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acts of worship that strengthen the good whose cause has taken effect (1), and repel or weaken the evil whose cause has taken effect. As he said:
“Supplication and affliction meet and contend with one another between heaven and earth” (2).
The philosophers acknowledge (3) this, but is that based (4) on the premise that Allah repels it by His power and wisdom, or on the premise that the powers of the soul exert influence? This depends upon their foundational principles on this subject.
It is related of Ptolemy (5) that he said, “The din of voices in temples of worship, raised in diverse tongues, undoes (6) what the revolving celestial spheres have bound,” and of
(1) (N) reads: “what he believed.”
(2) I did not find the hadith with this wording. However, al-Mundhirī narrated in *al-Targhīb wa-al-Tarhīb*, 3/142 (Mustafā Muhammad Imāra ed., 1352 AH/1933 CE), from Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “Caution is of no avail against divine decree. Supplication benefits against what has already befallen and what has not yet befallen. Affliction surely descends and is met by supplication, and the two continue to contend until the Day of Resurrection.” Al-Mundhirī said: “It was narrated by al-Bazzār, al-Tabarānī, and al-Hākim, who said: ‘Its chain of transmission is sound.’ ‘They contend’ means that they struggle against and repel one another.”
(3) (W) reads: “recognize.”
(4) (N) and (M) read: “but this is based on…”
(5) Claudius Ptolemy, the renowned scholar and author of the *Almagest* on astronomy, was a leading authority in mathematics. He lived during the reigns of Andaryāsyūs and Antamyūs, two Roman rulers, and 280 years after Ayraqis. The *Almagest* comprises thirteen books. The first person to undertake its explanation and render it into Arabic was Yahyā ibn Khālid ibn Barmak. See *Tārīkh al-Hukamā*, pp. 95–98; *Tabaqāt al-Atibbā*, pp. 35–38; Ibn al-Nadīm, *al-Fihrist*, pp. [0–9] 67–268; and *Khitat al-Maqrīzī*, 1/154.
(6) (H) and (R) read: “loosens.”
الْعِبَادَاتِ، الَّتِي تُقَوِّي مَا انْعَقَدَ
(١)
سَبَبُهُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ، وَتَدْفَعُ أَوْ تُضْعِفُ مَا انْعَقَدَ سَبَبُهُ مِنَ الشَّرِّ.
كَمَا قَالَ:
"
«إِنَّ الدُّعَاءَ وَالْبَلَاءَ لَيَلْتَقِيَانِ فَيَعْتَلِجَانِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ»
"
(٢)
.
وَالْفَلَاسِفَةُ تَعْتَرِفُ
(٣)
بِهَذَا، لَكِنْ هَلْ ذَلِكَ بِنَاءً
(٤)
عَلَى أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَدْفَعُ ذَلِكَ بِقُدْرَتِهِ وَحِكْمَتِهِ، أَوْ بِنَاءً عَلَى أَنَّ الْقُوَى النَّفْسَانِيَّةَ تُؤَثِّرُ؟ هَذَا مَبْنِيٌّ عَلَى أُصُولِهِمْ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ.
وَيُحْكَى عَنْ بَطْلَيْمُوسَ
(٥)
أَنَّهُ قَالَ:
" ضَجِيجُ الْأَصْوَاتِ، فِي هَيَاكِلِ الْعِبَادَاتِ، بِفُنُونِ اللُّغَاتِ، تَحْلُلُ
(٦)
مَا عَقَّدَتْهُ الْأَفْلَاكُ الدَّائِرَاتُ "
، وَعَنْ
(١) ن: مَا اعْتَقَدَ.
(٢) لَمْ أَجِدِ الْحَدِيثَ بِهَذَا اللَّفْظِ وَلَكِنْ رَوَى الْمُنْذِرِيُّ فِي " التَّرْغِيبِ وَالتَّرْهِيبِ " ٣/١٤٢ (ط. مُصْطَفَى مُحَمَّد عِمَارَة ١٣٥٢ ١٩٣٣) عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " لَا يُغْنِي حَذَرٌ عَنْ قَدْرٍ، وَالدُّعَاءُ يَنْفَعُ مِمَّا نَزَلَ وَمِمَّا لَمْ يَنْزِلْ، وَإِنَّ الْبَلَاءَ لَيَنْزِلُ فَيَلْقَاهُ الدُّعَاءُ فَيَعْتَلِجَانِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ "، قَالَ الْمُنْذِرِيُّ: " رَوَاهُ الْبَزَّارُ وَالطَّبَرَانِيُّ وَالْحَاكِمُ، وَقَالَ: صَحِيحُ الْإِسْنَادِ، يَعْتَلِجَانِ: أَيْ يَتَصَارَعَانِ وَيَتَدَافَعَانِ ".
(٣) و: تَعْرِفُ
(٤) ن، م: لَكِنْ هُوَ بِنَاءً.
(٥) بَطْلَيْمُوسُ الْقَلْوَذِيُّ الْعَالِمُ الْمَشْهُورُ صَاحِبُ كِتَابِ الْمَجَسْطِي فِي الْفَلَكِ، إِمَامٌ فِي الرِّيَاضَةِ، كَانَ فِي أَيَّامِ أَنْدَرْيَاسْيُوسْ وَفِي أَيَّامِ أَنْطَمْيُوسْ مِنْ مُلُوكِ الرُّومِ وَبَعْدَ أَيْرَقِسْ بِمِائَتَيْنِ وَثَمَانِينَ سَنَةً، فَأَمَّا كِتَابُ الْمَجَسْطِي فَهُوَ ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ مَقَالَةً، وَأَوَّلُ مَنْ عُنِي بِتَفْسِيرِهِ وَإِخْرَاجِهِ إِلَى الْعَرَبِيَّةِ يَحْيَى بْنُ خَالِدِ بْنِ بَرْمَكٍ. انْظُرْ عَنْهُ: تَارِيخَ الْحُكَمَاءِ ص ٩٥ - ٩٨ طَبَقَاتِ الْأَطِبَّاءِ ص ٣٥ - ٣٨ الْفِهْرِسْتِ لِابْنِ النَّدِيمِ ص [٠ - ٩] ٦٧ - ٢٦٨ خُطَطَ الْمَقْرِيزِيِّ ١/١٥٤
(٦) ح، ر: تَحُلُّ.