Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/310)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

rewarding those who obey is an act of grace and beneficence from Him, even though it is a binding right by virtue of His promise—by the consensus of the Muslims—by the prohibition He has prescribed (1) for Himself, and by the necessary implications of His names and attributes.

This is not akin to the injustice done to a hired worker whose services have been engaged but whose wages are not paid in full. That is a reciprocal exchange (2): the employer has received the benefit of the worker’s services, and if (3) he does not pay him his wages in full, he has wronged him.

Allah Most High, however, is the One who shows beneficence to His servants by commanding and forbidding them, by granting them the ability to obey, and by assisting them in obeying Him. They are (4) just as Allah Most High says in the authentic divine hadith:

“O My servants, [I have forbidden injustice for Myself and made it forbidden among you, so do not wrong one another. O My servants,] (5) all of you are astray except those whom I guide, so seek guidance from Me and I shall guide you. O My servants, all of you are hungry except those whom I feed, so ask Me for food and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are unclothed except those whom I clothe, so ask Me for clothing and I shall clothe you. O My servants, if the first and the last of you, the human beings and the jinn among you, all had hearts as God-fearing as that of the most God-fearing man among you, that would add nothing to My dominion. O My servants, if the first and the last of you, the human beings and the jinn among you, were (6) as wicked as the heart of the most wicked man [among you] (7), that would diminish nothing from My dominion. [O My servants, if the first and the last of you, the human beings and the jinn among you, were all to stand together in one place and ask of Me, and I were to grant every one of them what he requested, that would diminish what I possess no more than—

(1) 'A and M read kataba (“He prescribed”). (2) N and M read mu'ārada (“opposition”), which is an error. (3) B and A read wa-in (“and if”). (4) 'A reads wahā. (5) The passage enclosed in square brackets is absent from B, A, N, and M. (6) “Were” is omitted from B and A. (7) “Among you” is omitted from N.

إِثَابَةُ الْمُطِيعِ فَفَضْلٌ مِنْهُ وَإِحْسَانٌ، وَإِنْ كَانَ حَقًّا وَاجِبًا بِحُكْمِ وَعْدِهِ بِاتِّفَاقِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَبِمَا كَتَبَهُ (١) عَلَى نَفْسِهِ مِنَ الْحُرْمَةِ، وَبِمُوجِبِ أَسْمَائِهِ وَصِفَاتِهِ. فَلَيْسَ هُوَ مِنْ جِنْسِ ظُلْمِ الْأَجِيرِ الَّذِي اسْتُؤْجِرَ وَلَمْ يُوَفَّ أَجْرَهُ، فَإِنَّ هَذَا مُعَاوَضَةٌ (٢) ، وَالْمُسْتَأْجِرُ اسْتَوْفَى مَنْفَعَتَهُ، فَإِنْ (٣) لَمْ يُوَفِّهِ أَجْرَهُ ظَلَمَهُ. وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى هُوَ الْمُحْسِنُ إِلَى الْعِبَادِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَنَهْيِهِ، وَبِإِقْدَارِهِ لَهُمْ عَلَى الطَّاعَةِ، وَبِإِعَانَتِهِمْ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ. وَهُمْ (٤) كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى فِي الْحَدِيثِ الصَّحِيحِ الْإِلَهِيِّ: " «يَا عِبَادِي [إِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ الظُّلْمَ عَلَى نَفْسِي وَجَعَلْتُهُ بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا فَلَا تَظَالَمُوا، يَا عِبَادِي] (٥) كُلُّكُمْ ضَالٌّ إِلَّا مَنْ هَدَيْتُهُ فَاسْتَهْدُونِي أَهْدِكُمْ، يَا عِبَادِي كُلُّكُمْ جَائِعٌ إِلَّا مَنْ أَطْعَمْتُهُ فَاسْتَطْعِمُونِي أُطْعِمْكُمْ، يَا عِبَادِي كُلُّكُمْ عَارٍ إِلَّا مَنْ كَسَوْتُهُ فَاسْتَكْسُونِي أَكْسُكُمْ، يَا عِبَادِي لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ كَانُوا عَلَى أَتْقَى قَلْبِ رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ مَا زَادَ ذَلِكَ فِي مُلْكِي شَيْئًا، يَا عِبَادِي لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ كَانُوا (٦) عَلَى أَفْجَرِ قَلْبِ رَجُلٍ [مِنْكُمْ] (٧) مَا نَقَصَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ مُلْكِي شَيْئًا، [يَا عِبَادِي لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ قَامُوا فِي صَعِيدٍ وَاحِدٍ فَسَأَلُونِي فَأَعْطَيْتُ كُلَّ إِنْسَانٍ مِنْهُمْ مَسْأَلَتَهُ مَا نَقَصَ مِمَّا عِنْدِي إِلَّا

(١) ع، م: كَتَبَ. (٢) ن، م: مُعَارَضَةٌ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٣) ب، ا،: وَإِنْ. (٤) ع: وَهَى. (٥) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) ، (ن) ، (م) ، (٦) كَانُوا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) . (٧) مِنْكُمْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) .