knowledge is knowledge of Allah Most High, His attributes and actions, and His governance of His realm, from the furthest extent of His Throne to the deepest reaches of the earths. It should therefore be known that the pleasure of knowledge is stronger than all other pleasures, by which I mean the pleasures of desire and anger, and so forth.” He then says at 14/70: “Know that objects of perception are divided into those that enter the imagination … and those that do not enter the imagination, such as the Essence of Allah Most High and everything incorporeal, including knowledge, power, and the like…” He continues at 14/71: “…and entitlement to Paradise is attained. That time is indeterminate … because at that time al-Haqq (the Real), glorified and exalted, manifests Himself to him in such a way that the unveiling of His self-manifestation, in relation to what he had known, is like the unveiling of an image manifested in a mirror in relation to what he had imagined. This witnessing and self-manifestation are what is called vision…”
بِرِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ فَارْتَعُوا
".
قَالُوا:
وَمَا رِيَاضُ الْجَنَّةِ؟
قَالَ:
"
مَجَالِسُ الذِّكْرِ»
"
(١)
.
وَمِنْ هَذَا الْبَابِ قَوْلُهُ:
"
«مَا بَيْنَ بَيْتِي وَمِنْبَرِي رَوْضَةٌ مِنْ رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ»
"
(٢)
; فَإِنَّ هَذَا كَانَ أَعْظَمَ مَجَالِسِ الذِّكْرِ.
وَالْمُنْكِرُونَ لِرُؤْيَتِهِ مِنَ الْجَهْمِيَّةِ وَالْمُعْتَزِلَةِ تُنْكِرُ هَذِهِ اللَّذَّةَ، وَقَدْ يُفَسِّرُهَا مَنْ يَتَأَوَّلُ
(٣)
الرُّؤْيَةَ بِمَزِيدِ الْعِلْمِ عَلَى لَذَّةِ الْعِلْمِ بِهِ، كَاللَّذَّةِ الَّتِي فِي الدُّنْيَا بِذِكْرِهِ، لَكِنْ تِلْكَ أَكْمَلُ.
وَهَذَا قَوْلُ مُتَصَوِّفَةِ الْفَلَاسِفَةِ وَالنُّفَاةِ، كَالْفَارَابِي، وَكَأَبِي حَامِدٍ، وَأَمْثَالِهِ، فَإِنَّ مَا فِي كُتُبِهِ مِنَ " الْإِحْيَاءِ " وَغَيْرِهِ مِنْ لَذَّةِ النَّظَرِ إِلَى وَجْهِهِ هُوَ بِهَذَا الْمَعْنَى
(٤)
، [وَالْفَلَاسِفَةُ تُثْبِتُ اللَّذَّةَ الْعَقْلِيَّةَ، وَأَبُو نَصْرٍ الْفَارَابِيُّ
(١) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٥/١٩٤ (كِتَابُ الدَّعَوَاتِ، بَابٌ مِنْهُ) ، وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ: " هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ مِنْ حَدِيثِ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ أَنَسٍ) وَالْحَدِيثُ فِي الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٣/١٥٠
(٢) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ الْمَازِنِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ ٢/٦١ (كِتَابُ فَضْلِ الصَّلَاةِ فِي مَسْجِدِ مَكَّةَ وَالْمَدِينَةِ، بَابُ فَضْلِ مَا بَيْنَ الْقَبْرِ وَالْمِنْبَرِ) ، وَهُوَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٣/٢٣ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ الْمَدِينَةِ، بَابٌ حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ عَنْ يَحْيَى. . .) وَزَادَ وَمِنْبَرِي عَلَى حَوْضِي ٨/١٢١ (كِتَابُ الرِّقَاقِ، بَابٌ فِي الْحَوْضِ) ٩/١٠٥ (كِتَابُ الِاعْتِصَامِ، بَابُ مَا ذَكَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. .) ، سُنَنُ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٥/٣٧٦ - ٣٧٧ (كِتَابُ الْمَنَاقِبِ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي فَضْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ) ، وَالْحَدِيثُ فِي سُنَنِ النَّسَائِيِّ وَالْمُوَطَّأِ وَالْمُسْنَدِ.
(٣) ن: مَنْ يُنْكِرُ.
(٤) يَتَكَلَّمُ الْغَزَالِيُّ عَلَى لَذَّةِ النَّظَرِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي " الْإِحْيَاءِ " ١٤/٦٢ - ٧٦ فَيَقُولُ: ١٤ " ٦٢ اعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّذَّاتِ تَابِعَةٌ لِلْإِدْرَاكَاتِ "، وَيُفَصِّلُ الْقَوْلَ فِي هَذِهِ النُّقْطَةِ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ ١٤/٦٤: " وَبِهَذَا يَتَبَيَّنُ أَنَّ الْعِلْمَ لَذِيذٌ، وَأَنَّ أَلَذَّ الْعُلُومِ الْعِلْمُ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَبِصِفَاتِهِ وَأَفْعَالِهِ وَتَدْبِيرِهِ فِي مَمْلَكَتِهِ مِنْ مُنْتَهَى عَرْشِهِ إِلَى تُخُومِ الْأَرَضِينَ. فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُعْلَمَ أَنَّ لَذَّةَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ أَقْوَى مِنْ سَائِرِ اللَّذَّاتِ أَعْنِي لَذَّةَ الشَّهْوَةِ وَالْغَضَبِ. إِلَخْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ ١٤/٧٠: " اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْمُدْرَكَاتِ تَنْقَسِمُ إِلَى مَا يَدْخُلُ فِي الْخَيَالِ. . . وَإِلَى مَا لَا يَدْخُلُ فِي الْخَيَالِ، كَذَاتِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَكُلُّ مَا لَيْسَ بِجِسْمٍ، كَالْعِلْمِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ وَغَيْرِهِمَا. . إِلَى أَنْ يَقُولَ ١٤/٧١ " وَوَافَى اسْتِحْقَاقَ الْجَنَّةِ، وَذَلِكَ وَقْتٌ مُبْهَمٌ. .، لِأَنَّ فِيهِ يَتَجَلَّى الْحَقُّ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى، فَيَتَجَلَّى لَهُ تَجَلِّيًا يَكُونُ انْكِشَافُ تَجَلِّيهِ بِالْإِضَافَةِ إِلَى مَا عَلِمَهُ كَانْكِشَافِ تَجَلِّي الْمِرْآةِ بِالْإِضَافَةِ إِلَى مَا تَخَيَّلَهُ، وَهَذِهِ الْمُشَاهَدَةُ وَالتَّجَلِّي هِيَ الَّتِي تُسَمَّى رُؤْيَةٌ. . ".