Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/403)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

the reward that the servant will ultimately receive, there would be no sweetness of faith for him to experience in his heart while he remains in the abode of duty and trial. This is contrary to the revealed law and to the natural disposition upon which Allah has fashioned the hearts of His servants.

It is established in the two Sahih collections that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Every child is born upon the natural disposition.” (1)

In Sahih Muslim, he is also reported to have said:

“Allah Most High says: ‘I created My servants as upright monotheists, but the devils led them astray, forbade them what I had made lawful for them, and commanded them to associate with Me that for which I had sent down no authority.’” (2)

Allah fashioned His servants upon pure monotheism, the religion of Abraham, whose foundation is love for Allah alone. There is no uncorrupted natural disposition that does not find within itself love for Allah Most High. Yet the natural disposition may become corrupted, whether through arrogance and a corrupt motive (3), as in Pharaoh’s case, or through associating another with Him in love.

Allah Most High says:

“Yet among the people are those who take others besides Allah as equals, loving them as they love Allah.”

[Surah al-Baqarah: 165]

As for those who affirm Allah’s oneness, who worship Allah with religion sincerely devoted to Him, there is within

(1) This hadith was cited previously, 2/307–308. (2) The hadith is narrated from ʿIyād ibn Himār al-Mujāshiʿī—may Allah be pleased with him—in Muslim, 4/2197–2198 (Book of Paradise and the Description of Its Bliss and Its Inhabitants, chapter “The Qualities by Which the Inhabitants of Paradise and the Inhabitants of the Fire May Be Recognized in This World”). It begins with the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—saying one day in his sermon: “Indeed, my Lord has commanded me to teach you what you do not know… ‘I created all My servants as upright monotheists, but the devils came to them and turned them away from their religion…’” The hadith is also found, with some variation in wording, in al-Musnad (al-Halabī ed.), 4/162. (3) Manuscript *wāw* reads: “and another incidental factor.”

مَا سَيَصِيرُ إِلَيْهِ الْعَبْدُ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ، لَمْ يَكُنْ هُنَا حَلَاوَةُ إِيمَانٍ يَجِدُهَا الْعَبْدُ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَهُوَ فِي دَارِ التَّكْلِيفِ وَالِامْتِحَانِ، وَهَذَا خِلَافُ الشَّرْعِ وَخِلَافُ الْفِطْرَةِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا قُلُوبَ عِبَادِهِ. فَقَدْ ثَبَتَ فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «كُلُّ مَوْلُودٍ يُولَدُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ» " (١) وَفِي صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: خَلَقْتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ، فَاجْتَالَتْهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ، وَحَرَّمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحْلَلْتُ لَهُمْ، وَأَمَرَتْهُمْ أَنْ يُشْرِكُوا بِي مَا لَمْ أُنْزِلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا» " (٢) . فَاللَّهُ فَطَرَ عِبَادَهُ عَلَى الْحَنِيفِيَّةِ مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَأَصْلُهَا مَحَبَّةُ اللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ، فَمَا مِنْ فِطْرَةٍ لَمْ تَفْسُدْ إِلَّا وَهِيَ تَجِدُ فِيهَا مَحَبَّةَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، لَكِنْ قَدْ تَفْسُدُ الْفِطْرَةُ إِمَّا لِكِبَرٍ وَغَرَضٍ فَاسِدٍ (٣) كَمَا فِي فِرْعَوْنَ. وَإِمَّا بِأَنْ يُشْرَكَ مَعَهُ غَيْرُهُ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ. كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَتَّخِذُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَنْدَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّهِ} [سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ: ١٦٥] . وَأَمَّا أَهْلُ التَّوْحِيدِ الَّذِينَ يَعْبُدُونَ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ، فَإِنَّ فِي

(١) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِيمَا مَضَى ٢/٣٠٧ - ٣٠٨ (٢) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ عِيَاضِ بْنِ حِمَارٍ الْمُجَاشِعِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي مُسْلِمٍ ٤/٢١٩٧ - ٢١٩٨ (كِتَابُ الْجَنَّةِ وَصِفَةِ نَعِيمِهَا وَأَهْلِهَا، بَابُ الصِّفَاتِ الَّتِي يُعْرَفُ بِهَا فِي الدُّنْيَا أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ وَأَهْلُ النَّارِ) وَأَوَّلُهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فِي خُطْبَتِهِ: " أَلَا إِنَّ رَبِّي أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أُعَلِّمَكُمْ مَا جَهِلْتُمْ. . . وَإِنِّي خَلَقْتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ كُلَّهُمْ، وَإِنَّهُمْ أَتَتْهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَاجْتَالَتْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِمُ. . الْحَدِيثَ " وَهُوَ - مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ فِي اللَّفْظِ - فِي: الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٤/١٦٢ (٣) وَ: وَعَرَضٍ آخَرَ.