قُوتُ الْقُلُوبِ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ الْمَحْبُوبِ وَوَصْفِ طَرِيقِ الْمُرِيدِ إِلَى مَقَامِ التَّوْحِيدِ
Qūtu al-qulūbi fī muʿāmalati al-maḥbūbi wa-waṣfi ṭarīqi al-murīdi ʾilā maqāmi al-tawḥīdi
Nourishment for Hearts in Dealings with the Beloved and a Description of the Seeker’s Path to the Station of Divine Oneness
Chapters 19–25
التِّلَاوَةُ وَالْأَوْرَادُ الْخَاصَّةُ وَالصِّيَامُ وَمُحَاسَبَةُ النَّفْسِ
Al-tilāwatu wa-al-ʾawrādu al-khāṣṣatu wa-al-ṣiyāmu wa-muḥāsabatu al-nafsi
Recitation, Special Devotions, Fasting, and Examination of the Self
الْفَصْلُ التَّاسِعَ عَشَرَ فِيهِ كِتَابُ الْجَهْرِ بِالْقُرْآنِ وَمَا فِي ذَٰلِكَ مِنَ النِّيَّاتِ وَتَفْصِيلُ حُكْمِ الْجَهْرِ وَالْإِخْفَاتِ
al-faṣlu al-tāsiʿa ʿashara fīhi kitābu al-jahri bi-al-qurʾāni wamā fī dhālika mina al-niyyāti watafṣīlu ḥukmi al-jahri wa-al-ʾikhfāti
Chapter 19: A Book on Reciting the Qurʾān Aloud and the Intentions Involved, with a Detailed Account of the Ruling on Audible and Quiet Recitation
رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : فَضْلُ قِرَاءَةِ السِّرِّ عَلَى قِرَاءَةِ الْعَلَانِيَةِ كَفَضْلِ صَدَقَةِ السِّرِّ عَلَى صَدَقَةِ الْعَلَانِيَةِ ،
rawaynā ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla: faḍlu qirāʾati al-sirri ʿalā qirāʾati al-ʿalāniyati kafaḍli ṣadaqati al-sirri ʿalā ṣadaqati al-ʿalāniyati,
We have related from the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, that he said: “The superiority of private recitation over public recitation is like the superiority of private charity over public charity.”
وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ الْجَاهِرُ بِالْقُرْآنِ كَالْجَاهِرِ بِالصَّدَقَةِ ، وَالْمُسِرُّ بِهِ كَالْمُسِرِّ بِالصَّدَقَةِ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْعَامِّ يُفَضَّلُ عَمَلُ السِّرِّ عَلَى عَمَلِ الْعَلَانِيَةِ بِسَبْعِينَ ضِعْفًا ،
wafī lafẓin ʾākhara al-jāhiru bi-al-qurʾāni ka-al-jāhiri bi-al-ṣadaqati, wa-al-musirru bihi ka-al-musirri bi-al-ṣadaqati, wafī al-khabari al-ʿāmmi yufaḍḍalu ʿamalu al-sirri ʿalā ʿamali al-ʿalāniyati bisabʿīna ḍiʿfan,
Another wording says: “One who recites the Qurʾān aloud is like one who gives charity openly, and one who recites it quietly is like one who gives charity secretly.” The general report says: “A private deed surpasses a public deed seventyfold.”
وَفِي مِثْلِهِ مِنَ الْعُمُومِ خَيْرُ الرِّزْقِ مَا يَكْفِي وَخَيْرُ الذِّكْرِ الْخَفِيُّ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ لَا يَجْهَرْ بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ فِي الْقِرَاءَةِ بَيْنَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ ،
wafī mithlihi mina al-ʿumūmi khayru al-rizqi mā yakfī wakhayru al-dhikri al-khafiyyu, wafī al-khabari lā yajhar baʿḍukum ʿalā baʿḍin fī al-qirāʾati bayna al-maghribi wa-al-ʿishāʾi,
Another statement of similar generality says: “The best provision is what suffices, and the best remembrance is hidden.” The report says: “Let none of you raise his voice over another in recitation between the sunset and evening prayers.”
وَسَمِعَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ فِي مَسْجِدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عُمَرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ يَجْهَرُ بِالْقُرْآنِ فِي صَلَاتِهِ وَكَانَ حَسَنَ الصَّوْتِ فَقَالَ لِغُلَامِهِ
wasamiʿa saʿīdu bnu al-musayyibi dhāta laylatin fī masjidi rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿumara bna ʿabdi al-ʿazīzi yajharu bi-al-qurʾāni fī ṣalātihi wakāna ḥasana al-ṣawti faqāla lighulāmihi
One night in the mosque of the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib heard ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz reciting the Qurʾān aloud in his prayer. He had a beautiful voice. Saʿīd said to his servant:
بُرْدُ اِذْهَبْ إِلَى هَٰذَا الْمُصَلِّي فَمُرْهُ أَنْ يَخْفِضَ مِنْ صَوْتِهِ ،
burdu idhhab ʾilā hādhā al-muṣallī famurhu ʾan yakhfiḍa min ṣawtihi,
“Burd, go to this man praying and tell him to lower his voice.”
فَقَالَ الْغُلَامُ : إِنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ لَيْسَ لَنَا وَإِنَّ لِلرَّجُلِ فِيهِ نَصِيبًا فَرَفَعَ سَعِيدٌ صَوْتَهُ فَقَالَ : يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُصَلِّي إِنْ كُنْتَ تُرِيدُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِصَلَاتِكَ فَاخْفِضْ
faqāla al-ghulāmu: ʾinna al-masjida laysa lanā waʾinna li-al-rajuli fīhi naṣīban farafaʿa saʿīdun ṣawtahu faqāla: yā ʾayyuhā al-muṣallī ʾin kunta turīdu allāha ʿazza wajalla biṣalātika fakhfiḍ
The servant said: “The mosque is not ours, and the man has a share in it.” Saʿīd raised his voice and said: “You who are praying, if you seek God, mighty and majestic, through your prayer, lower
صَوْتَكَ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تُرِيدُ النَّاسَ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَنْ يُغْنُوا عَنْكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا ، قَالَ : فَسَكَتَ عُمَرُ وَخَفَّفَ رَكْعَتَهُ فَلَمَّا سَلَّمَ أَخَذَ نَعْلَيْهِ وَانْصَرَفَ ،
ṣawtaka waʾin kunta turīdu al-nāsa faʾinnahum lan yughnū ʿanka mina allāhi shayʾan, qāla: fasakata ʿumaru wakhaffafa rakʿatahu falammā sallama ʾakhadha naʿlayhi wanṣarafa,
your voice. If you seek people, they will be of no avail to you against God.” He said: “ʿUmar fell silent and shortened his prayer cycle. When he gave the closing salutation, he took his sandals and left.”
وَهُوَ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَمِيرُ الْمَدِينَةِ ،
wahuwa yawmaʾidhin ʾamīru al-madīnati,
He was the governor of Medina at that time.
وَعَلَى ذَٰلِكَ فَقَدْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَسْمَعُ جَمَاعَةً مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ يَجْهَرُونَ بِالْقِرَاءَةِ فِي صَلَاةِ اللَّيْلِ فَيُصَوِّبُ ذَٰلِكَ لَهُمْ وَيَسْمَعُ إِلَيْهِمْ وَقَدْ أَمَرَ بِالْجَهْرِ .
waʿalā dhālika faqad kāna rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yasmaʿu jamāʿatan min ʾaṣḥābihi yajharūna bi-al-qirāʾati fī ṣalāti al-layli fayuṣawwibu dhālika lahum wayasmaʿu ʾilayhim waqad ʾamara bi-al-jahri.
Nevertheless, the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, used to hear a group of his Companions reciting aloud during the night prayer, approve this for them, and listen to them. He also commanded audible recitation
فِيمَا رُوِيَ عَنْهُ إِذَا قَامَ أَحَدُكُمْ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ يُصَلِّي فَلْيَجْهَرْ بِقِرَاءَتِهِ فَإِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ وَعُمَّارَ الدَّارِ يَسْتَمِعُونَ إِلَى قِرَاءَتِهِ وَيُصَلُّونَ بِصَلَاتِهِ وَمَرَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
fīmā ruwiya ʿanhu ʾidhā qāma ʾaḥadukum mina al-layli yuṣallī falyajhar biqirāʾatihi faʾinna al-malāʾikata waʿummāra al-dāri yastamiʿūna ʾilā qirāʾatihi wayuṣallūna biṣalātihi wamarra rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama
in what is related from him: “When one of you rises at night to pray, let him recite aloud, for the angels and the inhabitants of the house listen to his recitation and pray along with his prayer.” The Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, passed
عَلَى ثَلَاثَةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فِي اللَّيْلِ مُخْتَلِفِي الْأَحْوَالِ ؛
ʿalā thalāthatin min ʾaṣḥābihi fī al-layli mukhtalifī al-ʾaḥwāli;
three of his Companions at night, each in a different state.
مِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ يُخَافِتُ وَهُوَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالَ : إِنَّ الَّذِي أُنَاجِيهِ هُوَ يَسْمَعُنِي وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ يَجْهَرُ وَهُوَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ
minhum man kāna yukhāfitu wahuwa ʾabū bakrin raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu fasaʾalahu ʿan dhālika faqāla: ʾinna alladhī ʾunājīhi huwa yasmaʿunī waminhum man kāna yajharu wahuwa ʿumaru raḍiya
One of them recited quietly: Abū Bakr, may God be pleased with him. He asked him about this, and he said: “The One with whom I converse hears me.” One of them recited aloud: ʿUmar, may
اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالَ : أُوقِظُ الْوَسْنَانَ وَأَزْجُرُ الشَّيْطَانَ ،
allāhu ʿanhu fasaʾalahu ʿan dhālika faqāla: ʾūqiẓu al-wasnāna waʾazjuru al-shayṭāna,
God be pleased with him. He asked him about this, and he said: “I wake the drowsy and rebuke Satan.”
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ آيًا مِنْ هَٰذِهِ السُّورَةِ وَمِنْ هَٰذِهِ السُّورَةِ وَهُوَ بِلَالٌ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالَ : أَخْلِطُ الطَّيِّبَ بِالطَّيِّبِ فَقَالَ : كُلُّكُمْ قَدْ أَحْسَنَ وَأَصَابَ
waminhum man kāna yaqraʾu ʾāyan min hādhihi al-sūrati wamin hādhihi al-sūrati wahuwa bilālun fasaʾalahu ʿan dhālika faqāla: ʾakhliṭu al-ṭayyiba bi-al-ṭayyibi faqāla: kullukum qad ʾaḥsana waʾaṣāba
One of them was reading verses from this sūra and from that sūra: Bilāl. He asked him about this, and he said: “I mix the good with the good.” He said: “All of you have done well and acted rightly.”
فَنَقُولُ : وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ إِنَّ الْمُخَافَتَةَ بِالْقِرَاءَةِ أَفْضَلُ إِذَا لَمْ تَكُنْ لِلْعَبْدِ نِيَّةٌ فِي الْجَهْرِ أَوْ كَانَ ذَاهِبًا عَنِ الْمُهِمَّةِ وَالْمُعَامَلَةِ بِذَٰلِكَ لِأَنَّهُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى السَّلَامَةِ وَأَبْعَدُ
fanaqūlu: wa-allāhu ʾaʿlamu ʾinna al-mukhāfatata bi-al-qirāʾati ʾafḍalu ʾidhā lam takun lilʿabdi niyyatun fī al-jahri ʾaw kāna dhāhiban ʿani al-muhimmati wa-al-muʿāmalati bidhālika liʾannahu ʾaqrabu ʾilā al-salāmati waʾabʿadu
We say, and God knows best, that quiet recitation is better when the servant has no intention behind reciting aloud, or has lost sight of the concern and dealings with God involved. This is nearer to safety and further
مِنْ دُخُولِ الْآفَةِ وَإِنَّ الْجَهْرَ أَفْضَلُ لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ نِيَّةٌ فِي الْجَهْرِ وَمُعَامَلَتُهُ مَوْلَاهُ بِهِ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ قَامَ بِسُنَّةِ قِرَاءَةِ اللَّيْلِ لِأَنَّ الْمُخَافِتَ نَفْعُهُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَالْجَهْرَ نَفْعُهُ
min dukhūli al-ʾāfati waʾinna al-jahra ʾafḍalu liman kāna lahu niyyatun fī al-jahri wamuʿāmalatuhu mawlāhu bihi liʾannahu qad qāma bisunnati qirāʾati al-layli liʾanna al-mukhāfita nafʿuhu linafsihi wa-al-jahra nafʿuhu
from the intrusion of a spiritual fault. Audible recitation is better for someone who has an intention behind it and deals with his Master through it, for he has observed the Sunna of night recitation. The quiet reciter’s benefit is for himself, while the benefit of audible recitation
لَهُ وَلِغَيْرِهِ وَخَيْرُ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَنْفَعُ النَّاسَ
lahu walighayrihi wakhayru al-nāsi man yanfaʿu al-nāsa
is for him and for others. The best people are those who benefit people.
وَالنَّفْعُ بِكَلَامِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَفْضَلُ الْمَنَافِعِ وَلِأَنَّهُ قَدْ أَدْخَلَ عَمَلًا ثَانِيًا يَرْجُو بِهِ قُرْبَةً ثَانِيَةً عَلَى عَمَلِهِ الْأَوَّلِ فَكَانَ فِي ذَٰلِكَ أَفْضَلَ وَلْيَجْعَلِ الْعَبْدُ مِفْتَاحَ دَرْسِهِ
wa-al-nafʿu bikalāmi allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾafḍalu al-manāfiʿi waliʾannahu qad ʾadkhala ʿamalan thāniyan yarjū bihi qurbatan thāniyatan ʿalā ʿamalihi al-ʾawwali fakāna fī dhālika ʾafḍala walyajʿali al-ʿabdu miftāḥa darsihi
Benefit through the speech of God, mighty and majestic, is the best of benefits. He has also added a second deed to his first, through which he hopes for a second means of drawing near. In this respect it is better. Let the servant make the opening of his recitation
أَنْ يَقُولَ : أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ ، رَبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَنْ يَحْضُرُونِ ،
ʾan yaqūla: ʾaʿūdhu bi-allāhi al-samīʿi al-ʿalīmi mina al-shayṭāni al-rajīmi, rabbi ʾaʿūdhu bika min hamazāti al-shayāṭīni, waʾaʿūdhu bika rabbi ʾan yaḥḍurūni,
these words: “I seek refuge in God, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from Satan the accursed. My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the incitements of the devils, and I seek refuge in You, my Lord, lest they come into my presence.”
وَلْيَقْرَأْ ( قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ) النَّاسِ : 1 ، وَسُورَةَ : الْحَمْدِ قَبْلَهَا ، وَلْيَقُلْ عِنْدَ فَرَاغِهِ مِنْ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ : صَدَقَ اللَّهُ ،
walyaqraʾ ( qul ʾaʿūdhu birabbi al-nāsi ) al-nāsi: 1, wasūrata: al-ḥamdi qablahā, walyaqul ʿinda farāghihi min kulli sūratin: ṣadaqa allāhu,
Let him read “Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of humankind” (al-Nās 114:1), and the Sūra of Praise before it. When he finishes each sūra, let him say: “God has spoken truly,
وَبَلَّغَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ، اللَّهُمَّ اِنْفَعْنَا بِهِ ، وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ، أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الْحَيَّ الْقَيُّومَ ،
waballagha rasūlu allāhi, allāhumma infaʿnā bihi, wabārik lanā fīhi, al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbi al-ʿālamīna, ʾastaghfiru allāha al-ḥayya al-qayyūma,
and the Messenger of God has delivered the message. O God, benefit us through it and bless it for us. Praise belongs to God, Lord of the worlds. I ask forgiveness of God, the Living, the Self-Subsisting.”
وَمَنْ حَفِظَ جَوَارِحَهُ وَقَلْبَهُ عَنِ الْمَنْهِيِّ فَقَدْ عَمِلَ بِالْقُرْآنِ إِلَى خَاتِمِهِ لِأَنَّهُ مُقَسَّطٌ عَلَى جُمْلَةِ الْعَبْدِ وَجَوَارِحِهِ جُمْلَةً ، وَفِي الْجَهْرِ بِالْقِرَاءَةِ سَبْعُ نِيَّاتٍ مِنْهَا التَّرْتِيلُ الَّذِي أُمِرَ بِهِ ،
waman ḥafiẓa jawāriḥahu waqalbahu ʿani al-manhiyyi faqad ʿamila bi-al-qurʾāni ʾilā khātimihi liʾannahu muqassaṭun ʿalā jumlati al-ʿabdi wajawāriḥihi jumlatan, wafī al-jahri bi-al-qirāʾati sabʿu niyyātin minhā al-tartīlu alladhī ʾumira bihi,
Whoever guards his limbs and his heart against what is forbidden has acted upon the Qurʾān to its end, for it is apportioned across the servant as a whole and all his limbs together. There are seven intentions in audible recitation. One is the measured recitation that he has been commanded to practice.
وَمِنْهَا تَحْسِينُ الصَّوْتِ بِالْقُرْآنِ الَّذِي نُدِبَ إِلَيْهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ زَيِّنُوا الْقُرْآنَ بِأَصْوَاتِكُمْ ،
waminhā taḥsīnu al-ṣawti bi-al-qurʾāni alladhī nudiba ʾilayhi fī qawlihi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama zayyinū al-qurʾāna biʾaṣwātikum,
Another is beautifying the voice with the Qurʾān, which is encouraged in his saying, God bless him and grant him peace: “Adorn the Qurʾān with your voices,”
وَفِي قَوْلِهِ : لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَتَغَنَّ بِالْقُرْآنِ أَيْ يُحَسِّنْ بِهِ صَوْتَهُ وَهُوَ أَحَدُ الْوَجْهَيْنِ وَأَحَبُّهُمَا إِلَى أَهْلِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ ،
wafī qawlihi: laysa minnā man lam yataghanna bi-al-qurʾāni ʾay yuḥassin bihi ṣawtahu wahuwa ʾaḥadu al-wajhayni waʾaḥabbuhumā ʾilā ʾahli al-ʿarabiyyati,
and in his saying: “He is not one of us who does not sing the Qurʾān,” meaning that he does not beautify his voice with it. This is one of the two interpretations, and the one preferred by the scholars of Arabic.
وَالْوَجْهُ الْآخَرُ أَيْ مَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَغْنِ بِهِ مِنَ الْغِنْيَةِ وَالِاكْتِفَاءِ ،
wa-al-wajhu al-ʾākharu ʾay man lam yastaghni bihi mina al-ghinyati wa-al-iktifāʾi,
The other interpretation is: “Whoever does not find sufficiency in it,” from the meaning of sufficiency and being content with enough.
وَقَدْ يُقَالُ : مِنْ هَٰذَا الْوَجْهِ يَتَغَانَى بِهِ وَمِنْهَا أَنْ يُسْمِعَ أُذُنَيْهِ وَيُوقِظَ قَلْبَهُ لِيَتَدَبَّرَ الْكَلَامَ وَيَتَفَهَّمَ الْمَعَانِيَ وَلَا يَكُونُ ذَٰلِكَ كُلُّهُ إِلَّا فِي الْجَهْرِ ؛
waqad yuqālu: min hādhā al-wajhi yataghānā bihi waminhā ʾan yusmiʿa ʾudhunayhi wayūqiẓa qalbahu liyatadabbara al-kalāma wayatafahhama al-maʿāniya walā yakūnu dhālika kulluhu ʾillā fī al-jahri;
In this sense one may also say, “He finds sufficiency through it.” Another intention is to make his own ears hear and awaken his heart, so that he may ponder the speech and understand its meanings. All this occurs only in audible recitation.
وَمِنْهَا أَنْ يَطْرُدَ الشَّيْطَانَ وَالنَّوْمَ عَنْهُ بِرَفْعِ صَوْتِهِ ، وَمِنْهَا أَنْ يَرْجُوَ بِجَهْرِهِ يَقْظَةَ نَائِمٍ فَيَذْكُرَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فَيَكُونَ هُوَ سَبَبَ إِحْيَائِهِ ؛
waminhā ʾan yaṭruda al-shayṭāna wa-al-nawma ʿanhu birafʿi ṣawtihi, waminhā ʾan yarjuwa bijahrihi yaqẓata nāʾimin fayadhkura allāha ʿazza wajalla, fayakūna huwa sababa ʾiḥyāʾihi;
Another is to drive Satan and sleep away from him by raising his voice. Another is to hope that his audible recitation awakens a sleeper, who then remembers God, mighty and majestic, so that he becomes the means of bringing him to life.
وَمِنْهَا أَنْ يَرَاهُ بَطَّالٌ غَافِلٌ فَيَنْشَطَ لِلْقِيَامِ وَيَشْتَاقَ إِلَى الْخِدْمَةِ فَيَكُونَ مُعَاوِنًا لَهُ عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى ؛ وَمِنْهَا أَنْ يَكْثُرَ بِجَهْرِهِ تِلَاوَتُهُ وَيَدُومَ قِيَامُهُ عَلَى حَسَبِ عَادَتِهِ لِلْجَهْرِ ،
waminhā ʾan yarāhu baṭṭālun ghāfilun fayanshaṭa lilqiyāmi wayashtāqa ʾilā al-khidmati fayakūna muʿāwinan lahu ʿalā al-birri wa-al-taqwā; waminhā ʾan yakthura bijahrihi tilāwatuhu wayadūma qiyāmuhu ʿalā ḥasabi ʿādatihi liljahri,
Another is that an idle, heedless person may see him, become eager to stand in prayer, and long for service, so that he helps him toward goodness and reverent fear. Another is that reciting aloud may increase his recitation and prolong his standing, in accordance with his habit of audible recitation.
فَفِي ذَٰلِكَ كَثْرَةُ عَمَلِهِ ، فَإِذَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ مُعْتَقِدًا لِهَٰذِهِ النِّيَّاتِ طَالِبًا لَهَا وَمُتَقَرِّبًا إِلَى اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَالِمًا بِنَفْسِهِ مُصَحِّحًا لِقَصْدِهِ نَاظِرًا إِلَى مَوْلَاهُ الَّذِي اِسْتَعْمَلَهُ فِيمَا يَرْضَاهُ فَجَهْرُهُ أَفْضَلُ لِأَنَّ
fafī dhālika kathratu ʿamalihi, faʾidhā kāna al-ʿabdu muʿtaqidan lihādhihi al-niyyāti ṭāliban lahā wamutaqarriban ʾilā allāhi subḥānahu wataʿālā ʿāliman binafsihi muṣaḥḥiḥan liqaṣdihi nāẓiran ʾilā mawlāhu alladhī istaʿmalahu fīmā yarḍāhu fajahruhu ʾafḍalu liʾanna
In this lies an increase in his work. When the servant holds these intentions, seeks them, draws near to God, glorified and exalted is He, knows himself, rectifies his purpose, and looks to his Master who has put him to work in what pleases Him, his audible recitation is better, because
لَهُ فِيهِ أَعْمَالًا وَإِنَّمَا يُفَضَّلُ الْعَمَلُ بِكَثْرَةِ النِّيَّاتِ فِيهِ وَارْتَفَعَ الْعُلَمَاءُ وَفُضِّلَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ بِحُسْنِ مَعْرِفَتِهِمْ بِنِيَّاتِ الْعَمَلِ وَاعْتِقَادِهِمْ لَهَا فَقَدْ يَكُونُ فِي الْعَمَلِ الْوَاحِدِ عَشْرُ نِيَّاتٍ يَعْلَمُ
lahu fīhi ʾaʿmālan waʾinnamā yufaḍḍalu al-ʿamalu bikathrati al-niyyāti fīhi wartafaʿa al-ʿulamāʾu wafuḍḍilat ʾaʿmāluhum biḥusni maʿrifatihim biniyyāti al-ʿamali waʿtiqādihim lahā faqad yakūnu fī al-ʿamali al-wāḥidi ʿashru niyyātin yaʿlamu
he has several deeds within it. A deed is made superior through the multiplicity of intentions within it. Scholars have risen, and their deeds have been preferred, because of their good knowledge of the intentions of a deed and their commitment to them. A single deed may contain ten intentions; these are known
ذَٰلِكَ الْعُلَمَاءُ فَيَعْمَلُونَ بِهَا فَيُعْطَوْنَ عَشَرَةَ أُجُورٍ وَأَفْضَلُ النَّاسِ فِي الْعَمَلِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ نِيَّةً فِيهِ وَأَحْسَنُهُمْ قَصْدًا وَأَدَبًا وَفِي بَعْضِ التَّفَاسِيرِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ( وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ
dhālika al-ʿulamāʾu fayaʿmalūna bihā fayuʿṭawna ʿasharata ʾujūrin waʾafḍalu al-nāsi fī al-ʿamali ʾaktharuhum niyyatan fīhi waʾaḥsanuhum qaṣdan waʾadaban wafī baʿḍi al-tafāsīri fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla ( waʾammā biniʿmati
to the scholars, who act upon them and receive ten rewards. The best people in action are those who have the most intentions within it and the finest purpose and manners. In some commentaries, concerning His saying, mighty and majestic, “As for the favor of
رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ ) الضُّحَى : 11 ، قَالَ : قِرَاءَةُ الْقُرْآنِ . وَفِي الْخَبَرِ مَنِ اِسْتَمَعَ إِلَى آيَةٍ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ كَانَتْ لَهُ نُورًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ،
rabbika faḥaddith ) al-ḍuḥā: 11, qāla: qirāʾatu al-qurʾāni. wafī al-khabari mani stamaʿa ʾilā ʾāyatin min kitābi allāhi ʿazza wajalla kānat lahu nūran yawma al-qiyāmati,
your Lord, proclaim it” (al-Ḍuḥā 93:11), it is said: “The recitation of the Qurʾān.” The report says: “Whoever listens to a verse of the Book of God, mighty and majestic, will have it as a light on the Day of Resurrection.”
وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ كُتِبَ لَهُ عَشْرُ حَسَنَاتٍ وَالتَّالِي شَرِيكُ الْمُسْتَمِعِ فِي الْأَجْرِ لِأَنَّهُ أَكْسَبَهُ ذَٰلِكَ ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ : لِلْقَارِئِ أَجْرٌ وَلِلْمُسْتَمِعِ أَجْرَانِ ،
wafī khabarin ʾākhara kutiba lahu ʿashru ḥasanātin wa-al-tālī sharīku al-mustamiʿi fī al-ʾajri liʾannahu ʾaksabahu dhālika, waqāla baʿḍuhum: lilqāriʾi ʾajrun walilmustamiʿi ʾajrāni,
Another report says: “Ten good deeds are recorded for him.” The reciter shares the listener’s reward because he enabled him to earn it. Some said: “The reader has one reward, and the listener has two rewards.”
وَقَالَ آخَرُ : لِلْمُسْتَمِعِ تِسْعَةُ أُجُورٍ وَكِلَاهُمَا صَحِيحٌ ، لِأَنَّ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا عَلَى قَدْرِ إِنْصَاتِهِ وَنِيَّتِهِ ،
waqāla ʾākharu: lilmustamiʿi tisʿatu ʾujūrin wakilāhumā ṣaḥīḥun, liʾanna kulla wāḥidin minhumā ʿalā qadri ʾinṣātihi waniyyatihi,
Another said: “The listener has nine rewards.” Both are sound, because each one is according to the measure of his attentive silence and his intention.
فَإِذَا كَانَ التَّالِي مُكْسِبًا لِغَيْرِهِ هَٰذِهِ الْأُجُورَ فَإِنَّ لَهُ بِكُلِّ أَجْرٍ أَكْسَبَهُ إِيَّاهُ أَجْرًا يَكْتَسِبُهُ لِقَوْلِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الدَّالُّ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ كَفَاعِلِهِ سِيَّمَا إِذَا كَانَ
faʾidhā kāna al-tālī muksiban lighayrihi hādhihi al-ʾujūra faʾinna lahu bikulli ʾajrin ʾaksabahu ʾiyyāhu ʾajran yaktasibuhu liqawlihi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama al-dāllu ʿalā al-khayri kafāʿilihi siyyamā ʾidhā kāna
When the reciter enables someone else to earn these rewards, he earns a reward for every reward he enabled the other to gain, because of his saying, God bless him and grant him peace: “One who directs to good is like one who does it,” especially if he is
عَالِمًا بِالْقُرْآنِ فَقِيهًا فِيهِ فَيَكُونُ مَقْرَاهُ وَوُقُوفُهُ حُجَّةً وَعِلْمًا لِسَامِعِهِ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَنْتَظِرُ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا فَأَبْطَأَتْ عَلَيْهِ ،
ʿāliman bi-al-qurʾāni faqīhan fīhi fayakūnu maqrāhu wawuqūfuhu ḥujjatan waʿilman lisāmiʿihi, wafī al-khabari ʾanna rasūla allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna yantaẓiru ʿāʾishata raḍiya allāhu ʿanhā faʾabṭaʾat ʿalayhi,
knowledgeable about the Qurʾān and understands it. His reading and his pauses then become a proof and a source of knowledge for his listener. In the report, the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, was waiting for ʿĀʾisha, may God be pleased with her, and she was late.
فَقَالَ : مَا حَبَسَكِ ؟ فَقَالَتْ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كُنْتُ أَسْتَمِعُ قِرَاءَةَ رَجُلٍ مَا سَمِعْتُ صَوْتًا أَحْسَنَ مِنْهُ ،
faqāla: mā ḥabasaki? faqālat: yā rasūla allāhi kuntu ʾastamiʿu qirāʾata rajulin mā samiʿtu ṣawtan ʾaḥsana minhu,
He said: “What kept you?” She said: “Messenger of God, I was listening to a man’s recitation. I have never heard a voice more beautiful than his.”
فَقَامَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى اِسْتَمَعَ إِلَيْهِ طَوِيلًا ثُمَّ رَجَعَ فَقَالَ : هَٰذَا سَالِمٌ مَوْلَى أَبِي حُذَيْفَةَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
faqāma ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ḥattā istamaʿa ʾilayhi ṭawīlan thumma rajaʿa faqāla: hādhā sālimun mawlā ʾabī ḥudhayfata al-ḥamdu lillāhi
He rose, God bless him and grant him peace, and listened to him for a long time. Then he returned and said: “This is Sālim, the client of Abū Ḥudhayfa. Praise belongs to God
الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي أُمَّتِي مِثْلَهُ وَاِسْتَمَعَ أَيْضًا ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى قِرَاءَةِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَمَعَهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ فَوَقَفُوا طَوِيلًا ثُمَّ قَالَ :
alladhī jaʿala fī ʾummatī mithlahu wastamaʿa ʾayḍan dhāta laylatin ʾilā qirāʾati ʿabdi allāhi bni masʿūdin wamaʿahu ʾabū bakrin waʿumaru raḍiya allāhu ʿanhum fawaqafū ṭawīlan thumma qāla:
who has placed someone like him in my community.” He also listened one night to the recitation of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, with Abū Bakr and ʿUmar beside him, may God be pleased with them. They stood for a long time, and then he said:
مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ غَضًّا كَمَا أُنْزِلَ فَلْيَقْرَأْ عَلَى قِرَاءَةِ اِبْنِ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ ،
man ʾarāda ʾan yaqraʾa al-qurʾāna ghaḍḍan kamā ʾunzila falyaqraʾ ʿalā qirāʾati ibni ʾummi ʿabdin,
“Whoever wishes to read the Qurʾān fresh as it was sent down should read according to the recitation of Ibn Umm ʿAbd.”
وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ : اِقْرَأْ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَقْرَأُ وَعَلَيْكَ أُنْزِلَ ،
waqāla rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama libni masʿūdin: iqraʾ faqāla yā rasūla allāhi ʾaqraʾu waʿalayka ʾunzila,
The Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, said to Ibn Masʿūd: “Read.” He said: “Messenger of God, am I to read when it was sent down to you?”
فَقَالَ إِنِّي أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَسْمَعَهُ مِنْ غَيْرِي فَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ وَعَيْنَا رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَفِيضَانِ وَذَٰلِكَ عِنْدَ قَوْلِهِ : فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ
faqāla ʾinnī ʾuḥibbu ʾan ʾasmaʿahu min ghayrī fakāna yaqraʾu waʿaynā rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama tafīḍāni wadhālika ʿinda qawlihi: fakayfa ʾidhā jiʾnā min kulli ʾummatin
He said: “I love to hear it from someone other than myself.” He read while the eyes of the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, overflowed. This was at His words: “How will it be when We bring from every community
بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَى هَٰؤُلَاءِ شَهِيدًا ،
bishahīdin wajiʾnā bika ʿalā hāʾulāʾi shahīdan,
a witness and bring you as a witness against these?”
وَاِسْتَمَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى قِرَاءَةِ أَبِي مُوسَى فَقَالَ : لَقَدْ أُوتِيَ هَٰذَا مِزْمَارًا مِنْ مَزَامِيرِ دَاوُدَ فَبَلَغَ ذَٰلِكَ أَبَا مُوسَى فَقَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ
wastamaʿa rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾilā qirāʾati ʾabī mūsā faqāla: laqad ʾūtiya hādhā mizmāran min mazāmīri dāwuda fabalagha dhālika ʾabā mūsā faqāla: yā rasūla
The Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, listened to the recitation of Abū Mūsā and said: “This man has been given a flute from among the flutes of David.” This reached Abū Mūsā, and he said: “Messenger of
اللَّهِ لَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّكَ تَسْمَعُ إِلَيَّ لَحَبَّرْتُ لَكَ تَحْبِيرًا ، وَكَانَ اِبْنُ مَسْعُودٍ يَأْمُرُ عَلْقَمَةَ بْنَ قَيْسٍ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ فَيَقُولُ لَهُ : رَتِّلْ فِدَاكَ أَبِي وَأُمِّي ،
allāhi law ʿalimtu ʾannaka tasmaʿu ʾilayya laḥabbartu laka taḥbīran, wakāna ibnu masʿūdin yaʾmuru ʿalqamata bna qaysin ʾan yaqraʾa bayna yadayhi fayaqūlu lahu: rattil fidāka ʾabī waʾummī,
God, had I known that you were listening to me, I would have richly adorned it for you.” Ibn Masʿūd used to command ʿAlqama ibn Qays to read before him, saying to him: “Recite in measured tones. May my father and mother be your ransom.”
وَكَانَ حَسَنَ الصَّوْتِ بِالْقُرْآنِ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ كَانَ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا اِجْتَمَعُوا أَمَرُوا أَحَدَهُمْ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ سُورَةً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ .
wakāna ḥasana al-ṣawti bi-al-qurʾāni, wafī al-khabari kāna ʾaṣḥābu rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾidhā ijtamaʿū ʾamarū ʾaḥadahum ʾan yaqraʾa sūratan mina al-qurʾāni.
He had a beautiful voice in reciting the Qurʾān. The report says: “When the Companions of the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, gathered, they would tell one of them to read a sūra of the Qurʾān.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ عُمَرُ يَقُولُ لِأَبِي مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا : ذَكِّرْنَا رَبَّنَا فَيَقْرَأُ عِنْدَهُ حَتَّى كَادَ وَقْتُ الصَّلَاةِ أَنْ يَتَوَسَّطَ فَيُقَالُ : يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الصَّلَاةَ الصَّلَاةَ ،
waqad kāna ʿumaru yaqūlu liʾabī masʿūdin raḍiya allāhu ʿanhumā: dhakkirnā rabbanā fayaqraʾu ʿindahu ḥattā kāda waqtu al-ṣalāti ʾan yatawassaṭa fayuqālu: yā ʾamīra al-muʾminīna al-ṣalāta al-ṣalāta,
ʿUmar used to say to Abū Masʿūd, may God be pleased with them both: “Remind us of our Lord.” He would read in his presence until the prayer time had nearly reached its midpoint. It would be said: “Commander of the Faithful, the prayer, the prayer!”
فَيَقُولُ : أَوَلَسْنَا فِي صَلَاةٍ ؟ فَكَأَنَّهُ يَتَأَوَّلُ قَوْلَهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ عُبَّادِ الْبَصْرِيِّينَ لَمَّا وَضَعَ بَعْضُ الْبَغْدَادِينَ كِتَابًا فِي مَعَانِي الرِّيَاءِ وَدَقَائِقِ آفَاتِ النُّفُوسِ ،
fayaqūlu: ʾawalasnā fī ṣalātin? fakaʾannahu yataʾawwalu qawlahu ʿazza wajalla, waladhikru allāhi ʾakbaru, waqāla baʿḍu ʿubbādi al-baṣriyyīna lammā waḍaʿa baʿḍu al-baghdādīna kitāban fī maʿānī al-riyāʾi wadaqāʾiqi ʾāfāti al-nufūsi,
He would say: “Are we not in prayer?” It was as though he interpreted His saying, mighty and majestic, “The remembrance of God is greater,” in this way. One of the devout worshippers of Basra spoke when one of the people of Baghdad wrote a book on the meanings of ostentation and the subtle faults of souls.
قَالَ : لَقَدْ كُنْتُ أَمْشِي بِاللَّيْلِ أَسْمَعُ أَصْوَاتَ الْمُتَهَجِّدِينَ كَأَنَّهَا أَصْوَاتُ الْمَيَازِيبِ ،
qāla: laqad kuntu ʾamshī bi-al-layli ʾasmaʿu ʾaṣwāta al-mutahajjidīna kaʾannahā ʾaṣwātu al-mayāzībi,
He said: “I used to walk at night and hear the voices of those praying the night vigil, as though they were the sounds of gutters pouring water.
فَكَانَ فِي ذَٰلِكَ أُنْسٌ وَحَثٌّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ وَالتِّلَاوَةِ حَتَّى جَاءَ الْبَغْدَادِيُّونَ بِدَقَائِقِ الرِّيَاءِ وَخَفَايَا الْآفَاتِ فَسَكَتَ الْمُتَهَجِّدُونَ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ ذَٰلِكَ يَنْقُصُ حَتَّى ذَهَبَ وَانْقَطَعَ وَتُرِكَ إِلَى الْيَوْمِ ،
fakāna fī dhālika ʾunsun waḥaththun ʿalā al-ṣalāti wa-al-tilāwati ḥattā jāʾa al-baghdādiyyūna bidaqāʾiqi al-riyāʾi wakhafāyā al-ʾāfāti fasakata al-mutahajjidūna falam yazal dhālika yanquṣu ḥattā dhahaba wanqaṭaʿa waturika ʾilā al-yawmi,
“In that there was companionship and encouragement to prayer and recitation, until the people of Baghdad brought the subtleties of ostentation and the hidden faults. Those praying the night vigil fell silent. This continued to diminish until it vanished, ceased, and was abandoned, as it remains to this day.”
فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِلتَّالِي نِيَّةٌ فِي شَيْءٍ مِمَّا ذَكَرْنَاهُ وَكَانَ سَاهِيًا غَافِلًا عَنْ ذَٰلِكَ وَكَانَ وَاقِفًا مَعَ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْآفَاتِ أَوْ لَمَحَ فِي قَلْبِهِ شَخْصٌ أَوْ سَاكَنَ
faʾin lam yakun li-al-tālī niyyatun fī shayʾin mimmā dhakarnāhu wakāna sāhiyan ghāfilan ʿan dhālika wakāna wāqifan maʿa shayʾin mina al-ʾāfāti ʾaw lamaḥa fī qalbihi shakhṣun ʾaw sākana
If the reciter has no intention in anything we have mentioned, is distracted and heedless of it, remains caught in some spiritual fault, or a person flashes into his heart, or he dwells on
ذِكْرَى هَوًى فَقَدِ اِعْتَلَّ فَعَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَحْتَمِيَ الْجَهْرَ فَإِنْ جَهَرَ عَلَى ثِقْلِ قَلْبِهِ فَسَدَ عَمَلُهُ لِاسْتِكْنَانِ الدَّاءِ فِيهِ وَكَانَ إِلَى النُّقْصَانِ أَقْرَبَ وَمِنَ الْإِخْلَاصِ أَبْعَدَ فَعَلَيْهِ حِينَئِذٍ
dhikrā hawan faqadi ʿtalla faʿalayhi ʾan yaḥtamiya al-jahra faʾin jahara ʿalā thiqli qalbihi fasada ʿamaluhu listiknāni al-dāʾi fīhi wakāna ʾilā al-nuqṣāni ʾaqraba wamina al-ʾikhlāṣi ʾabʿada faʿalayhi ḥīnaʾidhin
the memory of a desire, then he has become ill. He must refrain from audible recitation. If he recites aloud despite the heaviness of his heart, his deed is corrupted because the illness is hidden within it. He is nearer to deficiency and further from sincerity. At that point he must hold
بِالْإِخْلَاصِ فَهُوَ دَوَاؤُهُ يُعَالِجُ بِهِ حَالَهُ فَإِنَّهُ أَصْلَحُ لِقَلْبِهِ وَأَسْلَمُ لِعَمَلِهِ وَأَحْمَدُ فِي عَاقِبَتِهِ ،
bi-al-ʾikhlāṣi fahuwa dawāʾuhu yuʿāliju bihi ḥālahu faʾinnahu ʾaṣlaḥu liqalbihi waʾaslamu liʿamalihi waʾaḥmadu fī ʿāqibatihi,
to sincerity, for it is his medicine, with which he treats his condition. It is better for his heart, safer for his deed, and more praiseworthy in its outcome.
وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ وَاجِدًا لِحَلَاوَةِ الْهَوَى فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَالتِّلَاوَةِ وَهُوَ يَظُنُّ أَنَّ ذَٰلِكَ حَلَاوَةُ الْإِخْلَاصِ وَهَٰذَا مِنْ دَقِيقِ شَأْنِ الشَّهْوَةِ الْخَفِيَّةِ وَلَطِيفِ الِانْتِقَاصِ ،
waqad yakūnu al-ʿabdu wājidan liḥalāwati al-hawā fī al-ṣalāti wa-al-tilāwati wahuwa yaẓunnu ʾanna dhālika ḥalāwatu al-ʾikhlāṣi wahādhā min daqīqi shaʾni al-shahwati al-khafiyyati walaṭīfi al-intiqāṣi,
A servant may find the sweetness of desire in prayer and recitation while imagining it to be the sweetness of sincerity. This belongs to the subtle workings of hidden appetite and to imperceptible diminishment.
وَقَدْ يَلْتَبِسُ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى الضُّعَفَاءِ وَلَا يَفْطَنُ لَهُ إِلَّا الْعُلَمَاءُ ،
waqad yaltabisu dhālika ʿalā al-ḍuʿafāʾi walā yafṭanu lahu ʾillā al-ʿulamāʾu,
This may be confused for the weak, and only the scholars discern it.
وَإِنَّمَا يَجِدُ حَلَاوَةَ الْإِخْلَاصِ الزَّاهِدُونَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَفِي مَدْحِ النَّاسِ لَهُمْ بِهِ وَيَتَلَذَّذُونَ بِنُصْحِ الْمُعَامَلَةِ وَصِدْقِ الْخِدْمَةِ الْمُحِبُّونَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْخَائِفُونَ مِنْهُ وَاعْتِبَارُ فَقْدِ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَحَدِ
waʾinnamā yajidu ḥalāwata al-ʾikhlāṣi al-zāhidūna fī al-dunyā wafī madḥi al-nāsi lahum bihi wayataladhdhadhūna binuṣḥi al-muʿāmalati waṣidqi al-khidmati al-muḥibbūna lillāhi ʿazza wajalla al-khāʾifūna minhu waʿtibāru faqdi dhālika biʾaḥadi
Only those who renounce this world and people’s praise of them for it find the sweetness of sincerity. Those who love God, mighty and majestic, and fear Him delight in faithful dealings and truthful service. The absence of that is assessed through one of
شَيْئَيْنِ : سُقُوطِ النَّفْسِ بِاسْتِوَاءِ الْمَدْحِ وَالذَّمِّ وَهَٰذَا حَالٌ فِي مَقَامِ الزُّهْدِ ، أَوِ الْخُلُوِّ مِنَ الْقَلْبِ بِشَهَادَةِ الْيَقِينِ وَهَٰذَا فِي مَقَامِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ ،
shayʾayni: suqūṭi al-nafsi bistiwāʾi al-madḥi wa-al-dhammi wahādhā ḥālun fī maqāmi al-zuhdi, ʾawi al-khuluwwi mina al-qalbi bishahādati al-yaqīni wahādhā fī maqāmi al-maʿrifati,
two things: the falling away of the self, with praise and blame becoming equal, which is a state within the station of renunciation; or its absence from the heart through the witnessing of certainty, which belongs to the station of knowledge of God.
وَفِي هَٰذَيْنِ الْمَقَامَيْنِ يَسْتَوِي السِّرُّ وَالْعَلَانِيَةُ وَقَدْ تَكُونُ الْعَلَانِيَةُ أَفْضَلَ لِأَئِمَّةِ التَّقْوَى وَالْعَدْلِ . وَحُدِّثْتُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْخَيْرِ قَالَ : كُنْتُ أَقْرَأُ فِي السَّحَرِ فِي غُرْفَةٍ لِي شَارِعَةٍ
wafī hādhayni al-maqāmayni yastawī al-sirru wa-al-ʿalāniyatu waqad takūnu al-ʿalāniyatu ʾafḍala liʾaʾimmati al-taqwā wa-al-ʿadli. waḥuddithtu ʿan rajulin min ʾahli al-khayri qāla: kuntu ʾaqraʾu fī al-saḥari fī ghurfatin lī shāriʿatin
In these two stations, private and public acts are equal. Public acts may be better for the leaders of reverent fear and justice. I was told about a man of goodness who said: “Before dawn, in an upper room of mine overlooking the street, I was reading
سُورَةَ طَٰهَٰ فَلَمَّا خَتَمْتُهَا غَفَوْتُ بَعْدَهَا فَرَأَيْتُ شَخْصًا نَزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ بِيَدِهِ صَحِيفَةٌ بَيْضَاءُ فَنَشَرَهَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ فَإِذَا فِيهَا سُورَةُ طَٰهَٰ وَإِذَا تَحْتَ كُلِّ كَلِمَةٍ عَشْرُ حَسَنَاتٍ
sūrata ṭā hā falammā khatamtuhā ghafawtu baʿdahā faraʾaytu shakhṣan nazala mina al-samāʾi biyadihi ṣaḥīfatun bayḍāʾu fanasharahā bayna yadayya faʾidhā fīhā sūratu ṭā hā waʾidhā taḥta kulli kalimatin ʿashru ḥasanātin
Sūrat Ṭā Hā. When I finished it, I dozed afterward and saw a figure descending from heaven, holding a white sheet. He spread it out before me, and there was Sūrat Ṭā Hā upon it. Beneath every word were ten good deeds
مُثْبَتَةٌ إِلَّا كَلِمَةً وَاحِدَةً فَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ مَكَانَهَا مَحْوًا وَلَمْ أَرَ تَحْتَهَا شَيْئًا فَغَمَّنِي ذَٰلِكَ فَقُلْتُ : قَدْ وَاللَّهِ قَرَأْتُ هَٰذِهِ الْكَلِمَةَ وَلَمْ أَرَ لَهَا ثَوَابًا وَلَا أَرَاهَا
muthbatatun ʾillā kalimatan wāḥidatan faʾinnī raʾaytu makānahā maḥwan walam ʾara taḥtahā shayʾan faghammanī dhālika faqultu: qad wa-allāhi qaraʾtu hādhihi al-kalimata walam ʾara lahā thawāban walā ʾarāhā
recorded, except for one word: I saw an erasure in its place and nothing beneath it. This grieved me, and I said: ‘By God, I did read this word, but I see no reward for it, nor do I see it
أُثْبِتَتْ فَقَالَ الشَّخْصُ صَدَقْتَ قَدْ قَرَأْتَهَا وَكَتَبْنَاهَا لَكَ إِلَّا أَنَّا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي اُمْحُوهَا وَأَسْقِطُوا ثَوَابَهَا فَمَحَوْنَاهَا فَبَكَيْتُ فِي مَنَامِي وَقُلْتُ : لِمَ فَعَلْتُمْ ذَٰلِكَ قَالُوا :
ʾuthbitat faqāla al-shakhṣu ṣadaqta qad qaraʾtahā wakatabnāhā laka ʾillā ʾannā samiʿnā munādiyan yunādī umḥūhā waʾasqiṭū thawābahā famaḥawnāhā fabakaytu fī manāmī waqultu: lima faʿaltum dhālika qālū:
recorded.’ The figure said: ‘You speak truly. You read it and we wrote it down for you, but we heard a caller calling: “Erase it and cancel its reward,” so we erased it.’ I wept in my dream and said: ‘Why did you do that?’ They said:
مَرَّ رَجُلٌ فَرَفَعْتَ صَوْتَكَ بِهَا لِأَجْلِهِ فَمَحَوْنَاهَا .
marra rajulun farafaʿta ṣawtaka bihā liʾajlihi famaḥawnāhā.
‘A man passed by, and you raised your voice in reciting it for his sake, so we erased it.’”
وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَمِعَ رَجُلًا يَجْهَرُ بِقِرَاءَتِهِ فَنَادَاهُ : يَا فُلَانُ أَسْمِعِ اللَّهَ وَلَا تُسْمِعْنِي وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ السُّمْعَةَ مَقْرُونَةٌ بِالرِّيَاءِ وَمَحْكُومٌ لَهَا بِحُكْمِهِ
waqad rawaynā ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama samiʿa rajulan yajharu biqirāʾatihi fanādāhu: yā fulānu ʾasmiʿi allāha walā tusmiʿnī waʿlam ʾanna al-sumʿata maqrūnatun bi-al-riyāʾi wamaḥkūmun lahā biḥukmihi
We have related that the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, heard a man reciting aloud and called to him: “So-and-so, let God hear, and do not let me hear.” Know that seeking to be heard is joined to ostentation and receives the same ruling
مِنْ فَسَادِ الْعَمَلِ وَنُقْصَانِ الْعَامِلِ وَهِيَ مَأْخُوذَةٌ مِنَ السَّمْعِ ،
min fasādi al-ʿamali wanuqṣāni al-ʿāmili wahiya maʾkhūdhatun mina al-samʿi,
of corrupting the deed and diminishing the doer. The word is derived from hearing.
كَأَنَّ الْعَبْدَ يُسْمِعُ بِعَمَلِهِ غَيْرَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يُسْمِعَ بِهِ مَخْلُوقًا لِيَمْدَحَهُ بِهِ لِغَلَبَةِ هَوَاهُ وَضَعْفِ نَفْسِهِ فَيَكُونُ قَدْ أَشْرَكَ فِي عَمَلِهِ غَيْرَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ
kaʾanna al-ʿabda yusmiʿu biʿamalihi ghayra allāhi ʿazza wajalla wayuḥibbu ʾan yusmiʿa bihi makhlūqan liyamdaḥahu bihi lighalabati hawāhu waḍaʿfi nafsihi fayakūnu qad ʾashraka fī ʿamalihi ghayra allāhi ʿazza
It is as though the servant makes someone other than God, mighty and majestic, hear of his deed and loves to make a created being hear of it so that he will praise him for it. This is because his desire prevails and his soul is weak. He has thus associated someone other than God, mighty
وَجَلَّ فَيَبْطُلُ عَمَلُهُ لِجَهْلِهِ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ إِذْ لَوْ عَلِمَ يَقِينًا أَنْ لَا نَافِعَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلَا ضَارَّ وَلَا مُعْطِيَ وَلَا مَانِعَ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ خَلَصَ لَهُ تَوْحِيدٌ مِنَ
wajalla fayabṭulu ʿamaluhu lijahlihi bi-al-tawḥīdi ʾidh law ʿalima yaqīnan ʾan lā nāfiʿa ʾillā allāhu ʿazza wajalla walā ḍārra walā muʿṭiya walā māniʿa ʾillā ʾiyyāhu khalaṣa lahu tawḥīdun mina
and majestic, with Him in his deed, and his deed becomes void through his ignorance of divine oneness. Had he known with certainty that none benefits except God, mighty and majestic, and that none harms, gives, or withholds except Him, his affirmation of oneness would have been purified from
الشِّرْكِ فَخَلَصَ لَهُ عَمَلُهُ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ ، وَكَذَٰلِكَ الرِّيَاءُ مَأْخُوذٌ مِنْ رَأْيِ الْعَيْنِ فَالسُّمْعَةُ هِيَ بِمَعْنَاهُ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ : لَا يَقْبَلُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ مُسَمِّعٍ وَلَا مُرَاءٍ ،
al-shirki fakhalaṣa lahu ʿamaluhu mina al-riyāʾi, wakadhālika al-riyāʾu maʾkhūdhun min raʾyi al-ʿayni fa-al-sumʿatu hiya bimaʿnāhu, wafī al-khabari: lā yaqbalu allāhu ʿazza wajalla min musammiʿin walā murāʾin,
association, and his deed would have been purified from ostentation. Likewise, ostentation is derived from the seeing of the eye, and seeking to be heard has the same meaning. The report says: “God, mighty and majestic, does not accept from one who seeks to be heard or one who shows off.”
وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ : مَنْ سَمَّعَ سَمَّعَ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَمَنْ رَاءَى رَاءَى اللَّهُ بِهِ وَصَغَّرَهُ وَحَقَّرَهُ ،
wafī khabarin ʾākhara: man sammaʿa sammaʿa allāhu bihi waman rāʾā rāʾā allāhu bihi waṣaghgharahu waḥaqqarahu,
Another report says: “Whoever seeks to be heard, God will make him heard of; and whoever shows off, God will expose him to view, belittle him, and make him contemptible.”
فَأَمَّا مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ نِيَّةٌ صَالِحَةٌ فِي أَنْ يُسْمِعَ أَخَاهُ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ لِيَتَّعِظَ بِهِ وَيَتَدَبَّرَهُ أَوْ يَنْتَفِعَ بِاسْتِمَاعِهِ وَيَتَذَكَّرَ بِهِ فَلَيْسَ دَاخِلًا فِي السُّمْعَةِ لِوُجُودِ حُسْنِ النِّيَّةِ
faʾammā man kānat lahu niyyatun ṣāliḥatun fī ʾan yusmiʿa ʾakhāhu kalāma allāhi liyattaʿiẓa bihi wayatadabbarahu ʾaw yantafiʿa bistimāʿihi wayatadhakkara bihi falaysa dākhilan fī al-sumʿati liwujūdi ḥusni al-niyyati
As for someone with a good intention in making his brother hear God’s speech, so that he may take heed through it and ponder it, or benefit from hearing it and be reminded by it, he does not fall within seeking to be heard, because his intention is good
وَصِحَّةِ الْقَصْدِ وَلِفَقْدِ اِقْتِرَانِ الْآفَةِ لِإِرَادَةِ طَمَعٍ عَاجِلٍ مِنْ مَدْحٍ أَوْ غَرَضِ دُنْيَا ، كَمَا قَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : لَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّكَ تَسْمَعُ لَحَبَّرْتُهُ لَكَ تَحْبِيرًا ،
waṣiḥḥati al-qaṣdi walifaqdi iqtirāni al-ʾāfati liʾirādati ṭamaʿin ʿājilin min madḥin ʾaw gharaḍi dunyā, kamā qāla ʾabū mūsā lirasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: law ʿalimtu ʾannaka tasmaʿu laḥabbartuhu laka taḥbīran,
and his purpose sound, and because the fault of desiring an immediate gain of praise or a worldly end is absent. As Abū Mūsā said to the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace: “Had I known that you were listening, I would have richly adorned it for you.”
فَلَمْ يُنْكِرْ عَلَيْهِ لِأَنَّهُ ذُو نِيَّةٍ فِي الْخَيْرِ وَحُسْنِ قَصْدٍ بِهِ ، وَقَالَ لِلْآخَرِ الَّذِي رَفَعَ صَوْتَهُ بِالْآيَةِ أَسْمِعِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلَا تُسْمِعْنِي فَأَنْكَرَ عَلَيْهِ لِمَا شَهِدَ السُّمْعَةَ فِيهِ .
falam yunkir ʿalayhi liʾannahu dhū niyyatin fī al-khayri waḥusni qaṣdin bihi, waqāla li-al-ʾākhari alladhī rafaʿa ṣawtahu bi-al-ʾāyati ʾasmiʿi allāha ʿazza wajalla walā tusmiʿnī faʾankara ʿalayhi limā shahida al-sumʿata fīhi.
He did not rebuke him, because he had an intention toward good and a sound purpose in it. To the other man who raised his voice with the verse he said: “Let God, mighty and majestic, hear, and do not let me hear.” He rebuked him because he perceived seeking to be heard in him.
وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا أَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَرَّ بِرَجُلٍ يُظْهِرُ التَّأَوُّهَ وَالْوَجَلَ فَقَالَ مَنْ كَانَ مَعَهُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَتَرَاهُ مُرَائِيًا ؟ فَقَالَ : لَا بَلْ أَوَّاهٌ
waqad rawaynā ʾannahu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama marra birajulin yuẓhiru al-taʾawwuha wa-al-wajala faqāla man kāna maʿahu: yā rasūla allāhi, ʾatarāhu murāʾiyan? faqāla: lā bal ʾawwāhun
We have related that he, God bless him and grant him peace, passed a man displaying sighs and fear. Someone with him said: “Messenger of God, do you think he is showing off?” He said: “No; rather, he is one who sighs deeply,
مُنِيبٌ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْأَكْلَ وَالنَّوْمَ عَلَى السَّلَامَةِ وَالصِّدْقِ أَفْضَلُ فِي الْحَالِ وَأَرْفَعُ فِي الْمَقَامِ وَأَحْمَدُ فِي الْمَآلِ مِنَ الْقِيَامِ وَالصِّيَامِ عَلَى يَسِيرٍ مِنَ التَّصَنُّعِ وَالتَّزَيُّنِ لِلْخَلْقِ ،
munībun waʿlam ʾanna al-ʾakla wa-al-nawma ʿalā al-salāmati wa-al-ṣidqi ʾafḍalu fī al-ḥāli waʾarfaʿu fī al-maqāmi waʾaḥmadu fī al-maʾāli mina al-qiyāmi wa-al-ṣiyāmi ʿalā yasīrin mina al-taṣannuʿi wa-al-tazayyuni lilkhalqi,
turning back to God.” Know that eating and sleeping in soundness and truthfulness are better in state, higher in station, and more praiseworthy in outcome than standing in prayer and fasting with even a little affectation and self-adornment for created beings.
وَمَعْرِفَةُ هَٰذَا وَالْقِيَامُ بِهِ هُوَ مَوْضِعُ عِلْمِ الْعُلَمَاءِ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ،
wamaʿrifatu hādhā wa-al-qiyāmu bihi huwa mawḍiʿu ʿilmi al-ʿulamāʾi bi-allāhi ʿazza wajalla,
Knowing this and putting it into practice is the field of knowledge of those who know God, mighty and majestic.
وَحُدِّثْنَا عَنِ الْحَسَنِ الْبَصْرِيِّ قَالَ : تَفَقَّدِ الْحَلَاوَةَ فِي ثَلَاثٍ : فَإِنْ وَجَدْتَهَا فَابْشِرْ وَامْضِ لِقَصْدِكَ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْهَا فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ بَابَكَ مُغْلَقٌ عِنْدَ تِلَاوَةِ الْقُرْآنِ وَعِنْدَ
waḥuddithnā ʿani al-ḥasani al-baṣriyyi qāla: tafaqqadi al-ḥalāwata fī thalāthin: faʾin wajadtahā fabshir wamḍi liqaṣdika waʾin lam tajidhā faʿlam ʾanna bābaka mughlaqun ʿinda tilāwati al-qurʾāni waʿinda
We were told from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī that he said: “Look for sweetness in three things. If you find it, rejoice and proceed toward your goal. If you do not find it, know that your door is shut: when reciting the Qurʾān, when
الذِّكْرِ وَفِي السُّجُودِ وَزَادَ غَيْرُهُ وَعِنْدَ الصَّدَقَةِ وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ وَقِرَاءَةُ الْقُرْآنِ فِي الْمُصْحَفِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ قِرَاءَتِهِ عَنْ ظَهْرِ قَلْبٍ ،
al-dhikri wafī al-sujūdi wazāda ghayruhu waʿinda al-ṣadaqati wabilʾasḥāri waqirāʾatu al-qurʾāni fī al-muṣḥafi ʾafḍalu min qirāʾatihi ʿan ẓahri qalbin,
remembering God, and in prostration.” Someone else added: “When giving charity and in the hours before dawn.” Reading the Qurʾān from a written copy is better than reading it from memory.
يُقَالُ : الْخَتْمَةُ بِسَبْعِ خَتْمٍ لِأَنَّ النَّظَرَ فِي الْمُصْحَفِ عِبَادَةٌ وَكَانَ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ يَقْرَؤُونَ فِي الْمُصْحَفِ وَيَسْتَحِبُّونَ أَنْ لَا يَخْرُجُوا يَوْمًا إِلَّا نَظَرُوا فِيهِ وَخَرَّقَ
yuqālu: al-khatmatu bisabʿi khatmin liʾanna al-naẓara fī al-muṣḥafi ʿibādatun wakāna kathīrun mina al-ṣaḥābati wa-al-tābiʿīna yaqraʾūna fī al-muṣḥafi wayastaḥibbūna ʾan lā yakhrujū yawman ʾillā naẓarū fīhi wakharraqa
It is said: “One complete reading equals seven complete readings,” because looking into the written copy is worship. Many of the Companions and Successors used to read from the written copy and preferred not to let a day go by without looking into it. ʿUthmān wore out
عُثْمَانُ مُصْحَفَيْنِ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ دَرْسِهِ فِيهِمَا .
ʿuthmānu muṣḥafayni min kathrati darsihi fīhimā.
two written copies through his frequent study of them.
الْفَصْلُ الْعِشْرُونَ فِي ذِكْرِ إِحْيَاءِ اللَّيَالِي الْمَرْجُوِّ فِيهَا الْفَضْلُ الْمُسْتَحَبِّ إِحْيَاؤُهَا وَذِكْرِ مُوَاصَلَةِ الْأَوْرَادِ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْفَاضِلَةِ
al-faṣlu al-ʿishrūna fī dhikri ʾiḥyāʾi al-layālī al-marjuwwi fīhā al-faḍlu al-mustaḥabbi ʾiḥyāʾuhā wadhikri muwāṣalati al-ʾawrādi fī al-ʾayyāmi al-fāḍilati
Chapter 20: Keeping Vigil on Nights in Which Special Merit Is Hoped For and Which It Is Recommended to Spend in Worship; and Sustaining the Devotions on Excellent Days
وَيُسْتَحَبُّ إِحْيَاءُ خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ لَيْلَةً فِي السَّنَةِ خَمْسٌ مِنْهَا فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَهِيَ وِتْرُ لَيَالِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَخِيرِ مِنْهُ وَلَيْلَةُ سَبْعَ عَشْرَةَ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ هِيَ صَبِيحَةُ يَوْمِ الْفُرْقَانِ
wayustaḥabbu ʾiḥyāʾu khamsa ʿashrata laylatan fī al-sanati khamsun minhā fī shahri ramaḍāna wahiya witru layālī al-ʿashri al-ʾakhīri minhu walaylatu sabʿa ʿashrata min ramaḍāna hiya ṣabīḥatu yawmi al-furqāni
It is recommended to spend fifteen nights of the year in worship. Five of them are in the month of Ramadan: the odd-numbered nights of its final ten. Then there is the seventeenth night of Ramadan, whose morning is the Day of Distinction,
يَوْمَ اِلْتَقَىٰ الْجَمْعَانِ فِيهِ كَانَتْ وَقْعَةُ بَدْرٍ وَكَانَ ابْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ يَذْهَبُ إِلَى أَنَّهَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ وَأَمَّا التِّسْعَةُ الْأُخَرُ فَأَوَّلُ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ الْمُحَرَّمِ وَلَيْلَةُ عَاشُورَاءَ وَأَوَّلُ لَيْلَةٍ
yawma iltaqā al-jamʿāni fīhi kānat waqʿatu badrin wakāna ibnu al-zubayri yadhhabu ʾilā ʾannahā laylatu al-qadri waʾammā al-tisʿatu al-ʾukharu faʾawwalu laylatin min shahri al-muḥarrami walaylatu ʿāshūrāʾa waʾawwalu laylatin
the day the two armies met, when the Battle of Badr took place. Ibn al-Zubayr held that it was the Night of Decree. The other nine are the first night of the month of Muḥarram, the night of ʿĀshūrāʾ, the first night
مِنْ شَهْرِ رَجَبَ وَلَيْلَةُ النِّصْفِ مِنْهُ وَلَيْلَةُ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ مِنْهُ وَفِيهِ أُسْرِيَ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيْلَةَ الْمِعْرَاجِ وَلَيْلَةُ عَرَفَةَ وَلَيْلَةُ الْعِيدَيْنِ وَلَيْلَةُ النِّصْفِ مِنْ
min shahri rajaba walaylatu al-niṣfi minhu walaylatu sabʿin waʿishrīna minhu wafīhi ʾusriya birasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama laylata al-miʿrāji walaylatu ʿarafata walaylatu al-ʿīdayni walaylatu al-niṣfi min
of the month of Rajab, its middle night, and its twenty-seventh night, in which the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, was taken on the Night Journey, the night of the Ascension; the night of ʿArafa; the nights of the two festivals; and the middle night of
شَعْبَانَ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُصَلُّونَ فِي هَٰذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ مِائَةَ رَكْعَةٍ بِأَلْفِ مَرَّةٍ : قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ عَشْرًا فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ وَيُسَمُّونَ هَٰذِهِ الصَّلَاةَ صَلَاةَ الْخَيْرِ وَيَتَعَرَّفُونَ بَرَكَتَهَا
shaʿbāna waqad kānū yuṣallūna fī hādhihi al-laylati miʾata rakʿatin biʾalfi marratin: qul huwa allāhu ʾaḥadun ʿashran fī kulli rakʿatin wayusammūna hādhihi al-ṣalāta ṣalāta al-khayri wayataʿarrafūna barakatahā
Shaʿbān. They used to pray one hundred cycles on this night, reciting “Say: He is God, One” a thousand times, ten times in each cycle. They called this prayer the Prayer of Goodness and experienced its blessing.
وَيَجْتَمِعُونَ فِيهَا وَرُبَّمَا صَلَّوْهَا جَمَاعَةً .
wayajtamiʿūna fīhā warubbamā ṣallawhā jamāʿatan.
They would gather for it and sometimes perform it in congregation.
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ الْحَسَنِ قَالَ : حَدَّثَنِي ثَلَاثُونَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّ مَنْ صَلَّى هَٰذِهِ الصَّلَاةَ فِي هَٰذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ نَظَرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَيْهِ
warawaynā ʿani al-ḥasani qāla: ḥaddathanī thalāthūna min ʾaṣḥābi al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾanna man ṣallā hādhihi al-ṣalāta fī hādhihi al-laylati naẓara allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʾilayhi
We have related from al-Ḥasan that he said: “Thirty of the Companions of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, told me that whoever performs this prayer on this night, God, mighty and majestic, looks upon him
سَبْعِينَ نَظْرَةً وَقَضَى لَهُ بِكُلِّ نَظْرَةٍ سَبْعِينَ حَاجَةً أَدْنَاهَا الْمَغْفِرَةُ ،
sabʿīna naẓratan waqaḍā lahu bikulli naẓratin sabʿīna ḥājatan ʾadnāhā al-maghfiratu,
seventy times and fulfills seventy needs for him with each look, the least of them being forgiveness.”
وَقَدْ قِيلَ : إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ اللَّيْلَةَ هِيَ الَّتِي قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهَا ( فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ ) الدُّخَانِ : 4 ،
waqad qīla: ʾinna hādhihi al-laylata hiya allatī qāla allāhu ʿazza wajalla fīhā (fīhā yufraqu kullu ʾamrin ḥakīmin) al-dukhāni: 4,
It has been said that this is the night concerning which God, mighty and majestic, says: “In it every wise matter is distinguished” (al-Dukhān 44:4),
وَأَنَّهُ يُنْسَخُ فِيهَا أَمْرُ السَّنَةِ وَتَدْبِيرُ الْأَحْكَامِ إِلَى مِثْلِهَا مِنْ قَابِلٍ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ ،
waʾannahu yunsakhu fīhā ʾamru al-sanati watadbīru al-ʾaḥkāmi ʾilā mithlihā min qābilin wa-allāhu ʾaʿlamu,
and that the affairs of the year and the ordering of its decrees are written down on it until the corresponding night of the following year. God knows best.
وَالصَّحِيحُ مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ عِنْدِي أَنَّهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ وَبِذَٰلِكَ سُمِّيَتْ لِأَنَّ التَّنْزِيلَ يَشْهَدُ لَهُ إِذْ فِي أَوَّلِ الْآيَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ ثُمَّ وَصَفَهَا فَقَالَ :
wa-al-ṣaḥīḥu min dhālika ʿindī ʾannahu fī laylati al-qadri wabidhālika summiyat liʾanna al-tanzīla yashhadu lahu ʾidh fī ʾawwali al-ʾāyati ʾinnā ʾanzalnāhu fī laylatin mubārakatin thumma waṣafahā faqāla:
The correct view, to my mind, is that this happens on the Night of Decree, and that this is why it bears that name, for revelation attests to it. The beginning of the verse says, “We sent it down on a blessed night”; then He describes it, saying:
فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ ،
fīhā yufraqu kullu ʾamrin ḥakīmin,
“In it every wise matter is distinguished.”
فَالْقُرْآنُ إِنَّمَا أُنْزِلَ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ فَكَانَتْ هَٰذِهِ الْآيَةُ بِهَٰذَا الْوَصْفِ فِي هَٰذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ مُوَاطِئَةً لِقَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ ) الْقَدْرِ : 1 .
fa-al-qurʾānu ʾinnamā ʾunzila fī laylati al-qadri fakānat hādhihi al-ʾāyatu bihādhā al-waṣfi fī hādhihi al-laylati muwāṭiʾatan liqawlihi ʿazza wajalla: (ʾinnā ʾanzalnāhu fī laylati al-qadri) al-qadri: 1.
The Qurʾān was indeed sent down on the Night of Decree. Thus this verse, describing this night in this way, agrees with His saying, mighty and majestic: “We sent it down on the Night of Decree” (al-Qadr 97:1).
ذِكْرُ مُوَاصَلَةِ الْأَوْرَادِ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْفَاضِلَةِ
dhikru muwāṣalati al-ʾawrādi fī al-ʾayyāmi al-fāḍilati
Sustaining the Devotions on Excellent Days
وَهِيَ تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا تُسْتَحَبُّ فِيهَا مُوَاصَلَةُ الْأَوْرَادِ وَالدَّأْبُ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ يَوْمُ عَاشُورَاءَ وَيَوْمُ عَرَفَةَ وَيَوْمُ سَبْعَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ مِنْ رَجَبَ وَيَوْمُ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَيَوْمُ
wahiya tisʿata ʿashara yawman tustaḥabbu fīhā muwāṣalatu al-ʾawrādi wa-al-daʾbu fī al-ʿibādati yawmu ʿāshūrāʾa wayawmu ʿarafata wayawmu sabʿatin waʿishrīna min rajaba wayawmu sabʿata ʿashara min shahri ramaḍāna wayawmu
There are nineteen days on which it is recommended to sustain the devotions and apply oneself diligently to worship: the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, the day of ʿArafa, the twenty-seventh day of Rajab, the seventeenth day of the month of Ramadan, the day
النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ وَيَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ وَيَوْمُ الْعِيدِ وَالْأَيَّامُ الْمَعْلُومَاتُ وَهِيَ عَشْرُ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ وَالْأَيَّامُ الْمَعْدُودَاتُ وَهِيَ أَيَّامُ التَّشْرِيقِ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ صَوْمُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ يُكَفِّرُ سَنَتَيْنِ سَنَةً مَاضِيَةً وَسَنَةً مُسْتَقْبَلَةً ،
al-niṣfi min shaʿbāna wayawmu al-jumuʿati wayawmu al-ʿīdi wa-al-ʾayyāmu al-maʿlūmātu wahiya ʿashru dhī al-ḥijjati wa-al-ʾayyāmu al-maʿdūdātu wahiya ʾayyāmu al-tashrīqi, wafī al-khabari ṣawmu yawmi ʿarafata yukaffiru sanatayni sanatan māḍiyatan wasanatan mustaqbalatan,
in the middle of Shaʿbān, Friday, the festival day, the “known days,” which are the ten days of Dhū al-Ḥijja, and the “numbered days,” which are the days of Tashrīq. The report says: “Fasting on the day of ʿArafa expiates two years, a past year and a coming year;
وَصَوْمُ يَوْمِ عَاشُورَاءَ كَفَّارَةُ سَنَةٍ .
waṣawmu yawmi ʿāshūrāʾa kaffāratu sanatin.
and fasting on the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ is an expiation for a year.”
وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : إِذَا سَلِمَ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ سَلِمَتِ الْأَيَّامُ وَإِذَا سَلِمَ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ سَلِمَتِ السَّنَةُ وَقَالَ
waqad rawaynā ʿan ʾanasi bni mālikin ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾidhā salima yawmu al-jumuʿati salimati al-ʾayyāmu waʾidhā salima shahru ramaḍāna salimati al-sanatu waqāla
We have related from Anas ibn Mālik, from the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace: “If Friday passes soundly, the days pass soundly; and if the month of Ramadan passes soundly, the year passes soundly.” And
بَعْضُ عُلَمَائِنَا : مَنْ أَخَذَ مَهْنَاهُ فِي هَٰذِهِ الْأَيَّامِ الْخَمْسَةِ فِي الدُّنْيَا لَمْ يَنَلْ مَهْنَاهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَقَالَ هَٰذِهِ الْأَيَّامُ يُرْجَى فِيهَا الْفَضْلُ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
baʿḍu ʿulamāʾinā: man ʾakhadha mahnāhu fī hādhihi al-ʾayyāmi al-khamsati fī al-dunyā lam yanal mahnāhu fī al-ʾākhirati waqāla hādhihi al-ʾayyāmu yurjā fīhā al-faḍlu mina allāhi ʿazza wajalla
one of our scholars said: “Whoever takes his pleasure in these five days in this world will not attain his pleasure in the next.” He said: “These are days in which favor is hoped for from God, mighty and majestic,
وَالْمَزِيدُ ، فَإِذَا اشْتَغَلْتَ فِيهَا بِهَوَاكَ وَعَاجِلِ الدُّنْيَا فَمَتَى تَرْجُو الْفَضْلَ وَالْمَزِيدَ يَعْنِي بِالْأَيَّامِ الْخَمْسَةِ الْعِيدَيْنِ وَيَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَيَوْمَ عَرَفَةَ وَيَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ ،
wa-al-mazīdu, faʾidhā ishtaghalta fīhā bihawāka waʿājili al-dunyā famatā tarjū al-faḍla wa-al-mazīda yaʿnī bi-al-ʾayyāmi al-khamsati al-ʿīdayni wayawma al-jumuʿati wayawma ʿarafata wayawma ʿāshūrāʾa,
and an increase. If you occupy yourself in them with your desire and the immediate things of this world, when do you hope for favor and increase?” By the five days he means the two festivals, Friday, the day of ʿArafa, and the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ.
وَمِنْ فَوَاضِلِ الْأَيَّامِ بَعْدَ هَٰذِهِ يَوْمُ الِاثْنَيْنِ وَيَوْمُ الْخَمِيسِ يَوْمَانِ تُرْفَعُ فِيهِمَا الْأَعْمَالُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ،
wamin fawāḍili al-ʾayyāmi baʿda hādhihi yawmu al-ithnayni wayawmu al-khamīsi yawmāni turfaʿu fīhimā al-ʾaʿmālu ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla,
Among the excellent days after these are Monday and Thursday, two days on which deeds are raised to God, mighty and majestic.
وَمِنَ الْفَاضِلِ الشُّهُورُ الْأَرْبَعَةُ الْحُرُمُ وَهِيَ ذُو الْقَعْدَةِ وَذُو الْحِجَّةِ وَالْمُحَرَّمُ وَرَجَبُ خَصَّهُنَّ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِالنَّهْيِ عَنِ الظُّلْمِ فِيهِنَّ لِعِظَمِ حُرْمَتِهِنَّ ،
wamina al-fāḍili al-shuhūru al-ʾarbaʿatu al-ḥurumu wahiya dhū al-qaʿdati wadhū al-ḥijjati wa-al-muḥarramu warajabu khaṣṣahunna allāhu ʿazza wajalla bi-al-nahyi ʿani al-ẓulmi fīhinna liʿiẓami ḥurmatihinna,
Among the excellent things are the four sacred months: Dhū al-Qaʿda, Dhū al-Ḥijja, Muḥarram, and Rajab. God, mighty and majestic, singled them out for the prohibition of wrongdoing in them because of their great sanctity.
فَكَذَٰلِكَ الْأَعْمَالُ لَهَا فِيهِنَّ فَضْلٌ عَلَى غَيْرِهَا وَأَفْضَلُهَا ذُو الْحِجَّةِ لِوُقُوعِ الْحَجِّ فِيهِ وَلِمَا خُصَّ بِهِ مِنَ الْأَيَّامِ الْمَعْلُومَاتِ وَالْأَيَّامِ الْمَعْدُودَاتِ ثُمَّ ذُو الْقَعْدَةِ لِجَمْعِهِ الْوَصْفَيْنِ مَعًا
fakadhālika al-ʾaʿmālu lahā fīhinna faḍlun ʿalā ghayrihā waʾafḍaluhā dhū al-ḥijjati liwuqūʿi al-ḥajji fīhi walimā khuṣṣa bihi mina al-ʾayyāmi al-maʿlūmāti wa-al-ʾayyāmi al-maʿdūdāti thumma dhū al-qaʿdati lijamʿihi al-waṣfayni maʿan
Likewise, deeds done in them have a merit beyond those done at other times. The best of them is Dhū al-Ḥijja, because the pilgrimage takes place in it and because it is distinguished by the “known days” and the “numbered days.” Then comes Dhū al-Qaʿda, because it combines both qualities:
وَهُوَ مِنَ الْأَشْهُرِ الْحُرُمِ وَمِنْ أَشْهُرِ الْحَجِّ فَأَمَّا الْمُحَرَّمُ وَرَجَبُ فَلَيْسَا مِنْ أَشْهُرِ الْحَجِّ ،
wahuwa mina al-ʾashhuri al-ḥurumi wamin ʾashhuri al-ḥajji faʾammā al-muḥarramu warajabu falaysā min ʾashhuri al-ḥajji,
it is one of the sacred months and one of the months of pilgrimage. Muḥarram and Rajab, however, are not among the months of pilgrimage.
وَأَمَّا شَوَّالُ فَلَيْسَ مِنْ أَشْهُرِ الْحُرُمِ وَلَكِنَّهُ مِنْ أَشْهُرِ الْحَجِّ وَأَفْضَلُ الْأَيَّامِ فِي الشَّهْرِ الْعَشْرَانِ الْعَشْرُ الْآخِرُ وَالْعَشْرُ الْأَوَّلُ مِنْ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ وَبَعْدَهُمَا عَشْرُ الْمُحَرَّمِ مِنْ أَوَّلِهِ
waʾammā shawwālu falaysa min ʾashhuri al-ḥurumi walakinnahu min ʾashhuri al-ḥajji waʾafḍalu al-ʾayyāmi fī al-shahri al-ʿashrāni al-ʿashru al-ʾākhiru wa-al-ʿashru al-ʾawwalu min dhī al-ḥijjati wabaʿdahumā ʿashru al-muḥarrami min ʾawwalihi
Shawwāl is not one of the sacred months, but it is one of the months of pilgrimage. The most excellent days within the month are the two sets of ten: the latter ten and the first ten of Dhū al-Ḥijja. After them come the ten days from the beginning of Muḥarram.
فَالْأَعْمَالُ فِي هَٰذِهِ الْأَيَّامِ لَهَا فَضْلٌ وَمَزِيدٌ عَلَى سَائِرِ الشُّهُورِ .
fa-al-ʾaʿmālu fī hādhihi al-ʾayyāmi lahā faḍlun wamazīdun ʿalā sāʾiri al-shuhūri.
Deeds done on these days possess merit and an increase beyond those of the remaining months.
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : مَنْ صَامَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ شَهْرٍ حَرَامٍ بَعَّدَهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ سَبْعَمِائَةِ عَامٍ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ وَيَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَيَوْمَ السَّبْتِ ،
warawaynā ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man ṣāma thalāthata ʾayyāmin min shahrin ḥarāmin baʿʿadahu allāhu mina al-nāri sabʿamiʾati ʿāmin yawma al-khamīsi wayawma al-jumuʿati wayawma al-sabti,
We have related from the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace: “Whoever fasts three days of a sacred month, God distances him from the Fire by seven hundred years: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.”
وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ صَوْمُ يَوْمٍ مِنْ شَهْرٍ حَرَامٍ يَعْدِلُ صَوْمَ ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْمًا مِنْ غَيْرِهِ ، وَصَوْمُ يَوْمٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ يَعْدِلُ صَوْمَ ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْمًا مِنْ شَهْرٍ حَرَامٍ ،
wafī khabarin ʾākhara ṣawmu yawmin min shahrin ḥarāmin yaʿdilu ṣawma thalāthīna yawman min ghayrihi, waṣawmu yawmin min shahri ramaḍāna yaʿdilu ṣawma thalāthīna yawman min shahrin ḥarāmin,
Another report says: “Fasting one day of a sacred month equals fasting thirty days of another month, and fasting one day of the month of Ramadan equals fasting thirty days of a sacred month.”
ثُمَّ إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الْأَوْقَاتِ فِي جُمْلَةِ الْأَيَّامِ أَوْقَاتُ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ . وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ إِذَا دَخَلَتِ الْعَشْرُ الْأَوَاخِرُ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ طَوَى الْفِرَاشَ وَشَدَّ الْمِئْزَرَ ،
thumma ʾinna ʾafḍala al-ʾawqāti fī jumlati al-ʾayyāmi ʾawqātu al-ṣalawāti al-khamsi. warawaynā ʾanna rasūla allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna ʾidhā dakhalati al-ʿashru al-ʾawākhiru min shahri ramaḍāna ṭawā al-firāsha washadda al-miʾzara,
Then, the most excellent times throughout the days are the times of the five prayers. We have related that when the final ten nights of the month of Ramadan began, the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, folded away his bedding and tightened his waistcloth.
وَفِي حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ : إِذَا دَخَلَتِ الْعَشْرُ الْأَوَاخِرُ دَأَبَ وَأَدْأَبَ أَهْلَهُ يَعْنِي أَدَامَ وَأَدَامُوا التَّعَبَ وَالنَّصَبَ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ ،
wafī ḥadīthin ʾākhara: ʾidhā dakhalati al-ʿashru al-ʾawākhiru daʾaba waʾadʾaba ʾahlahu yaʿnī ʾadāma waʾadāmū al-taʿaba wa-al-naṣaba fī al-ʿibādati,
Another hadith says: “When the final ten began, he strove and made his household strive,” meaning that he and they persisted in toil and exertion in worship.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا مِنْ أَيَّامٍ الْعَمَلُ فِيهِنَّ أَفْضَلُ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ أَيَّامِ عَشْرِ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ ،
wafī al-khabari ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama mā min ʾayyāmin al-ʿamalu fīhinna ʾafḍalu waʾaḥabbu ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla min ʾayyāmi ʿashri dhī al-ḥijjati,
In the report from the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace: “There are no days on which work is more excellent or more beloved to God, mighty and majestic, than the ten days of Dhū al-Ḥijja.
إِنَّ صَوْمَ يَوْمٍ مِنْهُ يَعْدِلُ صِيَامَ سَنَةٍ وَقِيَامَ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْهُ يَعْدِلُ قِيَامَ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ ،
ʾinna ṣawma yawmin minhu yaʿdilu ṣiyāma sanatin waqiyāma laylatin minhu yaʿdilu qiyāma laylati al-qadri,
Fasting a day of them equals fasting a year, and standing in prayer for a night of them equals standing in prayer for the Night of Decree.”
قِيلَ : وَلَا الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَالَ وَلَا الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ خَرَجَ بِنَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ مِنْهُمَا بِشَيْءٍ ،
qīla: walā al-jihādu fī sabīli allāhi qāla walā al-jihādu fī sabīli allāhi ʾillā rajulun kharaja binafsihi wamālihi falam yarjiʿ minhumā bishayʾin,
It was asked, “Not even striving in God’s path?” He replied: “Not even striving in God’s path, except for a man who goes out with his own life and wealth and returns with nothing of either.”
وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ إِلَّا مَنْ عَقَرَ جَوَادَهُ وَأَهْرَقَ دَمَهُ ،
wafī lafẓin ʾākhara ʾillā man ʿaqara jawādahu waʾahraqa damahu,
Another wording says: “Except one who sacrifices his steed and sheds his blood.”
وَإِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَبْدًا اسْتَعْمَلَهُ فِي الْأَوْقَاتِ الْفَاضِلَةِ بِأَفْضَلِ الْأَعْمَالِ لِيُثِيبَهُ أَفْضَلَ الثَّوَابِ وَإِذَا مَقَتَ عَبْدًا اسْتَعْمَلَهُ بِأَسْوَأِ الْأَعْمَالِ فِي أَفَاضِلِ الْأَوْقَاتِ لِيُضَاعِفَ لَهُ السَّيِّئَاتِ
waʾidhā ʾaḥabba allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿabdan istaʿmalahu fī al-ʾawqāti al-fāḍilati biʾafḍali al-ʾaʿmāli liyuthībahu ʾafḍala al-thawābi waʾidhā maqata ʿabdan istaʿmalahu biʾaswaʾi al-ʾaʿmāli fī ʾafāḍili al-ʾawqāti liyuḍāʿifa lahu al-sayyiʾāti
When God, mighty and majestic, loves a servant, He puts him to work at the excellent times in the most excellent deeds, to reward him with the most excellent reward. When He detests a servant, He puts him to work in the worst deeds at the most excellent times, to multiply his evil deeds for him
بِانْتِقَاصِ حُرُمَاتِ الشَّعَائِرِ وَانْتِهَاكِ الْمُحَرَّمَاتِ فِي الْحُرُمَاتِ ، وَيُقَالُ مِنْ عَلَامَاتِ التَّوْفِيقِ ثَلَاثٌ : دُخُولُ أَعْمَالِ الْبِرِّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ غَيْرِ قَصْدٍ لَهَا ،
bintiqāṣi ḥurumāti al-shaʿāʾiri wantihāki al-muḥarramāti fī al-ḥurumāti, wayuqālu min ʿalāmāti al-tawfīqi thalāthun: dukhūlu ʾaʿmāli al-birri ʿalayka min ghayri qaṣdin lahā,
through his diminishing the sanctity of the sacred observances and violating prohibitions in sacred times. It is said that there are three signs of divine enablement: good deeds come your way without your intending them;
وَصَرْفُ الْمَعَاصِي عَنْكَ مَعَ الطَّلَبِ لَهَا ، وَفَتْحُ بَابِ اللَّجَا وَالِافْتِقَارِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الشِّدَّةِ وَالرَّخَاءِ ، وَمِنْ عَلَامَاتِ الْخِذْلَانِ ثَلَاثٌ : تَعَسُّرُ الْخَيْرَاتِ عَلَيْكَ مَعَ الطَّلَبِ لَهَا ،
waṣarfu al-maʿāṣī ʿanka maʿa al-ṭalabi lahā, wafatḥu bābi al-lajā wa-al-iftiqāri ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla fī al-shiddati wa-al-rakhāʾi, wamin ʿalāmāti al-khidhlāni thalāthun: taʿassuru al-khayrāti ʿalayka maʿa al-ṭalabi lahā,
acts of disobedience are turned away from you even as you seek them; and the door of refuge and neediness toward God, mighty and majestic, is opened in hardship and ease. There are three signs of being forsaken: good deeds become difficult for you even as you seek them;
وَتَيَسُّرُ الْمَعَاصِي لَكَ مَعَ الرَّهَبِ مِنْهَا وَغَلْقُ بَابِ اللَّجَا وَالِافْتِقَارِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ فَنَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بِفَضْلِهِ حُسْنَ التَّوْفِيقِ وَالِاخْتِيَارِ وَنَعُوذُ بِهِ مِنْ سُوءِ الْقَضَاءِ وَالْأَقْدَارِ .
watayassuru al-maʿāṣī laka maʿa al-rahabi minhā waghalqu bābi al-lajā wa-al-iftiqāri ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla, fī kulli ḥālin fanasʾalu allāha taʿālā bifaḍlihi ḥusna al-tawfīqi wa-al-ikhtiyāri wanaʿūdhu bihi min sūʾi al-qaḍāʾi wa-al-ʾaqdāri.
acts of disobedience become easy for you even as you fear them; and the door of refuge and neediness toward God, mighty and majestic, is closed in every circumstance. We therefore ask God Most High, through His bounty, for good enablement and choice, and we seek refuge in Him from an evil judgment and decrees.
الْفَصْلُ الْحَادِي وَالْعِشْرُونَ فِيهِ كِتَابُ الْجُمُعَةِ وَذِكْرُ هَيْئَاتِهَا وَآدَابِهَا وَذِكْرُ مَا يُسْتَحَبُّ لِلْمُرِيدِ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَلَيْلَتِهَا
al-faṣlu al-ḥādī wa-al-ʿishrūna fīhi kitābu al-jumuʿati wadhikru hayʾātihā waʾādābihā wadhikru mā yustaḥabbu lilmurīdi fī yawmi al-jumuʿati walaylatihā
Chapter Twenty-One: The Book of Friday Prayer; Its Forms and Proper Conduct; and What Is Recommended for the Seeker on Friday and Its Preceding Night
صَلَاةُ الْجُمُعَةِ وَاجِبَةٌ بِأَوْصَافٍ وَسَاقِطَةٌ بِأَوْصَافٍ فَوُجُوبُهَا يَكُونُ بِالْإِقَامَةِ وَالِاسْتِطَاعَةِ وَحُضُورِ وَقْتِ الظُّهْرِ وَتَكْمِلَةِ عِدَّةِ أَرْبَعِينَ رَجُلًا أَحْرَارًا وَسُقُوطُهَا بِالسَّفَرِ وَدُخُولِ وَقْتِ الْعَصْرِ وَنُقْصَانِ الْعَدَدِ وَوُقُوعِ الْعُذْرِ
ṣalātu al-jumuʿati wājibatun biʾawṣāfin wasāqiṭatun biʾawṣāfin fawujūbuhā yakūnu bi-al-ʾiqāmati wa-al-istiṭāʿati waḥuḍūri waqti al-ẓuhri watakmilati ʿiddati ʾarbaʿīna rajulan ʾaḥrāran wasuqūṭuhā bi-al-safari wadukhūli waqti al-ʿaṣri wanuqṣāni al-ʿadadi wawuqūʿi al-ʿudhri
Friday prayer is obligatory under certain conditions and waived under others. Its obligation depends on residence, ability, the arrival of the noon-prayer time, and completing a number of forty free men. It is waived by travel, the arrival of the afternoon-prayer time, a shortfall in the number, or the occurrence of an excuse.
وَهِيَ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْأُمَرَاءِ تُصَلَّىٰ خَلْفَ كُلِّ مَنْ أَقَامَ بِهَا مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا إِنِّي أُحِبُّ إِعَادَتَهَا ظُهْرًا إِذَا صُلِّيَتْ خَلْفَ مُبْتَدِعٍ فَإِنِ اجْتَمَعَ فِي بَلَدٍ كَبِيرٍ جَامِعَانِ صُلِّيَتْ
wahiya min ʾaʿmāli al-ʾumarāʾi tuṣallā khalfa kulli man ʾaqāma bihā minhum ʾillā ʾinnī ʾuḥibbu ʾiʿādatahā ẓuhran ʾidhā ṣulliyat khalfa mubtadiʿin faʾini jtamaʿa fī baladin kabīrin jāmiʿāni ṣulliyat
Friday prayer is among the duties of rulers. It is performed behind any of them who establishes it, though I prefer to repeat it as the noon prayer if it was performed behind someone given to religious innovation. If a large town has two congregational mosques, it is performed
خَلْفَ الْأَفْضَلِ مِنْ إِمَامَيْهِمَا ، فَإِنِ اسْتَوَيَا فِي الْفَضْلِ صُلِّيَتْ فِي الْقَدِيمِ مِنَ الْجَامِعَيْنِ ،
khalfa al-ʾafḍali min ʾimāmayhimā, faʾini stawayā fī al-faḍli ṣulliyat fī al-qadīmi mina al-jāmiʿayni,
behind the better of their two prayer leaders. If they are equal in merit, it is performed in the older of the two mosques.
فَإِنْ تَسَاوَيَا صُلِّيَتْ فِي الْأَقْرَبِ مِنْهُمَا إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُ نِيَّةٌ فِي الْأَبْعَدِ لِاسْتِمَاعِ عِلْمٍ أَوْ نَشْرِهِ أَوْ تَعَلُّمِهِ ، فَصَلَاتُهَا فِي الْجَامِعِ الْأَعْظَمِ وَحَيْثُ يَكُونُ الْمُسْلِمُونَ أَكْثَرَ وَأَفْضَلَ ،
faʾin tasāwayā ṣulliyat fī al-ʾaqrabi minhumā ʾillā ʾan takūna lahu niyyatun fī al-ʾabʿadi listimāʿi ʿilmin ʾaw nashrihi ʾaw taʿallumihi, faṣalātuhā fī al-jāmiʿi al-ʾaʿẓami waḥaythu yakūnu al-muslimūna ʾakthara waʾafḍala,
If they are equal, it is performed in the nearer of them, unless he has an intention in going to the farther one to listen to knowledge, spread it, or learn it. It is performed in the greatest congregational mosque, where the Muslims are more numerous and better.
وَمَنْ صَلَّى فِي أَيِّهِمَا أَحَبَّ حُسِبَتْ صَلَاتُهُ ، قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ : قُلْتُ لِعَطَاءٍ إِذَا كَانَ فِي الْمِصْرِ جَامِعَانِ أَوْ ثَلَاثَةٌ فِي أَيِّهَا أُصَلِّي ؟ ،
waman ṣallā fī ʾayyihimā ʾaḥabba ḥusibat ṣalātuhu, qāla ibnu jurayjin: qultu liʿaṭāʾin ʾidhā kāna fī al-miṣri jāmiʿāni ʾaw thalāthatun fī ʾayyihā ʾuṣallī?,
Whoever prays in whichever of the two he prefers has his prayer counted. Ibn Jurayj said, “I said to ʿAṭāʾ, ‘If there are two or three congregational mosques in a city, in which of them should I pray?’”
قَالَ : صَلِّ حَيْثُ جَمَّعَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ فَإِنَّهَا جُمُعَةٌ وَهُوَ يَوْمٌ عَظَّمَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِهِ الْإِسْلَامَ وَزَيَّنَهُ وَشَرَّفَ بِهِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَفَضَّلَهُمْ قَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
qāla: ṣalli ḥaythu jammaʿa al-muslimūna faʾinnahā jumuʿatun wahuwa yawmun ʿaẓẓama allāhu taʿālā bihi al-ʾislāma wazayyanahu washarrafa bihi al-muslimīna wafaḍḍalahum qāla ʿazza wajalla: ( yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna
He replied, “Pray wherever the Muslims hold the Friday gathering, for it is Friday prayer.” This is a day through which God Most High exalted and adorned Islam and honored and favored the Muslims. He, mighty and majestic, says, “O you who
آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِنْ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ) الْجُمُعَةُ : 9 الْآيَةَ ،
ʾāmanū ʾidhā nūdiya li-l-ṣalāti min yawmi al-jumuʿati fasʿaw ʾilā dhikri allāhi wadharū al-bayʿa ) al-jumuʿatu: 9 al-ʾāyata,
believe, when the call to prayer is made on Friday, hasten to God's remembrance and leave trade aside” (al-Jumuʿa 9), and the rest of the verse.
فَالْبَيْعُ وَالشِّرَاءُ مُحَرَّمٌ بَعْدَ الْأَذَانِ لِلْجُمُعَةِ عِنْدَ طَائِفَةٍ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ لِعُمُومِ النَّهْيِ عَنْهُ ،
fa-al-bayʿu wa-al-shirāʾu muḥarramun baʿda al-ʾadhāni liljumuʿati ʿinda ṭāʾifatin mina al-ʿulamāʾi liʿumūmi al-nahyi ʿanhu,
Selling and buying after the call to Friday prayer are forbidden according to a group of scholars, because of the general scope of the prohibition against them.
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَالَ : يُرَدُّ الْبَيْعُ لِأَنَّهُ فَاسِدٌ إِلَّا أَنِّي أَحْسِبُ أَنَّ ذَٰلِكَ يَحْرُمُ عِنْدَ الْأَذَانِ الثَّانِي وَهُوَ مَعَ خُرُوجِ الْإِمَامِ إِذَا قَعَدَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ لِأَنَّ هَٰذَا
waminhum man qāla: yuraddu al-bayʿu liʾannahu fāsidun ʾillā ʾannī ʾaḥsibu ʾanna dhālika yaḥrumu ʿinda al-ʾadhāni al-thānī wahuwa maʿa khurūji al-ʾimāmi ʾidhā qaʿada ʿalā al-minbari liʾanna hādhā
Some of them said, “The sale is to be rescinded, because it is invalid.” I think, however, that this becomes forbidden at the second call, when the prayer leader comes out and sits on the pulpit, because this
كَانَ هُوَ الْأَذَانَ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَهْدِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا ، وَالْأَذَانَ الْأَوَّلَ أَحْدَثَهُ عُثْمَانُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَمَّا كَثُرَ النَّاسُ ،
kāna huwa al-ʾadhāna ʿalā ʿahdi rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama waʿahdi ʾabī bakrin waʿumara raḍiya allāhu ʿanhumā, wa-al-ʾadhāna al-ʾawwala ʾaḥdathahu ʿuthmānu raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu lammā kathura al-nāsu,
was the call in the time of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and in the time of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, may God be pleased with them both. ʿUthmān, may God be pleased with him, introduced the first call when the people became numerous.
وَقَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَانْتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ ) الْجُمُعَةُ : 10 الْآيَةَ ،
waqāla allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ( faʾidhā quḍiyati al-ṣalātu fantashirū fī al-ʾarḍi wabtaghū min faḍli allāhi ) al-jumuʿatu: 10 al-ʾāyata,
God, mighty and majestic, says, “When the prayer is finished, disperse through the land and seek God's bounty” (al-Jumuʿa 10), and the rest of the verse.
فَأَمَرَ عِبَادَهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ بِالذِّكْرِ لَهُ وَنَهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْبَيْعِ وَأَمَرَهُمْ فِيهِ بِطَلَبِ الْفَضْلِ مِنْهُ وَوَعَدَهُمُ الْخَيْرَ وَالْفَلَاحَ وَهُمَا اسْمَانِ جَامِعَانِ لِغَنِيمَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ .
faʾamara ʿibādahu al-muʾminīna fī yawmi al-jumuʿati bi-al-dhikri lahu wanahāhum ʿani al-bayʿi waʾamarahum fīhi biṭalabi al-faḍli minhu wawaʿadahumu al-khayra wa-al-falāḥa wahumā ismāni jāmiʿāni lighanīmati al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati.
He commanded His believing servants on Friday to remember Him, forbade them to trade, commanded them on it to seek bounty from Him, and promised them goodness and success: two names that encompass the gain of this world and the hereafter.
وَرُوِيَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَرَضَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْجُمُعَةَ فِي يَوْمِي هَٰذَا فِي مَقَامِي هَٰذَا وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ
waruwiya ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾanna allāha ʿazza wajalla faraḍa ʿalaykumu al-jumuʿata fī yawmī hādhā fī maqāmī hādhā waruwiya ʿanhu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi
It is related from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace: “God, mighty and majestic, has made Friday prayer obligatory for you on this day of mine, in this place where I stand.” It is also related from him, may God bless him
وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ تَرَكَ الْجُمُعَةَ ثَلَاثًا مِنْ غَيْرِ عُذْرٍ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ ، وَفِي لَفْظِ حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ فَقَدْ نَبَذَ الْإِسْلَامَ وَرَاءَ ظَهْرِهِ وَاخْتَلَفَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ
wasallama man taraka al-jumuʿata thalāthan min ghayri ʿudhrin ṭabaʿa allāhu ʿalā qalbihi, wafī lafẓi ḥadīthin ʾākhara faqad nabadha al-ʾislāma warāʾa ẓahrihi wakhtalafa rajulun ʾilā ibni ʿabbāsin fasaʾalahu ʿan
and grant him peace: “Whoever misses Friday prayer three times without an excuse, God seals his heart.” In the wording of another hadith: “He has cast Islam behind his back.” A man repeatedly visited Ibn ʿAbbās and asked him about
رَجُلٍ مَاتَ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَشْهَدُ جُمُعَةً وَلَا جَمَاعَةً فَقَالَ : فِي النَّارِ ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَتَرَدَّدُ إِلَيْهِ شَهْرًا يَسْأَلُ عَنْهُ ، كُلَّ ذَٰلِكَ يَقُولُ فِي النَّارِ ، وَتُقْصَدُ الْجُمُعَةُ مِنْ فَرْسَخَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثَةٍ ،
rajulin māta lam yakun yashhadu jumuʿatan walā jamāʿatan faqāla: fī al-nāri, falam yazal yataraddadu ʾilayhi shahran yasʾalu ʿanhu, kulla dhālika yaqūlu fī al-nāri, watuqṣadu al-jumuʿatu min farsakhayni ʾaw thalāthatin,
a man who had died without attending Friday prayer or congregational prayer. He replied, “In the Fire.” The man kept returning to him for a month to ask about him; every time, he said, “In the Fire.” One sets out for Friday prayer from two or three parasangs away.
وَأَسْتَحِبُّ لِمَنْ بَكَّرَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى فَأَدْرَكَهَا وَأَدْرَكَهُ اللَّيْلُ فَأَوَاهُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ إِذَا رَجَعَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَهَا إِلَّا أَنَّهَا سَاقِطَةٌ عَنْ خَمْسَةٍ : الصَّبِيِّ ، وَالْمَمْلُوكِ ، وَالْمَرْأَةِ ، وَالْمُسَافِرِ ،
waʾastaḥibbu liman bakkara ʾilayhā min ʾahli al-qurā faʾadrakahā waʾadrakahu al-laylu faʾawāhu ʾilā ʾahlihi ʾidhā rajaʿa ʾan yashhadahā ʾillā ʾannahā sāqiṭatun ʿan khamsatin: al-ṣabiyyi, wa-al-mamlūki, wa-al-marʾati, wa-al-musāfiri,
I recommend attending it to a villager who sets out early, reaches it, and is overtaken by night, which shelters him with his family when he returns. It is nevertheless waived for five: a child, an enslaved person, a woman, a traveler,
وَالْمَرِيضِ ، فَمَنْ شَهِدَهَا مِنْ هَٰؤُلَاءِ فَصَلَّاهَا أَجْزَأَتْ عَنْهُ وَكَانَ مُؤَدِّيًا لِفَرْضِهِ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابَيْنِ أُعْطُوا يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَدِ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ فَصُرِفُوا عَنْهُ وَهَدَانَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ
wa-al-marīḍi, faman shahidahā min hāʾulāʾi faṣallāhā ʾajzaʾat ʿanhu wakāna muʾaddiyan lifarḍihi, wafī al-khabari ʾanna ʾahla al-kitābayni ʾuʿṭū yawma al-jumuʿati faqadi khtalafū fīhi faṣurifū ʿanhu wahadānā allāhu ʿazza wa
and a sick person. If any of these attends and performs it, it suffices for him, and he has fulfilled his obligation. A report relates that the people of the two scriptures were given Friday, but disagreed about it and were turned away from it. God, mighty and
جَلَّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ لَهُ ادَّخَرَهُ لِهَٰذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ جَعَلَهُ عِيدًا لَهُمْ فَهُمْ أَوَّلُ النَّاسِ بِهِ سَبْقًا وَأَهْلُ الْكِتَابَيْنِ لَهُمْ تَبَعٌ ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : قَالَ :
jalla biraḥmatihi lahu iddakharahu lihādhihi al-ʾummati jaʿalahu ʿīdan lahum fahum ʾawwalu al-nāsi bihi sabqan waʾahlu al-kitābayni lahum tabaʿun, wafī ḥadīthi ʾanasi bni mālikin ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: qāla:
majestic, guided us to it through His mercy. He reserved it for this community and made it a festival for them. They are the first people to take precedence in it, and the people of the two scriptures follow them. In the hadith of Anas ibn Mālik, from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, he said:
أَتَانِي جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَفِي كَفِّهِ مِرْآةٌ بَيْضَاءُ فَقَالَ : هَٰذِهِ الْجُمُعَةُ يَفْرِضُهَا عَلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ لِتَكُونَ لَكَ عِيدًا وَلِأُمَّتِكَ مِنْ بَعْدِكَ ، قُلْتُ : فَمَا لَنَا فِيهَا ؟ قَالَ :
ʾatānī jibrīlu ʿalayhi al-salāmu wafī kaffihi mirʾātun bayḍāʾu faqāla: hādhihi al-jumuʿatu yafriḍuhā ʿalayka rabbuka litakūna laka ʿīdan waliʾummatika min baʿdika, qultu: famā lanā fīhā? qāla:
“Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to me with a white mirror in his palm. He said, ‘This is Friday, which your Lord imposes upon you so that it may be a feast day for you and for your community after you.’ I said, ‘What is there for us in it?’ He said:
لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرُ سَاعَةٍ ، مَنْ دَعَا فِيهَا بِخَيْرٍ هُوَ لَهُ قِسْمٌ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَوْ لَيْسَ مِنْ قِسْمٍ ادَّخَرَهُ مَا هُوَ أَعْظَمُ أَوْ يَتَعَوَّذُ مِنْ شَرٍّ هُوَ عَلَيْهِ مَكْتُوبٌ إِلَّا أَعَادَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنْ أَعْظَمِ
lakum fīhā khayru sāʿatin, man daʿā fīhā bikhayrin huwa lahu qismun ʾaʿṭāhu allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʾaw laysa min qismin iddakharahu mā huwa ʾaʿẓamu ʾaw yataʿawwadhu min sharrin huwa ʿalayhi maktūbun ʾillā ʾaʿādahu allāhu taʿālā min ʾaʿẓami
‘It contains the best hour for you. Whoever asks in it for a good that is allotted to him, God, mighty and majestic, gives it to him; or, if it is not allotted, He stores up something greater. Or he seeks refuge from an evil decreed for him, and God Most High returns him from something greater
مِنْهُ وَهُوَ سَيِّدُ الْأَيَّامِ عِنْدَنَا وَنَحْنُ نَدْعُوهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ يَوْمَ الْمَزِيدِ ، قُلْتُ : وَلِمَ قَالَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ اتَّخَذَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَادِيًا أَفْيَحَ مِنْ مِسْكٍ أَبْيَضَ فَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ نَزَلَ مِنْ
minhu wahuwa sayyidu al-ʾayyāmi ʿindanā wanaḥnu nadʿūhu fī al-ʾākhirati yawma al-mazīdi, qultu: walima qāla ʾinna rabbaka ʿazza wajalla ittakhadha fī al-jannati wādiyan ʾafyaḥa min miskin ʾabyaḍa faʾidhā kāna yawmu al-jumuʿati nazala min
than it. It is the chief of days among us, and in the hereafter we call it the Day of Increase.’ I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Your Lord, mighty and majestic, has made in Paradise a broad valley of white musk. When Friday comes, He descends from
عِلِّيِّينَ عَلَى كُرْسِيِّهِ وَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ قَالَ فِيهِ : وَيَتَجَلَّى لَهُمْ حَتَّى يَنْظُرُوا إِلَى وَجْهِهِ ذَكَرْنَاهُ بِتَمَامِهِ فِي مُسْنَدِ الْأَلِفِ . وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ :
ʿilliyyīna ʿalā kursiyyihi wadhakara al-ḥadītha qāla fīhi: wayatajallā lahum ḥattā yanẓurū ʾilā wajhihi dhakarnāhu bitamāmihi fī musnadi al-ʾalifi. waruwiya ʿanhu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama:
ʿIlliyyīn upon His throne.’ He recounted the hadith and said in it, ‘He reveals Himself to them so that they look upon His face.’ We have given it in full in the Musnad al-Alif. It is also related from him, may God bless him and grant him peace:
خَيْرُ يَوْمٍ طَلَعَتْ فِيهِ الشَّمْسُ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ فِيهِ خُلِقَ آدَمُ وَفِيهِ أُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ وَفِيهِ أُهْبِطَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَفِيهِ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ وَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ يَوْمُ الْمَزِيدِ كَذَٰلِكَ تَسْمِيَةُ الْمَلَائِكَةِ فِي السَّمَاءِ
khayru yawmin ṭalaʿat fīhi al-shamsu yawmu al-jumuʿati fīhi khuliqa ʾādamu wafīhi ʾudkhila al-jannata wafīhi ʾuhbiṭa ʾilā al-ʾarḍi wafīhi taqūmu al-sāʿatu wahuwa ʿinda allāhi yawmu al-mazīdi kadhālika tasmiyatu al-malāʾikati fī al-samāʾi
“The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday. On it Adam was created; on it he was admitted to Paradise; on it he was sent down to earth; and on it the Hour will arise.” Before God it is the Day of Increase; this, too, is what the angels in heaven call it.
وَهُوَ يَوْمُ النَّظَرِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ فِي أَخْبَارٍ يَطُولُ ذِكْرُهَا ، وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ : مَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ إِلَّا وَهِيَ قَائِمَةٌ عَلَى سَاقٍ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ مُصِيخَةٌ أَيْ مُصْغِيَةٌ تَتَوَقَّعُ مُشْفِقَةً مِنْ قِيَامِ
wahuwa yawmu al-naẓari ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla fī al-jannati fī ʾakhbārin yaṭūlu dhikruhā, wafī al-ḥadīthi: mā min dābbatin ʾillā wahiya qāʾimatun ʿalā sāqin yawma al-jumuʿati muṣīkhatun ʾay muṣghiyatun tatawaqqaʿu mushfiqatan min qiyāmi
It is the day of looking upon God, mighty and majestic, in Paradise, according to reports whose recounting would be lengthy. In the hadith: “There is no creature that is not standing alert on Friday, listening intently, that is, giving ear, apprehensively awaiting the arising of
السَّاعَةِ إِلَّا الشَّيَاطِينَ شَقِيِّ بَنِي آدَمَ وَيُقَالُ : إِنَّ الطَّيْرَ وَالْهَوَامَّ يَلْقَى بَعْضُهَا بَعْضًا فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَتَقُولُ سَلَامٌ سَلَامٌ يَوْمٌ صَالِحٌ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمِ جُمُعَةٍ
al-sāʿati ʾillā al-shayāṭīna shaqiyyi banī ʾādama wayuqālu: ʾinna al-ṭayra wa-al-hawāmma yalqā baʿḍuhā baʿḍan fī yawmi al-jumuʿati fataqūlu salāmun salāmun yawmun ṣāliḥun, wafī al-khabari ʾanna allāha ʿazza wajalla fī kulli yawmi jumuʿatin
the Hour, except the devils, the wretched of Adam's descendants.” It is said that birds and creeping creatures meet one another on Friday and say, “Peace, peace! A good day.” A report relates that God, mighty and majestic, every Friday
يُعْتِقُ سِتَّمِائَةَ أَلْفِ عَتِيقٍ مِنَ النَّارِ ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ أَنَسٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : إِذَا سَلِمَ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ سَلِمَ الْأَيَّامُ ، وَقَالَ كَعْبٌ فِي الْخَبَرِ : إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَضَّلَ مِنْ كُلِّ
yuʿtiqu sittamiʾata ʾalfi ʿatīqin mina al-nāri, wafī ḥadīthi ʾanasin ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾidhā salima yawmu al-jumuʿati salima al-ʾayyāmu, waqāla kaʿbun fī al-khabari: ʾinna allāha ʿazza wajalla faḍḍala min kulli
frees six hundred thousand souls from the Fire. In the hadith of Anas, from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “If Friday passes safely, the days pass safely.” Kaʿb said in the report, “God, mighty and majestic, has favored, from every
شَيْءٍ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ شَيْئًا فَفَضَّلَ مِنَ الْبُلْدَانِ مَكَّةَ وَمِنَ الشُّهُورِ رَمَضَانَ وَمِنَ الْأَيَّامِ الْجُمُعَةَ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ تُسَعَّرُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ قَبْلَ الزَّوَالِ عِنْدَ اسْتِوَاءِ الشَّمْسِ فِي كَبِدِ السَّمَاءِ فَلَا
shayʾin min khalqihi shayʾan fafaḍḍala mina al-buldāni makkata wamina al-shuhūri ramaḍāna wamina al-ʾayyāmi al-jumuʿata, wafī al-khabari ʾanna jahannama tusaʿʿaru fī kulli yawmin qabla al-zawāli ʿinda istiwāʾi al-shamsi fī kabidi al-samāʾi falā
kind of His creation, something: He favored Mecca among lands, Ramadan among months, and Friday among days.” A report relates, “Hell is stoked each day before the sun declines, when it stands in the middle of the sky. So do not
تُصَلُّوا فِي هَٰذِهِ السَّاعَةِ إِلَّا يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَإِنَّهُ صَلَاةٌ كُلُّهُ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَا تُسَعَّرُ فِيهِ فَأَفْضَلُ مَا يَعْمَلُهُ الْعَبْدُ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ الْبُكُورُ إِلَى الْجَامِعِ فِي السَّاعَةِ الْأُولَى فَإِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ
tuṣallū fī hādhihi al-sāʿati ʾillā yawma al-jumuʿati faʾinnahu ṣalātun kulluhu waʾinna jahannama lā tusaʿʿaru fīhi faʾafḍalu mā yaʿmaluhu al-ʿabdu fī yawmi al-jumuʿati al-bukūru ʾilā al-jāmiʿi fī al-sāʿati al-ʾūlā faʾin lam yafʿal
pray at this hour, except on Friday, for it is entirely a time of prayer, and Hell is not stoked on it.” The best thing a servant does on Friday is go early to the congregational mosque, in the first hour. If he does not,
فَفِي السَّاعَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ فَفِي السَّاعَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : مَنْ رَاحَ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ فِي السَّاعَةِ الْأُولَى فَكَأَنَّمَا قَرَّبَ بَدَنَةً وَمَنْ رَاحَ فِي السَّاعَةِ
fafī al-sāʿati al-thāniyati faʾin lam yafʿal fafī al-sāʿati al-thālithati liʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: man rāḥa ʾilā al-jumuʿati fī al-sāʿati al-ʾūlā fakaʾannamā qarraba badanatan waman rāḥa fī al-sāʿati
then in the second hour; if he does not, then in the third hour. For the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever goes to Friday prayer in the first hour is as though he had offered a camel. Whoever goes in the
الثَّانِيَةِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَرَّبَ بَقَرَةً وَمَنْ رَاحَ فِي السَّاعَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَرَّبَ كَبْشًا أَقْرَنَ وَمَنْ رَاحَ فِي السَّاعَةِ الرَّابِعَةِ فَكَأَنَّمَا أَهْدَى دَجَاجَةً وَمَنْ رَاحَ فِي السَّاعَةِ الْخَامِسَةِ فَكَأَنَّمَا
al-thāniyati fakaʾannamā qarraba baqaratan waman rāḥa fī al-sāʿati al-thālithati fakaʾannamā qarraba kabshan ʾaqrana waman rāḥa fī al-sāʿati al-rābiʿati fakaʾannamā ʾahdā dajājatan waman rāḥa fī al-sāʿati al-khāmisati fakaʾannamā
second hour is as though he had offered a cow. Whoever goes in the third hour is as though he had offered a horned ram. Whoever goes in the fourth hour is as though he had presented a chicken. Whoever goes in the fifth hour is as though he had
أَهْدَى بَيْضَةً ، فَإِذَا خَرَجَ الْإِمَامُ طُوِيَتِ الصُّحُفُ وَرُفِعَتِ الْأَقْلَامُ وَاجْتَمَعَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عِنْدَ الْمِنْبَرِ يَسْمَعُونَ الذِّكْرَ ، فَمَنْ جَاءَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَكَأَنَّمَا جَاءَ لِحَقِّ الصَّلَاةِ وَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ فِي
ʾahdā bayḍatan, faʾidhā kharaja al-ʾimāmu ṭuwiyati al-ṣuḥufu warufiʿati al-ʾaqlāmu wajtamaʿati al-malāʾikatu ʿinda al-minbari yasmaʿūna al-dhikra, faman jāʾa baʿda dhālika fakaʾannamā jāʾa liḥaqqi al-ṣalāti walaysa mina al-faḍli fī
presented an egg. When the prayer leader comes out, the records are folded up, the pens are lifted, and the angels gather by the pulpit to hear the remembrance.” Whoever comes after that is as though he has come to fulfill the prayer's due, and has no share whatever in the added
شَيْءٍ فَالسَّاعَةُ الْأُولَى تَكُونُ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ وَالسَّاعَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ تَكُونُ عِنْدَ ارْتِفَاعِ الشَّمْسِ وَالثَّالِثَةُ تَكُونُ عِنْدَ انْبِسَاطِهَا وَهِيَ الضُّحَى الْأَعْلَى إِذَا رَمِضَتِ الْأَقْدَامُ بِحَرِّ الشَّمْسِ
shayʾin fa-al-sāʿatu al-ʾūlā takūnu baʿda ṣalāti al-ṣubḥi wa-al-sāʿatu al-thāniyatu takūnu ʿinda irtifāʿi al-shamsi wa-al-thālithatu takūnu ʿinda inbisāṭihā wahiya al-ḍuḥā al-ʾaʿlā ʾidhā ramiḍati al-ʾaqdāmu biḥarri al-shamsi
merit. The first hour is after the dawn prayer. The second hour is when the sun rises higher. The third is when its light spreads, which is late morning, when the sun's heat scorches people's feet.
وَالسَّاعَةُ الرَّابِعَةُ تَكُونُ قَبْلَ الزَّوَالِ وَالسَّاعَةُ الْخَامِسَةُ إِذَا زَالَتِ الشَّمْسُ أَوْ مَعَ اسْتِوَائِهَا وَلَيْسَ السَّاعَةُ الرَّابِعَةُ وَالْخَامِسَةُ مُسْتَحَبَّتَيْنِ لِلْبُكُورِ وَلَا فَضْلَ لِمُصَلِّي الْجُمُعَةِ بَعْدَ
wa-al-sāʿatu al-rābiʿatu takūnu qabla al-zawāli wa-al-sāʿatu al-khāmisatu ʾidhā zālati al-shamsu ʾaw maʿa istiwāʾihā walaysa al-sāʿatu al-rābiʿatu wa-al-khāmisatu mustaḥabbatayni lilbukūri walā faḍla limuṣallī al-jumuʿati baʿda
The fourth hour is before the sun declines. The fifth hour is when it declines or stands at its height. The fourth and fifth hours are not the recommended times for coming early. There is no added merit for the person attending Friday prayer after
السَّاعَةِ الْخَامِسَةِ لِأَنَّ الْإِمَامَ يَخْرُجُ فِي آخِرِهَا فَلَا يَبْقَى إِلَّا فَرِيضَةُ الْجُمُعَةِ ، وَيُقَالُ : إِنَّ النَّاسَ يَكُونُونَ فِي قُرْبِهِمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِنْدَ الزِّيَارَةِ لِلنَّظَرِ إِلَيْهِ تَعَالَى عَلَى قَدْرِ
al-sāʿati al-khāmisati liʾanna al-ʾimāma yakhruju fī ʾākhirihā falā yabqā ʾillā farīḍatu al-jumuʿati, wayuqālu: ʾinna al-nāsa yakūnūna fī qurbihim mina allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʿinda al-ziyārati li-l-naẓari ʾilayhi taʿālā ʿalā qadri
the fifth hour, because the prayer leader comes out at its end, leaving only the obligatory Friday prayer. It is said that people's nearness to God, mighty and majestic, at the visitation to look upon Him Most High will correspond to how
بُكُورِهِمْ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ ، وَدَخَلَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ بُكْرَةً فَرَأَى ثَلَاثَةَ نَفَرٍ وَقَدْ سَبَقُوهُ بِالْبُكُورِ فَوَجِمَ لِذَٰلِكَ وَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ : رَابِعُ أَرْبَعَةٍ يَعْنِي نَفْسَهُ وَمَا رَابِعُ أَرْبَعَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ
bukūrihim ʾilā al-jumuʿati, wadakhala ibnu masʿūdin yawma al-jumuʿati bukratan faraʾā thalāthata nafarin waqad sabaqūhu bi-al-bukūri fawajima lidhālika wajaʿala yaqūlu: rābiʿu ʾarbaʿatin yaʿnī nafsahu wamā rābiʿu ʾarbaʿatin mina allāhi
early they came to Friday prayer. Ibn Masʿūd entered early one Friday and saw three men who had arrived before him. He was downcast at this and began saying, “Fourth among four,” meaning himself, “and fourth among four is not far from God
بِبَعِيدٍ وَهَٰذَا مِنَ الْيَقِينِ فِي هَٰذِهِ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ لِلْخَبَرِ ، وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ : إِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ يَفْتَقِدُونَ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا تَأَخَّرَ عَنْ وَقْتِهِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَيَسْأَلُ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا عَنْهُ مَا فَعَلَ فُلَانٌ وَمَا
bibaʿīdin wahādhā mina al-yaqīni fī hādhihi al-mushāhadati lilkhabari, waqad jāʾa fī al-ʾathari: ʾinna al-malāʾikata yaftaqidūna al-ʿabda ʾidhā taʾakhkhara ʿan waqtihi yawma al-jumuʿati fayasʾalu baʿḍuhum baʿḍan ʿanhu mā faʿala fulānun wamā
at all.” This comes from certainty in this inward witnessing of the report. It has come down in a transmitted account that the angels miss a servant when he is late for his accustomed time on Friday. They ask one another about him, “What has so-and-so done? What
الَّذِي أَخَّرَهُ عَنْ وَقْتِهِ فَيَقُولُونَ : اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ أَخَّرَهُ فَقْرُهُ فَاغْنِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ أَخَّرَهُ مَرَضٌ فَاشْفِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ أَخَّرَهُ شُغْلٌ عَنْهُ فَفَرِّغْهُ لِعِبَادَتِكَ وَإِنْ كَانَ أَخَّرَهُ لَهْوٌ فَأَقْبِلْ بِقَلْبِهِ عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ
alladhī ʾakhkharahu ʿan waqtihi fayaqūlūna: allāhumma ʾin kāna ʾakhkharahu faqruhu faghnihi waʾin kāna ʾakhkharahu maraḍun fashfihi waʾin kāna ʾakhkharahu shughlun ʿanhu fafarrighhu liʿibādatika waʾin kāna ʾakhkharahu lahwun faʾaqbil biqalbihi ʿalā ṭāʿatika
has delayed him beyond his time?” They say, “O God, if his poverty has delayed him, enrich him. If illness has delayed him, heal him. If some occupation has delayed him, free him for Your worship. If amusement has delayed him, turn his heart toward obedience to You.”
وَلَا تَقْعُدْ إِلَى الْقُصَّاصِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَدْ كُرِهَ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَا فِي حَلْقَةٍ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ . وَرَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ مَقْطُوعٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَلَاثٌ لَوْ يَعْلَمُ النَّاسُ مَا فِيهِنَّ لَرَكَضُوا
walā taqʿud ʾilā al-quṣṣāṣi yawma al-jumuʿati faqad kuriha dhālika walā fī ḥalqatin qabla al-ṣalāti. warawaynā fī khabarin maqṭūʿin ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama thalāthun law yaʿlamu al-nāsu mā fīhinna larakaḍū
Do not sit with storytellers on Friday, for that has been disliked, nor in a circle before the prayer. We have transmitted, in a report with a broken chain from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “There are three things for which, if people knew what they contained, they would drive
الْإِبِلَ فِي طَلَبِهِنَّ : الْأَذَانُ ، وَالصَّفُّ الْأَوَّلُ ، وَالْغُدُوُّ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ ، قَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ وَقَدْ ذَكَرَ هَٰذَا الْحَدِيثَ أَفْضَلُهُنَّ الْغُدُوُّ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ ، وَقَدْ يُرْوَى فِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ
al-ʾibila fī ṭalabihinna: al-ʾadhānu, wa-al-ṣaffu al-ʾawwalu, wa-al-ghuduwwu ʾilā al-jumuʿati, qāla ʾaḥmadu bnu ḥanbalin waqad dhakara hādhā al-ḥadītha ʾafḍaluhunna al-ghuduwwu ʾilā al-jumuʿati, waqad yurwā fī khabarin ʾākhara ʾidhā kāna yawmu
camels hard in pursuit: the call to prayer, the first row, and going early to Friday prayer.” Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, mentioning this hadith, said, “The best of them is going early to Friday prayer.” Another report relates: “When the day of
الْجُمُعَةِ قَعَدَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عَلَى أَبْوَابِ الْمَسْجِدِ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ صُحُفٌ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَأَقْلَامٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ يَكْتُبُونَ الْأَوَّلَ فَالْأَوَّلَ عَلَى مَرَاتِبِهِمْ . وَرَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ
al-jumuʿati qaʿadati al-malāʾikatu ʿalā ʾabwābi al-masjidi biʾaydīhim ṣuḥufun min fiḍḍatin waʾaqlāmun min dhahabin yaktubūna al-ʾawwala fa-al-ʾawwala ʿalā marātibihim. warawaynā fī khabarin ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu
Friday comes, the angels sit at the mosque's doors, with silver records and golden pens in their hands, recording the first to arrive, then the next, according to their ranks.” We have transmitted a report from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he
نَهَى عَنِ التَّحَلُّقِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ عَالِمًا بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى ، يُذَكِّرُ بِأَيَّامِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَيُفَقِّهُ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ، يَتَكَلَّمُ فِي الْجَامِعِ بِالْغَدَاةِ فَيَجْلِسُ إِلَيْهِ
nahā ʿani al-taḥalluqi yawma al-jumuʿati qabla al-ṣalāti ʾillā ʾan yakūna ʿāliman bi-allāhi taʿālā, yudhakkiru biʾayyāmi allāhi ʿazza wajalla wayufaqqihu fī dīni allāhi ʿazza wajalla, yatakallamu fī al-jāmiʿi bi-al-ghadāti fayajlisu ʾilayhi
forbade forming circles on Friday before the prayer. An exception is a scholar who knows God Most High, reminds people of the days of God, mighty and majestic, and gives them understanding of the religion of God, mighty and majestic, speaking in the congregational mosque in the early morning. One may sit with him,
فَيَكُونُ جَامِعًا بَيْنَ الْبُكُورِ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ وَالِاسْتِمَاعِ إِلَى الْعِلْمِ وَلَا يَدَعِ الْغُسْلَ لَهَا يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ إِلَّا مِنْ ضَرُورَةٍ فَإِنَّهُ عِنْدَ بَعْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ فَرْضٌ وَالِاغْتِسَالُ فِي الْبَيْتِ أَفْضَلُ .
fayakūnu jāmiʿan bayna al-bukūri ʾilā al-jumuʿati wa-al-istimāʿi ʾilā al-ʿilmi walā yadaʿi al-ghusla lahā yawma al-jumuʿati ʾillā min ḍarūratin faʾinnahu ʿinda baʿḍi al-ʿulamāʾi farḍun wa-al-ightisālu fī al-bayti ʾafḍalu.
thus combining early arrival for Friday prayer with listening to knowledge. He should not omit the bath for it on Friday except out of necessity, for according to some scholars it is obligatory. Bathing at home is preferable.
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : غُسْلُ الْجُمُعَةِ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُحْتَلِمٍ ، وَالْمَشْهُورُ مِنْ حَدِيثِ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ : مَنْ أَتَى الْجُمُعَةَ فَلْيَغْتَسِلْ وَكَانَ أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ يَتَسَابُّونَ
warawaynā ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ghuslu al-jumuʿati wājibun ʿalā kulli muḥtalimin, wa-al-mashhūru min ḥadīthi nāfiʿin ʿani ibni ʿumara: man ʾatā al-jumuʿata falyaghtasil wakāna ʾahlu al-madīnati yatasābbūna
We have transmitted from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace: “The Friday bath is obligatory for everyone who has reached puberty.” The well-known hadith of Nāfiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, is: “Whoever comes to Friday prayer should bathe.” The people of Medina used to insult one another
بَيْنَهُمْ فَيَقُولُونَ لَأَنْتَ شَرٌّ مِمَّنْ لَا يَغْتَسِلُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ ، وَقَدْ قَالَ عُمَرُ لِعُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا لَمَّا دَخَلَ وَهُوَ يَخْطُبُ : أَهَٰذِهِ السَّاعَةُ فَقَالَ : مَا زِدْتُ بَعْدَ أَنْ سَمِعْتُ الْأَذَانَ أَنْ تَوَضَّأْتُ
baynahum fayaqūlūna laʾanta sharrun mimman lā yaghtasilu yawma al-jumuʿati, waqad qāla ʿumaru liʿuthmāna raḍiya allāhu ʿanhumā lammā dakhala wahuwa yakhṭubu: ʾahādhihi al-sāʿatu faqāla: mā zidtu baʿda ʾan samiʿtu al-ʾadhāna ʾan tawaḍḍaʾtu
by saying, “You are worse than someone who does not bathe on Friday.” ʿUmar said to ʿUthmān, may God be pleased with them both, when he entered while ʿUmar was preaching, “At this hour?” He replied, “After hearing the call, I did no more than perform ablution
وَخَرَجْتُ ، فَقَالَ عُمَرُ : وَالْوُضُوءُ أَيْضًا ، وَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَأْمُرُ الْغُسْلَ وَلَكِنْ فِي تَرْكِ الْغُسْلِ رُخْصَةٌ لِوُضُوءِ عُثْمَانَ مَعَ عِلْمِهِ وَيُسْنَدُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَى الْخَبَرِ
wakharajtu, faqāla ʿumaru: wa-al-wuḍūʾu ʾayḍan, waqad ʿalimta ʾanna rasūla allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna yaʾmuru al-ghusla walakin fī tarki al-ghusli rukhṣatun liwuḍūʾi ʿuthmāna maʿa ʿilmihi wayusnadu dhālika ʾilā al-khabari
and come out.” ʿUmar said, “And merely ablution, too, when you know that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to command bathing?” Nevertheless, there is a concession permitting one to omit the bath, as shown by ʿUthmān's performing ablution despite his knowledge. This is supported by the report
الْمُسْنَدِ مَنْ
al-musnadi man
with a connected chain: “Whoever
تَوَضَّأَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فِيهَا وَنِعْمَتْ وَمَنِ اغْتَسَلَ فَالْغُسْلُ أَفْضَلُ . وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ الصَّحَابَةِ : أُمِرْنَا بِالْغُسْلِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ الشِّتَاءُ كَانَ مَنْ شَاءَ اغْتَسَلَ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَشَأْ تَرَكَ الْغُسْلَ ،
tawaḍḍaʾa yawma al-jumuʿati fīhā waniʿmat wamani ghtasala fa-al-ghuslu ʾafḍalu. warawaynā ʿani al-ṣaḥābati: ʾumirnā bi-al-ghusli yawma al-jumuʿati falammā jāʾa al-shitāʾu kāna man shāʾa ightasala waman lam yashaʾ taraka al-ghusla,
performs ablution on Friday, in it there is benefit, and excellent it is; but whoever bathes, bathing is better.” We have transmitted from the Companions: “We were commanded to bathe on Friday. When winter came, whoever wished bathed, and whoever did not wish omitted the bath.”
وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : مَنْ شَهِدَ الْجُمُعَةَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ فَلْيَغْتَسِلْ فَلِذَٰلِكَ قَالَ مَالِكُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ إِنَّ النِّسَاءَ إِذَا حَضَرْنَ الْجُمُعَةَ اغْتَسَلْنَ لَهُ وَمَنِ اغْتَسَلَ
waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man shahida al-jumuʿata mina al-rijāli wa-al-nisāʾi falyaghtasil falidhālika qāla māliku bnu ʾanasin ʾinna al-nisāʾa ʾidhā ḥaḍarna al-jumuʿata ightasalna lahu wamani ghtasala
We have transmitted from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Whoever attends Friday prayer, whether a man or a woman, should bathe.” That is why Mālik ibn Anas said that women who attend Friday prayer should bathe for it. If someone bathes
مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ أَجْزَأَهُ لِغُسْلِ الْجُمُعَةِ إِذَا نَوَى وَلَا بُدَّ مِنَ النِّيَّةِ لِغُسْلِ الْجَنَابَةِ لِأَجْلِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَهُوَ أَفْضَلُ ، وَيَكُونُ الْغُسْلُ لِلْجُمُعَةِ دَاخِلًا فِيهِ ، فَإِذَا أَفَاضَ عَلَيْهِ الْمَاءَ ثَانِيَةً بَعْدَ غُسْلِهِ
min janābatin ʾajzaʾahu lighusli al-jumuʿati ʾidhā nawā walā budda mina al-niyyati lighusli al-janābati liʾajli al-jumuʿati fahuwa ʾafḍalu, wayakūnu al-ghuslu liljumuʿati dākhilan fīhi, faʾidhā ʾafāḍa ʿalayhi al-māʾa thāniyatan baʿda ghuslihi
to remove major ritual impurity, that suffices for the Friday bath if he intends it. There must be an intention for the bath of major impurity on account of Friday; this is better, and the Friday bath is included in it. If he pours water over himself a second time after his bath
لِلْجَنَابَةِ لِأَجْلِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَهُوَ أَفْضَلُ دَخَلَ بَعْضُ الصَّحَابَةِ عَلَى ابْنِهِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَهُوَ يَغْتَسِلُ فَقَالَ : لِلْجُمُعَةِ غُسْلُكَ هَٰذَا ؟ قَالَ : لَا بَلْ مِنَ الْجَنَابَةِ ، قَالَ :
liljanābati liʾajli al-jumuʿati fahuwa ʾafḍalu dakhala baʿḍu al-ṣaḥābati ʿalā ibnihi yawma al-jumuʿati wahuwa yaghtasilu faqāla: liljumuʿati ghusluka hādhā? qāla: lā bal mina al-janābati, qāla:
for major impurity, on account of Friday, that is better. One of the Companions entered upon his son on Friday while he was bathing and said, “Is this bath of yours for Friday?” He said, “No, it is for major impurity.” He said,
فَأَعِدْ غُسْلًا ثَانِيًا فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ : وَاجِبٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ أَنْ يَغْتَسِلَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ ، وَمَنِ اغْتَسَلَ بَعْدَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ أَجْزَأَهُ وَلَكِنْ أَفْضَلُ الْغُسْلِ لَهَا
faʾaʿid ghuslan thāniyan faʾinnī samiʿtu rasūla allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaqūlu: wājibun ʿalā kulli muslimin ʾan yaghtasila yawma al-jumuʿati, wamani ghtasala baʿda ṭulūʿi al-fajri ʾajzaʾahu walakin ʾafḍalu al-ghusli lahā
“Then bathe again, a second time, for I heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘It is obligatory for every Muslim to bathe on Friday.’” If someone bathes after dawn rises, that suffices, but the best time to bathe for it is
عِنْدَ الرَّوَاحِ إِلَى الْجَامِعِ وَأُحِبُّ أَنْ لَا يُحْدِثَ وُضُوءًا بَعْدَ الْغُسْلِ حَتَّى يَفْرُغَ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَمِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ مَنْ كَرِهَ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَكِنْ إِنْ بَكَّرَ إِلَى الْجَامِعِ فَتَوَضَّأَ هُنَاكَ مِنْ حَدَثٍ لَحِقَهُ لِامْتِدَادِ
ʿinda al-rawāḥi ʾilā al-jāmiʿi waʾuḥibbu ʾan lā yuḥditha wuḍūʾan baʿda al-ghusli ḥattā yafrugha min ṣalāti al-jumuʿati famina al-ʿulamāʾi man kariha dhālika walakin ʾin bakkara ʾilā al-jāmiʿi fatawaḍḍaʾa hunāka min ḥadathin laḥiqahu limtidādi
when setting out for the congregational mosque. I prefer that he not perform a new ablution after the bath until he has finished Friday prayer, for some scholars disliked that. But if he comes early to the mosque and performs ablution there because a state of minor impurity has overtaken him during the lengthening
الْوَقْتِ فَإِنَّهُ عَلَى غُسْلِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَيُسْتَحَبُّ أَنْ يَسْتَاكَ وَأَنْ يَلْبَسَ مِنْ صَالِحِ ثِيَابِهِ وَيَجْتَنِبَ الشُّهْرَةَ مِنَ الثِّيَابِ وَمِنْ أَفْضَلِ مَا لُبِسَ الْبَيَاضُ أَوْ بُرْدَيْنِ يَمَانِيَيْنِ وَلُبْسُ السَّوَادِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ
al-waqti faʾinnahu ʿalā ghusli al-jumuʿati wayustaḥabbu ʾan yastāka waʾan yalbasa min ṣāliḥi thiyābihi wayajtaniba al-shuhrata mina al-thiyābi wamin ʾafḍali mā lubisa al-bayāḍu ʾaw burdayni yamāniyayni walubsu al-sawādi yawma al-jumuʿati
interval, his Friday bath remains valid. It is recommended that he use a tooth-stick, wear some of his good clothes, and avoid clothing that draws attention. Among the best things to wear are white, or two Yemeni cloaks. Wearing black on Friday
لَيْسَ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ وَلَا مِنَ الْفَضْلِ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى لَابِسِهِ وَلْيُقَلِّمْ أَظْفَارَهُ وَيَأْخُذْ مِنْ شَارِبِهِ فَقَدْ رُوِيَ فَضْلُ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ فِعْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَمِنْ أَمْرِهِ .
laysa mina al-sunnati walā mina al-faḍli ʾan yanẓura ʾilā lābisihi walyuqallim ʾaẓfārahu wayaʾkhudh min shāribihi faqad ruwiya faḍlu dhālika min fiʿli rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wamin ʾamrihi.
is not part of the Sunna, nor is looking at someone wearing it a meritorious act. Let him trim his nails and take some hair from his moustache, for the merit of this has been related from both the practice and the command of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace.
وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَغَيْرِهِ مَنْ قَلَّمَ أَظْفَارَهُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ أَخْرَجَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْهَا دَاءً وَأَدْخَلَ شِفَاءً وَلْيَتَطَيَّبْ بِالطِّيبِ طِيبَهُ مِمَّا ظَهَرَ رِيحُهُ وَخَفِيَ لَوْنُهُ فَذَٰلِكَ طِيبُ الرِّجَالِ
waqad rawaynā ʿani ibni masʿūdin waghayrihi man qallama ʾaẓfārahu yawma al-jumuʿati ʾakhraja allāhu ʿazza wajalla minhā dāʾan waʾadkhala shifāʾan walyataṭayyab bi-al-ṭībi ṭībahu mimmā ẓahara rīḥuhu wakhafiya lawnuhu fadhālika ṭību al-rijāli
We have transmitted from Ibn Masʿūd and others: “Whoever trims his nails on Friday, God, mighty and majestic, removes illness from them and brings in healing.” Let him perfume himself, his perfume being of the kind whose scent is apparent and whose color is hidden, for that is men's perfume.
وَطِيبُ النِّسَاءِ مِمَّا ظَهَرَ لَوْنُهُ وَخَفِيَ رِيحُهُ ، رَوَيْنَا ذَٰلِكَ فِي الْأَثَرِ وَتُسْتَحَبُّ الْعِمَامَةُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِيهَا حَدِيثًا شَاذًّا عَنْ وَاثِلَةَ بْنِ الْأَسْقَعِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ
waṭību al-nisāʾi mimmā ẓahara lawnuhu wakhafiya rīḥuhu, rawaynā dhālika fī al-ʾathari watustaḥabbu al-ʿimāmatu yawma al-jumuʿati, waqad rawaynā fīhā ḥadīthan shādhdhan ʿan wāthilata bni al-ʾasqaʿi ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu
Women's perfume is of the kind whose color is apparent and whose scent is hidden. We have transmitted this in a report. Wearing a turban on Friday is recommended. We have transmitted an anomalous hadith about it from Wāthila ibn al-Asqaʿ, from the Messenger of God, may God bless him
عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى أَصْحَابِ الْعَمَائِمِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَإِنْ أَكْرَبَهُ الْحَرُّ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يَنْزِعَهَا قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ وَبَعْدَهَا وَلَكِنْ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ مَنْزِلِهِ إِلَى الْجَامِعِ
ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinna allāha ʿazza wajalla wamalāʾikatahu yuṣallūna ʿalā ʾaṣḥābi al-ʿamāʾimi yawma al-jumuʿati faʾin ʾakrabahu al-ḥarru falā baʾsa ʾan yanziʿahā qabla al-ṣalāti wabaʿdahā walakin yakhruju min manzilihi ʾilā al-jāmiʿi
and grant him peace: “God, mighty and majestic, and His angels bless those who wear turbans on Friday.” If the heat distresses him, there is no harm in removing it before the prayer and after it. He should, however, leave his home for the congregational mosque
وَهُوَ لَابِسُهَا وَلَا يُصَلِّي إِلَّا مُعْتَمًّا بِهَا لِتَحْصُلَ لَهُ فَضِيلَةُ الْعِمَّةِ ، فَإِنْ نَزَعَهَا فَلْيَلْبَسْهَا حِينَئِذٍ عِنْدَ صُعُودِ الْإِمَامِ الْمِنْبَرَ ثُمَّ لْيُصَلِّ وَهِيَ عَلَيْهِ فَإِنْ شَاءَ نَزَعَهَا بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ وَلْيَخْرُجْ
wahuwa lābisuhā walā yuṣallī ʾillā muʿtamman bihā litaḥṣula lahu faḍīlatu al-ʿimmati, faʾin nazaʿahā falyalbas-hā ḥīnaʾidhin ʿinda ṣuʿūdi al-ʾimāmi al-minbara thumma lyuṣalli wahiya ʿalayhi faʾin shāʾa nazaʿahā baʿda dhālika walyakhruj
wearing it and pray only while turbaned, so that he may obtain the merit of wearing a turban. If he has removed it, let him put it on when the prayer leader ascends the pulpit, then pray with it on. After that, he may remove it if he wishes. Let him go out
إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَاشِعًا مُتَوَاضِعًا ذَا سَكِينَةٍ وَوَقَارٍ وَإِخْبَاتٍ وَافْتِقَارٍ وَلْيُكْثِرْ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارِ وَيَنْوِي فِي خُرُوجِهِ زِيَارَةَ مَوْلَاهُ فِي بَيْتِهِ وَالتَّقَرُّبَ إِلَيْهِ بِأَدَاءِ فَرِيضَتِهِ
ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla khāshiʿan mutawāḍiʿan dhā sakīnatin wawaqārin waʾikhbātin waftiqārin walyukthir mina al-duʿāʾi wa-al-istighfāri wayanwī fī khurūjihi ziyārata mawlāhu fī baytihi wa-al-taqarruba ʾilayhi biʾadāʾi farīḍatihi
toward God, mighty and majestic, reverently and humbly, with tranquility, dignity, submission, and need. Let him make much supplication and seek forgiveness often. In going out, let him intend to visit his Master in His house, draw near to Him by fulfilling His obligation,
وَالْعُكُوفَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ إِلَى حَيْثُ انْقِلَابِهِ ثُمَّ لْيَنْوِ كَفَّ جَوَارِحِهِ عَنِ اللَّهْوِ وَاللَّغْوِ وَيَتَّقِ الشُّغْلَ حِينَ يَخْدِمُ مَوْلَاهُ وَلْيَتْرُكْ رَاحَتَهُ فِي ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمِ فِي مَهْنَاهُ مِنْ عَاجِلِ حَظِّ دُنْيَاهُ وَلْيُوَاصِلْ
wa-al-ʿukūfa fī al-masjidi ʾilā ḥaythu inqilābihi thumma lyanwi kaffa jawāriḥihi ʿani al-lahwi wa-al-laghwi wayattaqi al-shughla ḥīna yakhdimu mawlāhu walyatruk rāḥatahu fī dhālika al-yawmi fī mahnāhu min ʿājili ḥaẓẓi dunyāhu walyuwāṣil
and remain devoted in the mosque until his departure. Then let him intend to restrain his limbs from amusement and idle talk, and guard against distraction while serving his Master. On that day, let him relinquish his ease in the enjoyment of his immediate worldly portion, and continue
الْأَوْرَادَ فِيهِ فَيَجْعَلْ أَوَّلَهُ إِلَى انْقِضَاءِ صَلَاةِ الْجُمُعَةِ لِلْخِدْمَةِ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَأَوْسَطَهُ إِلَى صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ لِاسْتِمَاعِ الْعِلْمِ وَمَجَالِسِ الذِّكْرِ وَآخِرَهُ إِلَى غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ لِلتَّسْبِيحِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارِ ،
al-ʾawrāda fīhi fayajʿal ʾawwalahu ʾilā inqiḍāʾi ṣalāti al-jumuʿati lilkhidmati bi-al-ṣalāti waʾawsaṭahu ʾilā ṣalāti al-ʿaṣri listimāʿi al-ʿilmi wamajālisi al-dhikri waʾākhirahu ʾilā ghurūbi al-shamsi li-l-tasbīḥi wa-al-istighfāri,
his regular devotions throughout it. Let him devote its beginning, until Friday prayer ends, to service through prayer; its middle, until the afternoon prayer, to listening to knowledge and attending gatherings of remembrance; and its end, until sunset, to glorification and seeking forgiveness.
فَكَذَٰلِكَ كَانَ الْمُتَقَدِّمُونَ يَقْسِمُونَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ هَٰذِهِ الْأَقْسَامَ الثَّلَاثَةَ وَإِنْ صَامَهُ فَحَسَنٌ يَضُمُّ إِلَيْهِ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ أَوْ يُضِيفُ إِلَيْهِ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ وَقَدْ
fakadhālika kāna al-mutaqaddimūna yaqsimūna yawma al-jumuʿati hādhihi al-ʾaqsāma al-thalāthata waʾin ṣāmahu faḥasanun yaḍummu ʾilayhi yawma al-khamīsi ʾaw yuḍīfu ʾilayhi yawma al-sabti waqad
That is how the early generations used to divide Friday into these three parts. If he fasts on it, that is good; let him join Thursday to it or add Saturday. It has
كُرِهَ إِفْرَادُهُ بِصَوْمٍ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَصُمْهُ وَكَانَ لَهُ أَهْلٌ فَالْمُسْتَحَبُّ أَنْ يُجَامِعَ فِيهِ فَقَدْ رُوِيَ فَضْلُ ذَٰلِكَ وَكَانَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ يَفْعَلُهُ . وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ :
kuriha ʾifrāduhu biṣawmin waman lam yaṣumhu wakāna lahu ʾahlun fa-al-mustaḥabbu ʾan yujāmiʿa fīhi faqad ruwiya faḍlu dhālika wakāna baʿḍu al-salafi yafʿaluhu. waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama:
been disliked to single it out for fasting. If someone does not fast on it and has a wife, it is recommended that he have intercourse that day; its merit has been reported, and some of the early generations practiced it. We have transmitted from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace:
مَنْ غَسَّلَ وَاغْتَسَلَ وَغَدَا وَبَكَّرَ وَدَنَا مِنَ الْإِمَامِ وَلَمْ يَلْغُ كَانَ لَهُ بِكُلِّ خُطْوَةٍ صِيَامُ سَنَةٍ وَقِيَامُهَا ، وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ : وَدَنَا مِنَ الْإِمَامِ وَاسْتَمَعَ كَانَ لَهُ ذَٰلِكَ كَفَّارَةً لِمَا بَيْنَ الْجُمُعَتَيْنِ
man ghassala waghtasala waghadā wabakkara wadanā mina al-ʾimāmi walam yalghu kāna lahu bikulli khuṭwatin ṣiyāmu sanatin waqiyāmuhā, wafī khabarin ʾākhara: wadanā mina al-ʾimāmi wastamaʿa kāna lahu dhālika kaffāratan limā bayna al-jumuʿatayni
“Whoever causes washing and bathes, sets out early and makes an early arrival, draws near the prayer leader, and does not engage in idle talk will receive for every step a year's fasting and night prayer.” In another report: “And draws near the prayer leader and listens, that will be an expiation for him for the interval between the two Fridays,
وَزِيَادَةَ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ ، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ : غُفِرَ لَهُ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ الْأُخْرَى وَقَدِ اشْتُرِطَ فِي بَعْضِهَا وَلَمْ يَتَخَطَّ رِقَابَ النَّاسِ ، فَمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ : مَنْ غَسَّلَ بِالتَّشْدِيدِ أَيْ غَسَّلَ أَهْلَهُ كِنَايَةً عَنْ
waziyādata thalāthati ʾayyāmin, wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: ghufira lahu ʾilā al-jumuʿati al-ʾukhrā waqadi shturiṭa fī baʿḍihā walam yatakhaṭṭa riqāba al-nāsi, famaʿnā qawlihi: man ghassala bi-al-tashdīdi ʾay ghassala ʾahlahu kināyatan ʿan
with three days more.” In another wording: “He is forgiven until the next Friday.” Some versions stipulate, “And did not step over people's necks.” The meaning of his words “whoever causes washing,” with the consonant doubled, is that he causes his wife to wash, an indirect expression for
الْجِمَاعِ ، وَبَعْضُ الرُّوَاةِ يُخَفِّفُهُ فَيَقُولُ : غَسَلَ وَاغْتَسَلَ فَيَكُونُ مَعْنَاهُ غَسَلَ رَأْسَهُ وَاغْتَسَلَ لِجَسَدِهِ وَلْيَتَّقِ أَنْ يَتَخَطَّى رِقَابَ النَّاسِ فَإِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مَكْرُوهٌ جِدًّا وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِيهِ وَعِيدٌ شَدِيدٌ إِنَّ مَنْ
al-jimāʿi, wabaʿḍu al-ruwāti yukhaffifuhu fayaqūlu: ghasala waghtasala fayakūnu maʿnāhu ghasala raʾsahu waghtasala lijasadihi walyattaqi ʾan yatakhaṭṭā riqāba al-nāsi faʾinna dhālika makrūhun jiddan waqad jāʾa fīhi waʿīdun shadīdun ʾinna man
intercourse. Some transmitters pronounce it without doubling, saying, “washed and bathed.” Its meaning is then that he washed his head and bathed his body. Let him beware of stepping over people's necks, for that is greatly disliked, and a severe warning has come concerning it: whoever
فَعَلَ ذَٰلِكَ جُعِلَ جِسْرًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى جَهَنَّمَ تَتَخَطَّاهُ النَّاسُ وَقَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ حَدِيثًا مُرْسَلًا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَمَا هُوَ يَخْطُبُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ إِذْ رَأَى رَجُلًا يَتَخَطَّى رِقَابَ
faʿala dhālika juʿila jisran yawma al-qiyāmati ʿalā jahannama tatakhaṭṭāhu al-nāsu waqāla ibnu jurayjin ḥadīthan mursalan ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama baynamā huwa yakhṭubu yawma al-jumuʿati ʾidh raʾā rajulan yatakhaṭṭā riqāba
does so will be made a bridge over Hell on the Day of Resurrection, which people will step across. Ibn Jurayj related, in a hadith with an interrupted chain, that while the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was preaching on Friday, he saw a man stepping over people's
النَّاسِ حَتَّى تَقَدَّمَ وَجَلَسَ فَلَمَّا قَضَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَلَاتَهُ عَارَضَ الرَّجُلَ حَتَّى لَقِيَهُ فَقَالَ يَا فُلَانُ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تُجَمِّعَ الْيَوْمَ مَعَنَا ؟ فَقَالَ : يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ قَدْ جَمَّعْتُ فَقَالَ :
al-nāsi ḥattā taqaddama wajalasa falammā qaḍā al-nabiyyu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ṣalātahu ʿāraḍa al-rajula ḥattā laqiyahu faqāla yā fulānu mā manaʿaka ʾan tujammaʿa al-yawma maʿanā? faqāla: yā nabiyya allāhi qad jammaʿtu faqāla:
necks until he reached the front and sat down. When the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, had finished his prayer, he went to intercept the man until he met him, and said, “So-and-so, what kept you from joining us for Friday prayer today?” He said, “O Prophet of God, I did attend Friday prayer.” He said,
أَوْ لَمْ أَرَكَ تَتَخَطَّى رِقَابَ النَّاسِ ؟ وَفِي حَدِيثٍ مُسْنَدٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَهُ : مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ مَعَنَا الْجُمُعَةَ ؟ فَقَالَ : أَوْ لَمْ تَرَنِي ؟ قَالَ :
ʾaw lam ʾaraka tatakhaṭṭā riqāba al-nāsi? wafī ḥadīthin musnadin ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla lahu: mā manaʿaka ʾan tuṣalliya maʿanā al-jumuʿata? faqāla: ʾaw lam taranī? qāla:
“Did I not see you stepping over people's necks?” In a hadith with a connected chain, the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said to him, “What kept you from praying Friday prayer with us?” He said, “Did you not see me?” He said,
قَدْ رَأَيْتُكَ تَأَنَّيْتَ وَآذَيْتَ ، أَيْ تَأَخَّرْتَ عَنِ الْبُكُورِ وَآذَيْتَ بِالْحُضُورِ ، وَلَا يَقْعُدْ إِلَى الْقُصَّاصِ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَدْ كُرِهَ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَا فِي حَلْقَةٍ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ . فَقَدْ رَوَى عَمْرُو بْنُ شُعَيْبٍ عَنْ
qad raʾaytuka taʾannayta waʾādhayta, ʾay taʾakhkharta ʿani al-bukūri waʾādhayta bi-al-ḥuḍūri, walā yaqʿud ʾilā al-quṣṣāṣi fī yawmi al-jumuʿati faqad kuriha dhālika walā fī ḥalqatin qabla al-ṣalāti. faqad rawā ʿamru bnu shuʿaybin ʿan
“I saw you. You delayed and caused harm,” meaning: you delayed your early arrival and caused harm by your attendance. He should not sit with storytellers on Friday, for that has been disliked, nor in a circle before the prayer. ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb related from
أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عِمْرَانَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَهَى عَنِ التَّحَلُّقِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ عَالِمًا بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُذَكِّرُ بِأَيَّامِ اللَّهِ وَيُفَقِّهُ فِي
ʾabīhi ʿan jaddihi ʿan ʿabdi allāhi bni ʿimrāna ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama nahā ʿani al-taḥalluqi yawma al-jumuʿati qabla al-ṣalāti ʾillā ʾan yakūna ʿāliman bi-allāhi ʿazza wajalla yudhakkiru biʾayyāmi allāhi wayufaqqihu fī
his father, from his grandfather, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿImrān, that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, forbade forming circles on Friday before the prayer. An exception is a scholar who knows God, mighty and majestic, reminds people of the days of God, and gives them understanding of
الدِّينِ يَتَكَلَّمُ فِي الْجَامِعِ بِالْغَدَاةِ فَيَجْلِسُ إِلَيْهِ فَيَكُونُ جَامِعًا بَيْنَ الْبُكُورِ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ وَبَيْنَ الِاسْتِمَاعِ إِلَى الْعِلْمِ ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ عُلَمَاءِ السَّلَفِ قَالَ :
al-dīni yatakallamu fī al-jāmiʿi bi-al-ghadāti fayajlisu ʾilayhi fayakūnu jāmiʿan bayna al-bukūri ʾilā al-jumuʿati wabayna al-istimāʿi ʾilā al-ʿilmi, waqad rawaynā ʿan baʿḍi ʿulamāʾi al-salafi qāla:
the religion, speaking in the congregational mosque in the early morning. One may sit with him and thus combine early arrival for Friday prayer with listening to knowledge. We have transmitted from one of the scholars of the early generations that he said,
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَىٰ فَضْلًا مِنَ الرِّزْقِ سِوَى أَرْزَاقِ الْعِبَادِ لَا يُعْطِي مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَضْلِ إِلَّا مَنْ سَأَلَهُ عَشِيَّةَ الْخَمِيسِ وَيَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ : أَنَّ فِي الْجُمُعَةِ سَاعَةً لَا يُوَافِقُهَا
ʾinna li-llāhi taʿālā faḍlan mina al-rizqi siwā ʾarzāqi al-ʿibādi lā yuʿṭī min dhālika al-faḍli ʾillā man saʾalahu ʿashiyyata al-khamīsi wayawma al-jumuʿati, wafī al-khabari al-mashhūri: ʾanna fī al-jumuʿati sāʿatan lā yuwāfiquhā
“God Most High has a surplus of provision beyond the provisions allotted to His servants. He gives of that surplus only to those who ask Him on Thursday evening and Friday.” In the well-known report: “There is an hour on Friday that no
عَبْدٌ مُسْلِمٌ يَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهَا شَيْئًا إِلَّا أَعْطَاهُ ، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ لَا يُصَادِفُهَا عَبْدٌ يُصَلِّي ، وَاخْتُلِفَ فِي وَقْتِ هَٰذِهِ السَّاعَةِ فَقِيلَ : إِنَّهَا عِنْدَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ ، وَقِيلَ :
ʿabdun muslimun yasʾalu allāha ʿazza wajalla fīhā shayʾan ʾillā ʾaʿṭāhu, wafī lafẓin ʾākhara lā yuṣādifuhā ʿabdun yuṣallī, wakhtulifa fī waqti hādhihi al-sāʿati faqīla: ʾinnahā ʿinda ṭulūʿi al-shamsi, waqīla:
Muslim servant encounters while asking God, mighty and majestic, for something in it without His granting it to him.” In another wording: “No servant encounters it while praying.” They differed about the time of this hour. It has been said, “It is at sunrise.” It has been said,
إِذَا قَامَ النَّاسُ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ ، وَقِيلَ عِنْدَ الزَّوَالِ ، وَيُقَالُ : مَعَ الْأَذَانِ ، وَقِيلَ : هِيَ إِذَا صَعِدَ الْإِمَامُ الْمِنْبَرَ وَأَخَذَ فِي الذِّكْرِ ، وَقِيلَ : بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ مِنْ آخِرِ أَوْقَاتِهَا ، وَقِيلَ :
ʾidhā qāma al-nāsu ʾilā al-ṣalāti, waqīla ʿinda al-zawāli, wayuqālu: maʿa al-ʾadhāni, waqīla: hiya ʾidhā ṣaʿida al-ʾimāmu al-minbara waʾakhadha fī al-dhikri, waqīla: baʿda al-ʿaṣri min ʾākhiri ʾawqātihā, waqīla:
“When people stand for prayer.” It has been said, “When the sun declines.” It is said, “With the call to prayer.” It has been said, “It is when the prayer leader ascends the pulpit and begins the remembrance.” It has been said, “After the afternoon prayer, toward its latest time.” It has been said,
عِنْدَ غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ إِذَا تَدَلَّى حَاجِبُهَا الْأَسْفَلُ ، كَانَتْ فَاطِمَةُ بِنْتُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تُرَاعِي ذَٰلِكَ الْوَقْتَ وَتَأْمُرُ خَادِمَهَا أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى الشَّمْسِ فَيُؤْذِنَهَا بِسُقُوطِهَا فَتَأْخُذُ
ʿinda ghurūbi al-shamsi ʾidhā tadallā ḥājibuhā al-ʾasfalu, kānat fāṭimatu bintu rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama turāʿī dhālika al-waqta wataʾmuru khādimahā ʾan yanẓura ʾilā al-shamsi fayuʾdhinahā bisuqūṭihā fataʾkhudhu
“At sunset, when the sun's lower rim descends.” Fāṭima, daughter of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to watch for that time and tell her servant to look at the sun and notify her when it began to sink. Then she would begin
فِي الدُّعَاءِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارِ فِي ذَٰلِكَ الْوَقْتِ إِلَى أَنْ تَغْرُبَ الشَّمْسُ وَتُخْبِرُ أَنَّ تِلْكَ السَّاعَةَ هِيَ الْمُنْتَظَرَةُ وَتَأْثُرُهُ عَنْ أَبِيهَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَهَٰذَا جُمَلُ مَا قِيلَ فِي هَٰذِهِ السَّاعَةِ
fī al-duʿāʾi wa-al-istighfāri fī dhālika al-waqti ʾilā ʾan taghruba al-shamsu watukhbiru ʾanna tilka al-sāʿata hiya al-muntaẓaratu wataʾthuruhu ʿan ʾabīhā ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fahādhā jumalu mā qīla fī hādhihi al-sāʿati
supplication and seeking forgiveness at that time until the sun set. She would say that this was the awaited hour and transmit it from her father, may God bless him and grant him peace. These are the principal statements made about this hour,
بِرِوَايَاتٍ جَاءَتْ فِي ذَٰلِكَ مُتَفَرِّقَةً حَذَفْنَا ذِكْرَهَا لِلِاخْتِصَارِ فَلْيَتَوَخَّ هَٰذِهِ الْأَوْقَاتَ وَلْيَتَعَهَّدِ الدُّعَاءَ فِيهَا وَالصَّلَاةَ فِيمَا صَلُحَ مِنْهَا . وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ السَّاعَةَ مُبْهَمَةٌ فِي
biriwāyātin jāʾat fī dhālika mutafarriqatan ḥadhafnā dhikrahā lilikhtiṣāri falyatawakhkha hādhihi al-ʾawqāta walyataʿahhadi al-duʿāʾa fīhā wa-al-ṣalāta fīmā ṣaluḥa minhā. waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi ʾinna hādhihi al-sāʿata mubhamatun fī
on the basis of scattered reports concerning it whose mention we have omitted for brevity. Let him seek out these times, attend carefully to supplication during them, and pray at those that are suitable for prayer. Some scholars have said that this hour is left unspecified within
جَمِيعِ الْيَوْمِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا اللَّهُ عَزَّ
jamīʿi al-yawmi lā yaʿlamuhā ʾillā allāhu ʿazza
the whole day; none knows it but God, mighty
وَجَلَّ كَأَنَّهَا بِمَنْزِلَةِ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ مُبْهَمَةً فِي جَمِيعِ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَكَأَنَّهَا مِثْلُ الصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَى فِي جُمْلَةِ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ : إِنَّهَا تَنْتَقِلُ فِي سَاعَاتِ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ كَتَنَقُّلِ لَيْلَةِ
wajalla kaʾannahā bimanzilati laylati al-qadri mubhamatan fī jamīʿi shahri ramaḍāna wakaʾannahā mithlu al-ṣalāti al-wusṭā fī jumlati al-ṣalawāti al-khamsi, waqad qīla: ʾinnahā tantaqilu fī sāʿāti yawmi al-jumuʿati katanaqquli laylati
and majestic. It is as though it stood in the position of the Night of Decree, left unspecified throughout the whole month of Ramadan, and as though it resembled the middle prayer among the five prayers. It has been said that it moves among Friday's hours as the Night of
الْقَدْرِ عِنْدَ بَعْضِهِمْ فِي لَيَالِي الشَّهْرِ ، ذَٰلِكَ لِيَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ طَالِبًا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَرَاغِبًا مُتَضَرِّعًا مُفْتَقِرًا فِي جَمِيعِ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمِ ، فَمَنْ وَاصَلَ الْأَوْرَادَ فِيهِ وَعَمَرَ بِالذِّكْرِ كُلَّ سَاعَةٍ
al-qadri ʿinda baʿḍihim fī layālī al-shahri, dhālika liyakūna al-ʿabdu ṭāliban ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla warāghiban mutaḍarriʿan muftaqiran fī jamīʿi dhālika al-yawmi, faman wāṣala al-ʾawrāda fīhi waʿamara bi-al-dhikri kulla sāʿatin
Decree moves, according to some, among the nights of the month. This is so that the servant will be seeking God, mighty and majestic, with longing, entreaty, and need throughout that entire day. Whoever maintains his regular devotions during it and fills every hour with remembrance
صَادَفَهَا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَإِنْ لَمْ يُوَاصِلِ السَّاعَةَ فِي يَوْمٍ وَاحِدٍ فَلْيُوَاصِلْهَا فِي جُمَعٍ شَتَّى وَقْتًا عَلَى وَقْتٍ عَلَى تَرْتِيبِ أَوْقَاتِ يَوْمٍ فَإِنَّهَا تَقَعُ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأَوْقَاتِ لَا مَحَالَةَ وَلْيُكْثِرِ
ṣādafahā biʾidhni allāhi ʿazza wajalla faʾin lam yuwāṣili al-sāʿata fī yawmin wāḥidin falyuwāṣilhā fī jumaʿin shattā waqtan ʿalā waqtin ʿalā tartībi ʾawqāti yawmin faʾinnahā taqaʿu fī jamīʿi al-ʾawqāti lā maḥālata walyukthiri
will encounter it by the permission of God, mighty and majestic. If he does not maintain the hours continuously in one day, let him maintain them over different Fridays, one time after another, in the order of a day's times; it must occur among all those times. Let him make much
الدُّعَاءَ وَالتَّضَرُّعَ وَفِي وَقْتَيْنِ خَاصَّةً عِنْدَ صُعُودِ الْإِمَامِ الْمِنْبَرَ إِلَى أَنْ تُقَامَ الصَّلَاةُ وَيَدْخُلَ فِيهَا وَعِنْدَ آخِرِ سَاعَةٍ وَقْتَ تَدَلِّي الشَّمْسِ لِلْغُرُوبِ ،
al-duʿāʾa wa-al-taḍarruʿa wafī waqtayni khāṣṣatan ʿinda ṣuʿūdi al-ʾimāmi al-minbara ʾilā ʾan tuqāma al-ṣalātu wayadkhula fīhā waʿinda ʾākhiri sāʿatin waqta tadallī al-shamsi lilghurūbi,
supplication and entreaty, especially at two times: when the prayer leader ascends the pulpit until the prayer is established and he enters it; and in the final hour, as the sun descends toward setting.
فَهَٰذَانِ الْوَقْتَانِ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ أَوْقَاتِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَيَقْوَىٰ فِي نَفْسِي أَنَّ فِي أَحَدِهِمَا السَّاعَةَ الْمَرْجُوَّةَ ، وَقَدِ اجْتَمَعَ كَعْبُ الْأَحْبَارِ مَعَ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَاجْتَمَعَ رَأْيُ كَعْبٍ أَنَّهَا فِي آخِرِ سَاعَةٍ مِنْ يَوْمِ
fahādhāni al-waqtāni min ʾafḍali ʾawqāti al-jumuʿati wayaqwā fī nafsī ʾanna fī ʾaḥadihimā al-sāʿata al-marjuwwata, waqadi jtamaʿa kaʿbu al-ʾaḥbāri maʿa ʾabī hurayrata wajtamaʿa raʾyu kaʿbin ʾannahā fī ʾākhiri sāʿatin min yawmi
These two times are among Friday's best times. I am strongly inclined to think that the hoped-for hour falls within one of them. Kaʿb al-Aḥbār met with Abū Hurayra, and Kaʿb settled on the opinion that it falls in the final hour of
الْجُمُعَةِ ، فَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ : كَيْفَ تَكُونُ آخِرَ سَاعَةٍ وَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ : لَا يُوَافِقُهَا عَبْدٌ يُصَلِّي وَلَاتَ حِينَ صَلَاةٍ ، فَقَالَ كَعْبٌ :
al-jumuʿati, faqāla ʾabū hurayrata: kayfa takūnu ʾākhira sāʿatin waqad samiʿtu al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaqūlu: lā yuwāfiquhā ʿabdun yuṣallī walāta ḥīna ṣalātin, faqāla kaʿbun:
Friday. Abū Hurayra said, “How can it be the final hour, when I heard the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘No servant encounters it while praying,’ and that is no time for prayer?” Kaʿb said,
أَلَمْ يَقُلْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : مَنْ قَعَدَ يَنْتَظِرُ الصَّلَاةَ فَهُوَ فِي صَلَاةٍ ، قَالَ : بَلَى ، قَالَ : فَذَاكَ صَلَاةٌ ، فَسَكَتَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ فَكَأَنَّهُ وَافَقَهُ وَلْيُكْثِرْ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى
ʾalam yaqul rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man qaʿada yantaẓiru al-ṣalāta fahuwa fī ṣalātin, qāla: balā, qāla: fadhāka ṣalātun, fasakata ʾabū hurayrata fakaʾannahu wāfaqahu walyukthir mina al-ṣalāti ʿalā
“Did the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, not say, ‘Whoever sits waiting for prayer is in prayer’?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “Then that is prayer.” Abū Hurayra fell silent, as though he agreed with him. Let him invoke abundant blessings upon
النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَلَيْلَتِهَا وَأَقَلُّ ذَٰلِكَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَلَاثَمِائَةِ مَرَّةٍ . وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَيَّ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ ثَمَانِينَ
al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī yawmi al-jumuʿati walaylatihā waʾaqallu dhālika ʾan yuṣalliya ʿalayhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama thalāthamiʾati marratin. waqad jāʾa fī al-khabari man ṣallā ʿalayya fī yawmi al-jumuʿati thamānīna
the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, on Friday and its preceding night. The least of this is to invoke blessings upon him, may God bless him and grant him peace, three hundred times. A report has come down: “Whoever invokes blessings upon me on Friday eighty
مَرَّةً غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ ذُنُوبَ ثَمَانِينَ سَنَةً ، قِيلَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَيْفَ الصَّلَاةُ عَلَيْكَ ؟ قَالَ : تَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدِكَ وَنَبِيِّكَ وَرَسُولِكَ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ وَتَعْقِدُهَا وَاحِدَةً فَكَيْفَ مَا
marratan ghafara allāhu lahu dhunūba thamānīna sanatan, qīla: yā rasūla allāhi kayfa al-ṣalātu ʿalayka? qāla: taqūlu allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā muḥammadin ʿabdika wanabiyyika warasūlika al-nabiyyi al-ʾummiyyi wataʿqiduhā wāḥidatan fakayfa mā
times, God forgives him the sins of eighty years.” It was asked, “O Messenger of God, how should we invoke blessings upon you?” He said, “You say, ‘O God, bless Muḥammad, Your servant, Your prophet, and Your messenger, the unlettered prophet,’ and count that as one.” In whatever way he
صَلَّى عَلَيْهِ بَعْدَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ بِلَفْظِ ذِكْرِ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَيْهِ فَهِيَ صَلَاةٌ ، وَالصَّلَاةُ الْمَشْهُورَةُ هِيَ الَّتِي رُوِيَتْ فِي التَّشَهُّدِ وَإِنْ جَعَلَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَقُولَ : اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ
ṣallā ʿalayhi baʿda ʾan yaʾtiya bilafẓi dhikri al-ṣalāti ʿalayhi fahiya ṣalātun, wa-al-ṣalātu al-mashhūratu hiya allatī ruwiyat fī al-tashahhudi waʾin jaʿala min ṣalātihi ʿalayhi ʾan yaqūla: allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā muḥammadin waʿalā ʾāli
invokes blessings upon him, provided he uses wording that mentions invoking blessings upon him, it counts as a blessing. The well-known blessing is the one transmitted in the testimony recited during prayer. If among his invocations of blessing upon him he says, “O God, bless Muḥammad and the family of
مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَاةً تَكُونُ لَكَ رِضَاءً وَلِحَقِّهِ أَدَاءً وَأَعْطِهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَابْعَثْهُ الْمَقَامَ الْمَحْمُودَ الَّذِي وَعَدْتَهُ وَاجْزِهِ عَنَّا مَا هُوَ أَهْلُهُ وَاجْزِهِ أَفْضَلَ مَا جَزَيْتَ نَبِيًّا عَنْ أُمَّتِهِ وَصَلِّ عَلَى جَمِيعِ إِخْوَانِهِ
muḥammadin ṣalātan takūnu laka riḍāʾan waliḥaqqihi ʾadāʾan waʾaʿṭihi al-wasīlata wabʿathhu al-maqāma al-maḥmūda alladhī waʿadtahu wajzihi ʿannā mā huwa ʾahluhu wajzihi ʾafḍala mā jazayta nabiyyan ʿan ʾummatihi waṣalli ʿalā jamīʿi ʾikhwānihi
Muḥammad with a blessing that pleases You and fulfills his due. Grant him the station of access, raise him to the praised station You promised him, reward him on our behalf as he deserves, reward him with the best reward You have given a prophet on behalf of his community, and bless all his brothers
مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصَّالِحِينَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ . تَقُولُ هَٰذَا سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ ، فَفِي هَٰذَا فَضْلٌ عَظِيمٌ وَيُقَالُ : مَنْ قَالَهُ سَبْعَ جُمَعٍ فِي كُلِّ جُمُعَةٍ سَبْعَةَ مَرَّاتٍ وَجَبَتْ لَهُ شَفَاعَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ
mina al-nabiyyīna wa-al-ṣāliḥīna yā ʾarḥama al-rāḥimīna. taqūlu hādhā sabʿa marrātin, fafī hādhā faḍlun ʿaẓīmun wayuqālu: man qālahu sabʿa jumaʿin fī kulli jumuʿatin sabʿata marrātin wajabat lahu shafāʿatu rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu
among the prophets and the righteous, O Most Merciful of the merciful.” You say this seven times, for there is great merit in it. It is said, “Whoever says it for seven Fridays, seven times each Friday, is assured the intercession of the Messenger of God, may God bless him
عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَإِنْ زَادَ هَٰذِهِ الصَّلَاةَ فَهِيَ مَأْثُورَةٌ : اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فَضَائِلَ صَلَوَاتِكَ وَشَرَائِفَ زَكَوَاتِكَ وَنَوَامِيَ بَرَكَاتِكَ وَرَأْفَتَكَ وَرَحْمَتَكَ وَتَحِيَّتَكَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ سَيِّدِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ وَإِمَامِ الْمُتَّقِينَ
ʿalayhi wasallama waʾin zāda hādhihi al-ṣalāta fahiya maʾthūratun: allāhumma ijʿal faḍāʾila ṣalawātika washarāʾifa zakawātika wanawāmiya barakātika waraʾfataka waraḥmataka wataḥiyyataka ʿalā muḥammadin sayyidi al-mursalīna waʾimāmi al-muttaqīna
and grant him peace.” If he adds the following blessing, it too is transmitted: “O God, bestow the excellences of Your blessings, the noblest of Your purifications, the growing abundance of Your benedictions, Your tenderness, Your mercy, and Your greeting upon Muḥammad, master of the messengers, leader of the God-fearing,
وَخَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ وَرَسُولِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ قَائِدِ الْخَيْرِ وَفَاتِحِ الْبِرِّ وَنَبِيِّ الرَّحْمَةِ وَسَيِّدِ الْأُمَّةِ ، اللَّهُمَّ ابْعَثْهُ مَقَامًا مَحْمُودًا تُزْلِفُ بِهِ قُرْبَهُ وَتَقَرُّ بِهِ عَيْنُهُ يَغْبِطُهُ بِهِ الْأَوَّلُونَ
wakhātami al-nabiyyīna warasūli rabbi al-ʿālamīna qāʾidi al-khayri wafātiḥi al-birri wanabiyyi al-raḥmati wasayyidi al-ʾummati, allāhumma ibʿathhu maqāman maḥmūdan tuzlifu bihi qurbahu wataqarru bihi ʿaynuhu yaghbiṭuhu bihi al-ʾawwalūna
seal of the prophets, messenger of the Lord of all worlds, guide to goodness, opener of righteousness, prophet of mercy, and master of the community. O God, raise him to a praised station by which You advance his nearness and his eyes are gladdened, for which the first generations
وَالْآخِرُونَ ، اللَّهُمَّ أَعْطِهِ الْفَضْلَ وَالْفَضِيلَةَ وَالشَّرَفَ وَالْوَسِيلَةَ وَالدَّرَجَةَ الرَّفِيعَةَ وَالْمَنْزِلَةَ الشَّامِخَةَ الْمُنِيفَةَ ، اللَّهُمَّ أَعْطِ مُحَمَّدًا سُؤْلَهُ وَبَلِّغْهُ مَأْمُولَهُ وَاجْعَلْهُ أَوَّلَ شَافِعٍ وَأَوَّلَ
wa-al-ʾākhirūna, allāhumma ʾaʿṭihi al-faḍla wa-al-faḍīlata wa-al-sharafa wa-al-wasīlata wa-al-darajata al-rafīʿata wa-al-manzilata al-shāmikhata al-munīfata, allāhumma ʾaʿṭi muḥammadan suʾlahu waballighhu maʾmūlahu wajʿalhu ʾawwala shāfiʿin waʾawwala
and the last will envy him. O God, grant him favor, excellence, honor, the station of access, the high degree, and the lofty, exalted rank. O God, grant Muḥammad his request, bring him to what he hopes for, and make him the first to intercede and the first
مُشَفَّعٍ ، اللَّهُمَّ عَظِّمْ بُرْهَانَهُ وَثَقِّلْ مِيزَانَهُ وَأَبْلِجْ حُجَّتَهُ وَارْفَعْ فِي أَعْلَى الْمُقَرَّبِينَ دَرَجَتَهُ ، اللَّهُمَّ احْشُرْنَا فِي زُمْرَتِهِ وَاجْعَلْنَا مِنْ أَهْلِ شَفَاعَتِهِ وَأَحْيِنَا عَلَى سُنَّتِهِ وَتَوَفَّنَا عَلَى مِلَّتِهِ
mushaffaʿin, allāhumma ʿaẓẓim burhānahu wathaqqil mīzānahu waʾablij ḥujjatahu warfaʿ fī ʾaʿlā al-muqarrabīna darajatahu, allāhumma uḥshurnā fī zumratihi wajʿalnā min ʾahli shafāʿatihi waʾaḥyinā ʿalā sunnatihi watawaffanā ʿalā millatihi
whose intercession is accepted. O God, magnify his proof, make his balance weighty, make his argument shine, and raise his rank among the highest of those brought near. O God, gather us in his company, make us among those entitled to his intercession, give us life according to his Sunna, cause us to die in his faith,
وَأَوْرِدْنَا
waʾawridnā
and bring us to
حَوْضَهُ وَاسْقِنَا بِكَأْسِهِ غَيْرَ خَزَايَا وَلَا نَادِمِينَ وَلَا شَاكِّينَ وَلَا مُبَدِّلِينَ وَلَا فَتَّانِينَ وَلَا مَفْتُونِينَ آمِينَ ، رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ ، وَلْيُكْثِرْ مِنَ الِاسْتِغْفَارِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَلَيْلَتِهَا وَأَيُّ لَفْظٍ ذُكِرَ
ḥawḍahu wasqinā bikaʾsihi ghayra khazāyā walā nādimīna walā shākkīna walā mubaddilīna walā fattānīna walā maftūnīna ʾāmīna, rabba al-ʿālamīna, walyukthir mina al-istighfāri yawma al-jumuʿati walaylatihā waʾayyu lafẓin dhukira
his Basin. Give us drink from his cup without disgrace or regret, without doubt or alteration, neither causing others to go astray nor being led astray. Amen, Lord of all worlds.” Let him seek forgiveness abundantly on Friday and its preceding night. Whatever wording mentions
فِيهِ سُؤَالُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ فَهُوَ مُسْتَغْفِرٌ ، وَإِنْ قَالَ : اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَتُبْ عَلَيَّ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ فَهُوَ أَفْضَلُ ، وَإِنْ قَالَ : رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَتَجَاوَزْ عَمَّا تَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
fīhi suʾālu al-maghfirati fahuwa mustaghfirun, waʾin qāla: allāhumma ighfir lī watub ʿalayya ʾinnaka ʾanta al-tawwābu al-raḥīmu fahuwa ʾafḍalu, waʾin qāla: rabbi ighfir warḥam watajāwaz ʿammā taʿlamu waʾanta khayru al-rāḥimīna
a request for forgiveness makes him one who seeks forgiveness. If he says, “O God, forgive me and turn toward me in mercy; You are the Ever-Relenting, the Merciful,” that is better. If he says, “My Lord, forgive, have mercy, and overlook what You know; You are the best of those who show mercy,”
فَحَسَنٌ ، وَأَسْتَحِبُّ لَهُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ خَتْمَةً يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ ، فَإِنْ ضَاقَ عَلَيْهِ ذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَشْفَعْ إِلَيْهِ لَيْلَتَهَا لِيَكُونَ ابْتِدَاؤُهُ مِنْ لَيْلَةِ الْجُمُعَةِ ، وَإِنْ جَعَلَ خَتْمَهُ لِلْقُرْآنِ فِي رَكْعَتَيِ الْفَجْرِ مِنْ يَوْمِ
faḥasanun, waʾastaḥibbu lahu ʾan yaqraʾa khatmatan yawma al-jumuʿati, faʾin ḍāqa ʿalayhi dhālika falyashfaʿ ʾilayhi laylatahā liyakūna ibtidāʾuhu min laylati al-jumuʿati, waʾin jaʿala khatmahu lilqurʾāni fī rakʿatayi al-fajri min yawmi
that is good. I recommend that he complete a recitation of the Qurʾān on Friday. If that leaves him too little time, let him add its preceding night, so that he begins on the night before Friday. If he completes the Qurʾān in the two dawn cycles on
الْجُمُعَةِ أَوْ فِي رَكْعَتَيِ الْمَغْرِبِ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَحَسَنٌ ، لِيَسْتَوْعِبَ بِذَٰلِكَ كُلَّهُ الْيَوْمَ وَاللَّيْلَةَ ، وَإِنْ جَعَلَ خَتْمَهُ بَيْنَ الْأَذَانِ لِلْجُمُعَةِ وَالْإِقَامَةِ لِلصَّلَاةِ فَفِيهِ عَظِيمٌ ،
al-jumuʿati ʾaw fī rakʿatayi al-maghribi laylata al-jumuʿati faḥasanun, liyastawʿiba bidhālika kullahu al-yawma wa-al-laylata, waʾin jaʿala khatmahu bayna al-ʾadhāni liljumuʿati wa-al-ʾiqāmati li-l-ṣalāti fafīhi ʿaẓīmun,
Friday, or in the two sunset cycles on the night before Friday, that is good, so that by this he encompasses the whole day and night. If he completes it between the call to Friday prayer and the prayer's commencement, there is something great in that.
وَيُسْتَحَبُّ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ قَبْلَ الْجُمُعَةِ اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً وَبَعْدَهَا سِتَّ رَكَعَاتٍ ، وَإِذَا دَخَلَ الْجَامِعَ فَلْيُصَلِّ أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ يَقْرَأُ فِيهِنَّ : قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ مِائَتَيْ مَرَّةٍ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ خَمْسِينَ مَرَّةً
wayustaḥabbu ʾan yuṣalliya qabla al-jumuʿati ithnatay ʿashrata rakʿatan wabaʿdahā sitta rakaʿātin, waʾidhā dakhala al-jāmiʿa falyuṣalli ʾarbaʿa rakaʿātin yaqraʾu fīhinna: qul huwa allāhu ʾaḥadun miʾatay marratin fī kulli rakʿatin khamsīna marratan
It is recommended that he pray twelve cycles before Friday prayer and six cycles after it. When he enters the congregational mosque, let him pray four cycles, reciting “Say: He is God, One” two hundred times in them, fifty times in each cycle.
فَفِيهِ أَثَرٌ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ فَعَلَهُ لَمْ يَمُتْ حَتَّى يَرَى مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ أَوْ يُرَى لَهُ ، وَإِذَا دَخَلَ الْجَامِعَ فَلَا يَقْعُدَنَّ حَتَّى يُصَلِّيَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَجْلِسَ وَكَذَٰلِكَ إِنْ
fafīhi ʾatharun ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama man faʿalahu lam yamut ḥattā yarā maqʿadahu mina al-jannati ʾaw yurā lahu, waʾidhā dakhala al-jāmiʿa falā yaqʿudanna ḥattā yuṣalliya rakʿatayni qabla ʾan yajlisa wakadhālika ʾin
There is a report about this from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Whoever does it will not die until he sees his place in Paradise, or it is seen on his behalf.” When he enters the congregational mosque, let him not sit until he has prayed two cycles before sitting. Likewise, if he
دَخَلَ وَالْإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ صَلَّاهُمَا خَفِيفَتَيْنِ وَإِنْ سَمِعَهُ لِأَمْرِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِذَٰلِكَ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ جَاءَ فِي حَدِيثٍ غَرِيبٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَكَتَ لَهُ حَتَّى صَلَّاهُمَا فَقَالَ
dakhala wa-al-ʾimāmu yakhṭubu ṣallāhumā khafīfatayni waʾin samiʿahu liʾamri al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama bidhālika liʾannahu qad jāʾa fī ḥadīthin gharībin ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama sakata lahu ḥattā ṣallāhumā faqāla
enters while the prayer leader is preaching, he performs the two briefly, even if he hears him, because the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanded this. For an unusual hadith relates that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, fell silent for him until he had prayed them. So
الْكُوفِيُّونَ إِنْ سَكَتَ لَهُ الْإِمَامُ صَلَّاهُمَا ، وَلَعَلَّ سُكُوتَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَخْصُوصٌ لَهُ لِوُجُوبِ قَوْلِهِ ، وَرَوَى ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ عَنْ عَطَاءٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَا :
al-kūfiyyūna ʾin sakata lahu al-ʾimāmu ṣallāhumā, walaʿalla sukūta rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama makhṣūṣun lahu liwujūbi qawlihi, warawā ibnu jurayjin ʿan ʿaṭāʾin ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin waʾabī hurayrata qālā:
the Kūfans said, “If the prayer leader falls silent for him, he prays them.” Perhaps the silence of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, was particular to him, because his words impose an obligation. Ibn Jurayj related from ʿAṭāʾ, from Ibn ʿAbbās and Abū Hurayra, who said:
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : مَنْ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ الْكَهْفِ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ أَوْ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ أُعْطِيَ نُورًا مِنْ حَيْثُ يَقْرَأُهَا إِلَى مَكَّةَ وَغُفِرَ لَهُ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ الْأُخْرَى وَفَضْلَ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ
qāla rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man qaraʾa sūrata al-kahfi laylata al-jumuʿati ʾaw yawma al-jumuʿati ʾuʿṭiya nūran min ḥaythu yaqraʾuhā ʾilā makkata waghufira lahu ʾilā al-jumuʿati al-ʾukhrā wafaḍla thalāthati ʾayyāmin
The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever recites Sūrat al-Kahf on the night before Friday or on Friday is given a light extending from where he recites it to Mecca. He is forgiven until the next Friday and three days beyond it,
وَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَكٍ حَتَّى يُصْبِحَ وَعُوفِيَ مِنَ الدَّاءِ وَالدُّبَيْلَةِ وَذَاتِ الْجَنْبِ وَالْبَرَصِ وَالْجُذَامِ وَفِتْنَةِ الدَّجَّالِ ، وَأَسْتَحِبُّ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ بِأَرْبَعِ سُوَرٍ سُورَةِ
waṣallā ʿalayhi sabʿūna ʾalfa malakin ḥattā yuṣbiḥa waʿūfiya mina al-dāʾi wa-al-dubaylati wadhāti al-janbi wa-al-baraṣi wa-al-judhāmi wafitnati al-dajjāli, waʾastaḥibbu ʾan yuṣalliya yawma al-jumuʿati ʾarbaʿa rakaʿātin biʾarbaʿi suwarin sūrati
seventy thousand angels bless him until morning, and he is spared illness, internal abscesses, pleurisy, depigmentation, leprosy, and the trial of the Dajjāl.” I recommend that he pray four cycles on Friday, with four sūras: Sūrat
الْأَنْعَامِ ، وَسُورَةِ الْكَهْفِ ، وَسُورَةِ طٰهٰ ، وَسُورَةِ يٰسٓ ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يُحْسِنْ ذَٰلِكَ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ يٰسٓ وَسَجْدَةَ لُقْمَانَ وَسُورَةَ الدُّخَانِ وَسُورَةَ الْمُلْكِ وَلَا يَدَعْ قِرَاءَةَ الْأَرْبَعِ سُوَرٍ فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةِ جُمُعَةٍ
al-ʾanʿāmi, wasūrati al-kahfi, wasūrati ṭā hā, wasūrati yā sīn, faʾin lam yuḥsin dhālika qaraʾa sūrata yā sīn wasajdata luqmāna wasūrata al-dukhāni wasūrata al-mulki walā yadaʿ qirāʾata al-ʾarbaʿi suwarin fī kulli laylati jumuʿatin
al-Anʿām, Sūrat al-Kahf, Sūrat Ṭā Hā, and Sūrat Yā Sīn. If he cannot recite these well, he recites Sūrat Yā Sīn, Sajdat Luqmān, Sūrat al-Dukhān, and Sūrat al-Mulk. Let him not omit reciting the four sūras every night before Friday,
فَفِي ذَٰلِكَ أَثَرٌ وَفَضْلٌ كَبِيرٌ فَإِنْ لَمْ يُحْسِنْ جَمِيعَ الْقُرْآنِ قَرَأَ مَا يُحْسِنُ مِنْهُ فَذَٰلِكَ لَهُ خَتْمَةٌ فَقِيلَ خَتْمَةٌ مِنْ حَيْثُ عَلِمَهُ ، وَقَدْ كَانَ الْعَابِدُونَ يَسْتَحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَقْرَؤُوا يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ أَلْفَ مَرَّةٍ
fafī dhālika ʾatharun wafaḍlun kabīrun faʾin lam yuḥsin jamīʿa al-qurʾāni qaraʾa mā yuḥsinu minhu fadhālika lahu khatmatun faqīla khatmatun min ḥaythu ʿalimahu, waqad kāna al-ʿābidūna yastaḥibbūna ʾan yaqraʾū yawma al-jumuʿati ʾalfa marratin
for there is a transmitted report and great merit concerning this. If he cannot recite the whole Qurʾān well, he recites what he can recite well; that counts as a complete recitation for him. It has been said, “A complete recitation to the extent of what he knows.” Worshippers used to recommend reciting a thousand times on Friday:
: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ، فَإِنْ قَرَأَهَا فِي عَشْرِ رَكَعَاتٍ أَوْ عِشْرِينَ فَهُوَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ خَتْمَةٍ ، وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَلْفَ مَرَّةٍ ،
: qul huwa allāhu ʾaḥadun, faʾin qaraʾahā fī ʿashri rakaʿātin ʾaw ʿishrīna fahuwa ʾafḍalu min khatmatin, waqad kānū yuṣallūna ʿalā al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾalfa marratin,
“Say: He is God, One.” If he recites it in ten or twenty cycles, that is better than a complete recitation. They also used to invoke blessings upon the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, a thousand times,
وَمِنَ التَّسْبِيحِ وَالتَّهْلِيلِ بِالْكَلِمَاتِ الْأَرْبَعِ أَلْفَ مَرَّةٍ وَهَٰذِهِ ثَلَاثَةُ أَوْرَادٍ حَسَنَةٍ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ أَعْنِي قِرَاءَةَ : قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ وَالصَّلَاةَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
wamina al-tasbīḥi wa-al-tahlīli bi-al-kalimāti al-ʾarbaʿi ʾalfa marratin wahādhihi thalāthatu ʾawrādin ḥasanatin fī yawmi al-jumuʿati ʾaʿnī qirāʾata: qul huwa allāhu ʾaḥadun wa-al-ṣalāta ʿalā al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama
and glorify God and declare His oneness with the four phrases a thousand times. These are three good regular devotions on Friday: I mean reciting “Say: He is God, One,” invoking blessings upon the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace,
وَالتَّسْبِيحَ وَالتَّهْلِيلَ أَلْفًا أَلْفًا فَلَا يَدَعَنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مَنْ رُزِقَهَا أَوْ أَحَدَهَا فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ الْأَعْمَالِ فِي هَٰذَا الْيَوْمِ وَإِنْ صَلَّى يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ قَبْلَ الزَّوَالِ صَلَاةَ التَّسْبِيحِ وَهِيَ ثَلَاثُمِائَةِ
wa-al-tasbīḥa wa-al-tahlīla ʾalfan ʾalfan falā yadaʿanna dhālika man ruziqahā ʾaw ʾaḥadahā faʾinnahu min ʾafḍali al-ʾaʿmāli fī hādhā al-yawmi waʾin ṣallā yawma al-jumuʿati qabla al-zawāli ṣalāta al-tasbīḥi wahiya thalāthumiʾati
and glorifying God and declaring His oneness, a thousand times, a thousand times. Whoever has been granted these, or one of them, should not abandon them, for this is among the best deeds on this day. If he performs the Prayer of Glorification on Friday before the sun declines, consisting of three hundred
تَسْبِيحَةٍ فِي أَرْبَعِ رَكَعَاتٍ فَقَدْ أَكْثَرَ وَأَطَابَ . وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : صَلِّهَا فِي كُلِّ جُمُعَةٍ مَرَّةً ،
tasbīḥatin fī ʾarbaʿi rakaʿātin faqad ʾakthara waʾaṭāba. waqad ruwiya ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla: ṣallihā fī kulli jumuʿatin marratan,
glorifications in four cycles, he has done much and done well. It is related from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he said, “Perform it once every Friday.”
وَ ذَكَرَ أَبُو الْجَوْزَاءِ
wa dhakara ʾabū al-jawzāʾi
Abū al-Jawzāʾ related
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَدَعُ هَٰذِهِ الصَّلَاةَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ بَعْدَ الزَّوَالِ وَأَخْبَرَ عَنْ فَضْلِهَا مَا يَجِلُّ وَصْفُهُ ، وَإِنْ قَرَأَ الْمُسَبِّحَاتِ السِّتَّ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ أَوْ لَيْلَتِهَا ، فَحَسَنٌ ،
ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin ʾannahu lam yakun yadaʿu hādhihi al-ṣalāta kulla yawmin baʿda al-zawāli waʾakhbara ʿan faḍlihā mā yajillu waṣfuhu, waʾin qaraʾa al-musabbiḥāti al-sitta fī yawmi al-jumuʿati ʾaw laylatihā, faḥasanun,
from Ibn ʿAbbās that he never omitted this prayer any day after the sun declined, and he reported merits of it too great to describe. If he recites the six Musabbiḥāt sūras on Friday or its preceding night, that is good.
وَلَيْسَ يُرْوَى أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ السُّوَرَ بِأَعْيَانِهَا إِلَّا يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَلَيْلَتَهَا ، فَإِنَّا رَوَيْنَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْمَغْرِبِ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ :
walaysa yurwā ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna yaqraʾu al-suwara biʾaʿyānihā ʾillā yawma al-jumuʿati walaylatahā, faʾinnā rawaynā ʾannahu kāna yaqraʾu fī ṣalāti al-maghribi laylata al-jumuʿati:
It is not related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to recite particular sūras except on Friday and its preceding night. We have transmitted that at the sunset prayer on the night before Friday he used to recite:
قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ ، وَقُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَسُورَةَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ بِهَاتَيْنِ السُّورَتَيْنِ فِي صَلَاةِ الْجُمُعَةِ
qul yā ʾayyuhā al-kāfirūna, waqul huwa allāhu ʾaḥadun wakāna yaqraʾu fī ṣalāti al-ʿishāʾi al-ʾākhirati laylata al-jumuʿati wasūrata al-munāfiqīna, waqad ruwiya ʾannahu kāna yaqraʾu bihātayni al-sūratayni fī ṣalāti al-jumuʿati
“Say: O disbelievers,” and “Say: He is God, One.” At the late evening prayer on the night before Friday, he used to recite, and Sūrat al-Munāfiqūn. It has been related that he used to recite these two sūras in Friday prayer.
وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاةِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ بِسُورَةِ سَجْدَةِ لُقْمَانَ وَسُورَةِ هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الْإِنْسَانِ وَاسْتِمَاعُهُ إِلَى عِلْمِ الْيَقِينِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ وَحُضُورُ مَجَالِسِ الذِّكْرِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ وَصَلَاتُهُ
wakāna yaqraʾu fī ṣalāti al-ghadāti yawma al-jumuʿati bisūrati sajdati luqmāna wasūrati hal ʾatā ʿalā al-ʾinsāni wastimāʿuhu ʾilā ʿilmi al-yaqīni wa-al-maʿrifati waḥuḍūru majālisi al-dhikri ʾafḍalu min ṣalātihi waṣalātuhu
At the dawn prayer on Friday, he used to recite Sūrat Sajdat Luqmān and the sūra “Has there come upon the human being.” Listening to the knowledge of certainty and recognition of God, and attending gatherings of remembrance, are better for him than his prayer; his prayer is
أَفْضَلُ مِنْ حُضُورِهِ مَجَالِسَ الْقُصَّاصِ وَرَوَيْنَا فِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي ذَرٍّ حُضُورُ مَجْلِسِ عِلْمٍ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلَاةِ أَلْفِ رَكْعَةٍ وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ لَأَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَ أَحَدُكُمْ بَابًا مِنَ الْعِلْمِ أَوْ يُعَلِّمَهُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ صَلَاةِ
ʾafḍalu min ḥuḍūrihi majālisa al-quṣṣāṣi warawaynā fī ḥadīthi ʾabī dharrin ḥuḍūru majlisi ʿilmin ʾafḍalu min ṣalāti ʾalfi rakʿatin wafī khabarin ʾākhara laʾan yataʿallama ʾaḥadukum bāban mina al-ʿilmi ʾaw yuʿallimahu khayrun lahu min ṣalāti
better than attending the storytellers' gatherings. We have transmitted in the hadith of Abū Dharr: “Attending a gathering of knowledge is better than praying a thousand cycles.” In another report: “For one of you to learn a branch of knowledge or teach it is better for him than praying
أَلْفِ رَكْعَةٍ وَفِي خَبَرٍ قِيلَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمِنْ قِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ فَقَالَ : وَهَلْ يَنْفَعُ الْقُرْآنُ إِلَّا بِعِلْمٍ وَالصَّلَاةُ إِذَا عُدِمَ مَجْلِسُ الْعِلْمِ بِاللَّهِ وَالتَّفَقُّهِ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَزْكَى مِنْ
ʾalfi rakʿatin wafī khabarin qīla: yā rasūla allāhi wamin qirāʾati al-qurʾāni faqāla: wahal yanfaʿu al-qurʾānu ʾillā biʿilmin wa-al-ṣalātu ʾidhā ʿudima majlisu al-ʿilmi bi-allāhi wa-al-tafaqquhi fī dīni allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾazkā min
a thousand cycles.” In a report it was asked, “O Messenger of God, even than reciting the Qurʾān?” He replied, “Does the Qurʾān benefit anyone except through knowledge?” When a gathering devoted to knowledge of God and understanding of the religion of God, mighty and majestic, is unavailable, prayer is more purifying than
حُضُورِ مَجْلِسِ الْقَصَصِ وَمِنَ الِاسْتِمَاعِ إِلَى الْقُصَّاصِ فَإِنَّ الْقَصَصَ كَانَ عِنْدَهُمْ بِدْعَةً وَكَانُوا يُخْرِجُونَ الْقُصَّاصَ مِنَ الْجَامِعِ ، رُوِيَ أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ جَاءَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ إِلَى مَجْلِسِهِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَإِذَا
ḥuḍūri majlisi al-qaṣaṣi wamina al-istimāʿi ʾilā al-quṣṣāṣi faʾinna al-qaṣaṣa kāna ʿindahum bidʿatan wakānū yukhrijūna al-quṣṣāṣa mina al-jāmiʿi, ruwiya ʾanna ibna ʿumara jāʾa dhāta yawmin ʾilā majlisihi fī al-masjidi faʾidhā
attending a gathering of stories or listening to storytellers, for they considered storytelling an innovation and used to expel storytellers from the congregational mosque. It is related that Ibn ʿUmar came one day to his place in the mosque and found
قَصَّاصٌ يَقُصُّ فَقَالَ لَهُ : قُمْ مِنْ مَجْلِسِي فَقَالَ لَا أَقُومُ وَقَدْ جَلَسْتُ فِيهِ أَوْ قَالَ : قَدْ سَبَقْتُكَ إِلَيْهِ قَالَ : فَأَرْسَلَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ إِلَى صَاحِبِ الشُّرْطَةِ فَأَقَامَهُ فَلَوْ كَانَ ذَٰلِكَ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ لَمَا حَلَّ
qaṣṣāṣun yaquṣṣu faqāla lahu: qum min majlisī faqāla lā ʾaqūmu waqad jalastu fīhi ʾaw qāla: qad sabaqtuka ʾilayhi qāla: faʾarsala ibnu ʿumara ʾilā ṣāḥibi al-shurṭati faʾaqāmahu falaw kāna dhālika mina al-sunnati lamā ḥalla
a storyteller telling stories. He said to him, “Get up from my place.” He said, “I will not get up; I have already sat here,” or he said, “I got here before you.” The narrator said, “Ibn ʿUmar sent to the chief of police, who made him get up.” If that had been part of the Sunna, it would not have been lawful
لِابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنْ يُقِيمَهُ مِنْ مَجْلِسِهِ سِيَّمَا وَقَدْ سَبَقَهُ إِلَى الْمَوْضِعِ كَيْفَ وَهُوَ الَّذِي رَوَى عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : لَا يُقِيمُ أَحَدُكُمْ أَخَاهُ مِنْ مَجْلِسِهِ ثُمَّ يَجْلِسُ فِيهِ وَلَكِنْ
libni ʿumara ʾan yuqīmahu min majlisihi siyyamā waqad sabaqahu ʾilā al-mawḍiʿi kayfa wahuwa alladhī rawā ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā yuqīmu ʾaḥadukum ʾakhāhu min majlisihi thumma yajlisu fīhi walakin
for Ibn ʿUmar to make him leave his seat, especially since he had arrived there before him. How could it, when he was the very person who related from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Let none of you make his brother leave his seat and then sit in it. Rather,
تَفَسَّحُوا وَتَوَسَّعُوا قَالَ : فَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ إِذَا قَامَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ مَجْلِسِهِ لَمْ يَجْلِسْ فِيهِ حَتَّى يَعُودَ إِلَيْهِ . وَرَوَيْنَا ثُمَّ يَجْلِسُ فِيهِ وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا أَنَّ قَاصًّا كَانَ يَجْلِسُ بِفِنَاءِ حُجْرَةِ عَائِشَةَ
tafassaḥū watawassaʿū qāla: fakāna ibnu ʿumara ʾidhā qāma lahu al-rajulu min majlisihi lam yajlis fīhi ḥattā yaʿūda ʾilayhi. warawaynā thumma yajlisu fīhi waqad rawaynā ʾanna qāṣṣan kāna yajlisu bifināʾi ḥujrati ʿāʾishata
make room and open up space.” He said, “When a man rose from his seat for Ibn ʿUmar, he would not sit in it until the man returned to it.” We have also transmitted, “Then he sits in it.” We have transmitted that a storyteller used to sit in the courtyard of ʿĀʾisha's chamber,
يَقُصُّ فَأَرْسَلَتْ إِلَى ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّ هَٰذَا قَدْ آذَانِي بِقَصَصِهِ وَشَغَلَنِي عَنْ سُبْحَتِي قَالَ : فَضَرَبَهُ ابْنُ عُمَرَ حَتَّى كَسَرَ عَصًا عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ ثُمَّ طَرَدَهُ وَلْيَحْذَرْ أَنْ يَمُرَّ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْمُصَلِّي وَإِنْ كَانَ مُرُورُهُ
yaquṣṣu faʾarsalat ʾilā ibni ʿumara ʾanna hādhā qad ʾādhānī biqaṣaṣihi washaghalanī ʿan subḥatī qāla: faḍarabahu ibnu ʿumara ḥattā kasara ʿaṣan ʿalā ẓahrihi thumma ṭaradahu walyaḥdhar ʾan yamurra bayna yadayi al-muṣallī waʾin kāna murūruhu
telling stories. She sent word to Ibn ʿUmar: “This man has harmed me with his stories and distracted me from my devotions.” He said, “Ibn ʿUmar struck him until he broke a stick across his back, then drove him away.” Let him beware of passing in front of someone praying, even if his passing
لَا يَقْطَعُ الصَّلَاةَ فَفِي الْخَبَرِ لَأَنْ يَقِفَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمُرَّ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْمُصَلِّي وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِيهِ وَعِيدٌ شَدِيدٌ لَأَنْ يَكُونَ الرَّجُلُ رَمَادًا تَذْرُوهُ الرِّيَاحُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمُرَّ بَيْنَ
lā yaqṭaʿu al-ṣalāta fafī al-khabari laʾan yaqifa ʾarbaʿīna sanatan khayrun lahu min ʾan yamurra bayna yadayi al-muṣallī waqad jāʾa fīhi waʿīdun shadīdun laʾan yakūna al-rajulu ramādan tadhrūhu al-riyāḥu khayrun lahu min ʾan yamurra bayna
does not invalidate the prayer. In the report: “For him to stand for forty years is better for him than passing in front of someone praying.” A severe warning has come concerning it: “For a man to be ashes scattered by the winds is better for him than passing in front of
يَدَيِ الْمُصَلِّي وَقَدْ سَوَّى فِي ذَٰلِكَ بَيْنَ الْمَارِّ وَالْمُصَلِّي فِي الْوَعِيدِ فَفِي حَدِيثِ زَيْدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : لَوْ يَعْلَمُ الْمَارُّ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْمُصَلِّي وَالْمُصَلِّي
yadayi al-muṣallī waqad sawwā fī dhālika bayna al-mārri wa-al-muṣallī fī al-waʿīdi fafī ḥadīthi zaydi bni khālidin al-juhaniyyi qāla rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: law yaʿlamu al-mārru bayna yadayi al-muṣallī wa-al-muṣallī
someone praying.” The warning treats the passer and the person praying alike. In the hadith of Zayd ibn Khālid al-Juhanī, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “If the person passing in front of someone praying, and the person praying,
مَا عَلَيْهِمَا فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَكَانَ أَنْ يَقِفَ أَرْبَعِينَ خَيْرًا لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمُرَّ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ
mā ʿalayhimā fī dhālika lakāna ʾan yaqifa ʾarbaʿīna khayran lahu min ʾan yamurra bayna yadayhi
knew what liability rested upon them for this, standing for forty would be better for him than passing in front of him.”
وَلْيَدْنُ الْمُصَلِّي مِنَ أُسْطُوَانَةٍ أَوْ جِدَارٍ فَإِذَا فَعَلَ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَا يَدَعَنَّ أَحَدًا أَنْ يَمُرَّ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلْيَدْفَعْهُ مَا اسْتَطَاعَ ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ فَإِنْ أَبَى
walyadnu al-muṣallī mina ʾusṭuwānatin ʾaw jidārin faʾidhā faʿala dhālika falā yadaʿanna ʾaḥadan ʾan yamurra bayna yadayhi walyadfaʿhu mā istaṭāʿa, wafī ḥadīthi ʿabdi al-raḥmani bni ʾabī saʿīdin al-khudriyyi ʿan ʾabīhi qāla faʾin ʾabā
Let the person praying draw near a pillar or wall. If he does so, let him permit no one to pass in front of him, and let him push him back as far as he can. In the hadith of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Saʿīd al-Khudrī, from his father, he said, “If he refuses,
فَلْيُقَاتِلْهُ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ شَيْطَانٌ ، وَكَانَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ يَدْفَعُ مَنْ يَمُرُّ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى يَصْرَعَهُ فَرُبَّمَا تَعَلَّقَ بِهِ الرَّجُلُ فَاسْتَعْدَى عَلَيْهِ مَرْوَانَ فَيُخْبِرُهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَهُ
falyuqātilhu faʾinnamā huwa shayṭānun, wakāna ʾabū saʿīdin yadfaʿu man yamurru bayna yadayhi ḥattā yaṣraʿahu farubbamā taʿallaqa bihi al-rajulu fastaʿdā ʿalayhi marwāna fayukhbiruhu ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾamarahu
let him fight him, for he is a devil.” Abū Saʿīd used to push away anyone passing in front of him until he knocked him down. Sometimes the man would seize him and seek Marwān's help against him; he would inform him that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, had commanded him
بِذَٰلِكَ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَتَّفِقْ لَهُ أُسْطُوَانَةٌ فَلْيَجْعَلْ شَيْئًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ يَكُونُ طُولُهُ عَظْمَ الذِّرَاعِ ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ : إِنْ كَانَ حَبْلًا مَمْدُودًا فَحَاجِزٌ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْمَارَّةِ ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ أَرْبَعٌ مِنَ الْجَفَاءِ :
bidhālika faʾin lam yattafiq lahu ʾusṭuwānatun falyajʿal shayʾan bayna yadayhi yakūnu ṭūluhu ʿaẓma al-dhirāʿi, waqad qīla: ʾin kāna ḥablan mamdūdan faḥājizun baynahu wabayna al-mārrati, waqad qīla ʾarbaʿun mina al-jafāʾi:
to do so. If no pillar is available to him, let him place something in front of him whose height is the length of the forearm bone. It has been said, “Even if it is a stretched rope, it is a barrier between him and passersby.” It has been said that four things are discourteous:
أَنْ يَبُولَ الرَّجُلُ قَائِمًا ، أَوْ يُصَلِّيَ فِي الصَّفِّ الثَّانِي وَيَتْرُكَ الْأَوَّلَ فَارِغًا ، أَوْ يَمْسَحَ جَبْهَتَهُ فِي صَلَاتِهِ ، أَوْ يُصَلِّيَ بِسَبِيلِ مَنْ يَمُرُّ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ، وَقَدْ كَانَ الْحَسَنُ يَقُولُ :
ʾan yabūla al-rajulu qāʾiman, ʾaw yuṣalliya fī al-ṣaffi al-thānī wayatruka al-ʾawwala fārighan, ʾaw yamsaḥa jabhatahu fī ṣalātihi, ʾaw yuṣalliya bisabīli man yamurru bayna yadayhi, waqad kāna al-ḥasanu yaqūlu:
a man urinating while standing, praying in the second row while leaving the first empty, wiping his forehead during his prayer, or praying in the path of someone who passes in front of him. Al-Ḥasan used to say,
تَخَطَّوْا رِقَابَ الَّذِينَ يَقْعُدُونَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِ الْجَامِعِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا حُرْمَةَ لَهُمْ وَلْيَقْرُبْ مِنَ الْإِمَامِ وَيُنْصِتْ وَيَسْمَعْ وَيَسْتَقْبِلْهُ بِوَجْهِهِ كَذَٰلِكَ السُّنَّةُ إِلَّا أَنْ يَخَافَ أَنْ يَسْمَعَ أَوْ يَرَى
takhaṭṭaw riqāba alladhīna yaqʿudūna ʿalā ʾabwābi al-jāmiʿi yawma al-jumuʿati faʾinnahu lā ḥurmata lahum walyaqrub mina al-ʾimāmi wayunṣit wayasmaʿ wayastaqbilhu biwajhihi kadhālika al-sunnatu ʾillā ʾan yakhāfa ʾan yasmaʿa ʾaw yarā
“Step over the necks of those who sit at the congregational mosque's doors on Friday, for they have no inviolability.” Let him draw near the prayer leader, remain silent, listen, and face him; that is the Sunna. An exception is if he fears hearing or seeing
مُنْكَرًا مِنْ لُبْسِ نَقْشِ سَوَادٍ أَوْ حَرِيرٍ أَوْ دِيبَاجٍ أَوْ حَمْلِ سِلَاحٍ ثَقِيلٍ وَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُ تَغْيِيرَهُ لِيَبْعُدْ حِينَئِذٍ فَهُوَ أَسْلَمُ وَلَا يَلْغُ وَلَا يَتَكَلَّمْ فِي خُطْبَةِ الْإِمَامِ وَإِنْ بَعُدَ وَلَا يَجْلِسْ فِي حَلْقَةٍ
munkaran min lubsi naqshi sawādin ʾaw ḥarīrin ʾaw dībājin ʾaw ḥamli silāḥin thaqīlin walā yastaṭīʿu taghyīrahu liyabʿud ḥīnaʾidhin fahuwa ʾaslamu walā yalghu walā yatakallam fī khuṭbati al-ʾimāmi waʾin baʿuda walā yajlis fī ḥalqatin
something objectionable, such as wearing patterned black clothing, silk, or brocade, or carrying heavy weapons, and he cannot change it. Let him then stay farther away, for that is safer. He should neither speak idly nor talk during the prayer leader's sermon, even if he is far away, and should not sit in a circle of
مَنْ يَتَكَلَّمُ وَالْإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ وَلَا يَقُولُ لِآخَرَ اسْكُتْ وَلَكِنْ يُومِئُ إِلَيْهِ إِيمَاءً أَوْ يَحْصِبُهُ بِحَصَاةٍ فَإِنْ لَغَا وَالْإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ بَطَلَتْ جُمُعَتُهُ وَلَا يَتَكَلَّمُ فِي الْعِلْمِ فِي خُطْبَةِ الْإِمَامِ وَمَنْ لَمْ
man yatakallamu wa-al-ʾimāmu yakhṭubu walā yaqūlu liʾākhara uskut walakin yūmiʾu ʾilayhi ʾīmāʾan ʾaw yaḥṣibuhu biḥaṣātin faʾin laghā wa-al-ʾimāmu yakhṭubu baṭalat jumuʿatuhu walā yatakallamu fī al-ʿilmi fī khuṭbati al-ʾimāmi waman lam
people talking while the prayer leader preaches. He should not say to another, “Be quiet,” but should gesture to him or pelt him with a pebble. If he speaks idly while the prayer leader preaches, his Friday prayer is invalidated. He should not speak about knowledge during the prayer leader's sermon. Whoever does not
يَقْرُبْ مِنَ الْإِمَامِ وَلَمْ يَسْتَمِعْ فَلْيُنْصِتْ وَإِنْ بَعُدَ كَذَٰلِكَ الْمُسْتَحَبُّ . وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمَا : مَنِ اسْتَمَعَ وَأَنْصَتَ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَمِعْ وَأَنْصَتَ فَلَهُ أَجْرٌ
yaqrub mina al-ʾimāmi walam yastamiʿ falyunṣit waʾin baʿuda kadhālika al-mustaḥabbu. waqad rawaynā ʿan ʿuthmāna waʿaliyyin riḍwānu allāhi ʿalayhimā: mani stamaʿa waʾanṣata falahu ʾajrāni waman lam yastamiʿ waʾanṣata falahu ʾajrun
draw near the prayer leader and does not listen should nevertheless remain silent, even if far away; that is what is recommended. We have transmitted from ʿUthmān and ʿAlī, may God's good pleasure rest upon them both: “Whoever listens and remains silent has two rewards. Whoever does not listen but remains silent has one reward.
وَمَنْ سَمِعَ وَلَغَا فَعَلَيْهِ وِزْرَانِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَمِعْ وَلَغَا فَعَلَيْهِ وِزْرٌ وَاحِدٌ ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي ذَرٍّ لَمَّا سَأَلَ أُبَيًّا وَالنَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَخْطُبُ فَقَالَ :
waman samiʿa walaghā faʿalayhi wizrāni waman lam yastamiʿ walaghā faʿalayhi wizrun wāḥidun, wafī ḥadīthi ʾabī dharrin lammā saʾala ʾubayyan wa-al-nabiyyu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yakhṭubu faqāla:
Whoever hears and speaks idly bears two burdens of sin. Whoever does not listen and speaks idly bears one burden of sin.” In the hadith of Abū Dharr, when he asked Ubayy while the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was preaching, he said,
مَتَى أُنْزِلَتْ هَٰذِهِ السُّورَةُ فَأَوْمَأَ إِلَيْهِ أَنِ اسْكُتْ ، فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ لَهُ أُبَيٌّ : اذْهَبْ فَلَا جُمُعَةَ لَكَ ، فَشَكَاهُ أَبُو ذَرٍّ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
matā ʾunzilat hādhihi al-sūratu faʾawmaʾa ʾilayhi ʾani skut, falammā nazala al-nabiyyu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama faqāla lahu ʾubayyun: idhhab falā jumuʿata laka, fashakāhu ʾabū dharrin ʾilā al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama
“When was this sūra revealed?” Ubayy gestured to him to be quiet. When the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, came down, Ubayy said to him, “Go; you have no Friday prayer.” Abū Dharr complained about him to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace,
فَقَالَ : صَدَقَ أُبَيٌّ ، وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ : مَنْ قَالَ لِصَاحِبِهِ وَالْإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ أَنْصِتْ أَوْ مَهْ فَقَدْ لَغَا وَمَنْ لَغَا وَالْإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ فَلَا جُمُعَةَ لَهُ وَلْيَقْطَعِ الصَّلَاةَ إِذَا قَامَ الْمُؤَذِّنُونَ لِلْأَذَانِ
faqāla: ṣadaqa ʾubayyun, wakadhālika jāʾa fī al-khabari: man qāla liṣāḥibihi wa-al-ʾimāmu yakhṭubu ʾanṣit ʾaw mah faqad laghā waman laghā wa-al-ʾimāmu yakhṭubu falā jumuʿata lahu walyaqṭaʿi al-ṣalāta ʾidhā qāma al-muʾadhdhinūna lilʾadhāni
who said, “Ubayy has spoken truthfully.” Likewise, a report has come down: “Whoever says to his companion while the prayer leader is preaching, ‘Listen silently,’ or ‘Hush,’ has spoken idly. Whoever speaks idly while the prayer leader is preaching has no Friday prayer.” Let him stop praying when the callers stand to give the call
بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْإِمَامِ . فَقَدْ رَوَى أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ : تُكْرَهُ الصَّلَاةُ فِي أَرْبَعِ سَاعَاتٍ ، بَعْدَ الْفَجْرِ ، وَبَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ ، وَنِصْفَ النَّهَارِ ،
bayna yadayi al-ʾimāmi. faqad rawā ʾabū ʾisḥāqa ʿani al-ḥārithi ʿan ʿaliyyin riḍwānu allāhi ʿalayhim: tukrahu al-ṣalātu fī ʾarbaʿi sāʿātin, baʿda al-fajri, wabaʿda al-ʿaṣri, waniṣfa al-nahāri,
before the prayer leader. Abū Isḥāq related from al-Ḥārith, from ʿAlī, may God's good pleasure rest upon them: “Prayer is disliked at four times: after dawn, after the afternoon prayer, at midday,
وَالصَّلَاةِ وَالْإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ ، وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ خُرُوجُ الْإِمَامِ يَقْطَعُ الصَّلَاةَ وَكَلَامُهُ يَقْطَعُ الْكَلَامَ وَسُجُودُ الْعَامَّةِ عِنْدَ قِيَامِ الْمُؤَذِّنِينَ لِلْأَذَانِ قَبْلَ الْخُطْبَةِ لَيْسَ بِسُنَّةٍ فَإِنْ وَافَقَ ذَٰلِكَ
wa-al-ṣalāti wa-al-ʾimāmu yakhṭubu, waqad jāʾa fī al-ʾathari khurūju al-ʾimāmi yaqṭaʿu al-ṣalāta wakalāmuhu yaqṭaʿu al-kalāma wasujūdu al-ʿāmmati ʿinda qiyāmi al-muʾadhdhinīna lilʾadhāni qabla al-khuṭbati laysa bisunnatin faʾin wāfaqa dhālika
and praying while the prayer leader is preaching.” A transmitted account says, “The prayer leader's coming out cuts off prayer, and his speaking cuts off speech.” The common people's prostration when the callers stand to give the call before the sermon is not a Sunna. If that coincides with
سُجُودَهُ فِي صَلَاتِهِ أَوْ سُجُودَ قُرْآنٍ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يَمْتَدَّ فِي الدُّعَاءِ إِلَى فَرَاغِهِمْ لِأَنَّهُ وَقْتٌ مُفَضَّلٌ وَلَا أَعْرِفُ فِي ذَٰلِكَ أَثَرًا غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ مُبَاحٌ ، وَمِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ مَنْ كَرِهَ الصَّلَاةَ فِي الْمَقْصُورَةِ
sujūdahu fī ṣalātihi ʾaw sujūda qurʾānin falā baʾsa ʾan yamtadda fī al-duʿāʾi ʾilā farāghihim liʾannahu waqtun mufaḍḍalun walā ʾaʿrifu fī dhālika ʾatharan ghayra ʾannahu mubāḥun, wamina al-ʿulamāʾi man kariha al-ṣalāta fī al-maqṣūrati
his prostration in prayer or a prostration for a Qurʾānic recitation, there is no harm in prolonging his supplication until they finish, for it is a favored time. I know no transmitted account concerning this; it is simply permissible. Some scholars disliked praying in the screened enclosure,
لِأَجْلِ أَنَّهَا قُصِرَتْ عَلَى السُّلْطَانِ وَأَوْلِيَائِهِ وَذَٰلِكَ بِدْعَةٌ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْوَرَعِ ابْتُدِعَتْ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ لِأَنَّهَا غَيْرُ مُطْلَقَةٍ لِجُمْلَةِ النَّاسِ ، فَلِذَٰلِكَ نُقِلَ فِي الْخَبَرِ :
liʾajli ʾannahā quṣirat ʿalā al-sulṭāni waʾawliyāʾihi wadhālika bidʿatun ʿinda ʾahli al-waraʿi ibtudiʿat fī al-masājidi liʾannahā ghayru muṭlaqatin lijumlati al-nāsi, falidhālika nuqila fī al-khabari:
because it was restricted to the ruler and his associates. Among those of scrupulous piety, this is an innovation introduced into mosques, because it is not freely available to people generally. That is why it has been transmitted in a report:
كَانَ الْحَسَنُ وَبَكْرٌ الْمُزَنِيُّ لَا يُصَلِّيَانِ فِي الْمَقْصُورَةِ . وَرُوِيَ : رَأَيْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمَقْصُورَةِ وَعِمْرَانَ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ أَيْضًا وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَمْ يَكْرَهْ ذَٰلِكَ وَرَأَيْتُ فِيهِ فَضْلًا لِأَجْلِ السُّنَّةِ
kāna al-ḥasanu wabakrun al-muzaniyyu lā yuṣalliyāni fī al-maqṣūrati. waruwiya: raʾaytu ʾanasa bna mālikin yuṣallī fī al-maqṣūrati waʿimrāna bna ḥuṣaynin ʾayḍan waminhum man lam yakrah dhālika waraʾaytu fīhi faḍlan liʾajli al-sunnati
“Al-Ḥasan and Bakr al-Muzanī used not to pray in the enclosure.” It is related, “I saw Anas ibn Mālik praying in the enclosure, and ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn as well.” Some did not dislike this. I saw merit in it because of the Sunna
فِي الدُّنُوِّ مِنَ الْإِمَامِ وَاسْتِمَاعِ الذِّكْرِ فَإِنْ
fī al-dunuwwi mina al-ʾimāmi wastimāʿi al-dhikri faʾin
of drawing near the prayer leader and listening to the remembrance. If it is
أُطْلِقَتْ لِلْعَامَّةِ زَالَتِ الْكَرَاهَةُ عَنْهَا وَإِنْ خُصَّ بِهَا أَوْلِيَاءُ السُّلْطَانِ تُرِكَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ فَإِنْ صَلَّى سَبْعًا يُصَلِّي فِيهَا فَإِنَّ بَعْضَ الْعُلَمَاءِ كَرِهَ الصَّلَاةَ فِي فِنَاءِ الْمِنْبَرِ مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّ الْمِنْبَرَ
ʾuṭliqat lilʿāmmati zālati al-karāhatu ʿanhā waʾin khuṣṣa bihā ʾawliyāʾu al-sulṭāni turikat ʿalayhim faʾin ṣallā sabʿan yuṣallī fīhā faʾinna baʿḍa al-ʿulamāʾi kariha al-ṣalāta fī fināʾi al-minbari min qibali ʾanna al-minbara
opened to the general public, the objection to it disappears. If it is reserved for the ruler's associates, it is left to them. If he prays seven, he prays in it. Some scholars disliked praying in the space before the pulpit, because the pulpit
يَقْطَعُ الصُّفُوفَ وَكَانَ عِنْدَهُمْ أَنَّ تَقْدِمَةَ الصُّفُوفِ إِلَى فِنَاءِ الْمِنْبَرِ بِدْعَةٌ وَكَانَ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَقُولُ : الصَّفُّ الْأَوَّلُ : هُوَ الْخَارِجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيِ الْمِنْبَرِ وَمَنْ خَشِيَ الْفِتْنَةَ وَالْآفَةَ فِي قُرْبِهِ مِنَ
yaqṭaʿu al-ṣufūfa wakāna ʿindahum ʾanna taqdimata al-ṣufūfi ʾilā fināʾi al-minbari bidʿatun wakāna al-thawriyyu yaqūlu: al-ṣaffu al-ʾawwalu: huwa al-khāriju min bayni yadayi al-minbari waman khashiya al-fitnata wa-al-ʾāfata fī qurbihi mina
breaks up the rows. They considered advancing the rows into the space before the pulpit an innovation. Al-Thawrī used to say, “The first row is the one extending out from in front of the pulpit.” Whoever fears temptation and harm in drawing near the
الْإِمَامِ بِأَنْ يَسْمَعَ مَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ إِنْكَارُهُ أَوْ يَرَى مَا يَلْزَمُ الْأَمْرُ فِيهِ أَوِ النَّهْيُ عَنْهُ مِنْ لُبْسِ حَرِيرٍ أَوْ لُبْسِ دِيبَاجٍ أَوِ الصَّلَاةِ فِي السِّلَاحِ الثَّقِيلِ لِلشُّغْلِ كَانَ بُعْدُهُ مِنَ الصُّفُوفِ
al-ʾimāmi biʾan yasmaʿa mā yajibu ʿalayhi ʾinkāruhu ʾaw yarā mā yalzamu al-ʾamru fīhi ʾawi al-nahyu ʿanhu min lubsi ḥarīrin ʾaw lubsi dībājin ʾawi al-ṣalāti fī al-silāḥi al-thaqīli li-l-shughli kāna buʿduhu mina al-ṣufūfi
prayer leader, by hearing something he is obliged to condemn or seeing something about which he is bound to enjoin or forbid, such as wearing silk, wearing brocade, or praying in heavy weapons that cause distraction, finds that his distance from the front
الْمُقَدَّمَةِ أَصْلَحَ لِقَلْبِهِ وَأَجْمَعَ لِهَمِّهِ لِقِلَّةِ مُلَاقَاةِ النَّاسِ وَلِتَرْكِ النَّظَرِ إِلَيْهِمْ ، فَالْأَصْلَحُ لِلْقَلْبِ وَالْأَجْمَعُ لِلْهَمِّ هُوَ الْأَفْضَلُ حِينَئِذٍ وَقَدْ كَانَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَالْعُبَّادِ يُصَلُّونَ فِي
al-muqaddamati ʾaṣlaḥa liqalbihi waʾajmaʿa lihammihi liqillati mulāqāti al-nāsi walitarki al-naẓari ʾilayhim, fa-al-ʾaṣlaḥu lilqalbi wa-al-ʾajmaʿu lilhammi huwa al-ʾafḍalu ḥīnaʾidhin waqad kāna jamāʿatun mina al-ʿulamāʾi wa-al-ʿubbādi yuṣallūna fī
rows is better for his heart and gathers his concern more fully, because he encounters fewer people and refrains from looking at them. What is better for the heart and gathers concern more fully is then the better course. A number of scholars and worshippers used to pray in
أَوَاخِرِ الصُّفُوفِ إِيثَارًا لِلسَّلَامَةِ وَقِيلَ لِبِشْرِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ : نَرَاكَ تُبَكِّرُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَتُصَلِّي فِي أَوَاخِرِ الصُّفُوفِ فَقَالَ : يَا هَٰذَا إِنَّمَا نُرِيدُ قُرْبَ الْقُلُوبِ لَا قُرْبَ الْأَجْسَادِ ،
ʾawākhiri al-ṣufūfi ʾīthāran li-l-salāmati waqīla libishri bni al-ḥārithi: narāka tubakkiru yawma al-jumuʿati watuṣallī fī ʾawākhiri al-ṣufūfi faqāla: yā hādhā ʾinnamā nurīdu qurba al-qulūbi lā qurba al-ʾajsādi,
the rear rows, preferring safety. Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith was asked, “We see you come early on Friday and pray in the rear rows.” He said, “My good man, we seek the nearness of hearts, not the nearness of bodies.”
وَنَظَرَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ إِلَى شُعَيْبِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ عِنْدَ الْمِنْبَرِ يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَى خُطْبَةِ أَبِي جَعْفَرَ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ قَالَ : شَغَلَ قَلْبِي قُرْبُكَ مِنْ هَٰذَا هَلْ أَمِنْتَ أَنْ تَسْمَعَ كَلَامًا يَجِبُ عَلَيْكَ
wanaẓara sufyānu al-thawriyyu ʾilā shuʿaybi bni ḥarbin ʿinda al-minbari yastamiʿu ʾilā khuṭbati ʾabī jaʿfara falammā jāʾahu baʿda al-ṣalāti qāla: shaghala qalbī qurbuka min hādhā hal ʾaminta ʾan tasmaʿa kalāman yajibu ʿalayka
Sufyān al-Thawrī saw Shuʿayb ibn Ḥarb by the pulpit, listening to Abū Jaʿfar's sermon. When he came to him after prayer, he said, “Your nearness to this man has occupied my heart. Are you safe from hearing words you are obliged
إِنْكَارُهُ فَلَا تَقُومُ بِهِ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ مَا أَحْدَثُوا مِنْ لُبْسِ السَّوَادِ قُلْتُ : يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَلَيْسَ فِي الْخَبَرِ إِذَنْ وَاسْتَمِعْ فَقَالَ وَيْحَكَ ذَاكَ لِلْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيِّينَ فَأَمَّا هَٰؤُلَاءِ فَكُلَّمَا
ʾinkāruhu falā taqūmu bihi thumma dhakara mā ʾaḥdathū min lubsi al-sawādi qultu: yā ʾabā ʿabdi allāhi ʾalaysa fī al-khabari ʾidhan wastamiʿ faqāla wayḥaka dhāka lilkhulafāʾi al-rāshidīna al-mahdiyyīna faʾammā hāʾulāʾi fakullamā
to condemn, then failing to do so?” Then he mentioned their innovation of wearing black. I said, “O Abū ʿAbd Allāh, is there not in the report, ‘Then, and listen’?” He said, “Woe to you! That applies to the rightly guided caliphs, who were guided aright. As for these men, the farther
بَعُدْتَ عَنْهُمْ وَلَمْ تَنْظُرْ إِلَيْهِمْ كَانَ أَقْرَبَ لَكَ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ . وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ فَضِيلَةً فِي الصَّفِّ الْمُؤَخَّرِ قَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ صَلَّيْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ فَجَعَلَ يَتَأَخَّرُ فِي الصُّفُوفِ
baʿudta ʿanhum walam tanẓur ʾilayhim kāna ʾaqraba laka ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla. waqad rawaynā ʿan ʾabī al-dardāʾi faḍīlatan fī al-ṣaffi al-muʾakhkhari qāla saʿīdu bnu ʿāmirin ṣallaytu ʾilā janbihi fajaʿala yataʾakhkharu fī al-ṣufūfi
you stay from them, without looking at them, the nearer that brings you to God, mighty and majestic.” We have transmitted from Abū al-Dardāʾ a merit attaching to the rear row. Saʿīd ibn ʿĀmir said, “I prayed beside him, and he kept moving back through the rows,
حَتَّى كُنَّا فِي آخِرِ صَفٍّ فَلَمَّا صَلَّيْنَا قُلْتُ لَهُ أَلَيْسَ يُقَالُ خَيْرُ الصُّفُوفِ أَوَّلُهَا قَالَ : نَعَمْ إِلَّا أَنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّةٌ مَرْحُومَةٌ مَنْظُورٌ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ بَيْنِ الْأُمَمِ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذَا نَظَرَ إِلَى عَبْدٍ
ḥattā kunnā fī ʾākhiri ṣaffin falammā ṣallaynā qultu lahu ʾalaysa yuqālu khayru al-ṣufūfi ʾawwaluhā qāla: naʿam ʾillā ʾanna hādhihi ʾummatun marḥūmatun manẓūrun ʾilayhā min bayni al-ʾumami waʾinna allāha ʿazza wajalla ʾidhā naẓara ʾilā ʿabdin
until we were in the last row. When we had prayed, I said to him, ‘Is it not said that the best of the rows is the first?’ He said, ‘Yes, but this is a community shown mercy, looked upon among all the communities. When God, mighty and majestic, looks upon a servant
مِنْهُمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ غَفَرَ لِمَنْ وَرَاءَهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَإِنَّمَا تَأَخَّرْتُ رَجَاءَ أَنْ يُغْفَرَ لِي بِوَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ يَنْظُرُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ وَقَدْ رَفَعَهُ بَعْضُ الرُّوَاةِ أَنَّ أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ
minhum fī al-ṣalāti ghafara liman warāʾahu mina al-nāsi faʾinnamā taʾakhkhartu rajāʾa ʾan yughfara lī biwāḥidin minhum yanẓuru allāhu ʾilayhi waqad rafaʿahu baʿḍu al-ruwāti ʾanna ʾabā al-dardāʾi samiʿa al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi
among them in prayer, He forgives the people behind him. I moved back only in the hope of being forgiven through one of them upon whom God looks.’” Some transmitters have raised it to the Prophet, relating that Abū al-Dardāʾ heard the Prophet, may God bless him
وَسَلَّمَ : يَقُولُ ذَٰلِكَ : وَالصَّدَقَةُ مُسْتَحَبَّةٌ مُفَضَّلَةٌ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ خَاصَّةً فَإِنَّهَا تُضَاعَفُ إِلَّا عَلَى مَنْ سَأَلَ وَالْإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ وَكَانَ يَتَكَلَّمُ فِي كَلَامِ الْإِمَامِ فَهَٰذَا مَكْرُوهٌ قَالَ صَالِحُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ :
wasallama: yaqūlu dhālika: wa-al-ṣadaqatu mustaḥabbatun mufaḍḍalatun yawma al-jumuʿati khāṣṣatan faʾinnahā tuḍāʿafu ʾillā ʿalā man saʾala wa-al-ʾimāmu yakhṭubu wakāna yatakallamu fī kalāmi al-ʾimāmi fahādhā makrūhun qāla ṣāliḥu bnu ʾaḥmada:
and grant him peace, say this. Charity is especially recommended and favored on Friday, for it is multiplied, except when given to someone who asks while the prayer leader is preaching and speaks during the prayer leader's speech; that is disliked. Ṣāliḥ ibn Aḥmad said,
سَأَلَ مِسْكِينٌ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَالْإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ وَكَانَ بِجَنْبِ أَبِي فَأَعْطَاهُ رَجُلٌ قِطْعَةً وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْهُ لِيُنَاوِلَهُ إِيَّاهَا فَلَمْ يَأْخُذْهَا مِنْهُ أَبِي وَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ : إِذَا سَأَلَ الرَّجُلُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَدْ
saʾala miskīnun yawma al-jumuʿati wa-al-ʾimāmu yakhṭubu wakāna bijanbi ʾabī faʾaʿṭāhu rajulun qiṭʿatan walam yaʿrifhu liyunāwilahu ʾiyyāhā falam yaʾkhudhhā minhu ʾabī waqāla ibnu masʿūdin: ʾidhā saʾala al-rajulu fī al-masjidi faqad
“A poor man asked on Friday while the prayer leader was preaching, and he was beside my father. A man gave my father a piece of money, not recognizing him, so that he would hand it to the poor man; my father would not take it from him.” Ibn Masʿūd said, “When a man begs in the mosque, he has
اسْتَحَقَّ أَنْ لَا يُعْطَى وَإِذَا سَأَلَ عَلَى الْقُرْآنِ فَلَا تُعْطُوهُ ، وَمِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ مَنْ كَرِهَ الصَّدَقَةَ عَلَى سُؤَّالِ الْجَامِعِ الَّذِينَ يَتَخَطَّوْنَ رِقَابَ النَّاسِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَسْأَلَ قَائِمًا مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَتَخَطَّى
istaḥaqqa ʾan lā yuʿṭā waʾidhā saʾala ʿalā al-qurʾāni falā tuʿṭūhu, wamina al-ʿulamāʾi man kariha al-ṣadaqata ʿalā suʾʾāli al-jāmiʿi alladhīna yatakhaṭṭawna riqāba al-nāsi ʾillā ʾan yasʾala qāʾiman min ghayri ʾan yatakhaṭṭā
earned the right to be given nothing. If he asks on the basis of the Qurʾān, do not give him anything.” Some scholars disliked giving charity to the congregational mosque's beggars who step over people's necks, unless one asks while standing without stepping over
الْمُسْلِمِينَ أَوْ قَاعِدًا فِي مَكَانٍ . وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ كَعْبِ الْأَحْبَارِ : مَنْ شَهِدَ الْجُمُعَةَ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ يَتَصَدَّقُ بِشَيْئَيْنِ مُخْتَلِفَيْنِ مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ فَرَكَعَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ يُتِمُّ رُكُوعَهُمَا وَخُشُوعَهُمَا
al-muslimīna ʾaw qāʿidan fī makānin. warawaynā ʿan kaʿbi al-ʾaḥbāri: man shahida al-jumuʿata thumma inṣarafa yataṣaddaqu bishayʾayni mukhtalifayni mina al-ṣadaqati thumma rajaʿa farakaʿa rakʿatayni yutimmu rukūʿahumā wakhushūʿahumā
the Muslims, or while sitting in one place. We have transmitted from Kaʿb al-Aḥbār: “Whoever attends Friday prayer, then goes out and gives two different kinds of charity, then returns and prays two cycles, completing their bowing, their humility,
وَسُجُودَهُمَا ثُمَّ يَقُولُ : اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِاسْمِكَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَبِاسْمِكَ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيِّ الْقَيُّومِ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ لَمْ يَسْأَلِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ شَيْئًا إِلَّا
wasujūdahumā thumma yaqūlu: allāhumma ʾinnī ʾasʾaluka bismika bismi allāhi al-raḥmani al-raḥīmi wabismika alladhī lā ʾilaha ʾillā huwa al-ḥayyi al-qayyūmi lā taʾkhudhuhu sinatun walā nawmun lam yasʾali allāha ʿazza wajalla shayʾan ʾillā
and their prostration, then says, ‘O God, I ask You by Your name, In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Merciful, and by Your name, there is no god but He, the Living, the Self-Sustaining; neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him,’ will ask God, mighty and majestic, for nothing without
أَعْطَاهُ ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ السَّلَفِ عَلَى غَيْرِ هَٰذَا الْوَصْفِ قَالَ :
ʾaʿṭāhu, waqad rawaynā ʿan baʿḍi al-salafi ʿalā ghayri hādhā al-waṣfi qāla:
His granting it to him.” We have transmitted a different description from one of the early generations, who said:
مَنْ أَطْعَمَ مِسْكِينًا فِي يَوْمِ
man ʾaṭʿama miskīnan fī yawmi
“Whoever feeds a poor person on
الْجُمُعَةِ ثُمَّ غَدَا وَابْتَكَرَ وَلَمْ يُؤْذِ أَحَدًا ثُمَّ قَالَ حِينَ يُسَلِّمُ الْإِمَامُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِبِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَيِّ الْقَيُّومِ أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِي وَتَرْحَمَنِي وَأَنْ تُعَافِيَنِي مِنَ النَّارِ ثُمَّ
al-jumuʿati thumma ghadā wabtakara walam yuʾdhi ʾaḥadan thumma qāla ḥīna yusallimu al-ʾimāmu allāhumma ʾinnī ʾasʾaluka bibismi allāhi al-raḥmani al-raḥīmi al-ḥayyi al-qayyūmi ʾan taghfira lī watarḥamanī waʾan tuʿāfiyanī mina al-nāri thumma
Friday, then sets out early and arrives early, harms no one, and says when the prayer leader gives the final greeting, ‘O God, I ask You by “In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Merciful,” the Living, the Self-Sustaining, to forgive me, have mercy on me, and spare me the Fire,’ then
دَعَا بِمَا بَدَا لَهُ اسْتُجِيبَ لَهُ وَإِنْ سَمِعَ قِرَاءَةَ الْإِمَامِ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ فِي صَلَاتِهِ إِلَّا سُورَةَ الْحَمْدِ لَا غَيْرَ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْمَعْ قِرَاءَتَهُ قَرَأَ سُورَةً مَعَ الْحَمْدِ إِنْ أَحَبَّ فَأَمَّا مَنْ سَمِعَ قِرَاءَةَ الْإِمَامِ
daʿā bimā badā lahu ustujība lahu waʾin samiʿa qirāʾata al-ʾimāmi lam yaqraʾ fī ṣalātihi ʾillā sūrata al-ḥamdi lā ghayra waʾin lam yasmaʿ qirāʾatahu qaraʾa sūratan maʿa al-ḥamdi ʾin ʾaḥabba faʾammā man samiʿa qirāʾata al-ʾimāmi
supplicates for whatever occurs to him, will be answered.” If he hears the prayer leader's recitation, he should recite nothing in his prayer except Sūrat al-Ḥamd. If he does not hear his recitation, he may recite a sūra with al-Ḥamd if he wishes. As for someone who hears the prayer leader's recitation
وَقَرَأَ مَعَهُ سُورَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ أَوْ غَيْرَهَا مِنَ السُّوَرِ فَقَدْ خَالَفَ الْأُمَّةَ وَعَصَى رَسُولًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَا أَعْلَمُهُ مَذْهَبَ أَحَدٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَإِذَا سَلَّمَ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْجُمُعَةِ قَرَأَ وَهُوَ ثَانٍ
waqaraʾa maʿahu sūrata al-jumuʿati ʾaw ghayrahā mina al-suwari faqad khālafa al-ʾummata waʿaṣā rasūlan ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama walā ʾaʿlamuhu madhhaba ʾaḥadin mina al-muslimīna faʾidhā sallama min ṣalāti al-jumuʿati qaraʾa wahuwa thānin
and recites Sūrat al-Jumuʿa or another sūra along with him, he has opposed the community and disobeyed a messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace. I do not know this to be the position of any Muslim. When he gives the final greeting after Friday prayer, while still bending
رِجْلَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ الْحَمْدَ سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ وَقُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ سَبْعًا وَالْمُعَوِّذَتَيْنِ سَبْعًا سَبْعًا ، فَفِي ذَٰلِكَ أَثَرٌ عَنْ بَعْضِ السَّلَفِ أَنَّ مَنْ فَعَلَهُ عُصِمَ مِنَ الْجُمُعَةِ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ حِرْزًا
rijlahu qabla ʾan yatakallama al-ḥamda sabʿa marrātin waqul huwa allāhu ʾaḥadun sabʿan wa-al-muʿawwidhatayni sabʿan sabʿan, fafī dhālika ʾatharun ʿan baʿḍi al-salafi ʾanna man faʿalahu ʿuṣima mina al-jumuʿati ʾilā al-jumuʿati wakāna dhālika ḥirzan
his leg and before speaking, he recites al-Ḥamd seven times, “Say: He is God, One” seven times, and the two sūras of refuge seven times, seven times. There is a report about this from some of the early generations: whoever does it is protected from Friday to Friday, and it is a safeguard
لَهُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ وَاسْتُحِبَّ لَهُ أَنْ يَقُولَ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الْجُمُعَةِ : اللَّهُمَّ يَا غَنِيُّ ، يَا حَمِيدُ ، يَا مُبْدِئُ ، يَا مُعِيدُ ، يَا رَحِيمُ ، يَا وَدُودُ ، أَغْنِنِي بِحَلَالِكَ عَنْ حَرَامِكَ وَبِفَضْلِكَ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَ ،
lahu mina al-shayṭāni wastuḥibba lahu ʾan yaqūla baʿda ṣalāti al-jumuʿati: allāhumma yā ghaniyyu, yā ḥamīdu, yā mubdiʾu, yā muʿīdu, yā raḥīmu, yā wadūdu, ʾaghninī biḥalālika ʿan ḥarāmika wabifaḍlika ʿamman siwāka,
for him against Satan. It is recommended that he say after Friday prayer, “O God, O Self-Sufficient, O Praiseworthy, O Originator, O Restorer, O Merciful, O Loving, make what You have permitted suffice me in place of what You have forbidden, and by Your favor make me independent of everyone besides You.”
يُقَالُ : مَنْ دَاوَمَ عَلَىٰ هَٰذَا الدُّعَاءِ أَغْنَاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْ خَلْقِهِ وَرَزَقَهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ ، وَقَدْ رَوَىٰ ابْنُ عُمَرَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يُصَلِّي بَعْدَ الْجُمُعَةِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ،
yuqālu: man dāwama ʿalā hādhā al-duʿāʾi ʾaghnāhu allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿan khalqihi warazaqahu min ḥaythu lā yaḥtasibu, waqad rawā ibnu ʿumara ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna yuṣallī baʿda al-jumuʿati rakʿatayni,
It is said, “Whoever perseveres in this supplication, God, mighty and majestic, makes him independent of His creatures and provides for him from where he does not expect.” Ibn ʿUmar related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to pray two cycles after Friday prayer.
وَرَوَى أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُصَلِّي بَعْدَهَا أَرْبَعًا ، وَرَوَى عَلِيٌّ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يُصَلِّي بَعْدَهَا سِتًّا فَإِذَا صَلَّى الْعَبْدُ سِتَّ رَكَعَاتٍ فَقَدْ
warawā ʾabū hurayrata ʾannahu kāna yuṣallī baʿdahā ʾarbaʿan, warawā ʿaliyyun waʿabdu allāhi raḍiya allāhu ʿanhumā ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna yuṣallī baʿdahā sittan faʾidhā ṣallā al-ʿabdu sitta rakaʿātin faqad
Abū Hurayra related that he used to pray four after it. ʿAlī and ʿAbd Allāh, may God be pleased with them both, related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to pray six after it. If the servant prays six cycles, he has
اسْتَوْعَبَ جَمِيعَ الرِّوَايَاتِ وَأَكْرَهُ شِرَاءَ الْمَاءِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ لِلشُّرْبِ أَوْ لِتَسْبِيلِهِ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ مُبْتَاعًا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَدْ كُرِهَ الشِّرَاءُ وَالْبَيْعُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَإِنْ بَايَعَهُ أَوْ دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ الْقِطْعَةَ
istawʿaba jamīʿa al-riwāyāti waʾakrahu shirāʾa al-māʾi fī al-masjidi li-l-shurbi ʾaw litasbīlihi liʾallā yakūna mubtāʿan fī al-masjidi faqad kuriha al-shirāʾu wa-al-bayʿu fī al-masjidi faʾin bāyaʿahu ʾaw dafaʿa ʾilayhi al-qiṭʿata
encompassed all the reports. I dislike buying water in the mosque for drinking or for distributing freely, lest one be a buyer in the mosque, for buying and selling in the mosque have been disliked. If he makes the transaction with him or gives him the piece of money
خَارِجًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ وَشَرِبَ أَوْ سَبَّلَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَلَا بَأْسَ وَقَدْ جَاءَ عَنْ بَعْضِ السَّلَفِ أَنَّهُ كَرِهَ الصَّلَاةَ فِي رِحَابِ الْجَامِعِ عَنْ بَعْضِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَضْرِبُ النَّاسَ وَيُقِيمُهُمْ مِنَ الرِّحَابِ
khārijan mina al-masjidi washariba ʾaw sabbala fī al-masjidi falā baʾsa waqad jāʾa ʿan baʿḍi al-salafi ʾannahu kariha al-ṣalāta fī riḥābi al-jāmiʿi ʿan baʿḍi al-ṣaḥābati ʾannahu kāna yaḍribu al-nāsa wayuqīmuhum mina al-riḥābi
outside the mosque, then drinks or distributes the water freely inside the mosque, there is no harm. It has come down from some of the early generations that they disliked praying in the congregational mosque's courtyards; and from one of the Companions that he used to strike people and make them leave the courtyards,
وَيَقُولُ : لَا تَجُوزُ الصَّلَاةُ فِي الرِّحَابِ فَهَٰذَا عِنْدِي عَلَى ضَرْبَيْنِ وَهُوَ أَنَّ الصَّلَاةَ فِي رِحَابِ الْجَامِعِ الزَّوَائِدِ فِيهِ الْمُتَّصِلَةِ بِالصُّفُوفِ الْمُحِيطِ بِهَا حَائِطُ الْجَامِعِ الْأَعْظَمِ كَالصَّلَاةِ فِي
wayaqūlu: lā tajūzu al-ṣalātu fī al-riḥābi fahādhā ʿindī ʿalā ḍarbayni wahuwa ʾanna al-ṣalāta fī riḥābi al-jāmiʿi al-zawāʾidi fīhi al-muttaṣilati bi-al-ṣufūfi al-muḥīṭi bihā ḥāʾiṭu al-jāmiʿi al-ʾaʿẓami ka-al-ṣalāti fī
saying, “Prayer in the courtyards is not permissible.” In my view, this has two cases: prayer in the additional courtyards of the congregational mosque, joined to the rows and enclosed by the wall of the main mosque, is like prayer in
وَسَطِهِ غَيْرُ مَكْرُوهَةٍ ، وَالصَّلَاةُ فِي رِحَابِهِ الْمُتَفَرِّقَةِ فِي أَفْنِيَتِهِ الَّتِي هِيَ مِنْ وَرَاءِ جُدُرِ الْجَامِعِ كُلِّهِ مَكْرُوهَةٌ ، وَ كَذَٰلِكَ الصَّلَاةُ فِي الطُّرُقَاتِ الْمُنْفَرِدَةِ عَنِ الْجَامِعِ غَيْرِ الْمُتَّصِلَةِ
wasaṭihi ghayru makrūhatin, wa-al-ṣalātu fī riḥābihi al-mutafarriqati fī ʾafniyatihi allatī hiya min warāʾi juduri al-jāmiʿi kullihi makrūhatun, wa kadhālika al-ṣalātu fī al-ṭuruqāti al-munfaridati ʿani al-jāmiʿi ghayri al-muttaṣilati
its center and is not disliked. Prayer in its scattered courtyards and open spaces outside all the mosque's walls is disliked. Likewise, prayer in roads separate from the mosque and unconnected
بِالصُّفُوفِ لِحَجْزِ طَرِيقٍ أَوْ بُعْدِ مَكَانٍ فَلَا يَجُوزُ ، وَهَٰذَا الَّذِي كَرِهَهُ مَنْ كَانَ يَنْهِي عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فِيهِ ، فَإِذَا صَلَّى الْجُمُعَةَ انْتَشَرَ فِي أَرْضِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَطْلُبُ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمِنَ
bi-al-ṣufūfi liḥajzi ṭarīqin ʾaw buʿdi makānin falā yajūzu, wahādhā alladhī karihahu man kāna yanhī ʿani al-ṣalāti fīhi, faʾidhā ṣallā al-jumuʿata intashara fī ʾarḍi allāhi ʿazza wajalla yaṭlubu min faḍli allāhi ʿazza wajalla wamina
to the rows because a road intervenes or the place is distant is not permissible. This is what was disliked by those who forbade prayer there. When he has performed Friday prayer, let him disperse through the earth of God, mighty and majestic, seeking the bounty of God, mighty and majestic. Among that
الْفَضْلِ طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ وَاسْتِمَاعُهُ ، وَيُقَالُ : هُوَ مَزِيدُ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ لِلْعَالِمِ وَالْمُتَعَلِّمِ ، قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْلَمُ وَكَانَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ عَظِيمًا ) النِّسَاءُ :
al-faḍli ṭalabu al-ʿilmi wastimāʿuhu, wayuqālu: huwa mazīdu yawmi al-jumuʿati lilʿālimi wa-al-mutaʿallimi, qāla allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ( waʿallamaka mā lam takun taʿlamu wakāna faḍlu allāhi ʿalayka ʿaẓīman ) al-nisāʾu:
bounty is seeking knowledge and listening to it. It is said to be Friday's increase for the scholar and the learner. God, mighty and majestic, says, “He taught you what you did not know, and God's favor upon you was great” (al-Nisāʾ
113 قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى ( وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ مِنَّا فَضْلًا ) سَبَأٌ : 10 ، يَعْنِي بِدَلِيلِ نَظِيرِهَا مِنَ الْآيَةِ الْأُخْرَى فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : ( وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ وَ سُلَيْمَانَ عِلْمًا وَقَالَا الْحَمْدُ
113 qāla allāhu taʿālā ( walaqad ʾātaynā dāwūda minnā faḍlan ) sabaʾun: 10, yaʿnī bidalīli naẓīrihā mina al-ʾāyati al-ʾukhrā fī qawlihi taʿālā: ( walaqad ʾātaynā dāwūda wa sulaymāna ʿilman waqālā al-ḥamdu
113). God Most High says, “We gave David bounty from Us” (Sabaʾ 10). The intended meaning is indicated by its parallel in the other verse, in His saying, Most High, “We gave David and Solomon knowledge, and they said, ‘Praise
لِلَّهِ الَّذِي فَضَّلَنَا ) النَّمْلُ : 15 . وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَوٰةُ فَانْتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ ) الْجُمُعَةُ : 10 ،
li-llāhi alladhī faḍḍalanā ) al-namlu: 15. warawaynā ʿan ʾanasi bni mālikin fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ( faʾidhā quḍiyati al-ṣalātu fantashirū fī al-ʾarḍi wabtaghū min faḍli allāhi ) al-jumuʿatu: 10,
be to God, who has favored us’” (al-Naml 15). We have transmitted from Anas ibn Mālik concerning His saying, mighty and majestic, “When the prayer is finished, disperse through the land and seek God's bounty” (al-Jumuʿa 10),
قَالَ أَمَا أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ بِطَلَبِ دُنْيَا وَلَكِنَّهُ عِيَادَةُ مَرِيضٍ
qāla ʾamā ʾannahu laysa biṭalabi dunyā walakinnahu ʿiyādatu marīḍin
that he said, “It is certainly not seeking worldly gain; it is visiting a sick person,
وَشُهُودُ جَنَازَةٍ وَتَعَلُّمُ عِلْمٍ وَزِيَارَةُ أَخٍ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَ بِالْعِلْمِ وَتَعْلِيمَ النَّاسِ إِيَّاهُ وَالتَّذْكِيرَ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالدَّعْوَةَ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ لَهُ فَضْلٌ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْأَيَّامِ
washuhūdu janāzatin wataʿallumu ʿilmin waziyāratu ʾakhin fī allāhi ʿazza wajalla faʾinna al-dhikra bi-al-ʿilmi wataʿlīma al-nāsi ʾiyyāhu wa-al-tadhkīra bi-allāhi ʿazza wajalla wa-al-daʿwata ʾilayhi fī yawmi al-jumuʿati lahu faḍlun ʿalā sāʾiri al-ʾayyāmi
attending a funeral, learning knowledge, and visiting a brother for the sake of God, mighty and majestic.” Remembrance through knowledge, teaching it to people, reminding them of God, mighty and majestic, and calling them to Him on Friday have merit over the other days,
لِأَنَّهُ يَوْمُ الْمَزِيدِ ، فَلِلْقُلُوبِ فِيهِ إِقْبَالٌ وَتَجْدِيدٌ ، وَكَذَٰلِكَ السَّعْيُ إِلَيْهِ وَالِاسْتِمَاعُ لَهُ وَحُضُورُ مَجَالِسِ الذِّكْرِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ لَا مَجَالِسِ الْقُصَّاصِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ سَائِرِ الْأَيَّامِ ،
liʾannahu yawmu al-mazīdi, falilqulūbi fīhi ʾiqbālun watajdīdun, wakadhālika al-saʿyu ʾilayhi wa-al-istimāʿu lahu waḥuḍūru majālisi al-dhikri yawma al-jumuʿati lā majālisi al-quṣṣāṣi ʾafḍalu min sāʾiri al-ʾayyāmi,
because it is the Day of Increase: hearts turn toward Him and are renewed on it. Likewise, hastening to it, listening to it, and attending gatherings of remembrance on Friday, not storytellers' gatherings, are better than on other days.
وَالْمُسْتَمِعُ شَرِيكُ الْقَائِلِ فِي الْأَجْرِ وَقَدْ قِيلَ إِنَّهُ أَقْرَبُ لِلرَّحْمَةِ وَقَدْ كَرِهَ الْعُلَمَاءُ الْجُلُوسَ إِلَى الْقُصَّاصِ سِيَّمَا يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ خَاصَّةً لِأَنَّهُمْ يُثَبِّطُونَ عَنِ الْغُدُوِّ إِلَى الْجَامِعِ فِي السَّاعَةِ
wa-al-mustamiʿu sharīku al-qāʾili fī al-ʾajri waqad qīla ʾinnahu ʾaqrabu li-l-raḥmati waqad kariha al-ʿulamāʾu al-julūsa ʾilā al-quṣṣāṣi siyyamā yawma al-jumuʿati khāṣṣatan liʾannahum yuthabbiṭūna ʿani al-ghuduwwi ʾilā al-jāmiʿi fī al-sāʿati
The listener shares the speaker's reward, and it has been said that he is nearer to mercy. Scholars have disliked sitting with storytellers, especially on Friday, because they hold people back from going early to the congregational mosque in the
الْأُولَى وَالثَّانِيَةِ لِأَنَّ الْكِتَابَ وَرَدَ بِالْفَضْلِ فِيهِمَا ، فَمَنِ اتَّفَقَ لَهُ عَالِمٌ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُذَكِّرُهُ بِهِ وَيَدُلُّهُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ عُلَمَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ الزَّاهِدِينَ فِي الدُّنْيَا يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ غُدْوَةً فِي
al-ʾūlā wa-al-thāniyati liʾanna al-kitāba warada bi-al-faḍli fīhimā, famani ttafaqa lahu ʿālimun bi-allāhi ʿazza wajalla yudhakkiruhu bihi wayadulluhu ʿalayhi min ʿulamāʾi al-ʾākhirati al-zāhidīna fī al-dunyā yawma al-jumuʿati ghudwatan fī
first and second hours, for the Book has spoken of their merit. If a person finds a scholar who knows God, mighty and majestic, reminds him of Him, and points him toward Him, one of the scholars of the hereafter who renounce this world, on Friday morning in
الْجَامِعِ أَوْ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الْجُمُعَةِ جَلَسَ إِلَيْهِ وَاسْتَمَعَ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ حَضَرَ مُفْتٍ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِعِلْمِ الدِّينِ وَكَانَ الْعَبْدُ مُحْتَاجًا إِلَى ذَٰلِكَ وَجَالَسَهُ فَهُوَ الْأَفْضَلُ فَإِنَّ مَجَالِسَ الْعُلَمَاءِ فِي الْجَامِعِ مِنْ زَيْنِ
al-jāmiʿi ʾaw baʿda ṣalāti al-jumuʿati jalasa ʾilayhi wastamaʿa minhu waʾin ḥaḍara muftin yatakallamu biʿilmi al-dīni wakāna al-ʿabdu muḥtājan ʾilā dhālika wajālasahu fahuwa al-ʾafḍalu faʾinna majālisa al-ʿulamāʾi fī al-jāmiʿi min zayni
the congregational mosque or after Friday prayer, let him sit with him and listen to him. If a mufti is present who speaks about religious knowledge, and the servant needs this and sits with him, that is better. For scholars' gatherings in the congregational mosque adorn
يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَمِنْ تَمَامِ فَضْلِهِ . قَالَ الْحَسَنُ : الدُّنْيَا ظُلْمَةٌ إِلَّا مَجَالِسَ الْعُلَمَاءِ ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَتَّفِقْ لَهُ ذَٰلِكَ أَحْيَا مَا بَيْنَ الصَّلَاتَيْنِ وَهُوَ الْوِرْدُ الْخَامِسُ مِنَ النَّهَارِ ،
yawmi al-jumuʿati wamin tamāmi faḍlihi. qāla al-ḥasanu: al-dunyā ẓulmatun ʾillā majālisa al-ʿulamāʾi, faʾin lam yattafiq lahu dhālika ʾaḥyā mā bayna al-ṣalātayni wahuwa al-wirdu al-khāmisu mina al-nahāri,
Friday and complete its merit. Al-Ḥasan said, “The world is darkness except for scholars' gatherings.” If this is not available to him, let him enliven the interval between the two prayers with worship; this is the fifth regular devotion of the day.
وَيُسْتَحَبُّ صَلَاةُ الْعَصْرِ فِي الْجَامِعِ إِلَّا لِسَبَبٍ لَا بُدَّ مِنْهُ مَانِعٍ ، وَإِنْ قَعَدَ إِلَى غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ فَهُوَ أَثْوَبُ لِلسَّاعَةِ الْمُنْتَظَرَةِ مِنْ آخِرِ النَّهَارِ إِذَا أَمِنَ الْفِتْنَةَ وَالتَّصَنُّعَ وَالْكَلَامَ فِيمَا
wayustaḥabbu ṣalātu al-ʿaṣri fī al-jāmiʿi ʾillā lisababin lā budda minhu māniʿin, waʾin qaʿada ʾilā ghurūbi al-shamsi fahuwa ʾathwabu li-l-sāʿati al-muntaẓarati min ʾākhiri al-nahāri ʾidhā ʾamina al-fitnata wa-al-taṣannuʿa wa-al-kalāma fīmā
It is recommended to perform the afternoon prayer in the congregational mosque unless an unavoidable cause prevents it. If he remains until sunset, that is more rewarding, because of the awaited hour at the end of the day, provided he is safe from temptation, affectation, and speaking about what
لَا يَعْنِيهِ ، وَيُقَالُ : مَنْ صَلَّى الْعَصْرَ فِي الْجَامِعِ كَانَ لَهُ ثَوَابُ حَجَّةٍ وَمَنْ صَلَّى الْمَغْرِبَ كَانَ لَهُ ثَوَابُ عُمْرَةٍ فَإِنْ خَشِيَ دُخُولَ الْآفَةِ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ لَمْ يَأْمَنِ التَّصَنُّعَ وَالْخَوْضَ فِيمَا لَا يَعْنِيهِ
lā yaʿnīhi, wayuqālu: man ṣallā al-ʿaṣra fī al-jāmiʿi kāna lahu thawābu ḥajjatin waman ṣallā al-maghriba kāna lahu thawābu ʿumratin faʾin khashiya dukhūla al-ʾāfati ʿalayhi ʾaw lam yaʾmani al-taṣannuʿa wa-al-khawḍa fīmā lā yaʿnīhi
does not concern him. It is said, “Whoever prays the afternoon prayer in the congregational mosque has the reward of a pilgrimage; whoever prays the sunset prayer has the reward of a lesser pilgrimage.” If he fears that harm may enter upon him, or is not safe from affectation and plunging into what does not concern him,
انْصَرَفَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ ذَاكِرًا لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُفَكِّرًا فِي آلَائِهِ وَحُسْنِ نَعْمَائِهِ فَرَاعَى غُرُوبَ الشَّمْسِ بِالْأَذْكَارِ وَالتَّسْبِيحِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارِ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ أَوْ مَسْجِدِ حَيِّهِ فَذَٰلِكَ حِينَئِذٍ أَفْضَلُ لَهُ ،
inṣarafa ʾilā manzilihi dhākiran li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla mufakkiran fī ʾālāʾihi waḥusni naʿmāʾihi farāʿā ghurūba al-shamsi bi-al-ʾadhkāri wa-al-tasbīḥi wa-al-istighfāri fī manzilihi ʾaw masjidi ḥayyihi fadhālika ḥīnaʾidhin ʾafḍalu lahu,
let him return home remembering God, mighty and majestic, reflecting upon His bounties and the beauty of His blessings. Let him watch for sunset with remembrances, glorification, and seeking forgiveness in his home or neighborhood mosque, for that is then better for him.
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ : أَوْفَرُ النَّاسِ نَصِيبًا يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ مَنْ رَاعَاهَا وَانْتَظَرَهَا مِنَ الْأَمْسِ وَأَخَسُّ النَّاسِ مِنْهَا نَصِيبًا مَنْ يُصْبِحُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَيَقُولُ : أَيْشِ الْيَوْمُ وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ يَبِيتُ
waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: ʾawfaru al-nāsi naṣīban yawma al-jumuʿati man rāʿāhā wantaẓarahā mina al-ʾamsi waʾakhassu al-nāsi minhā naṣīban man yuṣbiḥu yawma al-jumuʿati fayaqūlu: ʾayshi al-yawmu waqad kāna baʿḍuhum yabītu
One of the early generations said, “The person with the fullest share on Friday is the one who watches for it and awaits it from the day before. The person with the paltriest share is the one who wakes on Friday and says, ‘What day is it?’” Some used to spend
لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ فِي الْجَامِعِ لِأَجْلِ صَلَاةِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ يَبِيتُ لَيْلَةَ السَّبْتِ فِي الْجَامِعِ لِمَزِيدِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنَ السَّلَفِ مَنْ كَانَ يُصَلِّي الْغَدَاةَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فِي الْجَامِعِ وَيَقْعُدُ
laylata al-jumuʿati fī al-jāmiʿi liʾajli ṣalāti al-jumuʿati waminhum man kāna yabītu laylata al-sabti fī al-jāmiʿi limazīdi al-jumuʿati wakathīrun mina al-salafi man kāna yuṣallī al-ghadāta yawma al-jumuʿati fī al-jāmiʿi wayaqʿudu
the night before Friday in the congregational mosque for the sake of Friday prayer. Some used to spend the night before Saturday in the congregational mosque for Friday's increase. Many of the early generations used to pray the dawn prayer on Friday in the congregational mosque, then sit
يَنْتَظِرُ صَلَاةَ الْجُمُعَةِ لِأَجْلِ الْبُكُورِ لِيَسْتَوْعِبَ فَضْلَ السَّاعَةِ الْأُولَى وَلِأَجْلِ خَتْمِ الْقُرْآنِ وَعَامَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كَانُوا يَنْحَرِفُونَ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاةِ فِي مَسَاجِدِهِمْ فَيَتَوَجَّهُونَ إِلَى جَوَامِعِهِمْ
yantaẓiru ṣalāta al-jumuʿati liʾajli al-bukūri liyastawʿiba faḍla al-sāʿati al-ʾūlā waliʾajli khatmi al-qurʾāni waʿāmmatu al-muʾminīna kānū yanḥarifūna min ṣalāti al-ghadāti fī masājidihim fayatawajjahūna ʾilā jawāmiʿihim
waiting for Friday prayer, for the sake of coming early and encompassing the full merit of the first hour, and for the sake of completing the Qurʾān. The believers generally used to turn away from the dawn prayer in their local mosques and head toward their congregational mosques.
وَيُقَالُ : أَوَّلُ بِدْعَةٍ حَدَثَتْ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ تَرْكُ الْبُكُورِ إِلَى الْجَوَامِعِ . قَالَ : وَكُنْتَ تَرَى يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ سَحَرًا وَبَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ الطُّرُقَاتِ مَمْلُوءَةً مِنَ النَّاسِ يَمْشُونَ فِي السُّرُجِ يَزْدَحِمُونَ
wayuqālu: ʾawwalu bidʿatin ḥadathat fī al-ʾislāmi tarku al-bukūri ʾilā al-jawāmiʿi. qāla: wakunta tarā yawma al-jumuʿati saḥaran wabaʿda ṣalāti al-fajri al-ṭuruqāti mamlūʾatan mina al-nāsi yamshūna fī al-suruji yazdaḥimūna
It is said, “The first innovation that arose in Islam was abandoning early arrival at congregational mosques.” He said, “You used to see, on Friday before dawn and after the dawn prayer, roads filled with people walking by lamplight, crowding
فِيهَا إِلَى الْجَامِعِ كَمَا تَرَوْنَ الْيَوْمَ فِي الْأَعْيَادِ حَتَّى دَرَسَ ذَٰلِكَ وَقَلَّ وَجُهِلَ وَتُرِكَ أَوَلَا يَسْتَحِي الْمُؤْمِنُ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الذِّمَّةِ يُبَكِّرُونَ إِلَى كَنَائِسِهِمْ وَبِيَعِهِمْ قَبْلَ خُرُوجِهِ إِلَى جَامِعِهِ أَوَلَا
fīhā ʾilā al-jāmiʿi kamā tarawna al-yawma fī al-ʾaʿyādi ḥattā darasa dhālika waqalla wajuhila waturika ʾawalā yastaḥī al-muʾminu ʾanna ʾahla al-dhimmati yubakkirūna ʾilā kanāʾisihim wabiyaʿihim qabla khurūjihi ʾilā jāmiʿihi ʾawalā
along them toward the congregational mosque, as you see today on feast days, until this practice faded, diminished, became unknown, and was abandoned. Is the believer not ashamed that the protected non-Muslim communities go early to their churches and places of worship before he leaves for his congregational mosque? Will he not
يَعْتَبِرُ بِأَهْلِ الْأَطْعِمَةِ الْمَبَاعَةِ فِي رِحَابِ الْجَامِعِ أَنَّهُمْ يَغْدُونَ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا وَالنَّاسِ قَبْلَ غُدُوِّهِ هُوَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَإِلَى الْآخِرَةِ فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُسَابِقَهُمْ إِلَى مَوْلَاهُ
yaʿtabiru biʾahli al-ʾaṭʿimati al-mabāʿati fī riḥābi al-jāmiʿi ʾannahum yaghdūna ʾilā al-dunyā wa-al-nāsi qabla ghuduwwihi huwa ʾilā allāhi taʿālā waʾilā al-ʾākhirati fayanbaghī ʾan yusābiqahum ʾilā mawlāhu
take a lesson from those who sell food in the congregational mosque's courtyards, who go out early toward the world and people before he goes out early toward God Most High and the hereafter? He should race them to his Master
وَيُسَارِعَهُمْ إِلَى مَا عِنْدَهُ مِنْ زُلْفَاهُ ، وَيَجِبُ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ مَزِيدٌ فِي الْأَوْرَادِ وَالْأَعْمَالِ وَلْيَتَفَرَّغْ فِيهِ لِرَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَيَجْعَلْهُ يَوْمًا آخَرَ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ يَوْمُ السَّبْتِ فَيَوْمُ
wayusāriʿahum ʾilā mā ʿindahu min zulfāhu, wayajibu ʾan yakūna lilmuʾmini yawma al-jumuʿati mazīdun fī al-ʾawrādi wa-al-ʾaʿmāli walyatafarragh fīhi lirabbihi ʿazza wajalla wayajʿalhu yawman ʾākhara ʾin lam yakun lahu yawmu al-sabti fayawmu
and hasten ahead of them to the nearness to Him that is with Him. On Friday, the believer must have an increase in regular devotions and deeds. Let him free himself for his Lord, mighty and majestic, and make it a different day. If Saturday is not his, then the day of
الْجُمُعَةِ فِي الْأَوْرَادِ الْمُتَّصِلَةِ وَالْمَزِيدِ مِنَ الْأَذْكَارِ عَلَى الْمَعْلُومِ مِنْهَا فَلَا يَكُونُ الْجُمُعَةُ كَالسَّبْتِ فِي تِجَارَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالشُّغْلِ بِأَسْبَابِهَا وَأَكْرَهُ لَهُ التَّأَهُّبَ لِيَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فِي بَابِ
al-jumuʿati fī al-ʾawrādi al-muttaṣilati wa-al-mazīdi mina al-ʾadhkāri ʿalā al-maʿlūmi minhā falā yakūnu al-jumuʿatu ka-al-sabti fī tijārati al-dunyā wa-al-shughli biʾasbābihā waʾakrahu lahu al-taʾahhuba liyawmi al-jumuʿati fī bābi
Friday is for continuous devotions and an increase in remembrances beyond his accustomed measure. Friday should not be like Saturday in worldly trade and preoccupation with its means. I dislike his preparing for Friday in matters of
الدُّنْيَا مِنْ يَوْمِ الْخَمِيسِ مِنْ إِعْدَادِ الْمَأْكُولِ وَالتَّرَفُّهِ مِنَ النِّعْمَةِ وَالْأَكْلِ وَالشُّرْبِ ، فَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا حَدِيثًا مِنْ طَرِيقِ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ فِيهِ نَظَرٌ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ :
al-dunyā min yawmi al-khamīsi min ʾiʿdādi al-maʾkūli wa-al-taraffuhi mina al-niʿmati wa-al-ʾakli wa-al-shurbi, faqad rawaynā ḥadīthan min ṭarīqi ʾahli al-bayti fīhi naẓarun ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla:
this world from Thursday, by preparing food and enjoying ease through comforts, eating, and drinking. We have transmitted, through the People of the House, a hadith that calls for examination, in which the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said:
يَأْتِي عَلَى أُمَّتِي زَمَانٌ يَتَأَهَّبُونَ لِجُمُعَتِهِمْ فِي أَمْرِ دُنْيَاهُمْ عَشِيَّةَ الْخَمِيسِ كَمَا يَتَأَهَّبُ الْيَهُودُ لِسَبْتِهَا عَشِيَّةَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ يَتَأَهَّبُونَ فِيهِ لِلْآخِرَةِ بِالْأَوْرَادِ الْحَسَنَةِ
yaʾtī ʿalā ʾummatī zamānun yataʾahhabūna lijumuʿatihim fī ʾamri dunyāhum ʿashiyyata al-khamīsi kamā yataʾahhabu al-yahūdu lisabtihā ʿashiyyata al-jumuʿati waʾinnamā kāna al-muʾminūna yataʾahhabūna fīhi lilʾākhirati bi-al-ʾawrādi al-ḥasanati
“A time will come upon my community when they prepare for their Friday in their worldly affairs on Thursday evening, as the Jews prepare for their Sabbath on Friday evening.” The believers used to prepare for the hereafter on it through good regular devotions,
يَزْدَادُونَ مِنَ الْأَوْرَادِ الْمُتَّصِلَةِ ، وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ سَهْلٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ : مَنْ أَخَذَ مَهْنَأَهُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا فِي هَٰذِهِ الْأَيَّامِ لَمْ يَنَلْ مَهْنَأَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْهَا يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ وَقَالَ أَيْضًا
yazdādūna mina al-ʾawrādi al-muttaṣilati, waqad kāna ʾabū muḥammadin sahlun raḥimahu allāhu yaqūlu: man ʾakhadha mahnaʾahu mina al-dunyā fī hādhihi al-ʾayyāmi lam yanal mahnaʾahu fī al-ʾākhirati minhā yawmu al-jumuʿati waqāla ʾayḍan
increasing their continuous devotions. Abū Muḥammad Sahl, may God have mercy on him, used to say, “Whoever takes his worldly enjoyment in these days will not obtain his enjoyment in the hereafter”; Friday is among them. He also said,
: يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ لَيْسَ هُوَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ : لَوْلَا يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ مَا أَحْبَبْتُ الْبَقَاءَ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَهُوَ عِنْدَ الْخُصُوصِ يَوْمُ الْعُلُومِ وَالْأَنْوَارِ وَيَوْمُ الْخِدْمَةِ وَالْأَذْكَارِ
: yawmu al-jumuʿati mina al-ʾākhirati laysa huwa mina al-dunyā, waqāla baʿḍuhum: lawlā yawmu al-jumuʿati mā ʾaḥbabtu al-baqāʾa fī al-dunyā fahuwa ʿinda al-khuṣūṣi yawmu al-ʿulūmi wa-al-ʾanwāri wayawmu al-khidmati wa-al-ʾadhkāri
“Friday belongs to the hereafter; it does not belong to this world.” One of them said, “Were it not for Friday, I would not wish to remain in this world.” Among the elect, it is the day of knowledge and lights, and the day of service and remembrances,
لِأَنَّهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَوْمُ الْمَزِيدِ بِالنَّظَرِ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْمَزَارِ . وَرَوَيْنَا حَدِيثًا غَرِيبًا عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ :
liʾannahu ʿinda allāhi ʿazza wajalla yawmu al-mazīdi bi-al-naẓari ʾilayhi fī al-mazāri. warawaynā ḥadīthan gharīban ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin qāla: qāla rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama:
because in the sight of God, mighty and majestic, it is the Day of Increase through looking upon Him at the visitation. We have transmitted an unusual hadith from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said:
دَعُوا أَشْغَالَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَإِنَّهُ يَوْمُ صَلَاةٍ وَتَهَجُّدٍ . وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ الصَّادِقِ قَالَ : يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَيْسَ فِيهِ سَفَرٌ ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : ( وَابْتَغُوا مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ )
daʿū ʾashghālakum yawma al-jumuʿati faʾinnahu yawmu ṣalātin watahajjudin. warawaynā ʿan jaʿfarin al-ṣādiqi qāla: yawmu al-jumuʿati li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla laysa fīhi safarun, qāla allāhu taʿālā: ( wabtaghū min faḍli allāhi )
“Set aside your occupations on Friday, for it is a day of prayer and night worship.” We have transmitted from Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq that he said, “Friday belongs to God, mighty and majestic; there is no travel on it.” God Most High says, “Seek God's bounty”
الْجُمُعَةُ : 10 وَمَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ وَالسُّوَرِ الْمَقْرُوءَةِ وَالصَّلَاةِ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَجَمِيعِ الذِّكْرِ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَإِنَّهُ يُسْتَحَبُّ فِي لَيْلَتِهَا وَهِيَ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ اللَّيَالِي
al-jumuʿatu: 10 wamā dhakarnāhu mina al-ṣalāti wa-al-suwari al-maqrūʾati wa-al-ṣalāti ʿalā al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wajamīʿi al-dhikri fī yawmi al-jumuʿati faʾinnahu yustaḥabbu fī laylatihā wahiya min ʾafḍali al-layālī
(al-Jumuʿa 10). Everything we have mentioned of prayer, the sūras to be recited, invoking blessings upon the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and all remembrance on Friday is also recommended on its preceding night, which is among the best nights.
فَلَا يَدَعَنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مَنْ وَجَدَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا ، فَإِنَّ لِلصَّادِقِ الْمُرِيدِ فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ مُفَضَّلٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَزِيدًا فَإِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَبْدًا اسْتَعْمَلَهُ فِي الْأَوْقَاتِ الْفَاضِلَةِ بِفَوَاضِلِ الْأَعْمَالِ
falā yadaʿanna dhālika man wajada ʾilayhi sabīlan, faʾinna li-l-ṣādiqi al-murīdi fī kulli waqtin mufaḍḍalin mina allāhi ʿazza wajalla mazīdan faʾidhā ʾaḥabba allāhu taʿālā ʿabdan istaʿmalahu fī al-ʾawqāti al-fāḍilati bifawāḍili al-ʾaʿmāli
Let whoever can find a way to do this not abandon it. For the sincere seeker receives an increase from God, mighty and majestic, at every favored time. When God Most High loves a servant, He employs him in excellent deeds at excellent times.
وَإِذَا مَقَتَ عَبْدًا اسْتَعْمَلَهُ فِي الْأَوْقَاتِ الْمُفَضَّلَةِ بِسَيِّئِ الْأَعْمَالِ لِيَكُونَ أَوْجَعَ فِي عِقَابِهِ وَأَشَدَّ لِمَقْتِهِ لِحِرْمَانِهِ بَرَكَةَ الْوَقْتِ وَانْتِهَاكِهِ حُرْمَةَ الْوَقْتِ وَمِمَّا يَخْتَصُّ بِهِ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ مِنَ
waʾidhā maqata ʿabdan istaʿmalahu fī al-ʾawqāti al-mufaḍḍalati bisayyiʾi al-ʾaʿmāli liyakūna ʾawjaʿa fī ʿiqābihi waʾashadda limaqtihi liḥirmānihi barakata al-waqti wantihākihi ḥurmata al-waqti wamimmā yakhtaṣṣu bihi yawmu al-jumuʿati mina
When He detests a servant, He employs him in evil deeds at favored times, so that his punishment may be more painful and His detestation more severe, because he is deprived of the time's blessing and violates its sanctity. Among the things special to Friday, in
الذِّكْرِ وَالتَّمْجِيدِ بِالْأَسْمَاءِ فُصُولٌ أَرْبَعَةٌ : أَوَّلُهَا : الْأَرْبَعُونَ اسْمًا الَّتِي دَعَا بِهَا إِدْرِيسُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَصَّهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِهَا وَذَكَرَ الْحَسَنُ الْبَصْرِيُّ أَنَّ مُوسَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ
al-dhikri wa-al-tamjīdi bi-al-ʾasmāʾi fuṣūlun ʾarbaʿatun: ʾawwaluhā: al-ʾarbaʿūna isman allatī daʿā bihā ʾidrīsu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama khaṣṣahu allāhu taʿālā bihā wadhakara al-ḥasanu al-baṣriyyu ʾanna mūsā ṣallā allāhu
remembrance and glorification by the names, are four sections. The first is the forty names with which Idrīs, may God bless him and grant him peace, supplicated; God Most High singled him out for them. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī mentioned that Moses, may God bless him
عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ كَانَ دَعَا بِهِنَّ وَأَنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِنْ دُعَاءِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ . وَالْفَصْلُ الثَّانِي : كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ الزَّاهِدُ يَدْعُو بِهَا كُلَّ يَوْمِ جُمُعَةٍ عَشْرَ مَرَّاتٍ إِذَا أَصْبَحَ
ʿalayhi wasallama qad kāna daʿā bihinna waʾannahā kānat min duʿāʾi muḥammadin ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama. wa-al-faṣlu al-thānī: kāna ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama al-zāhidu yadʿū bihā kulla yawmi jumuʿatin ʿashra marrātin ʾidhā ʾaṣbaḥa
and grant him peace, had supplicated with them, and that they were among the supplications of Muḥammad, may God bless him and grant him peace. The second section: Ibrāhīm ibn Adham the ascetic used to supplicate with it ten times every Friday when morning came
وَإِذَا أَمْسَى فَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ فِي يَوْمِهِ . وَالْفَصْلُ الثَّالِثُ : رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ رَوَاهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُمَجِّدُ نَفْسَهُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ
waʾidhā ʾamsā fakāna dhālika min ʿamalihi fī yawmihi. wa-al-faṣlu al-thālithu: rawaynā ʿan ʿaliyyin raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu rawāhu ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾanna allāha ʿazza wajalla yumajjidu nafsahu fī kulli yawmin
and when evening came; this was part of his practice that day. The third section: we have transmitted from ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him, who related it from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, that God, mighty and majestic, glorifies Himself every day
وَلَيْلَةٍ . وَالْفَصْلُ الرَّابِعُ : تَسْبِيحَاتُ أَبِي الْمَعْمَرِ وَهُوَ سُلَيْمَانُ التَّيْمِيُّ الَّذِي كَانَ رَأَى الشَّهِيدَ
walaylatin. wa-al-faṣlu al-rābiʿu: tasbīḥātu ʾabī al-maʿmari wahuwa sulaymānu al-taymiyyu alladhī kāna raʾā al-shahīda
and night. The fourth section is the glorifications of Abū al-Maʿmar, who is Sulaymān al-Taymī, who had seen the martyr
بَعْدَ قَتْلِهِ فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ : مَا أَفْضَلُ مَا رَأَيْتَ هُنَاكَ مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ ؟ فَقَالَ : رَأَيْتُ تَسْبِيحَاتِ أَبِي الْمُعْتَمِرِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِمَكَانٍ ، فَأَمَّا هَٰذَانِ الْفَصْلَانِ مِنْ تَمْجِيدِ الرَّبِّ
baʿda qatlihi fī al-manāmi faqīla lahu: mā ʾafḍalu mā raʾayta hunāka mina al-ʾaʿmāli? faqāla: raʾaytu tasbīḥāti ʾabī al-muʿtamiri mina allāhi ʿazza wajalla bimakānin, faʾammā hādhāni al-faṣlāni min tamjīdi al-rabbi
in a dream after he was killed. He was asked, “What were the best deeds you saw there?” He said, “I saw that the glorifications of Abū al-Muʿtamir held a high place with God, mighty and majestic.” As for these two sections, the glorification by the Lord,
سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى نَفْسَهُ ، وَتَسْبِيحَاتِ أَبِي الْمُعْتَمِرِ فَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَاهُمَا فِي أَوَّلِ الْكِتَابِ فِيمَا اخْتَرْنَا مِنَ الْأَدْعِيَةِ الْمُخْتَارَةِ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاةِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ فَاسْتَثْقَلْنَا
subḥānahu wataʿālā nafsahu, watasbīḥāti ʾabī al-muʿtamiri faqad dhakarnāhumā fī ʾawwali al-kitābi fīmā ikhtarnā mina al-ʾadʿiyati al-mukhtārati baʿda ṣalāti al-ghadāti waqabla ghurūbi al-shamsi fī kulli yawmin fastathqalnā
glorified and exalted is He, of Himself, and the glorifications of Abū al-Muʿtamir, we have mentioned both at the beginning of the book, among what we selected of the chosen supplications after the dawn prayer and before sunset every day. We thought it burdensome
إِعَادَتَهَا هَٰهُنَا ، وَأَمَّا الْفَصْلَانِ الْآخَرَانِ فَنَحْنُ ذَاكِرُوهُمَا .
ʾiʿādatahā hāhunā, waʾammā al-faṣlāni al-ʾākharāni fanaḥnu dhākirūhumā.
to repeat them here. As for the other two sections, we shall set them down.
ذِكْرُ دُعَاءِ إِدْرِيسَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
dhikru duʿāʾi ʾidrīsa al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama
The Supplication of the Prophet Idrīs, May God Bless Him and Grant Him Peace
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ يَحْيَى الشَّاهِدُ : حَدَّثَنَا الْقَاسِمُ بْنُ دَاوُودَ الْقَرَاطِيسِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْقُرَشِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْمُؤَذِّنُ حَدَّثَنَا سَلَّامٌ الطَّوِيلُ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ الْبَصْرِيِّ قَالَ
ḥaddathanā al-ḥasanu bnu yaḥyā al-shāhidu: ḥaddathanā al-qāsimu bnu dāwūda al-qarāṭīsiyyu ḥaddathanā ʿabdu allāhi bnu muḥammadin al-qurashiyyu ḥaddathanā muḥammadu bnu saʿīdin al-muʾadhdhinu ḥaddathanā sallāmun al-ṭawīlu ʿani al-ḥasani al-baṣriyyi qāla
Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā al-Shāhid told us: al-Qāsim ibn Dāwūd al-Qarāṭīsī told us: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Qurashī told us: Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd the caller to prayer told us: Sallām al-Ṭawīl told us, from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, who said:
: لَمَّا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِدْرِيسَ إِلَى قَوْمِهِ عَلَّمَهُ هَٰذِهِ الْأَسْمَاءَ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ : قُلْهُنَّ سِرًّا فِي نَفْسِكَ وَلَا تُبْدِهِنَّ لِلْقَوْمِ فَيَدْعُونِي بِهِنَّ ، قَالَ : وَبِهِنَّ دَعَا ،
: lammā baʿatha allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʾidrīsa ʾilā qawmihi ʿallamahu hādhihi al-ʾasmāʾa faʾawḥā allāhu ʾilayhi: qulhunna sirran fī nafsika walā tubdihinna lilqawmi fayadʿūnī bihinna, qāla: wabihinna daʿā,
“When God, mighty and majestic, sent Idrīs to his people, He taught him these names. God revealed to him, ‘Say them secretly within yourself, and do not disclose them to the people, lest they call upon Me with them.’” He said, “He supplicated with them,
فَرَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا ثُمَّ عَلَّمَهُنَّ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ثُمَّ عَلَّمَهُنَّ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَبِهِنَّ دَعَا فِي غَزْوَةِ الْأَحْزَابِ قَالَ الْحَسَنُ :
farafaʿahu allāhu ʿazza wajalla makānan ʿaliyyan thumma ʿallamahunna allāhu ʿazza wajalla mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu thumma ʿallamahunna allāhu ʿazza wajalla muḥammadan ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wabihinna daʿā fī ghazwati al-ʾaḥzābi qāla al-ḥasanu:
and God, mighty and majestic, raised him to a lofty place. Then God, mighty and majestic, taught them to Moses, peace be upon him. Then God, mighty and majestic, taught them to Muḥammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, and he supplicated with them during the campaign of the Confederates.” Al-Ḥasan said,
وَكُنْتُ مُسْتَخْفِيًا مِنَ الْحَجَّاجِ فَدَعَوْتُ اللَّهَ بِهِنَّ فَحَبَسَهُ عَنِّي وَلَقَدْ دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ سِتَّ مَرَّاتٍ فَأَدْعُو اللَّهَ بِهِنَّ فَأَخَذَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ عَنِّي فَادْعُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِنَّ لِالْتِمَاسِ الْمَغْفِرَةِ
wakuntu mustakhfiyan mina al-ḥajjāji fadaʿawtu allāha bihinna faḥabasahu ʿannī walaqad dakhala ʿalayya sitta marrātin faʾadʿū allāha bihinna faʾakhadha allāhu ʿazza wajalla biʾabṣārihim ʿannī fadʿu allāha ʿazza wajalla bihinna li-ltimāsi al-maghfirati
“I was hiding from al-Ḥajjāj, so I called upon God with them, and He held him back from me. He entered upon me six times; I would call upon God with them, and God, mighty and majestic, held their eyes away from me. So call upon God, mighty and majestic, with them to seek forgiveness
لِجَمِيعِ الذُّنُوبِ ثُمَّ سَلْ حَاجَتَكَ مِنْ أَمْرِ آخِرَتِكَ وَدُنْيَاكَ فَإِنَّكَ تُعْطَاهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَإِنَّهُنَّ أَرْبَعُونَ اسْمًا عَدَدَ أَيَّامِ التَّوْبَةِ سُبْحَانَكَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، يَا رَبَّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ ،
lijamīʿi al-dhunūbi thumma sal ḥājataka min ʾamri ʾākhiratika wadunyāka faʾinnaka tuʿṭāhu ʾin shāʾa allāhu taʿālā faʾinnahunna ʾarbaʿūna isman ʿadada ʾayyāmi al-tawbati subḥānaka lā ʾilaha ʾillā ʾanta, yā rabba kulli shayʾin,
for all sins. Then ask for what you need in the affairs of your hereafter and your worldly life, and you will be given it, if God Most High wills. They are forty names, the number of the days of repentance: Glory be to You; there is no god but You. O Lord of everything,
وَوَارِثَهُ ، وَرَازِقَهُ ، وَرَاحِمَهُ ، يَا إِلَهَ الْآلِهَةِ ، الرَّفِيعَ جَلَالُهُ ، يَا اللَّهُ الْمَحْمُودُ فِي كُلِّ فَعَالِهِ ، يَا رَحْمَنَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَرَاحِمَهُ ، يَا حَيُّ حِينَ لَا حَيَّ فِي دَيْمُومَةِ مُلْكِهِ وَبَقَائِهِ ،
wawārithahu, warāziqahu, warāḥimahu, yā ʾilaha al-ʾālihati, al-rafīʿa jalāluhu, yā allāhu al-maḥmūdu fī kulli faʿālihi, yā raḥmana kulli shayʾin warāḥimahu, yā ḥayyu ḥīna lā ḥayya fī daymūmati mulkihi wabaqāʾihi,
its Inheritor, its Provider, and the One who has mercy on it. O God of gods, exalted in His majesty. O God, praised in all His deeds. O All-Merciful to everything and the One who has mercy on it. O Living One, when none lives, in the perpetuity of His dominion and His abiding.
يَا قَيُّومُ فَلَا يَفُوتُ شَيْءٌ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ ، يَا وَاحِدُ ، الْبَاقِي فِي أَوَّلِ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَآخِرِهِ ، يَا دَائِمُ فَلَا فَنَاءَ وَلَا زَوَالَ لِمُلْكِهِ ، يَا صَمَدُ مِنْ غَيْرِ شَبِيهٍ وَلَا شَيْءَ كَمِثْلِهِ ،
yā qayyūmu falā yafūtu shayʾun min ʿilmihi walā yaʾūduhu, yā wāḥidu, al-bāqī fī ʾawwali kulli shayʾin waʾākhirihi, yā dāʾimu falā fanāʾa walā zawāla limulkihi, yā ṣamadu min ghayri shabīhin walā shayʾa kamithlihi,
O Self-Sustaining One, nothing escapes His knowledge or wearies Him. O One, abiding at the beginning of everything and its end. O Everlasting One, there is no extinction or passing away of His dominion. O Self-Sufficient One, without any likeness, and nothing is like Him.
يَا بَارِئُ فَلَا شَيْءَ كُفْؤُهُ وَلَا مَكَانَ لِوَصْفِهِ ، يَا كَبِيرُ أَنْتَ الَّذِي لَا تَهْتَدِي الْقُلُوبُ لِوَصْفِ عَظَمَتِهِ ، يَا بَارِئَ النُّفُوسِ بِلَا مِثَالٍ خَلَا مِنْ غَيْرِهِ ، يَا زَاكِي الطَّاهِرُ مِنْ كُلِّ آفَةٍ بِقُدْسِهِ ،
yā bāriʾu falā shayʾa kufʾuhu walā makāna liwaṣfihi, yā kabīru ʾanta alladhī lā tahtadī al-qulūbu liwaṣfi ʿaẓamatihi, yā bāriʾa al-nufūsi bilā mithālin khalā min ghayrihi, yā zākī al-ṭāhiru min kulli ʾāfatin biqudsihi,
O Originator, nothing is His equal and there is no place for His description. O Great One, You are He whose greatness hearts cannot find a way to describe. O Creator of souls without a model that came before from another. O Pure One, free of every affliction through His holiness.
يَا كَافِي الْمُوَسِّعُ لِمَا خَلَقَ مِنْ عَطَايَا فَضْلِهِ ، يَا نَقِيًّا مِنْ كُلِّ جَوْرٍ لَمْ يَرْضَهُ وَلَمْ يُخَالِطْهُ فَعَالُهُ ، يَا حَنَّانُ أَنْتَ الَّذِي وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا ، يَا ذَا الْإِحْسَانِ قَدْ عَمَّ كُلَّ
yā kāfī al-muwassiʿu limā khalaqa min ʿaṭāyā faḍlihi, yā naqiyyan min kulli jawrin lam yarḍahu walam yukhāliṭhu faʿāluhu, yā ḥannānu ʾanta alladhī wasiʿta kulla shayʾin raḥmatan waʿilman, yā dhā al-ʾiḥsāni qad ʿamma kulla
O Sufficient One, who gives spaciously to what He has created from the gifts of His favor. O One pure of every injustice, which He has neither approved nor mingled with His deeds. O Tenderly Merciful One, You are He who encompasses everything in mercy and knowledge. O Possessor of beneficence, from whom it has extended to all
الْخَلَائِقِ مِنْهُ ، يَا دَيَّانَ الْعِبَادِ كُلٌّ يَقُومُ خَاضِعًا لِرَهْبَتِهِ ، يَا خَالِقَ مَنْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَكُلٌّ إِلَيْهِ مَعَادُهُ ، يَا رَحِيمَ كُلِّ صَرِيخٍ وَمَكْرُوبٍ وَغِيَاثَهُ وَمَعَادَهُ ،
al-khalāʾiqi minhu, yā dayyāna al-ʿibādi kullun yaqūmu khāḍiʿan lirahbatihi, yā khāliqa man fī al-samawāti wa-al-ʾarḍi wakullun ʾilayhi maʿāduhu, yā raḥīma kulli ṣarīkhin wamakrūbin waghiyāthahu wamaʿādahu,
creatures. O Judge of servants, everyone stands humble in awe of Him. O Creator of those in the heavens and the earth, to whom everyone returns. O One merciful to every person crying out and every distressed person, their Aid and their Place of Return.
يَا تَامُّ فَلَا تَصِفُ الْأَلْسُنُ كُلَّ جَلَالِ مُلْكِهِ وَعِزِّهِ ، يَا مُبْدِعَ الْبَدَائِعِ لَمْ يَبْغِ فِي إِنْشَائِهَا عَوْنًا مِنْ خَلْقِهِ ، يَا عَلَّامَ الْغُيُوبِ فَلَا يَفُوتُهُ شَيْءٌ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ ،
yā tāmmu falā taṣifu al-ʾalsunu kulla jalāli mulkihi waʿizzihi, yā mubdiʿa al-badāʾiʿi lam yabghi fī ʾinshāʾihā ʿawnan min khalqihi, yā ʿallāma al-ghuyūbi falā yafūtuhu shayʾun min khalqihi walā yaʾūduhu,
O Perfect One, tongues cannot describe all the majesty of His dominion and His might. O Originator of wonders, He did not seek help from His creatures in bringing them into being. O Knower of the unseen, nothing of His creation escapes Him or wearies Him.
يَا حَلِيمُ ذَا الْأَنَاةِ فَلَا يُعَادِلُهُ شَيْءٌ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ ، يَا مُعِيدَ مَا أَفْنَاهُ إِذَا بَرَزَ الْخَلَائِقُ لِدَعْوَتِهِ مِنْ مَخَافَتِهِ ، يَا حَمِيدَ الْفَعَالِ ذَا الْمَنِّ عَلَى جَمِيعِ خَلْقِهِ بِلُطْفِهِ ،
yā ḥalīmu dhā al-ʾanāti falā yuʿādiluhu shayʾun min khalqihi, yā muʿīda mā ʾafnāhu ʾidhā baraza al-khalāʾiqu lidaʿwatihi min makhāfatihi, yā ḥamīda al-faʿāli dhā al-manni ʿalā jamīʿi khalqihi biluṭfihi,
O Forbearing One, possessed of patience, nothing in His creation equals Him. O Restorer of what He has caused to perish, when creatures come forth at His summons out of fear of Him. O One praised for His deeds, possessed of favor toward all His creation through His gentleness.
يَا عَزِيزُ الْمَنِيعُ الْغَالِبُ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ فَلَا شَيْءَ يُعَادِلُهُ ، يَا قَاهِرُ ذَا الْبَطْشِ الشَّدِيدِ أَنْتَ الَّذِي لَا يُطَاقُ انْتِقَامُهُ ، يَا قَرِيبُ الْمُتَعَالِي فَوْقَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ عُلُوَّ ارْتِفَاعِهِ ،
yā ʿazīzu al-manīʿu al-ghālibu ʿalā ʾamrihi falā shayʾa yuʿādiluhu, yā qāhiru dhā al-baṭshi al-shadīdi ʾanta alladhī lā yuṭāqu intiqāmuhu, yā qarību al-mutaʿālī fawqa kulli shayʾin ʿuluwwa irtifāʿihi,
O Mighty One, unassailable, prevailing in His command, nothing equals Him. O Overpowering One, possessed of a mighty grasp, You are He whose vengeance cannot be borne. O Near One, exalted above everything in the loftiness of His elevation.
يَا مُذِلَّ كُلِّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ بِقَهْرِ عَزِيزِ سُلْطَانِهِ ، يَا نُورَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدَاهُ ، أَنْتَ الَّذِي فَلَقَ الظُّلُمَاتِ بِنُورِهِ ،
yā mudhilla kulli jabbārin ʿanīdin biqahri ʿazīzi sulṭānihi, yā nūra kulli shayʾin wahudāhu, ʾanta alladhī falaqa al-ẓulumāti binūrihi,
O One who humbles every obstinate tyrant through the overpowering might of His sovereign authority. O Light of everything and its Guidance, You are He who split the darkness with His light.
يَا عَالِي الشَّامِخُ فَوْقَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ عُلُوَّ ارْتِفَاعِهِ ، يَا قُدُّوسُ الطَّاهِرُ مِنْ كُلِّ سُوءٍ فَلَا شَيْءَ يُعَادِلُهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ ، يَا مُبْدِئَ الْبَرَايَا وَمُعِيدَهَا بَعْدَ فَنَائِهَا بِقُدْرَتِهِ ،
yā ʿālī al-shāmikhu fawqa kulli shayʾin ʿuluwwa irtifāʿihi, yā quddūsu al-ṭāhiru min kulli sūʾin falā shayʾa yuʿādiluhu min khalqihi, yā mubdiʾa al-barāyā wamuʿīdahā baʿda fanāʾihā biqudratihi,
O High One, towering above everything in the loftiness of His elevation. O Holy One, pure of every evil, nothing of His creation equals Him. O Originator of created beings and their Restorer after they perish, through His power.
يَا جَلِيلُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ عَنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَالْعَدْلُ أَمْرُهُ وَالصِّدْقُ وَعْدُهُ ، يَا مَحْمُودُ فَلَا تَبْلُغُ الْأَوْهَامُ كُنْهَ ثَنَائِهِ وَمَجْدِهِ ، يَا كَرِيمَ الْعَفْوِ ذَا الْعَدْلِ أَنْتَ الَّذِي مَلَأَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ عَدْلُهُ ،
yā jalīlu al-mutakabbiru ʿan kulli shayʾin fa-al-ʿadlu ʾamruhu wa-al-ṣidqu waʿduhu, yā maḥmūdu falā tablughu al-ʾawhāmu kunha thanāʾihi wamajdihi, yā karīma al-ʿafwi dhā al-ʿadli ʾanta alladhī malaʾa kulla shayʾin ʿadluhu,
O Majestic One, exalted beyond everything: justice is His command and truth is His promise. O Praiseworthy One, thoughts cannot reach the essence of His praise and glory. O One generous in pardon, possessed of justice, You are He whose justice fills everything.
يَا عَظِيمُ ذَا الثَّنَاءِ الْفَاخِرِ وَذَا الْعِزِّ وَالْمَجْدِ وَالْكِبْرِيَاءِ فَلَا يَذِلُّ عِزُّهُ ، يَا عَجِيبُ فَلَا تَنْطِقُ الْأَلْسُنُ بِكُنْهِ آلَائِهِ وَثَنَائِهِ ، يَا غِيَاثِي عِنْدَ كُلِّ كُرْبَةٍ وَيَا مُجِيبِي عِنْدَ كُلِّ دَعْوَةٍ ،
yā ʿaẓīmu dhā al-thanāʾi al-fākhiri wadhā al-ʿizzi wa-al-majdi wa-al-kibriyāʾi falā yadhillu ʿizzuhu, yā ʿajību falā tanṭiqu al-ʾalsunu bikunhi ʾālāʾihi wathanāʾihi, yā ghiyāthī ʿinda kulli kurbatin wayā mujībī ʿinda kulli daʿwatin,
O Magnificent One, possessed of splendid praise, might, glory, and grandeur; His might is never humbled. O Wondrous One, tongues cannot express the essence of His bounties and praise. O my Aid in every distress, and O the One who answers me at every supplication,
أَسْأَلُكَ اللَّهُمَّ يَا رَبِّ الصَّلَاةَ عَلَى نَبِيِّكَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَمَانًا مِنْ عُقُوبَاتِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأَنْ تَحْبِسَ عَنِّي أَبْصَارَ الظَّالِمِينَ الْمُرِيدِينَ بِيَ السُّوءَ وَأَنْ تَصْرِفَ قُلُوبَهُمْ
ʾasʾaluka allāhumma yā rabbi al-ṣalāta ʿalā nabiyyika muḥammadin ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama waʾamānan min ʿuqūbāti al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati waʾan taḥbisa ʿannī ʾabṣāra al-ẓālimīna al-murīdīna biya al-sūʾa waʾan taṣrifa qulūbahum
I ask You, O God, O my Lord, for blessings upon Your prophet Muḥammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, for safety from the punishments of this world and the hereafter, that You hold back from me the eyes of the wrongdoers who intend evil against me, and that You turn their hearts
عَنْ شَرِّ مَا يُضْمِرُونَ بِي إِلَى خَيْرِ مَا لَا يَمْلِكُهُ غَيْرُكَ ، اللَّهُمَّ هَٰذَا الدُّعَاءُ وَمِنْكَ الْإِجَابَةُ وَهَٰذَا الْجُهْدُ وَعَلَيْكَ التُّكْلَانُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ
ʿan sharri mā yuḍmirūna bī ʾilā khayri mā lā yamlikuhu ghayruka, allāhumma hādhā al-duʿāʾu waminka al-ʾijābatu wahādhā al-juhdu waʿalayka al-tuklānu walā ḥawla walā quwwata ʾillā bi-allāhi waṣallā allāhu ʿalā sayyidinā muḥammadin
away from the evil they harbor against me toward the good that none but You possesses. O God, this is the supplication, and from You comes the answer. This is the effort, and upon You is reliance. There is no power and no strength except through God. May God bless our master Muḥammad
وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ .
waʾālihi wasallama.
and his family and grant peace.”
ذِكْرُ دُعَاءِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ
dhikru duʿāʾi ʾibrāhīma bni ʾadhama
The Supplication of Ibrāhīm ibn Adham
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْمَوْصِلِيِّ الْوَكِيلُ بْنُ الْمُوَكَّلِ حَدَّثَنَا : جَعْفَرُ بْنُ نُصَيْرٍ الْخَوَّاصُ الْخُرَاسَانِيُّ حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ خَادِمُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ قَالَ :
ḥaddathanā ʾaḥmadu bnu al-mawṣiliyyi al-wakīlu bnu al-muwakkali ḥaddathanā: jaʿfaru bnu nuṣayrin al-khawwāṣu al-khurāsāniyyu ḥaddathanī ʾibrāhīmu bnu bashshārin khādimu ʾibrāhīma bni ʾadhama qāla:
Aḥmad ibn al-Mawṣilī al-Wakīl ibn al-Muwakkal told us: Jaʿfar ibn Nuṣayr al-Khawwāṣ al-Khurāsānī told us: Ibrāhīm ibn Bashshār, the servant of Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, told me, saying:
كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ يَقُولُ هَٰذَا الدُّعَاءَ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ إِذَا أَصْبَحَ وَيَقُولُهُ إِذَا أَمْسَى مِثْلَ ذَٰلِكَ مَرْحَبًا بِيَوْمِ الْمَزِيدِ وَالصُّبْحِ الْجَدِيدِ وَالْكَاتِبِ الشَّهِيدِ يَوْمُنَا هَٰذَا يَوْمُ عِيدٍ اكْتُبْ
kāna ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama yaqūlu hādhā al-duʿāʾa fī yawmi al-jumuʿati ʾidhā ʾaṣbaḥa wayaqūluhu ʾidhā ʾamsā mithla dhālika marḥaban biyawmi al-mazīdi wa-al-ṣubḥi al-jadīdi wa-al-kātibi al-shahīdi yawmunā hādhā yawmu ʿīdin uktub
Ibrāhīm ibn Adham used to say this supplication on Friday when morning came, and say the same when evening came: “Welcome to the Day of Increase, the new morning, and the witnessing scribe. This day of ours is a feast day. Record
لَنَا مَا نَقُولُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الْحَمِيدِ الْمَجِيدِ الرَّفِيعِ الْوَدُودِ الْفَعَّالِ فِي خَلْقِهِ مَا يُرِيدُ أَصْبَحْتُ بِاللَّهِ مُؤْمِنًا وَبِلِقَائِهِ مُصَدِّقًا وَبِحُجَّتِهِ مُعْتَرِفًا وَمِنْ ذَنْبِي مُسْتَغْفِرًا وَلِرُبُوبِيَّةِ اللَّهِ
lanā mā naqūlu bismi allāhi al-ḥamīdi al-majīdi al-rafīʿi al-wadūdi al-faʿʿāli fī khalqihi mā yurīdu ʾaṣbaḥtu bi-allāhi muʾminan wabiliqāʾihi muṣaddiqan wabiḥujjatihi muʿtarifan wamin dhanbī mustaghfiran walirubūbiyyati allāhi
for us what we say: In the name of God, the Praiseworthy, the Glorious, the Exalted, the Loving, who does among His creation whatever He wills. I enter the morning believing in God, affirming the meeting with Him, acknowledging His proof, seeking forgiveness for my sin, submitting to the lordship of God,
خَاضِعًا وَلِسِوَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الْإِلَهِيَّةِ جَاحِدًا وَإِلَى اللَّهِ فَقِيرًا وَعَلَى اللَّهِ مُتَوَكِّلًا وَإِلَى اللَّهِ مُنِيبًا ، أُشْهِدُ اللَّهَ وَأُشْهِدُ مَلَائِكَتَهُ وَأَنْبِيَاءَهُ وَرُسُلَهُ وَحَمَلَةَ عَرْشِهِ وَمَنْ خَلَقَ وَمَنْ
khāḍiʿan walisiwā allāhi ʿazza wajalla fī al-ʾilahiyyati jāḥidan waʾilā allāhi faqīran waʿalā allāhi mutawakkilan waʾilā allāhi munīban, ʾushhidu allāha waʾushhidu malāʾikatahu waʾanbiyāʾahu warusulahu waḥamalata ʿarshihi waman khalaqa waman
and denying divinity to anyone besides God, mighty and majestic; in need of God, relying upon God, and turning to God. I call God to witness, and I call His angels, His prophets, His messengers, the bearers of His Throne, those He has created, and those
هُوَ خَالِقُهُ بِأَنَّهُ هُوَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَنَّ الْجَنَّةَ حَقٌّ وَالنَّارَ حَقٌّ وَالْحَوْضَ حَقٌّ وَالشَّفَاعَةَ حَقٌّ وَمُنْكَرًا وَنَكِيرًا
huwa khāliquhu biʾannahu huwa allāhu lā ʾilaha ʾillā huwa waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu waʾanna muḥammadan ʿabduhu warasūluhu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama waʾanna al-jannata ḥaqqun wa-al-nāra ḥaqqun wa-al-ḥawḍa ḥaqqun wa-al-shafāʿata ḥaqqun wamunkaran wanakīran
He will create to witness that He is God; there is no god but He alone, with no partner. Muḥammad is His servant and His messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace. Paradise is real, the Fire is real, the Basin is real, intercession is real, and Munkar and Nakīr
حَقٌّ وَلِقَاءَكَ حَقٌّ وَوَعْدَكَ حَقٌّ وَالسَّاعَةَ آتِيَةٌ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَا وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْعَثُ مَنْ فِي الْقُبُورِ عَلَى ذَٰلِكَ أَحْيَا وَعَلَيْهِ أَمُوتُ وَعَلَيْهِ أُبْعَثُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ ، اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
ḥaqqun waliqāʾaka ḥaqqun wawaʿdaka ḥaqqun wa-al-sāʿata ʾātiyatun lā rayba fīhā waʾanna allāha yabʿathu man fī al-qubūri ʿalā dhālika ʾaḥyā waʿalayhi ʾamūtu waʿalayhi ʾubʿathu ʾin shāʾa allāhu, allāhumma ʾanta rabbī lā ʾilaha ʾillā ʾanta
are real. Meeting You is real, Your promise is true, and the Hour is coming, without doubt. God will raise those in the graves. On this I live, on it I die, and on it I will be raised, if God wills. O God, You are my Lord; there is no god but You.
خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ اللَّهُمَّ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ ذِي شَرٍّ ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي ذُنُوبِي فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَاهْدِنِي
khalaqtanī waʾanā ʿabduka waʾanā ʿalā ʿahdika wawaʿdika mā istaṭaʿtu, ʾaʿūdhu bika allāhumma min sharri kulli dhī sharrin, allāhumma ʾinnī ẓalamtu nafsī faghfir lī dhunūbī faʾinnahu lā yaghfiru al-dhunūba ʾillā ʾanta wahdinī
You created me, and I am Your servant. I keep Your covenant and Your promise as far as I can. I seek refuge in You, O God, from the evil of every bearer of evil. O God, I have wronged myself, so forgive me my sins, for none forgives sins but You. Guide me
لِأَحْسَنِ الْأَخْلَاقِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي لِأَحْسَنِهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، وَاصْرِفِ اللَّهُمَّ يَا رَبِّ عَنِّي سَيِّئَهَا فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَصْرِفُ سَيِّئَهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ وَالْخَيْرُ كُلُّهُ بِيَدَيْكَ أَنَا لَكَ وَإِلَيْكَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ
liʾaḥsani al-ʾakhlāqi faʾinnahu lā yahdī liʾaḥsanihā ʾillā ʾanta, waṣrifi allāhumma yā rabbi ʿannī sayyiʾahā faʾinnahu lā yaṣrifu sayyiʾahā ʾillā ʾanta labbayka wasaʿdayka wa-al-khayru kulluhu biyadayka ʾanā laka waʾilayka ʾastaghfiruka
to the best character, for none guides to its best but You. Turn its evil away from me, O God, O my Lord, for none turns its evil away but You. Here I am at Your service, ever ready to help; all good is in Your hands. I belong to You, and to You I turn. I seek Your forgiveness
وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ ، آمَنْتُ اللَّهُمَّ بِمَا أَرْسَلْتَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ ، وَآمَنْتُ اللَّهُمَّ بِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِيِّ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَثِيرًا خَاتِمَ كَلَامِي وَمِفْتَاحَهُ وَعَلَى
waʾatūbu ʾilayka, ʾāmantu allāhumma bimā ʾarsalta min rasūlin, waʾāmantu allāhumma bimā ʾanzalta min kitābin waṣallā allāhu ʿalā sayyidinā muḥammadin al-nabiyyi waʿalā ʾālihi wasallama kathīran khātima kalāmī wamiftāḥahu waʿalā
and repent to You. I believe, O God, in every messenger You have sent. I believe, O God, in every Book You have sent down. May God bless our master Muḥammad the Prophet and his family, and grant abundant peace, as the seal of my words and their opening, and upon
أَنْبِيَائِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ آمِينَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ ، اللَّهُمَّ أَوْرِدْنَا حَوْضَهُ وَاسْقِنَا بِكَأْسِهِ مَشْرُوبًا رَوِيًّا سَائِغًا هَنِيئًا ،
ʾanbiyāʾihi warusulihi ʾajmaʿīna ʾāmīna yā rabba al-ʿālamīna, allāhumma ʾawridnā ḥawḍahu wasqinā bikaʾsihi mashrūban rawiyyan sāʾighan hanīʾan,
all His prophets and messengers. Amen, O Lord of all worlds. O God, bring us to his Basin and give us drink from his cup: a quenching draught, easy to swallow and delightful,
لَا نَظْمَأُ بَعْدَهُ أَبَدًا
lā naẓmaʾu baʿdahu ʾabadan
after which we will never thirst again.
وَاحْشُرْنَا فِي زُمْرَتِهِ غَيْرَ خَزَايَا وَلَا نَادِمِينَ وَلَا نَاكِثِينَ وَلَا مُرْتَابِينَ وَلَا مَفْتُونِينَ وَلَا مَغْضُوبًا عَلَيْنَا وَلَا ضَالِّينَ ، اللَّهُمَّ اعْصِمْنِي مِنْ فِتَنِ الدُّنْيَا وَوَفِّقْنِي لِمَا تُحِبُّ وَتَرْضَى مِنَ
waḥshurnā fī zumratihi ghayra khazāyā walā nādimīna walā nākithīna walā murtābīna walā maftūnīna walā maghḍūban ʿalaynā walā ḍāllīna, allāhumma iʿṣimnī min fitani al-dunyā wawaffiqnī limā tuḥibbu watarḍā mina
Gather us in his company without disgrace or regret, without breaking our pledges or doubting, without being led astray, without incurring wrath or going astray. O God, protect me from the trials of this world and grant me success in the deeds You love and approve,
الْعَمَلِ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ وَثَبِّتْنِي بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ وَلَا تُضِلَّنِي وَإِنْ كُنْتُ ظَالِمًا سُبْحَانَكَ سُبْحَانَكَ يَا عَلِيُّ ، يَا عَظِيمُ ، يَا بَارُّ ، يَا رَحِيمُ ،
al-ʿamali waʾaṣliḥ lī shaʾnī kullahu wathabbitnī bi-al-qawli al-thābiti fī al-ḥayāti al-dunyā wafī al-ʾākhirati walā tuḍillanī waʾin kuntu ẓāliman subḥānaka subḥānaka yā ʿaliyyu, yā ʿaẓīmu, yā bārru, yā raḥīmu,
and set all my affairs right. Make me steadfast with the steadfast word in worldly life and in the hereafter, and do not lead me astray even if I am a wrongdoer. Glory be to You, glory be to You! O Exalted One, O Magnificent One, O Beneficent One, O Merciful One,
يَا عَزِيزُ ، يَا جَبَّارُ ، سُبْحَانَ مَنْ سَبَّحَتْ لَهُ السَّمَوَاتُ بِأَكْنَافِهَا ، وَسُبْحَانَ مَنْ سَبَّحَتْ لَهُ الْجِبَالُ بِأَصْوَاتِهَا ، وَسُبْحَانَ مَنْ سَبَّحَتْ لَهُ الْبِحَارُ بِأَمْوَاجِهَا ،
yā ʿazīzu, yā jabbāru, subḥāna man sabbaḥat lahu al-samawātu biʾaknāfihā, wasubḥāna man sabbaḥat lahu al-jibālu biʾaṣwātihā, wasubḥāna man sabbaḥat lahu al-biḥāru biʾamwājihā,
O Mighty One, O Compeller! Glory be to Him whom the heavens glorify in all their reaches. Glory be to Him whom the mountains glorify with their voices. Glory be to Him whom the seas glorify with their waves.
وَسُبْحَانَ مَنْ سَبَّحَتْ لَهُ الْحِيتَانُ بِلُغَاتِهَا ، وَسُبْحَانَ مَنْ سَبَّحَتْ لَهُ النُّجُومُ فِي السَّمَاءِ بِأَبْرَاقِهَا ، وَسُبْحَانَ مَنْ سَبَّحَتْ لَهُ الشَّجَرُ بِأُصُولِهَا وَنَضَارَتِهَا ،
wasubḥāna man sabbaḥat lahu al-ḥītānu bilughātihā, wasubḥāna man sabbaḥat lahu al-nujūmu fī al-samāʾi biʾabrāqihā, wasubḥāna man sabbaḥat lahu al-shajaru biʾuṣūlihā wanaḍāratihā,
Glory be to Him whom the fish glorify in their languages. Glory be to Him whom the stars in the sky glorify with their flashes. Glory be to Him whom the trees glorify with their roots and their freshness.
وَسُبْحَانَ مَنْ سَبَّحَتْ لَهُ السَّمَوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالْأَرْضُونَ السَّبْعُ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَنْ عَلَيْهِنَّ ، سُبْحَانَكَ سُبْحَانَكَ يَا حَيُّ ، يَا حَلِيمُ ، سُبْحَانَكَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَحْدَكَ ،
wasubḥāna man sabbaḥat lahu al-samawātu al-sabʿu wa-al-ʾarḍūna al-sabʿu waman fīhinna waman ʿalayhinna, subḥānaka subḥānaka yā ḥayyu, yā ḥalīmu, subḥānaka lā ʾilaha ʾillā ʾanta waḥdaka,
Glory be to Him whom the seven heavens and the seven earths glorify, and those within them and those upon them. Glory be to You, glory be to You! O Living One, O Forbearing One! Glory be to You; there is no god but You alone,
لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ تُحْيِي وَتُمِيتُ وَأَنْتَ حَيٌّ لَا تَمُوتُ ، بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ، فَإِذَا دَعَا بِهَٰذِهِ الْأَدْعِيَةِ الْأَرْبَعِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَدْ كَمَّلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَمَلَهُ وَتَمَّ عَلَيْهِ فَضْلُهُ
lā sharīka laka tuḥyī watumītu waʾanta ḥayyun lā tamūtu, biyadika al-khayru waʾanta ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīrun, faʾidhā daʿā bihādhihi al-ʾadʿiyati al-ʾarbaʿi yawma al-jumuʿati faqad kammala allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿamalahu watamma ʿalayhi faḍluhu
with no partner. You give life and cause death; You are living and never die. All good is in Your hand, and You have power over everything.” When he supplicates with these four supplications on Friday, God, mighty and majestic, has perfected his work and completed His favor upon him.
فَإِذَا عَمِلَ بِخَيْرِ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ وَالْأَذْكَارِ وَاجْتَنَبَ سَيِّءَ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ مِنَ الْأَقْوَالِ وَالْأَفْعَالِ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَمِمَّنْ لَهُ الْمَزِيدُ بِهَا نَصِيبًا مَوْفُورًا وَكَانَ عَمَلُهُ الْخَالِصُ
faʾidhā ʿamila bikhayri mā dhakarnāhu mina al-ʾaʿmāli wa-al-ʾadhkāri wajtanaba sayyiʾa mā dhakarnāhu mina al-ʾaqwāli wa-al-ʾafʿāli fahuwa min ʾahli al-jumuʿati wamimman lahu al-mazīdu bihā naṣīban mawfūran wakāna ʿamaluhu al-khāliṣu
When he performs the good deeds and remembrances we have mentioned and avoids the evil words and actions we have mentioned, he is among the people of Friday and among those who receive through it an abundant share of increase. His sincere work
وَذِكْرُهُ الصَّادِقُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَشْكُورًا ، وَهَٰذَا آخِرُ كِتَابِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَهَيْئَاتِهَا وَآدَابِهَا .
wadhikruhu al-ṣādiqu ʿinda allāhi ʿazza wajalla mashkūran, wahādhā ʾākhiru kitābi al-jumuʿati wahayʾātihā waʾādābihā.
and his truthful remembrance are appreciated by God, mighty and majestic. This is the end of the Book of Friday Prayer, Its Forms and Proper Conduct.
الْفَصْلُ الثَّانِي وَالْعِشْرُونَ فِيهِ كِتَابُ الصِّيَامِ وَتَرْتِيبُهُ وَوَصْفُ الصَّائِمِينَ وَذِكْرُ مَا يُسْتَحَبُّ لِلْعَبْدِ مِنَ الصِّيَامِ وَطَرَقَاتُ الصَّائِمِينَ فِي الصَّوْمِ وَوَصْفُ صَوْمِ الْخُصُوصِ
al-faṣlu al-thānī wa-al-ʿishrūna fīhi kitābu al-ṣiyāmi watartībuhu wawaṣfu al-ṣāʾimīna wadhikru mā yustaḥabbu lilʿabdi mina al-ṣiyāmi waṭaraqātu al-ṣāʾimīna fī al-ṣawmi wawaṣfu ṣawmi al-khuṣūṣi
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Book of Fasting and Its Arrangement; the Description of Those Who Fast; the Fasts Recommended for the Servant; the Paths Followed by Those Who Fast; and the Fast of the Elect
قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ) الْبَقَرَةُ : 351 ، جَاءَ فِي التَّفْسِيرِ : الصَّبْرُ يَعْنِي الصَّوْمَ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُسَمِّي رَمَضَانَ شَهْرَ الصَّبْرِ لِأَنَّ الصَّبْرَ حَبْسُ النَّفْسِ عَنِ الْهَوَى وَإِيقَافُهَا وَحَبْسُهَا عَلَى أَمْرِ
qāla allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ( wastaʿīnū bi-al-ṣabri wa-al-ṣalāti ) al-baqaratu: 351 , jāʾa fī al-tafsīri: al-ṣabru yaʿnī al-ṣawma wakāna rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yusammī ramaḍāna shahra al-ṣabri liʾanna al-ṣabra ḥabsu al-nafsi ʿani al-hawā waʾīqāfuhā waḥabsuhā ʿalā ʾamri
God, mighty and majestic, says, “Seek help through patience and prayer” (al-Baqara 351). In the commentary, patience is explained as fasting. The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to call Ramadan the month of patience, because patience means restraining the self from desire, bringing it to a halt, and holding it to the command of
الْمَوْلَى ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : الصَّبْرُ نِصْفُ الْإِيمَانِ وَالصَّوْمُ نِصْفُ الصَّبْرِ ، وَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : ( وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ ) الْبَقَرَةُ : 351 ، قِيلَ : مَعْنَاهُ عَلَى مُجَاهَدَةِ النَّفْسِ وَقِيلَ : عَلَى مُصَابَرَةِ الْعَدُوِّ ،
al-mawlā , waqad rawaynā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla: al-ṣabru niṣfu al-ʾīmāni wa-al-ṣawmu niṣfu al-ṣabri , waqāla allāhu taʿālā: ( wastaʿīnū bi-al-ṣabri ) al-baqaratu: 351 , qīla: maʿnāhu ʿalā mujāhadati al-nafsi waqīla: ʿalā muṣābarati al-ʿaduwwi ,
the Lord. We have transmitted from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he said, “Patience is half of faith, and fasting is half of patience.” God Most High says, “Seek help through patience” (al-Baqara 351). It has been said that this means in struggling against the self; it has also been said that it means in patiently withstanding the enemy.
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ : اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ عَلَى الزَّهَادَةِ فِي الدُّنْيَا بِالصَّوْمِ ، لِأَنَّ الصَّائِمَ كَالزَّاهِدِ الْعَابِدِ ، فَالصَّوْمُ مِفْتَاحُ الزُّهْدِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَبَابُ الْعِبَادَةِ لِلْمَوْلَى لِأَنَّهُ مَنْعُ النَّفْسِ عَنْ مَلَاذِّهَا وَشَهَوَاتِهَا مِنَ الطَّعَامِ وَالشَّرَابِ كَمَا
waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: istaʿīnū bi-al-ṣabri ʿalā al-zahādati fī al-dunyā bi-al-ṣawmi , liʾanna al-ṣāʾima ka-al-zāhidi al-ʿābidi , fa-al-ṣawmu miftāḥu al-zuhdi fī al-dunyā wabābu al-ʿibādati lilmawlā liʾannahu manʿu al-nafsi ʿan malādhdhihā washahawātihā mina al-ṭaʿāmi wa-al-sharābi kamā
Some scholars said, “Seek help through patience, by fasting, in renouncing this world.” The fasting person is like the ascetic devoted to worship. Fasting is the key to renunciation of the world and the gateway to worship of the Lord, because it deprives the self of its pleasures and appetites in food and drink, just as
مَنَعَهَا الزَّاهِدُ الْعَابِدُ بِدُخُولِهِ فِي الزُّهْدِ وَشُغْلِهِ بِالْعِبَادَةِ ، وَلِذَٰلِكَ جَمَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَهُمَا فِي الْمَعْنَى فَقَالَ : إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُبَاهِي مَلَائِكَتَهُ بِالشَّابِ الْعَابِدِ فَيَقُولُ :
manaʿahā al-zāhidu al-ʿābidu bidukhūlihi fī al-zuhdi washughlihi bi-al-ʿibādati , walidhālika jamaʿa rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama baynahumā fī al-maʿnā faqāla: ʾinna allāha ʿazza wajalla yubāhī malāʾikatahu bi-al-shābi al-ʿābidi fayaqūlu:
the ascetic devoted to worship deprives it of these by entering into renunciation and occupying himself with worship. That is why the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, linked the two in meaning when he said, “God, mighty and majestic, proudly displays the young worshipper to His angels, saying,
أَيُّهَا الشَّابُ التَّارِكُ شَهْوَتَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي الْمُبْتَذِلُ شَبَابَهُ لِي أَنْتَ عِنْدِي كَبَعْضِ مَلَائِكَتِي ، وَقَالَ فِي الصَّائِمِ : مِثْلَ ذَٰلِكَ يَقُولُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : يَا مَلَائِكَتِي انْظُرُوا إِلَى عَبْدِي تَرَكَ شَهْوَتَهُ وَلَذَّتَهُ وَطَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي ،
ʾayyuhā al-shābu al-tāriku shahwatahu min ʾajlī al-mubtadhilu shabābahu lī ʾanta ʿindī kabaʿḍi malāʾikatī , waqāla fī al-ṣāʾimi: mithla dhālika yaqūlu ʿazza wajalla: yā malāʾikatī unẓurū ʾilā ʿabdī taraka shahwatahu waladhdhatahu waṭaʿāmahu washarābahu min ʾajlī ,
‘Young man who abandons his desire for My sake and spends his youth for Me, you are in My sight like some of My angels.’” He said the same of the fasting person: the Mighty and Majestic says, “My angels, look at My servant: he has abandoned his desire, his pleasure, his food, and his drink for My sake.”
فَفِي الصَّوْمِ عَوْنٌ عَلَى مُجَاهَدَةِ النَّفْسِ وَقَطْعِ حُظُوظِهَا وَمَنْعِ عَادَتِهَا وَفِيهِ إِضْعَافٌ لَهَا وَنُقْصَانٌ لِهَوَاهَا ، وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلَّا الصَّوْمَ فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ ،
fafī al-ṣawmi ʿawnun ʿalā mujāhadati al-nafsi waqaṭʿi ḥuẓūẓihā wamanʿi ʿādatihā wafīhi ʾiḍʿāfun lahā wanuqṣānun lihawāhā , waqāla rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaqūlu allāhu ʿazza wajalla: kullu ʿamali ibni ʾādama lahu ʾillā al-ṣawma faʾinnahu lī waʾanā ʾajzī bihi ,
Fasting thus helps one struggle against the self, cut off its allotted pleasures, and restrain its habitual ways; it weakens the self and diminishes its desire. The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “God, mighty and majestic, says, ‘Every deed of the child of Adam belongs to him except fasting: it belongs to Me, and I reward it.’”
فَأَضَافَهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَيْهِ تَفْضِيلًا لَهُ تَخْصِيصًا كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى : ( وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا ) الْجِنُِ : 18 وَكَمَا قَالَ : ( إِنَّمَا أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ رَبَّ هَٰذِهِ الْبَلْدَةِ الَّذِي حَرَّمَهَا ) النَّمْلُ :
faʾaḍāfahu ʿazza wajalla ʾilayhi tafḍīlan lahu takhṣīṣan kamā qāla taʿālā: ( waʾanna al-masājida li-llāhi falā tadʿū maʿa allāhi ʾaḥadan ) al-jinnu: 18 wakamā qāla: ( ʾinnamā ʾumirtu ʾan ʾaʿbuda rabba hādhihi al-baldati alladhī ḥarramahā ) al-namlu:
He, mighty and majestic, ascribed it to Himself to distinguish and favor it, just as He Most High said, “The places of worship belong to God, so do not call upon anyone alongside God” (al-Jinn 18), and as He said, “I have only been commanded to worship the Lord of this city, who has made it sacred” (al-Naml
91 فَلَمَّا كَانَتِ الْمَسَاجِدُ أَحَبَّ بُيُوتِ الدُّنْيَا إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَتْ مَكَّةُ أَشْرَفَ الْبِلَادِ عِنْدَهُ أَضَافَهَا إِلَى ذِكْرِهِ وَلَهُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ كَذَٰلِكَ لَمَّا كَانَ الصِّيَامُ أَفْضَلَ الْأَعْمَالِ عِنْدَهُ وَأَحَبَّهَا إِلَيْهِ لِأَنَّ فِيهِ خُلُقًا مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الصَّمَدِيَّةِ وَلِأَنَّهُ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ السِّرِّ بِحَيْثُ لَا
91 falammā kānati al-masājidu ʾaḥabba buyūti al-dunyā ʾilayhi wakānat makkatu ʾashrafa al-bilādi ʿindahu ʾaḍāfahā ʾilā dhikrihi walahu kullu shayʾin kadhālika lammā kāna al-ṣiyāmu ʾafḍala al-ʾaʿmāli ʿindahu waʾaḥabbahā ʾilayhi liʾanna fīhi khuluqan min ʾakhlāqi al-ṣamadiyyati waliʾannahu min ʾaʿmāli al-sirri biḥaythu lā
91). Since mosques are the houses in this world most beloved to Him, and Mecca is the noblest land in His sight, He associated them with the mention of Himself, although everything belongs to Him. Similarly, since fasting is the best of deeds in His sight and the most beloved to Him, because it contains a quality among the qualities of divine self-sufficiency and belongs to the hidden deeds that
يَطَّلِعُ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا هُوَ أَضَافَهُ لِنَفْسِهِ ، وَقِيلَ : مَا فِي عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ شَيْءٌ إِلَّا وَيَقَعُ فِيهِ قِصَاصٌ وَيَذْهَبُ بِرَدِّ الْمَظَالِمِ إِلَّا الصَّوْمَ
yaṭṭaliʿu ʿalayhi ʾillā huwa ʾaḍāfahu linafsihi , waqīla: mā fī ʿamali ibni ʾādama shayʾun ʾillā wayaqaʿu fīhi qiṣāṣun wayadhhabu biraddi al-maẓālimi ʾillā al-ṣawma
none but He can observe, He ascribed it to Himself. It has been said, “There is no deed of the child of Adam that is not subject to requital and spent in restoring the rights of those he has wronged, except fasting:
فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَدْخُلُهُ قِصَاصٌ ، وَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ جَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ : هَٰذَا لِي فَلَا يَقْتَصُّ مِنْهُ أَحَدٌ شَيْئًا ، يُقَالُ : مَا مِنْ عَمَلٍ إِلَّا وَلَهُ جَزَاءٌ مَعْلُومٌ إِلَّا الصَّوْمَ فَإِنَّهُ لَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا جَزَاؤُهُ وَيَكُونُ أَجْرُهُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ يُفْرَغُ لَهُ إِفْرَاغًا وَيُجَازَفُ مُجَازَفَةً
faʾinnahu lā yadkhuluhu qiṣāṣun , wayaqūlu allāhu ʿazza jalla yawma al-qiyāmati: hādhā lī falā yaqtaṣṣu minhu ʾaḥadun shayʾan , yuqālu: mā min ʿamalin ʾillā walahu jazāʾun maʿlūmun ʾillā al-ṣawma faʾinnahu lā taʿlamu nafsun mā jazāʾuhu wayakūnu ʾajruhu bighayri ḥisābin yufraghu lahu ʾifrāghan wayujāzafu mujāzafatan
no requital touches it. On the Day of Resurrection, God, mighty and majestic, says, ‘This belongs to Me; no one shall exact anything from it.’” It is said, “Every deed has a known reward except fasting. No soul knows its reward; its recompense is beyond reckoning, poured out abundantly for its doer and bestowed without measure.”
وَهُوَ أَحَدُ الْوُجُوهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ) السَّجْدَةُ : 17 ، قِيلَ : كَانَ عَمَلُهُمُ الصِّيَامَ ، وَكَذَٰلِكَ فِي تَأْوِيلِ قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ :
wahuwa ʾaḥadu al-wujūhi fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ( falā taʿlamu nafsun mā ʾukhfiya lahum min qurrati ʾaʿyunin jazāʾan bimā kānū yaʿmalūna ) al-sajdatu: 17 , qīla: kāna ʿamaluhumu al-ṣiyāma , wakadhālika fī taʾwīli qawlihi ʿazza wajalla:
This is one interpretation of His saying, mighty and majestic, “No soul knows what delight has been hidden for them as a reward for what they used to do” (al-Sajda 17). It has been said that their deed was fasting. The same applies to the interpretation of His saying, mighty and majestic,
السَّائِحُونَ قِيلَ هُمُ الصَّائِمُونَ كَأَنَّهُمْ سَاحُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِجُوعِهِمْ وَعَطَشِهِمْ وَتَرَكُوا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنِ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا مِنْ أَكْلِهِمْ وَشُرْبِهِمْ فَآوَاهُمْ مَوْلَاهُمْ فِيمَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً لِعَمَلِهِمْ ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى :
al-sāʾiḥūna qīla humu al-ṣāʾimūna kaʾannahum sāḥū ʾilā rabbihim ʿazza wajalla bijūʿihim waʿaṭashihim watarakū qurrata ʾaʿyuni ʾabnāʾi al-dunyā min ʾaklihim washurbihim faʾāwāhum mawlāhum fīmā ʾukhfiya lahum min qurrati ʾaʿyunin jazāʾan liʿamalihim , waqāla taʿālā:
“Those who journey”: it has been said that they are those who fast, as though they journeyed to their Lord, mighty and majestic, through their hunger and thirst. They relinquished the delight worldly people take in eating and drinking, so their Lord sheltered them in the delight hidden for them as a reward for their deeds. He Most High said,
( إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ) الزُّمَرُ : 10 ، قِيلَ : الصَّائِمُونَ وَالصَّبْرُ اسْمٌ مِنْ أَسْمَاءِ الصَّوْمِ فَلَمَّا أَخْفَىٰ ذِكْرَهُ بِالصَّوْمِ فِي نَفْسِهِ أَخْفَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ جَزَاءَهُ إِيَّاهُ عَنْ غَيْرِ نَفْسِهِ . وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ :
( ʾinnamā yuwaffā al-ṣābirūna ʾajrahum bighayri ḥisābin ) al-zumaru: 10 , qīla: al-ṣāʾimūna wa-al-ṣabru ismun min ʾasmāʾi al-ṣawmi falammā ʾakhfā dhikrahu bi-al-ṣawmi fī nafsihi ʾakhfā allāhu ʿazza wajalla jazāʾahu ʾiyyāhu ʿan ghayri nafsihi. wafī al-ḥadīthi:
“Those who are patient will be paid their reward in full, without reckoning” (al-Zumar 10). It has been said that this means those who fast. Patience is one of the names of fasting. When he conceals his remembrance of Him through fasting within himself, God, mighty and majestic, conceals His reward for him from everyone but Himself. In the hadith:
مَنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي نَفْسِهِ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي نَفْسِي ، فَالصَّوْمُ ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَهُوَ سِرٌّ وَلَيْسَ أَسْتَحِبُّ لِلْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَزِيدَ عَلَى إِفْطَارِ أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ نَسَقًا فَإِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ يُقَسِّي الْقَلْبَ وَيُغَيِّرُ الْحَالَ وَيُوَلِّدُ الْعَادَاتِ وَيَفْتِقُ الشَّهَوَاتِ وَلِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يُؤْمَرْ وَلَمْ يُنْدَبْ إِلَى أَنْ
man dhakaranī fī nafsihi dhakartuhu fī nafsī , fa-al-ṣawmu dhikru allāhi ʿazza wajalla wahuwa sirrun walaysa ʾastaḥibbu lilʿabdi ʾan yazīda ʿalā ʾifṭāri ʾarbaʿati ʾayyāmin nasaqan faʾinna dhālika yuqassī al-qalba wayughayyiru al-ḥāla wayuwallidu al-ʿādāti wayaftiqu al-shahawāti waliʾannahu lam yuʾmar walam yundab ʾilā ʾan
“Whoever remembers Me within himself, I remember within Myself.” Fasting is remembrance of God, mighty and majestic, and it is a secret. I do not recommend that a servant go more than four consecutive days without fasting: that hardens the heart, changes one's state, breeds habitual indulgence, and opens the way to appetites. He has neither been commanded nor encouraged to
يُوَالِيَ بَيْنَ إِفْطَارِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ مُتَوَالِيَةٍ وَهِيَ النَّحْرُ وَأَيَّامُ التَّشْرِيقِ ، وَيُسْتَحَبُّ لَهُ أَنْ يَصُومَ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرَ يَوْمًا أَوْ يَصُومَ يَوْمَيْنِ وَيُفْطِرَ يَوْمَيْنِ وَذَٰلِكَ صَوْمُ نِصْفِ الدَّهْرِ وَإِنْ أَحَبَّ فَلْيَصُمْ يَوْمَيْنِ وَيُفْطِرْ يَوْمًا وَذَٰلِكَ صَوْمُ ثُلُثَيِ الدَّهْرِ فَإِنْ
yuwāliya bayna ʾifṭāri ʾakthara min ʾarbaʿati ʾayyāmin mutawāliyatin wahiya al-naḥru waʾayyāmu al-tashrīqi , wayustaḥabbu lahu ʾan yaṣūma yawman wayufṭira yawman ʾaw yaṣūma yawmayni wayufṭira yawmayni wadhālika ṣawmu niṣfi al-dahri waʾin ʾaḥabba falyaṣum yawmayni wayufṭir yawman wadhālika ṣawmu thuluthayi al-dahri faʾin
go more than four days in succession without fasting, those being the Day of Sacrifice and the days of Tashrīq. It is recommended that he fast one day and refrain the next, or fast two days and refrain for two: that is fasting half the time. If he wishes, let him fast two days and refrain for one: that is fasting two-thirds of the time. If
أَحَبَّ فَلْيَصُمْ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرْ يَوْمَيْنِ وَهَٰذَا صِيَامُ ثُلُثِ الدَّهْرِ ، هَٰذِهِ طَرِيقُ الصَّائِمِينَ وَفِيهَا رِوَايَاتٌ حَذَفْنَا ذِكْرَ فَضَائِلِهَا لِلِاخْتِصَارِ ، فَإِنْ صَامَ ثَلَاثًا مِنْ أَوَّلِ الشَّهْرِ وَثَلَاثًا مِنْ وَسَطِهِ وَثَلَاثًا مِنْ آخِرِهِ فَحَسَنٌ ،
ʾaḥabba falyaṣum yawman wayufṭir yawmayni wahādhā ṣiyāmu thuluthi al-dahri , hādhihi ṭarīqu al-ṣāʾimīna wafīhā riwāyātun ḥadhafnā dhikra faḍāʾilihā lilikhtiṣāri , faʾin ṣāma thalāthan min ʾawwali al-shahri wathalāthan min wasaṭihi wathalāthan min ʾākhirihi faḥasanun ,
he wishes, let him fast one day and refrain for two: that is fasting one-third of the time. This is the path of those who fast. There are reports about these practices whose merits we have omitted for brevity. If he fasts three days at the beginning of the month, three in its middle, and three at its end, that is good.
فَإِنْ صَامَ الْأَثَانِينَ وَالْأَخْمِسَةَ وَالْجُمَعَ فَذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ كَبِيرٌ وَأَقَلُّ مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ أَنْ يَصُومَ الْأَيَّامَ الْبِيضَ وَأَوَّلَ يَوْمٍ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ وَآخِرَ يَوْمٍ مِنْهُ ، وَأَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ مَا كَانَ فِي الْأَشْهُرِ الْحُرُمِ وَأَفْضَلُ ذَٰلِكَ مَا وَقَعَ فِي الْعِشْرِينَ مِنْهَا وَهُوَ الْمُحَرَّمُ وَذُو الْحِجَّةِ
faʾin ṣāma al-ʾathānīna wa-al-ʾakhmisata wa-al-jumaʿa fadhālika khayrun kabīrun waʾaqallu min dhālika ʾan yaṣūma al-ʾayyāma al-bīḍa waʾawwala yawmin mina al-shahri waʾākhira yawmin minhu , waʾafḍalu al-ṣiyāmi mā kāna fī al-ʾashhuri al-ḥurumi waʾafḍalu dhālika mā waqaʿa fī al-ʿishrīna minhā wahuwa al-muḥarramu wadhū al-ḥijjati
If he fasts Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, that is a great good. A lesser practice is to fast the white days, the first day of the month, and its last day. The best fasting is in the sacred months, and the best of that is what falls in the twenty days of them, namely Muḥarram and Dhū al-Ḥijja.
وَبَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كَانَ فِي شَعْبَانَ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يُكْثِرُ الصِّيَامَ فِيهِ حَتَّى يَصِلَهُ بِشَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَلَا يَدَعْ أَنْ يَصُومَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَلْيُوَاظِبْ عَلَى صَوْمِ الِاثْنَيْنِ وَالْخَمِيسِ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ :
wabaʿda dhālika mā kāna fī shaʿbāna faʾinna rasūla allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna yukthiru al-ṣiyāma fīhi ḥattā yaṣilahu bishahri ramaḍāna walā yadaʿ ʾan yaṣūma min kulli shahrin thalāthata ʾayyāmin walyuwāẓib ʿalā ṣawmi al-ithnayni wa-al-khamīsi , wafī al-khabari:
After that comes fasting in Shaʿbān. The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to fast frequently in it, continuing until it joined the month of Ramadan. He should not neglect to fast three days of every month, and he should persevere in fasting Mondays and Thursdays. In the report:
أَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ بَعْدَ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ شَهْرُ اللَّهِ الْمُحَرَّمُ وَصَوْمُ النِّصْفِ الْأَوَّلِ مِنْ شَهْرِ شَعْبَانَ مُسْتَحَبٌّ ، وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُفْطِرُونَ النِّصْفَ الْأَخِيرَ مِنْهُ ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا خَبَرَ : إِذَا كَانَ النِّصْفُ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ فَلَا صَوْمَ حَتَّى يَدْخُلَ رَمَضَانُ وَلْيُفْطِرْ قَبْلَ رَمَضَانَ أَيَّامًا
ʾafḍalu al-ṣiyāmi baʿda shahri ramaḍāna shahru allāhi al-muḥarramu waṣawmu al-niṣfi al-ʾawwali min shahri shaʿbāna mustaḥabbun , waqad kānū yufṭirūna al-niṣfa al-ʾakhīra minhu , waqad rawaynā khabara: ʾidhā kāna al-niṣfu min shaʿbāna falā ṣawma ḥattā yadkhula ramaḍānu walyufṭir qabla ramaḍāna ʾayyāman
“The best fasting after the month of Ramadan is God's month, Muḥarram.” Fasting the first half of Shaʿbān is recommended. They used to refrain from fasting in its latter half. We have transmitted the report, “When the middle of Shaʿbān comes, there is to be no fasting until Ramadan begins.” Let him refrain from fasting for some days before Ramadan.
فَإِنْ وَصَلَ شَعْبَانَ بِرَمَضَانَ فَجَائِزٌ ، وَلَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَسْتَقْبِلَ رَمَضَانَ بِيَوْمَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا أَنْ يُوَافِقَ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَ اثْنَيْنِ أَوْ خَمِيسٍ قَدْ كَانَ يَصُومُهُ ، وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الصَّحَابَةِ يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُصَامَ رَجَبُ كُلُّهُ لِئَلَّا يُضَاهَىٰ بِهِ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ وَكَانُوا يَسْتَحِبُّونَ أَنْ
faʾin waṣala shaʿbāna biramaḍāna fajāʾizun , walā yajūzu ʾan yastaqbila ramaḍāna biyawmayni ʾaw thalāthatin ʾillā ʾan yuwāfiqa dhālika yawma ithnayni ʾaw khamīsin qad kāna yaṣūmuhu , waqad kāna baʿḍu al-ṣaḥābati yakrahu ʾan yuṣāma rajabu kulluhu liʾallā yuḍāhā bihi shahru ramaḍāna wakānū yastaḥibbūna ʾan
If he joins Shaʿbān to Ramadan, that is permissible. It is not permissible to anticipate Ramadan by two or three days, unless that coincides with a Monday or Thursday he has habitually fasted. Some Companions disliked fasting the whole of Rajab, lest it rival the month of Ramadan. They recommended that
يُفْطِرُوا مِنْهُ أَيَّامًا وَقَدْ كَرِهَ قَوْمٌ صِيَامَ الدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ وَرَدَتْ أَخْبَارٌ فِي كَرَاهَتِهِ وَقَدْ تُؤُوِّلَ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَصُومُونَ السَّنَةَ كُلَّهَا مَعَ يَوْمِ الْعِيدِ وَأَيَّامِ التَّشْرِيقِ فَوَرَدَتِ الْكَرَاهَةُ لِذَٰلِكَ ، وَإِنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ صَلَاحَ قَلْبِهِ وَانْكِسَارَ نَفْسِهِ وَاسْتِقَامَةَ
yufṭirū minhu ʾayyāman waqad kariha qawmun ṣiyāma al-dahri kullihi waradat ʾakhbārun fī karāhatihi waqad tuʾuwwila dhālika biʾannahum kānū yaṣūmūna al-sanata kullahā maʿa yawmi al-ʿīdi waʾayyāmi al-tashrīqi fawaradati al-karāhatu lidhālika , waʾin kāna yurīdu ṣalāḥa qalbihi wankisāra nafsihi wastiqāmata
some days of it be left without fasting. Some people disliked fasting continually, and reports expressing disapproval of it have been transmitted. This has been interpreted as referring to people who fasted the entire year, including the feast day and the days of Tashrīq; that was the reason for the disapproval. If a person seeks through continual fasting to put his heart right, humble his self, and bring his
حَالِهِ فِي صَوْمِ الدَّهْرِ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ،
ḥālihi fī ṣawmi al-dahri falyaṣumhu ,
state into uprightness, let him fast continually.
فَهُوَ حِينَئِذٍ كَالْوَاجِبِ
fahuwa ḥīnaʾidhin ka-al-wājibi
It is then like an obligation
عَلَيْهِ إِذَا كَانَ تَقْوَاهُ وَصَلَاحُهُ فِيهِ ، فَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ عَنْ أَبِي تَمِيمَةَ الْهُجَيْمِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيِّ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : مَنْ صَامَ الدَّهْرَ ضُيِّقَتْ عَلَيْهِ جَهَنَّمُ وَعَقَدَ تِسْعِينَ مَعْنَاهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ فِيهَا
ʿalayhi ʾidhā kāna taqwāhu waṣalāḥuhu fīhi , faqad rawaynā ʿan saʿīdin ʿan qatādata ʿan ʾabī tamīmata al-hujaymiyyi ʿan ʾabī mūsā al-ʾashʿariyyi qāla: qāla rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man ṣāma al-dahra ḍuyyiqat ʿalayhi jahannamu waʿaqada tisʿīna maʿnāhu lam yakun lahu fīhā
upon him, if his piety and well-being depend on it. We have transmitted from Saʿīd, from Qatāda, from Abū Tamīma al-Hujaymī, from Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, who said: the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “For one who fasts continually, Hell is narrowed,” and he made the finger-sign for ninety. This means that there is no
مَوْضِعٌ وَقَدْ دَلَّتِ الْأُصُولُ عَلَى فَضْلِ صَوْمِ الدَّهْرِ وَقَدْ صَامَهُ طَبَقَاتٌ مِنَ السَّلَفِ الصَّالِحِ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ الرَّجُلُ يَرْغَبُ عَنِ السُّنَّةِ وَلَا يَرَى الرُّخْصَةَ فِي الْإِفْطَارِ فَيُكْرَهُ لَهُ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ لِلْمُعَانَدَةِ لِأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى
mawḍiʿun waqad dallati al-ʾuṣūlu ʿalā faḍli ṣawmi al-dahri waqad ṣāmahu ṭabaqātun mina al-salafi al-ṣāliḥi mina al-ṣaḥābati wa-al-tābiʿīna biʾiḥsānin ʾillā ʾan yakūna al-rajulu yarghabu ʿani al-sunnati walā yarā al-rukhṣata fī al-ʾifṭāri fayukrahu lahu ṣawmu al-dahri lilmuʿānadati liʾanna rasūla allāhi ṣallā
place for him in it. The foundational teachings indicate the merit of continual fasting. Generations of righteous predecessors practiced it, from the Companions and those who followed them in goodness. The exception is a man who turns away from the Sunna and does not acknowledge the concession permitting him to refrain from fasting: continual fasting is disapproved for him because of his obstinacy. For the Messenger of God, may
اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَ بِالسَّعَةِ فِي الدِّينِ وَأَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِأَنَّهُ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ بِرُخَصِهِ كَمَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ بِعَزَائِمِهِ ، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ : يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ بِرُخَصِهِ كَمَا يَكْرَهُ أَنْ تُؤْتَىٰ مَعْصِيَتُهُ ، وَقَدْ دَلَّتِ الْأَخْبَارُ عَلَى فَضْلِ صَوْمِ نِصْفِ الدَّهْرِ بِأَنْ
allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾamara bi-al-saʿati fī al-dīni waʾakhbara allāhu ʿazza wajalla biʾannahu yuḥibbu ʾan yuʾkhadha birukhaṣihi kamā yuḥibbu ʾan yuʾkhadha biʿazāʾimihi , wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: yuḥibbu ʾan yuʾkhadha birukhaṣihi kamā yakrahu ʾan tuʾtā maʿṣiyatuhu , waqad dallati al-ʾakhbāru ʿalā faḍli ṣawmi niṣfi al-dahri biʾan
God bless him and grant him peace, commanded spaciousness in religion, and God, mighty and majestic, declared that He loves His concessions to be taken just as He loves His binding commands to be observed. In another wording, “He loves His concessions to be taken just as He dislikes disobedience to Him being committed.” The reports indicate the merit of fasting half the time, by
يَصُومَ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرَ يَوْمًا وَذَٰلِكَ لِيَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ بَيْنَ حَالَيْنِ حَالِ صَبْرٍ وَحَالِ شُكْرٍ ، وَمِنْ ذَٰلِكَ مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عُرِضَتْ عَلَيَّ مَفَاتِيحُ خَزَائِنِ الدُّنْيَا وَكُنُوزُ الْأَرْضِ فَرَدَدْتُهَا فَقُلْتُ :
yaṣūma yawman wayufṭira yawman wadhālika liyakūna al-ʿabdu bayna ḥālayni ḥāli ṣabrin waḥāli shukrin , wamin dhālika mā ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿuriḍat ʿalayya mafātīḥu khazāʾini al-dunyā wakunūzu al-ʾarḍi faradadtuhā faqultu:
fasting one day and refraining the next, so that the servant is between two states: a state of patience and a state of gratitude. Among these is what is related from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “The keys to the storehouses of this world and the treasures of the earth were offered to me. I declined them, saying,
أَجُوعُ يَوْمًا وَأَشْبَعُ يَوْمًا أَحْمَدُكَ إِذَا شَبِعْتُ وَأَتَضَرَّعُ إِلَيْكَ إِذَا جُعْتُ ، وَمِنْ ذَٰلِكَ قَوْلُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : أَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ صِيَامُ أَخِي دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ، كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَمِنْ ذَٰلِكَ مُنَازَلَتُهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو
ʾajūʿu yawman waʾashbaʿu yawman ʾaḥmaduka ʾidhā shabiʿtu waʾataḍarraʿu ʾilayka ʾidhā juʿtu , wamin dhālika qawluhu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾafḍalu al-ṣiyāmi ṣiyāmu ʾakhī dāwuda ʿalayhi al-salāmu , kāna yaṣūmu yawman wayufṭiru yawman wamin dhālika munāzalatuhu ʿalayhi al-salāmu liʿabdi allāhi bni ʿamrin
‘I will be hungry one day and full the next. I will praise You when I am full and implore You when I am hungry.’” Among them is his saying, may God bless him and grant him peace, “The best fasting is the fasting of my brother David, peace be upon him.” He used to fast one day and refrain the next. Among them, too, is his exchange, peace be upon him, with ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr
فِي الصَّوْمِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ : إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ حَتَّى قَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : صُمْ يَوْمًا وَأَفْطِرْ يَوْمًا قَالَ : أُرِيدُ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ قَالَ : لَا أَفْضَلَ مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ ، وَرُوِيَ فِي الْخَبَرِ : صَوْمُ يَوْمٍ مِنْ شَهْرٍ حَرَامٍ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَوْمِ ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْمًا
fī al-ṣawmi wahuwa yaqūlu: ʾinnī ʾurīdu ʾafḍala min dhālika ḥattā qāla lahu al-nabiyyu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ṣum yawman waʾafṭir yawman qāla: ʾurīdu ʾafḍala min dhālika qāla: lā ʾafḍala min dhālika , waruwiya fī al-khabari: ṣawmu yawmin min shahrin ḥarāmin ʾafḍalu min ṣawmi thalāthīna yawman
about fasting. He kept saying, “I want something better than that,” until the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, told him, “Fast one day and refrain the next.” He said, “I want something better than that.” He replied, “There is nothing better than that.” It is related in the report, “Fasting one day in a sacred month is better than fasting thirty days
مِنْ غَيْرِهِ وَصَوْمُ يَوْمٍ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَوْمِ ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْمًا مِنْ شَهْرٍ حَرَامٍ ، وَفِي حَدِيثٍ : مَنْ صَامَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ شَهْرٍ حَرَامٍ الْخَمِيسَ وَالْجُمُعَةَ وَالسَّبْتَ كَتَبَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُ عِبَادَةَ سَبْعِمِائَةِ عَامٍ ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
min ghayrihi waṣawmu yawmin min ramaḍāna ʾafḍalu min ṣawmi thalāthīna yawman min shahrin ḥarāmin , wafī ḥadīthin: man ṣāma thalāthata ʾayyāmin min shahrin ḥarāmin al-khamīsa wa-al-jumuʿata wa-al-sabta kataba allāhu taʿālā lahu ʿibādata sabʿimiʾati ʿāmin , waqad rawaynā ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama
in another month, and fasting one day in Ramadan is better than fasting thirty days in a sacred month.” In a hadith: “Whoever fasts three days in a sacred month, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, God Most High records for him seven hundred years of worship.” We have transmitted that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace,
مَا صَامَ شَهْرًا كَامِلًا قَطُّ إِلَّا رَمَضَانَ بَلْ كَانَ يُفْطِرُ مِنْهُ وَقَدْ وَصَلَ مَرَّةً شَعْبَانَ بِرَمَضَانَ وَفَصَلَ صَوْمَ رَمَضَانَ مِرَارًا مِنْ شَعْبَانَ ، وَمَا ذَكَرْنَا مِنْ أَنْوَاعِ الصَّوْمِ فَهُوَ صِيَامُ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ السَّلَفِ الصَّالِحِ وَفِي كُلٍّ مِنْهُ وَرَدَ فِيهِ فَضَائِلُ يَكْثُرُ ذِكْرُهَا وَكَذَٰلِكَ
mā ṣāma shahran kāmilan qaṭṭu ʾillā ramaḍāna bal kāna yufṭiru minhu waqad waṣala marratan shaʿbāna biramaḍāna wafaṣala ṣawma ramaḍāna mirāran min shaʿbāna , wamā dhakarnā min ʾanwāʿi al-ṣawmi fahuwa ṣiyāmu jamāʿatin mina al-salafi al-ṣāliḥi wafī kullin minhu warada fīhi faḍāʾilu yakthuru dhikruhā wakadhālika
never fasted an entire month except Ramadan; rather, he would leave some days of the month without fasting. He once joined Shaʿbān to Ramadan, and on repeated occasions separated the Ramadan fast from Shaʿbān. The kinds of fasting we have mentioned were practiced by a group of the righteous predecessors. Reports concerning merits have come down for each of them, too numerous to enumerate. The same applies
فِي جَمِيعِ مَا نَذْكُرُهُ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْقُلُوبِ وَالْجَوَارِحِ فِي الْأَيَّامِ وَاللَّيَالِي وَكَذَٰلِكَ فِيمَا نَذْكُرُهُ مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الْإِيمَانِ وَأَوْصَافِ الْمُوقِنِينَ ، وَقَدْ جَاءَتْ فِي أَكْثَرِ ذَٰلِكَ فَضَائِلُ وَمَثُوبَاتٌ إِلَّا أَنَّا لَمْ نَقْصِدْ تَعْدِيدَ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَيْسَ مَذْهَبُنَا الِاشْتِغَالَ بِذِكْرِ
fī jamīʿi mā nadhkuruhu min ʾaʿmāli al-qulūbi wa-al-jawāriḥi fī al-ʾayyāmi wa-al-layālī wakadhālika fīmā nadhkuruhu min ʾakhlāqi al-ʾīmāni waʾawṣāfi al-mūqinīna , waqad jāʾat fī ʾakthari dhālika faḍāʾilu wamathūbātun ʾillā ʾannā lam naqṣid taʿdīda dhālika walaysa madhhabunā al-ishtighāla bidhikri
to all the works of hearts and limbs that we mention for the days and nights, and likewise to the qualities of faith and the attributes of those possessed of certainty that we mention. Merits and rewards have been related for most of these, but enumerating them is not our intention. Our approach is not to occupy ourselves with recounting
فَضَائِلِ الْأَعْمَالِ إِنَّمَا طَرِيقُنَا تَهْذِيبُ قُلُوبِ الْعُمَّالِ ، فَبِطَهَارَةِ الْقُلُوبِ وَحَقِيقَةِ الْإِيمَانِ تَزْكُو الْأَعْمَالُ وَيَتَقَرَّبُ الْعَامِلُونَ مِنْ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَاقُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ .
faḍāʾili al-ʾaʿmāli ʾinnamā ṭarīqunā tahdhību qulūbi al-ʿummāli , fabiṭahārati al-qulūbi waḥaqīqati al-ʾīmāni tazkū al-ʾaʿmālu wayataqarrabu al-ʿāmilūna min dhī al-jalāli walā ḥawla walā quwwata ʾillā bi-allāhi al-ʿaliyyi al-ʿaẓīmi.
the merits of deeds. Our path is to refine the hearts of those who act. Through purity of heart and the reality of faith, deeds flourish and those who act draw near to the Lord of Majesty. There is no power and no strength except through God, the Most High, the Magnificent.
ذِكْرُ صَوْمِ الْخُصُوصِ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ
dhikru ṣawmi al-khuṣūṣi mina al-mūqinīna
The Fast of the Elect among Those Possessed of Certainty
اعْلَمْ وَفَّقَكَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّ الصَّوْمَ عِنْدَ الصَّائِمِينَ هُوَ صَوْمُ الْقَالَبِ فَأَمَّا صَوْمُ الْخُصُوصِ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ فَإِنَّ الصَّوْمَ عِنْدَهُمْ هُوَ صَوْمُ الْقَلْبِ عَنِ الْهِمَمِ الدَّنِيَّةِ وَالْأَفْكَارِ الدُّنْيَوِيَّةِ ثُمَّ صَوْمُ السَّمْعِ وَالْبَصَرِ وَاللِّسَانِ عَنْ تَعَدِّي الْحُدُودِ وَصَوْمُ الْيَدِ
iʿlam waffaqaka allāhu taʿālā ʾanna al-ṣawma ʿinda al-ṣāʾimīna huwa ṣawmu al-qālabi faʾammā ṣawmu al-khuṣūṣi mina al-mūqinīna faʾinna al-ṣawma ʿindahum huwa ṣawmu al-qalbi ʿani al-himami al-daniyyati wa-al-ʾafkāri al-dunyawiyyati thumma ṣawmu al-samʿi wa-al-baṣari wa-al-lisāni ʿan taʿaddī al-ḥudūdi waṣawmu al-yadi
Know, may God Most High grant you success, that fasting as understood by those who fast is the fasting of the body. As for the fasting of the elect among those possessed of certainty, fasting for them means the heart's abstention from lowly concerns and worldly thoughts, then the abstention of hearing, sight, and speech from crossing the bounds, and of the hand
وَالرِّجْلِ عَنِ الْبَطْشِ وَالسَّعْيِ فِي أَسْبَابِ النَّهْيِ ، فَمَنْ صَامَ بِهَٰذَا الْوَصْفِ فَقَدْ أَدْرَكَ وَقْتَهُ فِي جُمْلَةِ يَوْمِهِ
wa-al-rijli ʿani al-baṭshi wa-al-saʿyi fī ʾasbābi al-nahyi , faman ṣāma bihādhā al-waṣfi faqad ʾadraka waqtahu fī jumlati yawmihi
and foot from striking and pursuing the means to forbidden things. Whoever fasts in this way has attended to his appointed time throughout his day,
وَصَارَ لَهُ فِي كُلِّ سَاعَةٍ مِنْ نَهَارِهِ وَقْتٌ وَقَدْ عَمَرَ يَوْمَهُ كُلَّهُ بِالذِّكْرِ ، وَلِمِثْلِ هَٰذَا قِيلَ : نَوْمُ الصَّائِمِ عِبَادَةٌ وَنَفَسُهُ تَسْبِيحٌ وَقَدْ قَرَنَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الِاسْتِمَاعَ إِلَى الْبَاطِلِ وَالْقَوْلَ بِالْإِثْمِ إِلَى أَكْلِ الْحَرَامِ وَلَوْلَا أَنَّ فِي الْمَسْمُوعَاتِ وَالْمَقُولَاتِ
waṣāra lahu fī kulli sāʿatin min nahārihi waqtun waqad ʿamara yawmahu kullahu bi-al-dhikri , walimithli hādhā qīla: nawmu al-ṣāʾimi ʿibādatun wanafasuhu tasbīḥun waqad qarana allāhu ʿazza wajalla al-istimāʿa ʾilā al-bāṭili wa-al-qawla bi-al-ʾithmi ʾilā ʾakli al-ḥarāmi walawlā ʾanna fī al-masmūʿāti wa-al-maqūlāti
and every hour of his daylight becomes an appointed time for him; he has filled his entire day with remembrance. Of someone like this it is said, “The fasting person's sleep is worship, and his breath is glorification.” God, mighty and majestic, has coupled listening to falsehood and speaking sinfully with consuming what is unlawful. If, among the things heard and said, there were not
حَرَامًا عَلَى الْمُسْتَمِعِ وَالْإِصْغَاءُ إِلَيْهِ وَحَرَامًا عَلَى الْقَائِلِ النُّطْقُ بِهِ مَا قَرَنَهُمَا إِلَىٰ أَكْلِ الْحَرَامِ وَهُوَ مِنَ الْكَبَائِرِ ، فَقَالَ تَعَالَى : سَمَّاعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ أَكَّالُونَ لِلسُّحْتِ ، وَقَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى :
ḥarāman ʿalā al-mustamiʿi wa-al-ʾiṣghāʾu ʾilayhi waḥarāman ʿalā al-qāʾili al-nuṭqu bihi mā qaranahumā ʾilā ʾakli al-ḥarāmi wahuwa mina al-kabāʾiri , faqāla taʿālā: sammāʿūna lilkadhibi ʾakkālūna li-l-suḥti , waqāla subḥānahu wataʿālā:
things forbidden to the listener to attend to and things forbidden to the speaker to utter, He would not have coupled them with consuming what is unlawful, which is among the major sins. He Most High said, “Eager listeners to lies, voracious consumers of illicit gain.” He, glorified and exalted, said,
( لَوْلَا يَنْهَاهُمُ الرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ عَنْ قَوْلِهِمُ الْإِثْمَ وَأَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ ) الْمَائِدَةُ : 63 ، فَالْعَبْدُ الْحَافِظُ لِحُدُودِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِنْ أَفْطَرَ بِالْأَكْلِ وَالْجِمَاعِ فَهُوَ صَائِمٌ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فِي الْفَضْلِ لِلِاتِّبَاعِ وَمَنْ صَامَ عَنِ الْأَكْلِ وَالْجِمَاعِ وَتَعَدَّى
( lawlā yanhāhumu al-rabbāniyyūna wa-al-ʾaḥbāru ʿan qawlihimu al-ʾithma waʾaklihimu al-suḥta ) al-māʾidatu: 63 , fa-al-ʿabdu al-ḥāfiẓu liḥudūdi allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾin ʾafṭara bi-al-ʾakli wa-al-jimāʿi fahuwa ṣāʾimun ʿinda allāhi fī al-faḍli li-l-ittibāʿi waman ṣāma ʿani al-ʾakli wa-al-jimāʿi wataʿaddā
“Why do the godly teachers and the scholars not forbid their sinful speech and their consumption of illicit gain?” (al-Māʾida 63). A servant who guards the bounds of God, mighty and majestic, is a fasting person in God's sight, in merit, because of his faithful observance, even if he breaks his fast by eating and intercourse. But someone who abstains from eating and intercourse, yet transgresses
الْحُدُودَ وَأَضَاعَ فَهُوَ مُفْطِرٌ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ صَائِمٌ عِنْدَ نَفْسِهِ ، لِأَنَّ مَا أَضَاعَ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَكْثَرُ مِمَّا حَفِظَ ، وَمَثَلُ مَنْ صَامَ مِنَ الْأَكْلِ وَأَفْطَرَ بِمُخَالَفَةِ الْأَمْرِ بِسَائِرِ الْجَوَارِحِ مَثَلُ مَنْ مَسَحَ كُلَّ عُضْوٍ مِنْ أَعْضَائِهِ فِي وُضُوئِهِ ثَلَاثًا
al-ḥudūda waʾaḍāʿa fahuwa mufṭirun ʿinda allāhi ʿazza wajalla ṣāʾimun ʿinda nafsihi , liʾanna mā ʾaḍāʿa ʾaḥabbu ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla waʾaktharu mimmā ḥafiẓa , wamathalu man ṣāma mina al-ʾakli waʾafṭara bimukhālafati al-ʾamri bisāʾiri al-jawāriḥi mathalu man masaḥa kulla ʿuḍwin min ʾaʿḍāʾihi fī wuḍūʾihi thalāthan
the bounds and neglects his duties, has broken his fast in the sight of God, mighty and majestic, while considering himself to be fasting. What he has neglected is dearer to God, mighty and majestic, and greater than what he has guarded. Someone who abstains from eating but breaks his fast by disobeying the command with his other limbs is like someone who, in his ablution, wipes each limb three times,
ثَلَاثًا ثُمَّ صَلَّى فَقَدْ وَافَقَ الْفَضْلَ فِي الْعَدَدِ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ تَارِكٌ لِلْفَرْضِ مِنَ الْغَسْلِ فَصَلَاتُهُ مَرْدُودَةٌ عَلَيْهِ لِجَهْلِهِ وَهُوَ مُغْتَرٌّ بِفِعْلِهِ وَمَثَلُ مَنْ أَفْطَرَ بِالْأَكْلِ وَصَامَ بِجَوَارِحِهِ عَنِ النَّهْيِ مَثَلُ مَنْ غَسَلَ كُلَّ عُضْوٍ مِنْ أَعْضَائِهِ فِي وُضُوئِهِ مَرَّةً مَرَّةً فَهُوَ تَارِكٌ
thalāthan thumma ṣallā faqad wāfaqa al-faḍla fī al-ʿadadi ʾillā ʾannahu tārikun lilfarḍi mina al-ghasli faṣalātuhu mardūdatun ʿalayhi lijahlihi wahuwa mughtarrun bifiʿlihi wamathalu man ʾafṭara bi-al-ʾakli waṣāma bijawāriḥihi ʿani al-nahyi mathalu man ghasala kulla ʿuḍwin min ʾaʿḍāʾihi fī wuḍūʾihi marratan marratan fahuwa tārikun
three times, and then prays. He has observed the meritorious number, but has omitted the obligatory washing; his prayer is rejected because of his ignorance, while he is deceived by what he has done. Someone who breaks his fast by eating but keeps his limbs fasting from what is forbidden is like someone who washes each limb in his ablution once, once: he has omitted
لِلْفَضْلِ فِي الْعَدَدِ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ مُكَمِّلٌ لِلْفَرْضِ مُحْسِنٌ فِي الْعَمَلِ فَصَلَاتُهُ مُتَقَبَّلَةٌ لِإِحْكَامِهِ لِلْأَصْلِ وَلِعَمَلِهِ بِالْعِلْمِ ، وَمَثَلُ مَنْ صَامَ مِنَ الْأَكْلِ وَالْجِمَاعِ وَحَفِظَ جَوَارِحَهُ عَنِ الْآثَامِ كَمَثَلِ مَنْ غَسَلَ كُلَّ عُضْوٍ ثَلَاثًا ثَلَاثًا فَقَدْ تَمَّمَ الْفَرْضَ وَأَحْسَنَ بِتَكْمِلَةِ
lilfaḍli fī al-ʿadadi ʾillā ʾannahu mukammilun lilfarḍi muḥsinun fī al-ʿamali faṣalātuhu mutaqabbalatun liʾiḥkāmihi lilʾaṣli waliʿamalihi bi-al-ʿilmi , wamathalu man ṣāma mina al-ʾakli wa-al-jimāʿi waḥafiẓa jawāriḥahu ʿani al-ʾāthāmi kamathali man ghasala kulla ʿuḍwin thalāthan thalāthan faqad tammama al-farḍa waʾaḥsana bitakmilati
the meritorious number, but fulfilled the obligation and acted well. His prayer is accepted because he has properly observed the essential requirement and acted with knowledge. Someone who abstains from eating and intercourse and guards his limbs from sins is like someone who washes each limb three times, three times. He has fulfilled the obligation and done well by completing
الْفَضْلِ فَهَٰذَا كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى تَمَامًا عَلَى الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ ، وَكَمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْوُضُوءِ ، كَذَٰلِكَ هَٰذَا وُضُوئِي وَوُضُوءُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ مِنْ قَبْلِي وَوُضُوءُ أَبِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى :
al-faḍli fahādhā kamā qāla taʿālā tamāman ʿalā alladhī ʾaḥsana , wakamā qāla rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī al-wuḍūʾi , kadhālika hādhā wuḍūʾī wawuḍūʾu al-ʾanbiyāʾi min qablī wawuḍūʾu ʾabī ʾibrāhīma ʿalayhi al-salāmu waqad qāla allāhu taʿālā:
what is meritorious. This accords with His saying, exalted is He, “As a completion for the one who did good,” and with what the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said of ablution: “Thus is my ablution, the ablution of the prophets before me, and the ablution of my father Abraham, peace be upon him.” God Most High has said,
( مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ) الْحَجُِ : 78 أَيْ عَلَيْكُمْ بِهَا فَائْتَمُّوا وَاقْتَدُوا بِهِ فِيهَا ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : الطَّاعِمُ الشَّاكِرُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الصَّائِمِ الصَّابِرِ ، وَجَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ امْرَأَتَيْنِ صَامَتَا عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى
( millata ʾabīkum ʾibrāhīma ) al-ḥajju: 78 ʾay ʿalaykum bihā faʾtammū waqtadū bihi fīhā , waqad rawaynā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: al-ṭāʿimu al-shākiru bimanzilati al-ṣāʾimi al-ṣābiri , wajāʾa fī al-khabari ʾanna imraʾatayni ṣāmatā ʿalā ʿahdi rasūli allāhi ṣallā
“The religion of your father Abraham” (al-Ḥajj 78), meaning: adhere to it, follow him, and take him as your example in it. We have transmitted from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, “The grateful eater is on the same footing as the patient fasting person.” A report relates that two women fasted in the time of the Messenger of God, may
اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَجْهَدَهُمَا الْجُوعُ وَالْعَطَشُ فِي آخِرِ النَّهَارِ حَتَّى كَادَتَا أَنْ تَتْلَفَا فَبَعَثَتَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَسْتَأْذِنَاهُ فِي الْإِفْطَارِ فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِمَا قَدَحًا وَقَالَ : قُلْ لَهُمَا قِيئَا فِيهِ مَا أَكَلْتُمَا قَالَ :
allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama faʾajhadahumā al-jūʿu wa-al-ʿaṭashu fī ʾākhiri al-nahāri ḥattā kādatā ʾan tatlafā fabaʿathatā ʾilā rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yastaʾdhināhu fī al-ʾifṭāri faʾarsala ʾilayhimā qadaḥan waqāla: qul lahumā qīʾā fīhi mā ʾakaltumā qāla:
God bless him and grant him peace. Late in the day, hunger and thirst exhausted them until they were close to death. They sent to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, seeking his permission to break their fast. He sent them a bowl and said, “Tell them: vomit into it what you have eaten.” The narrator said,
فَقَاءَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا نِصْفَهُ دَمًا عَبِيطًا وَلَحْمًا عَرِيضًا وَقَاءَتِ الْأُخْرَى مِثْلَ ذَٰلِكَ حَتَّى مَلَأَتَاهُ ، فَعَجِبَ النَّاسُ مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : هَاتَانِ صَامَتَا عَمَّا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُمَا وَأَفْطَرَتَا عَلَى مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِمَا
faqāʾat ʾiḥdāhumā niṣfahu daman ʿabīṭan walaḥman ʿarīḍan waqāʾati al-ʾukhrā mithla dhālika ḥattā malaʾatāhu , faʿajiba al-nāsu min dhālika faqāla rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: hātāni ṣāmatā ʿammā ʾaḥalla allāhu ʿazza wajalla lahumā waʾafṭaratā ʿalā mā ḥarrama allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿalayhimā
“One vomited fresh blood and broad pieces of flesh into half of it, and the other vomited the same, until the two of them filled it.” The people were astonished. The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “These two abstained from what God, mighty and majestic, had permitted them and broke their fast on what God, mighty and majestic, had forbidden them.
قَعَدَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا إِلَى الْأُخْرَى فَجَعَلَا يَغْتَابَانِ النَّاسَ فَهَٰذَا مَا أَكَلَا مِنْ لُحُومِهِمْ ، وَكَانَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ يَقُولُ : يَا حَبَّذَا نَوْمُ الْأَكْيَاسِ وَفِطْرُهُمْ يَعِيبُونَ صَوْمَ الْحَمْقَى وَسَهَرَهُمْ وَلَذَرَّةٌ مِنْ ذِي يَقِينٍ وَتَقْوَى أَفْضَلُ وَأَرْجَحُ مِنْ أَمْثَالِ الْجِبَالِ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ
qaʿadat ʾiḥdāhumā ʾilā al-ʾukhrā fajaʿalā yaghtābāni al-nāsa fahādhā mā ʾakalā min luḥūmihim , wakāna ʾabū al-dardāʾi yaqūlu: yā ḥabbadhā nawmu al-ʾakyāsi wafiṭruhum yaʿībūna ṣawma al-ḥamqā wasaharahum waladharratun min dhī yaqīnin wataqwā ʾafḍalu waʾarjaḥu min ʾamthāli al-jibāli min ʿibādati
One sat down beside the other, and they began backbiting people. This is what they ate of their flesh.” Abū al-Dardāʾ used to say, “How excellent are the sleep and the breaking of the fast of the discerning! They expose the fault in the fasting and wakefulness of fools. A speck from someone possessed of certainty and reverent fear is better and weighs more than mountains of worship from
الْمُغْتَرِّينَ وَكُلُّ مَحْظُورٍ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَتَفَوَّهَ بِهِ فَمَحْظُورٌ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَسْتَمِعَ إِلَيْهِ وَكُلُّ حَرَامٍ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَهُ
al-mughtarrīna wakullu maḥẓūrin ʿalayka ʾan tatafawwaha bihi famaḥẓūrun ʿalayka ʾan tastamiʿa ʾilayhi wakullu ḥarāmin ʿalayka ʾan tafʿalahu
the self-deceived.” Whatever you are forbidden to utter, you are forbidden to listen to; and whatever you are forbidden to do,
فَمَكْرُوهٌ أَنْ تَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهِ أَوْ يَخْطُرَ بِبَالِكَ ، وَقَدْ سَوَّى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بَيْنَ الْمُسْتَمِعِ وَالْقَائِلِ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : ( إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِثْلُهُمْ ) النِّسَاءُ : 140 وَمَثَلُ الصَّائِمِ مَثَلُ التَّوْبَةِ لِأَنَّ الصَّبْرَ مِنْ أَوْصَافِهَا وَإِنَّمَا كَانَتِ التَّوْبَةُ مُكَفِّرَةً لِمَا سَلَفَ مِنْ
famakrūhun ʾan tanẓura ʾilayhi ʾaw yakhṭura bibālika , waqad sawwā allāhu ʿazza wajalla bayna al-mustamiʿi wa-al-qāʾili fī qawlihi taʿālā: ( ʾinnakum ʾidhan mithluhum ) al-nisāʾu: 140 wamathalu al-ṣāʾimi mathalu al-tawbati liʾanna al-ṣabra min ʾawṣāfihā waʾinnamā kānati al-tawbatu mukaffiratan limā salafa min
it is reprehensible to look at it or let it enter your thoughts. God, mighty and majestic, equated the listener and the speaker in His saying, exalted is He, “Then you would be like them” (al-Nisāʾ 140). The fasting person is comparable to repentance, because patience is one of its attributes. Repentance expiates past
السَّيِّئَاتِ لِأَجْلِ أَنَّهُ صَبَرَ عَمَّا سَلَفَ مِنْ سَيِّئِ الْعَادَاتِ ثُمَّ اعْتَقَدَ تَرْكَ الْعَوْدِ إِلَى مِثْلِ مَا سَلَفَ بِصِيَانَةِ جَوَارِحِهِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ طَرَائِقَ الْمَكْرُوهَاتِ ، كَذَٰلِكَ كَانَ الصِّيَامُ جُنَّةً مِنَ النَّارِ وَفَضِيلَةً مِنْ دَرَجَاتِ الْأَبْرَارِ ،
al-sayyiʾāti liʾajli ʾannahu ṣabara ʿammā salafa min sayyiʾi al-ʿādāti thumma iʿtaqada tarka al-ʿawdi ʾilā mithli mā salafa biṣiyānati jawāriḥihi allatī kānat ṭarāʾiqa al-makrūhāti , kadhālika kāna al-ṣiyāmu junnatan mina al-nāri wafaḍīlatan min darajāti al-ʾabrāri ,
misdeeds because the person has restrained himself from his former bad habits and then resolved not to return to the like of his past conduct, guarding the limbs that had been pathways to reprehensible acts. Likewise, fasting is a shield against the Fire and an excellence among the ranks of the righteous,
إِذَا صَبَرَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّائِمُ فَحَفِظَ جَوَارِحَهُ فِيهِ مِنَ الْمَآثِمِ فَإِذَا أَمْرَحَهَا فِي الْآثَامِ كَانَ كَالتَّائِبِ الْمُتَرَدِّدِ النَّاقِضِ لِلْمِيثَاقِ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَوْبَتُهُ نَصُوحًا وَلَا كَانَ صَوْمُ هَٰذَا صَالِحًا وَصَحِيحًا أَلَا تَرَى إِلَى قَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ :
ʾidhā ṣabara ʿalayhi al-ṣāʾimu faḥafiẓa jawāriḥahu fīhi mina al-maʾāthimi faʾidhā ʾamraḥahā fī al-ʾāthāmi kāna ka-al-tāʾibi al-mutaraddidi al-nāqiḍi lilmīthāqi lam takun tawbatuhu naṣūḥan walā kāna ṣawmu hādhā ṣāliḥan waṣaḥīḥan ʾalā tarā ʾilā qawli rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama:
if the fasting person patiently maintains it and guards his limbs against sins during it. If he lets them roam freely in sins, he is like a wavering penitent who breaks the covenant: that person's repentance is not sincere, nor is this person's fast good and sound. Do you not consider the saying of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace:
الصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ مِنَ النَّارِ مَا لَمْ يَخْرِقْهَا بِكَذِبٍ أَوْ غِيبَةٍ وَأَمَرَهُ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ : إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلَا يَرْفُثْ وَلَا يَجْهَلْ وَإِنِ امْرُؤٌ شَاتَمَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ : إِنِّي صَائِمٌ ، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ لَا يَجْعَلْ يَوْمَ صَوْمِهِ وَيَوْمَ فِطْرِهِ سَوَاءً أَيْ يَتَحَفَّظُ فِي
al-ṣawmu junnatun mina al-nāri mā lam yakhriqhā bikadhibin ʾaw ghībatin waʾamarahu fī qawlihi ʿalayhi al-salāmu: ʾidhā kāna yawmu ṣawmi ʾaḥadikum falā yarfuth walā yajhal waʾini mruʾun shātamahu falyaqul: ʾinnī ṣāʾimun , wafī lafẓin ʾākhara lā yajʿal yawma ṣawmihi wayawma fiṭrihi sawāʾan ʾay yataḥaffaẓu fī
“Fasting is a shield against the Fire, as long as one does not tear it with a lie or backbiting”? He commanded him in his saying, peace be upon him, “When it is a day on which one of you is fasting, let him neither speak obscenely nor act foolishly. If someone abuses him, let him say, ‘I am fasting.’” In another wording, “Let him not make his fasting day and his non-fasting day alike,” meaning that he guards himself during
صَوْمِهِ لِحُرْمَتِهِ ، وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ : الصَّوْمُ أَمَانَةٌ فَلْيَحْفَظْ أَحَدُكُمْ أَمَانَتَهُ ، فَحِفْظُ الْأَمَانَةِ مِنْ صِيَانَةِ الْجَوَارِحِ لِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمَّا تَلَا هَٰذِهِ الْآيَةَ : ( إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَى أَهْلِهَا ) النِّسَاءُ :
ṣawmihi liḥurmatihi , wafī khabarin ʾākhara: al-ṣawmu ʾamānatun falyaḥfaẓ ʾaḥadukum ʾamānatahu , faḥifẓu al-ʾamānati min ṣiyānati al-jawāriḥi liqawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama lammā talā hādhihi al-ʾāyata: ( ʾinna allāha yaʾmurukum ʾan tuʾaddū al-ʾamānāti ʾilā ʾahlihā ) al-nisāʾu:
his fast out of respect for its sanctity. In another report: “Fasting is a trust, so let each of you guard his trust.” Guarding the trust entails protecting the limbs, as indicated by the Prophet's words, may God bless him and grant him peace. When he recited this verse, “God commands you to render trusts to those entitled to them” (al-Nisāʾ
58 وَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى سَمْعِهِ وَبَصَرِهِ قَالَ السَّمْعُ أَمَانَةٌ وَالْبَصَرُ أَمَانَةٌ فَذَٰلِكَ مَجَازُ قَوْلِهِ فَلْيَقُلْ : إِنِّي صَائِمٌ ، أَيْ يَذْكُرُ الْأَمَانَةَ الَّتِي حَمَلَ فَيُؤَدِّيهَا إِلَى أَهْلِهَا وَمِنْ حِفْظِ الْأَمَانَةِ أَنْ يَكْتُمَهَا فَإِنْ أَفْشَاهَا مِنْ غَيْرِ حَاجَةٍ فَهِيَ خِيَانَةٌ لِأَنَّ مُودِعَهَا
58 waḍaʿa yadahu ʿalā samʿihi wabaṣarihi qāla al-samʿu ʾamānatun wa-al-baṣaru ʾamānatun fadhālika majāzu qawlihi falyaqul: ʾinnī ṣāʾimun , ʾay yadhkuru al-ʾamānata allatī ḥamala fayuʾaddīhā ʾilā ʾahlihā wamin ḥifẓi al-ʾamānati ʾan yaktumahā faʾin ʾafshāhā min ghayri ḥājatin fahiya khiyānatun liʾanna mūdiʿahā
58), he placed his hand upon his hearing and his sight and said, “Hearing is a trust, and sight is a trust.” This is the figurative sense of his saying, “Let him say, ‘I am fasting’”: he remembers the trust he has undertaken and renders it to those entitled to it. Part of guarding a trust is to conceal it. If he divulges it without need, that is a betrayal, because the one who entrusted it
قَدْ لَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُظْهِرَهَا وَحَقِيقَةُ حِفْظِ السِّرِّ نِسْيَانُهُ وَضَيَاعُ السِّرِّ أَنْ يَكْثُرَ خُزَّانُهُ فَحَقِيقَةُ الصَّائِمِ أَنْ يَكُونَ نَاسِيًا لِصَوْمِهِ لَا يَنْتَظِرُ الْوَقْتَ شُغْلًا عَنْهُ بِالْمُؤَقِّتِ .
qad lā yuḥibbu ʾan yuẓhirahā waḥaqīqatu ḥifẓi al-sirri nisyānuhu waḍayāʿu al-sirri ʾan yakthura khuzzānuhu faḥaqīqatu al-ṣāʾimi ʾan yakūna nāsiyan liṣawmihi lā yantaẓiru al-waqta shughlan ʿanhu bi-al-muʾaqqiti.
may not wish it to be disclosed. Truly guarding a secret means forgetting it; a secret is lost when its keepers become many. Thus the true fasting person forgets his fast and does not wait for the appointed time, being occupied instead with the One who appoints it.
الْفَصْلُ الثَّالِثُ وَالْعِشْرُونَ فِيهِ كِتَابُ مُحَاسَبَةِ النَّفْسِ وَمُرَاعَاةِ الْوَقْتِ
al-faṣlu al-thālithu wa-al-ʿishrūna fīhi kitābu muḥāsabati al-nafsi wamurāʿāti al-waqti
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Book of Taking Account of the Self and Attending to Time
قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ) الْأَنْبِيَاءُ : 47 إِلَى قَوْلِهِ : ( أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وَكَفَى بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ ) الْأَنْبِيَاءُ 47 وَقُرِئَتْ : آتَيْنَا بِهَا مَمْدُودَةً أَيْ جَازَيْنَا بِهَا فَالتَّخْوِيفُ بِهَٰذَا الْحَرْفِ أَشَدُّ وَأَبْلَغُ ،
qāla allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ( wanaḍaʿu al-mawāzīna al-qisṭa liyawmi al-qiyāmati ) al-ʾanbiyāʾu: 47 ʾilā qawlihi: ( ʾataynā bihā wakafā binā ḥāsibīna ) al-ʾanbiyāʾu 47 waquriʾat: ʾātaynā bihā mamdūdatan ʾay jāzaynā bihā fa-al-takhwīfu bihādhā al-ḥarfi ʾashaddu waʾablaghu ,
God, mighty and majestic, says, “We shall set up the just balances for the Day of Resurrection” (al-Anbiyāʾ 47), through His words, “We shall bring it, and We suffice as reckoners” (al-Anbiyāʾ 47). It has also been read as ātaynā bihā, with a lengthened vowel, meaning “We shall recompense for it.” The warning conveyed by this reading is stronger and more emphatic.
وَقَالَ تَعَالَى يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ النَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِيُرَوْا أَعْمَالَهُمُ الْآيَةَ ، وَأَوْصَى أَبُو بَكْرٍ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ ، فَقَالَ : إِنَّ الْحَقَّ ثَقِيلٌ وَهُوَ مَعَ ثِقَلِهِ مَرِيءٌ وَإِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ خَفِيفٌ وَهُوَ مَعَ خِفَّتِهِ وَبِيءٌ وَإِنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حَقًّا بِالنَّهَارِ لَا
waqāla taʿālā yawmaʾidhin yaṣduru al-nāsu ʾashtātan liyuraw ʾaʿmālahumu al-ʾāyata , waʾawṣā ʾabū bakrin ʿumara raḍiya allāhu ʿanhumā ʿinda mawtihi , faqāla: ʾinna al-ḥaqqa thaqīlun wahuwa maʿa thiqalihi marīʾun waʾinna al-bāṭila khafīfun wahuwa maʿa khiffatihi wabīʾun waʾinna li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla ḥaqqan bi-al-nahāri lā
He Most High says, “On that day people will come forth in scattered groups to be shown their deeds,” the verse. At his death Abū Bakr counseled ʿUmar, may God be pleased with them both, saying, “Truth is heavy, yet despite its weight it is wholesome; falsehood is light, yet despite its lightness it is noxious. God, mighty and majestic, has a claim by day that He does not
يَقْبَلُهُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَحَقًّا بِاللَّيْلِ لَا يَقْبَلُهُ بِالنَّهَارِ وَإِنَّكَ لَوْ عَدَلْتَ عَلَى النَّاسِ كُلِّهِمْ وَجُرْتَ عَلَى وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ لَمَالَ جَوْرُكَ بِعَدْلِكَ فَإِنْ حَفِظْتَ وَصِيَّتِي لَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْءٌ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ وَهُوَ مُدْرِكُكَ وَإِنْ ضَيَّعْتَ وَصِيَّتِي لَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْءٌ أَبْغَضَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ
yaqbaluhu bi-al-layli waḥaqqan bi-al-layli lā yaqbaluhu bi-al-nahāri waʾinnaka law ʿadalta ʿalā al-nāsi kullihim wajurta ʿalā wāḥidin minhum lamāla jawruka biʿadlika faʾin ḥafiẓta waṣiyyatī lam yakun shayʾun ʾaḥabba ʾilayka mina al-mawti wahuwa mudrikuka waʾin ḍayyaʿta waṣiyyatī lam yakun shayʾun ʾabghaḍa ʾilayka mina al-mawti
accept by night, and a claim by night that He does not accept by day. Were you just toward all people and unjust toward one of them, your injustice would tip the balance against your justice. If you preserve my counsel, nothing will be more beloved to you than death, which will overtake you. If you neglect my counsel, nothing will be more hateful to you than death,
وَلَنْ تُعْجِزَهُ ، وَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ : حَاسِبُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُحَاسَبُوا وَزِنُوهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ تُوزَنُوا وَتَزَيَّنُوا لِلْعَرْضِ الْأَكْبَرِ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى يَوْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَى مِنْكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ وَإِنَّمَا خَفَّ الْحِسَابُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَلَى قَوْمٍ
walan tuʿjizahu , waqāla ʿumaru ibnu al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu: ḥāsibū ʾanfusakum qabla ʾan tuḥāsabū wazinūhā qabla ʾan tūzanū watazayyanū lilʿarḍi al-ʾakbari ʿalā allāhi taʿālā yawmaʾidhin tuʿraḍūna lā takhfā minkum khāfiyatun waʾinnamā khaffa al-ḥisābu fī al-ʾākhirati ʿalā qawmin
and you will not elude it.” ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may God be pleased with him, said, “Call yourselves to account before you are called to account; weigh yourselves before you are weighed; and adorn yourselves for the greatest presentation before God Most High: ‘On that day you will be presented; no secret of yours will remain hidden.’ The reckoning in the hereafter has been made light only for people who
حَاسَبُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُ قَوْمٍ فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَزَنُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَحَقٌّ لِمِيزَانٍ لَا يُوضَعُ فِيهِ إِلَّا الْحَقُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثَقِيلًا ، فَمُحَاسَبَةُ النَّفْسِ تَكُونُ بِالْوَرَعِ وَالْمُوَازَنَةُ تَكُونُ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ الْيَقِينِ وَالتَّزَيُّنُ لِلْعَرْضِ الْأَكْبَرِ يَكُونُ
ḥāsabū ʾanfusahum fī al-dunyā wathaqulat mawāzīnu qawmin fī al-ʾākhirati wazanū ʾanfusahum fī al-dunyā waḥaqqun limīzānin lā yūḍaʿu fīhi ʾillā al-ḥaqqu ʾan yakūna thaqīlan , famuḥāsabatu al-nafsi takūnu bi-al-waraʿi wa-al-muwāzanatu takūnu bimushāhadati al-yaqīni wa-al-tazayyunu lilʿarḍi al-ʾakbari yakūnu
called themselves to account in this world, and the scales of people who weighed themselves in this world have grown heavy in the hereafter. A balance in which nothing but truth is placed has every right to be heavy.” Taking account of the self is through scrupulousness; weighing it is through witnessing certainty; and adorning oneself for the greatest presentation is through
بِمَخَافَةِ الْمَلِكِ الْأَكْبَرِ وَهُوَ حَقِيقَةُ الزُّهْدِ ، وَأَوْصَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَبَا ذَرٍّ فَقَالَ لَهُ : اتَّقِ اللَّهَ أَيْنَمَا كُنْتَ وَأَتْبِعِ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا وَخَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِخُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ ، وَوَجَدْتُ هَٰذِهِ الْوَصِيَّةَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِعِبَادِهِ
bimakhāfati al-maliki al-ʾakbari wahuwa ḥaqīqatu al-zuhdi , waʾawṣā rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾabā dharrin faqāla lahu: ittaqi allāha ʾaynamā kunta waʾatbiʿi al-sayyiʾata al-ḥasanata tamḥuhā wakhāliqi al-nāsa bikhuluqin ḥasanin , wawajadtu hādhihi al-waṣiyyata fī kitābi allāhi ʿazza wajalla liʿibādihi
fear of the Greatest King. This is the reality of renunciation. The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, counseled Abū Dharr, saying to him, “Fear God wherever you are; follow a bad deed with a good one and it will erase it; and deal with people with good character.” I found this counsel to His servants in the Book of God, mighty and majestic,
بِقَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( وَلَقَدْ وَصَّيْنَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنِ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ) النِّسَاءُ : 131 . وَالْكَلِمَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : ( وَيَدْرَءُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ ) الرَّعْدُ :
biqawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ( walaqad waṣṣaynā alladhīna ʾūtū al-kitāba min qablikum waʾiyyākum ʾani ittaqū allāha ) al-nisāʾu: 131. wa-al-kalimatu al-thāniyatu fī qawlihi taʿālā: ( wayadraʾūna bi-al-ḥasanati al-sayyiʾata ) al-raʿdu:
in His saying, mighty and majestic, “We have indeed enjoined those given the Book before you, and you yourselves, to fear God” (al-Nisāʾ 131). The second saying is in His words, Most High, “They repel the bad deed with the good” (al-Raʿd
22 أَيْ يَدْفَعُونَ بِعَمَلِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَيُتْبِعُونَهَا السَّيِّئَةَ الْمُتَقَدِّمَةَ تُكَفِّرُهَا ، وَالْكَلِمَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا ) الْبَقَرَةُ : 83 وَقَدْ أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْ وَصِيَّةِ عِبَادِهِ الصَّالِحِينَ بِثَلَاثٍ فَقَالَ :
22 ʾay yadfaʿūna biʿamali al-ḥasanati wayutbiʿūnahā al-sayyiʾata al-mutaqaddimata tukaffiruhā , wa-al-kalimatu al-thālithatu fī qawlihi taʿālā: waqūlū li-l-nāsi ḥusnan ) al-baqaratu: 83 waqad ʾakhbara allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿan waṣiyyati ʿibādihi al-ṣāliḥīna bithalāthin faqāla:
22): that is, they repel it by performing a good deed and make that good deed follow the preceding bad one, expiating it. The third saying is in His words, Most High, “Speak good words to people” (al-Baqara 83). God, mighty and majestic, has told of the threefold counsel of His righteous servants, saying,
( إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ) الْعَصْرُ : 2 أَيْ لَفِي خُسْرَانٍ وَنَقْصٍ بِفَوْتِ أَوْقَاتِهِ وَفَقْدِ أَرْبَاحِهِ ، ثُمَّ اسْتَثْنَى فَقَالَ : إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ ) الْعَصْرُ : 3 .
( ʾinna al-ʾinsāna lafī khusrin ) al-ʿaṣru: 2 ʾay lafī khusrānin wanaqṣin bifawti ʾawqātihi wafaqdi ʾarbāḥihi , thumma istathnā faqāla: ʾillā alladhīna ʾāmanū waʿamilū al-ṣāliḥāti watawāṣaw bi-al-ḥaqqi watawāṣaw bi-al-ṣabri ) al-ʿaṣru: 3.
“The human being is surely in loss” (al-ʿAṣr 2): that is, in loss and diminution through the passing of his times and the loss of his profits. Then He made an exception, saying, “Except those who believe, perform righteous deeds, counsel one another to truth, and counsel one another to patience” (al-ʿAṣr 3).
وَقَالَ فِي الْوَصْفِ الثَّالِثِ : ( وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ ) الْبَلَدُ : 17 وَاتِّبَاعُ الْحَقِّ بِمُخَالَفَةِ الْهَوَى فِيهِ الصَّلَاحُ ، إِذْ فِي مُوَافَقَةِ الْهَوَى الْفَسَادُ ، وَالصَّبْرُ قِوَامُ الْأَمْرِ ، وَبِمِقْدَارِهِ يَكُونُ الرِّبْحُ وَالرَّحْمَةُ لِلْخَلْقِ بَابُ الرَّحْمَةِ مِنَ الْخَالِقِ وَمِفْتَاحُ
waqāla fī al-waṣfi al-thālithi: ( watawāṣaw bi-al-marḥamati ) al-baladu: 17 wa-ittibāʿu al-ḥaqqi bimukhālafati al-hawā fīhi al-ṣalāḥu , ʾidh fī muwāfaqati al-hawā al-fasādu , wa-al-ṣabru qiwāmu al-ʾamri , wabimiqdārihi yakūnu al-ribḥu wa-al-raḥmatu lilkhalqi bābu al-raḥmati mina al-khāliqi wamiftāḥu
Concerning the third quality He said, “And counsel one another to mercy” (al-Balad 17). Following truth by opposing desire brings soundness, since agreeing with desire brings corruption. Patience sustains the undertaking, and profit is in proportion to it. Mercy toward creatures is the gate to mercy from the Creator and the key to
حُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ وَمَعَهَا حُسْنُ الظَّنِّ وَسَلَامَةُ الْقَلْبِ وَعِنْدَهَا يَنْتَفِي الْحَسَدُ وَالْغِلُّ وَيُوجَدُ التَّوَاضُعُ وَالذُّلُّ ، وَهَٰذَا وَصْفُ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الَّذِينَ اخْتَارَهُمْ لِصُحْبَةِ نَبِيِّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةَ وَأَيَّدَهُمْ بِرُوحٍ مِنْهُ
ḥusni al-khuluqi wamaʿahā ḥusnu al-ẓanni wasalāmatu al-qalbi waʿindahā yantafī al-ḥasadu wa-al-ghillu wayūjadu al-tawāḍuʿu wa-al-dhullu , wahādhā waṣfu ʾaṣḥābi rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama alladhīna ikhtārahum liṣuḥbati nabiyyihi ʿalayhi al-salāmu waʾanzala ʿalayhimu al-sakīnata waʾayyadahum birūḥin minhu
good character. With it come good opinion and soundness of heart; in its presence envy and rancor disappear, and humility and lowliness are found. This describes the Companions of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, whom He chose to accompany His Prophet, peace be upon him, upon whom He sent down tranquility, and whom He strengthened with a spirit from Himself.
فَقَالَ : ( رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ ) الْفَتْحُ : 29 وَقَالَ تَعَالَى فِي حَقِيقَةِ الرَّحْمَةِ : ( وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ ) الْإِسْرَاءُ : 24 وَقَالَ فِي مِثْلِهِ عَنْ وَصْفِ أَحْبَابِهِ لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ : أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ،
faqāla: ( ruḥamāʾu baynahum ) al-fatḥu: 29 waqāla taʿālā fī ḥaqīqati al-raḥmati: ( wakhfiḍ lahumā janāḥa al-dhulli mina al-raḥmati ) al-ʾisrāʾu: 24 waqāla fī mithlihi ʿan waṣfi ʾaḥbābihi liʾikhwānihim: ʾadhillatin ʿalā al-muʾminīna ,
He said, “Merciful among themselves” (al-Fatḥ 29). Concerning the reality of mercy, He Most High said, “Lower to them both the wing of humility out of mercy” (al-Isrāʾ 24). Similarly, describing His beloved ones in relation to their brothers, He said, “Humble toward the believers.”
فَهَٰذِهِ الثَّلَاثَةُ مَفَاتِيحُ رِقَّةِ الْقَلْبِ وَمَغَالِقُ الْقَسْوَةِ وَفِي الرِّقَّةِ الْإِقْبَالُ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَعَلَى الدَّارِ الْآخِرَةِ وَالتَّيَقُّظُ لِأَمْرِهِ وَالتَّفَكُّرُ فِي وَعْدِهِ وَوَعِيدِهِ وَفِي الْقَسْوَةِ الْإِعْرَاضُ وَطُولُ الْغَفْلَةِ فَمُحَاسَبَةُ النَّفْسِ تَكُونُ بِالْوَرَعِ وَمُوَازَنَتُهَا تَكُونُ
fahādhihi al-thalāthatu mafātīḥu riqqati al-qalbi wamaghāliqu al-qaswati wafī al-riqqati al-ʾiqbālu ʿalā allāhi ʿazza wajalla waʿalā al-dāri al-ʾākhirati wa-al-tayaqquẓu liʾamrihi wa-al-tafakkuru fī waʿdihi wawaʿīdihi wafī al-qaswati al-ʾiʿrāḍu waṭūlu al-ghaflati famuḥāsabatu al-nafsi takūnu bi-al-waraʿi wamuwāzanatuhā takūnu
These three are keys to tenderness of heart and locks against hardness. In tenderness are turning toward God, mighty and majestic, and the abode of the hereafter, vigilance concerning His command, and reflection on His promise and His threat. In hardness are turning away and prolonged heedlessness. Taking account of the self is through scrupulousness, and weighing it is through
بِمُشَاهَدَةِ عَيْنِ الْيَقِينِ وَالتَّزَيُّنُ لِلْعَرْضِ الْأَكْبَرِ يَكُونُ بِمَخَافَةِ الْمَلِكِ الْأَكْبَرِ وَهُوَ حَقِيقَةُ الزُّهْدِ . وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ : أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّ الْمَرْءَ يَسُرُّهُ دَرْكُ مَالَمْ يَكُنْ لِيَفُوتَهُ وَيَسُوءُهُ فَوْتُ مَالَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُدْرِكَهُ ،
bimushāhadati ʿayni al-yaqīni wa-al-tazayyunu lilʿarḍi al-ʾakbari yakūnu bimakhāfati al-maliki al-ʾakbari wahuwa ḥaqīqatu al-zuhdi. warawaynā ʿan ʿaliyyin raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu: ʾammā baʿdu faʾinna al-marʾa yasurruhu darku mā lam yakun liyafūtahu wayasūʾuhu fawtu mā lam yakun liyudrikahu ,
witnessing the eye of certainty. Adorning oneself for the greatest presentation is through fear of the Greatest King, and this is the reality of renunciation. We have transmitted from ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him: “To proceed: a person rejoices at attaining what could not have missed him, and is distressed at missing what he could not have attained.
فَمَا نَالَكَ مِنْ دُنْيَاكَ فَلَا تَكْتَرِثْ بِهِ فَرَحًا وَمَا فَاتَكَ مِنْهَا فَلَا تُتْبِعْهُ نَفْسَكَ أَسَفًا وَلْيَكُنْ سُرُورُكَ بِمَا قَدَّمْتَ وَأَسَفُكَ عَلَى مَا خَلَّفْتَ وَشُغْلُكَ لِآخِرَتِكَ وَهَمُّكَ فِيمَا بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ ، وَقَالَ أَيْضًا : الْهَوَى شَرِيكُ الْعَمَى ،
famā nālaka min dunyāka falā taktarith bihi faraḥan wamā fātaka minhā falā tutbiʿhu nafsaka ʾasafan walyakun surūruka bimā qaddamta waʾasafuka ʿalā mā khallafta washughluka liʾākhiratika wahammuka fīmā baʿda al-mawti , waqāla ʾayḍan: al-hawā sharīku al-ʿamā ,
Whatever of your world reaches you, do not become absorbed in rejoicing over it; and whatever of it passes you by, do not send your soul after it in sorrow. Let your joy be in what you have sent ahead, your sorrow over what you have left behind, your occupation be for your hereafter, and your concern be with what comes after death.” He also said, “Desire is the companion of blindness.
وَمِنَ التَّوْفِيقِ الْوُقُوفُ عِنْدَ الْحَيْرَةِ وَنِعْمَ طَارِدُ الْهَمِّ الْيَقِينُ وَعَاقِبَةُ الْكَذِبِ الذَّمُّ وَفِي الصِّدْقِ السَّلَامَةُ ، رُبَّ بَعِيدٍ أَقْرَبُ مِنْ قَرِيبٍ وَغَرِيبٌ مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ حَبِيبٌ وَالصَّدِيقُ مَنْ صَدَقَ غَيْبَهُ وَلَا يُعْدِمْكَ مِنْ حَبِيبٍ سُوءُ الظَّنِّ ،
wamina al-tawfīqi al-wuqūfu ʿinda al-ḥayrati waniʿma ṭāridu al-hammi al-yaqīnu waʿāqibatu al-kadhibi al-dhammu wafī al-ṣidqi al-salāmatu , rubba baʿīdin ʾaqrabu min qarībin wagharībun man lam yakun lahu ḥabībun wa-al-ṣadīqu man ṣadaqa ghaybahu walā yuʿdimka min ḥabībin sūʾu al-ẓanni ,
It is a sign of divine assistance to stop when bewildered. What an excellent dispeller of worry certainty is! The outcome of lying is blame, and in truthfulness lies safety. Many a distant person is nearer than one close by; a stranger is one who has no beloved; and a friend is one who remains true in his friend's absence. Do not let suspicion deprive you of a beloved.
نِعْمَ الْخُلُقُ التَّكَرُّمُ وَالْحَيَاءُ سَبَبٌ إِلَى كُلِّ جَمِيلٍ وَأَوْثَقُ الْعُرَى التَّقْوَى وَأَوْثَقُ سَبَبٍ أَخَذْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ سَبَبٌ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِنَّمَا لَكَ مِنْ دُنْيَاكَ مَا أَصْلَحْتَ بِهِ مَثْوَاكَ وَالرِّزْقُ رِزْقَانِ ، رِزْقٌ تَطْلُبُهُ وَرِزْقٌ يَطْلُبُكَ ،
niʿma al-khuluqu al-takarrumu wa-al-ḥayāʾu sababun ʾilā kulli jamīlin waʾawthaqu al-ʿurā al-taqwā waʾawthaqu sababin ʾakhadhta bihi nafsaka sababun baynaka wabayna allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾinnamā laka min dunyāka mā ʾaṣlaḥta bihi mathwāka wa-al-rizqu rizqāni , rizqun taṭlubuhu warizqun yaṭlubuka ,
What an excellent character trait generosity is! Modesty is a means to everything beautiful. The firmest of bonds is reverent fear, and the surest tie by which you can bind yourself is a tie between you and God, mighty and majestic. Only that part of your world with which you have set your final dwelling right belongs to you. Provision is of two kinds: provision you seek, and provision that seeks you.
فَإِنْ لَمْ تَأْتِهِ أَتَاكَ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ جَازِعًا عَلَى مَا أَتْلَفْتَ مِنْ يَدَيْكَ فَلَا تَجْزَعَنَّ عَلَى مَالَمْ يَصِلْ إِلَيْكَ وَاسْتَدْلِلْ عَلَى مَالَمْ يَكُنْ بِمَا كَانَ فَإِنَّ الْأُمُورَ أَشْبَاهٌ ، وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍ : لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ آفَةٌ وَآفَةُ الْعِلْمِ النِّسْيَانُ وَآفَةُ الْعِبَادَةِ الْكَسَلُ
faʾin lam taʾtihi ʾatāka waʾin kunta jāziʿan ʿalā mā ʾatlafta min yadayka falā tajzaʿanna ʿalā mā lam yaṣil ʾilayka wastadlil ʿalā mā lam yakun bimā kāna faʾinna al-ʾumūra ʾashbāhun , waqāla ʿabdu allāhi ibnu ʿabbāsin: likulli shayʾin ʾāfatun waʾāfatu al-ʿilmi al-nisyānu waʾāfatu al-ʿibādati al-kasalu
If you do not come to it, it comes to you. If you grieve over what you have lost from your hands, do not grieve over what has never reached you. Infer what has not happened from what has happened, for affairs resemble one another.” ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās said, “Everything has a blight. The blight of knowledge is forgetfulness; the blight of worship is laziness;
وَآفَةُ اللُّبِّ الْعُجْبُ وَآفَةُ الظَّرْفِ الصَّلَفُ وَآفَةُ التِّجَارَةِ الْكَذِبُ وَآفَةُ السَّخَاءِ التَّبْذِيرُ ، وَآفَةُ الْجَمَالِ الْخُيَلَاءُ وَآفَةُ الدِّينِ الرِّيَاءُ وَآفَةُ الْإِسْلَامِ الْهَوَى ، وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : آفَةُ أُمَّتِي الدِّينَارُ وَالدِّرْهَمُ ،
waʾāfatu al-lubbi al-ʿujbu waʾāfatu al-ẓarfi al-ṣalafu waʾāfatu al-tijārati al-kadhibu waʾāfatu al-sakhāʾi al-tabdhīru , waʾāfatu al-jamāli al-khuyalāʾu waʾāfatu al-dīni al-riyāʾu waʾāfatu al-ʾislāmi al-hawā , waqāla rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾāfatu ʾummatī al-dīnāru wa-al-dirhamu ,
the blight of intelligence is conceit; the blight of refinement is boastfulness; the blight of commerce is lying; the blight of generosity is wastefulness; the blight of beauty is vanity; the blight of religion is ostentation; and the blight of Islam is desire.” The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “The blight of my community is the dinar and the dirham.”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ وَبْرَةَ السُّلَمِيِّ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ قَالَ : أَوْصَانِي ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ بِخَمْسٍ لَهُنَّ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ الدِّرْهَمِ الْمَوْقُوفِ وَمِنَ الذَّهَبِ الْمَوْصُوفِ قَالَ : لَا تَتَكَلَّمَنَّ فِيمَا لَا يَعْنِيكَ فَإِنَّهُ أَقْرَبُ لَكَ مِنَ السَّلَامَةِ وَلَا آمَنُ عَلَيْكَ الْخَطَأَ وَلَا تَتَكَلَّمَنَّ فِيمَا يَعْنِيكَ حَتَّى
warawaynā ʿan wabrata al-sulamiyyi ʿan mujāhidin qāla: ʾawṣānī ibnu ʿabbāsin bikhamsin lahunna ʾaḥsanu mina al-dirhami al-mawqūfi wamina al-dhahabi al-mawṣūfi qāla: lā tatakallamanna fīmā lā yaʿnīka faʾinnahu ʾaqrabu laka mina al-salāmati walā ʾāmanu ʿalayka al-khaṭaʾa walā tatakallamanna fīmā yaʿnīka ḥattā
We have transmitted from Wabra al-Sulamī, from Mujāhid, who said, “Ibn ʿAbbās counseled me with five things, better indeed than a dirham set aside and gold of praised quality. He said, ‘Do not speak about what does not concern you, for that brings you nearer to safety, and I cannot assure you against error. Nor speak about what concerns you until
تَرَى لَهُ مَوْضِعًا ، فَرُبَّ مُتَكَلِّمٍ فِيمَا يَعْنِيهِ قَدْ وَضَعَهُ فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعِهِ فَلَقِيَ عَنَتًا ، وَلَا تُمَارِيَنَّ حَلِيمًا وَلَا سَفِيهًا أَمَّا الْحَلِيمُ فَيَقْلِيكَ وَأَمَّا السَّفِيهُ فَيُؤْذِيكَ ، وَاخْلُفْ أَخَاكَ إِذَا غَابَ عَنْكَ بِمِثْلِ مَا تُحِبُّ أَنْ يَخْلُفَكَ بِهِ إِذَا غِبْتَ عَنْهُ وَأَعْفِهِ مِمَّا
tarā lahu mawḍiʿan , farubba mutakallimin fīmā yaʿnīhi qad waḍaʿahu fī ghayri mawḍiʿihi falaqiya ʿanatan , walā tumāriyanna ḥalīman walā safīhan ʾammā al-ḥalīmu fayaqlīka waʾammā al-safīhu fayuʾdhīka , wakhluf ʾakhāka ʾidhā ghāba ʿanka bimithli mā tuḥibbu ʾan yakhlufaka bihi ʾidhā ghibta ʿanhu waʾaʿfihi mimmā
you see a fitting place for it. Many a person speaking of what concerns him has put his speech in the wrong place and met with hardship. Do not dispute with a forbearing person or a fool: the forbearing person will dislike you, and the fool will harm you. Act on your brother's behalf when he is absent from you as you would like him to act on your behalf when you are absent from him, and spare him what
تُحِبُّ أَنْ يُعْفِيَكَ مِنْهُ وَاعْمَلْ بِعَمَلِ رَجُلٍ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ مُكَافَأٌ بِالْإِحْسَانِ مَأْخُوذٌ بِالْإِسَاءَةِ ، وَفِي وَصِيَّةِ الْعَبَّاسِ لِابْنِهِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ :
tuḥibbu ʾan yuʿfiyaka minhu waʿmal biʿamali rajulin yaʿlamu ʾannahu mukāfaʾun bi-al-ʾiḥsāni maʾkhūdhun bi-al-ʾisāʾati , wafī waṣiyyati al-ʿabbāsi libnihi ʿabdi allāhi qāla:
you would like him to spare you. Act with the conduct of a man who knows that he will be rewarded for doing good and held accountable for doing evil.’” In al-ʿAbbās's counsel to his son ʿAbd Allāh, he said,
يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى هَٰذَا
yā bunayya ʾinnī ʾarā hādhā
“My son, I see that this
الرَّجُلَ يُقَدِّمُكَ عَلَى الْأَشْيَاخِ وَيُكْرِمُكَ فَاحْفَظْ عَنِّي هَٰذِهِ الْخِصَالَ لَا تُفْشِيَنَّ لَهُ سِرًّا وَلَا تَعْصِيَنَّ لَهُ أَمْرًا وَلَا تَغْتَابَنَّ عِنْدَهُ أَحَدًا وَلَا يَطَّلِعَنَّ مِنْكَ عَلَى خِيَانَةٍ وَلَا يُجَرِّبَنَّ عَلَيْكَ كَذْبَةً ، هَٰذَا فِي رِوَايَتَيْنِ دَخَلَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا فِي الْأُخْرَى قَالَ فِي
al-rajula yuqaddimuka ʿalā al-ʾashyākhi wayukrimuka faḥfaẓ ʿannī hādhihi al-khiṣāla lā tufshiyanna lahu sirran walā taʿṣiyanna lahu ʾamran walā taghtābanna ʿindahu ʾaḥadan walā yaṭṭaliʿanna minka ʿalā khiyānatin walā yujarribanna ʿalayka kadhbatan , hādhā fī riwāyatayni dakhalat ʾiḥdāhumā fī al-ʾukhrā qāla fī
man gives you precedence over the elders and honors you. Preserve these qualities from me: do not divulge a secret of his; do not disobey a command of his; do not backbite anyone in his presence; do not let him discover a betrayal in you; and do not let him experience a lie from you.” This occurs in two transmissions, one incorporated into the other. In
إِحْدَاهُمَا : قُلْتُ لِلشَّعْبِيِّ : كُلُّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفٍ ، فَقَالَ كُلُّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عَشَرَةِ آلَافٍ ، وَقَالَ يُوسُفُ بْنُ أَسْبَاطٍ : كَانَ يُقَالُ ثَلَاثٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَكْمَلَ إِيمَانَهُ مَنْ إِذَا رَضِيَ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ رِضَاهُ إِلَى بَاطِلٍ وَإِذَا غَضِبَ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ
ʾiḥdāhumā: qultu li-l-shaʿbiyyi: kullu wāḥidatin minhunna khayrun min ʾalfin , faqāla kullu wāḥidatin minhunna khayrun min ʿasharati ʾālāfin , waqāla yūsufu ibnu ʾasbāṭin: kāna yuqālu thalāthun man kunna fīhi faqadi istakmala ʾīmānahu man ʾidhā raḍiya lam yakhruj riḍāhu ʾilā bāṭilin waʾidhā ghaḍiba lam yakhruj
one of them he said, “I said to al-Shaʿbī, ‘Each one of these is better than a thousand.’ He replied, ‘Each one of these is better than ten thousand.’” Yūsuf ibn Asbāṭ said, “It used to be said: ‘Three qualities: whoever possesses them has perfected his faith. When he is pleased, his pleasure does not carry him into falsehood; when he is angry, his
غَضَبُهُ عَنْ حَقٍّ وَإِذَا قَدَرَ لَمْ يَأْخُذْ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا مُسْنَدًا مِنْ طَرِيقٍ ، وَقَالَ سَرِيُّ بْنُ الْمُغَلِّسِ : ثَلَاثٌ يَسْتَبِينُ بِهِنَّ الْيَقِينُ ، الْقِيَامُ بِالْحَقِّ فِي مَوَاطِنِ الْهَلَكَةِ ، وَالتَّسْلِيمُ لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِنْدَ نُزُولِ الْبَلَاءِ ،
ghaḍabuhu ʿan ḥaqqin waʾidhā qadara lam yaʾkhudh mā laysa lahu , waqad rawaynā musnadan min ṭarīqin , waqāla sariyyu ibnu al-mughallisi: thalāthun yastabīnu bihinna al-yaqīnu , al-qiyāmu bi-al-ḥaqqi fī mawāṭini al-halakati , wa-al-taslīmu liʾamri allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʿinda nuzūli al-balāʾi ,
anger does not depart from truth; and when he has power, he does not take what is not his.’” We have transmitted this with a connected chain through one route. Sarī ibn al-Mughallis said, “Three things make certainty evident: standing by truth in places of mortal danger; surrendering to the command of God, mighty and majestic, when affliction descends;
وَالرِّضَا بِالْقَضَاءِ عِنْدَ زَوَالِ النِّعْمَةِ نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْهُ ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَلَاثٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ اسْتَكْمَلَ إِيمَانَهُ لَا يَخَافُ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ وَلَا يُرَائِي بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ ، وَإِذَا عُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرَانِ :
wa-al-riḍā bi-al-qaḍāʾi ʿinda zawāli al-niʿmati naʿūdhu bi-allāhi minhu , waqad rawaynā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama thalāthun man kunna fīhi istakmala ʾīmānahu lā yakhāfu fī allāhi lawmata lāʾimin walā yurāʾī bishayʾin min ʿamalihi , waʾidhā ʿuriḍa ʿalayhi ʾamrāni:
and contentment with the decree when a blessing departs. We seek refuge in God from that.” We have transmitted from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Three qualities: whoever possesses them has perfected his faith. He fears no blamer's blame concerning God; he shows off none of his deeds; and when two matters are presented to him,
أَحَدُهُمَا لِلدُّنْيَا وَالْآخَرُ لِلْآخِرَةِ آثَرَ الْآخِرَةَ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ ثَلَاثٌ مُنْجِيَاتٌ وَثَلَاثٌ مُهْلِكَاتٌ ، فَأَمَّا الْمُنْجِيَاتُ فَخَشْيَةُ اللَّهِ فِي السِّرِّ وَالْعَلَانِيَةِ وَكَلِمَةُ الْعَدْلِ فِي الرِّضَا وَالْغَضَبِ وَالْقَصْدُ فِي الْغِنَى وَالْفَقْرِ وَأَمَّا الْمُهْلِكَاتُ
ʾaḥaduhumā li-l-dunyā wa-al-ʾākharu lilʾākhirati ʾāthara al-ʾākhirata ʿalā al-dunyā , wafī al-khabari al-mashhūri thalāthun munjiyātun wathalāthun muhlikātun , faʾammā al-munjiyātu fakhashyatu allāhi fī al-sirri wa-al-ʿalāniyati wakalimatu al-ʿadli fī al-riḍā wa-al-ghaḍabi wa-al-qaṣdu fī al-ghinā wa-al-faqri waʾammā al-muhlikātu
one for this world and the other for the hereafter, he prefers the hereafter to this world.” In the well-known report: “Three things save, and three things destroy. Those that save are fear of God in secret and in public, a word of justice in pleasure and anger, and moderation in wealth and poverty. As for those that destroy,
فَشُحٌّ مُطَاعٌ وَهَوًى مُتَّبَعٌ وَإِعْجَابُ الْمَرْءِ بِنَفْسِهِ ، وَرَوَيْنَا فِي الْخَبَرِ التَّكَرُّمُ التَّقْوَى وَالشَّرَفُ التَّوَاضُعُ وَالْغِنَى الْيَقِينُ ، وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ : الْإِيمَانُ عُرْيَانٌ وَلِبَاسُهُ التَّقْوَى وَزِينَتُهُ الْحَيَاءُ وَثَمَرَتُهُ الْعِلْمُ ،
fashuḥḥun muṭāʿun wahawan muttabaʿun waʾiʿjābu al-marʾi binafsihi , warawaynā fī al-khabari al-takarrumu al-taqwā wa-al-sharafu al-tawāḍuʿu wa-al-ghinā al-yaqīnu , wafī al-ḥadīthi al-ʾākhari: al-ʾīmānu ʿuryānun walibāsuhu al-taqwā wazīnatuhu al-ḥayāʾu wathamaratuhu al-ʿilmu ,
they are avarice obeyed, desire followed, and a person's admiration of himself.” We have transmitted in the report: “Generosity is reverent fear, honor is humility, and wealth is certainty.” In the other hadith: “Faith is naked; its clothing is reverent fear; its adornment is modesty; and its fruit is knowledge.”
وَفِي حَدِيثِ عَمَّارٍ أَسْنَدَهُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَفَى بِالْمَوْتِ وَاعِظًا وَكَفَى بِالْخَشْيَةِ عِلْمًا وَكَفَى بِالْيَقِينِ غِنًى وَكَفَى بِالْعِبَادَةِ شُغْلًا . رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَيِّدِ الْخُطَبَاءِ وَخَطِيبِ الْخُطَبَاءِ وَحَكِيمِ الْحُكَمَاءِ
wafī ḥadīthi ʿammārin ʾasnadahu ʾilā rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kafā bi-al-mawti wāʿiẓan wakafā bi-al-khashyati ʿilman wakafā bi-al-yaqīni ghinan wakafā bi-al-ʿibādati shughlan. rawaynā ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama sayyidi al-khuṭabāʾi wakhaṭībi al-khuṭabāʾi waḥakīmi al-ḥukamāʾi
In the hadith of ʿAmmār, which he traced to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Death suffices as an admonisher; reverent fear suffices as knowledge; certainty suffices as wealth; and worship suffices as an occupation.” We have transmitted from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, the master of orators, the orator of orators, and the sage of sages,
فِي خُطْبَةِ الْوَدَاعِ كَلِمَاتٍ جَامِعَاتٍ مُوجَزَاتٍ فِي الْوَعْظِ وَالتَّذْكِرَةِ وَالتَّزَهُّدِ وَالتَّبْصِرَةِ وَيَنْتَظِمُ جَمِيعَ مَعَانِي مَا قِيلَ فِي مَعْنَاهَا رَوَاهُ أَبَانُ بْنُ عَيَّاشٍ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَطَبَ عَلَى نَاقَتِهِ فَقَالَ :
fī khuṭbati al-wadāʿi kalimātin jāmiʿātin mūjazātin fī al-waʿẓi wa-al-tadhkirati wa-al-tazahhudi wa-al-tabṣirati wayantaẓimu jamīʿa maʿānī mā qīla fī maʿnāhā rawāhu ʾabānu ibnu ʿayyāshin ʿan ʾanasi ibni mālikin ʾanna rasūla allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama khaṭaba ʿalā nāqatihi faqāla:
comprehensive, concise words from the Farewell Sermon concerning admonition, reminding, renunciation, and giving insight, encompassing all the meanings of what has been said on these subjects. Abān ibn ʿAyyāsh transmitted it from Anas ibn Mālik: the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, delivered a sermon upon his she-camel, saying,
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كَأَنَّ الْمَوْتَ فِيهَا عَلَى غَيْرِنَا كُتِبَ وَكَأَنَّ الْحَقَّ فِيهَا عَلَى غَيْرِنَا وَجَبَ وَكَأَنَّ مَنْ نُشَيِّعُ مِنَ الْأَمْوَاتِ سَفْرٌ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ نُبَوِّئُهُمْ أَجْدَاثَهُمْ وَنَأْكُلُ تُرَاثَهُمْ كَأَنَّا مُخَلَّدُونَ بَعْدَهُمْ قَدْ نَسِينَا كُلَّ وَاعِظَةٍ وَأَمِنَّا كُلَّ جَائِحَةٍ ،
yā ʾayyuhā al-nāsu kaʾanna al-mawta fīhā ʿalā ghayrinā kutiba wakaʾanna al-ḥaqqa fīhā ʿalā ghayrinā wajaba wakaʾanna man nushayyiʿu mina al-ʾamwāti safrun ʿammā qalīlin ʾilaynā rājiʿūna nubawwiʾuhum ʾajdāthahum wanaʾkulu turāthahum kaʾannā mukhalladūna baʿdahum qad nasīnā kulla wāʿiẓatin waʾaminnā kulla jāʾiḥatin ,
“People! It is as though death in this world had been prescribed for others, and as though duty in it had been imposed on others; as though the dead whom we escort were travelers who will shortly return to us. We lodge them in their graves and consume their inheritance, as though we would remain forever after them. We have forgotten every admonition and feel secure from every calamity.
طُوبَى لِمَنْ شَغَلَهُ عَيْبُ نَفْسِهِ عَنْ عُيُوبِ النَّاسِ وَأَنْفَقَ مِنْ مَالٍ اكْتَسَبَهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَعْصِيَةٍ وَرَحِمَ أَهْلَ الذُّلِّ وَالْمَسْكَنَةِ وَخَالَطَ أَهْلَ الْفِقْهِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ ، طُوبَى لِمَنْ أَذَلَّ نَفْسَهُ وَحَسُنَتْ خَلِيقَتُهُ وَصَلَحَتْ سَرِيرَتُهُ وَعَزَلَ عَنِ النَّاسِ شَرَّهُ ،
ṭūbā liman shaghalahu ʿaybu nafsihi ʿan ʿuyūbi al-nāsi waʾanfaqa min mālin iktasabahu min ghayri maʿṣiyatin waraḥima ʾahla al-dhulli wa-al-maskanati wakhālaṭa ʾahla al-fiqhi wa-al-ḥikmati , ṭūbā liman ʾadhalla nafsahu waḥasunat khalīqatuhu waṣalaḥat sarīratuhu waʿazala ʿani al-nāsi sharrahu ,
Blessed is the person whose own fault keeps him occupied with it instead of other people's faults; who spends from wealth acquired without disobedience; who has mercy on the lowly and the destitute; and who associates with people of understanding and wisdom. Blessed is the person who humbles himself, whose character is good, whose inward life is sound, and who keeps his evil away from people.
طُوبَى لِمَنْ عَمِلَ بِعِلْمِهِ وَأَنْفَقَ الْفَضْلَ مِنْ مَالِهِ وَأَمْسَكَ الْفَضْلَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ وَوَسِعَتْهُ السُّنَّةُ وَلَمْ يَعْدُهَا إِلَى بِدْعَةٍ ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَدِيثٌ جَامِعٌ لِهَٰذِهِ الْمَعَانِي الْمَبْثُوثَةِ مُخْتَصَرٌ فِي اللَّفْظِ وَالْمَعْنَى يُقَالُ إِنَّهُ نِصْفُ الْعِلْمِ وَهُوَ
ṭūbā liman ʿamila biʿilmihi waʾanfaqa al-faḍla min mālihi waʾamsaka al-faḍla min qawlihi wawasiʿathu al-sunnatu walam yaʿduhā ʾilā bidʿatin , waqad ruwiya ʿanhu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ḥadīthun jāmiʿun lihādhihi al-maʿānī al-mabthūthati mukhtaṣarun fī al-lafẓi wa-al-maʿnā yuqālu ʾinnahu niṣfu al-ʿilmi wahuwa
Blessed is the person who acts upon his knowledge, spends the surplus of his wealth, withholds the surplus of his speech, finds ample room within the Sunna, and does not pass beyond it into innovation.” A hadith has been transmitted from him, may God bless him and grant him peace, gathering these scattered meanings, concise in wording and meaning. It is said to be half of knowledge. It is
قَوْلُهُ مِنْ حُسْنِ إِسْلَامِ الْمَرْءِ تَرْكُهُ مَا لَايَعْنِيهِ ،
qawluhu min ḥusni ʾislāmi al-marʾi tarkuhu mā lā yaʿnīhi ,
his saying, “Part of the excellence of a person's Islam is his leaving what does not concern him.”
وَمَا لَمْ يُؤْمَرْ بِهِ
wamā lam yuʾmar bihi
Whatever has not been commanded
الْعَبْدُ فَرْضًا وَلَمْ يُنْدَبْ إِلَيْهِ فَضْلًا وَلَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ مُبَاحًا فَهُوَ مِمَّا لَايَعْنِيهِ وَفِي حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ هُوَ نِصْفُ الْوَرَعِ قَوْلُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : دَعْ مَا يَرِيبُكَ إِلَى مَا لَا يَرِيبُكَ فَإِنَّ الْإِثْمَ حَوَّازُ الْقُلُوبِ أَيْ دَعْ مَا تَشُكَّنَّ فِيهِ مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ فِعْلٍ
al-ʿabdu farḍan walam yundab ʾilayhi faḍlan walā yaḥtāju ʾilayhi mubāḥan fahuwa mimmā lā yaʿnīhi wafī ḥadīthin ʾākhara huwa niṣfu al-waraʿi qawluhu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: daʿ mā yarībuka ʾilā mā lā yarībuka faʾinna al-ʾithma ḥawwāzu al-qulūbi ʾay daʿ mā tashukkanna fīhi min qawlin ʾaw fiʿlin
to the servant as an obligation, has not been encouraged to do as an excellence, and does not need as something permitted, belongs to what does not concern him. In another hadith, which is half of scrupulousness, are his words, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Leave what causes you doubt for what does not cause you doubt, for sin grips hearts.” That is, leave what you doubt in speech or action,
فَإِنَّ فِيهِ غَنِيمَةً أَوْ سَلَامَةً إِلَى شَيْءٍ أَنْتَ عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنَ الْفَضِيلَةِ فِيهِ أَوِ السَّلَامَةِ مَعَهُ وَمَا حَزَّ فِي قَلْبِكَ وَلَمْ يَنْشَرِحْ لَهُ فَدَعْهُ فَإِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ إِثْمٌ وَإِنْ قَلَّ وَدَقَّ ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْوَصْفِ الْمَبْسُوطِ مِنْ أَوْصَافِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
faʾinna fīhi ghanīmatan ʾaw salāmatan ʾilā shayʾin ʾanta ʿalā yaqīnin mina al-faḍīlati fīhi ʾawi al-salāmati maʿahu wamā ḥazza fī qalbika walam yanshariḥ lahu fadaʿhu faʾinna dhālika ʾithmun waʾin qalla wadaqqa , waqad rawaynā ʿanhu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī al-waṣfi al-mabsūṭi min ʾawṣāfi al-muʾminīna
even if there is gain or safety in it, for something in whose excellence you are certain, or with which you are safe. Whatever chafes in your heart, and for which it does not open, leave it: that is sin, even if it is slight and subtle. We have transmitted from him, may God bless him and grant him peace, an extended description among the descriptions of believers,
كَوَصْفِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَوْلِيَاءَهُ فِي الْكَلَامِ الْمَشْرُوحِ أَنَّهُ بَيْنَمَا هُوَ جَالِسٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَ أَصْحَابِهِ إِذْ سَجَدَ فَأَطَالَ ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مَادًّا يَدَيْهِ فَقَالَ : اللَّهُمَّ أَكْرِمْنَا وَلَا تُهِنَّا وَزِدْنَا وَلَا تَنْقُصْنَا وَأَعِزَّنَا وَلَا تُذِلَّنَا ، قُلْنَا :
kawaṣfi allāhi taʿālā ʾawliyāʾahu fī al-kalāmi al-mashrūḥi ʾannahu baynamā huwa jālisun ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama bayna ʾaṣḥābihi ʾidh sajada faʾaṭāla thumma rafaʿa raʾsahu māddan yadayhi faqāla: allāhumma ʾakrimnā walā tuhinnā wazidnā walā tanquṣnā waʾaʿizzanā walā tudhillanā , qulnā:
like God Most High's description of His friends in the discourse set out at length: while he, may God bless him and grant him peace, was sitting among his Companions, he prostrated and prolonged it. Then he raised his head, stretching out his hands, and said, “O God, honor us and do not dishonor us; increase us and do not diminish us; exalt us and do not abase us.” We said,
وَمَا ذَاكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ؟ قَالَ : أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيَّ آيَاتٌ مَنْ أَقَامَهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ ثُمَّ تَلَا عَلَيْنَا قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَى آخِرِ الْعَشْرِ . وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْهُ فِي حَدِيثٍ مُجْمَلٍ أَنَّ رَجُلًا سَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَتَى أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ،
wamā dhāka yā rasūla allāhi ? qāla: ʾunzilat ʿalayya ʾāyātun man ʾaqāmahā dakhala al-jannata thumma talā ʿalaynā qad ʾaflaḥa al-muʾminūna ʾilā ʾākhiri al-ʿashri. warawaynā ʿanhu fī ḥadīthin mujmalin ʾanna rajulan saʾalahu faqāla: yā rasūla allāhi matā ʾaʿlamu ʾannī min ʾahli al-jannati ,
“What is that, Messenger of God?” He said, “Verses have been revealed to me: whoever upholds them enters the Garden.” Then he recited to us, “The believers have indeed succeeded,” through the end of the ten verses. We have transmitted from him in a summary hadith that a man asked him, saying, “Messenger of God, when shall I know that I am among the people of the Garden?”
وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ أَنِّي مُؤْمِنٌ حَقًّا ، فَقَالَ : إِذَا كُنْتَ بِهَٰذِهِ الْأَوْصَافِ ، ثُمَّ تَلَا عَلَيْهِ : قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ إِلَى آخِرِ النُّعُوتِ ، وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْوَصْفِ الْجَامِعِ الْمُخْتَصَرِ كَوَصْفِ الْحَكِيمِ الْأَكْبَرِ مَنْ صَلَحَ
wafī lafẓin ʾākhara ʾannī muʾminun ḥaqqan , faqāla: ʾidhā kunta bihādhihi al-ʾawṣāfi , thumma talā ʿalayhi: qad ʾaflaḥa al-muʾminūna alladhīna hum fī ṣalātihim ʾilā ʾākhiri al-nuʿūti , warawaynā ʿanhu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī al-waṣfi al-jāmiʿi al-mukhtaṣari kawaṣfi al-ḥakīmi al-ʾakbari man ṣalaḥa
In another wording: “That I am truly a believer?” He said, “When you possess these qualities.” Then he recited to him, “The believers have indeed succeeded, those who in their prayer,” through the end of the attributes. We have transmitted from him, may God bless him and grant him peace, a comprehensive, concise description, like the description by the Greatest Sage of those of His servants who have become sound
لَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ بِالْإِخْلَاصِ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ وَالْعَمَلِ فَقَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : لَوْ لَمْ تَنْزِلْ عَلَيَّ إِلَّا هَٰذِهِ الْآيَةُ كَانَتْ تَكْفِي ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ آخِرَ سُورَةِ الْكَهْفِ ( فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا ) الْكَهْفُ 110 إِلَى آخِرِهَا ،
lahu min ʿibādihi bi-al-ʾikhlāṣi fī al-tawḥīdi wa-al-ʿamali faqāla ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: law lam tanzil ʿalayya ʾillā hādhihi al-ʾāyatu kānat takfī , thumma qaraʾa ʾākhira sūrati al-kahfi ( faman kāna yarjū liqāʾa rabbihi falyaʿmal ʿamalan ṣāliḥan ) al-kahfu 110 ʾilā ʾākhirihā ,
for Him through sincerity in affirming His oneness and in action. He, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Had nothing been revealed to me except this verse, it would suffice.” Then he recited the end of Sūrat al-Kahf: “Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him perform a righteous deed” (al-Kahf 110), through its end.
فَكَانَ هَٰذَا فَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ وَبَلَاغًا لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ فَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ الْإِخْلَاصُ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ وَنَفْيُ الشِّرْكِ بِالْخَلْقِ هُوَ الْيَقِينُ بِتَوْحِيدِ الْخَالِقِ ، وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ وَهُوَ أَحْسَنُ الْقَائِلِينَ فِي وَصْفِ أَوْلِيَائِهِ الْخَائِفِينَ :
fakāna hādhā faṣla al-khiṭābi wabalāghan liʾūlī al-ʾalbābi fa-al-ʿamalu al-ṣāliḥu al-ʾikhlāṣu fī al-ʿibādati wanafyu al-shirki bi-al-khalqi huwa al-yaqīnu bitawḥīdi al-khāliqi , waqad qāla allāhu wahuwa ʾaḥsanu al-qāʾilīna fī waṣfi ʾawliyāʾihi al-khāʾifīna:
This was decisive speech and a sufficient message for people of understanding. Righteous action is sincerity in worship, and denying partnership to creatures is certainty in the Creator's oneness. God, the best of speakers, has said in describing His fearful friends,
( إِنَّ الَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ رَبِّهِمْ مُشْفِقُونَ ) ( وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ ) الْمُؤْمِنُونَ : 57 - 58 إِلَى قَوْلِهِ : ( وَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ ) الْمُؤْمِنُونَ : 61 ، فَوَصَفَهُمْ بِسَبْعِ مَقَامَاتٍ جَامِعَاتٍ بَالِغَاتٍ تَنْتَظِمُ بِمَقَامَاتِ أَهْلِ الْمُحَاسَبَةِ وَتَسْتَحْوِذُ
( ʾinna alladhīna hum min khashyati rabbihim mushfiqūna ) ( wa-alladhīna hum biʾāyāti rabbihim yuʾminūna ) al-muʾminūna: 57 - 58 ʾilā qawlihi: ( wahum lahā sābiqūna ) al-muʾminūna: 61 , fawaṣafahum bisabʿi maqāmātin jāmiʿātin bālighātin tantaẓimu bimaqāmāti ʾahli al-muḥāsabati watastaḥwidhu
“Those who are apprehensive out of fear of their Lord,” and “Those who believe in the signs of their Lord” (al-Muʾminūn 57–58), through His words, “And they are foremost in them” (al-Muʾminūn 61). He described them through seven comprehensive, far-reaching stations that encompass the stations of those who take account of themselves and embrace
عَلَى مَعَانِي أَحْوَالِ أَهْلِ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ افْتَتَحَهَا بِالْخَشْيَةِ وَالْإِشْفَاقِ وَخَتَمَهَا بِالْوَجَلِ وَالْإِنْفَاقِ وَجَعَلَ مُوجِبَهَا الْيَقِينَ وَهُوَ الَّذِي رَجَحَتْ بِهِ مَوَازِينُ الْمُتَّقِينَ صَيَّرَهُ آخِرَ وَصْفِهِمْ وَنِهَايَةَ نَعْتِهِمْ وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى :
ʿalā maʿānī ʾaḥwāli ʾahli al-murāqabati iftataḥahā bi-al-khashyati wa-al-ʾishfāqi wakhatamahā bi-al-wajali wa-al-ʾinfāqi wajaʿala mūjibahā al-yaqīna wahuwa alladhī rajaḥat bihi mawāzīnu al-muttaqīna ṣayyarahu ʾākhira waṣfihim wanihāyata naʿtihim wahuwa qawluhu taʿālā:
the meanings of the states of those who practice watchfulness. He began them with fear and apprehension, ended them with trembling and spending, and made certainty their cause. It is through certainty that the scales of the reverently fearful have grown heavy. He made it the last of their descriptions and the culmination of their attributes: His saying, Most High,
( أَنَّهُمْ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ رَاجِعُونَ ) الْمُؤْمِنُونَ : 60 أَيْ لِأَجْلِ يَقِينِهِمْ بِمَرْجِعِهِمْ إِلَيْهِ خَافُوهُ وَأَشْفَقُوا وَآمَنُوا بِهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا وَآتَوْهُ نُفُوسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ فَهَٰذَا كَقَوْلِهِ فِي الْكَلَامِ الْمُخْتَصَرِ : ( وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ مُلَاقُوهُ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ )
( ʾannahum ʾilā rabbihim rājiʿūna ) al-muʾminūna: 60 ʾay liʾajli yaqīnihim bimarjiʿihim ʾilayhi khāfūhu waʾashfaqū waʾāmanū bihi waʾakhlaṣū waʾātawhu nufūsahum waʾamwālahum fahādhā kaqawlihi fī al-kalāmi al-mukhtaṣari: ( wa-ittaqū allāha waʿlamū ʾannakum mulāqūhu wabashshiri al-muʾminīna )
“That they are returning to their Lord” (al-Muʾminūn 60). That is, because of their certainty of their return to Him, they feared Him, were apprehensive, believed in Him, were sincere, and brought Him their souls and their wealth. This is like His saying in the concise discourse, “Fear God, know that you will meet Him, and give good news to the believers”
الْبَقَرَةُ : 223 فَلِلْخَائِفِينَ الْأَمْنُ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ عِنْدَ اللِّقَاءِ وَحُسْنُ الْمُنْقَلَبِ وَالْبُشْرَى بِالْقُرْبِ لَدَيْهِ وَالزُّلْفَى ، فَصُورَةُ الْمُحَاسَبَةِ أَنْ يَقِفَ الْعَبْدُ وَقْفَةً عِنْدَ ظُهُورِ الْهِمَّةِ وَابْتِدَاءِ الْحَرَكَةِ ثُمَّ يُمَيِّزَ الْخَاطِرَ وَهُوَ حَرَكَةُ الْقَلْبِ وَالِاضْطِرَابَ وَهُوَ تَصَرُّفُ
al-baqaratu: 223 falilkhāʾifīna al-ʾamnu mina al-khawfi ʿinda al-liqāʾi waḥusnu al-munqalabi wa-al-bushrā bi-al-qurbi ladayhi wa-al-zulfā , faṣūratu al-muḥāsabati ʾan yaqifa al-ʿabdu waqfatan ʿinda ẓuhūri al-himmati wabtidāʾi al-ḥarakati thumma yumayyiza al-khāṭira wahuwa ḥarakatu al-qalbi wa-al-iḍṭirāba wahuwa taṣarrufu
(al-Baqara 223). For those who fear, there are safety from fear at the meeting, a good return, and good news of nearness in His presence and proximity. Taking account has this form: the servant pauses when an intention appears and movement begins; then he distinguishes the prompting, which is the heart's movement, and the agitation, which is the activity of
الْجِسْمِ فَإِنْ كَانَ مَا خَطَرَ بِهِ الْخَاطِرُ مِنَ الْهِمَّةِ الَّتِي تَقْتَضِي نِيَّةً أَوْ عَقْدًا أَوْ عَزْمًا أَوْ فِعْلًا أَوْ سَعْيًا إِنْ كَانَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَبِهِ وَفِيهِ مَعْنَى عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَيْ خَالِصًا لِأَجْلِهِ وَمَعْنَى بِهِ أَيْ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ قُرْبِهِ لَا بِمُقَارَبَةِ نَفْسِهِ وَهَوَاهُ وَمَعْنَى فِيهِ أَيْ
al-jismi faʾin kāna mā khaṭara bihi al-khāṭiru mina al-himmati allatī taqtaḍī niyyatan ʾaw ʿaqdan ʾaw ʿazman ʾaw fiʿlan ʾaw saʿyan ʾin kāna ʿazza wajalla wabihi wafīhi maʿnā ʿazza wajalla ʾay khāliṣan liʾajlihi wamaʿnā bihi ʾay bimushāhadati qurbihi lā bimuqārabati nafsihi wahawāhu wamaʿnā fīhi ʾay
the body. If the prompting that occurs to him is an intention requiring a purpose, a commitment, a resolve, an action, or an effort, if it is for Him, mighty and majestic, by Him, and in Him: “for Him, mighty and majestic,” means purely for His sake; “by Him” means through witnessing His nearness, rather than drawing near to his own self and desire; and “in Him” means
فِي سَبِيلِهِ وَطَلَبِ رِضَاهُ عَنْهُ وَمَا نُدِبَ عِنْدَهُ أَمْضَاهُ وَسَارَعَ فِي تَنْفِيذِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ لِعَاجِلِ دُنْيَا أَوْ عَارِضِ هَوًى أَوْ لَهْوٍ وَغَفْلَةٍ سَرَى بِطَبْعِ الْبَشَرِيَّةِ وَوَصْفِ الْجِبِلِّيَّةِ نَفَاهُ وَسَارَعَ فِي نَفْيِهِ وَلَمْ يُمَكِّنِ الْخَاطِرَ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ بِالْإِصْغَاءِ إِلَيْهِ وَالْمُحَادَثَةِ لَهُ
fī sabīlihi waṭalabi riḍāhu ʿanhu wamā nudiba ʿindahu ʾamḍāhu wasāraʿa fī tanfīdhihi waʾin kāna liʿājili dunyā ʾaw ʿāriḍi hawan ʾaw lahwin waghaflatin sarā biṭabʿi al-bashariyyati wawaṣfi al-jibilliyyati nafāhu wasāraʿa fī nafyihi walam yumakkini al-khāṭira min qalbihi bi-al-ʾiṣghāʾi ʾilayhi wa-al-muḥādathati lahu
on His path, seeking His pleasure with him, and what is commended in His sight, he carries it through and hastens to execute it. If it is for an immediate worldly gain, a passing desire, diversion, or heedlessness that has crept in through human nature and innate disposition, he rejects it and hastens to reject it. He does not establish the prompting in his heart by listening to it and conversing with it,
فَيُوَلِّدَ فِيهِ هَمًّا رَدِيًّا يَصْعُبُ عَلَيْهِ بَعْدَ حِينٍ طَرْحُهُ وَيُنْتِجَ مِنْهُ فِكْرًا دُنْيَا يَعْسُرُ بَعْدَ وَقْتٍ نَفْيُهُ وَيُؤَثِّرُ ذَٰلِكَ فِي قَلْبِهِ أَثَرًا يَسْتَبِينُ لَهُ بَعْدَ حِينٍ فِعْلُهُ ، مَعْنَى قَوْلِنَا : إِنْ كَانَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَيْ خَالِصًا لِأَجْلِهِ وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِنَا بِهِ أَيْ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ
fayuwallida fīhi hamman radiyyan yaṣʿubu ʿalayhi baʿda ḥīnin ṭarḥuhu wayuntija minhu fikran dunyā yaʿsuru baʿda waqtin nafyuhu wayuʾaththiru dhālika fī qalbihi ʾatharan yastabīnu lahu baʿda ḥīnin fiʿluhu , maʿnā qawlinā: ʾin kāna allāha taʿālā ʾay khāliṣan liʾajlihi wamaʿnā qawlinā bihi ʾay bimushāhadati
so that it breeds an evil concern there that he will find difficult to cast off after a while, produces a worldly thought that will be difficult to reject after a time, and leaves an effect in his heart whose action becomes evident to him after a while. The meaning of our words, “If it is for God Most High,” is “purely for His sake”; and the meaning of our words “by Him” is “through witnessing
قُرْبِهِ لَا بِمُقَارَنَةِ نَفْسِهِ وَوَصْفِهِ وَهَوَاهُ وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِنَا فِيهِ أَيْ فِي سَبِيلِهِ وَطَلَبِ مَا عِنْدَهُ لَا لِأَجْلِ عَاجِلِ حَظِّهِ فَإِنِ اشْتَبَهَ عَلَيْهِ الْخَاطِرُ فَلَمْ يَنْكَشِفْ لَهُ مَا وَرَدَ بِهِ أَمَحْمُودٌ هُوَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِ رِضَاهُ وَعَلَى الْعَبْدِ فِيهِ سَبْقٌ وَتَنْفِيذٌ أَمْ مَكْرُوهٌ
qurbihi lā bimuqāranati nafsihi wawaṣfihi wahawāhu wamaʿnā qawlinā fīhi ʾay fī sabīlihi waṭalabi mā ʿindahu lā liʾajli ʿājili ḥaẓẓihi faʾini ishtabaha ʿalayhi al-khāṭiru falam yankashif lahu mā warada bihi ʾamaḥmūdun huwa allāhu ʿazza wajalla fīhi riḍāhu waʿalā al-ʿabdi fīhi sabqun watanfīdhun ʾam makrūhun
His nearness, rather than in association with his own self, its quality, and its desire.” The meaning of our words “in Him” is “on His path, seeking what is with Him, rather than for an immediate personal share.” If the prompting is obscure to him and what it brings has not become clear to him, whether it is praiseworthy, for God, mighty and majestic, containing His pleasure and requiring the servant to hasten and execute it, or whether it is reprehensible,
وَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ فِيهِ مَحَبَّةٌ وَلِلْعَبْدِ فِي نَفْيِهِ مَزِيدٌ وَقُرْبَةٌ فَيَكُونُ إِشْكَالُ ذَٰلِكَ لِأَحَدِ مَعَانٍ ثَلَاثٍ ؛ ضَعْفُ يَقِينٍ عَنْ نَقْصِ مَعْرِفَةٍ بِالْمُبْتَلِي ، أَوْ قِلَّةُ عِلْمٍ عَنْ جَهْلٍ بِغَامِضِ الْحُكْمِ الْبَاطِلِ ، أَوْ لِغَلَبَةِ هَوًى كَامِنٍ فِي النَّفْسِ مُتَوَلِّدٍ مِنْ طَبَائِعِ الْحِسِّ ،
walaysa li-llāhi fīhi maḥabbatun walilʿabdi fī nafyihi mazīdun waqurbatun fayakūnu ʾishkālu dhālika liʾaḥadi maʿānin thalāthin ; ḍaʿfu yaqīnin ʿan naqṣi maʿrifatin bi-al-mubtalī , ʾaw qillatu ʿilmin ʿan jahlin bighāmiḍi al-ḥukmi al-bāṭili , ʾaw lighalabati hawan kāminin fī al-nafsi mutawallidin min ṭabāʾiʿi al-ḥissi ,
contains nothing God loves, and rejecting it brings the servant increase and nearness, then the difficulty arises from one of three meanings: weakness of certainty arising from deficient knowledge of the One who tests; scant knowledge arising from ignorance of the subtleties of the false judgment; or the predominance of a desire hidden in the self and generated by the dispositions of sensation.
وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ : لَيْسَ الْعَالِمُ الَّذِي يَعْرِفُ الْخَيْرَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ هَٰذَا الْعَاقِلُ يَعْرِفُهُ وَلَكِنِ الْعَالِمُ مَنْ يَعْرِفُ خَيْرَ الشَّرَّيْنِ يَعْنِي يَفْعَلُهُ إِذَا اضْطُرَّ إِلَيْهِ وَعَرَفَ شَرَّ الْخَيْرَيْنِ يَعْنِي فَاجْتَنَبَهُ لِمَا يَؤُولُ إِلَيْهِ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ حُكْمَ اللَّهِ فِيمَا اشْتَبَهَ
waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: laysa al-ʿālimu alladhī yaʿrifu al-khayra mina al-sharri hādhā al-ʿāqilu yaʿrifuhu walakini al-ʿālimu man yaʿrifu khayra al-sharrayni yaʿnī yafʿaluhu ʾidhā uḍṭurra ʾilayhi waʿarafa sharra al-khayrayni yaʿnī fajtanabahu limā yaʾūlu ʾilayhi waʿlam ʾanna ḥukma allāhi fīmā ishtabaha
Some scholars have said, “The scholar is not the one who knows good from evil: a rational person knows that. Rather, the scholar is one who knows the better of two evils,” meaning that he does it when compelled to, “and knows the worse of two goods,” meaning that he avoids it because of what it leads to. Know that God's judgment concerning affairs that are obscure
مِنَ الْأُمُورِ الْإِمْسَاكُ وَالْوُقُوفُ وَأَنْ لَا يُقْدِمَ الْعَبْدُ عَلَى ذَٰلِكَ بِعَقْدٍ وَلَا عَزْمٍ إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْقُلُوبِ وَلَا يُمْضِيَ ذَٰلِكَ بِفِعْلٍ وَلَا سَعْيٍ إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ عَمَلِ الْجَوَارِحِ بَلْ يَقِفُ وَيُوقِفُ الْأَمْرَ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُ وَهُوَ صُورَةُ الْوَرَعِ لِأَنَّ الْوَرَعَ هُوَ الْجُبْنُ
mina al-ʾumūri al-ʾimsāku wa-al-wuqūfu waʾan lā yuqdima al-ʿabdu ʿalā dhālika biʿaqdin walā ʿazmin ʾin kāna min ʾaʿmāli al-qulūbi walā yumḍiya dhālika bifiʿlin walā saʿyin ʾin kāna min ʿamali al-jawāriḥi bal yaqifu wayūqifu al-ʾamra ḥattā yatabayyana lahu wahuwa ṣūratu al-waraʿi liʾanna al-waraʿa huwa al-jubnu
is to hold back and stop: the servant must not embark upon them with a commitment or a resolve if they belong to the heart's works, nor carry them through with an action or an effort if they belong to the limbs' activity. Rather, he stops and suspends the matter until it becomes clear to him. This is the form of scrupulousness, for scrupulousness is timidity
وَالتَّأَخُّرُ عَنِ الْإِقْدَامِ عَلَى الْمُشْكِلَاتِ وَعَنِ الْهُجُومِ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ لَا بِقَوْلٍ وَلَا بِفِعْلٍ وَلَا بِعَقْدٍ حَتَّى تَنْكَشِفَ وَانْكِشَافُهَا بِغَامِضِ الْعِلْمِ لِغُمُوضِهَا وَتَدْقِيقِ مَعْرِفَةِ الْمَعَانِي لِدِقَّتِهَا وَخَفَائِهَا كَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ :
wa-al-taʾakhkhuru ʿani al-ʾiqdāmi ʿalā al-mushkilāti waʿani al-hujūmi fī al-shubuhāti lā biqawlin walā bifiʿlin walā biʿaqdin ḥattā tankashifa wankishāfuhā bighāmiḍi al-ʿilmi lighumūḍihā watadqīqi maʿrifati al-maʿānī lidiqqatihā wakhafāʾihā kamā jāʾa fī al-khabari:
and holding back from advancing into difficult matters and plunging into doubtful ones, whether by speech, action, or commitment, until they become clear. They become clear through subtle knowledge because of their obscurity, and through precise knowledge of meanings because of their subtlety and hiddenness. As the report says,
أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ أَعْرَفُهُمْ بِالْحَقِّ إِذَا اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ ، وَعَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُحِبُّ الْبَصِيرَ النَّاقِدَ عِنْدَ وُرُودِ الشُّبُهَاتِ وَالْعَقْلَ الْكَامِلَ عِنْدَ هُجُومِ الشَّهَوَاتِ . وَجَاءَ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ فِي وَصْفِ كَثْرَةِ الشُّبُهَاتِ :
ʾaʿlamu al-nāsi ʾaʿrafuhum bi-al-ḥaqqi ʾidhā ikhtalafa al-nāsu , waʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinna allāha ʿazza wajalla yuḥibbu al-baṣīra al-nāqida ʿinda wurūdi al-shubuhāti wa-al-ʿaqla al-kāmila ʿinda hujūmi al-shahawāti. wajāʾa ʿani ibni masʿūdin fī waṣfi kathrati al-shubuhāti:
“The most learned of people is the one who knows truth best when people disagree.” From the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “God, mighty and majestic, loves the discerning critic when doubts arise and the complete intellect when desires attack.” It has come from Ibn Masʿūd, describing the abundance of doubtful matters:
أَنْتُمُ الْيَوْمَ فِي زَمَانٍ خَيْرُكُمْ فِيهِ الْمُسَارِعُ وَسَيَأْتِي عَلَيْكُمْ زَمَانٌ يَكُونُ خَيْرُكُمْ فِيهِ الْمَئِبْتُ كَمَا وَقَفَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ عَنِ الْقِتَالِ مَعَ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ وَأَهْلِ الشَّامِ لَمَّا أَشْكَلَ عَلَيْهِ الْحَالُ مِنْهُمْ سَعْدٌ وَابْنُ عُمَرَ وَأُسَامَةُ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ وَغَيْرُهُمْ
ʾantumu al-yawma fī zamānin khayrukum fīhi al-musāriʿu wasayaʾtī ʿalaykum zamānun yakūnu khayrukum fīhi al-maʾibtu kamā waqafa ṭāʾifatun mina al-ṣaḥābati ʿani al-qitāli maʿa ʾahli al-ʿirāqi waʾahli al-shāmi lammā ʾashkala ʿalayhi al-ḥālu minhum saʿdun wa-iibnu ʿumara waʾusāmatu wamuḥammadu ibnu maslamata waghayruhum
“Today you are in an age in which the best of you is the one who hastens; an age will come upon you in which the best of you will be the one who holds steady.” Thus a group of the Companions refrained from fighting alongside the people of Iraq and the people of Syria when the situation was obscure to them. Among them were Saʿd, Ibn ʿUmar, Usāma, Muḥammad ibn Maslama, and others.
، فَمَنْ لَمْ يَتَوَقَّفْ عِنْدَ الشُّبُهَاتِ وَأَقْدَمَ عَلَيْهَا كَانَ مُتَّبِعًا لِهَوَاهُ مُعْجَبًا بِرَأْيِهِ وَهَٰذَا مِنْ مَعْنَى الْخَبَرِ الَّذِي جَاءَ فِي ذَمِّ مَنْ كَانَ هَٰذَا وَصْفَهُ ، فَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ شُحًّا مُطَاعًا وَهَوًى مُتَّبَعًا وَإِعْجَابَ كُلِّ ذِي رَأْيٍ بِرَأْيِهِ فَعَلَيْكَ بِخَاصَّةِ نَفْسِكَ فَلَمْ يَذُمَّ بِوُجُودِ
, faman lam yatawaqqaf ʿinda al-shubuhāti waʾaqdama ʿalayhā kāna muttabiʿan lihawāhu muʿjaban biraʾyihi wahādhā min maʿnā al-khabari alladhī jāʾa fī dhammi man kāna hādhā waṣfahu , faʾidhā raʾayta shuḥḥan muṭāʿan wahawan muttabaʿan waʾiʿjāba kulli dhī raʾyin biraʾyihi faʿalayka bikhāṣṣati nafsika falam yadhumma biwujūdi
Whoever does not pause at doubtful matters and advances into them follows his desire and admires his own opinion. This is part of the meaning of the report that censures someone with this description: “When you see avarice obeyed, desire followed, and every holder of an opinion admiring his opinion, attend to your own self.” He did not censure the existence of
الشُّحِّ لِأَنَّهُ صِفَةُ النَّفْسِ وَإِنَّمَا ذَمَّ مَنْ أَطَاعَ النَّفْسَ فِي شُحِّهَا بِإِمْسَاكِ مَحْبُوبِهَا عَلَى إِيثَارِ مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الْإِنْفَاقِ وَمِثْلُهُ وَهَوًى مُتَّبَعٌ فَلَمْ يَعِبْ بِوُجُودِ الْهَوَى لِأَنَّهُ رُوحُ النَّفْسِ مُسْتَكِنٌّ فِيهَا وَإِنَّمَا عِيبَ بِاتِّبَاعِهِ وَكَذَٰلِكَ قَوْلُهُ :
al-shuḥḥi liʾannahu ṣifatu al-nafsi waʾinnamā dhamma man ʾaṭāʿa al-nafsa fī shuḥḥihā biʾimsāki maḥbūbihā ʿalā ʾīthāri maḥabbati allāhi ʿazza wajalla mina al-ʾinfāqi wamithluhu wahawan muttabaʿun falam yaʿib biwujūdi al-hawā liʾannahu rūḥu al-nafsi mustakinnun fīhā waʾinnamā ʿība bi-ittibāʿihi wakadhālika qawluhu:
avarice, for it is a quality of the self. He censured only the one who obeys the self in its avarice, withholding what it loves instead of preferring what God, mighty and majestic, loves, namely spending. The same applies to “desire followed”: he did not find fault with the existence of desire, for it is the spirit of the self, concealed within it; the fault lay only in following it. Likewise his saying,
وَإِعْجَابُ كُلِّ ذِي رَأْيٍ بِرَأْيِهِ لَمْ يَنْقُصْهُ
waʾiʿjābu kulli dhī raʾyin biraʾyihi lam yanquṣhu
“Every holder of an opinion admiring his opinion,” did not fault him
بِوُجُودِ رَأْيِهِ مِمَّا رَآهُ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ لِأَنَّهُ نَتِيجَةُ عَقْلِهِ وَثَمَرَةُ فَهْمِهِ وَإِنَّمَا نَقَصَهُ بِنَظَرِهِ إِلَيْهِ وَإِدْلَالِهِ بِهِ دُونَ سَبْقِ نَظَرِهِ إِلَى مَنْ أَرَاهُ وَبِنُورِ هُدَاهُ وَبِإِيثَارِ رَأْيِهِ عَلَى رَأْيِ مَنْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ أَوْ بِأَنْ يَزْرِيَ عَلَى رَأْيِ غَيْرِهِ افْتِخَارًا بِرَأْيِهِ ،
biwujūdi raʾyihi mimmā raʾāhu mina al-ʾamri liʾannahu natījatu ʿaqlihi wathamaratu fahmihi waʾinnamā naqaṣahu binaẓarihi ʾilayhi waʾidlālihi bihi dūna sabqi naẓarihi ʾilā man ʾarāhu wabinūri hudāhu wabiʾīthāri raʾyihi ʿalā raʾyi man huwa ʾaʿlamu minhu ʾaw biʾan yazriya ʿalā raʾyi ghayrihi iftikhāran biraʾyihi ,
for having an opinion about the matter as he saw it, for that is the result of his intellect and the fruit of his understanding. He faulted him only for looking at it and taking pride in it without first looking to the One who showed it to him and to the light of His guidance; for preferring his opinion to that of someone more learned than himself; or for belittling another person's opinion out of pride in his own.
وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ ) النَّجْمُ 32 : وَقَدْ وَصَفَ أَهْلَ الرَّأْيِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِلْمُتَوَسِّمِينَ ) الْحِجْرُ 75 : ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى : ( عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي ) يُوسُفُ : 108 ،
waqad qāla allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ( falā tuzakkū ʾanfusakum ) al-najmu 32: waqad waṣafa ʾahla al-raʾyi min ʾawliyāʾihi fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ( ʾinna fī dhālika laʾāyātin lilmutawassimīna ) al-ḥijru 75: , waqāla taʿālā: ( ʿalā baṣīratin ʾanā wamani ittabaʿanī ) yūsufu: 108 ,
God, mighty and majestic, has said, “Do not declare yourselves pure” (al-Najm 32). He has described the people of sound judgment among His friends in His saying, mighty and majestic, “In that are signs for those who discern” (al-Ḥijr 75). He Most High said, “Upon insight, I and whoever follows me” (Yūsuf 108).
وَجَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ : مَا رَآهُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَسَنًا فَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ حَسَنٌ وَمَا رَآهُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ قَبِيحًا فَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ قَبِيحٌ ، وَجَاءَ : أَنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ ، وَعَنْ بَعْضِ السَّلَفِ : أَفْضَلُ الْعِبَادَةِ الرَّأْيُ الْحَسَنُ ؛
wajāʾa fī al-ʾathari: mā raʾāhu al-muʾminūna ḥasanan fahuwa ʿinda allāhi ḥasanun wamā raʾāhu al-muʾminūna qabīḥan fahuwa ʿinda allāhi qabīḥun , wajāʾa: ʾantum shuhadāʾu allāhi fī ʾarḍihi , waʿan baʿḍi al-salafi: ʾafḍalu al-ʿibādati al-raʾyu al-ḥasanu ;
It has come in the transmitted saying: “What the believers see as good is good in God's sight; and what the believers see as ugly is ugly in God's sight.” It has also come: “You are God's witnesses on His earth.” From one of the early generations: “The best worship is good judgment.”
فَأَمَّا مَا أَشْكَلَ لِتَجَاذُبِ الْأَمْثَالِ وَلَمْ يَتَبَيَّنْ لَكَ إِلَى أَيِّ مِثْلٍ تَرُدُّهُ فَالْوَرَعُ أَنْ تَقِفَ وَلَا تَمْضِيَ حَتَّى يَنْكَشِفَ ، وَأَمَّا مَا اشْتَبَهَ لِقُصُورِ الْعِلْمِ بِالِاسْتِدْلَالِ فَالْعِلْمُ فِيهِ أَنْ تَعْرِفَ الْأَصْلَيْنِ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ وَالْحَلَالِ ثُمَّ تَرُدَّهُ إِلَى أَشْبَهِهِمَا بِهِ وَهَٰذَا
faʾammā mā ʾashkala litajādhubi al-ʾamthāli walam yatabayyan laka ʾilā ʾayyi mithlin tarudduhu fa-al-waraʿu ʾan taqifa walā tamḍiya ḥattā yankashifa , waʾammā mā ishtabaha liquṣūri al-ʿilmi bi-al-istidlāli fa-al-ʿilmu fīhi ʾan taʿrifa al-ʾaṣlayni mina al-ḥarāmi wa-al-ḥalāli thumma taruddahu ʾilā ʾashbahihimā bihi wahādhā
As for what is difficult because analogies pull in different directions, so that it has not become clear to you to which analogy you should refer it, scrupulousness is to stop and not proceed until it becomes clear. As for what is doubtful because knowledge of inference falls short, knowledge in that matter is to recognize the two foundations, the forbidden and the lawful, and then refer it to the one it more closely resembles. This is
ظَاهِرٌ مِثْلُ مَا أَحَلَّتْ طَائِفَةٌ النَّظَرَ إِلَى الْغُلَامِ الْجَمِيلِ لِأَنَّهُ ذَكَرٌ فَتَحْتَاجُ إِلَى أَنْ تَرُدَّهُ إِلَى أَحَدِ الْأَصْلَيْنِ لِأَنَّهُ مُشْتَبِهٌ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( انْظُرُوا إِلَى ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ ) الْأَنْعَامُ : 99 ، وَقَالَ :
ẓāhirun mithlu mā ʾaḥallat ṭāʾifatun al-naẓara ʾilā al-ghulāmi al-jamīli liʾannahu dhakarun fataḥtāju ʾilā ʾan taruddahu ʾilā ʾaḥadi al-ʾaṣlayni liʾannahu mushtabihun qāla allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ( unẓurū ʾilā thamarihi ʾidhā ʾathmara ) al-ʾanʿāmu: 99 , waqāla:
plain, as in the example of a group that permitted looking at a beautiful boy because he is male. You need to refer it to one of the two foundations, because it is doubtful. God, mighty and majestic, says, “Look at its fruit when it bears fruit” (al-Anʿām 99). He also says,
( قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ ) النُّورُ : 30 فَكَانَ هَٰذَا الْأَصْلُ أَشْبَهَ لِوُجُودِ الْجِنْسِ وَمِثْلُهُ الِاسْتِمَاعُ إِلَى الْقَصَائِدِ أَيْ إِنْشَادُ الشِّعْرِ الْمُبَاحِ فَكَانَ الِاسْتِمَاعُ إِلَى الْقُرْآنِ حَلَالًا وَالِاسْتِمَاعُ إِلَى الْغِنَاءِ حَرَامًا وَكَانَتِ الْقَصَائِدُ
( qul lilmuʾminīna yaghuḍḍū min ʾabṣārihim ) al-nūru: 30 fakāna hādhā al-ʾaṣlu ʾashbaha liwujūdi al-jinsi wamithluhu al-istimāʿu ʾilā al-qaṣāʾidi ʾay ʾinshādu al-shiʿri al-mubāḥi fakāna al-istimāʿu ʾilā al-qurʾāni ḥalālan wa-al-istimāʿu ʾilā al-ghināʾi ḥarāman wakānati al-qaṣāʾidu
“Tell the believers to lower their gaze” (al-Nūr 30). This foundation is the closer analogy because the same kind is present. Similar is listening to odes, that is, the recitation of permissible poetry. Listening to the Qurʾān is lawful, and listening to singing is forbidden. The odes more closely
بِالْغِنَاءِ أَشْبَهَ فَكَرِهْنَاهُ لِغَيْرِ أَهْلِهِ ، وَكَذَٰلِكَ الْقَوْلُ فِي تَلْحِينِ الْقُرْآنِ : إِذَا جَاوَزَ الْحَدَّ فِي مَدِّ الْمَقْصُورِ وَقَصْرِ الْمَمْدُودِ مَكْرُوهٌ لِشَبَهِهِ بِالْأَغَانِي وَمَثَلُ لُبْسِ الْقُطْنِ وَلُبْسِ الْحَرِيرِ فَكَرِهْنَا لُبْسَ الْمُلْحَمِ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ لِأَنَّهُ بِالْحَرِيرِ أَشْبَهُ لِمَا
bi-al-ghināʾi ʾashbaha fakarihnāhu lighayri ʾahlihi , wakadhālika al-qawlu fī talḥīni al-qurʾāni: ʾidhā jāwaza al-ḥadda fī maddi al-maqṣūri waqaṣri al-mamdūdi makrūhun lishabahihi bi-al-ʾaghānī wamathalu lubsi al-quṭni walubsi al-ḥarīri fakarihnā lubsa al-mulḥami wa-al-ʿamala bihi liʾannahu bi-al-ḥarīri ʾashbahu limā
resemble singing, so we disapprove of it for those who are not its people. The same applies to setting the Qurʾān to melody: when it exceeds the limit by lengthening what is short and shortening what is long, it is disapproved because of its resemblance to songs. Likewise, in the example of wearing cotton and wearing silk, we disapprove of wearing silk-woven cloth and using it, because it more closely resembles silk owing to the silk
فِيهِ مِنْهُ فَأَمَّا الْإِقْدَامُ عَلَى الْأُمُورِ الْغَامِضَةِ مِمَّا لَمْ يَنْكَشِفْ لِلْأَسْمَاعِ فَلَمْ يَظْهَرْ لِلْأَبْصَارِ فَإِنَّ الْقُلُوبَ تُسْأَلُ عَنْ عُقُودِ سُوءِ الظَّنِّ بِهَا وَالْقَطْعِ بِظَاهِرِ الْأَمْرِ عَلَيْهَا وَهُوَ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْ قَفْوِ مَا لَمْ يُبَيَّنْ عِلْمُهُ إِذَا لَمْ يَجْعَلْ مِنْ
fīhi minhu faʾammā al-ʾiqdāmu ʿalā al-ʾumūri al-ghāmiḍati mimmā lam yankashif lilʾasmāʿi falam yaẓhar lilʾabṣāri faʾinna al-qulūba tusʾalu ʿan ʿuqūdi sūʾi al-ẓanni bihā wa-al-qaṭʿi biẓāhiri al-ʾamri ʿalayhā wahuwa maʿnā qawli allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʿan qafwi mā lam yubayyan ʿilmuhu ʾidhā lam yajʿal min
it contains. As for advancing into obscure matters that have not become clear to the ears or appeared to the eyes, hearts will be questioned about forming suspicions concerning them and making categorical judgments about them from the outward appearance of affairs. This is the meaning of the saying of God, mighty and majestic, concerning pursuing what has not been made known, when He has not made it part of
عِلْمِ الْعَبْدِ وَتَهَدَّدَهُ عَلَيْهِ بِمُسَاءَلَةِ الْجَوَارِحِ عَنْهُ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : ( وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ ) الْإِسْرَاءُ : 36 ، أَيْ لَا تَتَّبِعْ وَلَا تَجَسَّسْ أَثَرَ مَا لَمْ تَعْلَمْ فَتَشْهَدَ عَلَيْهِ بِسَمْعٍ أَوْ رُؤْيَةٍ أَوْ عَقْدِ قَلْبٍ إِذْ حَقِيقَةُ الْعِلْمِ السَّمْعُ وَالْمُشَاهَدَةُ
ʿilmi al-ʿabdi watahaddadahu ʿalayhi bimusāʾalati al-jawāriḥi ʿanhu fī qawlihi taʿālā: ( walā taqfu mā laysa laka bihi ʿilmun ) al-ʾisrāʾu: 36 , ʾay lā tattabiʿ walā tajassas ʾathara mā lam taʿlam fatashhada ʿalayhi bisamʿin ʾaw ruʾyatin ʾaw ʿaqdi qalbin ʾidh ḥaqīqatu al-ʿilmi al-samʿu wa-al-mushāhadatu
the servant's knowledge, and His threatening him over it with questioning the limbs about it, in His saying, Most High, “Do not pursue what you have no knowledge of” (al-Isrāʾ 36). That is, do not follow or investigate the traces of what you do not know and then testify about it on the basis of hearing, seeing, or a commitment of the heart, for the reality of knowledge is hearing and witnessing.
فَلِذَٰلِكَ قَالَ : ( إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَ الْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْؤُولًا ) الْإِسْرَاءُ : 36 وَكَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : إِيَّاكُمْ وَالظَّنَّ ، فَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ أَكْذَبُ الْحَدِيثِ فَمَنِ اشْتَبَهَ عَلَيْهِ الْأَمْرُ فَقَطَعَ بِهِ فَهُوَ مُتَّبِعٌ لِلْهَوَى وَمَنْ
falidhālika qāla: ( ʾinna al-samʿa wa-al-baṣara wa al-fuʾāda kullu ʾulāʾika kāna ʿanhu masʾūlan ) al-ʾisrāʾu: 36 wakadhālika qāla rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾiyyākum wa-al-ẓanna , faʾinna al-ẓanna ʾakdhabu al-ḥadīthi famani ishtabaha ʿalayhi al-ʾamru faqaṭaʿa bihi fahuwa muttabiʿun lilhawā waman
For that reason He said, “Hearing, sight, and the heart: all these will be questioned” (al-Isrāʾ 36). Likewise, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most false of speech.” Whoever finds a matter doubtful and makes a categorical judgment about it follows desire. Whoever
تَفَرَّسَ فِي فِعْلٍ أَوْ أَمْرٍ غَابَ عَنْهُ حَقِيقَتُهُ فَأَخْبَرَ بِهِ وَأَظْهَرَهُ عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ فَقَدْ أَسَاءَ كَيْفَ وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ : مَنْ حَدَّثَ بِمَا رَأَتْهُ عَيْنَاهُ أَوْ سَمِعَتْ أُذُنَاهُ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ،
tafarrasa fī fiʿlin ʾaw ʾamrin ghāba ʿanhu ḥaqīqatuhu faʾakhbara bihi waʾaẓharahu ʿalā ṣāḥibihi faqad ʾasāʾa kayfa waqad jāʾa fī al-khabari: man ḥaddatha bimā raʾathu ʿaynāhu ʾaw samiʿat ʾudhunāhu katabahu allāhu ʿazza wajalla mina alladhīna yuḥibbūna ʾan tashīʿa al-fāḥishatu fī alladhīna ʾāmanū ,
forms an intuitive judgment about an action or matter whose reality is hidden from him, then reports it and exposes it against its doer, has done wrong. How could it be otherwise, when the report has come: “Whoever relates what his eyes have seen or his ears have heard, God, mighty and majestic, records him among those who love indecency to spread among those who believe”?
هَٰذَا لِكَشْفِ سِتْرِ اللَّهِ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ وَمَحَبَّتِهِ لِلسَّاتِرِينَ مِنْهُمْ ، وَلِذَٰلِكَ كَانَ مِنْ دُعَاءِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ : اللَّهُمَّ أَرِنَا الْحَقَّ حَقًّا فَنَتَّبِعَهُ وَالْبَاطِلَ بَاطِلًا فَنَجْتَنِبَهُ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَيْنَا مُتَشَابِهًا فَنَتَّبِعَ الْهَوَى ،
hādhā likashfi sitri allāhi ʿalā ʿibādihi wamaḥabbatihi li-l-sātirīna minhum , walidhālika kāna min duʿāʾi ʾabī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu: allāhumma ʾarinā al-ḥaqqa ḥaqqan fanattabiʿahu wa-al-bāṭila bāṭilan fanajtanibahu walā tajʿal dhālika ʿalaynā mutashābihan fanattabiʿa al-hawā ,
This is because he has stripped away God's covering over His servants, and because He loves those among them who conceal faults. Thus among the prayers of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, may God be pleased with him, was: “O God, show us truth as truth so that we follow it, and falsehood as falsehood so that we avoid it. Do not make that ambiguous to us, lest we follow desire.”
وَكَذَٰلِكَ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ : إِنَّمَا الْأُمُورُ ثَلَاثَةٌ :
wakadhālika rawaynā ʿan ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu: ʾinnamā al-ʾumūru thalāthatun:
Likewise we have transmitted from Jesus, peace be upon him: “Matters are only three:
أَمْرٌ اسْتَبَانَ لَكَ رُشْدُهُ
ʾamrun istabāna laka rushduhu
a matter whose right guidance has become clear to you,
فَاتَّبِعْهُ ، وَأَمْرٌ اسْتَبَانَ غَيُّهُ فَاجْتَنِبْهُ ، وَأَمْرٌ أَشْكَلَ عَلَيْكَ فَكِلْهُ إِلَى عَالِمِهِ ، وَقَدْ كَانَ مِنْ دُعَاءِ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ : اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَقُولَ فِي الْعِلْمِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَنِعْمَةُ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ تَعَالَى فِي كَشْفِ الْبَاطِلِ بَاطِلًا وَبَيَانِ الضَّلَالِ
fa-ittabiʿhu , waʾamrun istabāna ghayyuhu fajtanibhu , waʾamrun ʾashkala ʿalayka fakilhu ʾilā ʿālimihi , waqad kāna min duʿāʾi ʿaliyyin raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu: allāhumma ʾinnī ʾaʿūdhu bika ʾan ʾaqūla fī al-ʿilmi bighayri ʿilmin faniʿmatu allāhi subḥānahu taʿālā fī kashfi al-bāṭili bāṭilan wabayāni al-ḍalāli
so follow it; a matter whose error has become clear, so avoid it; and a matter that is difficult for you, so entrust it to one who knows it.” Among the prayers of ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him, was: “O God, I seek refuge in You from speaking about knowledge without knowledge.” The blessing of God, glorified and exalted is He, in exposing falsehood as falsehood and making error clear as
ضَلَالًا مِثْلُ نِعَمِهِ فِي إِظْهَارِ الْحَقِّ وَبَيَانِ الصِّدْقِ لِأَنَّهُ بَابٌ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ ، ، وَلِذَٰلِكَ تَجَمَّلَ اللَّهُ بِهِ عَلَى نَبِيِّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَجَعَلَهُ مِنْ تَفْصِيلِ آيَاتِهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى : ( وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ وَلِتَسْتَبِينَ سَبِيلُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ )
ḍalālan mithlu niʿamihi fī ʾiẓhāri al-ḥaqqi wabayāni al-ṣidqi liʾannahu bābun mina al-yaqīni , , walidhālika tajammala allāhu bihi ʿalā nabiyyihi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wajaʿalahu min tafṣīli ʾāyātihi fī qawlihi subḥānahu wataʿālā: ( wakadhālika nufaṣṣilu al-ʾāyāti walitastabīna sabīlu al-mujrimīna )
error is like His blessings in displaying truth and making truthfulness clear, for it is a gate of certainty. Thus God bestowed this favor upon His Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and made it part of the detailed explanation of His signs in His saying, glorified and exalted is He, “Thus We explain the signs in detail, so that the path of the criminals may become clear”
الْأَنْعَامُ : 55 فَنَصْبُ سَبِيلَ عَلَى إِضْمَارِ اسْمِهِ وَرَفْعُهُ عَلَى كَشْفِ دَلَالَاتِهِ وَتِبْيَانِ طُرُقِهِ وَقَدْ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ وَقَدَّمَهُ عَلَى تَكْفِيرِ السَّيِّئَاتِ وَالْمَغْفِرَةِ وَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ :
al-ʾanʿāmu: 55 fanaṣbu sabīla ʿalā ʾiḍmāri ismihi warafʿuhu ʿalā kashfi dalālātihi watibyāni ṭuruqihi waqad waʿada allāhu dhālika lilmuttaqīna waqaddamahu ʿalā takfīri al-sayyiʾāti wa-al-maghfirati waʾakhbara ʾanna dhālika mina al-faḍli al-ʿaẓīmi fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla:
(al-Anʿām 55). The accusative reading of “path” depends on His name being implicit; its nominative reading depends on disclosing its indications and making its ways clear. God has promised that to the reverently fearful, placed it before the expiation of bad deeds and forgiveness, and declared that it belongs to tremendous bounty in His saying, mighty and majestic,
( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ فُرْقَانًا وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ ) الْأَنْفَالُ : 29 أَيْ نُورًا فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ تُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الشُّبُهَاتِ وَمِثْلُهُ ، وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا أَيْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ أَشْكَلَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَرَزَقَهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا
( yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū ʾin tattaqū allāha yajʿal lakum furqānan wayukaffir ʿankum sayyiʾātikum ) al-ʾanfālu: 29 ʾay nūran fī qulūbikum tufarriqūna bihi bayna al-shubuhāti wamithluhu , waman yattaqi allāha yajʿal lahu makhrajan ʾay min kulli ʾamrin ʾashkala ʿalā al-nāsi warazaqahu min ḥaythu lā
“You who believe, if you fear God, He will give you a criterion and expiate your bad deeds” (al-Anfāl 29): that is, a light in your hearts by which you distinguish among doubtful matters. Similar are the words, “Whoever fears God, He will make a way out for him”: that is, from every matter that is difficult for people; and He provides for him from where he does not
يَحْتَسِبُ عِلْمٌ بِغَيْرِ تَعْلِيمٍ بَلْ إِلْهَامٌ وَتَوْفِيقٌ مِنْ لَدُنِ الْخَبِيرِ الْعَلِيمِ ، وَقَدْ وَعَدَ ذَٰلِكَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عِنْدَ اخْتِلَافِ الْعُلَمَاءِ لِلْبَغْيِ بَيْنَهُمْ وَهُوَ الْكِبْرُ وَالْحَسَدُ ، وَحَرَمَ ذَٰلِكَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُصَدِّقُونَ بِالْآيَاتِ وَالْقُدَرِ وَالْغَائِبَاتِ فَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
yaḥtasibu ʿilmun bighayri taʿlīmin bal ʾilhāmun watawfīqun min laduni al-khabīri al-ʿalīmi , waqad waʿada dhālika al-muʾminīna ʿinda ikhtilāfi al-ʿulamāʾi lilbaghyi baynahum wahuwa al-kibru wa-al-ḥasadu , waḥarama dhālika al-munāfiqīna alladhīna lā yuṣaddiqūna bi-al-ʾāyāti wa-al-qudari wa-al-ghāʾibāti faqāla ʿazza wajalla
expect: knowledge without teaching, indeed inspiration and assistance from the All-Aware, the All-Knowing. He has promised that to believers when scholars disagree through rivalry among themselves, namely arrogance and envy. He has denied it to the hypocrites who do not believe in the signs, manifestations of power, and unseen things. He, mighty and majestic, said
فِي ذَٰلِكَ : ( وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ فِيهِ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ ) الْبَقَرَةُ : 213 فَهَدَى اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِهِ فَصُنْعُ الْهِدَايَةِ لِلْحَقِّ أَنْ يَكْشِفَ الْحَقُّ إِذَا هُدِيَ التَّقِيُّ لَهُ مَا يُبْدِئُ
fī dhālika: ( wamā ikhtalafa fīhi ʾillā alladhīna ʾūtūhu min baʿdi mā jāʾathumu al-bayyinātu baghyan baynahum ) al-baqaratu: 213 fahadā allāhu alladhīna ʾāmanū limā ikhtalafū fīhi mina al-ḥaqqi biʾidhnihi faṣunʿu al-hidāyati lilḥaqqi ʾan yakshifa al-ḥaqqu ʾidhā hudiya al-taqiyyu lahu mā yubdiʾu
concerning that, “None differed about it except those to whom it was given, after clear proofs had come to them, out of rivalry among themselves” (al-Baqara 213). “Then God guided those who believed, by His permission, to the truth concerning which they differed.” Guidance to truth works by truth disclosing to the reverently fearful person, when he is guided to it, what
الْبَاطِلُ لِلِابْتِلَاءِ وَمَا يُعِيدُ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ مِنَ الْأَحْكَامِ ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الْبَاطِلُ اسْمًا لِلْعَدُوِّ وَيَكُونُ وَصْفًا لِلنَّفْسِ أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ قَوْلَهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( قُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَمَا يُبْدِئُ الْبَاطِلُ وَمَا يُعِيدُ ) سَبَأٌ : 49 أَيْ :
al-bāṭilu lilibtilāʾi wamā yuʿīdu ʿalā al-ʿabdi mina al-ʾaḥkāmi , waqad yakūnu al-bāṭilu isman lilʿaduwwi wayakūnu waṣfan li-l-nafsi ʾalam tasmaʿ qawlahu ʿazza wajalla: ( qul jāʾa al-ḥaqqu wamā yubdiʾu al-bāṭilu wamā yuʿīdu ) sabaʾun: 49 ʾay:
falsehood initiates as a test and what judgments it brings back upon the servant. “Falsehood” may be a name for the enemy and may be a description of the self. Have you not heard His saying, mighty and majestic, “Say: Truth has come, and falsehood neither initiates nor restores” (Sabaʾ 49)? That is,
لَمَّا جَاءَ الْحَقُّ أَبْدَى الْبَاطِلَ وَأَعَادَهُ فَأَظْهَرَ حَقِيقَةَ الْأَمْرِ بَدْءًا وَعَوْدًا وَقَدْ قِيلَ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ يَعْنِي بِهِ إِبْلِيسَ هَهُنَا فَتَدَبَّرُوا وَقَالَ : ( إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ لَا يَهْدِيهِمُ اللَّهُ ) النَّحْلُ : 104 وَكَمَا أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الْبَيَانِ
lammā jāʾa al-ḥaqqu ʾabdā al-bāṭila waʾaʿādahu faʾaẓhara ḥaqīqata al-ʾamri badʾan waʿawdan waqad qīla ʾinna al-bāṭila yaʿnī bihi ʾiblīsa hāhunā fatadabbarū waqāla: ( ʾinna alladhīna lā yuʾminūna biʾāyāti allāhi lā yahdīhimu allāhu ) al-naḥlu: 104 wakamā ʾanna allāha ʿazza wajalla fī al-bayāni
when truth came, it disclosed falsehood and brought it back, revealing the reality of the matter at its beginning and its return. It has been said that “falsehood” here means Iblīs, so reflect. He said, “Those who do not believe in God's signs, God does not guide them” (al-Naḥl 104). Just as, from God, mighty and majestic, there is in clarification
نِعْمَةٌ لِأَنَّهُ لَا تَقَعُ إِلَّا بِقُدْرَةٍ كَمَا قَالَ : فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ فَكَذَٰلِكَ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ فِيهِ شُكْرٌ وَقَدْ يَكُونُ سَبَبًا لِلْإِنْعَامِ بِالْبَيَانِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ الْمَزِيدُ عَلَى الشُّكْرِ ، كَمَا قَالَ :
niʿmatun liʾannahu lā taqaʿu ʾillā biqudratin kamā qāla: falammā tabayyana lahu qāla ʾaʿlamu ʾanna allāha ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīrun fakadhālika ʿalā al-ʿabdi fīhi shukrun waqad yakūnu sababan lilʾinʿāmi bi-al-bayāni waʿalā allāhi al-mazīdu ʿalā al-shukri , kamā qāla:
a blessing, since it occurs only through power, as He said, “When it became clear to him, he said, ‘I know that God has power over all things,’” so the servant owes gratitude for it. Gratitude may become a cause for the blessing of clarification, and upon God is the increase in response to gratitude. As He said,
( كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ) الْمَائِدَةُ : 89 ، وَقَالَ فِي تَحْقِيقِ الشُّكْرِ بِالْمَزِيدِ لِلشَّاكِرِينَ عَلَى التَّصْرِيفِ : ( كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ ) الْأَعْرَافُ : 58 فَإِذَا وَقَفَ الْعَبْدُ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ عَنِ الْإِمْضَاءِ وَأَوْقَفَ الْخَاطِرَ
( kadhālika yubayyinu allāhu lakum ʾāyātihi laʿallakum tashkurūna ) al-māʾidatu: 89 , waqāla fī taḥqīqi al-shukri bi-al-mazīdi li-l-shākirīna ʿalā al-taṣrīfi: ( kadhālika nuṣarrifu al-ʾāyāti liqawmin yashkurūna ) al-ʾaʿrāfu: 58 faʾidhā waqafa al-ʿabdu fī al-shubuhāti ʿani al-ʾimḍāʾi waʾawqafa al-khāṭira
“Thus God makes His signs clear to you, so that you may give thanks” (al-Māʾida 89). In confirming gratitude through increase for those thankful for the varied exposition, He said, “Thus We expound the signs in various ways for people who give thanks” (al-Aʿrāf 58). When the servant stops short of proceeding into doubtful matters and suspends the prompting
عَلَى الِابْتِدَاءِ حَتَّى يَكْشِفَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ بِمَزِيدِ عِلْمٍ أَوْ قُوَّةِ يَقِينٍ أَوْ كَشْفِ حِجَابِ الْهَوَى فَقَدْ وُفِّقَ لِلصَّوَابِ وَهُوَ مِنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( آتَيْنَاهُ الْحِكْمَةَ وَفَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ ) ص : 20 وَدَاخِلٌ فِي قَوْلِهِ :
ʿalā al-ibtidāʾi ḥattā yakshifahu allāhu ʿazza wajalla lahu bimazīdi ʿilmin ʾaw quwwati yaqīnin ʾaw kashfi ḥijābi al-hawā faqad wuffiqa li-l-ṣawābi wahuwa min maʿnā qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ( ʾātaynāhu al-ḥikmata wafaṣla al-khiṭābi ) Ṣād: 20 wadākhilun fī qawlihi:
at its inception, until God, mighty and majestic, makes it clear to him through increased knowledge, strength of certainty, or the lifting of desire's veil, he has been granted right guidance. This belongs to the meaning of His saying, mighty and majestic, “We gave him wisdom and decisive speech” (Ṣād 20), and falls within His saying,
( وَمَنْ يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا ) الْبَقَرَةُ : 269 هَٰذَا إِذَا لَمْ يُرِدْ بِالطَّلَبِ وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ لِعَالِمٍ آخَرَ فِيهِ مَكَانَ كَشْفِهِ لِلْعَبْدِ بِوَصْفِهِ فَإِذَا أَرَادَهُ بِالطَّلَبِ لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ وَجَعَلَ لِلْعُلَمَاءِ مَكَانًا لِلدَّلَالَةِ عَلَيْهِ اضْطَرَّهُ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ عَالِمًا بِاللَّهِ
( waman yuʾta al-ḥikmata faqad ʾūtiya khayran kathīran ) al-baqaratu: 269 hādhā ʾidhā lam yurid bi-al-ṭalabi walam yajʿal liʿālimin ʾākhara fīhi makāna kashfihi lilʿabdi biwaṣfihi faʾidhā ʾarādahu bi-al-ṭalabi liʾawliyāʾihi wajaʿala lilʿulamāʾi makānan li-l-dalālati ʿalayhi iḍṭarrahu ʾan yasʾala ʿāliman bi-allāhi
“Whoever is given wisdom has been given much good” (al-Baqara 269). This applies when He does not will seeking and has not assigned another scholar a place in it instead of His disclosure to the servant through His quality. When He wills seeking for His friends and gives scholars a place in pointing toward it, He compels the servant to ask a scholar who knows God
وَبِبَاطِنِ أَحْكَامِهِ عَارِفًا بِلَطِيفِ حِجَابِهِ وَخَفِيِّ كَشْفِهِ فَيَكْشِفَ لَهُ عَلَى لِسَانِهِ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنِ الْعَبْدُ مِمَّنْ يُكَاشَفُ بِقَلْبِهِ
wabibāṭini ʾaḥkāmihi ʿārifan bilaṭīfi ḥijābihi wakhafiyyi kashfihi fayakshifa lahu ʿalā lisānihi ʾidhā lam yakuni al-ʿabdu mimman yukāshafu biqalbihi
and the inward aspects of His judgments, who knows His subtle veil and His hidden disclosure. He then makes it clear to him through that scholar's tongue, if the servant is not among those to whom disclosure is made in their hearts,
لِتَحْقِيقِ قَوْلِهِ : ( فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ) النَّحْلُ : 43 وَلِتَصْدِيقِ قَوْلِهِ: الرَّحْمَنُ فَاسْأَلْ بِهِ خَبِيرًا وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى هُوَ الْمُسَيِّرُ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْمُبَيِّنُ الْآخِرُ إِلَّا أَنَّ السَّيْرَ وَالسُّؤَالَ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ وَالْهُدَى وَالْبَيَانَ عَلَى الْهَادِي
litaḥqīqi qawlihi: ( fasʾalū ʾahla al-dhikri ʾin kuntum lā taʿlamūna ) al-naḥlu: 43 walitaṣdīqi qawlihi: al-raḥmānu fasʾal bihi khabīran wa-allāhu taʿālā huwa al-musayyiru al-ʾawwalu wa-al-mubayyinu al-ʾākhiru ʾillā ʾanna al-sayra wa-al-suʾāla ʿalā al-ʿabdi wa-al-hudā wa-al-bayāna ʿalā al-hādī
in fulfillment of His saying, “Ask the people of remembrance if you do not know” (al-Naḥl 43), and in confirmation of His saying, “The All-Merciful: ask one well-informed about Him.” God Most High is the One who sets the journey in motion at the beginning and the One who makes things clear at the end. Yet journeying and asking fall to the servant, and guidance and clarification fall to the Guide
الْمُبِينِ ، كَمَا قَالَ : ( قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا ) النَّمْلُ : 69 وَقَالَ تَعَالَى : ( فَإِنْ كُنْتَ فِي شَكٍّ مِمَّا أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ فَاسْأَلِ الَّذِينَ يَقْرَءُونَ الْكِتَابَ ) يُونُسُ : 94 الْآيَةَ ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : ( إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُ ) الْقِيَامَةُ :
al-mubīni , kamā qāla: ( qul sīrū fī al-ʾarḍi fanẓurū ) al-namlu: 69 waqāla taʿālā: ( faʾin kunta fī shakkin mimmā ʾanzalnā ʾilayka fasʾali alladhīna yaqraʾūna al-kitāba ) yūnusu: 94 al-ʾāyata , thumma qāla: ( ʾinna ʿalaynā bayānahu ) al-qiyāmatu:
who makes things clear. As He said, “Say: Travel through the earth and look” (al-Naml 69). He Most High said, “If you are in doubt about what We have sent down to you, ask those who read the Book” (Yūnus 94), the verse. Then He said, “Its clarification is upon Us” (al-Qiyāma
19 إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَى وَعَلَى اللَّهِ قَصْدُ السَّبِيلِ كَذَٰلِكَ سُنَنُهُ الَّتِي قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَلَا تَبْدِيلَ لَهَا وَلَا تَحْوِيلَ ، أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى : ( وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا ) الْبَقَرَةُ : 31 فَهَٰذَا هُوَ الْمُجْتَبَىٰ لِلتَّعْلِيمِ الْآخِذُ نَصِيبَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ
19 ʾinna ʿalaynā lalhudā waʿalā allāhi qaṣdu al-sabīli kadhālika sunanuhu allatī qad khalat min qablu walā tabdīla lahā walā taḥwīla , ʾalam tasmaʿ qawla allāhi taʿālā: ( waʿallama ʾādama al-ʾasmāʾa kullahā ) al-baqaratu: 31 fahādhā huwa al-mujtabā li-l-taʿlīmi al-ʾākhidhu naṣībahu mina allāhi
19); “Guidance is indeed upon Us”; and “Upon God is directing the way.” Such are His established ways that have passed before: they admit neither substitution nor alteration. Have you not heard God Most High's saying, “He taught Adam all the names” (al-Baqara 31)? This is the one chosen for instruction, receiving his share from God,
عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِتَفْهِيمِ الْمُصْطَفَى لِمَكَانِ التَّخْصِيصِ ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : ( يَا آدَمُ أَنْبِئْهُمْ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ ) الْبَقَرَةُ : 33 ، فَلَمَّا أَنْبَأَهُمْ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ تَرَكَ آدَمَ وَرَدَّ إِلَيْهِ وَذَكَرَ نَفْسَهُ بِالْعِلْمِ مِنْهُ بَعْدَ أَنْ دَلَّ بِالْوَاسِطَةِ عَلَيْهِ ، فَقَالَ :
ʿazza wajalla bitafhīmi al-muṣṭafā limakāni al-takhṣīṣi , thumma qāla: ( yā ʾādamu ʾanbiʾhum biʾasmāʾihim ) al-baqaratu: 33 , falammā ʾanbaʾahum biʾasmāʾihim taraka ʾādama waradda ʾilayhi wadhakara nafsahu bi-al-ʿilmi minhu baʿda ʾan dalla bi-al-wāsiṭati ʿalayhi , faqāla:
mighty and majestic, through the understanding granted to the chosen one by virtue of being singled out. Then He said, “Adam, tell them their names” (al-Baqara 33). When he had told them their names, He left Adam, turned the reference back to Himself, and mentioned Himself as the source of knowledge, after pointing to it through an intermediary. He said,
أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ إِنَّ آدَمَ يَعْلَمُ فَأَخَذَ آدَمُ نَصِيبَهُ مِنْ رَازِقِهِ بِقَلْبِهِ لِمَكَانِ رُتْبَتِهِ وَأَخَذَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَنْصِبَتَهَا مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ نَصِيبِ آدَمَ بِوَاسِطَتِهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ كَمَا هُوَ الْخَلَّاقُ ،
ʾalam ʾaqul lakum ʾinnī ʾaʿlamu walam yaqul ʾinna ʾādama yaʿlamu faʾakhadha ʾādamu naṣībahu min rāziqihi biqalbihi limakāni rutbatihi waʾakhadhati al-malāʾikatu ʾanṣibatahā mina allāhi ʿazza wajalla min naṣībi ʾādama biwāsiṭatihi wa-allāhu huwa al-razzāqu dhū al-quwwati al-matīnu kamā huwa al-khallāqu ,
“Did I not tell you that I know?” He did not say, “Adam knows.” Adam received his share from his Provider through his heart by virtue of his rank; and the angels received their shares from God, mighty and majestic, out of Adam's share, through his mediation. God is the Provider, possessed of strength, the Firm, just as He is the Creator.
هَلْ مِنْ خَالِقٍ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ يَرْزُقُكُمْ ؟ وَالْعَبِيدُ يَأْخُذُونَ أَنْصِبَتَهُمْ بِأَقْسَامِهِمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ هِيَ طُرُقٌ وَسَبَبٌ لَهُمْ ، وَهَٰذَا حِينَئِذٍ أَوَّلُ الْمُحَاسَبَةِ عَنْ مُشَاهَدَةِ حَسِيبٍ ، وَالتَّحْقِيقُ بِالْمُحَاسَبَةِ هُوَ أَوَّلُ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ عَنْ رُؤْيَةِ رَقِيبٍ ،
hal min khāliqin ghayri allāhi yarzuqukum ? wa-al-ʿabīdu yaʾkhudhūna ʾanṣibatahum biʾaqsāmihim min ḥaythu hiya ṭuruqun wasababun lahum , wahādhā ḥīnaʾidhin ʾawwalu al-muḥāsabati ʿan mushāhadati ḥasībin , wa-al-taḥqīqu bi-al-muḥāsabati huwa ʾawwalu al-murāqabati ʿan ruʾyati raqībin ,
“Is there any creator besides God who provides for you?” Servants receive their shares according to their allotments through what serves them as paths and means. This, then, is the beginning of taking account through witnessing a Reckoner. Realizing the taking of account is the beginning of watchfulness through seeing a Watcher.
وَالْمَقَامُ مِنَ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ هُوَ حَالٌ مِنْ أَحْوَالِ الْمُوقِنِينَ ، وَعِلْمُ الْيَقِينِ هُوَ آخِرُ عِلْمِ الْإِيمَانِ وَآخِرُ نَصِيبِ الْعَبْدِ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْيَقِينِ أَعْنِي نِهَايَتَهُ أَوَّلُ عَيْنِ الْيَقِينِ وَهُوَ شَهَادَةُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةُ عَلَى هَٰذَا الْوَصْفِ أَوَّلُ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ ؛
wa-al-maqāmu mina al-murāqabati huwa ḥālun min ʾaḥwāli al-mūqinīna , waʿilmu al-yaqīni huwa ʾākhiru ʿilmi al-ʾīmāni waʾākhiru naṣībi al-ʿabdi min ʿilmi al-yaqīni ʾaʿnī nihāyatahu ʾawwalu ʿayni al-yaqīni wahuwa shahādatu al-maʿrifati wa-al-maʿrifatu ʿalā hādhā al-waṣfi ʾawwalu al-mushāhadati ;
The station of watchfulness is a state among the states of those who possess certainty. The knowledge of certainty is the final reach of the knowledge of faith. The final reach of the servant's share in the knowledge of certainty, I mean its endpoint, is the beginning of the eye of certainty, which is the witnessing of recognition. Recognition of this description is the beginning of contemplative witnessing.
وَهَٰذَا هُوَ مَقَامُ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ أَعْنِي بِمُشَاهَدَةِ وَصْفِ قَرِيبٍ يُحِيطُ بِبُعْدِ النَّفْسِ فَيَسْتَوْلِي عَلَيْهَا فَيَغِيبُ بُعْدُهَا فِي قُرْبِهِ وَيَنْتَبِهُ عَقْلُهُ تَحْتَ ظَنِّهِ وَتَنْطَوِي حِكْمَتُهُ فِي قُدْرَتِهِ كَمَحْوِ نُورِ الْقَمَرِ فِي ضِيَاءِ الشَّمْسِ وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَعِلْمُ مَعَانِي الْأَسْمَاءِ
wahādhā huwa maqāmu al-muqarrabīna ʾaʿnī bimushāhadati waṣfi qarībin yuḥīṭu bibuʿdi al-nafsi fayastawlī ʿalayhā fayaghību buʿduhā fī qurbihi wayantabihu ʿaqluhu taḥta ẓannihi watanṭawī ḥikmatuhu fī qudratihi kamaḥwi nūri al-qamari fī ḍiyāʾi al-shamsi wa-allāhu ghālibun ʿalā ʾamrihi waʿilmu maʿānī al-ʾasmāʾi
This is the station of those brought near. I mean witnessing the quality of One who is near, who encompasses the self's distance and masters it, so that its distance disappears in His nearness; his intellect awakens beneath his supposition, and his wisdom is folded into His power, as the moon's light is effaced in the sun's radiance. God prevails over His affair. Knowledge of the meanings of the names
وَالصِّفَاتِ وَتَعْرِيفُ الْأَخْلَاقِ وَبَاطِنُ أَحْكَامِ الذَّاتِ يَكُونُ فِي مَقَامَاتِ الْقُرْبِ بِمِرْآةِ نُورِ الْوَجْهِ فَيَرْفَعُ نُورَ حُكْمِ الْمَكَانِ وَيَشْهَدُ كَأَنَّهُ رَفَعَ كَوْنَ الْمِرْآةِ وَيَشْهَدُ الْوَجْهَ بِنُورِهَا وَتَغِيبُ الْمِرْآةُ عَنْ كَوْنِهَا فَيَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ قَائِمًا بِقَهْرِ قَيُّومِيَّتِهِ فَيَصِيرُ
wa-al-ṣifāti wataʿrīfu al-ʾakhlāqi wabāṭinu ʾaḥkāmi al-dhāti yakūnu fī maqāmāti al-qurbi bimirʾāti nūri al-wajhi fayarfaʿu nūra ḥukmi al-makāni wayashhadu kaʾannahu rafaʿa kawna al-mirʾāti wayashhadu al-wajha binūrihā wataghību al-mirʾātu ʿan kawnihā fayakūnu al-ʿabdu qāʾiman biqahri qayyūmiyyatihi fayaṣīru
and attributes, the making known of character traits, and the inward judgments of the Essence occur in the stations of nearness through the mirror of the light of the Face. He raises the light of the rule of place and witnesses as though He had removed the mirror's existence; he witnesses the Face through its light, and the mirror disappears from its existence. The servant then stands through the compelling power of His sustaining presence, and
الْعَبْدُ شِبْهَ مَيِّتَةٍ مُشَاهِدًا بِحِيطَةِ قُرْبِهِ لَا بِكَوْنِهِ كَمَا يُشْهَدُ الْوَجْهُ بِنُورِ الْمِرْآةِ لَا بِجِسْمِهَا وَلَا يَكُونُ هَٰذَا إِلَّا بَعْدَ مُعَايَنَةِ وَصْفٍ وَبَعْدَ حُسْنِ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ فِي جَمِيعِ الْمُعَامَلَةِ وَحُسْنِ الْأَدَبِ فِي مُحَاضَرَةِ الرَّبِّ بِتَنْفِيذِ خَوَاطِرِ الْخَيْرِ وَسُرْعَةِ نَفْيِ
al-ʿabdu shibha mayyitatin mushāhidan biḥīṭati qurbihi lā bikawnihi kamā yushhadu al-wajhu binūri al-mirʾāti lā bijismihā walā yakūnu hādhā ʾillā baʿda muʿāyanati waṣfin wabaʿda ḥusni al-murāqabati fī jamīʿi al-muʿāmalati waḥusni al-ʾadabi fī muḥāḍarati al-rabbi bitanfīdhi khawāṭiri al-khayri wasurʿati nafyi
the servant becomes like a lifeless body, witnessing through the encompassing reach of His nearness, rather than through his own existence, just as a face is seen through the mirror's light rather than its body. This occurs only after directly beholding a quality, after good watchfulness in all dealings, and good conduct in attending the Lord's presence by executing promptings of good and swiftly rejecting
خَوَاطِرِ الشَّرِّ حَتَّى لَا يَبْقَى شَيْءٌ مِنْهَا وَهَٰذَا حَالُ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ وَالْقُرْبِ ، وَذَٰلِكَ يُخْرِجُ الْعَبْدَ إِلَى صَفَاءِ الْقَلْبِ بِعِلْمِ الْيَقِينِ ، وَصَفَاءُ الْقَلْبِ يَرْفَعُهُ مَقَامَاتٍ فِي مُشَاهَدَةِ الْعَيْنِ حَتَّى لَا يَخْطُرَ بِقَلْبِهِ إِلَّا خَاطِرُ حَقٍّ فَإِنْ عَصَاهُ عَصَى الْحَقَّ وَفِي تَرْكِ هَٰذَا
khawāṭiri al-sharri ḥattā lā yabqā shayʾun minhā wahādhā ḥālu al-mushāhadati wa-al-qurbi , wadhālika yukhriju al-ʿabda ʾilā ṣafāʾi al-qalbi biʿilmi al-yaqīni , waṣafāʾu al-qalbi yarfaʿuhu maqāmātin fī mushāhadati al-ʿayni ḥattā lā yakhṭura biqalbihi ʾillā khāṭiru ḥaqqin faʾin ʿaṣāhu ʿaṣā al-ḥaqqa wafī tarki hādhā
promptings of evil until nothing of them remains. This is the state of witnessing and nearness. That brings the servant to purity of heart through the knowledge of certainty. Purity of heart raises him through stations in witnessing by the eye, until nothing occurs to his heart but a prompting of truth. If he disobeys it, he disobeys the Real. In abandoning this
وَالْغَضِّ عَنْهُ كَدَرُ الْقَلْبِ وَفِي كَدَرِهِ ظُلْمَتُهُ وَذَٰلِكَ مَقَامَاتٌ فِي الْقَسْوَةِ وَهِيَ أَوَّلُ الْبُعْدِ وَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّ مَا مِنْ فَعْلَةٍ وَإِنْ صَغُرَتْ إِلَّا وَيُنْشَرُ لَهَا ثَلَاثَةُ دَوَاوِينَ :
wa-al-ghaḍḍi ʿanhu kadaru al-qalbi wafī kadarihi ẓulmatuhu wadhālika maqāmātun fī al-qaswati wahiya ʾawwalu al-buʿdi wabalaghanī ʾanna mā min faʿlatin waʾin ṣaghurat ʾillā wayunsharu lahā thalāthatu dawāwīna:
and averting one's gaze from it lies turbidity of heart; in its turbidity lies its darkness. These are stations of hardness, which is the beginning of distance. It has reached me that there is no deed, however small, for which three registers are not opened:
الدِّيوَانُ الْأَوَّلُ لِمَ
al-dīwānu al-ʾawwalu lima
the first register, “Why?”;
وَالثَّانِي كَيْفَ ، وَالثَّالِثُ لِمَنْ ، فَمَعْنَى لِمَ أَيْ لِمَ فَعَلْتَ ؟ وَهَٰذَا مَوْضِعُ الِابْتِلَاءِ عَنْ وَصْفِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ بِحُكْمِ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ أَيْ أَكَانَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَعْمَلَ لِمَوْلَاكَ أَمْ كَانَ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْكَ بِهَوَاكَ فَإِنْ سَلِمَ مِنْ هَٰذَا الدِّيوَانِ بِأَنْ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ كَمَا أُمِرَ بِهِ
wa-al-thānī kayfa , wa-al-thālithu liman , famaʿnā lima ʾay lima faʿalta ? wahādhā mawḍiʿu al-ibtilāʾi ʿan waṣfi al-rubūbiyyati biḥukmi al-ʿubūdiyyati ʾay ʾakāna ʿalayka ʾan taʿmala limawlāka ʾam kāna dhālika minka bihawāka faʾin salima min hādhā al-dīwāni biʾan kāna ʿalayhi ʾan yaʿmala kamā ʾumira bihi
the second, “How?”; and the third, “For whom?” “Why?” means, “Why did you do it?” This is the place of testing, proceeding from the quality of lordship according to the judgment of servanthood: that is, “Were you obliged to act for your Master, or did that proceed from you through your desire?” If he emerges safely from this register because he was obliged to act as he was commanded,
سُئِلَ عَنِ الدِّيوَانِ الثَّانِي ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ : كَيْفَ فَعَلْتَ هَٰذَا ؟ وَهُوَ مَكَانُ الْمُطَالَبَةِ بِالْعِلْمِ وَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الثَّانِي أَيْ قَدْ عَمِلْتَهُ بِأَنْ كَانَ عَلَيْكَ عَمَلُهُ فَكَيْفَ عَمِلْتَهُ أَبِعِلْمٍ أَمْ بِجَهْلٍ ؟ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَا يَقْبَلُ عَمَلًا إِلَّا مِنْ طَرِيقَتِهِ وَطَرِيقَةِ
suʾila ʿani al-dīwāni al-thānī , faqīla lahu: kayfa faʿalta hādhā ? wahuwa makānu al-muṭālabati bi-al-ʿilmi wahuwa al-balāʾu al-thānī ʾay qad ʿamiltahu biʾan kāna ʿalayka ʿamaluhu fakayfa ʿamiltahu ʾabiʿilmin ʾam bijahlin ? faʾinna allāha taʿālā lā yaqbalu ʿamalan ʾillā min ṭarīqatihi waṭarīqati
he is questioned about the second register and is told, “How did you do this?” This is the place where knowledge is demanded, and it is the second trial. That is, “You did it because you were obliged to do it. How did you do it: with knowledge or in ignorance?” God Most High accepts a deed only through its proper way and the way of
الْعِلْمِ ، فَإِنْ سَلِمَ مِنْ هَٰذَا نُشِرَ عَلَيْهِ الدِّيوَانُ الثَّالِثُ فَقِيلَ لِمَنْ ؟ وَهَٰذَا طَرِيقُ التَّعَبُّدِ بِالْإِخْلَاصِ لِوَجْهِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ وَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الثَّالِثُ وَهُمْ بُغْيَةُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ الَّذِينَ قَالَ فِي حَقِّهِمْ : ( إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ) الْحِجْرُ :
al-ʿilmi , faʾin salima min hādhā nushira ʿalayhi al-dīwānu al-thālithu faqīla liman ? wahādhā ṭarīqu al-taʿabbudi bi-al-ʾikhlāṣi liwajhi al-rubūbiyyati wahuwa al-balāʾu al-thālithu wahum bughyatu allāhi ʿazza wajalla min khalqihi alladhīna qāla fī ḥaqqihim: ( ʾillā ʿibādaka minhumu al-mukhlaṣīna ) al-ḥijru:
knowledge. If he emerges safely from this, the third register is opened before him and he is asked, “For whom?” This is the way of worship through sincerity for the Face of lordship, and it is the third trial. These are the ones whom God, mighty and majestic, seeks among His creatures, concerning whom He said, “Except Your servants among them who have been made sincere” (al-Ḥijr
40 وَهَٰذَا مُقْتَضَى كَلِمَةِ الْإِخْلَاصِ مِنْ نَفْيِ مَا سِوَاهُ وَهِيَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَيْسَ بَعْدَهُ إِلَّا الْإِشْفَاقُ إِلَى وَقْتِ التَّلَاقِ أَيْ قَدْ عَمِلْتَهُ بِعِلْمٍ فَلِمَنْ عَمِلْتَهُ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَالِصًا فَأَجْرُكَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْ لِشَخْصٍ مِثْلِكَ فَخُذْ أَجْرَكَ مِنْهُ أَمْ عَمِلْتَهُ لِتَنَاوُلِ
40 wahādhā muqtaḍā kalimati al-ʾikhlāṣi min nafyi mā siwāhu wahiya lā ʾilaha ʾillā allāhu walaysa baʿdahu ʾillā al-ʾishfāqu ʾilā waqti al-talāqi ʾay qad ʿamiltahu biʿilmin faliman ʿamiltahu liwajhi allāhi ʿazza wajalla khāliṣan faʾajruka ʿalayhi ʾam lishakhṣin mithlika fakhudh ʾajraka minhu ʾam ʿamiltahu litanāwuli
40). This is what the declaration of sincerity requires in denying everything besides Him: “There is no god but God.” After it there remains only apprehension until the time of meeting. That is, “You did it with knowledge: for whom did you do it? Purely for the Face of God, mighty and majestic? Then your reward rests with Him. Or for a person like yourself? Then take your reward from him. Or did you do it to obtain
عَاجِلِ دُنْيَاكَ فَقَدْ وَفَّيْنَا إِلَيْكَ عَمَلَكَ فِيهَا أَمْ عَمِلْتَهُ لِنَفْسِكَ بِسُهُولَةٍ وَغَفْلَتِكَ فَقَدْ سَقَطَ أَجْرُكَ وَحَبِطَ عَمَلُكَ لِذَهَابِكَ عَنِ الْقَصْدِ وَعَدَمِ النِّيَّةِ فِي الْفِعْلِ فَجَمِيعُ مَا أَرَدْتَ بِهِ سِوَاهُ فَقَدْ تَعَرَّضْتَ لِلْمَقْتِ وَاسْتَوْجَبْتَ الْعِقَابَ بِتَرْكِ مَا عَلَيْكَ وَجَهْلِ مَا
ʿājili dunyāka faqad waffaynā ʾilayka ʿamalaka fīhā ʾam ʿamiltahu linafsika bisuhūlatin waghaflatika faqad saqaṭa ʾajruka waḥabiṭa ʿamaluka lidhahābika ʿani al-qaṣdi waʿadami al-niyyati fī al-fiʿli fajamīʿu mā ʾaradta bihi siwāhu faqad taʿarraḍta lilmaqti wastawjabta al-ʿiqāba bitarki mā ʿalayka wajahli mā
the immediate goods of your world? We have already repaid you your deed in it. Or did you do it for yourself, with ease and in your heedlessness? Then your reward has fallen away and your deed has come to nothing because you departed from purpose and lacked intention in the act.” In everything by which you sought other than Him, you have exposed yourself to abhorrence and incurred punishment by leaving what is incumbent upon you and being ignorant of what
لِمَوْلَاكَ إِذْ كُنْتَ عَبْدًا لِي تَتَوَلَّى غَيْرِي وَإِذَا أَنْتَ تَأْكُلُ رِزْقِي وَتَعْمَلُ لِسِوَايَ وَإِذَا كَانَ الدِّينُ قَدْ جَعَلْتُهُ لِنَفْسِي فَقَصَدْتَ بِهِ مِنْ دُونِي وَيْلَكَ أَمَا سَمِعْتَنِي أَقُولُ أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ وَيْلَكَ مَا قَبِلْتَ أَمْرِي إِذْ قُلْتُ وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا
limawlāka ʾidh kunta ʿabdan lī tatawallā ghayrī waʾidhā ʾanta taʾkulu rizqī wataʿmalu lisiwāya waʾidhā kāna al-dīnu qad jaʿaltuhu linafsī faqaṣadta bihi min dūnī waylaka ʾamā samiʿtanī ʾaqūlu ʾalā li-llāhi al-dīnu al-khāliṣu waylaka mā qabilta ʾamrī ʾidh qultu wamā ʾumirū ʾillā liyaʿbudū
is owed to your Master: “You were a servant of Mine, yet you gave allegiance to another; you eat My provision and work for someone besides Me; and when I had reserved religion for Myself, you directed it to someone besides Me. Woe to you! Did you not hear Me say, ‘Surely, pure religion belongs to God’? Woe to you! You did not accept My command when I said, ‘They were commanded only to worship
اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيَقُولُ لَهُ : وَيْلَكَ أَمَا سَمِعْتَنِي أَقُولُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لَكُمْ رِزْقًا فَابْتَغُوا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الرِّزْقَ وَاعْبُدُوهُ فَهَٰذِهِ أَمْثَالُ الْقُرْآنِ يَشْهَدُ مِنْهَا الْعُلَمَاءُ أَمْثَالَهُمْ وَهِيَ إِذَا كَانَ الْخِطَابُ عِنْدَ
allāha mukhliṣīna lahu al-dīna ḥunafāʾa wayaqūlu lahu: waylaka ʾamā samiʿtanī ʾaqūlu ʾinna alladhīna taʿbudūna min dūni allāhi lā yamlikūna lakum rizqan fabtaghū ʿinda allāhi al-rizqa waʿbudūhu fahādhihi ʾamthālu al-qurʾāni yashhadu minhā al-ʿulamāʾu ʾamthālahum wahiya ʾidhā kāna al-khiṭābu ʿinda
God, making religion sincere for Him, as people of upright faith.’” He says to him, “Woe to you! Did you not hear Me say, ‘Those whom you worship besides God possess no provision for you. Seek provision with God, and worship Him’?” These are the likenesses in the Qurʾān, through which scholars witness their own likenesses; when the address is
تَدَبُّرِهِ يَفْهَمُ بِهَا الْعَارِفُونَ أَذْكَارَهُمْ فَيَكُونُ تَوْبِيخُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِلْغَافِلِينَ بِعَزَائِمِ كَلَامِهِ وَغَلِيظِ خِطَابِهِ أَشَدَّ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَوْجَعَ لَهُمْ مِنْ أَلِيمِ عِقَابِهِ ، وَذَٰلِكَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى اسْتَخْلَصَ الدِّينَ لِنَفْسِهِ وَلَمْ يُشْرِكْ فِيهِ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِهِ فَقَالَ :
tadabburihi yafhamu bihā al-ʿārifūna ʾadhkārahum fayakūnu tawbīkhu allāhi ʿazza wajalla lilghāfilīna biʿazāʾimi kalāmihi waghalīẓi khiṭābihi ʾashadda ʿalayhim waʾawjaʿa lahum min ʾalīmi ʿiqābihi , wadhālika ʾanna allāha taʿālā istakhlaṣa al-dīna linafsihi walam yushrik fīhi ʾaḥadan min khalqihi faqāla:
contemplated, those who know understand through them their reminders. The rebuke of God, mighty and majestic, to the heedless, through the firm pronouncements of His speech and His stern address, is harder upon them and more painful to them than His painful punishment. That is because God Most High reserved religion for Himself and associated none of His creatures with it. He said,
( أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ ) الزُّمَرُ : 3 يَعْنِي الطَّرِيقَ الْمُوَحَّدَ غَيْرَ الْمُشْتَرَكِ الصَّافِيَ غَيْرَ الْكَدِرِ لِأَنَّ الْإِخْلَاصَ التَّصْفِيَةُ مِنْ أَكْدَارِ الْهَوَى وَالشَّهْوَةِ وَضِدُّهُ الشِّرْكُ وَهُوَ الْخَلْطُ بِغَيْرِهِ مِنَ النَّفْسِ وَالنَّاسِ كَمَا أَنْعَمَ عَلَيْنَا بِالرِّزْقِ الْخَالِصِ مِنْ
( ʾalā li-llāhi al-dīnu al-khāliṣu ) al-zumaru: 3 yaʿnī al-ṭarīqa al-muwaḥḥada ghayra al-mushtaraki al-ṣāfiya ghayra al-kadiri liʾanna al-ʾikhlāṣa al-taṣfiyatu min ʾakdāri al-hawā wa-al-shahwati waḍidduhu al-shirku wahuwa al-khalṭu bighayrihi mina al-nafsi wa-al-nāsi kamā ʾanʿama ʿalaynā bi-al-rizqi al-khāliṣi min
“Surely, pure religion belongs to God” (al-Zumar 3): meaning the single path, unshared; the pure path, unmuddied. Sincerity is purification from the impurities of desire and appetite. Its opposite is association, namely admixture with something else, from oneself and other people. Just as He blessed us with pure provision from
بَيْنِ الْفَرْثِ وَالدَّمِ فَتَمَّتْ بِهِ النِّعْمَةُ فَقَالَ : ( نُسْقِيكُمْ مِمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ مِنْ بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَبَنًا خَالِصًا ) النَّحْلُ : 66 فَلَوْ وُجِدَ فِيهِ خَلْطٌ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمَا لَمْ تَتِمَّ بِهِ النِّعْمَةُ عَلَيْنَا ، فَكَذَٰلِكَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ عَمَلُنَا لَهُ خَالِصًا مِنَ الْهَوَى وَالشَّهْوَةِ
bayni al-farthi wa-al-dami fatammat bihi al-niʿmatu faqāla: ( nusqīkum mimmā fī buṭūnihi min bayni farthin wadamin labanan khāliṣan ) al-naḥlu: 66 falaw wujida fīhi khalṭun min ʾaḥadihimā lam tatimma bihi al-niʿmatu ʿalaynā , fakadhālika yanbaghī ʾan yakūna ʿamalunā lahu khāliṣan mina al-hawā wa-al-shahwati
between dung and blood, through which the blessing was complete, He said, “We give you to drink, from what is in its bellies, from between dung and blood, pure milk” (al-Naḥl 66). If an admixture of either of them were found in it, the blessing to us would not be complete. Likewise, our work for Him should be pure of desire and appetite,
لِنَسْتَحِقَّ بِهِ الْأَجْرَ وَالْحُظْوَةَ مِنْهُ مَعَ الْقِيَامِ بِوَاجِبِ الْحَقِّ عَلَيْنَا فَكَمَا أَنَّا لَوْ رَأَيْنَا فِي اللَّبَنِ الَّذِي أَنْعَمَ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا فَرْثًا أَوْ دَمًا عَافَتْهُ أَنْفُسُنَا فَلَمْ نَأْكُلْهُ فَكَذَٰلِكَ الْحَكِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ إِذَا رَأَى فِي عَمَلِنَا خَلْطًا مِنْ رِيَاءٍ أَوْ شَهْوَةٍ رَدَّهُ عَلَيْنَا
linastaḥiqqa bihi al-ʾajra wa-al-ḥuẓwata minhu maʿa al-qiyāmi biwājibi al-ḥaqqi ʿalaynā fakamā ʾannā law raʾaynā fī al-labani alladhī ʾanʿama bihi ʿalaynā farthan ʾaw daman ʿāfathu ʾanfusunā falam naʾkulhu fakadhālika al-ḥakīmu al-khabīru ʾidhā raʾā fī ʿamalinā khalṭan min riyāʾin ʾaw shahwatin raddahu ʿalaynā
so that through it we deserve reward and favor from Him while fulfilling the obligation owed to the Real. Just as, if we saw dung or blood in the milk with which He blessed us, our souls would recoil from it and we would not consume it, so the Wise, the All-Aware, if He sees in our work an admixture of ostentation or appetite, returns it to us
فَلَمْ يَقْبَلْهُ وَكَمَا عَمِلَ لَنَا مِمَّا عَمِلَتْ يَدُهُ بِقُدْرَتِهِ أَنْعَامًا ذَلَّلَهَا لَنَا مِنْهَا
falam yaqbalhu wakamā ʿamila lanā mimmā ʿamilat yaduhu biqudratihi ʾanʿāman dhallalahā lanā minhā
and does not accept it. Just as He made for us, from what His hand fashioned through His power, livestock that He made tractable for us, from which come
رُكُوبُنَا وَمَأْكَلُنَا فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ نَشْكُرَهُ فَنَعْمَلَ لَهُ بَعْدَ الْأَكْلِ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا كَمَا أَمَرَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا ، فَقَالَ : ( كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا ) الْمُؤْمِنُونَ : 51 فَمَنْ جَهِلَ مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَتَرَكَ مَا أَمَرَ بِهِ مِنَ الْإِخْلَاصِ
rukūbunā wamaʾkalunā fayanbaghī ʾan nashkurahu fanaʿmala lahu baʿda al-ʾakli ʿamalan ṣāliḥan kamā ʾamaranā baʿda ʾidh ʾanʿama allāhu ʿalaynā , faqāla: ( kulū mina al-ṭayyibāti waʿmalū ṣāliḥan ) al-muʾminūna: 51 faman jahila mā jaʿala allāhu linafsihi wataraka mā ʾamara bihi mina al-ʾikhlāṣi
our riding and our food, we should thank Him and perform a righteous deed for Him after eating, as He commanded us after God had blessed us. He said, “Eat of good things and perform righteous deeds” (al-Muʾminūn 51). Whoever is ignorant of what God has reserved for Himself and abandons what He commanded of sincerity
بِالدِّينِ لِوَجْهِهِ اسْتَوْجَبَ الْمَقْتَ لِجَهْلِهِ وَاسْتَحَقَّ الْعِقَابَ لِمُخَالَفَتِهِ وَفِي تَدَبُّرِ مَا قُلْنَاهُ الْهَرَبُ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ وَالْبُكَاءُ عَلَى النَّفْسِ إِلَى لِقَاءِ الْحَقِّ لِمَنْ أُشْهِدَ وَوُقِفَ وَأُرِيدَ بِالْحُضُورِ فَلَمْ يُصْرَفْ .
bi-al-dīni liwajhihi istawjaba al-maqta lijahlihi wastaḥaqqa al-ʿiqāba limukhālafatihi wafī tadabburi mā qulnāhu al-harabu mina al-khalqi wa-al-bukāʾu ʿalā al-nafsi ʾilā liqāʾi al-ḥaqqi liman ʾushhida wawuqifa waʾurīda bi-al-ḥuḍūri falam yuṣraf.
in religion for His Face incurs abhorrence through his ignorance and deserves punishment through his disobedience. Contemplating what we have said brings flight from creatures and weeping over the self until meeting the Real, for one who has been made to witness, brought to a halt, and intended for presence, and so has not been turned away.
الْفَصْلُ الرَّابِعُ وَالْعِشْرُونَ فِي ذِكْرِ مَاهِيَّةِ الْوِرْدِ لِلْمُرِيدِ وَوَصْفِ حَالِ الْعَارِفِ بِالْمَزِيدِ
al-faṣlu al-rābiʿu wa-al-ʿishrūna fī dhikri māhiyyati al-wirdi lilmurīdi wawaṣfi ḥāli al-ʿārifi bi-al-mazīdi
Chapter Twenty-Four: Explaining the Nature of the Devotional Portion for the Seeker and Describing the State of the Knower in Increase
اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْوِرْدَ اسْمٌ لِوَقْتٍ مِنْ لَيْلٍ أَوْ نَهَارٍ يَرِدُ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ مُكَرَّرًا فَيَقْطَعُهُ فِي قُرْبَةٍ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَيُورِدُ فِيهِ مَحْبُوبًا يَرِدُ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ ؛ وَالْقُرْبَةُ اسْمٌ لِأَحَدِ مَعْنَيَيْنِ : أَمْرٍ فُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ فَضْلٍ نُدِبَ إِلَيْهِ ،
iʿlam ʾanna al-wirda ismun liwaqtin min laylin ʾaw nahārin yaridu ʿalā al-ʿabdi mukarraran fayaqṭaʿuhu fī qurbatin ʾilā allāhi wayūridu fīhi maḥbūban yaridu ʿalayhi fī al-ʾākhirati ; wa-al-qurbatu ismun liʾaḥadi maʿnayayni: ʾamrin furiḍa ʿalayhi ʾaw faḍlin nudiba ʾilayhi ,
Know that a devotional portion is the name of a time of night or day that comes repeatedly to the servant. He spends it in an act that brings him near to God, and brings forward in it something beloved that will come back to him in the hereafter. An act of nearness names one of two things: a command imposed upon him, or an excellence to which he has been encouraged.
فَإِذَا فَعَلَ ذَٰلِكَ فِي وَقْتٍ مِنْ لَيْلٍ أَوْ نَهَارٍ وَدَاوَمَ عَلَيْهِ فَهُوَ وِرْدٌ قَدَّمَهُ يَرِدُ عَلَيْهِ غَدًا إِذَا قَدِمَ ، وَأَيْسَرُ الْأَوْرَادِ صَلَاةُ أَرْبَعِ رَكَعَاتٍ أَوْ قِرَاءَةُ سُورَةٍ مِنَ الْمَثَانِي أَوْ سَعْيٌ فِي مُعَاوَنَةٍ عَلَى بِرٍّ وَتَقْوَى ، قَالَ أَنَسُ بْنُ سِيرِينَ :
faʾidhā faʿala dhālika fī waqtin min laylin ʾaw nahārin wadāwama ʿalayhi fahuwa wirdun qaddamahu yaridu ʿalayhi ghadan ʾidhā qadima , waʾaysaru al-ʾawrādi ṣalātu ʾarbaʿi rakaʿātin ʾaw qirāʾatu sūratin mina al-mathānī ʾaw saʿyun fī muʿāwanatin ʿalā birrin wataqwā , qāla ʾanasu bnu sīrīna:
When he does that at a time of night or day and persists in it, it is a portion that he has sent ahead, which will come to him tomorrow when he arrives. The easiest devotional portions are a prayer of four cycles, the recitation of a sūra from the oft-repeated ones, or an effort to assist in goodness and reverent fear. Anas ibn Sīrīn said,
كَانَ لِمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ سَبْعَةُ أَوْرَادٍ ، فَكَانَ إِذَا فَاتَهُ مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ قَضَاهُ بِالنَّهَارِ فَسُمِّيَ الْعَمَلُ الْمُوَظَّفُ الْمُؤَقَّتُ وِرْدًا ، وَقَالَ الْمُعْتَمِرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ : ذَهَبْتُ أُلَقِّنُ أَبِي عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ فَأَوْمَأَ إِلَيَّ بِيَدِهِ دَعْنِي فَإِنِّي فِي وِرْدِي الرَّابِعِ
kāna limuḥammadi bni sīrīna fī kulli laylatin sabʿatu ʾawrādin , fakāna ʾidhā fātahu minhā shayʾun qaḍāhu bi-al-nahāri fasummiya al-ʿamalu al-muwaẓẓafu al-muʾaqqatu wirdan , waqāla al-muʿtamiru bnu sulaymāna: dhahabtu ʾulaqqinu ʾabī ʿinda al-mawti faʾawmaʾa ʾilayya biyadihi daʿnī faʾinnī fī wirdī al-rābiʿi
“Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn had seven devotional portions every night. Whenever he missed any of them, he made it up by day.” Thus a prescribed act assigned to a time was called a devotional portion. Al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān said, “I went to prompt my father at the time of death, but he signaled to me with his hand, ‘Leave me: I am in my fourth devotional portion.’”
فَسُمِّيَ الْحِزْبُ مِنْ أَحْزَابِ الْقُرْآنِ لِوَقْتٍ مَا وِرْدًا ، فَمِنَ الْعُمَّالِ مَنْ كَانَ يَجْعَلُ الْأَوْرَادَ مِنْ أَجْزَاءِ الْقُرْآنِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ يَجْعَلُهُ مِنْ أَعْدَادِ الرُّكُوعِ وَفَوْقَ هَٰؤُلَاءِ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ كَانُوا يَجْعَلُونَ الْأَوْرَادَ مِنْ أَوْقَاتِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ ،
fasummiya al-ḥizbu min ʾaḥzābi al-qurʾāni liwaqtin mā wirdan , famina al-ʿummāli man kāna yajʿalu al-ʾawrāda min ʾajzāʾi al-qurʾāni waminhum man kāna yajʿaluhu min ʾaʿdādi al-rukūʿi wafawqa hāʾulāʾi mina al-ʿulamāʾi kānū yajʿalūna al-ʾawrāda min ʾawqāti al-layli wa-al-nahāri ,
Thus a section among the sections of the Qurʾān, assigned to some time, was called a devotional portion. Some practitioners made their portions from divisions of the Qurʾān; others made them from numbers of bowings. Above these were scholars who made their portions from periods of night and day.
فَإِنْ قَطَعَ الْوَقْتَ بِآيَةٍ أَوْ رَكْعَةٍ أَوْ فِكْرَةٍ أَوْ شَهَادَةٍ فَذَاكَ وِرْدُهُ ، وَأَمَّا الْعَارِفُونَ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يُوَقِّتُوا الْأَوْرَادَ وَلَمْ يَقْسِمُوا الْأَوْقَاتَ بَلْ جَعَلُوا الْوِرْدَ وَاحِدًا لِمَوْلَاهُمْ وَجَعَلُوا حَاجَاتِهِمْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ضَرُورَتَهُمْ ،
faʾin qaṭaʿa al-waqta biʾāyatin ʾaw rakʿatin ʾaw fikratin ʾaw shahādatin fadhāka wirduhu , waʾammā al-ʿārifūna faʾinnahum lam yuwaqqitū al-ʾawrāda walam yaqsimū al-ʾawqāta bal jaʿalū al-wirda wāḥidan limawlāhum wajaʿalū ḥājātihim mina al-dunyā ḍarūratahum ,
If one spent the time with a verse, a prayer cycle, a reflection, or a witnessing, that was his portion. As for the knowers, they did not assign times to their portions or divide their times. Rather, they made the portion one for their Master, and made their needs from this world their necessities.
وَصَيَّرُوا الْوَقْتَ مُتَسَاوِيًا لِسَيِّدِهِمْ وَتَصْرِيفُهُمْ لِمَصَالِحِهِمْ يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَوَضَعُوا رِقَابَهُمْ فِي رِقِّ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ وَصَفُّوا أَقْدَامَهُمْ فِي مَصَافِّ الْخِدْمَةِ فَكَانُوا فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ بِحُكْمِ مَا يُسْتَعْمَلُونَ وَبِوَصْفِ مَا بِهِ يُطَالَبُونَ ذَٰلِكَ وِرْدُهُمْ وَتِلْكَ عَلَامَتُهُمْ عَنْ حُسْنِ
waṣayyarū al-waqta mutasāwiyan lisayyidihim wataṣrīfuhum limaṣāliḥihim yadkhulu ʿalayhim fawaḍaʿū riqābahum fī riqqi al-ʿubūdiyyati waṣaffū ʾaqdāmahum fī maṣāffi al-khidmati fakānū fī kulli waqtin biḥukmi mā yustaʿmalūna wabiwaṣfi mā bihi yuṭālabūna dhālika wirduhum watilka ʿalāmatuhum ʿan ḥusni
They made time equally devoted to their Master, while attendance to their interests came upon them. They placed their necks in the bondage of servanthood and set their feet in the ranks of service. At every time they were under the judgment of what they were employed in and the description of what was demanded of them. That was their portion, and that was their sign, arising from the goodness of
اخْتِيَارِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُمْ وَجَمِيلِ تَوَلِّيهِ إِيَّاهُمْ لَا يَكِلُهُمْ إِلَى نُفُوسِهِمْ وَلَا يُوَلِّيهِمْ بَعْضَهُمْ وَهُوَ يَتَوَلَّى الصَّالِحِينَ مُشَاهَدَتُهُمْ ذِكْرُهُمْ وَقُرْبُ الْحَبِيبِ حُبُّهُمْ لَيْسَ يَشْهَدُونَ فَضِيلَةً فِي غَيْرِ مَحْبُوبِهِمْ وَلَا يَرْجُونَ قُرْبَةً بِغَيْرِ مَعْرُوفِهِمْ ؛
ikhtiyāri allāhi ʿazza wajalla lahum wajamīli tawallīhi ʾiyyāhum lā yakiluhum ʾilā nufūsihim walā yuwallīhim baʿḍahum wahuwa yatawallā al-ṣāliḥīna mushāhadatuhum dhikruhum waqurbu al-ḥabībi ḥubbuhum laysa yashhadūna faḍīlatan fī ghayri maḥbūbihim walā yarjūna qurbatan bighayri maʿrūfihim ;
the choice of God, mighty and majestic, for them and the beauty of His taking charge of them. He does not leave them to their own souls or put them in one another's charge. He takes charge of the righteous. Their witnessing is their remembrance, and the Beloved's nearness is their love. They witness no excellence in anything other than their Beloved, nor hope for nearness through anything other than the One they know.
بِهِ يَتَقَرَّبُونَ إِلَيْهِ ، وَإِلَيْهِ ، بِهِ يُسَبِّحُونَ لَهُ ، وَعَلَيْهِ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ لَهُ ، وَمِنْهُ يَخَافُونَ عَنْهُ ، وَإِيَّاهُ يُحِبُّونَ مِنْهُ لَوْ أَسْقَطُوا الْأَعْمَالَ كُلَّهَا غَيْرَ مَا تَعَلَّقَ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ ثُبُوتُهُ مَا نَقَصَ مِنْ تَوْحِيدِهِمْ ذَرَّةٌ وَلَوْ تَرَكُوا أَوْرَادَ الْمُرِيدِينَ كُلَّهُمْ مَا أَثَّرَ
bihi yataqarrabūna ʾilayhi , waʾilayhi , bihi yusabbiḥūna lahu , waʿalayhi yatawakkalūna lahu , waminhu yakhāfūna ʿanhu , waʾiyyāhu yuḥibbūna minhu law ʾasqaṭū al-ʾaʿmāla kullahā ghayra mā taʿallaqa bi-al-tawḥīdi thubūtuhu mā naqaṣa min tawḥīdihim dharratun walaw tarakū ʾawrāda al-murīdīna kullahum mā ʾaththara
Through Him they draw near to Him; and toward Him, through Him, they glorify Him. Upon Him they rely for His sake; from Him they fear, on His account; and Him they love, from Him. Were they to drop all deeds except what is established in connection with affirming His oneness, not an atom would diminish from their affirmation of His oneness. Were they to leave the devotional portions of all seekers, it would cause
فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ بِقَسْوَةٍ وَلَا فَتْرَةٍ لِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَزِيدُونَ بِالْأَعْمَالِ فَيَنْقُصُونَ
fī qulūbihim biqaswatin walā fatratin liʾannahum lā yazīdūna bi-al-ʾaʿmāli fayanquṣūna
neither hardness nor slackening in their hearts, for they do not increase through deeds so as to decrease
بِهَا وَلَا يَتَفَقَّدُونَ قُلُوبَهُمْ وَأَحْوَالَهُمْ بِالْأَوْرَادِ فَيَعْرِفُونَ النُّقْصَانَ وَالْمَزِيدَ مِنْهَا وَلَا تَجْتَمِعُ قُلُوبُهُمْ بِسَبَبٍ وَلَا تَقْوَى نُفُوسُهُمْ بِطَلَبٍ فَتَتَشَتَّتُ لِفَقْدِ سَبَبٍ وَيَضْعُفُ يَقِينُهُمْ لِطَلَبِ هَٰذِهِ الْمَعَانِي هِيَ أَحْوَالُ الْمُرِيدِينَ وَجُمْلَةُ تَغْيِيرِهِمْ فِي شَيْئَيْنِ :
bihā walā yatafaqqadūna qulūbahum waʾaḥwālahum bi-al-ʾawrādi fayaʿrifūna al-nuqṣāna wa-al-mazīda minhā walā tajtamiʿu qulūbuhum bisababin walā taqwā nufūsuhum biṭalabin fatatashattatu lifaqdi sababin wayaḍʿufu yaqīnuhum liṭalabi hādhihi al-maʿānī hiya ʾaḥwālu al-murīdīna wajumlatu taghyīrihim fī shayʾayni:
through them. They do not inspect their hearts and states through devotional portions, so as to know diminution and increase from them. Their hearts are not gathered through a means, nor their souls strengthened through seeking, so that they should be scattered by the loss of a means and their certainty weakened by seeking. These meanings are the states of seekers. Their changes as a whole lie in two things:
ضِيقِهِمْ بِالْخَالِقِ فَهَرَبُوا مِنْهُ ، وَاتِّسَاعِهِمْ بِالْخَلْقِ فَاسْتَرَاحُوا إِلَيْهِ ، وَلَوْ دَامَ قُرْبُهُمْ مِنْهُ لَدَامَتْ رَاحَتُهُمْ بِهِ وَلَوْ وَقَفَتْ شَهَادَتُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ لَمَا نَظَرُوا إِلَى سِوَاهُ ، وَأَمَّا الْعَارِفُونَ فَقَدْ فُرِغَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاجْتَمَعَتِ الْمُتَفَرِّقَاتُ بِمَجَامِعِهَا لَهُمْ
ḍīqihim bi-al-khāliqi faharabū minhu , wa-ittisāʿihim bi-al-khalqi fastarāḥū ʾilayhi , walaw dāma qurbuhum minhu ladāmat rāḥatuhum bihi walaw waqafat shahādatuhum ʿalayhi lamā naẓarū ʾilā siwāhu , waʾammā al-ʿārifūna faqad furigha lahum min qulūbihim wajtamaʿati al-mutafarriqātu bimajāmiʿihā lahum
their constriction with the Creator, so that they flee from Him, and their spaciousness with creation, so that they find rest in it. Had their nearness to Him endured, their rest in Him would have endured; had their witnessing remained fixed upon Him, they would not have looked at anything besides Him. As for the knowers, their hearts have been emptied for them, and scattered things have been gathered for them in their places of gathering.
وَأَقَامَهُمُ الْقَائِمُ لَهُمْ بِشَهَادَتِهِمْ لَهُ فَلَهُمْ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَزِيدٌ وَمِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ تَوْحِيدٌ ، كُلُّ خَاطِرٍ بِهِمْ يَرُدُّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ وَكُلُّ مَنْظُورٍ إِلَيْهِ يَدُلُّهُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَكُلُّ نَظْرَةٍ وَحَرَكَةٍ طَرِيقٌ لَهُمْ إِلَيْهِ ، فَتَوْحِيدُهُمْ فِي مَزِيدٍ وَيَقِينُهُمْ فِي تَجْدِيدٍ بِغَيْرِ تَغْيِيرٍ وَلَا تَصْرِيدٍ
waʾaqāmahumu al-qāʾimu lahum bishahādatihim lahu falahum bikulli shayʾin mazīdun wamin kulli shayʾin tawḥīdun , kullu khāṭirin bihim yarudduhum ʾilayhi wakullu manẓūrin ʾilayhi yadulluhum ʿalayhi wakullu naẓratin waḥarakatin ṭarīqun lahum ʾilayhi , fatawḥīduhum fī mazīdin wayaqīnuhum fī tajdīdin bighayri taghyīrin walā taṣrīdin
The One who sustains them has established them through their witnessing of Him. Through everything they have increase, and from everything an affirmation of His oneness. Every prompting that comes to them returns them to Him; everything looked at points them toward Him; and every glance and movement is a path to Him for them. Their affirmation of oneness is in increase and their certainty in renewal, without alteration or diminution,
وَلَا إِيقَافٍ وَلَا تَحْدِيدٍ ، وَلَرُبَّمَا طَلَبَ أَحَدُهُمُ التَّسَبُّبَ بِالْأَسْبَابِ فَيَجْمَعُهُ بِهَا رَبُّ الْأَرْبَابِ لِأَنَّهُ مُرَادٌ بِالِاجْتِمَاعِ وَإِنَّمَا اسْتَرْوَحَ بِالشَّتَاتِ لِاسْتِجْمَامِ مَا هُوَ فِي قَلْبِهِ آتٍ ثِقَةً مِنْهُ بِحَبِيبِهِ وَتَمَكُّنًا عِنْدَ مَحْبُوبِهِ إِذْ قَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ طَالِبٌ فَطَرَحَ
walā ʾīqāfin walā taḥdīdin , walarubbamā ṭalaba ʾaḥaduhumu al-tasabbuba bi-al-ʾasbābi fayajmaʿuhu bihā rabbu al-ʾarbābi liʾannahu murādun bi-al-ijtimāʿi waʾinnamā istarwaḥa bi-al-shatāti listijmāmi mā huwa fī qalbihi ʾātin thiqatan minhu biḥabībihi watamakkunan ʿinda maḥbūbihi ʾidh qad ʿalima ʾannahu ṭālibun faṭaraḥa
without stopping or limitation. One of them may seek to employ means, and the Lord of lords gathers him through them, because he is intended for gatheredness. He finds respite in dispersion only to refresh what is coming within his heart, out of trust in his Beloved and firm standing with the One he loves. Since he knows that he is a seeker, he casts
نَفْسَهُ لِيَحْمِلَهُ فَحَمَلَهُ بِمَا تَوَلَّاهُ وَلَمْ يَكِلْهُ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ وَهَوَاهُ ، فَهَٰذِهِ مَقَامَاتٌ لِأَهْلِهَا لَا يَعْرِفُهَا سِوَاهُمْ وَلَا تَصْلُحُ إِلَّا لَهُمْ وَلَا تَلِيقُ إِلَّا بِهِمْ وَلَا يُقَاسُ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا يُدَّعَى مَكَانَهَا وَلَا تُنْتَظَرُ فَتُتْرَكَ لَهَا الْأَوْرَادُ وَلَا تُتَوَقَّعُ فَيُقَصَّرُ
nafsahu liyaḥmilahu faḥamalahu bimā tawallāhu walam yakilhu ʾilā nafsihi wahawāhu , fahādhihi maqāmātun liʾahlihā lā yaʿrifuhā siwāhum walā taṣluḥu ʾillā lahum walā talīqu ʾillā bihim walā yuqāsu ʿalayhā walā yuddaʿā makānahā walā tuntaẓaru fatutraka lahā al-ʾawrādu walā tutawaqqaʿu fayuqaṣṣaru
himself down so that He may carry him. He carries him by taking charge of him and does not leave him to his own self and desire. These are stations for their people: no one besides them knows them; they are suitable only for them; they befit only them; no analogy can be drawn from them; their place is not to be claimed; they are not to be awaited so that devotional portions are abandoned for them; nor are they to be anticipated so that one falls short
لِأَجْلِهَا فِي الِاجْتِهَادِ وَالْمُرَادُونَ بِهَا مَحْمُولُونَ بِهَا مُوَاجَهُونَ بِعِلْمِهَا مَسْلُوكٌ بِهِمْ طَرِيقُهَا مُزَوَّدُونَ زَادَهَا وَهِيَ مَحْبُوسَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ مَقْصُورَةٌ لَهُمْ فَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ ، فَأَوْلِيَاءُ اللَّهِ عَابِدُوهُ وَقَدْ عَكَفُوا بِقُلُوبِهِمْ لِمَنْ عَبَدُوهُ وَنَظَرُوا إِلَى مَعْبُودِهِمْ
liʾajlihā fī al-ijtihādi wa-al-murādūna bihā maḥmūlūna bihā muwājahūna biʿilmihā maslūkun bihim ṭarīquhā muzawwadūna zādahā wahiya maḥbūsatun ʿalayhim maqṣūratun lahum fahum lahā sābiqūna , faʾawliyāʾu allāhi ʿābidūhu waqad ʿakafū biqulūbihim liman ʿabadūhu wanaẓarū ʾilā maʿbūdihim
in striving on their account. Those intended for them are carried by them, confronted with knowledge of them, led along their path, and supplied with their provisions. They are reserved for them and confined to them, and they are foremost in attaining them. God's friends are His worshippers: they have devoted their hearts to the One they worship and have looked toward their Object of worship,
الَّذِي عَكَفُوا عَلَيْهِ فَفَهِمُوا عَنْهُ فَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ بِمَا آتَاهُمْ مِنْ شَهَادَةِ حُكْمِهِ حُكْمِ الْكِتَابِ إِذْ يَقُولُ : ( وَانْظُرْ إِلَى إِلَهِكَ الَّذِي ظَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ عَاكِفًا ) طٰهٰ : 97 بَعْدَ قَوْلِهِ لِلْغَافِلِينَ فَصَيَّرَهُمْ مَعْرِضًا نَعْبُدُ أَصْنَامًا فَنَظَلُّ لَهَا عَاكِفِينَ مَعَ قَوْلِهِ :
alladhī ʿakafū ʿalayhi fafahimū ʿanhu faṣla al-khiṭābi bimā ʾātāhum min shahādati ḥukmihi ḥukmi al-kitābi ʾidh yaqūlu: ( wanẓur ʾilā ʾilahika alladhī ẓalta ʿalayhi ʿākifan ) ṭā hā: 97 baʿda qawlihi lilghāfilīna faṣayyarahum maʿriḍan naʿbudu ʾaṣnāman fanaẓallu lahā ʿākifīna maʿa qawlihi:
to whom they have devoted themselves. They understood from Him decisive speech through what He gave them of witnessing His judgment, the judgment of the Book, when He says, “Look at your god to which you remained devoted” (Ṭā Hā 97), after His words to the heedless, making them a display: “We worship idols and remain devoted to them,” together with His saying,
( أَنِ امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوا عَلَى آلِهَتِكُمْ ) صٓ : 6 ، إِنَّ هَٰذَا الشَّيْءَ يُرَادُ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ : ( وَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا ) الطُّورُ : 48 ، فَعَلِمُوا أَنَّ الْإِخْلَاصَ الَّذِي أُمِرُوا بِهِ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ وَلَا عِبَادَةَ إِلَّا بِمُجَانَبَةِ الْهَوَى وَبَعْدَهَا الْإِنَابَةُ إِلَى
( ʾani mshū waṣbirū ʿalā ʾālihatikum ) ṣād: 6 , ʾinna hādhā al-shayʾa yurādu ʾilā qawlihi: ( waṣbir liḥukmi rabbika faʾinnaka biʾaʿyuninā ) al-ṭūru: 48 , faʿalimū ʾanna al-ʾikhlāṣa alladhī ʾumirū bihi huwa al-ʿibādatu walā ʿibādata ʾillā bimujānabati al-hawā wabaʿdahā al-ʾinābatu ʾilā
“Go, and remain steadfast to your gods” (Ṣād 6); “This thing is indeed intended,” through His saying, “Be patient for your Lord's judgment, for you are under Our eyes” (al-Ṭūr 48). They knew that the sincerity they had been commanded to practice is worship; there is no worship except by keeping away from desire, and after it comes turning back to
الْمَوْلَى ، أَمَا سَمِعْتَ قَوْلَهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهَا وَأَنَابُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَى ) الزُّمَرُ : 17 وَأَيْقَنُوا أَنَّ الصَّلَاةَ عِمَادُ الدِّينِ وَلَا صَلَاةَ إِلَّا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ وَلَا تَقْوَى إِلَّا بِإِنَابَةٍ ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى :
al-mawlā , ʾamā samiʿta qawlahu ʿazza wajalla: ( wa-alladhīna ijtanabū al-ṭāghūta ʾan yaʿbudūhā waʾanābū ʾilā allāhi lahumu al-bushrā ) al-zumaru: 17 waʾayqanū ʾanna al-ṣalāta ʿimādu al-dīni walā ṣalāta ʾillā lilmuttaqīna walā taqwā ʾillā biʾinābatin , kamā qāla taʿālā:
the Master. Have you not heard His saying, mighty and majestic, “Those who avoid worshipping false powers and turn back to God will have good news” (al-Zumar 17)? They became certain that prayer is the pillar of religion; there is no prayer except for the reverently fearful, and no reverent fear except through turning back. As He Most High said,
( مُنِيبِينَ إِلَيْهِ وَاتَّقُوهُ ) الرُّومُ : 31 ثُمَّ قَالَ : ( وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ) الرُّومُ 31 فَهَٰذِهِ عِبَادَةُ الْعَارِفِينَ عَلَى سُنَّةِ النَّبِيِّينَ فَإِنَابَتُهُمْ مُشَاهَدَتُهُمْ لِمَذْكُورِهِمْ كَقَوْلِهِ فِي وَصْفِ ضِدِّهِمْ :
( munībīna ʾilayhi wa-ttaqūhu ) al-rūmu: 31 thumma qāla: ( waʾaqīmū al-ṣalāta walā takūnū mina al-mushrikīna ) al-rūmu 31 fahādhihi ʿibādatu al-ʿārifīna ʿalā sunnati al-nabiyyīna faʾinābatuhum mushāhadatuhum limadhkūrihim kaqawlihi fī waṣfi ḍiddihim:
“Turning back to Him, and fear Him” (al-Rūm 31). Then He said, “Establish prayer, and do not be among those who associate partners” (al-Rūm 31). This is the worship of the knowers according to the way of the prophets. Their turning back is their witnessing of the One they remember, as in His description of their opposites,
( كَانَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ فِي غِطَاءٍ عَنْ ذِكْرِي ) الْكَهْفُ : 101 فَهُمْ عَنْ كَشْفٍ مِنْ ذِكْرِهِ إِذْ كَانُوا بِضِدِّ وَصْفِهِمْ وَحَقِيقَةُ ذِكْرِهِمْ نِسْيَانُهُمْ لِسِوَى مَذْكُورِهِمْ بِمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ : ( وَاذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ ) الْكَهْفُ : 24 فَأَخْرَجَهُمُ الذِّكْرُ لَهُ إِلَى الْفِرَارِ إِلَيْهِ كَمَا
( kānat ʾaʿyunuhum fī ghiṭāʾin ʿan dhikrī ) al-kahfu: 101 fahum ʿan kashfin min dhikrihi ʾidh kānū biḍiddi waṣfihim waḥaqīqatu dhikrihim nisyānuhum lisiwā madhkūrihim bimaʿnā qawlihi: ( wadhkur rabbaka ʾidhā nasīta ) al-kahfu: 24 faʾakhrajahumu al-dhikru lahu ʾilā al-firāri ʾilayhi kamā
“Their eyes were under a covering from My remembrance” (al-Kahf 101). They thus stand upon an unveiling arising from remembrance of Him, since they have the opposite of those people's description. The reality of their remembrance is their forgetting everything besides the One they remember, in the sense of His saying, “Remember your Lord when you forget” (al-Kahf 24). Their remembrance of Him brought them to flight toward Him, as
فَهِمُوا عَنْهُ إِذْ يَقُولُ : ( لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ ) الْأَنْعَامُ : 152 فَفَرُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ فَلَمَّا هَرَبُوا آوَاهُمْ بِقُرْبِهِ وَوَهَبَ لَهُمْ هِدَايَةً إِلَى حُبِّهِ وَنَشَرَ لَهُمْ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَطَوَاهُمْ فِي قَبْضَتِهِ فَلَمْ يَرَهُمْ إِلَّا هُمْ وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْهُمْ سِوَاهُمْ ، وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى :
fahimū ʿanhu ʾidh yaqūlu: ( laʿallakum tadhakkarūna ) al-ʾanʿāmu: 152 fafarrū ʾilā allāhi falammā harabū ʾāwāhum biqurbihi wawahaba lahum hidāyatan ʾilā ḥubbihi wanashara lahum min raḥmatihi waṭawāhum fī qabḍatihi falam yarahum ʾillā hum walam yaʿrifhum siwāhum , waqad qāla taʿālā:
they understood from Him when He said, “So that you may remember” (al-Anʿām 152). They fled to God. When they fled, He sheltered them in His nearness, bestowed upon them guidance toward His love, spread some of His mercy for them, and enfolded them in His grasp. No one saw them except themselves, and no one knew them besides themselves. He Most High has said,
( وَإِذِ اعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ فَأْوُوا إِلَى الْكَهْفِ يَنْشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ ) الْكَهْفُ : 16 وَقَالَ تَعَالَى : ( إِنِّي ذَاهِبٌ إِلَى رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ ) الصَّافَّاتُ : 99 .
( waʾidhi ʿtazaltumūhum wamā yaʿbudūna ʾillā allāha faʾwū ʾilā al-kahfi yanshur lakum rabbukum min raḥmatihi ) al-kahfu: 16 waqāla taʿālā: ( ʾinnī dhāhibun ʾilā rabbī sayahdīni ) al-ṣāffātu: 99.
“When you have withdrawn from them and what they worship, except God, take refuge in the cave: your Lord will spread some of His mercy for you” (al-Kahf 16). He Most High said, “I am going to my Lord; He will guide me” (al-Ṣāffāt 99).
ذِكْرُ الْأَوْرَادِ وَمَا يُرْجَى بِهَا مِنَ الِازْدِيَادِ
dhikru al-ʾawrādi wamā yurjā bihā mina al-izdiyādi
The Devotional Portions and the Increase Hoped for Through Them
وَلَكِنْ بِمُوَاصَلَةِ الْأَوْرَادِ الْمَرْسُومَةِ وَالْأَعْمَالِ الْمُوَقَّتَةِ الْمَعْلُومَةِ يَسْتَبِينُ لِلْمُرِيدِ النُّقْصَانُ مِنَ الْمَزِيدِ وَيَعْرِفُ قُوَّةَ الْعَزْمِ وَالشَّرَهِ مِنْ وَهَنِ الْعَادَةِ وَالْفَتْرَةِ فِي الْأَوْرَادِ أَيْضًا فَضِيلَةٌ وَهُوَ أَنَّ الْعَامِلَ إِذَا شُغِلَ عَنْهَا بِمَرَضٍ أَوْ سَفَرٍ كَتَبَ لَهُ
walakin bimuwāṣalati al-ʾawrādi al-marsūmati wa-al-ʾaʿmāli al-muwaqqatati al-maʿlūmati yastabīnu lilmurīdi al-nuqṣānu mina al-mazīdi wayaʿrifu quwwata al-ʿazmi wa-al-sharahi min wahani al-ʿādati wa-al-fatrati fī al-ʾawrādi ʾayḍan faḍīlatun wahuwa ʾanna al-ʿāmila ʾidhā shughila ʿanhā bimaraḍin ʾaw safarin kataba lahu
Yet by continuing the prescribed portions and the known acts assigned to times, the seeker distinguishes diminution from increase and recognizes strength of resolve and eagerness as distinct from the weakness of habit and slackening. Devotional portions also have an excellence: when a practitioner is kept from them by illness or travel, there is recorded for him by
الْمَلَكُ مِثْلَ ثَوَابِ مَا كَانَ يَعْمَلُ فِي الصِّحَّةِ ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ نَوْمُ الْعَارِفِ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْجَاهِلِ لِأَنَّ هَٰذَا النَّائِمَ سَالِمٌ وَهُوَ ذَٰلِكَ الزَّاهِدُ الْعَالِمُ إِذَا اسْتَيْقَظَ وَجَدَ وَهَٰذَا الصَّائِمُ الْقَائِمُ لَا يُؤْمَنُ عَلَيْهِ الْآفَاتُ وَتَطْرُقُهُ الْأَعْدَاءُ فِي الْعِبَادَاتِ
al-malaku mithla thawābi mā kāna yaʿmalu fī al-ṣiḥḥati , waqad yakūnu nawmu al-ʿārifi ʾafḍala min ṣalāti al-jāhili liʾanna hādhā al-nāʾima sālimun wahuwa dhālika al-zāhidu al-ʿālimu ʾidhā istayqaẓa wajada wahādhā al-ṣāʾimu al-qāʾimu lā yuʾmanu ʿalayhi al-ʾāfātu wataṭruquhu al-ʾaʿdāʾu fī al-ʿibādāti
the angel the equivalent of the reward for what he used to do in health. A knower's sleep may be better than an ignorant person's prayer, because this sleeper is safe: he is that learned ascetic who, when he awakens, finds. This fasting person who stands in prayer is not safe from afflictions, and enemies may approach him in his acts of worship:
وَهُوَ ذَٰلِكَ الْجَاهِلُ الْمُغْتَرُّ إِذَا وَجَدَ فَقَدَ ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ نَوْمُ الْعَالِمِ عِبَادَةٌ وَنَفَسُهُ تَسْبِيحٌ وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ عَالِمٌ وَاحِدٌ أَشَدُّ عَلَى الشَّيْطَانِ مِنْ أَلْفِ عَابِدٍ ، وَرَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ مَقْطُوعٍ لَوْ وَقَعَتْ هَٰذِهِ عَلَى هَٰذِهِ يَعْنِي السَّمَاءَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مَا تَرَكَ
wahuwa dhālika al-jāhilu al-mughtarru ʾidhā wajada faqada , waqad rawaynā fī khabarin nawmu al-ʿālimi ʿibādatun wanafasuhu tasbīḥun wafī al-ḥadīthi ʿālimun wāḥidun ʾashaddu ʿalā al-shayṭāni min ʾalfi ʿābidin , warawaynā fī khabarin maqṭūʿin law waqaʿat hādhihi ʿalā hādhihi yaʿnī al-samāʾa ʿalā al-ʾarḍi mā taraka
he is that self-deceived ignorant person who, when he finds, loses. We have transmitted in a report: “The scholar's sleep is worship, and his breathing is glorification.” In the hadith: “One scholar is harder upon Satan than a thousand worshippers.” We have transmitted in a report not traced to the Prophet: “If this fell upon that,” meaning the sky upon the earth, “the scholar would not abandon
الْعَالِمُ عِلْمَهُ لِشَيْءٍ وَلَوْ فُتِحَتِ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى عَابِدٍ تَرَكَ عِبَادَةَ رَبِّهِ وَلِأَنَّ الْعَالِمَ قَدْ يُكَاشَفُ فِي نَوْمِهِ بِالْآيَاتِ وَالْعِبَرِ وَيُكْشَفُ لَهُ الْمَلَكُوتُ الْأَعْلَى وَالْأَسْفَلُ وَيُخَاطَبُ بِالْعُلُومِ وَيُشَاهِدُ الْقُدْرَةَ مِنْ مَعْنَى مَا تَشْهَدُهُ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ فِي يَقَظَتِهِمْ فَيَكُونُ
al-ʿālimu ʿilmahu lishayʾin walaw futiḥati al-dunyā ʿalā ʿābidin taraka ʿibādata rabbihi waliʾanna al-ʿālima qad yukāshafu fī nawmihi bi-al-ʾāyāti wa-al-ʿibari wayukshafu lahu al-malakūtu al-ʾaʿlā wa-al-ʾasfalu wayukhāṭabu bi-al-ʿulūmi wayushāhidu al-qudrata min maʿnā mā tashhaduhu al-ʾanbiyāʾu fī yaqaẓatihim fayakūnu
his knowledge for anything; but if the world were opened to a worshipper, he would abandon worship of his Lord.” For the scholar may have signs and lessons disclosed to him in sleep, the higher and lower kingdoms unveiled to him, and knowledge addressed to him; he witnesses power of the kind that the prophets witness in their wakefulness. Thus
نَوْمُ الْعَارِفِ يَقَظَةً لِأَنَّ قَلْبَهُ حَيَاةٌ وَيَكُونُ يَقَظَةُ الْغَافِلِ نَوْمًا لِأَنَّ قَلْبَهُ مَوَاتٌ فَيَعْدِلُ نَوْمُ الْعَالِمِ يَقَظَةَ الْجَاهِلِ وَتَقْرُبُ يَقَظَةُ الْجَاهِلِ الْغَافِلِ مِنْ نَوْمِ الْعَالِمِ ، كَيْفَ وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي خَبَرِ أَبِي مُوسَى أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَظَرَ إِلَى
nawmu al-ʿārifi yaqaẓatan liʾanna qalbahu ḥayātun wayakūnu yaqaẓatu al-ghāfili nawman liʾanna qalbahu mawātun fayaʿdilu nawmu al-ʿālimi yaqaẓata al-jāhili wataqrubu yaqaẓatu al-jāhili al-ghāfili min nawmi al-ʿālimi , kayfa waqad jāʾa fī khabari ʾabī mūsā ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama naẓara ʾilā
the knower's sleep is wakefulness, because his heart is life; and the heedless person's wakefulness is sleep, because his heart is deadness. The scholar's sleep equals the ignorant person's wakefulness, and the heedless ignorant person's wakefulness approaches the scholar's sleep. How could it be otherwise, when it has come in the report of Abū Mūsā that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, looked toward
أُحُدٍ فَقَالَ : هَٰذَا جَبَلُ أُحُدٍ وَلَا يَعْلَمُ خَلْقٌ وَزْنَهُ وَإِنَّ مِنْ أُمَّتِي مَنْ تَكُونُ التَّسْبِيحَةُ مِنْهُ وَالتَّهْلِيلَةُ أَوْزَنَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْهُ ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ إِذْ قَالَ لِعُمَرَ : مَا أَنْكَرْتَ أَنْ يَكُونَ عَمَلُ عَبْدٍ فِي يَوْمٍ وَاحِدٍ أَثْقَلَ مَنْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ
ʾuḥudin faqāla: hādhā jabalu ʾuḥudin walā yaʿlamu khalqun waznahu waʾinna min ʾummatī man takūnu al-tasbīḥatu minhu wa-al-tahlīlatu ʾawzana ʿinda allāhi ʿazza wajalla minhu , wafī ḥadīthi ibni masʿūdin ʾidh qāla liʿumara: mā ʾankarta ʾan yakūna ʿamalu ʿabdin fī yawmin wāḥidin ʾathqala man fī al-samawāti
Uḥud and said, “This is Mount Uḥud, and no creature knows its weight. Among my community are those whose single glorification and single declaration of God's oneness weigh more than it in the sight of God, mighty and majestic.” In the hadith of Ibn Masʿūd, when he said to ʿUmar, “Why do you object that a servant's work in one day might weigh more than those in the heavens
وَالْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ وَصَفَ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَاقِلُ عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْمُوقِنُ الْعَالِمُ بِهِ ، وَقَدْ سُئِلَتْ عَائِشَةُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي رَمَضَانَ فَقَالَتْ : مَا كَانَ يَخُصُّ رَمَضَانَ بِشَيْءٍ دُونَ غَيْرِهِ وَلَا كَانَ يَزِيدُ فِي رَمَضَانَ عَلَى
wa-al-ʾarḍi thumma waṣafa dhālika biʾannahu huwa al-ʿāqilu ʿani allāhi ʿazza wajalla al-mūqinu al-ʿālimu bihi , waqad suʾilat ʿāʾishatu raḍiya allāhu ʿanhā ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī ramaḍāna faqālat: mā kāna yakhuṣṣu ramaḍāna bishayʾin dūna ghayrihi walā kāna yazīdu fī ramaḍāna ʿalā
and the earth?” Then he described that person as one who understands from God, mighty and majestic, possesses certainty, and knows Him. ʿĀʾisha, may God be pleased with her, was asked about the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, in Ramadan. She said, “He did not single out Ramadan with anything to the exclusion of other times, nor did he add anything in Ramadan beyond
سَائِرِ السَّنَةِ شَيْئًا وَقَالَ أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ : مَا كُنْتَ تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَرَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَائِمًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِلَّا رَأَيْتَهُ وَلَا تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَرَاهُ قَائِمًا إِلَّا رَأَيْتَهُ ، وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَنَامُ ثُمَّ يَقُومُ قَدْرَ مَا نَامَ ثُمَّ
sāʾiri al-sanati shayʾan waqāla ʾanasu bnu mālikin: mā kunta turīdu ʾan tarā rasūla allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama nāʾiman mina al-layli ʾillā raʾaytahu walā turīdu ʾan tarāhu qāʾiman ʾillā raʾaytahu , wakāna rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yanāmu thumma yaqūmu qadra mā nāma thumma
the rest of the year.” Anas ibn Mālik said, “Whenever you wished to see the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, asleep at night, you saw him; and whenever you wished to see him standing in prayer, you saw him.” The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, would sleep, then stand for the length of time he had slept, then
يَنَامُ قَدْرَ مَا قَامَ ثُمَّ يَقُومُ قَدْرَ مَا نَامَ ثُمَّ يَنَامُ ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ ، وَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا : مَا صَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَهْرًا كَامِلًا قَطُّ إِلَّا رَمَضَانَ وَلَا قَامَ لَيْلَةً إِلَى الصُّبْحِ حَتَّى يَنَامَ مِنْهَا ، قَالَتْ :
yanāmu qadra mā qāma thumma yaqūmu qadra mā nāma thumma yanāmu thumma yakhruju ʾilā al-ṣalāti , waqālat ʿāʾishatu raḍiya allāhu ʿanhā: mā ṣāma rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama shahran kāmilan qaṭṭu ʾillā ramaḍāna walā qāma laylatan ʾilā al-ṣubḥi ḥattā yanāma minhā , qālat:
sleep for the length of time he had stood, then stand for the length of time he had slept, then sleep, and then go out to prayer. ʿĀʾisha, may God be pleased with her, said, “The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, never fasted a complete month except Ramadan, nor stood in prayer for a night until morning without sleeping during it.” She said,
وَكَانَ يَصُومُ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ وَيُفْطِرُ وَيَقُومُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ وَيَنَامُ ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْآخَرِ : كَانَ يَصُومُ ، حَتَّى تَقُولَ لَا يُفْطِرُ وَيُفْطِرُ حَتَّى تَقُولَ لَا يَصُومُ وَكَانَ يُصْبِحُ صَائِمًا ثُمَّ يُفْطِرُ وَيُصْبِحُ مُفْطِرًا ثُمَّ يَصُومُ وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْآخَرِ : كَانَ يَدْخُلُ مِنَ الضُّحَى فَيَقُولُ :
wakāna yaṣūmu mina al-shahri wayufṭiru wayaqūmu mina al-layli wayanāmu , wafī al-khabari al-ʾākhari: kāna yaṣūmu , ḥattā taqūla lā yufṭiru wayufṭiru ḥattā taqūla lā yaṣūmu wakāna yuṣbiḥu ṣāʾiman thumma yufṭiru wayuṣbiḥu mufṭiran thumma yaṣūmu wafī al-khabari al-ʾākhari: kāna yadkhulu mina al-ḍuḥā fayaqūlu:
“He would fast during the month and break his fast, and stand during the night and sleep.” In the other report: “He would fast until you would say, ‘He does not break his fast,’ and would break his fast until you would say, ‘He does not fast.’ He would begin the morning fasting and then break his fast, and begin the morning not fasting and then fast.” In the other report: “He would come in during the forenoon and say,
هَلْ عِنْدَكُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ؟ فَإِنْ قُدِّمَ إِلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ أَكَلَ وَإِلَّا قَالَ إِنِّي صَائِمٌ وَخَرَجَ يَوْمًا فَقَالَ إِنِّي صَائِمٌ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ ، فَقُلْنَا : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أُهْدِيَ لَنَا حَيْسٌ فَقَالَ : أَمَا إِنِّي كُنْتُ أَرَدْتُ الصَّوْمَ وَلَكِنْ قَرِّبِيهِ وَكَانَ وِرْدُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
hal ʿindakum min shayʾin ? faʾin quddima ʾilayhi shayʾun ʾakala waʾillā qāla ʾinnī ṣāʾimun wakharaja yawman faqāla ʾinnī ṣāʾimun thumma dakhala , faqulnā: yā rasūla allāhi ʾuhdiya lanā ḥaysun faqāla: ʾamā ʾinnī kuntu ʾaradtu al-ṣawma walakin qarribīhi wakāna wirduhu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama
‘Do you have anything?’ If anything was brought to him, he ate; otherwise he said, ‘I am fasting.’ One day he went out and said, ‘I am fasting,’ then came in. We said, ‘Messenger of God, we have been given ḥays.’ He said, ‘I had indeed intended to fast, but bring it near.’” His devotional portion, may God bless him and grant him peace, was
حُكْمَ مَا وَرَدَ عَلَيْهِ فَعَنْ هَٰذَا الْمَعْدِنِ يَكُونُ تَصْرِيفُ الْعَارِفِينَ وَمِنْ هَٰذَا الْمَعْنَى تَكُونُ مُشَاهَدَةُ الْمُوقِنِينَ لَيْسُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ بِإِيرَادِ تَوْقِيتٍ وَلَا يُقْطَعُ عَلَى تَحْدِيدٍ كَمَا قِيلَ لِبَعْضِهِمْ بِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ عَرَفْتَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ؟ فَقَالَ :
ḥukma mā warada ʿalayhi faʿan hādhā al-maʿdini yakūnu taṣrīfu al-ʿārifīna wamin hādhā al-maʿnā takūnu mushāhadatu al-mūqinīna laysū maʿa allāhi biʾīrādi tawqītin walā yuqṭaʿu ʿalā taḥdīdin kamā qīla libaʿḍihim biʾayyi shayʾin ʿarafta allāha ʿazza wajalla ? faqāla:
the judgment of what came upon him. From this source comes the direction of the knowers, and from this meaning comes the witnessing of those possessed of certainty. They are not with God through imposing a schedule, nor is a fixed limit categorically set. As one of them was asked, “Through what did you come to know God, mighty and majestic?” He said,
بِفَسْخِ الْعَزَائِمِ وَحَلِّ الْعُقَدِ وَلَكِنَّ الْأَوْرَادَ طَرِيقُ الْعُمَّالِ وَالْوُظُفُ أَحْوَالُ الْعُبَّادِ مِنْهَا دَخَلُوا وَفِيهَا يُرْفَعُونَ إِلَى أَنْ يَشْهَدُوا الْوَاحِدَ فَتَكُونَ الْأَوْرَادُ كُلُّهَا وِرْدًا وَاحِدًا وَيَكُونُونَ بِشَهَادَتِهِمْ قَائِمِينَ ،
bifaskhi al-ʿazāʾimi waḥalli al-ʿuqadi walakinna al-ʾawrāda ṭarīqu al-ʿummāli wa-al-wuẓufu ʾaḥwālu al-ʿubbādi minhā dakhalū wafīhā yurfaʿūna ʾilā ʾan yashhadū al-wāḥida fatakūna al-ʾawrādu kulluhā wirdan wāḥidan wayakūnūna bishahādatihim qāʾimīna ,
“Through the overturning of resolves and the untying of knots.” Yet devotional portions are the path of practitioners, and assigned duties are the states of worshippers. Through them they have entered, and in them they are raised, until they witness the One. Then all the portions become a single portion, and they stand through their witnessing.
قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ مِنَ السَّلَفِ الْإِيمَانُ ثَلَاثُمِائَةِ خُلُقٍ وَثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ عَلَى أَعْدَادِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ كُلُّ مُؤْمِنٍ عَلَى خُلُقٍ مِنْهَا هُوَ طَرِيقُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَوِجْهَتُهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَنَصِيبُهُ وَفِي كُلِّ طَرِيقِهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ طَبَقَةٌ وَبَعْضُهُمْ أَعْلَى
qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi mina al-salafi al-ʾīmānu thalāthumiʾati khuluqin wathalāthata ʿashara ʿalā ʾaʿdādi al-ʾanbiyāʾi al-mursalīna kullu muʾminin ʿalā khuluqin minhā huwa ṭarīquhu ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla wawijhatuhu mina allāhi ʿazza wajalla wanaṣībuhu wafī kulli ṭarīqihi mina al-muʾminīna ṭabaqatun wabaʿḍuhum ʾaʿlā
One of the scholars of the early generations said, “Faith is three hundred traits and thirteen, according to the number of the prophets sent as messengers. Every believer follows one of those traits: it is his path to God, mighty and majestic, his direction from God, mighty and majestic, and his share. In each of his paths there is a class of believers, and some are higher
مَقَامًا مِنْ بَعْضٍ ، وَقَالَ عَالِمٌ آخَرُ الطُّرُقُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِعَدَدِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ : الطُّرُقُ إِلَى اللَّهِ بِعَدَدِ الْخَلِيقَةِ يَعْنِي أَنَّ لِلشَّهِيدِ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ طَرِيقًا فَقَدْ صَارَتِ الْمُكَوَّنَاتُ لِلْمُكَوِّنِ طُرُقَاتٍ . وَرَوَيْنَا فِي الْخَبَرِ :
maqāman min baʿḍin , waqāla ʿālimun ʾākharu al-ṭuruqu ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla biʿadadi al-muʾminīna , waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: al-ṭuruqu ʾilā allāhi biʿadadi al-khalīqati yaʿnī ʾanna li-l-shahīdi bikulli khalqin ṭarīqan faqad ṣārati al-mukawwanātu lilmukawwini ṭuruqātin. warawaynā fī al-khabari:
in station than others.” Another scholar said, “The paths to God, mighty and majestic, are as many as the believers.” One of the knowers said, “The paths to God are as many as creation,” meaning that the one who witnesses has a path through every creature. Created things have thus become pathways to the Creator. We have transmitted in the report,
الْإِيمَانُ ثَلَاثُمِائَةٍ وَثَلَاثَةٌ وَثَلَاثُونَ طَرِيقَةً مَنْ لَقِيَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِالشَّهَادَةِ عَلَى طَرِيقَةٍ مِنْهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ ، وَمِنْ هَٰذَا قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( قُلْ كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَى شَاكِلَتِهِ فَرَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ هُوَ أَهْدَى سَبِيلًا ) الْإِسْرَاءُ :
al-ʾīmānu thalāthumiʾatin wathalāthatun wathalāthūna ṭarīqatan man laqiya allāha ʿazza wajalla bi-al-shahādati ʿalā ṭarīqatin minhā dakhala al-jannata , wamin hādhā qawluhu ʿazza wajalla: ( qul kullun yaʿmalu ʿalā shākilatihi farabbukum ʾaʿlamu biman huwa ʾahdā sabīlan ) al-ʾisrāʾu:
“Faith is three hundred and thirty-three ways. Whoever meets God, mighty and majestic, with the testimony along one of them enters the Garden.” Part of this is His saying, mighty and majestic, “Say: Each acts according to his own disposition, and your Lord knows best who is better guided in way” (al-Isrāʾ
84 فَدَلَّ أَنَّهُمْ كُلَّهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ وَبَعْضُهُمْ أَهْدَى مِنْ بَعْضٍ بِمَعْنَى أَنَّهُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَفْضَلُ ، وَقَدْ نَدَبَ إِلَى الْقُرْبِ فِي الْأَمْرِ بِطَلَبِهِ وَأَخْبَرَ عَنِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ بِالْمُنَافَسَةِ فِي طَلَبِ الْقُرْبِ فَقَالَ :
84 fadalla ʾannahum kullahum muhtadūna wabaʿḍuhum ʾahdā min baʿḍin bimaʿnā ʾannahu ʾaqrabu ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla waʾafḍalu , waqad nadaba ʾilā al-qurbi fī al-ʾamri biṭalabihi waʾakhbara ʿani al-muqarrabīna bi-al-munāfasati fī ṭalabi al-qurbi faqāla:
84). This indicates that they are all guided, and some better guided than others, meaning that such a person is nearer to God, mighty and majestic, and more excellent. He encouraged nearness by commanding its pursuit, and told of those brought near competing in seeking nearness. He said,
( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ ) الْمَائِدَةُ : 35 يَعْنِي الْقُرْبَ ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى فِيمَا أَخْبَرَ : ( أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ ) الْإِسْرَاءُ :
( yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū ittaqū allāha wabtaghū ʾilayhi al-wasīlata ) al-māʾidatu: 35 yaʿnī al-qurba , waqāla taʿālā fīmā ʾakhbara: ( ʾūlāʾika alladhīna yadʿūna yabtaghūna ʾilā rabbihimu al-wasīlata ʾayyuhum ʾaqrabu ) al-ʾisrāʾu:
“You who believe, fear God and seek a means of approach to Him” (al-Māʾida 35), meaning nearness. He Most High said in what He related, “Those whom they invoke seek a means of approach to their Lord, whichever of them is nearest” (al-Isrāʾ
57 فَأَقْرَبُ الْخَلْقِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَعْلَاهُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَعْلَاهُمْ عِنْدَهُ أَعْرَفُهُمْ بِهِ وَأَفْضَلُهُمْ لَدَيْهِ . وَرَوَيْنَا فِي التَّفْسِيرِ : ( قُلْ كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَى شَاكِلَتِهِ ) الْإِسْرَاءُ : 84 ، قَالَ : عَلَى وَحْدَانِيَّتِهِ ؛
57 faʾaqrabu al-khalqi mina allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾaʿlāhum ʿinda allāhi ʿazza wajalla waʾaʿlāhum ʿindahu ʾaʿrafuhum bihi waʾafḍaluhum ladayhi. warawaynā fī al-tafsīri: ( qul kullun yaʿmalu ʿalā shākilatihi ) al-ʾisrāʾu: 84 , qāla: ʿalā waḥdāniyyatihi ;
57). Those of creation nearest to God, mighty and majestic, are the highest in the sight of God, mighty and majestic. Those highest in His sight know Him best and are most excellent in His presence. We have transmitted in the commentary on “Say: Each acts according to his own disposition” (al-Isrāʾ 84) that he said, “According to his oneness”:
يَعْنِي بِذَٰلِكَ عَلَى تَوْحِيدِهِ الَّذِي يُوَحِّدُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ وَيَعْرِفُهُ مِنْهُ ، وَالشَّاكِلَةُ الطَّرِيقَةُ وَالْخُلُقُ قَدْ شَاكَلَهُ وَقَدْ شُكِلَ فِيهِ وَمِنْ ذَٰلِكَ قَوْلُ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ : لِكُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ سَيِّدٌ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ فَهَٰذَا السَّيِّدُ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ هُوَ الَّذِي يَرْجُو بِهِ الْمُؤْمِنُ
yaʿnī bidhālika ʿalā tawḥīdihi alladhī yuwaḥḥidu allāha ʿazza wajalla bihi wayaʿrifuhu minhu , wa-al-shākilatu al-ṭarīqatu wa-al-khuluqu qad shākalahu waqad shukila fīhi wamin dhālika qawlu ʿaliyyin raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu: likulli muʾminin sayyidun min ʿamalihi fahādhā al-sayyidu mina al-ʿamali huwa alladhī yarjū bihi al-muʾminu
meaning according to his affirmation of oneness, through which he affirms the oneness of God, mighty and majestic, and through which he knows Him. “Disposition” is the path and the character trait that conforms to him and has been formed within him. Of this is ʿAlī's saying, may God be pleased with him, “Every believer has a chief among his deeds.” This chief among deeds is that through which the believer hopes for
النَّجَاةَ وَيَفْضُلُ بِهِ عِنْدَ مَوْلَاهُ ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ : كَانَ عُبَّادُ الْكُوفَةِ أَرْبَعَةً ؛ أَحَدُهُمْ صَاحِبُ لَيْلٍ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ صَاحِبَ نَهَارٍ ، وَالْآخَرُ صَاحِبُ نَهَارٍ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ صَاحِبَ لَيْلٍ ، وَبَعْضُهُمْ صَاحِبُ سِرٍّ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ صَاحِبَ عَلَانِيَةٍ ،
al-najāta wayafḍulu bihi ʿinda mawlāhu , waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: kāna ʿubbādu al-kūfati ʾarbaʿatan ; ʾaḥaduhum ṣāḥibu laylin walam yakun ṣāḥiba nahārin , wa-al-ʾākharu ṣāḥibu nahārin walam yakun ṣāḥiba laylin , wabaʿḍuhum ṣāḥibu sirrin walam yakun ṣāḥiba ʿalāniyatin ,
deliverance and excels in the sight of his Master. Some scholars said, “There were four worshippers of Kufa: one was a man of the night but not a man of the day; the other was a man of the day but not a man of the night; one of them was a man of the secret but not a man of the public;
وَالْآخَرُ صَاحِبُ عَلَانِيَةٍ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ صَاحِبَ سِرٍّ ، وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ يُفَضِّلُ عِبَادَةَ النَّهَارِ عَلَى عِبَادَةِ اللَّيْلِ لِمَا فِيهَا مِنْ مُجَاهَدَةِ النَّفْسِ وَكَفِّ الْجَوَارِحِ لِأَنَّ النَّهَارَ مَكَانُ حَرَكَةِ الْغَافِلِينَ وَمَوْضِعُ ظُهُورِ الْجَاهِلِينَ فَإِذَا سَكَنَ الْعَبْدُ عِنْدَ حَرَكَةِ
wa-al-ʾākharu ṣāḥibu ʿalāniyatin walam yakun ṣāḥiba sirrin , waqad kāna baʿḍuhum yufaḍḍilu ʿibādata al-nahāri ʿalā ʿibādati al-layli limā fīhā min mujāhadati al-nafsi wakaffi al-jawāriḥi liʾanna al-nahāra makānu ḥarakati al-ghāfilīna wamawḍiʿu ẓuhūri al-jāhilīna faʾidhā sakana al-ʿabdu ʿinda ḥarakati
and the other was a man of the public but not a man of the secret.” Some of them preferred worship by day to worship by night, because of the struggle against the self and the restraint of the limbs that it entails. Daytime is the place of the heedless people's movement and the place of the ignorant people's appearance. If the servant is still at the movement of
الْغَافِلِينَ وَمَوْضِعِ ظُهُورِ الْجَاهِلِينَ كَانَ هُوَ التَّقِيَّ الْمُجَاهِدَ وَالْفَاضِلَ الْعَابِدَ ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ إِنَّ الْعِبَادَةَ لَيْسَتِ الصَّوْمَ وَالصَّلَاةَ حَسْبُ بَلْ أَفْضَلُ الْعِبَادَةِ أَدَاءُ الْفَرَائِضِ وَاجْتِنَابُ الْمَحَارِمِ وَتَقْوَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِنْدَ اكْتِسَابِ الدِّرْهَمِ وَهَٰذَا مِنْ أَعْمَالِ
al-ghāfilīna wamawḍiʿi ẓuhūri al-jāhilīna kāna huwa al-taqiyya al-mujāhida wa-al-fāḍila al-ʿābida , waqad qīla ʾinna al-ʿibādata laysati al-ṣawma wa-al-ṣalāta ḥasbu bal ʾafḍalu al-ʿibādati ʾadāʾu al-farāʾiḍi wajtinābu al-maḥārimi wataqwā allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʿinda iktisābi al-dirhami wahādhā min ʾaʿmāli
the heedless and in the place of the ignorant people's appearance, he is the reverently fearful struggler and the excellent worshipper. It has been said that worship is not merely fasting and prayer. Rather, the best worship is performing obligations, avoiding forbidden things, and fearing God, mighty and majestic, when earning the dirham. This belongs to the works of
النَّهَارِ ، وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ :
al-nahāri , waqad qāla allāhu ʿazza wajalla:
the day. God, mighty and majestic, has said,
( وَهُوَ الَّذِي
( wahuwa alladhī
“He is the One who
يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا جَرَحْتُمْ بِالنَّهَارِ ) الْأَنْعَامُ 60 رَأَى مَا كَسَبَتْ جَوَارِحُكُمْ فَعَلَّقَ الِاجْتِرَاحَ بِالنَّهَارِ ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُكُمْ فِيهِ فَإِذَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ مِنْ عَبْدٍ اجْتِرَاحًا بِالنَّهَارِ وَلَمْ يَبْعَثْهُ فِيهِ فِي مُخَالَفَةٍ فَمَنْ أَفْضَلُ مِنْهُ ؟ وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ يَقُولُ :
yatawaffākum bi-al-layli wayaʿlamu mā jaraḥtum bi-al-nahāri ) al-ʾanʿāmu 60 raʾā mā kasabat jawāriḥukum faʿallaqa al-ijtirāḥa bi-al-nahāri thumma yabʿathukum fīhi faʾidhā lam yaʿlam min ʿabdin ijtirāḥan bi-al-nahāri walam yabʿathhu fīhi fī mukhālafatin faman ʾafḍalu minhu ? wakāna al-ḥasanu yaqūlu:
takes you by night and knows what you have earned by day” (al-Anʿām 60). He saw what your limbs have earned, thus associating earning with daytime. “Then He raises you in it.” If He knows no wrongful earning by a servant in the daytime, and does not raise him in it to disobey, who is more excellent than he? Al-Ḥasan used to say,
أَشَدُّ الْأَعْمَالِ قِيَامُ اللَّيْلِ بِالْمُدَاوَمَةِ عَلَى ذَٰلِكَ وَمُدَاوَمَةُ الْأَوْرَادِ مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَطَرَائِقِ الْعَابِدِينَ وَهِيَ مَزِيدُ
ʾashaddu al-ʾaʿmāli qiyāmu al-layli bi-al-mudāwamati ʿalā dhālika wamudāwamatu al-ʾawrādi min ʾakhlāqi al-muʾminīna waṭarāʾiqi al-ʿābidīna wahiya mazīdu
“The hardest of deeds is standing in prayer at night with persistence in it.” Persisting in devotional portions belongs to the character of believers and the paths of worshippers, and it is an increase
الْإِيمَانِ، وَعَلَامَةُ الْإِيقَانِ.
al-ʾīmāni, waʿalāmatu al-ʾīqāni.
of faith and a sign of certainty.
وَسُئِلَتْ عَائِشَةُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا عَنْ عَمَلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَتْ: «كَانَ عَمَلُهُ دِيمَةً، وَكَانَ إِذَا عَمِلَ عَمَلًا أَتْقَنَهُ».
wasuʾilat ʿāʾishatu raḍiya allāhu ʿanhā ʿan ʿamali rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, faqālat: «kāna ʿamaluhu dīmatan, wakāna ʾidhā ʿamila ʿamalan ʾatqanahu».
ʿĀʾisha, may God be pleased with her, was asked about the practice of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace. She said, “His practice was constant, and whenever he performed a deed, he carried it out thoroughly.”
وَهَٰذَا كَانَ سَبَبَ مَا نُقِلَ عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ تَرَكَ مَرَّةً رَكْعَتَيِ النَّافِلَةِ بَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ، شَغَلَهُ الْوَفْدُ عَنْ ذَٰلِكَ، فَصَلَّاهُمَا بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ، ثُمَّ لَمْ يَزَلْ يُصَلِّيهِمَا بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ مَنْزِلَهُ.
wahādhā kāna sababa mā nuqila ʿanhu ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama min ṣalātihi baʿda al-ʿaṣri rakʿatayni ʾannahu kāna taraka marratan rakʿatayi al-nāfilati baʿda al-ẓuhri, shaghalahu al-wafdu ʿan dhālika, faṣallāhumā baʿda al-ʿaṣri, thumma lam yazal yuṣallīhimā baʿda al-ʿaṣri kullamā dakhala manzilahu.
This was the reason for what is related from him, may God bless him and grant him peace, about praying two cycles after the afternoon prayer: he had once omitted the two voluntary cycles after the noon prayer, because a delegation had kept him occupied. He performed them after the afternoon prayer, then continued to perform them after the afternoon prayer whenever he entered his home.
رَوَتْ ذَٰلِكَ عَنْهُ عَائِشَةُ وَأُمُّ سَلَمَةَ. وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُصَلِّيهِمَا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ لِئَلَّا يَسْتَنَّ النَّاسُ بِهِ.
rawat dhālika ʿanhu ʿāʾishatu waʾummu salamata. walam yakun yuṣallīhimā fī al-masjidi liʾallā yastanna al-nāsu bihi.
ʿĀʾisha and Umm Salama related this from him. He did not perform them in the mosque, lest people follow his example in it.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ: «اكْلَفُوا مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ مَا تُطِيقُونَ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَا يَمَلُّ حَتَّىٰ تَمَلُّوا». وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ: «أَحَبُّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَا دِيمَ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنْ قَلَّ».
wafī al-khabari al-mashhūri: «iklafū mina al-ʾaʿmāli mā tuṭīqūna, faʾinna allāha ʿazza wajalla lā yamallu ḥattā tamallū». wafī al-ḥadīthi al-ʾākhari: «ʾaḥabbu al-ʾaʿmāli ʾilā allāhi ʿazza wajalla mā dīma ʿalayhi waʾin qalla».
In the well-known report: “Devote yourselves to such deeds as you can bear, for God, mighty and majestic, does not tire until you tire.” In the other hadith: “The deeds most beloved to God, mighty and majestic, are those maintained continually, even if few.”
وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ: «مَنْ عَوَّدَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِبَادَةً، فَتَرَكَهَا مَلَالَةً مَقَتَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَىٰ».
waqad rawaynā fī khabarin: «man ʿawwadahu allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿibādatan, fatarakahā malālatan maqatahu allāhu taʿālā».
We have transmitted in a report: “Whoever is accustomed by God, mighty and majestic, to an act of worship and then abandons it out of weariness, God Most High detests him.”
وَفِي خَبَرٍ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا، وَقَدْ أَسْنَدَهُ بَعْضُ الرُّوَاةِ مِنْ طَرِيقٍ: «كُلُّ يَوْمٍ لَا أَزْدَادُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا فَلَا بُورِكَ لِي فِي صَبَاحِ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمِ».
wafī khabarin ʿan ʿāʾishata raḍiya allāhu ʿanhā, waqad ʾasnadahu baʿḍu al-ruwāti min ṭarīqin: «kullu yawmin lā ʾazdādu fīhi ʿilman falā būrika lī fī ṣabāḥi dhālika al-yawmi».
In a report from ʿĀʾisha, may God be pleased with her, for which some transmitters have supplied a chain by one route: “Every day on which I do not increase in knowledge, may I receive no blessing in that day’s morning.”
وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ كَلَامٌ، تَارَةً يُرْوَىٰ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، وَتَارَةً يُرْوَىٰ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ الْبَصْرِيِّ، وَمَرَّةً عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا. وَبَعْضُهُمْ يَحْكِيهِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْمَنَامِ: «مَنِ اسْتَوَىٰ يَوْمَاهُ فَهُوَ مَغْبُونٌ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يَوْمُهُ شَرًّا مِنْ أَمْسِهِ فَهُوَ مَحْرُومٌ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي مَزِيدٍ فَهُوَ فِي النُّقْصَانِ».
waqad jāʾa fī al-khabari kalāmun, tāratan yurwā ʿani al-ḥasani bni ʿaliyyin, watāratan yurwā ʿani al-ḥasani al-baṣriyyi, wamarratan ʿan ʿāʾishata raḍiya allāhu ʿanhā. wabaʿḍuhum yaḥkīhi ʿan rasūli allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī al-manāmi: «mani stawā yawmāhu fahuwa maghbūnun, waman kāna yawmuhu sharran min ʾamsihi fahuwa maḥrūmun, waman lam yakun fī mazīdin fahuwa fī al-nuqṣāni».
A saying has come down in a report, sometimes related from al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, sometimes from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, and on another occasion from ʿĀʾisha, may God be pleased with her. Some recount it from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, in a dream: “Whoever’s two days are equal has suffered a loss. Whoever’s day is worse than his yesterday is deprived. Whoever is not increasing is in decline.”
وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: «مَنْ لَمْ يَتَفَقَّدِ النُّقْصَانَ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ فَهُوَ فِي نُقْصَانٍ، وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي نُقْصَانٍ فَالْمَوْتُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ. وَلَعَمْرِي إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ شَكُورٌ، وَالشَّاكِرُ عَلَىٰ مَزِيدٍ».
wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: «man lam yatafaqqadi al-nuqṣāna min nafsihi fahuwa fī nuqṣānin, waman kāna fī nuqṣānin fa-al-mawtu khayrun lahu. walaʿamrī ʾinna al-muʾmina shakūrun, wa-al-shākiru ʿalā mazīdin».
In another wording: “Whoever does not examine the decline within himself is in decline. Whoever is in decline, death is better for him. By my life, the believer is thankful, and the thankful person continues to increase.”
الْفَصْلُ الْخَامِسُ وَالْعِشْرُونَ فِي ذِكْرِ تَعْرِيفِ النَّفْسِ وَتَصْرِيفِ مَوَاجِيدِ الْعَارِفِينَ
al-faṣlu al-khāmisu wa-al-ʿishrūna fī dhikri taʿrīfi al-nafsi wataṣrīfi mawājīdi al-ʿārifīna
Chapter Twenty-Five: Making the Self Known and Describing the Changing Spiritual Experiences of Those Who Know God
اِعْلَمْ أَنَّ النُّقْصَانَ يَبْدُو مِنَ الْغَفْلَةِ وَالْغَفْلَةَ تَنْشَأُ مِنْ آفَاتِ النَّفْسِ وَالنَّفْسُ مَجْبُولَةٌ عَلَى الْحَرَكَةِ وَقَدْ أُمِرَتْ بِالسُّكُونِ وَهُوَ ابْتِلَاؤُهَا لِتَفْتَقِرَ إِلَى مَوْلَاهَا وَتَبْرَأَ مِنْ حَوْلِهَا وَقُوَاهَا وَمِثْلُ ذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى :
iʿlam ʾanna al-nuqṣāna yabdū mina al-ghaflati wa-al-ghaflata tanshaʾu min ʾāfāti al-nafsi wa-al-nafsu majbūlatun ʿalā al-ḥarakati waqad ʾumirat bi-al-sukūni wahuwa ibtilāʾuhā litaftaqira ʾilā mawlāhā watabraʾa min ḥawlihā waquwāhā wamithlu dhālika qawluhu taʿālā:
Know that deficiency emerges from heedlessness, and heedlessness arises from the afflictions of the self. The self is naturally disposed to movement, yet it has been commanded to remain still. This is its trial, so that it may recognize its need for its Master and renounce its own power and strength. Similar to this is His saying, exalted is He:
( وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ ) آلِ عِمْرَانَ : 102 لِتَفْزَعُوا إِلَيْهِ فَتَقُولُوا : رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ ، وَكَمَا قَالَ : ( وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ عَجُولًا ) الْإِسْرَاءِ : 11 ( خُلِقَ الْإِنْسَانُ مِنْ عَجَلٍ ) الْأَنْبِيَاءِ : 37 ثُمَّ قَالَ :
( walā tamūtunna ʾillā waʾantum muslimūna ) ʾāli ʿimrāna: 102 litafzaʿū ʾilayhi fataqūlū: rabbanā ʾafrigh ʿalaynā ṣabran watawaffanā muslimīna , wakamā qāla: ( wakāna al-ʾinsānu ʿajūlan ) al-ʾisrāʾi: 11 ( khuliqa al-ʾinsānu min ʿajalin ) al-ʾanbiyāʾi: 37 thumma qāla:
“Do not die except as those who submit” (Āl ʿImrān 3:102), so that you may seek refuge in Him and say, “Our Lord, pour patience upon us and take us in death as those who submit.” Likewise He said, “The human being is ever hasty” (al-Isrāʾ 17:11), and “The human being was created of haste” (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:37). Then He said:
( سَأُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِي فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ ) الْأَنْبِيَاءِ : 37 قَالَ : ( أَتَى أَمْرُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ ) النَّحْلِ : 1 فَأَخْبَرَ عَنْ وَصْفِهِ بِالْعَجَلَةِ ثُمَّ أَمَرَهُ بِتَرْكِهَا لِلْبَلْوَى ، فَإِنْ نَزَلَتِ السَّكِينَةُ وَهِيَ مَزِيدُ الْإِيمَانِ سَكَنَتِ النَّفْسُ عَنِ الْهَوَى بِإِذْنِ مُنْفِسِهَا
( saʾurīkum ʾāyātī falā tastaʿjilūna ) al-ʾanbiyāʾi: 37 qāla: ( ʾatā ʾamru allāhi falā tastaʿjilūhu ) al-naḥli: 1 faʾakhbara ʿan waṣfihi bi-al-ʿajalati thumma ʾamarahu bitarkihā lilbalwā , faʾin nazalati al-sakīnatu wahiya mazīdu al-ʾīmāni sakanati al-nafsu ʿani al-hawā biʾidhni munfisihā
“I shall show you My signs, so do not ask Me to hasten” (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:37). He said, “God’s command has come, so do not seek to hasten it” (al-Naḥl 16:1). He thus described the human being as hasty, then commanded him to abandon haste as a trial. If tranquility, which is an increase of faith, descends, the self becomes still from its desire by permission of the One who gives it breath.
وَإِنْ حُجِبَ الْقَلْبُ بِالْغَفْلَةِ وَهِيَ عَلَامَةٌ عَلَى الِافْتِقَارِ وَالتَّضَرُّعِ تَحَرَّكَتِ النَّفْسُ بِطَبْعِهَا ، فَإِنْ سَكَنَتْ عَنْ حَرَكَتِهَا فَبِالْمِنَّةِ وَالْفَضْلِ وَإِنْ تَحَرَّكَتْ بِوَصْفِهَا فَبِالِابْتِلَاءِ وَالْعَدْلِ ، فَأَوَّلُ الْبَلَاءِ اخْتِلَافُهَا وَأَوَّلُ اخْتِلَافِهَا خِلَافُهَا وَمُقَدِّمَتُهُ الْهِمَّةُ
waʾin ḥujiba al-qalbu bi-al-ghaflati wahiya ʿalāmatun ʿalā al-iftiqāri wa-al-taḍarruʿi taḥarrakati al-nafsu biṭabʿihā , faʾin sakanat ʿan ḥarakatihā fabilminnati wa-al-faḍli waʾin taḥarrakat biwaṣfihā fabi-al-ibtilāʾi wa-al-ʿadli , faʾawwalu al-balāʾi ikhtilāfuhā waʾawwalu ikhtilāfihā khilāfuhā wamuqaddimatuhu al-himmatu
If the heart is veiled by heedlessness, which is a sign of its need and supplication, the self moves according to its nature. If it becomes still from its movement, this is by favor and grace; if it moves according to its own character, this is by trial and justice. The beginning of the trial is its fluctuation; the beginning of its fluctuation is its opposition; its precursor is intention,
وَبَابُهُ السَّمْعُ وَهُوَ طَرِيقٌ إِلَى الْكَلَامِ وَالنَّظَرِ وَالْقَوْلُ طَرِيقٌ إِلَى الشَّهْوَةِ وَالشَّهْوَةُ مِفْتَاحُ الْخَطِيئَةِ وَالْخَطِيئَةُ مَقَامٌ مِنَ النَّارِ حَتَّى يُزَحْزِحَ عَنْهَا الْجَبَّارُ بِالتَّوْبَةِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْعَفْوِ فِي الْعُقْبَى ،
wabābuhu al-samʿu wahuwa ṭarīqun ʾilā al-kalāmi wa-al-naẓari wa-al-qawlu ṭarīqun ʾilā al-shahwati wa-al-shahwatu miftāḥu al-khaṭīʾati wa-al-khaṭīʾatu maqāmun mina al-nāri ḥattā yuzaḥziḥa ʿanhā al-jabbāru bi-al-tawbati fī al-dunyā wa-al-ʿafwi fī al-ʿuqbā ,
and its gate is hearing. Hearing is a path to speech and looking, utterance is a path to desire, desire is the key to sin, and sin is a station in the Fire, until the Compeller removes one from it through repentance in this world and pardon in the world to come.
وَقَدْ تَكُونُ الْمُخَالَفَةُ عَلَى الْمُحِبِّ الْعَارِفِ أَشَدَّ مِنَ النَّارِ كَمَا حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ بَعْضِهِمْ قَالَ : لَأَنْ أُبْتَلَىٰ بِدُخُولِ النَّارِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أُبْتَلَىٰ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ ، قِيلَ : وَلِمَ ؟ قَالَ : لِأَنَّ فِي الْمَعْصِيَةِ خِلَافَ رَبِّي تَعَالَى وَسَخَطَهُ وَفِي النَّارِ إِظْهَارَ قُدْرَتِهِ
waqad takūnu al-mukhālafatu ʿalā al-muḥibbi al-ʿārifi ʾashadda mina al-nāri kamā ḥuddithtu ʿan baʿḍihim qāla: laʾan ʾubtalā bidukhūli al-nāri ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min ʾan ʾubtalā bimaʿṣiyatin , qīla: walima ? qāla: liʾanna fī al-maʿṣiyati khilāfa rabbī taʿālā wasakhaṭahu wafī al-nāri ʾiẓhāra qudratihi
For the lover who knows God, disobedience may be more severe than the Fire. Thus I was told of one of them who said, “I would rather be tried by entering the Fire than be tried by a sin.” He was asked, “Why?” He replied, “Because sin involves opposing my Lord, exalted is He, and His displeasure, whereas the Fire displays His power
وَانْتِقَامَهُ لِنَفْسِهِ قَالَ : فَسَخَطُهُ أَعَزُّ عَلَيَّ وَأَعْظَمُ مِنْ تَعْذِيبِ نَفْسِي ، وَكَذَلِكَ حَدَّثُونَا فِي مَعْنَاهُ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْمُوقِنِينَ مِنَ الْعُمَّالِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : رَكْعَتَانِ تُتَقَبَّلُ مِنِّي أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ دُخُولِ الْجَنَّةِ ، قِيلَ : وَكَيْفَ ؟ قَالَ :
wantiqāmahu linafsihi qāla: fasakhaṭuhu ʾaʿazzu ʿalayya waʾaʿẓamu min taʿdhībi nafsī , wakadhālika ḥaddathūnā fī maʿnāhu ʿan baʿḍi al-mūqinīna mina al-ʿummāli ʾannahu qāla: rakʿatāni tutaqabbalu minnī ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min dukhūli al-jannati , qīla: wakayfa ? qāla:
and His taking retribution for Himself.” He said, “His displeasure weighs more heavily upon me and is greater to me than the tormenting of my own self.” Likewise, in this connection they related to us that one of those who practice devotion with certainty said, “Two cycles of prayer accepted from me are dearer to me than entering the Garden.” He was asked, “How so?” He replied:
لِأَنَّ فِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ رِضَا رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَحَبَّتَهُ وَفِي الْجَنَّةِ رِضَايَ وَشَهْوَتِي فَرِضَا رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ مَحَبَّتِي ، وَقَدْ قَالَ وُهَيْبُ بْنُ الْوَرْدِ الْمَكِّيُّ فِي لَبَنٍ سُئِلَ أَنْ يَشْرَبَهُ فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ لِأَنَّهُ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَصْلِهِ فَلَمْ يَسْتَطِبْهُ فَقَالَتْ لَهُ أُمُّهُ :
liʾanna fī al-rakʿatayni riḍā rabbī ʿazza wajalla wamaḥabbatahu wafī al-jannati riḍāya washahwatī fariḍā rabbī ʿazza wajalla ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min maḥabbatī , waqad qāla wuhaybu bnu al-wardi al-makkiyyu fī labanin suʾila ʾan yashrabahu falam yafʿal liʾannahu saʾala ʿan ʾaṣlihi falam yastaṭibhu faqālat lahu ʾummuhu:
“Because those two cycles contain my Lord’s pleasure and His love, mighty and majestic is He, whereas the Garden contains my own pleasure and desire. My Lord’s pleasure, mighty and majestic is He, is dearer to me than what I myself love.” Wuhayb ibn al-Ward al-Makkī spoke about some milk he was asked to drink. He would not do so, because he had asked about its source and did not consider it wholesome. His mother said to him:
اشْرَبْ فَإِنِّي أَرْجُو إِنْ شَرِبْتَهُ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ ، فَقَالَ : مَا أُحِبُّ أَنِّي شَرِبْتُهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ غَفَرَ لِي ، قَالَتْ : وَلِمَ ؟ قَالَ : لَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَنَالَ مَغْفِرَتَهُ بِمَعْصِيَتِهِ ، فَجُمْلَةُ وَصْفِ النَّفْسِ مَعْنَيَانِ ، الطَّيْشُ وَالشَّرَهُ ،
ishrab faʾinnī ʾarjū ʾin sharibtahu ʾan yaghfira allāhu laka , faqāla: mā ʾuḥibbu ʾannī sharibtuhu waʾanna allāha ghafara lī , qālat: walima ? qāla: lā ʾuḥibbu ʾan ʾanāla maghfiratahu bimaʿṣiyatihi , fajumlatu waṣfi al-nafsi maʿnayāni , al-ṭayshu wa-al-sharahu ,
“Drink it, for I hope that if you drink it, God will forgive you.” He replied, “I would not wish to have drunk it and for God to have forgiven me.” She asked, “Why?” He said, “I do not wish to obtain His forgiveness through disobeying Him.” The self’s overall character consists of two traits: flightiness and voracity.
فَالطَّيْشُ عَنِ الْجَهْلِ وَالشَّرَهُ عَنِ الْحِرْصِ ،
fa-al-ṭayshu ʿani al-jahli wa-al-sharahu ʿani al-ḥirṣi ,
Flightiness comes from ignorance, and voracity comes from greed.
وَهُمَا فِطْرَةُ النَّفْسِ فَمَثَلُهَا فِي الطَّيْشِ كَمَثَلِ كُرَةٍ أَوْ جَوْزَةٍ فِي مَكَانٍ أَمْلَسَ مُصَوَّبٍ سُكُونُهَا بِالْمِنَّةِ فَإِنْ أَشَرْتَ إِلَيْهَا أَوْ حَرَّكْتَهَا أَدْنَى حَرَكَةٍ تَحَرَّكَتْ بِوَصْفِهَا وَهُوَ خِفَّتُهَا وَاسْتِدَارَتُهَا وَصُورَتُهَا فِي الشَّرَهِ الْمُتَوَلِّدَةِ مِنَ الْحِرْصِ ،
wahumā fiṭratu al-nafsi famathaluhā fī al-ṭayshi kamathali kuratin ʾaw jawzatin fī makānin ʾamlasa muṣawwabin sukūnuhā bi-al-minnati faʾin ʾasharta ʾilayhā ʾaw ḥarraktahā ʾadnā ḥarakatin taḥarrakat biwaṣfihā wahuwa khiffatuhā wastidāratuhā waṣūratuhā fī al-sharahi al-mutawallidati mina al-ḥirṣi ,
Both belong to the self’s innate nature. In its flightiness it is like a ball or a nut on a smooth, sloping surface. Its stillness is by favor: if you gesture toward it or move it in the slightest way, it moves according to its own character, namely its lightness and roundness. As for its likeness in the voracity that arises from greed,
إِنَّهَا عَلَى صُورَةِ الْفَرَاشَةِ إِنَّهَا تَقَعُ فِي النَّارِ جَاهِلَةً شَرِهَةً تَطْلُبُ بِجَهْلِهَا الضَّوْءَ وَفِيهِ هَلَاكُهَا فَإِذَا وَصَلَتْ إِلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْهُ لَمْ تَقْتَنِعْ بِيَسِيرِهِ لِشَرَهِهَا فَتَحْرِصُ عَلَى الْغَايَةِ مِنْهُ وَتَطْلُبُ عَيْنَ الضَّوْءِ وَجُمْلَتَهُ وَهُوَ نَفْسُ الْمِصْبَاحِ فَتُحْرَقُ ،
ʾinnahā ʿalā ṣūrati al-farāshati ʾinnahā taqaʿu fī al-nāri jāhilatan sharihatan taṭlubu bijahlihā al-ḍawʾa wafīhi halākuhā faʾidhā waṣalat ʾilā shayʾin minhu lam taqtaniʿ biyasīrihi lisharahihā fataḥriṣu ʿalā al-ghāyati minhu wataṭlubu ʿayna al-ḍawʾi wajumlatahu wahuwa nafsu al-miṣbāḥi fatuḥraqu ,
it is like a moth. Ignorant and voracious, the moth falls into the fire, ignorantly seeking the light in which its destruction lies. When it reaches a little of that light, its voracity prevents it from being content with a small amount. It greedily seeks the utmost of it, pursuing the very source and entirety of the light, the lamp itself, and is burned.
وَلَوْ قَنِعَتْ بِقَلِيلِ الضَّوْءِ عَنْ بُعْدٍ سَلِمَتْ فَكَذَلِكَ النَّفْسُ فِي طَيْشِهَا الَّذِي يَتَوَلَّدُ مِنَ الْعَجَلَةِ وَفِي شَرَهِهَا الَّذِي يَنْتُجُ مِنَ الْحِرْصِ وَالطَّمَعِ ، وَالْحِرْصُ وَالطَّمَعُ هُمَا اللَّذَانِ كَانَا سَبَبَ إِخْرَاجِ آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ لِأَنَّهُ طَمِعَ فِي الْخُلُودِ فَحَرَصَ
walaw qaniʿat biqalīli al-ḍawʾi ʿan buʿdin salimat fakadhālika al-nafsu fī ṭayshihā alladhī yatawalladu mina al-ʿajalati wafī sharahihā alladhī yantuju mina al-ḥirṣi wa-al-ṭamaʿi , wa-al-ḥirṣu wa-al-ṭamaʿu humā alladhāni kānā sababa ʾikhrāji ʾādama ʿalayhi al-salāmu mina al-jannati liʾannahu ṭamiʿa fī al-khulūdi faḥaraṣa
Had it been content with a little light from a distance, it would have been safe. So it is with the self in its flightiness, which arises from haste, and its voracity, which results from greed and covetousness. Greed and covetousness were the two causes of Adam’s expulsion from the Garden, peace be upon him: he coveted immortality and greedily sought
عَلَى الْأَكْلِ وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ عَنِ الْجَهْلِ ، فَكَانَتْ مَعْصِيَتُهُ سَبَبَ عِمَارَةِ الدُّنْيَا فَصَارَتِ الطَّاعَةُ سَبَبَ عِمَارَةِ الْآخِرَةِ ، فَلِذَلِكَ قِيلَ : حُبُّ الدُّنْيَا رَأْسُ كُلِّ خَطِيئَةٍ فَصَارَ الزُّهْدُ أَصْلَ كُلِّ طَاعَةٍ ، فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ أُخْرِجَ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ بَعْدَ أَنْ جُعِلَ فِيهَا بِذَنْبٍ وَاحِدٍ
ʿalā al-ʾakli wakāna dhālika ʿani al-jahli , fakānat maʿṣiyatuhu sababa ʿimārati al-dunyā faṣārati al-ṭāʿatu sababa ʿimārati al-ʾākhirati , falidhālika qīla: ḥubbu al-dunyā raʾsu kulli khaṭīʾatin faṣāra al-zuhdu ʾaṣla kulli ṭāʿatin , fanẓur kayfa ʾukhrija mina al-jannati baʿda ʾan juʿila fīhā bidhanbin wāḥidin
to eat, and that arose from ignorance. His disobedience thus became the cause of this world’s being populated, and obedience became the cause of the next world’s being populated. Hence it was said, “Love of this world is the root of every sin,” and renunciation became the foundation of every act of obedience. Consider how he was expelled from the Garden for a single sin after having been placed in it,
وَأَنْتَ تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَدْخُلَهَا وَلَمْ تَمْلِكِ النَّظَرَ إِلَيْهَا بِذُنُوبٍ كَثِيرَةٍ ، وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ : الْإِيمَانُ عُرْيَانٌ فَلِبَاسُهُ التَّقْوَى وَزِينَتُهُ الْحَيَاءُ وَثَمَرَتُهُ الْعِلْمُ ، مِنْ ثَمَّ قِيلَ : إِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ طَيِّبَةٌ لَا يَسْكُنُهَا إِلَّا الطَّيِّبُ فَمَتَى طَابُوا لَهَا دَخَلُوهَا ،
waʾanta turīdu ʾan tadkhulahā walam tamliki al-naẓara ʾilayhā bidhunūbin kathīratin , wafī al-ḥadīthi al-ʾākhari: al-ʾīmānu ʿuryānun falibāsuhu al-taqwā wazīnatuhu al-ḥayāʾu wathamaratuhu al-ʿilmu , min thamma qīla: ʾinna al-jannata ṭayyibatun lā yaskunuhā ʾillā al-ṭayyibu famatā ṭābū lahā dakhalūhā ,
while you wish to enter it with many sins, though you have not even gained the right to look upon it. In another report: “Faith is naked; its clothing is reverent fear, its adornment is modesty, and its fruit is knowledge.” Hence it was said, “The Garden is pure, and only the pure dwell in it. When they become pure enough for it, they enter it.”
أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ إِلَى وِفَاقِهِ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : ( الَّذِينَ تَتَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ طَيِّبِينَ يَقُولُونَ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ) ، النَّحْلِ : 23 ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى : ( وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ طِبْتُمْ فَادْخُلُوهَا خَالِدِينَ ) ، الزُّمَرِ : 73 لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ :
ʾalam tasmaʿ ʾilā wifāqihi bayna dhālika fī qawlihi taʿālā: ( alladhīna tatawaffāhumu al-malāʾikatu ṭayyibīna yaqūlūna salāmun ʿalaykum ) , al-naḥli: 23 , waqāla taʿālā: ( waqāla lahum khazanatuhā salāmun ʿalaykum ṭibtum fadkhulūhā khālidīna ) , al-zumari: 73 liʾannahu qāla:
Have you not heard the harmony He establishes between these things in His saying, exalted is He, “Those whom the angels take in death in a pure state, saying, ‘Peace be upon you’” (al-Naḥl, 23), and His saying, exalted is He, “Its keepers say to them, ‘Peace be upon you! You have become pure, so enter it to remain forever’” (al-Zumar 39:73)? For He said:
( وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ ) التَّوْبَةِ : 72 وَالذُّنُوبُ خَبَائِثُ كَمَا قَالَ : ( وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ ) الْأَعْرَافِ : 157 فَلَمَّا طَابُوا لَهَا طَابَتْ لَهُمْ وَقَدْ أَجْمَلَ ذَلِكَ بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : ( الْخَبِيثَاتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ ) النُّورِ : 26 وَبِقَوْلِهِ :
( wamasākina ṭayyibatan fī jannāti ʿadnin ) al-tawbati: 72 wa-al-dhunūbu khabāʾithu kamā qāla: ( wayuḥarrimu ʿalayhimu al-khabāʾitha ) al-ʾaʿrāfi: 157 falammā ṭābū lahā ṭābat lahum waqad ʾajmala dhālika biqawlihi taʿālā: ( al-khabīthātu lilkhabīthīna ) al-nūri: 26 wabiqawlihi:
“And pure dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence” (al-Tawba 9:72). Sins are impure things, as He said, “He forbids them impure things” (al-Aʿrāf 7:157). When they became pure for the Garden, it became pure for them. He summed this up in His saying, exalted is He, “Impure things are for impure people” (al-Nūr 24:26), and His saying:
( وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ ) النُّورِ : 26 ، وَقَدْ مَثَّلَ بَعْضُهُمُ النَّفْسَ فِي شَرَهِهَا بِمَثَلِ ذُبَابٍ مَرَّ عَلَى رَغِيفٍ عَلَيْهِ عَسَلٌ فَوَقَعَ فِيهِ يَطْلُبُ الْكُلِّيَّةَ فَعَلِقَ بِجَنَاحِهِ فَقَتَلَهُ وَآخَرُ مَرَّ بِهِ فَدَنَا مِنْ بَعْضِهِ فَنَالَ حَاجَتَهُ فَرَجَعَ إِلَى وَرَائِهِ سَالِمًا وَقَدْ مَثَّلَ بَعْضُ
( wa-al-ṭayyibātu lilṭayyibīna ) al-nūri: 26 , waqad maththala baʿḍuhumu al-nafsa fī sharahihā bimathali dhubābin marra ʿalā raghīfin ʿalayhi ʿasalun fawaqaʿa fīhi yaṭlubu al-kulliyyata faʿaliqa bijanāḥihi faqatalahu waʾākharu marra bihi fadanā min baʿḍihi fanāla ḥājatahu farajaʿa ʾilā warāʾihi sāliman waqad maththala baʿḍu
“And pure things are for pure people” (al-Nūr 24:26). One of them compared the self in its voracity to a fly that passed a loaf covered with honey and alighted on it, seeking all of it. The honey stuck to its wing and killed it. Another fly passed by, approached a portion, took what it needed, and returned safely. Some of
الْحُكَمَاءِ ابْنَ آدَمَ مَثَلَ دُودِ الْقَزِّ لَا يَزَالُ يَنْسُجُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ لِجَهْلِهِ حَتَّى لَا يَكُونَ لَهُ مَخْلَصٌ فَيَقْتُلُ نَفْسَهُ وَيَصِيرُ الْقَزُّ لِغَيْرِهِ وَرُبَّمَا قَتَلُوهُ إِذَا فَرَغَ مِنْ نَسِيجِهِ لِأَنَّ الْقَزَّ يَلْتَفُّ عَلَيْهِ فَيَرُومُ الْخُرُوجَ مِنْهُ فَيُشَمَّسُ وَرُبَّمَا غَمَزُوهُ بِالْأَيْدِي حَتَّى
al-ḥukamāʾi ibna ʾādama mathala dūdi al-qazzi lā yazālu yansuju ʿalā nafsihi lijahlihi ḥattā lā yakūna lahu makhlaṣun fayaqtulu nafsahu wayaṣīru al-qazzu lighayrihi warubbamā qatalūhu ʾidhā faragha min nasījihi liʾanna al-qazza yaltaffu ʿalayhi fayarūmu al-khurūja minhu fayushammasu warubbamā ghamazūhu bi-al-ʾaydī ḥattā
the sages compared the human being to a silkworm, which in its ignorance keeps spinning around itself until it has no escape. It kills itself, and the silk becomes someone else’s. Sometimes they kill it when it has finished spinning, because the silk wraps around it and it tries to emerge; then it is exposed to the sun. Sometimes they squeeze it with their hands until
يَمُوتَ لِئَلَّا يَقْطَعَ الْقَزَّ وَلِيَخْرُجَ الْقَزُّ صَحِيحًا ، فَهَذِهِ صُورَةُ الْمُكْتَسِبِ الْجَاهِلِ الَّذِي أَهْلَكَهُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ فَتَنَعَّمَ وَرَثَتُهُ بِمَا شَقِيَ بِهِ فَإِنْ أَطَاعُوا بِهِ كَانَ أَجْرُهُ لَهُمْ وَحِسَابُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنْ عَصَوْا بِهِ كَانَ شَرِيكَهُمْ فِي الْمَعْصِيَةِ لِأَنَّهُ أَكْسَبَهُمْ إِيَّاهَا بِهِ
yamūta liʾallā yaqṭaʿa al-qazza waliyakhruja al-qazzu ṣaḥīḥan , fahādhihi ṣūratu al-muktasibi al-jāhili alladhī ʾahlakahu ʾahluhu wamāluhu fatanaʿʿama warathatuhu bimā shaqiya bihi faʾin ʾaṭāʿū bihi kāna ʾajruhu lahum waḥisābuhu ʿalayhi waʾin ʿaṣaw bihi kāna sharīkahum fī al-maʿṣiyati liʾannahu ʾaksabahum ʾiyyāhā bihi
it dies, so that it does not break the silk and the silk may emerge intact. This is the likeness of the ignorant earner whom his family and wealth have destroyed: his heirs enjoy what made him wretched. If they use it in obedience, its reward belongs to them while its reckoning falls upon him. If they use it in disobedience, he shares their sin, because through it he enabled them to acquire that sin.
فَلَا يَدْرِي أَيُّ الْحَسْرَتَيْنِ عَلَيْهِ أَعْظَمُ إِذْهَابُهُ عُمْرَهُ لِغَيْرِهِ أَوْ نَظَرُهُ إِلَى مَالِهِ فِي مِيزَانِ غَيْرِهِ ، وَمِمَّا سَمِعْتُ فِي عِلْمِ شَرَهِ النَّفْسِ مَا حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ إِخْوَانِي عَنْ بَعْضِ هَذِهِ الطَّائِفَةِ قَالَ : قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضُ الْفُقَرَاءِ فَاشْتَرَيْنَا مِنْ جَارٍ لَنَا جَمَلًا
falā yadrī ʾayyu al-ḥasratayni ʿalayhi ʾaʿẓamu ʾidhhābuhu ʿumrahu lighayrihi ʾaw naẓaruhu ʾilā mālihi fī mīzāni ghayrihi , wamimmā samiʿtu fī ʿilmi sharahi al-nafsi mā ḥaddathanī baʿḍu ʾikhwānī ʿan baʿḍi hādhihi al-ṭāʾifati qāla: qadima ʿalaynā baʿḍu al-fuqarāʾi fashtaraynā min jārin lanā jamalan
He does not know which of the two regrets is greater for him: having spent his life for someone else, or seeing his wealth in someone else’s balance. Among the things I heard concerning knowledge of the self’s voracity was what one of my brothers related to me from a member of this company, who said, “One of the poor seekers came to us, and from a neighbor of ours we bought a camel,
مَشْوِيًّا وَدَعَوْنَاهُ عَلَيْهِ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا فَلَمَّا مَدَّ يَدَهُ لِيَأْكُلَ وَأَخَذَ لُقْمَةً وَجَعَلَهَا فِي فِيهِ لَفَظَهَا ثُمَّ اعْتَزَلَ وَقَالَ :
mashwiyyan wadaʿawnāhu ʿalayhi fī jamāʿatin min ʾaṣḥābinā falammā madda yadahu liyaʾkula waʾakhadha luqmatan wajaʿalahā fī fīhi lafaẓahā thumma iʿtazala waqāla:
roasted, and invited him to share it with a group of our companions. When he stretched out his hand to eat, took a morsel, and put it into his mouth, he spat it out, then withdrew and said,
كُلُوا
kulū
“Eat,
أَنْتُمْ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ عَرَضَ لِي عَارِضٌ مَنَعَنِي مِنَ الْأَكْلِ ، فَقُلْنَا : لَا نَأْكُلُ إِنْ لَمْ تَأْكُلْ مَعَنَا ، فَقَالَ : أَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمَّا أَنَا فَغَيْرُ آكِلٍ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ ، قَالَ : فَكَرِهْنَا أَنْ نَأْكُلَ دُونَهُ ، فَقُلْنَا : لَوْ دَعَوْنَا الشَّوَّاءَ فَسَأَلْنَاهُ عَنْ أَصْلِ هَذَا الْجَمَلِ فَلَعَلَّ
ʾantum faʾinnahu qad ʿaraḍa lī ʿāriḍun manaʿanī mina al-ʾakli , faqulnā: lā naʾkulu ʾin lam taʾkul maʿanā , faqāla: ʾantum ʾaʿlamu ʾammā ʾanā faghayru ʾākilin thumma inṣarafa , qāla: fakarihnā ʾan naʾkula dūnahu , faqulnā: law daʿawnā al-shawwāʾa fasaʾalnāhu ʿan ʾaṣli hādhā al-jamali falaʿalla
you yourselves, for something has occurred to me that prevents me from eating.” We said, “We will not eat if you do not eat with us.” He replied, “You know best. As for me, I will not eat,” and then departed. The narrator said, “We were reluctant to eat without him, so we said, ‘If only we were to summon the roaster and ask him about the source of this camel! Perhaps
لَهُ سَبَبًا مَكْرُوهًا فَدَعَوْنَاهُ فَلَمْ نَزَلْ بِهِ نَسْأَلُ عَنْهُ حَتَّى أَقَرَّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ مَيْتَةً وَأَنَّ نَفْسَهُ شَرِهَتْ إِلَى بَيْعِهِ حِرْصًا عَلَى ثَمَنِهِ فَشَوَاهُ فَوَافَقَ أَنَّكُمْ اشْتَرَيْتُمُوهُ ، قَالَ : فَمَزَّقْنَاهُ لِلْكِلَابِ ، قَالَ : ثُمَّ إِنِّي لَقِيتُ الرَّجُلَ بَعْدَ وَقْتٍ فَسَأَلْتُهُ لِأَيِّ مَعْنًى
lahu sababan makrūhan fadaʿawnāhu falam nazal bihi nasʾalu ʿanhu ḥattā ʾaqarra ʾannahu kāna maytatan waʾanna nafsahu sharihat ʾilā bayʿihi ḥirṣan ʿalā thamanihi fashawāhu fawāfaqa ʾannakum ishtaraytumūhu , qāla: famazzaqnāhu lilkilābi , qāla: thumma ʾinnī laqītu al-rajula baʿda waqtin fasaʾaltuhu liʾayyi maʿnan
there is some objectionable circumstance behind it.’ We summoned him and kept pressing him with questions about it until he admitted that it had been carrion and that his self had craved to sell it out of greed for its price. He had roasted it, and ‘it happened that you bought it.’” He said, “We tore it up for the dogs.” He said, “Some time later I met the man and asked him, ‘For what reason
تَرَكْتَ أَكْلَهُ وَبِأَيِّ عَارِضٍ ؟ فَقَالَ : أُخْبِرُكَ مَا شَرِهَتْ نَفْسِي إِلَى طَعَامٍ مُنْذُ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً بِالرِّيَاضَةِ الَّتِي رُضْتُهَا بِهِ فَلَمَّا قَدَّمْتُمْ إِلَيَّ هَذَا شَرِهَتْ نَفْسِي إِلَيْهِ شَرَهًا مَا عَهِدْتُهُ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ الطَّعَامِ عِلَّةً فَتَرَكْتُ أَكْلَهُ لِأَجْلِ شَرَهِ النَّفْسِ
tarakta ʾaklahu wabiʾayyi ʿāriḍin ? faqāla: ʾukhbiruka mā sharihat nafsī ʾilā ṭaʿāmin mundhu ʿishrīna sanatan bi-al-riyāḍati allatī ruḍtuhā bihi falammā qaddamtum ʾilayya hādhā sharihat nafsī ʾilayhi sharahan mā ʿahidtuhu qabla dhālika faʿalimtu ʾanna fī dhālika al-ṭaʿāmi ʿillatan fataraktu ʾaklahu liʾajli sharahi al-nafsi
did you leave it uneaten, and what occurred to you?’ He replied, ‘I will tell you. For twenty years my self has not craved any food, because of the discipline with which I trained it. When you placed this before me, my self craved it with a voracity I had never known before. I knew there was something wrong with that food, so I left it uneaten because of the self’s voracity
إِلَيْهِ فَانْظُرْ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ كَيْفَ اتَّفَقَا فِي شَرَهِ النَّفْسِ عَنْ قَصْدٍ وَاحِدٍ ثُمَّ اخْتَلَفَا فِي التَّوْفِيقِ وَالْخِذْلَانِ فَعُصِمَ الْعَالِمُ بِالْوَرَعِ وَالْمُحَاسَبَةِ وَتُرِكَ الْجَاهِلُ مَعَ شَرَهِ النَّفْسِ بِالْحِرْصِ وَتَرْكِهِ الْمُرَاقَبَةَ أَعْنِي الْبَائِعَ لِلْجَمَلِ ثُمَّ عُصِمَ الْآخَرُونَ لِلتَّوْفِيقِ
ʾilayhi fanẓur raḥimaka allāhu kayfa ittafaqā fī sharahi al-nafsi ʿan qaṣdin wāḥidin thumma ikhtalafā fī al-tawfīqi wa-al-khidhlāni faʿuṣima al-ʿālimu bi-al-waraʿi wa-al-muḥāsabati waturika al-jāhilu maʿa sharahi al-nafsi bi-al-ḥirṣi watarkihi al-murāqabata ʾaʿnī al-bāʾiʿa liljamali thumma ʿuṣima al-ʾākharūna liltawfīqi
for it.’” Consider, may God have mercy on you, how the two shared the self’s voracity directed toward one aim, but then differed in receiving divine assistance or being left unaided. The knowledgeable man was protected through scrupulousness and self-examination, while the ignorant man was left with the self’s voracity through greed and his abandonment of watchfulness. I mean the seller of the camel. The others were then protected by divine assistance
بِحُسْنِ الْأَدَبِ وَهُوَ قَمْعُ شَرَهِ النَّفْسِ عَنِ الْأَكْلِ بَعْدَ صَاحِبِهِمْ ثُمَّ تَدَارَكَ الْبَائِعَ بَعْدَ وُقُوعِهِ لِصِدْقِ الْمُشْتَرِي وَحُسْنِ نِيَّتِهِ . قَزٌّ لِغَيْرِهِ وَرُبَّمَا قَتَلُوهُ إِذَا فَرَغَ مِنْ نَسِيجِهِ لِأَنَّ الْقَزَّ يَلْتَفُّ عَلَيْهِ فَيَرُومُ الْخُرُوجَ مِنْهُ فَيُشَمَّسُ وَرُبَّمَا غَمَزُوهُ بِالْأَيْدِي حَتَّى
biḥusni al-ʾadabi wahuwa qamʿu sharahi al-nafsi ʿani al-ʾakli baʿda ṣāḥibihim thumma tadāraka al-bāʾiʿa baʿda wuqūʿihi liṣidqi al-mushtarī waḥusni niyyatihi. qazzun lighayrihi warubbamā qatalūhu ʾidhā faragha min nasījihi liʾanna al-qazza yaltaffu ʿalayhi fayarūmu al-khurūja minhu fayushammasu warubbamā ghamazūhu bi-al-ʾaydī ḥattā
through good conduct: restraining the self’s voracity from eating after their companion had withdrawn. Then the seller, after his lapse, was rescued through the buyer’s truthfulness and good intention. Silk for someone else; sometimes they kill it when it has finished spinning, because the silk wraps around it and it tries to emerge; then it is exposed to the sun. Sometimes they squeeze it with their hands until
يَمُوتَ لِئَلَّا يَقْطَعَ الْقَزَّ وَلِيَخْرُجَ الْقَزُّ صَحِيحًا ، فَهَذِهِ صُورَةُ الْمُكْتَسِبِ الْجَاهِلِ الَّذِي أَهْلَكَهُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ فَتَنَعَّمَ وَرَثَتُهُ بِمَا شَقِيَ بِهِ فَإِنْ أَطَاعُوا بِهِ كَانَ أَجْرُهُ لَهُمْ وَحِسَابُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنْ عَصَوْا بِهِ كَانَ شَرِيكَهُمْ فِي الْمَعْصِيَةِ لِأَنَّهُ أَكْسَبَهُمْ إِيَّاهَا بِهِ
yamūta liʾallā yaqṭaʿa al-qazza waliyakhruja al-qazzu ṣaḥīḥan , fahādhihi ṣūratu al-muktasibi al-jāhili alladhī ʾahlakahu ʾahluhu wamāluhu fatanaʿʿama warathatuhu bimā shaqiya bihi faʾin ʾaṭāʿū bihi kāna ʾajruhu lahum waḥisābuhu ʿalayhi waʾin ʿaṣaw bihi kāna sharīkahum fī al-maʿṣiyati liʾannahu ʾaksabahum ʾiyyāhā bihi
it dies, so that it does not break the silk and the silk may emerge intact. This is the likeness of the ignorant earner whom his family and wealth have destroyed: his heirs enjoy what made him wretched. If they use it in obedience, its reward belongs to them while its reckoning falls upon him. If they use it in disobedience, he shares their sin, because through it he enabled them to acquire that sin.
فَلَا يَدْرِي أَيُّ الْحَسْرَتَيْنِ عَلَيْهِ أَعْظَمُ إِذْهَابُهُ عُمْرَهُ لِغَيْرِهِ أَوْ نَظَرُهُ إِلَى مَالِهِ فِي مِيزَانِ غَيْرِهِ ، وَمِمَّا سَمِعْتُ فِي عِلْمِ شَرَهِ النَّفْسِ مَا حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ إِخْوَانِي عَنْ بَعْضِ هَذِهِ الطَّائِفَةِ قَالَ : قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضُ الْفُقَرَاءِ فَاشْتَرَيْنَا مِنْ جَارٍ لَنَا جَمَلًا
falā yadrī ʾayyu al-ḥasratayni ʿalayhi ʾaʿẓamu ʾidhhābuhu ʿumrahu lighayrihi ʾaw naẓaruhu ʾilā mālihi fī mīzāni ghayrihi , wamimmā samiʿtu fī ʿilmi sharahi al-nafsi mā ḥaddathanī baʿḍu ʾikhwānī ʿan baʿḍi hādhihi al-ṭāʾifati qāla: qadima ʿalaynā baʿḍu al-fuqarāʾi fashtaraynā min jārin lanā jamalan
He does not know which of the two regrets is greater for him: having spent his life for someone else, or seeing his wealth in someone else’s balance. Among the things I heard concerning knowledge of the self’s voracity was what one of my brothers related to me from a member of this company, who said, “One of the poor seekers came to us, and from a neighbor of ours we bought a camel,
مَشْوِيًّا وَدَعَوْنَاهُ عَلَيْهِ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا فَلَمَّا مَدَّ يَدَهُ لِيَأْكُلَ وَأَخَذَ لُقْمَةً وَجَعَلَهَا فِي فِيهِ لَفَظَهَا ثُمَّ اعْتَزَلَ وَقَالَ : كُلُوا أَنْتُمْ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ عَرَضَ لِي عَارِضٌ مَنَعَنِي مِنَ الْأَكْلِ ، فَقُلْنَا : لَا نَأْكُلُ إِنْ لَمْ تَأْكُلْ مَعَنَا ، فَقَالَ :
mashwiyyan wadaʿawnāhu ʿalayhi fī jamāʿatin min ʾaṣḥābinā falammā madda yadahu liyaʾkula waʾakhadha luqmatan wajaʿalahā fī fīhi lafaẓahā thumma iʿtazala waqāla: kulū ʾantum faʾinnahu qad ʿaraḍa lī ʿāriḍun manaʿanī mina al-ʾakli , faqulnā: lā naʾkulu ʾin lam taʾkul maʿanā , faqāla:
roasted, and invited him to share it with a group of our companions. When he stretched out his hand to eat, took a morsel, and put it into his mouth, he spat it out, then withdrew and said, ‘Eat, you yourselves, for something has occurred to me that prevents me from eating.’ We said, ‘We will not eat if you do not eat with us.’ He replied,
أَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمَّا أَنَا فَغَيْرُ آكِلٍ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ ، قَالَ : فَكَرِهْنَا أَنْ نَأْكُلَ دُونَهُ ، فَقُلْنَا : لَوْ دَعَوْنَا الشَّوَّاءَ فَسَأَلْنَاهُ عَنْ أَصْلِ هَذَا الْجَمَلِ فَلَعَلَّ لَهُ سَبَبًا مَكْرُوهًا فَدَعَوْنَاهُ فَلَمْ نَزَلْ بِهِ نَسْأَلُ عَنْهُ حَتَّى أَقَرَّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ مَيْتَةً وَأَنَّ نَفْسَهُ شَرِهَتْ إِلَى
ʾantum ʾaʿlamu ʾammā ʾanā faghayru ʾākilin thumma inṣarafa , qāla: fakarihnā ʾan naʾkula dūnahu , faqulnā: law daʿawnā al-shawwāʾa fasaʾalnāhu ʿan ʾaṣli hādhā al-jamali falaʿalla lahu sababan makrūhan fadaʿawnāhu falam nazal bihi nasʾalu ʿanhu ḥattā ʾaqarra ʾannahu kāna maytatan waʾanna nafsahu sharihat ʾilā
‘You know best. As for me, I will not eat,’ and then departed.” The narrator said, “We were reluctant to eat without him, so we said, ‘If only we were to summon the roaster and ask him about the source of this camel! Perhaps there is some objectionable circumstance behind it.’ We summoned him and kept pressing him with questions about it until he admitted that it had been carrion and that his self had craved
بَيْعِهِ حِرْصًا عَلَى ثَمَنِهِ فَشَوَاهُ فَوَافَقَ أَنَّكُمْ اشْتَرَيْتُمُوهُ ، قَالَ : فَمَزَّقْنَاهُ لِلْكِلَابِ ، قَالَ : ثُمَّ إِنِّي لَقِيتُ الرَّجُلَ بَعْدَ وَقْتٍ فَسَأَلْتُهُ لِأَيِّ مَعْنًى تَرَكْتَ أَكْلَهُ وَبِأَيِّ عَارِضٍ ؟ فَقَالَ : أُخْبِرُكَ مَا شَرِهَتْ نَفْسِي إِلَى طَعَامٍ مُنْذُ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً بِالرِّيَاضَةِ
bayʿihi ḥirṣan ʿalā thamanihi fashawāhu fawāfaqa ʾannakum ishtaraytumūhu , qāla: famazzaqnāhu lilkilābi , qāla: thumma ʾinnī laqītu al-rajula baʿda waqtin fasaʾaltuhu liʾayyi maʿnan tarakta ʾaklahu wabiʾayyi ʿāriḍin ? faqāla: ʾukhbiruka mā sharihat nafsī ʾilā ṭaʿāmin mundhu ʿishrīna sanatan bi-al-riyāḍati
to sell it out of greed for its price. He had roasted it, and ‘it happened that you bought it.’” He said, “We tore it up for the dogs.” He said, “Some time later I met the man and asked him, ‘For what reason did you leave it uneaten, and what occurred to you?’ He replied, ‘I will tell you. For twenty years my self has not craved any food, because of the discipline
الَّتِي رُضْتُهَا بِهِ فَلَمَّا قَدَّمْتُمْ إِلَيَّ هَذَا شَرِهَتْ نَفْسِي إِلَيْهِ شَرَهًا مَا عَهِدْتُهُ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ الطَّعَامِ عِلَّةً فَتَرَكْتُ أَكْلَهُ لِأَجْلِ شَرَهِ النَّفْسِ إِلَيْهِ فَانْظُرْ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ كَيْفَ اتَّفَقَا فِي شَرَهِ النَّفْسِ عَنْ قَصْدٍ وَاحِدٍ ثُمَّ اخْتَلَفَا فِي التَّوْفِيقِ
allatī ruḍtuhā bihi falammā qaddamtum ʾilayya hādhā sharihat nafsī ʾilayhi sharahan mā ʿahidtuhu qabla dhālika faʿalimtu ʾanna fī dhālika al-ṭaʿāmi ʿillatan fataraktu ʾaklahu liʾajli sharahi al-nafsi ʾilayhi fanẓur raḥimaka allāhu kayfa ittafaqā fī sharahi al-nafsi ʿan qaṣdin wāḥidin thumma ikhtalafā fī al-tawfīqi
with which I trained it. When you placed this before me, my self craved it with a voracity I had never known before. I knew there was something wrong with that food, so I left it uneaten because of the self’s voracity for it.’” Consider, may God have mercy on you, how the two shared the self’s voracity directed toward one aim, but then differed in receiving divine assistance
وَالْخِذْلَانِ فَعُصِمَ الْعَالِمُ بِالْوَرَعِ وَالْمُحَاسَبَةِ وَتُرِكَ الْجَاهِلُ مَعَ شَرَهِ النَّفْسِ بِالْحِرْصِ وَتَرْكِهِ الْمُرَاقَبَةَ أَعْنِي الْبَائِعَ لِلْجَمَلِ ثُمَّ عُصِمَ الْآخَرُونَ لِلتَّوْفِيقِ بِحُسْنِ الْأَدَبِ وَهُوَ قَمْعُ شَرَهِ النَّفْسِ عَنِ الْأَكْلِ بَعْدَ صَاحِبِهِمْ ثُمَّ تَدَارَكَ الْبَائِعَ بَعْدَ وُقُوعِهِ
wa-al-khidhlāni faʿuṣima al-ʿālimu bi-al-waraʿi wa-al-muḥāsabati waturika al-jāhilu maʿa sharahi al-nafsi bi-al-ḥirṣi watarkihi al-murāqabata ʾaʿnī al-bāʾiʿa liljamali thumma ʿuṣima al-ʾākharūna liltawfīqi biḥusni al-ʾadabi wahuwa qamʿu sharahi al-nafsi ʿani al-ʾakli baʿda ṣāḥibihim thumma tadāraka al-bāʾiʿa baʿda wuqūʿihi
or being left unaided. The knowledgeable man was protected through scrupulousness and self-examination, while the ignorant man was left with the self’s voracity through greed and his abandonment of watchfulness. I mean the seller of the camel. The others were then protected by divine assistance through good conduct: restraining the self’s voracity from eating after their companion had withdrawn. Then the seller, after his lapse, was rescued
لِصِدْقِ الْمُشْتَرِي وَحُسْنِ نِيَّتِهِ . وَجِبِلَّاتُ النَّفْسِ الْأَرْبَعَةُ هِيَ أُصُولُ مَا تَفَرَّعَ مِنْ هَوَاهَا وَهِيَ مُقْتَضَى مَا فَطَرَهَا عَلَيْهِ مَوْلَاهَا : أَوَّلُهَا الضَّعْفُ وَهُوَ مُقْتَضَى فِطْرَةِ التُّرَابِ ، ثُمَّ الْبُخْلُ وَهُوَ مُقْتَضَىٰ جِبِلَّةِ الطِّينِ ، ثُمَّ الشَّهْوَةُ وَمُوجِبُهَا الْحَمَائِمُ ،
liṣidqi al-mushtarī waḥusni niyyatihi. wajibillātu al-nafsi al-ʾarbaʿatu hiya ʾuṣūlu mā tafarraʿa min hawāhā wahiya muqtaḍā mā faṭarahā ʿalayhi mawlāhā: ʾawwaluhā al-ḍaʿfu wahuwa muqtaḍā fiṭrati al-turābi , thumma al-bukhlu wahuwa muqtaḍā jibillati al-ṭīni , thumma al-shahwatu wamūjibuhā al-ḥamāʾimu ,
through the buyer’s truthfulness and good intention. The self’s four innate dispositions are the roots from which its desires branch out, and they follow from the nature upon which its Master created it. The first is weakness, which follows from the nature of dust; then stinginess, which follows from the disposition of clay; then desire, whose cause is al-ḥamāʾim [an uncertain reading];
الْجَهْلُ وَهُوَ مَا اقْتَضَاهُ مُوجِبُ الصَّلْصَالِ وَهَذِهِ الصِّفَاتُ عَلَى مَعَانِي تِلْكَ الْجِبِلَّاتِ لِلِابْتِلَاءِ بِالْأَمْشَاجِ فَفِيهِ بَدْءُ الْأَمْتِ وَالِاعْوِجَاجِ ، ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ ، ثُمَّ إِنَّ النَّفْسَ مُبْتَلَاةٌ بِأَوْصَافٍ أَرْبَعَةٍ مُتَفَاوِتَةٍ :
al-jahlu wahuwa mā iqtaḍāhu mūjibu al-ṣalṣāli wahādhihi al-ṣifātu ʿalā maʿānī tilka al-jibillāti lilibtilāʾi bi-al-ʾamshāji fafīhi badʾu al-ʾamti wa-al-iʿwijāji , dhālika taqdīru al-ʿazīzi al-ʿalīmi , thumma ʾinna al-nafsa mubtalātun biʾawṣāfin ʾarbaʿatin mutafāwitatin:
ignorance, which is required by the nature of dried clay. These attributes correspond to those innate dispositions as a trial through the mingled elements: in them lie the beginnings of unevenness and crookedness. That is the determination of the Mighty, the Knowing. Furthermore, the self is tried by four differing sets of attributes:
أَوَّلُهَا مَعَانِي صِفَاتِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ نَحْوَ الْكِبْرِ وَالْجَبْرِيَّةِ وَحُبِّ الْمَدْحِ وَالْعِزِّ وَالْغِنَى وَمُبْتَلَاةٌ بِأَخْلَاقِ الشَّيَاطِينِ مِثْلَ الْخِدَاعِ وَالْحِيلَةِ وَالْحَسَدِ وَالظِّنَّةِ وَمُبْتَلَاةٌ بِطَبَائِعِ الْبَهَائِمِ وَهُوَ حُبُّ الْأَكْلِ وَالشُّرْبِ وَالنِّكَاحِ وَهِيَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ مُطَالَبَةٌ
ʾawwaluhā maʿānī ṣifāti al-rubūbiyyati naḥwa al-kibri wa-al-jabriyyati waḥubbi al-madḥi wa-al-ʿizzi wa-al-ghinā wamubtalātun biʾakhlāqi al-shayāṭīni mithla al-khidāʿi wa-al-ḥīlati wa-al-ḥasadi wa-al-ẓinnati wamubtalātun biṭabāʾiʿi al-bahāʾimi wahuwa ḥubbu al-ʾakli wa-al-shurbi wa-al-nikāḥi wahiya maʿa dhālika kullihi muṭālabatun
The first comprises qualities belonging to lordship, such as pride, domination, love of praise, might, and self-sufficiency. It is also tried by the traits of devils, such as deception, cunning, envy, and suspicion. It is tried by the natural appetites of beasts: love of eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse. Yet, with all of this, it is required to embody
بِأَوْصَافِ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ مِثْلَ الْخَوْفِ وَالتَّوَاضُعِ وَالذُّلِّ بِمَعْنَى مَا قُلْنَاهُ ، قِيلَ : إِنَّهَا خُلِقَتْ مُتَحَرِّكَةً وَأُمِرَتْ بِالسُّكُوتِ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهَا بِذَلِكَ إِنْ لَمْ يَتَدَارَكْهَا الْمَالِكُ وَكَيْفَ تَسْكُنُ بِالْأَمْرِ إِنْ لَمْ يُسْكِنْهَا مُحَرِّكُهَا بِالْخَيْرِ فَلَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ عَبْدًا مُخْلِصًا
biʾawṣāfi al-ʿubūdiyyati mithla al-khawfi wa-al-tawāḍuʿi wa-al-dhulli bimaʿnā mā qulnāhu , qīla: ʾinnahā khuliqat mutaḥarrikatan waʾumirat bi-al-sukūti waʾannā lahā bidhālika ʾin lam yatadārakhā al-māliku wakayfa taskunu bi-al-ʾamri ʾin lam yuskinhā muḥarrikuhā bi-al-khayri falā yakūnu al-ʿabdu ʿabdan mukhliṣan
the attributes of servitude, such as fear, humility, and lowliness, in the sense we have explained. It was said, “The self was created in motion and commanded to be silent. How could it achieve this unless its Owner came to its aid? How could it grow still at the command unless the One who moves it stilled it through good?” The servant therefore does not become a sincere servant
حَتَّى يَكُونَ لِلْمَعَانِي الثَّلَاثِ مُخْلِصًا فَإِذَا تَحَقَّقَ بِأَوْصَافِ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ كَانَ خَالِصًا مِنَ الْمَعَانِي الَّتِي هِيَ بَلَاؤُهُ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ ، فَإِخْلَاصُ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ لِلْوَحْدَانِيَّةِ عِنْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ الْمُوَحِّدِينَ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْإِخْلَاصِ فِي الْمُعَامَلَةِ عِنْدَ الْعَامِلِينَ ،
ḥattā yakūna lilmaʿānī al-thalāthi mukhliṣan faʾidhā taḥaqqaqa biʾawṣāfi al-ʿubūdiyyati kāna khāliṣan mina al-maʿānī allatī hiya balāʾuhu min ṣifāti al-rubūbiyyati , faʾikhlāṣu al-ʿubūdiyyati lilwaḥdāniyyati ʿinda al-ʿulamāʾi al-muwaḥḥidīna ʾashaddu mina al-ʾikhlāṣi fī al-muʿāmalati ʿinda al-ʿāmilīna ,
until he is sincere in those three qualities. Once he realizes the attributes of servitude, he is free of the qualities of lordship through which he is tried. For the learned who affirm divine oneness, devoting servitude purely to the One is more demanding than sincerity in one’s dealings is for those who practice devotion.
وَبِذَلِكَ رُفِعُوا إِلَى مَقَامَاتِ الْقُرْبِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُمْ عَبْدًا حَتَّى يَكُونَ مِمَّا سِوَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حُرًّا فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ عَبْدَ رَبٍّ وَهُوَ عَبْدُ عَبْدٍ لِأَنَّ مَا قَادَهُ إِلَيْهِ فَهُوَ إِلَٰهُهُ وَمَا تَرَتَّبَ عَلَيْهِ فَهُوَ رَبُّهُ وَهَذَا شِرْكٌ فِي الْإِلَٰهِيَّةِ عِنْدَ الْمُتَأَلِّهِينَ
wabidhālika rufiʿū ʾilā maqāmāti al-qurbi wadhālika ʾannahu lā yakūnu ʿindahum ʿabdan ḥattā yakūna mimmā siwā allāhi ʿazza wajalla ḥurran fakayfa yakūnu ʿabda rabbin wahuwa ʿabdu ʿabdin liʾanna mā qādahu ʾilayhi fahuwa ʾilāhuhu wamā tarattaba ʿalayhi fahuwa rabbuhu wahādhā shirkun fī al-ʾilāhiyyati ʿinda al-mutaʾallihīna
Through this they were raised to the stations of nearness. In their view, one is not a servant until one is free of everything other than God, mighty and majestic is He. How can someone be the servant of a Lord while he is a servant of a servant? Whatever leads him to it is his god, and whatever he orders himself around is his lord. For those wholly devoted to God, this is associating another in His divinity,
وَمَرْجٌ بِالرُّبُوبِيَّةِ عِنْدَ الرَّبَّانِيِّينَ فَهُوَ مَتْعُوسٌ مَنْكُوسٌ بِدُعَاءِ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذْ يَقُولُ : تَعِسَ عَبْدُ الدِّينَارِ ، تَعِسَ عَبْدُ الدِّرْهَمِ ، تَعِسَ عَبْدُ الزَّوْجَةِ ، تَعِسَ عَبْدُ الْحُلَّةِ ، فَهَؤُلَاءِ عَبِيدُ الْعَدَدِ الَّذِينَ قَالَ مَوْلَاهُمْ :
wamarjun bi-al-rubūbiyyati ʿinda al-rabbāniyyīna fahuwa matʿūsun mankūsun biduʿāʾi al-rasūli ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾidh yaqūlu: taʿisa ʿabdu al-dīnāri , taʿisa ʿabdu al-dirhami , taʿisa ʿabdu al-zawjati , taʿisa ʿabdu al-ḥullati , fahāʾulāʾi ʿabīdu al-ʿadadi alladhīna qāla mawlāhum:
and, for the godly, a confusion of lordship. Such a person is brought to misery and cast down by the Messenger’s invocation, God bless him and grant him peace, when he says, “Wretched is the slave of the dinar! Wretched is the slave of the dirham! Wretched is the slave of the wife! Wretched is the slave of fine clothing!” These are the servants who are merely numbered, of whom their Master said:
إِنْ كُلُّ مَنْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِلَّا آتِي الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْدًا لَقَدْ أَحْصَاهُمْ
ʾin kullu man fī al-samāwāti wa-al-ʾarḍi ʾillā ʾātī al-raḥmāni ʿabdan laqad ʾaḥṣāhum
“Everyone in the heavens and the earth comes to the All-Merciful as a servant. He has counted them
وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا أَصْحَابُ النُّفُوسِ الْأَمَّارَةِ بِالسُّوءِ الْمُسَوِّلَةِ الْمُوَافِقَةِ لِلْهَوَى الْمُخَالِفَةِ لِلْمَوْلَى وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا إِلَى آخِرِ وَصْفِهِمْ أُولُو النَّفْسِ الْمَرْحُومَةِ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةِ الْمَرْضِيَّةِ هُمْ عِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ أَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ
waʿaddahum ʿaddan ʾaṣḥābu al-nufūsi al-ʾammārati bi-al-sūʾi al-musawwilati al-muwāfiqati lilhawā al-mukhālifati lilmawlā waʿibādu al-raḥmāni alladhīna yamshūna ʿalā al-ʾarḍi hawnan ʾilā ʾākhiri waṣfihim ʾūlū al-nafsi al-marḥūmati al-muṭmaʾinnati al-marḍiyyati hum ʿibādu al-raḥmāni ʾahlu al-ʿilmi wa-al-ḥikmati
and numbered them precisely”: those whose selves command evil, entice them, agree with desire, and oppose their Master. “The servants of the All-Merciful are those who walk gently upon the earth,” to the end of their description: those possessed of a self shown mercy, at peace, and pleasing to God. They are the servants of the All-Merciful, the people of knowledge and wisdom.
عَلَّمَهُمْ مِنْ لَدُنْهُ وَاخْتَارَهُمْ لِنَفْسِهِ وَلَا يَكُونُ الْمُرِيدُ بَدَلًا حَتَّى يُبَدِّلَ بِمَعَانِي صِفَاتِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ صِفَاتِ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ وَبِأَخْلَاقِ الشَّيَاطِينِ أَوْصَافَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَبِطَبَائِعِ الْبَهَائِمِ أَوْصَافَ الرُّوحَانِيِّينَ مِنَ الْأَذْكَارِ وَالْعُلُومِ ،
ʿallamahum min ladunhu wakhtārahum linafsihi walā yakūnu al-murīdu badalan ḥattā yubaddila bimaʿānī ṣifāti al-rubūbiyyati ṣifāti al-ʿubūdiyyati wabiʾakhlāqi al-shayāṭīni ʾawṣāfa al-muʾminīna wabiṭabāʾiʿi al-bahāʾimi ʾawṣāfa al-rūḥāniyyīna mina al-ʾadhkāri wa-al-ʿulūmi ,
He taught them from His own presence and chose them for Himself. The seeker does not become one of the spiritual substitutes until he replaces the qualities of lordship with the attributes of servitude, the traits of devils with the qualities of believers, and the natural appetites of beasts with the qualities of spiritual beings, namely remembrances and forms of knowledge.
فَعِنْدَهَا كَانَ بَدَلًا مُقَرَّبًا وَالطَّرِيقُ إِلَى هَذَا بِأَنْ يَمْلِكَ نَفْسَهُ فَيَمْلِكَهَا وَتُسَخَّرَ لَهُ فَيُسَلَّطَ عَلَيْهَا فَإِنْ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَمْلِكَ نَفْسَكَ فَلَا تُمَلِّكْهَا وَضَيِّقْ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تُوَسِّعْ لَهَا فَإِنْ مَلَّكْتَهَا مَلَكَتْكَ وَإِنْ لَمْ تُضَيِّقْ عَلَيْهَا اتَّسَعَتْ عَلَيْكَ فَإِنْ أَرَدْتَ الظَّفَرَ بِهَا
faʿindahā kāna badalan muqarraban wa-al-ṭarīqu ʾilā hādhā biʾan yamlika nafsahu fayamlikahā watusakhkhara lahu fayusallaṭa ʿalayhā faʾin ʾaradta ʾan tamlika nafsaka falā tumallikhā waḍayyiq ʿalayhā walā tuwassiʿ lahā faʾin mallaktahā malakatka waʾin lam tuḍayyiq ʿalayhā ittasaʿat ʿalayka faʾin ʾaradta al-ẓafara bihā
Then he becomes a spiritual substitute brought near. The path to this is to gain possession of his self, so that he masters it, and to have it made subject to him, so that he is given authority over it. If you wish to master your self, do not give it mastery. Constrain it and do not give it free scope. If you give it mastery, it will master you; if you do not constrain it, it will expand against you. If you wish to prevail over it,
فَلَا تُعَرِّضْهَا لِهَوَاهَا وَاحْتَبِسْهَا عَنْ مُعْتَادِ بَلَاهَا فَإِنْ لَمْ تُمْسِكْهَا انْطَلَقَتْ بِكَ وَإِنْ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَقْوَى عَلَيْهَا فَأَضْعِفْهَا بِقَطْعِ أَسْبَابِ هَوَاهَا وَحَبْسِ مَوَادِّ شَهَوَاتِهَا وَإِلَّا قَوِيَتْ عَلَيْكَ فَصَرَعَتْكَ فَأَوَّلُ الْمَلَكَةِ لَهَا أَنْ تُحَاسِبَهَا فِي كُلِّ سَاعَةٍ وَتُرَاقِبَ
falā tuʿarriḍhā lihawāhā waḥtabishā ʿan muʿtādi balāhā faʾin lam tumsikhā inṭalaqat bika waʾin ʾaradta ʾan taqwā ʿalayhā faʾaḍʿifhā biqaṭʿi ʾasbābi hawāhā waḥabsi mawāddi shahawātihā waʾillā qawiyat ʿalayka faṣaraʿatka faʾawwalu al-malakati lahā ʾan tuḥāsibahā fī kulli sāʿatin waturāqiba
do not expose it to what it desires. Restrain it from its habitual afflictions: if you do not hold it back, it will carry you away. If you wish to be strong against it, weaken it by cutting off the causes of its desire and withholding the supplies of its appetites. Otherwise it will grow strong against you and throw you down. The first step in mastering it is to call it to account every hour and watch
حِسْبَتَهَا فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ وَتَقِفَ عِنْدَ كُلِّ هِمَّةٍ مِنْ خَوَاطِرِهَا فَإِنْ كَانَتِ الْهِمَّةُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ سَابَقْتَ الْمَوْتَ وَبَادَرْتَ الْفَوْتَ فِي إِمْضَائِهَا وَإِنْ كَانَتِ الْهِمَّةُ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى سَابَقْتَ وَبَادَرْتَ فِي مَحْوِهَا لِئَلَّا تَثْبُتَ وَعَمِلْتَ فِي الِاسْتِبْدَالِ بِهَا كَيْلَا تُسْتَبْدَلَ
ḥisbatahā fī kulli waqtin wataqifa ʿinda kulli himmatin min khawāṭirihā faʾin kānati al-himmatu lillāhi ʿazza wajalla sābaqta al-mawta wabādarta al-fawta fī ʾimḍāʾihā waʾin kānati al-himmatu lighayri allāhi taʿālā sābaqta wabādarta fī maḥwihā liʾallā tathbuta waʿamilta fī al-istibdāli bihā kaylā tustabdala
its reckoning at every moment, stopping at every intention among its passing thoughts. If the intention is for God, mighty and majestic is He, race death and forestall lost opportunity in carrying it out. If the intention is for something other than God, exalted is He, race and hasten to erase it so that it does not take root, and work to replace it lest you be replaced
بِكَ ، وَفِي تَأْوِيلِ الْخَبَرِ الْمَرْوِيِّ الْبِرُّ يَزِيدُ فِي الْعُمُرِ وَهُوَ مَعْنَى الدُّعَاءِ الْمَشْهُورِ مِنْ قَوْلِ النَّاسِ : جَعَلَ اللَّهُ فِي عُمْرِكَ الْبَرَكَةَ ، وَقَدْ بُورِكَ لَهُ فِي عُمْرِهِ ، فَإِنَّ الْبَرَكَةَ فِي الْعُمْرِ أَنْ تُدْرِكَ فِي عُمْرِكَ الْقَصِيرِ بِيَقَظَتِكَ مَا فَاتَ غَيْرَكَ مِنْ عُمْرِهِ
bika , wafī taʾwīli al-khabari al-marwiyyi al-birru yazīdu fī al-ʿumri wahuwa maʿnā al-duʿāʾi al-mashhūri min qawli al-nāsi: jaʿala allāhu fī ʿumrika al-barakata , waqad būrika lahu fī ʿumrihi , faʾinna al-barakata fī al-ʿumri ʾan tudrika fī ʿumrika al-qaṣīri biyaqaẓatika mā fāta ghayraka min ʿumrihi
yourself. In the interpretation of the transmitted report, “Righteousness increases one’s lifespan,” this is the meaning of the familiar prayer people say: “May God place blessing in your life,” and “His life has been blessed.” Blessing in life means that through your wakefulness you attain during your short life what another person misses during his
الطَّوِيلِ بِغَفْلَتِهِ فَيَرْتَفِعُ لَكَ فِي سَنَةٍ مَا لَا يَرْتَفِعُ لَهُ فِي عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً وَلِلْخُصُوصِ مِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ فِي مَقَامَاتِ الْقُرْبِ عِنْدَ التَّجَلِّي بِصِفَاتِ الرَّبِّ إِلْحَاقٌ بِرَفِيعِ الدَّرَجَاتِ وَتَدَارُكُ مَا فَاتَ عِنْدَ أَذْكَارِهِمْ وَأَعْمَالِ قُلُوبِهِمُ الْيَسِيرَةِ فِي هَذِهِ الْأَوْقَاتِ ،
al-ṭawīli bighaflatihi fayartafiʿu laka fī sanatin mā lā yartafiʿu lahu fī ʿishrīna sanatan walilkhuṣūṣi mina al-muqarrabīna fī maqāmāti al-qurbi ʿinda al-tajallī biṣifāti al-rabbi ʾilḥāqun birafīʿi al-darajāti watadāruku mā fāta ʿinda ʾadhkārihim waʾaʿmāli qulūbihimu al-yasīrati fī hādhihi al-ʾawqāti ,
long life through his heedlessness. In one year there rises to your credit what does not rise to his in twenty years. For the select among those brought near, in the stations of nearness when the Lord’s attributes are disclosed, there is admission to lofty ranks and recovery of what was missed through their remembrances and the small acts of their hearts at these times.
فَكُلُّ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ ذِكْرٍ بِتَسْبِيحٍ أَوْ تَهْلِيلٍ أَوْ حَمْدٍ أَوْ تَدَبُّرٍ وَتَبْصِرَةٍ وَتَفَكُّرٍ وَتَذْكِرَةٍ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ قُرْبٍ وَوَجْدٍ بِرَبٍّ وَنَظْرَةٍ إِلَى حَبِيبٍ وَدُنُوٍّ إِلَىٰ قَرِيبٍ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَمْثَالِ الْجِبَالِ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْغَافِلِينَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ بِنُفُوسِهِمْ وَاجِدُونَ وَلِلْخَلْقِ مُشَاهِدُونَ. مَثَلُ
fakullu dharratin min dhikrin bitasbīḥin ʾaw tahlīlin ʾaw ḥamdin ʾaw tadabburin watabṣiratin watafakkurin watadhkiratin bimushāhadati qurbin wawajdin birabbin wanaẓratin ʾilā ḥabībin wadunuwwin ʾilā qarībin ʾafḍalu min ʾamthāli al-jibāli min ʾaʿmāli al-ghāfilīna alladhīna hum binufūsihim wājidūna walilkhalqi mushāhidūna. mathalu
Every particle of remembrance, whether glorification, declaring divine oneness, praise, contemplation, insight, reflection, or recollection accompanied by witnessing nearness, finding one’s Lord, looking toward a Beloved, or drawing close to One who is near, is better than mountain-sized quantities of the works of the heedless, who find only themselves and witness created beings. The likeness of
الْعَارِفِينَ فِيمَا ذَكَرْتُهُ مِنْ قِيَامِهِمْ بِمُشَاهَدَتِهِمْ وَرِعَايَتِهِمْ لِأَمَانَتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ فِي وَقْتِ قُرْبِهِمْ وَحُضُورِهِمْ مِثْلُ الْعَامِلِ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ الْعَمَلُ فِيهَا لِمَنْ وَافَقَهَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ ، وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ كُلُّ لَيْلَةٍ لِلْعَارِفِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
al-ʿārifīna fīmā dhakartuhu min qiyāmihim bimushāhadatihim wariʿāyatihim liʾamānatihim waʿahdihim fī waqti qurbihim waḥuḍūrihim mithlu al-ʿāmili fī laylati al-qadri al-ʿamalu fīhā liman wāfaqahā khayrun min ʾalfi shahrin , waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi kullu laylatin lilʿārifi bimanzilati laylati al-qadri
those who know God, in what I have described of their sustaining their witnessing and guarding their trust and covenant at the time of their nearness and presence, is that of someone practicing devotion on the Night of Decree. For whoever encounters that night, work performed in it is better than a thousand months. Some of the learned have said, “Every night for one who knows God is like the Night of Decree.”
. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ : أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُلُّ يَوْمٍ لَا يُعْصَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِ فَهُوَ لَنَا عِيدٌ وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ إِذَا تَلَا قَوْلَهُ تَعَالَى : ( كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا هَنِيئًا بِمَا أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ ) ، الْحَاقَّةِ : 24 قَالَ :
. warawaynā ʿan ʿaliyyin raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu: ʾannahu qāla kullu yawmin lā yuʿṣā allāhu ʿazza wajalla fīhi fahuwa lanā ʿīdun wakāna al-ḥasanu ʾidhā talā qawlahu taʿālā: ( kulū washrabū hanīʾan bimā ʾaslaftum fī al-ʾayyāmi al-khāliyati ) , al-ḥāqqati: 24 qāla:
We have related from ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him, that he said, “Every day on which God, mighty and majestic is He, is not disobeyed is a festival for us.” When al-Ḥasan recited His saying, exalted is He, “Eat and drink with enjoyment for what you sent ahead in the days gone by” (al-Ḥāqqa 69:24), he would say:
يَا إِخْوَانِي هِيَ وَاللَّهِ أَيَّامُكُمْ هَذِهِ فَاقْطَعُوهَا بِالْجِدِّ وَالِاجْتِهَادِ وَلَا تُضَيِّعُوهَا فَخُلُوُّهَا فَرَاغًا مِنْ حُسْنِ الْمُعَامَلَةِ وَبَطَالَتُكَ فِيهَا عَنِ الشُّغْلِ بِمَعَادِكَ الْمَحْصُولِ عَلَيْكَ مِنْهَا ، كَمَا قَالَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ : يَا حَسْرَتَنَا عَلَى مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِيهَا يَعْنِي فِي
yā ʾikhwānī hiya wa-allāhi ʾayyāmukum hādhihi faqṭaʿūhā bi-al-jiddi wa-al-ijtihādi walā tuḍayyiʿūhā fakhuluwwuhā farāghan min ḥusni al-muʿāmalati wabaṭālatuka fīhā ʿani al-shughli bimaʿādika al-maḥṣūli ʿalayka minhā , kamā qāla al-mubṭilūna: yā ḥasratanā ʿalā mā farraṭnā fīhā yaʿnī fī
“My brothers, by God, these are your present days! Spend them in earnestness and striving, and do not waste them.” Their emptiness is their lack of good dealings, and your idleness in them consists in failing to concern yourself with the return that accrues to you from them. As those who devoted themselves to falsehood said, “Alas for us, for what we neglected in them,” meaning in
الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ الَّتِي هِيَ مَحْصُولُهُمْ وَمَرْجِعُهُمْ وَمَثْوَاهُمْ ، وَكَمَا قَالَتِ النَّفْسُ الْأَمَّارَةُ بِالسُّوءِ :
al-ʾayyāmi al-khāliyati allatī hiya maḥṣūluhum wamarjiʿuhum wamathwāhum , wakamā qālati al-nafsu al-ʾammāratu bi-al-sūʾi:
the days that have passed, which constitute their yield, their return, and their abiding place. Likewise the self that commands evil said:
يَا حَسْرَتَا عَلَى مَا
yā ḥasratā ʿalā mā
“Alas for me, for what
فَرَّطْتُ فِي جَنْبِ اللَّهِ يَعْنِي أَيَّامَ الدُّنْيَا الَّتِي ضَيَّعْتُ الْعُمْرَ فِيهَا فَخَلَتْ مِنَ الثَّوَابِ وَالْجَزَاءِ غَدًا ، وَهَذَا أَحَدُ الْوَجْهَيْنِ فِي قَوْلِهِ الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ ، وَالْوَجْهُ الْآخَرُ الْخَالِيَةُ أَيْ الْمَاضِيَةُ خَلَتْ أَوْقَاتُهَا وَخَلَدَتْ أَحْكَامُهَا وَذَهَبَتْ شَهَوَاتُهَا وَبَقِيَتْ
farraṭtu fī janbi allāhi yaʿnī ʾayyāma al-dunyā allatī ḍayyaʿtu al-ʿumra fīhā fakhalat mina al-thawābi wa-al-jazāʾi ghadan , wahādhā ʾaḥadu al-wajhayni fī qawlihi al-ʾayyāmi al-khāliyati , wa-al-wajhu al-ʾākharu al-khāliyatu ʾay al-māḍiyatu khalat ʾawqātuhā wakhaladat ʾaḥkāmuhā wadhahabat shahawātuhā wabaqiyat
I neglected in my duty toward God,” meaning the days of this world in which I wasted my life, leaving them empty of reward and recompense tomorrow. This is one of the two meanings of His phrase “the empty days.” The other meaning of “empty” is “past”: their times have passed, but their judgments endure; their pleasures have gone, while
عُقُوبَاتُهَا فَإِنْ قَصَرْتَ عَنْ هَذِهِ الْمُحَاسَبَةِ لِلْحَسِيبِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَكَ مَقَامُ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ لِلرَّقِيبِ وَلَا مَكَانُ الْمُحَاسَبَةِ لِلْحَبِيبِ فَلَا يَفُوتَنَّكَ مَقَامُ الْوَرِعِينَ وَلَا تَبِنْ عَنْ حَالِ التَّائِبِينَ وَهُوَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ لَكَ وِرْدَيْنِ فِي الْيَوْمِ وَاللَّيْلَةِ لِمُحَاسَبَةِ النَّفْسِ
ʿuqūbātuhā faʾin qaṣarta ʿan hādhihi al-muḥāsabati lilḥasībi walam yakun laka maqāmu al-murāqabati lilraqībi walā makānu al-muḥāsabati lilḥabībi falā yafūtannaka maqāmu al-wariʿīna walā tabin ʿan ḥāli al-tāʾibīna wahuwa ʾan tajʿala laka wirdayni fī al-yawmi wa-al-laylati limuḥāsabati al-nafsi
their penalties remain. If you fall short of this self-examination before the Reckoner, and you have neither the station of watchfulness before the Watchful nor the standing of self-examination before the Beloved, then do not miss the station of the scrupulous or depart from the state of the repentant. Set yourself two regular periods during the day and night for examining the self
وَمُوَافَقَتِهَا مَرَّةً بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الضُّحَى لِمَا مَضَى مِنْ لَيْلَتِكَ وَمَا سَلَفَ مِنْ غَفْلَتِكَ ، فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ نِعْمَةً شَكَرْتَ اللَّهَ وَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ بَلِيَّةً اسْتَغْفَرْتَ فَإِنْ وَجَدْتَ فِي حَالِكَ أَوْصَافَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّتِي وَصَفَهُمُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَدَحَهُمْ عَلَيْهَا رَجَوْتَ وَطَمِعْتَ وَاسْتَبْشَرْتَ ،
wamuwāfaqatihā marratan baʿda ṣalāti al-ḍuḥā limā maḍā min laylatika wamā salafa min ghaflatika , faʾin raʾayta niʿmatan shakarta allāha waʾin raʾayta baliyyatan istaghfarta faʾin wajadta fī ḥālika ʾawṣāfa al-muʾminīna allatī waṣafahumu allāhu ʿazza wajalla wamadaḥahum ʿalayhā rajawta waṭamiʿta wastabsharta ,
and bringing it into accord: once after the forenoon prayer, concerning the night that has passed and your earlier heedlessness. If you see a blessing, thank God; if you see an affliction, seek forgiveness. If you find in your condition the attributes of believers with which God, mighty and majestic is He, described them and for which He praised them, then hope, aspire, and rejoice.
وَإِنْ وَجَدْتَ مِنْ قَلْبِكَ وَحَالِكَ وَصْفًا مِنْ أَوْصَافِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ أَوْ خُلُقًا مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الْجَاهِلِينَ الَّتِي ذَمَّهُمُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهَا وَمَقَتَهُمْ عَلَيْهَا حَزِنْتَ وَأَشْفَقْتَ وَتُبْتَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَاسْتَغْفَرْتَ ، وَالْمَرَّةُ الثَّانِيَةُ أَنْ تُحَاسِبَ نَفْسَكَ بَعْدَ الْوِتْرِ وَقَبْلَ النَّوْمِ لِمَا مَضَىٰ
waʾin wajadta min qalbika waḥālika waṣfan min ʾawṣāfi al-munāfiqīna ʾaw khuluqan min ʾakhlāqi al-jāhilīna allatī dhammahumu allāhu ʿazza wajalla bihā wamaqatahum ʿalayhā ḥazinta waʾashfaqta watubta min dhālika wastaghfarta , wa-al-marratu al-thāniyatu ʾan tuḥāsiba nafsaka baʿda al-witri waqabla al-nawmi limā maḍā
If you find in your heart and your condition one of the attributes of the hypocrites or one of the traits of the ignorant for which God, mighty and majestic is He, censured and detested them, then grieve, feel apprehension, repent of it, and seek forgiveness. The second occasion is to examine your self after the witr prayer and before sleep concerning what has passed
مِنْ يَوْمِكَ مِنْ طُولِ غَفْلَتِكَ وَسُوءِ مُعَامَلَتِكَ وَمَا فَعَلْتَهُ مِنْ أَعْمَالِكَ كَيْفَ فَعَلْتَهَا وَمَا تَرَكْتَهُ مِنْ سُكُوتِكَ وَصَمْتِكَ لِمَ تَرَكْتَهُ وَلِمَنْ تَرَكْتَهُ فَتَنْعَقِدَ الزِّيَادَةُ وَالنُّقْصَانُ وَتَعْرِفَ بِذَلِكَ التَّكَلُّفَ وَالْإِخْلَاصَ مِنْ حَرَكَتِكَ وَسُكُونِكَ فَمَا تَحَرَّكْتَ فِيهِ وَسَكَنْتَ لِأَجْلِ
min yawmika min ṭūli ghaflatika wasūʾi muʿāmalatika wamā faʿaltahu min ʾaʿmālika kayfa faʿaltahā wamā taraktahu min sukūtika waṣamtika lima taraktahu waliman taraktahu fatanʿaqida al-ziyādatu wa-al-nuqṣānu wataʿrifa bidhālika al-takallufa wa-al-ʾikhlāṣa min ḥarakatika wasukūnika famā taḥarrakta fīhi wasakanta liʾajli
during your day: your prolonged heedlessness, your poor dealings, the actions you performed and how you performed them, and the silence and restraint in speech you abandoned, why you abandoned them, and for whose sake. Then increase and decrease become established, and through this you recognize affected effort and sincerity in your movement and stillness. Whatever you moved or remained still in for the sake of
اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ فَهُوَ الْإِخْلَاصُ ثَوَابُكَ فِيهِ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِنْدَ مَرْجِعِكَ إِلَيْهِ فَاعْمَلْ فِي الشُّكْرِ عَلَى نِعْمَةِ التَّوْفِيقِ وَحُسْنِ الْعِصْمَةِ مِنَ التَّهْلُكَةِ وَمَا سَكَنْتَ فِيهِ أَوْ تَحَرَّكْتَ لِهَوَاكَ وَعَاجِلِ دُنْيَاكَ فَهُوَ التَّكَلُّفُ ،
allāhi ʿazza wajalla bihi fahuwa al-ʾikhlāṣu thawābuka fīhi ʿalā allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʿinda marjiʿika ʾilayhi faʿmal fī al-shukri ʿalā niʿmati al-tawfīqi waḥusni al-ʿiṣmati mina al-tahlukati wamā sakanta fīhi ʾaw taḥarrakta lihawāka waʿājili dunyāka fahuwa al-takallufu ,
God, mighty and majestic is He, through Him, is sincerity. Your reward for it rests with God, mighty and majestic is He, when you return to Him. Apply yourself to thanking Him for the blessing of divine assistance and His gracious protection from ruin. Whatever you remained still or moved in for your own desire and immediate worldly gain is affected effort,
الَّذِي أَخْبَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ هُوَ وَالْأَتْقِيَاءُ مِنْ أُمَّتِهِ بُرَآءُ مِنَ التَّكَلُّفِ وَقَدِ اسْتَوْجَبْتَ فِيهِ الْعِقَابَ عِنْدَ نَشْرِ الْحِسَابِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَغْفِرَ الْمَوْلَى الْكَرِيمُ الْوَهَّابُ فَاعْمَلْ حِينَئِذٍ فِي الِاسْتِغْفَارِ بَعْدَ حُسْنِ التَّوْبَةِ وَجَمِيلِ
alladhī ʾakhbara rasūlu allāhi ṣallā allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu huwa wa-al-ʾatqiyāʾu min ʾummatihi buraʾāʾu mina al-takallufi waqadi istawjabta fīhi al-ʿiqāba ʿinda nashri al-ḥisābi ʾillā ʾan yaghfira al-mawlā al-karīmu al-wahhābu faʿmal ḥīnaʾidhin fī al-istighfāri baʿda ḥusni al-tawbati wajamīli
the affectation of which the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, declared himself and the God-fearing of his community to be free. Through it you have deserved punishment when the account is laid open, unless the generous Master, the Bestower, forgives. Then apply yourself to seeking forgiveness after sincere repentance and a gracious
الِاعْتِذَارِ وَخَفْ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ وَكَلَكَ إِلَى نَفْسِكَ فَتَهْلِكَ ، فَلَعَلَّ مُشَاهَدَةَ هَذَيْنِ الْمَعْنَيَيْنِ مِنْ خَوْفِ مَا سَلَفَ مِنْكَ وَالطَّمَعِ فِي قَبُولِ مَا أَسْلَفْتَ يَمْنَعُكَ مِنَ الْمَنَامِ وَيَطْرُدُ عَنْكَ الْغَفْلَةَ فَتُحْيِيَ لَيْلَتَكَ بِالْقِيَامِ فَتَكُونَ مِمَّنْ وَصَفَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي قَوْلِهِ :
al-iʿtidhāri wakhaf ʾan yakūna qad wakalaka ʾilā nafsika fatahlika , falaʿalla mushāhadata hādhayni al-maʿnayayni min khawfi mā salafa minka wa-al-ṭamaʿi fī qabūli mā ʾaslafta yamnaʿuka mina al-manāmi wayaṭrudu ʿanka al-ghaflata fatuḥyiya laylataka bi-al-qiyāmi fatakūna mimman waṣafa allāhu ʿazza wajalla fī qawlihi:
acknowledgment of fault. Fear that He may have left you to your own self, so that you perish. Perhaps witnessing these two things, fear concerning what you have previously done and hope that what you have sent ahead will be accepted, will prevent you from sleeping and drive heedlessness away. You will then give life to your night by standing in prayer and be among those whom God, mighty and majestic is He, described in His saying:
( تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا ) السَّجْدَةِ : 16 قَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ : كَانَ أَحَدُهُمْ يُحَاسِبُ نَفْسَهُ أَشَدَّ مِنْ مُحَاسَبَةِ الشَّرِيكِ لِشَرِيكِهِ ، وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ : مِنْ عَلَامَةِ الْمَقْتِ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ ذَاكِرًا لِعُيُوبِ غَيْرِهِ
( tatajāfā junūbuhum ʿani al-maḍājiʿi yadʿūna rabbahum khawfan waṭamaʿan ) al-sajdati: 16 qad qāla baʿḍu al-salafi: kāna ʾaḥaduhum yuḥāsibu nafsahu ʾashadda min muḥāsabati al-sharīki lisharīkihi , waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: min ʿalāmati al-maqti ʾan yakūna al-ʿabdu dhākiran liʿuyūbi ghayrihi
“Their sides draw away from their beds as they call upon their Lord in fear and hope” (al-Sajda 32:16). One of the early generations said, “Each of them used to call himself to account more strictly than one partner calls another to account.” One of the learned said, “A sign of divine loathing is that the servant remembers the faults of others
نَاسِيًا لِعُيُوبِ نَفْسِهِ مَاقِتًا لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى الظَّنِّ مُحِبًّا لِنَفْسِهِ عَلَى الْيَقِينِ وَتَرْكُ مُحَاسَبَةِ النَّفْسِ وَمُرَاقَبَةِ الرَّقِيبِ مِنْ طُولِ الْغَفْلَةِ عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالْغَافِلُونَ فِي الدُّنْيَا هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ فِي الْعُقْبَىٰ لِأَنَّ الْعَاقِبَةَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ :
nāsiyan liʿuyūbi nafsihi māqitan lilnāsi ʿalā al-ẓanni muḥibban linafsihi ʿalā al-yaqīni watarku muḥāsabati al-nafsi wamurāqabati al-raqībi min ṭūli al-ghaflati ʿani allāhi ʿazza wajalla wa-al-ghāfilūna fī al-dunyā humu al-khāsirūna fī al-ʿuqbā liʾanna al-ʿāqibata lilmuttaqīna qāla allāhu ʿazza wajalla:
while forgetting his own faults, loathing people on the basis of suspicion while loving himself despite certain knowledge.” Abandoning self-examination and watchfulness before the Watchful arises from prolonged heedlessness of God, mighty and majestic is He. Those heedless in this world are the losers in the world to come, for the final outcome belongs to the God-fearing. God, mighty and majestic is He, said:
( وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ ) النَّحْلِ : 108 لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ وَطُولُ الْغَفْلَةِ مِنَ الْعَبْدِ عَنْ طَابِعِ الْقَلْبِ مِنَ الْمَعْبُودِ وَالْغَفْلَةُ فِي الظَّاهِرِ غِلَافُ الْقَلْبِ فِي الْبَاطِنِ ، تَقُولُ الْعَرَبُ غَفْلَهُ وَغَلَفَهُ بِمَعْنًى كَمَا تَقُولُ جَذَبَ وَجَبَذَ
( waʾūlāʾika humu al-ghāfilūna ) al-naḥli: 108 lā jarama ʾannahum fī al-ʾākhirati humu al-khāsirūna waṭūlu al-ghaflati mina al-ʿabdi ʿan ṭābiʿi al-qalbi mina al-maʿbūdi wa-al-ghaflatu fī al-ẓāhiri ghilāfu al-qalbi fī al-bāṭini , taqūlu al-ʿarabu ghaflahu waghalafahu bimaʿnan kamā taqūlu jadhaba wajabadha
“Those are the heedless” (al-Naḥl 16:108). “Without doubt, in the Hereafter they are the losers.” A servant’s prolonged heedlessness comes from the Worshipped One’s sealing of the heart. Heedlessness outwardly is the heart’s covering inwardly. The Arabs use ghafalahu and ghalafahu in the same sense, just as they say jadhaba and jabadha,
وَخُشَاشَ وَخُفَّاشَ وَطَابِعُ الْقَلْبِ عَنْ تَرَادُفِ الذَّنْبِ
wakhushāsha wakhuffāsha waṭābiʿu al-qalbi ʿan tarādufi al-dhanbi
and khushāsh and khuffāsh. The heart’s seal results from sin following sin,
بَعْضِهِ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ وَهُوَ الرَّانُ الَّذِي يَتَعَقَّبُ الْكَسْبَ فَيَكُونُ عُقُوبَةً لَهُ . قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : ( كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ) الْمُطَفِّفِينَ : 14 ، قِيلَ : الْمَكَاسِبُ الْخَبِيثَةُ وَأَكْلُ الْحَرَامِ ، وَفِي التَّفْسِيرِ :
baʿḍihi fawqa baʿḍin wahuwa al-rānu alladhī yataʿaqqabu al-kasba fayakūnu ʿuqūbatan lahu. qāla allāhu taʿālā: ( kallā bal rāna ʿalā qulūbihim mā kānū yaksibūna ) al-muṭaffifīna: 14 , qīla: al-makāsibu al-khabīthatu waʾaklu al-ḥarāmi , wafī al-tafsīri:
one above another. This is the coating of rust that follows what one earns, becoming its punishment. God, exalted is He, said, “No indeed! What they used to earn has coated their hearts with rust” (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:14). It was said, “Impure earnings and consuming what is forbidden.” In the commentary:
هُوَ الذَّنْبُ عَلَى الذَّنْبِ حَتَّى يَسْوَدَّ الْقَلْبُ ، وَأَصْلُ الرَّيْنِ الْمَيْلُ وَالْغَلَبَةُ وَهُوَ التَّغْطِيَةُ أَيْضًا ، يُقَالُ : رَانَ عَلَيْهِ النُّعَاسُ إِذَا غَلَبَهُ وَرَانَتِ الْخَمْرُ عَلَى عَقْلِهِ أَيْ غَطَّتْهُ ، وَمِنْ هَذَا قَوْلُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي سَابِقِ الْحَاجِّ فَادَّانَ مُعْرِضًا فَأَصْبَحَ
huwa al-dhanbu ʿalā al-dhanbi ḥattā yaswadda al-qalbu , waʾaṣlu al-rayni al-maylu wa-al-ghalabatu wahuwa al-taghṭiyatu ʾayḍan , yuqālu: rāna ʿalayhi al-nuʿāsu ʾidhā ghalabahu warānati al-khamru ʿalā ʿaqlihi ʾay ghaṭṭathu , wamin hādhā qawlu ʿumara raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu fī sābiqi al-ḥājji faddāna muʿriḍan faʾaṣbaḥa
“It is sin upon sin until the heart turns black.” The root sense of rayn is inclining and overpowering; it also means covering. One says, “Drowsiness rāna over him” when it overcomes him, and “Wine rānat over his reason,” meaning that it covered it. From this comes ʿUmar’s saying, may God be pleased with him, about the man who raced ahead of the pilgrims: “He incurred debts indiscriminately, and by morning
وَقَدْ رِينَ بِهِ أَيْ مَالَ بِهِ الدَّيْنُ فَغَلَبَهُ ، وَأَصْلُ تَرَادُفِ الذُّنُوبِ مِنْ إِغْفَالِ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ وَإِهْمَالِ الْمُحَاسَبَةِ وَتَأْخِيرِ التَّوْبَةِ وَالتَّسْوِيفِ بِالِاسْتِقَامَةِ وَتَرْكِ الِاسْتِغْفَارِ وَالنَّدَمِ ، وَأَصْلُ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ هُوَ حُبُّ الدُّنْيَا وَإِيثَارُهَا عَلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
waqad rīna bihi ʾay māla bihi al-daynu faghalabahu , waʾaṣlu tarādufi al-dhunūbi min ʾighfāli al-murāqabati waʾihmāli al-muḥāsabati wataʾkhīri al-tawbati wa-al-taswīfi bi-al-istiqāmati watarki al-istighfāri wa-al-nadami , waʾaṣlu dhālika kullihi huwa ḥubbu al-dunyā waʾīthāruhā ʿalā ʾamri allāhi ʿazza wajalla
he had been overwhelmed,” meaning that debt weighed him down and overpowered him. The accumulation of sins begins with neglecting watchfulness, abandoning self-examination, delaying repentance, putting off uprightness, and forsaking requests for forgiveness and remorse. The root of all of this is love of this world, preferring it over the command of God, mighty and majestic is He,
وَغَلَبَةُ الْهَوَى عَلَى الْقَلْبِ ، أَلَمْ نَسْمَعْ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ اسْتَحَبُّوا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الْآخِرَةِ ) النَّحْلِ : 107 إِلَى قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ ) النَّحْلِ : 108 وَقَالَ فِي دَلِيلِ الْخِطَابِ :
waghalabatu al-hawā ʿalā al-qalbi , ʾalam nasmaʿ ʾilā qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ( dhālika biʾannahumu istaḥabbū al-ḥayāta al-dunyā ʿalā al-ʾākhirati ) al-naḥli: 107 ʾilā qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ( ʾūlāʾika alladhīna ṭabaʿa allāhu ʿalā qulūbihim ) al-naḥli: 108 waqāla fī dalīli al-khiṭābi:
and desire’s domination of the heart. Have we not heard His saying, mighty and majestic is He, “That is because they preferred the life of this world to the Hereafter” (al-Naḥl 16:107), down to His saying, mighty and majestic is He, “Those are the ones upon whose hearts God has set a seal” (al-Naḥl 16:108)? And He said, by the implication of the discourse:
( وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى ) النَّازِعَاتِ : 40 يَعْنِي عَنْ إِيثَارِ الدُّنْيَا لِأَنَّ صَرِيحَ الْكَلَامِ وَقَعَ فِي وَصْفِهِمْ بِالطُّغْيَانِ وَإِيثَارِ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : ( طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاتَّبَعُوا أَهْوَاءَهُمْ ) مُحَمَّدٍ : 16 ،
( wanahā al-nafsa ʿani al-hawā ) al-nāziʿāti: 40 yaʿnī ʿan ʾīthāri al-dunyā liʾanna ṣarīḥa al-kalāmi waqaʿa fī waṣfihim bi-al-ṭughyāni waʾīthāri al-ḥayāti al-dunyā , thumma qāla: ( ṭabaʿa allāhu ʿalā qulūbihim wattabaʿū ʾahwāʾahum ) muḥammadin: 16 ,
“And restrained the self from desire” (al-Nāziʿāt 79:40), meaning from preferring this world, because the explicit wording describes them as transgressing and preferring the life of this world. Then He said, “God has set a seal upon their hearts, and they have followed their desires” (Muḥammad 47:16).
فَاتِّبَاعُ الْهَوَى عَنْ طَابِعِ الْقَلْبِ وَطَابِعُ الْقَلْبِ عَنْ عُقُوبَةِ الذَّنْبِ وَمِيرَاثُ الْعِقَابِ الصَّمَمُ عَنْ فَهْمِ الْخِطَابِ ، أَمَا سَمِعْتَهُ يَقُولُ : لَوْ نَشَاءُ أَصَبْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ وَقَدْ جَعَلَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ الْغَفْلَةَ مَقَامًا
fattibāʿu al-hawā ʿan ṭābiʿi al-qalbi waṭābiʿu al-qalbi ʿan ʿuqūbati al-dhanbi wamīrāthu al-ʿiqābi al-ṣamamu ʿan fahmi al-khiṭābi , ʾamā samiʿtahu yaqūlu: law nashāʾu ʾaṣabnāhum bidhunūbihim wanaṭbaʿu ʿalā qulūbihim fahum lā yasmaʿūna waqad jaʿala ʿaliyyun raḍiya allāhu ʿanhu al-ghaflata maqāman
Following desire thus arises from the heart’s seal, and the heart’s seal arises as punishment for sin. The legacy of punishment is deafness to understanding the divine address. Have you not heard Him say, “If We willed, We would afflict them for their sins and set a seal upon their hearts, so that they do not hear”? ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him, made heedlessness one
مِنْ مَقَامَاتِ الْكُفْرِ فَقَالَ فِي حَدِيثِهِ الطَّوِيلِ : فَقَامَ إِلَيْهِ سَلْمَانُ فَقَالَ : أَخْبِرْنَا عَنِ الْكُفْرِ عَلَى مَا بُنِيَ فَقَالَ : عَلَى أَرْبَعِ مَقَامَاتٍ : عَلَى الشَّكِّ ، وَالْجَفَاءِ ، وَالْغَفْلَةِ ، وَالْعَمَى ، فَإِذَا كَثُرَتْ غَفْلَةُ الْقَلْبِ قَلَّ إِلْهَامُ الْمَلَكِ لِلْعَبْدِ وَهُوَ سَمْعُ
min maqāmāti al-kufri faqāla fī ḥadīthihi al-ṭawīli: faqāma ʾilayhi salmānu faqāla: ʾakhbirnā ʿani al-kufri ʿalā mā buniya faqāla: ʿalā ʾarbaʿi maqāmātin: ʿalā al-shakki , wa-al-jafāʾi , wa-al-ghaflati , wa-al-ʿamā , faʾidhā kathurat ghaflatu al-qalbi qalla ʾilhāmu al-malaki lilʿabdi wahuwa samʿu
of the stations of unbelief. In his long report he said: Salmān rose toward him and said, “Tell us: on what is unbelief built?” He replied, “On four stations: doubt, estrangement, heedlessness, and blindness.” When the heart’s heedlessness increases, the angel’s inspiration to the servant diminishes. This is the hearing of
الْقَلْبِ لِأَنَّ طُولَ الْغَفْلَةِ يُصِمُّهُ عَنِ السَّمْعِ وَعَدَمُ سَمْعِ الْكَلَامِ مِنَ الْمَلَكِ عُقُوبَةُ الْخَطَايَا وَتَثْبِيتُ الْمَلَكِ لِلْعَبْدِ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ وَالطَّاعَةِ وَحْيٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَيْهِمْ وَتَفْضِيلٌ لِلْعَبْدِ ، أَمَا سَمِعْتَ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ :
al-qalbi liʾanna ṭūla al-ghaflati yuṣimmuhu ʿani al-samʿi waʿadamu samʿi al-kalāmi mina al-malaki ʿuqūbatu al-khaṭāyā watathbītu al-malaki lilʿabdi ʿalā al-khayri wa-al-ṭāʿati waḥyun mina allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾilayhim watafḍīlun lilʿabdi , ʾamā samiʿta qawla allāhi ʿazza wajalla:
the heart, for prolonged heedlessness makes it deaf to hearing. Not hearing the angel’s speech is the punishment for sins. The angel’s strengthening of the servant in goodness and obedience is an inspiration from God, mighty and majestic is He, to the angels and a special favor to the servant. Have you not heard the saying of God, mighty and majestic is He:
( إِذْ يُوحِي رَبُّكَ إِلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَنِّي مَعَكُمْ فَثَبِّتُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ) الْأَنْفَالِ : 12 ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ : إِنَّ آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حُجِبَ عَنْ سَمْعِ كَلَامِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَاسْتَوْحَشَ بِذَلِكَ فَقَالَ : يَا رَبِّ مَا لِي لَا أَسْمَعُ كَلَامَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ ؟ فَقَالَ :
( ʾidh yūḥī rabbuka ʾilā al-malāʾikati ʾannī maʿakum fathabbitū alladhīna ʾāmanū ) al-ʾanfāli: 12 , wafī al-khabari: ʾinna ʾādama ʿalayhi al-salāmu ḥujiba ʿan samʿi kalāmi al-malāʾikati fastawḥasha bidhālika faqāla: yā rabbi mā lī lā ʾasmaʿu kalāma al-malāʾikati ? faqāla:
“When your Lord inspired the angels, ‘I am with you, so strengthen those who believe’” (al-Anfāl 8:12)? In a report: Adam, peace be upon him, was veiled from hearing the angels’ speech and felt lonely because of it. He said, “My Lord, why do I not hear the angels’ speech?” He replied:
خَطِيئَتُكَ يَا آدَمُ ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يَسْمَعِ الْعَبْدُ كَلَامَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ لَمْ يَفْهَمْ كَلَامَ الْمَلِكِ ، وَإِذَا لَمْ يَسْمَعِ الْكَلَامَ لَمْ يَسْتَجِبْ لِلْمُتَكَلِّمِ إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ ، وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ : إِنَّ بَيْنَ الْعَبْدِ وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حَدًّا مَحْدُودًا مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ فَإِذَا
khaṭīʾatuka yā ʾādamu , faʾidhā lam yasmaʿi al-ʿabdu kalāma al-malāʾikati lam yafham kalāma al-maliki , waʾidhā lam yasmaʿi al-kalāma lam yastajib lilmutakallimi ʾinnamā yastajību alladhīna yasmaʿūna , waqāla al-ḥasanu: ʾinna bayna al-ʿabdi wabayna allāhi ʿazza wajalla ḥaddan maḥdūdan mina al-dhunūbi faʾidhā
“Your sin, Adam.” If the servant does not hear the angels’ speech, he does not understand the King’s speech. If he does not hear the speech, he does not respond to the Speaker: “Only those who hear respond.” Al-Ḥasan said, “Between the servant and God, mighty and majestic is He, there is a defined limit of sins. When
بَلَغَهُ الْعَبْدُ طَبَعَ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ فَلَمْ يُوَفِّقْهُ لِلْخَيْرِ أَبَدًا فَبَادِرْ أَيُّهَا الْمُجَاوِزُ لِلْحُدُودِ بِالتَّوْبَةِ وَالرُّجُوعِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَبْلُغَ الْحَدَّ فَتَلْقَى عِيًّا وَجَهْدًا ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ الطَّابِعُ مُعَلَّقٌ بِقَائِمِ عَرْشِ الرَّحْمَنِ فَإِذَا انْتُهِكَتِ الْمَحَارِمُ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
balaghahu al-ʿabdu ṭabaʿa ʿalā qalbihi falam yuwaffiqhu lilkhayri ʾabadan fabādir ʾayyuhā al-mujāwizu lilḥudūdi bi-al-tawbati wa-al-rujūʿi qabla ʾan tablugha al-ḥadda fatalqā ʿiyyan wajahdan , wafī ḥadīthi ibni ʿumara al-ṭābiʿu muʿallaqun biqāʾimi ʿarshi al-raḥmāni faʾidhā intuhikati al-maḥārimu baʿatha allāhu ʿazza wajalla
the servant reaches it, He seals his heart and never again grants him success in goodness.” Hasten, then, you who overstep the limits, to repentance and return, before you reach that limit and encounter helplessness and hardship. In a report from Ibn ʿUmar: “The seal hangs from a support of the All-Merciful’s Throne. When sacred prohibitions are violated, God, mighty and majestic is He, sends
بِالطَّابِعِ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ فَأَعْمَاهَا وَهَذَا هُوَ الْقُفْلُ الَّذِي قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ ) النِّسَاءِ :
bi-al-ṭābiʿi ʿalā al-qulūbi faʾaʿmāhā wahādhā huwa al-quflu alladhī qāla allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ( ʾafalā yatadabbarūna al-qurʾāna ) al-nisāʾi:
the seal upon the hearts and blinds them.” This is the lock of which God, mighty and majestic is He, said, “Do they not contemplate the Qurʾān?” (al-Nisāʾ
82 أَمْ عَلَى قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا
82 ʾam ʿalā qulūbin ʾaqfāluhā
4:82), “Or are there locks upon hearts?”
وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْقَسْوَةَ الَّتِي يُهَدِّدُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهَا بِالْوَيْلِ الْمُتَوَلِّدَةَ مِنْ طُولِ الْغَفْلَةِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ( فَوَيْلٌ لِلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ) الزُّمَرِ : 22 وَقَدْ قَرَنَهَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِالنِّفَاقِ وَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُ يَجْعَلُ إِلْقَاءَ الشَّيْطَانِ فِتْنَةً لِأَهْلِ
waʿlam ʾanna al-qaswata allatī yuhaddidu allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿalayhā bi-al-wayli al-mutawallidata min ṭūli al-ghaflati fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla ( fawaylun lilqāsiyati qulūbuhum min dhikri allāhi ) al-zumari: 22 waqad qaranahā allāhu ʿazza wajalla bi-al-nifāqi waʾakhbara ʾannahu yajʿalu ʾilqāʾa al-shayṭāni fitnatan liʾahli
Know that the hardness against which God, mighty and majestic is He, threatens woe, arising from prolonged heedlessness, is mentioned in His saying, mighty and majestic is He, “Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against God’s remembrance” (al-Zumar 39:22). God, mighty and majestic is He, has coupled it with hypocrisy and declared that He makes Satan’s casting a trial for the people of
النِّفَاقِ وَالْقَسْوَةِ ، فَإِلْقَاءُ الشَّيْطَانِ يَكْثُرُ عِنْدَ قِلَّةِ إِلْهَامِ الْمَلَكِ كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا آنِفًا يَنْتَظِمُ ذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : ( لِيَجْعَلَ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ فِتْنَةً لِلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ ) الْحَجِّ : 53 أَيْ وَلِلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ أَيْضًا ،
al-nifāqi wa-al-qaswati , faʾilqāʾu al-shayṭāni yakthuru ʿinda qillati ʾilhāmi al-malaki kamā dhakarnā ʾānifan yantaẓimu dhālika qawluhu ʿazza wajalla: ( liyajʿala mā yulqī al-shayṭānu fitnatan lilladhīna fī qulūbihim maraḍun ) al-ḥajji: 53 ʾay walilqāsiyati qulūbuhum ʾayḍan ,
hypocrisy and hardness. Satan’s casting increases when the angel’s inspiration diminishes, as we mentioned just now. This is encompassed by His saying, mighty and majestic is He, “So that He may make what Satan casts a trial for those in whose hearts is sickness” (al-Ḥajj 22:53), meaning also those whose hearts are hardened.
وَالْقَسْوَةُ ثَمَرَةُ الْبُعْدِ وَالْبُعْدُ عُقُوبَةُ الْخِيَانَةِ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْخَائِنِينَ ، فَذَلِكَ مِنْ تَدَبُّرِ الْخِطَابِ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ : ( فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِمْ مِيثَاقَهُمْ ) الْمَائِدَةِ : 13 أَيْ فَبِنَقْضِهِمُ الْمِيثَاقَ وَمَا صِلَةٌ فِي الْكَلَامِ فَهَذَا هُوَ الْخِيَانَةُ ،
wa-al-qaswatu thamaratu al-buʿdi wa-al-buʿdu ʿuqūbatu al-khiyānati wa-allāhu lā yuḥibbu al-khāʾinīna , fadhālika min tadabburi al-khiṭābi min qawlihi: ( fabimā naqḍihim mīthāqahum ) al-māʾidati: 13 ʾay fabinaqḍihimu al-mīthāqa wamā ṣilatun fī al-kalāmi fahādhā huwa al-khiyānatu ,
Hardness is the fruit of distance, and distance is the punishment for betrayal; God does not love the treacherous. This follows from contemplating the address in His saying, “Because of their breaking their covenant” (al-Māʾida 5:13), meaning “because they broke the covenant”; mā is a connective element in the wording. This is the betrayal.
لَعَنَّاهُمْ أَيْ أَبْعَدْنَاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً بِتَرَادُفِ الذُّنُوبِ بَعْدَ الْقَسْوَةِ مِنَ الْكَذِبِ وَالنِّسْيَانِ وَكَثْرَةِ الِاطِّلَاعِ عَلَى الْخِيَانَةِ مِنْهُمْ وَالْبُهْتَانِ فَأُصِيبُوا بِالذُّنُوبِ فَوَقَعَ الطَّابِعُ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ فَصَمَّتْ عَنْ سَمْعِ كَلَامِ الْمَحْبُوبِ ، كَمَا قَالَ :
laʿannāhum ʾay ʾabʿadnāhum wajaʿalnā qulūbahum qāsiyatan bitarādufi al-dhunūbi baʿda al-qaswati mina al-kadhibi wa-al-nisyāni wakathrati al-iṭṭilāʿi ʿalā al-khiyānati minhum wa-al-buhtāni faʾuṣībū bi-al-dhunūbi fawaqaʿa al-ṭābiʿu ʿalā al-qulūbi faṣammat ʿan samʿi kalāmi al-maḥbūbi , kamā qāla:
“We cursed them,” meaning “We distanced them,” “and made their hearts hard,” through sins accumulating after hardness: lying, forgetfulness, repeated discovery of betrayal among them, and slander. They were afflicted because of their sins, and the seal fell upon their hearts, which became deaf to hearing the Beloved’s speech. As He said:
( أَصَبْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ ) الْأَعْرَافِ : 100 ، فَجَلَاءُ هَذَا الطَّابِعِ التَّقْوَى فَهُوَ مِفْتَاحُ السَّمْعِ كَمَا قَالَ : اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْمَعُوا وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْمُوَفِّقُ .
( ʾaṣabnāhum bidhunūbihim wanaṭbaʿu ʿalā qulūbihim ) al-ʾaʿrāfi: 100 , fajalāʾu hādhā al-ṭābiʿi al-taqwā fahuwa miftāḥu al-samʿi kamā qāla: ittaqū allāha wasmaʿū wa-allāhu taʿālā al-muwaffiqu.
“We afflict them for their sins and set a seal upon their hearts” (al-Aʿrāf 7:100). Reverent fear clears away this seal; it is the key to hearing, as He said, “Be mindful of God and listen.” God, exalted is He, is the One who grants success.
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