3. Riyayatu li Huquqillah: Keeping the rights of God by Al Muhasibi part 3

الرِّعَايَةُ لِحُقُوقِ اللَّهِ

Al-Riʿāyatu li-ḥuqūqi Allāhi

Ostentation, Sincerity, and Vigilance

Printed pages 197–258

الْحَارِثُ بْنُ أَسَدٍ الْمُحَاسِبِيُّ

Al-Ḥārith ibn Asad al-Muḥāsibī

Source page 197

كِتَابُ الرِّيَاءِ

Kitābu al-riyāʾi

The Book of Ostentation

Source page 199

بَابٌ فِي صِفَةِ الرِّيَاءِ وَذِكْرِهِ

Bābun fī ṣifati al-riyāʾi wa-dhikrihi

Chapter Describing and Discussing Ostentation

قُلْتُ : قَدْ وَصَفْتَ لِي مُرَاقَبَةَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَذِكْرَهُ وَالرِّعَايَةَ لِحُقُوقِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَوُجُوهَ طَلَبِهَا ، وَالْأَوَّلَ مِنَ الْوَاجِبِ وَالْفَضْلِ ، فَمَا تَخَافُ عَلَيَّ إِنْ قُمْتُ لِذَلِكَ ؟

Qultu: qad waṣafta lī murāqabata Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-dhikrahu wa-al-riʿāyata li-ḥuqūqi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-wujūha ṭalabihā, wa-al-ʾawwala mina al-wājibi wa-al-faḍli, fa-mā takhāfu ʿalayya ʾin qumtu li-dhālika?

I said: You have described to me watchfulness before God, mighty and majestic, remembering Him, carefully observing what is due to God, mighty and majestic, the ways of pursuing that observance, and what comes first among obligatory and additional good deeds. What do you fear for me if I undertake this?

قَالَ : أَخَافُ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تُفْسِدَهُ بِمَا يُبْطِلُ ثَوَابَهُ فِي آخِرَتِهِ وَيَذْهَبُ بِحَلَاوَتِهِ مِنْ قَلْبِكَ .

Qāla: ʾakhāfu ʿalayka ʾan tufsidahu bi-mā yubṭilu thawābahu fī ʾākhiratihi wa-yadhhabu bi-ḥalāwatihi min qalbika.

He said: I fear that you will spoil it with something that nullifies its reward in the hereafter and removes its sweetness from your heart.

قُلْتُ : ذَلِكَ أَعْظَمُ لِلْحَسْرَةِ ، أَنْ أَتَعَنَّى ثُمَّ يَحْبَطَ وَيَبْطُلَ عَمَلِي ، وَمَا ذَاكَ الْمَعْنَى ؟

Qultu: dhālika ʾaʿẓamu li-al-ḥasrati, ʾan ʾataʿannā thumma yaḥbaṭa wa-yabṭula ʿamalī, wa-mā dhāka al-maʿnā?

I said: That would be all the more cause for regret: to toil, only for my work to be forfeited and nullified. What is it that would do this?

قَالَ : فَإِنَّ الْمُتَّقِيَ الرَّاعِيَ لِحُقُوقِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، الْقَائِمَ بِهَا يُبَدِّلُ أَحْوَالَهُ حَتَّى يَظْهَرَ لِلْخَلْقِ ، فَيَظْهَرُ مِنْهُ الصَّمْتُ بَعْدَ طُولِ الْخَوْضِ فِيمَا لَا يَعْنِيهِ وَلَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ ، وَتَظْهَرُ مِنْهُ الْمُجَانَبَةُ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَعْصِي اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَعَهُ ، وَيَظْهَرُ مِنْهُ الْأُنْسُ لِمَنْ يَسْلَمُ مَعَهُ ، وَمَنْ يَسْتَفِيدُ مِنْهُ الْخَيْرَ ، وَيَظْهَرُ مِنْهُ الْكَلَامُ فِيمَا يَجِبُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ ،

Qāla: fa-ʾinna al-muttaqiya al-rāʿiya li-ḥuqūqi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, al-qāʾima bihā yubaddilu ʾaḥwālahu ḥattā yaẓhara li-al-khalqi, fa-yaẓharu minhu al-ṣamtu baʿda ṭūli al-khawḍi fīmā lā yaʿnīhi wa-lā yaḥillu lahu, wa-taẓharu minhu al-mujānabatu li-man kāna yaʿṣī Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla maʿahu, wa-yaẓharu minhu al-ʾunsu li-man yaslamu maʿahu, wa-man yastafīdu minhu al-khayra, wa-yaẓharu minhu al-kalāmu fīmā yajibu li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalayhi,

He said: The God-conscious person who carefully observes what is due to God, mighty and majestic, and fulfills it changes his conduct until it becomes noticeable to others. They see him remain silent after he had long indulged in talk that neither concerned him nor was lawful for him. They see him keep away from those with whom he used to disobey God, mighty and majestic. They see him enjoy the company of those with whom he is safe and from whom he gains good. They hear him speak about what he owes to God, mighty and majestic,

وَيَتَقَرَّبُ بِهِ إِلَيْهِ ، وَتَسْكُتُ جَوَارِحُهُ وَيَخْشَعُ طَرْفُهُ ، وَتَعْلُوهُ السَّكِينَةُ وَالْوَقَارُ ، فَتَظْهَرُ مِنْهُ الطَّاعَاتُ ، فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ تَعْلَمُ النَّفْسُ أَنَّ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا لِعِبَادِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، لَنْ يَمْتَنِعُوا أَنْ يَحْمَدُوا فِعْلَهُ وَيُعَظِّمُوهُ بِذَلِكَ ، وَيَرَوْا لَهُ الْفَضْلَ وَالْقَدْرَ ، وَتَعْلَمُ النَّفْسُ أَنَّ مَا بَطَنَ مِنْهُ وَأَسَرَّهُ لَوْ ظَهَرَ لَحُمِدَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ وَفُضِّلَ بِهِ ،

Wa-yataqarrabu bihi ʾilayhi, wa-taskutu jawāriḥuhu wa-yakhshaʿu ṭarfuhu, wa-taʿlūhu al-sakīnatu wa-al-waqāru, fa-taẓharu minhu al-ṭāʿātu, fa-ʿinda dhālika taʿlamu al-nafsu ʾanna mā ẓahara minhā li-ʿibādi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, lan yamtaniʿū ʾan yaḥmadū fiʿlahu wa-yuʿaẓẓimūhu bi-dhālika, wa-yaraw lahu al-faḍla wa-al-qadra, wa-taʿlamu al-nafsu ʾanna mā baṭana minhu wa-ʾasarrahu law ẓahara la-ḥumida dhālika minhu wa-fuḍḍila bihi,

and through which he draws near to Him. His limbs become still, his gaze grows humble, and tranquility and dignity settle upon him. His acts of obedience become evident. At that point, the self knows that, because of what the servants of God, mighty and majestic, have seen of it, they will not refrain from praising his deeds and honoring him for them, and from recognizing his merit and worth. The self also knows that if what he has kept hidden and secret were to become visible, it would be praised in him and he would be esteemed for it.

فَتَطْلُبُ النَّفْسُ الرَّاحَةَ إِلَى التَّزَيُّنِ بِالدِّينِ بِمَا ظَهَرَ وَبِمَا أَسَرَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَحْمُودًا مُعَظَّمًا ، لِيَكُونَ فِي الدُّنْيَا مَحْمُودًا مُعَظَّمًا ، لِأَنَّهُ لَمَّا مَنَعَهَا مِنْ كَثِيرٍ مِنْ لَذَّاتِهَا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ، فَإِذَا وَجَدَتْ مَوْضِعَ خَلَاصٍ فِي الدِّينِ إِلَى طَلَبِ اللَّذَّةِ وَالرَّاحَةِ نَازَعَتْهُ إِلَيْهِ ، لِتُصِيبَ مِنْ رَاحَةِ الدُّنْيَا بَعْدَ مَنْعِهِ لَهَا أَكْثَرَ لَذَّتِهَا وَرَاحَتِهَا ، وَهِيَ شَهَوَاتُهَا الْخَفِيَّةُ وَلَذَّتُهَا الْكَامِنَةُ ،

Fa-taṭlubu al-nafsu al-rāḥata ʾilā al-tazayyuni bi-al-dīni bi-mā ẓahara wa-bi-mā ʾasarra ʾan yakūna maḥmūdan muʿaẓẓaman, li-yakūna fī al-dunyā maḥmūdan muʿaẓẓaman, li-ʾannahu lammā manaʿahā min kathīrin min ladhdhātihā mina al-dunyā, fa-ʾidhā wajadat mawḍiʿa khalāṣin fī al-dīni ʾilā ṭalabi al-ladhdhati wa-al-rāḥati nāzaʿat-hu ʾilayhi, li-tuṣība min rāḥati al-dunyā baʿda manʿihi lahā ʾakthara ladhdhatihā wa-rāḥatihā, wa-hiya shahawātuhā al-khafiyyatu wa-ladhdhatuhā al-kāminatu,

The self then seeks the comfort of adorning itself with religion, through both what is visible and what he has kept secret, so that he will be praised and honored, so that he will be praised and honored in this world. For after he has denied it many of its worldly pleasures, if it finds an opening within religion through which to seek pleasure and comfort, it urges him toward it, to obtain some worldly comfort after he has denied it most of its pleasure and ease. These are its hidden desires and its concealed pleasure,

Source page 200

لِأَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ مِنْ ظَاهِرِ شَهَوَاتِهَا ، فَعَلِمَ الْعَبْدُ - إِذَا نَازَعَتْهُ إِلَيْهَا - أَنَّهَا قَدْ نَازَعَتْهُ إِلَى شَهْوَتِهَا وَلَذَّتِهَا ، وَلَيْسَ مِنْ شَهْوَتِهَا الظَّاهِرَةِ ، وَلَا مِنْ شَهَوَاتِ مَطْعَمِهَا وَمَشْرَبِهَا وَمَلْبَسِهَا وَمَنْكَحِهَا الَّتِي تَنَالُهَا بِجَوَارِحِهَا ، وَلَكِنْ شَهْوَةٌ مِنْ بَاطِنِهَا فِي خَيْرِ ظَاهِرِهَا ، فَهِيَ خَفِيَّةٌ فِي النُّفُوسِ لِأَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ بِظَاهِرَةٍ مِنْ فُضُولِ حَلَالٍ مُنْفَرِدٍ بِهِ ،

Li-ʾannahā laysat min ẓāhiri shahawātihā, fa-ʿalima al-ʿabdu - ʾidhā nāzaʿat-hu ʾilayhā - ʾannahā qad nāzaʿat-hu ʾilā shahwatihā wa-ladhdhatihā, wa-laysa min shahwatihā al-ẓāhirati, wa-lā min shahawāti maṭʿamihā wa-mashrabihā wa-malbasihā wa-mankaḥihā al-latī tanāluhā bi-jawāriḥihā, wa-lākin shahwatun min bāṭinihā fī khayri ẓāhirihā, fa-hiya khafiyyatun fī al-nufūsi li-ʾannahā laysat bi-ẓāhiratin min fuḍūli ḥalālin munfaridin bihi,

because they are not among its outward desires. The servant thus knows, when it urges him toward them, that it has urged him toward its desire and pleasure. This is not one of its visible desires, nor a desire for food, drink, clothing, or sexual relations that it obtains through its limbs. Rather, it is a desire from its inward depths within its outward goodness. It is hidden in souls because it is not plainly an indulgence in some separate, permissible excess,

وَلَا شَرٍّ يَنْفَرِدُ مِنَ الشَّرِّ الَّذِي لَا يَشُوبُهُ الْخَيْرُ ، وَلَكِنَّهَا شَهْوَةٌ خَفِيَّةٌ إِذْ صَارَتْ مُمَازِجَةً لِلْخَيْرِ دَاخِلَةً فِيهِ فَعَامِلُهَا ظَاهِرُ الْخَيْرِ ، فَهُوَ مُطِيعٌ فِي الظَّاهِرِ ، يَرَى أَنَّهُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَعْمَلُ ، وَالنَّفْسُ قَدْ أَبْطَنَتِ الشَّهْوَةَ ، لِتَتَزَيَّنَ بِذَلِكَ وَتَتَصَنَّعَ عِنْدَ الْعِبَادِ بِظَاهِرِ الطَّاعَةِ ، وَأَنَّهَا قُرْبَةٌ لَا يَتَّهِمُ الْعَبْدُ نَفْسَهُ فَيَتَفَقَّدَهَا ، لِأَنَّ الشَّهْوَةَ تُخْفِي عَلَى الْعَبْدِ قَصْدَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِهَا ،

Wa-lā sharrin yanfaridu mina al-sharri al-ladhī lā yashūbuhu al-khayru, wa-lākinnahā shahwatun khafiyyatun ʾidh ṣārat mumāzijatan li-al-khayri dākhilatan fīhi fa-ʿāmiluhā ẓāhiru al-khayri, fa-huwa muṭīʿun fī al-ẓāhiri, yarā ʾannahu li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla yaʿmalu, wa-al-nafsu qad ʾabṭanati al-shahwata, li-tatazayyana bi-dhālika wa-tataṣannaʿa ʿinda al-ʿibādi bi-ẓāhiri al-ṭāʿati, wa-ʾannahā qurbatun lā yattahimu al-ʿabdu nafsahu fa-yatafaqqadahā, li-ʾanna al-shahwata tukhfī ʿalā al-ʿabdi qaṣdahu min ʾajlihā,

nor a separate evil of the kind unmingled with good. Instead, it is a hidden desire because it has become mixed with good and entered into it. Its practitioner appears good: outwardly obedient, he believes he is working for God, mighty and majestic. Yet the self has concealed the desire, so as to adorn itself with this and put on a show before people through outward obedience. Thinking this an act of drawing near to God, the servant does not suspect his self and examine it. The desire conceals from the servant his purpose in acting for its sake,

فَلَا يَتَبَيَّنُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْعِلْمِ الدَّالِّ عَلَى قَصْدِهِ مَا هُوَ ، فَكَمَنَتْ وَخَفِيَتْ عَلَى الْعَامِلِ إِذَا لَمْ يَسْتَضِئْ بِالْعِلْمِ .

Fa-lā yatabayyanu dhālika ʾillā bi-al-ʿilmi al-dālli ʿalā qaṣdihi mā huwa, fa-kamanat wa-khafiyat ʿalā al-ʿāmili ʾidhā lam yastaḍiʾ bi-al-ʿilmi.

so this becomes clear only through knowledge that reveals what his purpose really is. It lies concealed, hidden from the person acting whenever he fails to seek illumination through knowledge.

كَمَا يُرْوَى عَنْ وَهْبٍ ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ : كُمُونُ الشَّهْوَةِ فِي الْقَلْبِ كَكُمُونِ النَّارِ فِي الْعُودِ : إِنْ قُدِحَ أَوْرَى وَإِنْ تُرِكَ خَفِيَ ، وَقَالَ : الرِّيَاءُ أَبْيَنُهُ كَذِبٌ ، وَأَخْفَاهُ مَكِيدَةٌ ، يَعْنِي أَنَّهُ يَخْفَى عَلَى مَنْ غَفَلَ وَيَتَبَيَّنُ لِمَنْ يَتَفَقَّدُهُ بِالْعِلْمِ وَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ بِالْمَعْرِفَةِ .

Kamā yurwā ʿan Wahbin, ʾannahu qāla: kumūnu al-shahwati fī al-qalbi ka-kumūni al-nāri fī al-ʿūdi: ʾin qudiḥa ʾawrā wa-ʾin turika khafiya, wa-qāla: al-riyāʾu ʾabyanuhu kadhibun, wa-ʾakhfāhu makīdatun, yaʿnī ʾannahu yakhfā ʿalā man ghafala wa-yatabayyanu li-man yatafaqqaduhu bi-al-ʿilmi wa-naẓara ʾilayhi bi-al-maʿrifati.

As it is related that Wahb said, “Desire lies hidden in the heart as fire lies hidden in a stick: if the stick is struck, it produces fire; if left alone, the fire remains concealed.” He also said, “Ostentation at its most obvious is a lie; at its most hidden, a trick.” He means that it escapes someone who is heedless, but becomes clear to someone who examines it with knowledge and looks at it with understanding.

وَمَنْ عَلِمَ شِدَّةَ حَاجَتِهِ إِلَى صَافِي الْحَسَنَاتِ غَدًا فِي الْقِيَامَةِ ، غَلَبَ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ حَذَرُ الرِّيَاءِ وَتَصْحِيحُ الْإِخْلَاصِ بِعَمَلِهِ ، حَتَّى يُوَافِيَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِالْخَالِصِ الْمَقْبُولِ ، إِذْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَخْلُصُ إِلَى اللَّهِ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ إِلَّا مَا خَلَصَ مِنْهُ ، وَلَا يُقْبَلُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِلَّا مَا كَانَ صَافِيًا لِوَجْهِهِ ، لَا تَشُوبُهُ إِرَادَةٌ بِشَيْءٍ غَيْرِهِ .

Wa-man ʿalima shiddata ḥājatihi ʾilā ṣāfī al-ḥasanāti ghadan fī al-qiyāmati, ghalaba ʿalā qalbihi ḥadharu al-riyāʾi wa-taṣḥīḥu al-ʾikhlāṣi bi-ʿamalihi, ḥattā yuwāfiya yawma al-qiyāmati bi-al-khāliṣi al-maqbūli, ʾidh ʿalima ʾannahu lā yakhluṣu ʾilā Allāhi jalla thanāʾuhu ʾillā mā khalaṣa minhu, wa-lā yuqbalu yawma al-qiyāmati ʾillā mā kāna ṣāfiyan li-wajhihi, lā tashūbuhu ʾirādatun bi-shayʾin ghayrihi.

Whoever knows how desperately he will need untainted good deeds tomorrow at the Resurrection will find his heart dominated by caution against ostentation and concern to make his work truly sincere, so that he arrives on Resurrection Day with what is pure and accepted. For he knows that nothing reaches God, exalted is His praise, except what comes from him in purity, and nothing is accepted on Resurrection Day except what was purely for His sake, untainted by any desire for anything besides Him.

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أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الْعِبَادِ يَتَجَاوَزُونَ بَيْنَهُمُ النَّقْدَ فِي الْوَرِقِ وَالذَّهَبِ ، فَيَأْخُذُ بَعْضُهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ الدِّرْهَمَ الْمَرْدُودَ وَالرَّدِيءَ مِنَ النَّقْدِ فِي الْحَضَرِ وَالْأَمْصَارِ ؟ فَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَحَدُهُمْ طَرِيقَ مَكَّةَ أَوْ غَيْرِهَا لَمْ يَأْخُذْ مِنَ النَّقْدِ إِلَّا الْجَيِّدَ الصَّافِيَ لِمَعْرِفَتِهِ أَنَّ طَرِيقَهُ يَقِلُّ فِيهِ الْعَطْفُ مِنَ الْعِبَادِ بَعْضِهِمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ ، وَالْمُوَاسَاةُ ؛ لِشِدَّةِ سَفَرِهِمْ وَبُعْدِ شُقَّتِهِمْ ،

ʾA-lam tara ʾilā al-ʿibādi yatajāwazūna baynahumu al-naqda fī al-wariqi wa-al-dhahabi, fa-yaʾkhudhu baʿḍuhum min baʿḍin al-dirhama al-mardūda wa-al-radīʾa mina al-naqdi fī al-ḥaḍari wa-al-ʾamṣāri? Fa-ʾidhā ʾarāda ʾaḥaduhum ṭarīqa Makkata ʾaw ghayrihā lam yaʾkhudh mina al-naqdi ʾillā al-jayyida al-ṣāfiya li-maʿrifatihi ʾanna ṭarīqahu yaqillu fīhi al-ʿaṭfu mina al-ʿibādi baʿḍihim ʿalā baʿḍin, wa-al-muwāsātu; li-shiddati safarihim wa-buʿdi shuqqatihim,

Do you not see how people overlook defects in one another’s silver and gold currency, accepting rejected dirhams and poor-quality coins from one another when at home in towns? Yet when one of them plans to travel to Mecca or elsewhere, he takes only sound, pure currency, knowing that on his route people’s kindness to one another and mutual assistance are scarce because of the hardship of their travel and the length of their journey.

فَيَخَافُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ دَرَاهِمَ رَدِيئَةً أَوْ دَنَانِيرَ مَرْدُودَةً ، فَيُبْدِلَهَا فِي إِدَاوَةٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ أَوْ قِرْبَةٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ ، أَوْ فِي زَادٍ أَوْ فِي كِرًى يَتَحَمَّلُ بِهِ فَتُرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ ، فَيُقْطَعَ بِهِ فِي مَوْضِعِ الْحَاجَةِ حَيْثُ تَقِلُّ الْمُوَاسَاةُ وَيَعِزُّ التَّعَاطُفُ مِنَ النَّاسِ بَعْضِهِمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَهُوَ فِي الْحَضَرِ يَتَجَاوَزُ الرَّدَّ وَالْمَرْدُودَ ، رَجَاءَ إِنْ رُدَّ عَلَيْهِ رَدَّهُ وَأَبْدَلَهُ ،

Fa-yakhāfu ʾan yaʾkhudha darāhima radīʾatan ʾaw danānīra mardūdatan, fa-yubdilahā fī ʾidāwatin min māʾin ʾaw qirbatin min māʾin, ʾaw fī zādin ʾaw fī kiran yataḥammalu bihi fa-turadda ʿalayhi, fa-yuqṭaʿa bihi fī mawḍiʿi al-ḥājati ḥaythu taqillu al-muwāsātu wa-yaʿizzu al-taʿāṭufu mina al-nāsi baʿḍihim ʿalā baʿḍin wa-huwa fī al-ḥaḍari yatajāwazu al-radda wa-al-mardūda, rajāʾa ʾin rudda ʿalayhi raddahu wa-ʾabdalahu,

He fears taking poor dirhams or rejected dinars, then offering them for a small container of water or a waterskin of water, for provisions, or for hired transport, only to have them refused. He would then be stranded at a time of need, where mutual assistance is scarce and kindness between people is hard to find. At home, however, he overlooks rejection and rejected currency, hoping that if it is refused he can return it and exchange it,

وَإِنْ يَرُدَّهُ وَجَدَ عِوَضًا مِنْهُ مِنْ مِلْكٍ لَهُ أَوْ قَرْضٍ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ فَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ عَقَلَ تَخَاذُلَ الْعِبَادِ فِي الْقِيَامَةِ وَتَبَرِّيَ بَعْضِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ ، حَتَّى تَوَدَّ الْوَالِدَةُ أَنَّهُ جُعِلَ لَهَا عَلَى وَلَدِهَا حَقٌّ تَأْخُذُ بِهِ لِشِدَّةِ حَاجَتِهَا إِلَى شَيْءٍ يَثْقُلُ بِهِ مِيزَانُهَا وَتَزِيدُ فِي حَسَنَاتِهَا ، وَلِتَعْظِيمِ مَا عَايَنَتْ .

Wa-ʾin yaruddahu wajada ʿiwaḍan minhu min milkin lahu ʾaw qarḍin min ghayrihi fa-ka-dhālika man ʿaqala takhādhula al-ʿibādi fī al-qiyāmati wa-tabarriya baʿḍihim min baʿḍin, ḥattā tawadda al-wālidatu ʾannahu juʿila lahā ʿalā waladihā ḥaqqun taʾkhudhu bihi li-shiddati ḥājatihā ʾilā shayʾin yathqulu bihi mīzānuhā wa-tazīdu fī ḥasanātihā, wa-li-taʿẓīmi mā ʿāyanat.

and if he returns it, he can find a replacement from property of his own or a loan from someone else. So it is with someone who understands how people will fail one another at the Resurrection and disown one another, until a mother wishes she had been given a claim against her child that she could collect, so desperately does she need something to add weight to her scale and increase her good deeds, and so overwhelming does she find what she has seen.

فَمَنْ عَقَلَ شِدَّةَ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ وَشِدَّةَ فَقْرِهِ إِلَى صَافِي الْحَسَنَاتِ ، خَشِيَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِغُدُوٍّ أَوْ رَوَاحٍ إِلَى عِلْمٍ أَوْ صَلَاةٍ أَوْ صِيَامٍ أَوْ خُشُوعٍ ، أَوْ حَجٍّ أَوْ غَزْوٍ أَوْ كَرٍّ عَلَى عَدُوٍّ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَمْ يُخْلِصْهُ فَيَحْبَطَ ، فَتَصِيرَ حَسَنَاتُهُ أَنْقَصَ مِنْ سَيِّئَاتِهِ ، وَلَوْ كَانَ أَخْلَصَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا لَرَجَحَتْ حَسَنَاتُهُ عَلَى سَيِّئَاتِهِ فَدَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ بِذَلِكَ ،

Fa-man ʿaqala shiddata dhālika al-yawmi wa-shiddata faqrihi ʾilā ṣāfī al-ḥasanāti, khashiya ʾan yaʾtiya yawma al-qiyāmati bi-ghuduwwin ʾaw rawāḥin ʾilā ʿilmin ʾaw ṣalātin ʾaw ṣiyāmin ʾaw khushūʿin, ʾaw ḥajjin ʾaw ghazwin ʾaw karrin ʿalā ʿaduwwin fī sabīli Allāhi lam yukhliṣhu fa-yaḥbaṭa, fa-taṣīra ḥasanātuhu ʾanqaṣa min sayyiʾātihi, wa-law kāna ʾakhlaṣahu fī al-dunyā la-rajaḥat ḥasanātuhu ʿalā sayyiʾātihi fa-dakhala al-jannata bi-dhālika,

Whoever understands that day’s severity and his desperate need for untainted good deeds fears that on Resurrection Day he may bring a morning or evening journey to seek knowledge, prayer, fasting, humility, pilgrimage, a military expedition, or a charge against an enemy in God’s path that he did not make sincere, and that it will be forfeited. His good deeds would then be fewer than his evil deeds. Had he made it sincere in this world, his good deeds would have outweighed his evil deeds and he would have entered the Garden through that.

فَلَمَّا حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُ بَقِيَتْ سَيِّئَاتُهُ أَرْجَحَ وَحَسَنَاتُهُ أَخَفَّ وَأَنْقَصَ ؛ فَلَا تَسْأَلْ عَنْ تَقَطُّعِ نَفْسِهِ حَسَرَاتٍ ، فَيَخَافُ الْعَاقِلُ ذَلِكَ ، فَيَغْلِبُ عَلَى عَقْلِهِ حَذَرُ الرِّيَاءِ وَالتَّصَنُّعِ لِلْعِبَادِ وَإِرَادَةُ اللَّهِ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا غَيْرِهِ ، حَتَّى يَتَخَلَّصَ لَهُ عِلْمُهُ وَعَمَلُهُ .

Fa-lammā ḥabiṭa ʿamaluhu baqiyat sayyiʾātuhu ʾarjaḥa wa-ḥasanātuhu ʾakhaffa wa-ʾanqaṣa; fa-lā tasʾal ʿan taqaṭṭuʿi nafsihi ḥasarātin, fa-yakhāfu al-ʿāqilu dhālika, fa-yaghlibu ʿalā ʿaqlihi ḥadharu al-riyāʾi wa-al-taṣannuʿi li-al-ʿibādi wa-ʾirādatu Allāhi jalla thanāʾuhu waḥdahu lā ghayrihi, ḥattā yatakhallaṣa lahu ʿilmuhu wa-ʿamaluhu.

But when his work is forfeited, his evil deeds remain heavier and his good deeds lighter and fewer. Do not even ask about his soul tearing itself apart with regret. A person of understanding fears this, so his mind is dominated by caution against ostentation and putting on a show for people, and by seeking God alone, exalted is His praise, and no one else, until his knowledge and deeds become purely His.

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بَابُ حَضِّ الْعَاصِي عَلَى الْإِخْلَاصِ فِي عَمَلِهِ

Bābu ḥaḍḍi al-ʿāṣī ʿalā al-ʾikhlāṣi fī ʿamalihi

Chapter Urging the Sinner to Be Sincere in His Deeds

قُلْتُ : إِنَّ الْإِخْلَاصَ مَنْزِلَةُ الْأَقْوِيَاءِ وَالْخَاصَّةِ مِنَ الْعَابِدِينَ .

Qultu: ʾinna al-ʾikhlāṣa manzilatu al-ʾaqwiyāʾi wa-al-khāṣṣati mina al-ʿābidīna.

I said: Sincerity is the station of the strong and the elect among worshipers.

قَالَ : إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُوَّةِ لَأَقْوَمُ الْعِبَادِ بِهِ ، وَإِنَّ الْمُخَلِّطَ الْعَاصِيَ لَأَشَدُّ حَاجَةً إِلَى الْإِخْلَاصِ بِتَطَوُّعِهِ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِي الْوَرِعِ لِأَنَّ الْمُتَّقِيَ الْوَرِعَ إِنْ حَبِطَ جَمِيعُ تَنَفُّلِهِ نَجَا بِقِيَامِهِ بِالْفَرْضِ وَانْتِهَائِهِ عَنِ الْمَعَاصِي ، وَالْمُخَلِّطُ إِنَّمَا تَطَوُّعُهُ يَقُومُ مَقَامَ فَرْضِهِ وَوَرَعِهِ .

Qāla: ʾinna ʾahla al-quwwati la-ʾaqwamu al-ʿibādi bihi, wa-ʾinna al-mukhalliṭa al-ʿāṣiya la-ʾashaddu ḥājatan ʾilā al-ʾikhlāṣi bi-taṭawwuʿihi mina al-muttaqī al-wariʿi li-ʾanna al-muttaqiya al-wariʿa ʾin ḥabiṭa jamīʿu tanaffulihi najā bi-qiyāmihi bi-al-farḍi wa-intihāʾihi ʿani al-maʿāṣī, wa-al-mukhalliṭu ʾinnamā taṭawwuʿuhu yaqūmu maqāma farḍihi wa-waraʿihi.

He said: The strong are indeed the servants who uphold it best. Yet the sinner who mixes good with evil has a greater need for sincerity in his voluntary deeds than the God-conscious, scrupulous person. For even if all the voluntary deeds of the God-conscious, scrupulous person are forfeited, he is saved by fulfilling his obligations and refraining from sins. The voluntary deeds of someone who mixes good with evil, however, must make up for his obligatory duties and scrupulousness.

أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ قَوْلَ مُجَاهِدٍ : إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ نَافِلَةً إِلَّا لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ غُفِرَ لَهُ ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ : وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَكَ .

ʾA-lam tasmaʿ qawla Mujāhidin: ʾinnahu laysa nāfilatan ʾillā li-al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama li-ʾannahu qad ghufira lahu, thumma qaraʾa: wa-mina al-layli fa-tahajjad bihi nāfilatan laka.

Have you not heard Mujāhid’s statement that it is an additional offering only for the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, because he had already been forgiven? Then he recited, “And during part of the night keep vigil with it, as an additional offering for you.”

وَقَالَ أَبُو أُمَامَةَ : إِنَّمَا كَانَتِ النَّافِلَةُ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَاصَّةً .

Wa-qāla ʾAbū ʾUmāmata: ʾinnamā kānati al-nāfilatu li-al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama khāṣṣatan.

Abū Umāma said, “The additional offering belonged to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, alone.”

وَرَوَى أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ وَتَمِيمٌ الدَّارِيُّ وَأَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : « يُحَاسَبُ الْعَبْدُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ، فَإِنْ نَقَصَ فَرْضُهُ قِيلَ : اُنْظُرُوا هَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَطَوُّعٍ ؟ فَإِنْ كَانَ لَهُ تَطَوُّعٌ أُكْمِلَ بِهِ فَرْضُهُ » قَالَ تَمِيمٌ فِي حَدِيثِهِ : « وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ تَطَوُّعٌ أُخِذَ بِطَرَفَيْهِ وَأُلْقِيَ فِي النَّارِ » .

Wa-rawā ʾAbū Hurayrata wa-Tamīmun al-Dāriyyu wa-ʾAnasu bnu Mālikin ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama qāla: «Yuḥāsabu al-ʿabdu yawma al-qiyāmati, fa-ʾin naqaṣa farḍuhu qīla: unẓurū hal lahu min taṭawwuʿin? Fa-ʾin kāna lahu taṭawwuʿun ʾukmila bihi farḍuhu» qāla Tamīmun fī ḥadīthihi: «Wa-ʾin lam yakun lahu taṭawwuʿun ʾukhidha bi-ṭarafayhi wa-ʾulqiya fī al-nāri».

Abū Hurayra, Tamīm al-Dārī, and Anas ibn Mālik related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “The servant is brought to account on Resurrection Day. If his obligatory deeds are deficient, it is said, ‘See whether he has any voluntary deeds.’ If he has voluntary deeds, his obligatory deeds are completed with them.” Tamīm said in his report, “And if he has no voluntary deeds, he is seized by both ends and thrown into the Fire.”

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فَيَأْتِي الْمُخَلِّطُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَفَرْضُهُ نَاقِصٌ وَعَلَيْهِ ذُنُوبٌ كَثِيرَةٌ ؛ فَإِنْ حَبِطَ تَطَوُّعُهُ كُلُّهُ أَوْ بَعْضُهُ عَطِبَ ؛ لِأَنَّهُ يَعْمَلُ فِي إِكْمَالِ الْفَرْضِ وَتَكْفِيرِ السَّيِّئَاتِ ، وَالْمُتَّقِي يَعْمَلُ فِي عُلُوِّ الدَّرَجَاتِ فَإِنْ حَبِطَ تَطَوُّعُهُ بَقِيَ مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ مَا يَرْجَحُ عَلَى السَّيِّئَاتِ فَيَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ ، وَالْعَدُوُّ يُرِيدُ أَلَّا تَبْقَى لَهُ حَسَنَةٌ ، وَالْمُخَلِّطُ يُوَازِنُ بِهَا ،

Fa-yaʾtī al-mukhalliṭu yawma al-qiyāmati wa-farḍuhu nāqiṣun wa-ʿalayhi dhunūbun kathīratun; fa-ʾin ḥabiṭa taṭawwuʿuhu kulluhu ʾaw baʿḍuhu ʿaṭiba; li-ʾannahu yaʿmalu fī ʾikmāli al-farḍi wa-takfīri al-sayyiʾāti, wa-al-muttaqī yaʿmalu fī ʿuluwwi al-darajāti fa-ʾin ḥabiṭa taṭawwuʿuhu baqiya min ḥasanātihi mā yarjaḥu ʿalā al-sayyiʾāti fa-yadkhulu al-jannata, wa-al-ʿaduwwu yurīdu ʾallā tabqā lahu ḥasanatun, wa-al-mukhalliṭu yuwāzinu bihā,

The person who mixes good with evil arrives on Resurrection Day with his obligatory deeds deficient and many sins against him. If all or some of his voluntary deeds are forfeited, he is ruined, because he works to complete his obligations and expiate his evil deeds. The God-conscious person works to rise in rank: if his voluntary deeds are forfeited, enough good deeds remain to outweigh his evil deeds, and he enters the Garden. The enemy wants no good deed to remain to him, while the person who mixes good with evil needs them to balance the scales.

وَالْقَوِيُّ الْوَرِعُ لَمَّا صَلَحَتْ أَحْوَالُهُ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ الْخَلْقَ يَحْمَدُونَ مَنْ ظَهَرَتْ مِنْهُ تِلْكَ الْأَحْوَالُ ، وَوَجَدَ الْعَدُوُّ مَوْضِعًا لِلدُّعَاءِ لَمَّا عَطَّلَ عَلَيْهِ مَكَائِدَهُ وَغَلَبَهُ ، إِلَى أَنْ يَدَعَ لَذَّاتِهِ لِرَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَدْعُوَهُ إِلَى اعْتِقَادِ الرِّيَاءِ ، لِيُحْبِطَ مَا كَانَ يَدْعُوهُ إِلَى تَرْكِهِ فَلَمْ يُطِعْهُ ، فَيَدْعُوهُ إِلَى التَّصَنُّعِ بِالدِّينِ ، وَيُعَظِّمُ قَدْرَ الْمَنْزِلَةِ عِنْدَهُ ،

Wa-al-qawiyyu al-wariʿu lammā ṣalaḥat ʾaḥwāluhu wa-ʿalima ʾanna al-khalqa yaḥmadūna man ẓaharat minhu tilka al-ʾaḥwālu, wa-wajada al-ʿaduwwu mawḍiʿan li-al-duʿāʾi lammā ʿaṭṭala ʿalayhi makāʾidahu wa-ghalabahu, ʾilā ʾan yadaʿa ladhdhātihi li-rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla ʾarāda ʾan yadʿuwahu ʾilā iʿtiqādi al-riyāʾi, li-yuḥbiṭa mā kāna yadʿūhu ʾilā tarkihi fa-lam yuṭiʿhu, fa-yadʿūhu ʾilā al-taṣannuʿi bi-al-dīni, wa-yuʿaẓẓimu qadra al-manzilati ʿindahu,

As for the strong, scrupulous person: when his conduct has become sound and he knows that people praise those who display such conduct, the enemy finds an opening to tempt him. After the servant has frustrated his schemes and overcome him, to the point of abandoning his pleasures for his Lord, mighty and majestic, the enemy wants to invite him to adopt ostentation, so as to nullify the deeds he had urged him to abandon, when the servant refused to obey him. He therefore invites him to put on a religious show and magnifies the value of social standing in his eyes,

حَتَّى يَكُونَ عِنْدَهُ أَغْلَبَ عَلَى طَبْعِهِ مِنْ قَدْرِ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ ، لِأَنَّ الْعَبْدَ قَدْ يَتْرُكُ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ ، وَيَرُدُّهُمَا إِذَا وُصِلَ بِهِمَا ، لِيُقَالَ : قَدْ تَرَكَ وَزَهِدَ ، لِأَنَّ النَّفْسَ مِنْ قِبَلِ هَوَاهَا وَالْعَدُوَّ يَدْعُوَانِ الْعَبْدَ إِلَى الْمَعَاصِي .

Ḥattā yakūna ʿindahu ʾaghlaba ʿalā ṭabʿihi min qadri al-dhahabi wa-al-fiḍḍati, li-ʾanna al-ʿabda qad yatruku al-dhahaba wa-al-fiḍḍata, wa-yarudduhumā ʾidhā wuṣila bihimā, li-yuqāla: qad taraka wa-zahida, li-ʾanna al-nafsa min qibali hawāhā wa-al-ʿaduwwa yadʿuwāni al-ʿabda ʾilā al-maʿāṣī.

until it has a stronger hold upon his nature than the value of gold and silver. A servant may indeed abandon gold and silver and refuse them when they are given to him, so that people will say, “He has renounced them and become detached.” For the self, through its desire, and the enemy both call the servant to sins.

أَمَّا النَّفْسُ فَلِإِصَابَةِ لَذَّتِهَا ، وَأَمَّا الْعَدُوُّ فَلِلْحَسَدِ وَالْعَدَاوَةِ ؛ إِرَادَةَ هَلَكَةِ الْعَبْدِ ، فَإِذَا أَبَى عَلَيْهِمَا دَعَوَاهُ إِلَى تَرْكِ التَّنَفُّلِ ، وَقَالَا : يَكْفِيكَ الْوَرَعُ ، فَإِنْ عَصَاهُمَا وَتَنَفَّلَ دَعَوَاهُ إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ بِهِ ؛ وَكَذَلِكَ يَدْعُوَانِهِ - وَإِنْ لَمْ يَتَنَفَّلْ - إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ بِوَرَعِهِ ؛ أَمَّا النَّفْسُ فَتَطْلُبُ الْقَدْرَ عِنْدَ الْخَلْقِ وَالتَّعْظِيمَ مِنْهُمْ لَهُ ، وَالْعَدُوُّ لِلْحَسَدِ وَالْعَدَاوَةِ لَهُ ،

ʾAmmā al-nafsu fa-li-ʾiṣābati ladhdhatihā, wa-ʾammā al-ʿaduwwu fa-li-al-ḥasadi wa-al-ʿadāwati; ʾirādata halakati al-ʿabdi, fa-ʾidhā ʾabā ʿalayhimā daʿawāhu ʾilā tarki al-tanaffuli, wa-qālā: yakfīka al-waraʿu, fa-ʾin ʿaṣāhumā wa-tanaffala daʿawāhu ʾilā al-riyāʾi bihi; wa-ka-dhālika yadʿuwānihi - wa-ʾin lam yatanaffal - ʾilā al-riyāʾi bi-waraʿihi; ʾammā al-nafsu fa-taṭlubu al-qadra ʿinda al-khalqi wa-al-taʿẓīma minhum lahu, wa-al-ʿaduwwu li-al-ḥasadi wa-al-ʿadāwati lahu,

The self does so to obtain its pleasure; the enemy does so out of envy and hostility, desiring the servant’s destruction. If he refuses them both, they urge him to abandon voluntary worship, saying, “Scrupulousness is enough for you.” If he disobeys them and performs voluntary worship, they urge him to show off through it. Likewise, even if he performs no voluntary worship, they urge him to show off through his scrupulousness. The self seeks status among people and their admiration for him; the enemy acts out of envy and hostility toward him.

فَإِنْ أَبَى أَرَيَاهُ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ رِيَاءٌ مِنْهُ ، وَأَنَّهُ لَا يَنْجُو مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ إِذَا خَطَرَ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ أَلَّا يَتْرُكَ الْعَمَلَ ، فَإِنْ أَبَى إِلَّا الْمُضِيَّ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ بِالْإِخْلَاصِ وَالْكَرَاهِيَةِ لِلرِّيَاءِ ، وَإِنَّ مَا ادَّعَيَا عَلَيْهِ بَاطِلٌ إِذَا كَانَ لَهُ آبِيًا وَلَهُ كَارِهًا ، دَعَوَاهُ إِلَى الْمُحَاوَرَةِ وَالْمُجَادَلَةِ :

Fa-ʾin ʾabā ʾarayāhu ʾanna dhālika riyāʾun minhu, wa-ʾannahu lā yanjū mina al-riyāʾi ʾidhā khaṭara ʿalā qalbihi ʾallā yatruka al-ʿamala, fa-ʾin ʾabā ʾillā al-muḍiyya ʿalā al-ʿamali bi-al-ʾikhlāṣi wa-al-karāhiyati li-al-riyāʾi, wa-ʾinna mā iddaʿayā ʿalayhi bāṭilun ʾidhā kāna lahu ʾābiyan wa-lahu kārihan, daʿawāhu ʾilā al-muḥāwarati wa-al-mujādalati:

If he refuses, they make it seem to him that this itself is ostentation on his part, and that he cannot escape ostentation when the thought of continuing his work enters his heart. If he insists on continuing the work with sincerity and hatred of ostentation, while their accusation against him is false when he rejects and hates it, they draw him into discussion and argument:

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يَقُولَانِ لَهُ : إِنَّكَ مُرَاءٍ وَهُوَ يُرَدِّدُ عَلَيْهِمَا التَّكْذِيبَ لَهُمَا ، وَهُمَا يَدَّعِيَانِ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِ لِيَشْغَلَاهُ بِذَلِكَ عَمَّا هُوَ فِيهِ ، لِيَفْعَلَهُ بِشُغْلِ قَلْبِهِ عَنِ الْآخِرَةِ ؛ أَمَّا النَّفْسُ فَلِتُصِيبَ مَعَ تَعَبِهَا بَعْضَ رَاحَتِهَا عَنِ الْفِكْرَةِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ ، وَأَمَّا الْعَدُوُّ فَإِرَادَتُهُ : أَنْ يَنْقُصَ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ طَاعَةِ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، لِئَلَّا تَكُونَ لَهُ كَامِلَةً بِحُضُورِ الْعَقْلِ فِيهَا ، عَدَاوَةً مِنْهُ وَحَسَدًا ،

Yaqūlāni lahu: ʾinnaka murāʾin wa-huwa yuraddidu ʿalayhimā al-takdhība lahumā, wa-humā yaddaʿiyāni dhālika ʿalayhi li-yashghalāhu bi-dhālika ʿammā huwa fīhi, li-yafʿalahu bi-shughli qalbihi ʿani al-ʾākhirati; ʾammā al-nafsu fa-li-tuṣība maʿa taʿabihā baʿḍa rāḥatihā ʿani al-fikrati fī al-ʾākhirati, wa-ʾammā al-ʿaduwwu fa-ʾirādatuhu: ʾan yanquṣa al-ʿabdu min ṭāʿati rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla, li-ʾallā takūna lahu kāmilatan bi-ḥuḍūri al-ʿaqli fīhā, ʿadāwatan minhu wa-ḥasadan,

they tell him, “You are showing off,” and he repeatedly answers them with denials. They keep making that accusation to distract him from what he is doing, so that he does it while his heart is diverted from the hereafter. The self wants, amid its weariness, to gain some relief from thinking about the hereafter. The enemy wants the servant to diminish his obedience to his Lord, mighty and majestic, so that it will not be complete with his mind fully present in it, out of hostility and envy,

كَمَا حَسَدَ أَبَوَيْهِ وَعَادَاهُمَا مِنْ قَبْلِهِ .

Kamā ḥasada ʾabawayhi wa-ʿādāhumā min qablihi.

just as he envied the servant’s two parents and was hostile to them before him.

وَقَدْ حَذَّرَنَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ذَلِكَ ، فَقَالَ : يَا بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ كَمَا أَخْرَجَ أَبَوَيْكُمْ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ .

Wa-qad ḥadhdharanā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla dhālika, fa-qāla: yā Banī ʾĀdama lā yaftinannakumu al-shayṭānu kamā ʾakhraja ʾabawaykum mina al-jannati.

God, mighty and majestic, has warned us of this, saying, “Children of Adam, do not let Satan tempt you as he drove your two parents out of the Garden.”

وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُضِلٌّ مُبِينٌ .

Wa-qāla ʿazza wa-jalla: ʾinnahu ʿaduwwun muḍillun mubīnun.

And He said, mighty and majestic, “He is an enemy, a manifest misleader.”

يَعْنِي أَنَّهُ بَيِّنُ الْعَدَاوَةِ . وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ .

Yaʿnī ʾannahu bayyinu al-ʿadāwati. Wa-qāla ʿazza wa-jalla: bal sawwalat lakum ʾanfusukum.

This means that his hostility is plain. And He said, mighty and majestic, “Rather, your selves have made it seem attractive to you.”

وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ .

Wa-qāla ʿazza wa-jalla: ʾinna al-nafsa la-ʾammāratun bi-al-sūʾi.

And He said, mighty and majestic, “The self surely keeps urging evil.”

فَأَخْبَرَنَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، أَنَّ النَّفْسَ تَأْمُرُ بِالسُّوءِ ، وَأَنَّ الْعَدُوَّ يُضِلُّ الْعَبْدَ وَيَصُدُّ عَنْ طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ .

Fa-ʾakhbaranā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, ʾanna al-nafsa taʾmuru bi-al-sūʾi, wa-ʾanna al-ʿaduwwa yuḍillu al-ʿabda wa-yaṣuddu ʿan ṭāʿati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

God, mighty and majestic, has thus told us that the self urges evil, and that the enemy misleads the servant and turns him away from obedience to God, mighty and majestic.

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بَابٌ فِي شَرْحِ الرِّيَاءِ : مَا هُوَ ؟ وَمَا الدَّلِيلُ عَلَيْهِ ؟

Bābun fī sharḥi al-riyāʾi: Mā huwa? Wa-mā al-dalīlu ʿalayhi?

Chapter Explaining Ostentation: What Is It, and What Establishes Its Meaning?

قُلْتُ : فَلَا غِنَى بِي عَنْ مَعْرِفَةِ الرِّيَاءِ مَا هُوَ ؟

Qultu: Fa-lā ghinā bī ʿan maʿrifati al-riyāʾi mā huwa?

I asked: Then I cannot do without knowing what ostentation is?

قَالَ : أَجَلْ لَا غِنَى بِكَ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ ، وَإِلَّا لَمْ تُحْسِنْ أَنْ تَتَّقِيَ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُ ، وَلَا تَحْذَرَ مَا لَا تُبْصِرُ ؛ وَذٰلِكَ شَأْنُ الْمُرِيدِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ ، أَنْ يَعْلَمُوا مَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ لِيَدَعُوهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ وَمَعْرِفَةٍ .

Qāla: Ajal lā ghinā bika ʿan maʿrifatihi, wa-illā lam tuḥsin an tattaqiya mā lā taʿlamu, wa-lā taḥdhara mā lā tubṣiru; wa-dhālika shaʾnu al-murīdīna min qablika, an yaʿlamū mā nuhū ʿanhu li-yadaʿūhu ʿalā ʿilmin wa-maʿrifatin.

He said: Indeed, you cannot do without knowing it. Otherwise you cannot properly guard against what you do not know or beware of what you do not perceive. This was the practice of those who sought God before you: to know what they were forbidden, so that they could abandon it with knowledge and understanding.

وَمِمَّا يَدُلُّكَ عَلَى ذٰلِكَ : مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : أَنَّ رَجُلًا سَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ فِيمَ النَّجَاةُ ؟ فَقَالَ : « أَلَّا تَعْمَلَ بِمَا أَمَرَكَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ تُرِيدُ بِهِ النَّاسَ » فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ نَجَاتِهِ فِي أَعْمَالِهِ ، فَأَخْبَرَهُ بِتَرْكِ الرِّيَاءِ .

Wa-mimmā yadulluka ʿalā dhālika: mā ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: anna rajulan saʾalahu fa-qāla: Yā rasūla Allāhi fīma al-najātu? Fa-qāla: «Allā taʿmala bi-mā amaraka Allāhu bihi turīdu bihi al-nāsa» fa-saʾalahu ʿan najātihi fī aʿmālihi, fa-akhbarahu bi-tarki al-riyāʾi.

One indication is the report that a man asked the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: Messenger of God, where does salvation lie? He replied: “In not doing what God has commanded you while seeking people through it.” He asked about salvation in his deeds, and the answer was to abandon ostentation.

وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ : « يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ ، الرَّجُلُ يُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ حَمِيَّةً ، وَالرَّجُلُ يُقَاتِلُ لِيُرَى مَكَانُهُ » فَسَأَلَهُ عَنِ الرِّيَاءِ ، إِذْ أَشْفَقَ عَلَى عَمَلِهِ أَنْ يَحْبَطَ ، فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يُعَرِّفَهُ الرِّيَاءَ مِنَ الْإِخْلَاصِ ، لِيَنْفِيَهُ عَلَى عِلْمِهِ بِهِ إِذَا عَرَضَ لَهُ .

Wa-qāla rajulun: «Yā rasūla Allāhi, al-rajulu yuqātilu fī sabīli Allāhi ḥamiyyatan, wa-al-rajulu yuqātilu li-yurā makānuhu» fa-saʾalahu ʿani al-riyāʾi, idh ashfaqa ʿalā ʿamalihi an yaḥbaṭa, fa-arāda an yuʿarrifahu al-riyāʾa mina al-ikhlāṣi, li-yanfiyahu ʿalā ʿilmihi bihi idhā ʿaraḍa lahu.

A man said: “Messenger of God, a man fights in God’s path out of partisan pride, and a man fights so that his standing may be seen.” He was asking about ostentation because he feared his deed might be nullified. He wanted the Prophet to show him the distinction between ostentation and sincerity, so that he could knowingly reject ostentation when it arose.

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وَقَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ ، رَحِمَهُ اللّٰهُ : إِنَّ مِنْ فِقْهِ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ نَزَغَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ، أَيْ مَتَى تَأْتِيهِ ؟ وَمِنْ أَيْنَ تَأْتِيهِ ؟ وَصَدَقَ رَحِمَهُ اللّٰهُ : إِذَا فَقِهَ الْعَبْدُ عَنِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنَّهُ لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا مَا خَلَصَ وَصَفَا مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ لِوَجْهِهِ دُونَ خَلْقِهِ ، وَأَنَّ نَفْسَهُ وَعَدُوَّهُ يَدْعُوَانِهِ إِلَى مَا يُحْبِطُ عَمَلَهُ حَذِرَ وَاسْتَدَلَّ بِالْعِلْمِ ،

Wa-qāla Abū al-Dardāʾi, raḥimahu Allāhu: Inna min fiqhi al-ʿabdi an yaʿlama nazaghāti al-shayṭāni, ay matā taʾtīhi? Wa-min ayna taʾtīhi? Wa-ṣadaqa raḥimahu Allāhu: Idhā faqiha al-ʿabdu ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla annahu lā yaqbalu illā mā khalaṣa wa-ṣafā mina al-aʿmāli li-wajhihi dūna khalqihi, wa-anna nafsahu wa-ʿaduwwahu yadʿuwānihi ilā mā yuḥbiṭu ʿamalahu ḥadhira wa-istadalla bi-al-ʿilmi,

Abū al-Dardāʾ, may God have mercy on him, said: Part of a servant’s understanding is knowing Satan’s incitements: when do they come to him, and from where? He spoke truly, may God have mercy on him. When the servant understands from God, mighty and majestic, that He accepts only deeds purely and exclusively devoted to His face rather than His creatures, and that his self and his enemy call him toward what nullifies his deeds, he becomes wary and seeks guidance through knowledge,

فَعَلِمَ حِينَ تَأْتِيهِ النَّزْغَةُ مِنْ قِبَلِ الرِّيَاءِ أَوْ غَيْرِهِ .

Fa-ʿalima ḥīna taʾtīhi al-nazghatu min qibali al-riyāʾi aw ghayrihi.

and recognizes when an incitement toward ostentation or something else comes to him.

وَعَنْ يُونُسَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ : لَا يَزَالُ الْعَبْدُ بِخَيْرٍ مَا عَلِمَ مَا الَّذِي يُفْسِدُ عَلَيْهِ عَمَلَهُ .

Wa-ʿan Yūnusa ʿani al-Ḥasani: Lā yazālu al-ʿabdu bi-khayrin mā ʿalima mā alladhī yufsidu ʿalayhi ʿamalahu.

From Yūnus, from al-Ḥasan: The servant remains in a good state as long as he knows what corrupts his deeds.

فَلَا غِنَى بِالْعَبْدِ عَنْ مَعْرِفَةِ مَا أُمِرْنَا بِاتِّقَائِهِ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ وَغَيْرِهِ وَلَا سِيَّمَا الرِّيَاءُ ، إِذْ وُصِفَ بِالْخَفَاءِ فِي الْحَدِيثِ أَنَّهُ أَخْفَى مِنْ دَبِيبِ النَّمْلِ . فَمَا خَفِيَ لَمْ يُعْرَفْ إِلَّا بِشِدَّةِ التَّفَقُّدِ وَنَفَاذِ الْبَصِيرَةِ بِمَعْرِفَةٍ لَهُ حِينَ يَعْرِضُ ، وَإِلَّا لَمْ يَنْفَعِ التَّفَقُّدُ لِمَا لَا يُعْرَفُ ، فَبِالْخَوْفِ وَالْحَذَرِ يَتَفَقَّدُ الْعَبْدُ الرِّيَاءَ ، وَبِمَعْرِفَتِهِ يُبْصِرُهُ حِينَ يَعْرِضُ ،

Fa-lā ghinā bi-al-ʿabdi ʿan maʿrifati mā umirnā bi-ittiqāʾihi mina al-riyāʾi wa-ghayrihi wa-lā siyyamā al-riyāʾu, idh wuṣifa bi-al-khafāʾi fī al-ḥadīthi annahu akhfā min dabībi al-namli. Fa-mā khafiya lam yuʿraf illā bi-shiddati al-tafaqqudi wa-nafādhi al-baṣīrati bi-maʿrifatin lahu ḥīna yaʿriḍu, wa-illā lam yanfaʿi al-tafaqqudu li-mā lā yuʿrafu, fa-bi-al-khawfi wa-al-ḥadhari yatafaqqadu al-ʿabdu al-riyāʾa, wa-bi-maʿrifatihi yubṣiruhu ḥīna yaʿriḍu,

The servant cannot do without knowing what we have been commanded to avoid, whether ostentation or anything else, and especially ostentation, which a report describes as more hidden than the creeping of ants. What is hidden can be recognized only through close examination and penetrating insight, with the knowledge to recognize it when it arises. Otherwise, examining something one does not recognize is useless. Fear and wariness lead the servant to look for ostentation; knowledge of it enables him to perceive it when it arises.

فَلَا غِنَى بِكَ عَنْ مَعْرِفَةِ الرِّيَاءِ .

Fa-lā ghinā bika ʿan maʿrifati al-riyāʾi.

You therefore cannot do without knowing ostentation.

قُلْتُ : فَمَا هُوَ وَمَا دَلَّ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ ؟ لِتَقُومَ بِذٰلِكَ الْحُجَّةُ ، وَيَنْشَرِحَ لِقَبُولِهِ الصَّدْرُ .

Qultu: Fa-mā huwa wa-mā dalla ʿalayhi mina al-ʿilmi? Li-taqūma bi-dhālika al-ḥujjatu, wa-yanshariḥa li-qabūlihi al-ṣadru.

I asked: What is it, and what evidence from knowledge establishes it, so that the proof is clear and the heart opens to accepting it?

قَالَ : الرِّيَاءُ : إِرَادَةُ الْعَبْدِ الْعِبَادَ بِطَاعَةِ رَبِّهِ .

Qāla: Al-riyāʾu: irādatu al-ʿabdi al-ʿibāda bi-ṭāʿati rabbihi.

He said: Ostentation is the servant’s seeking people through obedience to his Lord.

Source page 207

قُلْتُ : فَمَا الدَّلِيلُ عَلَى ذٰلِكَ ؟

Qultu: Fa-mā al-dalīlu ʿalā dhālika?

I asked: What is the evidence for that?

قَالَ : قَوْلُ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا إِلَى قَوْلِهِ :

Qāla: Qawlu Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla: Man kāna yurīdu al-ḥayāta al-dunyā wa-zīnatahā ilā qawlihi:

He said: The saying of God, mighty and majestic: “Whoever desires worldly life and its adornment,” down to His saying,

عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : وَحَبِطَ مَا صَنَعُوا فِيهَا وَبَاطِلٌ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ .

ʿAzza wa-jalla: Wa-ḥabiṭa mā ṣanaʿū fīhā wa-bāṭilun mā kānū yaʿmalūna.

mighty and majestic: “What they did in it has come to nothing, and what they used to do is worthless.”

وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ فِي تَفْسِيرِ هٰذِهِ الْآيَةِ قَالَا : هُمُ الْمُرَاؤُونَ .

Wa-qad ruwiya ʿan Muʿāwiyata bni Abī Sufyāna, wa-ruwiya ʿan Mujāhidin fī tafsīri hādhihi al-āyati qālā: Humu al-murāʾūna.

It is reported from Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān, and also from Mujāhid, that in explaining this verse they said: These are the ostentatious.

وَقَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : وَالَّذِينَ يَمْكُرُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ الْآيَةَ .

Wa-qawluhu ʿazza wa-jalla: Wa-alladhīna yamkurūna al-sayyiʾāti lahum ʿadhābun shadīdun al-āyata.

And His saying, mighty and majestic: “Those who plot evil deeds will have severe punishment,” and the rest of the verse.

قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ : هُمْ أَهْلُ الرِّيَاءِ .

Qāla Mujāhidun: Hum ahlu al-riyāʾi.

Mujāhid said: They are the people of ostentation.

وَوَصَفَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قُلُوبَ الْمُخْلِصِينَ وَأَنَّ الرِّيَاءَ إِرَادَةٌ لِغَيْرِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَرَفَضُوهُ لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَقَالَ : إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا .

Wa-waṣafa Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla qulūba al-mukhliṣīna wa-anna al-riyāʾa irādatun li-ghayri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fa-rafaḍūhu li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-qāla: Innamā nuṭʿimukum li-wajhi Allāhi lā nurīdu minkum jazāʾan wa-lā shukūran.

God, mighty and majestic, described the hearts of the sincere, showing that ostentation is seeking someone other than God, mighty and majestic, and that they rejected it for God, mighty and majestic. He said: “We feed you only for God’s face; we want neither repayment nor thanks from you.”

فَأَخْبَرَ اللّٰهُ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ ، أَنَّهُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بِعَمَلِهِ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُ .

Fa-akhbara Allāhu jalla thanāʾuhu, annahu man arāda bi-ʿamalihi al-ḥayāta al-dunyā wa-zīnatahā ḥabiṭa ʿamaluhu.

God, sublime be His praise, thus declared that whoever seeks worldly life and its adornment through his deeds has his deeds nullified.

وَالْحَدِيثُ : « إِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، يَقُولُ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِذَا رَفَعَتْ عَمَلَ الْعَبْدِ : إِنَّ عَبْدِي هٰذَا لَمْ يُرِدْنِي بِهِ فَاجْعَلُوهُ فِي سِجِّينٍ » ، فَأَخْبَرَكَ أَنَّهَا إِرَادَةُ الدُّنْيَا وَالزِّينَةِ عِنْدَ أَهْلِهَا ، وَالْآيُ فِي ذٰلِكَ كَثِيرٌ جِدًّا .

Wa-al-ḥadīthu: «Inna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla, yaqūlu li-al-malāʾikati idhā rafaʿat ʿamala al-ʿabdi: Inna ʿabdī hādhā lam yuridnī bihi fa-ijʿalūhu fī Sijjīnin», fa-akhbaraka annahā irādatu al-dunyā wa-al-zīnati ʿinda ahlihā, wa-al-āyu fī dhālika kathīrun jiddan.

There is also the report: “God, mighty and majestic, says to the angels when they raise the servant’s deed: ‘This servant of Mine did not seek Me through it, so place it in Sijjīn.’” He thus tells you that it is seeking this world and distinction among its people. There are very many verses about this.

وَأَمَّا فِي السُّنَّةِ : فَقَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، حِينَ سَأَلَهُ الرَّجُلُ فَقَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ فِيمَ النَّجَاةُ ؟ فَقَالَ : « لَا يَعْمَلُ الْعَبْدُ بِطَاعَةِ اللّٰهِ يُرِيدُ بِهَا النَّاسَ » .

Wa-ammā fī al-sunnati: fa-qawlu al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, ḥīna saʾalahu al-rajulu fa-qāla: Yā rasūla Allāhi fīma al-najātu? Fa-qāla: «Lā yaʿmalu al-ʿabdu bi-ṭāʿati Allāhi yurīdu bihā al-nāsa».

In the prophetic way, there is the Prophet’s saying, may God bless him and grant him peace, when the man asked him: Messenger of God, where does salvation lie? He replied: “The servant does not act in obedience to God while seeking people through it.”

Source page 208

وَحَدِيثُ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : « مَنْ رَاءَى بِعَمَلِهِ رَاءَى اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ ، وَمَنْ سَمَّعَ سَمَّعَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ » ، وَرَوَى عَنْهُ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ فِي حَدِيثِ الثَّلَاثَةِ : الْمَقْتُولِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ ، وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ بِمَالِهِ ، وَالْقَارِئِ لِكِتَابِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ،

Wa-ḥadīthu ʿAbdi Allāhi bni ʿAmri bni al-ʿĀṣi ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla: «Man rāʾā bi-ʿamalihi rāʾā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla bihi, wa-man sammaʿa sammaʿa Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla bihi», wa-rawā ʿanhu Abū Hurayrata fī ḥadīthi al-thalāthati: al-maqtūli fī sabīli Allāhi, wa-al-mutaṣaddiqi bi-mālihi, wa-al-qāriʾi li-kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla,

There is also ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ’s report that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever makes a show of his deeds, God, mighty and majestic, will expose him; whoever publicizes his deeds, God, mighty and majestic, will publicize him.” Abū Hurayra also reported from him, in the account of the three: the man killed in God’s path, the man who gave his wealth in charity, and the reciter of the Book of God, mighty and majestic,

أَنَّ اللّٰهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى يَقُولُ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ :

Anna Allāha tabāraka wa-taʿālā yaqūlu li-kulli wāḥidin minhum:

that God, blessed and exalted, says to each of them:

كَذَبْتَ . بَلْ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ يُقَالَ : فُلَانٌ عَالِمٌ . وَيَقُولُ لِلْآخَرِ : بَلْ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ يُقَالَ : فُلَانٌ شُجَاعٌ ، وَقَالَ لِلثَّالِثِ : بَلْ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ يُقَالَ : فُلَانٌ جَوَادٌ ، فَقَدْ قِيلَ . قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : « فَأُولٰئِكَ أَوَّلُ ثَلَاثَةٍ يَدْخُلُونَ النَّارَ » . فَأَخْبَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ،

Kadhabta. Bal aradta an yuqāla: Fulānun ʿālimun. Wa-yaqūlu li-al-ākhari: Bal aradta an yuqāla: Fulānun shujāʿun, wa-qāla li-al-thālithi: Bal aradta an yuqāla: Fulānun jawādun, fa-qad qīla. Qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Fa-ulāʾika awwalu thalāthatin yadkhulūna al-nāra». Fa-akhbara al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla,

You have lied. Rather, you wanted it said, “So-and-so is learned.” To the other He says: Rather, you wanted it said, “So-and-so is brave.” To the third He said: Rather, you wanted it said, “So-and-so is generous.” And it has been said. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Those are the first three to enter the Fire.” Thus the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, reported from God, mighty and majestic,

أَنَّ رِيَاءَهُمُ الَّذِي أَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ : إِرَادَةُ النَّاسِ بِطَاعَةِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ؛ وَأَخْبَرَ عَنْ قُلُوبِ الصَّادِقِينَ الْمُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ عَنْ أَعْمَالِهِمْ ، أَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا : إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا . قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ فِي تَفْسِيرِ ذٰلِكَ : مَا قَالُوهُ بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ ، وَلٰكِنْ قَالُوهُ بِقُلُوبِهِمْ ؛ فَحَكَى اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْهُمْ ، لِيَرْغَبَ رَاغِبٌ ،

Anna riyāʾahumu alladhī aḥbaṭa aʿmālahum: irādatu al-nāsi bi-ṭāʿati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla; wa-akhbara ʿan qulūbi al-ṣādiqīna al-mukhliṣīna lahu ʿan aʿmālihim, annahum qālū: Innamā nuṭʿimukum li-wajhi Allāhi lā nurīdu minkum jazāʾan wa-lā shukūran. Qāla Mujāhidun fī tafsīri dhālika: Mā qālūhu bi-alsinatihim, wa-lākin qālūhu bi-qulūbihim; fa-ḥakā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʿanhum, li-yarghaba rāghibun,

that the ostentation which nullified their deeds was seeking people through obedience to God, mighty and majestic. He also reported that, in their hearts, those who were truthful and sincere toward Him said of their deeds: “We feed you only for God’s face; we want neither repayment nor thanks from you.” Mujāhid explained: They did not say it with their tongues but with their hearts. God, mighty and majestic, related it from them to inspire whoever would aspire,

Source page 209

فَرَضِيَ عَنْهُمْ إِذْ نَفَوْا عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِرَادَةَ حَمْدِ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ وَإِرَادَةَ مُكَافَأَتِهِمْ .

Fa-raḍiya ʿanhum idh nafaw ʿan qulūbihim irādata ḥamdi al-makhlūqīna wa-irādata mukāfaʾatihim.

and He was pleased with them because they expelled from their hearts the desire for people’s praise and the desire for their repayment.

وَالْحَدِيثُ فِي ذٰلِكَ كَثِيرٌ ، فَدَلَّنَا بِالْعِلْمِ أَنَّ الرِّيَاءَ : إِرَادَةُ غَيْرِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِالطَّاعَةِ ، فَالرِّيَاءُ إِرَادَةُ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ بِطَاعَةِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ .

Wa-al-ḥadīthu fī dhālika kathīrun, fa-dallanā bi-al-ʿilmi anna al-riyāʾa: irādatu ghayri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla bi-al-ṭāʿati, fa-al-riyāʾu irādatu al-makhlūqīna bi-ṭāʿati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

There are many reports about this. Knowledge thus shows us that ostentation is seeking someone other than God, mighty and majestic, through obedience. Ostentation, then, is seeking creatures through obedience to God, mighty and majestic.

Source page 210

بَابُ مَعْرِفَةِ أَنَّ الرِّيَاءَ عَلَى وَجْهَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَعْظَمُ ، وَالْآخَرُ أَهْوَنُ وَكِلَاهُمَا رِيَاءٌ

Bābu maʿrifati anna al-riyāʾa ʿalā wajhayni aḥaduhumā aʿẓamu, wa-al-ākharu ahwanu wa-kilāhumā riyāʾun

Chapter on Knowing That Ostentation Has Two Forms: One Greater, the Other Lighter, and Both Ostentation

قُلْتُ : الرِّيَاءُ هٰذَا الْوَجْهُ وَحْدَهُ أَمْ فِي غَيْرِهِ مِنَ الْوُجُوهِ ؟

Qultu: Al-riyāʾu hādhā al-wajhu waḥdahu am fī ghayrihi mina al-wujūhi?

I asked: Is ostentation confined to this form, or does it have other forms?

قَالَ : الرِّيَاءُ هُوَ الْإِرَادَةُ وَحْدَهَا ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ عَلَى وَجْهَيْنِ ، أَحَدُهُمَا أَعْظَمُ وَأَشَدُّ ، وَالْآخَرُ أَهْوَنُ وَأَيْسَرُ وَكِلَاهُمَا رِيَاءٌ .

Qāla: Al-riyāʾu huwa al-irādatu waḥdahā, illā annahu ʿalā wajhayni, aḥaduhumā aʿẓamu wa-ashaddu, wa-al-ākharu ahwanu wa-aysaru wa-kilāhumā riyāʾun.

He said: Ostentation consists in intention alone, but it has two forms. One is greater and more severe, the other lighter and less grave; both are ostentation.

وَإِنَّمَا الْوَجْهُ الَّذِي هُوَ أَشَدُّ الرِّيَاءِ وَأَعْظَمُهُ : إِرَادَةُ الْعَبْدِ الْعِبَادَ بِطَاعَةِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، لَا يُرِيدُ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِذٰلِكَ ، كَمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : « أَلَّا تَعْمَلَ بِطَاعَةِ اللّٰهِ تُرِيدُ النَّاسَ » ، وَكَمَا وَصَفَ الثَّلَاثَةَ : أَنَّهُمْ أَرَادُوا النَّاسَ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ أَنَّهُمْ أَرَادُوا اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، مَعَ إِرَادَتِهِمْ لِخَلْقِهِ وَذٰلِكَ عِنْدَهُ عَظِيمٌ .

Wa-innamā al-wajhu alladhī huwa ashaddu al-riyāʾi wa-aʿẓamuhu: irādatu al-ʿabdi al-ʿibāda bi-ṭāʿati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, lā yurīdu Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla bi-dhālika, ka-mā qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Allā taʿmala bi-ṭāʿati Allāhi turīdu al-nāsa», wa-ka-mā waṣafa al-thalāthata: annahum arādū al-nāsa wa-lam yadhkur annahum arādū Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla, maʿa irādatihim li-khalqihi wa-dhālika ʿindahu ʿaẓīmun.

The severest and greatest form is the servant’s seeking people through obedience to God, mighty and majestic, without seeking God, mighty and majestic, through it. As the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Not to act in obedience to God while seeking people.” Likewise, he described the three as having sought people, without mentioning that they also sought God, mighty and majestic, alongside His creatures. That is a grave matter in His sight.

وَكَذٰلِكَ يُرْوَى عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ « أَنَّ الْمُرَائِيَ يُنَادَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى رُؤُوسِ الْخَلَائِقِ : يَا فَاجِرُ ، يَا غَادِرُ ، يَا مُرَائِي ، ضَلَّ عَمَلُكَ ، وَحَبِطَ أَجْرُكَ ، اذْهَبْ فَخُذْ أَجْرَكَ مِمَّنْ كُنْتَ تَعْمَلُ لَهُ » .

Wa-ka-dhālika yurwā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama «Anna al-murāʾiya yunādā yawma al-qiyāmati ʿalā ruʾūsi al-khalāʾiqi: Yā fājiru, yā ghādiru, yā murāʾī, ḍalla ʿamaluka, wa-ḥabiṭa ajruka, idhhab fa-khudh ajraka mimman kunta taʿmalu lahu».

It is likewise reported from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “On the Day of Resurrection the ostentatious person will be called out before all creatures: ‘Wicked one! Treacherous one! Show-off! Your deed is lost and your reward nullified. Go and take your reward from the one for whom you used to work.’”

وَقَالَ فِي حَدِيثِ الثَّلَاثَةِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَطَّ عَلَى فَخِذِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَقَالَ :

Wa-qāla fī ḥadīthi al-thalāthati anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama khaṭṭa ʿalā fakhidhi Abī Hurayrata wa-qāla:

In the account of the three, he said that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, traced a line on Abū Hurayra’s thigh and said:

« يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ أُولٰئِكَ أَوَّلُ خَلْقِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، تُسَعَّرُ بِهِمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ » . فَذٰلِكَ أَعْظَمُ الرِّيَاءِ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ .

«Yā Abā Hurayrata ulāʾika awwalu khalqi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, tusaʿʿaru bihim nāru Jahannama yawma al-qiyāmati». Fa-dhālika aʿẓamu al-riyāʾi ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

“Abū Hurayra, those are the first among the creatures of God, mighty and majestic, with whom Hell’s fire will be kindled on the Day of Resurrection.” This is the greatest ostentation in the sight of God, mighty and majestic.

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وَرَوَى شَدَّادُ بْنُ أَوْسٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : « أَخْوَفُ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَى أُمَّتِي الرِّيَاءُ » .

Wa-rawā Shaddādu bnu Awsin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama qāla: «Akhwafu mā akhāfu ʿalā ummatī al-riyāʾu».

Shaddād ibn Aws, may God be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “What I fear most for my community is ostentation.”

وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَيْضًا أَنَّهُ قَالَ : رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَبْكِي فَقُلْتُ : مَا يُبْكِيكَ ؟ فَقَالَ :

Wa-ruwiya ʿanhu ayḍan annahu qāla: Raʾaytu al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama yabkī fa-qultu: Mā yubkīka? Fa-qāla:

It is also reported from him that he said: I saw the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, weeping, and asked: What makes you weep? He replied:

« أَمْرٌ تَخَوَّفْتُهُ عَلَى أُمَّتِي : الشِّرْكُ ، أَمَا إِنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْبُدُونَ صَنَمًا وَلَا شَمْسًا وَلَا قَمَرًا وَلَا حَجَرًا وَلَا وَثَنًا ، وَلٰكِنْ يُرَاؤُونَ بِأَعْمَالِهِمْ ، فَكَانَ أَخْوَفُ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّيَاءَ » .

«Amrun takhawwaftuhu ʿalā ummatī: al-shirku, amā innahum lā yaʿbudūna ṣanaman wa-lā shamsan wa-lā qamaran wa-lā ḥajaran wa-lā wathanan, wa-lākin yurāʾūna bi-aʿmālihim, fa-kāna akhwafu mā akhāfu ʿalayhimu al-riyāʾa».

“Something I feared for my community: associating partners with God. Indeed, they will not worship an idol, sun, moon, stone, or graven image, but they will make a show of their deeds. Thus what I feared most for them was ostentation.”

وَأَمَّا الْوَجْهُ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى وَأَيْسَرُ : فَإِرَادَةُ الْعِبَادِ بِطَاعَةِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَإِرَادَةُ ثَوَابِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، يَجْتَمِعَانِ فِي الْقَلْبِ ، الْإِرَادَتَانِ : إِرَادَةُ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ وَإِرَادَةُ ثَوَابِ اللّٰهِ ، وَهُوَ أَدْنَى الرِّيَاءِ وَهُوَ الشِّرْكُ بِالْإِرَادَةِ فِي الْعَمَلِ ، لِأَنَّ الْأَوَّلَ أَرَادَ النَّاسَ وَلَمْ يُرِدِ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ؛ وَهٰذَا أَرَادَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالنَّاسَ ،

Wa-ammā al-wajhu alladhī huwa adnā wa-aysaru: fa-irādatu al-ʿibādi bi-ṭāʿati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-irādatu thawābi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, yajtamiʿāni fī al-qalbi, al-irādatāni: irādatu al-makhlūqīna wa-irādatu thawābi Allāhi, wa-huwa adnā al-riyāʾi wa-huwa al-shirku bi-al-irādati fī al-ʿamali, li-anna al-awwala arāda al-nāsa wa-lam yuridi Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla; wa-hādhā arāda Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla wa-al-nāsa,

The lesser, lighter form is seeking people through obedience to God, mighty and majestic, while also seeking the reward of God, mighty and majestic. These two intentions come together in the heart: seeking creatures and seeking God’s reward. This is the lesser ostentation, associating others with God in the intention behind a deed. The first person sought people without seeking God, mighty and majestic; this one sought God, mighty and majestic, and people,

فَأَشْرَكَ فِي عَمَلِهِ بِطَلَبِ حَمْدِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَطَلَبِ حَمْدِ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ .

Fa-ashraka fī ʿamalihi bi-ṭalabi ḥamdi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-ṭalabi ḥamdi al-makhlūqīna.

and so associated others in his deed by seeking the praise of God, mighty and majestic, and the praise of creatures.

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وَكَذٰلِكَ يَرْوِي أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : « إِنَّ اللّٰهَ تَبَارَكَ يَقُولُ : أَنَا أَغْنَى الشُّرَكَاءِ عَنِ الشِّرْكِ مَنْ عَمِلَ لِي عَمَلًا أَشْرَكَ فِيهِ غَيْرِي فَأَنَا مِنْهُ بَرِيءٌ وَهُوَ لِلَّذِي أَشْرَكَهُ » ، فَأَبَانَ بِذٰلِكَ أَنَّ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ إِرَادَةَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَإِرَادَةَ خَلْقِهِ .

Wa-ka-dhālika yarwī Abū Hurayrata ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Inna Allāha tabāraka yaqūlu: Anā aghnā al-shurakāʾi ʿani al-shirki man ʿamila lī ʿamalan ashraka fīhi ghayrī fa-anā minhu barīʾun wa-huwa li-alladhī ashrakahu», fa-abāna bi-dhālika anna mina al-riyāʾi irādata Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-irādata khalqihi.

Abū Hurayra likewise relates from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “God, blessed be He, says: ‘Of all partners, I have least need of partnership. Whoever does a deed for Me while associating someone else in it, I disown it, and it belongs to the one he associated.’” This makes clear that ostentation includes seeking God, mighty and majestic, while also seeking His creatures.

وَقَالَ طَاوُوسٌ : جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فَقَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ الرَّجُلُ يَتَصَدَّقُ وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يُحْمَدَ وَيُؤْجَرَ فَلَمْ يَدْرِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا يَقُولُ ، حَتَّى نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ هٰذِهِ الْآيَةُ : فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُوا لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا .

Wa-qāla Ṭāwūsun: Jāʾa rajulun ilā al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, fa-qāla: Yā rasūla Allāhi al-rajulu yataṣaddaqu wa-yuḥibbu an yuḥmada wa-yuʾjara fa-lam yadri al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama mā yaqūlu, ḥattā nazalat ʿalayhi hādhihi al-āyatu: Fa-man kāna yarjū liqāʾa rabbihi fa-l-yaʿmal ʿamalan ṣāliḥan wa-lā yushrik bi-ʿibādati rabbihi aḥadan.

Ṭāwūs said: A man came to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and said: Messenger of God, a man gives charity and likes to be praised and rewarded. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, did not know what to say until this verse was revealed to him: “Whoever hopes to meet his Lord should do righteous work and associate no one in worshipping his Lord.”

فَأَنْزَلَهَا اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ جَوَابًا لِقَوْلِ السَّائِلِ إِذْ سَأَلَ : مَنْ أَرَادَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَرَادَ حَمْدَ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ .

Fa-anzalahā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla jawāban li-qawli al-sāʾili idh saʾala: Man arāda Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla wa-arāda ḥamda al-makhlūqīna.

God, mighty and majestic, revealed it in answer to the questioner’s words when he asked about someone who sought God, mighty and majestic, and also sought creatures’ praise.

وَرَوَى مَحْمُودُ بْنُ لَبِيدٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : « أَخْوَفُ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ الشِّرْكُ الْأَصْغَرُ . قَالُوا : وَمَا الشِّرْكُ الْأَصْغَرُ ؟ قَالَ : « الرِّيَاءُ » ، قَالَ : يَقُولُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُمْ ، يَوْمَ يُجَازِي الْعِبَادَ بِأَعْمَالِهِمْ : اذْهَبُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ كُنْتُمْ تُرَاؤُونَ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَانْظُرُوا هَلْ تَجِدُونَ عِنْدَهُمْ جَزَاءً » .

Wa-rawā Maḥmūdu bnu Labīdin ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla: «Akhwafu mā akhāfu ʿalaykumu al-shirku al-aṣgharu. Qālū: Wa-mā al-shirku al-aṣgharu? Qāla: «Al-riyāʾu», qāla: Yaqūlu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla lahum, yawma yujāzī al-ʿibāda bi-aʿmālihim: Idhhabū ilā alladhīna kuntum turāʾūna fī al-dunyā fa-unẓurū hal tajidūna ʿindahum jazāʾan».

Maḥmūd ibn Labīd reported that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “What I fear most for you is the lesser association of partners with God.” They asked: What is the lesser association? He replied: “Ostentation.” He said: “On the day He recompenses servants for their deeds, God, mighty and majestic, will tell them: ‘Go to those before whom you used to show off in this world, and see whether you find any reward with them.’”

وَرَوَى الْقَاسِمُ بْنُ مُخَيْمِرَةَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ : « يَقُولُ اللّٰهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى :

Wa-rawā al-Qāsimu bnu Mukhaymirata anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, qāla: «Yaqūlu Allāhu tabāraka wa-taʿālā:

Al-Qāsim ibn Mukhaymira reported that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “God, blessed and exalted, says:

إِنَّهُ لَا يَقْبَلُ عَمَلًا فِيهِ مِثْقَالُ خَرْدَلَةٍ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ » . وَحَدِيثُ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : « يَقُولُ اللّٰهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ، لِلَّذِينَ كَانُوا يُرَاؤُونَ بِأَعْمَالِهِمْ : اذْهَبُوا فَانْظُرُوا هَلْ تَجِدُونَ عِنْدَ مَنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ ثَوَابًا » .

Innahu lā yaqbalu ʿamalan fīhi mithqālu khardalatin mina al-riyāʾi». Wa-ḥadīthu Abī Hurayrata ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla: «Yaqūlu Allāhu tabāraka wa-taʿālā yawma al-qiyāmati, li-alladhīna kānū yurāʾūna bi-aʿmālihim: Idhhabū fa-unẓurū hal tajidūna ʿinda man kuntum taʿmalūna lahu thawāban».

He does not accept a deed containing a mustard seed’s weight of ostentation.” There is also Abū Hurayra’s report that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “On the Day of Resurrection, God, blessed and exalted, will say to those who made a show of their deeds: ‘Go and see whether you find any reward with those for whom you used to work.’”

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وَقَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ لِمُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ ، وَرَآهُ يَبْكِي : مَا يُبْكِيكَ ؟ قَالَ :

Wa-qāla ʿUmaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu li-Muʿādhi bni Jabalin, wa-raʾāhu yabkī: Mā yubkīka? Qāla:

ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, saw Muʿādh ibn Jabal weeping and asked him: What makes you weep? He said:

حَدِيثٌ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ صَاحِبِ هٰذَا الْقَبْرِ ، يَعْنِي النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ : « إِنَّ أَدْنَى الرِّيَاءِ : شِرْكٌ » . وَالْحَدِيثُ الَّذِي يُرْوَى : « يَسِيرُ الرِّيَاءِ شِرْكٌ » .

Ḥadīthun samiʿtuhu min ṣāḥibi hādhā al-qabri, yaʿnī al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, samiʿtuhu yaqūlu: «Inna adnā al-riyāʾi: shirkun». Wa-al-ḥadīthu alladhī yurwā: «Yasīru al-riyāʾi shirkun».

A saying I heard from the occupant of this grave, meaning the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. I heard him say: “The least ostentation is associating partners with God.” There is also the report: “A little ostentation is associating partners with God.”

وَسَأَلَ ابْنُ أَبِي مُغِيثٍ سَعِيدَ بْنَ الْمُسَيِّبِ فَقَالَ : أَحَدُنَا يَصْطَنِعُ الْمَعْرُوفَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُحْمَدَ وَيُؤْجَرَ ، فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ : تُحِبُّ أَنْ تُمْقَتَ ؟ قَالَ : لَا ، قَالَ :

Wa-saʾala Ibnu Abī Mughīthin Saʿīda bna al-Musayyibi fa-qāla: Aḥadunā yaṣṭaniʿu al-maʿrūfa yuḥibbu an yuḥmada wa-yuʾjara, fa-qāla lahu Ibnu al-Musayyibi: Tuḥibbu an tumqata? Qāla: Lā, qāla:

Ibn Abī Mughīth asked Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, saying: One of us does a kindness and likes to be praised and rewarded. Ibn al-Musayyib asked him: Would you like to be detested? He said: No. He replied:

فَإِذَا عَمِلْتَ لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَمَلًا فَأَخْلِصْهُ .

Fa-idhā ʿamilta li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿamalan fa-akhliṣhu.

Then when you do a deed for God, mighty and majestic, make it sincere.

وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لِعُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ : أُقَاتِلُ بِسَيْفِي فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ أُرِيدُ وَجْهَ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَمَحْمَدَةَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ، فَقَالَ : لَا شَيْءَ لَكَ ، فَسَأَلَهُ ثَلَاثَ مِرَارٍ ، كُلَّ ذٰلِكَ يَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِ لَا شَيْءَ لَكَ ، ثُمَّ قَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ : إِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ : « أَنَا أَغْنَى الشُّرَكَاءِ عَنِ الشَّرِيكِ ،

Wa-qāla rajulun li-ʿUbādata bni al-Ṣāmiti: Uqātilu bi-sayfī fī sabīli Allāhi urīdu wajha Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-maḥmadata al-muʾminīna, fa-qāla: Lā shayʾa laka, fa-saʾalahu thalātha mirārin, kulla dhālika yaruddu ʿalayhi lā shayʾa laka, thumma qāla fī al-thālithati: Inna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla yaqūlu: «Anā aghnā al-shurakāʾi ʿani al-sharīki,

A man said to ʿUbāda ibn al-Ṣāmit: I fight with my sword in God’s path, seeking the face of God, mighty and majestic, and the praise of believers. He replied: You have nothing. He asked three times, and each time the answer was: You have nothing. Then, on the third occasion, he said: God, mighty and majestic, says: “Of all partners, I have least need of a partner.

مَنْ عَمِلَ لِي عَمَلًا وَأَشْرَكَ مَعِي شَرِيكًا وَدَعْتُ نَصِيبِي لِشَرِيكِي » .

Man ʿamila lī ʿamalan wa-ashraka maʿī sharīkan wadaʿtu naṣībī li-sharīkī».

Whoever does a deed for Me and associates a partner with Me, I leave My share to My partner.”

وَذَكَرَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فِي قَوْلِ مَنْ رَضِيَ عَنْهُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقَالَ : إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا .

Wa-dhakara Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, fī qawli man raḍiya ʿanhu mina al-muʾminīna fa-qāla: Innamā nuṭʿimukum li-wajhi Allāhi lā nurīdu minkum jazāʾan wa-lā shukūran.

God, mighty and majestic, mentioned the words of the believers with whom He was pleased, saying: “We feed you only for God’s face; we want neither repayment nor thanks from you.”

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فَنَفَوْا عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَنْ يُرِيدُوا مَعَ اللّٰهِ خَلْقَهُ .

Fa-nafaw ʿan qulūbihim an yurīdū maʿa Allāhi khalqahu.

They expelled from their hearts any intention to seek His creatures alongside God.

وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ : « لَا يَقُلْ أَحَدُكُمْ هٰذَا لِلّٰهِ وَلَكَ ، وَلَا يَقُلْ أَحَدُكُمْ : هٰذَا لِلّٰهِ وَلِلرَّحِمِ ؛ فَإِنَّهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ » .

Wa-qāla al-Ḍaḥḥāku: «Lā yaqul aḥadukum hādhā li-llāhi wa-laka, wa-lā yaqul aḥadukum: Hādhā li-llāhi wa-li-al-raḥimi; fa-innahu lā sharīka lahu».

Al-Ḍaḥḥāk said: “None of you should say, ‘This is for God and for you,’ and none of you should say, ‘This is for God and for kinship,’ for He has no partner.”

وَضَرَبَ عُمَرُ رَجُلًا بِالدِّرَّةِ ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : اقْتَصَّ مِنِّي ، قَالَ : بَلْ أَدَعُهُ لِلّٰهِ وَلَكَ ، فَقَالَ لَهُ عُمَرُ : مَا صَنَعْتَ شَيْئًا ، إِمَّا أَنْ تَدَعَهَا لِي فَأَعْرِفَ ذٰلِكَ ، أَوْ تَدَعَهَا لِلّٰهِ وَحْدَهُ ، قَالَ : وَدَعْتُهَا لِلّٰهِ وَحْدَهُ ، قَالَ : فَنِعْمَ إِذًا .

Wa-ḍaraba ʿUmaru rajulan bi-al-dirrati, thumma qāla: Iqtaṣṣa minnī, qāla: Bal adaʿuhu li-llāhi wa-laka, fa-qāla lahu ʿUmaru: Mā ṣanaʿta shayʾan, immā an tadaʿahā lī fa-aʿrifa dhālika, aw tadaʿahā li-llāhi waḥdahu, qāla: Wadaʿtuhā li-llāhi waḥdahu, qāla: Fa-niʿma idhan.

ʿUmar struck a man with his whip, then said: Take retaliation against me. The man replied: Rather, I forgo it for God and for you. ʿUmar said: You have accomplished nothing. Either forgo it for me, so that I know that, or forgo it for God alone. He said: I forgo it for God alone. ʿUmar replied: Very good, then.

فَدَلَّتْ هٰذِهِ الْآثَارُ أَنَّ أَعْظَمَ الرِّيَاءِ : إِرَادَةُ الْعِبَادِ بِطَاعَةِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَأَنْ يَكُونَ أَدْنَاهُ إِرَادَةَ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ وَإِرَادَةَ ثَوَابِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ .

Fa-dallat hādhihi al-āthāru anna aʿẓama al-riyāʾi: irādatu al-ʿibādi bi-ṭāʿati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-an yakūna adnāhu irādata al-makhlūqīna wa-irādata thawābi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

These reports show that the greatest ostentation is seeking people through obedience to God, mighty and majestic, while its lesser form is seeking creatures and also seeking the reward of God, mighty and majestic.

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بَابُ هَيَجَانِ الرِّيَاءِ وَالدَّوَاعِي إِلَيْهِ

Bābu hayajāni al-riyāʾi wa-al-dawāʿī ilayhi

Chapter on the Stirring of Ostentation and What Prompts It

قُلْتُ : فَمِمَّ يَكُونُ الرِّيَاءُ الَّذِي يَتَشَعَّبُ مِنْهُ فِي الْقَلْبِ وَمَا الَّذِي يُهَيِّجُهُ ؟

Qultu: Fa-mimma yakūnu al-riyāʾu alladhī yatashaʿʿabu minhu fī al-qalbi wa-mā alladhī yuhayyijuhu?

I asked: From what does ostentation spring and branch out in the heart, and what stirs it up?

لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ قَلْبِ الْعَبْدِ أَصْلٌ يَتَشَعَّبُ مِنْهُ وَيُهَيِّجُهُ ، لَمْ يَقْبَلْ خَطَرَاتِ الْعَدُوِّ فِي ذٰلِكَ ، إِذْ يَدْعُو إِلَى مَا لَيْسَ فِي قَلْبِ الْعَبْدِ لَهُ مَحَبَّةٌ وَلَا رَغْبَةٌ .

Li-annahu law lam yakun min qalbi al-ʿabdi aṣlun yatashaʿʿabu minhu wa-yuhayyijuhu, lam yaqbal khaṭarāti al-ʿaduwwi fī dhālika, idh yadʿū ilā mā laysa fī qalbi al-ʿabdi lahu maḥabbatun wa-lā raghbatun.

For if there were no root in the servant’s heart from which it branched and which stirred it, he would not accept the enemy’s suggestions concerning it, since the enemy would be calling to something the servant’s heart neither loved nor desired.

قَالَ : أَجَلْ .

Qāla: Ajal.

He said: Indeed.

قُلْتُ : مَا هُوَ ؟

Qultu: Mā huwa?

I asked: What is it?

قَالَ : ثَلَاثَةُ عُقُودٍ فِي ضَمِيرِ النَّفْسِ : حُبُّ الْمَحْمَدَةِ ، وَخَوْفُ الْمَذَمَّةِ وَالضَّعَةِ فِي الدُّنْيَا ، وَالطَّمَعُ لِمَا فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ .

Qāla: Thalāthatu ʿuqūdin fī ḍamīri al-nafsi: ḥubbu al-maḥmadati, wa-khawfu al-madhammati wa-al-ḍaʿati fī al-dunyā, wa-al-ṭamaʿu li-mā fī aydī al-nāsi.

He said: Three attachments within the self: love of praise, fear of blame and low standing in this world, and coveting what people possess.

قُلْتُ : مَا الدَّلِيلُ عَلَى ذٰلِكَ ؟ قَالَ : مَا يَجِدُهُ الْعَبْدُ فِي نَفْسِهِ : أَنَّهُ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ الْعِبَادُ بِطَاعَتِهِ لِرَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَيُوصَلَ وَيُعْطَى ، وَيُكْرَمَ ، وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يُحْمَدَ :

Qultu: Mā al-dalīlu ʿalā dhālika? Qāla: Mā yajiduhu al-ʿabdu fī nafsihi: annahu yuḥibbu an yaʿlama al-ʿibādu bi-ṭāʿatihi li-rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-yūṣala wa-yuʿṭā, wa-yukrama, wa-yuḥibbu an yuḥmada:

I asked: What is the evidence for that? He said: What the servant finds within himself: he likes people to know of his obedience to his Lord, mighty and majestic, so that he is supported, given gifts, and honored. He likes to be praised:

يُثْنَى عَلَيْهِ وَيُعَظَّمُ ، وَيَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُذَمَّ فَيَفْعَلُ الطَّاعَةَ لِئَلَّا يُذَمَّ بِقِلَّةِ الرَّغْبَةِ فِيهَا .

Yuthnā ʿalayhi wa-yuʿaẓẓamu, wa-yakrahu an yudhamma fa-yafʿalu al-ṭāʿata li-allā yudhamma bi-qillati al-raghbati fīhā.

to be spoken well of and held in esteem. He dislikes being blamed, so he performs obedient acts to avoid being blamed for having little desire for them.

قُلْتُ : قَدْ أَجِدُ ذٰلِكَ ، وَلٰكِنْ أَرَدْتُ الدَّلِيلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ .

Qultu: Qad ajidu dhālika, wa-lākin aradtu al-dalīla ʿalayhi mina al-ʿilmi.

I said: I do find that, but I wanted evidence for it from knowledge.

قَالَ : الدَّلِيلُ عَلَى ذٰلِكَ : الْحَدِيثُ الَّذِي رَوَاهُ أَبُو مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيُّ : « أَنَّ أَعْرَابِيًّا سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فَقَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ الرَّجُلُ يُقَاتِلُ حَمِيَّةً » وَمَعْنَى ذٰلِكَ أَنَّهُ يَحْمَى فَيَأْنَفُ أَنْ يُقْهَرَ أَوْ يُذَمَّ بِأَنَّهُ غُلِبَ أَوْ غُلِبَ قَوْمُهُ ، فَيُقَاتِلُ لِذٰلِكَ .

Qāla: Al-dalīlu ʿalā dhālika: al-ḥadīthu alladhī rawāhu Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿariyyu: «Anna aʿrābiyyan saʾala al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, fa-qāla: Yā rasūla Allāhi al-rajulu yuqātilu ḥamiyyatan» wa-maʿnā dhālika annahu yaḥmā fa-yaʾnafu an yuqhara aw yudhamma bi-annahu ghuliba aw ghuliba qawmuhu, fa-yuqātilu li-dhālika.

He said: The evidence is the report related by Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī: “A Bedouin asked the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: ‘Messenger of God, a man fights out of partisan pride.’” This means that he grows heated and disdains being overcome or blamed for his own defeat or his people’s defeat, so he fights for that reason.

قَالَ : « الرَّجُلُ يُقَاتِلُ لِيُرَى مَكَانُهُ » وَهٰذَا طَلَبُ الْحَمْدِ بِالْقَلْبِ وَمَعْرِفَةِ الْقَدْرِ « وَرَجُلٌ يُقَاتِلُ لِلذِّكْرِ » وَهٰذَا طَلَبُ الْحَمْدِ بِالْأَلْسُنِ ، وَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا : إِذَا الْتَقَى الصَّفَّانِ نَزَلَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ فَيَكْتُبُونَ النَّاسَ عَلَى نِيَّاتِهِمْ :

Qāla: «Al-rajulu yuqātilu li-yurā makānuhu» wa-hādhā ṭalabu al-ḥamdi bi-al-qalbi wa-maʿrifati al-qadri «Wa-rajulun yuqātilu li-al-dhikri» wa-hādhā ṭalabu al-ḥamdi bi-al-alsuni, wa-qāla Ibnu Masʿūdin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā: Idhā iltaqā al-ṣaffāni nazalati al-malāʾikatu fa-yaktubūna al-nāsa ʿalā niyyātihim:

He said: “A man fights so that his standing may be seen.” This seeks praise within people’s hearts and recognition of one’s worth. “And a man fights to be mentioned”: this seeks praise on their tongues. Ibn Masʿūd, may God be pleased with them both, said: When the two battle lines meet, the angels descend and record people according to their intentions:

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فُلَانٌ يُقَاتِلُ لِلذِّكْرِ ، وَمَعْنَى هٰذَا حَمْدُ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ ، وَالرَّجُلُ يُقَاتِلُ لِلْمُلْكِ ، وَهٰذَا الطَّمَعُ فِي الدُّنْيَا .

Fulānun yuqātilu li-al-dhikri, wa-maʿnā hādhā ḥamdu al-makhlūqīna, wa-al-rajulu yuqātilu li-al-mulki, wa-hādhā al-ṭamaʿu fī al-dunyā.

So-and-so fights to be mentioned, meaning to receive people’s praise; another fights for power, which is coveting this world.

وَقَالَ عُمَرُ رَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْهِ : وَأُخْرَى تَقُولُونَهَا فِي مَغَازِيكُمْ : فُلَانٌ قُتِلَ شَهِيدًا وَلَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ مَلَأَ دَفَّتَيْ رَاحِلَتِهِ وَرِقًا .

Wa-qāla ʿUmaru raḥmatu Allāhi ʿalayhi: Wa-ukhrā taqūlūnahā fī maghāzīkum: Fulānun qutila shahīdan wa-laʿallahu an yakūna qad malaʾa daffatay rāḥilatihi wariqan.

ʿUmar, God’s mercy be upon him, said: Another thing you say on your campaigns is, “So-and-so was killed a martyr,” when perhaps he had filled both sides of his riding camel with silver.

وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : « مَنْ غَزَا لَا يَنْوِي إِلَّا عِقَالًا فَلَهُ مَا نَوَى » يَرْوِيهِ عَنْهُ عُبَادَةُ .

Wa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Man ghazā lā yanwī illā ʿiqālan fa-lahu mā nawā» yarwīhi ʿanhu ʿUbādatu.

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever goes on a campaign intending only to gain a tether has what he intended.” ʿUbāda reports it from him.

وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : « مَنْ هَاجَرَ لِدُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ » يَرْوِيهِ عَنْهُ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ ، وَقَالَ : « مَنْ هَاجَرَ يَبْتَغِي شَيْئًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا فَلَهُ مَا نَوَى » . وَهَاجَرَ رَجُلٌ لِيَتَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً يُقَالُ لَهَا : أُمُّ قَيْسٍ ، فَسُمِّيَ مُهَاجِرَ أُمِّ قَيْسٍ إِذْ لَمْ يُهَاجِرْ إِلَّا لِتُزَوِّجَهُ نَفْسَهَا ، يَرْوِيهِ عَنْهُ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ .

Wa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «Man hājara li-dunyā yuṣībuhā fa-hijratuhu ilā mā hājara ilayhi» yarwīhi ʿanhu ʿUmaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, wa-qāla: «Man hājara yabtaghī shayʾan mina al-dunyā fa-lahu mā nawā». Wa-hājara rajulun li-yatazawwaja imraʾatan yuqālu lahā: Ummu Qaysin, fa-summiya muhājira Ummi Qaysin idh lam yuhājir illā li-tuzawwijahu nafsahā, yarwīhi ʿanhu Ibnu Masʿūdin.

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever migrates to obtain worldly gain, his migration is toward what he migrated for.” ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, reports it from him. He also said: “Whoever migrates seeking something of this world has what he intended.” A man migrated to marry a woman called Umm Qays, and was named the Migrant for Umm Qays, since he migrated only so that she would marry him. Ibn Masʿūd reports it from him.

فَالَّذِي يَبْعَثُ عَلَى الرِّيَاءِ وَقَبُولِ خَطَرَاتِ الْعَدُوِّ هٰذِهِ الثَّلَاثُ خِلَالٍ : حُبُّ الْمَحْمَدَةِ ، وَخَوْفُ الْمَذَمَّةِ وَالضَّعَةِ ، وَالطَّمَعُ لِلدُّنْيَا وَلِمَا فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ جَمِيعًا ؛ وَيَجْمَعُ ذٰلِكَ كُلَّهُ : حُبُّ الْمَحْمَدَةِ ، وَخَوْفُ الْمَذَمَّةِ ؛ لِأَنَّ الْعَبْدَ قَدْ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ لَا يَنَالُ مَا عِنْدَ النَّاسِ بِطَاعَةِ رَبِّهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَحْمَدُوهُ عَلَيْهَا ، فَتُبْذَلَ لَهُ أَمْوَالُهُمْ ،

Fa-alladhī yabʿathu ʿalā al-riyāʾi wa-qabūli khaṭarāti al-ʿaduwwi hādhihi al-thalāthu khilālin: ḥubbu al-maḥmadati, wa-khawfu al-madhammati wa-al-ḍaʿati, wa-al-ṭamaʿu li-al-dunyā wa-li-mā fī aydī al-nāsi jamīʿan; wa-yajmaʿu dhālika kullahu: ḥubbu al-maḥmadati, wa-khawfu al-madhammati; li-anna al-ʿabda qad yaʿlamu annahu lā yanālu mā ʿinda al-nāsi bi-ṭāʿati rabbihi illā an yaḥmadūhu ʿalayhā, fa-tubdhala lahu amwāluhum,

What prompts ostentation and acceptance of the enemy’s suggestions is these three traits: love of praise, fear of blame and low standing, and coveting this world and everything people possess. Love of praise and fear of blame encompass them all, for the servant knows he cannot gain what people possess through obedience to his Lord unless they praise him for it and then offer him their wealth.

Source page 217

وَأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا جَزِعَ مِنَ الذَّمِّ لِحُبِّهِ لِلْمَحْمَدَةِ كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يَزُولَ عَنْهُ حَمْدُهُمْ ، فَتَؤُولُ هٰذِهِ الْخِلَالُ الثَّلَاثُ إِلَى حُبِّ الْمَحْمَدَةِ ، إِلَّا أَنَّهَا تَشَعَّبَتْ وَتَفَرَّقَتْ عَلَى أَقْدَارِ النَّاسِ وَقَدْرِ مَرَاتِبِهِمْ .

Wa-annahu innamā jaziʿa mina al-dhammi li-ḥubbihi li-al-maḥmadati karāhiyata an yazūla ʿanhu ḥamduhum, fa-taʾūlu hādhihi al-khilālu al-thalāthu ilā ḥubbi al-maḥmadati, illā annahā tashaʿʿabat wa-tafarraqat ʿalā aqdāri al-nāsi wa-qadri marātibihim.

He also knows that he recoils from blame only because he loves praise and dislikes losing their praise. Thus these three traits come down to love of praise, though they branch and divide according to people’s standing and degrees of rank.

Source page 218

بَابُ وَصْفِ خَوْفِ الْمَذَمَّةِ وَالطَّمَعِ لِمَا فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ

Bābu waṣfi khawfi al-madhammati wa-al-ṭamaʿi li-mā fī ʾaydī al-nāsi

Chapter on describing fear of blame and coveting what people possess

قُلْتُ: فَكَيْفَ يَخَافُ الْمَذَمَّةَ؟

Qultu: Fa-kayfa yakhāfu al-madhammata?

I said: How, then, does someone fear blame?

قَالَ: كَالرَّجُلِ، يَحْضُرُ الْعَدُوُّ فَيَحْضُرُ الْقِتَالَ، فَيَتَقَدَّمُهُ قَوْمٌ هُمْ أَشْجَعُ مِنْهُ، فَيَصِيرُوا فِي نُحُورِ الْعَدُوِّ وَلَا يَقْوَى هُوَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، فَلَا يُمْكِنُهُ طَلَبُ الْحَمْدِ مِمَّنْ حَضَرَ إِذَا وَقَفَ مَعَ الْعَامَّةِ فِي الصَّفِّ وَسَاوَاهُمْ، وَتَقَدَّمَ الْخَاصَّةُ فِي نُحُورِ عَدُوِّهِمْ، فَيَيْأَسُ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَنْ مَعَهُ فِي الصَّفِّ مَا أَشْجَعَهُ وَهُوَ مِثْلُهُ، وَهُمْ يَرَوْنَ مَنْ تَقَدَّمَهُمْ وَتَقَدَّمَهُ،

Qāla: Ka-al-rajuli, yaḥḍuru al-ʿaduwwu fa-yaḥḍuru al-qitāla, fa-yataqaddamuhu qawmun hum ʾashjaʿu minhu, fa-yaṣīrū fī nuḥūri al-ʿaduwwi wa-lā yaqwā huwa ʿalā dhālika, fa-lā yumkinuhu ṭalabu al-ḥamdi mimman ḥaḍara ʾidhā waqafa maʿa al-ʿāmmati fī al-ṣaffi wa-sāwāhum, wa-taqaddama al-khāṣṣatu fī nuḥūri ʿaduwwihim, fa-yayʾasu ʾan yaqūla man maʿahu fī al-ṣaffi mā ʾashjaʿahu wa-huwa mithluhu, wa-hum yarawna man taqaddamahum wa-taqaddamahu,

He said: Take a man who joins a battle when the enemy appears. Men braver than he is advance ahead of him and confront the enemy directly, while he lacks the strength to do the same. He cannot seek praise from those present when he stands with the ordinary men in the ranks and does no more than they do, while the exceptional men advance to confront their enemy. He gives up hope that someone alongside him in the ranks will say, “How brave he is!” when he is no different from that man, and they can see those who have advanced ahead of both them and him,

فَإِذَا يَئِسَ مِنَ الْحَمْدِ، وَكَانَ مِمَّنْ لَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَقِفَ فِي الصَّفِّ جُبْنًا، أَوْ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ، أَرَادَ أَنْ يَنْحَازَ عَنِ الصَّفِّ، خَافَ أَنْ يَقُولُوا مَا أَجْبَنَهُ فَيَحْبِسُ نَفْسَهُ مَعَهُمْ لِئَلَّا يُوَلِّيَ فَيَذُمُّوهُ عَلَى الْجُبْنِ وَقِلَّةِ الرَّغْبَةِ فِي ثَوَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Fa-ʾidhā yaʾisa mina al-ḥamdi, wa-kāna mimman lā yurīdu ʾan yaqifa fī al-ṣaffi jubnan, ʾaw ghayra dhālika, ʾarāda ʾan yanḥāza ʿani al-ṣaffi, khāfa ʾan yaqūlū mā ʾajbanahu fa-yaḥbisu nafsahu maʿahum li-ʾallā yuwalliya fa-yadhummūhu ʿalā al-jubni wa-qillati al-raghbati fī thawābi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

Once he has given up hope of praise, if he is someone who does not want to remain in the ranks, out of cowardice or for some other reason, he wants to withdraw. But he fears that they will say, “How cowardly he is!” So he keeps himself with them, rather than turn away and have them blame him for cowardice and for having little desire for the reward of God, mighty and majestic.

وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ تَخَلَّفَ عَنِ الصَّفِّ الْأَوَّلِ فِي الْقِتَالِ فَلَمْ يُمْكِنْهُ طَلَبُ الْحَمْدِ عَلَى الشَّجَاعَةِ وَأَرَادَ الِانْصِرَافَ لِقِلَّةِ رَغْبَتِهِ فِي الْأَجْرِ، أَوْ لِجُبْنٍ، يَمْنَعُهُ مِنَ الِانْصِرَافِ أَنْ يُذَمَّ بِالْجُبْنِ وَيُسَمَّى بِهِ، فَصَارَ حَبْسُهُ نَفْسَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ الْمَوْقِفِ خَوْفًا أَنْ يُذَمَّ، وَلَوْلَا ذَلِكَ لَانْصَرَفَ لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا خَافَ الْهَزِيمَةَ أَوْ رَأَى كَثْرَةَ الْقَتْلِ،

Wa-kadhālika man takhallafa ʿani al-ṣaffi al-ʾawwali fī al-qitāli fa-lam yumkinhu ṭalabu al-ḥamdi ʿalā al-shajāʿati wa-ʾarāda al-inṣirāfa li-qillati raghbatihi fī al-ʾajri, ʾaw li-jubnin, yamnaʿuhu mina al-inṣirāfi ʾan yudhamma bi-al-jubni wa-yusammā bihi, fa-ṣāra ḥabsuhu nafsahu fī dhālika al-mawqifi khawfan ʾan yudhamma, wa-lawlā dhālika la-inṣarafa li-ʾannahu ʾidhā khāfa al-hazīmata ʾaw raʾā kathrata al-qatli,

The same applies to someone who has stayed behind the front rank in battle and so cannot seek praise for bravery. He wants to leave because he has little desire for the reward, or because of cowardice, but what prevents him from leaving is the prospect of being blamed for cowardice and called a coward. Thus he keeps himself at that position out of fear of blame; otherwise he would leave. For when he fears defeat or sees many being killed,

أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَتَنَحَّى عَنِ الصَّفِّ أَوْ يَفِرَّ مِنَ الْعَسْكَرِ وَالسَّرِيَّةِ، فَإِذَا خَافَ أَنْ يُقَالَ: جَبُنَ حَبَسَ نَفْسَهُ عَلَى الْمَقَامِ.

ʾAḥabba ʾan yatanaḥḥā ʿani al-ṣaffi ʾaw yafirra mina al-ʿaskari wa-al-sariyyati, fa-ʾidhā khāfa ʾan yuqāla: Jabuna ḥabasa nafsahu ʿalā al-maqāmi.

he wants to move away from the ranks or flee from the army and the detachment. But when he fears people saying, “He lost his nerve,” he forces himself to stay.

وَكَالرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ مَعَ الْقَوْمِ فَيَتَصَدَّقُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ بِالدِّينَارِ وَبِالدِّرْهَمِ أَوِ الشَّيْءِ الْكَثِيرِ، وَلَا تَسْخُو نَفْسُهُ أَنْ يَتَصَدَّقَ بِمِثْلِ مَا تَصَدَّقُوا، وَيَكْرَهُ أَلَّا يَتَصَدَّقَ بِشَيْءٍ فَيُبَخَّلَ، فَيَتَصَدَّقُ بِالشَّيْءِ الْيَسِيرِ لِئَلَّا يُبَخَّلَ؛ وَقَدْ يَيْأَسُ أَنْ يُحْمَدَ إِذْ فَاتَهُ الْقَوْمُ بِمَا أَعْطَوْا.

Wa-ka-al-rajuli yakūnu maʿa al-qawmi fa-yataṣaddaqu kullu wāḥidin minhum bi-al-dīnāri wa-bi-al-dirhami ʾawi al-shayʾi al-kathīri, wa-lā taskhū nafsuhu ʾan yataṣaddaqa bi-mithli mā taṣaddaqū, wa-yakrahu ʾallā yataṣaddaqa bi-shayʾin fa-yubakhkhala, fa-yataṣaddaqu bi-al-shayʾi al-yasīri li-ʾallā yubakhkhala; wa-qad yayʾasu ʾan yuḥmada ʾidh fātahu al-qawmu bi-mā ʾaʿṭaw.

Or take a man among a group, each of whom gives a dinar and a dirham, or a large amount in charity. He cannot bring himself to give as much as they have, yet dislikes giving nothing and being called stingy. So he gives a small amount to avoid being called stingy, although he has given up hope of being praised, since the others have surpassed him in what they gave.

Source page 219

أَوْ كَرَجُلٍ يَكُونُ مَعَهُ الرَّجُلُ يُطِيلُ الصَّلَاةَ بِاللَّيْلِ أَوْ بِالنَّهَارِ، وَلَا يَقْوَى عَلَى صَلَاةِ مَنْ مَعَهُ، وَيَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُكَسِّلَهُ مَنْ مَعَهُ فَلَا يَطْمَعُ أَنْ يُحْمَدَ، إِذْ فَاقُوهُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَصَلَّى الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ أَوِ الرَّكَعَاتِ كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يُكَسَّلَ، فَيَجْزَعُ مِنْ أَنْ يُنْظَرَ إِلَيْهِ بِعَيْنِ الْكَسَلِ وَلَا يَجِدُ لِلْمَحْمَدَةِ مَوْضِعًا.

ʾAw ka-rajulin yakūnu maʿahu al-rajulu yuṭīlu al-ṣalāta bi-al-layli ʾaw bi-al-nahāri, wa-lā yaqwā ʿalā ṣalāti man maʿahu, wa-yakrahu ʾan yukassilahu man maʿahu fa-lā yaṭmaʿu ʾan yuḥmada, ʾidh fāqūhu fī al-ṣalāti fa-ṣallā al-rakʿatayni ʾawi al-rakaʿāti karāhiyata ʾan yukassala, fa-yajzaʿu min ʾan yunẓara ʾilayhi bi-ʿayni al-kasali wa-lā yajidu li-al-maḥmadati mawḍiʿan.

Or take a man whose companion prolongs his prayers by night or by day. He cannot match his companion’s prayer, yet dislikes being called lazy by those with him. He has no hope of praise, since they have surpassed him in prayer, so he prays two cycles or a few cycles because he dislikes being called lazy. He is distressed at being regarded as idle, while finding no opportunity for praise.

وَكَالرَّجُلِ يَتْرُكُ بَعْضَ مَا يَجْهَلُهُ مِنْ دِينِهِ، أَنْ يَسْأَلَ عَنْهُ؛ كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يُقَالَ:

Wa-ka-al-rajuli yatruku baʿḍa mā yajhaluhu min dīnihi, ʾan yasʾala ʿanhu; karāhiyata ʾan yuqāla:

Or take a man who leaves some things he does not know about his religion without asking about them, because he dislikes being told:

هُوَ جَاهِلٌ بِهَذَا إِلَى الْيَوْمِ، أَوْ يَجْهَلُ مِثْلَ هَذَا. وَقَدْ يَحْمِلُهُ خَوْفُ الْمَذَمَّةِ عَلَى الْكَذِبِ، حَتَّى يَدَّعِيَ أَنَّهُ قَدْ كَتَبَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَمْ يَكْتُبْ، وَقَدْ يَحْمِلُهُ خَوْفُ الْمَذَمَّةِ عَلَى الْكَذِبِ عَلَى أَنْ يُفْتِيَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ، وَقَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ لَا يُحْسِنُ مَا يُسْأَلُ عَنْهُ، وَأَنَّ الْوَاجِبَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ لَا يُفْتِيَ فِي ذَلِكَ،

Huwa jāhilun bi-hādhā ʾilā al-yawmi, ʾaw yajhalu mithla hādhā. Wa-qad yaḥmiluhu khawfu al-madhammati ʿalā al-kadhibi, ḥattā yaddaʿiya ʾannahu qad kataba mina al-ʿilmi mā lam yaktub, wa-qad yaḥmiluhu khawfu al-madhammati ʿalā al-kadhibi ʿalā ʾan yuftiya bi-ghayri ʿilmin, wa-qad ʿalima ʾannahu lā yuḥsinu mā yusʾalu ʿanhu, wa-ʾanna al-wājiba ʿalayhi ʾan lā yuftiya fī dhālika,

“He still does not know this,” or, “He is ignorant of something like this.” Fear of blame may drive him to lie, even to claim that he has written down learning he has never recorded. Fear of blame may also drive him to lie by giving a ruling without knowledge, although he knows he has no grasp of the matter he is being asked about and that he ought not to give a ruling on it,

وَأَوْلَى بِهِ أَنْ يَقُولَ: لَا أَدْرِي، فَتَجْزَعُ نَفْسُهُ أَنْ يُذَمَّ بِجَهْلِ ذَلِكَ.

Wa-ʾawlā bihi ʾan yaqūla: Lā ʾadrī, fa-tajzaʿu nafsuhu ʾan yudhamma bi-jahli dhālika.

and that it would be better for him to say, “I do not know.” Yet his self recoils from being blamed for not knowing it.

Source page 220

وَأَشْيَاءُ كَثِيرَةٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْبَابِ، وَكَذَلِكَ يَدَعُ اكْتِسَابَ الْحَلَالِ كَرَاهِيَةَ الذَّمِّ، وَكَذَلِكَ يَدَعُ الْأَمْرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ كَرَاهِيَةَ ذَمِّ مَنْ يَأْمُرُهُ وَيَنْهَاهُ.

Wa-ʾashyāʾu kathīratun min hādhā al-bābi, wa-kadhālika yadaʿu iktisāba al-ḥalāli karāhiyata al-dhammi, wa-kadhālika yadaʿu al-ʾamra bi-al-maʿrūfi wa-al-nahya ʿani al-munkari karāhiyata dhammi man yaʾmuruhu wa-yanhāhu.

There are many things of this kind. In the same way, he gives up earning a lawful livelihood because he dislikes blame. In the same way, he gives up enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong because he dislikes the blame of the person whom he would command or forbid.

قُلْتُ: فَالطَّمَعُ لِمَا فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ كَيْفَ هُوَ؟

Qultu: Fa-al-ṭamaʿu li-mā fī ʾaydī al-nāsi kayfa huwa?

I said: Then what is it like to covet what people possess?

قَالَ: يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَرَاهُ مَنْ يَرْجُو مِنْهُ الْبِرَّ فَيُعْطِيَهُ عَلَى عَمَلِهِ فَيَصِلَهُ وَيَبَرَّهُ، أَوْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْهِ فَيَفْرَحُ بِاطِّلَاعِهِ لِيَبَرَّهُ وَيَصِلَهُ، فَإِنِ اطَّلَعَ عَلَى ذَنْبِهِ؛ اغْتَمَّ لَهُ مَا لَا يَغْتَمُّ بِاطِّلَاعِ غَيْرِهِ مِمَّنْ لَا يَطْمَعُ فِيمَا عِنْدَهُ، وَإِنِ اطَّلَعَ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ ارْتَاحَ قَلْبُهُ لِاطِّلَاعِهِ مَا لَا يَرْتَاحُ لِاطِّلَاعِ غَيْرِهِ مِمَّنْ لَا يَطْمَعُ فِيمَا عِنْدَهُ، وَأَشْيَاءُ كَثِيرَةٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ.

Qāla: Yuḥibbu ʾan yarāhu man yarjū minhu al-birra fa-yuʿṭiyahu ʿalā ʿamalihi fa-yaṣilahu wa-yabarrahu, ʾaw yaṭṭaliʿa ʿalayhi fa-yafraḥu bi-iṭṭilāʿihi li-yabarrahu wa-yaṣilahu, fa-ʾini iṭṭalaʿa ʿalā dhanbihi; ightamma lahu mā lā yaghtammu bi-iṭṭilāʿi ghayrihi mimman lā yaṭmaʿu fī-mā ʿindahu, wa-ʾini iṭṭalaʿa ʿalā ṭāʿatihi irtāḥa qalbuhu li-iṭṭilāʿihi mā lā yartāḥu li-iṭṭilāʿi ghayrihi mimman lā yaṭmaʿu fī-mā ʿindahu, wa-ʾashyāʾu kathīratun min dhālika.

He said: He wants someone from whom he hopes for kindness to see him and give him something for his deed, granting him gifts and treating him generously. Or he wants that person to notice him, and rejoices at being noticed so that he will be treated generously and given gifts. If that person discovers his sin, he is distressed in a way he is not when it is discovered by someone else whose possessions he does not covet. If that person discovers his obedience, his heart delights in being noticed in a way it does not when someone else whose possessions he does not covet notices it. There are many things of this kind.

وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ يُبَايِعُهُ، فَيُرْبِحُهُ أَوْ يُبَايِعُهُ فَيُنْسِئُهُ وَيُؤَخِّرُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَيُحِبُّ حَمْدَهُ إِنْ رَآهُ عَلَى خَيْرٍ وَارْتَاحَ قَلْبُهُ، فَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يَتَصَحَّحَ عِنْدَهُ بِالْوَرَعِ وَحِفْظِ الْمَنْطِقِ وَالْوَفَاءِ بِالْمَوْعِدِ، لِيَثِقَ بِهِ وَلَا يَجُوزَهُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ.

Wa-kadhālika man yubāyiʿuhu, fa-yurbiḥuhu ʾaw yubāyiʿuhu fa-yunsiʾuhu wa-yuʾakhkhiruhu ʿalayhi wa-yuḥibbu ḥamdahu ʾin raʾāhu ʿalā khayrin wa-irtāḥa qalbuhu, fa-yuḥibbu ʾan yataṣaḥḥaḥa ʿindahu bi-al-waraʿi wa-ḥifẓi al-manṭiqi wa-al-wafāʾi bi-al-mawʿidi, li-yathiqa bihi wa-lā yajūzahu ʾilā ghayrihi.

The same applies to someone who trades with him, allowing him a profit, or sells to him on credit and postpones his payment. He wants that person’s praise if he sees him doing good, and his heart delights. He therefore wants to establish his good standing with him through scrupulousness, guarded speech, and keeping his promises, so that the man will trust him and not pass him over for someone else.

وَكَذَلِكَ الصَّانِعُ عِنْدَ مَنْ يُسَلِّمُ إِلَيْهِ الْعَمَلَ، وَالْأَجِيرُ عِنْدَ مَنْ يَسْتَأْجِرُهُ أَوْ يُوَكِّلُهُ بِضَيْعَتِهِ أَوْ تِجَارَتِهِ أَوْ عَمَلِهِ، يُحِبُّ الصِّحَّةَ عِنْدَهُ، وَيُرَائِيهِ بِالْوَرَعِ.

Wa-kadhālika al-ṣāniʿu ʿinda man yusallimu ʾilayhi al-ʿamala, wa-al-ʾajīru ʿinda man yastaʾjiruhu ʾaw yuwakkiluhu bi-ḍayʿatihi ʾaw tijāratihi ʾaw ʿamalihi, yuḥibbu al-ṣiḥḥata ʿindahu, wa-yurāʾīhi bi-al-waraʿi.

The same applies to the craftsman with someone who entrusts work to him, and to the hired worker with someone who employs him or puts him in charge of his estate, his trade, or his business: he wants to enjoy good standing with that person, and puts on a show of scrupulousness before him.

قُلْتُ: قَدْ فَهِمْتُ هَذَيْنِ، فَأَمَّا حُبُّ الْمَحْمَدَةِ فَهُوَ أَبْيَنُ فِي النَّفْسِ وَأَجْلَى مِنْ أَنْ أَحْتَاجَ إِلَى تَفْسِيرِهِ لِي، فَقَدْ تَبَيَّنَ لِي أَنَّ هَذِهِ الثَّلَاثَ خِلَالٍ هِيَ الَّتِي تَهِيجُ الرِّيَاءَ وَتَبْعَثُ عَلَى قَبُولِ خَطَرَاتِ الْعَدُوِّ، فَمَا الَّذِي كَانَتْ هَذِهِ الثَّلَاثُ خِلَالٍ مِنْهُ؟ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَنْبَغِي إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهَا أَصْلٌ عَنْهُ تَشَعَّبَتْ وَتَفَرَّقَتْ.

Qultu: Qad fahimtu hādhayni, fa-ʾammā ḥubbu al-maḥmadati fa-huwa ʾabyanu fī al-nafsi wa-ʾajlā min ʾan ʾaḥtāja ʾilā tafsīrihi lī, fa-qad tabayyana lī ʾanna hādhihi al-thalātha khilālin hiya allatī tahīju al-riyāʾa wa-tabʿathu ʿalā qabūli khaṭarāti al-ʿaduwwi, fa-mā alladhī kānat hādhihi al-thalāthu khilālin minhu? Fa-ʾinnahu lā yanbaghī ʾillā ʾan yakūna lahā ʾaṣlun ʿanhu tashaʿʿabat wa-tafarraqat.

I said: I understand these two. As for love of praise, it is too evident and clear within the self for me to need you to explain it. It has become clear to me that these three traits are what stir up ostentation and prompt a person to accept the enemy’s passing suggestions. What, then, did these three traits arise from? Surely they must have a root from which they branched out and diverged.

قَالَ: أَمَّا أَصْلُ هَذِهِ الثَّلَاثِ خِلَالٍ الَّذِي مِنْهُ تَشَعَّبَتْ وَتَفَرَّقَتْ هَكَذَا فَهُوَ:

Qāla: ʾAmmā ʾaṣlu hādhihi al-thalāthi khilālin alladhī minhu tashaʿʿabat wa-tafarraqat hākadhā fa-huwa:

He said: The root from which these three traits branched out and diverged in this way is:

مَعْرِفَةُ النَّفْسِ بِلَذَّةِ مَا يُنَالُ مِنَ الْحَمْدِ وَالْبِرِّ وَمَا يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهَا مِنْ ضَرَرِ الذَّمِّ وَغَمِّهِ، فَلَمَّا عَظُمَتِ الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِذَلِكَ بَعَثَتِ الْعَبْدَ عَلَى اعْتِقَادِ هَذِهِ الْخِلَالِ الثَّلَاثِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَمَّا عَرَفَ أَنَّهُ إِنْ حَمِدَهُ النَّاسُ عَظَّمُوا قَدْرَهُ، فَيُبْدَأُ إِذَا لُقِيَ بِالسَّلَامِ وَالْبِشْرِ وَالْإِعْظَامِ، وَالْهَيْبَةِ وَالتَّوْسِعَةِ لَهُ فِي الْمَجْلِسِ، وَالتَّكْرِمَةِ لَهُ بِتَشْرِيفِهِ وَقَبُولِ الشَّهَادَةِ، وَتَصْدِيقِ الْحَدِيثِ وَحُسْنِ الظَّنِّ بِهِ،

Maʿrifatu al-nafsi bi-ladhdhati mā yunālu mina al-ḥamdi wa-al-birri wa-mā yadkhulu ʿalayhā min ḍarari al-dhammi wa-ghammihi, fa-lammā ʿaẓumati al-maʿrifatu bi-dhālika baʿathati al-ʿabda ʿalā iʿtiqādi hādhihi al-khilāli al-thalāthi; li-ʾannahu lammā ʿarafa ʾannahu ʾin ḥamidahu al-nāsu ʿaẓẓamū qadrahu, fa-yubdaʾu ʾidhā luqiya bi-al-salāmi wa-al-bishri wa-al-ʾiʿẓāmi, wa-al-haybati wa-al-tawsiʿati lahu fī al-majlisi, wa-al-takrimati lahu bi-tashrīfihi wa-qabūli al-shahādati, wa-taṣdīqi al-ḥadīthi wa-ḥusni al-ẓanni bihi,

the self’s knowledge of the pleasure gained from praise and kindness, and of the harm and distress that blame brings upon it. When this knowledge becomes strong, it prompts the servant to embrace these three traits. For he knows that if people praise him, they will hold him in high esteem: when he is met, they will greet him first, with cheerful faces, great respect, and deference; they will make room for him in a gathering, honor him by giving him distinction and accepting his testimony, believe what he says, and think well of him,

Source page 221

حَتَّى قَدْ يُوَجَّهُ الذَّنْبُ مِنْهُ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ، فَكَيْفَ بِالْخَيْرِ إِذَا كَانَ مِنْهُ؟ وَقَبُولِ أَمْرِهِ وَالِانْتِهَاءِ عَمَّا نَهَى عَنْهُ،

Ḥattā qad yuwajjahu al-dhanbu minhu ʾilā al-khayri, fa-kayfa bi-al-khayri ʾidhā kāna minhu? Wa-qabūli ʾamrihi wa-al-intihāʾi ʿammā nahā ʿanhu,

to the point that even a sin of his may be interpreted as something good; how much more so when he actually does good! There is also their acceptance of his commands and their refraining from what he forbids,

وَالرِّئَاسَةِ وَاسْتِمَاعِ الثَّنَاءِ الْحَسَنِ الَّذِي يَلْتَذُّ بِهِ السَّمْعُ وَتَسْتَرِيحُ إِلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ.

Wa-al-riʾāsati wa-istimāʿi al-thanāʾi al-ḥasani alladhī yaltadhdhu bihi al-samʿu wa-tastarīḥu ʾilayhi al-nafsu.

and leadership, and hearing the fine praise that delights the ear and comforts the self.

فَهَذِهِ مَعْرِفَةُ مَا يُنَالُ مِنْ حَمْدِ الْعِبَادِ.

Fa-hādhihi maʿrifatu mā yunālu min ḥamdi al-ʿibādi.

This is knowledge of what is gained from people’s praise.

وَأَمَّا الطَّمَعُ فَمَعْرِفَتُهُ: بِأَنَّ مَنْ بَرَّهُ النَّاسُ بِمَا يُظْهِرُ مِنْ طَاعَةِ رَبِّهِ أَنَّهُ يُوصَلُ بِالْأَمْوَالِ وَيُهْدَى إِلَيْهِ الْهَدَايَا، وَتُقْضَى بِهِ الْحَوَائِجُ وَيُسَارَعُ إِلَى إِقْرَاضِهِ الْمَالَ، وَيُوَسَّعُ عَلَيْهِ فِي طَلَبِ الدَّيْنِ وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ.

Wa-ʾammā al-ṭamaʿu fa-maʿrifatuhu: Bi-ʾanna man barrahu al-nāsu bi-mā yuẓhiru min ṭāʿati rabbihi ʾannahu yūṣalu bi-al-ʾamwāli wa-yuhdā ʾilayhi al-hadāyā, wa-tuqḍā bihi al-ḥawāʾiju wa-yusāraʿu ʾilā ʾiqrāḍihi al-māla, wa-yuwassaʿu ʿalayhi fī ṭalabi al-dayni wa-mā ʾashbaha dhālika.

As for covetousness, it is his knowledge that someone whom people treat generously because of the obedience to his Lord that he displays is given money and presented with gifts; needs are met through him, people hurry to lend him money, and he is allowed leniency when repayment of a debt is demanded, along with similar things.

قُلْتُ: فَخَوْفُ الْمَذَمَّةِ.

Qultu: Fa-khawfu al-madhammati.

I said: And fear of blame?

قَالَ: أَمَّا خَوْفُ الْمَذَمَّةِ فَمَعْرِفَتُهُ أَنَّ مَنْ ذَمَّهُ النَّاسُ يُكَذَّبُ صِدْقُهُ، وَيُسَاءُ بِهِ الظَّنُّ فِي الْخَيْرِ، فَكَيْفَ فِي الشَّرِّ؟ تُرَدُّ عَلَيْهِ شَهَادَتُهُ، وَيُرَدُّ عَلَيْهِ قَوْلُهُ، وَيُقْصَى مَجْلِسُهُ، وَيُعْرَضُ عَنْهُ، وَيُحْفَى فِي السَّلَامِ، وَيُرَدُّ بِغَيْرِ قَضَاءِ حَاجَةٍ، وَيُسْتَحَى مِنْ صُحْبَتِهِ، وَالتَّحْذِيرُ مِنْهُ إِنْ أُشِيرَ فِي أَمْرِهِ فِي خِطْبَةٍ أَوْ شَهَادَةٍ،

Qāla: ʾAmmā khawfu al-madhammati fa-maʿrifatuhu ʾanna man dhammahu al-nāsu yukadhdhabu ṣidquhu, wa-yusāʾu bihi al-ẓannu fī al-khayri, fa-kayfa fī al-sharri? Turaddu ʿalayhi shahādatuhu, wa-yuraddu ʿalayhi qawluhu, wa-yuqṣā majlisuhu, wa-yuʿraḍu ʿanhu, wa-yuḥfā fī al-salāmi, wa-yuraddu bi-ghayri qaḍāʾi ḥājatin, wa-yustaḥā min ṣuḥbatihi, wa-al-taḥdhīru minhu ʾin ʾushīra fī ʾamrihi fī khiṭbatin ʾaw shahādatin,

He said: Fear of blame is his knowledge that when people blame someone, even his truth is treated as a lie, and bad motives are attributed to his good actions; how much more so to his bad ones! His testimony is rejected, his words are dismissed, his seat is kept at a distance, people turn away from him and withhold greetings, and he is sent back without having his need met. People are embarrassed to associate with him, and there is the warning against him if advice about him is sought concerning a marriage proposal or testimony,

وَلَا يُؤْمَنُ عَلَى مَالٍ وَلَا حُرْمَةٍ، وَرُبَّمَا وُضِعَ عَلَيْهِ ذَنْبُ غَيْرِهِ وَيُحْمَلُ عَلَيْهِ لِغَيْرِهِ، وَرُبَّمَا كَانَ مَظْلُومًا، فَلَمَّا عَرَفَ عَظِيمَ قَدْرِ هَذِهِ الْخِلَالِ فِي الْخَيْرِ: فِي الطَّمَعِ وَالْحَمْدِ، وَفِي الضَّرَرِ: فِي الذَّمِّ، اعْتَقَدَ حُبَّ حَمْدِهِمْ وَخَوْفَ مَذَمَّتِهِمْ، وَالطَّمَعَ لِمَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ، فَوَرَّثَتْهُ الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِذَلِكَ الرَّغْبَةَ وَغَلَبَتْ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ،

Wa-lā yuʾmanu ʿalā mālin wa-lā ḥurmatin, wa-rubbamā wuḍiʿa ʿalayhi dhanbu ghayrihi wa-yuḥmalu ʿalayhi li-ghayrihi, wa-rubbamā kāna maẓlūman, fa-lammā ʿarafa ʿaẓīma qadri hādhihi al-khilāli fī al-khayri: Fī al-ṭamaʿi wa-al-ḥamdi, wa-fī al-ḍarari: Fī al-dhammi, iʿtaqada ḥubba ḥamdihim wa-khawfa madhammatihim, wa-al-ṭamaʿa li-mā fī ʾaydīhim, fa-warrathathu al-maʿrifatu bi-dhālika al-raghbata wa-ghalabat ʿalā qalbihi,

and he is trusted with neither property nor anyone’s honor. Someone else’s sin may be laid at his door, and he may be attacked on another’s behalf, and he may in fact be the one being wronged. Once he recognizes how powerful these traits are in bringing good through covetousness and praise, and harm through blame, he embraces love of their praise, fear of their blame, and desire for what they possess. His knowledge of this gives rise to desire in him and takes hold of his heart,

فَهَاجَ دَوَاعِي هَذِهِ الثَّلَاثِ الْخِلَالِ إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ، وَاعْتَرَضَ الْعَدُوُّ بِالدُّعَاءِ بِالرِّيَاءِ بِالْعَمَلِ وَالْعِلْمِ، لِمَا عَرَفَ مِنْ عَظِيمِ رَغْبَتِهِ فِيهِنَّ.

Fa-hāja dawāʿī hādhihi al-thalāthi al-khilāli ʾilā al-riyāʾi, wa-iʿtaraḍa al-ʿaduwwu bi-al-duʿāʾi bi-al-riyāʾi bi-al-ʿamali wa-al-ʿilmi, li-mā ʿarafa min ʿaẓīmi raghbatihi fīhinna.

Then the impulses of these three traits surge toward ostentation. The enemy then intervenes with a call to show off through deeds and knowledge, knowing how intensely he desires these things.

Source page 222

بَابُ مَا يُكْسَرُ بِهِ دَوَاعِي الرِّيَاءِ وَالْحَمْدِ وَالطَّمَعِ

Bābu mā yuksaru bihi dawāʿī al-riyāʾi wa-al-ḥamdi wa-al-ṭamaʿi

Chapter on what breaks the impulses toward ostentation, praise, and covetousness

قُلْتُ: قَدْ وَصَفْتَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ بِذَلِكَ وَصْفًا لَمْ تُهَوِّنْهَا فِي قَلْبِي، حَتَّى خَشِيتُ أَنْ تَغْلِبَ عَلَيَّ، بَلْ كُنْتُ أَجِدُ ذَلِكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَصِفَهُ لِي، وَلَكِنْ لَمْ أَعْرِفْ شَرْحَهُ حَتَّى شَرَحْتَهُ لِي، فَمَا الَّذِي يُوهِنُ الْمَعْرِفَةَ بِمَا يُنَالُ بِهِ دَفْعُ هَذِهِ الْخِلَالِ الثَّلَاثِ وَيُصَغِّرُهَا وَيُحَقِّرُهَا، وَيَدُلُّ عَلَى عَوْرَاتِ سُوءِ عَاقِبَتِهَا، حَتَّى يَزْهَدَ الْعَبْدُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَعْتَقِدَهَا،

Qultu: Qad waṣafta al-maʿrifata bi-dhālika waṣfan lam tuhawwinhā fī qalbī, ḥattā khashītu ʾan taghliba ʿalayya, bal kuntu ʾajidu dhālika qabla ʾan taṣifahu lī, wa-lākin lam ʾaʿrif sharḥahu ḥattā sharaḥtahu lī, fa-mā alladhī yūhinu al-maʿrifata bi-mā yunālu bihi dafʿu hādhihi al-khilāli al-thalāthi wa-yuṣaghghiruhā wa-yuḥaqqiruhā, wa-yadullu ʿalā ʿawrāti sūʾi ʿāqibatihā, ḥattā yazhada al-ʿabdu fīhā wa-lā yaʿtaqidahā,

I said: You have described this knowledge in a way that has done nothing to lessen its force in my heart, until I feared that it would overpower me. Indeed, I experienced this even before you described it, but I did not understand its explanation until you explained it to me. What, then, weakens that knowledge in a way that enables these three traits to be repelled, makes them seem small and contemptible, and exposes the shameful aspects of their evil outcome, so that the servant loses his desire for them and does not embrace them,

وَلَا يَكُونَ لَهَا فِي قَلْبِهِ قُوَّةٌ، فَتَضْعُفَ الْخِلَالُ الثَّلَاثُ الَّتِي تَهِيجُ عَلَى الرِّيَاءِ وَيُعْرِضَ عَنْهَا، وَمِنْ أَجْلِهَا؟

Wa-lā yakūna lahā fī qalbihi quwwatun, fa-taḍʿufa al-khilālu al-thalāthu allatī tahīju ʿalā al-riyāʾi wa-yuʿriḍa ʿanhā, wa-min ʾajlihā?

and they have no strength in his heart, so that the three traits which stir a person toward ostentation grow weak, and he turns away from them, and because of them?

قَالَ: الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِخَلَّتَيْنِ:

Qāla: Al-maʿrifatu bi-khallatayni:

He said: Knowledge of two things:

إِحْدَاهُمَا: مَا يُحْرَمُ وَيَنْقُصُ مِنْ خَوْفِ اللَّهِ وَتَوْفِيقِهِ وَإِصْلَاحِ قَلْبِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَمَعْرِفَتُهُ بِمَا يَنْقُصُ مِنْ ثَوَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِذَلِكَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ، وَخَوْفُ مَقْتِهِ أَنْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ وَهُوَ مُعْتَقِدٌ لِوَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ.

ʾIḥdāhumā: Mā yuḥramu wa-yanquṣu min khawfi Allāhi wa-tawfīqihi wa-ʾiṣlāḥi qalbihi fī al-dunyā, wa-maʿrifatuhu bi-mā yanquṣu min thawābi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla bi-dhālika fī al-ʾākhirati, wa-khawfu maqtihi ʾan yaṭṭaliʿa ʿalā qalbihi wa-huwa muʿtaqidun li-wāḥidatin minhunna.

The first is what he is deprived of, and what diminishes, of fear of God, His enabling help, and the setting right of his heart in this world; his knowledge of how this diminishes the reward of God, mighty and majestic, in the hereafter; and fear of His abhorrence when He looks into his heart while he harbors one of these traits.

وَالْخَلَّةُ الثَّانِيَةُ: تَحْصِيلُ مَا يُنَالُ مِنَ الْعِبَادِ عِنْدَ تَحْصِيلِهِ لِذَلِكَ، مَعَ مَا يَنْزِلُ بِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Wa-al-khallatu al-thāniyatu: Taḥṣīlu mā yunālu mina al-ʿibādi ʿinda taḥṣīlihi li-dhālika, maʿa mā yanzilu bihi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

The second is a careful reckoning of what is gained from people when he takes stock of all this, alongside what comes upon him from God, mighty and majestic.

فَأَمَّا الَّذِي يُحْرَمُ بِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَمَا يَنْزِلُ بِهِ مِنْهُ إِذَا اعْتَقَدَهُنَّ، فَإِنَّهُ يَتَحَبَّبُ إِلَى الْعِبَادِ بِالتَّبَغُّضِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيَتَزَيَّنُ لَهُمْ بِالشَّيْنِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيْهِمْ بِالتَّبَاعُدِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيَتَحَمَّدُ إِلَيْهِمْ بِالتَّذَمُّمِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيَطْلُبُ رِضَاهُمْ بِالتَّعَرُّضِ لِسَخَطِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،

Fa-ʾammā alladhī yuḥramu bihi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fī al-dunyā, wa-mā yanzilu bihi minhu ʾidhā iʿtaqadahunna, fa-ʾinnahu yataḥabbabu ʾilā al-ʿibādi bi-al-tabaghghuḍi ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-yatazayyanu lahum bi-al-shayni ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-yataqarrabu ʾilayhim bi-al-tabāʿudi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-yataḥammadu ʾilayhim bi-al-tadhammumi li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-yaṭlubu riḍāhum bi-al-taʿarruḍi li-sakhaṭi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla,

As for what this deprives him of from God, mighty and majestic, in this world, and what comes upon him from Him when he embraces these traits: he endears himself to people by making himself hateful to God, mighty and majestic; he beautifies himself for them by becoming blemished in the sight of God, mighty and majestic; he draws near to them by distancing himself from God, mighty and majestic; he seeks their praise by making himself blameworthy before God, mighty and majestic; and he seeks their approval by exposing himself to the displeasure of God, mighty and majestic,

وَيَطْلُبُ وَلَايَتَهُمْ بِالتَّعَرُّضِ لِلْعَدَاوَةِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَيُحْرَمُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ الثَّوَابَ، وَيُحْبِطُ عَمَلَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَيُبْطِلُ أَجْرَهُ فِي يَوْمِ فَقْرِهِ وَحَاجَتِهِ وَفَاقَتِهِ؛ وَلَعَلَّهُ يُحْبِطُ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ مَا لَوْ كَانَ أَخْلَصَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا، فَجُعِلَ مَعَ حَسَنَاتِهِ فَرَجَحَتْ عَلَى السَّيِّئَاتِ، دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ، فَتَكُونُ سَيِّئَاتُهُ أَرْجَحَ مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ، وَلَوْ أَخْلَصَ عَمَلَهُ لَوُضِعَ مَعَ حَسَنَاتِهِ فَدَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ؛

Wa-yaṭlubu walāyatahum bi-al-taʿarruḍi li-al-ʿadāwati mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-yuḥramu fī al-ʾākhirati al-thawāba, wa-yuḥbiṭu ʿamalahu fī al-dunyā, wa-yubṭilu ʾajrahu fī yawmi faqrihi wa-ḥājatihi wa-fāqatihi; wa-laʿallahu yuḥbiṭu min ʿamalihi mā law kāna ʾakhlaṣahu fī al-dunyā, fa-juʿila maʿa ḥasanātihi fa-rajaḥat ʿalā al-sayyiʾāti, dakhala al-jannata, fa-takūnu sayyiʾātuhu ʾarjaḥa min ḥasanātihi, wa-law ʾakhlaṣa ʿamalahu la-wuḍiʿa maʿa ḥasanātihi fa-dakhala al-jannata;

and he seeks their friendship by exposing himself to hostility from God, mighty and majestic. He is deprived of reward in the hereafter, renders his work in this world worthless, and nullifies his recompense on the day of his poverty, need, and destitution. Perhaps he renders worthless some deed which, had he done it sincerely in this world and had it been added to his good deeds so that they outweighed his evil deeds, would have brought him into the Garden. Instead, his evil deeds outweigh his good deeds, whereas had he acted sincerely, his work would have been added to his good deeds and he would have entered the Garden;

Source page 223

فَيَدْخُلُ النَّارَ إِذْ لَا حَسَنَاتِ لَهُ خَالِصَةً تُجْعَلُ مَعَ حَسَنَاتِهِ؛ فَلَا تَسْأَلْ عَنْ تَقَطُّعِ نَفْسِهِ بِالْحَسَرَاتِ وَالنَّدَامَةِ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ أَخْلَصَهُ قَبْلَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِذَا رَأَى مَوْضِعَ مَنْفَعَةِ الْإِخْلَاصِ، وَمَوْقِفَ ضَرَرِ الرِّيَاءِ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ حَسَنَاتُهُ رَاجِحَةً عَلَى حَالٍ لِمَا عِنْدَهُ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ الْخَالِصِ سِوَى ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ بَعْضَ حَسَنَاتِهِ الَّتِي تَقَرَّبَ بِهَا مِنْ رَبِّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ،

Fa-yadkhulu al-nāra ʾidh lā ḥasanāti lahu khāliṣatan tujʿalu maʿa ḥasanātihi; fa-lā tasʾal ʿan taqaṭṭuʿi nafsihi bi-al-ḥasarāti wa-al-nadāmati, ʾillā ʾan yakūna ʾakhlaṣahu qabla al-qiyāmati ʾidhā raʾā mawḍiʿa manfaʿati al-ʾikhlāṣi, wa-mawqifa ḍarari al-riyāʾi, wa-ʾin kānat ḥasanātuhu rājiḥatan ʿalā ḥālin li-mā ʿindahu mina al-ʿamali al-khāliṣi siwā dhālika fa-qad khasira baʿḍa ḥasanātihi allatī taqarraba bihā min rabbihi jalla wa-ʿazza,

So he enters the Fire because he has no sincere good deeds to add to his other good deeds. Do not ask how his soul will be torn apart by anguish and remorse, unless he had made that deed sincere before the Resurrection, when he sees where sincerity benefits him and where ostentation harms him. Even if his good deeds outweigh his evil deeds in any case because of the other sincere work he has done, he has still lost some of the good deeds by which he drew near to his Lord, majestic and mighty,

وَيَعْلُو بِهَا فِي جَنَّتِهِ مَعَ سُؤَالِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ وَتَوْقِيفِهِ إِيَّاهُ عَلَى الرِّيَاءِ وَالْحَيَاءِ مِنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَدَّمَ فِي الدُّنْيَا فِي عَمَلِهِ عَلَيْهِ غَيْرَهُ فِي الْهَيْبَةِ وَالْمَحْمَدَةِ وَالتَّقَرُّبِ وَالتَّحَبُّبِ، لِلتَّعَرُّضِ لِلتَّبَاعُدِ مِنْهُ وَالتَّمَقُّتِ إِلَيْهِ، وَمَا يَنَالُهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا بِإِظْلَامِ قَلْبِهِ وَخُبْثِ نَفْسِهِ، وَزَوَالِ الرَّجَاءِ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ؛ إِذْ عَلِمَ بِرِيَائِهِ وَتَشَتُّتُ هُمُومِهِ فِي طَلَبِ حَمْدِهِمْ لَا يُحْصَى لِأَنَّهُ كَثِيرٌ عَدَدُهُمْ،

Wa-yaʿlū bihā fī jannatihi maʿa suʾāli Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla lahu wa-tawqīfihi ʾiyyāhu ʿalā al-riyāʾi wa-al-ḥayāʾi minhu ʾannahu qaddama fī al-dunyā fī ʿamalihi ʿalayhi ghayrahu fī al-haybati wa-al-maḥmadati wa-al-taqarrubi wa-al-taḥabbubi, li-al-taʿarruḍi li-al-tabāʿudi minhu wa-al-tamaqquti ʾilayhi, wa-mā yanāluhu fī al-dunyā bi-ʾiẓlāmi qalbihi wa-khubthi nafsihi, wa-zawāli al-rajāʾi ʿan qalbihi; ʾidh ʿalima bi-riyāʾihi wa-tashattutu humūmihi fī ṭalabi ḥamdihim lā yuḥṣā li-ʾannahu kathīrun ʿadaduhum,

and by which he rises in His Garden. Besides this, God, mighty and majestic, will question him and confront him with his ostentation, and he will feel ashamed before Him for having given others precedence over Him in his deeds in this world, in his deference, his seeking of praise, and his efforts to draw near and win affection, thereby exposing himself to distance from Him and to becoming hateful to Him. There is also what befalls him in this world through his heart’s darkness, his self’s corruption, and the loss of hope from his heart, since he knows of his own ostentation. The scattering of his concerns in pursuit of their praise is beyond counting, because there are so many of them,

لَا يُحْصَى مَنْ يُعَامِلُ مِنْهُمْ، وَرِضَاؤُهُمْ لَا يُدْرَكُ؛ لِأَنَّ بَعْضَهُمْ يَرْضَى بِمَا يُسْخِطُ بَعْضَهُمْ، فَإِنْ فَعَلَ مَا يُرْضِي بَعْضَهُمْ سَخِطَ آخَرُونَ، وَإِنْ فَعَلَ مَا يُسْخِطُ بَعْضَهُمْ رَضِيَ آخَرُونَ، وَلِأَنَّ بَعْضَهُمْ يُسِيءُ الظَّنَّ، وَيَحْمَدُهُ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى مَا يَذُمُّهُ آخَرُونَ، فَرِضَى مَنْ يَطْلُبُ مِنْهُمْ بِسَخَطِ مَنْ يَتْرُكُ مِنْهُمْ، فَقَلْبُهُ مُشَتَّتٌ وَهُمُومُهُ كَثِيرَةٌ؛

Lā yuḥṣā man yuʿāmilu minhum, wa-riḍāʾuhum lā yudraku; li-ʾanna baʿḍahum yarḍā bi-mā yuskhiṭu baʿḍahum, fa-ʾin faʿala mā yurḍī baʿḍahum sakhiṭa ʾākharūna, wa-ʾin faʿala mā yuskhiṭu baʿḍahum raḍiya ʾākharūna, wa-li-ʾanna baʿḍahum yusīʾu al-ẓanna, wa-yaḥmaduhu baʿḍuhum ʿalā mā yadhummuhu ʾākharūna, fa-riḍā man yaṭlubu minhum bi-sakhaṭi man yatruku minhum, fa-qalbuhu mushattatun wa-humūmuhu kathīratun;

too many for him to count all those with whom he deals. Their approval cannot be attained, because some are pleased by what angers others. If he does what pleases some of them, others are angry; if he does what angers some of them, others are pleased. Some also think ill of him, while others praise him for what still others blame him for. The approval of those he pursues is bought with the displeasure of those he neglects. His heart is scattered and his concerns are many,

لِأَنَّهُ لَا يُدْرِكُ مِنْهُمْ جَمِيعًا مَا يَطْلُبُ.

Li-ʾannahu lā yudriku minhum jamīʿan mā yaṭlubu.

because he cannot obtain what he seeks from all of them.

وَأَمَّا مَا يَنَالُ مِنْهُمْ مَعَ تَعَرُّضِهِ لِهَذَا الْبَلَاءِ الْعَظِيمِ، وَمَا يَتْرُكُ بِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ، فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَزِيدُوهُ بِحَمْدِهِمْ فِي أَجَلٍ وَلَا رِزْقٍ، وَلَا اجْتِرَارِ عَافِيَةٍ وَلَا صَرْفِ بَلَاءٍ، وَلَا دَفْعِ مَكْرُوهٍ مِمَّا قَدَّرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Wa-ʾammā mā yanālu minhum maʿa taʿarruḍihi li-hādhā al-balāʾi al-ʿaẓīmi, wa-mā yatruku bihi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fī al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati, fa-ʾinnahum lam yazīdūhu bi-ḥamdihim fī ʾajalin wa-lā rizqin, wa-lā ijtirāri ʿāfiyatin wa-lā ṣarfi balāʾin, wa-lā dafʿi makrūhin mimmā qaddara Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla.

As for what he gains from them while exposing himself to this tremendous affliction, and what he thereby gives up from God, mighty and majestic, in this world and the hereafter: their praise has added nothing to his lifespan or provision, brought him no additional well-being, averted no affliction, and repelled nothing disagreeable that God, mighty and majestic, has decreed.

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وَأَمَّا الطَّمَعُ لِمَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَنَلْ مَا لَمْ يُقَدَّرْ لَهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ نَالَ شَيْئًا فَإِنَّمَا نَالَ مَا قُدِّرَ لَهُ مَا لَوْ كَانَ أَخْلَصَ عِبَادَةَ رَبِّهِ لَنَالَ مَا نَالَ لَا مَحَالَةَ، فَأَحْبَطَ عَمَلَهُ وَتَعَرَّضَ لِمَقْتِ رَبِّهِ وَحِرْمَانِ ثَوَابِهِ، مِنْ غَيْرِ ازْدِيَادٍ فِي رِزْقٍ وَلَا أَجَلٍ، وَلَا اجْتِرَارِ مَنْفَعَةٍ فِي دِينٍ أَوْ دُنْيَا عَلَى مَا قُدِّرَ لَهُ،

Wa-ʾammā al-ṭamaʿu li-mā fī ʾaydīhim fa-ʾinnahu lam yanal mā lam yuqaddar lahu, wa-ʾin kāna nāla shayʾan fa-ʾinnamā nāla mā quddira lahu mā law kāna ʾakhlaṣa ʿibādata rabbihi la-nāla mā nāla lā maḥālata, fa-ʾaḥbaṭa ʿamalahu wa-taʿarraḍa li-maqti rabbihi wa-ḥirmāni thawābihi, min ghayri izdiyādin fī rizqin wa-lā ʾajalin, wa-lā ijtirāri manfaʿatin fī dīnin ʾaw dunyā ʿalā mā quddira lahu,

As for coveting what they possess, he has obtained nothing that was not decreed for him. If he has gained anything, he has gained only what was decreed for him, something he would inevitably have gained had he worshipped his Lord sincerely. He has therefore rendered his work worthless and exposed himself to his Lord’s abhorrence and the loss of His reward, without adding to his provision or lifespan or securing any benefit in religion or worldly life beyond what was decreed for him,

فَكَيْفَ لَا يَزْهَدُ عَاقِلٌ فِيمَا يَضُرُّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ بِغَيْرِ اجْتِرَارِ مَنْفَعَةٍ فِي دُنْيَاهُ؟

Fa-kayfa lā yazhadu ʿāqilun fī-mā yaḍurruhu fī al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati bi-ghayri ijtirāri manfaʿatin fī dunyāhu?

How could a rational person fail to renounce something that harms him in this world and the hereafter without bringing any benefit to his worldly life?

وَأَمَّا الْمَذَمَّةُ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَنْزِلُ بِهِ مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ مَا لَمْ يُقَدَّرْ لَهُ، وَلَنْ يَنَالَهُ مِنَ الذَّمِّ مَا لَمْ يُقَدَّرْ وَلَا يَنَالُهُ مِنَ الذَّمِّ إِلَّا مَا لَوْ أَخْلَصَ لَكَانَ ذَلِكَ الذَّمُّ حَمْدًا، وَلَعَلَّهُ قُدِّرَ أَنْ يُلْقَى كَذِبُهُ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَيَذُمُّوهُ إِذْ فَرَّ مِنْ ذَمِّهِمْ، وَلَا يَصْرِفُ مَخَافَةُ ذَمِّهِمْ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْعَاقِبَةِ وَالرِّزْقِ، وَلَا يَقْطَعُ مِنَ الْأَجَلِ مَا قَدَّرَهُ الرَّحْمَنُ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ،

Wa-ʾammā al-madhammatu fa-ʾinnahu lā yanzilu bihi mina al-balāʾi mā lam yuqaddar lahu, wa-lan yanālahu mina al-dhammi mā lam yuqaddar wa-lā yanāluhu mina al-dhammi ʾillā mā law ʾakhlaṣa la-kāna dhālika al-dhammu ḥamdan, wa-laʿallahu quddira ʾan yulqā kadhibuhu fī qulūbihim fa-yadhummūhu ʾidh farra min dhammihim, wa-lā yaṣrifu makhāfatu dhammihim shayʾan mina al-ʿāqibati wa-al-rizqi, wa-lā yaqṭaʿu mina al-ʾajali mā qaddarahu al-Raḥmānu jalla wa-ʿazza,

As for blame, no affliction that was not decreed for him will come upon him, and no blame that was not decreed will reach him. The blame that reaches him would have been praise had he acted sincerely. Perhaps it has been decreed that his falsehood should be impressed upon their hearts, so that they blame him even as he flees their blame. Fear of their blame will divert nothing from his outcome or provision, nor will it cut short the lifespan that the All-Merciful, majestic and mighty, has decreed,

فَحَبِطَ عَمَلُهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ دَفْعِ مَكْرُوهٍ مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ وَلَا زَوَالِ مَحْذُورٍ مِنَ الْمَقْدُورِ، وَمَا لَمْ يُقَدَّرْ فَلَيْسَ بِمُصِيبِهِ أَبَدًا.

Fa-ḥabiṭa ʿamaluhu min ghayri dafʿi makrūhin mina al-balāʾi wa-lā zawāli maḥdhūrin mina al-maqdūri, wa-mā lam yuqaddar fa-laysa bi-muṣībihi ʾabadan.

and so his work has come to nothing without repelling any disagreeable affliction or removing anything feared from what was decreed. What has not been decreed will never befall him.

فَكَيْفَ لَا يَزْهَدُ عَاقِلٌ فِي هَذِهِ الْخِلَالِ الثَّلَاثِ إِذَا عَرَفَ ضَرَّهُنَّ، وَلَا يَنَالُ مَنْفَعَةً فِي دُنْيَاهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْهُنَّ، وَأَنَّ أَمْرَ اللَّهِ مَفْرُوغٌ مِنْهُ، وَأَنَّ هَذِهِ الْخِلَالَ الثَّلَاثَ خُدْعَةٌ وَغُرُورٌ، تَضُرُّ الضَّرَرَ الْأَكْبَرَ وَلَا تَنْفَعُ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ، فَإِذَا عَقَلَ الْعَبْدُ هَذَا كَمَا وَصَفْتُ لَهُ: أَنَّهُ يُحْبِطُ عَمَلَهُ، وَيُبْطِلُ أَجْرَهُ، وَتَشَتُّتَ هُمُومِهِ،

Fa-kayfa lā yazhadu ʿāqilun fī hādhihi al-khilāli al-thalāthi ʾidhā ʿarafa ḍarrahunna, wa-lā yanālu manfaʿatan fī dunyāhu bi-shayʾin minhunna, wa-ʾanna ʾamra Allāhi mafrūghun minhu, wa-ʾanna hādhihi al-khilāla al-thalātha khudʿatun wa-ghurūrun, taḍurru al-ḍarara al-ʾakbara wa-lā tanfaʿu fī shayʾin mina al-ʾashyāʾi, fa-ʾidhā ʿaqala al-ʿabdu hādhā ka-mā waṣaftu lahu: ʾAnnahu yuḥbiṭu ʿamalahu, wa-yubṭilu ʾajrahu, wa-tashattuta humūmihi,

How could a rational person fail to renounce these three traits once he knows their harm, that he gains no worldly benefit from any of them, that God’s decree is already settled, and that these three traits are a trick and a deception, inflicting the greatest harm while doing no good in anything at all? Once the servant understands what I have described to him: that he renders his work worthless and nullifies his reward, and understands the scattering of his concerns,

وَيَتَعَرَّضُ لِمَقْتِ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيَحْجُبُ قَلْبَهُ عَنِ الْخَيْرِ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، مِنْ غَيْرِ زِيَادَةِ مَنْفَعَةٍ وَلَا دَفْعِ مَضَرَّةٍ، زَهِدَ فِي هَذِهِ الْخِلَالِ الثَّلَاثِ وَلَمْ يَعْتَقِدْهُنَّ، وَكَيْفَ يَعْتَقِدُهُنَّ عَاقِلٌ وَهُنَّ يَضْرُرْنَ بِهِ الضَّرَرَ الْأَكْبَرَ الْعَظِيمَ، لِغَيْرِ مَنْفَعَةٍ وَلَا دَفْعِ مَضَرَّةٍ؟ مَا يَكُونُ هَذَا بَعْدَ هَذَا الْبَيَانِ إِلَّا مِنَ الْحَمْقَى الْمَجَانِينِ،

Wa-yataʿarraḍu li-maqti rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-yaḥjubu qalbahu ʿani al-khayri min ʿindi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, min ghayri ziyādati manfaʿatin wa-lā dafʿi maḍarratin, zahida fī hādhihi al-khilāli al-thalāthi wa-lam yaʿtaqidhunna, wa-kayfa yaʿtaqiduhunna ʿāqilun wa-hunna yaḍrurna bihi al-ḍarara al-ʾakbara al-ʿaẓīma, li-ghayri manfaʿatin wa-lā dafʿi maḍarratin? Mā yakūnu hādhā baʿda hādhā al-bayāni ʾillā mina al-ḥamqā al-majānīni,

and that he exposes himself to the abhorrence of his Lord, mighty and majestic, and veils his heart from the good that comes from God, mighty and majestic, without gaining any additional benefit or repelling any harm, he loses his desire for these three traits and does not embrace them. How could a rational person embrace them when they inflict the greatest, most terrible harm on him without bringing any benefit or repelling any harm? After this explanation, such behavior could come only from foolish madmen,

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وَرُبَّمَا اتَّقَى بَعْضُ الْحَمْقَى مِثْلَ هَذَا فِي دُنْيَاهُمْ مِنَ الَّذِي يُتْلِفُ مَالَهُ أَوْ يَقْطَعُ بَعْضَ جَوَارِحِهِ، أَوْ يَقْتُلُ وَلَدَهُ بِغَيْرِ اجْتِرَارِ مَنْفَعَةٍ وَلَا دَفْعِ مَضَرَّةٍ.

Wa-rubbamā ittaqā baʿḍu al-ḥamqā mithla hādhā fī dunyāhum mina alladhī yutlifu mālahu ʾaw yaqṭaʿu baʿḍa jawāriḥihi, ʾaw yaqtulu waladahu bi-ghayri ijtirāri manfaʿatin wa-lā dafʿi maḍarratin.

although even some fools avoid such things in their worldly affairs: anything that destroys their wealth, cuts off one of their limbs, or kills their child without bringing a benefit or repelling a harm.

وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكَ ذَلِكَ مَعَ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي كِتَابِهِ، أَنَّ رَجُلًا، وَهُوَ شَاعِرُ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ، قَالَ: إِنَّ حَمْدِي زَيْنٌ وَإِنَّ ذَمِّي شَيْنٌ، قَالَ: «كَذَبْتَ، ذَلِكَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ». فَإِذَا كَانَ لَا يَزِينُ حَمْدُ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَا يَشِينُ ذَمُّ غَيْرِهِ،

Wa-qad ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama mā yubayyinu laka dhālika maʿa mā ʾanzala Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla fī kitābihi, ʾanna rajulan, wa-huwa shāʿiru Banī Tamīmin, qāla: ʾInna ḥamdī zaynun wa-ʾinna dhammī shaynun, qāla: «Kadhabta, dhālika Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla». Fa-ʾidhā kāna lā yazīnu ḥamdu ghayri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-lā yashīnu dhammu ghayrihi,

A report from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, makes this clear to you, alongside what God, mighty and majestic, has revealed in His Book. A man, the poet of the Banū Tamīm, said, “My praise adorns, and my blame disgraces.” He replied, “You are wrong. That belongs to God, mighty and majestic.” Since the praise of anyone other than God, mighty and majestic, cannot adorn, and the blame of anyone other than Him cannot disgrace,

وَاسْتَقَرَّ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَ الْعَبْدِ الْعَاقِلِ، اسْتَوَى حَامِدُهُ وَذَامُّهُ فِي طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، إِلَّا طَبْعٌ يُنَازِعُهُ قَدْ قَمَعَهُ بِعَقْلِهِ وَغَلَبَهُ بِعَمَلِهِ.

Wa-istaqarra dhālika ʿinda al-ʿabdi al-ʿāqili, istawā ḥāmiduhu wa-dhāmmuhu fī ṭāʿati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, ʾillā ṭabʿun yunāziʿuhu qad qamaʿahu bi-ʿaqlihi wa-ghalabahu bi-ʿamalihi.

once this is firmly established in the rational servant’s mind, the person who praises him and the person who blames him become equal where obedience to God, mighty and majestic, is concerned, apart from a natural impulse that struggles against him, which he has subdued with his reason and overcome through his practice.

وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ لَوْ كَانَ يَنْفَعُهُ حَمْدُهُمْ وَيَضُرُّهُ ذَمُّهُمْ، لَكَانَ قَدْ جَهِلَ طَلَبَ الْحَمْدِ وَالْفِرَارَ مِنَ الذَّمِّ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَعْلَمُ النَّاسُ أَنَّهُ يُرِيدُ حَمْدَهُمْ عَلَى طَاعَةِ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؛ لِأَنَّ إِرَادَتَهُ مُغَيَّبَةٌ عَنْهُمْ فِي قَلْبِهِ، أَحَبَّ حَمْدَهُمْ أَوْ لَمْ يُحِبَّهُ، فَالْأَمْرُ فِي الظَّاهِرِ وَاحِدٌ وَلَيْسَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِوَاحِدٍ، هُوَ فِي الظَّاهِرِ مُتَطَهِّرٌ،

Wa-maʿa dhālika law kāna yanfaʿuhu ḥamduhum wa-yaḍurruhu dhammuhum, la-kāna qad jahila ṭalaba al-ḥamdi wa-al-firāra mina al-dhammi; li-ʾannahu lā yaʿlamu al-nāsu ʾannahu yurīdu ḥamdahum ʿalā ṭāʿati rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla; li-ʾanna ʾirādatahu mughayyabatun ʿanhum fī qalbihi, ʾaḥabba ḥamdahum ʾaw lam yuḥibbahu, fa-al-ʾamru fī al-ẓāhiri wāḥidun wa-laysa ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla bi-wāḥidin, huwa fī al-ẓāhiri mutaṭahhirun,

Moreover, even if their praise benefited him and their blame harmed him, he would still have misunderstood how to seek praise and escape blame. People do not know that he wants their praise for obeying his Lord, mighty and majestic, because his intention is hidden from them in his heart. Whether he loves their praise or not, the outward appearance is the same, though it is not the same with God, mighty and majestic. Outwardly he is purified,

وَفِي الْبَاطِنِ نَجِسٌ فَاجِرُ الْقَلْبِ، قَدْ أَضْمَرَ فِي الْقَلْبِ مِنْ إِرَادَتِهِمْ مَا لَا يَظْهَرُ لَهُمْ فَيَحْمَدُوهُ أَوْ يَذُمُّوهُ، وَلَوْ أَبْطَنَ الْإِخْلَاصَ بِإِرَادَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَحْدَهُ، لَكَانَ الْأَمْرُ وَاحِدًا عِنْدَهُمْ، بَلْ لَوِ اطَّلَعُوا عَلَى مَا فِي قَلْبِهِ فَعَلِمُوا أَنَّهُ يُرِيدُ حَمْدَهُمْ عَلَى طَاعَةِ رَبِّهِ، أَوِ الطَّمَعَ لِمَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ أَوْ خَوْفَ مَلَامَتِهِمْ، لَمَقَتُوهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ،

Wa-fī al-bāṭini najisun fājiru al-qalbi, qad ʾaḍmara fī al-qalbi min ʾirādatihim mā lā yaẓharu lahum fa-yaḥmadūhu ʾaw yadhummūhu, wa-law ʾabṭana al-ʾikhlāṣa bi-ʾirādati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla waḥdahu, la-kāna al-ʾamru wāḥidan ʿindahum, bal lawi iṭṭalaʿū ʿalā mā fī qalbihi fa-ʿalimū ʾannahu yurīdu ḥamdahum ʿalā ṭāʿati rabbihi, ʾawi al-ṭamaʿa li-mā fī ʾaydīhim ʾaw khawfa malāmatihim, la-maqatūhu ʿalā dhālika,

but inwardly he is impure, wicked at heart. He has concealed in his heart a desire for them which does not become visible to them so that they might praise or blame him for it. Had he concealed sincerity within himself, seeking God, mighty and majestic, alone, it would have looked the same to them. Indeed, if they discovered what was in his heart and learned that in obeying his Lord he sought their praise, or coveted their possessions, or feared their censure, they would abhor him for it,

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مَعَ مَا يَتَعَرَّضُ لِمَقْتِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَيْضًا، مَا هُوَ إِلَّا شَيْءٌ يَعْتَقِدُهُ فِي قَلْبِهِ، وَلَا مَعْنَى لَهُ إِلَّا الْبَلَاءُ وَالضَّرَرُ فِي الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ غَدًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَلَوْ كَانَ يَنَالُ بِحَمْدِهِمْ مَنْفَعَةً وَزَيْنًا، وَبِذَمِّهِمْ ضَرَرًا وَشَيْنًا، كَانَ قَدْ أَخْطَأَ طَرِيقَ طَلَبِ الْحَمْدِ وَالْفِرَارِ مِنَ الشَّيْنِ. فَكَيْفَ وَلَيْسَ أَحَدٌ يَنْفَعُ حَمْدُهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ،

Maʿa mā yataʿarraḍu li-maqti Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʾayḍan, mā huwa ʾillā shayʾun yaʿtaqiduhu fī qalbihi, wa-lā maʿnā lahu ʾillā al-balāʾu wa-al-ḍararu fī al-dīni wa-al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati ghadan ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-law kāna yanālu bi-ḥamdihim manfaʿatan wa-zaynan, wa-bi-dhammihim ḍararan wa-shaynan, kāna qad ʾakhṭaʾa ṭarīqa ṭalabi al-ḥamdi wa-al-firāri mina al-shayni. Fa-kayfa wa-laysa ʾaḥadun yanfaʿu ḥamduhu ʾillā Allāhu,

besides his exposing himself to the abhorrence of God, mighty and majestic, as well. It is merely something he harbors in his heart, with no purpose except affliction and harm in religion, in this world, and in the hereafter, tomorrow before God, mighty and majestic. Even if their praise brought him benefit and beauty and their blame brought him harm and disgrace, he would have mistaken the way to seek praise and escape disgrace. How much more so when there is no one whose praise benefits him except God,

فَلَا يَضُرُّ ذَمُّهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، إِذْ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ فِي مُلْكِهِ، وَلَا مُدَبِّرَ لِغَيْرِ مَا أَرَادَ فِي سُلْطَانِهِ.

Fa-lā yaḍurru dhammuhu ʾillā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, ʾidh lā sharīka lahu fī mulkihi, wa-lā mudabbira li-ghayri mā ʾarāda fī sulṭānihi.

and no one whose blame harms him except God, mighty and majestic, since He has no partner in His kingdom, and no one can bring about anything in His dominion other than what He wills.

فَهَذَا الَّذِي يُصَغِّرُ مَا تَأْمُلُ النَّفْسُ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْخِلَالِ، وَيُعَظِّمُ الْمَعْرِفَةَ بِضَرَرِهَا وَأَلَّا مَنْفَعَةَ فِيهَا، فَإِذَا ثَبَتَتْ هَذِهِ الْمَعْرِفَةُ وَرَّثَتِ الْقَلْبَ الزُّهْدَ فِيهَا وَالرَّفْضَ لَهَا، فَضَعُفَتْ دَوَاعِي الرِّيَاءِ فِي قَلْبِهِ حِينَ يَعْرِضُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ وَعَدُوِّهِ، فَيَنْكَسِرُ الطَّبْعُ، وَيَخْشَى الْعَدُوُّ، وَيَتَمَكَّنُ الْإِخْلَاصُ، وَيَصْفُو الْعَمَلُ، وَيَطْهُرُ الْقَلْبُ، وَيَسْتَأْهِلُ الْعَبْدُ الْإِقْبَالَ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ،

Fa-hādhā alladhī yuṣaghghiru mā taʾmulu al-nafsu min hādhihi al-khilāli, wa-yuʿaẓẓimu al-maʿrifata bi-ḍararihā wa-ʾallā manfaʿata fīhā, fa-ʾidhā thabatat hādhihi al-maʿrifatu warrathati al-qalba al-zuhda fīhā wa-al-rafḍa lahā, fa-ḍaʿufat dawāʿī al-riyāʾi fī qalbihi ḥīna yaʿriḍu min nafsihi wa-ʿaduwwihi, fa-yankasiru al-ṭabʿu, wa-yakhshā al-ʿaduwwu, wa-yatamakkanu al-ʾikhlāṣu, wa-yaṣfū al-ʿamalu, wa-yaṭhuru al-qalbu, wa-yastaʾhilu al-ʿabdu al-ʾiqbāla mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalayhi,

This is what diminishes what the self hopes to gain from these traits and strengthens its knowledge of their harm and their utter lack of benefit. Once this knowledge is firmly established, it brings the heart to renounce and reject them. The impulses toward ostentation in his heart then weaken whenever it is suggested by his self and his enemy. His natural impulse is broken, the enemy grows afraid, sincerity becomes firmly established, his deeds become pure, his heart is cleansed, and the servant becomes worthy of the attention of God, mighty and majestic,

وَالْمَعُونَةَ لَهُ، وَيَجْتَمِعُ هَمُّهُ فَيَصِيرُ وَاحِدًا فِي مُعَامَلَتِهِ لِخَالِقِهِ وَمَوْلَاهُ، وَيَسْتَرِيحُ مِنْ تَشَتُّتِ الْهُمُومِ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ الْخَلْقِ، وَيُعْتَقُ مِنْ ذِلَّةِ الرِّيَاءِ، وَتَضَرُّعِهِ لِلْعِبَادِ، وَاهْتِمَامِهِ بِرِضَاءِ وَاحِدٍ وَبِسَخَطِ آخَرَ؛ لِأَنَّهُ عَلِمَ أَنَّ مُعَامَلَةَ الْخَلْقِ لَا مَعْنَى لَهَا، وَأَنَّ مُعَامَلَةَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهَا خَيْرُ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ.

Wa-al-maʿūnata lahu, wa-yajtamiʿu hammuhu fa-yaṣīru wāḥidan fī muʿāmalatihi li-khāliqihi wa-mawlāhu, wa-yastarīḥu min tashattuti al-humūmi fī muʿāmalati al-khalqi, wa-yuʿtaqu min dhillati al-riyāʾi, wa-taḍarruʿihi li-al-ʿibādi, wa-ihtimāmihi bi-riḍāʾi wāḥidin wa-bi-sakhaṭi ʾākhara; li-ʾannahu ʿalima ʾanna muʿāmalata al-khalqi lā maʿnā lahā, wa-ʾanna muʿāmalata Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fīhā khayru al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati.

and of His help. His concern is gathered together and becomes one in his dealings with his Creator and Master. He finds relief from the scattered concerns involved in dealing with created beings, and is freed from the humiliation of ostentation, from his pleading with people, and from his anxiety over one person’s approval and another’s displeasure. For he knows that dealing with created beings in this way has no purpose, while dealing with God, mighty and majestic, holds the good of this world and the hereafter.

Source page 227

بَابُ شَرْحِ مَا يُرَاءِي بِهِ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ وَاللِّبَاسِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ

Bābu sharḥi mā yurāʾī bihi mina al-ʿamali wa-al-libāsi wa-ghayri dhālika

A chapter explaining the deeds, clothing, and other things used for ostentation

قُلْتُ : قَدْ وَهَنَتْ هَذِهِ الْخِلَالُ عِنْدِي ، وَتَبَيَّنَ حَمَاقَةُ مَنِ اعْتَقَدَهُنَّ وَقِلَّةُ عَقْلِهِ وَفَهْمِهِ عَنْ رَبِّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ ، فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْمُرَاءَى بِهِ الَّذِي يَتَزَيَّنُ بِهِ مِنْ قِبَلِ هَذِهِ الْخِلَالِ الثَّلَاثِ مَا هُوَ ؟ مِنْ وَجْهٍ وَاحِدٍ هُوَ ؟ أَمْ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ شَتَّى ؟

Qultu: Qad wahanat hādhihi al-khilālu ʿindī, wa-tabayyana ḥamāqatu mani iʿtaqadahunna wa-qillatu ʿaqlihi wa-fahmihi ʿan rabbihi jalla wa-ʿazza, fa-ʾakhbirnī ʿani al-murāʾā bihi alladhī yatazayyanu bihi min qibali hādhihi al-khilāli al-thalāthi mā huwa? Min wajhin wāḥidin huwa? ʾAm min wujūhin shattā?

I said, “These traits have lost their hold on me. The foolishness of someone who embraces them has become clear, along with his lack of reason and understanding of his Lord, majestic and mighty. Tell me, then, what are the things a person uses to show off and adorn himself through these three traits? Is there one kind, or are there different kinds?”

قَالَ : الْمُرَاءَى بِهِ وَالْمُتَزَيَّنُ بِهِ خَمْسَةُ أَشْيَاءَ : يُرَائِي الْعَبْدُ بِبَدَنِهِ ، وَبِزِيِّهِ ، وَبِقَوْلِهِ ، وَبِعَمَلِهِ ، وَبِغَيْرِهِ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالْقَرَابَةِ ، فَيُرَائِي بِالطَّاعَةِ بِهَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ الْخَمْسَةِ . وَكَذَلِكَ أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا : يُرَاؤُونَ بِالدُّنْيَا بِهَذِهِ الْخِصَالِ الْخَمْسِ ، إِلَّا أَنَّ ذَلِكَ أَيْسَرُ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ بِالطَّاعَةِ .

Qāla: Al-murāʾā bihi wa-al-mutazayyanu bihi khamsatu ʾashyāʾa: Yurāʾī al-ʿabdu bi-badanihi, wa-bi-ziyyihi, wa-bi-qawlihi, wa-bi-ʿamalihi, wa-bi-ghayrihi mina al-ṣaḥābati wa-al-qarābati, fa-yurāʾī bi-al-ṭāʿati bi-hādhihi al-ʾashyāʾi al-khamsati. Wa-kadhālika ʾahlu al-dunyā: Yurāʾūna bi-al-dunyā bi-hādhihi al-khiṣāli al-khamsi, ʾillā ʾanna dhālika ʾaysaru mina al-riyāʾi bi-al-ṭāʿati.

He replied, “There are five things used for showing off and adornment. A servant shows off through his body, his appearance, his speech, his actions, and other people among his companions and relatives. Through these five things he makes a display of obedience. People of this world likewise display worldly advantages through these five qualities, although that is less serious than showing off through obedience.

فَأَمَّا الْبَدَنُ : فَيُرَائِي بِهِ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ جِهَةِ الدِّينِ ، يُرَائِي بِالنُّحُولِ وَبِالصُّفَارِ ؛ لِيَتَوَهَّمُوا عَلَيْهِ الِاجْتِهَادَ وَالْأَحْزَانَ أَوِ الْخَوْفَ ، وَيُرَائِي بِضَعْفِ الصَّوْتِ وَغَوْرِ الْعَيْنَيْنِ وَذُبُولِ الشَّفَتَيْنِ ؛ لِيُسْتَدَلَّ بِذَلِكَ عَلَى الصِّيَامِ .

Fa-ʾammā al-badanu: Fa-yurāʾī bihi al-ʿabdu min jihati al-dīni, yurāʾī bi-al-nuḥūli wa-bi-al-ṣufāri; li-yatawahhamū ʿalayhi al-ijtihāda wa-al-ʾaḥzāna ʾawi al-khawfa, wa-yurāʾī bi-ḍaʿfi al-ṣawti wa-ghawri al-ʿaynayni wa-dhubūli al-shafatayni; li-yustadalla bi-dhālika ʿalā al-ṣiyāmi.

“As for the body, the servant uses it to display religion. He displays thinness and pallor so that people imagine he exerts himself in devotion and is filled with sorrow or fear. He displays a weak voice, sunken eyes, and withered lips so that these will be taken as signs of fasting.

كَمَا يُرْوَى عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، وَيُرْوَى عَنْ عِيسَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : « إِذَا صَامَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَدْهُنْ رَأْسَهُ وَيُرَجِّلْ شَعْرَهُ وَيَكْحُلْ عَيْنَهُ » يَخَافُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يُرَاؤُوا بِمَا يَظْهَرُ مِنْ بَشَرَةِ وُجُوهِهِمْ ، الَّذِي يَدُلُّ عَلَى صِيَامِهِمْ .

Ka-mā yurwā ʿan ʾAbī Hurayrata, wa-yurwā ʿan ʿĪsā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʾannahu qāla: «ʾIdhā ṣāma ʾaḥadukum fa-l-yadhun raʾsahu wa-yurajjil shaʿrahu wa-yakḥul ʿaynahu» yakhāfu ʿalayhim ʾan yurāʾū bi-mā yaẓharu min basharati wujūhihim, alladhī yadullu ʿalā ṣiyāmihim.

“As is related from Abū Hurayra, and as is related from Jesus, may God bless him and grant him peace, who said, ‘When one of you fasts, let him oil his head, comb his hair, and apply kohl to his eye.’ He feared that they would show off through the appearance of their faces, which indicated their fasting.

وَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا - : أَصْبِحُوا صِيَامًا مُدَّهِنِينَ .

Wa-qāla Ibnu Masʿūdin - raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā -: ʾAṣbiḥū ṣiyāman muddahinīna.

“Ibn Masʿūd, may God be pleased with them both, said, ‘Begin the day fasting, with oil applied.’

Source page 228

وَكَذَلِكَ النُّحُولُ يَدُلُّ عَلَى التَّقَلُّلِ مِنَ الْغِذَاءِ وَيَدُلُّ عَلَى الْهُمُومِ وَالْأَحْزَانِ ، وَكَذَلِكَ الصُّفَارُ يَدُلُّ عَلَى الصِّيَامِ وَقِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ ، وَالْأَحْزَانِ وَالْغُمُومِ ؛ وَفِي ذَلِكَ التَّمَقُّتُ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ .

Wa-kadhālika al-nuḥūlu yadullu ʿalā al-taqalluli mina al-ghidhāʾi wa-yadullu ʿalā al-humūmi wa-al-ʾaḥzāni, wa-kadhālika al-ṣufāru yadullu ʿalā al-ṣiyāmi wa-qiyāmi al-layli, wa-al-ʾaḥzāni wa-al-ghumūmi; wa-fī dhālika al-tamaqqutu ʾilā al-Raḥmāni ʿazza wa-jalla.

“Thinness likewise indicates eating little and suggests worries and sorrows. Pallor likewise indicates fasting, night prayer, sorrows, and anxieties. Through such display one makes oneself hateful to the Most Merciful, mighty and majestic.

وَأَمَّا أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا : فَيُرَاؤُونَ بِالسِّمَنِ وَصَفَاءِ اللَّوْنِ ، وَانْتِصَابِ الصُّلْبِ ، وَذَلِكَ أَيْسَرُ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ بِالدِّينِ .

Wa-ʾammā ʾahlu al-dunyā: Fa-yurāʾūna bi-al-simani wa-ṣafāʾi al-lawni, wa-intiṣābi al-ṣulbi, wa-dhālika ʾaysaru mina al-riyāʾi bi-al-dīni.

“As for people of this world, they show off through stoutness, a clear complexion, and an erect posture. That is less serious than showing off through religion.

وَأَمَّا الزِّيُّ : فَيُرَائِي الْعَبْدُ بِتَشَعُّثِ الرَّأْسِ وَمَرَاهَةِ الْعَيْنَيْنِ ، وَحَلْقِ الشَّارِبِ ، وَاسْتِئْصَالِ الشَّعْرِ أَوْ فَرْقِهِ ؛ يُظْهِرُ بِذَلِكَ تَتَبُّعَ زِيِّ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ، وَخَشِنِ اللِّبَاسِ وَغَلِيظِهَا ، وَتَشْمِيرِهَا وَقِصَرِ الْأَكْمَامِ ، وَخَصْفِ النِّعَالِ وَحَذْوِهَا عَلَى زِيِّ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ ، وَتَرْكِ تَهْذِيبِ الثَّوْبِ ، وَجَمِيعِ التَّقَشُّفِ عَلَى قَدْرِهِ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ وَقَدْرِ أَصْحَابِهِ ،

Wa-ʾammā al-ziyyu: Fa-yurāʾī al-ʿabdu bi-tashaʿʿuthi al-raʾsi wa-marāhati al-ʿaynayni, wa-ḥalqi al-shāribi, wa-istiʾṣāli al-shaʿri ʾaw farqihi; yuẓhiru bi-dhālika tatabbuʿa ziyyi al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wa-ʾathari al-sujūdi, wa-khashini al-libāsi wa-ghalīẓihā, wa-tashmīrihā wa-qiṣari al-ʾakmāmi, wa-khaṣfi al-niʿāli wa-ḥadhwihā ʿalā ziyyi ʾahli al-dīni, wa-tarki tahdhībi al-thawbi, wa-jamīʿi al-taqashshufi ʿalā qadrihi fī al-ʿibādati wa-qadri ʾaṣḥābihi,

“As for appearance, the servant shows off through disheveled hair, eyes left without kohl, shaving the mustache, and closely removing the hair or parting it, displaying conformity to the appearance of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. He also displays the mark of prostration, rough and coarse clothing, hitching it up, short sleeves, patched sandals shaped in the style of religious people, neglecting to tidy his garment, and every form of austerity suited to his standing in worship and the standing of his companions.

لِأَنَّ الْقُرَّاءَ فِي ذَلِكَ أَصْنَافٌ : فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَجْتَمِعَ لَهُ الْحَمْدُ عَلَى الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا ، فَيَلْبَسُ الثِّيَابَ الْجَيِّدَةَ وَيُشَمِّرُهَا ، وَيَلْبَسُ النِّعَالَ الْجَيِّدَةَ وَيَحْذُوهَا عَلَى غَيْرِ حَذْوِ الْعَوَامِّ عَلَى زِيِّ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ مَعَ جَوْدَتِهَا ، وَالرِّدَاءَ الْجَيِّدَ وَلَا يَفْتِلُهُ ، أَوْ يَفْتِلُهُ إِنْ كَانَ أَصْحَابُهُ لَا يَنْفُقُ عِنْدَهُمْ إِلَّا ذَلِكَ ،

Li-ʾanna al-qurrāʾa fī dhālika ʾaṣnāfun: Fa-minhum man yurīdu ʾan yajtamiʿa lahu al-ḥamdu ʿalā al-dīni wa-al-dunyā, fa-yalbasu al-thiyāba al-jayyidata wa-yushammiruhā, wa-yalbasu al-niʿāla al-jayyidata wa-yaḥdhūhā ʿalā ghayri ḥadhwi al-ʿawāmmi ʿalā ziyyi ʾahli al-dīni maʿa jawdatihā, wa-al-ridāʾa al-jayyida wa-lā yaftiluhu, ʾaw yaftiluhu ʾin kāna ʾaṣḥābuhu lā yanfuqu ʿindahum ʾillā dhālika,

“For the religiously learned fall into different groups in this respect. Some want to combine praise for religion and worldly standing, so they wear fine clothes but hitch them up, and fine sandals shaped differently from those of ordinary people, following religious style despite their quality. They wear a fine cloak without twisting it, or twist it if that is the only style their companions approve,

وَالْأَكْسِيَةَ الْجَيِّدَةَ الَّتِي تَجُوزُ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَحْمَدَهُ أَصْحَابُهُ ، وَالْقُرَّاءُ وَالْمُلُوكُ وَالْأَغْنِيَاءُ مِنَ التُّجَّارِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ ، يَلْبَسُ زِيَّ الْقُرَّاءِ فِي جَوْدَةِ ثِيَابِ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ ، فَقَدْ جَمَعَ زِيَّ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا لِيَحْظَى عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيَا .

Wa-al-ʾaksiyata al-jayyidata allatī tajūzu ʿinda ʾahli al-dīni wa-al-dunyā yurīdu ʾan yaḥmadahu ʾaṣḥābuhu, wa-al-qurrāʾu wa-al-mulūku wa-al-ʾaghniyāʾu mina al-tujjāri wa-ghayrihim, yalbasu ziyya al-qurrāʾi fī jawdati thiyābi al-ʾaghniyāʾi, fa-qad jamaʿa ziyya ʾahli al-dīni wa-al-dunyā li-yaḥẓā ʿinda ʾahli al-dīni wa-al-dunyā.

“and fine wraps acceptable to both religious and worldly people. He wants praise from his companions, the religiously learned, kings, and wealthy merchants and others. He dresses in the style of the religiously learned, in clothes as fine as those of the wealthy, combining religious and worldly appearance to find favor with both religious and worldly people.

Source page 229

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُبَجِّلَهُ الْمُلُوكُ وَالسُّلْطَانُ وَالْقُرَّاءُ عَلَى الدِّينِ ، وَيَنْفُقَ عِنْدَ جَمِيعِ أَهْلِ الْفِرَقِ ، فَيُبَالِغُ فِي الثِّيَابِ ، وَالْحِمَارِ الْفَارِهِ وَالدَّابَّةِ الْفَارِهَةِ ؛ يُرِيدُ حَمْدَهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ، فَيَدْنُو مِنَ السُّلْطَانِ عَلَى جِهَةِ الدِّينِ ، وَيَقْضِي الْحَوَائِجَ لِأَهْلِ الدِّينِ ، وَيُجَالِسُهُمْ تَصَنُّعًا وَتَزَيُّنًا .

Wa-minhum man yuḥibbu ʾan yubajjilahu al-mulūku wa-al-sulṭānu wa-al-qurrāʾu ʿalā al-dīni, wa-yanfuqa ʿinda jamīʿi ʾahli al-firaqi, fa-yubālighu fī al-thiyābi, wa-al-ḥimāri al-fārihi wa-al-dābbati al-fārihati; yurīdu ḥamdahum ʾajmaʿīna, fa-yadnū mina al-sulṭāni ʿalā jihati al-dīni, wa-yaqḍī al-ḥawāʾija li-ʾahli al-dīni, wa-yujālisuhum taṣannuʿan wa-tazayyunan.

“Some want kings, rulers, and the religiously learned to honor them for religion and to be well regarded by every group. They go to excess in clothing, fine donkeys, and fine riding animals, wanting everyone’s praise. They approach the ruler on religious grounds, attend to the needs of religious people, and sit with them for affectation and display.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَتَقَرَّبُ بِالطَّاعَةِ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْهُدَى وَالضَّلَالِ ، لِيُقِيمَ وَجْهَهُ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْحَقِّ وَأَهْلِ الْبَاطِلِ : يَلْقَى هَؤُلَاءِ بِمَا يُحِبُّونَ ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ بِمَا يُحِبُّونَ ، وَهَذَا شَرُّ الْفِرَقِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الرِّيَاءِ وَالتَّصَنُّعِ ، لِيَتَقَرَّبَ إِلَى أَهْلِ كُلِّ طَبَقَةٍ بِمَا يَنْفُقُ عِنْدَهُمْ .

Wa-minhum man yataqarrabu bi-al-ṭāʿati ʿinda ʾahli al-hudā wa-al-ḍalāli, li-yuqīma wajhahu ʿinda ʾahli al-ḥaqqi wa-ʾahli al-bāṭili: Yalqā hāʾulāʾi bi-mā yuḥibbūna, wa-hāʾulāʾi bi-mā yuḥibbūna, wa-hādhā sharru al-firaqi min ʾahli al-riyāʾi wa-al-taṣannuʿi, li-yataqarraba ʾilā ʾahli kulli ṭabaqatin bi-mā yanfuqu ʿindahum.

“Some use obedience to gain favor with both the guided and the misguided, maintaining their standing with people of truth and people of falsehood. They meet one group with what it likes, and the other group with what it likes. This is the worst group among those who show off and cultivate appearances, seeking closeness to every class through whatever it approves.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَوْ جُعِلَ لَهُ مَفْرُوحٌ مَا قَوِيَ أَنْ يَنْتَقِلَ مِمَّا قَدْ أَلِفَهُ وَعُرِفَ بِهِ مِنَ الزِّيِّ فِي دِينِهِ ، فَمَنْ يَلْبَسُ مِنْهُمُ الصُّوفَ وَالثِّيَابَ الْخَشِنَةَ الدُّونَ ، لَوْ قِيلَ :

Wa-minhum man law juʿila lahu mafrūḥun mā qawiya ʾan yantaqila mimmā qad ʾalifahu wa-ʿurifa bihi mina al-ziyyi fī dīnihi, fa-man yalbasu minhumu al-ṣūfa wa-al-thiyāba al-khashinata al-dūna, law qīla:

“Some, even if offered something to delight in, could not bring themselves to abandon the religious appearance to which they are accustomed and by which they are known. If someone among them who wears wool and coarse, lowly clothes were told:

تَلْبَسُ الْمَرْوِيَّةَ أَوِ اللَّيِّنَةَ الْجَيِّدَةَ أَوِ الرِّقَاقَ ، لَكَانَ عِنْدَهُ قَرِيبًا مِنَ الذَّبْحِ ؛ كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يَقُولَ النَّاسُ فَتَرَ عَنْ طَرِيقِهِ ، وَرَكَنَ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا بَعْدَ تَقَشُّفِهِ .

Talbasu al-marwiyyata ʾawi al-layyinata al-jayyidata ʾawi al-riqāqa, la-kāna ʿindahu qarīban mina al-dhabḥi; karāhiyata ʾan yaqūla al-nāsu fatara ʿan ṭarīqihi, wa-rakana ʾilā al-dunyā baʿda taqashshufihi.

“‘Wear cloth from Marw, or fine soft clothes, or thin fabrics,’ it would feel almost like being slaughtered, because he hates the thought of people saying, ‘He has grown lax in his way and inclined toward the world after his austerity.’

وَلَوْ قِيلَ لِأَهْلِ الطَّبَقَةِ الْوُسْطَى مِمَّنْ يَلْبَسُ الْأَوْسَطَ مِنَ الْمَرْوِيِّ ، أَنْ يَلْبَسَ الثِّيَابَ الرِّقَاقَ الْجَيِّدَةَ وَالْأَكْسِيَةَ الرِّقَاقَ الْمُرْتَفِعَةَ أَوِ الْكَتَّانَ الرَّقِيقَ ، لَكَانَ عِنْدَهُ قَرِيبًا مِنَ الذَّبْحِ ، كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يُقَالَ رَكَنَ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا وَرَغِبَ فِيهَا ، وَكَذَلِكَ لَوْ قِيلَ لِأَهْلِ هَذِهِ الطَّبَقَةِ ، أَنْ تَلْبَسَ الصُّوفَ وَالثِّيَابَ الْمُخَرَّقَةَ الْوَسِخَةَ شَقَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِ ، كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يَحْقِرَهُ أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا وَيَنْظُرُوا إِلَيْهِ بِالِازْدِرَاءِ ،

Wa-law qīla li-ʾahli al-ṭabaqati al-wusṭā mimman yalbasu al-ʾawsaṭa mina al-marwiyyi, ʾan yalbasa al-thiyāba al-riqāqa al-jayyidata wa-al-ʾaksiyata al-riqāqa al-murtafiʿata ʾawi al-kattāna al-raqīqa, la-kāna ʿindahu qarīban mina al-dhabḥi, karāhiyata ʾan yuqāla rakana ʾilā al-dunyā wa-raghiba fīhā, wa-kadhālika law qīla li-ʾahli hādhihi al-ṭabaqati, ʾan talbasa al-ṣūfa wa-al-thiyāba al-mukharraqata al-wasikhata shaqqa dhālika ʿalayhi, karāhiyata ʾan yaḥqirahu ʾahlu al-dunyā wa-yanẓurū ʾilayhi bi-al-izdirāʾi,

“If someone of the middle group, who wears medium-quality Marw cloth, were told to wear fine thin clothes, high-quality thin wraps, or fine linen, it would feel almost like being slaughtered, because he hates to have it said that he has inclined toward the world and desired it. Likewise, if someone of this group were told to wear wool and torn, dirty clothes, it would be hard for him because he hates to be looked down on by worldly people and regarded with contempt.

يُرِيدُ أَلَّا يُحَقَّرَ وَيُرِيدُ أَنْ يُحْمَدَ عَلَى زِيِّ الصَّالِحِينَ ، وَلَا يَقْوَى أَنْ يُغَيِّرَ ذَلِكَ الزِّيَّ إِلَى مَا هُوَ أَرْفَعُ مِنْهُ كَرَاهَةَ أَنْ يُظَنَّ بِهِ رَغْبَةٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا .

Yurīdu ʾallā yuḥaqqara wa-yurīdu ʾan yuḥmada ʿalā ziyyi al-ṣāliḥīna, wa-lā yaqwā ʾan yughayyira dhālika al-ziyya ʾilā mā huwa ʾarfaʿu minhu karāhata ʾan yuẓanna bihi raghbatun fī al-dunyā.

“He wants not to be despised, and wants to be praised for the appearance of the righteous. Yet he cannot bring himself to exchange that appearance for something finer, hating the thought that he might be suspected of desire for this world.

Source page 230

وَكَذَلِكَ أَهْلُ الرِّيَاءِ بِالثِّيَابِ الْجِيَادِ الْمُرْتَفِعَةِ ، فَلَوْ قِيلَ لَهُمْ أَنْ يَتَنَقَّلُوا إِلَى الصُّوفِ وَالْخَشِنِ مِنَ اللِّبَاسِ لَمَا فَعَلُوا ؛ لِئَلَّا يَكْسُدُوا عِنْدَ الْمُلُوكِ وَعِنْدَ السُّلْطَانِ وَالْقُضَاةِ وَأَهْلِ الْغِنَى ، وَكَذَلِكَ لَا يَنْتَقِلُونَ إِلَى زِيِّ الْمُلُوكِ مِنْ لُبْسِ الْمُصَبَّغَةِ وَالْقَلَانِسِ وَتَقْطِيعِ الثِّيَابِ ؛ لِئَلَّا يَكْسُدُوا عِنْدَ الْقُرَّاءِ ، وَيَذُمُّوهُمْ وَيَقُولُوا : رَجَعُوا عَنْ طَرِيقِهِمْ ، وَانْسَلَخُوا مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْقُرَّاءِ ،

Wa-kadhālika ʾahlu al-riyāʾi bi-al-thiyābi al-jiyādi al-murtafiʿati, fa-law qīla lahum ʾan yatanaqqalū ʾilā al-ṣūfi wa-al-khashini mina al-libāsi la-mā faʿalū; li-ʾallā yaksudū ʿinda al-mulūki wa-ʿinda al-sulṭāni wa-al-quḍāti wa-ʾahli al-ghinā, wa-kadhālika lā yantaqilūna ʾilā ziyyi al-mulūki min lubsi al-muṣabbaghati wa-al-qalānisi wa-taqṭīʿi al-thiyābi; li-ʾallā yaksudū ʿinda al-qurrāʾi, wa-yadhummūhum wa-yaqūlū: Rajaʿū ʿan ṭarīqihim, wa-insalakhū min ṭarīqi al-qurrāʾi,

“The same applies to those who show off through fine, high-quality clothes. If told to change to wool and rough clothing, they would refuse, lest they lose favor with kings, rulers, judges, and the wealthy. Nor do they adopt royal dress, with dyed garments, caps, and elaborately cut clothes, lest they lose favor with the religiously learned, who would criticize them and say, ‘They have turned back from their way and cast off the path of the religiously learned.’

كُلُّ ذَلِكَ إِقَامَةُ الْمَنْزِلَةِ بِالدِّينِ عِنْدَ كُلِّ الْفِرَقِ .

Kullu dhālika ʾiqāmatu al-manzilati bi-al-dīni ʿinda kulli al-firaqi.

“All of this is maintaining status through religion among every group.

وَأَمَّا الرِّيَاءُ بِالدُّنْيَا : فَتَصَنُّعُ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا عِنْدَ أَمْثَالِهِمْ بِالثِّيَابِ الْجِيَادِ عَلَى غَيْرِ زِيِّ الدِّينِ ، مِنْ تَطْوِيلِ التَّقْطِيعِ بِالطَّيَالِسَةِ الْمُصَبَّغَةِ وَالْجِيَادِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ .

Wa-ʾammā al-riyāʾu bi-al-dunyā: Fa-taṣannuʿu ʾahli al-dunyā ʿinda ʾamthālihim bi-al-thiyābi al-jiyādi ʿalā ghayri ziyyi al-dīni, min taṭwīli al-taqṭīʿi bi-al-ṭayālisati al-muṣabbaghati wa-al-jiyādi wa-ghayri dhālika.

“As for worldly ostentation, it is the display worldly people make before their peers through fine clothing unlike religious dress, with elongated cuts, dyed and fine mantles, and similar things.

وَأَمَّا الرِّيَاءُ بِالْقَوْلِ : فَبِالنُّطْقِ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَإِقَامَةِ الْحُجَّةِ عِنْدَ الْمُجَادَلَةِ ، وَحِفْظِ الْحَدِيثِ وَبَيَانِ الْحُجَّةِ وَالْفَهْمِ بِالْعِلْمِ ، وَإِظْهَارِ الذِّكْرِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِاللِّسَانِ ، وَالْأَمْرِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيِ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ ، وَتَضْعِيفِ الصَّوْتِ عِنْدَ الْمُحَاوَرَةِ ، وَحُسْنِ الصَّوْتِ بِالْقِرَاءَةِ وَتَحْزِينِهِ ؛ لِيَدُلَّ بِذَلِكَ عَلَى الْمَخَافَةِ ، وَيُرَائِي أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا بِالْفَصَاحَةِ وَشِدَّةِ الْحُجَّةِ فِي الْمُحَاوَرَةِ فِي الْحُقُوقِ وَغَيْرِهَا ، وَحُسْنِ الصَّوْتِ وَحِفْظِ الْأَشْعَارِ ،

Wa-ʾammā al-riyāʾu bi-al-qawli: Fa-bi-al-nuṭqi bi-al-ḥikmati wa-ʾiqāmati al-ḥujjati ʿinda al-mujādalati, wa-ḥifẓi al-ḥadīthi wa-bayāni al-ḥujjati wa-al-fahmi bi-al-ʿilmi, wa-ʾiẓhāri al-dhikri li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla bi-al-lisāni, wa-al-ʾamri bi-al-maʿrūfi wa-al-nahyi ʿani al-munkari, wa-taḍʿīfi al-ṣawti ʿinda al-muḥāwarati, wa-ḥusni al-ṣawti bi-al-qirāʾati wa-taḥzīnihi; li-yadulla bi-dhālika ʿalā al-makhāfati, wa-yurāʾī ʾahlu al-dunyā bi-al-faṣāḥati wa-shiddati al-ḥujjati fī al-muḥāwarati fī al-ḥuqūqi wa-ghayrihā, wa-ḥusni al-ṣawti wa-ḥifẓi al-ʾashʿāri,

“As for ostentation in speech, it takes the form of uttering wisdom, establishing arguments in debate, memorizing hadith, explaining proofs, displaying understanding through knowledge, audibly remembering God, mighty and majestic, enjoining right and forbidding wrong, weakening the voice in conversation, and reciting beautifully in a sorrowful voice to suggest fear. Worldly people show off through eloquence, forceful arguments in discussions of rights and other matters, a beautiful voice, and memorized poetry,

وَحُسْنِ الصَّوْتِ بِالشِّعْرِ وَالْغِنَاءِ ، وَقُوَّةِ الصَّوْتِ وَالنَّحْوِ وَالْغَرِيبِ .

Wa-ḥusni al-ṣawti bi-al-shiʿri wa-al-ghināʾi, wa-quwwati al-ṣawti wa-al-naḥwi wa-al-gharībi.

“a beautiful voice in poetry and song, a powerful voice, grammar, and rare vocabulary.

وَيُرَائِي الْمُتَدَيِّنُ بِعَمَلِهِ : يُرَائِي بِطُولِ الصَّلَاةِ ، وَاعْتِدَالِ الِانْتِصَابِ فِيهَا ، وَالتَّمَكُّنِ وَالتَّطْوِيلِ لِلرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ ، وَشِدَّةِ الْخُشُوعِ فِيهَا وَتَحْزِينِ الْقِرَاءَةِ ، وَأَخْذِ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى الْيُمْنَى وَاصْطِفَافِ الْقَدَمَيْنِ ، وَالتَّجَافِي فِي الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ ، وَرَفْعِ الْأَيْدِي لِلرُّكُوعِ وَبَعْدَهُ ، وَبِالصَّوْمِ وَبِالْغَزْوِ وَبِالْحَجِّ وَبِطُولِ الصَّمْتِ ، وَبَذْلِ الْمَالِ فِي الْوَاجِبِ وَالتَّنَفُّلِ ، وَإِطْعَامِ الطَّعَامِ ، وَالْإِخْبَاتِ فِي الْمَشْيِ وَعِنْدَ اللِّقَاءِ ،

Wa-yurāʾī al-mutadayyinu bi-ʿamalihi: Yurāʾī bi-ṭūli al-ṣalāti, wa-iʿtidāli al-intiṣābi fīhā, wa-al-tamakkuni wa-al-taṭwīli li-al-rukūʿi wa-al-sujūdi, wa-shiddati al-khushūʿi fīhā wa-taḥzīni al-qirāʾati, wa-ʾakhdhi al-yusrā ʿalā al-yumnā wa-iṣṭifāfi al-qadamayni, wa-al-tajāfī fī al-rukūʿi wa-al-sujūdi, wa-rafʿi al-ʾaydī li-al-rukūʿi wa-baʿdahu, wa-bi-al-ṣawmi wa-bi-al-ghazwi wa-bi-al-ḥajji wa-bi-ṭūli al-ṣamti, wa-badhli al-māli fī al-wājibi wa-al-tanaffuli, wa-ʾiṭʿāmi al-ṭaʿāmi, wa-al-ʾikhbāti fī al-mashyi wa-ʿinda al-liqāʾi,

“The religious person shows off through his actions. He shows off through prolonged prayer, standing straight in it, settling firmly into and prolonging bowing and prostration, intense humility during prayer, sorrowful recitation, placing the left hand over the right, aligning the feet, keeping the limbs apart in bowing and prostration, raising the hands before bowing and afterward, fasting, military expeditions, pilgrimage, long silence, giving money in obligatory and voluntary acts, feeding others, and humility in walking and when meeting people,

Source page 231

كَإِرْخَاءِ الْجُفُونِ وَتَنْكِيسِ الرَّأْسِ ، وَبِالتَّثَبُّتِ عِنْدَ الْمُسَاءَلَةِ بِالْوَقَارِ .

Ka-ʾirkhāʾi al-jufūni wa-tankīsi al-raʾsi, wa-bi-al-tathabbuti ʿinda al-musāʾalati bi-al-waqāri.

“such as lowering the eyelids and bowing the head, and through dignified deliberation when questioned.

وَمِنْهُمْ فِرْقَةٌ فِي ذَلِكَ تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَجْمَعَ الدِّينَ وَالدُّنْيَا : تَمْشِي مُسْرِعَةً لِحَاجَتِهَا ، وَتَتَكَلَّمُ كَذَلِكَ ، حَتَّى يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْهَا بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا ، فَتَتَقَارَبُ فِي الْخُطَى ، وَتُبْطِئُ الْمَشْيَ ، وَتُنَكِّسُ الرَّأْسَ ؛ فَإِذَا جَاوَزَهَا عَادَتْ لِحَالِهَا الْأُولَى ، وَذَلِكَ كَالرَّجُلِ يَمْشِي مُسْرِعًا لِحَاجَتِهِ ، أَوْ يَكُونُ مُتَلَفِّتًا جَالِسًا وَمَاشِيًا ،

Wa-minhum firqatun fī dhālika turīdu ʾan tajmaʿa al-dīna wa-al-dunyā: Tamshī musriʿatan li-ḥājatihā, wa-tatakallamu kadhālika, ḥattā yaṭṭaliʿa ʿalayhā baʿḍu ʾahli al-dunyā, fa-tataqārabu fī al-khuṭā, wa-tubṭiʾu al-mashya, wa-tunakkisu al-raʾsa; fa-ʾidhā jāwazahā ʿādat li-ḥālihā al-ʾūlā, wa-dhālika ka-al-rajuli yamshī musriʿan li-ḥājatihi, ʾaw yakūnu mutalaffitan jālisan wa-māshiyan,

“One group among them wants to combine religion and worldly interests. They walk quickly about their business and speak in the same way, until a worldly person notices them. Then their steps draw closer together, their pace slows, and their heads lower. Once he has passed, they return to their former manner. It is like a man hurrying about his business, or looking around while sitting or walking:

فَإِذَا رَمَقَهُ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا وَأَهْلِ الدِّينِ مِمَّنْ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهِ بِعَيْنِ الْخُشُوعِ وَالسَّكِينَةِ وَالْوَقَارِ ، وَلَا يَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهِ خَفِيفًا فِي مِشْيَتِهِ ، وَلَا لَاهِيًا فِي تَلَفُّتِهِ ؛ فَإِذَا رَمَقَهُ سَكَنَ فِي مِشْيَتِهِ ، وَنَكَّسَ رَأْسَهُ ، وَقَارَبَ خُطَاهُ ؛ وَكَذَلِكَ يَدَعُ التَّلَفُّتَ ، وَيُحْدِثُ خُشُوعًا لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ قَبْلُ ، فَلَمْ يَخْشَعْ لِذِكْرِ عَظَمَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلَا لِذِكْرِ الْآخِرَةِ ،

Fa-ʾidhā ramaqahu baʿḍu ʾahli al-dunyā wa-ʾahli al-dīni mimman yuḥibbu ʾan yanẓura ʾilayhi bi-ʿayni al-khushūʿi wa-al-sakīnati wa-al-waqāri, wa-lā yanẓura ʾilayhi khafīfan fī mishyatihi, wa-lā lāhiyan fī talaffutihi; fa-ʾidhā ramaqahu sakana fī mishyatihi, wa-nakkasa raʾsahu, wa-qāraba khuṭāhu; wa-kadhālika yadaʿu al-talaffuta, wa-yuḥdithu khushūʿan lam yakun ʿalayhi min qablu, fa-lam yakhshaʿ li-dhikri ʿaẓamati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-lā li-dhikri al-ʾākhirati,

“when a worldly or religious person observes him, someone whom he wants to regard him as humble, tranquil, and dignified rather than frivolous in his gait or distracted in his glances, then, as that person watches him, he becomes still in his gait, lowers his head, and shortens his steps. Likewise he stops looking around and produces a humility he did not have before. He has not become humble through remembering God’s greatness, mighty and majestic, or through remembering the Hereafter,

وَلَكِنْ خُشُوعٌ أَحْدَثَهُ لِمَنْ يَطَّلِعُ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ .

Wa-lākin khushūʿun ʾaḥdathahu li-man yaṭṭaliʿu ʿalayhi mina al-khalqi.

“but through a humility he has manufactured for the created beings observing him.

وَيُرَائِي أَيْضًا بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ لِغَيْرِهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ بِالْعُلَمَاءِ وَالصَّحَابَةِ مِمَّنْ هُوَ فَوْقَهُمْ فِي الطَّاعَاتِ وَالْعِلْمِ ، فَيَسِيرُ مَعَ الْعَالِمِ أَوِ الْعَابِدِ ، لِيُقَالَ : فُلَانٌ يَأْتِي فُلَانًا وَيَمْشِي مَعَهُ ، أَوْ لِيُقَالَ : فُلَانٌ صَاحِبُ فُلَانٍ ، وَيُكْثِرُ غِشْيَانَهُ وَذِكْرَهُ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنْ حَدِيثِهِ لِيُوسَمَ بِمَحَبَّتِهِ .

Wa-yurāʾī ʾayḍan baʿḍu ʾahli al-dīni li-ghayrihim min ʾahli al-dīni bi-al-ʿulamāʾi wa-al-ṣaḥābati mimman huwa fawqahum fī al-ṭāʿāti wa-al-ʿilmi, fa-yasīru maʿa al-ʿālimi ʾawi al-ʿābidi, li-yuqāla: Fulānun yaʾtī fulānan wa-yamshī maʿahu, ʾaw li-yuqāla: Fulānun ṣāḥibu fulānin, wa-yukthiru ghishyānahu wa-dhikrahu fī kathīrin min ḥadīthihi li-yūsama bi-maḥabbatihi.

“Some religious people also show off before other religious people through scholars and companions who surpass them in obedience and knowledge. A person walks with a scholar or worshiper so that people will say, ‘So-and-so visits so-and-so and walks with him,’ or, ‘So-and-so is so-and-so’s companion.’ He visits him often and mentions him frequently in his conversation, so that he will be known for loving him.

Source page 232

فَقَدْ بَيَّنْتُ لَكَ أُصُولَ الْخِلَالِ الَّتِي يُرَاءَى بِهَا ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ جَمِيعًا مُخْتَلِفُونَ فِي ذَلِكَ بَعْضُهُمْ دُونَ بَعْضٍ .

Fa-qad bayyantu laka ʾuṣūla al-khilāli allatī yurāʾā bihā, ʾillā ʾannahum jamīʿan mukhtalifūna fī dhālika baʿḍuhum dūna baʿḍin.

“I have explained to you the basic qualities through which people show off, though they all differ in this, some to a lesser degree than others.

فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ أَنْ يَعْرِفَ النَّاسُ لَهُ قَدْرَهُ ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ مَعَ مَعْرِفَةِ الْقَدْرِ أَنْ يُنْشَرَ لَهُمْ حُسْنُ الثَّنَاءِ وَالْحَمْدُ ؛ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ الرِّيَاسَةَ وَالشُّهْرَةَ فِي الْبُلْدَانِ وَالثَّنَاءَ وَالْحَمْدَ وَالرِّحْلَةَ إِلَيْهِ ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ الشُّهْرَةَ عِنْدَ الْمُلُوكِ وَالسُّلْطَانِ وَالتَّصَنُّعَ لِلشَّهَادَاتِ ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ أَنْ يُطْمَأَنَّ إِلَيْهِ فَيَحْتَازَ الْأَمْوَالَ وَيَظْلِمَ الْحُقُوقَ ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ شَرُّ الْفِرَقِ .

Fa-minhum man yurīdu bi-dhālika ʾan yaʿrifa al-nāsu lahu qadrahu, wa-minhum man yurīdu maʿa maʿrifati al-qadri ʾan yunshara lahum ḥusnu al-thanāʾi wa-al-ḥamdu; wa-minhum man yurīdu bi-dhālika al-riyāsata wa-al-shuhrata fī al-buldāni wa-al-thanāʾa wa-al-ḥamda wa-al-riḥlata ʾilayhi, wa-minhum man yurīdu bi-dhālika al-shuhrata ʿinda al-mulūki wa-al-sulṭāni wa-al-taṣannuʿa li-al-shahādāti, wa-minhum man yurīdu bi-dhālika ʾan yuṭmaʾanna ʾilayhi fa-yaḥtāza al-ʾamwāla wa-yaẓlima al-ḥuqūqa, wa-hāʾulāʾi sharru al-firaqi.

“Some want people to recognize their worth. Others want, in addition to that recognition, favorable praise and commendation to spread about them. Some want leadership, fame throughout the lands, praise and commendation, and people traveling to visit them. Others want to be famous among kings and rulers and cultivate a reputation that qualifies them to give testimony. Some want to be trusted so they can take possession of wealth and violate people’s rights. These are the worst groups.”

Source page 233

بَابُ مَا يَنْفِي بِهِ الرِّيَاءَ

Bābu mā yanfī bihi al-riyāʾa

A chapter on what drives ostentation away

قُلْتُ : فَبِمَ يُنْفَى الرِّيَاءُ حَتَّى يَسْلَمَ مِنْهُ الْعَبْدُ ؟

Qultu: Fa-bi-ma yunfā al-riyāʾu ḥattā yaslama minhu al-ʿabdu?

I asked, “How is ostentation driven away so that the servant remains free of it?”

قَالَ : إِنَّ نَفْيَ الرِّيَاءِ بِمَعْنَيَيْنِ ، أَحَدُهُمَا : نَفْيُ مَا قَدْ قُبِلَ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ وَرُكِنَ إِلَيْهِ ، وَالْآخَرُ : نَفْيُ الْعَارِضِ بِالدُّعَاءِ وَلَمْ يَقْبَلْهُ .

Qāla: ʾInna nafya al-riyāʾi bi-maʿnayayni, ʾaḥaduhumā: Nafyu mā qad qubila mina al-riyāʾi wa-rukina ʾilayhi, wa-al-ʾākharu: Nafyu al-ʿāriḍi bi-al-duʿāʾi wa-lam yaqbalhu.

He replied, “Driving ostentation away has two meanings. One is removing ostentation that has already been accepted and inclined toward. The other is repelling an impulse that arises to invite it, before one has accepted it.”

قُلْتُ : عَنْهُمَا جَمِيعًا أَسْأَلُكَ وَابْدَأْ بِنَفْيِ الْعَارِضِ .

Qultu: ʿAnhumā jamīʿan ʾasʾaluka wa-ibdaʾ bi-nafyi al-ʿāriḍi.

I said, “I ask you about both of them. Begin with repelling the passing impulse.”

قَالَ : الْعَارِضُ لَا يَخْلُو أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنَ الْعَدُوِّ أَوْ مِنَ النَّفْسِ مِنْ قِبَلِ هَوَاهَا ؛ لِأَنَّ الْعَدُوَّ لَهُ ثَلَاثُ خَطَرَاتٍ بِذَلِكَ ، أَوَّلُهَا : الرِّيَاءُ بِذِكْرِ اطِّلَاعِ الْخَلْقِ أَوْ عِلْمِهِمْ ، أَوْ رَجَاءِ اطِّلَاعِهِمْ أَوْ عِلْمِهِمْ ، وَالثَّانِيَةُ : التَّرْغِيبُ فِي حَمْدِهِمْ أَوِ التَّحْذِيرُ مِنْ ذَمِّهِمْ ، وَقَدْ تَجْمَعُ الْخَطْرَةُ الْوَاحِدَةُ ذِكْرَ عِلْمِهِمْ وَالتَّرْغِيبَ فِي حَمْدِهِمْ ،

Qāla: Al-ʿāriḍu lā yakhlū ʾan yakūna mina al-ʿaduwwi ʾaw mina al-nafsi min qibali hawāhā; li-ʾanna al-ʿaduwwa lahu thalāthu khaṭarātin bi-dhālika, ʾawwaluhā: Al-riyāʾu bi-dhikri iṭṭilāʿi al-khalqi ʾaw ʿilmihim, ʾaw rajāʾi iṭṭilāʿihim ʾaw ʿilmihim, wa-al-thāniyatu: Al-targhību fī ḥamdihim ʾawi al-taḥdhīru min dhammihim, wa-qad tajmaʿu al-khaṭratu al-wāḥidatu dhikra ʿilmihim wa-al-targhība fī ḥamdihim,

He replied, “The impulse must come either from the enemy or from the lower self through its desire. The enemy introduces three kinds of thoughts in this. The first is ostentation through remembering that people are watching or know, or hoping they will watch or know. The second is encouraging a desire for their praise or warning against their criticism. A single thought may combine remembering their knowledge with encouraging a desire for their praise.

وَالثَّالِثَةُ : الدُّعَاءُ إِلَى الْقَبُولِ وَالْعَقْدِ لِذَلِكَ وَالرُّكُونِ إِلَيْهِ .

Wa-al-thālithatu: Al-duʿāʾu ʾilā al-qabūli wa-al-ʿaqdi li-dhālika wa-al-rukūni ʾilayhi.

“The third is the invitation to accept this, settle upon it, and incline toward it.

فَأَقْوَى النَّاسِ فِي النَّفْيِ : الرَّادُّ عِنْدَ الْخَاطِرِ الْأَوَّلِ بِتَذْكِيرِ عِلْمِ الْخَلْقِ ، وَالْقَنُوعُ بِعِلْمِ الْخَالِقِ ، وَالَّذِي يَلِيهِ فِي الْقُوَّةِ : الرَّادُّ عِنْدَ التَّرْغِيبِ فِي الْحَمْدِ وَالتَّرْهِيبِ مِنَ الذَّمِّ بِالرَّغْبَةِ فِي الثَّوَابِ وَالرَّهْبَةِ مِنْ ذَمِّ الدَّيَّانِ ؛ وَالثَّالِثُ : الَّذِي يَرُدُّ حِينَ يَدْعُو إِلَى الْقَبُولِ بَعْدَ هَيَجَانِ الرَّغْبَةِ وَالرَّهْبَةِ فِي الْحَمْدِ وَالذَّمِّ .

Fa-ʾaqwā al-nāsi fī al-nafyi: Al-rāddu ʿinda al-khāṭiri al-ʾawwali bi-tadhkīri ʿilmi al-khalqi, wa-al-qanūʿu bi-ʿilmi al-khāliqi, wa-alladhī yalīhi fī al-quwwati: Al-rāddu ʿinda al-targhībi fī al-ḥamdi wa-al-tarhībi mina al-dhammi bi-al-raghbati fī al-thawābi wa-al-rahbati min dhammi al-dayyāni; wa-al-thālithu: Alladhī yaruddu ḥīna yadʿū ʾilā al-qabūli baʿda hayajāni al-raghbati wa-al-rahbati fī al-ḥamdi wa-al-dhammi.

“The strongest at repelling it is the person who rejects the first thought that reminds him of people’s knowledge and is content with the Creator’s knowledge. Next in strength is the person who rejects the encouragement to seek praise and fear criticism by longing for the reward and fearing the Judge’s condemnation. Third is the person who rejects it when it calls him to accept, after longing and fear concerning praise and criticism have been stirred.”

قُلْتُ : فَكَيْفَ الرَّدُّ لِلْعَارِضِ عِنْدَ هَذِهِ الْخَطَرَاتِ الثَّلَاثِ ؟ .

Qultu: Fa-kayfa al-raddu li-al-ʿāriḍi ʿinda hādhihi al-khaṭarāti al-thalāthi?

I asked, “How is the passing impulse rejected at these three stages of thought?”

قَالَ : يُنْفَى ذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ بِالْمَعْرِفَةِ وَالْكَرَاهَةِ إِنِ اجْتَمَعَا ، وَإِنِ افْتَرَقَا لَمْ يَنْتَفِ الرِّيَاءُ .

Qāla: Yunfā dhālika kulluhu bi-al-maʿrifati wa-al-karāhati ʾini ijtamaʿā, wa-ʾini iftaraqā lam yantafi al-riyāʾu.

He replied, “All of this is repelled through recognition and aversion when they come together. If they separate, ostentation is not repelled.”

قُلْتُ : فَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ ؟

Qultu: Fa-kayfa dhālika?

I asked, “How is that?”

قَالَ : إِنْ كَانَ كَارِهًا لِلرِّيَاءِ فِي جُمْلَةِ عَقْدِ قَلْبِهِ ، ثُمَّ اعْتَرَضَ الدُّعَاءُ وَهُوَ عَاقِلٌ ، فَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ هُوَ عَارِضُ الرِّيَاءِ الَّذِي يُحْبِطُ الْعَمَلَ قَبُولُهُ ، فَرَكَنَ إِلَيْهِ وَاسْتَحْلَاهُ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ ، فَيَسْتَعْمِلَ الْكَرَاهَةَ الْمُتَقَدِّمَةَ فِي جُمْلَةِ عَقْدِ قَلْبِهِ وَضَمِيرِهِ ؛ لِأَنَّ الْخَطْرَةَ تَأْتِي بِالدُّعَاءِ إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ ، بِالتَّرْغِيبِ فِي الْحَمْدِ وَالنَّيْلِ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ، وَالتَّرْهِيبِ وَالتَّحْذِيرِ مِنَ الذَّمِّ وَالْمَلَامَةِ ،

Qāla: ʾIn kāna kārihan li-al-riyāʾi fī jumlati ʿaqdi qalbihi, thumma iʿtaraḍa al-duʿāʾu wa-huwa ʿāqilun, fa-lam yaʿrif ʾanna dhālika huwa ʿāriḍu al-riyāʾi alladhī yuḥbiṭu al-ʿamala qabūluhu, fa-rakana ʾilayhi wa-istaḥlāhu wa-lam yadhkur, fa-yastaʿmila al-karāhata al-mutaqaddimata fī jumlati ʿaqdi qalbihi wa-ḍamīrihi; li-ʾanna al-khaṭrata taʾtī bi-al-duʿāʾi ʾilā al-riyāʾi, bi-al-targhībi fī al-ḥamdi wa-al-nayli mina al-dunyā, wa-al-tarhībi wa-al-taḥdhīri mina al-dhammi wa-al-malāmati,

He replied, “A person may dislike ostentation as part of his heart’s general resolve. Then the invitation arises while he possesses reason, but he does not recognize it as the impulse toward ostentation whose acceptance nullifies his work. He inclines toward it, finds it sweet, and fails to remember so as to apply the earlier aversion contained in the general resolve of his heart and inner intention. For the thought arrives inviting ostentation, encouraging praise and worldly gain, and arousing fear and caution about criticism and blame,

Source page 234

فَيَمْلَأُ حَلَاوَةُ حُبِّ الْحَمْدِ وَرَهْبَةُ الذَّمِّ قَلْبَهُ ، وَلَا يَكُونُ فِي الْقَلْبِ مَوْضِعُ فَرَاغٍ يَذْكُرُ بِهِ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الَّذِي يُحْبِطُ عَمَلَهُ .

Fa-yamlaʾu ḥalāwatu ḥubbi al-ḥamdi wa-rahbatu al-dhammi qalbahu, wa-lā yakūnu fī al-qalbi mawḍiʿu farāghin yadhkuru bihi ʾanna dhālika huwa alladhī yuḥbiṭu ʿamalahu.

“so the sweetness of loving praise and the fear of criticism fill his heart. No free space remains in the heart for him to remember that this is what nullifies his work.

كَالْعَبْدِ يَنْوِي أَنْ يَحْلُمَ إِنْ غَضِبَ ، وَلَا يُكَافِئَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَإِذَا اغْتَاظَ ؛ مَلَأَ الْغَيْظُ قَلْبَهُ وَنَسِيَ عَزْمَهُ ، وَلَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ مَوْضِعُ فَرَاغٍ يَذْكُرُ بِهِ مَا قَدَّمَ مِنَ الْعَزْمِ عَلَى الْحِلْمِ ، فَكَمَا يَمْلَأُ الْغَيْظُ قَلْبَهُ فَكَذَلِكَ حَلَاوَةُ الشَّهْوَةِ تَمْلَأُ قَلْبَهُ فَيَنْسَى ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ ،

Ka-al-ʿabdi yanwī ʾan yaḥluma ʾin ghaḍiba, wa-lā yukāfiʾa bi-mā yakrahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-ʾidhā ightāẓa; malaʾa al-ghayẓu qalbahu wa-nasiya ʿazmahu, wa-lam yabqa min qalbihi mawḍiʿu farāghin yadhkuru bihi mā qaddama mina al-ʿazmi ʿalā al-ḥilmi, fa-ka-mā yamlaʾu al-ghayẓu qalbahu fa-kadhālika ḥalāwatu al-shahwati tamlaʾu qalbahu fa-yansā dhikra rabbihi jalla wa-ʿazza,

“It is like a servant who intends to be forbearing if he becomes angry and not retaliate in a way God, mighty and majestic, dislikes. When he becomes enraged, anger fills his heart and he forgets his resolve. No free space remains in his heart to recall his earlier determination to be forbearing. Just as anger fills his heart, the sweetness of desire fills it, and he forgets to remember his Lord, majestic and mighty,

كَمَا رُوِيَ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا - قَالَ : « بَايَعْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ عَلَى أَلَّا نَفِرَّ ، وَلَمْ نُبَايِعْهُ عَلَى الْمَوْتِ ، فَأُنْسِينَاهَا يَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ ، حَتَّى نُودِيَ بِأَصْحَابِ الشَّجَرَةِ فَرَجَعْنَا » .

Ka-mā ruwiya ʿan Jābiri bni ʿAbdi Allāhi - raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā - qāla: «Bāyaʿnā rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama taḥta al-shajarati ʿalā ʾallā nafirra, wa-lam nubāyiʿhu ʿalā al-mawti, fa-ʾunsīnāhā yawma Ḥunaynin, ḥattā nūdiya bi-ʾaṣḥābi al-shajarati fa-rajaʿnā».

“as is related from Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh, may God be pleased with them both, who said, ‘We pledged allegiance to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, beneath the tree, promising not to flee. We did not pledge to die. We were made to forget it on the day of Ḥunayn, until the companions of the tree were called out to, and we returned.’

وَإِنَّمَا الْغَيْظُ مَثَلٌ ضَرَبْتُهُ لَكَ ، قِيَاسًا عَلَى امْتِلَاءِ الْقَلْبِ بِحَلَاوَةِ الشَّهْوَةِ وَحَمْدِ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ ، فَيَنْسَى الْعَبْدُ عَزْمَهُ وَالْكَرَاهَةَ الْمُتَقَدِّمَةَ لِلرِّيَاءِ فِي جُمْلَةِ عَقْدِ قَلْبِهِ ، فَيَرْكَنُ وَلَا يَنْفِي ذَلِكَ ، وَعَامَّةُ الْأَعْمَالِ الْحَرَامِ كَذَلِكَ ، فَكَذَلِكَ الَّذِي عَرَضَ لَهُ وَلَيْسَ مَعَهُ ذِكْرُ الرِّيَاءِ ، فَلَمَّا فَقَدَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ لِمَا عَرَضَ ، زَالَ عَنِ الْكَرَاهَةِ الْأُولَى وَلَمْ يَسْتَعْمِلْهَا ،

Wa-ʾinnamā al-ghayẓu mathalun ḍarabtuhu laka, qiyāsan ʿalā imtilāʾi al-qalbi bi-ḥalāwati al-shahwati wa-ḥamdi al-makhlūqīna, fa-yansā al-ʿabdu ʿazmahu wa-al-karāhata al-mutaqaddimata li-al-riyāʾi fī jumlati ʿaqdi qalbihi, fa-yarkanu wa-lā yanfī dhālika, wa-ʿāmmatu al-ʾaʿmāli al-ḥarāmi kadhālika, fa-kadhālika alladhī ʿaraḍa lahu wa-laysa maʿahu dhikru al-riyāʾi, fa-lammā faqada al-maʿrifata li-mā ʿaraḍa, zāla ʿani al-karāhati al-ʾūlā wa-lam yastaʿmilhā,

“Anger is only an example I have given you, as an analogy for the heart’s being filled with the sweetness of desire and the praise of created beings. The servant forgets his resolve and his earlier aversion to ostentation within his heart’s general commitment. He inclines toward it and does not repel it. Most unlawful actions are like this. So too is the person to whom the impulse arises without his keeping ostentation in mind: when he fails to recognize what has arisen, he departs from his earlier aversion and does not apply it,

لِأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا قَدَّمَهَا فِي جُمْلَةِ عَقْدِ ضَمِيرِهِ يَسْتَعْمِلُهَا عِنْدَ الْعَارِضِ لِيَبْعَثَهُ عَلَى أَلَّا يَقْبَلَهُ ، فَتَرَكَهَا حِينَ احْتَاجَ إِلَيْهَا ، وَفِي الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي أَعَدَّهَا لَهُ ، لِأَنَّ تِلْكَ الْكَرَاهَةَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْعَبْدِ عَلَى الْإِخْلَاصِ ، وَتَرْكِ الرِّيَاءِ قَبْلَ الْعَمَلِ ، عَلَى أَنْ يُخْلِصَ ، وَلَا يُرَائِيَ ، إِذَا عَمِلَ عَمَلًا مِنْ طَاعَةِ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَقَدَّمَ الْكَرَاهَةَ لِلرِّيَاءِ قَبْلَ الْعَمَلِ لِيَسْتَعْمِلَهَا عِنْدَ الْعَمَلِ ،

Li-ʾannahu ʾinnamā qaddamahā fī jumlati ʿaqdi ḍamīrihi yastaʿmiluhā ʿinda al-ʿāriḍi li-yabʿathahu ʿalā ʾallā yaqbalahu, fa-tarakahā ḥīna iḥtāja ʾilayhā, wa-fī al-mawḍiʿi alladhī ʾaʿaddahā lahu, li-ʾanna tilka al-karāhata min ʿazmi al-ʿabdi ʿalā al-ʾikhlāṣi, wa-tarki al-riyāʾi qabla al-ʿamali, ʿalā ʾan yukhliṣa, wa-lā yurāʾiya, ʾidhā ʿamila ʿamalan min ṭāʿati rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-qaddama al-karāhata li-al-riyāʾi qabla al-ʿamali li-yastaʿmilahā ʿinda al-ʿamali,

“although he had established it within his general inward resolve precisely to apply it when an impulse arose, moving him not to accept it. He abandons it when he needs it and in the very situation for which he prepared it. That aversion comes from the servant’s resolve, before acting, to be sincere and leave ostentation: to act sincerely and not show off whenever he performs an act of obedience to his Lord, mighty and majestic. He prepared his aversion to ostentation before the act so as to apply it during the act,

Source page 235

فَيُضَيِّعُهَا بِنِسْيَانِهِ لِلْقِيَامِ بِحَقِّ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي بَاطِنِهِ ، فَلَمَّا فَقَدَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ نَسِيَ الْكَرَاهَةَ الْأُولَى .

Fa-yuḍayyiʿuhā bi-nisyānihi li-al-qiyāmi bi-ḥaqqi rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla fī bāṭinihi, fa-lammā faqada al-maʿrifata nasiya al-karāhata al-ʾūlā.

“but loses it by forgetting inwardly to fulfill what is due to his Lord, mighty and majestic. When recognition was absent, he forgot the earlier aversion.

وَقَدْ يَذْكُرُ ، فَيَعْرِفُ أَنَّ الَّذِي عَرَضَ عَارِضٌ وَدَاعٍ إِلَى مَا يُحْبِطُ عَمَلَهُ ، وَأَنَّهُ الرِّيَاءُ الَّذِي نُهِيَ عَنْهُ فَيَغْلِبُهُ هَوَاهُ وَشَهْوَتُهُ ، فَلَا يَرُدُّ ذَلِكَ ، وَلَا يَكْرَهُهُ ؛ لِغَلَبَةِ الْهَوَى وَقِلَّةِ هَيَجَانِ الْخَوْفِ ، فَإِمَّا أَنْ يَتَشَاغَلَ عَنْهُ بَعْدَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ يُسَوِّفَ التَّوْبَةَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَيَقْبَلَ الرِّيَاءَ وَيَعْمَلَ عَلَيْهِ ، كَالرَّجُلِ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلَامِ وَمَا لَهُ فِيهِ مَعْنًى غَيْرُ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ ،

Wa-qad yadhkuru, fa-yaʿrifu ʾanna alladhī ʿaraḍa ʿāriḍun wa-dāʿin ʾilā mā yuḥbiṭu ʿamalahu, wa-ʾannahu al-riyāʾu alladhī nuhiya ʿanhu fa-yaghlibuhu hawāhu wa-shahwatuhu, fa-lā yaruddu dhālika, wa-lā yakrahuhu; li-ghalabati al-hawā wa-qillati hayajāni al-khawfi, fa-ʾimmā ʾan yatashāghala ʿanhu baʿda al-maʿrifati, wa-ʾimmā ʾan yusawwifa al-tawbata min dhālika wa-yaqbala al-riyāʾa wa-yaʿmala ʿalayhi, ka-al-rajuli yatakallamu bi-al-kalāmi wa-mā lahu fīhi maʿnan ghayru al-makhlūqīna,

“He may remember and recognize that what has arisen is an impulse inviting what nullifies his work, and that it is the ostentation he has been forbidden. Yet desire and appetite overpower him, and he neither rejects nor dislikes it, because desire dominates and fear is scarcely stirred. He either distracts himself from it after recognizing it, or postpones repenting of it, accepts the ostentation, and acts upon it. It is like a man speaking with no purpose in his speech beyond created beings,

وَيَفْطَنُ لِذَلِكَ ، فَيَمْضِي فِي كَلَامِهِ وَلَا يَنْفِيهِ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ ، وَلَا يَسْكُتُ عَنْ كَلَامِهِ ، وَكَذَلِكَ يَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْمَوْضِعِ مَا لَهُ فِيهِ مَعْنًى غَيْرُ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ ، يُرِيدُ حَمْدَهُمْ أَوْ مَنْفَعَتَهُمْ بِطَاعَةِ رَبِّهِ كَالذَّهَابِ إِلَى الْعِلْمِ أَوْ مَجْلِسٍ مِنْ مَجَالِسِ الذِّكْرِ ، فَيَعْرِفُ ذَلِكَ وَلَا يَنْهَى نَفْسَهُ ، وَكَذَلِكَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ : يَخْطُرُ لَهُ الرِّيَاءُ ،

Wa-yafṭanu li-dhālika, fa-yamḍī fī kalāmihi wa-lā yanfīhi ʿan qalbihi, wa-lā yaskutu ʿan kalāmihi, wa-kadhālika yadhhabu ʾilā al-mawḍiʿi mā lahu fīhi maʿnan ghayru al-makhlūqīna, yurīdu ḥamdahum ʾaw manfaʿatahum bi-ṭāʿati rabbihi ka-al-dhahābi ʾilā al-ʿilmi ʾaw majlisin min majālisi al-dhikri, fa-yaʿrifu dhālika wa-lā yanhā nafsahu, wa-kadhālika fī al-ṣalāti: Yakhṭuru lahu al-riyāʾu,

“who notices this but continues speaking, neither driving it from his heart nor falling silent. Likewise, he goes to a place with no purpose beyond created beings, seeking their praise or the benefit they offer through obedience to his Lord, as when he goes to seek knowledge or to a gathering of remembrance. He recognizes this and does not restrain himself. Likewise in prayer, the thought of ostentation occurs to him,

فَيَعْرِفُهُ فَيَعْمَلُ عَلَيْهِ وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا عَرَضَ لَهُ الذَّهَابُ وَالْكَلَامُ وَالْعَمَلُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ فِيهِ ، فَخَطَرَ الرِّيَاءُ ، فَعَرَفَهُ بِقَلْبِهِ وَدَخَلَ فِي الْعَمَلِ عَلَى ذَلِكَ ، وَلَمْ يَنْهَ نَفْسَهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ .

Fa-yaʿrifuhu fa-yaʿmalu ʿalayhi wa-kadhālika ʾidhā ʿaraḍa lahu al-dhahābu wa-al-kalāmu wa-al-ʿamalu qabla ʾan yadkhula fīhi, fa-khaṭara al-riyāʾu, fa-ʿarafahu bi-qalbihi wa-dakhala fī al-ʿamali ʿalā dhālika, wa-lam yanha nafsahu ʿan dhālika.

“and he recognizes it and acts on it. The same happens when going somewhere, speaking, or acting presents itself before he begins: ostentation occurs to him, he recognizes it in his heart and begins the action on that basis, without restraining himself from it.

فَالَّذِي لَمْ يَعْرِفْ حِينَ عَرَضَ لَهُ فَسَخَ كَرَاهَتَهُ الْأُولَى حِينَ رَكَنَ إِلَى الْقَبُولِ وَالِاعْتِقَادِ لِلرِّيَاءِ ، وَالَّذِي عَرَفَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَكْرَهْ كَانَتْ مَعْرِفَتُهُ عَلَيْهِ حُجَّةً ؛ إِذْ ذَكَّرَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ نَبَّهَهُ وَوَعَظَهُ ، وَعَرَّفَهُ مَا عَرَضَ لَهُ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ الَّذِي يُحْبِطُ عَمَلَهُ ، فَرَكَنَ إِلَى دَاعِي الرِّيَاءِ وَقَبِلَهُ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ وَمَعْرِفَةٍ ؛ لِغَلَبَةِ هَوَاهُ وَالشَّهْوَةِ ،

Fa-alladhī lam yaʿrif ḥīna ʿaraḍa lahu fasakha karāhatahu al-ʾūlā ḥīna rakana ʾilā al-qabūli wa-al-iʿtiqādi li-al-riyāʾi, wa-alladhī ʿarafa thumma lam yakrah kānat maʿrifatuhu ʿalayhi ḥujjatan; ʾidh dhakkarahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla nabbahahu wa-waʿaẓahu, wa-ʿarrafahu mā ʿaraḍa lahu mina al-riyāʾi alladhī yuḥbiṭu ʿamalahu, fa-rakana ʾilā dāʿī al-riyāʾi wa-qabilahu baʿda ʿilmin wa-maʿrifatin; li-ghalabati hawāhu wa-al-shahwati,

“The one who failed to recognize it when it arose undid his earlier aversion when he inclined toward accepting and committing himself to ostentation. As for the one who recognized it but did not dislike it, his recognition became evidence against him. God, mighty and majestic, reminded him, alerted and admonished him, and made him recognize the ostentation that had arisen and would nullify his work. Yet he inclined toward the call to ostentation and accepted it after knowledge and recognition, because desire and appetite overpowered him.

فَلَمْ تَنْفَعْهُ الْمَعْرِفَةُ وَالْكَرَاهَةُ حِينَ افْتَرَقَا عِنْدَ عَارِضِ الدَّاعِي إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ .

Fa-lam tanfaʿhu al-maʿrifatu wa-al-karāhatu ḥīna iftaraqā ʿinda ʿāriḍi al-dāʿī ʾilā al-riyāʾi.

“Recognition and aversion therefore did not benefit him when they separated at the appearance of the call to ostentation.

Source page 236

وَكَذَلِكَ يُرْوَى عَنِ الْحَسَنِ ، قَالَ : لَا يَزَالُ الْعَبْدُ بِخَيْرٍ مَا عَلِمَ الَّذِي يُفْسِدُ عَلَيْهِ عَمَلَهُ .

Wa-kadhālika yurwā ʿani al-Ḥasani, qāla: Lā yazālu al-ʿabdu bi-khayrin mā ʿalima alladhī yufsidu ʿalayhi ʿamalahu.

“It is likewise related from al-Ḥasan that he said, ‘The servant remains well as long as he knows what corrupts his work.’

فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُزَيَّنُ لَهُ مَا هُوَ فِيهِ فَيَرَى أَنَّهُ مُصِيبٌ ؛ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَغْلِبُهُ شَهْوَتُهُ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ وَمَعْرِفَةٍ ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا عَرَضَ الدَّاعِي بِمَا تُحِبُّ نَفْسُهُ وَلَا مَعْرِفَةَ وَلَا ذِكْرَ مَعَهُ قَبِلَ الدَّاعِيَ إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ ، فَاعْتَقَدَ الرِّيَاءَ ، وَلَمَّا عَرَضَ لَهُ فَعَرَفَهُ ثُمَّ غَلَبَتْهُ شَهْوَتُهُ فَقَبِلَهُ ، وَلَمْ يَنْفِهِ بِالْكَرَاهَةِ لَهُ .

Fa-minhum man yuzayyanu lahu mā huwa fīhi fa-yarā ʾannahu muṣībun; wa-minhum man taghlibuhu shahwatuhu baʿda ʿilmin wa-maʿrifatin, wa-dhālika ʾannahu lammā ʿaraḍa al-dāʿī bi-mā tuḥibbu nafsuhu wa-lā maʿrifata wa-lā dhikra maʿahu qabila al-dāʿiya ʾilā al-riyāʾi, fa-iʿtaqada al-riyāʾa, wa-lammā ʿaraḍa lahu fa-ʿarafahu thumma ghalabathu shahwatuhu fa-qabilahu, wa-lam yanfihi bi-al-karāhati lahu.

“For some people, their condition is made attractive to them, so they think they are acting rightly. Others are overcome by appetite after knowledge and recognition. In the first case, when the invitation arose with something his self loved, without recognition or remembrance present, he accepted the invitation to ostentation and embraced it. In the other case, it arose and he recognized it, but then his appetite overcame him, so he accepted it instead of repelling it through aversion.

فَإِذَا عَرَضَ الدَّاعِي إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ فَعَرَفَ أَنَّهُ الرِّيَاءُ ثُمَّ كَرِهَهُ نَجَا مِنْهُ .

Fa-ʾidhā ʿaraḍa al-dāʿī ʾilā al-riyāʾi fa-ʿarafa ʾannahu al-riyāʾu thumma karihahu najā minhu.

“When the invitation to ostentation arises, if he recognizes it as ostentation and then dislikes it, he escapes it.

وَفِي ذَلِكَ آثَارٌ فِيهَا دَلِيلٌ وَحُجَّةٌ أَنَّ الْكَرَاهَةَ وَالْإِبَاءَ لِقَبُولِ مَا يَعْرِضُ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ يَنْتَفِي بِهِمَا الرِّيَاءُ ، وَلَا يَقْدِرُ الْمُرِيدُ عَلَى أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ ، وَلَمْ يُكَلِّفْهُ اللَّهُ سِوَاهُ .

Wa-fī dhālika ʾāthārun fīhā dalīlun wa-ḥujjatun ʾanna al-karāhata wa-al-ʾibāʾa li-qabūli mā yaʿriḍu mina al-riyāʾi yantafī bihimā al-riyāʾu, wa-lā yaqdiru al-murīdu ʿalā ʾakthara min dhālika, wa-lam yukallifhu Allāhu siwāhu.

“There are reports containing evidence and proof that aversion and refusal to accept the ostentation that arises drive ostentation away. The seeker can do no more than this, and God has required nothing else of him.

وَمِنْ ذَلِكَ : مَا يُرْوَى عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِينَ شَكَا إِلَيْهِ أَصْحَابُهُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ فَقَالُوا : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ يَعْرِضُ بِقُلُوبِنَا شَيْءٌ ، لَأَنْ نَخِرَّ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَتَخْطَفَنَا الطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِيَ بِنَا الرِّيَاحُ فِي مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ ، أَحَبُّ إِلَيْنَا مِنْ أَنْ نَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ ، فَقَالَ : « أَوَقَدْ وَجَدْتُمُوهُ ؟ ! ذَلِكَ صَرِيحُ الْإِيمَانِ » .

Wa-min dhālika: Mā yurwā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ḥīna shakā ʾilayhi ʾaṣḥābuhu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum fa-qālū: Yā rasūla Allāhi yaʿriḍu bi-qulūbinā shayʾun, la-ʾan nakhirra mina al-samāʾi fa-takhṭafanā al-ṭayru ʾaw tahwiya binā al-riyāḥu fī makānin saḥīqin, ʾaḥabbu ʾilaynā min ʾan natakallama bihi, fa-qāla: «ʾA-wa-qad wajadtumūhu?! Dhālika ṣarīḥu al-ʾīmāni».

“An example is what is related from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, when his companions, may God be pleased with them, complained to him, saying, ‘Messenger of God, something arises in our hearts. We would rather fall from the sky and be snatched up by birds or swept by the winds to a faraway place than speak of it.’ He replied, ‘Have you indeed experienced it? That is unalloyed faith.’

لَا يَعْنِي الْوَسْوَاسَ لَكِنْ يَعْنِي إِبَاءَهُمْ وَكَرَاهِيَتَهُمْ لِقَبُولِهِ ، حَتَّى اخْتَارُوا أَنْ يَخِرُّوا وَيَنْقَطِعُوا وَلَا يَتَكَلَّمُوا بِهِ لِكَرَاهَتِهِمْ لَهُ ، فَإِذَا كَانَ الْإِبَاءُ وَالْكَرَاهِيَةُ يُنْجِيَانِ مِنَ الْوَسْوَاسِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَهُمَا مِنَ الْوَسْوَاسِ فِي الرِّيَاءِ أَنْجَى وَأَنْجَى ، لِأَنَّ مَا كَانَ دَافِعًا لِلْكَثِيرِ الْعَظِيمِ فَهُوَ لِلْقَلِيلِ الصَّغِيرِ أَدْفَعُ وَأَنْجَى ، وَإِنْ كَانَ الرِّيَاءُ عَظِيمًا فَإِنَّهُ عِنْدَ الْوَسْوَاسِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ صَغِيرٌ .

Lā yaʿnī al-waswāsa lākin yaʿnī ʾibāʾahum wa-karāhiyatahum li-qabūlihi, ḥattā ikhtārū ʾan yakhirrū wa-yanqaṭiʿū wa-lā yatakallamū bihi li-karāhatihim lahu, fa-ʾidhā kāna al-ʾibāʾu wa-al-karāhiyatu yunjiyāni mina al-waswāsi fī Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fa-humā mina al-waswāsi fī al-riyāʾi ʾanjā wa-ʾanjā, li-ʾanna mā kāna dāfiʿan li-al-kathīri al-ʿaẓīmi fa-huwa li-al-qalīli al-ṣaghīri ʾadfaʿu wa-ʾanjā, wa-ʾin kāna al-riyāʾu ʿaẓīman fa-ʾinnahu ʿinda al-waswāsi fī Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ṣaghīrun.

“He does not mean the whispering itself, but their refusal and aversion to accepting it, to the point that they chose falling and being torn apart rather than uttering it, because they hated it. If refusal and aversion save a person from whisperings concerning God, mighty and majestic, they are all the more, all the more effective in saving him from whisperings of ostentation. What repels something great and grave is still more effective in repelling and saving one from something small and slight. Though ostentation is grave, compared with whisperings concerning God, mighty and majestic, it is slight.

Source page 237

وَقَالَ أَبُو حَازِمٍ : مَا كَانَ فِي نَفْسِكَ وَكَرِهَتْهُ نَفْسُكَ لِنَفْسِكَ فَلَا يَضُرُّكَ هُوَ مِنْ عَدُوِّكَ ، وَمَا كَانَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ فَرَضِيَتْهُ نَفْسُكَ لِنَفْسِكَ فَعَاتِبْهَا عَلَيْهِ .

Wa-qāla ʾAbū Ḥāzimin: Mā kāna fī nafsika wa-karihathu nafsuka li-nafsika fa-lā yaḍurruka huwa min ʿaduwwika, wa-mā kāna min nafsika fa-raḍiyathu nafsuka li-nafsika fa-ʿātibhā ʿalayhi.

“Abū Ḥāzim said, ‘Whatever is within you that your self dislikes for itself does not harm you; it comes from your enemy. Whatever comes from your self and your self approves for itself, rebuke it for that.’

وَقَالَ زَيْدُ بْنُ أَسْلَمَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ . وَصَدَقَا ، لِأَنَّ مَا كَرِهْتَهُ وَأَبَيْتَهُ فَقَدْ رَدَدْتَهُ وَبَقِيَ الشَّيْطَانُ يُوَسْوِسُ ، وَإِنْ كَانَ الطَّبْعُ يُنَازِعُ فَلَا يَضُرُّكَ .

Wa-qāla Zaydu bnu ʾAslama mithla dhālika. Wa-ṣadaqā, li-ʾanna mā karihtahu wa-ʾabaytahu fa-qad radadtahu wa-baqiya al-shayṭānu yuwaswisu, wa-ʾin kāna al-ṭabʿu yunāziʿu fa-lā yaḍurruka.

“Zayd ibn Aslam said the same. They both spoke truly, because what you dislike and refuse, you have rejected; Satan merely continues whispering. Even if your nature pulls toward it, it does not harm you.

وَلِذَلِكَ يُرْوَى عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فِي حَدِيثِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ : « الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي رَدَّهُ إِلَى الْوَسْوَسَةِ » . فَإِذَا عَرَضَ الرِّيَاءُ فَعَرَفَهُ ثُمَّ كَرِهَهُ وَأَبَى أَنْ يَقْبَلَهُ نَجَا مِنْهُ ، وَلَابُدَّ أَنْ يَجْتَمِعَ مَعَ الْكَرَاهَةِ إِبَاءٌ لِقَبُولِهِ ، لِأَنَّ الرَّاكِنَ إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ قَدْ يَكْرَهُ مَا هُوَ مُقِيمٌ عَلَيْهِ يُحِبُّ النَّقْلَةَ مِنْهُ ،

Wa-li-dhālika yurwā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, fī ḥadīthi Ibni ʿAbbāsin, raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā, ʾannahu qāla li-ʾaṣḥābihi: «Al-ḥamdu li-llāhi alladhī raddahu ʾilā al-waswasati». Fa-ʾidhā ʿaraḍa al-riyāʾu fa-ʿarafahu thumma karihahu wa-ʾabā ʾan yaqbalahu najā minhu, wa-lābudda ʾan yajtamiʿa maʿa al-karāhati ʾibāʾun li-qabūlihi, li-ʾanna al-rākina ʾilā al-riyāʾi qad yakrahu mā huwa muqīmun ʿalayhi yuḥibbu al-naqlata minhu,

“For this reason it is related from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, in the report of Ibn ʿAbbās, may God be pleased with them both, that he told his companions, ‘Praise belongs to God, who has reduced him to whispering.’ When ostentation arises and a person recognizes it, dislikes it, and refuses to accept it, he escapes it. Refusal to accept it must accompany aversion, because someone who inclines toward ostentation may dislike what he persists in and wish to move away from it.

وَالرَّادُّ لِلْقَبُولِ هُوَ الْكَارِهُ الْآبِي لَهُ ؛ لِأَنَّ الرِّيَاءَ إِنَّمَا يُقْبَلُ بِخَصْلَتَيْنِ : بِإِرَادَةِ النَّفْسِ لَهُ وَالشَّهْوَةِ ، وَلَابُدَّ مِنْ صَدِّ هَاتَيْنِ ، فَتَكُونُ الْكَرَاهَةُ ضِدَّ الشَّهْوَةِ ، وَيَكُونُ الْإِبَاءُ ضِدَّ الْإِرَادَةِ ، فَحِينَئِذٍ يَنْجُو الْعَبْدُ مِنْ دَاعِي الرِّيَاءِ .

Wa-al-rāddu li-al-qabūli huwa al-kārihu al-ʾābī lahu; li-ʾanna al-riyāʾa ʾinnamā yuqbalu bi-khaṣlatayni: Bi-ʾirādati al-nafsi lahu wa-al-shahwati, wa-lābudda min ṣaddi hātayni, fa-takūnu al-karāhatu ḍidda al-shahwati, wa-yakūnu al-ʾibāʾu ḍidda al-ʾirādati, fa-ḥīnaʾidhin yanjū al-ʿabdu min dāʿī al-riyāʾi.

“The person who rejects acceptance is the one who dislikes and refuses it. Ostentation is accepted only through two qualities: the self’s willing it and its appetite for it. Both must be blocked: aversion must oppose appetite, and refusal must oppose willingness. Then the servant escapes the call to ostentation.”

قُلْتُ : كَيْفَ أَكْرَهُ مَا أَنَا لَهُ مُرِيدٌ ، مُشْتَهٍ ؟

Qultu: Kayfa ʾakrahu mā ʾanā lahu murīdun, mushtahin?

I asked, “How can I dislike something that I want and crave?”

قَالَ : إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ جَعَلَ فِيكَ غَرَائِزَ : فَجَعَلَ فِيكَ غَرِيزَةً تُحِبُّ مَا وَافَقَكَ وَأَلَذَّكَ ، وَكَرَاهَةَ مَا خَالَفَكَ وَآذَاكَ ، وَجَعَلَ فِيكَ غَرِيزَةَ عَقْلٍ لِحُبِّهِ ، فَقَرَنَ مَعَ غَرِيزَةِ الْحُبِّ لِلْمُوَافِقِ وَالْبُغْضِ لِلْمُخَالِفِ الشَّيْطَانَ ، يُزَيِّنُ لَهُ الدُّنْيَا وَيُثَبِّطُهُ عَنِ الْآخِرَةِ ؛ وَقَرَنَ مَعَ الْعَقْلِ الْعِلْمَ وَالْكِتَابَ وَالسُّنَّةَ ؛ لِيُزَيِّنَ الْآخِرَةَ وَيُكَرِّهَ إِلَيْهِ الدُّنْيَا ؛ وَالْعِلْمُ لِلْعَقْلِ كَالسِّرَاجِ لِلْعَيْنِ ،

Qāla: ʾInna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla jaʿala fīka gharāʾiza: Fa-jaʿala fīka gharīzatan tuḥibbu mā wāfaqaka wa-ʾaladhdhaka, wa-karāhata mā khālafaka wa-ʾādhāka, wa-jaʿala fīka gharīzata ʿaqlin li-ḥubbihi, fa-qarana maʿa gharīzati al-ḥubbi li-al-muwāfiqi wa-al-bughḍi li-al-mukhālifi al-shayṭāna, yuzayyinu lahu al-dunyā wa-yuthabbiṭuhu ʿani al-ʾākhirati; wa-qarana maʿa al-ʿaqli al-ʿilma wa-al-kitāba wa-al-sunnata; li-yuzayyina al-ʾākhirata wa-yukarriha ʾilayhi al-dunyā; wa-al-ʿilmu li-al-ʿaqli ka-al-sirāji li-al-ʿayni,

He replied, “God, mighty and majestic, placed innate dispositions within you. He placed in you a disposition that loves what suits and delights you, and an aversion to what opposes and hurts you. He placed in you an innate faculty of reason for loving Him. Alongside the disposition to love what suits you and hate what opposes you, He set Satan, who makes this world attractive to a person and holds him back from the Hereafter. Alongside reason, He set knowledge, Scripture, and the prophetic tradition, to make the Hereafter attractive and this world distasteful to him. Knowledge is to reason as a lamp is to the eye,

Source page 238

أَوِ النُّورِ مِنَ الشَّمْسِ وَغَيْرِهَا لِلْعَيْنِ ، فَإِذَا عَرَضَتِ الْخَطْرَةُ ذَكَرَتِ النَّفْسُ مَعْرِفَتَهَا بِمَا يُوَافِقُهَا مِنَ الْحَمْدِ وَالثَّنَاءِ وَمَا يُخَالِفُهَا مِنَ الذَّمِّ وَالْمَلَامَةِ ، هَاجَ مِنَ النَّفْسِ حُبُّ مَا يُوَافِقُهَا مِنَ الْحَمْدِ وَالثَّنَاءِ ، وَبُغْضُ مَا يُخَالِفُهَا مِنَ الذَّمِّ وَالْمَلَامَةِ ، هَاجَتْ تِلْكَ الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِذَلِكَ عِنْدَ تَذْكِيرِ الْعَدُوِّ لَهَا ؛ فَإِذَا كَانَ عَبْدًا عَاقِلًا ذَكَرَ مَا يُرْضِي بِهِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ،

ʾAwi al-nūri mina al-shamsi wa-ghayrihā li-al-ʿayni, fa-ʾidhā ʿaraḍati al-khaṭratu dhakarati al-nafsu maʿrifatahā bi-mā yuwāfiquhā mina al-ḥamdi wa-al-thanāʾi wa-mā yukhālifuhā mina al-dhammi wa-al-malāmati, hāja mina al-nafsi ḥubbu mā yuwāfiquhā mina al-ḥamdi wa-al-thanāʾi, wa-bughḍu mā yukhālifuhā mina al-dhammi wa-al-malāmati, hājat tilka al-maʿrifatu bi-dhālika ʿinda tadhkīri al-ʿaduwwi lahā; fa-ʾidhā kāna ʿabdan ʿāqilan dhakara mā yurḍī bihi Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla,

“or as light from the sun and other sources is to the eye. When a thought arises, the self recalls its knowledge of the praise and commendation that suit it, and of the criticism and blame that oppose it. Love of agreeable praise and commendation is stirred within the self, along with hatred of disagreeable criticism and blame. That knowledge is stirred by these things when the enemy reminds it of them. If the servant possesses reason, he remembers what will please God, mighty and majestic,

مِنَ الْإِخْلَاصِ وَمَا يُسْخِطُهُ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ، وَأَنَّهُ مُحْبِطٌ لِعَمَلِهِ فِي يَوْمِ فَقْرِهِ وَفَاقَتِهِ، فَهَاجَتْ بِذَلِكَ الْمَعْرِفَةُ، لَمَّا ذَكَّرَ نَفْسَهُ بِالْعِلْمِ الَّذِي جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي قَلْبِهِ، إِذَا اتَّصَلَ بِعَقْلِهِ عَرَفَ مَا تَسْتُرُهُ ظُلْمَةُ الْجَهْلِ مِنْ ذِكْرِ الْآخِرَةِ وَذِكْرِ اطِّلَاعِ الرَّبِّ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؛ وَذَلِكَ كَالْعَيْنِ تَسْتَمِدُّ لِلسِّرَاجِ، فَتَعْرِفُ مَا وَارَتْهُ ظُلْمَةُ الْبَيْتِ، فَبَقِيَ عَلَى عِلْمٍ،

Mina al-ʾikhlāṣi wa-mā yuskhiṭuhu mina al-riyāʾi, wa-ʾannahu muḥbiṭun li-ʿamalihi fī yawmi faqrihi wa-fāqatihi, fa-hājat bi-dhālika al-maʿrifatu, lammā dhakkara nafsahu bi-al-ʿilmi alladhī jaʿalahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla fī qalbihi, ʾidhā ittaṣala bi-ʿaqlihi ʿarafa mā tasturuhu ẓulmatu al-jahli min dhikri al-ʾākhirati wa-dhikri iṭṭilāʿi al-Rabbi ʿazza wa-jalla; wa-dhālika ka-al-ʿayni tastamiddu li-al-sirāji, fa-taʿrifu mā wārathu ẓulmatu al-bayti, fa-baqiya ʿalā ʿilmin,

namely sincerity, and the ostentation that displeases Him, and the fact that it renders his work worthless on the day of his poverty and destitution. This awakens his recognition, when he reminds himself through the knowledge that God, mighty and majestic, has placed in his heart. When it connects with his reason, he recognizes what the darkness of ignorance conceals: remembrance of the hereafter and remembrance that the Lord, mighty and majestic, sees him. It is like the eye drawing help from a lamp and recognizing what the darkness of a house had concealed. Thus he remains informed,

وَعَمِلَ عَلَى عِلْمٍ؛ فَإِذَا كَانَ عَبْدًا حَازِمًا جَاهَدَ بِعَقْلِهِ وَبِمَا أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ، مَا عَرَضَ بِهِ الْعَدُوُّ وَمَا هَاجَ مِنْ شَهْوَةِ النَّفْسِ فَكَرِهَ وَأَبَى.

Wa-ʿamila ʿalā ʿilmin; fa-ʾidhā kāna ʿabdan ḥāziman jāhada bi-ʿaqlihi wa-bi-mā ʾaʿṭāhu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla mina al-ʿilmi, mā ʿaraḍa bihi al-ʿaduwwu wa-mā hāja min shahwati al-nafsi fa-kariha wa-ʾabā.

and acts with knowledge. If he is a resolute servant, he uses his reason and the knowledge that God, mighty and majestic, has given him to struggle against what the enemy presents and what stirs within the self’s desire, disliking it and refusing it.

Source page 239

بَابُ مَعْرِفَةِ مَا يُنَالُ بِهِ الْحَذَرُ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ

Bābu maʿrifati mā yunālu bihi al-ḥadharu mina al-riyāʾi

Chapter on knowing how vigilance against ostentation is attained

قُلْتُ: قَدْ تَبَيَّنَ لِي أَنَّ الْمَعْرِفَةَ وَالْكَرَاهَةَ مَعَ الْإِبَاءِ إِذَا اجْتَمَعَا انْتَفَى الرِّيَاءُ، وَأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يُنَالُ ذَلِكَ بِنَهْيِهِ نَفْسَهُ بِعَقْلِهِ بِمَا اسْتَوْدَعَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ بِضَرَرِ عَارِضِ الرِّيَاءِ وَمَنْفَعَةِ رَدِّ الرِّيَاءِ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ فِي يَوْمِ فَقْرِهِ، وَقَدْ قُلْتَ: إِنَّهُمَا إِذَا افْتَرَقَا لَمْ يَنْتَفِ الرِّيَاءُ. فَكَيْفَ لِي بِاجْتِمَاعِهِمَا؟! وَمِنْ أَيْنَ عَزَبَتِ الْمَعْرِفَةُ عَنِّي؟

Qultu: Qad tabayyana lī ʾanna al-maʿrifata wa-al-karāhata maʿa al-ʾibāʾi ʾidhā ijtamaʿā intafā al-riyāʾu, wa-ʾannahu ʾinnamā yunālu dhālika bi-nahyihi nafsahu bi-ʿaqlihi bi-mā istawdaʿahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla mina al-ʿilmi bi-ḍarari ʿāriḍi al-riyāʾi wa-manfaʿati raddi al-riyāʾi ʿan qalbihi fī yawmi faqrihi, wa-qad qulta: ʾInnahumā ʾidhā iftaraqā lam yantafi al-riyāʾu. Fa-kayfa lī bi-ijtimāʿihimā?! Wa-min ʾayna ʿazabati al-maʿrifatu ʿannī?

I said: It has become clear to me that when recognition and dislike accompanied by refusal come together, ostentation is driven out. This is attained only by restraining the self through reason, using the knowledge God, mighty and majestic, has entrusted to him of the harm of an impulse toward ostentation and the benefit, on the day of his poverty, of repelling ostentation from his heart. Yet you have said that when these two are separated, ostentation is not driven out. How can I bring them together? And why has recognition slipped away from me?

وَبِمَ يُنَالُ حَتَّى لَا تَذْهَبَ الْمَعْرِفَةُ عَنِ الْعَبْدِ عِنْدَ عَارِضِ الرِّيَاءِ؟ وَمِنْ أَيْنَ عَزَبَتِ الْكَرَاهَةُ بَعْدَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ فَلَمْ يَسْتَعْمِلْهَا؟ وَبِمَ يُنَالُ اسْتِعْمَالُهَا؟

Wa-bi-ma yunālu ḥattā lā tadhhaba al-maʿrifatu ʿani al-ʿabdi ʿinda ʿāriḍi al-riyāʾi? Wa-min ʾayna ʿazabati al-karāhatu baʿda al-maʿrifati fa-lam yastaʿmilhā? Wa-bi-ma yunālu istiʿmāluhā?

How is this attained, so that recognition does not leave the servant when an impulse toward ostentation arises? Why does dislike disappear after recognition, so that he does not put it to use? And how does he attain the ability to use it?

قَالَ: أَمَّا الْمَعْرِفَةُ فَإِنَّمَا عَزَبَتْ مِنَ النِّسْيَانِ وَزَوَالِ الذِّكْرِ. وَالذِّكْرُ إِنَّمَا عَزَبَ لِعُزُوبِ الْحَذَرِ وَالِاهْتِمَامِ، فَإِذَا اهْتَمَّ وَحَذِرَ تَيَقَّظَ وَذَكَرَ، وَإِذَا ذَكَرَ عَرَفَ مَا عَرَضَ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ.

Qāla: ʾAmmā al-maʿrifatu fa-ʾinnamā ʿazabat mina al-nisyāni wa-zawāli al-dhikri. Wa-al-dhikru ʾinnamā ʿazaba li-ʿuzūbi al-ḥadhari wa-al-ihtimāmi, fa-ʾidhā ihtamma wa-ḥadhira tayaqqaẓa wa-dhakara, wa-ʾidhā dhakara ʿarafa mā ʿaraḍa mina al-riyāʾi.

He said: Recognition slips away only because of forgetfulness and the loss of remembrance. Remembrance slips away only because vigilance and concern have slipped away. When he is concerned and vigilant, he becomes alert and remembers; when he remembers, he recognizes the ostentation that has arisen.

قُلْتُ: فَبِمَ يُنَالُ الِاهْتِمَامُ وَالْحَذَرُ؟

Qultu: Fa-bi-ma yunālu al-ihtimāmu wa-al-ḥadharu?

I said: How, then, are concern and vigilance attained?

قَالَ: بِالْعِنَايَةِ.

Qāla: Bi-al-ʿināyati.

He said: Through taking care.

قُلْتُ: فَبِمَ يَنَالُ الْعِنَايَةَ؟

Qultu: Fa-bi-ma yanālu al-ʿināyata?

I said: How, then, does he come to take care?

قَالَ: بِالْمَعْرِفَةِ بِقَدْرِ مَنْفَعَةِ الْإِخْلَاصِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ مِنْ ثَوَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الْقَلْبِ فِي عَاجِلِ الدُّنْيَا، وَثَوَابِهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ، بِالرِّضَا وَالْجَنَّةِ، وَضَرَرِ الرِّيَاءِ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ مِمَّا يُورِثُهُ الْقَسْوَةَ وَالرَّيْنَ وَالْحَبْطَ لِعَمَلِهِ غَدًا فِي يَوْمِ فَقْرِهِ وَفَاقَتِهِ، وَالتَّعَرُّضِ لِلْمَقْتِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ، فَإِذَا عَظُمَ قَدْرُ ذَلِكَ فِي قَلْبِهِ عُنِيَ بِهِ،

Qāla: Bi-al-maʿrifati bi-qadri manfaʿati al-ʾikhlāṣi fī al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati min thawābi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fī al-qalbi fī ʿājili al-dunyā, wa-thawābihi fī al-ʾākhirati, bi-al-riḍā wa-al-jannati, wa-ḍarari al-riyāʾi ʿalā al-qalbi mimmā yūrithuhu al-qaswata wa-al-rayna wa-al-ḥabṭa li-ʿamalihi ghadan fī yawmi faqrihi wa-fāqatihi, wa-al-taʿarruḍi li-al-maqti min rabbihi jalla wa-ʿazza, fa-ʾidhā ʿaẓuma qadru dhālika fī qalbihi ʿuniya bihi,

He said: By recognizing the extent of sincerity’s benefit in this world and the hereafter: the reward God, mighty and majestic, gives the heart in this present world, and His reward in the hereafter through His approval and the Garden; and by recognizing ostentation’s harm to the heart, the hardness and encrustation it brings, the nullification of his work tomorrow on the day of his poverty and destitution, and his exposure to the abhorrence of his Lord, majestic and mighty. When this becomes weighty in his heart, he takes care over it,

وَإِذَا عُنِيَ بِهِ اهْتَمَّ بِالْقِيَامِ بِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الْإِخْلَاصِ، وَحَذِرَ تَضْيِيعَ أَمْرِهِ فِيهِ بِالرُّكُونِ إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ؛ فَإِذَا أَلْزَمَ الِاهْتِمَامَ وَالْحَذَرَ قَلْبَهُ يَقَّظَاهُ، فَإِذَا تَيَقَّظَ ذَكَرَ، فَإِذَا ذَكَرَ عَرَفَ.

Wa-ʾidhā ʿuniya bihi ihtamma bi-al-qiyāmi bi-ʾamri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla mina al-ʾikhlāṣi, wa-ḥadhira taḍyīʿa ʾamrihi fīhi bi-al-rukūni ʾilā al-riyāʾi; fa-ʾidhā ʾalzama al-ihtimāma wa-al-ḥadhara qalbahu yaqqaẓāhu, fa-ʾidhā tayaqqaẓa dhakara, fa-ʾidhā dhakara ʿarafa.

and when he takes care over it, he becomes concerned to fulfill the command of God, mighty and majestic, to be sincere, and wary of neglecting His command in this matter by inclining toward ostentation. When he binds his heart to concern and vigilance, they awaken it. When he is alert, he remembers; when he remembers, he recognizes.

Source page 240

وَمِثْلُ ذَلِكَ مِثْلُ اللِّصِّ يَأْتِي مَنْزِلَ الرَّجُلِ لَيْلًا وَهُوَ نَائِمٌ، فَإِنِ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَعَلِمَ بِهِ وَمَعَهُ عُدَّةٌ لِقِتَالِهِ زَجَرَهُ، فَإِنْ أَبَى شَدَّ عَلَيْهِ فَهَرَبَ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يَأْخُذْ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ شَيْئًا، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَيْقِظْ حَرَبَهُ وَهُوَ لَا يَشْعُرُ.

Wa-mithlu dhālika mithlu al-liṣṣi yaʾtī manzila al-rajuli laylan wa-huwa nāʾimun, fa-ʾini istayqaẓa fa-ʿalima bihi wa-maʿahu ʿuddatun li-qitālihi zajarahu, fa-ʾin ʾabā shadda ʿalayhi fa-haraba minhu wa-lam yaʾkhudh min baytihi shayʾan, wa-ʾin lam yastayqiẓ ḥarabahu wa-huwa lā yashʿuru.

It is like a thief who comes to a man’s home at night while he is asleep. If the man awakens, becomes aware of him, and has the means to fight him, he orders him away. If the thief refuses, he attacks him, and the thief flees without taking anything from his house. But if the man does not awaken, the thief robs him without his realizing it.

فَكَذَلِكَ الْعَاقِلُ؛ إِذَا لَمْ يَتَيَقَّظْ.

Fa-kadhālika al-ʿāqilu; ʾidhā lam yatayaqqaẓ.

The same happens to the rational person if he does not stay alert.

قُلْتُ: فَبِمَ عَزَبَتِ الْكَرَاهِيَةُ بَعْدَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ؟ وَبِمَ تُنَالُ؟

Qultu: Fa-bi-ma ʿazabati al-karāhiyatu baʿda al-maʿrifati? Wa-bi-ma tunālu?

I said: Why, then, does dislike slip away after recognition? And how is it attained?

قَالَ: عَزَبَتْ لِأَنَّ خَاطِرَ الرِّيَاءِ إِذَا عَرَضَ فِي الْقَلْبِ هَاجَتْ سَوْرَةُ شَهْوَةِ النَّفْسِ لِلْحَمْدِ وَالثَّنَاءِ وَالنَّيْلِ مِنَ الْعَاجِلِ، فَغَلَبَتْ حَلَاوَةُ ذَلِكَ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ، فَزَالَتِ الْكَرَاهَةُ وَلَمْ تَسْتَقِرَّ مَعَ حَلَاوَةِ الشَّهْوَةِ، فَالَّذِي يُطْفِئُ ذَلِكَ وَيُهَيِّجُ الْكَرَاهَةَ وَالْإِبَاءَ إِذَا سَارَتِ الْفَرْحَةُ مِنْ قِبَلِ الطَّبْعِ، إِذَا عَقَلَ الْعَبْدُ اللَّبِيبُ فِكْرَةً مِنْ عَقْلِهِ فِي يَوْمِ الْمَعَادِ،

Qāla: ʿAzabat li-ʾanna khāṭira al-riyāʾi ʾidhā ʿaraḍa fī al-qalbi hājat sawratu shahwati al-nafsi li-al-ḥamdi wa-al-thanāʾi wa-al-nayli mina al-ʿājili, fa-ghalabat ḥalāwatu dhālika ʿalā al-qalbi, fa-zālati al-karāhatu wa-lam tastaqirra maʿa ḥalāwati al-shahwati, fa-alladhī yuṭfiʾu dhālika wa-yuhayyiju al-karāhata wa-al-ʾibāʾa ʾidhā sārati al-farḥatu min qibali al-ṭabʿi, ʾidhā ʿaqala al-ʿabdu al-labību fikratan min ʿaqlihi fī yawmi al-maʿādi,

He said: It slips away because when an impulse toward ostentation appears in the heart, the self’s passionate desire for praise, acclaim, and immediate gain flares up. Its sweetness overcomes the heart, so dislike disappears and cannot remain alongside the sweetness of desire. What extinguishes this and arouses dislike and refusal, when delight has spread from one’s natural inclination, is for the discerning servant to grasp, through his reason, a reflection on the Day of Return,

وَذَكَرَ حَبْطَ عَمَلِهِ وَحَاجَتَهُ يَوْمَ فَقْرِهِ وَفَاقَتِهِ إِلَى صَافِي الْحَسَنَاتِ، وَأَنَّهُ لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا مَا خَلَصَ وَصَفَا مِنَ الْعَمَلِ، وَخَوَّفَ نَفْسَهُ مَقْتَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي سَاعَتِهِ تِلْكَ أَنْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَى ضَمِيرِهِ، وَقَدْ قَبِلَ مَا يَكْرَهُ رَبُّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ فَيَمْقُتَهُ، وَخَوَّفَ مَا يُورِثُ قَلْبَهُ قَبُولُ خَطْرَةِ الرِّيَاءِ مِنَ الرَّيْنِ وَالْقَسْوَةِ؛

Wa-dhakara ḥabṭa ʿamalihi wa-ḥājatahu yawma faqrihi wa-fāqatihi ʾilā ṣāfī al-ḥasanāti, wa-ʾannahu lā yaqbalu ʾillā mā khalaṣa wa-ṣafā mina al-ʿamali, wa-khawwafa nafsahu maqta Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fī sāʿatihi tilka ʾan yaṭṭaliʿa ʿalā ḍamīrihi, wa-qad qabila mā yakrahu rabbuhu ʿazza wa-jalla bihi fa-yamqutahu, wa-khawwafa mā yūrithu qalbahu qabūlu khaṭrati al-riyāʾi mina al-rayni wa-al-qaswati;

and to remember the nullification of his work and his need for pure good deeds on the day of his poverty and destitution, and that He accepts only deeds that are sincere and pure. He makes himself fear the abhorrence of God, mighty and majestic, at that very moment: that He should look into his innermost self when he has accepted something his Lord, mighty and majestic, dislikes in him, and so abhor him. He also instills fear of the encrustation and hardness that accepting an impulse toward ostentation brings to his heart;

فَإِذَا هَاجَ الْفِكْرُ بِالْخَوْفِ فِي عُقُوبَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فِي عَاجِلِ الدُّنْيَا وَآجِلِ الْآخِرَةِ، إِنْ قَبِلَ تِلْكَ الْخَطْرَةَ هَاجَتْ مَرَارَةُ الْعُقُوبَةِ بِالذِّكْرِ عَلَى مَا سَارَ فِي الْقَلْبِ مِنْ هَيَجَانِ الشَّهْوَةِ، فَكَانَ بِعَقْلِهِ آبِيًا كَارِهًا، وَعَلَى هَوَاهُ وَعَدُوِّهِ رَادًّا، فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ تَخَلَّصَ عَمَلُهُ.

Fa-ʾidhā hāja al-fikru bi-al-khawfi fī ʿuqūbati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, fī ʿājili al-dunyā wa-ʾājili al-ʾākhirati, ʾin qabila tilka al-khaṭrata hājat marāratu al-ʿuqūbati bi-al-dhikri ʿalā mā sāra fī al-qalbi min hayajāni al-shahwati, fa-kāna bi-ʿaqlihi ʾābiyan kārihan, wa-ʿalā hawāhu wa-ʿaduwwihi rāddan, fa-ʿinda dhālika takhallaṣa ʿamaluhu.

When reflection is stirred by fear of the punishment of God, mighty and majestic, both in this present world and in the hereafter to come, should he accept that impulse, remembrance stirs up the bitterness of punishment against the excitement of desire that has spread through his heart. Through his reason he then refuses and dislikes it, repelling his desire and his enemy. At that point his deed is freed from contamination.

قُلْتُ: أَكُلُّ الْعِبَادِ يَرُدُّ بِهَذِهِ الْمُجَاهَدَةِ وَالْمُكَابَدَةِ وَالتَّكَلُّفِ؟

Qultu: ʾA-kullu al-ʿibādi yaruddu bi-hādhihi al-mujāhadati wa-al-mukābadati wa-al-takallufi?

I said: Do all servants repel it through this struggle, exertion, and effort?

Source page 241

قَالَ: هَكَذَا فِي أَوَّلِ بَدْءِ الْمُرِيدِ؛ لِأَنَّ لِلْإِخْلَاصِ أَوَّلًا وَآخِرًا، فَأَوَّلُهُ: مَعَ الْمُجَاهَدَةِ وَالْمُكَابَدَةِ لِقُوَّةِ الشَّهْوَةِ وَضَعْفِ الْعَزْمِ، وَقِلَّةِ الْعَادَةِ لِلْإِخْلَاصِ، وَطُولِ الْعَادَةِ لِلرِّيَاءِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْعَبْدَ الضَّعِيفَ مُنْذُ عَقَلَ فِي الصِّبَا قَبْلَ الْبُلُوغِ لَمْ يَزَلْ فِي تَصَنُّعٍ لِلْعِبَادِ، فَإِذَا أَرَادَ فَطْمَ نَفْسِهِ عَنِ الْعَادَةِ وَكَسْرَ قُوَّةِ شَهْوَتِهِ بِضَعْفِ عَزْمِهِ وَقِلَّةِ عَادَتِهِ لِلْإِخْلَاصِ، أَبَتِ النَّفْسُ وَاسْتَصْعَبَتْ،

Qāla: Hākadhā fī ʾawwali badʾi al-murīdi; li-ʾanna li-al-ʾikhlāṣi ʾawwalan wa-ʾākhiran, fa-ʾawwaluhu: Maʿa al-mujāhadati wa-al-mukābadati li-quwwati al-shahwati wa-ḍaʿfi al-ʿazmi, wa-qillati al-ʿādati li-al-ʾikhlāṣi, wa-ṭūli al-ʿādati li-al-riyāʾi; li-ʾanna al-ʿabda al-ḍaʿīfa mundhu ʿaqala fī al-ṣibā qabla al-bulūghi lam yazal fī taṣannuʿin li-al-ʿibādi, fa-ʾidhā ʾarāda faṭma nafsihi ʿani al-ʿādati wa-kasra quwwati shahwatihi bi-ḍaʿfi ʿazmihi wa-qillati ʿādatihi li-al-ʾikhlāṣi, ʾabati al-nafsu wa-istaṣʿabat,

He said: That is how it is when the seeker first begins, for sincerity has a beginning and an end. Its beginning involves struggle and exertion, because desire is strong, resolve is weak, sincerity is little practiced, and ostentation has long been a habit. From the time the weak servant first became aware in childhood, before reaching maturity, he has continually put on a display for other people. When he wants to wean his self from that habit and break the strength of its desire, despite his weak resolve and his limited practice of sincerity, the self refuses and becomes unruly,

فَجَاهَدَ وَكَابَدَ، حَتَّى إِذَا أَدْمَنَ الرَّدَّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَاعْتَادَ الْإِخْلَاصَ وَنَفْيَ الرِّيَاءِ، رَجَعَ ثَوَابُ الْإِخْلَاصِ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِالنُّورِ وَالْبَصِيرَةِ، وَانْكَسَرَتِ النَّفْسُ حِينَ طَالَ مِنْهُ مَنْعُهَا مَا تُحِبُّ، وَيَئِسَ الْعَدُوُّ فَخَنَسَ وَانْتَظَرَ الشَّهْوَةَ وَالْغَفْلَةَ، وَأَقْبَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ بِالنَّصْرِ وَالْمَعُونَةِ؛ لَمَّا رَآهُ قَدْ صَبَرَ لَهُ عَلَى إِدْمَانِ الْمُجَاهَدَةِ لِهَوَاهُ،

Fa-jāhada wa-kābada, ḥattā ʾidhā ʾadmana al-radda ʿalā nafsihi wa-iʿtāda al-ʾikhlāṣa wa-nafya al-riyāʾi, rajaʿa thawābu al-ʾikhlāṣi ʿalā qalbihi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla bi-al-nūri wa-al-baṣīrati, wa-inkasarati al-nafsu ḥīna ṭāla minhu manʿuhā mā tuḥibbu, wa-yaʾisa al-ʿaduwwu fa-khanasa wa-intaẓara al-shahwata wa-al-ghaflata, wa-ʾaqbala Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalayhi bi-al-naṣri wa-al-maʿūnati; lammā raʾāhu qad ṣabara lahu ʿalā ʾidmāni al-mujāhadati li-hawāhu,

so he struggles and exerts himself. Once he persists in opposing his self and becomes accustomed to sincerity and the rejection of ostentation, the reward of sincerity comes back upon his heart from God, mighty and majestic, as light and insight. The self is broken after he has long denied it what it loves. The enemy loses hope, withdraws, and waits for desire and heedlessness. God, mighty and majestic, turns toward him with support and help, having seen him patiently persevere for His sake in constantly struggling against his desire,

فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ تَسْكُنُ دَوَاعِي الْهَوَى، وَمَا عَرَضَ مِنْهَا عَرَضَ بِضَعْفٍ وَقِلَّةٍ، وَتَقْوَى دَوَاعِي الْقَلْبِ وَيَعْظُمُ الْعَزْمُ، فَإِذَا عَرَضَ عَارِضُ الرِّيَاءِ نَفَاهُ سَرِيعًا بِغَيْرِ مُكَابَدَةٍ وَلَا كُلْفَةٍ.

Fa-ʿinda dhālika taskunu dawāʿī al-hawā, wa-mā ʿaraḍa minhā ʿaraḍa bi-ḍaʿfin wa-qillatin, wa-taqwā dawāʿī al-qalbi wa-yaʿẓumu al-ʿazmu, fa-ʾidhā ʿaraḍa ʿāriḍu al-riyāʾi nafāhu sarīʿan bi-ghayri mukābadatin wa-lā kulfatin.

At that point the impulses of desire subside, and any that arise are weak and few. The heart’s impulses grow stronger and resolve increases. When an impulse toward ostentation appears, he quickly repels it without exertion or strain.

قُلْتُ: فَقَدْ تَأْتِي حَالٌ فِيهَا مِحْنَةٌ شَدِيدَةٌ وَأَسْبَابٌ مُفْتِنَةٌ، فَتَكْثُرُ فِيهِ الْخَطَرَاتُ حَتَّى لَا يَكَادَ الْعَبْدُ يَتَخَلَّصُ مِنْهَا، وَذَلِكَ كَالشَّهْوَةِ الْعَظِيمَةِ وَالْأَمْرِ الْكَبِيرِ مِنَ الْبِرِّ الَّذِي لَا يَصِلُ إِلَيْهِ عَامَّةُ الْخَلْقِ، فَتَكُونُ الْوَسَاوِسُ كَأَنَّهَا مُشْتَبِكَةٌ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ، فَبِمَ يَدْفَعُ ذَلِكَ؟

Qultu: Fa-qad taʾtī ḥālun fīhā miḥnatun shadīdatun wa-ʾasbābun muftinatun, fa-takthuru fīhi al-khaṭarātu ḥattā lā yakāda al-ʿabdu yatakhallaṣu minhā, wa-dhālika ka-al-shahwati al-ʿaẓīmati wa-al-ʾamri al-kabīri mina al-birri alladhī lā yaṣilu ʾilayhi ʿāmmatu al-khalqi, fa-takūnu al-wasāwisu ka-ʾannahā mushtabikatun ʿalā al-qalbi, fa-bi-ma yadfaʿu dhālika?

I said: Yet a situation may arise that brings a severe trial and tempting circumstances, so that passing thoughts multiply within him until the servant can scarcely free himself from them. This might be an intense desire, or some great act of goodness that most people cannot attain. The whisperings seem to form a tangled mesh over the heart. How does he repel that?

قَالَ: إِذَا اخْتُبِرَ الْعَبْدُ بِذَلِكَ فَلْيَذْكُرِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَعَظِيمَ قَدْرِهِ، وَصِغَرَ قَدْرِ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ فِي عَظِيمِ قَدْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَأَنَّ الْمَنَافِعَ كُلَّهَا بِيَدِهِ، وَأَنَّ الْقُدْرَةَ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ عَلَى مَنَافِعِهِمْ عَنْهُمْ زَائِلَةٌ، وَيُصَغِّرْ أَقْدَارَهُمْ، وَيَذْكُرِ اطِّلَاعَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بَعْدَ ذِكْرِ عَظِيمِ قَدْرِهِ،

Qāla: ʾIdhā ikhtubira al-ʿabdu bi-dhālika fa-l-yadhkuri Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-ʿaẓīma qadrihi, wa-ṣighara qadri al-makhlūqīna fī ʿaẓīmi qadri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-ʾanna al-manāfiʿa kullahā bi-yadihi, wa-ʾanna al-qudrata mina al-khalqi ʿalā manāfiʿihim ʿanhum zāʾilatun, wa-yuṣaghghir ʾaqdārahum, wa-yadhkuri iṭṭilāʿa Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla baʿda dhikri ʿaẓīmi qadrihi,

He said: When the servant is tested by this, let him remember God, mighty and majestic, and His immense greatness; the smallness of created beings beside the immense greatness of God, mighty and majestic; that all benefits are in His hand; and that created beings have no power over their own benefits. Let him diminish their importance in his eyes and, after remembering His immense greatness, remember that God, mighty and majestic, sees him,

Source page 242

فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ انْجَلَتِ الْخَطَرَاتُ كَمَا تُمَزِّقُ الرِّيَاحُ السَّحَابَ عَنِ السَّمَاءِ وَكَمَا تَكْشِفُ الرِّيَاحُ الْغُبَارَ عَنِ الصَّفَا.

Fa-ʾinnahu ʾidhā faʿala dhālika injalati al-khaṭarātu ka-mā tumazziqu al-riyāḥu al-saḥāba ʿani al-samāʾi wa-ka-mā takshifu al-riyāḥu al-ghubāra ʿani al-ṣafā.

For when he does this, the passing thoughts clear away as winds tear clouds from the sky, and as winds sweep dust from smooth rock.

Source page 243

بَابُ مَعْرِفَةِ قُوَّةِ الْإِخْلَاصِ عَلَى مُنَازَعَةِ النَّفْسِ عِنْدَ الْعَارِضِ وَالنَّفْيِ لَهُ

Bābu maʿrifati quwwati al-ʾikhlāṣi ʿalā munāzaʿati al-nafsi ʿinda al-ʿāriḍi wa-al-nafyi lahu

Chapter on recognizing sincerity’s strength over the self’s resistance when an impulse arises, and on repelling it

قُلْتُ: إِذَا كَرِهْتُ الْعَارِضَ وَلَمْ أَقْبَلْهُ فَمَا الدَّلِيلُ عَلَى أَنَّ الْإِخْلَاصَ فِي قَلْبِي أَغْلَبُ وَفِيهِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ مُنَازَعَةِ النَّفْسِ وَإِرَادَتِهَا؟

Qultu: ʾIdhā karihtu al-ʿāriḍa wa-lam ʾaqbalhu fa-mā al-dalīlu ʿalā ʾanna al-ʾikhlāṣa fī qalbī ʾaghlabu wa-fīhi ʾaktharu min munāzaʿati al-nafsi wa-ʾirādatihā?

I said: If I dislike the impulse and do not accept it, what shows that sincerity is stronger and more abundant in my heart than the self’s resistance and desire?

قَالَ: أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْمُرِيدَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلِلْعِبَادِ قَدِ اسْتَوَتِ الْإِرَادَتَانِ فِي قَلْبِهِ، فَإِذَا كَرِهَ ذَلِكَ كَانَتِ الْإِرَادَةُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَعَهَا الْكَرَاهَةُ، فَكَانَا مَعْنَيَيْنِ وَمُنَازَعَةُ النَّفْسِ مَعْنًى وَاحِدًا لِذَلِكَ [كَانَا] أَكْثَرَ وَأَغْلَبَ.

Qāla: ʾA-lam taʿlam ʾanna al-murīda li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-li-al-ʿibādi qadi istawati al-ʾirādatāni fī qalbihi, fa-ʾidhā kariha dhālika kānati al-ʾirādatu li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-maʿahā al-karāhatu, fa-kānā maʿnayayni wa-munāzaʿatu al-nafsi maʿnan wāḥidan li-dhālika [kānā] ʾakthara wa-ʾaghlaba.

He said: Do you not know that someone who seeks God, mighty and majestic, and also seeks people has two equal intentions in his heart? When he dislikes this, there is the intention directed toward God, mighty and majestic, accompanied by dislike. These are two factors, while the self’s resistance is one factor; therefore [they are] more numerous and more powerful.

قُلْتُ: فَالنَّافُونَ لِلرِّيَاءِ فِي مَقَامٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ السُّرْعَةِ وَالْإِبْطَاءِ وَمِنَ الْفَضْلِ وَالنَّقْصِ؟

Qultu: Fa-al-nāfūna li-al-riyāʾi fī maqāmin wāḥidin mina al-surʿati wa-al-ʾibṭāʾi wa-mina al-faḍli wa-al-naqṣi?

I said: Are those who repel ostentation all at the same level in speed and slowness, and in excellence and deficiency?

قَالَ: لَا، هُمْ أَرْبَعَةُ نَفَرٍ: فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَنْفِي سَرِيعًا لِقُوَّةِ عَزْمِهِ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَلْبَثُ فِي الْمُجَاهَدَةِ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَنْفِي الْخَطْرَةَ، فَإِذَا رَآهُ الْعَدُوُّ كَذَلِكَ لَمْ يَطْمَعْ فِيمَا يُحْبِطُ عَمَلَهُ، وَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَنَالَ مِنْهُ مَا يَنْقُصُ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ وَغَيْرِهَا فِي الْفَضْلِ وَالْكَمَالِ؛ فَأَرَاهُ أَنَّهُ إِنْ خَاصَمَهُ بِالرَّدِّ عَلَيْهِ وَالْمُجَادَلَةِ لَهُ كَانَ أَصْفَى لِلْإِخْلَاصِ وَأَنْجَعَ،

Qāla: Lā, hum ʾarbaʿatu nafarin: Fa-minhum man yanfī sarīʿan li-quwwati ʿazmihi, wa-minhum man yalbathu fī al-mujāhadati, wa-minhum man yanfī al-khaṭrata, fa-ʾidhā raʾāhu al-ʿaduwwu kadhālika lam yaṭmaʿ fī-mā yuḥbiṭu ʿamalahu, wa-ʾarāda ʾan yanāla minhu mā yanquṣu min ṣalātihi wa-ghayrihā fī al-faḍli wa-al-kamāli; fa-ʾarāhu ʾannahu ʾin khāṣamahu bi-al-raddi ʿalayhi wa-al-mujādalati lahu kāna ʾaṣfā li-al-ʾikhlāṣi wa-ʾanjaʿa,

He said: No. They are four kinds of people. Some repel it quickly because their resolve is strong; some linger in the struggle. Among them is one who repels the passing thought. When the enemy sees him do this, he loses hope of making his work worthless, and instead wants to gain something from him that will lessen the excellence and completeness of his prayer and other deeds. He makes him imagine that disputing with him, answering him back and arguing against him, would keep his sincerity purer and be more effective,

فَيُخَاصِمُهُ وَيُجَادِلُهُ فِي النَّفْيِ، فَيَنْقُصُهُ؛ إِذْ شَغَلَهُ بِمُخَاصَمَتِهِ عَنْ صَلَاتِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يُؤْمَرْ بِمُجَادَلَتِهِ، إِنَّمَا أُمِرَ بِعِصْيَانِهِ، فَقَدْ عَصَاهُ؛ إِذْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْ مَا دَعَاهُ إِلَيْهِ، وَكَانَ جِدَالُهُ إِيَّاهُ لَا مَعْنَى لَهُ أَكْثَرَ مِنَ الشُّغْلِ عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ، أَوْ عَنْ بِرٍّ إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ، وَإِشْغَالِ قَلْبِهِ بِمَا لَمْ يُنْدَبْ إِلَيْهِ.

Fa-yukhāṣimuhu wa-yujādiluhu fī al-nafyi, fa-yanquṣuhu; ʾidh shaghalahu bi-mukhāṣamatihi ʿan ṣalātihi, li-ʾannahu lam yuʾmar bi-mujādalatihi, ʾinnamā ʾumira bi-ʿiṣyānihi, fa-qad ʿaṣāhu; ʾidh lam yaqbal mā daʿāhu ʾilayhi, wa-kāna jidāluhu ʾiyyāhu lā maʿnā lahu ʾakthara mina al-shughli ʿani al-ṣalāti, ʾaw ʿan birrin ʾin kāna fīhi, wa-ʾishghāli qalbihi bi-mā lam yundab ʾilayhi.

so he disputes and argues with him while repelling the thought. The enemy thereby diminishes him, having distracted him from his prayer through this dispute. He was not commanded to argue with the enemy, but only to disobey him, and he has already disobeyed him by refusing what he called him to do. His argument with him serves no purpose beyond distracting him from prayer, or from a good deed if he is engaged in one, and occupying his heart with something he was never urged to do.

وَأَمَّا الثَّانِي: فَهُوَ الَّذِي يَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِ بِالتَّكْذِيبِ مِنْ غَيْرِ مُحَاجَّةٍ وَلَا مُجَادَلَةٍ.

Wa-ʾammā al-thānī: Fa-huwa alladhī yaruddu ʿalayhi bi-al-takdhībi min ghayri muḥājjatin wa-lā mujādalatin.

The second is the one who answers him by declaring him false, without debate or argument.

Source page 244

وَالثَّالِثُ: يَمْضِي عَلَى مَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ هَيَجَانِ الْكَرَاهَةِ وَالْإِبَاءِ، عَالِمًا أَنَّ ذَلِكَ مُجْزِيهِ مِنَ التَّكْذِيبِ لَهُ وَالْمُجَادَلَةِ وَالْمُخَاصَمَةِ لَهُ، فَيَمْضِي عَلَى مَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ، لَا يَقْبَلُ وَلَا يُحْدِثُ مَعْنًى يَشْتَغِلُ بِهِ عَمَّا كَانَ فِيهِ.

Wa-al-thālithu: Yamḍī ʿalā mā kāna ʿalayhi min hayajāni al-karāhati wa-al-ʾibāʾi, ʿāliman ʾanna dhālika mujzīhi mina al-takdhībi lahu wa-al-mujādalati wa-al-mukhāṣamati lahu, fa-yamḍī ʿalā mā kāna ʿalayhi, lā yaqbalu wa-lā yuḥdithu maʿnan yashtaghilu bihi ʿammā kāna fīhi.

The third continues as he was, with dislike and refusal aroused, knowing that this suffices in place of declaring the enemy false, arguing with him, or disputing with him. He carries on as he was, neither accepting the suggestion nor introducing a new concern to distract him from what he was doing.

وَالرَّابِعُ: الَّذِي قَدْ عَلِمَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَعْرِضَ لَهُ فِي الدُّعَاءِ إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ، أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُزِيلَهُ عَنْ نِعْمَةِ رَبِّهِ حَسَدًا لَهُ. فَلَمَّا قَدَّمَ هَذَا الْعِلْمَ فِي قَلْبِهِ ثُمَّ عَرَضَ لَهُ بِالدُّعَاءِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ قَلْبُهُ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَشْغُولًا ازْدَادَ شُغْلًا، وَإِنْ كَانَ سَاهِيًا فِي عَمَلِهِ فَزِعَ إِلَى الذِّكْرِ وَالْفِكْرِ وَالشُّغْلِ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ غَيْظًا لَهُ،

Wa-al-rābiʿu: Alladhī qad ʿalima min qabli ʾan yaʿriḍa lahu fī al-duʿāʾi ʾilā al-riyāʾi, ʾannahu ʾinnamā yurīdu ʾan yuzīlahu ʿan niʿmati rabbihi ḥasadan lahu. Fa-lammā qaddama hādhā al-ʿilma fī qalbihi thumma ʿaraḍa lahu bi-al-duʿāʾi, fa-ʾin kāna qalbuhu bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla mashghūlan izdāda shughlan, wa-ʾin kāna sāhiyan fī ʿamalihi faziʿa ʾilā al-dhikri wa-al-fikri wa-al-shughli bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ghayẓan lahu,

The fourth is someone who knows, before the enemy approaches him with a call to ostentation, that he wants only to deprive him of his Lord’s blessing out of envy. Having established this knowledge in his heart beforehand, when the enemy approaches with his call, if his heart is already occupied with God, mighty and majestic, he becomes still more absorbed. If he is inattentive in his deed, he hastens to remembrance, reflection, and absorption in God, mighty and majestic, to spite the enemy,

وَازْدِيَادُ مَنْفَعَتِهِ لِعَارِضِ الدَّاعِي جَعَلَهُ عِبْرَةً لِذِكْرِ رَبِّهِ.

Wa-izdiyādu manfaʿatihi li-ʿāriḍi al-dāʿī jaʿalahu ʿibratan li-dhikri rabbihi.

and his increased benefit from the caller’s intrusion lies in making it a lesson for remembering his Lord.

وَكَذَلِكَ يُرْوَى عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ بْنِ غَزْوَانَ أَنَّهُ قِيلَ لَهُ: إِنَّ فُلَانًا ذَكَرَكَ. قَالَ:

Wa-kadhālika yurwā ʿani al-Fuḍayli bni Ghazwāna ʾannahu qīla lahu: ʾInna fulānan dhakaraka. Qāla:

Likewise, it is related of al-Fuḍayl ibn Ghazwān that he was told, “So-and-so has spoken about you.” He said:

وَاللَّهِ لَأَغِيظَنَّ مَنْ أَمَرَهُ. قِيلَ لَهُ: مَنْ أَمَرَهُ؟ قَالَ: الشَّيْطَانُ. اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ.

Wa-Allāhi la-ʾaghīẓanna man ʾamarahu. Qīla lahu: Man ʾamarahu? Qāla: Al-shayṭānu. Allāhumma ighfir lahu.

“By God, I will surely enrage the one who told him to do it.” He was asked, “Who told him?” He said, “Satan. O God, forgive him.

إِنِّي لَأَغِيظُهُ بِأَنْ أُطِيعَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِ.

ʾInnī la-ʾaghīẓuhu bi-ʾan ʾuṭīʿa Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla fīhi.

I will indeed enrage him by obeying God, mighty and majestic, in how I treat this man.”

فَإِذَا رَآهُ الْعَدُوُّ كَذَلِكَ أَوْشَكَ أَنْ يُقِلَّ خَطَرَاتِهِ؛ كَرَاهَةَ أَنْ يَزْدَادَ بِهِ خَيْرًا إِذَا عَرَضَ لَهُ بِالدُّعَاءِ إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ، إِذْ لَمْ يَرَهُ يَقْبَلُ وَرَدَّ وَلَمْ يَرْضَ بِالرَّدِّ، حَتَّى اتَّخَذَ الدَّاعِيَ عِبْرَةً يَزْدَادُ بِهِ خَيْرًا وَذِكْرًا لِرَبِّهِ.

Fa-ʾidhā raʾāhu al-ʿaduwwu kadhālika ʾawshaka ʾan yuqilla khaṭarātihi; karāhata ʾan yazdāda bihi khayran ʾidhā ʿaraḍa lahu bi-al-duʿāʾi ʾilā al-riyāʾi, ʾidh lam yarahu yaqbalu wa-radda wa-lam yarḍa bi-al-raddi, ḥattā ittakhadha al-dāʿiya ʿibratan yazdādu bihi khayran wa-dhikran li-rabbihi.

When the enemy sees him behaving this way, he will soon reduce his suggestions, disliking that the servant should grow in goodness through him whenever he approaches with a call to ostentation. For he has seen him refuse to accept it and repel it, yet not content himself with repelling it: he has even made the caller a lesson through which he grows in goodness and remembrance of his Lord.

وَكَذَلِكَ يُرْوَى عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَيَدْعُو الْعَبْدَ إِلَى الْبَابِ مِنَ الْإِثْمِ فَلَا يُطِيعُهُ، وَيُحْدِثُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ خَيْرًا، ثُمَّ يَدْعُوهُ إِلَى الْبَابِ مِنَ الْإِثْمِ فَلَا يُطِيعُهُ، وَيُحْدِثُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ خَيْرًا، فَإِذَا رَآهُ كَذَلِكَ تَرَكَهُ.

Wa-kadhālika yurwā ʿan ʾIbrāhīma al-Taymiyyi ʾannahu qāla: ʾInna al-shayṭāna la-yadʿū al-ʿabda ʾilā al-bābi mina al-ʾithmi fa-lā yuṭīʿuhu, wa-yuḥdithu ʿinda dhālika khayran, thumma yadʿūhu ʾilā al-bābi mina al-ʾithmi fa-lā yuṭīʿuhu, wa-yuḥdithu ʿinda dhālika khayran, fa-ʾidhā raʾāhu kadhālika tarakahu.

Likewise, it is related that Ibrāhīm al-Taymī said: Satan calls the servant to some form of sin, but he does not obey him and instead does something good at that moment. Then he calls him to some form of sin, but he does not obey him and instead does something good at that moment. When he sees him behaving this way, he leaves him alone.

وَهَكَذَا يُرْوَى عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: إِذَا رَآكَ الشَّيْطَانُ مُتَرَدِّدًا طَمِعَ فِيكَ، وَإِذَا رَآكَ مُدَاوِمًا مَلَّكَ وَقَلَاكَ.

Wa-hākadhā yurwā ʿanhu ʾannahu qāla: ʾIdhā raʾāka al-shayṭānu mutaraddidan ṭamiʿa fīka, wa-ʾidhā raʾāka mudāwiman mallaka wa-qalāka.

It is also related that he said: When Satan sees you wavering, he has hopes of you; when he sees you persevering, he grows weary of you and detests you.

وَإِنَّمَا مَثَلُ النَّافِينَ فِي الْوُجُوهِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ: مَثَلُ رِجَالٍ أَرْبَعَةٍ أَرَادُوا مَجْلِسَ مُحَدِّثٍ أَوْ ذِكْرٍ، يَخَافُونَ أَنْ يَفُوتَهُمْ مِنْهُ بِقَدْرِ إِبْطَائِهِمْ عَنْهُ فِي طَرِيقِهِمْ، أَوْ صَلَاةً فِي جَمَاعَةٍ أَوْ جُمُعَةً، فَمَرَّ أَحَدُهُمْ بِرَجُلٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الضَّلَالَةِ، فَعَرَضَ لَهُ بِالتَّثَبُّطِ وَالنَّهْيِ عَنِ الذَّهَابِ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَصُدَّهُ، فَلَمَّا رَآهُ يَأْبَى أَنْ يَرْجِعَ قَبِلَ أَنْ يُجَادِلَهُ، فَقَامَ عَلَيْهِ يُجَادِلُهُ وَيُخَاصِمُهُ،

Wa-ʾinnamā mathalu al-nāfīna fī al-wujūhi al-ʾarbaʿati: Mathalu rijālin ʾarbaʿatin ʾarādū majlisa muḥaddithin ʾaw dhikrin, yakhāfūna ʾan yafūtahum minhu bi-qadri ʾibṭāʾihim ʿanhu fī ṭarīqihim, ʾaw ṣalātan fī jamāʿatin ʾaw jumuʿatan, fa-marra ʾaḥaduhum bi-rajulin min ʾahli al-ḍalālati, fa-ʿaraḍa lahu bi-al-tathabbuṭi wa-al-nahyi ʿani al-dhahābi yurīdu ʾan yaṣuddahu, fa-lammā raʾāhu yaʾbā ʾan yarjiʿa qabila ʾan yujādilahu, fa-qāma ʿalayhi yujādiluhu wa-yukhāṣimuhu,

Those who repel the enemy in these four ways are like four men heading to a session with a transmitter of reports or a gathering of remembrance, fearing that they will miss part of it in proportion to their delay along the way; or they are heading to congregational prayer or the Friday prayer. One of them passes a misguided man, who approaches him with discouragement and tells him not to go, intending to turn him away. When he sees that he refuses to turn back, he agrees to debate him. The traveler therefore stops beside him, debating and disputing with him,

Source page 245

وَالضَّالُّ يُحِبُّ طُولَ الْمُجَادَلَةِ بَيْنَهُمَا؛ لِيَفُوتَهُ بِقَدْرِ مَا يَحْبِسُهُ بِخُصُومَتِهِ.

Wa-al-ḍāllu yuḥibbu ṭūla al-mujādalati baynahumā; li-yafūtahu bi-qadri mā yaḥbisuhu bi-khuṣūmatihi.

and the misguided man wants their debate to last, so that the traveler misses as much as the time for which he delays him through the dispute.

وَمَرَّ الثَّانِي عَلَيْهِ فَنَهَاهُ عَنِ الذَّهَابِ إِلَى الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي يُرِيدُهُ، فَوَقَفَ مُنْتَهِرًا لَهُ رَادًّا عَلَيْهِ، فَاغْتَنَمَهَا الضَّالُّ بِقَدْرِ مَا يَفُوتُهُ يَحْبِسُهُ بِالْوَقْفَةِ عَلَيْهِ.

Wa-marra al-thānī ʿalayhi fa-nahāhu ʿani al-dhahābi ʾilā al-mawḍiʿi alladhī yurīduhu, fa-waqafa muntahiran lahu rāddan ʿalayhi, fa-ightanamahā al-ḍāllu bi-qadri mā yafūtuhu yaḥbisuhu bi-al-waqfati ʿalayhi.

The second passes him, and he tells him not to go to his intended destination. This traveler stops, rebukes him, and answers him back. The misguided man seizes the opportunity, gaining as much as the traveler misses by detaining him while he stands there.

وَمَرَّ الثَّالِثُ وَهُوَ يَمْشِي مَاشِيًا أَوْ رَاكِبًا، فَعَرَضَ لَهُ بِالنَّهْيِ وَالتَّثَبُّطِ، وَقَدْ عَلِمَ مَا لَقِيَ أَصْحَابُهُ مِنَ الْحَبْسِ فَمَضَى وَلَمْ يَقِفْ وَلَمْ يُحْدِثْ مَعْنًى.

Wa-marra al-thālithu wa-huwa yamshī māshiyan ʾaw rākiban, fa-ʿaraḍa lahu bi-al-nahyi wa-al-tathabbuṭi, wa-qad ʿalima mā laqiya ʾaṣḥābuhu mina al-ḥabsi fa-maḍā wa-lam yaqif wa-lam yuḥdith maʿnan.

The third passes by as he travels, on foot or riding. The man approaches him with prohibitions and discouragement, but he knows how his companions have been delayed, so he continues without stopping or introducing any new concern.

وَمَرَّ الرَّابِعُ وَقَدْ عَلِمَ مَا لَقِيَ أَصْحَابُهُ مِنَ الْحَبْسِ، فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ بِصَوْتِهِ إِنْ كَانَ مَاشِيًا سَعَى، وَإِنْ كَانَ رَاكِبًا حَرَّكَ رَاحِلَتَهُ بِالسُّرْعَةِ؛ لِيَغِيظَهُ وَلِيُدْرِكَ مَا يَطْلُبُهُ تَامًّا، وَلَا يَكُونَ كَأَصْحَابِهِ الَّذِينَ قَبْلَهُ، فَيُوشِكُ إِنْ عَادُوا عَلَيْهِ، أَنْ يَعْرِضَ لَهُمْ وَيَدَعَ هَذَا الرَّابِعَ، لِأَنَّهُ اتَّخَذَ دُعَاءَهُ عِبْرَةً وَزِيَادَةً فِي الْخَيْرِ بِالسُّرْعَةِ إِلَيْهِ وَالْإِعْرَاضِ عَمَّا دَعَا إِلَيْهِ الْعَدُوُّ،

Wa-marra al-rābiʿu wa-qad ʿalima mā laqiya ʾaṣḥābuhu mina al-ḥabsi, fa-lammā ʾaḥassa bi-ṣawtihi ʾin kāna māshiyan saʿā, wa-ʾin kāna rākiban ḥarraka rāḥilatahu bi-al-surʿati; li-yaghīẓahu wa-li-yudrika mā yaṭlubuhu tāmman, wa-lā yakūna ka-ʾaṣḥābihi alladhīna qablahu, fa-yūshiku ʾin ʿādū ʿalayhi, ʾan yaʿriḍa lahum wa-yadaʿa hādhā al-rābiʿa, li-ʾannahu ittakhadha duʿāʾahu ʿibratan wa-ziyādatan fī al-khayri bi-al-surʿati ʾilayhi wa-al-ʾiʿrāḍi ʿammā daʿā ʾilayhi al-ʿaduwwu,

The fourth passes by, knowing how his companions have been delayed. As soon as he hears the man’s voice, if he is walking he quickens his pace, and if he is riding he urges his mount to speed up, to enrage him and reach everything he seeks in full, rather than be like his companions who went before him. If they return past that man, he will probably approach the others and leave this fourth one alone, because he has made the man’s call a lesson and an increase in goodness, by hastening toward it and turning away from what the enemy invited him to do,

وَكَذَلِكَ الْقَوِيُّ الْكَيِّسُ مِنَ الْمُخْلِصِينَ.

Wa-kadhālika al-qawiyyu al-kayyisu mina al-mukhliṣīna.

Such is the strong, discerning person among the sincere.

قُلْتُ: فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُونَ قَبْلَ الِاعْتِرَاضِ بِالدُّعَاءِ؟ أَمُنْتَظِرِينَ لَهُ بِالْحَذَرِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَعْرِضَ حَتَّى إِذَا عَرَضَ عَرَفُوهُ؟ أَوْ يَشْتَغِلُونَ عَنْهُ بِالتَّوَكُّلِ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَبِالطَّاعَةِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ هُوَ الَّذِي يَزْجُرُ عَدُوَّهُمْ عَنْهُمْ؟

Qultu: Fa-kayfa yakūnūna qabla al-iʿtirāḍi bi-al-duʿāʾi? ʾA-muntaẓirīna lahu bi-al-ḥadhari qabla ʾan yaʿriḍa ḥattā ʾidhā ʿaraḍa ʿarafūhu? ʾAw yashtaghilūna ʿanhu bi-al-tawakkuli ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-bi-al-ṭāʿati ḥattā yakūna huwa alladhī yazjuru ʿaduwwahum ʿanhum?

I said: What should their condition be before he intrudes with his call? Should they await him vigilantly before he appears, so that they recognize him when he does? Or should they turn their attention away from him through trust in God, mighty and majestic, and through obedience, so that He Himself drives their enemy away from them?

قَالَ: قَدْ قَالَ النَّاسُ فِي ذَلِكَ أَقْوَالًا كَثِيرَةً مُخْتَلِفَةً، عَامَّتُهَا غَلَطٌ إِلَّا قَوْلًا وَاحِدًا.

Qāla: Qad qāla al-nāsu fī dhālika ʾaqwālan kathīratan mukhtalifatan, ʿāmmatuhā ghalaṭun ʾillā qawlan wāḥidan.

He said: People have expressed many different views on this, all generally mistaken except for one.

فَأَحَدُ مَا قَالُوهُ أَنَّ فِرْقَةً مِنَ الْبَصْرِيِّينَ قَالَتْ: إِنَّمَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى الْحَذَرِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الضُّعَفَاءُ، فَأَمَّا الْأَقْوِيَاءُ فَقَدِ انْقَطَعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَاشْتَغَلُوا لِحُبِّهِ، فَلَيْسَ لِلشَّيْطَانِ عَلَيْهِمْ سَبِيلٌ، إِذْ قَطَعُوا حُبَّ الدُّنْيَا مِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَأَبْدَلُوا قُلُوبَهُمْ إِلْزَامَ حُبِّ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهَا، وَالِاشْتِغَالَ بِالسَّيِّدِ وَبِمُنَاجَاتِهِ، فَقَدْ خَنَسَ الشَّيْطَانُ عَنْهُمْ وَذَلَّ وَاعْتَزَلَ،

Fa-ʾaḥadu mā qālūhu ʾanna firqatan mina al-Baṣriyyīna qālat: ʾInnamā yaḥtāju ʾilā al-ḥadhari min dhālika al-ḍuʿafāʾu, fa-ʾammā al-ʾaqwiyāʾu fa-qadi inqaṭaʿū ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-ishtaghalū li-ḥubbihi, fa-laysa li-al-shayṭāni ʿalayhim sabīlun, ʾidh qaṭaʿū ḥubba al-dunyā min qulūbihim wa-ʾabdalū qulūbahum ʾilzāma ḥubbi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla lahā, wa-al-ishtighāla bi-al-sayyidi wa-bi-munājātihi, fa-qad khanasa al-shayṭānu ʿanhum wa-dhalla wa-iʿtazala,

One of these views was expressed by a group from Basra, who said: Only the weak need to guard against this. The strong have devoted themselves entirely to God, mighty and majestic, and are occupied for love of Him. Satan has no way to reach them, for they have cut love of the world out of their hearts and given their hearts in its place a binding love of God, mighty and majestic, and absorption in the Master and in intimate prayer to Him. Satan has therefore withdrawn from them, become abject, and left them alone,

Source page 246

كَمَا اعْتَزَلَ فِي خَاطِرِ الْخَمْرِ وَالزِّنَا وَالْقَتْلِ مِنْ قُلُوبِ غَيْرِهِمْ مِنَ الْعَابِدِينَ.

Ka-mā iʿtazala fī khāṭiri al-khamri wa-al-zinā wa-al-qatli min qulūbi ghayrihim mina al-ʿābidīna.

just as he has withdrawn from the hearts of other worshippers where thoughts of wine, illicit sex, and killing are concerned.

وَقَالَتْ فِرْقَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ: إِنَّمَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى الْحَذَرِ مَنْ قَلَّ يَقِينُهُ وَضَعُفَ تَوَكُّلُهُ، فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَيْقَنَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ فِي تَدْبِيرِهِ، وَلَا مُحْدِثٌ فِي مُلْكِهِ مَا لَا يُرِيدُ، وَأَنَّهُ لَا يَضُرُّ وَلَا يَنْفَعُ شَيْءٌ إِلَّا بِهِ، وَأَنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ عَبْدٌ مَخْلُوقٌ ذَلِيلٌ مَهِينٌ،

Wa-qālat firqatun min ʾahli al-Shāmi: ʾInnamā yaḥtāju ʾilā al-ḥadhari man qalla yaqīnuhu wa-ḍaʿufa tawakkuluhu, fa-ʾammā man ʾayqana bi-ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla lā sharīka lahu fī tadbīrihi, wa-lā muḥdithun fī mulkihi mā lā yurīdu, wa-ʾannahu lā yaḍurru wa-lā yanfaʿu shayʾun ʾillā bihi, wa-ʾanna al-shayṭāna ʿabdun makhlūqun dhalīlun mahīnun,

A group from Syria said: Only someone whose certainty is slight and whose trust is weak needs vigilance. As for the one who is certain that God, mighty and majestic, has no partner in His governance, that no one brings about in His kingdom what He does not will, that nothing harms or benefits except through Him, and that Satan is a created servant, abject and contemptible,

لَا تَنْفُذُ لَهُ خَطْرَةٌ وَلَا مَكِيدَةٌ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهَا، فَالْعَارِفُ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، بِالتَّوَكُّلِ وَالِاسْتِحْيَاءِ مِنْهُ أَنْ يَرَاهُ يَحْذَرُ مَخْلُوقًا دُونَهُ، فَالْحَذَرُ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ نَقْصٌ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ وَالتَّوَكُّلِ، فَأَوْلَى بِهِ الثِّقَةُ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالْيَقِينُ، لِأَنَّهُ لَا ضَارَّ وَلَا نَافِعَ غَيْرُهُ، فَلَا يَحْذَرُ عَدُوًّا وَلَا غَيْرَهُ.

Lā tanfudhu lahu khaṭratun wa-lā makīdatun ʾillā bi-ʾidhni Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fīhā, fa-al-ʿārifu bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla yarjiʿu ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, bi-al-tawakkuli wa-al-istiḥyāʾi minhu ʾan yarāhu yaḥdharu makhlūqan dūnahu, fa-al-ḥadharu li-ghayri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla naqṣun mina al-yaqīni wa-al-tawakkuli, fa-ʾawlā bihi al-thiqatu bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-al-yaqīnu, li-ʾannahu lā ḍārra wa-lā nāfiʿa ghayruhu, fa-lā yaḥdharu ʿaduwwan wa-lā ghayrahu.

whose suggestion or scheme cannot take effect except with the permission of God, mighty and majestic: the one who knows God, mighty and majestic, turns back to God, mighty and majestic, with trust and with shame at the thought of His seeing him wary of a creature instead of Him. Wariness of anyone other than God, mighty and majestic, is a deficiency in certainty and trust. It is therefore better for him to have confidence in God, mighty and majestic, and certainty, for none harms or benefits except Him. Thus he guards against neither an enemy nor anyone else.

وَقَالَتْ فِرْقَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ: كِلَا الْفَرِيقَيْنِ غَالِطٌ. أَمَّا مَا قَالَتِ الْأُولَى فَإِنَّ مِنَ الِاشْتِغَالِ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالْحُبِّ لَهُ حَذَرَ مَا حَذَّرَ مِنْهُ، وَاتِّبَاعَ أَمْرِهِ فِيمَنْ أَمَرَ بِالْحَذَرِ مِنْهُ، لِأَنَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ: فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا.

Wa-qālat firqatun min ʾahli al-ʿilmi: Kilā al-farīqayni ghāliṭun. ʾAmmā mā qālati al-ʾūlā fa-ʾinna mina al-ishtighāli bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-al-ḥubbi lahu ḥadhara mā ḥadhdhara minhu, wa-ittibāʿa ʾamrihi fī-man ʾamara bi-al-ḥadhari minhu, li-ʾannahu ʿazza wa-jalla yaqūlu: Fa-ittakhidhūhu ʿaduwwan.

A group of learned people said: Both groups are mistaken. As for what the first group said, being occupied with God, mighty and majestic, and loving Him includes being wary of what He has warned against and following His command concerning the one against whom He commanded vigilance. For He, mighty and majestic, says: “So take him as an enemy.”

وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِلنَّاسِ كُلِّهِمْ لَا يُحَاشِي ضَعِيفًا وَلَا قَوِيًّا: يَا بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ كَمَا أَخْرَجَ أَبَوَيْكُمْ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ.

Wa-qāla ʿazza wa-jalla li-al-nāsi kullihim lā yuḥāshī ḍaʿīfan wa-lā qawiyyan: Yā Banī ʾĀdama lā yaftinannakumu al-shayṭānu ka-mā ʾakhraja ʾabawaykum mina al-jannati wa-qāla ʿazza wa-jalla: ʾInnahu yarākum huwa wa-qabīluhu min ḥaythu lā tarawnahum.

He, mighty and majestic, said to all people, exempting neither the weak nor the strong: “Children of Adam, do not let Satan tempt you as he drove your parents out of the Garden.” And He, mighty and majestic, said: “He and his host see you from where you cannot see them.”

Source page 247

فَحَضَّ عَلَى التَّحَرُّزِ مِنْهُ وَمِنْ قَبِيلِهِ وَالْحَذَرِ لَهُمْ، ثُمَّ قَالَ عَزَّ مِنْ قَائِلٍ: وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَلَا نَبِيٍّ إِلَّا إِذَا تَمَنَّى أَلْقَى الشَّيْطَانُ فِي أُمْنِيَّتِهِ.

Fa-ḥaḍḍa ʿalā al-taḥarruzi minhu wa-min qabīlihi wa-al-ḥadhari lahum, thumma qāla ʿazza min qāʾilin: Wa-mā ʾarsalnā min qablika min rasūlin wa-lā nabiyyin ʾillā ʾidhā tamannā ʾalqā al-shayṭānu fī ʾumniyyatihi.

He thus urged guarding against him and his host, and being wary of them. Then He said, mighty is He who speaks: “We sent no messenger or prophet before you without Satan casting something into his recitation whenever he recited.”

وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِنَّهُ لَيُغَانُ عَلَى قَلْبِي». هَذَا وَقَدْ أَسْلَمَ شَيْطَانُهُ فَلَا يَأْمُرُهُ إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ.

Wa-qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: «ʾInnahu la-yughānu ʿalā qalbī». Hādhā wa-qad ʾaslama shayṭānuhu fa-lā yaʾmuruhu ʾillā bi-khayrin.

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “A veil indeed comes over my heart.” This was so even though his satan had submitted and urged him only toward good.

ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ.

Thumma qāla lahu rabbuhu ʿazza wa-jalla: Wa-iḥdharhum ʾan yaftinūka ʿan baʿḍi mā ʾanzala Allāhu ʾilayka.

Then his Lord, mighty and majestic, said to him: “Beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what God has sent down to you.”

فَلَا أَحَدَ أَشَدُّ اشْتِغَالًا بِرَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَا حُبًّا لَهُ مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَأَمَرَهُ مَعَ اشْتِغَالِهِ بِهِ وَحُبِّهِ لَهُ أَنْ يَحْذَرَ الْخَلْقَ أَنْ يَفْتِنُوهُ عَنْ دِينِهِ، وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِآدَمَ وَحَوَّاءَ وَهُمَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ فِي دَارِ النَّعِيمِ وَالْمُلْكِ التَّامِّ، لَا يَجِدُ الْعَدُوُّ لَهُمَا خُدْعَةً مِنْ خَوْفِ فَقْرٍ وَلَا نَازِلَةٍ شَدِيدَةٍ،

Fa-lā ʾaḥada ʾashaddu ishtighālan bi-rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-lā ḥubban lahu min Muḥammadin ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, fa-ʾamarahu maʿa ishtighālihi bihi wa-ḥubbihi lahu ʾan yaḥdhara al-khalqa ʾan yaftinūhu ʿan dīnihi, wa-qāla ʿazza wa-jalla li-ʾĀdama wa-Ḥawwāʾa wa-humā fī al-jannati fī dāri al-naʿīmi wa-al-mulki al-tāmmi, lā yajidu al-ʿaduwwu lahumā khudʿatan min khawfi faqrin wa-lā nāzilatin shadīdatin,

No one is more occupied with his Lord, mighty and majestic, or more loving toward Him than Muḥammad, may God bless him and grant him peace. Yet despite his absorption in Him and his love for Him, He commanded him to beware of created beings, lest they tempt him away from his religion. He, mighty and majestic, also spoke to Adam and Eve while they were in the Garden, in the abode of bliss and complete dominion, where the enemy could find no means of deceiving them through fear of poverty or severe calamity,

وَلَا مَنْعِ شَهْوَةٍ وَلَا طِلْبَةٍ لَهَا يَتَكَلَّفُ وَقَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ لَكَ أَلَّا تَجُوعَ فِيهَا وَلَا تَعْرَى. وَأَنَّكَ لَا تَظْمَؤُا فِيهَا وَلَا تَضْحَى.

Wa-lā manʿi shahwatin wa-lā ṭilbatin lahā yatakallafu wa-qad samiʿa Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla yaqūlu: ʾInna laka ʾallā tajūʿa fīhā wa-lā taʿrā. Wa-ʾannaka lā taẓmaʾu fīhā wa-lā taḍḥā.

or the denial of a desire or any quest for it that he would have to undertake with effort. He had heard God, mighty and majestic, say: “You are assured that you will neither hunger there nor be naked, and that you will neither thirst there nor suffer the sun’s heat.”

وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: يَا آدَمُ إِنَّ هَذَا عَدُوٌّ لَكَ وَلِزَوْجِكَ فَلَا يُخْرِجَنَّكُمَا مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَتَشْقَى.

Wa-qāla ʿazza wa-jalla: Yā ʾĀdamu ʾinna hādhā ʿaduwwun laka wa-li-zawjika fa-lā yukhrijannakumā mina al-jannati fa-tashqā.

He, mighty and majestic, said: “Adam, this is an enemy to you and your wife, so do not let him drive you both from the Garden, causing you to suffer.”

Source page 248

فَلَوْ كَانَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُحِبُّ الْأَمْنَ مِنْهُ لِأَحَدٍ وَيُزِيلُ الْحَذَرَ عَنْهُ لَأَحَبَّهُ لَهُمَا وَأَزَالَهُ عَنْهُمَا فِي جَنَّتِهِ، وَلَيْسَ لَهُمَا فِتْنَةٌ وَلَا شَيْءٌ نُهِيَا عَنْهُ إِلَّا شَجَرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ، فَكَيْفَ بِنَا فِي فِتَنٍ لَا تُحْصَى فِي الْقَلْبِ وَالْجَوَارِحِ، وَمَا لَا يُحْصَى مِنْ مَلَاذِّ الدُّنْيَا وَشَهَوَاتِهَا؟ فَمَا زَالَ بِهِمَا حَتَّى أَخْرَجَهُمَا مِنْ جِوَارِ رَبِّهِمَا!

Fa-law kāna Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla yuḥibbu al-ʾamna minhu li-ʾaḥadin wa-yuzīlu al-ḥadhara ʿanhu la-ʾaḥabbahu lahumā wa-ʾazālahu ʿanhumā fī jannatihi, wa-laysa lahumā fitnatun wa-lā shayʾun nuhiyā ʿanhu ʾillā shajaratun wāḥidatun, fa-kayfa binā fī fitanin lā tuḥṣā fī al-qalbi wa-al-jawāriḥi, wa-mā lā yuḥṣā min malādhdhi al-dunyā wa-shahawātihā? Fa-mā zāla bihimā ḥattā ʾakhrajahumā min jiwāri rabbihimā!

If God, mighty and majestic, wished anyone to feel safe from him and removed the need for vigilance, He would have wished it for those two and removed it from them in His Garden, where they had no temptation and nothing forbidden to them except one tree. What, then, of us, amid countless temptations in the heart and limbs, and the countless pleasures and desires of this world? He kept after them until he drove them from the presence of their Lord!

فَمَنْ يَأْمَنُ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ بَعْدَهُمَا إِذْ أَزَالَهُمَا فِي الدَّارِ الَّتِي لَمْ يُمْتَحَنَا فِيهَا إِلَّا بِوَاحِدَةٍ، فَكَيْفَ فِي دَارِ الْمِحَنِ وَالْبَلْوَى وَالْفِتَنِ وَالْبَلَاءِ؟

Fa-man yaʾmanu ʿaduwwa Allāhi baʿdahumā ʾidh ʾazālahumā fī al-dāri allatī lam yumtaḥanā fīhā ʾillā bi-wāḥidatin, fa-kayfa fī dāri al-miḥani wa-al-balwā wa-al-fitani wa-al-balāʾi?

Who, after those two, can feel safe from God’s enemy, when he dislodged them in an abode where they were tested in only one matter? What, then, of the abode of trials, ordeals, temptations, and affliction?

وَقَالَ مُوسَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: هَذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَحَذَّرَنَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ مِنَ الِاشْتِغَالِ بِهِ وَمِنْ حُبِّهِ، وَاتِّبَاعِ أَمْرِهِ، وَأَنْ يُحْذَرَ مَا حَذَّرَ مِنْهُ. فَالْأَمْنُ مِنْهُ غُرُورٌ، وَتَرْكٌ لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. فَمُسْتَوْجِبٌ مَنْ أَمِنَهُ وَضَيَّعَ مَا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ مِنْ حَذَرِهِ أَنْ يُسَلِّطَهُ عَلَيْهِ،

Wa-qāla Mūsā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama: Hādhā min ʿamali al-shayṭāni fa-ḥadhdharanā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla fī ghayri mawḍiʿin fī kitābihi mina al-ishtighāli bihi wa-min ḥubbihi, wa-ittibāʿi ʾamrihi, wa-ʾan yuḥdhara mā ḥadhdhara minhu. Fa-al-ʾamnu minhu ghurūrun, wa-tarkun li-ʾamri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla. Fa-mustawjibun man ʾaminahu wa-ḍayyaʿa mā ʾamarahu Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla bihi min ḥadharihi ʾan yusalliṭahu ʿalayhi,

Moses, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “This is Satan’s work.” God, mighty and majestic, has warned us in more than one place in His Book; heeding that warning is part of being occupied with Him and loving Him, following His command, and guarding against what He has warned against. Feeling safe from the enemy is delusion and abandonment of the command of God, mighty and majestic. Whoever feels safe from him and neglects the vigilance against him commanded by God, mighty and majestic, deserves to have Him give the enemy power over him,

ثُمَّ لَا يَعْصِمَهُ مِنْهُ؛ عُقُوبَةً لِتَضْيِيعِهِ أَمْرَهُ، وَكَيْفَ يُؤْمَنُ مَنْ لَمْ يَنْجُ مِنْهُ الْأَقْوِيَاءُ؟ فَأَمَانُ الضُّعَفَاءِ لَهُ غِرَّةٌ وَخُدْعَةٌ مَعَ تَضْيِيعِ الْأَمْرِ مِنَ الْمَوْلَى جَلَّ وَعَزَّ بِالتَّحْذِيرِ مِنْهُ وَاتِّخَاذِهِ عَدُوًّا، وَهُوَ يَقُولُ تَعَالَى: عَدُوٌّ مُضِلٌّ مُبِينٌ بَيِّنُ الضَّلَالَةِ وَأَمَرَ بِحَذَرِهِ وَمُجَاهَدَتِهِ كَمَا أَمَرَ بِحَذَرِ الْكَافِرِينَ وَمُجَاهَدَتِهِمْ، فَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: خُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ.

Thumma lā yaʿṣimahu minhu; ʿuqūbatan li-taḍyīʿihi ʾamrahu, wa-kayfa yuʾmanu man lam yanju minhu al-ʾaqwiyāʾu? Fa-ʾamānu al-ḍuʿafāʾi lahu ghirratun wa-khudʿatun maʿa taḍyīʿi al-ʾamri mina al-mawlā jalla wa-ʿazza bi-al-taḥdhīri minhu wa-ittikhādhihi ʿaduwwan, wa-huwa yaqūlu taʿālā: ʿAduwwun muḍillun mubīnun bayyinu al-ḍalālati wa-ʾamara bi-ḥadharihi wa-mujāhadatihi ka-mā ʾamara bi-ḥadhari al-kāfirīna wa-mujāhadatihim, fa-qāla ʿazza wa-jalla: Khudhū ḥidhrakum.

and then withhold His protection from him, as punishment for neglecting His command. How can anyone feel safe from one whom even the strong have not escaped? The weak feeling safe from him is self-deception and a trick, as well as neglect of the Master’s command, majestic and mighty, to guard against him and take him as an enemy. He, exalted is He, says: “An enemy who manifestly leads astray,” plainly given to misguidance. He commanded vigilance against him and struggle against him, just as He commanded vigilance against the unbelievers and struggle against them, saying, mighty and majestic: “Take your precautions.”

وَأَمَرَ نَبِيَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِصَلَاةِ الْخَوْفِ، تَقُومُ بِهَا طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ بَعْدَ طَائِفَةٍ، لَا نَعُدُّ ذَلِكَ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شُغْلًا عَنْ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَكِنِ اتِّبَاعًا لِأَمْرِهِ، فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ طَاعَةً لِرَبِّهِ؛ لَا اشْتِغَالًا بِعَدُوِّ اللَّهِ. وَالْكُفَّارُ عَدُوٌّ تَرَاهُمُ الْأَعْيُنُ وَتَسْمَعُ أَصْوَاتَهُمُ الْآذَانُ،

Wa-ʾamara nabiyyahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama bi-ṣalāti al-khawfi, taqūmu bihā ṭāʾifatun minhum baʿda ṭāʾifatin, lā naʿuddu dhālika mina al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama shughlan ʿan rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-lākini ittibāʿan li-ʾamrihi, fa-faʿala dhālika ṭāʿatan li-rabbihi; lā ishtighālan bi-ʿaduwwi Allāhi. Wa-al-kuffāru ʿaduwwun tarāhumu al-ʾaʿyunu wa-tasmaʿu ʾaṣwātahumu al-ʾādhānu,

He commanded His Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, to perform the prayer in danger, with one group after another undertaking it. We do not regard this action of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, as a distraction from his Lord, mighty and majestic, but as obedience to His command. He did it in obedience to his Lord, not out of preoccupation with God’s enemy. The unbelievers are an enemy whom eyes can see and whose voices ears can hear,

فَإِنْ غَفَلَ الْعَبْدُ فَأَصَابَتْهُ مِنْهُمْ نَزْغَةٌ مِنْ ضَرْبَةٍ أَوْ طَعْنَةٍ أَوْ رَمْيَةٍ لَمْ يَنْفَكَّ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ عَاشَ، أَوْ شَهَادَةٍ إِنْ مَاتَ، وَالشَّيْطَانُ عَدُوٌّ يَرَاكَ وَلَا تَرَاهُ، كَمَا أَخْبَرَكَ عَنْهُ رَبُّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ فَهُوَ أَجْدَرُ أَنْ يَظْفَرَ فَلَا تَظْفَرَ بِهِ.

Fa-ʾin ghafala al-ʿabdu fa-ʾaṣābathu minhum nazghatun min ḍarbatin ʾaw ṭaʿnatin ʾaw ramyatin lam yanfakka min ʾajrin ʾin ʿāsha, ʾaw shahādatin ʾin māta, wa-al-shayṭānu ʿaduwwun yarāka wa-lā tarāhu, ka-mā ʾakhbaraka ʿanhu rabbuka ʿazza wa-jalla: ʾInnahu yarākum huwa wa-qabīluhu min ḥaythu lā tarawnahum fa-huwa ʾajdaru ʾan yaẓfara fa-lā taẓfara bihi.

If the servant becomes heedless and suffers an attack from them, a blow, a stab, or a projectile, he still receives a reward if he lives, or martyrdom if he dies. Satan, however, is an enemy who sees you while you do not see him, just as your Lord, mighty and majestic, has told you about him: “He and his host see you from where you cannot see them.” He is therefore more likely to gain the upper hand while you fail to gain the upper hand over him.

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قَالَ ابْنُ مُحَيْرِيزٍ فِي ذَلِكَ: صَيَّادٌ يَرَاكَ وَلَا تَرَاهُ يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَظْفَرَ بِكَ. يَعْنِي:

Qāla Ibnu Muḥayrīzin fī dhālika: Ṣayyādun yarāka wa-lā tarāhu yūshiku ʾan yaẓfara bika. Yaʿnī:

Ibn Muḥayrīz said of this: “A hunter who sees you while you do not see him will soon catch you.” He meant:

إِبْلِيسَ يَرَاكَ وَلَا تَرَاهُ.

ʾIblīsa yarāka wa-lā tarāhu.

Iblīs sees you while you do not see him.

وَإِنْ غَفَلْتَ عَنْهُ فَأَصَابَتْكَ نَزْغَتُهُ فَعَمِلَتْ فِيكَ لَمْ تَعْرَ مِنْ إِثْمٍ أَوْ حَبْطِ عَمَلٍ أَوْ نَقْصٍ مِنْ فَضْلٍ، وَإِنْ مُتَّ عَلَيْهَا فِي قِتَالٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَوْ غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، وَقَدْ قَبِلْتَ مِنْهُ خَطْرَةً مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ أَوْ غَيْرِهِ مِمَّا نُهِيتَ عَنْهُ، كَانَتِ النَّارُ، أَوْ يَعْفُوَ اللَّهُ عَنْكَ. فَأَيُّ الْعَدُوَّيْنِ أَوْلَى أَنْ تَحْتَرِزَ مِنْهُ؟

Wa-ʾin ghafalta ʿanhu fa-ʾaṣābatka nazghatuhu fa-ʿamilat fīka lam taʿra min ʾithmin ʾaw ḥabṭi ʿamalin ʾaw naqṣin min faḍlin, wa-ʾin mutta ʿalayhā fī qitālin fī sabīli Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʾaw ghayri dhālika, wa-qad qabilta minhu khaṭratan mina al-riyāʾi ʾaw ghayrihi mimmā nuhīta ʿanhu, kānati al-nāru, ʾaw yaʿfuwa Allāhu ʿanka. Fa-ʾayyu al-ʿaduwwayni ʾawlā ʾan taḥtariza minhu?

If you become heedless of him and his prompting strikes you and takes effect in you, you will not be free of sin, the nullification of a deed, or some loss of merit. If you die in that condition, whether fighting in the path of God, mighty and majestic, or otherwise, having accepted from him an impulse toward ostentation or some other forbidden thing, the Fire awaits, unless God pardons you. Which of the two enemies, then, is more deserving of your precautions?

وَأَيُّ النَّزْغَتَيْنِ أَوْلَى أَنْ تَحْذَرَ؟

Wa-ʾayyu al-nazghatayni ʾawlā ʾan taḥdhara?

And which of the two attacks is more deserving of your vigilance?

عَدُوٌّ تَرَاهُ إِنْ غَفَلْتَ عَنْهُ فَأَصَابَتْكَ نَزْغَتُهُ لَمْ تَخْلُ مِنْ أَجْرٍ أَوْ شَهَادَةٍ، أَوْ عَدُوٌّ يَرَاكَ فَلَا تَرَاهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْكَ نَزْغَتُهُ لَمْ تَخْلُ مِنْ إِثْمٍ أَوْ خُسْرَانِ عَمَلٍ، أَوْ مَوْتٍ أَوْ دُخُولٍ إِلَى النَّارِ أَوْ يَعْفُوَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَرِيمُ.

ʿAduwwun tarāhu in ghafalta ʿanhu fa-ʾaṣābatka nazghatuhu lam takhlu min ajrin aw shahādatin, aw ʿaduwwun yarāka fa-lā tarāhu, wa-in aṣābatka nazghatuhu lam takhlu min ithmin aw khusrāni ʿamalin, aw mawtin aw dukhūlin ilā al-nāri aw yaʿfuwa Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla al-ʿAliyyu al-Karīmu.

An enemy you can see, whose attack, if you neglect him and it strikes you, still leaves you with a reward or martyrdom? Or an enemy who sees you while you cannot see him, whose assault, if it strikes you, leaves you with sin, the loss of a deed, death, or entry into the Fire, unless God, mighty and majestic, the Most High, the Generous, pardons you?

فَقَدْ تَبَيَّنَ غَلَطُ الْفِرْقَةِ الَّتِي قَالَتْ: إِنَّ مِنَ الِاشْتِغَالِ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْإِعْرَاضَ عَمَّا حَذَّرَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ؛ طَاعَةً لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَاتِّبَاعًا لِأَمْرِهِ. فَذَلِكَ بَيِّنٌ عِنْدَ مَنْ عَقَلَ أَمْرَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Fa-qad tabayyana ghalaṭu al-firqati allatī qālat: inna mina al-ishtighāli bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla al-iʿrāḍa ʿammā ḥadhdhara Allāhu minhu; ṭāʿatan li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-ittibāʿan li-ʾamrihi. Fa-dhālika bayyinun ʿinda man ʿaqala amra Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

The error of the group who said that being occupied with God, mighty and majestic, includes disregarding what God warned against, in obedience to God, mighty and majestic, and in following His command, has thus become clear. This is plain to anyone who understands the command of God, mighty and majestic.

وَأَمَّا الْفِرْقَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ الَّتِي قَالَتْ: إِنَّهُ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ وَالتَّوَكُّلِ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَلَّا يَحْذَرَ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ، فَهَذَا غَلَطٌ مِنْهَا أَيْضًا لِأَنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَمْ يَحْذَرُوا الْعَدُوَّ بِاعْتِقَادٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنَّهُ يَضُرُّ أَوْ يَنْفَعُ دُونَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَكِنْ طَاعَةً لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَعَ اعْتِقَادِ أَنَّهُ لَا تَضُرُّ خَطَرَاتُهُ إِنْ عَصَمَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Wa-ʾammā al-firqatu al-thāniyatu allatī qālat: innahu mina al-yaqīni wa-al-tawakkuli ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla allā yaḥdhara ʿaduwwa Allāhi, fa-hādhā ghalaṭun minhā ayḍan li-ʾanna awliyāʾa Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla lam yaḥdharū al-ʿaduwwa bi-iʿtiqādin minhum annahu yaḍurru aw yanfaʿu dūna Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-lākin ṭāʿatan li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla maʿa iʿtiqādi annahu lā taḍurru khaṭarātuhu in ʿaṣama Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla.

As for the second group, who said that certainty and trust in God, mighty and majestic, require one not to be wary of God's enemy, this too is an error on their part. The friends of God, mighty and majestic, were not wary of the enemy because they believed he could harm or benefit independently of God, mighty and majestic. They were wary in obedience to God, mighty and majestic, while believing that his suggestions cannot harm if God, mighty and majestic, protects them.

وَلَا يَنْفَعُ حَذَرُهُ إِنْ خَذَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَلَا تَأْلُ جَهْدًا فِي الْحَذَرِ إِنْ حَذَّرَكَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَتَرْكُ الْحَذَرِ مِنَ الْخِذْلَانِ. وَدَوَامُ الْحَذَرِ هُوَ عِصْمَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؛ لِأَنَّ الْحَذَرَ مَهْمَا دَامَ حَجَزَ الْعَبْدَ عَنِ الْقَبُولِ مِنْهُ. فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ مَنْ يَحْذَرُهُ قَدْ نَقَصَ تَوَكُّلُهُ، وَحَذَرُهُ عِصْمَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ فِيهَا أَعْظَمُ النِّعَمِ؟

Wa-lā yanfaʿu ḥadharuhu in khadhala Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-lā taʾlu jahdan fī al-ḥadhari in ḥadhdharaka Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-tarku al-ḥadhari mina al-khidhlāni. Wa-dawāmu al-ḥadhari huwa ʿiṣmatun mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla; li-ʾanna al-ḥadhara mahmā dāma ḥajaza al-ʿabda ʿani al-qabūli minhu. Fa-kayfa yakūnu man yaḥdharuhu qad naqaṣa tawakkuluhu, wa-ḥadharuhu ʿiṣmatun mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalā al-ʿabdi fīhā aʿẓamu al-niʿami?

Nor does being wary of him help if God, mighty and majestic, withholds His support. Spare no effort, then, in vigilance when God, mighty and majestic, has warned you. Giving up vigilance is part of being left without support. Lasting vigilance is protection from God, mighty and majestic, for as long as it lasts it keeps the servant from accepting the enemy's suggestions. How can someone who is wary of him have diminished trust, when that vigilance is protection from God, mighty and majestic, bestowed upon the servant and containing the greatest blessings?

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فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ مَنْ خَافَ مَا خَوَّفَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ تَارِكًا لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ؟ وَكَيْفَ وَالْحَذَرُ هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَهُ فِي النَّجَاةِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا كَرِهَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؟ وَإِنَّمَا يَرْكَنُ الْعَبْدُ إِلَى مَا كَرِهَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذَا تَرَكَ الْحَذَرَ مِمَّا حَذَّرَ اللَّهُ.

Fa-kayfa yakūnu man khāfa mā khawwafa Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla tārikan li-ʾamri Allāhi? Wa-kayfa wa-al-ḥadharu huwa alladhī jaʿalahu fī al-najāti min kulli mā kariha Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla? Wa-innamā yarkanu al-ʿabdu ilā mā kariha Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla idhā taraka al-ḥadhara mimmā ḥadhdhara Allāhu.

How can someone who fears what God, mighty and majestic, has taught him to fear be abandoning God's command? How could that be, when vigilance is what has placed him safely beyond everything God, mighty and majestic, dislikes? The servant inclines toward what God, mighty and majestic, dislikes only when he gives up being wary of what God has warned against.

فَالْحَذَرُ لِمَا حَذَّرَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ الْعَبْدَ: أَنْ يَحْذَرَ الْعَبْدُ أَنْ يَتْرُكَ الْحَذَرَ مِمَّا حُذِّرَ مِنْهُ، فَيَكُونَ مُضَيِّعًا لِأَمْرِهِ. وَضِدُّ الْحَذَرِ: الْأَمْنُ وَالْغَفْلَةُ، وَالْأَمْنُ وَالْغَفْلَةُ: تَرْكُ الْقِيَامِ بِمَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ. وَلَكِنِ اتَّبَعُوا أَمْرَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِذَلِكَ، فَكَانَ حَذَرُهُمْ اتِّبَاعًا لِأَمْرِهِ مِنْ تَوْفِيقِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ؛ لَا حَذَرًا لِإِبْلِيسَ أَنَّهُ يَضُرُّ أَوْ يَنْفَعُ،

Fa-al-ḥadharu li-mā ḥadhdhara Allāhu minhu al-ʿabda: an yaḥdhara al-ʿabdu an yatruka al-ḥadhara mimmā ḥudhdhira minhu, fa-yakūna muḍayyiʿan li-ʾamrihi. Wa-ḍiddu al-ḥadhari: al-amnu wa-al-ghaflatu, wa-al-amnu wa-al-ghaflatu: tarku al-qiyāmi bi-mā amara Allāhu. Wa-lākini ittabaʿū amra Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla bi-dhālika, fa-kāna ḥadharuhum ittibāʿan li-ʾamrihi min tawfīqi Allāhi lahum; lā ḥadharan li-ʾIblīsa annahu yaḍurru aw yanfaʿu,

Vigilance concerning what God has warned His servant against means that the servant is wary of abandoning vigilance about what he has been warned against, thereby neglecting His command. The opposite of vigilance is feeling secure and being heedless; feeling secure and being heedless mean failing to carry out what God commands. Rather, in this they followed the command of God, mighty and majestic. Their vigilance was obedience to His command, arising from God's enabling them, rather than fear of Iblīs as someone who could harm or benefit.

وَلَكِنْ يُطِيعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ كَمَا أَمَرَهُمْ، وَذَلِكَ كَمَا أَمَرَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِصَلَاةِ الْخَوْفِ، وَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ حَذَرَهُ مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ هُوَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ، فَقَالَ عَزَّ مِنْ قَائِلٍ: وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَمِنْ رِبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ.

Wa-lākin yuṭīʿūna rabbahum ka-mā amarahum, wa-dhālika ka-mā amara al-Nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama bi-ṣalāti al-khawfi, wa-amarahu an yaʾkhudha ḥadharahu min ʿaduwwihi huwa wa-al-muʾminūna, fa-qāla ʿazza min qāʾilin: wa-ʾaʿiddū lahum mā istaṭaʿtum min quwwatin wa-min ribāṭi al-khayli.

Rather, they obey their Lord as He commanded them. It is just as He commanded the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, to perform the prayer in danger, and commanded him and the believers to take precautions against their enemy. Majestic is He who said: “Prepare against them whatever strength you can, and horses held ready.”

وَظَاهَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَ دِرْعَيْنِ، وَحَمَلَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ التِّرَسَةَ وَلَبِسُوا مَا يُحَصِّنُهُمْ، وَأَقَامَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ يَحْرُسُهُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِ، وَحَفَرَ الْخَنْدَقَ فَتَحَصَّنَ بِهِ شَهْرًا، لَا يَنْقُصُهُ ذَلِكَ وَلَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ يَقِينِهِمْ وَلَا تَوَكُّلِهِمْ؛ لِعِلْمِهِمْ أَنَّهُ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا مَا قُدِّرَ وَلَا يَشْغَلُهُمْ عَنْهُ ذَلِكَ، وَلَكِنِ اتِّبَاعًا لِأَمْرِهِ وَاشْتِغَالًا بِمَا أَحَبَّ وَأَرَادَ.

Wa-ẓāhara al-Nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama bayna dirʿayni, wa-ḥamala al-muʾminūna al-tirasata wa-labisū mā yuḥaṣṣinuhum, wa-ʾaqāma al-Nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama man yaḥrusuhum fī ṣalātihi, wa-ḥafara al-khandaqa fa-taḥaṣṣana bihi shahran, lā yanquṣuhu dhālika wa-lā al-muʾminīna min yaqīnihim wa-lā tawakkulihim; li-ʿilmihim annahu lā yakūnu illā mā quddira wa-lā yashghaluhum ʿanhu dhālika, wa-lākini ittibāʿan li-ʾamrihi wa-ishtighālan bi-mā aḥabba wa-ʾarāda.

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, wore two coats of armor, one over the other. The believers carried shields and wore protective clothing. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, appointed someone to guard them during his prayer, and dug the trench, taking shelter behind it for a month. None of this diminished his or the believers' certainty or trust, for they knew that only what had been decreed would happen. Nor did it distract them from Him; it was obedience to His command and occupation with what He loved and wanted.

Source page 251

فَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ حَذِرَ الْعَدُوَّ الَّذِي لَا يَرَاهُ وَهُوَ يَكِيدُهُ بِأَعْظَمِ مَا يَكِيدُهُ الْكُفَّارُ، فَحَذَرُهُ طَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَاتِّبَاعٌ لِأَمْرِهِ، وَتَوَكُّلٌ فِي ذَلِكَ عَلَى رَبِّهِ، يُؤَدِّي مَا أُمِرَ بِهِ مَعَ خَلْعِ الشَّيْطَانِ مِنْ مِلْكِ شَيْءٍ دُونَ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيَثِقُ بِرَبِّهِ وَيُحْسِنُ الظَّنَّ بِهِ إِذَا اتَّبَعَ أَمْرَهُ بِالْحَذَرِ مِمَّا حَذَّرَ،

Fa-kadhālika man ḥadhira al-ʿaduwwa alladhī lā yarāhu wa-huwa yakīduhu bi-ʾaʿẓami mā yakīduhu al-kuffāru, fa-ḥadharuhu ṭāʿatun mina al-muʾminīna li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-ittibāʿun li-ʾamrihi, wa-tawakkulun fī dhālika ʿalā rabbihi, yuʾaddī mā umira bihi maʿa khalʿi al-shayṭāni min milki shayʾin dūna rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-yathiqu bi-rabbihi wa-yuḥsinu al-ẓanna bihi idhā ittabaʿa amrahu bi-al-ḥadhari mimmā ḥadhdhara,

The same holds for someone who is wary of the enemy he cannot see, who plots against him more grievously than the unbelievers do. For a believer, such vigilance is obedience to God, mighty and majestic, adherence to His command, and reliance on his Lord in this. He carries out what he has been commanded while denying Satan possession of anything independently of his Lord, mighty and majestic. He trusts his Lord and thinks well of Him as he follows His command by being wary of what He has warned against,

مَعَ الْيَقِينِ بِأَنَّهُ لَا يَضُرُّ وَلَا يَنْفَعُ غَيْرُهُ، وَأَنَّهُ يُحْسِنُ مَعُونَتَهُ وَيُقَوِّيهِ عَلَى عَدُوِّهِ وَيَعْصِمُهُ مِنْ فِتْنَتِهِ.

Maʿa al-yaqīni bi-ʾannahu lā yaḍurru wa-lā yanfaʿu ghayruhu, wa-ʾannahu yuḥsinu maʿūnatahu wa-yuqawwīhi ʿalā ʿaduwwihi wa-yaʿṣimuhu min fitnatihi.

with certainty that no one other than Him can harm or benefit, and that He will help him well, strengthen him against his enemy, and protect him from his temptation.

فَلَيْسَ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ أَمْرَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَعَ الْيَقِينِ بِنَاقِصِ التَّوَكُّلِ وَالْيَقِينِ، وَلَكِنْ نَاقِصُ الْيَقِينِ مَنْ ضَيَّعَ أَمْرَهُ؛ إِرَادَةَ كَمَالِ الْيَقِينِ. وَهَذَا قَوْلُ الْفِرْقَةِ الْمُتَّبِعَةِ لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالسُّنَّةِ.

Fa-laysa mani ittabaʿa amra Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla maʿa al-yaqīni bi-nāqiṣi al-tawakkuli wa-al-yaqīni, wa-lākin nāqiṣu al-yaqīni man ḍayyaʿa amrahu; irādata kamāli al-yaqīni. Wa-hādhā qawlu al-firqati al-muttabiʿati li-kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-al-sunnati.

Someone who follows the command of God, mighty and majestic, with certainty is not deficient in trust and certainty. Rather, the one deficient in certainty is the person who neglects His command in pursuit of perfect certainty. This is the position of the group who follow the Book of God, mighty and majestic, and the Sunna.

Source page 252

بَابُ وَصْفِ الْحَذَرِ مِنَ الْعَدُوِّ إِبْلِيسَ

Bābu waṣfi al-ḥadhari mina al-ʿaduwwi Iblīsa

Chapter on the Nature of Vigilance against the Enemy, Iblīs

قُلْتُ: كَيْفَ الْحَذَرُ مِنْهُ؟ أَهُوَ انْتِظَارٌ وَتَوَقُّعٌ مَتَى يَعْرِضُ؟ أَمْ نَحْذَرُ بِغَيْرِ انْتِظَارٍ لَهُ؟

Qultu: kayfa al-ḥadharu minhu? A-huwa intiẓārun wa-tawaqquʿun matā yaʿriḍu? Am naḥdharu bi-ghayri intiẓārin lahu?

I said: “What does being wary of him involve? Is it waiting and watching for when he will appear? Or do we remain wary without waiting for him?”

قَالَ: وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَتْ هَذِهِ الْفِرْقَةُ الَّتِي دَانَتْ بِحَذَرِهِ اتِّبَاعًا لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَاخْتَلَفَتْ هَذِهِ الْفِرْقَةُ إِلَى ثَلَاثِ فِرَقٍ، كُلُّهَا غَالِطَةٌ إِلَّا فِرْقَةً.

Qāla: wa-qadi ikhtalafat hādhihi al-firqatu allatī dānat bi-ḥadharihi ittibāʿan li-ʾamri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-ikhtalafat hādhihi al-firqatu ilā thalāthi firaqin, kulluhā ghāliṭatun illā firqatan.

He said: “This group, who regarded being wary of him as a religious duty in obedience to the command of God, mighty and majestic, themselves disagreed. They split into three groups, all mistaken except one.

فَقَالَتْ فِرْقَةٌ مِنْهُمْ: إِذَا أَمَرَنَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِمُجَاهَدَةِ مَنْ لَا نَرَاهُ وَخَوَّفَنَا مِنْهُ، وَأَعْلَمَنَا أَنَّ فِي ظَفَرِهِ بِنَا الْهَلَكَةَ، وَلَا يَكُونُ فِي قُلُوبِنَا شَيْءٌ أَغْلَبَ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا أَلْزَمَ لَهَا مِنْ حَذَرِهِ، فَنَنْتَظِرُ مَتَى يَعْرِضُ بِفِتْنَتِهِ، لِأَنَّ الِاشْتِغَالَ عَنْهُ يُورِثُ النِّسْيَانَ، وَالنِّسْيَانُ يُورِثُ قَبُولَ خَطَرَاتِهِ بِغَيْرِ مَعْرِفَةٍ، وَذَلِكَ يُؤَدِّي إِلَى الْهَلَكَةِ،

Fa-qālat firqatun minhum: idhā amaranā Allāhu ʿazza wa-jalla bi-mujāhadati man lā narāhu wa-khawwafanā minhu, wa-ʾaʿlamanā anna fī ẓafarihi binā al-halakata, wa-lā yakūnu fī qulūbinā shayʾun aghlaba ʿalayhā wa-lā alzama lahā min ḥadharihi, fa-nantaẓiru matā yaʿriḍu bi-fitnatihi, li-ʾanna al-ishtighāla ʿanhu yūrithu al-nisyāna, wa-al-nisyānu yūrithu qabūla khaṭarātihi bi-ghayri maʿrifatin, wa-dhālika yuʾaddī ilā al-halakati,

One group said: ‘Since God, mighty and majestic, has commanded us to struggle against someone we cannot see, warned us to fear him, and told us that his victory over us means ruin, nothing in our hearts should dominate them or remain with them more persistently than vigilance against him. We therefore wait for him to appear with his temptation, for being occupied with something else makes us forget him. Forgetting leads to accepting his suggestions without recognizing them, and that leads to ruin.’

فَرَأَتْ أَنْ تَكُونَ قُلُوبُهَا مُنْتَظِرَةً لِلشَّيْطَانِ، مُتَوَقِّعَةً مَتَى تَخْطُرُ بِخَطْرَةٍ فَيَنْظُرُوا فِيهَا؛ كَرَاهَةَ أَنْ يَخْطُرَ عَلَى غَفْلَةٍ فَيَقْبَلُوهَا فَيَهْلِكُوا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ.

Fa-raʾat an takūna qulūbuhā muntaẓiratan li-al-shayṭāni, mutawaqqiʿatan matā takhṭuru bi-khaṭratin fa-yanẓurū fīhā; karāhata an yakhṭura ʿalā ghaflatin fa-yaqbalūhā fa-yahlikū wa-hum lā yashʿurūna.

They therefore thought their hearts should wait for Satan, watching for a suggestion to occur so that they could examine it. They feared that he might intrude when they were heedless, and that they would accept it and perish without realizing it.

وَقَالَتْ فِرْقَةٌ: ذَلِكَ غَلَطٌ، لِاشْتِغَالِهَا بِانْتِظَارِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَلَمْ نُؤْمَرْ بِذَلِكَ، وَذَلِكَ إِرَادَةُ الشَّيْطَانِ مِنَّا أَنْ نُخْلِيَ قُلُوبَنَا مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَذِكْرِ الْآخِرَةِ، وَنَعْمُرَهَا بِذِكْرِهِ وَارْتِقَابِ خَطَرَاتِهِ، وَلَكِنْ نُلْزِمُ قُلُوبَنَا ذِكْرَ الْآخِرَةِ وَذِكْرَ مَا يَعْرِضُ، فَلَا نَكُونُ قَدْ تَعَطَّلْنَا مِنْ ذِكْرِ الْآخِرَةِ، وَلَا نَكُونُ نَاسِينَ لِمَنْ أُمِرْنَا بِحَذَرِهِ،

Wa-qālat firqatun: dhālika ghalaṭun, li-ishtighālihā bi-intiẓāri al-shayṭāni wa-lam nuʾmar bi-dhālika, wa-dhālika irādatu al-shayṭāni minnā an nukhliya qulūbanā min dhikri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-dhikri al-ākhirati, wa-naʿmurahā bi-dhikrihi wa-irtiqābi khaṭarātihi, wa-lākin nulzimu qulūbanā dhikra al-ākhirati wa-dhikra mā yaʿriḍu, fa-lā nakūnu qad taʿaṭṭalnā min dhikri al-ākhirati, wa-lā nakūnu nāsīna li-man umirnā bi-ḥadharihi,

Another group said: ‘That is a mistake, because it occupies them with waiting for Satan, and we have not been commanded to do that. That is precisely what Satan wants from us: to empty our hearts of remembrance of God, mighty and majestic, and of the hereafter, and fill them with remembrance of him and anticipation of his suggestions. Instead, we keep our hearts intent on remembering the hereafter and remembering what may arise. In this way we neither cease remembering the hereafter nor forget the one we have been commanded to be wary of,

كَرَاهَةَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ عَلَى غَفْلَةٍ فَيُفْسِدَ مَا نَحْنُ فِيهِ مِنَ الذِّكْرِ، فَكَانَ ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَذِكْرُ وَسَاوِسِ الشَّيْطَانِ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مُتَعَارِضَيْنِ، كُلَّمَا ذَكَرُوا شَيْئًا مِنْ ذِكْرِ الْآخِرَةِ ذَكَرُوا الْعَدُوَّ؛ شَفَقًا أَنْ يَخْطُرَ بِفِتْنَتِهِ فَيُزِيلَ قُلُوبَهُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، أَوْ يَرْكَنُوا إِلَى مَا يُحْبِطُ عَمَلَهُمْ فِي يَوْمِ عَرْضِهِمْ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ، جَلَّ وَعَزَّ.

Karāhata an yaʾtiya ʿalā ghaflatin fa-yufsida mā naḥnu fīhi mina al-dhikri, fa-kāna dhikru Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-dhikru wasāwisi al-shayṭāni fī qulūbihim mutaʿāriḍayni, kullamā dhakarū shayʾan min dhikri al-ākhirati dhakarū al-ʿaduwwa; shafaqan an yakhṭura bi-fitnatihi fa-yuzīla qulūbahum ʿan dhikri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, aw yarkanū ilā mā yuḥbiṭu ʿamalahum fī yawmi ʿarḍihim ʿalā rabbihim, jalla wa-ʿazza.

for fear that he may come upon us unawares and spoil the remembrance in which we are engaged.’ Thus remembrance of God, mighty and majestic, and remembrance of Satan's whisperings competed in their hearts. Whenever they remembered something concerning the hereafter, they remembered the enemy, afraid that he might intrude with his temptation and turn their hearts away from remembrance of God, mighty and majestic, or that they might incline toward what would nullify their deeds on the day they are presented to their Lord, majestic and mighty.

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وَقَالَتْ فِرْقَةٌ وَهُمْ أَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ وَأَوْلَى بِالْحَقِّ: كِلْتَا الْفِرْقَتَيْنِ غَالِطَةٌ: أَمَّا الْأُولَى فَفَرَّغَتْ قُلُوبَهُمْ مِنْ ذِكْرِ الْآخِرَةِ، وَجَعَلَتْ عِبَادَتَهَا إِلْزَامَ قُلُوبِهَا ذِكْرَ الشَّيْطَانِ، فَقَدْ أَدْخَلَتْ ذِكْرَ الشَّيْطَانِ مِنَ الْقَلْبِ غَلَطًا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا أَدْخَلَتْ ذِكْرَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ، وَإِنَّمَا أُمِرَتْ بِالْحَذَرِ مِنْ أَنْ تَغْفُلَ عَنِ الذِّكْرِ وَالْعَمَلِ، فَإِذَا وَدَعَتِ الذِّكْرَ فَقَدْ أَصَابَ الْعَدُوُّ مَا أَرَادَ،

Wa-qālat firqatun wa-hum ahlu al-ʿilmi wa-ʾawlā bi-al-ḥaqqi: kiltā al-firqatayni ghāliṭatun: ammā al-ūlā fa-farraghat qulūbahum min dhikri al-ākhirati, wa-jaʿalat ʿibādatahā ilzāma qulūbihā dhikra al-shayṭāni, fa-qad adkhalat dhikra al-shayṭāni mina al-qalbi ghalaṭan akthara mimmā adkhalat dhikra Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla fī qulūbihim, wa-innamā umirat bi-al-ḥadhari min an taghfula ʿani al-dhikri wa-al-ʿamali, fa-idhā wadaʿati al-dhikra fa-qad aṣāba al-ʿaduwwu mā arāda,

A third group, the people of knowledge, whose position is more worthy of the truth, said: ‘Both groups are mistaken. The first has emptied their hearts of remembrance of the hereafter and made its worship consist of obliging their hearts to remember Satan. In error, it has given remembrance of Satan a greater place in the heart than it has given remembrance of God, mighty and majestic, in their hearts. It was only commanded to be wary of neglecting remembrance and action. Once it has abandoned remembrance, the enemy has achieved what he wanted.

وَإِنْ جَاءَتْ خَطْرَةٌ إِلَى قَلْبٍ فَارِغٍ مِنَ الذِّكْرِ يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَقْبَلَهَا، إِذْ لَيْسَ فِيهِ نُورٌ مِنْ ذِكْرِ الْآخِرَةِ، وَلَا قُوَّةُ اشْتِغَالٍ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَأَنْتُمْ أَضْعَفُ فِي الرَّدِّ وَأَفْرَغُ قُلُوبًا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ، وَلَمْ تُؤْمَرُوا بِانْتِظَارِهِ وَلَا بِإِدْمَانِ ذِكْرِهِ.

Wa-in jāʾat khaṭratun ilā qalbin fārighin mina al-dhikri yūshiku an yaqbalahā, idh laysa fīhi nūrun min dhikri al-ākhirati, wa-lā quwwatu ishtighālin bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, fa-antum aḍʿafu fī al-raddi wa-ʾafraghu qulūban mina al-ākhirati min ghayrikum, wa-lam tuʾmarū bi-intiẓārihi wa-lā bi-idmāni dhikrihi.

If a suggestion comes to a heart empty of remembrance, it is likely to accept it, since it has neither light from remembering the hereafter nor the strength of being occupied with God, mighty and majestic. You are therefore weaker at resisting, and your hearts emptier of the hereafter, than those of other people. You were not commanded to wait for him or constantly remember him.

وَأَمَّا الْفِرْقَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ فَقَدْ شَارَكَتِ الْأُولَى فِي بَعْضِ مَعْنَاهَا إِذْ جَعَلَتْ ذِكْرَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَذِكْرَ الشَّيْطَانِ فِي الْقَلْبِ مُسْتَوِيَيْنِ، فَكَأَنَّمَا أُمِرَتْ بِذَلِكَ: ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَذِكْرِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَالِاشْتِغَالِ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَبِالشَّيْطَانِ، وَلَمْ يَبْلُغْنَا عَنْ أَحَدٍ مِنَ الْأَقْوِيَاءِ وَلَا الضُّعَفَاءِ أَنَّهُ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ وَلَا دَانَ بِهِ، لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَمَرَ عِبَادَهُ بِطَاعَتِهِ،

Wa-ʾammā al-firqatu al-thāniyatu fa-qad shārakati al-ūlā fī baʿḍi maʿnāhā idh jaʿalat dhikra Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-dhikra al-shayṭāni fī al-qalbi mustawiyayni, fa-ka-ʾannamā umirat bi-dhālika: dhikri Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-dhikri al-shayṭāni wa-al-ishtighāli bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-bi-al-shayṭāni, wa-lam yablughnā ʿan aḥadin mina al-aqwiyāʾi wa-lā al-ḍuʿafāʾi annahu faʿala dhālika wa-lā dāna bihi, li-ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla amara ʿibādahu bi-ṭāʿatihi,

As for the second group, it shares part of the first group's position, since it has put remembrance of God, mighty and majestic, and remembrance of Satan on an equal footing in the heart, as though it had been commanded to do that: to remember God, mighty and majestic, and remember Satan, and to be occupied with God, mighty and majestic, and with Satan. We have received no report of anyone, strong or weak, doing that or regarding it as a religious duty. God, mighty and majestic, commanded His servants to obey Him,

وَنَدَبَهُمْ إِلَى الِاشْتِغَالِ بِهِ عَنْ خَلْقِهِ، إِبْلِيسَ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَأَمَرَهُمْ بِالْحَذَرِ مِنْهُ حِينَ يَعْرِضُ بِفِتْنَتِهِ، فَاشْتَغَلَ أَوْلِيَاءُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَأَهْلُ الْخَالِصَةِ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ بِذِكْرِ رَبِّهِمْ وَذِكْرِ مَا نَدَبَ إِلَيْهِ وَأَحَبَّهُ، وَأَلْزَمُوا قُلُوبَهُمْ حَذَرَ مَا حَذَّرَهُمْ مِنْهُ، عَلَى غَيْرِ انْتِظَارٍ لَهُ، وَلَا اشْتِغَالٍ بِذِكْرِهِ.

Wa-nadabahum ilā al-ishtighāli bihi ʿan khalqihi, Iblīsa wa-ghayrihi, wa-amarahum bi-al-ḥadhari minhu ḥīna yaʿriḍu bi-fitnatihi, fa-ishtaghala awliyāʾu Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-ahlu al-khāliṣati min ʿibādihi bi-dhikri rabbihim wa-dhikri mā nadaba ilayhi wa-ʾaḥabbahu, wa-ʾalzamū qulūbahum ḥadhara mā ḥadhdharahum minhu, ʿalā ghayri intiẓārin lahu, wa-lā ishtighālin bi-dhikrihi.

encouraged them to be occupied with Him rather than His creatures, Iblīs and others, and commanded them to be wary of him when he appears with his temptation. So the friends of God, mighty and majestic, and the sincere among His servants occupied themselves with remembering their Lord and remembering what He encouraged and loved. They kept their hearts wary of what He warned them against, without waiting for the enemy or occupying themselves with remembering him.

وَالْحَذَرُ يَلْزَمُ الْقَلْبَ مِنَ الْعِنَايَةِ بِالنَّجَاةِ مِنَ الْعَدُوِّ وَالْخَوْفِ مِنْ فِتْنَتِهِ، ثُمَّ لَا يَمْنَعُ الِاشْتِغَالُ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، مَعَ تَرْكِ ذِكْرِ الْعَدُوِّ وَالِاشْتِغَالِ بِهِ، أَنْ يَهِيجَ الذِّكْرُ وَالتَّيَقُّظُ حِينَ يَعْرِضُ الْعَدُوُّ بِخَطْرَتِهِ. وَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَمَوْجُودٌ فِيمَا هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الِاشْتِغَالِ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ذَهَابِ الْعَقْلِ بِالنَّوْمِ، حَتَّى لَا يَعْقِلَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا،

Wa-al-ḥadharu yalzamu al-qalba mina al-ʿināyati bi-al-najāti mina al-ʿaduwwi wa-al-khawfi min fitnatihi, thumma lā yamnaʿu al-ishtighālu bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, maʿa tarki dhikri al-ʿaduwwi wa-al-ishtighāli bihi, an yahīja al-dhikru wa-al-tayaqquẓu ḥīna yaʿriḍu al-ʿaduwwu bi-khaṭratihi. Wa-inna dhālika la-mawjūdun fī-mā huwa ashaddu mina al-ishtighāli bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla: dhahābi al-ʿaqli bi-al-nawmi, ḥattā lā yaʿqila shayʾan mina al-dunyā,

Vigilance stays in the heart through concern to escape the enemy and fear of his temptation. Being occupied with God, mighty and majestic, while ceasing to remember the enemy or be occupied with him, does not prevent recollection and alertness from stirring when the enemy presents his suggestion. This can indeed be found in something more overwhelming than being occupied with God, mighty and majestic: the loss of conscious awareness in sleep, when one perceives nothing of this world.

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فَإِنْ نَامَ وَالْحَذَرُ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِنْ ذَهَابِ النَّوْمِ؛ تَيَقَّظَ فِي غَيْرِ وَقْتِهِ الَّذِي كَانَ يَسْتَيْقِظُ لَهُ مِنَ الْحَذَرِ اللَّازِمِ لِقَلْبِهِ.

Fa-in nāma wa-al-ḥadharu fī qalbihi min dhahābi al-nawmi; tayaqqaẓa fī ghayri waqtihi alladhī kāna yastayqiẓu lahu mina al-ḥadhari al-lāzimi li-qalbihi.

If he goes to sleep with apprehension in his heart about the passing of sleep, he wakes at a time other than his usual waking time, because of the vigilance that remains in his heart.

فَكَذَلِكَ الْمُشْتَغِلُ بِذِكْرِ رَبِّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَذْهَبْ عَقْلُهُ أَوْلَى أَنْ يُوقِظَهُ وَيُذَكِّرَهُ الْحَذَرُ مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ، وَإِنِ اشْتَغَلَ بِذِكْرِ رَبِّهِ وَتَرَكَ ذِكْرَ عَدُوِّهِ وَالِاشْتِغَالَ بِهِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمُسْتَيْقِظَ مِنَ النَّوْمِ مِنْ غَيْرِ ذِكْرٍ دَائِمٍ فِي قَلْبِهِ، وَكَيْفَ يَذْكُرُ وَهُوَ نَائِمٌ لَا يَعْقِلُ وَلَكِنَّهُ أَيْقَظَهُ الْحَذَرُ.

Fa-kadhālika al-mushtaghilu bi-dhikri rabbihi alladhī lam yadhhab ʿaqluhu awlā an yūqiẓahu wa-yudhakkirahu al-ḥadharu min ʿaduwwihi, wa-ini ishtaghala bi-dhikri rabbihi wa-taraka dhikra ʿaduwwihi wa-al-ishtighāla bihi; li-ʾanna al-mustayqiẓa mina al-nawmi min ghayri dhikrin dāʾimin fī qalbihi, wa-kayfa yadhkuru wa-huwa nāʾimun lā yaʿqilu wa-lākinnahu ayqaẓahu al-ḥadharu.

Likewise, someone occupied with remembering his Lord, who has not lost his awareness, is all the more likely to be awakened and reminded by his vigilance against his enemy, even though he is occupied with remembering his Lord and has ceased remembering his enemy or being occupied with him. The person who awakens from sleep does so without continuous recollection in his heart. How could he remember while asleep and unaware? Rather, vigilance awakened him.

فَكَذَلِكَ الْعَامِلُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، الْمُشْتَغِلُ بِذِكْرِهِ اللَّاهِي عَنْ ذِكْرِ الشَّيْطَانِ بِالِاشْتِغَالِ بِرَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، إِذَا عَرَضَ عَارِضٌ مِنْهُ ذَكَّرَهُ الْحَذَرُ فِي قَلْبِهِ، وَقَوَّاهُ الذِّكْرُ عَلَى أَنْ يَفْطَنَ لِلْعَارِضِ، وَتَحَرَّكَ لِلْعَارِضِ وَفَزِعَ، إِذْ كَانَ فِيهِ عَطَبُهُ، وَالنَّائِمُ لَيْسَ فِي قَلْبِهِ ذِكْرٌ وَلَا عَارِضٌ لَهُ يُوقِظُهُ، فَإِنْ عَرَضَتْ خَطْرَةٌ ذَكَرَهَا وَكَانَ أَقْوَى عَلَى رَدِّهَا؛

Fa-kadhālika al-ʿāmilu li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, al-mushtaghilu bi-dhikrihi al-lāhī ʿan dhikri al-shayṭāni bi-al-ishtighāli bi-rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla, idhā ʿaraḍa ʿāriḍun minhu dhakkarahu al-ḥadharu fī qalbihi, wa-qawwāhu al-dhikru ʿalā an yafṭana li-al-ʿāriḍi, wa-taḥarraka li-al-ʿāriḍi wa-faziʿa, idh kāna fīhi ʿaṭabuhu, wa-al-nāʾimu laysa fī qalbihi dhikrun wa-lā ʿāriḍun lahu yūqiẓuhu, fa-in ʿaraḍat khaṭratun dhakarahā wa-kāna aqwā ʿalā raddihā;

The same applies to someone acting for God, mighty and majestic, occupied with remembering Him and diverted from remembering Satan by his occupation with his Lord, mighty and majestic. When an impulse from Satan appears, the vigilance in his heart reminds him, and remembrance strengthens his ability to notice the impulse. He stirs in response to it and takes alarm, since it contains his ruin. The sleeper has neither remembrance in his heart nor an impulse confronting him to awaken him. If a suggestion arises for the worshipper, he notices it and is stronger in resisting it,

لِأَنَّهَا تَعْرِضُ بِقَلْبٍ مَشْغُولٍ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، قَدْ غَلَبَ عَلَيْهِ نُورُ الِاشْتِغَالِ فَأَمَاتَ مِنْهُ الْهَوَى، وَقَوَّى مِنْهُ الْعَقْلَ، وَزَجَرَ الْجَهْلَ، وَجَانَبَهُ بِنُورِ الْعِلْمِ، فَيَرُدُّهُ بِأَهْوَنِ الرَّدِّ.

Li-ʾannahā taʿriḍu bi-qalbin mashghūlin bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, qad ghalaba ʿalayhi nūru al-ishtighāli fa-ʾamāta minhu al-hawā, wa-qawwā minhu al-ʿaqla, wa-zajara al-jahla, wa-jānabahu bi-nūri al-ʿilmi, fa-yarudduhu bi-ʾahwani al-raddi.

because it confronts a heart occupied with God, mighty and majestic. The light of that occupation has prevailed over it, putting its desire to death and strengthening its reason; it has checked ignorance and kept clear of it through the light of knowledge. It therefore repels the suggestion with the greatest ease.

وَمَثَلُ الَّذِي يُفَرِّغُ قَلْبَهُ أَوْ بَعْضَهُ لِانْتِظَارِ خَطْرَةٍ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ، مَثَلُ مَنْ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَنْزِفَ الْمَاءَ الْقَذِرَ مِنْ بِئْرٍ، وَالْمَاءُ مِنَ الْمَجْرَى إِلَيْهَا وَاصِلٌ، فَهُوَ يَنْزِفُ وَالْمَاءُ إِلَيْهَا يَجْرِي، فَيَقْطَعُ أَيَّامَهُ بِالنَّزْفِ وَلَمْ تَجِفَّ الْبِئْرُ مِنَ الْمَاءِ. وَمَثَلُ الَّذِي يُلْزِمُ الِاشْتِغَالَ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَلْبَهُ: مَثَلُ مَنْ جَعَلَ لِمَجْرَاهَا سَكْرًا وَسَدًّا،

Wa-mathalu alladhī yufarrighu qalbahu aw baʿḍahu li-intiẓāri khaṭratin mina al-shayṭāni, mathalu man yurīdu an yanzifa al-māʾa al-qadhira min biʾrin, wa-al-māʾu mina al-majrā ilayhā wāṣilun, fa-huwa yanzifu wa-al-māʾu ilayhā yajrī, fa-yaqṭaʿu ayyāmahu bi-al-nazfi wa-lam tajiffa al-biʾru mina al-māʾi. Wa-mathalu alladhī yulzimu al-ishtighāla bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla qalbahu: mathalu man jaʿala li-majrāhā sakran wa-saddan,

Someone who empties his heart, or part of it, to wait for a suggestion from Satan is like someone who wants to bail dirty water out of a well while water continues reaching it through a channel. He bails while water keeps flowing into it, spending his days bailing without emptying the well of water. Someone who keeps his heart occupied with God, mighty and majestic, is like someone who has placed a barrier and a dam across its channel.

فَإِذَا جَاءَ الْمَاءُ رَدَّهُ بِذَلِكَ السَّكْرِ وَالسَّدِّ مِنْ غَيْرِ كُلْفَةٍ وَلَا عَنَاءٍ، فَطَهَّرَ الْبِئْرَ مِنَ السَّائِلِ مِنَ الْأَقْذَارِ، وَقَلَّ تَعَبُهُ وَكُلْفَتُهُ فِي النَّزْفِ، وَكَذَلِكَ مَنِ اشْتَغَلَ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ رَدَّ الْخَاطِرَ بِاشْتِغَالِ قَلْبِهِ بِرَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَنُورِهِ وَقُوَّةِ عَزْمِهِ، بِأَهْوَنِ الرَّدِّ.

Fa-idhā jāʾa al-māʾu raddahu bi-dhālika al-sakri wa-al-saddi min ghayri kulfatin wa-lā ʿanāʾin, fa-ṭahhara al-biʾra mina al-sāʾili mina al-aqdhāri, wa-qalla taʿabuhu wa-kulfatuhu fī al-nazfi, wa-kadhālika mani ishtaghala bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla radda al-khāṭira bi-ishtighāli qalbihi bi-rabbihi ʿazza wa-jalla wa-nūrihi wa-quwwati ʿazmihi, bi-ʾahwani al-raddi.

When the water comes, he turns it back with that barrier and dam, without difficulty or toil. He has purified the well of the filth flowing into it, and reduced the labor and difficulty of bailing. Likewise, someone occupied with God, mighty and majestic, repels the passing thought with the greatest ease through his heart's occupation with his Lord, mighty and majestic, its light, and the strength of his resolve.

Source page 255

فَهَذِهِ الْفِرْقَةُ لِلْقُرْآنِ وَالسُّنَّةِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ أَتْبَعُ، وَعَلَى رَدِّ الْخَطَرَاتِ أَقْوَى وَأَبْعَدُ مِنَ الْخَدْعِ وَالنَّقْصِ، فَأَلْزَمُوا الْحَذَرَ قُلُوبَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ اشْتِغَالٍ بِالْعَدُوِّ، وَلَا خَافُوا الْمَقْدِرَةَ عِنْدَهُ دُونَ رَبِّهِمْ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَكِنْ طَاعَةً لِلَّهِ وَتَوَكُّلًا عَلَيْهِ وَاتِّبَاعًا لِأَمْرِهِ، وَلَمْ يَعْدُوا الِاشْتِغَالَ بِرَبِّهِمْ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ، وَالْإِعْرَاضَ عَنِ الِاشْتِغَالِ بِالشَّيْطَانِ وَذِكْرِهِ فَهُمْ فِي الِاشْتِغَالِ بِرَبِّهِمْ دَائِبُونَ، وَبِالْحَذَرِ إِذَا عَرَضَ الْخَاطِرُ مُتَيَقِّظُونَ،

Fa-hādhihi al-firqatu li-al-Qurʾāni wa-al-sunnati wa-al-ṣāliḥīna atbaʿu, wa-ʿalā raddi al-khaṭarāti aqwā wa-abʿadu mina al-khadʿi wa-al-naqṣi, fa-ʾalzamū al-ḥadhara qulūbahum bi-ghayri ishtighālin bi-al-ʿaduwwi, wa-lā khāfū al-maqdirata ʿindahu dūna rabbihim ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-lākin ṭāʿatan li-llāhi wa-tawakkulan ʿalayhi wa-ittibāʿan li-ʾamrihi, wa-lam yaʿdū al-ishtighāla bi-rabbihim jalla wa-ʿazza, wa-al-iʿrāḍa ʿani al-ishtighāli bi-al-shayṭāni wa-dhikrihi fa-hum fī al-ishtighāli bi-rabbihim dāʾibūna, wa-bi-al-ḥadhari idhā ʿaraḍa al-khāṭiru mutayaqqiẓūna,

This group follows the Qurʾan, the Sunna, and the righteous more faithfully; it is stronger at repelling suggestions and further from deception and deficiency. They kept vigilance in their hearts without occupying themselves with the enemy or fearing that he possessed power independently of their Lord, mighty and majestic. They did so in obedience to God, trusting Him and following His command. They did not go beyond occupation with their Lord, majestic and mighty, and turning away from occupation with Satan and remembrance of him. They remain steadfastly occupied with their Lord and, through vigilance, alert when a passing thought appears.

وَبِقُوَّةِ الِاشْتِغَالِ بِاللَّهِ يَسْهُلُ عَلَيْهِمْ رَدُّ الْخَاطِرِ إِذَا عَرَضَ بِفِتْنَةٍ، فَسَلِمُوا وَغَنِمُوا، وَاتَّبَعُوا وَاسْتَقَامُوا.

Wa-bi-quwwati al-ishtighāli bi-Allāhi yas-hulu ʿalayhim raddu al-khāṭiri idhā ʿaraḍa bi-fitnatin, fa-salimū wa-ghanimū, wa-ittabaʿū wa-istaqāmū.

Through the strength of their occupation with God, it becomes easy for them to repel the passing thought when it appears with temptation. They thus remain safe and gain, follow faithfully and stay upright.’”

Source page 256

بَابُ الْغَلَطِ فِي الْحَذَرِ مِنَ الْعَدُوِّ إِبْلِيسَ

Bābu al-ghalaṭi fī al-ḥadhari mina al-ʿaduwwi Iblīsa

Chapter on Mistaken Vigilance against the Enemy, Iblīs

قُلْتُ: فَإِذَا خَطَرَتْ خَطْرَةٌ؛ تَحْذِيرًا لِلرِّيَاءِ، هَلْ يَكُونُ فِي التَّحْذِيرِ غَلَطٌ؟

Qultu: fa-idhā khaṭarat khaṭratun; taḥdhīran li-al-riyāʾi, hal yakūnu fī al-taḥdhīri ghalaṭun?

I said: “When a thought occurs as a warning against ostentation, can there be an error in that warning?”

قَالَ: إِنَّ أَنْفَعَ التَّحْذِيرِ: مَا لَمْ يُورِثْ أَمْنًا.

Qāla: inna anfaʿa al-taḥdhīri: mā lam yūrith amnan.

He said: “The most beneficial warning is one that does not engender a sense of security.”

قُلْتُ: فَكَيْفَ يُورِثُ التَّحْذِيرُ أَمْنًا؟

Qultu: fa-kayfa yūrithu al-taḥdhīru amnan?

I said: “How does a warning engender a sense of security?”

قَالَ: يَدْعُوكَ إِلَى الْحَذَرِ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ بِتَرْكِ الْعَمَلِ، وَلَمَّا لَمْ تُطِعْهُ فِي تَرْكِ الْعَمَلِ دَعَاكَ إِلَى الرِّيَاءِ لِيُحْبِطَ عَمَلَكَ، فَلَمَّا لَمْ تُطِعْهُ وَلَمْ تُجِبْهُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ حَذَّرَكَ الرِّيَاءَ بِتَرْكِ الْعَمَلِ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّكَ مُرَاءٍ فَدَعِ الْعَمَلَ، فَرَدَّكَ إِلَى مَا أَرَادَكَ مِنْ تَرْكِ الْعَمَلِ أَوَّلًا، فَلَمَّا لَمْ تُجِبْهُ إِلَى تَحْذِيرِهِ وَرَّثَكَ أَمْنَهُ فَأَمِنْتَهُ،

Qāla: yadʿūka ilā al-ḥadhari mina al-riyāʾi bi-tarki al-ʿamali, wa-lammā lam tuṭiʿhu fī tarki al-ʿamali daʿāka ilā al-riyāʾi li-yuḥbiṭa ʿamalaka, fa-lammā lam tuṭiʿhu wa-lam tujibhu ilā dhālika ḥadhdharaka al-riyāʾa bi-tarki al-ʿamali, fa-qāla: innaka murāʾin fa-daʿi al-ʿamala, fa-raddaka ilā mā arādaka min tarki al-ʿamali awwalan, fa-lammā lam tujibhu ilā taḥdhīrihi warrathaka amnahu fa-ʾamintahu,

He said: “He invites you to guard against ostentation by abandoning the deed. When you do not obey him in abandoning the deed, he invites you to ostentation to nullify your deed. When you do not obey him or answer that invitation, he warns you against ostentation by urging you to abandon the deed. He says, ‘You are showing off, so leave the deed.’ He thus takes you back to what he wanted from you at first: abandoning the deed. When you do not respond to his warning, he leaves you feeling secure from him, and you trust him,

إِذْ لَمْ تَفْطَنْ أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَحْرِمَكَ ثَوَابَ الْعَمَلِ إِذْ عَرَضَ لَكَ بِتَحْذِيرِ الضَّرَرِ، وَأَنَّكَ تُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ الْإِخْلَاصَ، فَلَمْ تُخْلِصْ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ شَيْئًا حِينَ تَرَكْتَ الْعَمَلَ، لِأَنَّ الْإِخْلَاصَ:

Idh lam tafṭan annahu innamā arāda an yaḥrimaka thawāba al-ʿamali idh ʿaraḍa laka bi-taḥdhīri al-ḍarari, wa-ʾannaka turīdu bi-dhālika al-ikhlāṣa, fa-lam tukhliṣ li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla shayʾan ḥīna tarakta al-ʿamala, li-ʾanna al-ikhlāṣa:

because you did not realize that, when he approached you with a warning about harm, he only wanted to deprive you of the reward for the deed. You seek sincerity through this, yet you have made nothing sincere for God, mighty and majestic, when you abandon the deed. Sincerity means

أَنْ تَعْمَلَ وَتَحْذَرَ الرِّيَاءَ وَتَنْفِيَهُ عَنْ عَمَلِكَ، فَيَخْلُصَ لَكَ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَيْسَ الْإِخْلَاصُ أَنْ تَتْرُكَ الْعَمَلَ، فَلَا يَخْلُصَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَمَلُكَ.

An taʿmala wa-taḥdhara al-riyāʾa wa-tanfiyahu ʿan ʿamalika, fa-yakhluṣa laka ʿinda rabbika ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-laysa al-ikhlāṣu an tatruka al-ʿamala, fa-lā yakhluṣa li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿamaluka.

acting while guarding against ostentation and excluding it from your deed, so that the deed is pure for you before your Lord, mighty and majestic. Sincerity does not mean abandoning the deed, so that no deed of yours is made pure for God, mighty and majestic.

فَعَلَى الْمُرِيدِ الْإِخْلَاصُ فِي عَمَلِهِ، فَإِنْ تَرَكَ الْعَمَلَ إِرَادَةَ الْإِخْلَاصِ فَلَمْ يُخْلِصْ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَمَلَهُ، وَلَكِنْ تَرَكَهُ.

Fa-ʿalā al-murīdi al-ikhlāṣu fī ʿamalihi, fa-in taraka al-ʿamala irādata al-ikhlāṣi fa-lam yukhliṣ li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿamalahu, wa-lākin tarakahu.

The seeker must therefore be sincere in his deed. If he abandons the deed in pursuit of sincerity, he has not made his deed sincere for God, mighty and majestic; he has simply abandoned it.

أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ أَنَّ عَبْدًا دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ مَوْلَاهُ حِنْطَةً، فَقَالَ: طَيِّبْهَا وَاجْعَلْهَا خَالِصَةً مِنَ الزَّوَانِ وَالشَّعِيرِ، أَوْ فِضَّةً فَقَالَ لَهُ: أَلْقِهَا فِي الْخَلَاصِ، حَتَّى تَكُونَ فِضَّةً خَالِصَةً مِنَ الْخَبَثِ وَالْغِشِّ، فَأَلْقَى الْحِنْطَةَ وَالْفِضَّةَ، فَقَالَ: أَخَافُ أَلَّا تَخْلُصَ، هَلْ كَانَ أَخْلَصَ لِمَوْلَاهُ شَيْئًا؟ فَقَدْ خُدِعَ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْإِخْلَاصِ بِتَرْكِ اسْتِعْمَالِ الْإِخْلَاصِ حَيْثُ أُمِرَ أَوْ نُدِبَ إِلَيْهِ،

A-raʾayta law anna ʿabdan dafaʿa ilayhi mawlāhu ḥinṭatan, fa-qāla: ṭayyibhā wa-ijʿalhā khāliṣatan mina al-zawāni wa-al-shaʿīri, aw fiḍḍatan fa-qāla lahu: alqihā fī al-khalāṣi, ḥattā takūna fiḍḍatan khāliṣatan mina al-khabathi wa-al-ghishshi, fa-alqā al-ḥinṭata wa-al-fiḍḍata, fa-qāla: akhāfu allā takhluṣa, hal kāna akhlaṣa li-mawlāhu shayʾan? Fa-qad khudiʿa min qibali al-ikhlāṣi bi-tarki istiʿmāli al-ikhlāṣi ḥaythu umira aw nudiba ilayhi,

Consider a slave whose master gives him wheat and says, ‘Clean it and make it free of darnel and barley,’ or silver, saying, ‘Put it through refining until it is silver free of dross and adulteration.’ If the slave throws away the wheat and silver, saying, ‘I fear it will not become pure,’ has he purified anything for his master? He has been deceived through the very idea of sincerity, by failing to put sincerity into practice where he was commanded or encouraged to do so.

Source page 257

لِأَنَّ التَّخْلِيصَ غَيْرُ الْإِخْلَاصِ، التَّخْلِيصُ:

Li-ʾanna al-takhlīṣa ghayru al-ikhlāṣi, al-takhlīṣu:

For separating out impurities is different from making something pure. Separating out impurities means

التَّمْيِيزُ بَيْنَ الْجَيِّدِ وَالرَّدِيءِ، وَالْحَقِّ وَالْبَاطِلِ، وَالْإِخْلَاصُ: أَنْ يَكُونَ الْحَقُّ وَالْجَيِّدُ خَالِصًا صَافِيًا مِنْ كُلِّ مَا يُشْبِهُهُ، فَكَذَلِكَ التَّخْلِيصُ فِي الْعَمَلِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: هُوَ نَفْيُ الْخَطَرَاتِ، وَتَرْكُ الْقَبُولِ لِلرِّيَاءِ، وَاعْتِقَادُ الْإِخْلَاصِ، فَيَكُونُ عَمَلًا خَالِصًا بَعْدَ مَا مَيَّزَ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ، وَعَزَلَهُ مِنْهُ، وَنُفِيَ الرِّيَاءُ أَنْ يُخَالِطَهُ،

Al-tamyīzu bayna al-jayyidi wa-al-radīʾi, wa-al-ḥaqqi wa-al-bāṭili, wa-al-ikhlāṣu: an yakūna al-ḥaqqu wa-al-jayyidu khāliṣan ṣāfiyan min kulli mā yushbihuhu, fa-kadhālika al-takhlīṣu fī al-ʿamali li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla: huwa nafyu al-khaṭarāti, wa-tarku al-qabūli li-al-riyāʾi, wa-iʿtiqādu al-ikhlāṣi, fa-yakūnu ʿamalan khāliṣan baʿda mā mayyaza mina al-riyāʾi, wa-ʿazalahu minhu, wa-nufiya al-riyāʾu an yukhāliṭahu,

distinguishing the good from the bad and the true from the false. Making pure means that what is true and good is pure and clear of everything resembling it. Similarly, separating impurities from a deed done for God, mighty and majestic, means excluding the suggestions, refusing to accept ostentation, and committing oneself to sincerity. It then becomes a pure deed after one has distinguished it from ostentation, separated it from it, and ostentation has been prevented from mingling with it.

وَكَذَلِكَ الْفِضَّةُ: إِنَّمَا تَكُونُ خَالِصَةً إِذَا خُلِّصَتْ، فَمُيِّزَ الْخَبِيثُ مِنْهَا، وَكَذَلِكَ الْحِنْطَةُ إِذَا مُيِّزَ الزَّوَانُ مِنْهَا.

Wa-kadhālika al-fiḍḍatu: innamā takūnu khāliṣatan idhā khulliṣat, fa-muyyiza al-khabīthu minhā, wa-kadhālika al-ḥinṭatu idhā muyyiza al-zawānu minhā.

Silver, likewise, is pure only when it has been refined and its impurities separated from it. The same is true of wheat when the darnel is separated from it.

وَقَدْ يُمْكِنُ أَنْ يَعْتَرِضَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ أَيْضًا، لَوْ تَرَكَ الْعَمَلَ، خَوْفُ الرِّيَاءِ فِي التَّرْكِ، فَلَا يُنْجِيهِ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ، وَإِنْ دَخَلَ تَحْتَ الْأَرْضِ، مَعَ مَا حُرِمَ بِتَرْكِ الْعَمَلِ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَوْ تَكَلَّمَ بِخَيْرٍ فَعَرَضَ لَهُ: أَنِ اسْكُتْ لِئَلَّا تَكُونَ مُرَائِيًا، فَسَكَتَ، لَقَالَ: الْآنَ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّمَا سَكَتَّ لِطَلَبِ الْإِخْلَاصِ فَفِرَّ، فَإِنْ فَرَّ عَرَضَ لَهُ،

Wa-qad yumkinu an yaʿtariḍa mina al-shayṭāni ayḍan, law taraka al-ʿamala, khawfu al-riyāʾi fī al-tarki, fa-lā yunjīhi minhu shayʾun, wa-in dakhala taḥta al-arḍi, maʿa mā ḥurima bi-tarki al-ʿamali, wa-dhālika annahu law takallama bi-khayrin fa-ʿaraḍa lahu: ani uskut li-ʾallā takūna murāʾiyan, fa-sakata, la-qāla: al-āna yaqūlūna: innamā sakatta li-ṭalabi al-ikhlāṣi fa-firra, fa-in farra ʿaraḍa lahu,

Even if he abandons the deed, fear of ostentation in abandoning it can also arise from Satan. Nothing then saves him from it, even if he goes underground, quite apart from what he has forfeited by abandoning the deed. If he speaks something good and the suggestion comes, ‘Be silent, so that you do not show off,’ and he falls silent, Satan will say, ‘Now they are saying that you only fell silent to seek sincerity, so flee.’ If he flees, Satan confronts him

أَيْضًا، بِأَنْ يَقُولُوا: إِنَّمَا فَرَّ كَرَاهَةَ الرِّيَاءِ وَالشَّهْوَةِ، فَلَوْ دَخَلَ سَرَبًا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَلْزَمَ قَلْبَهُ حَلَاوَةَ الْفِرَارِ وَالْخَلْوَةِ فِيهِ؛ لِعِلْمِهِ بِمَا يَلْزَمُ قُلُوبَهُمْ مِنَ التَّعْظِيمِ لِمَنْ أَرَادَ الْإِخْلَاصَ وَفَرَّ طَلَبًا لَهُ، فَلَا يُنْجِيهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا الْمَعْرِفَةُ، وَالْكَرَاهَةُ، وَالْإِبَاءُ لَهُ.

Ayḍan, bi-ʾan yaqūlū: innamā farra karāhata al-riyāʾi wa-al-shahwati, fa-law dakhala saraban fī al-arḍi alzama qalbahu ḥalāwata al-firāri wa-al-khalwati fīhi; li-ʿilmihi bi-mā yalzamu qulūbahum mina al-taʿẓīmi li-man arāda al-ikhlāṣa wa-farra ṭalaban lahu, fa-lā yunjīhi min dhālika illā al-maʿrifatu, wa-al-karāhatu, wa-al-ibāʾu lahu.

again with the thought that they will say, ‘He fled only out of aversion to ostentation and desire.’ Even if he enters a tunnel in the earth, Satan will fasten to his heart the sweetness of fleeing and being secluded there, because he knows the esteem that settles in people's hearts for someone who seeks sincerity and flees in pursuit of it. Nothing saves him from that except recognizing it, hating it, and refusing it.”

الْفَرْقُ بَيْنَ الدَّعْوَى وَالْحَقِيقَةِ:

Al-farqu bayna al-daʿwā wa-al-ḥaqīqati:

The Difference between an Allegation and Reality

وَبَيْنَ الدَّعْوَى لِلْبَاطِلِ وَالدَّعْوَى عَلَى حَقِيقَةٍ فَرْقٌ، إِذَا دَعَاكَ دَاعٍ مِنْ قَلْبِكَ:

Wa-bayna al-daʿwā li-al-bāṭili wa-al-daʿwā ʿalā ḥaqīqatin farqun, idhā daʿāka dāʿin min qalbika:

There is a difference between a false allegation and one grounded in reality. When a voice within your heart calls out to you,

أَنَّكَ مُرَاءٍ فَنَظَرْتَ، فَإِذَا أَنْتَ مِنْ قِبَلِ عَقْلِكَ وَعِلْمِكَ كَارِهٌ أَبِيٌّ رَادٌّ، وَإِنْ كَانَ الْعَدُوُّ مَعَ ذَلِكَ يَخْطُرُ، وَطَبْعُ النَّفْسِ يُنَازِعُ، عَرَفْتَ أَنَّهَا دَعْوَى بَاطِلٍ مِنْ عَدُوِّكَ؛ لِيَصُدَّكَ عَمَّا أَنْتَ فِيهِ، أَوْ عَمَّا عَرَضَ لَكَ مِنَ الْبِرِّ وَالطَّاعَةِ، قَبْلَ الدُّخُولِ فِيهِ.

Annaka murāʾin fa-naẓarta, fa-idhā anta min qibali ʿaqlika wa-ʿilmika kārihun abiyyun rāddun, wa-in kāna al-ʿaduwwu maʿa dhālika yakhṭuru, wa-ṭabʿu al-nafsi yunāziʿu, ʿarafta annahā daʿwā bāṭilin min ʿaduwwika; li-yaṣuddaka ʿammā anta fīhi, aw ʿammā ʿaraḍa laka mina al-birri wa-al-ṭāʿati, qabla al-dukhūli fīhi.

“You are showing off,” and you look within and find that, in your reason and knowledge, you hate it, refuse it, and reject it, even though the enemy continues to suggest it and the self's natural disposition pulls at you, you know that this is a false allegation from your enemy. He wants to turn you away from what you are doing, or from a good and obedient deed that has presented itself to you before you begin it.

فَإِنْ خَطَرَ خَاطِرٌ آخَرُ بِذَلِكَ، فَرَجَعْتَ إِلَى نَفْسِكَ، فَوَجَدْتَ قَلْبًا مُجْمِعًا عَلَى ذَلِكَ، مُتَمَنِّيًا لِحَمْدِ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ، وَلَا رَادَّ مِنْ عَقْلِكَ لِهَوَى نَفْسِكَ، عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ تَنْبِيهٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَكَ لِمَا اعْتَقَدْتَ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ فَنَدِمْتَ وَاسْتَغْفَرْتَ فَإِنْ قَوِيتَ عَلَى الْإِخْلَاصِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، عُقُوبَةً لِلنَّفْسِ بِلُزُومِ ذَلِكَ الْعَمَلِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، بِنِيَّةٍ قَوِيَّةٍ عَنْ غَيْرِ أُغْلُوطَةٍ،

Fa-in khaṭara khāṭirun ākharu bi-dhālika, fa-rajaʿta ilā nafsika, fa-wajadta qalban mujmiʿan ʿalā dhālika, mutamanniyan li-ḥamdi al-makhlūqīna, wa-lā rādda min ʿaqlika li-hawā nafsika, ʿalimta anna dhālika tanbīhun mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla laka li-mā iʿtaqadta mina al-riyāʾi fa-nadimta wa-istaghfarta fa-in qawīta ʿalā al-ikhlāṣi li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, ʿuqūbatan li-al-nafsi bi-luzūmi dhālika al-ʿamali li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, bi-niyyatin qawiyyatin ʿan ghayri ughlūṭatin,

If another thought occurs to that effect, and you return to yourself and find a heart set upon it, wishing for the praise of created beings, with no resistance from your reason to your self's desire, you know that this is an alert from God, mighty and majestic, to the ostentation you have embraced. You then regret it and seek forgiveness. If you become strong enough to be sincere toward God, mighty and majestic, disciplining the self by persisting in that deed for God, mighty and majestic, with a firm intention free of self-deception,

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تَبَيَّنَ لَكَ ذَلِكَ بِإِجْمَاعِ الْقَلْبِ أَنْ لَوْ لَمْ يَعْلَمُوا بِذَلِكَ لَفَعَلْتَهُ حَيَاءً مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، إِذْ سَخَتْ نَفْسُكَ لِلْمَخْلُوقِينَ بِالطَّاعَةِ لِحَمْدِهِمْ، وَأَعْرَضْتَ عَنْ إِرَادَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Tabayyana laka dhālika bi-ijmāʿi al-qalbi an law lam yaʿlamū bi-dhālika la-faʿaltahu ḥayāʾan mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, idh sakhat nafsuka li-al-makhlūqīna bi-al-ṭāʿati li-ḥamdihim, wa-aʿraḍta ʿan irādati Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.

that will become clear to you through your heart's settled resolve that you would do it even if they knew nothing about it, out of shame before God, mighty and majestic. For your self had willingly offered obedience to created beings for their praise, while you turned away from seeking God, mighty and majestic.

فَإِنْ وَجَدْتَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ هَذِهِ الْقُوَّةَ بَعْدَ النَّدَمِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارِ وَالنِّيَّةِ مِنْكَ أَلَّا تَعُودَ إِلَى مِثْلِ ذَلِكَ، فَامْضِ فِي الْعَمَلِ. فَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْ ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَلْبِكَ فَدَعِ الْعَمَلَ إِنْ كَانَ الْعَقْدُ أَوَّلًا لِلْمَخْلُوقِينَ، فَدَعِ الْعَمَلَ مَعَ الْحَيَاءِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، أَنْ تَسْخُوَ نَفْسُكَ بِالْعَمَلِ لِحَمْدِ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ، وَلَا تَسْخُوَ لِلْعَمَلِ لِحَمْدِ الْخَالِقِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Fa-in wajadta min nafsika hādhihi al-quwwata baʿda al-nadami wa-al-istighfāri wa-al-niyyati minka allā taʿūda ilā mithli dhālika, fa-imḍi fī al-ʿamali. Fa-in lam tajid dhālika min qalbika fa-daʿi al-ʿamala in kāna al-ʿaqdu awwalan li-al-makhlūqīna, fa-daʿi al-ʿamala maʿa al-ḥayāʾi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, an taskhuwa nafsuka bi-al-ʿamali li-ḥamdi al-makhlūqīna, wa-lā taskhuwa li-al-ʿamali li-ḥamdi al-Khāliqi ʿazza wa-jalla.

If you find this strength within yourself after remorse, seeking forgiveness, and resolving not to return to anything like it, proceed with the deed. If you do not find it in your heart, abandon the deed if your original intention was directed toward created beings. Abandon it while feeling shame before God, mighty and majestic, that your self willingly offers deeds for the praise of created beings but is unwilling to act for the praise of the Creator, mighty and majestic.

وَإِنْ كَانَ الْعَقْدُ الْأَوَّلُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، ثُمَّ رَكَنْتَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، فَانْفِ ذَلِكَ وَانْدَمْ عَلَيْهِ، وَارْجِعْ إِلَى عَقْدِكَ الْأَوَّلِ، فَاعْمَلْ عَلَيْهِ مَعَ الْحَيَاءِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، إِذْ رَآكَ مُسْتَبْدِلًا بِحَمْدِهِ طَلَبَ حَمْدِ غَيْرِهِ، حَتَّى كَأَنَّ الْخَلْقَ يَطَّلِعُونَ عَلَى ضَمِيرِكَ مَعَهُ، بَلْ لَوِ اطَّلَعُوا لَخَشِيتَ مَقْتَهُمْ؛ لِمَا أَرَدْتَ مِنْ حَمْدِهِمْ، فَاسْتَحِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،

Wa-in kāna al-ʿaqdu al-awwalu li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, thumma rakanta baʿda dhālika, fa-infi dhālika wa-indam ʿalayhi, wa-irjiʿ ilā ʿaqdika al-awwali, fa-iʿmal ʿalayhi maʿa al-ḥayāʾi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, idh raʾāka mustabdilan bi-ḥamdihi ṭalaba ḥamdi ghayrihi, ḥattā ka-ʾanna al-khalqa yaṭṭaliʿūna ʿalā ḍamīrika maʿahu, bal lawi iṭṭalaʿū la-khashīta maqtahum; li-mā aradta min ḥamdihim, fa-istaḥi mina Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla,

If your original intention was for God, mighty and majestic, but you subsequently inclined toward ostentation, banish that and regret it. Return to your original intention and act upon it, with shame before God, mighty and majestic, who saw you exchanging His praise for the pursuit of someone else's, as though created beings could see into your innermost thoughts alongside Him. Indeed, if they could see them, you would fear their loathing because you sought their praise. So feel shame before God, mighty and majestic,

الْمُطَّلِعِ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَى إِعْرَاضِ قَلْبِكَ عَنْهُ إِلَى مَنْ لَا يَمْلِكُ مَنْفَعَةً وَلَا دَفْعَ مَضَرَّةٍ، وَلَوِ اطَّلَعُوا عَلَى ضَمِيرِكَ لَكَانُوا أَهْيَبَ عِنْدَكَ مِنْهُ جَلَّ وَعَلَا، فَلْيَعْظُمْ حَيَاؤُكَ مِنْهُ، وَإِنْ قَدَرْتَ أَنْ تَزِيدَ فِي الْعَمَلِ، حَيَاءً مِنْ رَبِّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَعُقُوبَةً لِنَفْسِكَ، فَافْعَلْ.

Al-muṭṭaliʿi ʿalayka wa-ʿalā iʿrāḍi qalbika ʿanhu ilā man lā yamliku manfaʿatan wa-lā dafʿa maḍarratin, wa-lawi iṭṭalaʿū ʿalā ḍamīrika la-kānū ahyaba ʿindaka minhu jalla wa-ʿalā, fa-l-yaʿẓum ḥayāʾuka minhu, wa-in qadarta an tazīda fī al-ʿamali, ḥayāʾan min rabbika ʿazza wa-jalla, wa-ʿuqūbatan li-nafsika, fa-ifʿal.

who sees you and sees your heart turning away from Him toward those who possess neither the power to benefit nor to avert harm. If they could see your innermost thoughts, you would stand in greater awe of them than of Him, majestic and exalted. Let your shame before Him be great. If you can increase the deed out of shame before your Lord, mighty and majestic, and to discipline your self, then do so.

وَإِنْ عَرَضَ لَكَ عَارِضٌ، وَأَنْتَ فِي الْعَمَلِ، وَقَدْ أَرَدْتَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ لَا يُدَّعَى عَلَيْكَ أَنَّكَ مُرَاءٍ، وَلَكِنْ يُحَذِّرُكَ الرِّيَاءَ، وَيَقُولُ: اتْرُكْهُ، لِأَنْ تَسْلَمَ، فَذَلِكَ مِنَ الْعَدُوِّ وَمِنْ هَوَى النَّفْسِ، فَإِنْ خَطَرَ خَاطِرٌ يُحَذِّرُكَ الرِّيَاءَ، وَيَأْمُرُكَ بِأَنْ تُتِمَّ الْعَمَلَ بِالْحَذَرِ، لِيَكُونَ سَلِيمًا خَالِصًا، فَذَلِكَ وَاعِظٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

Wa-in ʿaraḍa laka ʿāriḍun, wa-anta fī al-ʿamali, wa-qad aradta Allāha ʿazza wa-jalla bihi lā yuddaʿā ʿalayka annaka murāʾin, wa-lākin yuḥadhdhiruka al-riyāʾa, wa-yaqūlu: utrukhu, li-ʾan taslama, fa-dhālika mina al-ʿaduwwi wa-min hawā al-nafsi, fa-in khaṭara khāṭirun yuḥadhdhiruka al-riyāʾa, wa-yaʾmuruka bi-ʾan tutimma al-ʿamala bi-al-ḥadhari, li-yakūna salīman khāliṣan, fa-dhālika wāʿiẓun min rabbika ʿazza wa-jalla.

If an impulse confronts you while you are doing a deed intended for God, mighty and majestic, without an allegation that you are showing off, but it warns you against ostentation and says, “Leave it so that you will be safe,” that comes from the enemy and the self's desire. If a thought occurs warning you against ostentation and commanding you to complete the deed with vigilance, so that it remains sound and pure, that is an admonisher from your Lord, mighty and majestic.