Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/394)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

He is his God. Allah Most High says:

“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.”

The servant must therefore worship Allah and must seek His help. For this reason, every Muslim is obligated to recite this in his prayer.

This declaration is between the servant and the Lord. It has been related from (1) al-Hasan al-Basrī—may Allah have mercy on him—that Allah revealed one hundred scriptures and four Books; He gathered the essence of them all in the four Books, gathered the essence of the four Books in the Quran, gathered the essence (2) of the Quran in al-Fātiha, and gathered (3) the essence of al-Fātiha in these two statements: [“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help”] (4). For this reason, Allah reiterated this [in His Book] (5) in more than one passage of the Quran, as in His words:

“So worship Him and put your trust in Him.”

[Surah Hūd: 123]

And His words:

“In Him I have put my trust, and to Him I turn in repentance.”

[Surah Hūd: 88]

And His words:

“In Him I have put my trust, and to Him is my return.”

[Surah al-Raʿd: 30]

And His words:

“Whoever fears Allah, He will make a way out for him—and provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever puts his trust in Allah, He is sufficient for him.”

[Surah al-Talāq: 2–3]

And there are other examples of this.

They interpret love of Him to mean love of worshipping and obeying Him.

They are therefore told: It is impossible, by natural disposition, for a person to love obeying and worshipping one whom he obeys unless he loves Allah. Otherwise, if someone is not loved for his own sake (6), a person loves neither

(1) The word “from” is omitted from manuscripts *hāʾ* and *bāʾ*. (2) The word “secret” is omitted from manuscripts *wāw* and *rāʾ*. (3) Manuscripts *wāw*, *hāʾ*, *rāʾ*, and *yāʾ* read: “And He made.” (4) The passage within square brackets appears only in manuscripts *hāʾ*, *rāʾ*, and *bāʾ*. (5) The phrase “in his book” is omitted from manuscripts *nūn*, *mīm*, and *wāw*. (6) Manuscripts *hāʾ* and *bāʾ* read: “What one does not love for oneself.”

أَنَّهُ إِلَهُهُ، قَالَ تَعَالَى: {إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ} ، فَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ عَابِدًا لِلَّهِ، وَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُسْتَعِينًا بِهِ ; وَلِهَذَا كَانَ هَذَا فَرْضًا عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ أَنْ يَقُولَهُ فِي صِلَاتِهِ. وَهَذِهِ الْكَلِمَةُ بَيْنَ الْعَبْدِ وَبَيْنَ الرَّبِّ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ (١) الْحَسَنِ الْبَصْرِيِّ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ -: أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ مِائَةَ كِتَابٍ وَأَرْبَعَةَ كُتُبٍ، جَمَعَ سِرَّهَا فِي الْأَرْبَعَةِ، وَجَمَعَ سِرَّ الْأَرْبَعَةِ فِي الْقُرْآنِ، وَجَمَعَ سِرَّ (٢) الْقُرْآنِ فِي الْفَاتِحَةِ، وَجَمَعَ (٣) سِرَّ الْفَاتِحَةِ فِي هَاتَيْنِ الْكَلِمَتَيْنِ: [ {إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ} ] (٤) ; وَلِهَذَا ثَنَّاهَا اللَّهُ [فِي كِتَابِهِ] (٥) فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعٍ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ، كَقَوْلِهِ: {فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ} [سُورَةُ هُودٍ: ١٢٣] ، وَقَوْلِهِ: {عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ} [سُورَةُ هُودٍ: ٨٨] ، وَقَوْلِهِ: {عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ مَتَابِ} [سُورَةُ الرَّعْدِ: ٣٠] ، وَقَوْلِهِ: {وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا - وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ} [سُورَةُ الطَّلَاقِ: ٢ - ٣] وَأَمْثَالِ ذَلِكَ. وَهُمْ يَتَأَوَّلُونَ مَحَبَّتَهُ عَلَى مَحَبَّةِ عِبَادَتِهِ وَطَاعَتِهِ. فَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ: فَيَمْتَنِعُ فِي الْفِطْرَةِ أَنْ يُحِبَّ الْإِنْسَانُ طَاعَةَ مُطَاعٍ وَعِبَادَتَهُ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ مُحِبًّا لِلَّهِ، وَإِلَّا فَمَا لَا يُحَبُّ فِي نَفْسِهِ (٦) لَا يُحِبُّ الْإِنْسَانُ لَا

(١) عَنْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ح) ، (ب) . (٢) سِرَّ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (و) ، (ر) . (٣) و، ح، ر، ي: وَجَعَلَ. (٤) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ فِي (ح) ، (ر) ، (ب) فَقَطْ. (٥) فِي كِتَابِهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) . (٦) ح، ب: فَمَا لَا يُحَبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ.