Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/402)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Allah Most High has said (1):

“Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, your kindred, the wealth you have acquired, the trade whose decline you fear, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah, His Messenger, and striving in His way, then wait until Allah brings about His command.”

[Surah al-Tawbah: 24]

He thus threatened anyone whose family and wealth were dearer to him than Allah, His Messenger, and striving in His way.

It is related from him—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in the two Sahih collections that he said:

“Whoever possesses three qualities will experience through them (2) the sweetness of faith: Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than all else; he loves a person solely for Allah’s sake; and he hates to return to unbelief after Allah has saved him from it just as he hates to be cast into the Fire.” (3)

The sweetness of faith found in the heart does not arise from love of a recompense that has not yet been received. Rather, one who acts solely for pay experiences nothing while working but toil, hardship, and pain. If, then, love for Allah and His Messenger meant nothing more than love for

(1) Manuscripts *nūn* and *mīm* read: “And Allah Most High said.” (2) The words “through them” are omitted from manuscripts *wāw* and *bāʾ*. (3) A hadith with similar wording was narrated from Anas ibn Mālik—may Allah be pleased with him—in al-Bukhārī, 1/8 (Book of Faith, chapter “The Sweetness of Faith”), 1/9 (Book of Faith, chapter “One Who Hates to Return to Disbelief…”), and 9/20 (Book of Coercion, chapter “One Who Chooses Beating…”); Muslim, 1/66 (Book of Faith, chapter “Clarification of the Qualities…”); and Sunan Ibn Mājah, 2/1338–1339 (Book of Tribulations, chapter “Patience in the Face of Affliction”). The hadith was also narrated from Anas with the wording: “No one experiences the sweetness of faith until he loves another solely for Allah’s sake; until he would rather be cast into the Fire than return to disbelief after Allah has saved him from it; and until Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than all else.” This is found in al-Bukhārī, 8/14 (Book of Manners, chapter “Love for Allah’s Sake”).

قَالَ تَعَالَى (١) : {قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ} [سُورَةُ التَّوْبَةِ: ٢٤] ، فَتَوعَّدَ مَنْ كَانَ الْأَهْلُ وَالْمَالُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْجِهَادِ فِي سَبِيلِهِ. وَفِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ عَنْهُ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «ثَلَاثٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ وَجَدَ بِهِنَّ (٢) حَلَاوَةَ الْإِيمَانِ: مَنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا، وَمَنْ كَانَ يُحِبُّ الْمَرْءَ لَا يُحِبُّهُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ فِي الْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ أَنْقَذَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ كَمَا يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُلْقَى فِي النَّارِ» " (٣) . فَوُجُودُ حَلَاوَةِ الْإِيمَانِ فِي الْقَلْبِ لَا تَكُونُ مِنْ مَحَبَّةِ الْعِوَضِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَحْصُلْ بَعْدُ، بَلِ الْفَاعِلُ الَّذِي لَا يَعْمَلُ إِلَّا لِلْكِرَاءِ لَا يَجِدُ حَالَ الْعَمَلِ إِلَّا التَّعَبَ وَالْمَشَقَّةَ وَمَا يُؤْلِمُهُ، فَلَوْ كَانَ لَا مَعْنَى لِمَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ إِلَّا مَحَبَّةَ

(١) ن، م: وَقَالَ تَعَالَى. (٢) بِهِنَّ سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (و) ، (ب) . (٣) جَاءَ الْحَدِيثُ بِلَفْظٍ مُقَارِبٍ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ١/٨ (كِتَابُ الْإِيمَانِ بَابُ حَلَاوَةِ الْإِيمَانِ) ، ١/٩ (كِتَابُ الْإِيمَانِ، بَابُ مَنْ كَرِهَ أَنْ يَعُودَ فِي الْكُفْرِ. . .) ٩/٢٠، (كِتَابُ الْإِكْرَاهِ، بَابُ مَنِ اخْتَارَ الضَّرْبَ. . .) ، مُسْلِمٍ ١/٦٦، (كِتَابُ الْإِيمَانِ بَابُ بَيَانِ خِصَالِ. . .) ، سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ٢/١٣٣٨ - ١٣٣٩ (كِتَابُ الْفِتَنِ بَابُ الصَّبْرِ عَلَى الْبَلَاءِ) . وَجَاءَ الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ أَنَسٍ أَيْضًا وَلَكِنْ بِلَفْظِ: " لَا يَجِدُ أَحَدٌ حَلَاوَةَ الْإِيمَانِ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ الْمَرْءَ لَا يُحِبُّهُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ، وَحَتَّى أَنْ يُقْذَفَ فِي النَّارِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ إِلَى الْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ أَنْ أَنْقَذَهُ اللَّهُ، وَحَتَّى يَكُونَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا "، وَذَلِكَ فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٨/١٤ (كِتَابُ الْأَدَبِ، بَابُ الْحُبِّ فِي اللَّهِ) .