Qut al Quloob Chapters 40-43 by Abu Ṭalib al-Makki

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 40–43

آدَابُ الْأَكْلِ وَالْفَقْرُ وَالسَّفَرُ وَالْإِمَامَةُ

ʾĀdābu al-ʾakli wa-al-faqru wa-al-safaru wa-al-ʾimāmatu

Manners of Eating, Poverty, Travel, and Leading Prayer

أَبُو طَالِبٍ الْمَكِّيُّ

Abu Ṭalib al-Makki

الْفَصْلُ الْأَرْبَعُونَ فِيهِ كِتَابُ الْأَطْعِمَةِ وَذِكْرُ مَا يَجْمَعُ الْأَكْلُ مِنَ السُّنَنِ وَالْآدَابِ وَمَا يَشْتَمِلُ عَلَى الطَّعَامِ مِنَ الْكَرَاهَةِ وَالِاسْتِحْبَابِ

al-faṣlu al-ʾarbaʿūna fīhi kitābu al-ʾaṭʿimati wadhikru mā yajmaʿu al-ʾaklu mina al-sunani wa-al-ʾādābi wamā yashtamilu ʿalā al-ṭaʿāmi mina al-karāhati wa-al-istiḥbābi

Chapter Forty: The Book of Foods; the practices and manners gathered in eating, and what is disapproved or recommended concerning food

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٢٩٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 299

Volume Two, page 299

قَالَ اللَّهُ الْجَلِيلُ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ: (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا اللَّهَ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 172. فَقَدَّمَ الْأَمْرَ بِالْأَكْلِ عَلَى الْأَمْرِ بِالشُّكْرِ. وَقَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ: (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ) النِّسَاءُ: 29. فَقَدَّمَ النَّهْيَ عَنِ الْأَكْلِ لِلْحَرَامِ عَلَى الْقَتْلِ لِلنَّفْسِ، تَفْضِيلًا لِلْأَكْلِ الْحَلَالِ وَتَعْظِيمًا لِلْأَكْلِ بِالْبَاطِلِ.

qāla Allāhu al-jalīlu jalla jalāluhu: (yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū kulū min ṭayyibāti mā razaqnākum wa-ushkurū Allāha) al-baqaratu: 172. faqaddama al-ʾamra bi-al-ʾakli ʿalā al-ʾamri bi-al-shukri. waqāla subḥānahu: (yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū lā taʾkulū ʾamwālakum baynakum bi-al-bāṭili) al-nisāʾu: 29. faqaddama al-nahya ʿani al-ʾakli li-l-ḥarāmi ʿalā al-qatli li-l-nafsi, tafḍīlan li-l-ʾakli al-ḥalāli wataʿẓīman li-l-ʾakli bi-al-bāṭili.

God, the Majestic, majestic is His majesty, said: “You who believe, eat of the good things We have provided you, and give thanks to God” (al-Baqara 2:172). He placed the command to eat before the command to give thanks. He also said, glorified is He: “You who believe, do not consume one another’s wealth wrongfully” (al-Nisāʾ 4:29). He placed the prohibition against consuming what is unlawful before that against taking life, emphasizing the excellence of lawful eating and the gravity of wrongful consumption.

وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيُؤْجَرُ حَتَّى فِي اللُّقْمَةِ يَرْفَعُهَا إِلَى فِيهِ أَوْ إِلَى فِي امْرَأَتِهِ. وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَا أَطْعَمَ الْمُسْلِمُ نَفْسَهُ وَأَهْلَ بَيْتِهِ فَهُوَ صَدَقَةٌ لَهُ. وَسُئِلَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الْإِيمَانُ؟ فَقَالَ: إِطْعَامُ الطَّعَامِ وَبَذْلُ السَّلَامِ. وَقَالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي الْكَفَّارَاتِ وَالدَّرَجَاتِ: إِطْعَامُ الطَّعَامِ وَالصَّلَاةُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ.

waqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinna al-rajula layuʾjaru ḥattā fī al-luqmati yarfaʿuhā ʾilā fīhi ʾaw ʾilā fī imraʾatihi. waruwiya ʿanhu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: mā ʾaṭʿama al-muslimu nafsahu waʾahla baytihi fahuwa ṣadaqatun lahu. wasuʾila ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: al-ʾīmānu? faqāla: ʾiṭʿāmu al-ṭaʿāmi wabadhlu al-salāmi. waqāla ʿalayhi al-salāmu fī al-kaffārāti wa-al-darajāti: ʾiṭʿāmu al-ṭaʿāmi wa-al-ṣalātu bi-al-layli wa-al-nāsu niyāmun.

God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “A man is rewarded even for the morsel he raises to his own mouth or his wife’s mouth.” It is related from him, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Whatever a Muslim feeds himself and his household is charity credited to him.” Asked about faith, he, may God bless him and grant him peace, answered: “Feeding people and freely offering the greeting of peace.” Concerning expiations and degrees of spiritual rank, he, peace be upon him, said: “Feeding people and praying at night while others sleep.”

وَسُئِلَ عَنِ الْحَجِّ الْمَبْرُورِ فَقَالَ: إِطْعَامُ الطَّعَامِ وَلِينُ الْكَلَامِ. وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ: مِنْ كَرَمِ الرَّجُلِ طِيبُ زَادِهِ فِي سَفَرِهِ وَبَذْلُهُ لِأَصْحَابِهِ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: لَأَنْ أَجْمَعَ إِخْوَانِي عَلَى صَاعٍ مِنْ طَعَامٍ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أُعْتِقَ رَقَبَةً. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: إِذَا وُضِعَ الطَّعَامُ وَأُقِيمَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَابْدَؤُوا بِالْعَشَاءِ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ. قَالَ: فَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رُبَّمَا سَمِعَ الْإِقَامَةَ وَقِرَاءَةَ الْإِمَامِ فَلَا يَقُومُ مِنْ عَشَائِهِ.

wasuʾila ʿani al-ḥajji al-mabrūri faqāla: ʾiṭʿāmu al-ṭaʿāmi walīnu al-kalāmi. wakāna ibnu ʿumara yaqūlu: min karami al-rajuli ṭību zādihi fī safarihi wabadhluhu liʾaṣḥābihi. warawaynā ʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu: laʾan ʾajmaʿa ʾikhwānī ʿalā ṣāʿin min ṭaʿāmin ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min ʾan ʾuʿtiqa raqabatan. warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla: ʾidhā wuḍiʿa al-ṭaʿāmu waʾuqīmati al-ṣalātu fa-ibdaʾū bi-al-ʿashāʾi qabla al-ṣalāti. qāla: fakāna ibnu ʿumara rubbamā samiʿa al-ʾiqāmata waqirāʾata al-ʾimāmi falā yaqūmu min ʿashāʾihi.

Asked about an accepted pilgrimage, he said: “Feeding people and speaking gently.” Ibn ʿUmar used to say: “A man’s generosity includes taking good provisions on his journey and sharing them with his companions.” We have related from ʿAlī, peace be upon him: “Gathering my brothers over a measure of food is dearer to me than freeing a slave.” We have also related that God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “When food is set out and the prayer is announced, begin with supper before the prayer.” The narrator said that Ibn ʿUmar would sometimes hear the announcement and the imam’s recitation without rising from his supper.

وَعَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَفْضَلُ الطَّعَامِ مَا كَثُرَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْأَيْدِي. وَقَالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: فَضْلُ عَائِشَةَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ كَفَضْلِ الثَّرِيدِ عَلَى الطَّعَامِ. وَقَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الْوُضُوءُ قَبْلَ الطَّعَامِ يَنْفِي الْفَقْرَ وَبَعْدَهُ يَنْفِي اللَّمَمَ وَيُصِحُّ الْبَصَرَ، يَعْنِي بِهِ غَسْلَ الْيَدِ. وَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ: الْأَكْلُ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ قَدَّمَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ، فَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا) الْمُؤْمِنُونَ: 51.

waʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾafḍalu al-ṭaʿāmi mā kathurat ʿalayhi al-ʾaydī. waqāla ʿalayhi al-salāmu: faḍlu ʿāʾishata ʿalā al-nisāʾi kafaḍli al-tharīdi ʿalā al-ṭaʿāmi. waqāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: al-wuḍūʾu qabla al-ṭaʿāmi yanfī al-faqra wabaʿdahu yanfī al-lamama wayuṣiḥḥu al-baṣara, yaʿnī bihi ghasla al-yadi. waqāla ʾaḥmadu bnu ḥanbalin: al-ʾaklu mina al-ṭayyibi qaddamahu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿalā al-ʿamali, faqāla ʿazza wajalla: (kulū mina al-ṭayyibāti wa-iʿmalū ṣāliḥan) al-muʾminūna: 51.

From God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace: “The best food is that around which many hands gather.” He, peace be upon him, also said: “ʿĀʾisha’s excellence over other women is like the excellence of tharīd over other food.” He, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Washing before food drives away poverty; after it, it drives away derangement and keeps the eyesight sound,” meaning washing the hand. Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said: “God, mighty and majestic, placed eating wholesome food before action, saying, mighty and majestic: ‘Eat of the good things and act righteously’” (al-Muʾminūn 23:51).

وَكَانَ سَهْلٌ يَقُولُ: مَنْ لَمْ يُحْسِنْ أَدَبَ الْأَكْلِ لَمْ يُحْسِنْ أَدَبَ الْعَمَلِ. قَالَ: وَالَّذِي يَتَصَنَّعُ فِي الْأَكْلِ هُوَ الَّذِي يَتَصَنَّعُ فِي الْعَمَلِ. وَقَالَ مَرَّةً: الَّذِي يُؤْذِي فِي الْأَكْلِ هُوَ الَّذِي يُؤْذِي فِي الصَّلَاةِ. وَكَانَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ يَقُولُ: إِنِّي لَأُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِي نِيَّةٌ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى فِي الْأَكْلِ وَالنَّوْمِ.

wakāna sahlun yaqūlu: man lam yuḥsin ʾadaba al-ʾakli lam yuḥsin ʾadaba al-ʿamali. qāla: wa-alladhī yataṣannaʿu fī al-ʾakli huwa alladhī yataṣannaʿu fī al-ʿamali. waqāla marratan: alladhī yuʾdhī fī al-ʾakli huwa alladhī yuʾdhī fī al-ṣalāti. wakāna baʿḍu al-salafi yaqūlu: ʾinnī laʾuḥibbu ʾan yakūna lī niyyatun fī kulli shayʾin ḥattā fī al-ʾakli wa-al-nawmi.

Sahl used to say: “Whoever has not learned proper manners in eating has not learned proper manners in action.” He said: “The person who puts on a show in eating puts on a show in action.” Another time he said: “The person who causes annoyance while eating causes annoyance in prayer.” One of the early generations used to say: “I like to have an intention in everything, even eating and sleeping.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ السَّلَفُ الصَّالِحُ يَكُونُ لِأَحَدِهِمْ فِي الْأَكْلِ نِيَّةٌ صَالِحَةٌ كَمَا يَكُونُ لَهُ فِي الْجُوعِ نِيَّةٌ صَالِحَةٌ. وَالَّذِي يَأْكُلُ بِغَيْرِ نِيَّةِ الْآخِرَةِ لِلْعَادَةِ وَالشَّهْوَةِ وَالْمُتْعَةِ قَدْ يَجُوعُ لِغَيْرِ الْآخِرَةِ لِلْعَادَةِ وَالشَّهْوَةِ أَيْضًا وَالتَّزَيُّنِ لِلْخَلْقِ، وَهَذَا مِنْ دَقِيقِ آفَاتِ النُّفُوسِ.

waqad kāna al-salafu al-ṣāliḥu yakūnu liʾaḥadihim fī al-ʾakli niyyatun ṣāliḥatun kamā yakūnu lahu fī al-jūʿi niyyatun ṣāliḥatun. wa-alladhī yaʾkulu bighayri niyyati al-ʾākhirati li-l-ʿādati wa-al-shahwati wa-al-mutʿati qad yajūʿu lighayri al-ʾākhirati li-l-ʿādati wa-al-shahwati ʾayḍan wa-al-tazayyuni li-l-khalqi, wa-hādhā min daqīqi ʾāfāti al-nufūsi.

A person among the righteous early generations would have a sound intention in eating, just as he would have a sound intention in hunger. Someone who eats from habit, appetite, and enjoyment, without intending the Hereafter, may also go hungry for something other than the Hereafter, from habit or desire and to appear attractive to others. This is among the subtle failings of the soul.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٠٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 300

Volume Two, page 300

فَحُسْنُ مَنْ يَأْكُلُ بِنِيَّةِ الْآخِرَةِ وَلِأَجْلِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى كَحُسْنِ مَنْ جَاعَ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى وَبِنِيَّةِ الْآخِرَةِ، وَإِلَّا كَانَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الدُّنْيَا. فَالطَّعَامُ وَالْأَكْلُ يَشْتَمِلُ عَلَى مِائَةٍ وَسَبْعِينَ خَصْلَةً مَا بَيْنَ فَرْضٍ، وَسُنَّةٍ، وَأَدَبٍ، وَفَضِيلَةٍ، وَاسْتِحْبَابٍ، وَكَرَاهَةٍ، وَمُرُوءَةٍ، وَفُتُوَّةٍ مِنْ طَرِيقِ السَّلَفِ وَصَنَائِعِ الْعَرَبِ.

faḥusnu man yaʾkulu biniyyati al-ʾākhirati waliʾajli Allāhi subḥānahu wataʿālā kaḥusni man jāʿa li-llāhi taʿālā wabiniyyati al-ʾākhirati, waʾillā kāna min ʾabwābi al-dunyā. fa-al-ṭaʿāmu wa-al-ʾaklu yashtamilu ʿalā miʾatin wasabʿīna khaṣlatan mā bayna farḍin, wasunnatin, waʾadabin, wafaḍīlatin, wa-istiḥbābin, wakarāhatin, wamurūʾatin, wafutuwwatin min ṭarīqi al-salafi waṣanāʾiʿi al-ʿarabi.

Thus the goodness of eating with the Hereafter in mind and for God, glorified and exalted is He, is like the goodness of going hungry for God Most High and with the Hereafter in mind. Otherwise it belongs to the concerns of this world. Food and eating involve a hundred and seventy qualities: obligations, established practices, manners, virtues, recommendations, things disapproved, honorable conduct, and generosity, drawn from the way of the early generations and the noble customs of the Arabs.

أَوَّلُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْمَأْكُولُ حَلَالًا، وَعَلَامَةُ الْحَلَالِ ثَلَاثٌ: تَكُونُ عَيْنُهُ مَعْرُوفَةً لَمْ يُخَالِطْهَا عَيْنٌ ذَمَّهَا الْعِلْمُ مِنْ ظُلْمٍ وَخِيَانَةٍ، وَيَكُونُ سَبَبُهُ مُبَاحًا لَمْ تَحْتَوِهِ بِسَبَبٍ مَحْظُورٍ فِي الشَّرْعِ لِأَجْلِ هَوًى أَوْ مُدَاهَنَةٍ فِي دِينٍ وَدُنْيَا، وَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَافَقَ فِيهِ حُكْمَ السُّنَّةِ لَا يَكُونُ عَلَى وَصْفٍ مَكْرُوهٍ.

ʾawwalu dhālika ʾan yakūna al-maʾkūlu ḥalālan, waʿalāmatu al-ḥalāli thalāthun: takūnu ʿaynuhu maʿrūfatan lam yukhāliṭhā ʿaynun dhammahā al-ʿilmu min ẓulmin wakhiyānatin, wayakūnu sababuhu mubāḥan lam taḥtawihi bisababin maḥẓūrin fī al-sharʿi liʾajli hawan ʾaw mudāhanatin fī dīnin wadunyā, wayakūnu qad wāfaqa fīhi ḥukma al-sunnati lā yakūnu ʿalā waṣfin makrūhin.

First, what is eaten must be lawful. Lawfulness has three signs: its actual substance is known and contains nothing condemned by religious knowledge as involving injustice or betrayal; its means of acquisition is permissible, and you have not obtained it by something forbidden in sacred law, out of desire or compromise in religious or worldly matters; and its circumstances accord with the judgment of the Sunna and have no disapproved feature.

ثُمَّ يَنْوِي بِالْأَكْلِ التَّقَوِّيَ عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَالِاسْتِعَانَةَ عَلَى خِدْمَةِ الْمَوْلَى، وَيَعْرِفُ النِّعْمَةَ فِيهَا أَنَّهَا مِنَ الْمُنْعِمِ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ فِيهَا، وَيَعْتَقِدُ الشُّكْرَ لَهُ عَلَيْهَا، وَيُؤْثِرُ التَّقَلُّلَ عَلَى الِاتِّسَاعِ، وَالْقَنَاعَةَ عَلَى الْحِرْصِ، وَالْأَدَبَ فِيهِ عَلَى الشَّرَهِ. ثُمَّ غَسْلُ الْيَدِ فِي أَوَّلِهِ لِلِاسْتِحْبَابِ، وَفِي آخِرِهِ لِلنَّظَافَةِ، وَالتَّسْمِيَةُ فِي أَوَّلِهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ فِي آخِرِهِ، وَالْأَكْلُ بِالْيَمِينِ.

thumma yanwī bi-al-ʾakli al-taqawwiya ʿalā al-birri wa-al-taqwā wa-al-istiʿānata ʿalā khidmati al-mawlā, wayaʿrifu al-niʿmata fīhā ʾannahā mina al-munʿimi waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu fīhā, wayaʿtaqidu al-shukra lahu ʿalayhā, wayuʾthiru al-taqallula ʿalā al-ittisāʿi, wa-al-qanāʿata ʿalā al-ḥirṣi, wa-al-ʾadaba fīhi ʿalā al-sharahi. thumma ghaslu al-yadi fī ʾawwalihi li-l-istiḥbābi, wafī ʾākhirihi li-l-naẓāfati, wa-al-tasmiyatu fī ʾawwalihi, wa-al-ḥamdu fī ʾākhirihi, wa-al-ʾaklu bi-al-yamīni.

Then one should intend by eating to gain strength for goodness and reverence, and assistance in serving the Master. One should recognize that the blessing in it comes from the Benefactor alone, with no partner in it, and resolve to thank Him for it. One should prefer modest consumption to abundance, contentment to greed, and good manners to ravenous appetite. Next come washing the hand beforehand as a recommended practice and afterward for cleanliness, naming God at the beginning, praising Him at the end, and eating with the right hand.

وَيَبْتَدِئُ بِالْمِلْحِ وَيَخْتِمُ بِهِ، وَأَنْ لَا يَذُمَّ مَأْكُولًا وَلَا يَعِيبَهُ؛ إِنْ أَعْجَبَهُ أَكَلَ وَإِلَّا تَرَكَهُ، وَالْقَنَاعَةُ بِالْمَأْكُولِ مِنَ الْقِسْمِ وَالرِّضَا بِالْمَوْجُودِ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ، وَأَنْ تَكْثُرَ الْأَيْدِي عَلَى الطَّعَامِ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: اجْتَمِعُوا عَلَى طَعَامِكُمْ يُبَارَكْ لَكُمْ فِيهِ. وَتَصْغِيرُ اللُّقْمَةِ وَتَجْوِيدُ الْمَضْغِ، وَأَنْ لَا يَنْظُرَ فِي وُجُوهِ الْآكِلِينَ، وَلَا يَفْقِدَ مَأْكَلَهُمْ.

wayabtadiʾu bi-al-milḥi wayakhtimu bihi, waʾan lā yadhumma maʾkūlan walā yaʿībahu; ʾin ʾaʿjabahu ʾakala waʾillā tarakahu, wa-al-qanāʿatu bi-al-maʾkūli mina al-qismi wa-al-riḍā bi-al-mawjūdi mina al-rizqi, waʾan takthura al-ʾaydī ʿalā al-ṭaʿāmi. wafī al-khabari: ijtamiʿū ʿalā ṭaʿāmikum yubārak lakum fīhi. wataṣghīru al-luqmati watajwīdu al-maḍghi, waʾan lā yanẓura fī wujūhi al-ʾākilīna, walā yafqida maʾkalahum.

One begins and ends with salt and does not disparage or criticize any food: if one likes it, one eats; otherwise one leaves it. One is content with the food allotted and satisfied with whatever provision is available. Many hands should gather around the food. The report says: “Gather over your food, and it will be blessed for you.” One takes small mouthfuls, chews well, does not stare into the faces of those eating, and does not scrutinize what they eat.

وَأَنْ يَقْعُدَ عَلَى رِجْلِهِ الْيُسْرَى وَيَنْصِبَ الْيُمْنَى، وَلَا يَأْكُلَ مُتَّكِئًا وَلَا مُضْطَجِعًا، وَلَا يَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يَبْتَدِئُ بِالْأَكْلِ حَتَّى يَسْبِقَ صَاحِبُ الْمَنْزِلِ، وَالْأَكْبَرُ فَالْأَكْبَرُ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ إِمَامًا يُقْتَدَى بِهِ، أَوْ يَكُونَ الْقَوْمُ مُنْقَبِضِينَ فَيَبْسُطَهُمْ بِالِابْتِدَاءِ. وَلَا يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَ التَّمْرِ وَالنَّوَى فِي طَبَقٍ وَلَا يَجْمَعُهُمَا فِي كَفِّهِ، وَلْيَضَعِ النَّوَاةَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ كَفِّهِ مِنْ فِيهِ، ثُمَّ يُلْقِيهَا كَذَلِكَ، وَمَا كَانَ فِي مَعْنَاهُ مِمَّا لَهُ عَجَمٌ أَوْ ثُفْلٌ.

waʾan yaqʿuda ʿalā rijlihi al-yusrā wayanṣiba al-yumnā, walā yaʾkula muttakiʾan walā muḍṭajiʿan, walā yakūna ʾawwala man yabtadiʾu bi-al-ʾakli ḥattā yasbiqa ṣāḥibu al-manzili, wa-al-ʾakbaru fa-al-ʾakbaru ʾillā ʾan yakūna ʾimāman yuqtadā bihi, ʾaw yakūna al-qawmu munqabiḍīna fayabsuṭahum bi-al-ibtidāʾi. walā yajmaʿu bayna al-tamri wa-al-nawā fī ṭabaqin walā yajmaʿuhumā fī kaffihi, walyaḍaʿi al-nawāta ʿalā ẓahri kaffihi min fīhi, thumma yulqīhā kadhālika, wamā kāna fī maʿnāhu mimmā lahu ʿajamun ʾaw thuflun.

One sits on the left leg with the right upright, and does not eat leaning back or lying down. One does not begin before the host and then the elders in order, unless one is a leader whose example is followed, or the company is restrained and beginning will put them at ease. One should not combine dates and their stones on one plate or in one palm. Take the stone from the mouth onto the back of the hand and discard it that way; the same applies to other foods with pits or refuse.

وَيُسْتَحَبُّ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِنَ التَّمْرِ وِتْرًا سَبْعًا أَوْ إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ وَإِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ، وَأَنْ يُفْطِرَ عَلَى رُطَبٍ إِنْ وَجَدَهُ، وَإِلَّا فَتَمْرٌ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَعَلَى الْمَاءِ. وَكَانَ وَهْبُ بْنُ مُنَبِّهٍ يَقُولُ: الصَّائِمُ يَزِيغُ بَصَرُهُ، فَإِذَا أَفْطَرَ عَلَى حَلَاوَةٍ رَجَعَ بَصَرُهُ. وَلَا يَقْرِنُ بَيْنَ تَمْرَتَيْنِ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَفْعَلُوا ذَلِكَ أَوْ يَسْتَأْذِنَهُمْ.

wayustaḥabbu ʾan yaʾkula mina al-tamri witran sabʿan ʾaw ʾiḥdā ʿashrata waʾiḥdā waʿishrīna, waʾan yufṭira ʿalā ruṭabin ʾin wajadahu, waʾillā fatamrun, faʾin lam yajid faʿalā al-māʾi. wakāna wahbu bnu munabbihin yaqūlu: al-ṣāʾimu yazīghu baṣaruhu, faʾidhā ʾafṭara ʿalā ḥalāwatin rajaʿa baṣaruhu. walā yaqrinu bayna tamratayni fī al-jamāʿati ʾillā ʾan yafʿalū dhālika ʾaw yastaʾdhinahum.

It is recommended to eat an odd number of dates: seven, eleven, and twenty-one. One should break the fast with fresh dates if available, otherwise dried dates, and, if none can be found, water. Wahb ibn Munabbih used to say: “A fasting person’s sight grows unsteady; when he breaks his fast with something sweet, his sight returns.” When eating with others, one should not take two dates together unless they do the same or one asks their permission.

وَأَنْ يَأْكُلَ بَعْدَ الْجُوعِ، وَيَرْفَعَ يَدَهُ قَبْلَ الِامْتِلَاءِ بِمِقْدَارِ ثُلُثِ بَطْنِهِ أَوْ نِصْفِهِ، كَذَلِكَ سُنَّةُ السَّلَفِ وَهُوَ أَصَحُّ لِلْجِسْمِ. وَقَالَ حَكِيمٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الطِّبِّ: إِنَّ الدَّوَاءَ الَّذِي لَا دَاءَ فِيهِ هُوَ أَنْ لَا تَأْكُلَ الطَّعَامَ حَتَّى تَشْتَهِيَهُ وَتَرْفَعَ يَدَيْكَ عَنْهُ وَأَنْتَ تَشْتَهِيهِ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَصْلُ كُلِّ دَاءٍ الْبَرَدَةُ، يُقَالُ: هِيَ التُّخَمَةُ.

waʾan yaʾkula baʿda al-jūʿi, wayarfaʿa yadahu qabla al-imtilāʾi bimiqdāri thuluthi baṭnihi ʾaw niṣfihi, kadhālika sunnatu al-salafi wahuwa ʾaṣaḥḥu li-l-jismi. waqāla ḥakīmun min ʾahli al-ṭibbi: ʾinna al-dawāʾa alladhī lā dāʾa fīhi huwa ʾan lā taʾkula al-ṭaʿāma ḥattā tashtahiyahu watarfaʿa yadayka ʿanhu waʾanta tashtahīhi. wafī al-khabari: ʾaṣlu kulli dāʾin al-baradatu, yuqālu: hiya al-tukhamatu.

One should eat after becoming hungry and withdraw one’s hand before fullness, with a third or half of the belly filled. That is the practice of the early generations and is healthier for the body. A medical sage said: “The remedy containing no ailment is to eat only when you desire food and to withdraw your hands while you still desire it.” A report says: “The root of every illness is baradah,” said to mean indigestion from overeating.

وَيُقَالُ فِي أَخْبَارِ الْحُكَمَاءِ: إِنَّ خَادِمًا لِأَرِسْطَاطَالِيسَ اسْتَقْضَى رَجُلًا مِنْ أَهْلِ السَّوَادِ حَاجَةً لَهُ فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: لَعَلَّكَ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ. فَقَالَ: مَا لِي إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَاجَةٍ. فَأَخْبَرَ الْخَادِمُ الْحَكِيمَ بِذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: إِنْ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ بَعْدَ الْجُوعِ وَيَرْفَعُ قَبْلَ الشِّبَعِ وَيَتَقَلَّلُ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ صَدَقَ، مَا لَهُ إِلَيْنَا مِنْ حَاجَةٍ.

wayuqālu fī ʾakhbāri al-ḥukamāʾi: ʾinna khādiman liʾarisṭāṭālīsa istaqḍā rajulan min ʾahli al-sawādi ḥājatan lahu falam yafʿal, faqāla lahu: laʿallaka taḥtāju ʾilayhi. faqāla: mā lī ʾilayhi min ḥājatin. faʾakhbara al-khādimu al-ḥakīma bi-dhālika, faqāla: ʾin kāna yaʾkulu baʿda al-jūʿi wayarfaʿu qabla al-shibaʿi wayataqallalu bayna dhālika faqad ṣadaqa, mā lahu ʾilaynā min ḥājatin.

Among the accounts of the sages, it is said that a servant of Aristotle asked a man from the cultivated countryside to carry out an errand, but he would not. The servant said: “Perhaps you will need him.” He answered: “I have no need of him.” The servant told the sage, who said: “If he eats after hunger, stops before fullness, and takes little between those times, he has spoken truly: he has no need of us.”

وَقَدْ أَحْكَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ذَلِكَ بِقَوْلِهِ: مَا مَلَأَ آدَمِيٌّ وِعَاءً شَرًّا مِنْ بَطْنٍ، حَسْبُ ابْنِ آدَمَ لُقَيْمَاتٌ يَشُدُّ بِهِنَّ صُلْبَهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ فَثُلُثٌ طَعَامٌ وَثُلُثٌ شَرَابٌ

waqad ʾaḥkama rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama dhālika biqawlihi: mā malaʾa ʾādamiyyun wiʿāʾan sharran min baṭnin, ḥasbu ibni ʾādama luqaymātun yashuddu bihinna ṣulbahu, faʾin lam yafʿal fathuluthun ṭaʿāmun wathuluthun sharābun

God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, stated this decisively: “No human being fills a vessel worse than a belly. A few mouthfuls to support the back suffice the child of Adam; if he will not do that, then a third is for food and a third for drink,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٠١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 301

Volume Two, page 301

وَثُلُثٌ لِلنَّفَسِ. وَالطَّعَامُ إِنَّمَا وُضِعَ دَوَاءً مِنْ دَاءِ الْجُوعِ؛ إِذَا وَجَدْتَهُ عَالَجْتَهُ بِهِ، فَإِذَا لَمْ تَجِدْهُ صَارَ الْأَكْلُ دَاءً، لِأَنَّ التَّأَذِّيَ بِالْأَكْلِ مِثْلُ التَّأَذِّي بِالْجُوعِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ. وَلْيَأْكُلْ مَا يَلِيهِ إِلَّا الْفَاكِهَةَ لَهُ أَنْ يُجِيلَ يَدَهُ فِيهَا، وَيَأْكُلْ بِثَلَاثَةِ أَصَابِعَ، إِلَّا الثَّرِيدَ فَلْيَأْكُلْ بِأَصَابِعِهِ كُلِّهَا.

wathuluthun li-l-nafasi. wa-al-ṭaʿāmu ʾinnamā wuḍiʿa dawāʾan min dāʾi al-jūʿi; ʾidhā wajadtahu ʿālajtahu bihi, faʾidhā lam tajid-hu ṣāra al-ʾaklu dāʾan, liʾanna al-taʾadhdhiya bi-al-ʾakli mithlu al-taʾadhdhī bi-al-jūʿi ʾaw ʾashaddu. walyaʾkul mā yalīhi ʾillā al-fākihata lahu ʾan yujīla yadahu fīhā, wayaʾkul bithalāthati ʾaṣābiʿa, ʾillā al-tharīda falyaʾkul biʾaṣābiʿihi kullihā.

and a third for breathing.” Food was established only as a remedy for the illness of hunger: when you find hunger, treat it with food; when you do not find it, eating becomes an illness, since suffering from eating is like suffering from hunger, or worse. Eat what is nearest you, except fruit, among which you may move your hand. Eat with three fingers, except tharīd, which you may eat with all your fingers.

وَأَنْ لَا يَأْكُلَ مِنْ ذِرْوَةِ الْقَصْعَةِ وَلَا وَسَطِ الطَّعَامِ، وَلْيَأْكُلْ مِنْ نَوَاحِيهِ، وَأَنْ لَا يَصْمُتُوا عَلَى الطَّعَامِ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ سِيرَةِ الْعَجَمِ فَلْيَتَكَلَّمُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ. وَلَا يَقْطَعُ اللَّحْمَ بِالسِّكِّينِ، فَقَدْ نُهِيَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، وَلَكِنِ انْهَشُوهُ نَهْشًا، وَلَا يَقْطَعُ الْخُبْزَ بِالسِّكِّينِ وَيَأْكُلُ مِنِ اسْتِدَارَةِ الرَّغِيفِ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي الْخُبْزِ قِلَّةٌ وَفِي الْآكِلِينَ كَثْرَةٌ، فَيُسْتَعَانُ بِتَكْسِيرِ الْخُبْزِ عَلَى التَّفْرِقَةِ.

waʾan lā yaʾkula min dhirwati al-qaṣʿati walā wasaṭi al-ṭaʿāmi, walyaʾkul min nawāḥīhi, waʾan lā yaṣmutū ʿalā al-ṭaʿāmi faʾinnahu min sīrati al-ʿajami falyatakallamū bi-al-maʿrūfi. walā yaqṭaʿu al-laḥma bi-al-sikkīni, faqad nuhiya ʿan dhālika, walakini inhashūhu nahshan, walā yaqṭaʿu al-khubza bi-al-sikkīni wayaʾkulu mini istidārati al-raghīfi, ʾillā ʾan yakūna fī al-khubzi qillatun wafī al-ʾākilīna kathratun, fayustaʿānu bitaksīri al-khubzi ʿalā al-tafriqati.

Do not eat from the summit of the bowl or the center of the food, but from its sides. People should not remain silent over food, for that is the custom of the non-Arabs; they should speak of good things. One does not cut meat with a knife, since this has been forbidden: instead, bite pieces from it. One does not cut bread with a knife, but eats around the loaf, unless bread is scarce and diners numerous, when breaking it up helps to distribute it.

وَلَا يُكْثِرُ قَوْلَ: كُلْ، عَلَى أَخِيهِ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ يُحْشِمُهُ وَرُبَّمَا قَطَعَهُ، وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَخِيهِ أَنْ يُحْوِجَهُ إِلَى تَفَقُّدِهِ فِي الْأَكْلِ وَتَكْرِيرِ قَوْلِهِ لَهُ: كُلْ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْأُدَبَاءِ: أَحْسَنُ الْآكِلِينَ أَكْلًا مَنْ لَمْ يُحْوِجْ صَاحِبَهُ إِلَى تَفَقُّدِهِ فِي الْأَكْلِ، وَمَنْ حَمَلَ عَنْ أَخِيهِ مُؤُونَةَ الْقَوْلِ. وَلَا يَدَعُ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْمَأْكُولِ يَشْتَهِيهِ لِأَجْلِ نَظَرِ الْغَيْرِ إِلَيْهِ، فَإِنَّهُ مِنَ التَّصَنُّعِ، فَإِنْ تَرَكَهُ إِيثَارًا لِإِخْوَانِهِ أَوْ قَدَّمَهُ إِلَى أَخِيهِ فَحَسَنٌ.

walā yukthiru qawla: kul, ʿalā ʾakhīhi faʾinna dhālika yuḥshimuhu warubbamā qaṭaʿahu, walā yanbaghī liʾakhīhi ʾan yuḥwijahu ʾilā tafaqqudihi fī al-ʾakli watakrīri qawlihi lahu: kul. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʾudabāʾi: ʾaḥsanu al-ʾākilīna ʾaklan man lam yuḥwij ṣāḥibahu ʾilā tafaqqudihi fī al-ʾakli, waman ḥamala ʿan ʾakhīhi muʾūnata al-qawli. walā yadaʿu shayʾan mina al-maʾkūli yashtahīhi liʾajli naẓari al-ghayri ʾilayhi, faʾinnahu mina al-taṣannuʿi, faʾin tarakahu ʾīthāran liʾikhwānihi ʾaw qaddamahu ʾilā ʾakhīhi faḥasanun.

Do not repeatedly tell your brother, “Eat,” for that embarrasses him and may stop him eating. Nor should he force you to keep checking on him and repeating, “Eat.” One man of letters said: “The best diner is one who does not oblige his companion to watch his eating, and who spares his brother the burden of urging him.” Do not leave food you desire because someone is watching, for that is affectation. If you leave it to give your brothers preference, or offer it to your brother, that is good.

وَلَا يَنْقُصُ مِنْ أَكْلِهِ الْمُعْتَادِ فِي الْوَحْدَةِ، وَإِنْ زَادَ لِأَجْلِ مُسَاعَدَةِ الْجَمَاعَةِ أَوْ بِنِيَّةِ فَضْلِ الْأَكْلِ مَعَ الْإِخْوَانِ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ. وَالشُّرْبُ فِي تَضَاعِيفِ الْأَكْلِ مُسْتَحَبٌّ مِنْ جِهَةِ الطِّبِّ مَا لَمْ يَبْتَدِئْ بِهِ أَوْ يُكْثِرْ مِنْهُ، يُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ دِبَاغُ الْمَعِدَةِ، وَالشُّرْبُ مُتَّكِئًا مَكْرُوهٌ لِلْمَعِدَةِ أَيْضًا مِنْ جِهَةِ الطِّبِّ.

walā yanquṣu min ʾaklihi al-muʿtādi fī al-waḥdati, waʾin zāda liʾajli musāʿadati al-jamāʿati ʾaw biniyyati faḍli al-ʾakli maʿa al-ʾikhwāni falā baʾsa bi-dhālika. wa-al-shurbu fī taḍāʿīfi al-ʾakli mustaḥabbun min jihati al-ṭibbi mā lam yabtadiʾ bihi ʾaw yukthir minhu, yuqālu: ʾinnahu dibāghu al-maʿidati, wa-al-shurbu muttakiʾan makrūhun li-l-maʿidati ʾayḍan min jihati al-ṭibbi.

One should not eat less than one normally eats alone. There is no harm in eating more to keep company with the group or to seek the merit of eating with brothers. Drinking during a meal is medically recommended, provided one does not begin with it or drink too much. It is said to strengthen the stomach as tanning strengthens leather. Drinking while reclining is also medically disapproved for the stomach.

وَالْأَكْلُ مُتَّكِئًا وَنَائِمًا لَيْسَ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ إِلَّا مَا يُتَنَاوَلُ أَوْ يُتَنَقَّلُ بِهِ مِنَ الْحُبُوبِ وَمَا فِي مَعْنَاهَا. وَقَدْ رُئِيَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ يَأْكُلُ عَلَى تُرْسٍ مُضْطَجِعًا كَعْكًا، وَيُقَالُ: مُنْبَطِحًا عَلَى بَطْنِهِ، وَالْعَرَبُ تَفْعَلُهُ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: كِيلُوا طَعَامَكُمْ يُبَارَكْ لَكُمْ فِيهِ، وَامْلُكُوا الْعَجِينَ فَإِنَّهُ أَعْظَمُ لِلْبَرَكَةِ.

wa-al-ʾaklu muttakiʾan wanāʾiman laysa mina al-sunnati ʾillā mā yutanāwalu ʾaw yutanaqqalu bihi mina al-ḥubūbi wamā fī maʿnāhā. waqad ruʾiya ʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wahuwa yaʾkulu ʿalā tursin muḍṭajiʿan kaʿkan, wayuqālu: munbaṭiḥan ʿalā baṭnihi, wa-al-ʿarabu tafʿaluhu. wafī al-khabari ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: kīlū ṭaʿāmakum yubārak lakum fīhi, wa-umlukū al-ʿajīna faʾinnahu ʾaʿẓamu li-l-barakati.

Eating while reclining or lying down is not of the Sunna, except for taking small snacks such as grains and similar foods. ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him, was seen lying down and eating cakes from a shield; it is also said that he lay on his stomach. The Arabs do this. A report from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, says: “Measure your food, and it will be blessed for you; knead your dough thoroughly, for that brings greater blessing.”

وَمَا رُدَّ لَهُ مِنَ الْمَأْكُولِ مَعَ الْجَمَاعَةِ فَلَا يَرُدَّهُ فِي الْقَصْعَةِ مَعَ الثُّفْلِ، فَيَأْكُلَهُ غَيْرُهُ، إِنْ وَقَعَ بِيَدِهِ أَكَلَهُ وَإِلَّا تَرَكَهُ مَعَ الثُّفْلِ. وَلَا يَغْمِسُ الْخَلَّ بِالدَّسَمِ لِيَصْطَبِغَ بِالْخَلِّ قَبْلَ اللَّحْمِ. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَحْضُرُ الْمَائِدَةَ إِذَا كَانَ عَلَيْهَا بَقْلٌ.

wamā rudda lahu mina al-maʾkūli maʿa al-jamāʿati falā yaruddahu fī al-qaṣʿati maʿa al-thufli, fayaʾkulahu ghayruhu, ʾin waqaʿa biyadihi ʾakalahu waʾillā tarakahu maʿa al-thufli. walā yaghmisu al-khalla bi-al-dasami liyaṣṭabigha bi-al-khalli qabla al-laḥmi. wayuqālu: ʾinna al-malāʾikata taḥḍuru al-māʾidata ʾidhā kāna ʿalayhā baqlun.

When eating with a group, one should not return food that has come back from one’s mouth to the bowl along with its refuse, for someone else might eat it. If it falls into one’s hand, one should eat it; otherwise leave it with the refuse. One should not dip grease into the vinegar, so that the vinegar can serve as a dip before the meat. It is said that angels attend a table when greens are on it.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَنَّ الْمَائِدَةَ الَّتِي أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ كَانَ عَلَيْهَا مِنْ كُلِّ الْبُقُولِ إِلَّا الْكُرَّاثَ، وَكَانَ فِيهَا سَمَكَةٌ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهَا خَلٌّ وَعِنْدَ ذَنَبِهَا مِلْحٌ، وَكَانَ عَلَيْهَا سَبْعَةُ أَرْغِفَةٍ عَلَى كُلِّ رَغِيفٍ زَيْتُونَتَانِ وَحَبُّ رُمَّانٍ، فَهَذَا مِنْ أَحْسَنِ الطَّعَامِ إِذَا اتَّفَقَ. فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فَكَمَا قَالَ بَعْضُ الْأُدَبَاءِ: إِذَا دَعَوْتَ إِخْوَانَكَ فَقَدَّمْتَ إِلَيْهِمْ حِصْرِمِيَّةً وَبُورَانِيَّةً وَسَقَيْتَهُمْ مَاءً بَارِدًا فَقَدْ أَكْمَلْتَ الضِّيَافَةَ. وَدَعَا

wafī al-khabari: ʾanna al-māʾidata allatī ʾunzilat ʿalā banī ʾisrāʾīla mina al-samāʾi kāna ʿalayhā min kulli al-buqūli ʾillā al-kurrātha, wakāna fīhā samakatun ʿinda raʾsihā khallun waʿinda dhanabihā milḥun, wakāna ʿalayhā sabʿatu ʾarghifatin ʿalā kulli raghīfin zaytūnatāni waḥabbu rummānin, fa-hādhā min ʾaḥsani al-ṭaʿāmi ʾidhā ittafaqa. faʾin lam yakun fakamā qāla baʿḍu al-ʾudabāʾi: ʾidhā daʿawta ʾikhwānaka faqaddamta ʾilayhim ḥiṣrimiyyatan wabūrāniyyatan wasaqaytahum māʾan bāridan faqad ʾakmalta al-ḍiyāfata. wadaʿā

A report says that the table sent down from heaven to the Children of Israel carried every sort of greens except leeks. It held a fish, with vinegar at its head and salt at its tail, and seven loaves, each bearing two olives and pomegranate seeds. This is among the finest foods, if available. If not, it is as one man of letters said: “If you invite your brothers, serve them a sour-grape stew and būrāniyya, and give them cold water, you have provided complete hospitality.” And one

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٠٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 302

Volume Two, page 302

بَعْضُ الرُّؤَسَاءِ إِخْوَانَهُ فَأَنْفَقَ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ، فَقَالَ لَهُ بَعْضُ الْحُكَمَاءِ: لَمْ تَكُنْ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى هَذَا كُلِّهِ إِذَا كَانَ خُبْزُكَ جَيِّدًا وَخَلُّكَ حَامِضًا وَمَاؤُكَ بَارِدًا فَهُوَ كِفَايَةٌ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: الْحَلَاوَةُ بَعْدَ الطَّعَامِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ الْأَلْوَانِ، وَالتَّمَكُّنُ عَلَى الْمَائِدَةِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ زِيَادَةِ لَوْنَيْنِ. وَقَالَ آخَرُ: شُرْبُ الْمَاءِ الْبَارِدِ عَلَى الطَّعَامِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ زِيَادَةِ الْأَلْوَانِ.

baʿḍu al-ruʾasāʾi ʾikhwānahu faʾanfaqa miʾatay dirhamin, faqāla lahu baʿḍu al-ḥukamāʾi: lam takun taḥtāju ʾilā hādhā kullihi ʾidhā kāna khubzuka jayyidan wakhalluka ḥāmiḍan wamāʾuka bāridan fahuwa kifāyatun. waqāla baʿḍuhum: al-ḥalāwatu baʿda al-ṭaʿāmi khayrun min kathrati al-ʾalwāni, wa-al-tamakkunu ʿalā al-māʾidati khayrun min ziyādati lawnayni. waqāla ʾākharu: shurbu al-māʾi al-bāridi ʿalā al-ṭaʿāmi khayrun min ziyādati al-ʾalwāni.

man of standing invited his brothers and spent two hundred dirhams. A sage told him: “You did not need all this. Good bread, sour vinegar, and cold water are sufficient.” Someone said: “Something sweet after the meal is better than many dishes, and having room and time at the table is better than adding two dishes.” Another said: “Drinking cold water with food is better than adding more dishes.”

وَقَالَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ: أَكْلُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ يُورِثُ الرِّضَا عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَقَالَ الْمَأْمُونُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: شُرْبُ الْمَاءِ بِثَلْجٍ يُخَلِّصُ الشُّكْرَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ ضَيْفَهُ. وَمِنْ إِكْرَامِ الضَّيْفِ تَعْجِيلُ الطَّعَامِ لَهُمْ، وَأَفْضَلُ مَا قُدِّمَ إِلَيْهِمُ اللَّحْمُ، وَخَيْرُ اللَّحْمِ السَّمِينُ النَّضِيجُ؛ فَإِنْ كَانَ بَعْدَ اللَّحْمِ حَلَاوَةٌ فَقَدْ جَمَعَ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ.

waqāla ʾabū sulaymāna al-dārāniyyu: ʾaklu al-ṭayyibāti yūrithu al-riḍā ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. waqāla al-maʾmūnu raḥimahu Allāhu: shurbu al-māʾi bithaljin yukhalliṣu al-shukra li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla. waqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man kāna yuʾminu bi-Allāhi wa-al-yawmi al-ʾākhiri falyukrim ḍayfahu. wamin ʾikrāmi al-ḍayfi taʿjīlu al-ṭaʿāmi lahum, waʾafḍalu mā quddima ʾilayhimu al-laḥmu, wakhayru al-laḥmi al-samīnu al-naḍīju; faʾin kāna baʿda al-laḥmi ḥalāwatun faqad jamaʿa lahumu al-ṭayyibāti.

Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī said: “Eating good things brings contentment with God, mighty and majestic.” Al-Maʾmūn, may God have mercy on him, said: “Drinking iced water makes gratitude to God, mighty and majestic, pure.” God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever believes in God and the Last Day should honor his guest.” Honoring guests includes serving their food promptly. The best thing offered them is meat, and the best meat is fat and thoroughly cooked. If something sweet follows it, one has brought together good things for them.

يَنْتَظِمُ هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ ضَيْفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْمُكْرَمِينَ) الذَّارِيَاتُ: 24. قِيلَ فِي الْمُكْرَمِينَ قَوْلَانِ؛ أَحَدُهُمَا: خِدْمَتُهُ إِيَّاهُمْ بِنَفْسِهِ، وَالثَّانِي: أَكْرَمَهُمْ بِتَعْجِيلِ الطَّعَامِ إِلَيْهِمْ، قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: (فَمَا لَبِثَ أَنْ جَاءَ بِعِجْلٍ حَنِيذٍ) هُودٌ: 69، أَيْ فَمَا احْتَبَسَ وَلَا أَقَامَ، وَالْحَنِيذُ النَّضِيجُ. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (فَرَاغَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ فَجَاءَ بِعِجْلٍ سَمِينٍ) الذَّارِيَاتُ: 26. الرَّوَغَانُ: الذَّهَابُ بِسُرْعَةٍ، وَقِيلَ: الذَّهَابُ بِخُفْيَةٍ.

yantaẓimu hādhihi al-maʿānī qawluhu ʿazza wajalla: (hal ʾatāka ḥadīthu ḍayfi ʾibrāhīma al-mukramīna) al-dhāriyātu: 24. qīla fī al-mukramīna qawlāni; ʾaḥaduhumā: khidmatuhu ʾiyyāhum binafsihi, wa-al-thānī: ʾakramahum bitaʿjīli al-ṭaʿāmi ʾilayhim, qawluhu taʿālā: (famā labitha ʾan jāʾa biʿijlin ḥanīdhin) hūdun: 69, ʾay famā iḥtabasa walā ʾaqāma, wa-al-ḥanīdhu al-naḍīju. waqāla taʿālā: (farāgha ʾilā ʾahlihi fajāʾa biʿijlin samīnin) al-dhāriyātu: 26. al-rawaghānu: al-dhahābu bisurʿatin, waqīla: al-dhahābu bikhufyatin.

These meanings are gathered in the saying of God, mighty and majestic: “Has the account of Abraham’s honored guests reached you?” (al-Dhāriyāt 51:24). Two explanations are given of “honored”: he served them himself, and he honored them by promptly bringing food. His saying, exalted is He, “He did not delay in bringing a roasted calf” (Hūd 11:69), means he did not tarry or linger; ḥanīdh means thoroughly cooked. He, exalted is He, also said: “He slipped away to his family and brought a fat calf” (al-Dhāriyāt 51:26). Rawaghān means going quickly, or, it is said, going unobtrusively.

وَقِيلَ: إِنَّهُ جَاءَ بِفَخِذٍ مِنْ لَحْمٍ فَسُمِّيَ عِجْلًا لِأَنَّهُ عَجَّلَهُ وَلَمْ يَلْبَثْ بِهِ، ثُمَّ وُصِفَ بِأَنَّهُ سَمِينٌ نَضِيجٌ، يُقَالُ: حَنِيذٌ وَمَحْنُوذٌ أَيْضًا، قَالَ: كَانَ نَضِيجًا. وَقَالَ فِي وَصْفِ الطَّيِّبَاتِ: (وَأَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى) الْبَقَرَةُ: 57. الْمَنُّ: الْعَسَلُ، وَالسَّلْوَى: اللَّحْمُ، سُمِّيَ سَلْوَى لِأَنَّهُ يُسَلَّى بِهِ عَنْ جَمِيعِ الْأُدْمِ، إِنَّ فِيهِ غُنْيَةً عَنْ جَمِيعِهَا، وَلَيْسَ فِي كُلِّهَا مَقَامُهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ تَعَالَى: (كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 57. فَاللَّحْمُ وَالْحَلَاوَةُ مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ الرِّزْقِ.

waqīla: ʾinnahu jāʾa bifakhidhin min laḥmin fasummiya ʿijlan liʾannahu ʿajjalahu walam yalbath bihi, thumma wuṣifa biʾannahu samīnun naḍījun, yuqālu: ḥanīdhun wamaḥnūdhun ʾayḍan, qāla: kāna naḍījan. waqāla fī waṣfi al-ṭayyibāti: (waʾanzalnā ʿalaykumu al-manna wa-al-salwā) al-baqaratu: 57. al-mannu: al-ʿasalu, wa-al-salwā: al-laḥmu, summiya salwā liʾannahu yusallā bihi ʿan jamīʿi al-ʾudmi, ʾinna fīhi ghunyatan ʿan jamīʿihā, walaysa fī kullihā maqāmuhu, thumma qāla taʿālā: (kulū min ṭayyibāti mā razaqnākum) al-baqaratu: 57. fa-al-laḥmu wa-al-ḥalāwatu min ṭayyibāti al-rizqi.

It is also said that he brought a thigh of meat, called ʿijl because he hastened, ʿajjala, to bring it without delay. It was then described as fat and well cooked. One says both ḥanīdh and maḥnūdh: it was thoroughly cooked. Describing good things, He said: “We sent down upon you manna and salwā” (al-Baqara 2:57). Manna is honey, and salwā is meat, so called because it makes one forget every other accompaniment: it suffices in place of them all, while all of them cannot take its place. He, exalted is He, then said: “Eat of the good things We have provided you” (al-Baqara 2:57). Meat and sweetness are thus among the good things of provision.

وَلْيَأْكُلِ الرَّجُلُ فِي مَنْزِلِ أَخِيهِ سَجِيَّةَ أَكْلِهِ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ بِغَيْرِ تَكَلُّفٍ وَلَا تَزَيُّنٍ، لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ يَدْخُلُ مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ وَالتَّزَيُّنِ فِي الطَّعَامِ مِثْلُ مَا يَدْخُلُ فِي سَائِرِ الْأَعْمَالِ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ وَالصِّيَامِ؛ وَالْأَكْلُ عَمَلٌ وَكُلُّ عَمَلٍ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى نِيَّةٍ وَإِخْلَاصٍ. فَلْتَكُنْ نِيَّتُهُ فِي أَكْلِهِ الِاسْتِعَانَةَ عَلَى الطَّاعَةِ، وَلْتَكُنْ نِيَّتُهُ مَعَ إِخْوَانِهِ إِكْرَامَهُمْ بِذَلِكَ وَإِدْخَالَ السُّرُورِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَالتَّبَرُّكَ بِالْجَمَاعَةِ، لِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الْجَمَاعَةُ بَرَكَةٌ.

walyaʾkuli al-rajulu fī manzili ʾakhīhi sajiyyata ʾaklihi fī manzilihi bighayri takallufin walā tazayyunin, liʾannahu qad yadkhulu mina al-riyāʾi wa-al-tazayyuni fī al-ṭaʿāmi mithlu mā yadkhulu fī sāʾiri al-ʾaʿmāli mina al-ṣalāti wa-al-ṣiyāmi; wa-al-ʾaklu ʿamalun wakullu ʿamalin yaḥtāju ʾilā niyyatin waʾikhlāṣin. faltakun niyyatuhu fī ʾaklihi al-istiʿānata ʿalā al-ṭāʿati, waltakun niyyatuhu maʿa ʾikhwānihi ʾikrāmahum bi-dhālika waʾidkhāla al-surūri ʿalayhim wa-al-tabarruka bi-al-jamāʿati, liqawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: al-jamāʿatu barakatun.

A man should eat in his brother’s home as naturally as he eats in his own, without strain or display, for ostentation and self-display can enter eating just as they enter other acts, such as prayer and fasting. Eating is an act, and every act needs intention and sincerity. His intention in eating should be to gain help for obedience. With his brothers, he should intend to honor them, bring them joy, and seek the blessing of their gathering, because the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “The gathering is a blessing.”

وَيَنْوِي إِقَامَةَ السُّنَّةِ فِي إِجَابَةِ الدَّعْوَةِ لِيَكُونَ مَأْجُورًا فِي أَكْلِهِ، عَامِلًا فِي جَمِيعِ ذَلِكَ بِسُنَّةِ نَبِيِّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَهَذَا كُلُّهُ دَاخِلٌ فِي حُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ، وَهُوَ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيُدْرِكُ بِحُسْنِ خُلُقِهِ دَرَجَةَ الصَّائِمِ الْقَائِمِ. وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: هُوَ الرَّجُلُ يَسْأَلُ إِخْوَانَهُ أَنْ يُفْطِرَ مَعَهُمْ نَهَارًا، أَوْ يَسْهَرَ مَعَهُمْ لَيْلًا، وَيَكُونُ مِنْ عَادَتِهِ الصِّيَامُ وَالْقِيَامُ، فَيُسَاعِدُهُمْ تَخَلُّقًا مَعَهُمْ فَيُدْرِكُ بِحُسْنِ خُلُقِهِ دَرَجَةَ الصَّائِمِ الْقَائِمِ.

wayanwī ʾiqāmata al-sunnati fī ʾijābati al-daʿwati liyakūna maʾjūran fī ʾaklihi, ʿāmilan fī jamīʿi dhālika bisunnati nabiyyihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama. wa-hādhā kulluhu dākhilun fī ḥusni al-khuluqi, wahuwa fī maʿnā qawli al-rasūli ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinna al-ʿabda layudriku biḥusni khuluqihi darajata al-ṣāʾimi al-qāʾimi. waqad qāla baʿḍuhum: huwa al-rajulu yasʾalu ʾikhwānahu ʾan yufṭira maʿahum nahāran, ʾaw yas-hara maʿahum laylan, wayakūnu min ʿādatihi al-ṣiyāmu wa-al-qiyāmu, fayusāʿiduhum takhalluqan maʿahum fayudriku biḥusni khuluqihi darajata al-ṣāʾimi al-qāʾimi.

He should intend to uphold the Sunna by accepting the invitation, so that his eating is rewarded and all this follows the practice of his Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. All of it belongs to good character and falls under the saying of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Through good character a servant attains the degree of one who fasts and stands in prayer.” Some have explained this as a man who asks his brothers about breaking his fast with them by day or staying awake with them by night, though he habitually fasts and prays at night. He accommodates them graciously and thus attains, through good character, the degree of one who fasts and stands in prayer.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْأَدَبِ: لَيْسَ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ وَالْمُرُوءَةِ أَنْ يَزُورَ الرَّجُلُ إِخْوَانَهُ فَيَتَشَاغَلَ عَنْهُمْ بِالصَّلَاةِ النَّافِلَةِ، أَوْ يَسْتَزِيرَهُ إِخْوَانُهُ فَيُقَدِّمُونَ إِلَيْهِ الطَّعَامَ فَلَا يُسَاعِدَهُمْ عَلَيْهِ لِأَجْلِ الصِّيَامِ. وَلَا يُقَصِّرُ عَنْ بُغْيَتِهِ مِنَ الْأَكْلِ فَيَتْرُكَ الْأَكْلَ مَعَ حَاجَتِهِ إِلَيْهِ، فَإِنَّهُ غَيْرُ مَحْمُودٍ

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi min ʾahli al-ʾadabi: laysa mina al-sunnati wa-al-murūʾati ʾan yazūra al-rajulu ʾikhwānahu fayatashāghala ʿanhum bi-al-ṣalāti al-nāfilati, ʾaw yastazīrahu ʾikhwānuhu fayuqaddimūna ʾilayhi al-ṭaʿāma falā yusāʿidahum ʿalayhi liʾajli al-ṣiyāmi. walā yuqaṣṣiru ʿan bughyatihi mina al-ʾakli fayatruka al-ʾakla maʿa ḥājatihi ʾilayhi, faʾinnahu ghayru maḥmūdin

Some scholars versed in manners said: “It does not accord with the Sunna and honorable conduct for a man to visit his brothers and occupy himself with voluntary prayer instead of them, or for his brothers to invite him and serve food that he refuses to share because he is fasting.” Nor should he eat less than he needs and stop while still in need of food, for doing so is neither praiseworthy

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٠٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 303

Volume Two, page 303

وَلَا مَأْجُورٍ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ سَبَبٌ أَوْجَبَ عَلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ. وَقَالَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: أَحَبُّ إِخْوَانِي إِلَيَّ أَكْثَرُهُمْ أَكْلًا وَأَعْظَمُهُمْ لُقْمَةً، وَأَثْقَلُهُمْ عَلَيَّ مَنْ يُحْوِجُنِي إِلَى تَعَاهُدِهِ فِي الْأَكْلِ. وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: يَتَبَيَّنُ مَحَبَّةُ الرَّجُلِ لِأَخِيهِ بِجَوْدَةِ أَكْلِهِ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ، فَإِنْ قَلَّلَ الْأَكْلَ مَعَ الْفُقَرَاءِ إِيثَارًا لَهُمْ أَوْ لِقِلَّةِ الطَّعَامِ فَحَسَنٌ.

walā maʾjūrin ʿalayhi ʾin lam yakun sababun ʾawjaba ʿalayhi dhālika. waqāla jaʿfaru bnu muḥammadin ʿalayhi al-salāmu: ʾaḥabbu ʾikhwānī ʾilayya ʾaktharuhum ʾaklan waʾaʿẓamuhum luqmatan, waʾathqaluhum ʿalayya man yuḥwijunī ʾilā taʿāhudihi fī al-ʾakli. waqāla ʾayḍan: yatabayyanu maḥabbatu al-rajuli liʾakhīhi bijawdati ʾaklihi fī manzilihi, faʾin qallala al-ʾakla maʿa al-fuqarāʾi ʾīthāran lahum ʾaw liqillati al-ṭaʿāmi faḥasanun.

nor rewarded, unless a reason makes it necessary. Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, peace be upon him, said: “The dearest of my brothers to me is the one who eats most and takes the largest mouthfuls; the most burdensome is the one who makes me keep attending to his eating.” He also said: “A man’s love for his brother becomes evident in how heartily he eats in his home.” If he eats less with the poor to give them preference, or because the food is scarce, that is good.

وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ سُفْيَانَ الثَّوْرِيَّ دَعَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنَ أَدْهَمَ وَأَصْحَابَهُ إِلَى طَعَامٍ فَقَصَّرُوا فِي الْأَكْلِ، فَلَمَّا رَفَعُوا الطَّعَامَ قَالَ لَهُ الثَّوْرِيُّ: إِنَّكَ قَصَّرْتَ فِي الْأَكْلِ، فَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ: لِأَنَّكَ قَصَّرْتَ فِي الطَّعَامِ فَقَصَّرْنَا فِي الْأَكْلِ. قَالَ: وَدَعَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ الثَّوْرِيَّ وَأَصْحَابَهُ إِلَى طَعَامٍ فَأَكْثَرَ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا إِسْحَاقَ أَمَا تَخَافُ أَنْ يَكُونَ هَذَا إِسْرَافًا؟ فَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ: لَيْسَ فِي الطَّعَامِ سَرَفٌ.

warawaynā ʾanna sufyāna al-thawriyya daʿā ʾibrāhīma bna ʾad-hama waʾaṣḥābahu ʾilā ṭaʿāmin faqaṣṣarū fī al-ʾakli, falammā rafaʿū al-ṭaʿāma qāla lahu al-thawriyyu: ʾinnaka qaṣṣarta fī al-ʾakli, faqāla ʾibrāhīmu: liʾannaka qaṣṣarta fī al-ṭaʿāmi faqaṣṣarnā fī al-ʾakli. qāla: wadaʿā ʾibrāhīmu al-thawriyya waʾaṣḥābahu ʾilā ṭaʿāmin faʾakthara minhu faqāla lahu: yā ʾabā ʾisḥāqa ʾamā takhāfu ʾan yakūna hādhā ʾisrāfan? faqāla ʾibrāhīmu: laysa fī al-ṭaʿāmi sarafun.

We have related that Sufyān al-Thawrī invited Ibrāhīm ibn Adham and his companions to eat, but they ate sparingly. When the food was removed, al-Thawrī said: “You ate too little.” Ibrāhīm answered: “Because you provided too little food, we ate too little.” Then Ibrāhīm invited al-Thawrī and his companions and provided abundant food. Al-Thawrī asked him: “Abū Isḥāq, are you not afraid that this is extravagance?” Ibrāhīm answered: “There is no extravagance in food.”

وَلْيَلْعَقْ أَصَابِعَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمْسَحَهَا بِالْخِرْقَةِ، وَلْيَأْكُلْ مَا سَقَطَ مِنْ فُتَاتِ الطَّعَامِ، يُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ مُهُورُ الْحُورِ الْعِينِ. يُقَالُ: مَنْ لَعِقَ الصَّحْفَةَ وَشَرِبَ مَاءَهَا، كَانَ لَهُ عِتْقُ رَقَبَةٍ. وَإِنْ أَكَلَ حَلَالًا فَلْيَقُلْ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي بِنِعْمَتِهِ تَتِمُّ الصَّالِحَاتُ وَتَنْزِلُ الْبَرَكَاتُ، اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ، وَأَطْعِمْنَا طَيِّبًا، وَاسْتَعْمِلْنَا صَالِحًا، وَلْيُكْثِرْ شُكْرَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَى ذَلِكَ.

walyalʿaq ʾaṣābiʿahu qabla ʾan yamsaḥahā bi-al-khirqati, walyaʾkul mā saqaṭa min futāti al-ṭaʿāmi, yuqālu: ʾinnahu muhūru al-ḥūri al-ʿīni. yuqālu: man laʿiqa al-ṣaḥfata washariba māʾahā, kāna lahu ʿitqu raqabatin. waʾin ʾakala ḥalālan falyaqul: al-ḥamdu li-llāhi alladhī biniʿmatihi tatimmu al-ṣāliḥātu watanzilu al-barakātu, Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā sayyidinā muḥammadin, waʿalā ʾāli sayyidinā muḥammadin, waʾaṭʿimnā ṭayyiban, wa-istaʿmilnā ṣāliḥan, walyukthir shukra Allāhi taʿālā ʿalā dhālika.

One should lick one’s fingers before wiping them with a cloth and eat fallen crumbs; it is said that these are dowries for the wide-eyed maidens of Paradise. It is also said that whoever licks the dish and drinks its rinsing water receives the reward of freeing a slave. If one has eaten lawful food, one should say: “Praise belongs to God, through whose blessing good deeds are completed and blessings descend. O God, bless our master Muḥammad and the family of our master Muḥammad; feed us wholesome food and employ us in righteousness.” One should thank God Most High abundantly for this.

وَإِنْ أَكَلَ شُبْهَةً فَلْيَقُلْ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ، اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ، وَلَا تَجْعَلْهُ قُوَّةً لَنَا عَلَى مَعْصِيَتِكَ، وَلْيُكْثِرِ الْحُزْنَ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارَ. وَفِي خَبَرٍ: إِذَا دُعِيَ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى طَعَامٍ فَلَمْ يُجِبْ فَلَا يَقُلْ: كُلْ هَنِيئًا، فَلَعَلَّهُ يَكُونُ أَخَذَهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ حِلِّهِ، وَلَكِنْ لِيَقُلْ: أَطْعَمَكَ اللَّهُ طَيِّبًا.

waʾin ʾakala shubhatan falyaqul: al-ḥamdu li-llāhi ʿalā kulli ḥālin, Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā sayyidinā muḥammadin, waʿalā ʾāli sayyidinā muḥammadin, walā tajʿalhu quwwatan lanā ʿalā maʿṣiyatika, walyukthiri al-ḥuzna wa-al-istighfāra. wafī khabarin: ʾidhā duʿiya ʾaḥadukum ʾilā ṭaʿāmin falam yujib falā yaqul: kul hanīʾan, falaʿallahu yakūnu ʾakhadhahu min ghayri ḥillihi, wa-lākin liyaqul: ʾaṭʿamaka Allāhu ṭayyiban.

If one has eaten something doubtful, one should say: “Praise belongs to God in every circumstance. O God, bless our master Muḥammad and the family of our master Muḥammad, and do not make this a source of strength for disobeying You.” One should feel deep sorrow and seek forgiveness often. A report says: “If one of you is invited to food and does not accept, he should not say, ‘Eat with enjoyment,’ for it may have been acquired unlawfully. Let him instead say, ‘May God feed you wholesome food.’”

وَلْيَقُلْ إِذَا أَكَلَ لَبَنًا: اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِيمَا رَزَقْتَنَا، وَارْزُقْنَا خَيْرًا مِنْهُ. كَذَلِكَ رُوِيَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَقُولُ، لِأَنَّ اللَّبَنَ أَعَمُّ نَفْعًا مِنْ غَيْرِهِ. وَلْيَقُلْ فِي أَوَّلِ لُقْمَةٍ: بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، وَفِي الثَّانِيَةِ: بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَفِي الثَّالِثَةِ: بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ.

walyaqul ʾidhā ʾakala labanan: Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā muḥammadin, waʿalā ʾāli muḥammadin, wabārik lanā fīmā razaqtanā, wa-urzuqnā khayran minhu. kadhālika ruwiya ʾanna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna yaqūlu, liʾanna al-labana ʾaʿammu nafʿan min ghayrihi. walyaqul fī ʾawwali luqmatin: bismi Allāhi, wafī al-thāniyati: bismi Allāhi al-raḥmāni, wafī al-thālithati: bismi Allāhi al-raḥmāni al-raḥīmi.

When taking milk, one should say: “O God, bless Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad; bless for us what You have provided, and provide us with something better than it.” This is related as what God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to say, because milk is more generally beneficial than other foods. At the first mouthful say, “In the name of God”; at the second, “In the name of God, the All-Merciful”; and at the third, “In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.”

وَلْيَشْرَبِ الْكُوزَ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ أَنْفَاسٍ يَقْطَعُهُ، وَلْيَقُلْ فِي أَوَّلِ جُرْعَةٍ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَفِي الثَّانِيَةِ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَفِي الثَّالِثَةِ يَزِيدُ: الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ. وَإِنْ سَمَّى فِي أَوَّلِ كُلِّ لُقْمَةٍ فَحَسَنٌ. وَلْيَقْرَأْ بَعْدَ فَرَاغِهِ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ، وَلِإِيلَافِ قُرَيْشٍ. وَتَقْدِيمُ الْفَاكِهَةِ قَبْلَ الطَّعَامِ أَوْفَقُ، وَفِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ تَرْتِيبُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى: (وَفَاكِهَةٍ مِمَّا يَتَخَيَّرُونَ) الْوَاقِعَةُ: 20، (وَلَحْمِ طَيْرٍ مِمَّا يَشْتَهُونَ) الْوَاقِعَةُ: 21.

walyashrabi al-kūza fī thalāthati ʾanfāsin yaqṭaʿuhu, walyaqul fī ʾawwali jurʿatin: al-ḥamdu li-llāhi, wafī al-thāniyati: al-ḥamdu li-llāhi rabbi al-ʿālamīna, wafī al-thālithati yazīdu: al-raḥmāni al-raḥīmi. waʾin sammā fī ʾawwali kulli luqmatin faḥasanun. walyaqraʾ baʿda farāghihi mina al-ṭaʿāmi: qul huwa Allāhu ʾaḥadun, waliʾīlāfi qurayshin. wataqdīmu al-fākihati qabla al-ṭaʿāmi ʾawfaqu, wafī kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla tartību dhālika min qawlihi subḥānahu wataʿālā: (wafākihatin mimmā yatakhayyarūna) al-wāqiʿatu: 20, (walaḥmi ṭayrin mimmā yashtahūna) al-wāqiʿatu: 21.

Drink the cup in three draughts, pausing between them. At the first say, “Praise belongs to God”; at the second, “Praise belongs to God, Lord of all worlds”; at the third add, “the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.” It is good to name God at every mouthful. After finishing, recite “Say: He is God, One” and “For the accustomed security of Quraysh.” Serving fruit before the meal is more fitting. This order appears in the Book of God, mighty and majestic, in His words, glorified and exalted is He: “And fruit of whatever they choose, and the flesh of birds they desire” (al-Wāqiʿa 56:20–21).

وَلَا يَرْفَعُ يَدَهُ قَبْلَ إِخْوَانِهِ إِذَا كَانُوا يَحْتَشِمُونَ أَوْ يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَى بَسْطٍ، فَإِنْ كَانَ قَلِيلَ الْأَكْلِ تَرَبَّصَ حَتَّى يَضَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمْ فَيَأْكُلُوا صَدْرًا مِنَ الطَّعَامِ، ثُمَّ يَقْعُدُ بَعْدَهُمْ لِيَسْتَوِيَ أَكْلُهُ مَعَ أَكْلِهِمْ، فَإِنْ كَانُوا عُلَمَاءَ لَمْ يَكْرَهُوا ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ، وَقَدْ فَعَلَهُ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ. وَلَا يَتَكَلَّفُ لِإِخْوَانِهِ مِنَ الْمَأْكُولِ مَا يَثْقُلُ عَلَيْهِ ثَمَنُهُ أَوْ يَأْخُذُهُ بِدَيْنٍ أَوْ يَكْتَسِبُهُ بِمَشَقَّةٍ أَوْ مِنْ شُبْهَةٍ، وَلَا يَدَّخِرُ عَنْهُمْ مَا بِحَضْرَتِهِ وَلَا يَسْتَأْثِرُ بِشَيْءٍ دُونَهُمْ وَلَا يَضُرُّ بِعِيَالِهِ.

walā yarfaʿu yadahu qabla ʾikhwānihi ʾidhā kānū yaḥtashimūna ʾaw yaḥtājūna ʾilā basṭin, faʾin kāna qalīla al-ʾakli tarabbaṣa ḥattā yaḍaʿū ʾaydiyahum fayaʾkulū ṣadran mina al-ṭaʿāmi, thumma yaqʿudu baʿdahum liyastawiya ʾakluhu maʿa ʾaklihim, faʾin kānū ʿulamāʾa lam yakrahū dhālika minhu, waqad faʿalahu kathīrun mina al-ṣaḥābati. walā yatakallafu liʾikhwānihi mina al-maʾkūli mā yathqulu ʿalayhi thamanuhu ʾaw yaʾkhudhuhu bidaynin ʾaw yaktasibuhu bimashaqqatin ʾaw min shubhatin, walā yaddakhiru ʿanhum mā biḥaḍratihi walā yastaʾthiru bishayʾin dūnahum walā yaḍurru biʿiyālihi.

One should not stop eating before one’s brothers if they would feel embarrassed or need encouragement. A light eater should wait until they begin and have eaten some food, then sit down after them so that he finishes with them. If they are knowledgeable, they will not dislike his stopping early; many Companions did so. Do not strain to obtain food for your brothers whose cost burdens you, or which requires debt, hardship, or doubtful earnings. Do not withhold what is at hand, reserve something for yourself at their expense, or harm your dependents.

وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ رَجُلًا دَعَا عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ فَقَالَ: أُجِيبُكَ عَلَى شَرَائِطَ

warawaynā ʾanna rajulan daʿā ʿaliyyan raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʾilā manzilihi faqāla: ʾujībuka ʿalā sharāʾiṭa

We have related that a man invited ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him, to his home. He answered: “I will accept on conditions,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٠٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 304

Volume Two, page 304

ثَلَاثٍ: لَا تُدْخِلْ مِنَ السُّوقِ شَيْئًا، وَلَا تَدَّخِرْ مَا فِي الْبَيْتِ، وَلَا تُجْحِفْ بِعِيَالِكَ. وَقَدْ كَانَ مِنْ سِيرَةِ السَّلَفِ إِذَا دَعَا أَحَدُهُمْ أَخَاهُ قَدَّمَ جَمِيعَ مَا بِحَضْرَتِهِ أَوْ أَخْرَجَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ عِنْدَهُ شَيْئًا. وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الرُّؤَسَاءِ مِنَ الْأَجْوَادِ إِذَا دَعَا النَّاسَ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ يَدْعُو الْخَبَّازَ فَيَقُولُ: أَعْلِمِ النَّاسَ بِمَا عِنْدَكَ مِنَ الْأَلْوَانِ. قَالَ: ثُمَّ يَدَعُهُمْ يَأْكُلُونَ حَتَّى إِذَا قَارَبُوا الْفَرَاغَ جَثَا عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ وَمَدَّ يَدَهُ إِلَى الطَّعَامِ فَأَكَلَ، وَقَالَ: سَاعِدُونِي بَارَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ، فَكَانَ السَّلَفُ يَسْتَحْسِنُونَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ.

thalāthin: lā tudkhil mina al-sūqi shayʾan, walā taddakhir mā fī al-bayti, walā tujḥif biʿiyālika. waqad kāna min sīrati al-salafi ʾidhā daʿā ʾaḥaduhum ʾakhāhu qaddama jamīʿa mā biḥaḍratihi ʾaw ʾakhraja min kulli shayʾin ʿindahu shayʾan. wakāna baʿḍu al-ruʾasāʾi mina al-ʾajwādi ʾidhā daʿā al-nāsa ʾilā ṭaʿāmihi yadʿū al-khabbāza fayaqūlu: ʾaʿlimi al-nāsa bimā ʿindaka mina al-ʾalwāni. qāla: thumma yadaʿuhum yaʾkulūna ḥattā ʾidhā qārabū al-farāgha jathā ʿalā rukbatayhi wamadda yadahu ʾilā al-ṭaʿāmi faʾakala, waqāla: sāʿidūnī bāraka Allāhu ʿalaykum, fakāna al-salafu yastaḥsinūna dhālika minhu.

three in number: bring nothing from the market, withhold nothing in the house, and do not burden your dependents.” The early generations would serve everything at hand when inviting a brother, or bring out some of everything they had. One generous leader, when inviting people to eat, would summon the baker and say: “Tell everyone what dishes you have.” He then let them eat until they were almost finished, knelt, reached for the food, and ate, saying: “Join me, may God bless you.” The early generations approved of this conduct.

وَلَيْسَ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ أَنْ يَقْصِدَ الرَّجُلُ قَوْمًا يَتَحَيَّنُ حُضُورَ طَعَامِهِمْ لِيُصَادِفَهُ، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْمُفَاجَأَةِ، فَقَدْ نُهِيَ عَنْهُ. قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ تَعَالَى: (لَا تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتَ النَّبِيِّ إِلَّا أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَكُمْ إِلَى طَعَامٍ غَيْرَ نَاظِرِينَ إِنَاهُ) الْأَحْزَابُ: 53، يَعْنِي مُنْتَظِرِينَ حِينَهُ وَنُضْجَهُ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ مَشَى إِلَى طَعَامٍ لَمْ يُدْعَ إِلَيْهِ مَشَى فَاسِقًا وَأَكَلَ حَرَامًا.

walaysa mina al-sunnati ʾan yaqṣida al-rajulu qawman yataḥayyanu ḥuḍūra ṭaʿāmihim liyuṣādifahu, faʾinna dhālika mina al-mufājaʾati, faqad nuhiya ʿanhu. qāla Allāhu subḥānahu taʿālā: (lā tadkhulū buyūta al-nabiyyi ʾillā ʾan yuʾdhana lakum ʾilā ṭaʿāmin ghayra nāẓirīna ʾināhu) al-ʾaḥzābu: 53, yaʿnī muntaẓirīna ḥīnahu wanuḍjahu. wafī al-khabari: man mashā ʾilā ṭaʿāmin lam yudʿa ʾilayhi mashā fāsiqan waʾakala ḥarāman.

It is not of the Sunna to visit people while deliberately timing their meal to catch it, for this is arriving uninvited, which has been forbidden. God, glorified and exalted is He, said: “Do not enter the Prophet’s houses unless permission is given you for a meal, without waiting for its preparation” (al-Aḥzāb 33:53), meaning waiting for its time and cooking. A report says: “Whoever walks to a meal to which he was not invited walks as a transgressor and eats what is unlawful.”

وَلَكِنْ إِنْ صَادَفَهُمْ يَأْكُلُونَ فَسَأَلُوهُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مَعَهُمْ، وَعَلِمَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحِبُّونَ أَكْلَهُ مَعَهُمْ فَلَا بَأْسَ، وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ دَاخِلًا فِي الْمُفَاجَأَةِ. فَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّهُمْ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مَعَهُمْ وَإِنَّمَا قَالُوهُ تَعْزِيزًا وَحَيَاءً كَرِهْتُ لَهُ الْأَكْلَ مَعَهُمْ. وَإِنْ كَانَ جَائِعًا فَقَصَدَ بَعْضَ إِخْوَانِهِ لِيُطْعِمَهُ وَلَمْ يَتَحَيَّنْ وَقْتَ أَكْلِهِ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ.

wa-lākin ʾin ṣādafahum yaʾkulūna fasaʾalūhu ʾan yaʾkula maʿahum, waʿalima ʾannahum yuḥibbūna ʾaklahu maʿahum falā baʾsa, walaysa dhālika dākhilan fī al-mufājaʾati. faʾin lam yaʿlam ʾannahum yuḥibbūna ʾan yaʾkula maʿahum waʾinnamā qālūhu taʿzīzan waḥayāʾan karihtu lahu al-ʾakla maʿahum. waʾin kāna jāʾiʿan faqaṣada baʿḍa ʾikhwānihi liyuṭʿimahu walam yataḥayyan waqta ʾaklihi falā baʾsa bi-dhālika.

But if he happens upon them eating, they invite him to join them, and he knows that they want him to eat with them, there is no harm; this is not uninvited intrusion. If he does not know that they want his company, and they say it merely to honor him or out of embarrassment, I disapprove of his eating with them. If he is hungry and visits a brother to be fed, without deliberately choosing his mealtime, there is no harm.

قَدْ قَصَدَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ مَنْزِلَ أَبِي الْهَيْثَمِ بْنِ التَّيِّهَانِ وَأَبَا أَيُّوبَ الْأَنْصَارِيَّيْنِ لِأَجْلِ طَعَامٍ يَأْكُلُونَهُ وَكَانُوا جِيَاعًا. وَمِنَ السُّنَّةِ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ الرَّجُلُ مَعَ ضَيْفِهِ إِذَا انْصَرَفَ إِلَى بَابِ الدَّارِ. وَلَيْسَ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ الضَّيْفُ مِنَ الْمَنْزِلِ عَنْ غَيْرِ إِذْنِ صَاحِبِهِ، وَلَا أَنْ يُقِيمَ لِلضِّيَافَةِ فَوْقَ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ حَتَّى يُخْرِجَهُ أَوْ يَتَبَرَّمَ بِهِ فَيَتَأَثَّمَ فِي ذَلِكَ.

qad qaṣada rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama waʾabū bakrin waʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum manzila ʾabī al-haythami bni al-tayyihāni waʾabā ʾayyūba al-ʾanṣāriyyayni liʾajli ṭaʿāmin yaʾkulūnahu wakānū jiyāʿan. wamina al-sunnati ʾan yakhruja al-rajulu maʿa ḍayfihi ʾidhā inṣarafa ʾilā bābi al-dāri. walaysa mina al-sunnati ʾan yakhruja al-ḍayfu mina al-manzili ʿan ghayri ʾidhni ṣāḥibihi, walā ʾan yuqīma li-l-ḍiyāfati fawqa thalāthati ʾayyāmin ḥattā yukhrijahu ʾaw yatabarrama bihi fayataʾaththama fī dhālika.

God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, together with Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, may God be pleased with them, visited the home of Abū al-Haytham ibn al-Tayyihān and Abū Ayyūb, the two Anṣārīs, to find food, for they were hungry. It is of the Sunna to accompany a departing guest to the door. It is not of the Sunna for a guest to leave without his host’s permission or remain more than three days until the host turns him out or grows resentful and thereby incurs sin.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: إِذَا قُصِدْتَ لِلزِّيَارَةِ فَقَدِّمْ مَا حَضَرَ، وَإِذَا اسْتَزَرْتَ فَلَا تُبْقِ وَلَا تَذَرْ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: دَخَلْنَا عَلَى جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَقَدَّمَ إِلَيْنَا خُبْزًا وَخَلًّا وَقَالَ: لَوْلَا أَنَّا نُهِينَا عَنِ التَّكَلُّفِ لَتَكَلَّفْتُ لَكُمْ. وَفِي حَدِيثِ يُونُسَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّهُ زَارَهُ إِخْوَانُهُ فَقَدَّمَ إِلَيْهِمْ كِسَرًا مِنْ شَعِيرٍ، وَجَزَّ لَهُمْ بَقْلًا كَانَ يَزْرَعُهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ: كُلُوا، لَوْلَا أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لَعَنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِينَ لَتَكَلَّفْتُ لَكُمْ.

waqāla baʿḍuhum: ʾidhā quṣidta li-l-ziyārati faqaddim mā ḥaḍara, waʾidhā istazarta falā tubqi walā tadhar. wafī al-khabari: dakhalnā ʿalā jābiri bni ʿabdi Allāhi faqaddama ʾilaynā khubzan wakhallan waqāla: lawlā ʾannā nuhīnā ʿani al-takallufi latakallaftu lakum. wafī ḥadīthi yūnusa ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾannahu zārahu ʾikhwānuhu faqaddama ʾilayhim kisaran min shaʿīrin, wajazza lahum baqlan kāna yazraʿuhu thumma qāla: kulū, lawlā ʾanna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā laʿana al-mutakallifīna latakallaftu lakum.

Someone said: “When people come to visit you, offer what is at hand; when you invite them, hold nothing back.” A report says: “We visited Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who served bread and vinegar and said, ‘Had we not been forbidden to strain ourselves, I would have gone to greater trouble for you.’” In the account of Jonah, peace be upon him, his brothers visited him; he served pieces of barley bread and cut greens that he grew. He said: “Eat. Had God, blessed and exalted is He, not cursed those who strain to put on a show, I would have done more for you.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ وَغَيْرِهِ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ: كَانُوا يُقَدِّمُونَ إِلَى إِخْوَانِهِمْ مَا حَضَرَ مِنَ الْكِسَرِ الْيَابِسَةِ وَالْحَشَفِ مِنَ التَّمْرِ وَالدَّقَلِ، وَيَقُولُونَ: لَا نَدْرِي أَيُّهُمَا أَعْظَمُ وِزْرًا، الَّذِي يَحْتَقِرُ مَا يُقَدَّمُ إِلَيْهِ أَوِ الَّذِي يَحْتَقِرُ مَا عِنْدَهُ أَنْ يُقَدِّمَهُ. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي مَعْنَاهُ خَبَرًا مُسْنَدًا. وَقَدْ كَانَ أَنَسٌ وَغَيْرُهُ يُقَدِّمُونَ مَا عِنْدَهُمْ إِلَى إِخْوَانِهِمْ وَيَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ الِاجْتِمَاعَ عَلَى الطَّعَامِ مِنْ مَكَارِمِ الْأَخْلَاقِ.

warawaynā ʿan ʾanasi bni mālikin waghayrihi mina al-ṣaḥābati: kānū yuqaddimūna ʾilā ʾikhwānihim mā ḥaḍara mina al-kisari al-yābisati wa-al-ḥashafi mina al-tamri wa-al-daqali, wayaqūlūna: lā nadrī ʾayyuhumā ʾaʿẓamu wizran, alladhī yaḥtaqiru mā yuqaddamu ʾilayhi ʾawi alladhī yaḥtaqiru mā ʿindahu ʾan yuqaddimahu. waqad rawaynā fī maʿnāhu khabaran musnadan. waqad kāna ʾanasun waghayruhu yuqaddimūna mā ʿindahum ʾilā ʾikhwānihim wayaqūlūna: ʾinna al-ijtimāʿa ʿalā al-ṭaʿāmi min makārimi al-ʾakhlāqi.

We have related that Anas ibn Mālik and other Companions offered their brothers whatever was at hand: dry pieces of bread, shriveled dates, and inferior dates. They said: “We do not know whose burden of sin is greater: the person who despises what is served to him, or the person who despises what he has and will not serve it.” We have transmitted a report with a chain of authorities to this effect. Anas and others would serve their brothers what they had and say: “Gathering over food is among the noblest qualities of character.”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانُوا يَجْتَمِعُونَ عَلَى قِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ وَالذِّكْرِ وَلَا يَفْتَرِقُونَ إِلَّا عَنْ ذَوَاقٍ. وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْمَدْعُوِّ أَنْ يَقْتَرِحَ عَلَى الدَّاعِي شَيْئًا بِعَيْنِهِ فَيَقُولَ: أُرِيدُ كَذَا، فَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْقَنَاعَةِ. فَإِنْ خَيَّرَهُ أَخُوهُ بَيْنَ طَعَامَيْنِ فَلْيَخْتَرْ أَقْرَبَهُمَا مِنْهُ وَأَيْسَرَهُمَا عَلَيْهِ، كَذَلِكَ السُّنَّةُ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَا خُيِّرَ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلَّا اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا.

wafī al-khabari: ʾanna ʾaṣḥāba al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kānū yajtamiʿūna ʿalā qirāʾati al-qurʾāni wa-al-dhikri walā yaftariqūna ʾillā ʿan dhawāqin. walā yanbaghī li-l-madʿuwwi ʾan yaqtariḥa ʿalā al-dāʿī shayʾan biʿaynihi fayaqūla: ʾurīdu kadhā, falaysa dhālika mina al-qanāʿati. faʾin khayyarahu ʾakhūhu bayna ṭaʿāmayni falyakhtar ʾaqrabahumā minhu waʾaysarahumā ʿalayhi, kadhālika al-sunnatu. wafī al-khabari ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: mā khuyyira bayna ʾamrayni ʾillā ikhtāra ʾaysarahumā.

A report says that the Companions of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to gather for Qurʾan recitation and remembrance, and did not part without tasting something. An invited guest should not demand a particular thing from the host, saying, “I want such-and-such,” for that is not contentment. If his brother offers a choice between two foods, he should choose whichever is nearer at hand and easier for him; that is the Sunna. A report about God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, says: “Whenever given a choice between two matters, he chose the easier.”

وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ قَالَ: مَضَيْتُ مَعَ صَاحِبٍ لِي إِلَى سَلْمَانَ نَزُورُهُ فَقَدَّمَ إِلَيْنَا خُبْزَ شَعِيرٍ وَمِلْحًا جَرِيشًا، فَقَالَ صَاحِبِي:

waḥaddathūnā ʿani al-ʾaʿmashi ʿan ʾabī wāʾilin qāla: maḍaytu maʿa ṣāḥibin lī ʾilā salmāna nazūruhu faqaddama ʾilaynā khubza shaʿīrin wamilḥan jarīshan, faqāla ṣāḥibī:

They narrated to us from al-Aʿmash, from Abū Wāʾil: “I went with a companion to visit Salmān. He served us barley bread and coarse salt. My companion said:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٠٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 305

Volume Two, page 305

لَوْ كَانَ فِي هَذَا الْمِلْحِ سَعْتَرٌ لَكَانَ أَطْيَبَ. فَخَرَجَ سَلْمَانُ فَرَهَنَ مِطْهَرَتَهُ وَأَخَذَ سَعْتَرًا، فَلَمَّا أَكَلْنَا قَالَ صَاحِبِي: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي قَنَّعَنَا بِمَا رَزَقَنَا. فَقَالَ سَلْمَانُ: لَوْ قَنِعْتَ بِمَا رُزِقْتَ لَمْ تَكُنْ مِطْهَرَتِي مَرْهُونَةً. فَإِنْ كَانَ أَخُوهُ مِمَّنْ يَأْنَسُ بِهِ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ اقْتِرَاحَهُ عَلَيْهِ مِمَّا يُحِبُّهُ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ.

law kāna fī hādhā al-milḥi saʿtarun lakāna ʾaṭyaba. fakharaja salmānu farahana miṭharatahu waʾakhadha saʿtaran, falammā ʾakalnā qāla ṣāḥibī: al-ḥamdu li-llāhi alladhī qannaʿanā bimā razaqanā. faqāla salmānu: law qaniʿta bimā ruziqta lam takun miṭharatī marhūnatan. faʾin kāna ʾakhūhu mimman yaʾnasu bihi waʿalima ʾanna iqtirāḥahu ʿalayhi mimmā yuḥibbuhu falā baʾsa bi-dhālika.

‘If there were thyme in this salt, it would taste better.’ Salmān went out, pawned his washing vessel, and obtained thyme. After we ate, my companion said, ‘Praise belongs to God, who has made us content with His provision.’ Salmān answered, ‘Had you been content with what you were provided, my washing vessel would not be pawned.’” But if a man is at ease with his brother and knows that his brother welcomes such requests, there is no harm.

قَدْ فَعَلَهُ الشَّافِعِيُّ مَعَ الزَّعْفَرَانِيِّ رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، كَانَ نَازِلًا عَلَيْهِ بِبَغْدَادَ فَكَانَا يَخْرُجَانِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ، فَكَانَ الزَّعْفَرَانِيُّ يَكْتُبُ فِي رُقْعَةٍ لِلْجَارِيَةِ مَا تُصْلِحُ مِنَ الْأَلْوَانِ. فَدَعَا الشَّافِعِيُّ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ الْجَارِيَةَ فَنَظَرَ فِيهَا ثُمَّ زَادَ لَوْنًا اشْتَهَاهُ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَ الزَّعْفَرَانِيُّ وَقَدَّمَتِ الْجَارِيَةُ ذَلِكَ اللَّوْنَ أَنْكَرَهُ، إِذْ لَمْ يَأْمُرْهَا بِهِ فَسَأَلَهَا عَنْهُ فَأَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّ الشَّافِعِيَّ زَادَ ذَلِكَ فِي الرُّقْعَةِ.

qad faʿalahu al-shāfiʿiyyu maʿa al-zaʿfarāniyyi raḥimahumā Allāhu taʿālā, kāna nāzilan ʿalayhi bibaghdāda fakānā yakhrujāni yawma al-jumuʿati ʾilā al-ṣalāti, fakāna al-zaʿfarāniyyu yaktubu fī ruqʿatin li-l-jāriyati mā tuṣliḥu mina al-ʾalwāni. fadaʿā al-shāfiʿiyyu dhāta yawmin al-jāriyata fanaẓara fīhā thumma zāda lawnan ishtahāhu, falammā jāʾa al-zaʿfarāniyyu waqaddamati al-jāriyatu dhālika al-lawna ʾankarahu, ʾidh lam yaʾmurhā bihi fasaʾalahā ʿanhu faʾakhbarat-hu ʾanna al-shāfiʿiyya zāda dhālika fī al-ruqʿati.

Al-Shāfiʿī did this with al-Zaʿfarānī, may God Most High have mercy on them both, while staying with him in Baghdad. They would go out to Friday prayer, and al-Zaʿfarānī would write a note for the servant girl listing the dishes to prepare. One day al-Shāfiʿī called her, looked at the note, and added a dish he wanted. When al-Zaʿfarānī returned and she served it, he was surprised, since he had not ordered it. She explained that al-Shāfiʿī had added it to the note.

فَقَالَ: أَرِينِي الرُّقْعَةَ، فَلَمَّا نَظَرَ إِلَى خَطِّ الشَّافِعِيِّ فِي الرُّقْعَةِ بِذَلِكَ اللَّوْنِ فَرِحَ بِذَلِكَ وَأَعْجَبَهُ، فَقَالَ: أَنْتِ حُرَّةٌ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَأَعْتَقَهَا سُرُورًا مِنْهُ بِفِعْلِ الشَّافِعِيِّ ذَلِكَ، وَإِلَيْهِ نُسِبَ دَرْبُ الزَّعْفَرَانِيِّ بِبَابِ الشَّعِيرِ فِي الْجَانِبِ الْغَرْبِيِّ مِنْ بَغْدَادَ. فَإِنْ شَهَّاهُ أَخُوهُ وَسَأَلَهُ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يَذْكُرَ لَهُ شَهْوَةً لِيَصْنَعَهَا فَيُعِينَهُ عَلَى فَضِيلَتِهَا.

faqāla: ʾarīnī al-ruqʿata, falammā naẓara ʾilā khaṭṭi al-shāfiʿiyyi fī al-ruqʿati bi-dhālika al-lawni fariḥa bi-dhālika waʾaʿjabahu, faqāla: ʾanti ḥurratun liwajhi Allāhi taʿālā, faʾaʿtaqahā surūran minhu bifiʿli al-shāfiʿiyyi dhālika, waʾilayhi nusiba darbu al-zaʿfarāniyyi bibābi al-shaʿīri fī al-jānibi al-gharbiyyi min baghdāda. faʾin shahhāhu ʾakhūhu wasaʾalahu falā baʾsa ʾan yadhkura lahu shahwatan liyaṣnaʿahā fayuʿīnahu ʿalā faḍīlatihā.

He said: “Show me the note.” Seeing the dish entered in al-Shāfiʿī’s handwriting delighted him. He told her: “You are free for the sake of God Most High,” and freed her out of joy at what al-Shāfiʿī had done. Al-Zaʿfarānī Lane at Bāb al-Shaʿīr on Baghdad’s western side was named after him. If one’s brother encourages one to express a wish and asks about it, there is no harm in naming something one desires so that he can prepare it; one thereby helps him attain its merit.

فَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي فَضْلِ ذَلِكَ غَيْرَ حَدِيثٍ، مِنْهَا الْحَدِيثُ الْمَشْهُورُ: مَنْ صَادَفَ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَهْوَةً غُفِرَ لَهُ، وَمَنْ سَرَّ أَخَاهُ الْمُؤْمِنَ فَقَدْ سَرَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ لَذَّذَ أَخَاهُ بِمَا يَشْتَهِي كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ حَسَنَةٍ، وَمَحَا عَنْهُ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ سَيِّئَةٍ وَرَفَعَ لَهُ أَلْفَ دَرَجَةٍ، وَأَطْعَمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنْ ثَلَاثِ جَنَّاتٍ: جَنَّةِ الْفِرْدَوْسِ، وَجَنَّةِ عَدْنٍ، وَجَنَّةِ الْخُلْدِ.

faqad rawaynā fī faḍli dhālika ghayra ḥadīthin, minhā al-ḥadīthu al-mashhūru: man ṣādafa min ʾakhīhi shahwatan ghufira lahu, waman sarra ʾakhāhu al-muʾmina faqad sarra Allāha ʿazza wajalla. warawaynā ʿani ibni al-zubayri ʿan jābirin qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man ladhdhadha ʾakhāhu bimā yashtahī kataba Allāhu lahu ʾalfa ʾalfi ḥasanatin, wamaḥā ʿanhu ʾalfa ʾalfi sayyiʾatin warafaʿa lahu ʾalfa darajatin, waʾaṭʿamahu Allāhu taʿālā min thalāthi jannātin: jannati al-firdawsi, wajannati ʿadnin, wajannati al-khuldi.

We have related several hadiths concerning this merit, including the well-known report: “Whoever meets a brother’s desire is forgiven; whoever gladdens his believing brother has gladdened God, mighty and majestic.” We have related from Ibn al-Zubayr, from Jābir, that God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever gives his brother the pleasure of something he desires, God records for him a million good deeds, erases a million bad deeds, raises him a thousand degrees, and God Most High feeds him from three gardens: the Garden of Paradise, the Garden of Eden, and the Garden of Eternity.”

وَالْخِلَالُ بَعْدَ الْأَكْلِ حَسَنٌ فَلَا يُبِينُ عَنْهُ، وَلَا بَأْسَ بِغَسْلِ الْيَدِ فِي الطَّسْتِ وَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْأَدَبِ التَّنَخُّمُ فِيهِ. وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ اجْتَمَعَ هُوَ وَثَابِتٌ الْبُنَانِيُّ عَلَى طَعَامٍ فَقُدِّمَ الطَّسْتُ إِلَى ثَابِتٍ لِيَغْسِلَ يَدَهُ فَامْتَنَعَ، فَقَالَ أَنَسٌ: إِذَا أَكْرَمَكَ أَخُوكَ فَاقْبَلْ كَرَامَتَهُ وَلَا تَرُدَّهُ فَإِنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يُكْرِمُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

wa-al-khilālu baʿda al-ʾakli ḥasanun falā yubīnu ʿanhu, walā baʾsa bighasli al-yadi fī al-ṭasti walaysa mina al-ʾadabi al-tanakhkhumu fīhi. warawaynā ʾanna ʾanasa bna mālikin ijtamaʿa huwa wathābitun al-bunāniyyu ʿalā ṭaʿāmin faquddima al-ṭastu ʾilā thābitin liyaghsila yadahu fa-imtanaʿa, faqāla ʾanasun: ʾidhā ʾakramaka ʾakhūka fa-iqbal karāmatahu walā taruddahu faʾinnahu ʾinnamā yukrimu Allāha ʿazza wajalla.

Picking the teeth after eating is good, but one should not make a display of it. There is no harm in washing the hand in a basin, but spitting phlegm into it is bad manners. We have related that Anas ibn Mālik and Thābit al-Bunānī ate together. The basin was offered to Thābit to wash his hand, but he declined. Anas said: “When your brother honors you, accept his kindness and do not reject him, for he is honoring God, mighty and majestic.”

وَرُوِيَ أَنَّ هَارُونَ الرَّشِيدَ دَعَا أَبَا مُعَاوِيَةَ الضَّرِيرَ فَصَبَّ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى يَدِهِ فِي الطَّسْتِ، فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ قَالَ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا مُعَاوِيَةَ تَدْرِي مَنْ صَبَّ عَلَى يَدِكَ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. قَالَ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، إِنَّمَا أَكْرَمْتَ الْعِلْمَ وَأَجْلَلْتَهُ، فَأَجَلَّكَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَكْرَمَكَ، كَمَا أَجْلَلْتَ الْعِلْمَ وَأَكْرَمْتَهُ. وَأَكْرَهُ قِيَامَ الْخَادِمِ، أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ أَنْ يَصُبَّ عَلَى يَدِهِ جَالِسًا.

waruwiya ʾanna hārūna al-rashīda daʿā ʾabā muʿāwiyata al-ḍarīra faṣabba al-rajulu ʿalā yadihi fī al-ṭasti, falammā faragha qāla lahu: yā ʾabā muʿāwiyata tadrī man ṣabba ʿalā yadika? qāla: lā. qāla: ʾamīru al-muʾminīna. qāla: yā ʾamīra al-muʾminīna, ʾinnamā ʾakramta al-ʿilma waʾajlaltahu, faʾajallaka Allāhu ʿazza wajalla waʾakramaka, kamā ʾajlalta al-ʿilma waʾakramtahu. waʾakrahu qiyāma al-khādimi, ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya ʾan yaṣubba ʿalā yadihi jālisan.

It is related that Hārūn al-Rashīd invited Abū Muʿāwiya the blind scholar, and the man poured water over his hand into the basin. When he finished, he asked: “Abū Muʿāwiya, do you know who poured water over your hand?” “No.” “The Commander of the Faithful.” He replied: “Commander of the Faithful, you have honored and revered knowledge. May God, mighty and majestic, revere and honor you as you have revered and honored knowledge.” I dislike the servant standing; I prefer him to pour water over the hand while seated.

وَاجْتِمَاعُ الِاثْنَيْنِ أَوِ الثَّلَاثَةِ فِي غَسْلِ الْيَدِ وَجَمْعُ مَائِهِمُ الْمُسْتَعْمَلِ فِي مَرَّةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فِي الطَّسْتِ حَسَنٌ، وَهُوَ مِنَ التَّوَاضُعِ. وَمَنِ انْفَرَدَ بِغَسْلِ يَدِهِ وَحْدَهُ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يَتَنَخَّمَ فِي الطَّسْتِ، وَمَنْ بَزَقَ فِيهِ بَعْدَ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ وَيَفْرُغَ مِنْ غَسْلِ يَدِهِ فَلَا بَأْسَ. وَكَتَبَ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ إِلَى الْأَمْصَارِ: لَا يُرْفَعُ الطَّسْتُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيِ الْقَوْمِ إِلَّا مَمْلُوءًا وَلَا تَشَبَّهُوا بِالْعَجَمِ.

wa-ijtimāʿu al-ithnayni ʾawi al-thalāthati fī ghasli al-yadi wajamʿu māʾihimu al-mustaʿmali fī marratin wāḥidatin fī al-ṭasti ḥasanun, wahuwa mina al-tawāḍuʿi. wamani infarada bighasli yadihi waḥdahu falā baʾsa ʾan yatanakhkhama fī al-ṭasti, waman bazaqa fīhi baʿda ʾan yurfaʿa wayafrugha min ghasli yadihi falā baʾsa. wakataba ʿumaru bnu ʿabdi al-ʿazīzi ʾilā al-ʾamṣāri: lā yurfaʿu al-ṭastu min bayni yadayi al-qawmi ʾillā mamlūʾan walā tashabbahū bi-al-ʿajami.

It is good for two or three people to wash their hands together and collect their used water in the basin at one time; this is humility. Someone washing alone may spit phlegm into the basin, and there is no harm in spitting into it once it is lifted away and the hand-washing is finished. ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz wrote to the provinces: “Do not remove the basin from before the company until it is full, and do not imitate the non-Arabs.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَاهُ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: اجْتَمِعُوا عَلَى غَسْلِ الْيَدِ فِي طَسْتٍ وَاحِدٍ وَلَا تَسْتَسِنُّوا بِسُنَّةِ الْعَجَمِ. وَلَا يَزْدَرِدَنَّ مَا أَخْرَجَ الْخِلَالُ مِنْ أَسْنَانِهِ فَإِنَّهُ دَاءٌ وَمَكْرُوهٌ، وَمَا لَاكَهُ بِأَسْنَانِهِ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يَزْدَرِدَ. وَلْيَتَمَضْمَضْ بَعْدَ الْخِلَالِ فَفِيهِ أَثَرٌ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ.

waqad rawaynāhu ʿani ibni masʿūdin ʾannahu qāla: ijtamiʿū ʿalā ghasli al-yadi fī ṭastin wāḥidin walā tastasinnū bisunnati al-ʿajami. walā yazdaridanna mā ʾakhraja al-khilālu min ʾasnānihi faʾinnahu dāʾun wamakrūhun, wamā lākahu biʾasnānihi falā baʾsa ʾan yazdarida. walyatamaḍmaḍ baʿda al-khilāli fafīhi ʾatharun ʿan baʿḍi ʾahli al-bayti ʿalayhimu al-salāmu.

We have also related from Ibn Masʿūd: “Gather to wash your hands in one basin, and do not adopt the custom of the non-Arabs.” One must not swallow what the toothpick removes from the teeth, for it causes illness and is disapproved. There is no harm in swallowing what one has loosened by chewing with the teeth. Rinse the mouth after tooth-picking; a report to this effect comes from some of the Prophet’s Household, peace be upon them.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٠٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 306

Volume Two, page 306

وَلْيَقُلْ عِنْدَ فَرَاغِهِ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَنَا وَسَقَانَا وَكَفَانَا وَآوَانَا، سَيِّدِنَا وَمَوْلَانَا، يَا كَافِيَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلَا يَكْفِي مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ، أَطْعَمْتَ مِنْ جُوعٍ وَآمَنْتَ مِنْ خَوْفٍ، لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، آوَيْتَ مِنْ يُتْمٍ، وَهَدَيْتَ مِنْ ضَلَالَةٍ، وَأَغْنَيْتَ مِنْ عَيْلَةٍ، لَكَ الْحَمْدُ حَمْدًا كَثِيرًا دَائِمًا طَيِّبًا نَافِعًا مُبَارَكًا فِيهِ، كَمَا أَنْتَ أَهْلُهُ وَمُسْتَحِقُّهُ، اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَطْعِمْنَا طَيِّبًا وَاسْتَعْمِلْنَا صَالِحًا وَاجْعَلْهُ عَوْنًا لَنَا عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ نَسْتَعِينَ بِهِ عَلَى مَعَاصِيكَ.

walyaqul ʿinda farāghihi mina al-ṭaʿāmi: al-ḥamdu li-llāhi alladhī ʾaṭʿamanā wasaqānā wakafānā waʾāwānā, sayyidinā wamawlānā, yā kāfiya min kulli shayʾin walā yakfī minhu shayʾun, ʾaṭʿamta min jūʿin waʾāmanta min khawfin, laka al-ḥamdu, ʾāwayta min yutmin, wahadayta min ḍalālatin, waʾaghnayta min ʿaylatin, laka al-ḥamdu ḥamdan kathīran dāʾiman ṭayyiban nāfiʿan mubārakan fīhi, kamā ʾanta ʾahluhu wamustaḥiqquhu, Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā muḥammadin waʿalā ʾālihi waʾaṭʿimnā ṭayyiban wa-istaʿmilnā ṣāliḥan wa-ijʿalhu ʿawnan lanā ʿalā ṭāʿatika wanaʿūdhu bika ʾan nastaʿīna bihi ʿalā maʿāṣīka.

When finished eating, say: “Praise belongs to God, who fed us, gave us drink, sufficed us, and sheltered us, our Lord and Master. O You who suffice against everything, while nothing suffices against You: You fed us against hunger and secured us against fear; to You belongs praise. You sheltered us from orphanhood, guided us from error, and enriched us against poverty. To You belongs abundant, enduring, wholesome, beneficial, blessed praise, as You deserve and are worthy of. O God, bless Muḥammad and his family; feed us wholesome food, employ us in righteousness, and make it a help in obeying You. We seek refuge in You from using it to assist us in disobeying You.”

وَفِي الْأَكْلِ مَعَ الْإِخْوَانِ ثَلَاثُ فَضَائِلَ: رُوِيَ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ: إِذَا قَعَدْتُمْ مَعَ الْإِخْوَانِ عَلَى الْمَائِدَةِ فَأَطِيلُوا الْجُلُوسَ فَإِنَّهَا سَاعَةٌ لَا تُحْتَسَبُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ أَعْمَارِكُمْ. وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا تَزَالُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ تُصَلِّي عَلَى أَحَدِكُمْ مَا دَامَتْ مَائِدَتُهُ مَوْضُوعَةً بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى تُرْفَعَ.

wafī al-ʾakli maʿa al-ʾikhwāni thalāthu faḍāʾila: ruwiya ʿan jaʿfari bni muḥammadin ʿalayhimā al-salāmu: ʾidhā qaʿadtum maʿa al-ʾikhwāni ʿalā al-māʾidati faʾaṭīlū al-julūsa faʾinnahā sāʿatun lā tuḥtasabu ʿalaykum min ʾaʿmārikum. waqad ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā tazālu al-malāʾikatu tuṣallī ʿalā ʾaḥadikum mā dāmat māʾidatuhu mawḍūʿatan bayna yadayhi ḥattā turfaʿa.

Eating with brothers has three merits. It is related from Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, peace be upon them both: “When you sit at a table with brothers, prolong your sitting, for that hour is not counted against your lifetimes.” It has also been related from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “The angels continue to pray for one of you as long as his table is set before him, until it is removed.”

وَرُوِيَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ الْبَصْرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: كُلُّ نَفَقَةٍ يُنْفِقُهَا الرَّجُلُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَأَبَوَيْهِ فَمَنْ دُونَهُمْ يُحَاسَبُ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا نَفَقَةَ الرَّجُلِ إِذَا دَعَا إِخْوَانَهُ إِلَى طَعَامٍ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى يَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ يَسْأَلَهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ. وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ بَعْضِ عُلَمَاءِ خُرَاسَانَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ إِذَا دَعَا إِخْوَانَهُ قَدَّمَ إِلَيْهِمْ نَحْوَ الْقَفِيزِ مِنْ صُنُوفِ الْأَطْعِمَةِ وَالْحُبُوبِ وَالْفَوَاكِهِ الْيَابِسَةِ.

waruwiya ʿani al-ḥasani al-baṣriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu: kullu nafaqatin yunfiquhā al-rajulu ʿalā nafsihi waʾabawayhi faman dūnahum yuḥāsabu ʿalayhā ʾillā nafaqata al-rajuli ʾidhā daʿā ʾikhwānahu ʾilā ṭaʿāmin, faʾinna Allāha subḥānahu wataʿālā yastaḥyī ʾan yasʾalahu ʿan dhālika. waqad ruwiya ʿan baʿḍi ʿulamāʾi khurāsāna ʾannahu kāna ʾidhā daʿā ʾikhwānahu qaddama ʾilayhim naḥwa al-qafīzi min ṣunūfi al-ʾaṭʿimati wa-al-ḥubūbi wa-al-fawākihi al-yābisati.

It is related from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, may God have mercy on him: “A man is called to account for everything he spends on himself, his parents, and those beyond them, except what he spends when inviting his brothers to a meal: God, glorified and exalted is He, is too gracious to question him about that.” One scholar of Khurasan is said to have served his invited brothers about a qafīz measure of assorted foods, grains, and dried fruits.

فَسُئِلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: بَلَغَنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّ الْإِخْوَانَ إِذَا رَفَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنِ الطَّعَامِ لَمْ يُحَاسَبْ مَنْ أَكَلَ فَضْلَ ذَلِكَ الطَّعَامِ، فَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَسْتَكْثِرَ مِمَّا أُقَدِّمُ إِلَيْكُمْ لِنَأْكُلَ فَضْلَ ذَلِكَ. وَفِي خَبَرٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ السَّلَفِ: لَا يُحَاسَبُ الْعَبْدُ عَلَى مَا يَأْكُلُهُ مَعَ إِخْوَانِهِ، فَكَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ يُكْثِرُ مِنَ الْأَكْلِ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ وَيَتَقَلَّلُ إِذَا أَكَلَ وَحْدَهُ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: ثَلَاثٌ لَا يُحَاسَبُ عَلَيْهَا الْعَبْدُ: أَكْلَةُ السَّحُورِ وَمَا أَفْطَرَ عَلَيْهِ وَالْأَكْلُ مَعَ الْإِخْوَانِ.

fasuʾila ʿan dhālika faqāla: balaghanā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾanna al-ʾikhwāna ʾidhā rafaʿū ʾaydiyahum ʿani al-ṭaʿāmi lam yuḥāsab man ʾakala faḍla dhālika al-ṭaʿāmi, faʾanā ʾuḥibbu ʾan ʾastakthira mimmā ʾuqaddimu ʾilaykum linaʾkula faḍla dhālika. wafī khabarin ʿan baʿḍi al-salafi: lā yuḥāsabu al-ʿabdu ʿalā mā yaʾkuluhu maʿa ʾikhwānihi, fakāna baʿḍuhum yukthiru mina al-ʾakli fī al-jamāʿati wayataqallalu ʾidhā ʾakala waḥdahu. wafī al-khabari: thalāthun lā yuḥāsabu ʿalayhā al-ʿabdu: ʾaklatu al-saḥūri wamā ʾafṭara ʿalayhi wa-al-ʾaklu maʿa al-ʾikhwāni.

Asked why, he answered: “It has reached us from God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, that when brothers withdraw their hands from food, whoever eats what remains is not called to account. I therefore like to serve you plenty so that we may eat what remains.” A report from an early authority says: “A servant is not called to account for what he eats with his brothers.” Some therefore ate generously in company and sparingly alone. Another report says: “A servant is not called to account for three things: the predawn meal, what he breaks his fast with, and eating with brothers.”

وَمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ نِيَّةٌ فِي تَقْدِيمِ فُضُولِ الْأَطْعِمَةِ بِهَذَا الْخَبَرِ، فَإِنِّي أَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُقَدِّمَ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ إِلَّا مَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُؤْكَلَ، وَلَا يُتْرَكَ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَلَا يَسْتَثْنِيَ هُوَ وَلَا أَهْلُ الْبَيْتِ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ رُجُوعَ شَيْءٍ مِنْهُ، وَإِلَّا كَانَ مَا يُقَدِّمُهُ مِمَّا يَنْوِي رُجُوعَ بَعْضِهِ، وَلَا يُحِبُّ أَكْلَ كُلِّهِ تَصَنُّعًا وَمُبَاهَاةً. فَإِنْ عَلِمَ بِذَلِكَ مَنْ قُدِّمَ إِلَيْهِ لَمْ أَسْتَحِبَّ لَهُ فِي الْوَرَعِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِنْهُ.

waman lam yakun lahu niyyatun fī taqdīmi fuḍūli al-ʾaṭʿimati bi-hādhā al-khabari, faʾinnī ʾakrahu ʾan yuqaddima mina al-ṭaʿāmi ʾillā mā yurīdu ʾan yuʾkala, walā yutraka minhu shayʾun walā yastathniya huwa walā ʾahlu al-bayti fī ʾanfusihim rujūʿa shayʾin minhu, waʾillā kāna mā yuqaddimuhu mimmā yanwī rujūʿa baʿḍihi, walā yuḥibbu ʾakla kullihi taṣannuʿan wamubāhātan. faʾin ʿalima bi-dhālika man quddima ʾilayhi lam ʾastaḥibba lahu fī al-waraʿi ʾan yaʾkula minhu.

If someone does not intend, by serving extra food, to act upon this report, I disapprove of his serving anything he does not want eaten. Nothing should be left, and neither he nor his household should inwardly reserve any of it to come back. Otherwise, serving food while intending some to return and not wanting all of it eaten is affectation and boasting. If a guest knows this, I would not recommend his eating it as a matter of scrupulousness.

لِأَنَّ الْمَأْكُولَ إِذَا قُدِّمَ لِيُؤْكَلَ بَعْضُهُ فَهُوَ تَصَنُّعٌ وَتَزَيُّنٌ، لَا يَصْنَعُ الْوَرِعُونَ ذَلِكَ وَلَا يَأْكُلُ الْمُتَّقُونَ مِنْ هَذَا، لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَدْرِي كَمْ مِقْدَارُ مَا يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَأْكُلُوا مِنْهُ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: نُهِينَا أَنْ نُجِيبَ دَعْوَةَ مَنْ يُبَاهِي بِطَعَامِهِ. وَقَدْ كَرِهَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ أَكْلَ طَعَامِ الْمُبَاهَاةِ وَالْمُبَارَاةِ، وَهَذَا مَكْرُوهٌ لِمَنْ يُقَدِّمُهُ بِهَذِهِ النِّيَّةِ إِلَى إِخْوَانِهِ لِأَنَّهُ

liʾanna al-maʾkūla ʾidhā quddima liyuʾkala baʿḍuhu fahuwa taṣannuʿun watazayyunun, lā yaṣnaʿu al-wariʿūna dhālika walā yaʾkulu al-muttaqūna min hādhā, liʾannahu lā yadrī kam miqdāru mā yuḥibbūna ʾan yaʾkulū minhu. warawaynā ʿani ibni masʿūdin qāla: nuhīnā ʾan nujība daʿwata man yubāhī biṭaʿāmihi. waqad kariha jamāʿatun mina al-ṣaḥābati ʾakla ṭaʿāmi al-mubāhāti wa-al-mubārāti, wa-hādhā makrūhun liman yuqaddimuhu bi-hādhihi al-niyyati ʾilā ʾikhwānihi liʾannahu

For when food is served with the intention that only part be eaten, it is affectation and display. The scrupulous do not do this, and the God-fearing do not eat such food, because a guest cannot know how much the hosts want eaten. We have related from Ibn Masʿūd: “We were forbidden to accept the invitation of someone who boasts of his food.” Several Companions disapproved of food served for boasting and rivalry. This is disapproved in the person serving his brothers with that intention, because he

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٠٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 307

Volume Two, page 307

قَدْ عَرَّضَهُمْ لِتَنَاوُلِ مَا يَكْرَهُونَ، وَقَدْ دَلَّسَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ. وَأَيْضًا فَإِنَّهُ شَيْءٌ قَدْ قُدِّمَ لِأَجْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَلَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَسْتَثْنِيَ ارْتِجَاعَ شَيْءٍ مِنْهُ، بِمَنْزِلَةِ مَنْ يُخْرِجُ الرَّغِيفَ أَوِ الشَّيْءَ إِلَى السَّائِلِ فَيَجِدُهُ قَدِ انْصَرَفَ فَكَرِهَ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ فِيهِ فَيَأْكُلَهُ، وَقَالَ: يَعْزِلُهُ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ سَائِلٌ آخَرُ فَيَدْفَعَهُ إِلَيْهِ.

qad ʿarraḍahum litanāwuli mā yakrahūna, waqad dallasa ʿalayhim mā lā yaʿlamūna. waʾayḍan faʾinnahu shayʾun qad quddima liʾajli Allāhi taʿālā falā yaṣluḥu ʾan yastathniya irtijāʿa shayʾin minhu, bimanzilati man yukhriju al-raghīfa ʾawi al-shayʾa ʾilā al-sāʾili fayajiduhu qadi inṣarafa fakariha ʾan yarjiʿa fīhi fayaʾkulahu, waqāla: yaʿziluhu ḥattā yaʾtiya sāʾilun ʾākharu fayadfaʿahu ʾilayhi.

has exposed them to taking what they would dislike and concealed from them what they do not know. Moreover, it is something offered for God Most High, so one should not reserve the right to take any of it back. It resembles taking a loaf or something else to a beggar and finding that he has left: one dislikes taking it back to eat it. He said it should be set aside until another beggar comes, then given to him.

وَكَانَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْحَدِيثِ إِذَا أَكَلَ مَعَ إِخْوَانِهِ تَرَكَ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ عَلَى رَغِيفٍ يَعْزِلُهُ مَعَهُ. وَكَانَ سَيَّارُ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ إِذَا حَضَرَ عَلَى مَائِدَةٍ أَكَلَ لُقَيْمَاتٍ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: اعْزِلُوا نَصِيبِي. وَأَكَلَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ عَلَى مَائِدَةٍ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فَلَمَّا جَاءَتِ الْحَلْوَى نَزَعَ قَلَنْسُوَتَهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: اجْعَلُوا نَصِيبِي فِي هَذِهِ.

wakāna baʿḍu ʾahli al-ḥadīthi ʾidhā ʾakala maʿa ʾikhwānihi taraka mina al-ṭaʿāmi ʿalā raghīfin yaʿziluhu maʿahu. wakāna sayyāru bnu ḥātimin ʾidhā ḥaḍara ʿalā māʾidatin ʾakala luqaymātin, thumma yaqūlu: iʿzilū naṣībī. waʾakala dhāta yawmin ʿalā māʾidatin fī jamāʿatin falammā jāʾati al-ḥalwā nazaʿa qalansuwatahu, thumma qāla: ijʿalū naṣībī fī hādhihi.

One scholar of hadith, when eating with his brothers, would leave some food on a loaf and set it aside with him. Sayyār ibn Ḥātim would eat a few mouthfuls at a table, then say: “Set my portion aside.” Once, eating with a group, he took off his cap when the sweet dish arrived and said: “Put my portion in this.”

فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَعْزِلَ أَنْصِبَةَ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ قَبْلَ تَقْدِيمِ الطَّعَامِ إِلَى إِخْوَانِهِ كَيْلَا يُحَدِّثُوا نُفُوسَهُمْ بِرُجُوعِ شَيْءٍ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مَكْرُوهٌ لَهُمْ، وَلَعَلَّهُ لَا يَرْجِعُ شَيْءٌ مِنْهُ فَيَكُونَ ذَلِكَ إِحْرَاجًا مِنَ الْآكِلِينَ وَمَنْقَصَةً لَهُمْ؛ وَهَذَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَشَدُّ مِنْ إِكْرَامِهِمْ بِالطَّعَامِ، أَنْ يَكُونَ ذَلِكَ مُضِرًّا بِالْأَهْلِ فَيَكُونَ مُضَيِّعًا لِلْأَصْلِ. وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يُقَدِّمَ إِلَّا مَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَأْكُلُوهُ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ أَيْضًا وَمِقْدَارَ الْحَاجَةِ وَالْكِفَايَةِ مِنَ الْمَأْكُولِ فَيَجْمَعَ بَيْنَ السُّنَّةِ وَالْفَضِيلَةِ.

fayanbaghī ʾan yaʿzila ʾanṣibata ʾahli al-bayti qabla taqdīmi al-ṭaʿāmi ʾilā ʾikhwānihi kaylā yuḥaddithū nufūsahum birujūʿi shayʾin minhu faʾinnahu makrūhun lahum, walaʿallahu lā yarjiʿu shayʾun minhu fayakūna dhālika ʾiḥrājan mina al-ʾākilīna wamanqaṣatan lahum; wa-hādhā ʿalayhim ʾashaddu min ʾikrāmihim bi-al-ṭaʿāmi, ʾan yakūna dhālika muḍirran bi-al-ʾahli fayakūna muḍayyiʿan li-l-ʾaṣli. walā yanbaghī lahu ʾan yuqaddima ʾillā mā yuḥibbu ʾan yaʾkulūhu min kulli shayʾin ʾayḍan wamiqdāra al-ḥājati wa-al-kifāyati mina al-maʾkūli fayajmaʿa bayna al-sunnati wa-al-faḍīlati.

The household’s portions should be set aside before food is served to the brothers, so they do not hope for something to return, which is disapproved for them. Perhaps nothing will return, causing resentment toward the diners and diminishing them in the household’s eyes. Such harm to the family, neglecting one’s fundamental duty, weighs more heavily against the guests than the honor of feeding them benefits them. Serve only what one truly wants them to eat of everything, and enough to meet their needs; this combines the Sunna with virtue.

رُوِيَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: مَا رُفِعَ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَضْلَةُ طَعَامٍ قَطُّ؛ هَذَا لِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا مُخْلِصِينَ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَلَا يُقَدِّمُونَ إِلَّا كِفَايَتَهُمْ، وَلَا يَأْكُلُونَ إِلَّا بَعْدَ جُوعِهِمْ، وَلَا يَتْرُكُونَ الْأَكْلَ وَفِي نُفُوسِهِمْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَلِلِاقْتِصَارِ الَّذِي كَانَ فِيهِمْ. فَفِيمَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ مِنْ تَقْدِيمِ الْكِفَايَةِ لِئَلَّا تُرَدَّ فُضُولُ الْأَطْعِمَةِ مُوَافَقَةٌ لِلسُّنَّةِ، وَفِي تَقْدِيمِ الْمَأْكُولِ لِيَرْجِعَ أَكْثَرُهُ نِيَّةٌ حَسَنَةٌ، لِمَا جَاءَ فِيهِ: أَنَّ مَنْ أَكَلَ مَا فَضَلَ مِنَ الْإِخْوَانِ لَمْ يُحَاسَبْ عَلَيْهِ.

ruwiya fī al-khabari: mā rufiʿa min bayni yaday rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama faḍlatu ṭaʿāmin qaṭṭu; hādhā liʾannahum kānū mukhliṣīna fī kulli shayʾin falā yuqaddimūna ʾillā kifāyatahum, walā yaʾkulūna ʾillā baʿda jūʿihim, walā yatrukūna al-ʾakla wafī nufūsihim minhu shayʾun wali-l-iqtiṣāri alladhī kāna fīhim. fafīmā dhakarnāhu min taqdīmi al-kifāyati liʾallā turadda fuḍūlu al-ʾaṭʿimati muwāfaqatun li-l-sunnati, wafī taqdīmi al-maʾkūli liyarjiʿa ʾaktharuhu niyyatun ḥasanatun, limā jāʾa fīhi: ʾanna man ʾakala mā faḍala mina al-ʾikhwāni lam yuḥāsab ʿalayhi.

A report says: “No leftover food was ever removed from before God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace.” They were sincere in everything, served only enough, ate only after becoming hungry, and did not stop while still wanting food; they also practiced moderation. Serving enough so that no excess returns accords with the Sunna. Serving food with the intention that most return can also rest on a good intention, because of the report that whoever eats what brothers leave is not called to account for it.

وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فَلَا يَأْمُرْ بِتَأْخِيرِ الطَّعَامِ فَلَعَلَّ فِيهِمْ مَنْ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى تَقْدِيمِهِ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَتَّفِقُوا عَلَى تَأْخِيرِهِ فَلَا يَأْمُرْ حِينَئِذٍ بِتَقْدِيمِهِ لِأَجْلِ نَفْسِهِ. وَإِذَا حَضَرَ الطَّعَامُ وَالصَّلَاةُ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ نُفُوسُهُمْ تَتُوقُ إِلَيْهِ وَفِي الْوَقْتِ سَعَةٌ قَدَّمُوا الْأَكْلَ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ نُفُوسُهُمْ سَاكِنَةً أَوْ ضَاقَ الْوَقْتُ أَوْ خَشُوا أَنْ يَتَطَاوَلَ بِهِمُ الْأَكْلُ صَلَّوْا أَوَّلًا.

waman kāna fī jamāʿatin falā yaʾmur bitaʾkhīri al-ṭaʿāmi falaʿalla fīhim man yaḥtāju ʾilā taqdīmihi, ʾillā ʾan yattafiqū ʿalā taʾkhīrihi falā yaʾmur ḥīnaʾidhin bitaqdīmihi liʾajli nafsihi. waʾidhā ḥaḍara al-ṭaʿāmu wa-al-ṣalātu faʾin kānat nufūsuhum tatūqu ʾilayhi wafī al-waqti saʿatun qaddamū al-ʾakla, waʾin kānat nufūsuhum sākinatan ʾaw ḍāqa al-waqtu ʾaw khashū ʾan yataṭāwala bihimu al-ʾaklu ṣallaw ʾawwalan.

Someone in a group should not order the meal delayed, since another may need it served. If they agree to delay it, he should not demand it early for himself. When both food and prayer are ready, if they long for the food and there is ample time, they should eat first. If their appetites are calm, time is short, or they fear the meal will run long, they should pray first.

وَأَسْتَحِبُّ الْأَكْلَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ. كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا أُتِيَ بِطَعَامٍ وَضَعَهُ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَكَانَ يَأْكُلُ مُقْعِيًا عَلَى قَدَمَيْهِ وَيَقُولُ: لَا آكُلُ مُتَّكِئًا، إِنَّمَا أَنَا عَبْدٌ آكُلُ كَمَا يَأْكُلُ الْعَبْدُ وَأَجْلِسُ كَمَا يَجْلِسُ الْعَبْدُ. وَرُبَّمَا جَثَا لِلْأَكْلِ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ وَجَلَسَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ قَدَمِهِ، وَنَصَبَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُمْنَى، وَهِيَ جِلْسَةُ الْعَرَبِ لِلْأَكْلِ إِلَى الْيَوْمِ. وَإِنْ أَكَلُوا عَلَى السُّفَرِ فَهُوَ سُنَّةٌ فَيَتَزَوَّدُ لِسَفَرِهِ، وَخَيْرُ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى.

waʾastaḥibbu al-ʾakla ʿalā al-ʾarḍi. kāna rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾidhā ʾutiya biṭaʿāmin waḍaʿahu ʿalā al-ʾarḍi wakāna yaʾkulu muqʿiyan ʿalā qadamayhi wayaqūlu: lā ʾākulu muttakiʾan, ʾinnamā ʾanā ʿabdun ʾākulu kamā yaʾkulu al-ʿabdu waʾajlisu kamā yajlisu al-ʿabdu. warubbamā jathā li-l-ʾakli ʿalā rukbatayhi wajalasa ʿalā ẓahri qadamihi, wanaṣaba rijlahu al-yumnā, wahiya jilsatu al-ʿarabi li-l-ʾakli ʾilā al-yawmi. waʾin ʾakalū ʿalā al-sufari fahuwa sunnatun fayatazawwadu lisafarihi, wakhayru al-zādi al-taqwā.

I recommend eating on the ground. When food was brought to God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, he placed it on the ground and ate squatting on his feet, saying: “I do not eat reclining. I am only a servant: I eat as a servant eats and sit as a servant sits.” Sometimes he knelt to eat, sitting on the back of his foot with the right leg upright, the Arabs’ eating posture to this day. Eating on food mats is a Sunna: one takes provision for one’s journey, and the best provision is reverence for God.

وَأَكْرَهُ الْأَكْلَ عَلَى الْمَوَائِدِ الْعَالِيَةِ لِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْرَهُونَ أَنْ يُعْلُوا الطَّعَامَ عَلَى الْأَيْدِي؛ وَهَذَا مُحْدَثٌ وَلَيْسَ مِنَ التَّوَاضُعِ. قَالَ أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ: مَا أَكَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى خِوَانٍ وَلَا فِي سُكُرُّجَةٍ قَطُّ. قِيلَ: فَعَلَى مَا كُنْتُمْ تَأْكُلُونَ؟ قَالَ: عَلَى السُّفَرِ. وَقِيلَ: أَوَّلُ مَا أَحْدَثَتِ الْأُمَّةُ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ

waʾakrahu al-ʾakla ʿalā al-mawāʾidi al-ʿāliyati liʾannahum kānū yakrahūna ʾan yuʿlū al-ṭaʿāma ʿalā al-ʾaydī; wa-hādhā muḥdathun walaysa mina al-tawāḍuʿi. qāla ʾanasu bnu mālikin: mā ʾakala rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿalā khiwānin walā fī sukurrujatin qaṭṭu. qīla: faʿalā mā kuntum taʾkulūna? qāla: ʿalā al-sufari. waqīla: ʾawwalu mā ʾaḥdathati al-ʾummatu baʿda rasūli Allāhi

I disapprove of eating at high tables, because the early generations disliked raising food above the hands. This is an innovation and is not humility. Anas ibn Mālik said: “God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, never ate at a table or from a small condiment dish.” Asked what they ate on, he said: “Food mats.” It is said that the first things the community introduced after God’s Messenger,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٠٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 308

Volume Two, page 308

صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هَذِهِ الْأَرْبَعُ: الْمَوَائِدُ، وَالْمَنَاخِلُ، وَالْأُشْنَانُ، وَالشِّبَعُ. وَمَنْ غَسَلَ بِأُشْنَانٍ ابْتَدَأَ بِغَسْلِ فِيهِ بَعْدَ غَسْلِ يَدِهِ الْيُمْنَى، وَيَجْعَلُ الْأُشْنَانَ فِي بَطْنِ كَفِّهِ الْيُسْرَى يَابِسًا، ثُمَّ يَغْسِلُ فَاهُ حَتَّى يُنَقِّيَهُ بِأَصَابِعِهِ، ثُمَّ يَبُلُّ الْأُشْنَانَ فَيَغْسِلُ يَدَيْهِ وَلَا يُعِيدُ، يَغْسِلُ كَفَّيْهِ، وَهُوَ فِعْلُ ذَوِي الْمُرُوءَةِ.

ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama hādhihi al-ʾarbaʿu: al-mawāʾidu, wa-al-manākhilu, wa-al-ʾushnānu, wa-al-shibaʿu. waman ghasala biʾushnānin ibtadaʾa bighasli fīhi baʿda ghasli yadihi al-yumnā, wayajʿalu al-ʾushnāna fī baṭni kaffihi al-yusrā yābisan, thumma yaghsilu fāhu ḥattā yunaqqiyahu biʾaṣābiʿihi, thumma yabullu al-ʾushnāna fayaghsilu yadayhi walā yuʿīdu, yaghsilu kaffayhi, wahuwa fiʿlu dhawī al-murūʾati.

may God bless him and grant him peace, were these four: tables, sieves, washing alkali, and eating to fullness. Someone washing with alkali should wash the mouth after washing the right hand, keeping the dry alkali in the left palm. He then washes his mouth, cleaning it with his fingers, wets the alkali, and washes his hands without returning to it; he washes his palms. This is the practice of people of refinement.

وَيَنْبَغِي إِذَا حَضَرَتِ الْأَلْوَانُ أَنْ يَبْتَدِئَ بِتَقْدِمَةِ الْأَلْطَفِ فَالْأَلْطَفِ وَالْأَطْيَبِ فَالْأَطْيَبِ، وَالْأَمْثَلُ أَنْ يَبْتَدِئَ بِالشِّوَاءِ قَبْلَ الثَّرِيدِ وَيُقَدِّمَ الطَّبَاهِجَ قَبْلَ السِّكْبَاجِ؛ فَذَلِكَ سُنَّةُ الْعَرَبِ لِيُصَادِفَ جُوعَهُمْ أَطْيَبُ الطَّعَامِ فَيَسْتَوْفُوا مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَوْفَرَ النَّصِيبِ فَيَكُونَ أَثْوَبَ لِصَاحِبِهِ وَأَقَلَّ لِأَكْلِهِمْ، فَإِنِ احْتَاجُوا إِلَى مَا بَعْدَهُ مِنْ غَلِيظِ الْأَلْوَانِ وَالطَّعَامِ تَنَاوَلُوا مِنْهُ قَلِيلًا.

wayanbaghī ʾidhā ḥaḍarati al-ʾalwānu ʾan yabtadiʾa bitaqdimati al-ʾalṭafi fa-al-ʾalṭafi wa-al-ʾaṭyabi fa-al-ʾaṭyabi, wa-al-ʾamthalu ʾan yabtadiʾa bi-al-shiwāʾi qabla al-tharīdi wayuqaddima al-ṭabāhija qabla al-sikbāji; fa-dhālika sunnatu al-ʿarabi liyuṣādifa jūʿahum ʾaṭyabu al-ṭaʿāmi fayastawfū min dhālika ʾawfara al-naṣībi fayakūna ʾathwaba liṣāḥibihi waʾaqalla liʾaklihim, faʾini iḥtājū ʾilā mā baʿdahu min ghalīẓi al-ʾalwāni wa-al-ṭaʿāmi tanāwalū minhu qalīlan.

When dishes arrive, one should begin with the most delicate and the tastiest, in that order. Ideally, serve roast meat before tharīd, and fried meat before vinegar stew. This is the Arab practice, so that hunger meets the finest food and the diners take the fullest share of it, bringing greater reward to the host and reducing how much they eat. If they need the heavier dishes that follow, they will take only a little.

فَإِنَّمَا قَدَّمَ أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا اللَّوْنَ الْغَلِيظَ عَلَى اللَّطِيفِ لِيَتَّسِعَ أَكْلُهُمْ وَتَنْفَتِقَ شَهْوَتُهُمْ، فَيَكُونَ اللَّوْنُ اللَّطِيفُ فِي مَوْضِعٍ آخَرَ، وَلِيَكُونُوا قَدْ أَكَلُوا مِنَ اللَّوْنِ الْأَجْوَدِ الْأَطْيَبِ أَقَلَّ؛ وَهَذَا غَيْرُ مُسْتَحَبٍّ عِنْدَ أَبْنَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ مِنْ سُنَّةِ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ أَنْ يُقَدِّمُوا جُمْلَةَ الْأَلْوَانِ فِي مَكَانٍ وَاحِدٍ مِمَّا يُشْتَهَى، وَلِيَكُونَ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مَعْلُومًا لَهُمْ. وَقَالَ لَهُمْ إِذْ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا لَوْنٌ وَاحِدٌ: لَيْسَ يَحْضُرُ إِلَّا هَذَا، لِيَسْتَوْفُوا مِنْهُ وَلَا يَتَطَلَّعُوا إِلَى غَيْرِهِ، كَانَ صَوَابًا.

faʾinnamā qaddama ʾahlu al-dunyā al-lawna al-ghalīẓa ʿalā al-laṭīfi liyattasiʿa ʾakluhum watanfatiqa shahwatuhum, fayakūna al-lawnu al-laṭīfu fī mawḍiʿin ʾākhara, waliyakūnū qad ʾakalū mina al-lawni al-ʾajwadi al-ʾaṭyabi ʾaqalla; wa-hādhā ghayru mustaḥabbin ʿinda ʾabnāʾi al-ʾākhirati. waqad kāna min sunnati al-mutaqaddimīna ʾan yuqaddimū jumlata al-ʾalwāni fī makānin wāḥidin mimmā yushtahā, waliyakūna mā taqaddama maʿlūman lahum. waqāla lahum ʾidh lam yakun ʿindahu ʾillā lawnun wāḥidun: laysa yaḥḍuru ʾillā hādhā, liyastawfū minhu walā yataṭallaʿū ʾilā ghayrihi, kāna ṣawāban.

Worldly people serve the heavy dish before the delicate one to increase consumption and open the appetite, giving the delicate dish a separate place, and so that less of the finest, tastiest food is eaten. Those devoted to the Hereafter do not favor this. Earlier people served all the desired dishes together so the diners knew what was available. If a host with only one dish tells them, “Nothing else is coming,” so they eat their fill without looking for another, that is proper.

حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ شُيُوخِنَا عَنْ شَيْخٍ لَهُ قَالَ: قَدَّمَ إِلَيَّ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ لَوْنًا مِنْ طَبِيخٍ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: عِنْدَنَا بِالْعِرَاقِ يُقَدَّمُ هَذَا اللَّوْنُ آخِرَ الْأَلْوَانِ، فَقَالَ لِي: هَكَذَا هُوَ عِنْدَنَا بِالشَّامِ. قَالَ: فَاسْتَحْيَيْتُ إِذْ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ اللَّوْنِ. وَقَالَ لِي آخَرُ: كُنَّا فِي جَمَاعَةٍ عِنْدَ رَجُلٍ فَجَعَلَ يُقَدِّمُ إِلَيْنَا أَلْوَانَ الرُّؤُوسِ مِنْهَا طَبِيخًا وَقَدِيدًا فَجَعَلْنَا نُقَصِّرُ فِي الْأَكْلِ نَتَوَقَّعُ بَعْدَهُ الْأَلْوَانَ وَحَمَلًا أَوْ جَدْيًا.

ḥaddathanī baʿḍu shuyūkhinā ʿan shaykhin lahu qāla: qaddama ʾilayya baʿḍu ʾahli al-shāmi lawnan min ṭabīkhin faqultu lahu: ʿindanā bi-al-ʿirāqi yuqaddamu hādhā al-lawnu ʾākhira al-ʾalwāni, faqāla lī: hākadhā huwa ʿindanā bi-al-shāmi. qāla: fa-istaḥyaytu ʾidh lam yakun ʿindahu ghayru dhālika al-lawni. waqāla lī ʾākharu: kunnā fī jamāʿatin ʿinda rajulin fajaʿala yuqaddimu ʾilaynā ʾalwāna al-ruʾūsi minhā ṭabīkhan waqadīdan fajaʿalnā nuqaṣṣiru fī al-ʾakli natawaqqaʿu baʿdahu al-ʾalwāna waḥamalan ʾaw jadyan.

One of our shaykhs told me from his own shaykh: “A Syrian served me a cooked dish. I said, ‘In Iraq we serve this last.’ He replied, ‘So do we in Syria.’ I felt ashamed, since he had nothing else.” Another told me: “A group of us visited a man who served various preparations of heads, some cooked and some dried. We ate sparingly, expecting further dishes, a lamb, or a kid.”

قَالَ: فَجَاءَنَا بِالطَّسْتِ وَلَمْ يُقَدِّمْ غَيْرَهَا، فَقَالَ لِي بَعْضُ الشُّيُوخِ مِنْ أَهْلِ التَّصَوُّفِ وَكَانَ مَزَّاحًا: وَهُوَ تَعَالَى يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ رُؤُوسًا بِلَا أَبْدَانٍ. قَالَ: فَبِتْنَا تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ جِيَاعًا فَطَلَبَ بَعْضُنَا فِي آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ خُبْزًا أَوْ فَتِيتًا لِسَحُورِهِ. وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُمَكِّنَهُمْ مِنْ بَقِيَّةِ الْأَلْوَانِ وَلَا يَرْفَعَهَا حَتَّى يَرْفَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمْ، فَإِنَّهُ مِنَ الْأَدَبِ، وَلَعَلَّ فِيهِمْ مَنْ يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ مَا قُدِّمَ أَشْهَى إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا يُقَدَّمُ بَعْدُ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ فِيهِمْ مَنْ بِهِ حَاجَةٌ إِلَى فَضْلِ أَكْلٍ فَيَنْقُصُ عَلَيْهِ بِرَفْعِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَسْتَوْفِيَ مَا فِي نَفْسِهِ.

qāla: fajāʾanā bi-al-ṭasti walam yuqaddim ghayrahā, faqāla lī baʿḍu al-shuyūkhi min ʾahli al-taṣawwufi wakāna mazzāḥan: wahuwa taʿālā yaqdiru ʾan yakhluqa ruʾūsan bilā ʾabdānin. qāla: fabitnā tilka al-laylata jiyāʿan faṭalaba baʿḍunā fī ʾākhiri al-layli khubzan ʾaw fatītan lisaḥūrihi. wayanbaghī ʾan yumakkinahum min baqiyyati al-ʾalwāni walā yarfaʿahā ḥattā yarfaʿū ʾaydiyahum, faʾinnahu mina al-ʾadabi, walaʿalla fīhim man yakūnu ʿindahu mā quddima ʾashhā ʾilayhi mimmā yuqaddamu baʿdu, waqad yakūnu fīhim man bihi ḥājatun ʾilā faḍli ʾaklin fayanquṣu ʿalayhi birafʿihi qabla ʾan yastawfiya mā fī nafsihi.

He continued: “Then he brought the washbasin and served nothing else. A joking Sufi shaykh said, ‘He, exalted is He, is capable of creating heads without bodies.’ We went hungry that night, and near dawn some asked for bread or crumbs for the predawn meal.” The remaining dishes should be left available until the diners withdraw their hands; this is good manners. Some may prefer an earlier dish to what follows, or need more food and be deprived if it is removed before they are satisfied.

حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنِ السَّتُورِيِّ وَكَانَ صُوفِيًّا أَنَّهُ حَضَرَ عَلَى مَائِدَةِ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا وَكَانَ فِيهِ بُخْلٌ. قَالَ: فَقُدِّمَ حَمَلٌ فَجَعَلُوا يَأْكُلُونَ، فَلَمَّا رَآهُمْ يُمَزِّقُونَ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ ضَاقَ صَدْرُهُ فَقَالَ: يَا غُلَامُ ارْفَعْ إِلَى الصِّبْيَانِ. قَالَ: فَرُفِعَ الْحَمَلُ إِلَى دَاخِلِ الدَّارِ، فَقَامَ السَّتُورِيُّ يَعْدُو خَلْفَ الْحَمَلِ، فَقَالَ صَاحِبُ الْمَنْزِلِ: إِلَى أَيْنَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ؟ فَقَالَ: آكُلُ مَعَ الصِّبْيَانِ، فَاسْتَحْيَا الرَّجُلُ وَأَمَرَ بِرَدِّ الْحَمَلِ حَتَّى اسْتَوْفَوْا مِنْهُ. وَكَانَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَقُولُ: مَنْ دَعَا رَجُلًا إِلَى طَعَامِهِ وَهُوَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ لَا يُجِيبَهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ

ḥaddathanī baʿḍu ʾaṣḥābinā ʿani al-satūriyyi wakāna ṣūfiyyan ʾannahu ḥaḍara ʿalā māʾidati ʾabnāʾi al-dunyā wakāna fīhi bukhlun. qāla: faquddima ḥamalun fajaʿalū yaʾkulūna, falammā raʾāhum yumazziqūna kulla mumazzaqin ḍāqa ṣadruhu faqāla: yā ghulāmu irfaʿ ʾilā al-ṣibyāni. qāla: farufiʿa al-ḥamalu ʾilā dākhili al-dāri, faqāma al-satūriyyu yaʿdū khalfa al-ḥamali, faqāla ṣāḥibu al-manzili: ʾilā ʾayna yā ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi? faqāla: ʾākulu maʿa al-ṣibyāni, fa-istaḥyā al-rajulu waʾamara biraddi al-ḥamali ḥattā istawfaw minhu. wakāna sufyānu al-thawriyyu yaqūlu: man daʿā rajulan ʾilā ṭaʿāmihi wahuwa yuḥibbu ʾan lā yujībahu faʾin lam

A companion told me that al-Satūrī, a Sufi, ate at a worldly man’s table; the host was miserly. A lamb was served. Seeing them tear it apart distressed him, and he said: “Boy, take it to the children.” The lamb was carried inside, and al-Satūrī ran after it. “Where are you going, Abū ʿAbd Allāh?” the host asked. “To eat with the children.” Ashamed, the man ordered the lamb brought back until they had eaten enough. Sufyān al-Thawrī used to say: “If a man invites someone to eat while hoping he will not accept, then if he does not

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٠٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 309

Volume Two, page 309

يُجِبْ كُتِبَتْ عَلَيْهِ خَطِيئَةٌ، وَإِنْ أَجَابَ كُتِبَتْ عَلَيْهِ خَطِيئَتَانِ. فَالْمَعْنَى فِي الْخَطِيئَةِ الْأُولَى لِأَنَّهُ أَظْهَرَ بِلِسَانِهِ خِلَافَ مَا فِي قَلْبِهِ فَتَصَنَّعَ بِالْكَلَامِ، وَهَذَا مِنَ السُّمْعَةِ وَدَاخِلٌ فِي مَحَبَّةِ أَنْ يُحْمَدَ بِمَا لَمْ يَفْعَلْ. وَالْمَعْنَى فِي الْخَطِيئَتَيْنِ أَنَّهُ أَجَابَهُ أَخُوهُ، فَالْخَطِيئَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ لِأَنَّهُ حَمَلَ أَخَاهُ عَلَى مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ حَقِيقَتَهُ مِنْهُ وَعَرَّضَهُ لِمَا يَكْرَهُ فَلَمْ يَنْصَحْهُ فِيمَا أَظْهَرَ لَهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ.

yujib kutibat ʿalayhi khaṭīʾatun, waʾin ʾajāba kutibat ʿalayhi khaṭīʾatāni. fa-al-maʿnā fī al-khaṭīʾati al-ʾūlā liʾannahu ʾaẓhara bilisānihi khilāfa mā fī qalbihi fataṣannaʿa bi-al-kalāmi, wa-hādhā mina al-sumʿati wadākhilun fī maḥabbati ʾan yuḥmada bimā lam yafʿal. wa-al-maʿnā fī al-khaṭīʾatayni ʾannahu ʾajābahu ʾakhūhu, fa-al-khaṭīʾatu al-thāniyatu liʾannahu ḥamala ʾakhāhu ʿalā mā lam yaʿlam ḥaqīqatahu minhu waʿarraḍahu limā yakrahu falam yanṣaḥhu fīmā ʾaẓhara lahu min nafsihi.

accept, one sin is recorded against him; if he accepts, two sins are recorded.” The first sin is that his tongue expresses the opposite of his heart, making a show with words. This is seeking reputation and wanting praise for what one has not done. Two sins arise when his brother accepts: the second is that he induced his brother to do something whose true circumstances he did not know, exposed him to what he would dislike, and was not sincere in what he showed him of himself.

لِأَنَّ أَخَاهُ لَوْ عَلِمَ غَيْرَ مُحِبٍّ لِإِجَابَتِهِ لَمْ يَأْكُلْ مِنْ طَعَامِهِ، وَلِأَنَّهُ قَدْ أَدْخَلَهُ فِي السُّمْعَةِ، فَلِذَلِكَ كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ خَطِيئَةٌ ثَانِيَةٌ. وَقَدْ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ مَنْ إِذَا دُخِلَ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يَأْكُلُ قُوتَهُ لَمْ يَعْرِضْ عَلَى إِخْوَانِهِ الْأَكْلَ إِذَا لَمْ يُحِبَّ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مَعَهُ خَشْيَةَ التَّزَيُّنِ بِالْقَوْلِ أَوْ لِئَلَّا يُعَرِّضَهُمْ لِمَا يَكْرَهُونَ. دَخَلَ قَوْمٌ عَلَى شَمِرٍ أَبِي عَاصِمٍ، وَكَانَ زَاهِدًا، وَهُوَ يَأْكُلُ فَقَالَ: لَوْلَا أَنِّي أَخَذْتُهُ بِدَيْنٍ لَأَطْعَمْتُكُمْ مِنْهُ.

liʾanna ʾakhāhu law ʿalima ghayra muḥibbin liʾijābatihi lam yaʾkul min ṭaʿāmihi, waliʾannahu qad ʾadkhalahu fī al-sumʿati, fali-dhālika kānat ʿalayhi khaṭīʾatun thāniyatun. waqad kāna mina al-mutaqaddimīna man ʾidhā dukhila ʿalayhi wahuwa yaʾkulu qūtahu lam yaʿriḍ ʿalā ʾikhwānihi al-ʾakla ʾidhā lam yuḥibba ʾan yaʾkula maʿahu khashyata al-tazayyuni bi-al-qawli ʾaw liʾallā yuʿarriḍahum limā yakrahūna. dakhala qawmun ʿalā shamirin ʾabī ʿāṣimin, wakāna zāhidan, wahuwa yaʾkulu faqāla: lawlā ʾannī ʾakhadhtuhu bidaynin laʾaṭʿamtukum minhu.

Had his brother known that his acceptance was unwelcome, he would not have eaten his food. He has also involved him in seeking reputation, hence the second sin. Some early authorities, when visited while eating their daily sustenance, would not offer their brothers food if they did not want company, fearing verbal display or exposing them to what they would dislike. People entered upon the ascetic Shamir Abū ʿĀṣim while he was eating. He said: “Had I not obtained this on credit, I would have fed you some.”

وَكَانَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ يَقُولُ فِي تَفْسِيرِ التَّكَلُّفِ: أَنْ تُطْعِمَ أَخَاكَ مَا لَا تَأْكُلُهُ أَنْتَ، أَيْ لَا يَكُونُ مِنْ مَأْكَلِكَ فِي الْجَوْدَةِ وَمِمَّا لَهُ قِيمَةٌ فَتَشُقَّ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ بِذَلِكَ. وَكَانَ الْفُضَيْلُ يَقُولُ: إِنَّمَا تَقَاطَعَ النَّاسُ بِالتَّكَلُّفِ، يَدْعُو أَحَدُهُمْ أَخَاهُ فَيَتَكَلَّفُ لَهُ فَيَقْطَعُهُ عَنِ الرُّجُوعِ إِلَيْهِ. وَكَانَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ يَأْمُرُ بِتَقْدِيمِ مَا حَضَرَ فَإِنَّهُ أَدْوَمُ لِلرُّجُوعِ، وَأَذْهَبُ لِكَرَاهَةِ صَاحِبِ الْمَنْزِلِ.

wakāna baʿḍu al-salafi yaqūlu fī tafsīri al-takallufi: ʾan tuṭʿima ʾakhāka mā lā taʾkuluhu ʾanta, ʾay lā yakūnu min maʾkalika fī al-jawdati wamimmā lahu qīmatun fatashuqqa ʿalā nafsika bi-dhālika. wakāna al-fuḍaylu yaqūlu: ʾinnamā taqāṭaʿa al-nāsu bi-al-takallufi, yadʿū ʾaḥaduhum ʾakhāhu fayatakallafu lahu fayaqṭaʿuhu ʿani al-rujūʿi ʾilayhi. wakāna baʿḍu al-salafi yaʾmuru bitaqdīmi mā ḥaḍara faʾinnahu ʾadwamu li-l-rujūʿi, waʾadhhabu likarāhati ṣāḥibi al-manzili.

Some early authorities explained strained hospitality as feeding your brother what you do not eat yourself: food finer and costlier than your usual fare, which burdens you. Al-Fuḍayl used to say: “People break off relations through strained hospitality. One invites his brother and goes to such trouble for him that he prevents him from returning.” Some urged serving what was at hand, because it better sustains repeated visits and removes resentment from the host.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: مَا أُبَالِي مَنْ أَتَانِي مِنْ إِخْوَانِي فَإِنِّي لَا أَتَكَلَّفُ لَهُ، إِنَّمَا أُقَرِّبُ مَا عِنْدِي، وَلَوْ أَنِّي تَكَلَّفْتُ مَا لَيْسَ حَاضِرًا لَمَلِلْتُهُ وَكَرِهْتُ دَوَامَ مَجِيئِهِ. وَقَالَ لِي بَعْضُ الشُّيُوخِ: كُنْتُ آنَسُ بِبَعْضِ إِخْوَانِي فَكُنْتُ أُكْثِرُ زِيَارَتَهُ، فَكَانَ يَتَكَلَّفُ الْأَشْيَاءَ الطَّيِّبَةَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ يَوْمًا: حَدِّثْنِي عَنْ شَيْءٍ أَسْأَلُكَ عَنْهُ: إِذَا كُنْتَ وَحْدَكَ تَأْكُلُ مِثْلَ هَذَا الَّذِي تُقَدِّمُهُ إِلَيَّ؟ قَالَ: لَا.

waqāla baʿḍuhum: mā ʾubālī man ʾatānī min ʾikhwānī faʾinnī lā ʾatakallafu lahu, ʾinnamā ʾuqarribu mā ʿindī, walaw ʾannī takallaftu mā laysa ḥāḍiran lamaliltuhu wakarihtu dawāma majīʾihi. waqāla lī baʿḍu al-shuyūkhi: kuntu ʾānasu bibaʿḍi ʾikhwānī fakuntu ʾukthiru ziyāratahu, fakāna yatakallafu al-ʾashyāʾa al-ṭayyibata faqultu lahu yawman: ḥaddithnī ʿan shayʾin ʾasʾaluka ʿanhu: ʾidhā kunta waḥdaka taʾkulu mithla hādhā alladhī tuqaddimuhu ʾilayya? qāla: lā.

Someone said: “I do not mind which of my brothers comes, because I do not strain myself for him; I simply offer what I have. If I went to trouble for something unavailable, I would tire of him and dislike his continuing visits.” A shaykh told me: “I felt close to a brother and visited often. He went to trouble to provide fine food. One day I asked him, ‘Tell me: when alone, do you eat the kind of food you serve me?’ He said, ‘No.’”

قُلْتُ: وَكَذَلِكَ أَنَا فِي مَنْزِلِي إِذَا كُنْتُ وَحْدِي لَا آكُلُ مِثْلَ هَذَا، فَلِمَ إِذَا اجْتَمَعْنَا نَأْكُلُهُ وَنَحْنُ لَا نَأْكُلُ مِثْلَهُ عَلَى الِانْفِرَادِ؟ هَذَا مِنَ التَّكَلُّفِ، فَإِمَّا أَنْ تَقْطَعَ هَذَا وَتُقَدِّمَ إِلَيَّ مَا تَأْكُلُهُ عَلَى الِانْفِرَادِ أَوْ أَقْطَعَ مَجِيئِي إِلَيْكَ. قَالَ: فَقَطَعَ ذَلِكَ، وَكَانَ يُقَدِّمُ مَا عِنْدَهُ وَمَا يَأْكُلُ مِثْلَهُ فَدَامَتْ مُعَاشَرَتُنَا.

qultu: wa-kadhālika ʾanā fī manzilī ʾidhā kuntu waḥdī lā ʾākulu mithla hādhā, falima ʾidhā ijtamaʿnā naʾkuluhu wanaḥnu lā naʾkulu mithlahu ʿalā al-infirādi? hādhā mina al-takallufi, faʾimmā ʾan taqṭaʿa hādhā watuqaddima ʾilayya mā taʾkuluhu ʿalā al-infirādi ʾaw ʾaqṭaʿa majīʾī ʾilayka. qāla: faqaṭaʿa dhālika, wakāna yuqaddimu mā ʿindahu wamā yaʾkulu mithlahu fadāmat muʿāsharatunā.

“I said, ‘Nor do I eat such things at home alone. Why should we eat them together when neither eats them alone? This is strained hospitality. Either stop it and serve what you eat alone, or I will stop coming.’ He gave it up and served whatever he had and ordinarily ate, so our companionship endured.”

وَمَنْ دُعِيَ إِلَى طَعَامٍ وَعِنْدَهُ إِنْسَانٌ أَوْ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ حَيْثُ يَعْلَمُونَ فَلْيَسْتَثْنِ الْوَاحِدَ أَوِ الْجَمَاعَةَ مَعَهُ، فَإِنَّهُ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ وَالْأَدَبِ. فَإِنْ دُعِيَ وَحْدَهُ أَوْ مَعَ نَفَرٍ بِأَعْيَانِهِمْ أَوْ أَعْدَادِهِمْ فَتَبِعَهُمْ وَاحِدٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الْعَدَدِ فَلْيَذْكُرْ لِلدَّاعِي قَبْلَ دُخُولِهِمْ إِلَيْهِ لِيَأْذَنَ لَهُ مَعَهُمْ، كَذَلِكَ السُّنَّةُ. وَمَنْ دُعِيَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ وَفُوِّضَ إِلَيْهِ الْأَمْرُ فِيهِمْ فَلْيُعَرِّفْ صَاحِبَ الْمَنْزِلِ عِدَّتَهُمْ قَبْلَ مَجِيئِهِمْ لِيَسْتَعِدَّ لَهُمْ بَعْدَ أَنْ يَعْرِفَ عَدَدَهُمْ.

waman duʿiya ʾilā ṭaʿāmin waʿindahu ʾinsānun ʾaw jamāʿatun min ḥaythu yaʿlamūna falyastathni al-wāḥida ʾawi al-jamāʿata maʿahu, faʾinnahu mina al-sunnati wa-al-ʾadabi. faʾin duʿiya waḥdahu ʾaw maʿa nafarin biʾaʿyānihim ʾaw ʾaʿdādihim fatabiʿahum wāḥidun lam yakun fī al-ʿadadi falyadhkur li-l-dāʿī qabla dukhūlihim ʾilayhi liyaʾdhana lahu maʿahum, kadhālika al-sunnatu. waman duʿiya fī jamāʿatin wafuwwiḍa ʾilayhi al-ʾamru fīhim falyuʿarrif ṣāḥiba al-manzili ʿiddatahum qabla majīʾihim liyastaʿidda lahum baʿda ʾan yaʿrifa ʿadadahum.

If someone is invited to food in the presence of a person or group who know of the invitation, he should ask to include them; this is the Sunna and good manners. If invited alone, or with named or numbered guests, and an additional person follows, he should tell the host before entering, so the host may admit him. That is the Sunna. Someone invited with a group and entrusted with arranging it should tell the host their number before arrival, so he can prepare once he knows how many they are.

مَنْ دَعَا رَجُلًا فِي غَيْرِ دَعْوَةٍ عَامَّةٍ وَعِنْدَهُ قَوْمٌ أَوْ رَجُلٌ بِعَيْنِهِ فَلْيُعْلِمْهُ بِمَنْ عِنْدَهُ لِيَدْخُلَ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ، فَلَعَلَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ عِنْدَهُ مَنْ يَكْرَهُ هَذَا الْمَدْعُوُّ الِاجْتِمَاعَ مَعَهُ، أَوْ لَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يُجِيبَهُ لِأَنَّهُ يَحْسَبُ أَنْ لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ غَيْرُهُ، لِأَنَّ الْأَكْلَ مُعَاشَرَةٌ وَلَيْسَ كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُعَاشِرَ كُلَّ أَحَدٍ خَاصَّةَ الرُّؤَسَاءِ. وَمَنْ أَكَلَ مَعَ رَجُلٍ مِنْ طَعَامِهِ فَوَقَفَ عَلَيْهِ سَائِلٌ فَلَا يُعْطِيَنَّ شَيْئًا إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ أَوْ يَسْأَلْ صَاحِبَ الطَّعَامِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ هُوَ الَّذِي يُعْطِيهِ، فَإِنْ أَعْطَاهُ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنٍ كَانَ الْأَجْرُ لِصَاحِبِ

man daʿā rajulan fī ghayri daʿwatin ʿāmmatin waʿindahu qawmun ʾaw rajulun biʿaynihi falyuʿlimhu biman ʿindahu liyadkhula ʿalā baṣīratin, falaʿalla ʾan yakūna ʿindahu man yakrahu hādhā al-madʿuwwu al-ijtimāʿa maʿahu, ʾaw laʿallahu ʾan yujībahu liʾannahu yaḥsabu ʾan laysa ʿindahu ghayruhu, liʾanna al-ʾakla muʿāsharatun walaysa kullu ʾinsānin yuḥibbu ʾan yuʿāshira kulla ʾaḥadin khāṣṣata al-ruʾasāʾi. waman ʾakala maʿa rajulin min ṭaʿāmihi fawaqafa ʿalayhi sāʾilun falā yuʿṭiyanna shayʾan ʾillā biʾidhnihi ʾaw yasʾal ṣāḥiba al-ṭaʿāmi ḥattā yakūna huwa alladhī yuʿṭīhi, faʾin ʾaʿṭāhu bighayri ʾidhnin kāna al-ʾajru liṣāḥibi

When inviting someone privately while other people or a particular person are present, tell him who is there, so he enters knowingly. Someone present may be a person whose company he dislikes, or he may accept believing he will be the only guest. Eating is companionship, and not everyone wants everyone’s company, especially people of rank. If a beggar approaches while one eats another’s food, give nothing without permission, or ask the owner to give it himself. If one gives without permission, the reward belongs to the owner of the

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣١٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 310

Volume Two, page 310

الطَّعَامِ وَالْوِزْرُ عَلَيْهِ. رُوِيَ ذَلِكَ عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ قَالَ لِإِنْسَانٍ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ مَعَهُ فَأَعْطَى سَائِلًا بِغَيْرِ أَمْرِهِ: لَقَدْ كُنْتَ غَنِيًّا أَنْ يَكُونَ الْأَجْرُ لِي وَالْوِزْرُ عَلَيْكَ. وَمِثْلُهُ لَا يَدْعُو إِلَى طَعَامِ غَيْرِهِ أَحَدًا بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِ صَاحِبِهِ. وَمَنْ دَعَا خُصُوصَ إِخْوَانِهِ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ دَاخِلٌ فَلَا يُقْعِدْهُ مَعَهُمْ لِلْأَكْلِ وَلْيَصْرِفْهُ أَوْ يُفْرِدْهُ عَنْهُمْ.

al-ṭaʿāmi wa-al-wizru ʿalayhi. ruwiya dhālika ʿan ʾabī al-dardāʾi qāla liʾinsānin kāna yaʾkulu maʿahu faʾaʿṭā sāʾilan bighayri ʾamrihi: laqad kunta ghaniyyan ʾan yakūna al-ʾajru lī wa-al-wizru ʿalayka. wamithluhu lā yadʿū ʾilā ṭaʿāmi ghayrihi ʾaḥadan bighayri ʾidhni ṣāḥibihi. waman daʿā khuṣūṣa ʾikhwānihi fadakhala ʿalayhi dākhilun falā yuqʿid-hu maʿahum li-l-ʾakli walyaṣrifhu ʾaw yufrid-hu ʿanhum.

food, while the sin falls on the giver. Abū al-Dardāʾ is reported to have told someone eating with him who gave to a beggar without his permission: “You could have spared yourself the reward being mine and the sin yours.” Likewise, do not invite anyone to another’s food without the owner’s permission. When someone has invited his particular brothers and another person enters, he should not seat him with them to eat, but dismiss him or provide for him separately.

حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ أَشْيَاخِنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ الْخَلَفِ الصَّالِحِ أَنَّهُ دَعَا إِخْوَانَهُ مِنَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ عَلَى طَعَامٍ فَدَخَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْعَامَّةِ فَجَلَسَ يَأْكُلُ مَعَهُمْ فَقَبَضَ عَلَى يَدِهِ وَنَحَّاهُ وَقَالَ: هَذَا عَمِلْنَاهُ لِهَؤُلَاءِ خَاصَّةً لَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَعَهُمْ غَيْرُهُمْ، ثُمَّ أَفْرَدَهُ بِطَعَامٍ خَصَّهُ بِهِ وَعَمِلَهُ لِأَجْلِهِ عِوَضًا مِمَّا فَعَلَ. وَمَنْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ دَاخِلٌ وَهُوَ يَأْكُلُ فَلَا يَرْفَعِ الطَّعَامَ فَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ وَلَا مِنْ فِعْلِ الْمُرُوءَةِ، وَلَعَلَّ الدَّاخِلَ أَحْوَجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْهُ وَقَدْ بُعِثَ إِلَيْهِ اخْتِبَارًا لَهُ.

ḥaddathanī baʿḍu ʾashyākhinā ʿan baʿḍi al-khalafi al-ṣāliḥi ʾannahu daʿā ʾikhwānahu mina al-ṣūfiyyati ʿalā ṭaʿāmin fadakhala rajulun mina al-ʿāmmati fajalasa yaʾkulu maʿahum faqabaḍa ʿalā yadihi wanaḥḥāhu waqāla: hādhā ʿamilnāhu li-hāʾulāʾi khāṣṣatan lā yaṣluḥu ʾan yakūna maʿahum ghayruhum, thumma ʾafradahu biṭaʿāmin khaṣṣahu bihi waʿamilahu liʾajlihi ʿiwaḍan mimmā faʿala. waman dakhala ʿalayhi dākhilun wahuwa yaʾkulu falā yarfaʿi al-ṭaʿāma falaysa dhālika mina al-sunnati walā min fiʿli al-murūʾati, walaʿalla al-dākhila ʾaḥwaju ʾilayhi minhu waqad buʿitha ʾilayhi ikhtibāran lahu.

One of our shaykhs told me of a righteous later authority who invited his Sufi brothers to eat. A common person entered and began eating with them. The host took his hand, moved him aside, and said: “We prepared this especially for these people; others should not join them.” He then provided a separate meal especially for him to make amends. If someone enters while one is eating, one should not remove the food: that is neither the Sunna nor honorable conduct. The newcomer may need it more and may have been sent as a test.

وَإِذَا عَرَضْتَ عَلَى أَخِيكَ الطَّعَامَ مَرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ فَلَا تُلِحَّنَّ عَلَيْهِ، وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا دَعَوْتَهُ فَكَرِهَ، فَقَدْ قَالُوا: لَا تُكْرِمْ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَشُقُّ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَا تَزِيدَنَّ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ مَرَّاتٍ، فَإِنَّ الْإِلْحَاحَ وَاللَّجَاجَ مَا زَادَ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ مَرَّاتٍ وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْأَدَبِ. قَالُوا: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا خُوطِبَ فِي شَيْءٍ ثَلَاثًا لَمْ يُرَاجَعْ بَعْدَ ثَلَاثٍ.

waʾidhā ʿaraḍta ʿalā ʾakhīka al-ṭaʿāma marratan ʾaw marratayni falā tuliḥḥanna ʿalayhi, wa-kadhālika ʾidhā daʿawtahu fakariha, faqad qālū: lā tukrim ʾakhāka bimā yashuqqu ʿalayhi, walā tazīdanna ʿalā thalāthi marrātin, faʾinna al-ʾilḥāḥa wa-al-lajāja mā zāda ʿalā thalāthi marrātin walaysa dhālika mina al-ʾadabi. qālū: kāna rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾidhā khūṭiba fī shayʾin thalāthan lam yurājaʿ baʿda thalāthin.

After offering your brother food once or twice, do not press him, and likewise if he dislikes accepting your invitation. They have said: “Do not honor your brother with what burdens him.” Do not ask more than three times; beyond three is importunity and insistence, which is bad manners. They said that when God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, had been addressed three times about something, he was not approached again after the third.

وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا يَقُولُ: الطَّعَامُ أَهْوَنُ مِنْ أَنْ يُحْلَفَ عَلَيْهِ. وَقَالَ مَرَّةً: مِنْ أَنْ يُدْعَى إِلَيْهِ، ذَلِكَ لِعَظِيمِ حَقٍّ. وَكَانَ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَقُولُ: إِذَا زَارَكَ أَخُوكَ فَلَا تَقُلْ لَهُ: تَأْكُلُ أَوْ أُقَدِّمُ إِلَيْكَ، وَلَكِنْ قَدِّمْ مَا عِنْدَكَ، فَإِنْ أَكَلَ وَإِلَّا فَارْفَعْهُ. وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ وَابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ إِذَا أَرَادَا الْغَدَاءَ أَوِ الْعَشَاءَ فَتَحَا بَابَيْهِمَا فَمَنْ دَخَلَ عَرَضَا عَلَيْهِ الْأَكْلَ.

wakāna al-ḥasanu bnu ʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā yaqūlu: al-ṭaʿāmu ʾahwanu min ʾan yuḥlafa ʿalayhi. waqāla marratan: min ʾan yudʿā ʾilayhi, dhālika liʿaẓīmi ḥaqqin. wakāna al-thawriyyu yaqūlu: ʾidhā zāraka ʾakhūka falā taqul lahu: taʾkulu ʾaw ʾuqaddimu ʾilayka, wa-lākin qaddim mā ʿindaka, faʾin ʾakala waʾillā fa-irfaʿhu. wakāna al-ḥasanu wa-ibnu al-mubāraki ʾidhā ʾarādā al-ghadāʾa ʾawi al-ʿashāʾa fataḥā bābayhimā faman dakhala ʿaraḍā ʿalayhi al-ʾakla.

Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, may God be pleased with them both, used to say: “Food is too slight a matter to swear an oath over.” Once he said: “Too slight even to invite someone to it,” because the other person’s claim is so great. Al-Thawrī said: “When your brother visits, do not ask, ‘Will you eat?’ or ‘Shall I serve you?’ Serve what you have; if he eats, good, and otherwise remove it.” Al-Ḥasan and Ibn al-Mubārak would open their doors at lunch or supper and offer food to whoever entered.

وَقَدْ كَانَ هَذَا مِنْ سِيرَةِ السَّلَفِ أَنَّهُمْ يَفْتَحُونَ الْبَابَ عِنْدَ حُضُورِ الطَّعَامِ وَمَنْ صَادَفَ دُخُولُهُ أَكَلَ مَعَهُمْ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ يَقْعُدُ فِي دِهْلِيزِ دَارِهِ وَيَفْتَحُ الْبَابَ فَكُلُّ مَنْ مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ فِي الطَّرِيقِ دَعَاهُ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ مِنْ غَنِيٍّ أَوْ فَقِيرٍ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ التَّابِعِينَ: أَلَا إِنَّ خِيَارَكُمْ آكِلُكُمْ فِي الْأَفْنِيَةِ وَأَوْسَعُكُمْ آنِيَةً وَأَحْلَاكُمْ أَطْلِيَةً، أَلَا إِنَّ شِرَارَكُمْ آكِلُكُمْ فِي الْأَخْبِيَةِ وَأَصْغَرُكُمْ أَطْلِيَةً.

waqad kāna hādhā min sīrati al-salafi ʾannahum yaftaḥūna al-bāba ʿinda ḥuḍūri al-ṭaʿāmi waman ṣādafa dukhūluhu ʾakala maʿahum, waminhum man kāna yaqʿudu fī dihlīzi dārihi wayaftaḥu al-bāba fakullu man marra ʿalayhi fī al-ṭarīqi daʿāhu ʾilā ṭaʿāmihi min ghaniyyin ʾaw faqīrin. waqāla baʿḍu al-tābiʿīna: ʾalā ʾinna khiyārakum ʾākilukum fī al-ʾafniyati waʾawsaʿukum ʾāniyatan waʾaḥlākum ʾaṭliyatan, ʾalā ʾinna shirārakum ʾākilukum fī al-ʾakhbiyati waʾaṣgharukum ʾaṭliyatan.

This was the practice of the early generations: they opened the door when food was ready, and anyone who happened to enter ate with them. Some sat in their entrance hall with the door open, inviting every passerby, rich or poor. One of the Successors said: “The best of you eat in open courtyards, have the broadest vessels, and the sweetest drinks. The worst eat inside tents and have the smallest supplies of drink.”

وَمَنْ دَعَا رَجُلًا إِلَى طَعَامِهِ وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّ الْأَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ أَنْ لَا يَأْكُلَ فَمَكْرُوهٌ لَهُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ، وَلَا يَعْبَأُ بِقَوْلِهِ إِذَا عَلِمَ مِنْهُ خِلَافَهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ حَقِيقَةَ ذَلِكَ فَلَهُ أَنْ يُجِيبَهُ عَلَى ظَاهِرِ قَوْلِهِ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يُسِيءَ الظَّنَّ بِهِ. دَعَا رَجُلٌ الْأَحْنَفَ بْنَ قَيْسٍ فِي سَفَرٍ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْأَحْنَفُ: لَعَلَّكَ مِنَ الْعَارِضِينَ. قَالَ: وَمَا الْعَارِضُونَ؟ قَالَ: الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يُحْمَدُوا بِمَا لَمْ يَفْعَلُوا، فَسَكَتَ الرَّجُلُ فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُ الْأَحْنَفُ إِلَى الطَّعَامِ.

waman daʿā rajulan ʾilā ṭaʿāmihi wahuwa yaʿlamu ʾanna al-ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi ʾan lā yaʾkula famakrūhun lahu ʾan yaʾkula, walā yaʿbaʾu biqawlihi ʾidhā ʿalima minhu khilāfahu, faʾin lam yaʿlam ḥaqīqata dhālika falahu ʾan yujībahu ʿalā ẓāhiri qawlihi walaysa lahu ʾan yusīʾa al-ẓanna bihi. daʿā rajulun al-ʾaḥnafa bna qaysin fī safarin ʾilā ṭaʿāmihi faqāla lahu al-ʾaḥnafu: laʿallaka mina al-ʿāriḍīna. qāla: wamā al-ʿāriḍūna? qāla: alladhīna yuḥibbūna ʾan yuḥmadū bimā lam yafʿalū, fasakata al-rajulu falam yujibhu al-ʾaḥnafu ʾilā al-ṭaʿāmi.

If someone is invited to eat but knows the host would prefer him not to, eating is disapproved; he should disregard words he knows contradict the host’s wishes. If he does not know the truth of the matter, he may accept the words at face value and must not suspect ill. On a journey a man invited al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays to eat. Al-Aḥnaf asked: “Perhaps you are one of those who merely offer?” “Who are they?” “Those who want praise for what they have not done.” The man fell silent, and al-Aḥnaf did not accept.

وَكَانَ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَمْشِي مَعَ رَجُلٍ فَمَرَّ بِبَابِ مَنْزِلِهِ فَعَرَضَ عَلَيْهِ الدُّخُولَ لِيَأْكُلَ عِنْدَهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الثَّوْرِيُّ: أَصْدِقْنِي عَنْ شَيْءٍ أَسْأَلُكَ: أَيُّمَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ أَدْخُلُ أَوْ أَنْصَرِفُ؟ فَسَكَتَ، فَانْصَرَفَ الثَّوْرِيُّ. وَمَنْ عَلِمَ مِنْ أَخِيهِ أَنَّهُ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِنْ طَعَامِهِ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنٍ لِأَنَّ عِلْمَهُ بِحَقِيقَةِ حَالِهِ يَنُوبُ عَنْ إِذْنِهِ لَهُ فِي الْأَكْلِ.

wakāna al-thawriyyu yamshī maʿa rajulin famarra bibābi manzilihi faʿaraḍa ʿalayhi al-dukhūla liyaʾkula ʿindahu, faqāla lahu al-thawriyyu: ʾaṣdiqnī ʿan shayʾin ʾasʾaluka: ʾayyumā ʾaḥabbu ʾilayka ʾadkhulu ʾaw ʾanṣarifu? fasakata, fa-inṣarafa al-thawriyyu. waman ʿalima min ʾakhīhi ʾannahu yuḥibbu ʾan yaʾkula min ṭaʿāmihi falā baʾsa ʾan yaʾkula bighayri ʾidhnin liʾanna ʿilmahu biḥaqīqati ḥālihi yanūbu ʿan ʾidhnihi lahu fī al-ʾakli.

Al-Thawrī was walking with a man who, on passing his own door, invited him in to eat. Al-Thawrī said: “Answer me truthfully: would you prefer me to enter or leave?” He fell silent, and al-Thawrī left. If someone knows that his brother wants him to eat his food, there is no harm in eating without permission, because knowledge of his true disposition stands in place of permission.

وَقَدْ كَانَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ وَاسِعٍ وَأَصْحَابُهُ يَدْخُلُونَ مَنْزِلَ الْحَسَنِ فَيَأْكُلُونَ مَا يَجِدُونَ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنٍ، وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ رُبَّمَا دَخَلَ فَيَجِدُهُمْ كَذَلِكَ فَيُسَرُّ وَيَقُولُ: هَكَذَا كُنَّا. وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ

waqad kāna muḥammadu bnu wāsiʿin waʾaṣḥābuhu yadkhulūna manzila al-ḥasani fayaʾkulūna mā yajidūna bighayri ʾidhnin, wakāna al-ḥasanu rubbamā dakhala fayajiduhum kadhālika fayusarru wayaqūlu: hākadhā kunnā. waruwiya ʿanhu ʾannahu kāna yaʾkulu

Muḥammad ibn Wāsiʿ and his companions used to enter al-Ḥasan’s home and eat what they found without asking. Sometimes al-Ḥasan would enter, see them, and be pleased, saying: “That is how we used to be.” It is also related that he used to eat

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣١١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 311

Volume Two, page 311

مِنْ مَتَاعِ بَقَّالٍ يَأْخُذُ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْجُونَةِ تِينَةً وَمِنْ هَذِهِ فُسْتُقَةً، فَقَالَ لَهُ هَاشِمٌ الْأَوْقَصُ: يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ تَأْكُلُ مِنْ مَتَاعِ الرَّجُلِ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِهِ؟ فَقَالَ: يَا لُكَعُ، أَمَا قَرَأْتَ آيَةَ الْأَكْلِ؟ ثُمَّ تَلَا عَلَيْهِ: (وَلَا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَنْ تَأْكُلُوا مِنْ بُيُوتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ آبَائِكُمْ) النُّورُ: 61، إِلَى قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (أَوْ صَدِيقِكُمْ) النُّورُ: 61. ثُمَّ قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: الصَّدِيقُ مَنِ اسْتَرْوَحَتْ إِلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ وَاطْمَأَنَّ إِلَيْهِ الْقَلْبُ فَإِذَا كَانَ كَذَلِكَ فَلَا إِذْنَ لَهُ فِي مَالِهِ.

min matāʿi baqqālin yaʾkhudhu min hādhihi al-jūnati tīnatan wamin hādhihi fustuqatan, faqāla lahu hāshimun al-ʾawqaṣu: yā ʾabā saʿīdin taʾkulu min matāʿi al-rajuli bighayri ʾidhnihi? faqāla: yā lukaʿu, ʾamā qaraʾta ʾāyata al-ʾakli? thumma talā ʿalayhi: (walā ʿalā ʾanfusikum ʾan taʾkulū min buyūtikum ʾaw buyūti ʾābāʾikum) al-nūru: 61, ʾilā qawlihi taʿālā: (ʾaw ṣadīqikum) al-nūru: 61. thumma qāla al-ḥasanu: al-ṣadīqu mani istarwaḥat ʾilayhi al-nafsu wa-iṭmaʾanna ʾilayhi al-qalbu faʾidhā kāna kadhālika falā ʾidhna lahu fī mālihi.

from a grocer’s goods, taking a fig from one basket and a pistachio from another. Hāshim al-Awqaṣ asked: “Abū Saʿīd, do you eat the man’s goods without his permission?” He replied: “You simpleton! Have you not read the verse about eating?” He recited: “Nor is there blame upon yourselves for eating from your own houses or your fathers’ houses” through His saying, exalted is He, “or those of your friend” (al-Nūr 24:61). Al-Ḥasan said: “A friend is someone with whom the soul feels at ease and the heart rests secure. When that is so, no permission is needed concerning his property.”

وَجَاءَ قَوْمٌ إِلَى مَنْزِلِ سُفْيَانَ الثَّوْرِيِّ فَلَمْ يَجِدُوهُ فَفَتَحُوا الْبَابَ وَأَنْزَلُوا السُّفْرَةَ فَجَعَلُوا يَأْكُلُونَ مَا فِيهَا، فَدَخَلَ الثَّوْرِيُّ فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ: ذَكَّرْتُمُونِي أَخْلَاقَ السَّلَفِ، هَكَذَا كَانُوا. وَزَارَ قَوْمٌ بَعْضَ التَّابِعِينَ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ مَا يُقَدِّمُهُ إِلَيْهِمْ، فَذَهَبَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِ بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ فَلَمْ يُصَادِفْهُ فِي الْمَنْزِلِ، فَدَخَلَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى قِدْرٍ قَدْ طَبَخَهَا وَإِلَى خُبْزٍ قَدْ خَبَزَهُ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ فَحَمَلَهُ كُلَّهُ فَقَدَّمَهُ إِلَى أَصْحَابِهِ وَقَالَ: كُلُوا.

wajāʾa qawmun ʾilā manzili sufyāna al-thawriyyi falam yajidūhu fafataḥū al-bāba waʾanzalū al-sufrata fajaʿalū yaʾkulūna mā fīhā, fadakhala al-thawriyyu fajaʿala yaqūlu: dhakkartumūnī ʾakhlāqa al-salafi, hākadhā kānū. wazāra qawmun baʿḍa al-tābiʿīna walam yakun ʿindahu mā yuqaddimuhu ʾilayhim, fadhahaba ʾilā manzili baʿḍi ʾikhwānihi falam yuṣādifhu fī al-manzili, fadakhala fanaẓara ʾilā qidrin qad ṭabakhahā waʾilā khubzin qad khabazahu waghayri dhālika faḥamalahu kullahu faqaddamahu ʾilā ʾaṣḥābihi waqāla: kulū.

Some people came to Sufyān al-Thawrī’s home while he was absent, opened the door, took down the food mat, and began eating what was on it. He entered and said: “You have reminded me of the early generations’ character; that is how they were.” A group visited one of the Successors who had nothing to serve them. He went to a brother’s house and, finding him absent, entered, saw a cooked pot, baked bread, and other food, took it all, and served his companions, saying: “Eat.”

فَجَاءَ رَبُّ الْمَنْزِلِ فَلَمْ يَرَ الطَّعَامَ، فَسَأَلَ عَنْهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ: قَدْ جَاءَ فُلَانٌ فَأَخَذَهُ، فَقَالَ: قَدْ أَحْسَنَ. فَلَمَّا لَقِيَهُ قَالَ: يَا أَخِي إِنْ عَادُوا فَعُدْ. وَقَدْ أَكَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَحْمًا تُصُدِّقَ بِهِ عَلَى بَرِيرَةَ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَسْتَأْذِنَهَا، وَلَمْ تَكُنْ حَاضِرَةً، لِعِلْمِهِ أَنَّهَا تُسَرُّ بِذَلِكَ، وَقَالَ: إِنَّ الصَّدَقَةَ قَدْ بَلَغَتْ مَحِلَّهَا، هُوَ عَلَيْهَا صَدَقَةٌ وَلَنَا هَدِيَّةٌ.

fajāʾa rabbu al-manzili falam yara al-ṭaʿāma, fasaʾala ʿanhu faqīla lahu: qad jāʾa fulānun faʾakhadhahu, faqāla: qad ʾaḥsana. falammā laqiyahu qāla: yā ʾakhī ʾin ʿādū faʿud. waqad ʾakala rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama laḥman tuṣuddiqa bihi ʿalā barīrata min ghayri ʾan yastaʾdhinahā, walam takun ḥāḍiratan, liʿilmihi ʾannahā tusarru bi-dhālika, waqāla: ʾinna al-ṣadaqata qad balaghat maḥillahā, huwa ʿalayhā ṣadaqatun walanā hadiyyatun.

The owner returned, found the food gone, and asked about it. Told that so-and-so had taken it, he said: “He did well.” When they met, he said: “Brother, if they return, do it again.” God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, ate meat given in charity to Barīra without asking her, while she was absent, knowing she would be pleased. He said: “The charity has reached its proper recipient; for her it is charity, and for us a gift.”

وَقَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: رَسُولُ الرَّجُلِ إِلَى الرَّجُلِ إِذْنُهُ، أَيْ قَدْ عَلِمَ بِإِذْنِهِ لَهُ فِي الدُّخُولِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَغْنَاهُ عَنِ الِاسْتِئْذَانِ. فَفِي تَدَبُّرِ فِعْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّ مَنْ عَلِمْتَ كَرَاهَتَهُ لِأَكْلِكَ مِنْ طَعَامِهِ أَنْ لَا تَأْكُلَ وَإِنْ أَذِنَ لَكَ بِقَوْلِهِ، فَتَدَبَّرْ. عَمِلَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ صَنِيعًا، فَدَعَا رَجُلًا فَلَمْ يُصَادِفْهُ الرَّسُولُ، ثُمَّ أُعْلِمَ وَقَدِ انْصَرَفَ النَّاسُ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ فَقَصَدَ مَنْزِلَهُ، فَدَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْبَابَ، فَخَرَجَ إِلَيْهِ الرَّجُلُ فَقَالَ: هَلْ مِنْ حَاجَةٍ؟

waqāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: rasūlu al-rajuli ʾilā al-rajuli ʾidhnuhu, ʾay qad ʿalima biʾidhnihi lahu fī al-dukhūli ʿalayhi faʾaghnāhu ʿani al-istiʾdhāni. fafī tadabburi fiʿlihi ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾanna man ʿalimta karāhatahu liʾaklika min ṭaʿāmihi ʾan lā taʾkula waʾin ʾadhina laka biqawlihi, fatadabbar. ʿamila baʿḍu al-salafi ṣanīʿan, fadaʿā rajulan falam yuṣādifhu al-rasūlu, thumma ʾuʿlima waqadi inṣarafa al-nāsu min ʿindihi faqaṣada manzilahu, fadaqqa ʿalayhi al-bāba, fakharaja ʾilayhi al-rajulu faqāla: hal min ḥājatin?

He, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “A man’s messenger to another is his permission,” meaning that knowing he has permission to enter dispenses with asking again. Reflecting on his practice, peace be upon him, shows that when you know someone dislikes your eating his food, you should not eat even if his words permit it. Reflect on this. An early authority prepared a feast and invited a man whom the messenger did not find. Informed after the guests had left, the man went to the house and knocked. The host came out and asked: “Do you need anything?”

قَالَ: إِنَّكَ دَعَوْتَنِي فَلَمْ يَتَّفِقْ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ جِئْتُ الْآنَ لَمَّا عَلِمْتُ. فَقَالَ: قَدِ انْصَرَفَ النَّاسُ. قَالَ: فَهَلْ بَقِيَ مِنْهُ بَقِيَّةٌ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: فَكِسْرَةٌ، إِنْ بَقِيَتْ. قَالَ: فَلَمْ يَبْقَ شَيْءٌ. قَالَ: فَالْقُدُورُ أَمْسَحُهَا. قَالَ: قَدْ غَسَلْنَاهَا. فَانْصَرَفَ بِحَمْدِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَقِيلَ لَهُ فِي مَسْأَلَتِهِ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ الرَّجُلُ دَعَانَا بِنِيَّةٍ.

qāla: ʾinnaka daʿawtanī falam yattafiq dhālika faqad jiʾtu al-ʾāna lammā ʿalimtu. faqāla: qadi inṣarafa al-nāsu. qāla: fahal baqiya minhu baqiyyatun? qāla: lā. qāla: fakisratun, ʾin baqiyat. qāla: falam yabqa shayʾun. qāla: fa-al-qudūru ʾamsaḥuhā. qāla: qad ghasalnāhā. fa-inṣarafa biḥamdi Allāhi taʿālā faqīla lahu fī masʾalatihi ʿan dhālika faqāla: waqad ʾaḥsana al-rajulu daʿānā biniyyatin.

He replied: “You invited me, but it did not work out; now that I know, I have come.” “The people have left.” “Is any food left?” “No.” “Even a crust, if one remains?” “Nothing remains.” “Then let me wipe out the pots.” “We have washed them.” He left praising God Most High. Asked about this exchange, he said: “The man did well: he invited us with an intention.”

فَنَفْسُ هَذَا فِي الضَّعَةِ وَالذِّلَّةِ وَسُقُوطِهَا مِنْ مَرَاتِبِ الْأَنَفَةِ وَالْعِزَّةِ تُشْبِهُ نَفْسَ ابْنِ الْكَدِينِيِّ، وَهُوَ أُسْتَاذُ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدِ، دَعَاهُ صَبِيٌّ إِلَى دَعْوَةِ أَبِيهِ فَرَدَّهُ الْأَبُ أَرْبَعَ مَرَّاتٍ فِي دَعْوَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَهُوَ يَرْجِعُ فِي كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ وَهُوَ يَرُدُّهُ؛ فَهَذِهِ نُفُوسٌ مُطْمَئِنَّةٌ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ، مُشَاهِدَةٌ بِالْبَلْوَى مِنَ الْمَوْلَى الْمُبْلِي لِلْعَبِيدِ، مُذَلَّلَةٌ بِالذِّلَّةِ، مَوْضُوعَةٌ عَلَى الضَّعَةِ؛ وَهَذَا طَرِيقٌ مُفْرَدٌ لِأَفْرَادٍ وَحَالٌ مُجَرَّدٌ لِآحَادٍ.

fanafsu hādhā fī al-ḍaʿati wa-al-dhillati wasuqūṭihā min marātibi al-ʾanafati wa-al-ʿizzati tushbihu nafsa ibni al-kadīniyyi, wahuwa ʾustādhu ʾabī al-qāsimi al-junaydi, daʿāhu ṣabiyyun ʾilā daʿwati ʾabīhi faraddahu al-ʾabu ʾarbaʿa marrātin fī daʿwatin wāḥidatin wahuwa yarjiʿu fī kulli marratin wahuwa yarudduhu; fa-hādhihi nufūsun muṭmaʾinnatun bi-al-tawḥīdi, mushāhidatun bi-al-balwā mina al-mawlā al-mublī li-l-ʿabīdi, mudhallalatun bi-al-dhillati, mawḍūʿatun ʿalā al-ḍaʿati; wa-hādhā ṭarīqun mufradun liʾafrādin waḥālun mujarradun liʾāḥādin.

This man’s soul, in its lowliness and humility and its descent from the stations of pride and self-importance, resembles the soul of Ibn al-Kadīnī, the teacher of Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd. A boy invited him to his father’s meal; the father turned him away four times during a single invitation, and each time he returned and was turned away again. These souls are tranquil in divine unity, witnessing trials from the Master who tests His servants, subdued through humility and settled in lowliness. This is a distinctive path for exceptional individuals, a stripped-bare state for a few.

وَالْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ لَا يُجِيبُونَ الدَّعَوَاتِ، وَهُمْ عِنْدَ بَعْضِهِمْ مِنْ أَنَفَةِ النُّفُوسِ. قَالَ قَائِلُهُمْ: أَنَا لَا أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةً. قِيلَ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: انْتِظَارُ الْمَرَقَةِ ذُلٌّ. وَقَالَ آخَرُ: إِذَا وَضَعْتُ يَدِي فِي قَصْعَةِ غَيْرِي ذَلَّتْ لَهُ رَقَبَتِي. وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ يُجِيبُ الْفَقِيرَ لِكِبْرٍ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَيُجِيبُ الْأَغْنِيَاءَ لِعِظَمِهِمْ فِي عَيْنِهِ، وَمِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا الْمَوْصُوفِينَ بِهَا مَنْ لَا يُجِيبُ إِلَّا نُظَرَاءَهُ وَأَشْكَالَهُ مِنْ مِثْلِ طَبَقَتِهِ

wa-al-mutakabbirūna lā yujībūna al-daʿawāti, wahum ʿinda baʿḍihim min ʾanafati al-nufūsi. qāla qāʾiluhum: ʾanā lā ʾujību daʿwatan. qīla: walima? qāla: intiẓāru al-maraqati dhullun. waqāla ʾākharu: ʾidhā waḍaʿtu yadī fī qaṣʿati ghayrī dhallat lahu raqabatī. waminhum man lam yakun yujību al-faqīra likibrin fī nafsihi wayujību al-ʾaghniyāʾa liʿiẓamihim fī ʿaynihi, wamin ʾabnāʾi al-dunyā al-mawṣūfīna bihā man lā yujību ʾillā nuẓarāʾahu waʾashkālahu min mithli ṭabaqatihi

The proud do not accept invitations, and some regard this as the dignity of their souls. One said: “I do not accept invitations.” Asked why, he answered: “Waiting for broth is humiliation.” Another said: “When I put my hand into another’s bowl, my neck is humbled before him.” Some refuse the poor out of inward pride but accept the rich because they loom large in their eyes. Some thoroughly worldly people accept only their peers and equals, people of their own class

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣١٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 312

Volume Two, page 312

وَمَرْتَبَتِهِ فِي الرِّيَاسَةِ فِي الدُّنْيَا؛ وَهَذَا عَلَى خِلَافِ سُنَّةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ أَفْعَالِهِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الْمِسْكِينِ وَيُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الْعَبْدِ، وَمِنْ قَوْلِهِ: بِئْسَ الطَّعَامُ وَشَرُّ الطَّعَامِ الْوَلِيمَةُ يُدْعَى إِلَيْهَا الْأَغْنِيَاءُ وَيُتْرَكُ الْفُقَرَاءُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنْ لَا يُجِيبُ الدَّعْوَةَ فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ تَعَالَى.

wamartabatihi fī al-riyāsati fī al-dunyā; wa-hādhā ʿalā khilāfi sunnati rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama min ʾafʿālihi ʾannahu kāna yujību daʿwata al-miskīni wayujību daʿwata al-ʿabdi, wamin qawlihi: biʾsa al-ṭaʿāmu washarru al-ṭaʿāmi al-walīmatu yudʿā ʾilayhā al-ʾaghniyāʾu wayutraku al-fuqarāʾu. thumma qāla: man lā yujību al-daʿwata faqad ʿaṣā Allāha taʿālā.

and worldly rank. This contradicts the Sunna of God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace: in his conduct he accepted the poor person’s invitation and the slave’s invitation; in his words he said: “Wretched food, the worst food, is a banquet to which the rich are invited and the poor left out.” He then said: “Whoever does not accept the invitation has disobeyed God Most High.”

وَمَرَّ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا بِقَوْمٍ مِنَ الْمَسَاكِينِ الَّذِينَ يَسْأَلُونَ النَّاسَ عَلَى قَارِعَةِ الطَّرِيقِ، وَقَدْ نَثَرُوا كِسَرًا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ فِي الرَّمْلِ وَهُمْ يَأْكُلُونَ، وَكَانَ عَلَى بَغْلَتِهِ، فَلَمَّا مَرَّ بِهِمْ سَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَرَدُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَقَالُوا: هَلُمَّ إِلَى الْغَدَاءِ يَا ابْنَ بِنْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. قَالَ: نَعَمْ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْتَكْبِرِينَ. ثُمَّ ثَنَى وَرِكَهُ فَنَزَلَ عَنْ دَابَّتِهِ وَقَعَدَ مَعَهُمْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَأَقْبَلَ يَأْكُلُ ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَرَكِبَ.

wamarra al-ḥusaynu bnu ʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā biqawmin mina al-masākīni alladhīna yasʾalūna al-nāsa ʿalā qāriʿati al-ṭarīqi, waqad natharū kisaran ʿalā al-ʾarḍi fī al-ramli wahum yaʾkulūna, wakāna ʿalā baghlatihi, falammā marra bihim sallama ʿalayhim faraddū ʿalayhi waqālū: halumma ʾilā al-ghadāʾi yā ibna binti rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama. qāla: naʿam, ʾinna Allāha lā yuḥibbu al-mustakbirīna. thumma thanā warikahu fanazala ʿan dābbatihi waqaʿada maʿahum ʿalā al-ʾarḍi waʾaqbala yaʾkulu thumma sallama ʿalayhim warakiba.

Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, may God be pleased with them both, passed some poor roadside beggars who had scattered bread pieces on the sandy ground and were eating. Riding his mule, he greeted them. They returned the greeting and said: “Join our meal, son of the daughter of God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace.” He answered: “Yes; God does not love the arrogant.” He swung his leg over, dismounted, sat with them on the ground, and ate. Then he greeted them and remounted.

وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ زِيَادَةٌ فَقَالَ: قَدْ أَجَبْتُكُمْ فَأَجِيبُونِي. قَالُوا: نَعَمْ، فَوَعَدَهُمُ الْمَجِيءَ فِي وَقْتٍ مِنَ النَّهَارِ فَجَاؤُوا فَرَحَّبَ بِهِمْ وَرَفَعَ مَجْلِسَهُمْ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا رَبَابُ هَاتِي مَا كُنْتِ تَدَّخِرِينَ. فَأَخْرَجَتِ الْجَارِيَةُ فَاخِرَ مَا عِنْدَهَا مِنَ الطَّعَامِ فَأَقْبَلَ يَأْكُلُ مَعَهُمْ. وَكَانَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ يُقَدِّمُ إِلَى إِخْوَانِهِ فَاخِرَ الرُّطَبِ وَيَقُولُ: مَنْ أَكَلَ أَكْثَرَ أَعْطَيْتُهُ بِكُلِّ نَوَاةٍ دِرْهَمًا، فَكَانَ يَعُدُّ النَّوَى فَيُعْطِي مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ فَضْلُ نَوًى بِعَدَدِهَا دَرَاهِمَ.

wafī khabarin ʾākhara ziyādatun faqāla: qad ʾajabtukum faʾajībūnī. qālū: naʿam, fawaʿadahumu al-majīʾa fī waqtin mina al-nahāri fajāʾū faraḥḥaba bihim warafaʿa majlisahum, thumma qāla: yā rabābu hātī mā kunti taddakhirīna. faʾakhrajati al-jāriyatu fākhira mā ʿindahā mina al-ṭaʿāmi faʾaqbala yaʾkulu maʿahum. wakāna ibnu al-mubāraki yuqaddimu ʾilā ʾikhwānihi fākhira al-ruṭabi wayaqūlu: man ʾakala ʾakthara ʾaʿṭaytuhu bikulli nawātin dirhaman, fakāna yaʿuddu al-nawā fayuʿṭī man kāna lahu faḍlu nawan biʿadadihā darāhima.

Another report adds: He said, “I accepted your invitation; now accept mine.” They agreed. He appointed a time, welcomed them when they came, gave them an honored place, and said: “Rabāb, bring what you have been keeping.” The servant brought her finest food, and he ate with them. Ibn al-Mubārak used to serve his brothers fine fresh dates and say: “Whoever eats most will receive a dirham for every stone.” He counted the stones and gave the one with more stones that number of dirhams.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الِاعْتِبَارِ: مَا أَجَبْتُ إِلَّا لِأَتَذَكَّرَ بِهَا نَعِيمَ الْجَنَّةِ، طَعَامٌ يُنْقَلُ بِغَيْرِ كُلْفَةٍ وَلَا مُؤُونَةٍ. وَلِذَلِكَ قِيلَ: إِنَّ اجْتِمَاعَ الْإِخْوَانِ فِي وُجُودِ الْكِفَايَةِ عَلَى الْأُنْسِ وَالْأُلْفَةِ لَيْسَ هُوَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا. وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ يَقُولُ: لَا تُجِبْ دَعْوَةً إِلَّا مَنْ يَرَى لَكَ أَنَّكَ أَكَلْتَ رِزْقَكَ وَأَنَّهُ سَلَّمَهُ إِلَيْكَ وَدِيعَةً كَانَتْ لَكَ عِنْدَهُ، وَيَرَى لَكَ الْفَضْلَ عَلَيْهِ فِي قَبُولِهَا مِنْهُ.

waqāla baʿḍu ʾahli al-iʿtibāri: mā ʾajabtu ʾillā liʾatadhakkara bihā naʿīma al-jannati, ṭaʿāmun yunqalu bighayri kulfatin walā muʾūnatin. wali-dhālika qīla: ʾinna ijtimāʿa al-ʾikhwāni fī wujūdi al-kifāyati ʿalā al-ʾunsi wa-al-ʾulfati laysa huwa mina al-dunyā. waqad kāna baʿḍu al-ṣūfiyyati yaqūlu: lā tujib daʿwatan ʾillā man yarā laka ʾannaka ʾakalta rizqaka waʾannahu sallamahu ʾilayka wadīʿatan kānat laka ʿindahu, wayarā laka al-faḍla ʿalayhi fī qabūlihā minhu.

A reflective person said: “I accept only to be reminded of Paradise’s delight: food brought without effort or expense.” Thus it is said that brothers gathering in affection and intimacy with enough to sustain them does not belong to worldly life. One Sufi used to say: “Accept only the invitation of someone who sees that you ate your own provision, that he merely delivered a deposit belonging to you which he held, and that your accepting it is a favor you do him.”

فَهَذِهِ شَهَادَةُ الْعَارِفِ مِنَ الدَّاعِينَ، كَذَلِكَ شَهَادَةُ الْمَدْعُوِّينَ مِنَ الْمُوَحِّدِينَ: أَنْ يَشْهَدُوا الدَّاعِيَ الْأَوَّلَ، وَالْمُجِيبَ الْآخِرَ، وَالْمُعْطِيَ الْبَاطِنَ، وَالرَّازِقَ الظَّاهِرَ، كَمَا امْتَحَنَ أَصْحَابَهُ بِذَلِكَ بَعْضُ الصُّوفِيِّينَ. بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ رَجُلًا دَعَا إِمَامًا مِنَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ فِي أَصْحَابِهِ إِلَى طَعَامٍ، فَلَمَّا أَخَذَ الْقَوْمُ مَجْلِسَهُمْ يَنْتَظِرُونَ فَضْلَ الطَّعَامِ إِلَيْهِمْ، خَرَجَ إِلَيْهِمْ شَيْخُهُمْ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ هَذَا الرَّجُلَ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ دَعَاكُمْ وَأَنَّكُمْ تَأْكُلُونَ طَعَامَهُ، فَفِي حَرَجٍ، أَوْ قَالَ: حَرَامٌ عَلَى مَنْ لَمْ يَشْهَدْهُ فِي فِعْلِهِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ.

fa-hādhihi shahādatu al-ʿārifi mina al-dāʿīna, kadhālika shahādatu al-madʿuwwīna mina al-muwaḥḥidīna: ʾan yashhadū al-dāʿiya al-ʾawwala, wa-al-mujība al-ʾākhira, wa-al-muʿṭiya al-bāṭina, wa-al-rāziqa al-ẓāhira, kamā imtaḥana ʾaṣḥābahu bi-dhālika baʿḍu al-ṣūfiyyīna. balaghanī ʾanna rajulan daʿā ʾimāman mina al-ṣūfiyyati fī ʾaṣḥābihi ʾilā ṭaʿāmin, falammā ʾakhadha al-qawmu majlisahum yantaẓirūna faḍla al-ṭaʿāmi ʾilayhim, kharaja ʾilayhim shaykhuhum faqāla: ʾinna hādhā al-rajula zaʿama ʾannahu daʿākum waʾannakum taʾkulūna ṭaʿāmahu, fafī ḥarajin, ʾaw qāla: ḥarāmun ʿalā man lam yashhad-hu fī fiʿlihi ʾan yaʾkula.

This is the witnessing of the knowing host. The invited affirmers of divine unity likewise witness the First as inviter, the Last as responder, the Hidden as giver, and the Manifest as provider. One Sufi tested his companions this way. I heard that a man invited a Sufi leader and his companions. As they sat waiting for food to be brought, their shaykh came out and said: “This man claims he invited you and that you are eating his food. There is blame, or rather prohibition, for anyone who does not witness Him in His action to eat.”

قَالَ: فَقَامُوا كُلُّهُمْ فَخَرَجُوا وَلَمْ يَسْتَحِلُّوا الْأَكْلَ، إِذْ كَانُوا لَا يَرَوْنَهُ فِي الْفِعْلِ، إِلَّا غُلَامًا حَدَثًا، فَإِنَّهُ قَعَدَ إِذْ لَمْ تَثْبُتْ شَهَادَتُهُ وَلَمْ يَنْفُذْ نَظَرُهُ، الْعِبَارَةُ وَالْمَعْنَى لِقَائِلِهِ مِثْلُهُ أَوْ نَحْوُهُ. وَإِنْ دَعَاكَ أَخُوكَ وَأَنْتَ صَائِمٌ فَعَلِمْتَ أَنَّهُ يُسَرُّ بِأَكْلِكَ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ تُفْطِرَ لِأَجْلِهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَعْلَمْ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ وَقَالَ لَكَ: أَنَا أُسَرُّ بِأَكْلِكَ، فَصَدِّقْهُ وَأَحْسِنْ بِهِ الظَّنَّ.

qāla: faqāmū kulluhum fakharajū walam yastaḥillū al-ʾakla, ʾidh kānū lā yarawnahu fī al-fiʿli, ʾillā ghulāman ḥadathan, faʾinnahu qaʿada ʾidh lam tathbut shahādatuhu walam yanfudh naẓaruhu, al-ʿibāratu wa-al-maʿnā liqāʾilihi mithluhu ʾaw naḥwuhu. waʾin daʿāka ʾakhūka waʾanta ṣāʾimun faʿalimta ʾannahu yusarru biʾaklika falā baʾsa ʾan tufṭira liʾajlihi, faʾin lam taʿlam dhālika minhu waqāla laka: ʾanā ʾusarru biʾaklika, faṣaddiqhu waʾaḥsin bihi al-ẓanna.

They all rose and left, unwilling to regard the food as permissible because they did not see Him in the action, except a young boy who remained seated, since his witnessing was not established and his vision had not penetrated. The narrator’s wording and meaning were this or something like it. If your brother invites you while you are fasting and you know your eating will please him, there is no harm in breaking your fast for him. If you do not know, but he says, “Your eating pleases me,” believe him and think well of him.

وَإِنْ لَمْ تَعْلَمْ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يَلْفِظْ بِهِ لِسَانُهُ فَإِنِّي أَكْرَهُ خُرُوجَكَ مِنْ عَقْدِ الصَّوْمِ لِغَيْرِ نِيَّةٍ هِيَ أَبْلَغُ مِنْهُ أَوْ مِثْلُهُ، فَصَوْمُكَ حِينَئِذٍ أَفْضَلُ. وَإِنْ أَكَلْتَ مَعَ أَخِيكَ تُرِيدُ إِكْرَامَهُ بِذَلِكَ فَهَذِهِ نِيَّةٌ صَالِحَةٌ، قَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِذَا أَكَلَ يَوْمَ فِطْرِهِ أَكَلَ مَعَ إِخْوَانِهِ وَيَحْتَسِبُ فِي أَكْلِهِ مَا يَحْتَسِبُ فِي صَوْمِهِ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مِنْ أَفْضَلِ الْحَسَنَاتِ إِكْرَامُ الْجُلَسَاءِ. وَمَنْ لَمْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يُطْعِمَ قَوْمًا مِنْ طَعَامٍ فَلَا يُظْهِرْهُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا يَصِفْهُ لَهُمْ سَوَاءٌ كَانَ هُوَ قَدْ أَكَلَهُ أَوْ لَمْ يَأْكُلْهُ.

waʾin lam taʿlam dhālika minhu walam yalfiẓ bihi lisānuhu faʾinnī ʾakrahu khurūjaka min ʿaqdi al-ṣawmi lighayri niyyatin hiya ʾablaghu minhu ʾaw mithluhu, faṣawmuka ḥīnaʾidhin ʾafḍalu. waʾin ʾakalta maʿa ʾakhīka turīdu ʾikrāmahu bi-dhālika fa-hādhihi niyyatun ṣāliḥatun, qad kāna baʿḍuhum ʾidhā ʾakala yawma fiṭrihi ʾakala maʿa ʾikhwānihi wayaḥtasibu fī ʾaklihi mā yaḥtasibu fī ṣawmihi. warawaynā ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin ʾannahu qāla: min ʾafḍali al-ḥasanāti ʾikrāmu al-julasāʾi. waman lam yurid ʾan yuṭʿima qawman min ṭaʿāmin falā yuẓhirhum ʿalayhi walā yaṣifhu lahum sawāʾun kāna huwa qad ʾakalahu ʾaw lam yaʾkulhu.

If you neither know this nor hear him say it, I dislike your abandoning a fast without an intention equal or superior to it; fasting is then better. Eating with your brother to honor him is a sound intention. Some ate with their brothers on nonfasting days, seeking the same reward in eating as in fasting. We have related from Ibn ʿAbbās: “Honoring one’s companions is among the finest good deeds.” Someone unwilling to share a food with people should neither show it to them nor describe it, whether he has eaten it or not.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣١٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 313

Volume Two, page 313

وَكَانَ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَقُولُ: إِذَا أَرَدْتَ أَنْ لَا تُطْعِمَ عِيَالَكَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ تَأْكُلُهُ فَلَا تُحَدِّثْهُمْ بِهِ وَلَا يَرَوْنَهُ مَعَكَ. وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلْمُجِيبِ إِلَى الدَّعْوَةِ نِيَّاتٌ سَبْعٌ؛ إِذِ الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَلِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، إِذِ الْإِجَابَةُ مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ، فَمَنْ نَوَاهَا دُنْيَا كَانَتْ لَهُ دُنْيَا لِعَاجِلِ حَظِّهِ، وَمَنْ أَرَادَ بِهَا آخِرَةً فَهِيَ لَهُ آخِرَةٌ بِحَسَبِ نِيَّتِهِ.

wakāna al-thawriyyu yaqūlu: ʾidhā ʾaradta ʾan lā tuṭʿima ʿiyālaka min shayʾin taʾkuluhu falā tuḥaddithhum bihi walā yarawnahu maʿaka. wayanbaghī ʾan yakūna li-l-mujībi ʾilā al-daʿwati niyyātun sabʿun; ʾidhi al-ʾaʿmālu bi-al-niyyāti walikulli imriʾin mā nawā, ʾidhi al-ʾijābatu mina al-ʾaʿmāli, faman nawāhā dunyā kānat lahu dunyā liʿājili ḥaẓẓihi, waman ʾarāda bihā ʾākhiratan fahiya lahu ʾākhiratun biḥasabi niyyatihi.

Al-Thawrī used to say: “If you do not intend to feed your dependents something you eat, do not tell them about it or let them see it with you.” Someone accepting an invitation should have seven intentions. Actions depend on intentions, and each person has what he intended; accepting is an action. Whoever intends worldly gain has worldly gain and an immediate share; whoever intends the Hereafter has the Hereafter, according to his intention.

وَإِنْ لَمْ تَحْضُرْ نِيَّةٌ أَوِ اعْتَلَّ بِفَسَادِهَا تَوَقَّفَ حَتَّى يُهَيِّئَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ نِيَّةً صَالِحَةً تَكُونُ الْإِجَابَةُ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ تَرَكَ الْإِجَابَةَ إِذَا كَانَتْ بِغَيْرِ نِيَّةٍ، لِأَنَّهَا مِنْ أَفَاضِلِ الْأَعْمَالِ، فَتَحْتَاجُ إِلَى أَحْسَنِ النِّيَّاتِ لِوُجُودِ الْعِلْمِ فِيهَا فَتَكْثُرَ بِهَا الْحَسَنَاتُ، وَلِفَقْدِ الْهَوَى مِنْهَا فَيَسْلَمَ فِيهَا مِنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ، وَإِلَّا كَانَتْ إِجَابَتُهُ هَوًى، وَكَانَ عَامِلًا فِي بَابٍ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الدُّنْيَا، وَسَاعِيًا فِي حَظِّ نَفْسِهِ وَمِلْءِ جَوْفِهِ.

waʾin lam taḥḍur niyyatun ʾawi iʿtalla bifasādihā tawaqqafa ḥattā yuhayyiʾa Allāhu ʿazza wajalla lahu niyyatan ṣāliḥatan takūnu al-ʾijābatu ʿalayhā ʾaw taraka al-ʾijābata ʾidhā kānat bighayri niyyatin, liʾannahā min ʾafāḍili al-ʾaʿmāli, fataḥtāju ʾilā ʾaḥsani al-niyyāti liwujūdi al-ʿilmi fīhā fatakthura bihā al-ḥasanātu, walifaqdi al-hawā minhā fayaslama fīhā mina al-sayyiʾāti, waʾillā kānat ʾijābatuhu hawan, wakāna ʿāmilan fī bābin min ʾabwābi al-dunyā, wasāʿiyan fī ḥaẓẓi nafsihi wamilʾi jawfihi.

If no intention is present, or it is impaired, he should wait until God, mighty and majestic, prepares a sound intention on which to accept, or decline if he lacks one. This is among the best deeds and needs the finest intentions, so that knowledge within it multiplies good deeds and the absence of desire keeps it free of sins. Otherwise his acceptance is desire: he acts within worldly concerns, seeking his own enjoyment and a full belly.

وَقَدْ قَالَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: مَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى دُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ، فَيَصِيرُ مَأْزُورًا بِفَسَادِ النِّيَّةِ، أَوْ يَكُونُ غَيْرَ مَأْجُورٍ لِعَدَمِهَا. فَأَوَّلُ النِّيَّاتِ طَاعَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَطَاعَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، لِقَوْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: مَنْ لَمْ يُجِبِ الدَّعْوَةَ فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

waqad qāla al-rasūlu ʿalayhi al-salāmu: man kānat hijratuhu ʾilā dunyā yuṣībuhā fahijratuhu ʾilā mā hājara ʾilayhi, fayaṣīru maʾzūran bifasādi al-niyyati, ʾaw yakūnu ghayra maʾjūrin liʿadamihā. faʾawwalu al-niyyāti ṭāʿatu Allāhi taʿālā waṭāʿatu rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, liqawlihi ʿalayhi al-salāmu: man lam yujibi al-daʿwata faqad ʿaṣā Allāha warasūlahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama.

The Messenger, peace be upon him, said: “Whoever migrates for worldly gain migrates to that for which he migrated.” A corrupt intention thus brings sin, while the absence of intention brings no reward. The first intention is obedience to God Most High and His Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, because of his saying, peace be upon him: “Whoever does not accept the invitation has disobeyed God and His Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace.”

وَالثَّانِيَةُ إِقَامَةُ سُنَّتِهِ لِقَوْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: لَوْ دُعِيتُ إِلَى كُرَاعٍ لَأَجَبْتُ، وَهُوَ مَوْضِعٌ عَلَى أَمْيَالٍ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ أَفْطَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي رَمَضَانَ لَمَّا بَلَغَهُ وَقَصَرَ عِنْدَهُ فِي سَفَرِهِ، وَقَالَ فِي الْخَبَرِ الْآخَرِ: لَوْ دُعِيتُ إِلَى ذِرَاعٍ لَأَجَبْتُ؛ فَهَذَا ظَاهِرٌ فِي الْإِجَابَةِ عَنِ الْقَلِيلِ، وَالْأَوَّلُ مُحْتَمِلٌ فِي الْإِجَابَةِ إِلَى الْمَوْضِعِ الْبَعِيدِ.

wa-al-thāniyatu ʾiqāmatu sunnatihi liqawlihi ʿalayhi al-salāmu: law duʿītu ʾilā kurāʿin laʾajabtu, wahuwa mawḍiʿun ʿalā ʾamyālin mina al-madīnati ʾafṭara rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī ramaḍāna lammā balaghahu waqaṣara ʿindahu fī safarihi, waqāla fī al-khabari al-ʾākhari: law duʿītu ʾilā dhirāʿin laʾajabtu; fa-hādhā ẓāhirun fī al-ʾijābati ʿani al-qalīli, wa-al-ʾawwalu muḥtamilun fī al-ʾijābati ʾilā al-mawḍiʿi al-baʿīdi.

The second is upholding his Sunna, because he, peace be upon him, said: “Were I invited to Kurāʿ, I would accept.” This is a place some miles from Medina, where God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, broke his Ramadan fast on reaching it and shortened prayer on his journey. Another report says: “Were I invited to a foreleg, I would accept.” The latter clearly concerns accepting a small offering; the former may concern accepting an invitation to a distant place.

فَقَدْ نُقِلَ أَنَّ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ أَوْ فِي بَعْضِ الْكُتُبِ: سِرْ مِيلًا عُدْ مَرِيضًا، سِرْ مِيلَيْنِ شَيِّعْ جَنَازَةً، سِرْ ثَلَاثَةَ أَمْيَالٍ أَجِبْ دَعْوَةً، سِرْ أَرْبَعَةَ أَمْيَالٍ زُرْ أَخًا فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. فَبَعَّدَ فِي إِجَابَةِ الدَّعْوَةِ وَفَضَّلَهَا عَلَى الْعِيَادَةِ وَشُهُودِ الْجَنَازَةِ لِأَنَّ فِيهَا قَضَاءَ حَقِّ الْحَيِّ، وَفِيهَا إِجَابَةَ دَاعٍ. وَالنِّيَّةُ الثَّالِثَةُ إِكْرَامُ أَخِيهِ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ أَكْرَمَ أَخَاهُ الْمُؤْمِنَ فَإِنَّمَا يُكْرِمُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى.

faqad nuqila ʾanna fī al-tawrāti ʾaw fī baʿḍi al-kutubi: sir mīlan ʿud marīḍan, sir mīlayni shayyiʿ janāzatan, sir thalāthata ʾamyālin ʾajib daʿwatan, sir ʾarbaʿata ʾamyālin zur ʾakhan fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. fabaʿʿada fī ʾijābati al-daʿwati wafaḍḍalahā ʿalā al-ʿiyādati washuhūdi al-janāzati liʾanna fīhā qaḍāʾa ḥaqqi al-ḥayyi, wafīhā ʾijābata dāʿin. wa-al-niyyatu al-thālithatu ʾikrāmu ʾakhīhi, wafī al-khabari: man ʾakrama ʾakhāhu al-muʾmina faʾinnamā yukrimu Allāha taʿālā.

It is transmitted that the Torah, or another scripture, says: “Travel a mile to visit the sick; two miles to accompany a funeral; three miles to accept an invitation; four miles to visit a brother for God, mighty and majestic.” It assigns the longer journey to accepting an invitation, preferring it to visiting the sick or attending a funeral, because it fulfills a living person’s right and answers an inviter. The third intention is honoring one’s brother. A report says: “Whoever honors his believing brother honors God Most High.”

وَفِي حَدِيثِ الْحَسَنِ وَعَطَاءٍ: مَنْ جَاءَهُ شَيْءٌ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَرَدَّهُ فَإِنَّمَا يَرُدُّهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَتَرْكُ الْإِجَابَةِ رَدُّ الْعَطَاءِ. وَفِي تَأْوِيلِ الْخَبَرِ عَنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى بِمَعْنَاهُ أَنَّهُ يَقُولُ لِلْعَبْدِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ: جُعْتُ فَلَمْ تُطْعِمْنِي، فَيَقُولُ: كَيْفَ أُطْعِمُكَ وَأَنْتَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ؟ فَيَقُولُ: جَاعَ أَخُوكَ الْمُسْلِمُ فَلَمْ تُطْعِمْهُ، وَلَوْ أَطْعَمْتَهُ كُنْتَ قَدْ أَطْعَمْتَنِي.

wafī ḥadīthi al-ḥasani waʿaṭāʾin: man jāʾahu shayʾun min ghayri masʾalatin faraddahu faʾinnamā yarudduhu ʿalā Allāhi taʿālā, fatarku al-ʾijābati raddu al-ʿaṭāʾi. wafī taʾwīli al-khabari ʿani Allāhi taʿālā bimaʿnāhu ʾannahu yaqūlu li-l-ʿabdi yawma al-qiyāmati: juʿtu falam tuṭʿimnī, fayaqūlu: kayfa ʾuṭʿimuka waʾanta rabbu al-ʿālamīna? fayaqūlu: jāʿa ʾakhūka al-muslimu falam tuṭʿimhu, walaw ʾaṭʿamtahu kunta qad ʾaṭʿamtanī.

In the report of al-Ḥasan and ʿAṭāʾ: “Whoever receives something without asking and rejects it rejects it toward God Most High.” Declining the invitation is rejecting the gift. Interpreting a report from God Most High according to its meaning, He says to the servant on Resurrection Day: “I was hungry and you did not feed Me.” He asks: “How could I feed You, Lord of all worlds?” He answers: “Your Muslim brother was hungry and you did not feed him; had you fed him, you would have fed Me.”

فَمِنْ ظَاهِرِهِ تَعْظِيمُ حُرْمَةِ الْمُسْلِمِ لِأَنَّهُ أَقَامَهُ مَقَامَهُ، وَفِي بَاطِنِهِ فِي الْفَهْمِ أَنَّهُ إِذَا أَجَابَهُ فَقَدْ عَاوَنَهُ عَلَى إِطْعَامِ نَفْسِهِ، فَكَأَنَّهُ أَطْعَمَهَا، فَإِذَا لَمْ يُجِبْ دَعْوَتَهُ فَقَدْ تَرَكَ مُعَاوَنَتَهُ عَلَى إِطْعَامِهِ، فَدَخَلَ تَحْتَ التَّقْرِيعِ بِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يُطْعِمْ نَفْسَهُ وَهُوَ الْمُسْلِمُ إِذَا لَمْ يُجِبِ الدَّعْوَةَ، فَتَفَكَّرُوا. وَالنِّيَّةُ الرَّابِعَةُ إِدْخَالُ السُّرُورِ عَلَى أَخِيكَ الْمُؤْمِنِ، وَالْخَبَرُ الْآخَرُ: مَنْ سَرَّ مُؤْمِنًا فَقَدْ سَرَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

famin ẓāhirihi taʿẓīmu ḥurmati al-muslimi liʾannahu ʾaqāmahu maqāmahu, wafī bāṭinihi fī al-fahmi ʾannahu ʾidhā ʾajābahu faqad ʿāwanahu ʿalā ʾiṭʿāmi nafsihi, fakaʾannahu ʾaṭʿamahā, faʾidhā lam yujib daʿwatahu faqad taraka muʿāwanatahu ʿalā ʾiṭʿāmihi, fadakhala taḥta al-taqrīʿi biʾannahu lam yuṭʿim nafsahu wahuwa al-muslimu ʾidhā lam yujibi al-daʿwata, fatafakkarū. wa-al-niyyatu al-rābiʿatu ʾidkhālu al-surūri ʿalā ʾakhīka al-muʾmini, wa-al-khabaru al-ʾākharu: man sarra muʾminan faqad sarra Allāha ʿazza wajalla.

Its outward meaning magnifies the Muslim’s inviolability, for God puts him in His own place. Its inward meaning, as understood here, is that accepting helps one’s brother feed one’s own self, as though he had fed it. Declining refuses that assistance and incurs the rebuke of failing to feed oneself, the Muslim who declined the invitation. Reflect on this. The fourth intention is bringing joy to your believing brother, as in the other report: “Whoever gladdens a believer has gladdened God, mighty and majestic.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣١٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 314

Volume Two, page 314

وَالنِّيَّةُ الْخَامِسَةُ رَفْعُ الْغَمِّ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ وَوَضْعُ الْهَمِّ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ فِي تَرْكِ إِجَابَتِهِ مِنْ تَرْجِيمِ الظُّنُونِ بِهِ وَتَوْقِيعِ الرَّجْمِ بِالْغَيْبِ فِيهِ: لِمَ لَمْ يُجِبْ؟ وَلَعَلَّهُ يُجِيبُ، وَإِلَّا كَانَ يُجِيبُ. فَيَرْفَعُ عَنْهُ ذَلِكَ وَيُسْقِطُ عَنْهُ مُؤُونَةَ سُوءِ الظَّنِّ بِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الشَّكَّ فِيهِ بِالْيَقِينِ بِهِ.

wa-al-niyyatu al-khāmisatu rafʿu al-ghammi ʿan qalbihi wawaḍʿu al-hammi ʿan nafsihi fī tarki ʾijābatihi min tarjīmi al-ẓunūni bihi watawqīʿi al-rajmi bi-al-ghaybi fīhi: lima lam yujib? walaʿallahu yujību, waʾillā kāna yujību. fayarfaʿu ʿanhu dhālika wayusqiṭu ʿanhu muʾūnata sūʾi al-ẓanni bihi wayunazzilu al-shakka fīhi bi-al-yaqīni bihi.

The fifth intention is relieving his heart of distress and his mind of worry caused by a refusal, sparing him guesses and conjectures about the unseen: “Why did he not accept? Perhaps he will; otherwise he used to accept.” Acceptance removes this burden, spares him ill suspicion, and settles his uncertainty with assurance.

وَالنِّيَّةُ السَّادِسَةُ أَنْ يَنْوِيَ زِيَارَتَهُ فَيَصِيرَ ذَلِكَ نَافِلَةً لَهُ تَمَامًا عَلَى الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ، فَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي فَضْلِ الزِّيَارَةِ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَأَنَّ بِهَا يَسْتَحِقُّ وِلَايَةَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَأَنَّهَا عَلَامَةُ وِلَايَةِ الْمُتَحَابِّينَ فِي اللَّهِ، فَاشْتُرِطَ لِذَلِكَ شَيْئَانِ: التَّبَاذُلُ لِلَّهِ وَالتَّزَاوُرُ فِيهِ، فَقَدْ حَصَلَ الْبَذْلُ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمَا بَقِيَتِ الزِّيَارَةُ مِنَ الْآخَرِ. عَلَى الْخَبَرِ السَّائِرِ أَنَّ الْإِجَابَةَ مِنَ التَّوَاضُعِ، كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا قَبْلُ: أَنَّ الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ لَا يُجِيبُونَ الدَّاعِي، فَهَذِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَعْمَالٍ نِيَّاتٍ لِمَنْ وُفِّقَ لِعَمَلِهَا وَالْعَمَلِ بِهَا.

wa-al-niyyatu al-sādisatu ʾan yanwiya ziyāratahu fayaṣīra dhālika nāfilatan lahu tamāman ʿalā alladhī ʾaḥsana, faqad jāʾa fī faḍli al-ziyārati fī Allāhi taʿālā waʾanna bihā yastaḥiqqu wilāyata Allāhi taʿālā, waʾannahā ʿalāmatu wilāyati al-mutaḥābbīna fī Allāhi, fa-ushturiṭa li-dhālika shayʾāni: al-tabādhulu li-llāhi wa-al-tazāwuru fīhi, faqad ḥaṣala al-badhlu min ʾaḥadihimā baqiyati al-ziyāratu mina al-ʾākhari. ʿalā al-khabari al-sāʾiri ʾanna al-ʾijābata mina al-tawāḍuʿi, kamā dhakarnā qablu: ʾanna al-mutakabbirīna lā yujībūna al-dāʿī, fa-hādhihi sabʿatu ʾaʿmālin niyyātin liman wuffiqa liʿamalihā wa-al-ʿamali bihā.

The sixth intention is visiting him, an additional good deed completing the kindness already shown. Reports describe the merit of visiting for God Most High, through which one merits the friendship of God Most High; it marks the friendship of those who love each other for God. Two things are stipulated: giving for God and visiting for Him. One has given; the other still has to visit. The familiar report makes acceptance an act of humility, as we said earlier: the proud do not answer an inviter. These are seven acts and intentions for whoever is enabled to practice and act upon them.

وَمَنْ طَرَقَتْهُ فَاقَةٌ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ فَقَصَدَ بَعْضَ إِخْوَانِهِ يَتَصَدَّى لِلْأَكْلِ عِنْدَهُ فَجَائِزٌ لَهُ ذَلِكَ بِشَرْطَيْنِ: لَا يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ مَوْجُودٌ مِنْ طَعَامٍ وَنِيَّتُهُ أَنْ يُؤْجَرَ أَخُوهُ وَيَكُونَ هُوَ الْجَالِبَ لِأَجْرِهِ لِأَنَّهُ عَرَّضَهُ لِلْمَثُوبَةِ؛ فَهَذَا دَاخِلٌ فِي التَّعَاوُنِ عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَدَاخِلٌ فِي التَّحَاضِّ عَلَى طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ وَنَفْسُهُ كَغَيْرِهِ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ، وَلِأَنَّ أَخَاهُ لَا يَعْلَمُ بِصُورَةِ حَالِهِ وَلَوْ عَلِمَهُ لَسَرَّهُ ذَلِكَ فَفِيهِ إِدْخَالُ السُّرُورِ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ يَعْلَمُ، وَقَدْ فَعَلَ هَذَا جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ السَّلَفِ.

waman ṭaraqat-hu fāqatun mina al-fuqarāʾi faqaṣada baʿḍa ʾikhwānihi yataṣaddā li-l-ʾakli ʿindahu fajāʾizun lahu dhālika bisharṭayni: lā yakūnu ʿindahu mawjūdun min ṭaʿāmin waniyyatuhu ʾan yuʾjara ʾakhūhu wayakūna huwa al-jāliba liʾajrihi liʾannahu ʿarraḍahu li-l-mathūbati; fa-hādhā dākhilun fī al-taʿāwuni ʿalā al-birri wa-al-taqwā wadākhilun fī al-taḥāḍḍi ʿalā ṭaʿāmi al-miskīni wanafsuhu kaghayrihi mina al-fuqarāʾi, waliʾanna ʾakhāhu lā yaʿlamu biṣūrati ḥālihi walaw ʿalimahu lasarrahu dhālika fafīhi ʾidkhālu al-surūri ʿalayhi min ḥaythu yaʿlamu, waqad faʿala hādhā jamāʿatun mina al-salafi.

A poor person struck by need may go to a brother hoping to eat with him on two conditions: he has no food himself, and he intends his brother to be rewarded, bringing him that reward by giving him an opportunity for merit. This is cooperation in goodness and reverence and encouragement to feed the needy; he himself is like other poor people. His brother does not know his circumstances and would be pleased to know, so he brings him joy through making them known. A number of early authorities did this.

وَقَدْ رُوِيَ بِمَعْنَاهُ أَثَرٌ مِنْ ثَلَاثَةِ طُرُقٍ لِلسَّلَفِ الصَّالِحِ مِنْهُمْ عَوْنُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْمَسْعُودِيُّ، كَانَ لَهُ ثَلَاثُمِائَةٍ وَسِتُّونَ صَدِيقًا، وَكَانَ يَكُونُ عِنْدَ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ يَوْمًا، وَآخَرُ كَانَ لَهُ ثَلَاثُونَ صَدِيقًا كَانَ يَكُونُ عِنْدَ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ يَوْمًا وَلَيْلَةً. وَكَانُوا يُقَدِّمُونَ هَذِهِ الْأَخْلَاقَ السَّنِيَّةَ مَعَ إِخْوَانِهِمْ فَيُؤْثِرُونَهَا عَلَى الْمَكَاسِبِ وَالْمَعْلُومِ، فَكَانَ إِخْوَانُهُمْ مَعْلُومَهُمْ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ هَؤُلَاءِ يَكْتَسِبُونَ وَلَا يَدَّخِرُونَ.

waqad ruwiya bimaʿnāhu ʾatharun min thalāthati ṭuruqin li-l-salafi al-ṣāliḥi minhum ʿawnu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi al-masʿūdiyyu, kāna lahu thalāthumiʾatin wasittūna ṣadīqan, wakāna yakūnu ʿinda kulli wāḥidin yawman, waʾākharu kāna lahu thalāthūna ṣadīqan kāna yakūnu ʿinda kulli wāḥidin yawman walaylatan. wakānū yuqaddimūna hādhihi al-ʾakhlāqa al-saniyyata maʿa ʾikhwānihim fayuʾthirūnahā ʿalā al-makāsibi wa-al-maʿlūmi, fakāna ʾikhwānuhum maʿlūmahum, walam yakun hāʾulāʾi yaktasibūna walā yaddakhirūna.

A report with this meaning comes through three lines from the righteous early generations. Among them was ʿAwn ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Masʿūdī, who had three hundred and sixty friends and stayed with each for a day. Another had thirty friends and stayed with each for a day and a night. They preferred these noble manners with their brothers to earning and fixed allowances; their brothers were their regular provision. These men neither earned nor stored up food.

وَكَانَ لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ فِيهِمْ نِيَّةٌ صَالِحَةٌ يَسْأَلُونَهُمْ ذَلِكَ وَيُقْسِمُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ فِيهِ وَيَرَوْنَهُ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ أَعْمَالِهِمْ، وَكَانَ هَؤُلَاءِ لِلْإِنْصَافِ يُكْرِمُونَ إِخْوَانَهُمْ بِإِجَابَتِهِمْ وَكَوْنِهِمْ عِنْدَهُمْ. وَلَمْ يَكُنْ سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ يَعْرِضُ عَلَى إِخْوَانِهِ الطَّعَامَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ كَانَ يُظْهِرُهُ وَيُعَرِّضُ بِهِ، فَكَانَ اللَّحْمُ مَسْلُوخًا مُعَلَّقًا وَالْخُبْزُ مَوْجُودًا ظَاهِرًا، وَكَذَلِكَ كَانَ يَفْعَلُ بِالثِّيَابِ وَالْأَثَاثِ، كَانَ جَمِيعُ مَا فِي مَنْزِلِهِ مُظْهَرًا مُسَبَّلًا.

wakāna liʾikhwānihim fīhim niyyatun ṣāliḥatun yasʾalūnahum dhālika wayuqsimūna ʿalayhim fīhi wayarawnahu min ʾafḍali ʾaʿmālihim, wakāna hāʾulāʾi li-l-ʾinṣāfi yukrimūna ʾikhwānahum biʾijābatihim wakawnihim ʿindahum. walam yakun saʿīdu bnu ʾabī ʿarūbata yaʿriḍu ʿalā ʾikhwānihi al-ṭaʿāma, walakinnahu kāna yuẓhiruhu wayuʿarriḍu bihi, fakāna al-laḥmu maslūkhan muʿallaqan wa-al-khubzu mawjūdan ẓāhiran, wa-kadhālika kāna yafʿalu bi-al-thiyābi wa-al-ʾathāthi, kāna jamīʿu mā fī manzilihi muẓharan musabbalan.

Their brothers had a sound intention toward them, asked them to do this, pressed them with oaths, and considered it among their finest deeds. In fairness, these guests honored their brothers by accepting and staying with them. Saʿīd ibn Abī ʿArūba did not verbally offer food to his brothers, but displayed it as an invitation: the meat was skinned and hanging, and bread was visibly available. He did the same with clothes and furnishings; everything in his home was displayed and freely available.

فَكُلُّ مَنْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ إِخْوَانِهِ إِنْ شَاءَ قَطَعَ مِنَ الْمَسْلُوخِ فَشَوَى وَطَبَخَ، وَإِنْ شَاءَ أَكَلَ مِنَ الْخُبْزِ بِمَا وَجَدَ مِنَ الْأُدْمِ، وَمَنْ شَاءَ لَبِسَ مِنَ الثِّيَابِ مَا شَاءَ، فَكَانَ ذَلِكَ مُشَاعًا فِي مَنْزِلِهِ لِمَنْ أَرَادَ تَنَاوُلَهُ. وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ مُنْقَطِعًا فِي مَنْزِلِ أَخِيهِ قَدْ أَفْرَدَهُ بِمَكَانٍ يَقُومُ بِكِفَايَتِهِ وَلَا يَبْرَحُ مِنْ مَنْزِلِهِ عَلَى الدَّوَامِ يَحْكُمُ فِيهِ وَيَتَحَكَّمُ كَمَا يَكُونُ فِي مَنْزِلِ نَفْسِهِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: أَكْلَتَانِ لَا يُحَاسَبُ الْعَبْدُ عَلَيْهِمَا: مَا أَكَلَهُ فِي سَحُورِهِ وَمَا أَكَلَهُ

fakullu man dakhala ʿalayhi min ʾikhwānihi ʾin shāʾa qaṭaʿa mina al-maslūkhi fashawā waṭabakha, waʾin shāʾa ʾakala mina al-khubzi bimā wajada mina al-ʾudmi, waman shāʾa labisa mina al-thiyābi mā shāʾa, fakāna dhālika mushāʿan fī manzilihi liman ʾarāda tanāwulahu. waminhum man kāna munqaṭiʿan fī manzili ʾakhīhi qad ʾafradahu bimakānin yaqūmu bikifāyatihi walā yabraḥu min manzilihi ʿalā al-dawāmi yaḥkumu fīhi wayataḥakkamu kamā yakūnu fī manzili nafsihi. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: ʾaklatāni lā yuḥāsabu al-ʿabdu ʿalayhimā: mā ʾakalahu fī saḥūrihi wamā ʾakalahu

Any visiting brother could cut meat to roast or cook, eat bread with whatever accompaniment he found, or wear whatever clothes he wished. All was shared in his home with anyone wanting it. Some devoted themselves entirely to staying in a brother’s home, where a separate place and all necessities were provided; they remained permanently and exercised the freedom they would in their own homes. A scholar said: “A servant is not called to account for two meals: what he eats before dawn and what he eats

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣١٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 315

Volume Two, page 315

عِنْدَ إِخْوَانِهِ إِكْرَامًا لَهُمْ بِذَلِكَ. وَمَنْ أَكَلَ عِنْدَ قَوْمٍ فَلْيَقُلْ عِنْدَ فَرَاغِهِ: أَفْطَرَ عِنْدَكُمُ الصَّائِمُونَ وَأَكَلَ طَعَامَكُمُ الْأَبْرَارُ وَصَلَّتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا أَيْضًا أَنْ يَقُولَ: عَلَيْكُمْ صَلَاةُ قَوْمٍ أَبْرَارٍ لَيْسُوا بِآثِمِينَ وَلَا فُجَّارٍ يُصَلُّونَ اللَّيْلَ وَيَصُومُونَ النَّهَارَ، فَقَدْ كَانَ الصَّحَابَةُ يَقُولُونَ ذَلِكَ.

ʿinda ʾikhwānihi ʾikrāman lahum bi-dhālika. waman ʾakala ʿinda qawmin falyaqul ʿinda farāghihi: ʾafṭara ʿindakumu al-ṣāʾimūna waʾakala ṭaʿāmakumu al-ʾabrāru waṣallat ʿalaykumu al-malāʾikatu. waqad rawaynā ʾayḍan ʾan yaqūla: ʿalaykum ṣalātu qawmin ʾabrārin laysū biʾāthimīna walā fujjārin yuṣallūna al-layla wayaṣūmūna al-nahāra, faqad kāna al-ṣaḥābatu yaqūlūna dhālika.

with his brothers to honor them.” Whoever eats with people should say when finished: “May those fasting break their fast with you, may the righteous eat your food, and may the angels pray for you.” We have also related this prayer: “May you have the prayer of righteous people, neither sinful nor wicked, who pray by night and fast by day.” The Companions used to say this.

ذِكْرُ غَسْلِ الْيَدِ

dhikru ghasli al-yadi

On washing the hand

لَيْسَ كُلُّ أَحَدٍ يُحْسِنُ أَدَبَ الْغَسْلِ كَمَا لَيْسَ كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ يَعْرِفُ سُنَّةَ الْأَكْلِ، فَمَنْ غَسَلَ يَدَهُ بِأُشْنَانٍ ابْتَدَأَ بِغَسْلِ أَصَابِعِهِ الثَّلَاثِ أَوَّلًا، ثُمَّ جَعَلَ الْأُشْنَانَ فِي رَاحَتِهِ الْيُسْرَى يَابِسًا، ثُمَّ أَمَرَّهُ عَلَى شَفَتَيْهِ حَسًّا وَأَنْعَمَ غَسْلَ فِيهِ بِأُصْبُعَيْهِ وَظَاهِرَ أَسْنَانِهِ وَبَاطِنَهُ وَحَنَكَهُ وَلِسَانَهُ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ أَصَابِعَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ بِالْمَاءِ، ثُمَّ دَلَكَ بِبَقِيَّةِ الْأُشْنَانِ الْيَابِسِ أَصَابِعَهُ ظَهْرًا وَبَطْنًا، ثُمَّ لَمْ يُدْخِلِ الْأُشْنَانَ ثَانِيًا إِلَى فِيهِ لِئَلَّا يَعُودَ بِالْغَمَرِ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ يَدَيْهِ؛ وَهَذَا يَكْفِيهِ مِنْ تَثْنِيَةِ الْغَسْلِ.

laysa kullu ʾaḥadin yuḥsinu ʾadaba al-ghasli kamā laysa kullu ʾinsānin yaʿrifu sunnata al-ʾakli, faman ghasala yadahu biʾushnānin ibtadaʾa bighasli ʾaṣābiʿihi al-thalāthi ʾawwalan, thumma jaʿala al-ʾushnāna fī rāḥatihi al-yusrā yābisan, thumma ʾamarrahu ʿalā shafatayhi ḥassan waʾanʿama ghasla fīhi biʾuṣbuʿayhi waẓāhira ʾasnānihi wabāṭinahu waḥanakahu walisānahu, thumma ghasala ʾaṣābiʿahu min dhālika bi-al-māʾi, thumma dalaka bibaqiyyati al-ʾushnāni al-yābisi ʾaṣābiʿahu ẓahran wabaṭnan, thumma lam yudkhili al-ʾushnāna thāniyan ʾilā fīhi liʾallā yaʿūda bi-al-ghamari ʾilayhi min yadayhi; wa-hādhā yakfīhi min tathniyati al-ghasli.

Not everyone knows proper washing manners, just as not everyone knows the Sunna of eating. Someone using washing alkali first washes three fingers, then places dry alkali in the left palm and rubs it over the lips, thoroughly cleaning the mouth with two fingers, the outer teeth, the inside of the mouth, the palate, and the tongue. He rinses the fingers, then rubs the remaining dry alkali over their backs and fronts. He does not put alkali into his mouth again, lest grease return to it from his hands. This dispenses with repeating the washing.

وَمَنْ غَسَلَ يَدَ إِخْوَانِهِ بَعْدَ أَكْلِهِمْ مِنْ طَعَامِهِ فَمِنَ الْأَدَبِ أَنْ يَصُبَّ عَلَى أَيْدِيهِمْ بِالْمَاءِ الْعَذْبِ، فَبِمِثْلِ هَذِهِ اللَّطِيفَةِ وَنَحْوِهَا يُعْرَفُ حُسْنُ تَفَقُّدِ الدُّعَاةِ وَلِيَسْتَبِينَ تَعَاهُدُ الرُّعَاةِ. كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ يَقُولُ: يَدْعُو الرَّجُلُ إِخْوَانَهُ يُنْفِقُ فِي الطَّيِّبَاتِ جُمْلَةً وَيُحَلِّيهِمْ بَعْدَهَا بِالْحَلَاوَةِ، ثُمَّ يُمَرِّرُ أَفْوَاهَهُمْ بِالْمَاءِ الْمِلْحِ؛ فَهَذَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَقْصِ التَّعَاهُدِ وَقِلَّةِ التَّفَقُّدِ.

waman ghasala yada ʾikhwānihi baʿda ʾaklihim min ṭaʿāmihi famina al-ʾadabi ʾan yaṣubba ʿalā ʾaydīhim bi-al-māʾi al-ʿadhbi, fabimithli hādhihi al-laṭīfati wanaḥwihā yuʿrafu ḥusnu tafaqqudi al-duʿāti waliyastabīna taʿāhudu al-ruʿāti. kāna baʿḍuhum yaqūlu: yadʿū al-rajulu ʾikhwānahu yunfiqu fī al-ṭayyibāti jumlatan wayuḥallīhim baʿdahā bi-al-ḥalāwati, thumma yumarriru ʾafwāhahum bi-al-māʾi al-milḥi; fa-hādhā yakūnu min naqṣi al-taʿāhudi waqillati al-tafaqqudi.

When washing brothers’ hands after they eat his food, good manners require pouring fresh water over them. Such small courtesies reveal a host’s attentive care and show how well those responsible look after others. Someone used to say: “A man invites his brothers, spends a great deal on fine food, sweetens their mouths with dessert, then makes them bitter with salty water.” This shows deficient care and scant attentiveness.

ذِكْرُ أَخْبَارٍ جَاءَتْ فِي الْآثَارِ رَوَيْنَاهَا مَنْثُورَةً فِي الْأَطْعِمَةِ وَالْأَكْلِ مِنْ بَيْنِ نَقْصٍ وَفَضْلٍ

dhikru ʾakhbārin jāʾat fī al-ʾāthāri rawaynāhā manthūratan fī al-ʾaṭʿimati wa-al-ʾakli min bayni naqṣin wafaḍlin

Scattered transmitted accounts concerning foods and eating, their shortcomings and merits

هِيَ مِنْ طَرَائِقِ السَّلَفِ وَصَنَائِعِ الْعَرَبِ أَدْخَلْنَاهَا فِي تَضَاعِيفِ كَلَامِنَا لِأَنَّهَا مَنْقُولَةٌ مِنْ كَلَامِ الْقُدَمَاءِ. مِنْ حَدِيثِ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ نَجِيحٍ عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ مَيْسَرَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ أَكَلَ مَا يَسْقُطُ مِنَ الْمَائِدَةِ عَاشَ فِي سَعَةٍ وَعُوفِيَ فِي وَلَدِهِ. وَفِي خَبَرِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ لُقْمَانَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: الْأَكْلُ فِي السُّوقِ دَنَاءَةٌ.

hiya min ṭarāʾiqi al-salafi waṣanāʾiʿi al-ʿarabi ʾadkhalnāhā fī taḍāʿīfi kalāminā liʾannahā manqūlatun min kalāmi al-qudamāʾi. min ḥadīthi ʾisḥāqa bni najīḥin ʿan ʿaṭāʾi bni maysarata ʿan ʾabī hurayrata qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man ʾakala mā yasquṭu mina al-māʾidati ʿāsha fī saʿatin waʿūfiya fī waladihi. wafī khabari saʿīdi bni luqmāna ʿan ʿabdi al-raḥmāni al-ʾanṣāriyyi ʿan ʾabī hurayrata qāla: samiʿtu rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaqūlu: al-ʾaklu fī al-sūqi danāʾatun.

These belong to the ways of the early generations and the customs of the Arabs. We have inserted them throughout our discussion because they are transmitted from the ancients. In the report of Isḥāq ibn Najīḥ, from ʿAṭāʾ ibn Maysara, from Abū Hurayra: God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever eats what falls from the table lives in abundance and is granted well-being in his children.” In the account of Saʿīd ibn Luqmān, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Anṣārī, from Abū Hurayra: “I heard God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: ‘Eating in the market is undignified.’”

هَذَا غَرِيبٌ مُسْنَدٌ، أَوْ لَيْسَ بِذَاكَ، الصَّحِيحُ أَنَّهُ مِنْ قَوْلِ التَّابِعِينَ؛ إِبْرَاهِيمَ النَّخَعِيِّ وَمَنْ دُونَهُ. وَعَنْ جُوَيْبِرٍ عَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ عَنِ النَّزَّالِ بْنِ سِيرَةَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: مَنِ ابْتَدَأَ غَدَاءَهُ بِالْمِلْحِ أَذْهَبَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ سَبْعِينَ نَوْعًا مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ، وَمَنْ أَكَلَ يَوْمًا سَبْعَ تَمَرَاتٍ عَجْوَةً قَتَلَتْ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ فِي بَطْنِهِ، وَمَنْ أَكَلَ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ إِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ زَبِيبَةً حَمْرَاءَ لَمْ يَرَ فِي جَسَدِهِ شَيْئًا يَكْرَهُهُ.

hādhā gharībun musnadun, ʾaw laysa bidhāka, al-ṣaḥīḥu ʾannahu min qawli al-tābiʿīna; ʾibrāhīma al-nakhaʿiyyi waman dūnahu. waʿan juwaybirin ʿani al-ḍaḥḥāki ʿani al-nazzāli bni sīrata ʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu qāla: mani ibtadaʾa ghadāʾahu bi-al-milḥi ʾadhhaba Allāhu ʿanhu sabʿīna nawʿan mina al-balāʾi, waman ʾakala yawman sabʿa tamarātin ʿajwatan qatalat kulla dābbatin fī baṭnihi, waman ʾakala fī kulli yawmin ʾiḥdā waʿishrīna zabībatan ḥamrāʾa lam yara fī jasadihi shayʾan yakrahuhu.

This is an unusual report attributed through a chain, or is not sound in that form; the correct attribution is to the Successors, Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī and those after him. From Juwaybir, from al-Ḍaḥḥāk, from al-Nazzāl ibn Sīra, from ʿAlī, peace be upon him: “Whoever begins his midday meal with salt, God removes seventy kinds of affliction from him. Seven ʿajwa dates eaten in a day kill every creature in the belly; whoever eats twenty-one red raisins each day sees nothing in his body that he dislikes.”

وَاللَّحْمُ يُنْبِتُ اللَّحْمَ، وَالثَّرِيدُ طَعَامُ الْعَرَبِ، وَالْفَسْمَاذَجَاتُ تُعَظِّمُ الْبَطْنَ وَتُرْخِي الْأَلْيَتَيْنِ، وَلَحْمُ الْبَقَرِ دَاءٌ وَلَبَنُهَا شِفَاءٌ، وَسَمْنُهَا دَوَاءٌ، وَالشَّحْمُ يُخْرِجُ مِثْلَهُ مِنَ الدَّاءِ، وَلَنْ تَسْتَشْفِيَ النُّفَسَاءُ بِشَيْءٍ أَفْضَلَ مِنَ الرُّطَبِ، وَالسَّمَكُ يُذِيبُ الْجَسَدَ، وَقِرَاءَةُ الْقُرْآنِ، وَالسِّوَاكُ يُذْهِبُ الْبَلْغَمَ.

wa-al-laḥmu yunbitu al-laḥma, wa-al-tharīdu ṭaʿāmu al-ʿarabi, wa-al-fasmādhajātu tuʿaẓẓimu al-baṭna waturkhī al-ʾalyatayni, walaḥmu al-baqari dāʾun walabanuhā shifāʾun, wasamnuhā dawāʾun, wa-al-shaḥmu yukhriju mithlahu mina al-dāʾi, walan tastashfiya al-nufasāʾu bishayʾin ʾafḍala mina al-ruṭabi, wa-al-samaku yudhību al-jasada, waqirāʾatu al-qurʾāni, wa-al-siwāku yudhhibu al-balghama.

“Meat grows flesh; tharīd is the Arabs’ food. Fasmādhaj pastries enlarge the belly and soften the buttocks. Beef is illness, its milk healing, and its clarified butter medicine. Fat expels an equal amount of illness. A woman after childbirth finds no better restorative than fresh dates. Fish wastes the body; reciting the Qurʾan; and the toothstick removes phlegm.”

وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْبَقَاءَ وَلَا بَقَاءَ فَلْيُبَاكِرِ الْغَدَاءَ، وَلْيُقِلَّ غِشْيَانَ النِّسَاءِ، وَلْيُخَفِّفِ الرِّدَاءَ وَهُوَ الدَّيْنُ. فِي أَخْبَارِ الْأُمَرَاءِ أَنَّ الْحَجَّاجَ قَالَ لِتَيَاذُوقَ الْمُطَبِّبِ: صِفْ لِي صِفَةً آخُذُ بِهَا وَلَا أَعْدُوهَا. قَالَ لَهُ: لَا تَنْكِحْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إِلَّا فَتَاةً، وَلَا تَأْكُلْ مِنَ اللَّحْمِ إِلَّا فَتِيًّا، وَلَا تَأْكُلْ

waman ʾarāda al-baqāʾa walā baqāʾa falyubākiri al-ghadāʾa, walyuqilla ghishyāna al-nisāʾi, walyukhaffifi al-ridāʾa wahuwa al-daynu. fī ʾakhbāri al-ʾumarāʾi ʾanna al-ḥajjāja qāla litayādhūqa al-muṭabbibi: ṣif lī ṣifatan ʾākhudhu bihā walā ʾaʿdūhā. qāla lahu: lā tankiḥ mina al-nisāʾi ʾillā fatātan, walā taʾkul mina al-laḥmi ʾillā fatiyyan, walā taʾkul

“Whoever wants to endure, though no one endures, should eat the midday meal early, have intercourse less often, and lighten his cloak, meaning debt.” Among accounts of rulers, al-Ḥajjāj told the physician Tayādhūq: “Prescribe a rule I can follow without departing from it.” He answered: “Marry only a young woman, eat only meat from a young animal, and do not eat

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣١٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 316

Volume Two, page 316

الْمَطْبُوخَ حَتَّى يُنْعَمَ نُضْجُهُ، وَلَا تَشْرَبْ دَوَاءً إِلَّا مِنْ عِلَّةٍ، وَلَا تَأْكُلْ مِنَ الْفَاكِهَةِ إِلَّا نَضِيجَهَا، وَلَا تَأْكُلْ طَعَامًا إِلَّا أَجَدْتَ مَضْغَهُ، وَكُلْ مَا أَحْبَبْتَ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ وَلَا تَشْرَبْ عَلَيْهِ، فَإِذَا شَرِبْتَ فَلَا تَأْكُلْ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئًا، وَلَا تَحْبِسِ الْغَائِطَ وَالْبَوْلَ، وَإِذَا أَكَلْتَ بِالنَّهَارِ فَنَمْ، وَإِذَا أَكَلْتَ بِاللَّيْلِ فَامْشِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنَامَ وَلَوْ مِائَةَ خُطْوَةٍ.

al-maṭbūkha ḥattā yunʿama nuḍjuhu, walā tashrab dawāʾan ʾillā min ʿillatin, walā taʾkul mina al-fākihati ʾillā naḍījahā, walā taʾkul ṭaʿāman ʾillā ʾajadta maḍghahu, wakul mā ʾaḥbabta mina al-ṭaʿāmi walā tashrab ʿalayhi, faʾidhā sharibta falā taʾkul ʿalayhi shayʾan, walā taḥbisi al-ghāʾiṭa wa-al-bawla, waʾidhā ʾakalta bi-al-nahāri fanam, waʾidhā ʾakalta bi-al-layli fa-imshi qabla ʾan tanāma walaw miʾata khuṭwatin.

cooked food until thoroughly done. Take medicine only for an illness, eat fruit only when ripe, and chew every food well. Eat what you like but do not drink afterward; once you drink, eat nothing afterward. Do not retain stool or urine. After eating by day, sleep; after eating at night, walk before sleeping, even a hundred steps.”

وَفِيمَا قَالَهُ الْفَيْلَسُوفُ حِكْمَةٌ، قَدْ وَرَدَ بِبَعْضِهَا آثَارٌ، قَدْ يُرْوَى فِي خَبَرٍ مَقْطُوعٍ ذَكَرَهُ أَبُو الْخَطَّابِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بَكْرٍ يَرْفَعُهُ: مَنِ اسْتَقَلَّ بِدَائِهِ فَلَا يَتَدَاوَ، فَرُبَّ دَوَاءٍ يُورِثُ دَاءً. وَكَانَتِ الْحُكَمَاءُ تَقُولُ: دَافِعْ بِالدَّوَاءِ مَا حَمَلَتْ قُوَّتُكَ الدَّاءَ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: مَثَلُ شُرْبِ الدَّوَاءِ مَثَلُ الصَّابُونِ لِلثَّوْبِ يُنَقِّيهِ وَلَكِنْ يُخْلِقُهُ.

wafīmā qālahu al-faylasūfu ḥikmatun, qad warada bibaʿḍihā ʾāthārun, qad yurwā fī khabarin maqṭūʿin dhakarahu ʾabū al-khaṭṭābi bnu ʿabdi Allāhi bni bakrin yarfaʿuhu: mani istaqalla bidāʾihi falā yatadāwa, farubba dawāʾin yūrithu dāʾan. wakānati al-ḥukamāʾu taqūlu: dāfiʿ bi-al-dawāʾi mā ḥamalat quwwatuka al-dāʾa. waqāla baʿḍuhum: mathalu shurbi al-dawāʾi mathalu al-ṣābūni li-l-thawbi yunaqqīhi wa-lākin yukhliquhu.

There is wisdom in the philosopher’s words, some supported by transmitted reports. An interrupted report mentioned by Abū al-Khaṭṭāb ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Bakr and attributed upward says: “Whoever can bear his illness should not take medicine, for many a medicine brings illness.” The sages used to say: “Put off medicine as long as your strength can bear the disease.” Someone said: “Taking medicine is like washing cloth with soap: it cleans it but wears it out.”

وَقَالَ أَبْقِرَاطُ الْفَيْلَسُوفُ: الدَّوَاءُ مِنْ فَوْقُ وَالدَّاءُ مِنْ تَحْتُ، فَمَنْ كَانَ دَاؤُهُ فِي بَطْنِهِ فَوْقَ سُرَّتِهِ سُقِيَ الدَّوَاءَ، وَمَنْ كَانَ دَاؤُهُ تَحْتَ سُرَّتِهِ حُقِنَ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِهِ دَاءٌ مِنْ فَوْقُ وَلَا مِنْ تَحْتُ لَمْ يُسْقَ الدَّوَاءَ، فَإِنْ سُقِيَ عَمِلَ فِي الصِّحَّةِ دَاءً إِذَا لَمْ يَجِدْ دَاءً يَعْمَلُ فِيهِ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: قَطْعُ الْعُرُوقِ مَسْقَمَةٌ وَتَرْكُ الْعَشَاءِ مَهْرَمَةٌ، وَالْعَرَبُ تَقُولُ: تَرْكُ الْغَدَاءِ يُذْهِبُ بِشَحْمِ الْكَاذَةِ، يَعْنِي الْأَلْيَةَ.

waqāla ʾabqirāṭu al-faylasūfu: al-dawāʾu min fawqu wa-al-dāʾu min taḥtu, faman kāna dāʾuhu fī baṭnihi fawqa surratihi suqiya al-dawāʾa, waman kāna dāʾuhu taḥta surratihi ḥuqina, waman lam yakun bihi dāʾun min fawqu walā min taḥtu lam yusqa al-dawāʾa, faʾin suqiya ʿamila fī al-ṣiḥḥati dāʾan ʾidhā lam yajid dāʾan yaʿmalu fīhi. wafī al-khabari: qaṭʿu al-ʿurūqi masqamatun watarku al-ʿashāʾi mahramatun, wa-al-ʿarabu taqūlu: tarku al-ghadāʾi yudhhibu bishaḥmi al-kādhati, yaʿnī al-ʾalyata.

Hippocrates the philosopher said: “Medicine from above and disease from below: one whose illness is above the navel is given medicine to drink; one whose illness is below it is given an enema. One with illness neither above nor below should receive no medicine; if given it, the medicine acts on health as an illness when it finds no illness to act upon.” A report says: “Cutting veins brings sickness; skipping supper brings old age.” The Arabs say: “Skipping the midday meal removes the fat of the kādha,” meaning the buttock.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: نَهَانِيَ الْأَطِبَّاءُ عَنِ الشُّرْبِ فِي تَضَاعِيفِ الطَّعَامِ. وَالْعَرَبُ تَقُولُ: تَعَشَّ وَتَمَشَّ وَتَغَدَّ وَتَمَدَّ، يُرِيدُونَ تَمَدَّدْ فَأَبْدَلُوا الْأَلِفَ مِنَ الدَّالِ الثَّانِيَةِ كَرَاهِيَةَ التَّكْرَارِ وَلِازْدِوَاجِ الْكَلَامِ، وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: (ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ يَتَمَطَّى) الْقِيَامَةُ: 33، أَيْ يَتَمَطَّطُ، فَأَبْدَلَ مِنَ الثَّانِيَةِ أَلِفًا بِمَعْنَى يَمُدُّ مَطَاهُ يَرْفَعُ ظَهْرَهُ.

waqāla baʿḍuhum: nahāniya al-ʾaṭibbāʾu ʿani al-shurbi fī taḍāʿīfi al-ṭaʿāmi. wa-al-ʿarabu taqūlu: taʿashsha watamashsha wataghadda watamadda, yurīdūna tamaddad faʾabdalū al-ʾalifa mina al-dāli al-thāniyati karāhiyata al-takrāri walizdiwāji al-kalāmi, waminhu qawluhu taʿālā: (thumma dhahaba ʾilā ʾahlihi yatamaṭṭā) al-qiyāmatu: 33, ʾay yatamaṭṭaṭu, faʾabdala mina al-thāniyati ʾalifan bimaʿnā yamuddu maṭāhu yarfaʿu ẓahrahu.

Someone said: “Physicians forbade me to drink during meals.” The Arabs say: “Sup and stroll; dine and stretch.” By tamadda they mean tamaddad; they replace the second dāl with alif to avoid repetition and balance the phrasing. Similarly, His saying, exalted is He, “Then he went to his family swaggering” (al-Qiyāma 75:33), uses yatamaṭṭā for yatamaṭṭaṭ, replacing the second repeated letter with alif: extending his back and raising it.

وَأَمَّا فِي حَبْسِ الْغَائِطِ فَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْفَلَاسِفَةِ: الطَّعَامُ إِذَا خَرَجَ نَجْوُهُ قَبْلَ سِتِّ سَاعَاتٍ فَهُوَ مَكْرُوهٌ مِنَ الْمَعِدَةِ، وَإِذَا بَقِيَ فِيهَا أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَرْبَعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ سَاعَةً فَهُوَ ضَرَرٌ عَلَى الْمَعِدَةِ. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ حَبْسَ الْبَوْلِ يُفْسِدُ مِنَ الْجَسَدِ كَمَا يُفْسِدُ النَّهْرُ مَا حَوْلَهُ إِذَا سُدَّ مَجْرَاهُ فَفَاضَ مِنْ جَوَانِبِهِ، وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ أَدْوَاءَ الْمَفَاصِلِ مِيرَاثُ حَبْسِ الرِّيحِ.

waʾammā fī ḥabsi al-ghāʾiṭi faqad qāla baʿḍu al-falāsifati: al-ṭaʿāmu ʾidhā kharaja najwuhu qabla sitti sāʿātin fahuwa makrūhun mina al-maʿidati, waʾidhā baqiya fīhā ʾakthara min ʾarbaʿin waʿishrīna sāʿatan fahuwa ḍararun ʿalā al-maʿidati. wayuqālu: ʾinna ḥabsa al-bawli yufsidu mina al-jasadi kamā yufsidu al-nahru mā ḥawlahu ʾidhā sudda majrāhu fafāḍa min jawānibihi, wayuqālu: ʾinna ʾadwāʾa al-mafāṣili mīrāthu ḥabsi al-rīḥi.

Concerning retaining stool, a philosopher said: “If food’s waste passes before six hours, the stomach has rejected it; if it remains longer than twenty-four hours, it harms the stomach.” It is said that retaining urine damages the body as a river damages its surroundings when its channel is blocked and it overflows its banks. Joint ailments are also said to result from retaining wind.

قَالَ الشَّيْخُ أَبُو طَالِبٍ: قَرَأْتُ فِي الْحِكْمَةِ: مَدَارُ صَلَاحِ الْأُمُورِ فِي أَرْبَعَةٍ: الطَّعَامُ لَا يُؤْكَلُ إِلَّا عَلَى شَهْوَةٍ، وَالْمَرْأَةُ لَا تَنْظُرُ إِلَّا إِلَى زَوْجِهَا، وَالْمَلِكُ لَا يُصْلِحُهُ إِلَّا الطَّاعَةُ، وَالرَّعِيَّةُ لَا يُصْلِحُهَا إِلَّا الْعَدْلُ. وَقِيلَ لِبَعْضِ حُكَمَاءِ الرُّومِ: أَيُّ وَقْتٍ الطَّعَامُ فِيهِ أَصْلَحُ؟ فَقَالَ: أَمَّا لِمَنْ قَدَرَ فَإِذَا جَاعَ، وَأَمَّا لِمَنْ لَمْ يَقْدِرْ فَإِذَا وَجَدَ. وَيُقَالُ: إِذَا كَثُرَتِ الْمَقْدَرَةُ نَقَصَتِ الشَّهْوَةُ.

qāla al-shaykhu ʾabū ṭālibin: qaraʾtu fī al-ḥikmati: madāru ṣalāḥi al-ʾumūri fī ʾarbaʿatin: al-ṭaʿāmu lā yuʾkalu ʾillā ʿalā shahwatin, wa-al-marʾatu lā tanẓuru ʾillā ʾilā zawjihā, wa-al-maliku lā yuṣliḥuhu ʾillā al-ṭāʿatu, wa-al-raʿiyyatu lā yuṣliḥuhā ʾillā al-ʿadlu. waqīla libaʿḍi ḥukamāʾi al-rūmi: ʾayyu waqtin al-ṭaʿāmu fīhi ʾaṣlaḥu? faqāla: ʾammā liman qadara faʾidhā jāʿa, waʾammā liman lam yaqdir faʾidhā wajada. wayuqālu: ʾidhā kathurati al-maqdaratu naqaṣati al-shahwatu.

Shaykh Abū Ṭālib said: “I read among sayings of wisdom that sound affairs turn on four things: food is eaten only with appetite; a woman looks only to her husband; a ruler is set right only by obedience; subjects are set right only by justice.” A Greek sage was asked the best time to eat. He answered: “For one who can afford it, when hungry; for one who cannot, when he finds food.” It is said that as means increase, appetite decreases.

وَقَالَ كِسْرَى لِجُلَسَائِهِ: أَيُّ خَصْلَةٍ فِي الْإِنْسَانِ أَضَرُّ؟ فَقَالُوا: الْفَقْرُ. فَقَالَ: الْبُخْلُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْفَقْرِ، لِأَنَّ الْفَقِيرَ لَا يَجِدُ وَالْبَخِيلُ يَجِدُ وَلَا يَأْكُلُ. وَقِيلَ لِرَجُلٍ رُئِيَ سَمِينًا: مَا أَسْمَنَكَ؟ فَقَالَ: أَكْلُ الْحَارِّ وَشُرْبُ الْقَارِّ وَالِاتِّكَاءُ عَلَى شِمَالِي وَالْأَكْلُ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَالِي. وَقِيلَ

waqāla kisrā lijulasāʾihi: ʾayyu khaṣlatin fī al-ʾinsāni ʾaḍarru? faqālū: al-faqru. faqāla: al-bukhlu ʾashaddu mina al-faqri, liʾanna al-faqīra lā yajidu wa-al-bakhīlu yajidu walā yaʾkulu. waqīla lirajulin ruʾiya samīnan: mā ʾasmanaka? faqāla: ʾaklu al-ḥārri washurbu al-qārri wa-al-ittikāʾu ʿalā shimālī wa-al-ʾaklu min ghayri mālī. waqīla

Khusraw asked his companions: “What human condition is most harmful?” “Poverty,” they said. He answered: “Miserliness is worse: the poor man finds nothing, but the miser finds food and does not eat.” A fat man was asked what had made him fat. He answered: “Eating hot food, drinking cold drink, leaning on my left side, and eating at someone else’s expense.” And another was asked,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣١٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 317

Volume Two, page 317

لِآخَرَ رُئِيَ حَسَنَ الْجِسْمِ: مَا أَحْسَنَ جِسْمَكَ؟ قَالَ: قِلَّةُ الْفِكْرِ وَطُولُ الدَّعَةِ وَالنَّوْمُ عَلَى الْكِظَّةِ. وَقِيلَ لِآخَرَ رَآهُ حَكِيمٌ سَمِينًا: أَرَى عَلَيْكَ قَطِيفَةً مِنْ نَسْجِ أَضْرَاسِكَ فَمَا هِيَ؟ قَالَ: آكُلُ اللُّبَابَ وَصِغَارَ الْمَعْزِ وَأَدَّهِنُ بِجَامِ بَنَفْسَجٍ وَأَلْبَسُ الْكَتَّانَ. وَالْعَرَبُ تَقُولُ: الْعَاشِيَةُ تَهِيجُ الْآبِيَةَ؛ يَعْنِي أَنَّ الَّذِي لَا يَشْتَهِي الطَّعَامَ إِذَا نَظَرَ إِلَى مَنْ يَأْكُلُ هَاجَهُ ذَلِكَ عَلَى الْأَكْلِ الَّذِي يَأْبَاهُ لَمَّا رَأَى الْآخَرَ تَعَشَّى.

liʾākhara ruʾiya ḥasana al-jismi: mā ʾaḥsana jismaka? qāla: qillatu al-fikri waṭūlu al-daʿati wa-al-nawmu ʿalā al-kiẓẓati. waqīla liʾākhara raʾāhu ḥakīmun samīnan: ʾarā ʿalayka qaṭīfatan min nasji ʾaḍrāsika famā hiya? qāla: ʾākulu al-lubāba waṣighāra al-maʿzi waʾaddahinu bijāmi banafsajin waʾalbasu al-kattāna. wa-al-ʿarabu taqūlu: al-ʿāshiyatu tahīju al-ʾābiyata; yaʿnī ʾanna alladhī lā yashtahī al-ṭaʿāma ʾidhā naẓara ʾilā man yaʾkulu hājahu dhālika ʿalā al-ʾakli alladhī yaʾbāhu lammā raʾā al-ʾākhara taʿashshā.

a man of fine physique: “What made your body so fine?” He answered: “Little worry, much ease, and sleeping on a full stomach.” A sage asked another fat man: “I see a velvet cloak woven by your molars; what is it?” He answered: “I eat fine bread and young goats, anoint myself with a bowl of violet oil, and wear linen.” The Arabs say: “The grazing one rouses the reluctant one,” meaning that someone without appetite is stirred to eat the food he refused when he sees another having supper.

وَذَكَرَ الْأَصْمَعِيُّ أَنَّ بَعْضَ الْحُكَمَاءِ أَوْصَى ابْنَهُ فَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تَخْرُجْ مِنْ مَنْزِلِكَ حَتَّى تَأْخُذَ حِلْمَكَ، يَعْنِي تَتَغَدَّى. وَكَذَلِكَ يُقَالُ فِي تَنَاوُلِ الشَّيْءِ قَبْلَ الْخُرُوجِ إِلَى السُّوقِ وَقَبْلَ لِقَاءِ النَّاسِ: إِنَّهُ أَقَلُّ لِلشَّهْوَةِ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ وَأَقْطَعُ لِلطَّمَعِ بِلِقَاءِ النَّاسِ. وَأَنْشَدَ هِلَالُ بْنُ مُجَشَّمٍ شِعْرًا: وَإِنَّ قِرَابَ الْبَطْنِ يَكْفِيكَ مِلْؤُهُ، وَيَكْفِيكَ سَوْآتِ الْأُمُورِ اجْتِنَابُهَا.

wadhakara al-ʾaṣmaʿiyyu ʾanna baʿḍa al-ḥukamāʾi ʾawṣā ibnahu faqāla: yā bunayya lā takhruj min manzilika ḥattā taʾkhudha ḥilmaka, yaʿnī tataghaddā. wa-kadhālika yuqālu fī tanāwuli al-shayʾi qabla al-khurūji ʾilā al-sūqi waqabla liqāʾi al-nāsi: ʾinnahu ʾaqallu li-l-shahwati fī al-ʾaswāqi waʾaqṭaʿu li-l-ṭamaʿi biliqāʾi al-nāsi. waʾanshada hilālu bnu mujashshamin shiʿran: waʾinna qirāba al-baṭni yakfīka milʾuhu, wayakfīka sawʾāti al-ʾumūri ijtinābuhā.

Al-Aṣmaʿī mentioned a sage’s advice to his son: “Son, do not leave home until you have taken your good sense,” meaning eaten your midday meal. Taking something before going to market or meeting people is likewise said to reduce market cravings and cut off covetousness when meeting others. Hilāl ibn Mujashsham recited: “Filling the belly’s sheath suffices you; avoiding disgraceful affairs suffices against them.”

وَرُئِيَ بَعْضُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ يَمْشِي فِي السُّوقِ وَهُوَ يَأْكُلُ وَكَانَ مِمَّنْ يُشَارُ إِلَيْهِ. قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: تَأْكُلُ فِي السُّوقِ؟ فَقَالَ: عَافَاكَ اللَّهُ، إِذَا جُعْتُ فِي السُّوقِ آكُلُ فِي الْبَيْتِ؟ قُلْتُ: فَلَوْ دَخَلْتَ بَعْضَ الْمَسَاجِدِ؟ فَقَالَ: أَسْتَحْيِي مِنْهُ أَنْ أَدْخُلَ بَيْتَهُ لِلْأَكْلِ. هَذَا لِأَنَّهُ رَأَى الْأَكْلَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الدُّنْيَا، فَدَخَلَ فِي طَرِيقِهَا، كَمَا قِيلَ: الْأَسْوَاقُ مَوَائِدُ الْآبَاقِ، أَبَقُوا مِنَ الْخِدْمَةِ فَجَلَسُوا فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ. وَفِي خَبَرِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ: كُنَّا نَأْكُلُ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَنَحْنُ نَمْشِي وَنَشْرَبُ وَنَحْنُ قِيَامٌ.

waruʾiya baʿḍu al-ṣūfiyyati yamshī fī al-sūqi wahuwa yaʾkulu wakāna mimman yushāru ʾilayhi. qāla: faqultu lahu: taʾkulu fī al-sūqi? faqāla: ʿāfāka Allāhu, ʾidhā juʿtu fī al-sūqi ʾākulu fī al-bayti? qultu: falaw dakhalta baʿḍa al-masājidi? faqāla: ʾastaḥyī minhu ʾan ʾadkhula baytahu li-l-ʾakli. hādhā liʾannahu raʾā al-ʾakla min ʾabwābi al-dunyā, fadakhala fī ṭarīqihā, kamā qīla: al-ʾaswāqu mawāʾidu al-ʾābāqi, ʾabaqū mina al-khidmati fajalasū fī al-ʾaswāqi. wafī khabari ibni ʿumara qāla: kunnā naʾkulu fī ʿahdi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wanaḥnu namshī wanashrabu wanaḥnu qiyāmun.

A noted Sufi was seen walking and eating in the market. The narrator said: “I asked, ‘You eat in the market?’ He answered, ‘May God keep you well! If I grow hungry in the market, should I eat at home?’ I asked, ‘Why not enter a mosque?’ He replied, ‘I am ashamed before Him to enter His house to eat.’” He regarded eating as a worldly concern and followed its worldly path. As it is said: “Markets are the tables of runaway servants: they fled service and sat in the markets.” Ibn ʿUmar reported: “In the time of God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, we ate while walking and drank while standing.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الطِّبِّ: الْحِمْيَةُ أَحَدُ الْعِلَّتَيْنِ. وَيُقَالُ: الْحِمْيَةُ لِلصَّحِيحِ ضَارَّةٌ كَمَا أَنَّهَا لِلْعَلِيلِ نَافِعَةٌ، وَالدَّوَاءُ إِذَا لَمْ يَجِدْ مَا يَعْمَلُ فِيهِ وَجَدَ الصِّحَّةَ فَعَمِلَ فِيهَا. وَأَنْشَدَ بَعْضُ الْعَرَبِ شِعْرًا: وَرُبَّةَ حَامٍ كَانَ لِلْعَبْدِ عِلَّةً، وَعِلَّةُ جَرِّ الدَّاءِ حِفْظُ التَّقَلُّلِ. وَقَالَ لُقْمَانُ: مَنِ احْتَمَى فَهُوَ عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنَ الْمَكْرُوهِ وَفِي شَكٍّ مِمَّا يَأْمَلُ مِنَ الْعَوَافِي.

waqāla baʿḍu ʾahli al-ṭibbi: al-ḥimyatu ʾaḥadu al-ʿillatayni. wayuqālu: al-ḥimyatu li-l-ṣaḥīḥi ḍārratun kamā ʾannahā li-l-ʿalīli nāfiʿatun, wa-al-dawāʾu ʾidhā lam yajid mā yaʿmalu fīhi wajada al-ṣiḥḥata faʿamila fīhā. waʾanshada baʿḍu al-ʿarabi shiʿran: warubbata ḥāmin kāna li-l-ʿabdi ʿillatan, waʿillatu jarri al-dāʾi ḥifẓu al-taqalluli. waqāla luqmānu: mani iḥtamā fahuwa ʿalā yaqīnin mina al-makrūhi wafī shakkin mimmā yaʾmalu mina al-ʿawāfī.

A physician said: “Dietary restriction is one of the two ailments.” It is said that restriction harms the healthy as it benefits the sick, and medicine finding no disease to act upon acts upon health instead. An Arab recited: “Many a protector has become an illness for a servant; preserving scant intake is a cause of bringing illness.” Luqmān said: “One who restricts himself is certain of the unpleasantness, but uncertain of the well-being he hopes for.”

وَكَانَ يُقَالُ: لَيْسَ الطَّبِيبُ مَنْ أَحْمَى الْمُلُوكَ وَمَنَعَهُمْ مِنَ الشَّهَوَاتِ، إِنَّمَا الطَّبِيبُ مَنْ خَلَّاهُمْ وَمَا يُرِيدُونَ، ثُمَّ دَبَّرَ سِيَاسَتَهُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ حَتَّى تَسْتَقِيمَ أَجْسَادُهُمْ. وَقَالَ مَدَنِيٌّ عِنْدَنَا بِالْحِجَازِ لِبَعْضِ الْأَعْرَابِ: أَخْبِرْنِي بِمَا تَأْكُلُونَ وَمَا تَدَعُونَ. فَقَالَ: نَأْكُلُ مَا دَبَّ وَدَرَجَ إِلَّا أُمَّ حُبَيْنٍ. فَقَالَ الْمَدَنِيُّ: لِيَهْنَ أُمَّ حُبَيْنٍ مِنْكُمُ الْعَافِيَةُ.

wakāna yuqālu: laysa al-ṭabību man ʾaḥmā al-mulūka wamanaʿahum mina al-shahawāti, ʾinnamā al-ṭabību man khallāhum wamā yurīdūna, thumma dabbara siyāsatahum ʿalā dhālika ḥattā tastaqīma ʾajsāduhum. waqāla madaniyyun ʿindanā bi-al-ḥijāzi libaʿḍi al-ʾaʿrābi: ʾakhbirnī bimā taʾkulūna wamā tadaʿūna. faqāla: naʾkulu mā dabba wadaraja ʾillā ʾumma ḥubaynin. faqāla al-madaniyyu: liyahna ʾumma ḥubaynin minkumu al-ʿāfiyatu.

It used to be said: “The physician is not the one who restricts kings and denies their desires, but the one who lets them have what they want and then manages their regimen so their bodies stay sound.” A townsman here in the Hijaz asked a Bedouin: “Tell me what you eat and what you leave.” He answered: “We eat whatever crawls or walks, except Umm Ḥubayn.” The townsman said: “May Umm Ḥubayn enjoy her safety from you!”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَأَى صُهَيْبًا يَأْكُلُ تَمْرًا وَبِهِ رَمَدٌ فَقَالَ لَهُ: تَأْكُلُ التَّمْرَ وَأَنْتَ رَمِدٌ؟ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّمَا آكُلُ بِهَذَا الشِّقِّ الْآخَرِ، يَعْنِي جَانِبَ الْعَيْنِ السَّلِيمَةِ، فَضَحِكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

wafī al-khabari ʾanna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama raʾā ṣuhayban yaʾkulu tamran wabihi ramadun faqāla lahu: taʾkulu al-tamra waʾanta ramidun? faqāla: yā rasūla Allāhi ʾinnamā ʾākulu bi-hādhā al-shiqqi al-ʾākhari, yaʿnī jāniba al-ʿayni al-salīmati, faḍaḥika rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama.

A report says that God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, saw Ṣuhayb eating dates while suffering from inflamed eyes. He asked: “You eat dates while your eyes are inflamed?” Ṣuhayb answered: “Messenger of God, I am only eating on this other side,” meaning the side of the healthy eye. God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, laughed.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣١٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 318

Volume Two, page 318

ذِكْرُ أَخْبَارٍ جَاءَتْ فِي التَّقَلُّلِ وَالْحِمْيَةِ وَذَمِّ الْبِطْنَةِ

dhikru ʾakhbārin jāʾat fī al-taqalluli wa-al-ḥimyati wadhammi al-biṭnati

Accounts concerning eating little, dietary restraint, and the condemnation of gluttony

فِي حَدِيثِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ عَيَّاشٍ عَنْ شُرَحْبِيلَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ: بِئْسَ الْعَوْنُ عَلَى الدِّينِ قَلْبٌ نَخِيبٌ وَبَطْنٌ رَغِيبٌ وَنَعْظٌ شَدِيدٌ. نَخِيبٌ يَعْنِي خَفِيفًا ضَعِيفًا، وَرَغِيبٌ يَعْنِي وَاسِعَةً طَامِعَةً. قِيلَ لِبَعْضِ الْحُكَمَاءِ: أَيُّ الطَّعَامِ أَطْيَبُ؟ قَالَ: الْجُوعُ أَعْلَمُ، أَيْ بِهِ يَطِيبُ الطَّعَامُ، كَمَا قِيلَ: نِعْمَ الْإِدَامُ الْجُوعُ، مَا أَلْقَيْتَ إِلَيْهِ قَبِلَهُ.

fī ḥadīthi ʾismāʿīla bni ʿayyāshin ʿan shuraḥbīla bni muslimin qāla: qāla ʾabū al-dardāʾi: biʾsa al-ʿawnu ʿalā al-dīni qalbun nakhībun wabaṭnun raghībun wanaʿẓun shadīdun. nakhībun yaʿnī khafīfan ḍaʿīfan, waraghībun yaʿnī wāsiʿatan ṭāmiʿatan. qīla libaʿḍi al-ḥukamāʾi: ʾayyu al-ṭaʿāmi ʾaṭyabu? qāla: al-jūʿu ʾaʿlamu, ʾay bihi yaṭību al-ṭaʿāmu, kamā qīla: niʿma al-ʾidāmu al-jūʿu, mā ʾalqayta ʾilayhi qabilahu.

In Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh’s report from Shuraḥbīl ibn Muslim, Abū al-Dardāʾ said: “Poor aids to religion are a weak heart, a greedy belly, and intense sexual arousal.” Nakhīb means light and weak; raghīb means capacious and covetous. A sage was asked the tastiest food. He answered: “Hunger knows best,” meaning hunger makes food pleasant. As it is said: “Hunger is a fine accompaniment: whatever you give it, it accepts.”

قَالَ الْعُتْبِيُّ: قَالَ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ لِرَجُلٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ: يَا أَخِي إِنِّي لَأَعْجَبُ أَنَّ فُقَهَاءَكُمْ أَظْرَفُ مِنْ فُقَهَائِنَا، وَعَوَامَّكُمْ أَظْرَفُ مِنْ عَوَامِّنَا، وَمَجَانِينَكُمْ أَظْرَفُ مِنْ مَجَانِينِنَا. قَالَ: فَتَدْرِي لِمَ ذَاكَ؟ قُلْتُ: لَا. قَالَ: الْجُوعُ، أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّ الْعُودَ إِنَّمَا صَفَا صَوْتُهُ مِنْ خَلَاءِ جَوْفِهِ؟

qāla al-ʿutbiyyu: qāla ʿubaydu Allāhi lirajulin min ʾahli al-madīnati: yā ʾakhī ʾinnī laʾaʿjabu ʾanna fuqahāʾakum ʾaẓrafu min fuqahāʾinā, waʿawāmmakum ʾaẓrafu min ʿawāmminā, wamajānīnakum ʾaẓrafu min majānīninā. qāla: fatadrī lima dhāka? qultu: lā. qāla: al-jūʿu, ʾalā tarā ʾanna al-ʿūda ʾinnamā ṣafā ṣawtuhu min khalāʾi jawfihi?

Al-ʿUtbī said that ʿUbayd Allāh told a man of Medina: “Brother, I marvel that your jurists are wittier than ours, your ordinary people wittier than ours, and your madmen wittier than ours.” He asked: “Do you know why?” “No.” “Hunger. Do you not see that the lute’s sound is clear because its interior is empty?”

يُقَالُ: دَعَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ الْحَسَنَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ فَحَضَرَ هُوَ وَأَصْحَابُهُ فَأَكَلُوا وَلَمْ يَأْكُلْ هُوَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ، قَالَ: إِنِّي صَائِمٌ، وَلَكِنْ تُحْفَةُ الصَّائِمِ. قَالَ: وَمَا هِيَ؟ قَالَ: الدُّهْنُ وَالْمِجْمَرَةُ. وَكَذَلِكَ يُقَالُ: الْكُحْلُ وَالدُّهْنُ أَحَدُ الْقِرَابَيْنِ وَاللَّبَنُ أَحَدُ اللَّحْمَيْنِ وَالْفَاكِهَةُ، وَالْحَدِيثُ لِلضَّيْفِ أَحَدُ الضِّيَافَتَيْنِ، فَيُسْتَحَبُّ لِمَنْ كَانَ صَائِمًا فَحَضَرَ وَلَمْ يَأْكُلْ أَنْ يُطَيَّبَ وَيُحَيَّى فَذَاكَ زَادُهُ.

yuqālu: daʿā ʿabdu Allāhi bnu al-zubayri al-ḥasana bna ʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum faḥaḍara huwa waʾaṣḥābuhu faʾakalū walam yaʾkul huwa faqīla lahu fī dhālika, qāla: ʾinnī ṣāʾimun, wa-lākin tuḥfatu al-ṣāʾimi. qāla: wamā hiya? qāla: al-duhnu wa-al-mijmaratu. wa-kadhālika yuqālu: al-kuḥlu wa-al-duhnu ʾaḥadu al-qirābayni wa-al-labanu ʾaḥadu al-laḥmayni wa-al-fākihatu, wa-al-ḥadīthu li-l-ḍayfi ʾaḥadu al-ḍiyāfatayni, fayustaḥabbu liman kāna ṣāʾiman faḥaḍara walam yaʾkul ʾan yuṭayyaba wayuḥayyā fadhāka zāduhu.

It is said that ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr invited al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, may God be pleased with them all. He and his companions came; they ate but he did not. Asked why, he said: “I am fasting, but there is a gift for the fasting person.” “What is it?” “Scented oil and the incense burner.” It is also said: “Kohl and oil are one of two kinds of hospitality; milk is one of two meats; and fruit. Conversation with a guest is one of two forms of hospitality.” It is recommended that a fasting attendee who does not eat be perfumed and welcomed; that is his provision.

رُوِيَ أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ كَانَ عَلَى خِوَانِ مُعَاوِيَةَ فَرَأَى مُعَاوِيَةُ لُقَمَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ بِالْعَشِيِّ رَاحَ إِلَيْهِ أَبُو بَكْرَةَ وَحْدَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ: مَا فَعَلَ ابْنُكَ التِّلْقَامَةُ؟ قَالَ: اعْتَلَّ. قَالَ مُعَاوِيَةُ: مِثْلُهُ لَا يَعْدَمُ الْعِلَّةَ. وَقِيلَ لِأَبِي بَكْرَةَ: إِنَّ ابْنَكَ أَكَلَ حَتَّى بَشِمَ. قَالَ: لَوْ مَاتَ مَا صَلَّيْتُ عَلَيْهِ. وَيُقَالُ لِلْبَشَمِ: سُكْرٌ كَسُكْرِ الْخَمْرِ.

ruwiya ʾanna ʿabda al-raḥmāni bna ʾabī bakrin kāna ʿalā khiwāni muʿāwiyata faraʾā muʿāwiyatu luqama ʿabdi al-raḥmāni, falammā kāna bi-al-ʿashiyyi rāḥa ʾilayhi ʾabū bakrata waḥdahu faqāla lahu: mā faʿala ibnuka al-tilqāmatu? qāla: iʿtalla. qāla muʿāwiyatu: mithluhu lā yaʿdamu al-ʿillata. waqīla liʾabī bakrata: ʾinna ibnaka ʾakala ḥattā bashima. qāla: law māta mā ṣallaytu ʿalayhi. wayuqālu li-l-bashami: sukrun kasukri al-khamri.

It is related that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr ate at Muʿāwiya’s table, and Muʿāwiya noticed his mouthfuls. That evening Abū Bakra visited alone. Muʿāwiya asked: “What has become of your great mouthful-taking son?” “He is ill.” “Someone like him is never without illness.” Abū Bakra was told his son had eaten until he suffered indigestion. He said: “Had he died, I would not have prayed over him.” Indigestion is described as intoxication like that of wine.

وَسُئِلَ الْحَارِثُ بْنُ كَلَدَةَ طَبِيبُ الْعَرَبِ: مَا الدَّوَاءُ الَّذِي لَا دَاءَ فِيهِ؟ فَقَالَ: هُوَ الْأَزْمُ، يَعْنِي الْحِمْيَةَ. وَقِيلَ لِجَالِينُوسَ: إِنَّكَ تُقِلُّ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ. فَقَالَ: غَرَضِي مِنَ الطَّعَامِ أَنْ آكُلَ لِأَحْيَا وَغَرَضُ غَيْرِي مِنَ الطَّعَامِ أَنْ يَحْيَا لِيَأْكُلَ. وَيُقَالُ: مَا أَدْخَلَ الْإِنْسَانُ جَوْفَهُ أَنْفَعَ مِنَ الرُّمَّانِ وَلَا أَضَرَّ مِنَ الْمَالِحِ، وَلَأَنْ يَتَقَلَّلَ مِنَ الْمَالِحِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْتَكْثِرَ مِنَ الرُّمَّانِ، هَذَا لِذَمِّ الِاسْتِكْثَارِ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِمَّا يَنْفَعُ، وَمَدْحِ الْقِلَّةِ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِمَّا يَضُرُّ.

wasuʾila al-ḥārithu bnu kaladata ṭabību al-ʿarabi: mā al-dawāʾu alladhī lā dāʾa fīhi? faqāla: huwa al-ʾazmu, yaʿnī al-ḥimyata. waqīla lijālīnūsa: ʾinnaka tuqillu mina al-ṭaʿāmi. faqāla: gharaḍī mina al-ṭaʿāmi ʾan ʾākula liʾaḥyā wagharaḍu ghayrī mina al-ṭaʿāmi ʾan yaḥyā liyaʾkula. wayuqālu: mā ʾadkhala al-ʾinsānu jawfahu ʾanfaʿa mina al-rummāni walā ʾaḍarra mina al-māliḥi, walaʾan yataqallala mina al-māliḥi khayrun min ʾan yastakthira mina al-rummāni, hādhā lidhammi al-istikthāri waʾin kāna mimmā yanfaʿu, wamadḥi al-qillati waʾin kāna mimmā yaḍurru.

Al-Ḥārith ibn Kalada, physician of the Arabs, was asked: “What remedy contains no disease?” He answered: “Restraint,” meaning dietary restriction. Galen was told: “You eat little.” He said: “My purpose is to eat to live; others’ purpose is to live to eat.” It is said that nothing entering the belly is more beneficial than pomegranate or more harmful than salty food, yet taking little salty food is better than much pomegranate. This condemns excess even in beneficial things and praises moderation even in harmful ones.

حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمُنْعِمِ بْنِ إِدْرِيسَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ وَهْبِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ قَالَ: قَالَ لِابْنِهِ: يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّ طُولَ الْجُلُوسِ عَلَى الْخَلَاءِ يَرْفَعُ الْحَرَارَةَ إِلَى الرَّأْسِ وَيُورِثُ الْبَاسُورَ وَيُوجِعُ لَهُ الْكَبِدَ، اجْلِسْ هُوَيْنًا وَقُمْ. قَالَ: حِكْمَةٌ عَلَى بَابِ الْحُشِّ. وَيُقَالُ: سَأَلَ الْحَجَّاجُ جُلَسَاءَهُ: مَا أَذْهَبُ الْأَشْيَاءِ لِلْإِعْيَاءِ؟ قَالُوا: أَكْلُ التَّمْرِ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: الْحَمَّامُ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: الْجِمَاعُ، وَقَالَ آخَرُ: الصَّمَائِخُ. فَقَالَ تَيَاذُوقُ: أَذْهَبُ الْأَشْيَاءِ لِلْإِعْيَاءِ قَضَاءُ الْحَاجَةِ.

ḥuddithtu ʿan ʿabdi al-munʿimi bni ʾidrīsa ʿan ʾabīhi ʿan wahbi bni munabbihin qāla: qāla libnihi: yā bunayya ʾinna ṭūla al-julūsi ʿalā al-khalāʾi yarfaʿu al-ḥarārata ʾilā al-raʾsi wayūrithu al-bāsūra wayūjiʿu lahu al-kabida, ijlis huwaynan waqum. qāla: ḥikmatun ʿalā bābi al-ḥushshi. wayuqālu: saʾala al-ḥajjāju julasāʾahu: mā ʾadhhabu al-ʾashyāʾi li-l-ʾiʿyāʾi? qālū: ʾaklu al-tamri, waqāla baʿḍuhum: al-ḥammāmu, waqāla baʿḍuhum: al-jimāʿu, waqāla ʾākharu: al-ṣamāʾikhu. faqāla tayādhūqu: ʾadhhabu al-ʾashyāʾi li-l-ʾiʿyāʾi qaḍāʾu al-ḥājati.

I was told from ʿAbd al-Munʿim ibn Idrīs, from his father, from Wahb ibn Munabbih, who told his son: “Son, prolonged sitting at the privy raises heat to the head, causes hemorrhoids, and pains the liver. Sit briefly and rise.” He said: “Wisdom at the privy door.” It is said that al-Ḥajjāj asked his companions what best dispels fatigue. They answered: dates, the bath, intercourse, and, another said, the ear passages. Tayādhūq answered: “Relieving oneself best dispels fatigue.”

حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْأَطِبَّاءِ أَنَّ رَجُلًا شَرِبَ خَبَثَ الْحَدِيدِ الْمَعْجُونَ فَبَقِيَ فِي جَوْفِهِ وَاشْتَدَّ بِهِ وَجَعُهُ، قَالَ: فَسَحَقْتُ لَهُ قِطْعَةَ مِغْنَاطِيسٍ وَسَقَيْتُهُ إِيَّاهُ فَتَعَلَّقَ بِالْخَبَثِ وَخَرَجَ مَعَ الْغَائِطِ. وَرَوَى الْأَصْمَعِيُّ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ قَالَ: قَالَ تَيَاذُوقُ الْفَيْلَسُوفُ: إِنَّ اللَّحْمَ عَلَى

ḥuddithtu ʿan baʿḍi al-ʾaṭibbāʾi ʾanna rajulan shariba khabatha al-ḥadīdi al-maʿjūna fabaqiya fī jawfihi wa-ishtadda bihi wajaʿuhu, qāla: fasaḥaqtu lahu qiṭʿata mighnāṭīsin wasaqaytuhu ʾiyyāhu fataʿallaqa bi-al-khabathi wakharaja maʿa al-ghāʾiṭi. warawā al-ʾaṣmaʿiyyu ʿan jaʿfari bni sulaymāna qāla: qāla tayādhūqu al-faylasūfu: ʾinna al-laḥma ʿalā

A physician told me that a man swallowed a preparation of iron slag which remained in his belly and caused severe pain. He said: “I ground a piece of magnet for him and gave it to him to drink; it attached to the slag and passed with the stool.” Al-Aṣmaʿī related from Jaʿfar ibn Sulaymān that Tayādhūq the philosopher said: “Meat upon

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣١٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 319

Volume Two, page 319

اللَّحْمِ يَقْتُلُ السِّبَاعَ فِي الْبَرِّيَّةِ. قَالَ: ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ: قَالَتْ جَارِيَةٌ لَنَا: كَانَ لَنَا ظَبْيٌ فَمَرَّ بِعَجِينٍ قَدْ هُيِّئَ فَأَكَلَ مِنْهُ حَتَّى حَبِطَ، وَالْحَبَطُ انْتِفَاخُ الْجَنْبَيْنِ، فَسُلِخَ فَوُجِدَ قَدْ شَرِقَ بِالدَّمِ. فَقَالَ يُونُسُ الطَّبِيبُ: هَكَذَا يُصِيبُ الْإِنْسَانَ إِذَا بَشِمَ يَشْرَقُ قَلْبُهُ بِدَمِهِ.

al-laḥmi yaqtulu al-sibāʿa fī al-barriyyati. qāla: thumma qāla ʾabū jaʿfarin: qālat jāriyatun lanā: kāna lanā ẓabyun famarra biʿajīnin qad huyyiʾa faʾakala minhu ḥattā ḥabiṭa, wa-al-ḥabaṭu intifākhu al-janbayni, fasulikha fawujida qad shariqa bi-al-dami. faqāla yūnusu al-ṭabību: hākadhā yuṣību al-ʾinsāna ʾidhā bashima yashraqu qalbuhu bidamihi.

meat kills wild beasts in the wilderness.” Abū Jaʿfar then said: “A servant girl of ours said that our gazelle came upon prepared dough and ate until it bloated.” Ḥabaṭ means swelling of both sides. When skinned, it was found choked with blood. Yūnus the physician said: “This is what happens to a person with indigestion: his heart chokes on its blood.”

وَقَالَ الْأَصْمَعِيُّ عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ وَالِي الْبَصْرَةِ إِنَّهُ قَالَ لِإِنْسَانٍ أَكُولٍ يَقِيءُ إِذَا أَكَلَ: لَا تَفْعَلْ، فَإِنَّ الْمَعِدَةَ تَضْغَنُ إِلَى الْقَيْءِ كَمَا تَضْغَنُ الدَّابَّةُ الْعَلَفَ وَلَا يَنْضَجُ الطَّعَامُ؛ مَعْنَى تَضْغَنُ أَيْ تَأْلَفُ وَتَعْتَادُ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: سُئِلَ تَيَاذُوقُ عَنِ الْبَخَرِ فَقَالَ: دَوَاؤُهُ الزَّبِيبُ يُعْجَنُ بِالشَّعِيرِ، ثُمَّ يُؤْكَلُ أُسْبُوعَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثًا. وَقَالَ الْأَطِبَّاءُ: مَعْرِفَةُ خِفَّةِ الْمَاءِ أَنْ يَكُونَ سَرِيعَ الْغَلَيَانِ سَرِيعَ الْبَرْدِ، وَيَكُونَ قُبَالَةَ الشَّمْسِ مَجْرَاهُ عَلَى الشَّمَالِ وَمُرُورُهُ عَلَى الطِّينِ الْأَحْمَرِ وَعَلَى الرَّمْلِ. ذَكَرَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ أَنَّ هَذَا آخِرُ الزِّيَادَةِ مِنَ الْأَقْوَالِ.

waqāla al-ʾaṣmaʿiyyu ʿan jaʿfarin wālī al-baṣrati ʾinnahu qāla liʾinsānin ʾakūlin yaqīʾu ʾidhā ʾakala: lā tafʿal, faʾinna al-maʿidata taḍghanu ʾilā al-qayʾi kamā taḍghanu al-dābbatu al-ʿalafa walā yanḍaju al-ṭaʿāmu; maʿnā taḍghanu ʾay taʾlafu wataʿtādu. waqāla baʿḍuhum: suʾila tayādhūqu ʿani al-bakhari faqāla: dawāʾuhu al-zabību yuʿjanu bi-al-shaʿīri, thumma yuʾkalu ʾusbūʿayni ʾaw thalāthan. waqāla al-ʾaṭibbāʾu: maʿrifatu khiffati al-māʾi ʾan yakūna sarīʿa al-ghalayāni sarīʿa al-bardi, wayakūna qubālata al-shamsi majrāhu ʿalā al-shamāli wamurūruhu ʿalā al-ṭīni al-ʾaḥmari waʿalā al-ramli. dhakara ʾabū ṭālibin ʾanna hādhā ʾākhiru al-ziyādati mina al-ʾaqwāli.

Al-Aṣmaʿī related that Jaʿfar, governor of Basra, told a glutton who vomited after eating: “Do not do that. The stomach grows accustomed to vomiting as an animal to fodder, and food does not digest.” Taḍghan means to become familiar and habituated. Tayādhūq, asked about bad breath, prescribed raisins kneaded with barley and eaten for two or three weeks. Physicians said water’s lightness is known by its quick boiling and cooling, its course facing the sun toward the north, and its passage over red clay and sand. Abū Ṭālib stated that this ends the additional sayings.

وَرُوِيَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: أَكْرِمُوا الْخُبْزَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَنْزَلَهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ، فَمِنْ بَرَكَاتِ الْخُبْزِ أَنَّهُ لَا يُنْتَظَرُ بِهِ إِدَامٌ وَيُؤْكَلُ مَعَ مَا حَضَرَ مَعَهُ مِنَ الْمِلْحِ وَالْخَلِّ وَالْبَقْلِ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَأَنْ لَا يُجْعَلَ تَحْتَ شَيْءٍ مِنْ آلَةِ الْمَائِدَةِ وَلَا تَحْتَ غَضَارَةٍ، مِثْلَ أَنْ يُسْنَدَ بِهِ شَيْءٌ وَلَا يُتَّخَذَ طَبَقًا لِشَيْءٍ، فَإِنْ وُضِعَ عَلَيْهِ مَا يُؤْكَلُ فَلَا بَأْسَ.

waruwiya ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla: ʾakrimū al-khubza faʾinna Allāha qad ʾanzalahu mina al-samāʾi, famin barakāti al-khubzi ʾannahu lā yuntaẓaru bihi ʾidāmun wayuʾkalu maʿa mā ḥaḍara maʿahu mina al-milḥi wa-al-khalli wa-al-baqli waghayrihi, waʾan lā yujʿala taḥta shayʾin min ʾālati al-māʾidati walā taḥta ghaḍāratin, mithla ʾan yusnada bihi shayʾun walā yuttakhadha ṭabaqan lishayʾin, faʾin wuḍiʿa ʿalayhi mā yuʾkalu falā baʾsa.

It is related that God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Honor bread, for God has sent it down from heaven.” Among bread’s blessings is that one does not wait for an accompaniment, but eats it with whatever salt, vinegar, greens, or other food is present. Do not put it beneath a table utensil or bowl, use it to prop something up, or make it a plate. There is no harm in placing something edible on it.

وَمِنَ السُّنَّةِ وَالْأَدَبِ أَنْ لَا يُنْتَظَرَ بِالطَّعَامِ غَائِبٌ إِذَا حَضَرَ جَمَاعَةٌ، وَلَكِنْ يَأْكُلُ مَنْ حَضَرَ؛ فَإِنَّ حُرْمَةَ الْحَاضِرِ مَعَ حُضُورِ الطَّعَامِ أَوْجَبُ مِنِ انْتِظَارِ الْغَائِبِ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ الْغَائِبُ فَقِيرًا فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يُنْتَظَرَ لِيُرْفَعَ مِنْ شَأْنِهِ وَلِئَلَّا يَنْكَسِرَ قَلْبُهُ. وَإِنْ كَانَ الْغَائِبُ غَنِيًّا لَمْ يُنْتَظَرْ مَعَ حُضُورِ الْفُقَرَاءِ، فَإِنَّ انْتِظَارَ الْغَنِيِّ مَعْصِيَةٌ لِمَا رُوِيَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: شَرُّ الطَّعَامِ طَعَامُ الْوَلِيمَةِ يُدْعَى إِلَيْهَا الْأَغْنِيَاءُ وَيُتْرَكُ الْفُقَرَاءُ.

wamina al-sunnati wa-al-ʾadabi ʾan lā yuntaẓara bi-al-ṭaʿāmi ghāʾibun ʾidhā ḥaḍara jamāʿatun, wa-lākin yaʾkulu man ḥaḍara; faʾinna ḥurmata al-ḥāḍiri maʿa ḥuḍūri al-ṭaʿāmi ʾawjabu mini intiẓāri al-ghāʾibi, ʾillā ʾan yakūna al-ghāʾibu faqīran falā baʾsa ʾan yuntaẓara liyurfaʿa min shaʾnihi waliʾallā yankasira qalbuhu. waʾin kāna al-ghāʾibu ghaniyyan lam yuntaẓar maʿa ḥuḍūri al-fuqarāʾi, faʾinna intiẓāra al-ghaniyyi maʿṣiyatun limā ruwiya ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: sharru al-ṭaʿāmi ṭaʿāmu al-walīmati yudʿā ʾilayhā al-ʾaghniyāʾu wayutraku al-fuqarāʾu.

The Sunna and good manners require that a gathered company not delay food for someone absent: those present should eat. Their claim, with the food ready, outweighs waiting for the absent, unless that person is poor, when waiting may honor him and spare his feelings. Do not wait for an absent rich person while poor people are present; this is disobedience, as the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “The worst food is banquet food to which the rich are invited and the poor left out.”

فَسَمَّى الطَّعَامَ شَرِيرًا لِأَجْلِ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ، وَالطَّعَامُ لَا تَعَبُّدَ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنَّمَا الشَّرُّ اسْمٌ لِأَهْلِ الطَّعَامِ الدَّاعِينَ الْأَغْنِيَاءَ عَلَيْهِ التَّارِكِينَ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ. فَأَمَّا طَعَامُ الْمَآتِمِ فَهُوَ عَلَى ضَرْبَيْنِ: نَوْعٌ مِنْهُ يَصْنَعُهُ أَهْلُ الْمَيِّتِ لِلنَّوَائِحِ وَالْبَوَاكِي وَمَنْ يُعِينُهُمْ عَلَى الْجَزَعِ، فَإِنَّ أَكْلَ هَذَا مَكْرُوهٌ مَنْهِيٌّ عَنْهُ، وَنَوْعٌ يُحْمَلُ إِلَيْهِمْ لِشُغْلِهِمْ عَنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَإِصْلَاحِ طَعَامِهِمْ بِمَيِّتِهِمْ؛ فَهَذَا لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ وَبِحَمْلِهِ إِلَيْهِمْ.

fasammā al-ṭaʿāma sharīran liʾajli al-ʾaghniyāʾi, wa-al-ṭaʿāmu lā taʿabbuda ʿalayhi, waʾinnamā al-sharru ismun liʾahli al-ṭaʿāmi al-dāʿīna al-ʾaghniyāʾa ʿalayhi al-tārikīna li-l-fuqarāʾi. faʾammā ṭaʿāmu al-maʾātimi fahuwa ʿalā ḍarbayni: nawʿun minhu yaṣnaʿuhu ʾahlu al-mayyiti li-l-nawāʾiḥi wa-al-bawākī waman yuʿīnuhum ʿalā al-jazaʿi, faʾinna ʾakla hādhā makrūhun manhiyyun ʿanhu, wanawʿun yuḥmalu ʾilayhim lishughlihim ʿan ʾanfusihim waʾiṣlāḥi ṭaʿāmihim bimayyitihim; fa-hādhā lā baʾsa bihi wabiḥamlihi ʾilayhim.

He called the food evil because of the rich, though food itself bears no duty of worship. “Evil” describes those who invite the rich and leave out the poor. Funeral food is of two kinds: food the bereaved prepare for lamenters, weeping women, and those who encourage uncontrolled grief, which is disapproved and forbidden to eat; and food brought to them because the death has distracted them from caring for themselves and preparing meals. There is no harm in the latter or in bringing it to them.

وَيَجُوزُ الْأَكْلُ مِنْهُ إِنْ أَطْعَمُوهُ غَيْرَهُمْ لِأَنَّهُ مِنَ الْبِرِّ وَالْمَعْرُوفِ إِنْ لَمْ يُرَدْ بِهِ النَّوَائِحُ وَلَا الْمُجَالَسَةُ عَلَى الْقُبُورِ لِلْجَزَعِ وَالْأَسَى. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَمَّا جَاءَ نَعْيُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ: إِنَّ آلَ جَعْفَرٍ شُغِلُوا بِمَيِّتِهِمْ عَنْ صَنِيعِ طَعَامِهِمْ فَاحْمِلُوا إِلَيْهِمْ مَا يَأْكُلُونَ؛ فَهَذَا سُنَّةٌ فِي حَمْلِ الطَّعَامِ إِلَى أَهْلِ الْمَيِّتِ.

wayajūzu al-ʾaklu minhu ʾin ʾaṭʿamūhu ghayrahum liʾannahu mina al-birri wa-al-maʿrūfi ʾin lam yurad bihi al-nawāʾiḥu walā al-mujālasatu ʿalā al-qubūri li-l-jazaʿi wa-al-ʾasā. waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla lammā jāʾa naʿyu jaʿfari bni ʾabī ṭālibin: ʾinna ʾāla jaʿfarin shughilū bimayyitihim ʿan ṣanīʿi ṭaʿāmihim fa-iḥmilū ʾilayhim mā yaʾkulūna; fa-hādhā sunnatun fī ḥamli al-ṭaʿāmi ʾilā ʾahli al-mayyiti.

Others may eat it if the family serves them, for it is kindness and good conduct, provided it is not intended for lamenters or gatherings at graves for anguish and sorrow. We have related that when news of Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib’s death came, God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Jaʿfar’s family have been distracted by their dead from preparing food; bring them something to eat.” This establishes the Sunna of bringing food to the bereaved.

وَمَنْ دُعِيَ إِلَى طَعَامٍ وَكَانَ فِي بَيْتِ الدَّاعِي إِحْدَى خَمْسِ خِصَالٍ فَلَا يُجِبْ دَعْوَتَهُ وَلَا حَرَجَ فِي تَرْكِ إِجَابَتِهِ: إِنْ كَانَتْ مَائِدَتُهُ يُشْرَبُ بَعْدَهَا مُسْكِرٌ وَإِنْ لَمْ يُعَايِنْهُ فِي الْحَالِ، أَوْ كَانَ فِي الْأَثَاثِ فِرَاشُ حَرِيرٍ أَوْ دِيبَاجٍ، أَوْ كَانَ فِي الْآنِيَةِ ذَهَبٌ أَوْ فِضَّةٌ، أَوْ كَانَ مُتَّخِذَ الْحِيطَانِ مُسْتَرًا بِالثِّيَابِ كَمَا تُسْتَرُ الْكَعْبَةُ، أَوْ كَانَ صُورَةُ ذَاتِ رُوحٍ فِي

waman duʿiya ʾilā ṭaʿāmin wakāna fī bayti al-dāʿī ʾiḥdā khamsi khiṣālin falā yujib daʿwatahu walā ḥaraja fī tarki ʾijābatihi: ʾin kānat māʾidatuhu yushrabu baʿdahā muskirun waʾin lam yuʿāyinhu fī al-ḥāli, ʾaw kāna fī al-ʾathāthi firāshu ḥarīrin ʾaw dībājin, ʾaw kāna fī al-ʾāniyati dhahabun ʾaw fiḍḍatun, ʾaw kāna muttakhidha al-ḥīṭāni mustaran bi-al-thiyābi kamā tustaru al-kaʿbatu, ʾaw kāna ṣūratu dhāti rūḥin fī

Anyone invited to food should decline without blame if the host’s house has one of five features: intoxicants are drunk after the meal, even if not presently seen; furnishings include silk or brocade bedding; vessels are gold or silver; walls are covered with cloth as the Kaʿba is covered; or an image of a living creature appears on

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٢٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 320

Volume Two, page 320

سِتْرٍ مَنْصُوبٍ أَوْ فِي حَائِطٍ. وَمَنْ أَجَابَ الدَّعْوَةَ فَرَأَى إِحْدَى هَذِهِ الْخَمْسِ فَعَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ أَوْ يُخْرَجَ ذَلِكَ، فَإِنْ قَعَدَ فَقَدْ شَرِكَهُمْ فِي فِعْلِهِمْ. دُعِيَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى طَعَامٍ فَأَجَابَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَلَمَّا اسْتَقَرَّ فِي الْمَنْزِلِ رَأَى إِنَاءً مِنْ فِضَّةٍ فِي الْبَيْتِ فَخَرَجَ وَخَرَجَ أَصْحَابُهُ مَعَهُ وَلَمْ يَطْعَمُوا. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ خَرَجَ مِنْ أُشْنَانَةٍ رَآهَا كَانَ رَأْسُهَا الْمُغَطَّاةُ بِهِ فِضَّةً، لَمْ يَصْبِرْ فَخَرَجَ لِذَلِكَ.

sitrin manṣūbin ʾaw fī ḥāʾiṭin. waman ʾajāba al-daʿwata faraʾā ʾiḥdā hādhihi al-khamsi faʿalayhi ʾan yakhruja ʾaw yukhraja dhālika, faʾin qaʿada faqad sharikahum fī fiʿlihim. duʿiya ʾaḥmadu bnu ḥanbalin raḥimahu Allāhu ʾilā ṭaʿāmin faʾajāba fī jamāʿatin min ʾaṣḥābihi, falammā istaqarra fī al-manzili raʾā ʾināʾan min fiḍḍatin fī al-bayti fakharaja wakharaja ʾaṣḥābuhu maʿahu walam yaṭʿamū. wayuqālu: ʾinnahu kharaja min ʾushnānatin raʾāhā kāna raʾsuhā al-mughaṭṭātu bihi fiḍḍatan, lam yaṣbir fakharaja li-dhālika.

a hanging curtain or wall. If a guest sees one of these five, he must leave or have it removed; remaining makes him a partner in their action. Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, may God have mercy on him, accepted a meal invitation with some companions. Once inside, he saw a silver vessel and left; his companions left with him without eating. It is also said he saw an alkali container whose covering lid was silver; he could not tolerate it and left for that reason.

حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْخَالِقِ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُدْعَى إِلَى الْوَلِيمَةِ مِنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ يَخْرُجُ؟ قَالَ: خَرَجَ أَبُو أَيُّوبَ حِينَ دُعِيَ فَرَأَى الْبَيْتَ قَدْ سُتِرَ، وَدُعِيَ حُذَيْفَةُ فَرَأَى شَيْئًا مِنْ زِيِّ الْعَجَمِ فَخَرَجَ وَقَالَ: مَنْ تَزَيَّا بِزِيِّ قَوْمٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَإِنْ رَأَى شَيْئًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ تَرَى أَنْ يَخْرُجَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ أَرَى أَنْ يَخْرُجَ.

ḥuddithtu ʿan ʾaḥmada bni ʿabdi al-khāliqi qāla: ḥaddathanā ʾabū bakrin al-marwaziyyu qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yudʿā ʾilā al-walīmati min ʾayyi shayʾin yakhruju? qāla: kharaja ʾabū ʾayyūba ḥīna duʿiya faraʾā al-bayta qad sutira, waduʿiya ḥudhayfatu faraʾā shayʾan min ziyyi al-ʿajami fakharaja waqāla: man tazayyā biziyyi qawmin fahuwa minhum. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: faʾin raʾā shayʾan min fiḍḍatin tarā ʾan yakhruja? qāla: naʿam ʾarā ʾan yakhruja.

I was told from Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Khāliq, who related from Abū Bakr al-Marwazī: “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh what should make an invited man leave a banquet. He said: ‘Abū Ayyūb left after seeing the house draped; Ḥudhayfa left after seeing something of non-Arab dress, saying, “Whoever adopts a people’s dress is one of them.”’ I asked: ‘Should he leave if he sees something silver?’ He answered: ‘Yes, I think he should.’”

قَالَ: وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: دَعَانَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا قَبْلَ الْمِحْنَةِ وَكُنَّا نَخْتَلِفُ إِلَى عَفَّانَ، فَإِذَا إِنَاءٌ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ فَخَرَجْتُ فَاتَّبَعَنِي جَمَاعَةٌ، فَنَزَلَ بِصَاحِبِ الْبَيْتِ أَمْرٌ عَظِيمٌ. فَقُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الرَّجُلُ يُدْعَى فَيَرَى الْمُكْحُلَةَ رَأْسُهَا مُفَضَّضَةٌ؟ قَالَ: هَذَا يُسْتَعْمَلُ، كُلُّ مَا لَا يُسْتَعْمَلُ فَاخْرُجْ مِنْهُ، إِنَّمَا رُخِّصَ فِي الضَّبَّةِ أَوْ نَحْوِهَا فَهُوَ أَسْهَلُ. وَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْكِلَّةِ فَكَرِهَهَا، قُلْتُ: فَالْقُبَّةُ أَوِ الْحَجَلَةُ؟ فَلَمْ يَرَ بِهَا بَأْسًا.

qāla: wasamiʿtuhu yaqūlu: daʿānā rajulun min ʾaṣḥābinā qabla al-miḥnati wakunnā nakhtalifu ʾilā ʿaffāna, faʾidhā ʾināʾun min fiḍḍatin fakharajtu fa-ittabaʿanī jamāʿatun, fanazala biṣāḥibi al-bayti ʾamrun ʿaẓīmun. faqultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: al-rajulu yudʿā fayarā al-mukḥulata raʾsuhā mufaḍḍaḍatun? qāla: hādhā yustaʿmalu, kullu mā lā yustaʿmalu fa-ukhruj minhu, ʾinnamā rukhkhiṣa fī al-ḍabbati ʾaw naḥwihā fahuwa ʾas-halu. wasaʾaltuhu ʿani al-killati fakarihahā, qultu: fa-al-qubbatu ʾawi al-ḥajalatu? falam yara bihā baʾsan.

He continued: “I heard him say, ‘A companion invited us before the Inquisition, when we attended ʿAffān. There was a silver vessel, so I left and a group followed, greatly distressing the host.’ I asked about an invited man seeing a kohl container with a silver-covered top. He said: ‘This is used; leave because of anything that may not be used. Only a reinforcing band or the like has been permitted; that is less serious.’ I asked about a thin canopy, which he disliked. ‘A domed canopy or bridal curtain?’ He saw no harm in those.”

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنَّ رَجُلًا دَعَا قَوْمًا فَجِيءَ بِطَسْتِ فِضَّةٍ أَوْ إِبْرِيقٍ فَكَسَرَهُ، هَلْ يَجُوزُ كَسْرُهُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُدْعَى فَيَرَى فُرُشَ دِيبَاجٍ تَرَى أَنْ يَقْعُدَ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ يَقْعُدَ فِي بَيْتٍ آخَرَ؟ قَالَ: يَخْرُجُ، قَدْ خَرَجَ أَبُو أَيُّوبَ وَحُذَيْفَةُ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ الْخُرُوجُ. قُلْتُ: تَرَى أَنْ يَأْمُرَهُمْ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، يَقُولُ: هَذَا لَا يَجُوزُ.

qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinna rajulan daʿā qawman fajīʾa biṭasti fiḍḍatin ʾaw ʾibrīqin fakasarahu, hal yajūzu kasruhu? qāla: naʿam. qāla ʾabū bakrin al-marwaziyyu: saʾaltuhu ʿani al-rajuli yudʿā fayarā furusha dībājin tarā ʾan yaqʿuda ʿalayhi ʾaw yaqʿuda fī baytin ʾākhara? qāla: yakhruju, qad kharaja ʾabū ʾayyūba waḥudhayfatu, waqad ruwiya ʿani ibni masʿūdin al-khurūju. qultu: tarā ʾan yaʾmurahum? qāla: naʿam, yaqūlu: hādhā lā yajūzu.

“I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh: ‘A man invited people, and a silver basin or ewer was brought. Someone broke it; is breaking it permissible?’ ‘Yes.’” Abū Bakr al-Marwazī said: “I asked whether a guest seeing brocade bedding should sit on it or in another room. He said: ‘Leave. Abū Ayyūb and Ḥudhayfa left, and departure is also related from Ibn Masʿūd.’ I asked: ‘Should he admonish them?’ He answered: ‘Yes; he says, “This is not permissible.”’”

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الرَّجُلُ يَكُونُ فِي بَيْتِ دِيبَاجٍ يُدْعَى إِلَيْهِ لِلشَّيْءِ؟ قَالَ: لَا تَدْخُلْ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا تَجْلِسْ مَعَهُ. قُلْتُ: الرَّجُلُ يُدْعَى فَيَرَى الْكِلَّةَ؟ فَكَرِهَهَا وَقَالَ: هُوَ رِيَاءٌ لَا تَرُدُّ مِنْ حَرٍّ وَلَا تَرُدُّ مِنْ بَرْدٍ. قُلْتُ: الرَّجُلُ يُدْعَى فَيَرَى سِتْرًا فِيهِ تَصَاوِيرُ؟ قَالَ: لَا تَنْظُرْ إِلَيْهِ. قُلْتُ: قَدْ أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ. قَالَ: إِنْ أَمْكَنَكَ خَلْعُهُ خَلَعْتَهُ.

qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: al-rajulu yakūnu fī bayti dībājin yudʿā ʾilayhi li-l-shayʾi? qāla: lā tadkhul ʿalayhi walā tajlis maʿahu. qultu: al-rajulu yudʿā fayarā al-killata? fakarihahā waqāla: huwa riyāʾun lā taruddu min ḥarrin walā taruddu min bardin. qultu: al-rajulu yudʿā fayarā sitran fīhi taṣāwīru? qāla: lā tanẓur ʾilayhi. qultu: qad ʾanẓuru ʾilayhi. qāla: ʾin ʾamkanaka khalʿuhu khalaʿtahu.

“I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh: ‘A man in a house with brocade invites someone for a purpose?’ He said: ‘Do not enter or sit with him.’ I asked about a guest seeing a thin canopy. He disliked it, saying: ‘It is display; it protects against neither heat nor cold.’ I asked about a curtain bearing images. ‘Do not look at it.’ ‘But I may look at it.’ ‘If you can remove it, remove it.’”

قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ السِّتْرِ يُكْتَبُ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ فَكَرِهَ ذَلِكَ، قَالَ: وَلَا يُكْتَبُ الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مَنْصُوبٍ لَا سِتْرٍ وَلَا غَيْرِهِ. قُلْتُ: الرَّجُلُ يَكْتَرِي الْبَيْتَ فِيهِ التَّصَاوِيرُ تَرَى أَنْ يَحُكَّهُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: دَخَلْتُ حَمَّامًا فَرَأَيْتُ فِيهِ صُورَةً تَرَى أَنْ أَحُكَّ الرَّأْسَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. وَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْجَوْزِ يُنْثَرُ، إِسْنَادُهُ جَيِّدٌ، أَبُو حَصِينٍ عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ.

qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-sitri yuktabu fīhi al-qurʾānu fakariha dhālika, qāla: walā yuktabu al-qurʾānu ʿalā shayʾin manṣūbin lā sitrin walā ghayrihi. qultu: al-rajulu yaktarī al-bayta fīhi al-taṣāwīru tarā ʾan yaḥukkahu? qāla: naʿam. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: dakhaltu ḥammāman faraʾaytu fīhi ṣūratan tarā ʾan ʾaḥukka al-raʾsa? qāla: naʿam. wasaʾaltuhu ʿani al-jawzi yuntharu, ʾisnāduhu jayyidun, ʾabū ḥaṣīnin ʿan khālidi bni masʿūdin.

He said: “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a curtain inscribed with the Qurʾan. He disliked it and said: ‘The Qurʾan should not be written on anything hung up, whether a curtain or anything else.’ I asked whether someone renting a house with images should scrape them off. ‘Yes.’ I asked: ‘I entered a bathhouse and saw an image; should I scrape off the head?’ ‘Yes.’ I also asked about scattering walnuts.” Its chain is good: Abū Ḥaṣīn, from Khālid ibn Masʿūd.

قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ حَذَقَ ابْنُهُ، قَدِ اشْتَرَى جَوْزًا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَعُدَّهُ عَلَى الصِّبْيَانِ يَقْسِمُهُ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَكَرِهَ النَّثْرَ وَقَالَ: هَذِهِ نُهْبَةٌ. وَقَالَ هَاشِمُ بْنُ الْقَاسِمِ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ قَالَ: كَانَ طَلْحَةُ وَالزُّبَيْرُ يَكْرَهَانِ النَّثْرَ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فِي الْعُرْسِ وَفِي الْحِذَاقِ وَغَيْرِهِمَا مِنَ الْجَوْزِ وَالسُّكَّرِ. قَالَ: وَسَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ

qāla ʾabū bakrin al-marwaziyyu: dakhaltu ʿalā ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi waqad ḥadhaqa ibnuhu, qadi ishtarā jawzan yurīdu ʾan yaʿuddahu ʿalā al-ṣibyāni yaqsimuhu ʿalayhim, wakariha al-nathra waqāla: hādhihi nuhbatun. waqāla hāshimu bnu al-qāsimi: ḥaddathanā muḥammadun qāla: kāna ṭalḥatu wa-al-zubayru yakrahāni al-nathra fī kulli shayʾin fī al-ʿursi wafī al-ḥidhāqi waghayrihimā mina al-jawzi wa-al-sukkari. qāla: wasaʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan

Abū Bakr al-Marwazī said: “I visited Abū ʿAbd Allāh when his son had completed a stage of learning. He had bought walnuts to count out and divide among the children. He disliked scattering them, saying, ‘This is a scramble for plunder.’” Hāshim ibn al-Qāsim related from Muḥammad: “Ṭalḥa and al-Zubayr disliked scattering anything, walnuts or sugar, at weddings, celebrations of learning, or other occasions.” He said: “I also asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٢١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 321

Volume Two, page 321

قَرْضِ الرَّغِيفِ وَالْخَمِيرِ فَلَمْ يَرَ بِهِ بَأْسًا. آخِرُ الزِّيَادَةِ فِي الْجَدِيدِ، وَمِنَ الْأَصْلِ الْأَوَّلِ: خَمْسَةٌ لَا تُجَابُ دَعْوَتُهُمْ، وَإِنْ دُعِيَ رَجُلٌ وَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ ثُمَّ عَلِمَ فَلَا حَرَجَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ: الْمُبْتَدِعُ، وَأَعْوَانُ الظَّلَمَةِ، وَآكِلُ الرِّبَا، وَالْفَاسِقُ الْمُعْلِنُ بِفِسْقِهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَ الْأَغْلَبُ عَلَى مَالِهِ الْحَرَامَ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يَرْتَدِعُ عَنِ الْآثَامِ فِي مُعَامَلَتِهِ الْأَنَامَ.

qarḍi al-raghīfi wa-al-khamīri falam yara bihi baʾsan. ʾākhiru al-ziyādati fī al-jadīdi, wamina al-ʾaṣli al-ʾawwali: khamsatun lā tujābu daʿwatuhum, waʾin duʿiya rajulun walam yaʿlam thumma ʿalima falā ḥaraja ʿalayhi ʾan yakhruja min baytihi: al-mubtadiʿu, waʾaʿwānu al-ẓalamati, waʾākilu al-ribā, wa-al-fāsiqu al-muʿlinu bifisqihi, waman kāna al-ʾaghlabu ʿalā mālihi al-ḥarāma walam yakun yartadiʿu ʿani al-ʾāthāmi fī muʿāmalatihi al-ʾanāma.

lending a loaf or leaven, and he saw no harm in it.” This ends the addition in the new version; from the first original: five people’s invitations should not be accepted. If someone accepts unknowingly and later learns the facts, he may leave the house without blame: an innovator, helpers of oppressors, a consumer of usury, an openly sinful person, and someone whose wealth is predominantly unlawful and who does not refrain from wrongdoing in dealings with others.

لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: لَا تَأْكُلْ إِلَّا طَعَامَ تَقِيٍّ، وَذَاكَ لِأَنَّ التَّقِيَّ قَدْ كَفَاكَ الِاجْتِهَادَ فِي الْمَأْكُولِ لِلتَّقْوَى فَأَغْنَاكَ عَنِ السُّؤَالِ عَنْهُ، لِأَنَّ التَّقِيَّ إِذَا أَطْعَمْتَهُ اسْتَعَانَ بِالطُّعْمَةِ عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى فَتَصِيرُ مُعَاوِنًا لَهُ عَلَيْهَا، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى، فَيَشْرَكُهُ فِي بِرِّهِ. وَالْفَاجِرُ وَالظَّالِمُ إِنْ أَكَلْتَ طَعَامَهُمَا صِرْتَ مِنْ أَعْوَانِ الظَّلَمَةِ بِمُشَارَكَتِكَ لَهُمَا فِي الطُّعْمَةِ.

liʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: lā taʾkul ʾillā ṭaʿāma taqiyyin, wadhāka liʾanna al-taqiyya qad kafāka al-ijtihāda fī al-maʾkūli li-l-taqwā faʾaghnāka ʿani al-suʾāli ʿanhu, liʾanna al-taqiyya ʾidhā ʾaṭʿamtahu istaʿāna bi-al-ṭuʿmati ʿalā al-birri wa-al-taqwā fataṣīru muʿāwinan lahu ʿalayhā, kamā qāla taʿālā, fayashrakuhu fī birrihi. wa-al-fājiru wa-al-ẓālimu ʾin ʾakalta ṭaʿāmahumā ṣirta min ʾaʿwāni al-ẓalamati bimushārakatika lahumā fī al-ṭuʿmati.

For the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Eat only a God-fearing person’s food.” His reverence spares you the labor of investigating the food and asking about it. When you feed a God-fearing person, he uses it for goodness and reverence, so you assist him in them, as He, exalted is He, said, and share his goodness. Eating the food of the wicked and oppressive makes you one of the oppressors’ helpers by sharing their meal.

كَمَا سَأَلَ خَيَّاطٌ ابْنَ الْمُبَارَكِ فَقَالَ: إِنِّي أَخِيطُ لِبَعْضِ وُكَلَاءِ هَؤُلَاءِ، يَعْنِي الْأُمَرَاءَ، فَهَلْ يُخَافُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنْ أَعْوَانِ الظَّلَمَةِ؟ فَقَالَ: لَسْتَ مِنْ أَعْوَانِ الظَّلَمَةِ بَلْ أَنْتَ مِنَ الظَّلَمَةِ، أَعْوَانُ الظَّلَمَةِ مَنْ يَبِيعُ مِنْكَ الْخُيُوطَ وَالْإِبَرَ. وَقَدْ عَمِلَ ذُو النُّونِ الْمِصْرِيُّ أَغْمَضَ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَرَعِ، وَمَا سَمِعْتُ أَدَقَّ مِنْهُ.

kamā saʾala khayyāṭun ibna al-mubāraki faqāla: ʾinnī ʾakhīṭu libaʿḍi wukalāʾi hāʾulāʾi, yaʿnī al-ʾumarāʾa, fahal yukhāfu ʾan ʾakūna min ʾaʿwāni al-ẓalamati? faqāla: lasta min ʾaʿwāni al-ẓalamati bal ʾanta mina al-ẓalamati, ʾaʿwānu al-ẓalamati man yabīʿu minka al-khuyūṭa wa-al-ʾibara. waqad ʿamila dhū al-nūni al-miṣriyyu ʾaghmaḍa min hādhā al-waraʿi, wamā samiʿtu ʾadaqqa minhu.

A tailor asked Ibn al-Mubārak: “I sew for some of these men’s agents,” meaning the rulers. “Should I fear being one of the oppressors’ helpers?” He answered: “You are not one of their helpers; you are one of the oppressors. Their helpers are those who sell you thread and needles.” Dhū al-Nūn al-Miṣrī practiced a still subtler scrupulousness; I have heard of none finer.

إِنَّ السُّلْطَانَ لَمَّا سَجَنَهُ فِي كَلَامٍ أَنْكَرَهُ عَلَيْهِ الْعَامَّةُ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ الْغَامِضِ كَانَتِ الْمَائِدَةُ مِنْ قِبَلِ السُّلْطَانِ تَخْتَلِفُ إِلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ يَطْعَمُ مِنْهَا شَيْئًا، وَلَمْ يَأْكُلْ أَيَّامًا كَثِيرَةً مُدَّةَ مُقَامِهِ فِي السِّجْنِ. فَكَانَتْ لَهُ أُخْتٌ قَدْ آخَتْهُ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى تَبْعَثُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ مِغْزَلِهَا وَتَدْفَعُهُ إِلَى السَّجَّانِ فَيَحْمِلُهُ إِلَيْهِ وَيُعَرِّفُهُ أَنَّهُ مِنْ قِبَلِ تِلْكَ الْعَجُوزِ الصَّالِحَةِ، فَلَمْ يَأْكُلْ أَيْضًا مِنْهُ.

ʾinna al-sulṭāna lammā sajanahu fī kalāmin ʾankarahu ʿalayhi al-ʿāmmatu mina al-ʿilmi al-ghāmiḍi kānati al-māʾidatu min qibali al-sulṭāni takhtalifu ʾilayhi falam yakun yaṭʿamu minhā shayʾan, walam yaʾkul ʾayyāman kathīratan muddata muqāmihi fī al-sijni. fakānat lahu ʾukhtun qad ʾākhat-hu fī Allāhi taʿālā tabʿathu ʾilayhi min mighzalihā watadfaʿuhu ʾilā al-sajjāni fayaḥmiluhu ʾilayhi wayuʿarrifuhu ʾannahu min qibali tilka al-ʿajūzi al-ṣāliḥati, falam yaʾkul ʾayḍan minhu.

When the ruler imprisoned him for statements of esoteric knowledge that ordinary people rejected, meals from the ruler repeatedly arrived, but he ate none. He went many days without eating during his imprisonment. A woman who had become his sister for God Most High sent food from her spinning earnings, giving it to the jailer to carry in and explain that it came from that righteous old woman. He would not eat this either.

فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ لَقِيَتْهُ الْعَجُوزُ فَعَاتَبَتْهُ عَلَى رَدِّ الطَّعَامِ وَقَالَتْ: قَدْ عَلِمْتَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنْ مِغْزَلِي؟ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ جَاءَنِي عَلَى طَبَقِ ظَالِمٍ فَرَدَدْتُهُ لِأَجْلِ الظَّرْفِ، يَعْنِي بِهَذَا يَدَ السَّجَّانِ. وَلَعَمْرِي إِنَّا رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّهُ أَهْدَى لَهُ دِهْقَانٌ بِالْكُوفَةِ فِي يَوْمِ عِيدٍ لَهُمْ خَبِيصًا عَلَى جَامٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ يُكْرِمُهُ بِذَلِكَ، فَرَدَّهُ وَلَمْ يَأْكُلْ مِنْهُ، قَالَ: رَدَدْتُهُ لِأَجْلِ ظَرْفِهِ الَّذِي كَانَ فِيهِ.

falammā kharaja laqiyat-hu al-ʿajūzu faʿātabat-hu ʿalā raddi al-ṭaʿāmi waqālat: qad ʿalimta ʾannahu kāna min mighzalī? faqāla: naʿam, ʾillā ʾannahu jāʾanī ʿalā ṭabaqi ẓālimin faradadtuhu liʾajli al-ẓarfi, yaʿnī bi-hādhā yada al-sajjāni. walaʿamrī ʾinnā rawaynā ʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾannahu ʾahdā lahu dihqānun bi-al-kūfati fī yawmi ʿīdin lahum khabīṣan ʿalā jāmin min dhahabin yukrimuhu bi-dhālika, faraddahu walam yaʾkul minhu, qāla: radadtuhu liʾajli ẓarfihi alladhī kāna fīhi.

After his release, she reproached him: “You knew it came from my spinning?” He answered: “Yes, but it came to me on an oppressor’s platter, so I rejected it because of the vessel,” meaning the jailer’s hand. Indeed, we have related that a Persian landholder in Kufa gave ʿAlī, peace be upon him, a sweet pudding on a gold bowl during their festival, intending to honor him. He returned it uneaten, saying: “I returned it because of the vessel containing it.”

وَقِيلَ: مَنْ أَكَلَ لُقْمَةً مِنْ حَرَامٍ قَسَا قَلْبُهُ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، وَيُقَالُ: أَظْلَمَ قَلْبُهُ. وَمَنْ أَكَلَ الْحَلَالَ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا زَهِدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَأَدْخَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي قَلْبِهِ وَأَجْرَى الْحِكْمَةَ عَلَى لِسَانِهِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: أَوَّلُ لُقْمَةٍ يَأْكُلُهَا الْعَبْدُ مِنْ حَلَالٍ يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُ بِهَا مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ. وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ: مَنْ أَقَامَ نَفْسَهُ مَقَامَ ذُلٍّ فِي طَلَبِ الْحَلَالِ تَسَاقَطَتْ عَنْهُ ذُنُوبُهُ كَمَا يَتَسَاقَطُ وَرَقُ الشَّجَرِ فِي الشِّتَاءِ.

waqīla: man ʾakala luqmatan min ḥarāmin qasā qalbuhu ʾarbaʿīna yawman, wayuqālu: ʾaẓlama qalbuhu. waman ʾakala al-ḥalāla ʾarbaʿīna yawman zahida fī al-dunyā waʾadkhala Allāhu taʿālā fī qalbihi waʾajrā al-ḥikmata ʿalā lisānihi. waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: ʾawwalu luqmatin yaʾkuluhā al-ʿabdu min ḥalālin yaghfiru Allāhu taʿālā lahu bihā mā taqaddama min dhanbihi. waqāla al-ʾākharu: man ʾaqāma nafsahu maqāma dhullin fī ṭalabi al-ḥalāli tasāqaṭat ʿanhu dhunūbuhu kamā yatasāqaṭu waraqu al-shajari fī al-shitāʾi.

It is said that one unlawful mouthful hardens the heart for forty days, or, in another wording, darkens it. Whoever eats lawfully for forty days renounces the world; God Most High puts something into his heart and makes wisdom flow upon his tongue. One early authority said: “With the first lawful mouthful a servant eats, God Most High forgives his previous sins.” Another said: “Whoever places himself in humility to seek lawful sustenance has his sins fall away like a tree’s leaves in winter.”

وَكَانَ سَهْلٌ يَقُولُ فِي السَّائِحِينَ فِي الْأَمْصَارِ وَالْمُنْقَطِعِينَ بِالْأَسْفَارِ: إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَدْخُلُ قَرْيَةً فَيَجُوعُ، وَلَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى الشُّبُهَاتِ فَلَا يَأْكُلُ، وَيَبِيتُ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ جَائِعًا، فَيُجْعَلُ فِي مِيزَانِهِ جَمِيعُ أَعْمَالِ أَهْلِ تِلْكَ الْقَرْيَةِ. وَمَنْ أَجْبَرَهُ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى طَعَامٍ أَوْ قُدِّمَ إِلَيْهِ شُبْهَةٌ أَكْرَهَهُ عَلَى أَكْلِهَا، فَلْيَتَعَلَّلْ بِعُلَالَةٍ مِنْهُ، وَلْيَتَغَيَّرْ تَغَيُّرًا، وَلَا يَقْصِدْ طَيِّبًا وَلَا يُكَبِّرِ اللُّقْمَةَ، وَلَا يَسْتَكْثِرْ فِي الطُّعْمَةِ وَلْيَأْكُلْ مَا يَسُدُّ رَمَقَهُ، وَمَا يَخَافُ التَّلَفَ بِنَفْسِهِ إِنْ هُوَ فَارَقَهُ.

wakāna sahlun yaqūlu fī al-sāʾiḥīna fī al-ʾamṣāri wa-al-munqaṭiʿīna bi-al-ʾasfāri: ʾinna al-rajula layadkhulu qaryatan fayajūʿu, walā yaqdiru ʿalā al-shubuhāti falā yaʾkulu, wayabītu tilka al-laylata jāʾiʿan, fayujʿalu fī mīzānihi jamīʿu ʾaʿmāli ʾahli tilka al-qaryati. waman ʾajbarahu sulṭānun ʿalā ṭaʿāmin ʾaw quddima ʾilayhi shubhatun ʾakrahahu ʿalā ʾaklihā, falyataʿallal biʿulālatin minhu, walyataghayyar taghayyuran, walā yaqṣid ṭayyiban walā yukabbiri al-luqmata, walā yastakthir fī al-ṭuʿmati walyaʾkul mā yasuddu ramaqahu, wamā yakhāfu al-talafa binafsihi ʾin huwa fāraqahu.

Sahl said of travelers through the provinces and those cut off on journeys: “A man enters a village hungry, cannot obtain even doubtful food, eats nothing, and spends the night hungry; all the villagers’ deeds are then placed in his scale.” If a ruler forces someone to eat, or compels him to eat doubtful food set before him, he should sustain himself with a little and show his discomfort. He should not seek the tastiest food, take large mouthfuls, or eat much, but only what keeps him alive and whose absence would make him fear death.

حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ الشُّهُودِ أَنَّ مُزَكِّيًا مِنْ بَعْضِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ بِخُرَاسَانَ رَدَّ شَهَادَةَ شَاهِدٍ أَكَلَ مِنْ طَعَامِ سُلْطَانٍ كَانَ أَجْبَرَهُ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّهُ كَانَ أَجْبَرَنِي عَلَى الْأَكْلِ. فَقَالَ: قَدْ عَلِمْتُ ذَلِكَ

ḥaddathanī baʿḍu al-shuhūdi ʾanna muzakkiyan min baʿḍi ʾahli al-ʿilmi bikhurāsāna radda shahādata shāhidin ʾakala min ṭaʿāmi sulṭānin kāna ʾajbarahu, faqāla: ʾinnahu kāna ʾajbaranī ʿalā al-ʾakli. faqāla: qad ʿalimtu dhālika

A legal witness told me that a scholar in Khurasan charged with assessing witnesses’ reliability rejected a witness who had eaten a ruler’s food under compulsion. The witness protested: “He forced me to eat.” The assessor replied: “I knew that,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٢٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 322

Volume Two, page 322

وَلَمْ أَرُدَّ شَهَادَتَكَ لِأَنَّكَ أَكَلْتَ، وَلَكِنِّي رَأَيْتُكَ تَقْصِدُ الطَّيِّبَ وَتُكَبِّرُ اللُّقْمَةَ فَهَلْ كَانَ أَجْبَرَكَ عَلَى هَذَا؟ فَلِهَذَا جَرَحْتُكَ عِنْدَ الْحَاكِمِ. قَالَ لَنَا الشَّيْخُ: وَأَجْبَرَ السُّلْطَانُ هَذَا الْمُزَكِّيَ عَلَى الْأَكْلِ مِنْ مَالِهِ فَقَالَ: اخْتَارُوا إِحْدَى خَصْلَتَيْنِ: إِمَّا أَنْ آكُلَ كَمَا أَمَرْتُمْ وَلَا أُزَكِّيَ أَحَدًا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ وَلَا أَجْرَحَ وَلَا أُعَدِّلَ شَاهِدًا، وَإِمَّا أَنْ أُتْرَكَ عَلَى هَذَا فِي الْجَرْحِ وَالتَّعْدِيلِ بِالتَّزْكِيَةِ وَلَا آكُلَ مِنْ طَعَامِكُمْ.

walam ʾarudda shahādataka liʾannaka ʾakalta, walakinnī raʾaytuka taqṣidu al-ṭayyiba watukabbiru al-luqmata fahal kāna ʾajbaraka ʿalā hādhā? fali-hādhā jaraḥtuka ʿinda al-ḥākimi. qāla lanā al-shaykhu: waʾajbara al-sulṭānu hādhā al-muzakkiya ʿalā al-ʾakli min mālihi faqāla: ikhtārū ʾiḥdā khaṣlatayni: ʾimmā ʾan ʾākula kamā ʾamartum walā ʾuzakkiya ʾaḥadan baʿda dhālika walā ʾajraḥa walā ʾuʿaddila shāhidan, waʾimmā ʾan ʾutraka ʿalā hādhā fī al-jarḥi wa-al-taʿdīli bi-al-tazkiyati walā ʾākula min ṭaʿāmikum.

and I did not reject your testimony because you ate. I saw you choose the finest food and take large mouthfuls. Did he force you to do that? That is why I challenged your reliability before the judge.” Our shaykh said: “The ruler then compelled this assessor to eat from his wealth. He answered, ‘Choose one of two things: I eat as ordered and afterward certify no one, challenge no witness, and declare none reliable; or I continue assessing and certifying witnesses and do not eat your food.’”

قَالَ: فَنَظَرَ السُّلْطَانُ وَذَوُوهُ فَإِذَا هُمْ مُحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيْهِ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ قَلِيلَ النَّظِيرِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ بُدٌّ مِنْ حُسْنِ نَظَرِهِ وَمِنْ قِيَامِهِ بِشَأْنِ الْحُكَّامِ، فَتَرَكُوهُ وَحْدَهُ فَلَمْ يَأْكُلْ مِنْ طَعَامِهِمْ شَيْئًا وَأَجْبَرُوا مَنْ كَانَ مَعَهُ. وَكَانُوا قَدْ حُمِلُوا مِنْ نَيْسَابُورَ إِلَى بُخَارَى فِي قِصَّةٍ طَوِيلَةٍ حَذَفْتُ سَبَبَهَا، وَالْمَعْنَى هَذَا بِاخْتِلَافِ الْأَلْفَاظِ الَّتِي سَمِعْتُهَا وَلَكِنْ تَوَخَّيْتُ مَا سَمِعْتُ عَلَى الْمَعْنَى.

qāla: fanaẓara al-sulṭānu wadhawūhu faʾidhā hum muḥtājūna ʾilayhi liʾannahu kāna qalīla al-naẓīri, walam yakun lahu buddun min ḥusni naẓarihi wamin qiyāmihi bishaʾni al-ḥukkāmi, fatarakūhu waḥdahu falam yaʾkul min ṭaʿāmihim shayʾan waʾajbarū man kāna maʿahu. wakānū qad ḥumilū min naysābūra ʾilā bukhārā fī qiṣṣatin ṭawīlatin ḥadhaftu sababahā, wa-al-maʿnā hādhā bikhtilāfi al-ʾalfāẓi allatī samiʿtuhā wa-lākin tawakhkhaytu mā samiʿtu ʿalā al-maʿnā.

He said: “The ruler and his associates considered the matter and realized they needed him, since he had few equals. The ruler could not do without his sound judgment and his work for the judges. They left him alone; he ate none of their food, while they compelled his companions.” They had been brought from Nishapur to Bukhara in a long affair whose circumstances I have omitted. This is the substance, though the words differ from those I heard; I have sought to convey their meaning.

وَقَدْ كَانَ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ يَقُولُ: فِي الْأَكْلِ مِنَ الشُّبُهَاتِ يَدٌ أَقْصَرُ مِنْ يَدٍ وَلُقْمَةٌ أَصْغَرُ مِنْ لُقْمَةٍ. وَكَانَ إِذَا نَفَّرُوا تَكَلَّمَ فِي الْحَلَالِ قِيلَ لَهُ: فَأَنْتَ يَا أَبَا نَصْرٍ مِنْ أَيْنَ تَأْكُلُ؟ وَهُوَ يَضْحَكُ. وَقَدْ كَانَ سَرِيٌّ السَّقَطِيُّ يَقُولُ: لَا نَصْبِرُ عَلَى تَرْكِ الشُّبُهَاتِ، كَمَا كَانَ الزُّهْرِيُّ إِذَا عُوتِبَ فِي صُحْبَةِ بَنِي مَرْوَانَ يَقُولُ: أَصْدُقُكُمُ الْحَقَّ، اتَّسَعْنَا فِي الشَّهَوَاتِ فَضَاقَ عَلَيْنَا مَا فِي أَيْدِينَا فَانْبَسَطْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ؛ وَهَذَا فَصْلُ الْخِطَابِ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.

waqad kāna bishru bnu al-ḥārithi yaqūlu: fī al-ʾakli mina al-shubuhāti yadun ʾaqṣaru min yadin waluqmatun ʾaṣgharu min luqmatin. wakāna ʾidhā naffarū takallama fī al-ḥalāli qīla lahu: faʾanta yā ʾabā naṣrin min ʾayna taʾkulu? wahuwa yaḍḥaku. waqad kāna sariyyun al-saqaṭiyyu yaqūlu: lā naṣbiru ʿalā tarki al-shubuhāti, kamā kāna al-zuhriyyu ʾidhā ʿūtiba fī ṣuḥbati banī marwāna yaqūlu: ʾaṣduqukumu al-ḥaqqa, ittasaʿnā fī al-shahawāti faḍāqa ʿalaynā mā fī ʾaydīnā fa-inbasaṭnā ʾilayhim; wa-hādhā faṣlu al-khiṭābi liʾulī al-ʾalbābi wa-Allāhu ʾaʿlamu.

Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith used to say: “In eating doubtful things, one hand reaches less than another, and one mouthful is smaller than another.” When people expressed aversion, he spoke about lawful food and was asked: “Then where do you eat from, Abū Naṣr?” while he laughed. Sarī al-Saqaṭī used to say: “We cannot endure giving up doubtful things.” Likewise, when al-Zuhrī was reproached for keeping company with the Marwānids, he said: “I will tell you the truth: we expanded our appetites until what we possessed became insufficient, so we turned to them.” This is the decisive word for people of understanding. God knows best.

الْفَصْلُ الْحَادِي وَالْأَرْبَعُونَ فِي ذِكْرِ فَضَائِلِ الْفَقْرِ وَفَرَائِضِهِ وَنَعْتِ عُمُومِ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَخُصُوصِهِمْ وَتَفْصِيلِ قَبُولِ الْعَطَاءِ وَرَدِّهِ وَطَرِيقَةِ السَّلَفِ فِيهِ

al-faṣlu al-ḥādī wa-al-ʾarbaʿūna fī dhikri faḍāʾili al-faqri wafarāʾiḍihi wanaʿti ʿumūmi al-fuqarāʾi wakhuṣūṣihim watafṣīli qabūli al-ʿaṭāʾi waraddihi waṭarīqati al-salafi fīhi

Chapter Forty-One: The virtues and obligations of poverty, the characteristics of the poor in general and their elect, distinctions concerning accepting and refusing gifts, and the way of the early generations in this

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٢٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 323

Volume Two, page 323

قَالَ اللَّهُ الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ: (لِلْفُقَرَاءِ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ وَأَمْوَالِهِمْ) الْحَشْرُ: 8. وَقَالَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: (لِلْفُقَرَاءِ الَّذِينَ أُحْصِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًا فِي الْأَرْضِ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 273. فَقَدَّمَ وَصْفَ أَوْلِيَائِهِ بِالْفَقْرِ عَلَى مَدْحِهِمْ بِالْهِجْرَةِ وَالْحَصْرِ، وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَا يَصِفُ مَنْ يُحِبُّ إِلَّا بِمَا يُحِبُّ، فَلَوْلَا أَنَّ الْفَقْرَ أَحَبُّ الْأَوْصَافِ إِلَيْهِ مَا مَدَحَ بِهِ أَحِبَّاءَهُ وَشَرَّفَهُمْ بِهِ.

qāla Allāhu al-kabīru al-mutaʿāli: (li-l-fuqarāʾi al-muhājirīna alladhīna ʾukhrijū min diyārihim waʾamwālihim) al-ḥashru: 8. waqāla tabāraka wataʿālā: (li-l-fuqarāʾi alladhīna ʾuḥṣirū fī sabīli Allāhi lā yastaṭīʿūna ḍarban fī al-ʾarḍi) al-baqaratu: 273. faqaddama waṣfa ʾawliyāʾihi bi-al-faqri ʿalā madḥihim bi-al-hijrati wa-al-ḥaṣri, wa-Allāhu taʿālā lā yaṣifu man yuḥibbu ʾillā bimā yuḥibbu, falawlā ʾanna al-faqra ʾaḥabbu al-ʾawṣāfi ʾilayhi mā madaḥa bihi ʾaḥibbāʾahu washarrafahum bihi.

God, the Great, the Most Exalted, said: “For the poor emigrants who were driven from their homes and possessions” (al-Ḥashr 59:8). He, Blessed and Exalted, also said: “For the poor who are confined in God's path, unable to travel through the land” (al-Baqara 2:273). He describes His friends as poor before praising their emigration and confinement. God Most High describes those He loves only by what He loves. Had poverty not been His most beloved description, He would not have praised and honored His loved ones with it.

وَأَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالْفَقْرِ وَأَخْبَرَ بِفَضْلِهِ فِي غَيْرِ حَدِيثٍ؛ مِنْهَا حَدِيثُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ عَيَّاشٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ عَنِ اِبْنِ عِمْرَانَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ: أَيُّ النَّاسِ خَيْرٌ؟ فَقَالُوا: مُوسِرٌ مِنَ الْمَالِ يُعْطِي حَقَّ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ، فَقَالَ: نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ هَذَا وَلَيْسَ بِهِ.

waʾamara rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama bi-al-faqri waʾakhbara bifaḍlihi fī ghayri ḥadīthin; minhā ḥadīthu ʾismāʿīla bni ʿayyāshin ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni dīnārin ʿani ibni ʿimrāna ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, qāla liʾaṣḥābihi: ʾayyu al-nāsi khayrun? faqālū: mūsirun mina al-māli yuʿṭī ḥaqqa Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fī nafsihi wamālihi, faqāla: niʿma al-rajulu hādhā walaysa bihi.

God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, enjoined poverty and spoke of its excellence in several reports. One is Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh's report from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Dīnār, from Ibn ʿImrān, from God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace. He asked his Companions, “Who is the best person?” They replied, “A wealthy man who fulfills the due of God, mighty and majestic, in his person and wealth.” He said, “A fine man indeed, but that is not the one.”

قَالُوا: مَنْ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: فَقِيرٌ يُعْطِي جُهْدَهُ. وَمِنْهَا حَدِيثُ بِلَالٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَهُ: اِلْقَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَقِيرًا وَلَا تَلْقَهُ غَنِيًّا. وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي رُوِيَ عَنِ اِبْنِ الْأَعْرَابِيِّ: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَهُ: لَا أَفْضَلَ مِنَ الْفَقِيرِ إِذَا كَانَ رَاضِيًا.

qālū: man khayru al-nāsi yā rasūla Allāhi? qāla: faqīrun yuʿṭī juhdahu. waminhā ḥadīthu bilālin ʾanna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla lahu: ilqa Allāha ʿazza wajalla faqīran walā talqahu ghaniyyan. wafī al-ḥadīthi alladhī ruwiya ʿani ibni al-ʾaʿrābiyyi: ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla lahu: lā ʾafḍala mina al-faqīri ʾidhā kāna rāḍiyan.

They asked, “Who is the best person, Messenger of God?” He replied, “A poor man who gives all he can.” Another is Bilāl's report that God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, told him, “Meet God, mighty and majestic, as a poor man; do not meet Him rich.” In the report transmitted from Ibn al-Aʿrābī, the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, told him, “No one is better than the poor man when he is content.”

وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى يُحِبُّ الْفَقِيرَ الْمُتَعَفِّفَ أَبَا الْعِيَالِ. وَفِي الْخَبَرَيْنِ الْمَشْهُورَيْنِ: يَدْخُلُ فُقَرَاءُ أُمَّتِي الْجَنَّةَ قَبْلَ أَغْنِيَائِهِمْ بِخَمْسِمِائَةِ عَامٍ. وَالْحَدِيثُ الْآخَرُ: اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مِسْكِينًا وَأَمِتْنِي مِسْكِينًا وَاُحْشُرْنِي فِي زُمْرَةِ الْمَسَاكِينِ. فَهَذَا مِنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَفْضِيلٌ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَإِكْرَامٌ لَهُمْ وَتَنْبِيهٌ وَحَثٌّ عَلَى فَضْلِ الْفَقْرِ.

wafī al-ḥadīthi al-ʾākhari: ʾinna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā yuḥibbu al-faqīra al-mutaʿaffifa ʾabā al-ʿiyāli. wafī al-khabarayni al-mashhūrayni: yadkhulu fuqarāʾu ʾummatī al-jannata qabla ʾaghniyāʾihim bikhamsimiʾati ʿāmin. wa-al-ḥadīthu al-ʾākharu: Allāhumma ʾaḥyinī miskīnan waʾamitnī miskīnan wa-uḥshurnī fī zumrati al-masākīni. fa-hādhā minhu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama tafḍīlun li-l-fuqarāʾi waʾikrāmun lahum watanbīhun waḥaththun ʿalā faḍli al-faqri.

Another report says, “God, Blessed and Exalted, loves the poor father of a family who refrains from asking.” The two famous reports include, “The poor of my community will enter the Garden five hundred years before their rich,” and, “O God, let me live poor, die poor, and be gathered among the poor.” Thus he, may God bless him and grant him peace, gives the poor precedence and honor, drawing attention to poverty's excellence and urging it.

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: خَيْرُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ فُقَرَاؤُهَا وَأَسْرَعُهَا تَضْجِيعًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ ضُعَفَاؤُهَا. وَرَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ الْمُفَسِّرِ لِخَبَرِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: أَنَّ إِسْمَاعِيلَ قَالَ: يَا رَبِّ أَيْنَ أَطْلُبُكَ؟ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: عِنْدَ الْمُنْكَسِرَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ مِنْ أَجْلِي، قَالَ: وَمَنْ هُمْ؟ فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: الْفُقَرَاءُ الصَّادِقُونَ.

warawaynā ʿanhu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: khayru hādhihi al-ʾummati fuqarāʾuhā waʾasraʿuhā taḍjīʿan fī al-jannati ḍuʿafāʾuhā. warawaynā fī khabari ʾismāʿīla al-nabiyyi ʿalayhi al-salāmu al-mufassiri likhabari mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu: ʾanna ʾismāʿīla qāla: yā rabbi ʾayna ʾaṭlubuka? faqāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ʿinda al-munkasirati qulūbuhum min ʾajlī, qāla: waman hum? faqāla taʿālā: al-fuqarāʾu al-ṣādiqūna.

We have transmitted from him, may God bless him and grant him peace: “The best of this community are its poor, and the quickest to recline in the Garden are its weak.” In a report about the prophet Ishmael, peace be upon him, explaining the report about Moses, peace be upon him, we have transmitted that Ishmael asked, “My Lord, where should I seek You?” God, mighty and majestic, replied, “Among those whose hearts are broken for My sake.” “Who are they?” he asked. The Most High said, “The truthful poor.”

وَقَالَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ: الْأَعْمَالُ كُلُّهَا فِي الْخَزَائِنِ مَطْرُوحَةٌ إِلَّا شَيْئَيْنِ، فَإِنَّهُ مَخْزُونٌ مَخْتُومٌ عَلَيْهِ لَا يُعْطِيهِ إِلَّا مَنْ طَبَعَهُ بِطَابَعِ الشُّهَدَاءِ: الْفَقْرُ مَعَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ. وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: تَنَفُّسُ الْفَقِيرِ دُونَ شَهْوَةٍ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهَا أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ غَنِيٍّ عُمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ.

waqāla ʾabū sulaymāna al-dārāniyyu: al-ʾaʿmālu kulluhā fī al-khazāʾini maṭrūḥatun ʾillā shayʾayni, faʾinnahu makhzūnun makhtūmun ʿalayhi lā yuʿṭīhi ʾillā man ṭabaʿahu biṭābaʿi al-shuhadāʾi: al-faqru maʿa al-maʿrifati. wakāna yaqūlu: tanaffusu al-faqīri dūna shahwatin lā yaqdiru ʿalayhā ʾafḍalu min ʿibādati ghaniyyin ʿumrahu kullahu.

Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī said, “All deeds lie in the treasuries except two things, kept stored and sealed, which He gives only to someone He has stamped with the martyrs' seal: poverty together with knowledge of God.” He used to say, “A poor man's sigh over a desire he cannot afford is better than a rich man's worship throughout his life.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٢٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 324

Volume Two, page 324

وَقَدْ كَانَ بِشْرٌ يَقُولُ: مَثَلُ الْغَنِيِّ الْمُتَعَبِّدِ مَثَلُ رَوْضَةٍ عَلَى مَزْبَلَةٍ، وَمَثَلُ الْعِبَادَةِ عَلَى الْفَقِيرِ مَثَلُ عِقْدِ جَوْهَرٍ فِي جِيدِ الْحَسْنَاءِ. وَقَالَ: الْعِبَادَةُ لَا تَلِيقُ بِالْأَغْنِيَاءِ. وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: التَّقْوَى لَا تَحْسُنُ إِلَّا فِي فَقْرٍ. وَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقِيرٌ: يَا أَبَا نَصْرٍ اُدْعُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِي فَقَدْ أَضَرَّ بِيَ الْفَقْرُ وَالْعِيَالُ.

waqad kāna bishrun yaqūlu: mathalu al-ghaniyyi al-mutaʿabbidi mathalu rawḍatin ʿalā mazbalatin, wamathalu al-ʿibādati ʿalā al-faqīri mathalu ʿiqdi jawharin fī jīdi al-ḥasnāʾi. waqāla: al-ʿibādatu lā talīqu bi-al-ʾaghniyāʾi. wakāna yaqūlu: al-taqwā lā taḥsunu ʾillā fī faqrin. waqāla lahu rajulun faqīrun: yā ʾabā naṣrin udʿu Allāha ʿazza wajalla lī faqad ʾaḍarra biya al-faqru wa-al-ʿiyālu.

Bishr used to say, “A rich worshiper is like a garden on a rubbish heap, while worship adorning a poor man is like a necklace of jewels on a beautiful woman's neck.” He said, “Worship does not suit the rich,” and, “Godfearingness looks beautiful only in poverty.” A poor man told him, “Abū Naṣr, pray to God, mighty and majestic, for me; poverty and my dependents have brought me hardship.”

فَقَالَ لَهُ بِشْرٌ: إِذَا قَالَ لَكَ عِيَالُكَ: لَيْسَ عِنْدَنَا دَقِيقٌ وَلَا خُبْزٌ فَاُدْعُ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَنْتَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ، فَإِنَّ دُعَاءَكَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ دُعَائِي. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: أَبَى أَهْلُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَقْبَلُوا هَذَا الْعِلْمَ وَكَرِهُوا أَنْ يَسْمَعُوهُ مِنَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ وَزَعَمُوا أَنَّهُ لَا يَلِيقُ بِهِمْ.

faqāla lahu bishrun: ʾidhā qāla laka ʿiyāluka: laysa ʿindanā daqīqun walā khubzun fa-udʿu Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā ʾanta fī dhālika al-waqti, faʾinna duʿāʾaka ʾafḍalu min duʿāʾī. waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: ʾabā ʾahlu al-maʿrifati bi-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾan yaqbalū hādhā al-ʿilma wakarihū ʾan yasmaʿūhu mina al-ʾaghniyāʾi wazaʿamū ʾannahu lā yalīqu bihim.

Bishr replied, “When your family tells you, ‘We have neither flour nor bread,’ pray yourself to God, Blessed and Exalted, at that moment. Your prayer is better than mine.” One of the early generations said, “Those who know God, mighty and majestic, refused to accept this knowledge and disliked hearing it from the rich, maintaining that it did not suit them.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الْفُقَرَاءِ يَقُولُ: هَذَا الْعِلْمُ، يَعْنِي عِلْمَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، عَوَّضَهُ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى الْفُقَرَاءَ بَدَلًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، لَا يُظْهِرُهُ إِلَّا هُمْ وَلَا يُوجَدُ إِلَّا عِنْدَهُمْ، رَوَّحَهُمُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَجَعَلَهُ عِوَضًا لَهُمْ مِمَّا تَرَكُوهُ لَهُ الْيَوْمَ. فَإِذَا كَانَ غَدًا فَهُمُ الَّذِينَ لَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ وَهُوَ الْمَزِيدُ.

waqad kāna baʿḍu al-fuqarāʾi yaqūlu: hādhā al-ʿilmu, yaʿnī ʿilma al-maʿrifati, ʿawwaḍahu Allāhu subḥānahu wataʿālā al-fuqarāʾa badalan mina al-dunyā, lā yuẓhiruhu ʾillā hum walā yūjadu ʾillā ʿindahum, rawwaḥahumu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla bihi fī al-dunyā wajaʿalahu ʿiwaḍan lahum mimmā tarakūhu lahu al-yawma. faʾidhā kāna ghadan fahumu alladhīna lā taʿlamu nafsun mā ʾukhfiya lahum min qurrati ʾaʿyunin wahuwa al-mazīdu.

One of the poor used to say, “This knowledge,” meaning knowledge of God, “is what God, Glorified and Exalted, has given the poor in exchange for this world. Only they make it manifest, and only among them is it found. God, mighty and majestic, comforts them with it here and makes it compensation for what they relinquish for Him today. Tomorrow they will be those for whom no soul knows what delight has been hidden: that is the further increase.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يَدْخُلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ بَابٍ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِمَا صَبَرْتُمْ) الرَّعْدُ: 23، قَالَ: الْفَقْرُ فِي الدُّنْيَا. فَمِنْ فَرَائِضِ الْفَقْرِ عِنْدَ الْفُقَرَاءِ: الصَّبْرُ عَلَيْهِ بِتَرْكِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ قَبْلَ وُرُودِ الْفَاقَةِ، وَقَطْعُ الْهَمِّ عَنِ التَّشَرُّفِ إِلَى الْخَلْقِ، وَأَنْ لَا يَتَنَاوَلَ عِنْدَ الْحَاجَةِ مَا حَظَرَهُ عَلَيْهِ الْعِلْمُ، وَلَا يُجَاوِزَ حَدًّا مِنْ حُدُودِ الْأَحْكَامِ.

waqad rawaynā fī tafsīri qawlihi taʿālā: (wa-al-malāʾikatu yadkhulūna ʿalayhim min kulli bābin salāmun ʿalaykum bimā ṣabartum) al-raʿdu: 23, qāla: al-faqru fī al-dunyā. famin farāʾiḍi al-faqri ʿinda al-fuqarāʾi: al-ṣabru ʿalayhi bitarki al-masʾalati qabla wurūdi al-fāqati, waqaṭʿu al-hammi ʿani al-tasharrufi ʾilā al-khalqi, waʾan lā yatanāwala ʿinda al-ḥājati mā ḥaẓarahu ʿalayhi al-ʿilmu, walā yujāwiza ḥaddan min ḥudūdi al-ʾaḥkāmi.

In explanation of the words of God Most High, “The angels enter upon them from every gate: ‘Peace be upon you for your patience’” (al-Raʿd 13:23), we have transmitted: “Poverty in this world.” Among poverty's obligations, according to the poor, are enduring it without asking before need arises, ending one's anxious expectation of creatures, refusing in need what religious knowledge prohibits, and crossing none of the bounds established by the rulings.

وَإِنْ سَأَلَ عِنْدَ حَاجَةٍ لَمْ يَسْتَكْثِرْ وَلَمْ يَدَّخِرْ، فَإِنْ أُعْطِيَ فَوْقَ كِفَايَتِهِ فَاِقْتَنَاهُ لِيَكُفَّ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِهِ. وَيَتَوَخَّى فِي مَسْأَلَتِهِ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَمَنْ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ يَتَحَرَّى فِي مَكْسَبِهِ، فَإِنَّ مَسْأَلَتَهُ عَمَلٌ لَهُ يَلْزَمُهُ التَّوَرُّعُ فِيهَا كَمَا يَلْزَمُهُ الْوَرَعُ فِي مَكْسَبِهِ. وَلَا يَسْأَلُ مَنْ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ لَا يُبَالِي مِنْ أَيْنَ يَأْكُلُ، وَمَنْ لَا يَرْتَدِعُ عَنِ الْحَرَامِ فِي مَكْسَبِهِ.

waʾin saʾala ʿinda ḥājatin lam yastakthir walam yaddakhir, faʾin ʾuʿṭiya fawqa kifāyatihi fa-iqtanāhu liyakuffa ʿani al-masʾalati falā baʾsa bihi. wayatawakhkhā fī masʾalatihi al-muttaqīna waman yaʿlamu ʾannahu yataḥarrā fī maksabihi, faʾinna masʾalatahu ʿamalun lahu yalzamuhu al-tawarruʿu fīhā kamā yalzamuhu al-waraʿu fī maksabihi. walā yasʾalu man yaʿlamu ʾannahu lā yubālī min ʾayna yaʾkulu, waman lā yartadiʿu ʿani al-ḥarāmi fī maksabihi.

If he asks when in need, he should not seek excess or store it up. If he is given more than suffices and retains it to avoid asking again, there is no harm. He should direct his requests to the Godfearing and those he knows are careful in their earnings. Asking is itself his work, requiring the scrupulousness required in earning. He must not ask someone he knows is indifferent to the source of his food or unrestrained by what is unlawful in earning.

وَالْعَبْدُ بِنَفْسِ الْحَاجَةِ وَالْجُوعِ يَسْتَحِقُّ عَلَى إِخْوَانِهِ شَبْعَةً يُقِيمُ بِهَا صُلْبَهُ وَيُسَكِّنُ بِهَا نَفْسَهُ، وَبِنَفْسِ الْعُرْيِ وَالْعَدَمِ يَسْتَحِقُّ عَلَيْهِمْ ثَوْبًا يُوَارِي بِهِ عَوْرَتَهُ، وَذَلِكَ لَازِمٌ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ وَوَاجِبٌ لَهُ، فَإِنْ قَامَ بِهِ بَعْضُهُمْ سَقَطَ عَنْ بَعْضٍ وُجُوبُهُ، وَإِنْ سَأَلَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا شَيْءَ عَلَيْهِ.

wa-al-ʿabdu binafsi al-ḥājati wa-al-jūʿi yastaḥiqqu ʿalā ʾikhwānihi shabʿatan yuqīmu bihā ṣulbahu wayusakkinu bihā nafsahu, wabinafsi al-ʿuryi wa-al-ʿadami yastaḥiqqu ʿalayhim thawban yuwārī bihi ʿawratahu, wa-dhālika lāzimun li-l-muslimīna wawājibun lahu, faʾin qāma bihi baʿḍuhum saqaṭa ʿan baʿḍin wujūbuhu, waʾin saʾala dhālika falā shayʾa ʿalayhi.

By need and hunger alone, a servant has a claim upon his brothers for a satisfying meal to sustain his body and settle his hunger. By nakedness and destitution alone, he has a claim upon them for a garment to cover his private parts. This binds the Muslims and is his due. If some fulfill it, the obligation falls from the others. He incurs no blame for asking for it.

وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ كَفَّارَةَ الْمَسْأَلَةِ صِدْقُ السَّائِلِ فِي مَسْأَلَتِهِ، وَصِدْقُهُ أَنْ لَا يَسْأَلَ إِلَّا بَعْدَ فَاقَتِهِ وَمَعَ خَوْفِ التَّقْصِيرِ فِي أَدَاءِ فَرَائِضِهِ مِنِ اِخْتِلَافِ عَقْلِهِ وَتَشَتُّتِ قَلْبِهِ، وَأَنْ يَكُفَّ مَعَ أَوَّلِ الْكِفَايَةِ، وَلَا يَدَّخِرَ بَعْدَ الشِّبَعِ لِيَسْتَكْثِرَ، وَلَا يَجْعَلَ الْمَسْأَلَةَ إِنْ دُفِعَ إِلَيْهَا لَهُ عَادَةً وَكَدًّا وَلَا حِرْفَةً. وَمَهْمَا اِسْتَغْنَى عَنِ السُّؤَالِ فَلْيَكُنْ ذَلِكَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ، فَإِنَّهُ أَفْضَلُ لَهُ.

wayuqālu ʾinna kaffārata al-masʾalati ṣidqu al-sāʾili fī masʾalatihi, waṣidquhu ʾan lā yasʾala ʾillā baʿda fāqatihi wamaʿa khawfi al-taqṣīri fī ʾadāʾi farāʾiḍihi mini ikhtilāfi ʿaqlihi watashattuti qalbihi, waʾan yakuffa maʿa ʾawwali al-kifāyati, walā yaddakhira baʿda al-shibaʿi liyastakthira, walā yajʿala al-masʾalata ʾin dufiʿa ʾilayhā lahu ʿādatan wakaddan walā ḥirfatan. wamahmā istaghnā ʿani al-suʾāli falyakun dhālika ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi, faʾinnahu ʾafḍalu lahu.

It is said that asking is atoned for by the petitioner's truthfulness. He is truthful when he asks only after becoming needy, fearing that disordered thought and a distracted heart will impair his obligatory duties; when he stops as soon as he has enough; and when he does not store up excess after eating his fill. If driven to ask, he must not make it a habit, occupation, or trade. Whenever he can dispense with asking, he should prefer that, for it is better for him.

وَقَدْ سَأَلَ ثَلَاثَةٌ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ عِنْدَ فَاقَتِهِمْ: سُلَيْمَانُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لَمَّا سُلِبَ مُلْكُهُ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، وَمُوسَى وَالْخَضِرُ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ لَمَّا اِسْتَطْعَمَا أَهْلَ الْقَرْيَةِ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لِلسَّائِلِ حَقٌّ وَإِنْ جَاءَ عَلَى فَرَسٍ. وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: رُدُّوا السَّائِلَ وَلَوْ بِظِلْفٍ مُحْرَقٍ.

waqad saʾala thalāthatun mina al-ʾanbiyāʾi ʿinda fāqatihim: sulaymānu ʿalayhi al-salāmu lammā suliba mulkuhu ʾarbaʿīna yawman, wamūsā wa-al-khaḍiru ʿalayhimā al-salāmu lammā istaṭʿamā ʾahla al-qaryati. warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: li-l-sāʾili ḥaqqun waʾin jāʾa ʿalā farasin. wafī al-ḥadīthi: ruddū al-sāʾila walaw biẓilfin muḥraqin.

Three prophets asked when in need: Solomon, peace be upon him, when deprived of his kingdom for forty days, and Moses and al-Khaḍir, peace be upon them, when they asked the villagers for food. We have transmitted from God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, “The petitioner has a right, even if he comes on a horse.” Another report says, “Send the petitioner away with something, even a scorched hoof.”

فَلَوْ كَانَتِ الْمَسْأَلَةُ إِثْمًا وَعُدْوَانًا لَمْ يَحُثَّ عَلَى الْإِعْطَاءِ فَيَكُونَ مُعَاوِنًا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالِاعْتِدَاءِ، وَلَكِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى، لِأَنَّهُ سَبَبٌ مِنْهُ وَدَالٌّ عَلَيْهِ، فَعَاوَنَ بِالْأَمْرِ بِهِ لِحُرْمَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَلِأَنَّ الْمُوَاسَاةَ مِنَ الْمَعْرُوفِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ. وَسَمِعَ عُمَرُ

falaw kānati al-masʾalatu ʾithman waʿudwānan lam yaḥuththa ʿalā al-ʾiʿṭāʾi fayakūna muʿāwinan ʿalā al-ʾithmi wa-al-iʿtidāʾi, wa-lākinna dhālika mina al-birri wa-al-taqwā, liʾannahu sababun minhu wadāllun ʿalayhi, faʿāwana bi-al-ʾamri bihi liḥurmati al-ʾislāmi, waliʾanna al-muwāsāta mina al-maʿrūfi wa-al-ʾiḥsāni. wasamiʿa ʿumaru

Had asking been sin and aggression, he would not have urged giving, thereby assisting sin and transgression. Rather, it belongs to righteousness and Godfearingness, since it occasions and points toward them. He therefore supported it by commanding it, respecting the sanctity of Islam, and because sharing belongs to kindness and beneficence. ʿUmar heard

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٢٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 325

Volume Two, page 325

رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ سَائِلًا يَسْأَلُ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ فَقَالَ: يَا يَرْفَأُ عَشِّ الرَّجُلَ، فَعَشَّاهُ، ثُمَّ سَمِعَهُ ثَانِيَةً يَسْأَلُ فَقَالَ: أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكَ عَشِّ الرَّجُلَ؟ فَقَالَ: قَدْ عَشَّيْتُهُ. فَنَظَرَ عُمَرُ فَإِذَا تَحْتَ يَدِهِ مِخْلَاةٌ مَمْلُوءَةٌ خُبْزًا فَقَالَ: لَسْتَ سَائِلًا وَلَٰكِنَّكَ تَاجِرٌ، ثُمَّ نَثَرَ الْمِخْلَاةَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ إِبِلِ الصَّدَقَةِ وَضَرَبَهُ بِالدِّرَّةِ وَقَالَ: لَسْتَ سَائِلًا، أَنْتَ تَاجِرٌ.

raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu sāʾilan yasʾalu baʿda al-maghribi faqāla: yā yarfaʾu ʿashshi al-rajula, faʿashshāhu, thumma samiʿahu thāniyatan yasʾalu faqāla: ʾalam ʾaqul laka ʿashshi al-rajula? faqāla: qad ʿashshaytuhu. fanaẓara ʿumaru faʾidhā taḥta yadihi mikhlātun mamlūʾatun khubzan faqāla: lasta sāʾilan walākinnaka tājirun, thumma nathara al-mikhlāta bayna yaday ʾibili al-ṣadaqati waḍarabahu bi-al-dirrati waqāla: lasta sāʾilan, ʾanta tājirun.

may God be pleased with him, a man begging after sunset and said, “Yarfaʾ, give the man supper.” He did so, but then ʿUmar heard him begging again. “Didn't I tell you to give him supper?” he asked. “I did,” came the reply. ʿUmar looked and saw beneath his hand a feedbag full of bread. “You are no beggar; you are a trader,” he said. He emptied the bag before the charity camels and struck him with his whip, saying, “You are no beggar. You are a trader.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي خَلْقِهِ مَثُوبَاتِ فَقْرٍ وَعُقُوبَاتِ فَقْرٍ. فَمِنْ عَلَامَةِ الْفَقْرِ إِذَا كَانَ مَثُوبَةً أَنْ يَحْسُنَ خُلُقُهُ وَيُطِيعَ بِهِ رَبَّهُ وَلَا يَشْكُوَ حَالَهُ وَيَشْكُرَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى عَلَى فَقْرِهِ. وَمِنْ عَلَامَاتِ الْفَقْرِ إِذَا كَانَ عُقُوبَةً أَنْ يَسُوءَ عَلَيْهِ خُلُقُهُ وَيَعْصِيَ بِهِ رَبَّهُ وَيُكْثِرَ الشِّكَايَةَ وَيَتَسَخَّطَ الْقَضَاءَ.

warawaynā ʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾanna li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla fī khalqihi mathūbāti faqrin waʿuqūbāti faqrin. famin ʿalāmati al-faqri ʾidhā kāna mathūbatan ʾan yaḥsuna khuluquhu wayuṭīʿa bihi rabbahu walā yashkuwa ḥālahu wayashkura Allāha taʿālā ʿalā faqrihi. wamin ʿalāmāti al-faqri ʾidhā kāna ʿuqūbatan ʾan yasūʾa ʿalayhi khuluquhu wayaʿṣiya bihi rabbahu wayukthira al-shikāyata wayatasakhkhaṭa al-qaḍāʾa.

We have transmitted from ʿAlī, peace be upon him, that among His creatures God, mighty and majestic, has poverty that rewards and poverty that punishes. A sign of rewarding poverty is that one's character improves, one obeys his Lord through it, does not complain of his condition, and thanks God Most High for his poverty. Signs of punishing poverty are worsening character, disobedience to one's Lord through it, frequent complaints, and resentment of the decree.

فَهَذَا كَمَا قَالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، وَهَذَا النَّوْعُ الَّذِي هُوَ عُقُوبَةٌ مِنَ الْفَقْرِ هُوَ الَّذِي اِسْتَعَاذَ مِنْهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ فَقْرُ النَّفْسِ، لِأَنَّ الْفَقْرَ مِنَ الْمَالِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ الِافْتِقَارُ إِلَى الْخَلْقِ وَالْفَقْرُ إِلَى الْأَشْيَاءِ مَعَ عَدَمِ صِدْقِ الْحَالِ. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي الْخَبَرِ: مَسْأَلَةُ النَّاسِ مِنَ الْفَوَاحِشِ مَا أُحِلَّ مِنَ الْفَوَاحِشِ غَيْرُهَا.

fa-hādhā kamā qāla ʿalayhi al-salāmu, wa-hādhā al-nawʿu alladhī huwa ʿuqūbatun mina al-faqri huwa alladhī istaʿādha minhu al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wahuwa faqru al-nafsi, liʾanna al-faqra mina al-māli ʾinnamā huwa al-iftiqāru ʾilā al-khalqi wa-al-faqru ʾilā al-ʾashyāʾi maʿa ʿadami ṣidqi al-ḥāli. waqad rawaynā fī al-khabari: masʾalatu al-nāsi mina al-fawāḥishi mā ʾuḥilla mina al-fawāḥishi ghayruhā.

It is as he said, peace be upon him. This punishing poverty is what the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, sought refuge from: poverty of the soul. Poverty in wealth here means dependence on creatures and need for things without truthfulness in one's inward state. We have transmitted the report, “Asking people is among the shameful things; no other shameful thing has been permitted.”

وَبَايَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَوْمًا عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ فَاِشْتَرَطَ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّمْعَ وَالطَّاعَةَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ كَلِمَةً خَفِيفَةً: وَلَا تَسْأَلُوا النَّاسَ شَيْئًا. فَكَانَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَأْمُرُ بِالتَّعَفُّفِ وَالْكَفِّ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ وَيَقُولُ: مَنْ سَأَلَنَا أَعْطَيْنَاهُ وَمَنِ اِسْتَغْنَى أَغْنَاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَقَالَ: مَنْ لَمْ يَسْأَلْنَا فَهُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْنَا.

wabāyaʿa rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qawman ʿalā al-ʾislāmi fa-ishtaraṭa ʿalayhimu al-samʿa wa-al-ṭāʿata, thumma qāla kalimatan khafīfatan: walā tasʾalū al-nāsa shayʾan. fakāna ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaʾmuru bi-al-taʿaffufi wa-al-kaffi ʿani al-masʾalati wayaqūlu: man saʾalanā ʾaʿṭaynāhu wamani istaghnā ʾaghnāhu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla. waqāla: man lam yasʾalnā fahuwa ʾaḥabbu ʾilaynā.

God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, accepted some people's pledge to Islam, stipulating that they listen and obey. Then he added softly, “And ask people for nothing.” He, may God bless him and grant him peace, enjoined restraint and abstention from asking, saying, “Whoever asks us, we give him; whoever seeks to dispense with asking, God, mighty and majestic, makes him free of need.” He also said, “Whoever does not ask us is dearer to us.”

وَقَالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: اِسْتَغْنُوا عَنِ النَّاسِ، وَمَا قَلَّ مِنَ السُّؤَالِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ. قَالُوا: وَمِنْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: وَمِنِّي. فَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي تَرْكِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ إِلَّا دُعَاءُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَمَحَبَّتُهُ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا. وَقَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ سَأَلَ عَنْ غِنًى فَإِنَّمَا يَسْتَكْثِرُ مِنْ جَمْرِ جَهَنَّمَ.

waqāla ʿalayhi al-salāmu: istaghnū ʿani al-nāsi, wamā qalla mina al-suʾāli fahuwa khayrun. qālū: waminka yā rasūla Allāhi? qāla: waminnī. falaw lam yakun fī tarki al-masʾalati ʾillā duʿāʾu rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wamaḥabbatuhu lakāna khayran kathīran. waqāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man saʾala ʿan ghinan faʾinnamā yastakthiru min jamri jahannama.

He said, peace be upon him, “Be independent of people; the less asking, the better.” They asked, “Even of you, Messenger of God?” “Even of me,” he replied. If refraining from asking brought only the prayer and love of God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, that would be abundant good. He said, may God bless him and grant him peace, “Whoever asks while having enough only accumulates more of Hell's embers.”

وَمَنْ سَأَلَ وَلَهُ مَا يُغْنِيهِ جَاءَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَوَجْهُهُ عَظْمٌ يَتَقَعْقَعُ لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ لَحْمٌ. وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: كَانَتْ مَسْأَلَتُهُ خُدُوشًا وَكُدُوحًا فِي وَجْهِهِ. وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: اِسْتَغْنُوا بِغِنَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. قَالُوا: وَمَا هُوَ؟ قَالَ: غَدَاءُ يَوْمٍ أَوْ عَشَاءُ لَيْلَةٍ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ سَأَلَ وَلَهُ خَمْسُونَ دِرْهَمًا أَوْ عِدْلُهَا مِنَ الذَّهَبِ فَقَدْ سَأَلَ إِلْحَافًا.

waman saʾala walahu mā yughnīhi jāʾa yawma al-qiyāmati wawajhuhu ʿaẓmun yataqaʿqaʿu laysa ʿalayhi laḥmun. wafī khabarin ʾākhara: kānat masʾalatuhu khudūshan wakudūḥan fī wajhihi. wafī al-ḥadīthi: istaghnū bighinā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. qālū: wamā huwa? qāla: ghadāʾu yawmin ʾaw ʿashāʾu laylatin. wafī al-khabari: man saʾala walahu khamsūna dirhaman ʾaw ʿidluhā mina al-dhahabi faqad saʾala ʾilḥāfan.

“Whoever asks while possessing enough will come on Resurrection Day with his face a rattling bone, without flesh.” Another report says, “His asking will be scratches and scars on his face.” A report says, “Be content with the sufficiency God, mighty and majestic, provides.” They asked, “What is that?” He replied, “A day's midday meal or a night's supper.” Another says, “Whoever asks while possessing fifty dirhams or their equivalent in gold has asked importunately.”

وَمَنْ كَانَ مَعَهُ هَذَا الْقَدْرُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا لَمْ يُخْرِجْهُ مِنْ عُمُومِ الْفُقَرَاءِ، فَإِنْ سَأَلَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ أَخْرَجَهُ مِنْ عُمُومِهِمْ. وَمَنْ سَأَلَ قَبْلَ الْجُوعِ أَوْ بَعْدَ الشِّبَعِ أَوْ سَأَلَ لِيَدَّخِرَ أَوْ سَأَلَ وَلَهُ غَدَاءُ يَوْمٍ أَوْ عَشَاءُ لَيْلَةٍ أَخْرَجَهُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ خُصُوصِ الْفُقَرَاءِ. وَسُئِلَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ عَنْ أَفْضَلِ الْأَعْمَالِ فَقَالَ: التَّجَمُّلُ عِنْدَ الْمِحْنَةِ.

waman kāna maʿahu hādhā al-qadru mina al-dunyā lam yukhrijhu min ʿumūmi al-fuqarāʾi, faʾin saʾala maʿa dhālika ʾakhrajahu min ʿumūmihim. waman saʾala qabla al-jūʿi ʾaw baʿda al-shibaʿi ʾaw saʾala liyaddakhira ʾaw saʾala walahu ghadāʾu yawmin ʾaw ʿashāʾu laylatin ʾakhrajahu dhālika min khuṣūṣi al-fuqarāʾi. wasuʾila sufyānu al-thawriyyu ʿan ʾafḍali al-ʾaʿmāli faqāla: al-tajammulu ʿinda al-miḥnati.

Possessing this amount of worldly goods does not remove one from the poor in general; asking despite possessing it does. Asking before hunger, after eating one's fill, in order to store up, or while having a day's midday meal or a night's supper removes one from the elect among the poor. Sufyān al-Thawrī, asked about the best deeds, replied, “Maintaining a dignified bearing in affliction.”

وَعَلَى الْفَقِيرِ أَنْ لَا يُزَكِّيَ غَنِيًّا لِأَجْلِ عَطَائِهِ، وَلَا يَذُمَّهُ وَلَا يَمْقُتَهُ لِأَجْلِ مَنْعِهِ، وَلَا يُعَظِّمَ أَهْلَ الدُّنْيَا، وَلَا يُكْرِمَهُمْ لِأَجْلِ دُنْيَاهُمْ. وَقَالَ اِبْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: مِنْ تَوَاضُعِ الْفَقِيرِ أَنْ يَتَكَبَّرَ عَلَى الْأَغْنِيَاءِ. وَعَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي حِكَايَةِ الْمَنَامِ: مَا أَحْسَنَ تَوَاضُعَ الْغَنِيِّ لِلْفَقِيرِ رَغْبَةً فِي ثَوَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَأَحْسَنُ مِنْهُ تِيهُ الْفَقِيرِ عَلَى الْغَنِيِّ ثِقَةً بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

waʿalā al-faqīri ʾan lā yuzakkiya ghaniyyan liʾajli ʿaṭāʾihi, walā yadhummahu walā yamqutahu liʾajli manʿihi, walā yuʿaẓẓima ʾahla al-dunyā, walā yukrimahum liʾajli dunyāhum. waqāla ibnu al-mubāraki: min tawāḍuʿi al-faqīri ʾan yatakabbara ʿalā al-ʾaghniyāʾi. waʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu fī ḥikāyati al-manāmi: mā ʾaḥsana tawāḍuʿa al-ghaniyyi li-l-faqīri raghbatan fī thawābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, waʾaḥsanu minhu tīhu al-faqīri ʿalā al-ghaniyyi thiqatan bi-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla.

The poor man must not praise a rich man's virtue because he gives, nor criticize or hate him because he withholds. He must not exalt worldly people or honor them for their worldly possessions. Ibn al-Mubārak said, “Part of a poor man's humility is his pride before the rich.” In a dream account, ʿAlī, peace be upon him, said, “How beautiful the rich man's humility toward the poor, seeking the reward of God, mighty and majestic; more beautiful still is the poor man's proud reserve toward the rich, trusting God, mighty and majestic.”

وَمِنْ فَرَائِضِ الْفَقْرِ أَنْ لَا يَسْكُتَ الْفَقِيرُ عَنْ حَقٍّ، وَلَا يَتَكَلَّمَ بِهَوًى لِأَجْلِ دَوَامِ الْعَطَاءِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ، وَلَا لِاِجْتِلَابِ نَفْعٍ؛ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ وَلِيجَةٌ فِي الدِّينِ وَمُدَاهَنَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ. وَمِنْ فَضَائِلِ الْفَقْرِ أَنْ لَا يَدَّخِرَ لِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، وَلَا يَكُونَ الْمُدَّخَرُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ

wamin farāʾiḍi al-faqri ʾan lā yaskuta al-faqīru ʿan ḥaqqin, walā yatakallama bihawan liʾajli dawāmi al-ʿaṭāʾi min ʾaḥadin, walā li-ijtilābi nafʿin; faʾinna dhālika walījatun fī al-dīni wamudāhanatun li-l-muʾminīna. wamin faḍāʾili al-faqri ʾan lā yaddakhira liʾakthara min ʾarbaʿīna yawman, walā yakūna al-muddakharu ʾakthara min

Among poverty's obligations is that the poor man must not suppress a truth or speak from desire to keep someone's gifts coming or obtain some benefit. That is an intrusion into religion and compromising flattery toward believers. Among poverty's virtues is storing up for no more than forty days, with the amount stored no greater than

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٢٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 326

Volume Two, page 326

أَرْبَعِينَ دِرْهَمًا، وَالْأَصْلُ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى قَالَ عَزَّ مِنْ قَائِلٍ: (وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَى أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً) الْبَقَرَةُ: 51. فَإِذَا فُسِحَ لَهُ فِي تَأْمِيلِ أَرْبَعِينَ فَالِادِّخَارُ مِنَ الْأَمَلِ؛ فَإِنْ أَمَّلَ حَيَاةَ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا جَازَ لَهُ أَنْ يَدَّخِرَ لِأَرْبَعِينَ، وَمَنْ قَصُرَ أَمَلُهُ إِلَى يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ لَمْ يَدَّخِرْ إِلَّا لِيَوْمِهِ وَلَيْلَتِهِ، فَتَرْكُ الِادِّخَارِ مُقْتَضَى قِصَرِ الْأَمَلِ.

ʾarbaʿīna dirhaman, wa-al-ʾaṣlu fī dhālika ʾanna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā qāla ʿazza min qāʾilin: (waʾidh wāʿadnā mūsā ʾarbaʿīna laylatan) al-baqaratu: 51. faʾidhā fusiḥa lahu fī taʾmīli ʾarbaʿīna fa-al-iddikhāru mina al-ʾamali; faʾin ʾammala ḥayāta ʾarbaʿīna yawman jāza lahu ʾan yaddakhira liʾarbaʿīna, waman qaṣura ʾamaluhu ʾilā yawmin walaylatin lam yaddakhir ʾillā liyawmihi walaylatihi, fatarku al-iddikhāri muqtaḍā qiṣari al-ʾamali.

forty dirhams. The basis is that God, Blessed and Exalted, said, exalted as a speaker, “When We appointed forty nights for Moses” (al-Baqara 2:51). Since he was allowed to anticipate forty, and storing up arises from anticipating the future, one who expects to live forty days may store up for forty. Someone whose expectation extends only a day and a night stores up only for that day and night. Abandoning storage follows from expecting little time ahead.

وَقَدْ جُعِلَ غِنَى الْفَقِيرِ فِي أَرْبَعِينَ دِرْهَمًا فَهَذَا لِعُمُومِ الْفُقَرَاءِ، فَأَمَّا خُصُوصُهُمْ فَإِنَّ غَنَاءَهُمْ غَدَاءُ يَوْمٍ أَوْ عَشَاءُ لَيْلَةٍ لِقِصَرِ أَمَلِهِمْ، كَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي ذَكَرْنَاهُ آنِفًا: اِسْتَغْنُوا بِغِنَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. قِيلَ: وَمَا غِنَى اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى؟ قَالَ: غَدَاءُ يَوْمٍ أَوْ عَشَاءُ لَيْلَةٍ.

waqad juʿila ghinā al-faqīri fī ʾarbaʿīna dirhaman fa-hādhā liʿumūmi al-fuqarāʾi, faʾammā khuṣūṣuhum faʾinna ghanāʾahum ghadāʾu yawmin ʾaw ʿashāʾu laylatin liqiṣari ʾamalihim, kamā jāʾa fī al-ḥadīthi alladhī dhakarnāhu ʾānifan: istaghnū bighinā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. qīla: wamā ghinā Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā? qāla: ghadāʾu yawmin ʾaw ʿashāʾu laylatin.

Forty dirhams have been set as a poor person's sufficiency; this concerns the poor in general. For their elect, a day's midday meal or a night's supper is sufficient, because they anticipate little time ahead. As the report we cited earlier says, “Be content with the sufficiency God, mighty and majestic, provides.” Asked, “What is the sufficiency of God, Blessed and Exalted?” he replied, “A day's midday meal or a night's supper.”

وَمِنْ فَضْلِ الْفَقِيرِ أَنْ لَا يَهْتَمَّ بِرِزْقِ غَدٍ كَمَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لَا يُطَالِبُهُ بِعَمَلِ غَدٍ قَبْلَ مَجِيئِهِ، وَلِأَنَّ الرِّزْقَ مَعْلُومٌ مَقْسُومٌ وَالْوَكِيلَ حَفِيظٌ قَيُّومٌ، وَأَنْ يَكُونَ رَاضِيًا بِفَقْرِهِ شَاكِرًا عَلَيْهِ وَيَغْتَبِطَ بِالْفَقْرِ لِعَظِيمِ نِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ فِيهِ، وَيَخَافَ أَنْ يُسْلَبَ فَقْرَهُ أَشَدَّ مِنْ خَوْفِ الْغَنِيِّ أَنْ يُسْلَبَ غِنَاهُ لِشِدَّةِ اِغْتِبَاطِهِ بِهِ.

wamin faḍli al-faqīri ʾan lā yahtamma birizqi ghadin kamā ʾinna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā lā yuṭālibuhu biʿamali ghadin qabla majīʾihi, waliʾanna al-rizqa maʿlūmun maqsūmun wa-al-wakīla ḥafīẓun qayyūmun, waʾan yakūna rāḍiyan bifaqrihi shākiran ʿalayhi wayaghtabiṭa bi-al-faqri liʿaẓīmi niʿmati Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʿalayhi fīhi, wayakhāfa ʾan yuslaba faqrahu ʾashadda min khawfi al-ghaniyyi ʾan yuslaba ghināhu lishiddati ightibāṭihi bihi.

A poor person's excellence includes not worrying about tomorrow's provision, just as God, Blessed and Exalted, does not demand tomorrow's work before it comes. Provision is known and allotted, and the Trustee guards and sustains. He should be content with and thankful for his poverty, delighting in the immense blessing of God, mighty and majestic, bestowed on him through it, and fear losing it more than a rich man fears losing his wealth, so deeply does he delight in it.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: يَا مَعْشَرَ الْفُقَرَاءِ أَعْطُوا اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الرِّضَا مِنْ قُلُوبِكُمْ تَظْفَرُوا بِثَوَابِ فَقْرِكُمْ وَإِلَّا فَلَا. وَرَوَى عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ سَابِطٍ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي حَدِيثٍ طَوِيلٍ: أَحَبُّ الْعِبَادِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْفَقِيرُ الْقَانِعُ بِرِزْقِهِ، الرَّاضِي عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

wafī al-khabari ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: yā maʿshara al-fuqarāʾi ʾaʿṭū Allāha ʿazza wajalla al-riḍā min qulūbikum taẓfarū bithawābi faqrikum waʾillā falā. warawā ʿabdu al-raḥmāni bnu sābiṭin ʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī ḥadīthin ṭawīlin: ʾaḥabbu al-ʿibādi ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla al-faqīru al-qāniʿu birizqihi, al-rāḍī ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wajalla.

A report from God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, says, “O company of the poor, give God, mighty and majestic, contentment from your hearts, and you will attain poverty's reward; otherwise you will not.” In a lengthy report, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Sābiṭ transmitted from ʿAlī, peace be upon him, from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “The servant dearest to God, mighty and majestic, is the poor man satisfied with his provision and content with God, mighty and majestic.”

وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَغْتَمَّ بِالِاتِّسَاعِ وَيَفْرَحَ بِالضِّيقَةِ وَالْمُصِيبَةِ، وَيُحِبَّ الْمَسَاكِينَ وَيُفَضِّلَهُمْ عَلَى أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، وَيَرْحَمَ الْأَغْنِيَاءَ وَلَا يَذُمَّهُمْ لِأَجْلِ غِنَاهُمْ، وَيُؤْثِرَ الْفُقَرَاءَ وَيُقَرِّبَهُمْ وَيُحْسِنَ عَلَى الْفَقِيرِ خُلُقَهُ، وَيَحْمِلَ مَعَهُ صَبْرَهُ، وَيَسْتُرَ بِالتَّعَفُّفِ فَقْرَهُ، وَيُظْهِرَ الْغِنَى وَلَا يَكْشِفَ فَقْرَهُ بِالتَّكَرُّهِ لَهُ وَالشَّكْوَى.

wayanbaghī ʾan yaghtamma bi-al-ittisāʿi wayafraḥa bi-al-ḍīqati wa-al-muṣībati, wayuḥibba al-masākīna wayufaḍḍilahum ʿalā ʾabnāʾi al-dunyā, wayarḥama al-ʾaghniyāʾa walā yadhummahum liʾajli ghināhum, wayuʾthira al-fuqarāʾa wayuqarribahum wayuḥsina ʿalā al-faqīri khuluqahu, wayaḥmila maʿahu ṣabrahu, wayastura bi-al-taʿaffufi faqrahu, wayuẓhira al-ghinā walā yakshifa faqrahu bi-al-takarruhi lahu wa-al-shakwā.

He should grieve at abundance and rejoice in straitened circumstances and affliction; love the needy and prefer them to worldly people; pity the rich without censuring them for being rich; favor the poor and draw them near; treat a poor person graciously and bear patiently with him; conceal his poverty through restraint; and appear to have enough, without exposing his poverty through aversion and complaint.

فِي الْخَبَرِ عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْفَقْرَ مُقْبِلًا فَقُلْ مَرْحَبًا بِشِعَارِ الصَّالِحِينَ، وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْغِنَى مُقْبِلًا فَقُلْ ذَنْبٌ عُجِّلَتْ عُقُوبَتُهُ. وَقَالَ مُوسَى: يَا رَبِّ مَنْ أَحِبَّاؤُكَ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُمْ لِأَجْلِكَ؟ فَقَالَ: كُلُّ فَقِيرٍ فَقِيرٍ. التَّكْرَارُ فِيهِ لِمَعْنَيَيْنِ؛ أَحَدُهُمَا الْمُتَحَقِّقُ بِالْفَقْرِ، وَالثَّانِي الشَّدِيدُ الْحَاجَةِ وَالضُّرِّ.

fī al-khabari ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wajalla: ʾidhā raʾayta al-faqra muqbilan faqul marḥaban bishiʿāri al-ṣāliḥīna, waʾidhā raʾayta al-ghinā muqbilan faqul dhanbun ʿujjilat ʿuqūbatuhu. waqāla mūsā: yā rabbi man ʾaḥibbāʾuka min khalqika ḥattā ʾuḥibbahum liʾajlika? faqāla: kullu faqīrin faqīrin. al-takrāru fīhi limaʿnayayni; ʾaḥaduhumā al-mutaḥaqqiqu bi-al-faqri, wa-al-thānī al-shadīdu al-ḥājati wa-al-ḍurri.

A report from God, mighty and majestic, says, “When you see poverty approaching, say, ‘Welcome to the emblem of the righteous.’ When you see wealth approaching, say, ‘A sin whose punishment has been hastened.’” Moses asked, “My Lord, whom among Your creatures do You love, so that I may love them for Your sake?” He answered, “Every poor, poor person.” The repetition bears two meanings: one truly embodies poverty; the other is in severe need and distress.

وَقَالَ عِيسَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنِّي لَأُحِبُّ الْمَسْكَنَةَ وَأُبْغِضُ الْغِنَى. وَقِيلَ: كَانَ مِنْ أَحَبِّ أَسْمَائِهِ إِلَيْهِ أَنْ يُقَالَ لَهُ: يَا مِسْكِينُ. وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي دُعَائِهِ الَّذِي تَلَقَّاهُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَأَمَرَهُ بِهِ: أَسْأَلُكَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَحُبَّ الْمَسَاكِينِ.

waqāla ʿīsā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinnī laʾuḥibbu al-maskanata waʾubghiḍu al-ghinā. waqīla: kāna min ʾaḥabbi ʾasmāʾihi ʾilayhi ʾan yuqāla lahu: yā miskīnu. waqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī duʿāʾihi alladhī talaqqāhu min rabbihi waʾamarahu bihi: ʾasʾaluka al-ṭayyibāti wafiʿla al-khayrāti waḥubba al-masākīni.

Jesus, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “I love poverty and hate wealth.” It is said that among his favorite forms of address was “O poor one.” God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said in the supplication he received from his Lord and was commanded to offer, “I ask You for good things, the doing of good deeds, and love for the needy.”

وَمِمَّا يُعْتَبَرُ بِهِ فَضْلُ الْفَقْرِ عَلَى الْغِنَى أَنَّ أَفْضَلَ الْخَلْقِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَمَنْ شَارَكَهُ وَقَارَنَهُ بِمَعْنَى وَصْفِهِ فَهُوَ الْأَفْضَلُ لِأَنَّهُ الْأَمْثَلُ فَالْأَمْثَلُ وَهُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ، وَصَفَهُمُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِوَصْفِهِ فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَلَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ إِذَا مَا أَتَوْكَ لِتَحْمِلَهُمْ قُلْتَ لَا أَجِدُ مَا أَحْمِلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ) التَّوْبَةُ: 92، الْآيَةَ.

wamimmā yuʿtabaru bihi faḍlu al-faqri ʿalā al-ghinā ʾanna ʾafḍala al-khalqi rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, faman shārakahu waqāranahu bimaʿnā waṣfihi fahuwa al-ʾafḍalu liʾannahu al-ʾamthalu fa-al-ʾamthalu wahumu al-fuqarāʾu, waṣafahumu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla biwaṣfihi faqāla taʿālā: (walā ʿalā alladhīna ʾidhā mā ʾatawka litaḥmilahum qulta lā ʾajidu mā ʾaḥmilukum ʿalayhi) al-tawbatu: 92, al-ʾāyata.

One indication that poverty surpasses wealth is that the best of creation is God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace. Those who share and approach his defining condition are better, according to how closely they resemble him: these are the poor. God, mighty and majestic, describes them as He describes him, saying, Most High, “Nor upon those who came to you for mounts, and you said, ‘I cannot find mounts for you’” (al-Tawba 9:92), to the end of the verse.

فَلَمَّا شَارَكُوهُ فِي الْعَدَمِ وَكَانَ حَالُ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هُوَ الْأَفْضَلَ وَالْأَتَمَّ دَلَّ عَلَى فَضْلِ حَالِهِمْ عَلَى غَيْرِهِمْ. وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (إِنَّمَا السَّبِيلُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَسْتَأْذِنُونَكَ وَهُمْ أَغْنِيَاءُ) التَّوْبَةُ:

falammā shārakūhu fī al-ʿadami wakāna ḥālu al-rasūli ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama huwa al-ʾafḍala wa-al-ʾatamma dalla ʿalā faḍli ḥālihim ʿalā ghayrihim. waqad qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: (ʾinnamā al-sabīlu ʿalā alladhīna yastaʾdhinūnaka wahum ʾaghniyāʾu) al-tawbatu:

Since they shared his lack of means, and the condition of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, was the best and most complete, this shows their condition to be superior to others'. God, mighty and majestic, has said, “Blame falls only upon those who ask your permission while they are rich” (al-Tawba 9:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٢٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 327

Volume Two, page 327

93. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَيَطْغَى أَنْ رَآهُ اِسْتَغْنَى) الْعَلَقُ: 6–7، فَوَصَفَ الْأَغْنِيَاءَ بِالطُّغُوِّ وَأَوْقَعَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْحُجَّةَ. وَقَالَ فِي وَصْفِ الْفُقَرَاءِ: (يَحْسَبُهُمُ الْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَاءَ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 273. فَلَوْلَا أَنَّ الْغِنَى مَفْضُولٌ مَا نَسَبَ مَنْ وَصَفَهُمْ بِهِ إِلَى النَّقْصِ، وَالْغِنَى بَابُ الدُّنْيَا وَأَصْلُ التَّفَاخُرِ وَالتَّكَاثُرِ الْمَذْمُومِ، وَالْفَقْرُ بَابُ الْآخِرَةِ وَأَصْلُ الزُّهْدِ وَالتَّوَاضُعِ الْمَحْمُودِ.

93. waqāla taʿālā: (kallā ʾinna al-ʾinsāna layaṭghā ʾan raʾāhu istaghnā) al-ʿalaqu: 6–7, fawaṣafa al-ʾaghniyāʾa bi-al-ṭughuwwi waʾawqaʿa ʿalayhimu al-ḥujjata. waqāla fī waṣfi al-fuqarāʾi: (yaḥsabuhumu al-jāhilu ʾaghniyāʾa) al-baqaratu: 273. falawlā ʾanna al-ghinā mafḍūlun mā nasaba man waṣafahum bihi ʾilā al-naqṣi, wa-al-ghinā bābu al-dunyā waʾaṣlu al-tafākhuri wa-al-takāthuri al-madhmūmi, wa-al-faqru bābu al-ʾākhirati waʾaṣlu al-zuhdi wa-al-tawāḍuʿi al-maḥmūdi.

93). The Most High said, “Indeed, the human being transgresses when he sees himself as self-sufficient” (al-ʿAlaq 96:6–7), describing the rich by transgression and establishing the case against them. Of the poor He said, “The ignorant person thinks them rich” (al-Baqara 2:273). Were wealth not the lesser condition, He would not have ascribed deficiency to someone describing them by it. Wealth opens onto this world and underlies blameworthy boasting and rivalry for more; poverty opens onto the hereafter and underlies praiseworthy renunciation and humility.

وَعِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ: إِنَّ الْغِنَى مِنَ الصِّفَاتِ الَّتِي لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُنَازَعَ فِيهَا وَمَكْرُوهَةٌ لِمَنِ اُبْتُلِيَ بِمَعَانِيهَا، وَأَنَّهُ مِثْلُ الْعِزِّ وَالْكِبْرِ وَحُبِّ الْمَدْحِ وَالذِّكْرِ، فَمَنْ أَحَبَّ شَيْئًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَطَلَبَهُ فَقَدْ نَازَعَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لِبْسَتَهُ، وَتَرَكُوا ذَلِكَ لِأَجْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِأَنَّهُ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ، وَسَلَّمُوهُ لَهُ خَوْفًا مِنْهُ أَوْ حُبًّا لَهُ.

waʿinda ʾahli al-maʿrifati: ʾinna al-ghinā mina al-ṣifāti allatī lā yanbaghī ʾan yunāzaʿa fīhā wamakrūhatun limani ubtuliya bimaʿānīhā, waʾannahu mithlu al-ʿizzi wa-al-kibri waḥubbi al-madḥi wa-al-dhikri, faman ʾaḥabba shayʾan min dhālika waṭalabahu faqad nāzaʿa Allāha taʿālā libsatahu, watarakū dhālika liʾajli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla liʾannahu min ṣifāti al-rubūbiyyati, wasallamūhu lahu khawfan minhu ʾaw ḥubban lahu.

For those who know God, sufficiency is among the attributes in which one must not vie with Him, and its meanings are distasteful for anyone tested by them. It resembles might, grandeur, and love of praise and renown. Whoever loves and pursues these contends with God Most High for His robe. They relinquish them for the sake of God, mighty and majestic, because they belong to lordship, yielding them to Him through fear or love of Him.

وَإِنَّ الْفَقْرَ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ مِثْلِ الرَّجَاءِ وَالْخَوْفِ وَالتَّوَاضُعِ وَالذُّلِّ، فَمَنْ طَلَبَ ذَلِكَ وَأَحَبَّهُ فَقَدْ تَحَقَّقَ بِوَصْفِ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ. وَاللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَتَحَقَّقَ الْعَبْدُ بِأَوْصَافِهِ لِأَنَّهُ عَبْدٌ ذَلِيلٌ، وَيَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُنَازِعَهُ مَعْنَى صِفَاتِهِ لِأَنَّهُ مَلِكٌ جَلِيلٌ. وَمَنْ أَحَبَّ الْغِنَى دَلَّ عَلَى حُبِّهِ الْبَقَاءَ.

waʾinna al-faqra min ṣifāti al-ʿubūdiyyati mithli al-rajāʾi wa-al-khawfi wa-al-tawāḍuʿi wa-al-dhulli, faman ṭalaba dhālika waʾaḥabbahu faqad taḥaqqaqa biwaṣfi al-ʿubūdiyyati. wa-Allāhu subḥānahu wataʿālā yuḥibbu ʾan yataḥaqqaqa al-ʿabdu biʾawṣāfihi liʾannahu ʿabdun dhalīlun, wayakrahu ʾan yunāziʿahu maʿnā ṣifātihi liʾannahu malikun jalīlun. waman ʾaḥabba al-ghinā dalla ʿalā ḥubbihi al-baqāʾa.

Poverty belongs to servanthood, like hope, fear, humility, and lowliness. Whoever seeks and loves it embodies servanthood. God, Glorified and Exalted, loves the servant to realize the attributes proper to him, for he is a lowly servant. He dislikes the servant's contending with Him over His attributes, for He is a majestic King. Whoever loves wealth shows his love of continued existence.

وَكَانَ سَهْلٌ يَقُولُ: حُبُّ الْغِنَى شِرْكٌ فِي الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ؛ أَيْ لِأَنَّ الْبَقَاءَ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الْبَاقِي. وَمَنْ فَضَّلَ الْغِنَى عَلَى الْفَقْرِ دَلَّ عَلَى حُبِّهِ لِلْغِنَى فَظَهَرَ بِذَلِكَ مَحَبَّتُهُ الْأَغْنِيَاءَ، لِأَنَّ حُبَّ الْوَصْفِ دَلِيلُ حُبِّ الْمَوْصُوفِ، وَحُبُّ الشَّيْءِ أَيْضًا دَلِيلٌ عَلَى بُغْضِ ضِدِّهِ، فَإِذَا أَبْغَضَ الْفُقَرَاءَ أَبْغَضَ الْفَقْرَ، وَبُغْضُ الْفَقْرِ لِحُبِّ الْغِنَى.

wakāna sahlun yaqūlu: ḥubbu al-ghinā shirkun fī al-rubūbiyyati; ʾay liʾanna al-baqāʾa min ṣifāti al-bāqī. waman faḍḍala al-ghinā ʿalā al-faqri dalla ʿalā ḥubbihi li-l-ghinā faẓahara bi-dhālika maḥabbatuhu al-ʾaghniyāʾa, liʾanna ḥubba al-waṣfi dalīlu ḥubbi al-mawṣūfi, waḥubbu al-shayʾi ʾayḍan dalīlun ʿalā bughḍi ḍiddihi, faʾidhā ʾabghaḍa al-fuqarāʾa ʾabghaḍa al-faqra, wabughḍu al-faqri liḥubbi al-ghinā.

Sahl used to say, “Love of wealth is association in lordship,” because abiding existence is an attribute of the Ever-Abiding. Whoever prefers wealth to poverty reveals his love of wealth and, thereby, of the rich, since loving an attribute shows love for its bearer. Loving a thing also indicates hatred of its opposite. If he hates the poor, he hates poverty, and his hatred of poverty comes from love of wealth.

فَقَدِ اِخْتَارَ الرَّغْبَةَ عَلَى الزُّهْدِ وَالْكَثْرَةَ عَلَى الْقِلَّةِ وَالْعِزَّ فِي الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الذُّلِّ، وَفِي هَذَا إِيثَارُ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الْآخِرَةِ وَهَدْمُ الْآثَارِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَنِ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ فِي تَفْضِيلِ الْفَقْرِ وَتَشْرِيفِ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ. وَيُقَالُ: كَانَ الْفَقْرُ شَرَفَ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَكَانَ الْفُقَرَاءُ فِيمَا سَلَفَ فِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْأَشْرَافِ فِيكُمُ الْيَوْمَ. وَلَا خَفَاءَ بِفَسَادِ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ وَنَقْصِهِ عِنْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى.

faqadi ikhtāra al-raghbata ʿalā al-zuhdi wa-al-kathrata ʿalā al-qillati wa-al-ʿizza fī al-dunyā ʿalā al-dhulli, wafī hādhā ʾīthāru al-dunyā ʿalā al-ʾākhirati wahadmu al-ʾāthāri ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama waʿani al-ṣaḥābati wa-al-tābiʿīna fī tafḍīli al-faqri watashrīfi al-ʾaghniyāʾi. wayuqālu: kāna al-faqru sharafa al-muʾmini wakāna al-fuqarāʾu fīmā salafa fī al-muʾminīna bimanzilati al-ʾashrāfi fīkumu al-yawma. walā khafāʾa bifasādi hādhā al-qawli wanaqṣihi ʿinda al-ʿulamāʾi bi-Allāhi taʿālā.

He has chosen desire over renunciation, abundance over little, and worldly honor over lowliness. This prefers this world to the hereafter and overturns reports from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and from the Companions and Successors concerning poverty's superiority and honoring the rich. It is said, “Poverty was the believer's honor; formerly the poor held among believers the position the nobility hold among you today.” Those who know God Most High plainly recognize the corruption and deficiency of this assertion.

ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْفُقَرَاءَ عَلَى مَنَازِلَ ثَلَاثٍ: فُقَرَاءُ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ وَهُمُ السُّؤَّالُ عِنْدَ الْفَاقَاتِ، الْكَافُّونَ نُفُوسَهُمْ مَعَ الْكِفَايَةِ، الْقَانِعُونَ بِالْكَفَافِ؛ وَهُمْ طُهْرَةُ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ وَمَزِيدُهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ فِي أَمْوَالِ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ سَهْمًا، لِأَنَّ مِنْهُمُ السَّائِلَ وَالْمَحْرُومَ، وَمِنْهُمُ الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ.

thumma ʾinna al-fuqarāʾa ʿalā manāzila thalāthin: fuqarāʾu al-ʾaghniyāʾi wahumu al-suʾʾālu ʿinda al-fāqāti, al-kāffūna nufūsahum maʿa al-kifāyati, al-qāniʿūna bi-al-kafāfi; wahum ṭuhratu al-ʾaghniyāʾi wamazīduhum mina Allāhi taʿālā, wahumu alladhīna jaʿala Allāhu lahum fī ʾamwāli al-ʾaghniyāʾi sahman, liʾanna minhumu al-sāʾila wa-al-maḥrūma, waminhumu al-qāniʿa wa-al-muʿtarra.

The poor occupy three ranks. First are the poor of the rich: those who ask when destitute, restrain themselves when they have enough, and are satisfied with bare sufficiency. They are the means by which the rich are purified and receive increase from God Most High. God assigned them a share in the rich people's wealth: among them are the petitioner and the deprived, the contented person and the one who approaches for help.

وَالطَّبَقَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ فُقَرَاءُ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَهُمُ الْمُتَحَقِّقُونَ بِالْفَقْرِ، الْمُخْتَارُونَ لَهُ، الْمُؤْثِرُونَ إِيَّاهُ عَلَى الْغِنَى، لِعِظَمِ مَعْرِفَتِهِمْ بِعَظِيمِ فَضِيلَةِ أَهْلِ التَّعَفُّفِ وَالصِّيَانَةِ. لَا يَبْتَذِلُونَ لِلسُّؤَالِ وَلَا يُعَرِّضُونَ فِي الْمَقَالِ، رَاضُونَ بِالْمَيْسُورِ مِنْ مَوْلَاهُمْ، تَعْرِفُهُمْ إِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ: يَحْسَبُهُمُ الْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَاءَ لِتَرْكِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ وَالشَّكْوَى.

wa-al-ṭabaqatu al-thāniyatu fuqarāʾu al-fuqarāʾi wahumu al-mutaḥaqqiqūna bi-al-faqri, al-mukhtārūna lahu, al-muʾthirūna ʾiyyāhu ʿalā al-ghinā, liʿiẓami maʿrifatihim biʿaẓīmi faḍīlati ʾahli al-taʿaffufi wa-al-ṣiyānati. lā yabtadhilūna li-l-suʾāli walā yuʿarriḍūna fī al-maqāli, rāḍūna bi-al-maysūri min mawlāhum, taʿrifuhum ʾidhā raʾaytahum bisīmāhum: yaḥsabuhumu al-jāhilu ʾaghniyāʾa litarki al-masʾalati wa-al-shakwā.

The second rank are the poor of the poor: those who truly embody poverty, choose it, and prefer it to wealth because they deeply know the great excellence of restraint and dignity. They do not abase themselves by asking or hinting in conversation. Content with what their Master makes available, they are recognizable by their bearing when you see them; the ignorant think them rich because they neither ask nor complain.

وَمِنْهُمُ الْمَحْرُومُ حُرِمَ السَّعْيَ لِلدُّنْيَا، وَمِنْهُمُ الْمُحَارَفُ اِنْحَرَفَتْ عَنْهُ الْأَسْبَابُ، وَمِنْهُمُ الْقَانِعُ قَنِعَ بِمَا يَصِلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ اِمْتِهَانٍ وَتَبَذُّلٍ فِيهِ، وَمِنْهُمُ الْمُعْتَرُّ رَضِيَ عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِمَا يَعْتَرِيهِ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّهُ مَا أُعْطِيَ أَحَدٌ شَيْئًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا قِيلَ لَهُ خُذْهُ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةٍ لِثَلَاثٍ: شُغْلٍ وَهَمٍّ وَطُولِ حِسَابٍ.

waminhumu al-maḥrūmu ḥurima al-saʿya li-l-dunyā, waminhumu al-muḥārafu inḥarafat ʿanhu al-ʾasbābu, waminhumu al-qāniʿu qaniʿa bimā yaṣilu ʾilayhi min ghayri imtihānin watabadhdhulin fīhi, waminhumu al-muʿtarru raḍiya ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wajalla bimā yaʿtarīhi. waqīla: ʾinnahu mā ʾuʿṭiya ʾaḥadun shayʾan mina al-dunyā ʾillā qīla lahu khudhhu ʿalā thalāthatin lithalāthin: shughlin wahammin waṭūli ḥisābin.

Among them is the deprived, kept from pursuing this world; the disadvantaged, from whom the means of livelihood turn away; the contented, satisfied with what reaches him without abasement or loss of dignity; and the one visited by affliction, content with God, mighty and majestic, in whatever befalls him. It is said that no one is given anything worldly without being told, “Take it on three terms, for three things: occupation, worry, and a lengthy accounting.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٢٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 328

Volume Two, page 328

وَأَمَّا الطَّبَقَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ فَهُمْ أَغْنِيَاءُ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَهُمُ الْأَجْوَادُ الْأَسْخِيَاءُ أَهْلُ الْبَذْلِ وَالْعَطَاءِ، يَأْخُذُونَ وَيُخْرِجُونَ وَلَا يَسْتَكْثِرُونَ وَلَا يَدَّخِرُونَ. إِنْ مُنِعُوا شَكَرُوا الْمَانِعَ لِأَنَّهُ هُوَ الْمُعْطِي فَصَارَ مَنْعُهُ عَطَاءً، وَإِنْ ضُيِّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَمِدُوا الْوَاسِعَ لِأَنَّهُ هُوَ الْمَحْمُودُ فَصَارَ ضِيقُهُ رَخَاءً، وَإِنْ أُعْطُوا بَذَلُوا وَآثَرُوا. فَهُمُ الزَّاهِدُونَ فِي الدُّنْيَا لِأَنَّهُمْ مُوقِنُونَ فَكَفَاهُمُ الْيَقِينُ غِنًى.

waʾammā al-ṭabaqatu al-thālithatu fahum ʾaghniyāʾu al-fuqarāʾi wahumu al-ʾajwādu al-ʾaskhiyāʾu ʾahlu al-badhli wa-al-ʿaṭāʾi, yaʾkhudhūna wayukhrijūna walā yastakthirūna walā yaddakhirūna. ʾin muniʿū shakarū al-māniʿa liʾannahu huwa al-muʿṭī faṣāra manʿuhu ʿaṭāʾan, waʾin ḍuyyiqa ʿalayhim ḥamidū al-wāsiʿa liʾannahu huwa al-maḥmūdu faṣāra ḍīquhu rakhāʾan, waʾin ʾuʿṭū badhalū waʾātharū. fahumu al-zāhidūna fī al-dunyā liʾannahum mūqinūna fakafāhumu al-yaqīnu ghinan.

The third rank are the rich of the poor: generous, openhanded givers. They receive and distribute, neither accumulating nor storing up. When denied, they thank the Withholder, for He is the Giver, and His withholding becomes a gift. When straitened, they praise the All-Embracing, for He deserves praise, and His straitening becomes ease. When given, they give freely and prefer others. They renounce the world because they have certainty; certainty suffices as their wealth.

وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ لِشَقِيقِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حِينَ قَدِمَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ خُرَاسَانَ: كَيْفَ تَرَكْتَ الْفُقَرَاءَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِكَ؟ فَقَالَ: تَرَكْتُهُمْ إِنْ مُنِعُوا شَكَرُوا وَإِنْ أُعْطُوا آثَرُوا. فَقَبَّلَ رَأْسَهُ وَقَالَ: صَدَقْتَ يَا أُسْتَاذُ.

waqāla ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama lishaqīqi bni ʾibrāhīma ḥīna qadima ʿalayhi min khurāsāna: kayfa tarakta al-fuqarāʾa min ʾaṣḥābika? faqāla: taraktuhum ʾin muniʿū shakarū waʾin ʾuʿṭū ʾātharū. faqabbala raʾsahu waqāla: ṣadaqta yā ʾustādhu.

When Shaqīq ibn Ibrāhīm arrived from Khurasan, Ibrāhīm ibn Adham asked him, “In what condition did you leave the poor among your companions?” He replied, “I left them thanking when denied and preferring others when given.” He kissed his head and said, “You have spoken truly, master.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ بِشْرٌ يَقُولُ: الْفُقَرَاءُ ثَلَاثَةٌ؛ فَقِيرٌ لَا يَسْأَلُ وَإِنْ أُعْطِيَ لَمْ يَأْخُذْ، فَهَذَا مَعَ الرُّوحَانِيِّينَ فِي عِلِّيِّينَ؛ وَفَقِيرٌ لَا يَسْأَلُ وَإِنْ أُعْطِيَ أَخَذَ، فَهُوَ مَعَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ فِي حَظِيرَةِ الْقُدْسِ؛ وَفَقِيرٌ يَسْأَلُ عِنْدَ فَاقَتِهِ، فَهَذَا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ وَصِدْقُهُ فِي حَالِهِ كَفَّارَةُ مَسْأَلَتِهِ.

waqad kāna bishrun yaqūlu: al-fuqarāʾu thalāthatun; faqīrun lā yasʾalu waʾin ʾuʿṭiya lam yaʾkhudh, fa-hādhā maʿa al-rūḥāniyyīna fī ʿilliyyīna; wafaqīrun lā yasʾalu waʾin ʾuʿṭiya ʾakhadha, fahuwa maʿa al-muqarrabīna fī ḥaẓīrati al-qudsi; wafaqīrun yasʾalu ʿinda fāqatihi, fa-hādhā maʿa al-ṣādiqīna waṣidquhu fī ḥālihi kaffāratu masʾalatihi.

Bishr used to say, “The poor are of three kinds. One never asks and refuses when given; he is with the spiritual beings in ʿIlliyyūn. Another never asks but accepts when given; he is with those brought near in the precinct of holiness. Another asks when in need; he is with the truthful, and his truthfulness in his condition atones for his asking.”

وَدُفِعَ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ سِتُّونَ أَلْفًا وَكَانَ عَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ وَبِهِ حَاجَاتٌ إِلَيْهَا فَرَدَّهَا، فَعُوتِبَ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: كَرِهْتُ أَنْ أَمْحُوَ اِسْمِي مِنْ دِيوَانِ الْفُقَرَاءِ لِسِتِّينَ أَلْفًا. وَقَدْ كَانَتْ عَائِشَةُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا تُفَرِّقُ مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ وَإِنَّ دِرْعَهَا لَمَرْقُوعٌ، فَقَالَتْ لَهَا الْخَادِمَةُ: لَوِ اِشْتَرَيْتِ لَكِ بِدِرْهَمٍ لَحْمًا تُفْطِرِينَ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَتْ: لَوْ ذَكَّرْتِنِي لَفَعَلْتُ.

wadufiʿa ʾilā ʾibrāhīma bni ʾadhama sittūna ʾalfan wakāna ʿalayhi daynun wabihi ḥājātun ʾilayhā faraddahā, faʿūtiba fī dhālika faqāla: karihtu ʾan ʾamḥuwa ismī min dīwāni al-fuqarāʾi lisittīna ʾalfan. waqad kānat ʿāʾishatu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhā tufarriqu miʾata ʾalfin waʾinna dirʿahā lamarqūʿun, faqālat lahā al-khādimatu: lawi ishtarayti laki bidirhamin laḥman tufṭirīna ʿalayhi, faqālat: law dhakkartinī lafaʿaltu.

Ibrāhīm ibn Adham was offered sixty thousand, though he had debts and needs, but refused. When reproached, he said, “I disliked erasing my name from the register of the poor for sixty thousand.” ʿĀʾisha, may God be pleased with her, would distribute a hundred thousand while wearing a patched shift. Her maid said, “If only you had bought a dirham's worth of meat to break your fast.” She replied, “Had you reminded me, I would have.”

وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَوْصَاهَا فَقَالَ: إِنْ أَرَدْتِ اللُّحُوقَ بِي فَعَلَيْكِ بِعَيْشِ الْفُقَرَاءِ، وَإِيَّاكِ وَمُجَالَسَةَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ، وَلَا تَنْزِعِي ثَوْبًا حَتَّى تَرْقَعِيهِ. فَأَمَّا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ: ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ، فَلَعَلَّ مُتَوَهِّمًا لَمْ يَتَدَبَّرْ أَوَّلَ الْكَلَامِ فَظَنَّ أَنَّ هَذَا تَفْضِيلٌ لِلْأَغْنِيَاءِ عَلَى الْفُقَرَاءِ.

wakāna rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾawṣāhā faqāla: ʾin ʾaradti al-luḥūqa bī faʿalayki biʿayshi al-fuqarāʾi, waʾiyyāki wamujālasata al-ʾaghniyāʾi, walā tanziʿī thawban ḥattā tarqaʿīhi. faʾammā maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama li-l-fuqarāʾi: dhālika faḍlu Allāhi yuʾtīhi man yashāʾu, falaʿalla mutawahhiman lam yatadabbar ʾawwala al-kalāmi faẓanna ʾanna hādhā tafḍīlun li-l-ʾaghniyāʾi ʿalā al-fuqarāʾi.

God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, had advised her, “If you wish to join me, live as the poor live. Beware of sitting with the rich, and do not discard a garment until you have patched it.” As for the words that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, addressed to the poor, “That is God's favor; He gives it to whom He wills,” someone may have misunderstood, without considering the beginning of the speech, and supposed it gives the rich precedence over the poor.

وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ تَحْقِيقٌ لِقَوْلِهِ الْأَوَّلِ: قُولُوا كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَسْبِقُكُمْ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَكُمْ وَلَا يُدْرِكُكُمْ أَحَدٌ بَعْدَكُمْ، فَقَالُوهُ. فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ الْأَغْنِيَاءُ بِذَلِكَ فَقَالُوا كَقَوْلِهِمْ هَجَسَ فِي قُلُوبِ الْفُقَرَاءِ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ، فَاِسْتَفْتَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِيَتَثَبَّتُوا فِي قَوْلِهِ، فَقَالَ: الْأَمْرُ كَمَا قُلْتُ لَكُمْ لَا يَسْبِقُكُمْ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَكُمْ.

waʾinnamā huwa taḥqīqun liqawlihi al-ʾawwali: qūlū kadhā wakadhā, faʾinnahu lā yasbiqukum ʾaḥadun qablakum walā yudrikukum ʾaḥadun baʿdakum, faqālūhu. falammā samiʿa al-ʾaghniyāʾu bi-dhālika faqālū kaqawlihim hajasa fī qulūbi al-fuqarāʾi minhu shayʾun, fa-istaftaw rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama liyatathabbatū fī qawlihi, faqāla: al-ʾamru kamā qultu lakum lā yasbiqukum ʾaḥadun qablakum.

It confirms his earlier words: “Say such-and-such, and no one before you will surpass you, nor anyone after you catch up with you.” They said it. When the rich heard and repeated the same words, unease stirred in the hearts of the poor. They consulted God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, to ascertain his meaning. He said, “It is as I told you: no one before you will surpass you.”

إِذْ قَدْ صَحَّ مِنْهُ هَذَا الْقَوْلُ فِي الْأَوَّلِ وَهُوَ مَعْصُومٌ فِيهِ، فَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ كَذَلِكَ لَنَقَضَ آخِرُ قَوْلِهِ أَوَّلَهُ، وَلَا يَجُوزُ ذَلِكَ. وَأَيْضًا فَإِنْ حُمِلَ عَلَى ظَاهِرِهِ كَمَا تَأَوَّلَهُ، فَإِنَّهُ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي الدُّنْيَا، لَا تَفْضِيلَ لَهُمْ بِهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَلَى مَقَامَاتِ الْفُقَرَاءِ، إِلَّا أَنَّ الْأُولَى قَدْ قَامَتْ بِفَضْلِهِمْ.

ʾidh qad ṣaḥḥa minhu hādhā al-qawlu fī al-ʾawwali wahuwa maʿṣūmun fīhi, falaw lam yakun kadhālika lanaqaḍa ʾākhiru qawlihi ʾawwalahu, walā yajūzu dhālika. waʾayḍan faʾin ḥumila ʿalā ẓāhirihi kamā taʾawwalahu, faʾinnahu faḍlu Allāhi taʿālā fī al-dunyā, lā tafḍīla lahum bihi fī al-ʾākhirati ʿalā maqāmāti al-fuqarāʾi, ʾillā ʾanna al-ʾūlā qad qāmat bifaḍlihim.

His initial statement was established, and he is protected from error in it. Otherwise his later words would contradict his earlier words, which is impossible. Moreover, if the statement is taken literally as that person interprets it, it concerns the favor of God Most High in this world, conferring no superiority in the hereafter over the stations of the poor, although the first statement has already established their excellence.

وَيَصْلُحُ بِمَعْنَاهُمْ فَضْلٌ أَعْطَاهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِهَذَا الْقَوْلِ الَّذِي قُلْتُمُوهُ، زَادَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِهِ، لَا أَنَّهُ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ مَقَامِكُمْ وَحَالِكُمْ بِغَيْرِهِ، إِذْ قَدْ ثَبَتَ فَضْلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَصْفِ الْفَقْرِ وَحَالِ الصَّبْرِ بِغَيْرِ هَذَا الذِّكْرِ؛ وَهَذَا التَّسْبِيحُ رُجْحَانٌ لَكُمْ تَمَامًا عَلَى فَضْلِكُمْ بِغَيْرِهِ.

wayaṣluḥu bimaʿnāhum faḍlun ʾaʿṭāhumu Allāhu taʿālā bi-hādhā al-qawli alladhī qultumūhu, zādahumu Allāhu bihi, lā ʾannahu ʾafḍalu min maqāmikum waḥālikum bighayrihi, ʾidh qad thabata faḍlukum ʿalayhim biwaṣfi al-faqri waḥāli al-ṣabri bighayri hādhā al-dhikri; wa-hādhā al-tasbīḥu rujḥānun lakum tamāman ʿalā faḍlikum bighayrihi.

Its meaning can also be: a favor God Most High bestowed on them through the words you yourselves uttered, by which God increased them. It does not surpass your station and condition apart from it, for your superiority through poverty and patient endurance was established without this remembrance. This glorification adds further weight, completing the excellence you already possess through other means.

وَهَذَا الْقَوْلُ لِلْأَغْنِيَاءِ تَفَضُّلٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ، لَا أَنَّهُمْ يَفْضُلُونَ بِهِ عَلَيْكُمْ. وَنَحْنُ فَلَمْ نَقُلْ: لَيْسَ الْغِنَى طَرِيقًا لِلْأَغْنِيَاءِ إِلَى اللَّهِ، وَإِنَّمَا فَضَّلْنَا طَرِيقَ الْفُقَرَاءِ لِأَنَّهُمُ الْأَمْثَلُ فَالْأَمْثَلُ بِالْأَنْبِيَاءِ. وَعَنِ الْحَسَنِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْأَحْيَاءُ وَلَا الْأَمْوَاتُ) فَاطِرٌ: 22، قَالَ: الْفُقَرَاءُ وَالْأَغْنِيَاءُ.

wa-hādhā al-qawlu li-l-ʾaghniyāʾi tafaḍḍulun mina Allāhi ʿalaykum waraḥmatun, lā ʾannahum yafḍulūna bihi ʿalaykum. wanaḥnu falam naqul: laysa al-ghinā ṭarīqan li-l-ʾaghniyāʾi ʾilā Allāhi, waʾinnamā faḍḍalnā ṭarīqa al-fuqarāʾi liʾannahumu al-ʾamthalu fa-al-ʾamthalu bi-al-ʾanbiyāʾi. waʿani al-ḥasani fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: (wamā yastawī al-ʾaḥyāʾu walā al-ʾamwātu) fāṭirun: 22, qāla: al-fuqarāʾu wa-al-ʾaghniyāʾu.

These words addressed to the rich express God's gracious favor and mercy toward you, not their surpassing you by them. We have not said that wealth provides no path to God for the rich. We have preferred the poor people's path because they most closely resemble the prophets, in ascending degrees. Concerning the words of God, mighty and majestic, “The living and the dead are not equal” (Fāṭir 35:22), al-Ḥasan said, “The poor and the rich.”

فَجَعَلَ الْفُقَرَاءَ أَحْيَاءً بِمَوْلَاهُمْ وَجَعَلَ الْأَغْنِيَاءَ مَوْتَى بِدُنْيَاهُمْ. وَقَالَ الثَّوْرِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْفَقِيرَ يُدَاخِلُ الْأَغْنِيَاءَ فَاِعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ مُرَاءٍ، وَإِذَا خَالَطَ السُّلْطَانَ فَاِعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لِصٌّ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: إِذَا مَالَ الْفَقِيرُ إِلَى بَعْضِ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ اِنْحَلَّتْ عُرْوَتُهُ،

fajaʿala al-fuqarāʾa ʾaḥyāʾan bimawlāhum wajaʿala al-ʾaghniyāʾa mawtā bidunyāhum. waqāla al-thawriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu: ʾidhā raʾayta al-faqīra yudākhilu al-ʾaghniyāʾa fa-iʿlam ʾannahu murāʾin, waʾidhā khālaṭa al-sulṭāna fa-iʿlam ʾannahu liṣṣun. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: ʾidhā māla al-faqīru ʾilā baʿḍi al-ʾaghniyāʾi inḥallat ʿurwatuhu,

He thus made the poor alive through their Master and the rich dead through their worldly life. Al-Thawrī, may God have mercy on him, said, “If you see a poor man ingratiating himself with the rich, know that he is showing off; if he mingles with the ruler, know that he is a thief.” One of the knowers said, “When a poor man inclines toward some of the rich, his hold loosens;

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٢٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 329

Volume Two, page 329

فَإِذَا طَمِعَ فِيهِمُ اِنْقَطَعَتْ عِصْمَتُهُ، فَإِذَا سَكَنَ إِلَيْهِمْ ضَلَّ. فَمَنْ فَضَّلَ الْغِنَى عَلَى الْفَقْرِ بَعْدَ الْأَخْبَارِ الَّتِي وَرَدَتْ فِي تَفْضِيلِ الْفَقْرِ وَالْفُقَرَاءِ وَذَمِّ الْغِنَى وَالْأَغْنِيَاءِ فَأَحْسَنُ حَالِهِ الْجَهْلُ بِالسُّنَنِ لِإِيثَارِ الرَّأْيِ وَالْهَوَى عَلَى مَا فِيهِ أَثَرٌ وَسُنَّةٌ، لِأَنَّ الْأَثَرَ إِذَا جَاءَ فِي شَيْءٍ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِلرَّأْيِ فِيهِ مَدْخَلٌ، وَكَانَ فِي مُخَالَفَتِهِ مَعَ الْعِلْمِ بِهِ عِنَادٌ وَمُحَادَّةٌ.

faʾidhā ṭamiʿa fīhimu inqaṭaʿat ʿiṣmatuhu, faʾidhā sakana ʾilayhim ḍalla. faman faḍḍala al-ghinā ʿalā al-faqri baʿda al-ʾakhbāri allatī waradat fī tafḍīli al-faqri wa-al-fuqarāʾi wadhammi al-ghinā wa-al-ʾaghniyāʾi faʾaḥsanu ḥālihi al-jahlu bi-al-sunani liʾīthāri al-raʾyi wa-al-hawā ʿalā mā fīhi ʾatharun wasunnatun, liʾanna al-ʾathara ʾidhā jāʾa fī shayʾin lam yakun li-l-raʾyi fīhi madkhalun, wakāna fī mukhālafatihi maʿa al-ʿilmi bihi ʿinādun wamuḥāddatun.

when he covets what they have, his protection breaks; when he rests in them, he goes astray.” After the reports favoring poverty and the poor and censuring wealth and the rich, anyone who prefers wealth is, at best, ignorant of the traditions, preferring opinion and desire to transmitted teaching and precedent. Where a report has been transmitted, opinion has no place; knowingly opposing it is obstinacy and defiance.

نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الْجَهْلِ وَالْهَوَى وَنَسْأَلُهُ التَّوْفِيقَ لِلْعِلْمِ وَالتَّقْوَى.

naʿūdhu bi-Allāhi mina al-jahli wa-al-hawā wanasʾaluhu al-tawfīqa li-l-ʿilmi wa-al-taqwā.

We seek refuge in God from ignorance and desire, and ask Him to enable knowledge and Godfearingness.

ذِكْرُ حُكْمِ مَنْ لَا مَعْلُومَ لَهُ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ

dhikru ḥukmi man lā maʿlūma lahu mina al-ʾasbābi

The rule for someone without a regular means of support

فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِلْفَقِيرِ مَعْلُومٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَكَانَ رِزْقُهُ قَدْ أُجْرِيَ عَلَى أَيْدِي الْعِبَادِ مِنْ غَيْرِ تَعْوِيضٍ مِنْهُ لَهُمْ مِنْ صَنَائِعِ الدُّنْيَا مُعْتَادٍ، فَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ هَذَا الْمَالَ مَالُ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ بِحَقِّهِ بُورِكَ لَهُ فِيهِ، وَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ بِإِشْرَافِ نَفْسٍ لَمْ يُبَارَكْ لَهُ فِيهِ، فَكَانَ كَالْآكِلِ وَلَا يَشْبَعُ.

faʾin lam yakun li-l-faqīri maʿlūmun mina al-dunyā wakāna rizquhu qad ʾujriya ʿalā ʾaydī al-ʿibādi min ghayri taʿwīḍin minhu lahum min ṣanāʾiʿi al-dunyā muʿtādin, faqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinna hādhā al-māla mālu Allāhi faman ʾakhadhahu biḥaqqihi būrika lahu fīhi, waman ʾakhadhahu biʾishrāfi nafsin lam yubārak lahu fīhi, fakāna ka-al-ʾākili walā yashbaʿu.

If a poor man has no regular worldly provision and his sustenance comes through people's hands without his customarily compensating them through worldly services, we have transmitted from God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace: “This wealth is God's wealth. Whoever takes it rightly receives blessing in it; whoever takes it with eager expectation receives no blessing and resembles someone who eats without being satisfied.”

وَرَوَيْنَا: مَنْ أَتَاهُ شَيْءٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْمَالِ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ وَلَا اِسْتِشْرَافٍ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ رِزْقٌ سَاقَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: فَلَا يَرُدَّهُ، فَإِنْ كَانَ مُحْتَاجًا إِلَيْهِ وَإِلَّا فَلْيَصْرِفْهُ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ إِلَيْهِ أَحْوَجُ مِنْهُ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ الْحَسَنِ وَعَطَاءٍ حَدِيثًا مُرْسَلًا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: مَنْ أَتَاهُ رِزْقُهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَرَدَّهُ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ يَرُدُّهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ.

warawaynā: man ʾatāhu shayʾun min hādhā al-māli min ghayri masʾalatin walā istishrāfin faʾinnamā huwa rizqun sāqahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾilayhi, wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: falā yaruddahu, faʾin kāna muḥtājan ʾilayhi waʾillā falyaṣrifhu ʾilā man huwa ʾilayhi ʾaḥwaju minhu. warawaynā ʿani al-ḥasani waʿaṭāʾin ḥadīthan mursalan ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: man ʾatāhu rizquhu min ghayri masʾalatin faraddahu faʾinnamā huwa yarudduhu ʿalā Allāhi.

We have transmitted, “Anything of this wealth that comes without asking or eager expectation is provision God Most High has brought to him.” Another wording adds, “He should not refuse it. If he needs it, it is his; otherwise he should give it to someone in greater need.” Through al-Ḥasan and ʿAṭāʾ we have transmitted a report with an omitted intermediary: the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever refuses provision that comes without asking is refusing it from God.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَابِدِ بْنِ شُرَيْحٍ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَا الْمُعْطِي مِنْ سَعَةٍ بِأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًا مِنَ الْآخِذِ إِذَا كَانَ مُحْتَاجًا. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: لَوْ هَرَبَ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رِزْقِهِ لَطَلَبَهُ حَتَّى يَصِلَ إِلَيْهِ كَمَا لَوْ هَرَبَ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ لَأَدْرَكَهُ.

warawaynā ʿan ʿābidi bni shurayḥin ʿan ʾanasi bni mālikin ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: mā al-muʿṭī min saʿatin biʾaʿẓama ʾajran mina al-ʾākhidhi ʾidhā kāna muḥtājan. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: law haraba al-ʿabdu min rizqihi laṭalabahu ḥattā yaṣila ʾilayhi kamā law haraba mina al-mawti laʾadrakahu.

We have transmitted from ʿĀbid ibn Shurayḥ, from Anas ibn Mālik, from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “A giver from abundance has no greater reward than the recipient when the latter is in need.” A scholar said, “If a servant fled his provision, it would seek him until it reached him, just as death would catch him if he fled it.”

وَقَالَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: لَوْ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ سَأَلَ رَبَّهُ فَقَالَ: لَا تَرْزُقْنِي، لَمَا اِسْتَجَابَ لَهُ وَكَانَ عَاصِيًا، وَيُقَالُ لَهُ: يَا جَاهِلُ لَا بُدَّ أَنْ أَرْزُقَكَ كَمَا خَلَقْتُكَ. وَقَدْ حَدَّثَنَا بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ أَنَّهُ زَهِدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَبَلَغَ مِنْ زُهْدِهِ أَنْ فَارَقَ النَّاسَ وَخَرَجَ مِنَ الْأَمْصَارِ، وَقَالَ: لَا أَسْأَلُ أَحَدًا شَيْئًا حَتَّى يَأْتِيَنِي رِزْقِي إِنْ كَانَ لِي رِزْقٌ.

waqāla ʾabū muḥammadin raḥimahu Allāhu: law ʾanna al-ʿabda saʾala rabbahu faqāla: lā tarzuqnī, lamā istajāba lahu wakāna ʿāṣiyan, wayuqālu lahu: yā jāhilu lā budda ʾan ʾarzuqaka kamā khalaqtuka. waqad ḥaddathanā baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna ʾannahu zahida fī al-dunyā fabalagha min zuhdihi ʾan fāraqa al-nāsa wakharaja mina al-ʾamṣāri, waqāla: lā ʾasʾalu ʾaḥadan shayʾan ḥattā yaʾtiyanī rizqī ʾin kāna lī rizqun.

Abū Muḥammad, may God have mercy on him, said, “If a servant asked his Lord, ‘Do not provide for me,’ He would not answer, and the servant would be disobedient. He would be told, ‘Ignorant one, I must provide for you just as I created you.’” A knower told us that his renunciation of the world led him to leave people and the towns, saying, “I will ask no one for anything until my provision comes, if I have any provision.”

قَالَ: فَأَخَذَ يَسِيحُ فَأَقَامَ فِي سَفْحِ جَبَلٍ سَبْعًا لَمْ يَأْتِهِ شَيْءٌ حَتَّى كَادَ أَنْ يَتْلَفَ. قَالَ: يَا رَبِّ إِنْ أَحْيَيْتَنِي فَأْتِنِي بِرِزْقِيَ الَّذِي قَسَمْتَ لِي وَإِلَّا فَاِقْبِضْنِي إِلَيْكَ. فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ: وَعِزَّتِي لَا أَرْزُقَنَّكَ حَتَّى تَدْخُلَ الْأَمْصَارَ وَتُقِيمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ.

qāla: faʾakhadha yasīḥu faʾaqāma fī safḥi jabalin sabʿan lam yaʾtihi shayʾun ḥattā kāda ʾan yatlafa. qāla: yā rabbi ʾin ʾaḥyaytanī faʾtinī birizqiya alladhī qasamta lī waʾillā fa-iqbiḍnī ʾilayka. faʾawḥā Allāhu taʿālā ʾilayhi: waʿizzatī lā ʾarzuqannaka ḥattā tadkhula al-ʾamṣāra watuqīma bayna al-nāsi.

He wandered, then stayed at a mountain's foot for seven days. Nothing came, and he nearly perished. He said, “My Lord, if You keep me alive, bring the provision You allotted me; otherwise take me to Yourself.” God Most High revealed to him, “By My might, I shall not provide for you until you enter the towns and live among people.”

فَدَخَلَ الْمِصْرَ لِلْأَمْرِ وَأَقَامَ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيِ النَّاسِ، فَجَاءَهُ هَذَا بِطَعَامٍ وَهَذَا بِإِدَامٍ وَهَذَا بِشَرَابٍ، فَأَكَلَ وَشَرِبَ فَأَوْجَسَ فِي نَفْسِهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ: أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تُذْهِبَ حِكْمَتِي بِزُهْدِكَ فِي الدُّنْيَا، أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنِّي أَرْزُقُ عَبْدِي بِأَيْدِي عِبَادِي أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَرْزُقَهُ بِيَدِ الْقُدْرَةِ؟

fadakhala al-miṣra li-l-ʾamri waʾaqāma bayna ẓahrānayi al-nāsi, fajāʾahu hādhā biṭaʿāmin wa-hādhā biʾidāmin wa-hādhā bisharābin, faʾakala washariba faʾawjasa fī nafsihi min dhālika, faʾawḥā Allāhu ʾilayhi: ʾaradta ʾan tudhhiba ḥikmatī bizuhdika fī al-dunyā, ʾamā ʿalimta ʾannī ʾarzuqu ʿabdī biʾaydī ʿibādī ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min ʾan ʾarzuqahu biyadi al-qudrati?

Obeying the command, he entered the town and lived among people. One brought food, another a relish, another a drink. He ate and drank but felt inward unease. God revealed to him, “You wished to abolish My wisdom through your renunciation of the world. Did you not know that providing for My servant through My servants' hands is dearer to Me than providing for him by the hand of power?”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُنْقَطِعِينَ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنَ الْعَارِفِينَ: كُنْتُ ذَا صَنْعَةٍ جَلِيلَةٍ فَأُرِيدَ مِنِّي تَرْكُهَا، فَحَاكَ فِي صَدْرِي: مِنْ أَيْنَ الْمَعَاشُ؟ فَهَتَفَ بِي هَاتِفٌ: لَا أَرَاهُ، تَنْقَطِعُ إِلَيَّ وَتَتَّهِمُنِي فِي رِزْقِكَ عَلَى أَنْ أُخْدِمَكَ وَلِيًّا مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِي أَوْ أُسَخِّرَ لَكَ مُنَافِقًا مِنْ أَعْدَائِي.

waqāla baʿḍu al-munqaṭiʿīna ʾilā Allāhi mina al-ʿārifīna: kuntu dhā ṣanʿatin jalīlatin faʾurīda minnī tarkuhā, faḥāka fī ṣadrī: min ʾayna al-maʿāshu? fahatafa bī hātifun: lā ʾarāhu, tanqaṭiʿu ʾilayya watattahimunī fī rizqika ʿalā ʾan ʾukhdimaka waliyyan min ʾawliyāʾī ʾaw ʾusakhkhira laka munāfiqan min ʾaʿdāʾī.

A knower devoted wholly to God said, “I had a distinguished craft, but was required to leave it. The thought stirred in my breast: ‘Where will my livelihood come from?’ A voice called to me, ‘I cannot accept this! You devote yourself to Me, yet distrust Me concerning your provision, when I can put one of My friends at your service or subject to you a hypocrite among My enemies.’”

وَفِي خَبَرٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ السَّلَفِ: أَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى إِلَى الدُّنْيَا: اُخْدُمِي مَنْ خَدَمَنِي وَأَتْعِبِي مَنْ خَدَمَكِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُجَاوِرِينَ بِمَكَّةَ: كَانَتْ عِنْدِي دَرَاهِمُ أَعْدَدْتُهَا لِلْإِنْفَاقِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ،

wafī khabarin ʿan baʿḍi al-salafi: ʾawḥā Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā ʾilā al-dunyā: ukhdumī man khadamanī waʾatʿibī man khadamaki. waqāla baʿḍu al-mujāwirīna bimakkata: kānat ʿindī darāhimu ʾaʿdadtuhā li-l-ʾinfāqi fī sabīli Allāhi,

A report from one of the early generations says that God, Blessed and Exalted, revealed to this world, “Serve whoever serves Me, and weary whoever serves you.” Someone residing in Mecca said, “I had some dirhams set aside for spending in God's path.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٣٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 330

Volume Two, page 330

فَرَأَيْتُ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ فَقِيرًا يَطُوفُ بِالْكَعْبَةِ فِي ظُلْمَةِ اللَّيْلِ، حَسَنَ الْهَدْيِ وَالسَّمْتِ. قَالَ: فَكُنْتُ أَتَتَبَّعُ آثَارَ قَدَمِهِ وَأَمْشِي خَلْفَهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُ، فَلَمَّا قَضَى أُسْبُوعَهُ وَقَفَ فِي الْمُلْتَزَمِ بَيْنَ الْبَابِ وَالْحَجَرِ، فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَدْعُو دُعَاءً خَفِيًّا فَأَصْغَيْتُ إِلَيْهِ، فَإِذَا هُوَ يَقُولُ: جَائِعٌ كَمَا تَرَى، عُرْيَانٌ كَمَا تَرَى، فَمَا تَرَى فِيمَا تَرَى يَا مَنْ يَرَى وَلَا يُرَى؟

faraʾaytu dhāta laylatin faqīran yaṭūfu bi-al-kaʿbati fī ẓulmati al-layli, ḥasana al-hadyi wa-al-samti. qāla: fakuntu ʾatatabbaʿu ʾāthāra qadamihi waʾamshī khalfahu min ḥaythu lā yashʿuru, falammā qaḍā ʾusbūʿahu waqafa fī al-multazami bayna al-bābi wa-al-ḥajari, fasamiʿtuhu yadʿū duʿāʾan khafiyyan faʾaṣghaytu ʾilayhi, faʾidhā huwa yaqūlu: jāʾiʿun kamā tarā, ʿuryānun kamā tarā, famā tarā fīmā tarā yā man yarā walā yurā?

“One night I saw a poor man circling the Kaaba in the darkness, with graceful bearing and conduct. I followed his footsteps without his knowing. When he finished his seven circuits, he stood at the Multazam between the door and the Stone. I heard him praying quietly and listened: ‘Hungry, as You see; naked, as You see. What do You deem concerning what You see, O You who see and are not seen?’”

قَالَ: فَنَظَرْتُ فَإِذَا عَلَيْهِ خُلْقَانٌ رِثَاثٌ لَا تَكَادُ أَنْ تُوَارِيَهُ، فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي: لَا أَجِدُ لِتِلْكَ الدَّرَاهِمِ مَوْضِعًا خَيْرًا مِنْ هَذَا. قَالَ: فَتَبِعْتُهُ حَتَّى اِنْصَرَفَ إِلَى نَاحِيَةِ قُبَّةِ زَمْزَمَ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيِ الطَّوَافِ، وَذَهَبْتُ إِلَى مَنْزِلِي فَجِئْتُ بِالدَّرَاهِمِ فَدَفَعْتُهَا إِلَيْهِ وَقُلْتُ: رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ، أَنْتَ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ وَعَلَى مِثْلِ هَذِهِ الْحَالَةِ، فَخُذْ هَذِهِ تُنْفِقْهَا.

qāla: fanaẓartu faʾidhā ʿalayhi khulqānun rithāthun lā takādu ʾan tuwāriyahu, faqultu fī nafsī: lā ʾajidu litilka al-darāhimi mawḍiʿan khayran min hādhā. qāla: fatabiʿtuhu ḥattā inṣarafa ʾilā nāḥiyati qubbati zamzama yuṣallī rakʿatayi al-ṭawāfi, wadhahabtu ʾilā manzilī fajiʾtu bi-al-darāhimi fadafaʿtuhā ʾilayhi waqultu: raḥimaka Allāhu, ʾanta fī mithli hādhā al-mawḍiʿi waʿalā mithli hādhihi al-ḥālati, fakhudh hādhihi tunfiqhā.

He continued, “I saw him wearing threadbare rags that scarcely covered him. I thought, ‘I could find no better use for those dirhams.’ I followed him toward the dome of Zamzam, where he prayed the two units after circumambulation, then fetched the dirhams from home and handed them to him. I said, ‘God have mercy on you: you are in a place like this, in such a condition. Take these to spend.’

قَالَ: وَصَبَبْتُهَا فِي طَرَفِ إِزَارِهِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ، فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا ثُمَّ أَخَذَ مِنْهَا خَمْسَةَ دَرَاهِمَ فَقَالَ: أَرْبَعَةٌ ثَمَنُ مِئْزَرَيْنِ وَدِرْهَمٌ أَتَقَوَّتُ بِهِ ثَلَاثًا. ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَا حَاجَةَ لِي بِسَائِرِهَا. قَالَ: فَرَأَيْتُهُ اللَّيْلَةَ الثَّانِيَةَ وَعَلَيْهِ مِئْزَرَانِ جَدِيدَانِ قَدْ لَبِسَهُمَا.

qāla: waṣababtuhā fī ṭarafi ʾizārihi bayna yadayhi ʿalā al-ʾarḍi, fanaẓara ʾilayhā thumma ʾakhadha minhā khamsata darāhima faqāla: ʾarbaʿatun thamanu miʾzarayni wadirhamun ʾataqawwatu bihi thalāthan. thumma qāla: lā ḥājata lī bisāʾirihā. qāla: faraʾaytuhu al-laylata al-thāniyata waʿalayhi miʾzarāni jadīdāni qad labisahumā.

“I poured them into the edge of his wrap on the ground before him. He looked, took five dirhams, and said, ‘Four to buy two wraps and one to feed me for three days.’ Then he said, ‘I have no need of the rest.’ The following night I saw him wearing two new wraps.

قَالَ: فَهَجَسَ فِي نَفْسِي مِنْ أَمْرِهِ شَيْءٌ فَقَبَضَ عَلَى يَدِي فَأَطَافَنِي مَعَهُ أُسْبُوعًا، كُلُّ شَوْطٍ مِنْهَا فِي جَوْهَرٍ مِنْ مَعَادِنِ الْأَرْضِ تَتَخَشْخَشُ تَحْتَ أَقْدَامِنَا إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ، مِنْهَا ذَهَبٌ وَفِضَّةٌ وَيَاقُوتٌ وَلُؤْلُؤٌ وَجَوْهَرٌ، لَمْ يَظْهَرْ لِلنَّاسِ. فَقَالَ: هَذَا كُلُّهُ قَدْ أُعْطِينَاهُ فَزَهِدْنَا فِيهِ،

qāla: fahajasa fī nafsī min ʾamrihi shayʾun faqabaḍa ʿalā yadī faʾaṭāfanī maʿahu ʾusbūʿan, kullu shawṭin minhā fī jawharin min maʿādini al-ʾarḍi tatakhashkhashu taḥta ʾaqdāminā ʾilā al-kaʿbayni, minhā dhahabun wafiḍḍatun wayāqūtun waluʾluʾun wajawharun, lam yaẓhar li-l-nāsi. faqāla: hādhā kulluhu qad ʾuʿṭīnāhu fazahidnā fīhi,

“A doubt about him stirred within me. He took my hand and led me through seven circuits, each among precious substances from the earth's minerals, rattling beneath our feet up to our ankles: gold, silver, rubies, pearls, and gems, unseen by other people. He said, ‘We have been given all this and renounced it.

وَنَأْخُذُ مِنْ أَيْدِي الْخَلْقِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْنَا لِأَنَّهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَخَفُّ عَلَيْنَا فِي الْمُطَالَبَةِ، وَهَذِهِ أَثْقَالٌ وَفِتْنَةٌ، وَذَاكَ لِلْعِبَادِ فِيهِ رَحْمَةٌ وَنِعْمَةٌ. وَرَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ: الْبِلَادُ بِلَادُ اللَّهِ وَالْخَلْقُ عِبَادُهُ، فَأَيْنَمَا وَجَدْتَ رِزْقًا فَأَقِمْ وَاِحْمَدِ اللَّهَ.

wanaʾkhudhu min ʾaydī al-khalqi ʾaḥabbu ʾilaynā liʾannahu ʾaḥabbu ʾilā Allāhi waʾakhaffu ʿalaynā fī al-muṭālabati, wa-hādhihi ʾathqālun wafitnatun, wadhāka li-l-ʿibādi fīhi raḥmatun waniʿmatun. warawaynā fī khabarin: al-bilādu bilādu Allāhi wa-al-khalqu ʿibāduhu, faʾaynamā wajadta rizqan faʾaqim wa-iḥmadi Allāha.

“‘Receiving from creatures' hands is dearer to us because it is dearer to God and imposes a lighter demand on us. These things are burdens and a trial; the other way brings servants mercy and blessing.’” We have transmitted a report: “The lands are God's lands and creatures His servants. Wherever you find provision, settle and praise God.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ اِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: اِخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا فِي الرِّزْقِ وَالْأَجَلِ، أَجْمَعُوا عَلَى أَنْ لَا رَازِقَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَا مُمِيتَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. وَقَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَمَّا خَلَقَ الْأَرْزَاقَ أَمَرَ الرِّيَاحَ أَنْ تُمَزِّقَهَا فِي أَقْطَارِ الْأَرْضِ فَفَرَّقَهَا، فَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ وَقَعَ رِزْقُهُ فِي مِائَةِ أَلْفِ مَوْضِعٍ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ وَقَعَ رِزْقُهُ فِي عَشْرَةِ آلَافِ مَوْضِعٍ،

warawaynā ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin: ikhtalafa al-nāsu fī kulli shayʾin ʾillā fī al-rizqi wa-al-ʾajali, ʾajmaʿū ʿalā ʾan lā rāziqa ʾillā Allāhu walā mumīta ʾillā Allāhu. waqāla: ʾinna Allāha ʿazza wajalla lammā khalaqa al-ʾarzāqa ʾamara al-riyāḥa ʾan tumazziqahā fī ʾaqṭāri al-ʾarḍi fafarraqahā, famina al-nāsi man waqaʿa rizquhu fī miʾati ʾalfi mawḍiʿin, waminhum man waqaʿa rizquhu fī ʿashrati ʾālāfi mawḍiʿin,

We have transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās, “People disagree about everything except provision and the appointed lifespan. They agree that none provides or brings death except God.” He said, “When God, mighty and majestic, created provisions, He commanded the winds to scatter them throughout the earth. Some people's provision fell in a hundred thousand places; others' in ten thousand;

وَمِنْهُمْ مِنْ أَلْفِ مَوْضِعٍ، وَمِنْهُمْ مِنْ مِائَةِ مَوْضِعٍ، وَمِنْهُمْ فِي مَوْضِعٍ وَأَقَلَّ وَأَكْثَرَ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ وَقَعَ رِزْقُهُ عَلَى بَابِ مَنْزِلِهِ يَغْدُو وَيَرُومُ إِلَيْهِ. وَكُلُّ عَبْدٍ يَسْعَى بِأَثَرِهِ الَّذِي كُتِبَ لَهُ حَتَّى يَسْتَوْفِيَ رِزْقَهُ الَّذِي قُسِمَ لَهُ، فَإِذَا فَنِيَ أَثَرُهُ وَاِسْتَوْفَى رِزْقَهُ جَاءَهُ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ فَقَبَضَ رُوحَهُ.

waminhum min ʾalfi mawḍiʿin, waminhum min miʾati mawḍiʿin, waminhum fī mawḍiʿin waʾaqalla waʾakthara, waminhum man waqaʿa rizquhu ʿalā bābi manzilihi yaghdū wayarūmu ʾilayhi. wakullu ʿabdin yasʿā biʾatharihi alladhī kutiba lahu ḥattā yastawfiya rizqahu alladhī qusima lahu, faʾidhā faniya ʾatharuhu wa-istawfā rizqahu jāʾahu malaku al-mawti faqabaḍa rūḥahu.

“Others receive it from a thousand places, others from a hundred, others in one, fewer or more. For some it fell at their door: they go out and turn toward it. Every servant follows his prescribed course until he receives all his allotted provision. When his course ends and he has received it all, the angel of death comes and takes his soul.”

وَاِعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَا يَنْقَطِعُ رِزْقُهُ أَبَدًا مُنْذُ أُظْهِرَتْ خِلْقَتُهُ. كَانَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ، غِذَاؤُهُ مِمَّا تَفِيضُ الْأَرْحَامُ مِنْ دَمِ الْحَيْضِ، يَعِيشُ بِذَلِكَ جِسْمُهُ مِنْ ظَاهِرِهِ، وَمِعَاهُ الْمُسْتَطِيلُ مِنْ سُرَّتِهِ مُتَّصِلٌ بِمِعَى أُمِّهِ، يَصِلُ مِنْ بَطْنِهَا مُخُّ الطَّعَامِ إِلَى بَطْنِهِ فَيَعِيشُ بِذَلِكَ.

wa-iʿlam ʾanna al-ʿabda lā yanqaṭiʿu rizquhu ʾabadan mundhu ʾuẓhirat khilqatuhu. kāna fī baṭni ʾummihi, ghidhāʾuhu mimmā tafīḍu al-ʾarḥāmu min dami al-ḥayḍi, yaʿīshu bi-dhālika jismuhu min ẓāhirihi, wamiʿāhu al-mustaṭīlu min surratihi muttaṣilun bimiʿā ʾummihi, yaṣilu min baṭnihā mukhkhu al-ṭaʿāmi ʾilā baṭnihi fayaʿīshu bi-dhālika.

Know that a servant's provision never ceases from the moment his form is brought forth. In his mother's womb, his nourishment comes from the menstrual blood the womb releases, sustaining his body from outside it. His elongated intestine, extending from his navel, connects to his mother's intestine; the essence of food passes from her belly into his, sustaining him.

فَإِذَا أَذِنَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِخُرُوجِهِ بَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ الْمَلَكَ فَقَطَعَ ذَلِكَ الْمِعَى مِنْ مَوْضِعِ اِتِّصَالِهِ بِمِعَى أُمِّهِ. فَإِذَا دَخَلَ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا جَعَلَ رِزْقَهُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، فَإِذَا خَرَجَ مِنْهَا فَآخِرُ رِزْقِهِ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا أَوَّلُ رِزْقِهِ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ. فَإِذَا دَخَلَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ كَانَ رِزْقُهُ مِنَ الْبَرْزَخِ كَمَا كَانَ فِي الدُّنْيَا بِتِلْكَ الْمَعَانِي لِمُعَايَنَتِهِ الْمُخْتَلِفَةِ الْمُحْتَمِلَةِ لِذَلِكَ.

faʾidhā ʾadhina Allāhu ʿazza wajalla bikhurūjihi baʿatha ʾilayhi al-malaka faqaṭaʿa dhālika al-miʿā min mawḍiʿi ittiṣālihi bimiʿā ʾummihi. faʾidhā dakhala ʾilā al-dunyā jaʿala rizqahu mina al-dunyā, faʾidhā kharaja minhā faʾākhiru rizqihi mina al-dunyā ʾawwalu rizqihi mina al-ʾākhirati. faʾidhā dakhala fī al-ʾākhirati kāna rizquhu mina al-barzakhi kamā kāna fī al-dunyā bitilka al-maʿānī limuʿāyanatihi al-mukhtalifati al-muḥtamilati li-dhālika.

When God, mighty and majestic, permits his emergence, He sends an angel who severs that intestine where it joins his mother's. Upon entering this world, his provision is made worldly. When he leaves, his last worldly provision becomes his first from the hereafter. Entering the hereafter, he is sustained from the intermediate realm, as in this world through those forms, according to his varying experience capable of receiving them.

فَإِذَا خَرَجَ مِنَ الْبَرْزَخِ وَدَخَلَ فِي الْقِيَامَةِ كَانَ رِزْقُهُ فِي الْمَوْقِفِ عَلَى قَدْرِ حَالِهِ هُنَاكَ، فَإِذَا خَرَجَ مِنَ الْمَوْقِفِ دَخَلَ أَحَدَ الدَّارَيْنِ اِنْتَقَلَ رِزْقُهُ إِلَيْهَا فَكَانَ مِنْهَا

faʾidhā kharaja mina al-barzakhi wadakhala fī al-qiyāmati kāna rizquhu fī al-mawqifi ʿalā qadri ḥālihi hunāka, faʾidhā kharaja mina al-mawqifi dakhala ʾaḥada al-dārayni intaqala rizquhu ʾilayhā fakāna minhā

When he leaves the intermediate realm and enters the Resurrection, his provision at the gathering accords with his condition there. When he leaves the gathering and enters one of the two abodes, his provision moves there and comes from it

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٣١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 331

Volume Two, page 331

إِلَى أَبَدِ الْأَبَدِ. فَإِذَا شَهِدَ الْعَبْدُ هَذَا بِيَقِينِ إِيمَانِهِ اِطْمَأَنَّ قَلْبُهُ فَاِسْتَوَى عِنْدَهُ الرِّزْقُ وَالْأَجَلُ، فَعَلِمَ يَقِينًا أَنْ لَا بُدَّ مِنْ رِزْقٍ كَمَا لَا بُدَّ مِنْ أَجَلٍ، فَلَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا مُرَاعَاةُ الْأَحْكَامِ فِيهِ. وَشَهِدَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الشَّهَادَةِ أَنَّ خَلْقًا لَا يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَزِيدَ فِي عُمْرِهِ سَاعَةً وَلَا يَنْقُصَ مِنْهُ سَاعَةً.

ʾilā ʾabadi al-ʾabadi. faʾidhā shahida al-ʿabdu hādhā biyaqīni ʾīmānihi iṭmaʾanna qalbuhu fa-istawā ʿindahu al-rizqu wa-al-ʾajalu, faʿalima yaqīnan ʾan lā budda min rizqin kamā lā budda min ʾajalin, falam yakun ʿalayhi ʾillā murāʿātu al-ʾaḥkāmi fīhi. washahida min hādhihi al-shahādati ʾanna khalqan lā yaqdiru ʾan yazīda fī ʿumrihi sāʿatan walā yanquṣa minhu sāʿatan.

forever and ever. When the servant witnesses this with faith's certainty, his heart becomes tranquil. Provision and lifespan become equally assured: he knows that provision is inevitable, just as the appointed end is inevitable. His only duty is to observe the rulings concerning it. Through this witnessing, he sees that no creature can add an hour to his life or subtract an hour.

فَإِذَا أَيْقَنَ بِهَذَا كَانَ مَشْغُولًا بِالْمُخَالَصَةِ لِمَوْلَاهُ فِيمَا تَعَبَّدَهُ بِهِ وَوَلَّاهُ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ الرِّزْقَ عَلَى وَجْهَيْنِ، عَنْ مَعَانٍ لَا تُحْصَى وَبِأَسْبَابٍ لَا تُعَدُّ وَلَا تُضْبَطُ: فَمِنَ الرِّزْقِ مَا يَأْتِي الْعَبْدَ بِسُكُونِهِ وَقُعُودِهِ فَيَكُونُ الرِّزْقُ هُوَ الَّذِي تَحَرَّكَ إِلَيْهِ وَيَأْتِيهِ، وَمِنْهُ مَا يَأْتِي الْعَبْدَ بِحَرَكَتِهِ وَقِيَامِهِ فَيَكُونُ يَتَسَبَّبُ إِلَيْهِ وَيَطْلُبُهُ.

faʾidhā ʾayqana bi-hādhā kāna mashghūlan bi-al-mukhālaṣati limawlāhu fīmā taʿabbadahu bihi wawallāhu. thumma ʾinna al-rizqa ʿalā wajhayni, ʿan maʿānin lā tuḥṣā wabiʾasbābin lā tuʿaddu walā tuḍbaṭu: famina al-rizqi mā yaʾtī al-ʿabda bisukūnihi waquʿūdihi fayakūnu al-rizqu huwa alladhī taḥarraka ʾilayhi wayaʾtīhi, waminhu mā yaʾtī al-ʿabda biḥarakatihi waqiyāmihi fayakūnu yatasabbabu ʾilayhi wayaṭlubuhu.

Certain of this, he occupies himself with sincerity toward his Master in the worship and responsibilities assigned him. Provision comes in two ways, through innumerable forms and means beyond counting or delimiting. Some reaches the servant while he remains still and seated: provision moves toward him and comes to him. Other provision reaches him through his movement and activity: he pursues its means and seeks it.

وَالرِّزْقُ فِيهِمَا وَاحِدٌ وَالرَّازِقُ بِهِمَا وَاحِدٌ، وَالْحِكْمَةُ وَالْقُدْرَةُ فِي الْمُتَحَرِّكِ الْقَائِمِ وَفِي السَّاكِنِ الْقَاعِدِ وَاحِدٌ، إِلَّا أَنَّ الْأَحْكَامَ فِيهِمَا مُتَفَاوِتَةٌ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْأَشْيَاءَ كُلَّهَا عَلَى ضَرْبَيْنِ: مُسَخَّرٌ لَكَ وَمُسَلَّطٌ عَلَيْكَ. فَمَا سُخِّرَ لَكَ سُلِّطْتَ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ نِعْمَةٌ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَيْكَ الشُّكْرُ عَلَيْهِ، وَهَذَا مَقَامُ الشُّكْرِ عَلَى مَعْنَى الرِّزْقِ.

wa-al-rizqu fīhimā wāḥidun wa-al-rāziqu bihimā wāḥidun, wa-al-ḥikmatu wa-al-qudratu fī al-mutaḥarriki al-qāʾimi wafī al-sākini al-qāʿidi wāḥidun, ʾillā ʾanna al-ʾaḥkāma fīhimā mutafāwitatun. thumma ʾinna al-ʾashyāʾa kullahā ʿalā ḍarbayni: musakhkharun laka wamusallaṭun ʿalayka. famā sukhkhira laka sulliṭta ʿalayhi wahuwa niʿmatun ʿalayka waʿalayka al-shukru ʿalayhi, wa-hādhā maqāmu al-shukri ʿalā maʿnā al-rizqi.

In both, the provision and Provider are one. The wisdom and power operating in the active and standing person and the still and seated person are one, though their rulings differ. All things are of two kinds: subjected to you or set over you. What is subjected to you is placed under your control, a blessing for which gratitude is due. This is gratitude's station in relation to provision.

وَمَا سُلِّطَ عَلَيْكَ فَقَدْ سُخِّرْتَ لَهُ أَنْتَ وَهُوَ بَلَاءٌ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَيْكَ الصَّبْرُ فِيهِ، وَهَذَا مَقَامُ الصَّبْرِ عَنْ مَعْنَى الِابْتِلَاءِ. فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ عَرَفَ حَالَهُ مِنْ مَقَامِهِ فَقَامَ بِحُكْمِ مَا عَرَفَ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَشْهَدْهُ جَهِلَ حَالَهُ وَلَمْ يَدْرِ مَقَامَهُ فَاِضْطَرَبَ فِيهِ فَضَيَّعَ حُكْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ.

wamā sulliṭa ʿalayka faqad sukhkhirta lahu ʾanta wahuwa balāʾun ʿalayka waʿalayka al-ṣabru fīhi, wa-hādhā maqāmu al-ṣabri ʿan maʿnā al-ibtilāʾi. faman shahida mā dhakarnāhu ʿarafa ḥālahu min maqāmihi faqāma biḥukmi mā ʿarafa, waman lam yashhadhu jahila ḥālahu walam yadri maqāmahu fa-iḍṭaraba fīhi faḍayyaʿa ḥukma Allāhi ʿalayhi.

What is set over you subjects you to itself; it is a trial in which patience is due. This is patience's station in relation to testing. Whoever witnesses what we have described recognizes his condition through his station and fulfills the ruling he recognizes. Whoever does not is ignorant of his condition and unaware of his station; he becomes unsettled and neglects God's ruling upon him.

وَالْمُسْتَحَبُّ لِمَنْ لَا مَعْلُومَ لَهُ أَنْ لَا يَأْخُذَ مِمَّا آتَاهُ إِلَّا قَدْرَ الْحَاجَةِ، وَعَلَامَةُ حَاجَتِهِ هُوَ أَنْ لَا يَأْخُذَ إِلَّا مَا يَحْتَاجُ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَهُ فَهُوَ حَاجَتُهُ فِي وَقْتِهِ؛ فَذَاكَ رِزْقٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَمَعُونَةٌ لَهُ، فَأَخْذُ هَذَا أَفْضَلُ. وَمَا آتَاهُ مِمَّا لَا يَحْتَاجُ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَهُ أَوْ عِنْدَهُ مِثْلُهُ فَهُوَ اِخْتِبَارٌ لَهُ وَاِبْتِلَاءٌ،

wa-al-mustaḥabbu liman lā maʿlūma lahu ʾan lā yaʾkhudha mimmā ʾātāhu ʾillā qadra al-ḥājati, waʿalāmatu ḥājatihi huwa ʾan lā yaʾkhudha ʾillā mā yaḥtāju ʾan yashtariyahu fahuwa ḥājatuhu fī waqtihi; fadhāka rizqun mina Allāhi taʿālā wamaʿūnatun lahu, faʾakhdhu hādhā ʾafḍalu. wamā ʾātāhu mimmā lā yaḥtāju ʾan yashtariyahu ʾaw ʿindahu mithluhu fahuwa ikhtibārun lahu wa-ibtilāʾun,

Someone without regular support should preferably accept only what he needs. The measure is to take only what he otherwise needs to buy: that is his present need, provision from God Most High and assistance for him, so accepting it is better. Anything he receives that he does not need to buy, or already possesses its like, is a test and trial,

لِيُنْظَرَ كَيْفَ زُهْدُهُ فِي فُضُولِ حَاجَتِهِ وَكَيْفَ رَغْبَتُهُ فِي الِاسْتِكْثَارِ، لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا مَلَكَ الشَّيْءَ فَكَأَنَّهُ قَدْ كَانَ لَهُ، فَيَعْلَمُ الْآنَ بِمَعْرِفَتِهِ أَنَّ هَذَا اِبْتِلَاءٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ. وَفِيهِ حُكْمَانِ: أَحَدُهُمَا أَنْ يَأْخُذَهُ فِي الْعَلَانِيَةِ وَيُخْرِجَهُ فِي السِّرِّ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَحْوَجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْهُ، هَذَا طَرِيقُ الْأَقْوِيَاءِ وَمِنْ أَشَدِّ الْأَشْيَاءِ عَلَى النَّفْسِ،

liyunẓara kayfa zuhduhu fī fuḍūli ḥājatihi wakayfa raghbatuhu fī al-istikthāri, liʾannahu ʾidhā malaka al-shayʾa fakaʾannahu qad kāna lahu, fayaʿlamu al-ʾāna bimaʿrifatihi ʾanna hādhā ibtilāʾun mina Allāhi. wafīhi ḥukmāni: ʾaḥaduhumā ʾan yaʾkhudhahu fī al-ʿalāniyati wayukhrijahu fī al-sirri ʾilā man huwa ʾaḥwaju ʾilayhi minhu, hādhā ṭarīqu al-ʾaqwiyāʾi wamin ʾashaddi al-ʾashyāʾi ʿalā al-nafsi,

revealing his renunciation of what exceeds his needs and his desire to accumulate. Once he possesses something, it is as though it had already been his; now his understanding should tell him this is a divine trial. Two rulings apply. One is to accept publicly and give it privately to someone needier. This is the strong person's path, among the hardest things for the self,

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَمَرَ بِهِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عُمَرَ وَغَيْرَهُ، وَهَذَا حَالُ عُلَمَاءِ الزَّاهِدِينَ. وَالْحُكْمُ الْآخَرُ أَنْ لَا يَأْخُذَهُ لِيَصْرِفَهُ صَاحِبُهُ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَحْوَجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْهُ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَهُ عَلَيْهِ فِيهِ أَحْكَامٌ، وَهَذَا هُوَ الطَّرِيقُ الْأَوْسَطُ مِنْ طُرُقِ الزُّهَّادِ.

wahuwa alladhī ʾamara bihi al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿumara waghayrahu, wa-hādhā ḥālu ʿulamāʾi al-zāhidīna. wa-al-ḥukmu al-ʾākharu ʾan lā yaʾkhudhahu liyaṣrifahu ṣāḥibuhu ʾilā man huwa ʾaḥwaju ʾilayhi minhu liʾanna Allāha taʿālā lahu ʿalayhi fīhi ʾaḥkāmun, wa-hādhā huwa al-ṭarīqu al-ʾawsaṭu min ṭuruqi al-zuhhādi.

and what the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanded ʿUmar and others to do. This is the state of the learned renunciants. The other ruling is to refuse, allowing its owner to give it to someone needier, since God Most High has rulings binding him concerning it. This is the middle path among the paths of renunciants.

فَأَمَّا أَنْ يَأْخُذَهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَاجَةٍ لِيَتَكَثَّرَ بِهِ وَيَدَّخِرَهُ فَلَا أَعْلَمُ فِي هَذَا طَرِيقًا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَمَا لَمْ يَكُنْ طَرِيقًا إِلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ مِنْ طُرُقَاتِ الْهَوَى إِلَى الْعَدُوِّ. ثُمَّ يَنْظُرُ الْآخِذُ فِيمَا آتَاهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ إِلَى أَحْكَامِهِ فِيهِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ مَا يَأْتِيهِ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ الْمَفْرُوضَةِ عَلَى أَرْبَابِهَا الْمُشْتَرَطِ لَهُ الْأَوْصَافُ السِّتَّةُ الْمَنْصُوصُ عَلَيْهَا فِي الْكِتَابِ،

faʾammā ʾan yaʾkhudhahu min ghayri ḥājatin liyatakaththara bihi wayaddakhirahu falā ʾaʿlamu fī hādhā ṭarīqan ʾilā Allāhi taʿālā, wamā lam yakun ṭarīqan ʾilā Allāhi fahuwa min ṭuruqāti al-hawā ʾilā al-ʿaduwwi. thumma yanẓuru al-ʾākhidhu fīmā ʾātāhu mina Allāhi ʾilā ʾaḥkāmihi fīhi, faʾin kāna mā yaʾtīhi mina al-zakāti al-mafrūḍati ʿalā ʾarbābihā al-mushtaraṭi lahu al-ʾawṣāfu al-sittatu al-manṣūṣu ʿalayhā fī al-kitābi,

As for taking without need in order to accumulate and store up, I know no path to God Most High in that. Whatever is no path to God belongs to desire's roads toward the Enemy. The recipient should consider God's rulings concerning what comes from Him. If it comes from the obligatory alms imposed on owners, for which the six descriptions specified in the Book are stipulated,

فَذَلِكَ أَضْيَقُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَلْزَمُ لَهُ فِي الِاحْتِيَاطِ لِأَخِيهِ أَنْ يَضَعَهُ فِي حَقِيقَةِ مَوْضِعِهِ عِنْدَ أَخِيهِ نُصْحًا لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي دِينِهِ وَنُصْحًا لِإِخْوَانِهِ فِي رَبِّهِ. فَإِنَّ الْأَفْضَلَ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنْ لَا يَضَعَهُ إِلَّا فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْيَاءَ: مَطْعَمٍ وَمَلْبَسٍ وَمَسْكَنٍ وَدَيْنٍ فِي قَضَائِهِ عَنْهُ، فَهَذَا مِنْ أَفْضَلِ مَا صُرِفَتْ فِيهِ الْوَاجِبَاتُ.

fa-dhālika ʾaḍyaqu ʿalayhi waʾalzamu lahu fī al-iḥtiyāṭi liʾakhīhi ʾan yaḍaʿahu fī ḥaqīqati mawḍiʿihi ʿinda ʾakhīhi nuṣḥan li-llāhi taʿālā fī dīnihi wanuṣḥan liʾikhwānihi fī rabbihi. faʾinna al-ʾafḍala fī dhālika ʾan lā yaḍaʿahu ʾillā fī ʾarbaʿati ʾashyāʾa: maṭʿamin wamalbasin wamaskanin wadaynin fī qaḍāʾihi ʿanhu, fa-hādhā min ʾafḍali mā ṣurifat fīhi al-wājibātu.

his scope is narrower and his obligation to safeguard his brother greater: he must place it in its truly proper use on his brother's behalf, acting sincerely toward God Most High in religion and toward his brothers in relation to his Lord. It is best to spend it only on four things: food, clothing, shelter, and repayment of debt. These are among the best uses for obligatory payments.

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ اِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: مَنِ اِشْتَرَى مَا لَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ بَاعَ مَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ، وَفُضُولُ

waqad rawaynā ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin: mani ishtarā mā lā yaḥtāju ʾilayhi bāʿa mā yaḥtāju ʾilayhi, wafuḍūlu

We have transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās, “Whoever buys what he does not need sells what he does need.” The surplus of

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٣٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 332

Volume Two, page 332

الدُّنْيَا وَهُوَ الزِّيَادَةُ عَلَى الْكِفَايَةِ لَا يُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ، وَالدِّينُ يُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ، فَلَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْعَاقِلِ أَنْ يَبِيعَ مَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ دِينِهِ بِشِرَاءِ مَا لَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ دُنْيَاهُ فَتَكُونَ صَفْقَتُهُ خَاسِرَةً وَتِجَارَتُهُ بَائِرَةً. وَالشَّهَوَاتُ لَا حَدَّ لَهَا لِأَنَّهُ لَا غَايَةَ يَنْتَهِي إِلَيْهَا فِيهَا، وَالْقُوتُ لَهُ حَدٌّ وَغَايَةٌ يَنْتَهِي إِلَيْهِ فِيهَا.

al-dunyā wahuwa al-ziyādatu ʿalā al-kifāyati lā yuḥtāju ʾilayhi, wa-al-dīnu yuḥtāju ʾilayhi, falā yanbaghī li-l-ʿāqili ʾan yabīʿa mā yaḥtāju ʾilayhi min dīnihi bishirāʾi mā lā yaḥtāju ʾilayhi min dunyāhu fatakūna ṣafqatuhu khāsiratan watijāratuhu bāʾiratan. wa-al-shahawātu lā ḥadda lahā liʾannahu lā ghāyata yantahī ʾilayhā fīhā, wa-al-qūtu lahu ḥaddun waghāyatun yantahī ʾilayhi fīhā.

this world, meaning more than sufficiency, is unnecessary, while religion is necessary. A sensible person should not sell the religion he needs to buy worldly things he does not need, making a losing bargain and a ruined trade. Appetites have no limit, for no final point is reached in them. Sustenance has a limit and an endpoint one reaches.

وَقَدْ جَاءَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا حَقَّ لِاِبْنِ آدَمَ إِلَّا فِي ثَلَاثٍ: طَعَامٍ يُقِيمُ صُلْبَهُ وَثَوْبٍ يُوَارِي عَوْرَتَهُ وَبَيْتٍ يُكِنُّهُ، فَمَا زَادَ فَهُوَ حِسَابٌ. وَهَذِهِ الثَّلَاثُ مَعَ اِبْنِ آدَمَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَفِي قَبْرِهِ وَبَيْنَ ذَلِكَ فِي دُنْيَاهُ وَبَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي عُقْبَاهُ، فَالْأَخْذُ لِمَصَالِحِ هَذِهِ الثَّلَاثِ مَأْجُورٌ عَلَيْهِ الْعَبْدُ، وَالرَّدُّ لِمَا زَادَ عَلَيْهَا هُوَ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْأَخْذِ.

waqad jāʾa ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā ḥaqqa li-ibni ʾādama ʾillā fī thalāthin: ṭaʿāmin yuqīmu ṣulbahu wathawbin yuwārī ʿawratahu wabaytin yukinnuhu, famā zāda fahuwa ḥisābun. wa-hādhihi al-thalāthu maʿa ibni ʾādama fī baṭni ʾummihi wafī qabrihi wabayna dhālika fī dunyāhu wabaʿda dhālika fī ʿuqbāhu, fa-al-ʾakhdhu limaṣāliḥi hādhihi al-thalāthi maʾjūrun ʿalayhi al-ʿabdu, wa-al-raddu limā zāda ʿalayhā huwa ʾafḍalu mina al-ʾakhdhi.

It is reported from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, “Adam's child has a right only to three things: food to sustain his body, clothing to cover his private parts, and a house to shelter him. Anything more entails an accounting.” These three accompany him in his mother's womb, his grave, the worldly life between, and the afterlife beyond. A servant is rewarded for accepting what serves these three; refusing what exceeds them is better than accepting.

وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ الَّذِي لَا مَعْلُومَ لَهُ عَارِفًا بِأَحْكَامِ الْعَطَاءِ، فَإِنَّ الْعَطَاءَ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِعَبْدِهِ عَلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَنْوَاعٍ: نَوْعَانِ مَحْمُودَانِ وَنَوْعَانِ مَكْرُوهَانِ. فَالْمَحْمُودَانِ مَا كَانَ بِمَعْنَى الرِّفْقِ وَالْمَعُونَةِ، وَالْمَكْرُوهَانِ مَا يَكُونُ بِمَعْنَى الِاخْتِبَارِ وَالِابْتِلَاءِ، وَبَيْنَ الرِّفْقِ وَالْمَعُونَةِ.

wayanbaghī ʾan yakūna al-ʿabdu alladhī lā maʿlūma lahu ʿārifan biʾaḥkāmi al-ʿaṭāʾi, faʾinna al-ʿaṭāʾa mina Allāhi liʿabdihi ʿalā ʾarbaʿati ʾanwāʿin: nawʿāni maḥmūdāni wanawʿāni makrūhāni. fa-al-maḥmūdāni mā kāna bimaʿnā al-rifqi wa-al-maʿūnati, wa-al-makrūhāni mā yakūnu bimaʿnā al-ikhtibāri wa-al-ibtilāʾi, wabayna al-rifqi wa-al-maʿūnati.

A servant without regular support should know the rulings governing gifts. God's gifts to His servant are of four kinds: two praiseworthy and two undesirable. The praiseworthy bring kindness and assistance; the undesirable constitute a test and a trial, and between kindness and assistance.

فَتَفْصِيلُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ الِابْتِلَاءَ مَا جَاءَهُ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ قَبْلَ الْحَاجَةِ إِلَيْهِ أَوْ جَاءَهُ وَلَهُ غُنْيَةٌ عَنْهُ أَوْ عِنْدَهُ مِثْلُهُ، فَهَذَا اِبْتِلَاءٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لَهُ لِيَنْظُرَ عَمَلَهُ فِيهِ. فَالْأَفْضَلُ فِي هَذَا أَنْ يُخْرِجَهُ فَيَكُونَ مُعَامِلًا لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى بِهِ فِي السِّرِّ مُسْقِطًا لِمَنْزِلَتِهِ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ فِي الْعَلَانِيَةِ.

fatafṣīlu dhālika ʾanna al-ibtilāʾa mā jāʾahu mina al-ʾasbābi qabla al-ḥājati ʾilayhi ʾaw jāʾahu walahu ghunyatun ʿanhu ʾaw ʿindahu mithluhu, fa-hādhā ibtilāʾun mina Allāhi taʿālā lahu liyanẓura ʿamalahu fīhi. fa-al-ʾafḍalu fī hādhā ʾan yukhrijahu fayakūna muʿāmilan li-llāhi taʿālā bihi fī al-sirri musqiṭan limanzilatihi ʿinda al-nāsi fī al-ʿalāniyati.

In detail, a trial is material means that come before he needs them, when he can dispense with them, or when he already has their like. This is a trial from God Most High, to see how he acts. It is best to give it away, thereby dealing privately with God Most High while publicly lowering his standing among people.

فَإِنْ لَمْ يَقْوَ عَلَى هَذَا الثِّقَلِ وَحَمْلِهِ عَلَى النَّفْسِ فَالْأَفْضَلُ بَعْدَهُ أَنْ لَا يَأْخُذَهُ لِيَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ مَا يَشَاءُ وَنُصْحًا لِأَخِيهِ فِي مَالِهِ، سِيَّمَا إِنْ كَانَ مِنَ الْوَاجِبِ. وَالِاخْتِبَارُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْفَقِيرُ قَدْ نَوَى تَرْكَ أَكْلِ شَيْءٍ أَوِ اِعْتَقَدَ التَّقَلُّلَ فِي شَيْءٍ قُرْبَةً إِلَى رَبِّهِ تَعَالَى لِمُخَالَفَةِ هَوَى نَفْسِهِ،

faʾin lam yaqwa ʿalā hādhā al-thiqali waḥamlihi ʿalā al-nafsi fa-al-ʾafḍalu baʿdahu ʾan lā yaʾkhudhahu liyaḥkuma Allāhu fīhi mā yashāʾu wanuṣḥan liʾakhīhi fī mālihi, siyyamā ʾin kāna mina al-wājibi. wa-al-ikhtibāru ʾan yakūna al-faqīru qad nawā tarka ʾakli shayʾin ʾawi iʿtaqada al-taqallula fī shayʾin qurbatan ʾilā rabbihi taʿālā limukhālafati hawā nafsihi,

If he cannot bear this burden and impose it on himself, the next best course is to refuse, leaving God to decree what He wills and acting faithfully toward his brother's property, especially if it is an obligatory payment. A test occurs when a poor man has resolved to forgo some food or reduce some indulgence as a means of drawing near to his Lord Most High by opposing his own desire,

وَعَمَلًا فِي صَلَاحِ قَلْبِهِ يَتَبَاعَدُ بِهِ مِمَّا يُدْخِلُهُ فِي الْكَثْرَةِ وَيَحُلُّ عَلَيْهِ عَقْدَهُ، فَرَدُّ هَذَا أَفْضَلُ وَهُوَ مِنَ الزُّهْدِ وَالرِّعَايَةِ لِلْعَهْدِ. فَإِنْ أَخَذَهُ ثُمَّ أَخْرَجَهُ إِلَى مُحْتَاجٍ فَهَذَا هُوَ زُهْدُ الزُّهْدِ، وَلَهُ فِي هَذَا مُعَامَلَاتٌ؛ مِنْهَا أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ مَنْدُوبٌ إِلَى الْإِيثَارِ، فَإِذَا كَانَ فَقِيرًا وَمَلَكَ شَيْئًا فَأَخْرَجَهُ كَانَ فِي مِيزَانِهِ.

waʿamalan fī ṣalāḥi qalbihi yatabāʿadu bihi mimmā yudkhiluhu fī al-kathrati wayaḥullu ʿalayhi ʿaqdahu, faraddu hādhā ʾafḍalu wahuwa mina al-zuhdi wa-al-riʿāyati li-l-ʿahdi. faʾin ʾakhadhahu thumma ʾakhrajahu ʾilā muḥtājin fa-hādhā huwa zuhdu al-zuhdi, walahu fī hādhā muʿāmalātun; minhā ʾanna al-ʿabda mandūbun ʾilā al-ʾīthāri, faʾidhā kāna faqīran wamalaka shayʾan faʾakhrajahu kāna fī mīzānihi.

and working to set his heart right, avoiding what would draw him into excess and undo his resolve. Refusing this gift is better: it is renunciation and fidelity to the covenant. If he accepts and gives it to someone needy, that is renouncing renunciation itself. Several dealings with God are involved. The servant is urged to prefer others; if he is poor, owns something, and gives it away, it enters his balance of good deeds.

وَمِنْهَا مُوَافَقَةُ السُّنَّةِ فِي أَنَّهُ قَدْ أُمِرَ بِأَخْذِهِ أَوْ دَفْعِهِ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَحْوَجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْهُ، وَمِنْهَا أَنَّ أَخْذَ هَذَا فِي الْعَلَانِيَةِ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَرَدَّهُ فِي السِّرِّ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى كَبِيرَةٌ عَلَى النُّفُوسِ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ، لِأَنَّ النَّفْسَ تَسْقُطُ فِي مَنْزِلَتِهَا ثُمَّ لَا يَنَالُ بِهِ سَعَتَهَا، فَلَا يَصْبِرُ عَلَى هَذَا إِلَّا الْمُوقِنُونَ.

waminhā muwāfaqatu al-sunnati fī ʾannahu qad ʾumira biʾakhdhihi ʾaw dafʿihi ʾilā man huwa ʾaḥwaju ʾilayhi minhu, waminhā ʾanna ʾakhdha hādhā fī al-ʿalāniyati mina al-nāsi waraddahu fī al-sirri ʾilā Allāhi taʿālā kabīratun ʿalā al-nufūsi ʾillā ʿalā al-khāshiʿīna, liʾanna al-nafsa tasquṭu fī manzilatihā thumma lā yanālu bihi saʿatahā, falā yaṣbiru ʿalā hādhā ʾillā al-mūqinūna.

Another is following the Sunna, since he was commanded to accept it or pass it to someone needier. Another is that accepting publicly from people and returning privately to God Most High weighs heavily on souls, except the humble. The self loses its standing, then gains no ease from the gift. Only those with certainty endure this.

وَهَذَا مَقَامُ الزَّاهِدِينَ فِي النَّفْسِ، وَهُوَ حَالُ أَغْنِيَاءِ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَعُلَمَاءِ الزُّهَّادِ، وَهُمْ أَهْلُ الطَّبَقَةِ الْعُلْيَا الَّذِينَ قَدَّمْنَا ذِكْرَهُمْ. وَالْوَجْهَانِ الْآخَرَانِ مِنَ الْعَطَاءِ هُوَ الرِّفْقُ، وَصُورَتُهُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُ الرِّزْقُ عِنْدَ حَاجَتِهِ أَوْ مَعَ شَهْوَتِهِ لِلشَّيْءِ الَّذِي لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ فَيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ فَيَبْعَثَ بِهِ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ طَمَعٍ فِي خَلْقٍ،

wa-hādhā maqāmu al-zāhidīna fī al-nafsi, wahuwa ḥālu ʾaghniyāʾi al-fuqarāʾi waʿulamāʾi al-zuhhādi, wahum ʾahlu al-ṭabaqati al-ʿulyā alladhīna qaddamnā dhikrahum. wa-al-wajhāni al-ʾākharāni mina al-ʿaṭāʾi huwa al-rifqu, waṣūratuhu ʾan yaʾtiyahu al-rizqu ʿinda ḥājatihi ʾaw maʿa shahwatihi li-l-shayʾi alladhī lā yaqdiru ʿalayhi fayaʿlama Allāhu dhālika minhu fayabʿatha bihi ʾilayhi min ghayri ṭamaʿin fī khalqin,

This is the station of those who renounce the self, the state of the rich among the poor and the learned renunciants, the highest rank already described. The two other aspects of giving are kindness. Its form is that provision arrives when one needs it or desires something beyond one's means. God knows this and sends it without the recipient having coveted anything from a creature,

أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُ مَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَهُ لِيَرْتَفِقَ بِمَنَافِعِهِ. فَهَذَا النَّوْعُ مِنَ الْعَطَاءِ رِفْقُ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ، الْأَفْضَلُ لِلْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَأْخُذَهُ. وَرُبَّمَا خِيفَ مِنْ رَدِّ مِثْلِ هَذَا عُقُوبَةٌ مِنْ زَوَالِ عَقْلٍ أَوْ رَدٍّ إِلَى غَلَبَةِ طَبْعٍ أَوِ اِبْتِلَاءٍ بِطَمَعٍ فِي خَلْقٍ أَوْ دُخُولٍ فِي دَنِيءٍ مِنْ مَكْسَبٍ.

ʾaw yaʾtiyahu mā yaṣluḥu ʾan yashtariyahu liyartafiqa bimanāfiʿihi. fa-hādhā al-nawʿu mina al-ʿaṭāʾi rifqu Allāhi subḥānahu, al-ʾafḍalu li-l-ʿabdi ʾan yaʾkhudhahu. warubbamā khīfa min raddi mithli hādhā ʿuqūbatun min zawāli ʿaqlin ʾaw raddin ʾilā ghalabati ṭabʿin ʾawi ibtilāʾin biṭamaʿin fī khalqin ʾaw dukhūlin fī danīʾin min maksabin.

or something comes that it would be appropriate to buy for its benefits. This kind of giving is the kindness of God, Glorified is He, and accepting it is better. Refusing such a gift may bring feared punishment: loss of reason, being returned to domination by one's nature, being tested by coveting from creatures, or entering a degrading livelihood.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٣٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 333

Volume Two, page 333

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: مَنْ أُعْطِيَ وَلَمْ يَأْخُذْ سَأَلَ وَلَمْ يُعْطَ. وَهَذَا مِنَ النَّوْعِ الَّذِي قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَا الْمُعْطِي مِنْ سَعَةٍ بِأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًا مِنَ الْآخِذِ إِذَا كَانَ مُحْتَاجًا. فَأَخْذُ هَذَا مُشَارَكَةٌ لِمُعْطِيهِ فِي الْأَجْرِ مِنْ حَيْثُ اِسْتَوَيَا عَلَى الْمُعَاوَنَةِ فِي التَّقْوَى وَالْبِرِّ الْمَأْمُورِ بِهِمَا، وَلَا يَضُرُّ هَذَا الْعَطَاءُ آخِذَهُ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: man ʾuʿṭiya walam yaʾkhudh saʾala walam yuʿṭa. wa-hādhā mina al-nawʿi alladhī qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: mā al-muʿṭī min saʿatin biʾaʿẓama ʾajran mina al-ʾākhidhi ʾidhā kāna muḥtājan. faʾakhdhu hādhā mushārakatun limuʿṭīhi fī al-ʾajri min ḥaythu istawayā ʿalā al-muʿāwanati fī al-taqwā wa-al-birri al-maʾmūri bihimā, walā yaḍurru hādhā al-ʿaṭāʾu ʾākhidhahu.

A scholar said, “Whoever is given and does not accept will ask and not be given.” This belongs to the kind described by God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace: “A giver from abundance has no greater reward than a recipient in need.” Accepting this shares the giver's reward, since both equally assist the commanded righteousness and Godfearingness. Such giving does the recipient no harm.

وَقَدْ كَانَ سَرِيٌّ السَّقَطِيُّ يُوصِلُ إِلَى أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ شَيْئًا فَيَرُدُّهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ سَرِيٌّ: يَا أَحْمَدُ اِحْذَرْ آفَةَ الرَّدِّ فَإِنَّهَا أَشَدُّ مِنْ آفَةِ الْأَخْذِ. فَقَالَ لَهُ أَحْمَدُ: أَعِدْ عَلَيَّ مَا قُلْتَ، فَأَعَادَهُ. فَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ: مَا رَدَدْتُ عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا لِأَنَّ عِنْدِي قُوتَ شَهْرٍ فَاِحْبِسْهُ لِي عِنْدَكَ، فَإِذَا كَانَ بَعْدَ شَهْرٍ فَأَنْفِذْهُ إِلَيَّ.

waqad kāna sariyyun al-saqaṭiyyu yūṣilu ʾilā ʾaḥmada bni ḥanbalin shayʾan fayarudduhu, faqāla lahu sariyyun: yā ʾaḥmadu iḥdhar ʾāfata al-raddi faʾinnahā ʾashaddu min ʾāfati al-ʾakhdhi. faqāla lahu ʾaḥmadu: ʾaʿid ʿalayya mā qulta, faʾaʿādahu. faqāla ʾaḥmadu: mā radadtu ʿalayka ʾillā liʾanna ʿindī qūta shahrin fa-iḥbishu lī ʿindaka, faʾidhā kāna baʿda shahrin faʾanfidhhu ʾilayya.

Sarī al-Saqaṭī would send something to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, who refused it. Sarī said, “Aḥmad, beware the peril of refusing; it is worse than the peril of accepting.” Aḥmad asked him to repeat this, and he did. Aḥmad said, “I refused only because I have a month's food. Keep it with you for me, and send it after a month.”

وَالرَّابِعُ مِنَ الْعَطَاءِ هُوَ الْمَعُونَةُ، وَهَذَا يَكُونُ مَخْصُوصًا لِأَهْلِهِ: هُوَ أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي خُلُقِ هَذَا الْفَقِيرِ الْبَذْلُ وَالْإِفْضَالُ وَفِي غَرِيزَتِهِ السَّخَاءُ وَالِاتِّسَاعُ مِنْ إِطْعَامِ الطَّعَامِ وَإِيثَارِ الْفُقَرَاءِ، فَلَا يَتَّسِعُ لِذَلِكَ حَالُهُ وَتَضِيقُ عَنْهُ يَدُهُ، فَيَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ بِالْعَطَاءِ مَعُونَةً لَهُ عَلَى أَخْلَاقِهِ لِيُبَلِّغَهُ بِهِ مُرَادَهُ،

wa-al-rābiʿu mina al-ʿaṭāʾi huwa al-maʿūnatu, wa-hādhā yakūnu makhṣūṣan liʾahlihi: huwa ʾan yakūna fī khuluqi hādhā al-faqīri al-badhlu wa-al-ʾifḍālu wafī gharīzatihi al-sakhāʾu wa-al-ittisāʿu min ʾiṭʿāmi al-ṭaʿāmi waʾīthāri al-fuqarāʾi, falā yattasiʿu li-dhālika ḥāluhu wataḍīqu ʿanhu yaduhu, fayabʿathu Allāhu ʾilayhi bi-al-ʿaṭāʾi maʿūnatan lahu ʿalā ʾakhlāqihi liyuballighahu bihi murādahu,

The fourth kind of giving is assistance, reserved for those suited to it. A poor man may be naturally generous and beneficent, instinctively openhanded and expansive in feeding others and preferring the poor, while his circumstances and means cannot support this. God then sends gifts to assist his character and enable his purpose,

وَيُنْفِذَ لَهُ مِنَ الْمَعْرُوفِ وَالْبِرِّ عَادَتَهُ وَيُعِينَهُ عَلَى خُلُقِهِ وَمُرُوءَتِهِ. فَهَذَا النَّوْعُ مِنَ الْعَطَاءِ هُوَ الِاخْتِبَارُ عِنْدَ الْعَارِفِينَ وَالْأَفْضَلُ أَخْذُهُ وَإِمْضَاؤُهُ فِي سُبُلِهِ مِنَ الْمُرُوءَاتِ وَالْأَخْلَاقِ، وَهَذَا كَانَ طَرِيقَةَ كَثِيرٍ مِنَ السَّلَفِ. وَقَدْ غَلِطَ فِي هَذَا الطَّرِيقِ قَوْمٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ زُهْدٌ وَقَدْ كَانَتْ فِيهِمْ رَغْبَةٌ وَهِمَمٌ دَنِيئَةٌ،

wayunfidha lahu mina al-maʿrūfi wa-al-birri ʿādatahu wayuʿīnahu ʿalā khuluqihi wamurūʾatihi. fa-hādhā al-nawʿu mina al-ʿaṭāʾi huwa al-ikhtibāru ʿinda al-ʿārifīna wa-al-ʾafḍalu ʾakhdhuhu waʾimḍāʾuhu fī subulihi mina al-murūʾāti wa-al-ʾakhlāqi, wa-hādhā kāna ṭarīqata kathīrin mina al-salafi. waqad ghaliṭa fī hādhā al-ṭarīqi qawmun lam yakun lahum zuhdun waqad kānat fīhim raghbatun wahimamun danīʾatun,

to sustain his customary kindness and goodness and support his character and nobility. The knowers call this kind of giving a test; accepting it and directing it into its channels of noble conduct is better. Many of the early generations followed this way. Some without renunciation, however, went wrong on this path: they possessed desire and base ambitions,

فَاِقْتَنَعُوا فِي قَبُولِ هَذَا الْعَطَاءِ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ وَتَمَلَّكُوهُ وَاِسْتَأْثَرُوا بِهِ وَزَعَمُوا أَنَّ هَذَا هُوَ الِاخْتِبَارُ، فَخَالَفُوا السَّلَفَ فِي مَعْرِفَةِ الِابْتِلَاءِ مِنَ الِاخْتِبَارِ، لِأَنَّ هَذَا عِنْدَ الْعَارِفِينَ إِذَا لَمْ يُنْفَذْ وَيُؤْثَرْ بِهِ اِبْتِلَاءٌ. وَوَافَقُوا أَهْوَاءَهُمْ فِي التَّوَسُّعِ مِنْهُ وَالتَّكَثُّرِ بِهِ وَتَمَلَّكُوهُ بِالدَّعْوَى فَأَخْطَؤُوا فِي الْعِلْمِ لِإِحَالَةِ الْمَعْنَى وَغَلِطُوا فِي طَرِيقِ الْحَالِ لِوُجُودِ الْهَوَى.

fa-iqtanaʿū fī qabūli hādhā al-ʿaṭāʾi liʾanfusihim watamallakūhu wa-istaʾtharū bihi wazaʿamū ʾanna hādhā huwa al-ikhtibāru, fakhālafū al-salafa fī maʿrifati al-ibtilāʾi mina al-ikhtibāri, liʾanna hādhā ʿinda al-ʿārifīna ʾidhā lam yunfadh wayuʾthar bihi ibtilāʾun. wawāfaqū ʾahwāʾahum fī al-tawassuʿi minhu wa-al-takaththuri bihi watamallakūhu bi-al-daʿwā faʾakhṭaʾū fī al-ʿilmi liʾiḥālati al-maʿnā waghaliṭū fī ṭarīqi al-ḥāli liwujūdi al-hawā.

content to accept gifts for themselves, own them, and keep them exclusively, claiming this was the test. They departed from the early generations in distinguishing a trial from a test, for the knowers deem it a trial when it is not distributed in preference for others. They followed desire in enjoying abundance and accumulating, appropriating it by a claim. They erred in understanding by distorting the meaning and in their spiritual practice through the presence of desire.

وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الْقَاعِدِينَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ يُدَانُ عَلَى اللَّهِ لِحُسْنِ ظَنِّهِ بِهِ، فَإِذَا رَزَقَهُ قَضَاهُ. فَإِنْ مَاتَ هَذَا عَلَى هَذِهِ النِّيَّةِ فَلَا تَبِعَةَ عَلَيْهِ فِيهِ فِي دَيْنِهِ، عَلَى مَوْلَاهُ قَضَاؤُهُ وَأَنْ يُرْضِيَ عَنْهُ غُرَمَاءَهُ. وَقَدْ كَانَ فِيمَا سَلَفَ يُقْضَى دَيْنُ مِثْلِ هَذَا مِنْ بَيْتِ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ.

waqad kāna baʿḍu al-qāʿidīna mina al-ṣādiqīna yudānu ʿalā Allāhi liḥusni ẓannihi bihi, faʾidhā razaqahu qaḍāhu. faʾin māta hādhā ʿalā hādhihi al-niyyati falā tabiʿata ʿalayhi fīhi fī daynihi, ʿalā mawlāhu qaḍāʾuhu waʾan yurḍiya ʿanhu ghuramāʾahu. waqad kāna fīmā salafa yuqḍā daynu mithli hādhā min bayti māli al-muslimīna.

Some truthful people who refrained from earning incurred debt in reliance on God, thinking well of Him, and repaid when He provided. If such a person dies with that intention, no liability for the debt rests upon him: its repayment and the satisfaction of his creditors fall to his Master. Formerly, a person like this had his debt repaid from the Muslims' treasury.

وَكَانَ آخَرُونَ لَا يَقْتَرِضُونَ حَتَّى يَبِيعَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَحَدَ ثَوْبَيْهِ أَوْ فَضْلَ مَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ، وَهَذَا أَحَدُ الْوُجُوهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (وَمَنْ قُدِرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُهُ فَلْيُنْفِقْ مِمَّا آتَاهُ اللَّهُ) الطَّلَاقُ: 7، قَالَ: مَنْ ضُيِّقَ عَلَيْهِ مَعَاشُهُ فَلْيَبِعْ أَحَدَ ثَوْبَيْهِ. وَقَدْ قِيلَ: فَلْيَسْتَقْرِضْ بِجَاهِهِ فَذَلِكَ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

wakāna ʾākharūna lā yaqtariḍūna ḥattā yabīʿa ʾaḥaduhum ʾaḥada thawbayhi ʾaw faḍla mā yaḥtāju ʾilayhi, wa-hādhā ʾaḥadu al-wujūhi fī qawlihi taʿālā: (waman qudira ʿalayhi rizquhu falyunfiq mimmā ʾātāhu Allāhu) al-ṭalāqu: 7, qāla: man ḍuyyiqa ʿalayhi maʿāshuhu falyabiʿ ʾaḥada thawbayhi. waqad qīla: falyastaqriḍ bijāhihi fa-dhālika ʾātāhu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla.

Others would not borrow until they had sold one of their two garments or whatever exceeded their needs. This is one interpretation of the words of God Most High, “Let one whose provision is restricted spend from what God has given him” (al-Ṭalāq 65:7): someone whose livelihood is straitened should sell one of his two garments. It has also been said: let him borrow on the strength of his reputation, for God, mighty and majestic, gave him that.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: لِلَّهِ عِبَادٌ يُنْفِقُونَ عَلَى قَدْرِ بَضَائِعِهِمْ وَلَهُ عِبَادٌ يُنْفِقُونَ عَلَى قَدْرِ حُسْنِ الظَّنِّ بِهِ. وَمَاتَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ فَأَوْصَى بِمَالِهِ أَنْ يُفَرَّقَ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ طَوَائِفَ: الْأَقْوِيَاءِ وَالْأَسْخِيَاءِ وَالْأَغْنِيَاءِ. فَقِيلَ: مَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ؟ قَالَ: أَمَّا الْأَقْوِيَاءُ فَهُمْ أَهْلُ التَّوَكُّلِ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَأَمَّا الْأَسْخِيَاءُ فَهُمْ أَهْلُ حُسْنِ الظَّنِّ بِاللَّهِ، وَأَمَّا الْأَغْنِيَاءُ فَهُمْ أَهْلُ الِانْقِطَاعِ إِلَى اللَّهِ.

waqāla baʿḍuhum: li-llāhi ʿibādun yunfiqūna ʿalā qadri baḍāʾiʿihim walahu ʿibādun yunfiqūna ʿalā qadri ḥusni al-ẓanni bihi. wamāta baʿḍu al-salafi faʾawṣā bimālihi ʾan yufarraqa ʿalā thalāthi ṭawāʾifa: al-ʾaqwiyāʾi wa-al-ʾaskhiyāʾi wa-al-ʾaghniyāʾi. faqīla: man hāʾulāʾi? qāla: ʾammā al-ʾaqwiyāʾu fahum ʾahlu al-tawakkuli ʿalā Allāhi, waʾammā al-ʾaskhiyāʾu fahum ʾahlu ḥusni al-ẓanni bi-Allāhi, waʾammā al-ʾaghniyāʾu fahum ʾahlu al-inqiṭāʿi ʾilā Allāhi.

Someone said, “God has servants who spend according to their resources, and servants who spend according to their good opinion of Him.” One of the early generations, at death, directed that his wealth be divided among three groups: the strong, the generous, and the rich. Asked who these were, he replied, “The strong trust God; the generous think well of God; the rich devote themselves wholly to God.”

وَيَنْبَغِي لِمَنْ لَا مَعْلُومَ لَهُ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ أَنْ يَتَوَرَّعَ فِي أَخْذِهَا وَيَتَحَرَّى الْمُعْطِينَ لَهَا كَمَا يَتَحَرَّى أَهْلُ الْمَكَاسِبِ فِي الِاكْتِسَابِ، لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى لَهُ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حُكْمٌ، وَالْقُعُودُ عَنِ الْمَكَاسِبِ لَا يُسْقِطُ أَحْكَامَهَا، وَالْقَاعِدُ عَنِ الطَّلَبِ لَا تَسْقُطُ عَنْهُ أَحْكَامُ الطَّالِبِ، لِأَنَّ تَرْكَ

wayanbaghī liman lā maʿlūma lahu mina al-ʾasbābi ʾan yatawarraʿa fī ʾakhdhihā wayataḥarrā al-muʿṭīna lahā kamā yataḥarrā ʾahlu al-makāsibi fī al-iktisābi, liʾanna Allāha subḥānahu wataʿālā lahu fī kulli shayʾin ḥukmun, wa-al-quʿūdu ʿani al-makāsibi lā yusqiṭu ʾaḥkāmahā, wa-al-qāʿidu ʿani al-ṭalabi lā tasquṭu ʿanhu ʾaḥkāmu al-ṭālibi, liʾanna tarka

Someone without regular material support should be scrupulous in receiving it and careful about its donors, as earners are careful in earning. God, Glorified and Exalted, has a ruling for everything. Refraining from earnings does not cancel their rulings, nor does abstaining from seeking livelihood exempt one from the seeker's rulings, for abandoning

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٣٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 334

Volume Two, page 334

الْعَمَلِ عَمَلٌ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى عَمَلٍ. وَلَمْ تَكُنْ سِيرَةُ الْفُقَرَاءِ الصَّالِحِينَ أَنْ يَأْخُذُوا مِنْ كُلِّ أَحَدٍ وَلَا فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ، وَلَا يَأْخُذُونَ كُلَّمَا يُعْطَوْنَ مِمَّا زَادَ عَلَى كِفَايَتِهِمْ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِمَّنْ يُخْرِجُهُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِمْ. وَإِنَّمَا كَانُوا يَقْبَلُونَ مِمَّنْ يَخِفُّ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمُ الْقَبُولُ مِنْهُ وَمِمَّنْ يَرْتَفِعُ الْوَحْشَةُ وَالْحِشْمَةُ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَهُ،

al-ʿamali ʿamalun yaḥtāju ʾilā ʿamalin. walam takun sīratu al-fuqarāʾi al-ṣāliḥīna ʾan yaʾkhudhū min kulli ʾaḥadin walā fī kulli waqtin, walā yaʾkhudhūna kullamā yuʿṭawna mimmā zāda ʿalā kifāyatihim ʾillā ʾan yakūnū mimman yukhrijuhu ʾilā ghayrihim. waʾinnamā kānū yaqbalūna mimman yakhiffu ʿalā qulūbihimu al-qabūlu minhu wamimman yartafiʿu al-waḥshatu wa-al-ḥishmatu fīmā baynahum wabaynahu,

work is itself a work requiring work. The righteous poor did not customarily accept from everyone or at every time, nor everything offered beyond their sufficiency, unless they passed it to others. They accepted from those whose gifts weighed lightly on their hearts, with whom estrangement and awkward reserve had disappeared,

لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الَّذِي يَفْرَحُ بِقَبُولِكَ وَيَرَى نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ فِي أَخْذِكَ. وَمَنْ يَثْقُلُ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ مَعْرُوفُهُ فَهُوَ الَّذِي يَثْقُلُ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ إِخْرَاجُ مَا فِي يَدِهِ وَلَا يَغْتَمُّ بِرَدِّكَ عَلَيْهِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: مَا تَوَاخَى اِثْنَانِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَاِحْتَشَمَ أَحَدُهُمَا مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ أَوِ اِسْتَوْحَشَ مِنْهُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِلَّةٍ فِي أَحَدِهِمَا.

liʾanna dhālika huwa alladhī yafraḥu biqabūlika wayarā niʿmata Allāhi taʿālā ʿalayhi fī ʾakhdhika. waman yathqulu ʿalā qalbika maʿrūfuhu fahuwa alladhī yathqulu ʿalā qalbihi ʾikhrāju mā fī yadihi walā yaghtammu biraddika ʿalayhi. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: mā tawākhā ithnāni fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fa-iḥtashama ʾaḥaduhumā min ṣāḥibihi ʾawi istawḥasha minhu ʾillā min ʿillatin fī ʾaḥadihimā.

for such a person rejoices at your acceptance and sees your receiving as the blessing of God Most High upon him. Someone whose kindness weighs on your heart finds it hard to release what he holds and is not distressed by your refusal. A knower said, “Whenever two become brothers in God, mighty and majestic, and one feels embarrassed or estranged before the other, a defect in one of them is the cause.”

فَلَا يُسْتَحَبُّ لِلْفَقِيرِ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ إِلَّا مِنْ صَدِيقٍ وَلَا يَقْبَلَ إِلَّا مِمَّنْ يُحِبُّ، لِأَنَّ لِأَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَحْكُمُوا فِي الْأَسْبَابِ بِمَا أَرَاهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنَ الرَّدِّ أَوْ مِنَ الْقَبُولِ. فَإِنِ اِعْتَلَّ مُعْتَلٌّ بِمَا رَوَيْنَاهُ آنِفًا: مَنْ جَاءَهُ شَيْءٌ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَرَدَّهُ فَإِنَّمَا يَرُدُّهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى،

falā yustaḥabbu li-l-faqīri ʾan yaʾkhudha ʾillā min ṣadīqin walā yaqbala ʾillā mimman yuḥibbu, liʾanna liʾahli al-maʿrifati bi-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾan yaḥkumū fī al-ʾasbābi bimā ʾarāhumu Allāhu taʿālā mina al-raddi ʾaw mina al-qabūli. faʾini iʿtalla muʿtallun bimā rawaynāhu ʾānifan: man jāʾahu shayʾun min ghayri masʾalatin faraddahu faʾinnamā yarudduhu ʿalā Allāhi taʿālā,

It is therefore preferable for a poor man to receive only from a friend and accept only from someone he loves. Those who know God, mighty and majestic, may judge material means according to what God Most High shows them concerning refusal or acceptance. Someone may object by citing our earlier report, “Whoever refuses something that comes without asking refuses it from God Most High,”

وَبِأَنَّ أَهْلَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ يَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ الْعَطَاءَ مِنَ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى فَلَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَرُدُّوا عَلَيْهِ. قِيلَ لَهُ: إِنَّ مَنْ يَشْهَدُ الْعَطَاءَ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى هُوَ الَّذِي يَشْهَدُ الرَّدَّ أَيْضًا مِنْهُ، فَإِنْ يَرُدَّ إِلَيْهِ لَهُ أَوْ رَدَّ إِلَيْهِ بِهِ، لِمَعْرِفَتِهِ بِاِخْتِبَارِهِ وَاِبْتِلَائِهِ، حَسُنَ الرَّدُّ مِنْهُ وَشُكْرُ الْفِعْلِ لَهُ.

wabiʾanna ʾahla al-maʿrifati yashhadūna ʾanna al-ʿaṭāʾa mina Allāhi subḥānahu wataʿālā falā yaṣluḥu ʾan yaruddū ʿalayhi. qīla lahu: ʾinna man yashhadu al-ʿaṭāʾa mina Allāhi taʿālā huwa alladhī yashhadu al-radda ʾayḍan minhu, faʾin yarudda ʾilayhi lahu ʾaw radda ʾilayhi bihi, limaʿrifatihi bi-ikhtibārihi wa-ibtilāʾihi, ḥasuna al-raddu minhu washukru al-fiʿli lahu.

and by arguing that the knowers witness giving as coming from God, Glorified and Exalted, so should not refuse Him. The reply is that one who witnesses giving as from God Most High also witnesses refusal as from Him. If he returns it to Him for His sake, or returns it through Him, recognizing His testing and trial, his refusal is good and thanks for the act belong to Him.

فَهُوَ أَيْضًا إِذَا شَهِدَ تَصْرِيفَ الْخَلْقِ بِالْعَطَاءِ فِعْلَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، كَانَ يَشْهَدُ فِعْلَ نَفْسِهِ بِالرَّدِّ فِعْلَ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى بِالْمِنَحِ. فَالْحَالَانِ سَوَاءٌ عِنْدَ مَنْ عَلِمَ الْأَحْكَامَ وَلَمْ يَتَّبِعِ الْهَوَى وَقَامَ بِحُكْمِ مَا مِنْهُ يُقْتَضَى، فَلَيْسَ فِي هَذَا حُجَّةٌ إِلَّا لِعَالِمٍ مُسْتَكْثِرٍ أَوْ لِعَابِدٍ جَاهِلٍ غَيْرِ مُسْتَبْصِرٍ.

fahuwa ʾayḍan ʾidhā shahida taṣrīfa al-khalqi bi-al-ʿaṭāʾi fiʿla Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, kāna yashhadu fiʿla nafsihi bi-al-raddi fiʿla Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā bi-al-minaḥi. fa-al-ḥālāni sawāʾun ʿinda man ʿalima al-ʾaḥkāma walam yattabiʿi al-hawā waqāma biḥukmi mā minhu yuqtaḍā, falaysa fī hādhā ḥujjatun ʾillā liʿālimin mustakthirin ʾaw liʿābidin jāhilin ghayri mustabṣirin.

When he witnesses the act of God, mighty and majestic, in directing creatures to give, he also witnesses in his own refusal the act of God, Blessed and Exalted, in bestowing gifts. The two states are equal for one who knows the rulings, follows no desire, and fulfills what is required of him. This argument therefore offers a pretext only to a scholar seeking accumulation or an ignorant worshiper without insight.

عَلَى أَنَّ فِي الْقَبُولِ مِنْ بَعْضِ النَّاسِ دُونَ بَعْضٍ وَفِي رَدِّ بَعْضِ الْهَدِيَّةِ سُنَّةً. أُهْدِيَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَمْنٌ وَأَقِطٌ وَكَبْشٌ فَقَبِلَ السَّمْنَ وَالْأَقِطَ وَرَدَّ الْكَبْشَ. وَقَدْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْبَلُ مِنْ بَعْضِ النَّاسِ وَيَرُدُّ عَلَى بَعْضٍ، وَقَالَ: لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ مِرَارًا أَنْ لَا أَتَّهِبَ إِلَّا مِنْ قُرَشِيٍّ أَوْ ثَقَفِيٍّ أَوْ دَوْسِيٍّ. وَفَعَلَ هَذَا جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ التَّابِعِينَ.

ʿalā ʾanna fī al-qabūli min baʿḍi al-nāsi dūna baʿḍin wafī raddi baʿḍi al-hadiyyati sunnatan. ʾuhdiya ʾilā al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama samnun waʾaqiṭun wakabshun faqabila al-samna wa-al-ʾaqiṭa waradda al-kabsha. waqad kāna al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaqbalu min baʿḍi al-nāsi wayaruddu ʿalā baʿḍin, waqāla: laqad hamamtu mirāran ʾan lā ʾattahiba ʾillā min qurashiyyin ʾaw thaqafiyyin ʾaw dawsiyyin. wafaʿala hādhā jamāʿatun mina al-tābiʿīna.

Moreover, accepting from some people and refusing others, or refusing part of a gift, has precedent in the Sunna. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was given clarified butter, dried curds, and a ram; he accepted the butter and curds but refused the ram. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, accepted from some and refused others, saying, “Many times I have considered accepting gifts only from a Qurashī, Thaqafī, or Dawsī.” A group of the Successors did likewise.

جَاءَتْ صُرَّةٌ إِلَى فَتْحٍ الْمَوْصِلِيِّ فِيهَا خَمْسُونَ دِرْهَمًا فَقَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَطَاءٌ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: مَنْ أَتَاهُ رِزْقٌ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَرَدَّهُ فَإِنَّمَا يَرُدُّهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. ثُمَّ فَتَحَ الصُّرَّةَ فَأَخَذَ مِنْهَا دِرْهَمًا وَرَدَّ سَائِرَهَا.

jāʾat ṣurratun ʾilā fatḥin al-mawṣiliyyi fīhā khamsūna dirhaman faqāla: ḥaddathanā ʿaṭāʾun ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: man ʾatāhu rizqun min ghayri masʾalatin faraddahu faʾinnamā yarudduhu ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. thumma fataḥa al-ṣurrata faʾakhadha minhā dirhaman waradda sāʾirahā.

A purse containing fifty dirhams reached Fatḥ al-Mawṣilī. He said, “ʿAṭāʾ told us that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Whoever refuses provision that comes without asking refuses it from God, mighty and majestic.’” Then he opened the purse, took one dirham, and returned the rest.

وَقَدْ كَانَ الْحَسَنُ الْبَصْرِيُّ يَرْوِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ أَيْضًا، ثُمَّ حُدِّثْنَا عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَجُلًا أَهْدَى إِلَيْهِ كِيسًا فِيهِ مَالٌ وَرُزْمَةً فِيهَا مِنْ دِقِّ خُرَاسَانَ فَرَدَّ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِهِ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: مَنْ جَلَسَ مِثْلَ مَجْلِسِي هَذَا وَقَبِلَ مِنَ النَّاسِ مِثْلَ هَذَا لَقِيَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَلَاقٌ.

waqad kāna al-ḥasanu al-baṣriyyu yarwī hādhā al-ḥadītha ʾayḍan, thumma ḥuddithnā ʿanhu ʾanna rajulan ʾahdā ʾilayhi kīsan fīhi mālun waruzmatan fīhā min diqqi khurāsāna faradda dhālika, faqāla lahu baʿḍu ʾaṣḥābihi fī dhālika faqāla: man jalasa mithla majlisī hādhā waqabila mina al-nāsi mithla hādhā laqiya Allāha ʿazza wajalla yawma al-qiyāmati walaysa lahu ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wajalla khalāqun.

Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī also transmitted this report. Yet we were told that a man gave him a purse of money and a bundle of fine Khurasani cloth, and he refused. When a companion questioned him, he said, “Anyone occupying a position like mine who accepts such things from people will meet God, mighty and majestic, on Resurrection Day with no share before God, mighty and majestic.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ الْحَسَنُ يَقْبَلُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، وَكَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ التَّيْمِيُّ يَسْأَلُ أَصْحَابَهُ الدِّرْهَمَ وَنَحْوَهُ وَيَعْرِضُ عَلَيْهِ غَيْرُهُمُ الْمِائَتَيْنِ فَلَا يَأْخُذُ. وَقَدْ كَانَ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ لَا يَقْبَلُ مِنَ النَّاسِ شَيْئًا، وَكَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ يَقُولُ:

waqad kāna al-ḥasanu yaqbalu min ʾaṣḥābihi, wakāna ʾibrāhīmu al-taymiyyu yasʾalu ʾaṣḥābahu al-dirhama wanaḥwahu wayaʿriḍu ʿalayhi ghayruhumu al-miʾatayni falā yaʾkhudhu. waqad kāna bishru bnu al-ḥārithi lā yaqbalu mina al-nāsi shayʾan, wakāna baʿḍuhum yaqūlu:

Al-Ḥasan did accept from his companions. Ibrāhīm al-Taymī would ask his companions for a dirham or so, while refusing two hundred offered by others. Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith accepted nothing from people. Someone used to say,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٣٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 335

Volume Two, page 335

أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَعْلَمَ مِنْ أَيْنَ يَأْكُلُ؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَنْ يَخْبُرُ أَمْرَهُ: أَنَا أَدْرِي مِنْ أَيْنَ يَأْكُلُ، لَهُ صَدِيقٌ عَاقِلٌ، يَعْنِي نَظِيرَهُ فِي الْعَقْلِ وَالدِّينِ، لِأَنَّ بَعْضَهُمْ كَانَ لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا مِنْ نُظَرَائِهِ لَا مِنَ الْأَتْبَاعِ. وَهَذَا الصَّدِيقُ الْعَاقِلُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَقُومُ بِكِفَايَتِهِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُظْهِرُ أَمْرَهُ وَلَا يَلْتَقِي مَعَهُ هُوَ سَرِيُّ بْنُ الْمُغَلِّسِ السَّقَطِيُّ،

ʾuḥibbu ʾan ʾaʿlama min ʾayna yaʾkulu? faqāla lahu man yakhburu ʾamrahu: ʾanā ʾadrī min ʾayna yaʾkulu, lahu ṣadīqun ʿāqilun, yaʿnī naẓīrahu fī al-ʿaqli wa-al-dīni, liʾanna baʿḍahum kāna lā yaqbalu ʾillā min nuẓarāʾihi lā mina al-ʾatbāʿi. wa-hādhā al-ṣadīqu al-ʿāqilu alladhī kāna yaqūmu bikifāyatihi walam yakun yuẓhiru ʾamrahu walā yaltaqī maʿahu huwa sariyyu bnu al-mughallisi al-saqaṭiyyu,

“I would like to know where his food comes from.” Someone acquainted with his affairs replied, “I know. He has a discerning friend,” meaning a peer in understanding and religion, for some accepted only from peers, never followers. This discerning friend who supplied his needs without publicizing it or meeting him was Sarī ibn al-Mughallis al-Saqaṭī,

لِأَنَّا حُدِّثْنَا عَنْ بِشْرٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مَا سَأَلْتُ أَحَدًا قَطُّ شَيْئًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا سَرِيًّا السَّقَطِيَّ، لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ صَحَّ عِنْدِي زُهْدُهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا، فَهُوَ يَفْرَحُ بِخُرُوجِ الشَّيْءِ مِنْ يَدِهِ وَيَتَبَرَّمُ بِبَقَائِهِ عِنْدَهُ فَأَكُونُ أُعِينُهُ عَلَى مَا يُحِبُّ. وَقَدْ كَانَ سَرِيٌّ يُوَجِّهُ إِلَى أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ فِي حَاجَاتِهِ فَيَقْبَلُ مِنْهُ،

liʾannā ḥuddithnā ʿan bishrin ʾannahu qāla: mā saʾaltu ʾaḥadan qaṭṭu shayʾan mina al-dunyā ʾillā sariyyan al-saqaṭiyya, liʾannahu qad ṣaḥḥa ʿindī zuhduhu fī al-dunyā, fahuwa yafraḥu bikhurūji al-shayʾi min yadihi wayatabarramu bibaqāʾihi ʿindahu faʾakūnu ʾuʿīnuhu ʿalā mā yuḥibbu. waqad kāna sariyyun yuwajjihu ʾilā ʾaḥmada bni ḥanbalin fī ḥājātihi fayaqbalu minhu,

for we were told that Bishr said, “I have never asked anyone for a worldly thing except Sarī al-Saqaṭī. His renunciation of the world is firmly established for me. He rejoices when something leaves his hand and is vexed when it remains, so I help him do what he loves.” Sarī also sent supplies for Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal's needs, and Aḥmad accepted them.

وَكَانَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ عِنْدَ أَحْمَدَ يَقُولُ: ذَاكَ الْغَنِيُّ الْمَعْرُوفُ بِطِيبِ الْغِنَى إِنَّهُ لَيُعْجِبُنِي أَمْرُهُ. وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الْعُبَّادِ إِذَا دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ بَعْضُ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا الشَّيْءَ يَقُولُ: دَعْهُ عِنْدَكَ وَاِعْرِضْ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ كَيْفَ أَنَا عِنْدَكَ بَعْدَ الْأَخْذِ، أَفْضَلُ أَوْ دُونَ ذَلِكَ؟ وَاُصْدُقْنِي.

wakāna ʾidhā dhukira ʿinda ʾaḥmada yaqūlu: dhāka al-ghaniyyu al-maʿrūfu biṭībi al-ghinā ʾinnahu layuʿjibunī ʾamruhu. wakāna baʿḍu al-ʿubbādi ʾidhā dafaʿa ʾilayhi baʿḍu ʾabnāʾi al-dunyā al-shayʾa yaqūlu: daʿhu ʿindaka wa-iʿriḍ ʿalā qalbika kayfa ʾanā ʿindaka baʿda al-ʾakhdhi, ʾafḍalu ʾaw dūna dhālika? wa-uṣduqnī.

When Sarī was mentioned to Aḥmad, he said, “That rich man known for the wholesome use of wealth: I admire his way.” When a worldly person offered something to a certain worshiper, the latter would say, “Keep it with you and consult your heart: after accepting, do I stand higher in your eyes or lower? Tell me honestly.”

فَإِنْ قَالَ لَهُ: أَنْتَ عِنْدِي الْآنَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْكَ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ، قَبِلَ، وَإِنْ أَخْبَرَهُ بِنُقْصَانِهِ فِي قَلْبِهِ لَمْ يَقْبَلْ مِنْهُ. وَكَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ يَرُدُّ عَلَى أَكْثَرِ النَّاسِ صِلَتَهُ فَعُوتِبَ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: مَا أَرُدُّ إِلَّا إِشْفَاقًا عَلَيْهِمْ وَنُصْحًا لَهُمْ، يَذْكُرُونَ ذَلِكَ وَيُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يُعْلَمَ بِهِ فَتَذْهَبُ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَتَحْبَطُ أُجُورُهُمْ.

faʾin qāla lahu: ʾanta ʿindī al-ʾāna ʾafḍalu minka qabla dhālika, qabila, waʾin ʾakhbarahu binuqṣānihi fī qalbihi lam yaqbal minhu. wakāna baʿḍuhum yaruddu ʿalā ʾakthari al-nāsi ṣilatahu faʿūtiba fī dhālika faqāla: mā ʾaruddu ʾillā ʾishfāqan ʿalayhim wanuṣḥan lahum, yadhkurūna dhālika wayuḥibbūna ʾan yuʿlama bihi fatadhhabu ʾamwāluhum wataḥbaṭu ʾujūruhum.

If told, “You are better in my eyes now than before,” he accepted. If told his standing had diminished, he refused. Someone who rejected most people's gifts was reproached and replied, “I refuse only out of concern and goodwill. They mention their gifts and want them known, so their money disappears and their rewards are nullified.”

وَمِمَّنْ ذَهَبَ إِلَى هَذَا سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ، وَقَدْ كَانَ يَشْتَرِطُ عَلَى بَعْضِ مَنْ يَأْخُذُ مِنْهُ أَنْ لَا يَذْكُرَهُ إِشْفَاقًا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ ذَهَابِ أَجْرِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ قِيلَ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (لَا تُبْطِلُوا صَدَقَاتِكُمْ بِالْمَنِّ وَالْأَذَى) الْبَقَرَةُ: 264، قَالَ: الْمَنُّ أَنْ يَذْكُرَهُ وَالْأَذَى أَنْ يُظْهِرَهُ.

wamimman dhahaba ʾilā hādhā sufyānu al-thawriyyu, waqad kāna yashtariṭu ʿalā baʿḍi man yaʾkhudhu minhu ʾan lā yadhkurahu ʾishfāqan ʿalayhi min dhahābi ʾajrihi, liʾannahu qīla fī maʿnā qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: (lā tubṭilū ṣadaqātikum bi-al-manni wa-al-ʾadhā) al-baqaratu: 264, qāla: al-mannu ʾan yadhkurahu wa-al-ʾadhā ʾan yuẓhirahu.

Sufyān al-Thawrī held this view. He stipulated to certain donors that they must not mention their gifts, fearing the loss of their reward. For the words of God, mighty and majestic, “Do not nullify your alms through reminders and injury” (al-Baqara 2:264), have been explained: reminding means mentioning the gift, and injury means publicizing it.

وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ لِلْخُرَاسَانِيِّ الَّذِي جَاءَهُ بِمَالٍ وَسَأَلَهُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَهُ، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: بَلْ أُفَرِّقُهُ عَلَى الْفُقَرَاءِ. فَقَالَ: أَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِالْفُقَرَاءِ مِنْكَ وَلَمْ أَخْتَرْ هَذَا. فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: أَنَا أُؤَمِّلُ أَنْ أَعِيشَ حَتَّى آكُلَ هَذَا؟ فَقَالَ: إِنِّي لَمْ أَقُلْ لَكَ أَنْفِقْهُ فِي الْخَلِّ وَالْكَامَخِ وَالْبَقْلِ، إِنَّمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ تُنْفِقَهُ فِي الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَأَلْوَانِ الْحَلَاوَةِ،

waqāla al-junaydu li-l-khurāsāniyyi alladhī jāʾahu bimālin wasaʾalahu ʾan yaʾkulahu, faqāla al-junaydu: bal ʾufarriquhu ʿalā al-fuqarāʾi. faqāla: ʾanā ʾaʿlamu bi-al-fuqarāʾi minka walam ʾakhtar hādhā. faqāla al-junaydu: ʾanā ʾuʾammilu ʾan ʾaʿīsha ḥattā ʾākula hādhā? faqāla: ʾinnī lam ʾaqul laka ʾanfiqhu fī al-khalli wa-al-kāmakhi wa-al-baqli, ʾinnamā ʾurīdu ʾan tunfiqahu fī al-ṭayyibāti waʾalwāni al-ḥalāwati,

A Khurasani brought al-Junayd money and asked him to use it for his food. Al-Junayd said, “I would rather distribute it to the poor.” “I know the poor better than you,” he replied, “and did not choose that.” Al-Junayd asked, “Am I to expect to live long enough to eat all this?” The man replied, “I did not say to spend it on vinegar, fermented relish, and greens. I want you to spend it on fine foods and kinds of sweets.

فَكُلَّمَا نَفِدَ أَسْرَعَ كَانَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ. فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: مِثْلُكَ لَا يَحِلُّ أَنْ يُرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَبِلَهُ. فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ: مَا بِبَغْدَادَ أَحَدٌ أَعْظَمُ مِنَّةً عَلَيَّ مِنْكَ. فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ إِلَّا مَنْ كَانَ مِثْلَكَ. فَهَذِهِ كَانَتْ طَرَائِقَ أَهْلِ الْحَقَائِقِ.

fakullamā nafida ʾasraʿa kāna ʾaḥabba ʾilayya. faqāla al-junaydu: mithluka lā yaḥillu ʾan yuradda ʿalayhi, faqabilahu. faqāla al-rajulu: mā bibaghdāda ʾaḥadun ʾaʿẓamu minnatan ʿalayya minka. faqāla al-junaydu: wamā yanbaghī liʾaḥadin ʾan yuqbala minhu ʾillā man kāna mithlaka. fa-hādhihi kānat ṭarāʾiqa ʾahli al-ḥaqāʾiqi.

“The sooner it runs out, the happier I will be.” Al-Junayd said, “It would be wrong to refuse someone like you,” and accepted. The man said, “No one in Baghdad has done me a greater favor than you.” Al-Junayd replied, “No one's gift should be accepted unless he is like you.” Such were the ways of those who realized the spiritual realities.

وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْقَاعِدِ عَنِ الْمَكَاسِبِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ تَارِكًا ذَلِكَ لِأَجْلِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ، عَالِمًا فِي قُعُودِهِ بِأَحْكَامِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، قَائِمًا بِعِلْمِ حَالِهِ، فَيَحْسُنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ قُعُودُهُ عَنِ الْأَسْبَابِ ثِقَةً مِنْهُ بِالْمُسَبِّبِ الْوَهَّابِ، وَيَحِلُّ تَرْكُهُ لِلْمَعْلُومِ يَقِينًا مِنْهُ بِالْعَالِمِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ يَقُولُ: لَا تَأْكُلْ إِلَّا عِنْدَ مَنْ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ أَكَلْتَ رِزْقَكَ وَلَا تَشْكُرْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا رَبَّكَ.

walā yanbaghī li-l-qāʿidi ʿani al-makāsibi ʾillā ʾan yakūna tārikan dhālika liʾajli Allāhi subḥānahu, ʿāliman fī quʿūdihi biʾaḥkāmi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, qāʾiman biʿilmi ḥālihi, fayaḥsunu yawmaʾidhin quʿūduhu ʿani al-ʾasbābi thiqatan minhu bi-al-musabbibi al-wahhābi, wayaḥillu tarkuhu li-l-maʿlūmi yaqīnan minhu bi-al-ʿālimi. waqad kāna baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi yaqūlu: lā taʾkul ʾillā ʿinda man yaʿlamu ʾannaka ʾakalta rizqaka walā tashkur ʿalayhi ʾillā rabbaka.

Whoever refrains from earning must do so for God, Glorified is He, knowing the rulings of God, mighty and majestic, during his abstention and acting with knowledge of his condition. Then abstaining from means is good, through trust in their Cause, the Bestower; abandoning a known income is lawful through certainty in the All-Knowing. A scholar said, “Eat only with someone who knows you are eating your own allotted provision, and thank only your Lord for it.”

وَدَعَا بَعْضُ النَّاسِ شَقِيقًا الْبَلْخِيَّ وَكَانَ فِي طَبَقَةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ نَحْوِ الْخَمْسِينَ رَجُلًا، فَوَضَعَ الرَّجُلُ طَعَامًا وَاسِعًا وَأَنْفَقَ نَفَقَةً كَثِيرَةً. فَلَمَّا قَعَدُوا قَالَ لَهُمْ شَقِيقٌ: إِنَّ هَذَا الرَّجُلَ يَقُولُ: مَنْ لَمْ يَرَنِي صَنَعْتُ هَذَا الطَّعَامَ وَأَنَا أُقَدِّمُهُ إِلَيْهِ فَطَعَامِي عَلَيْهِ حَرَامٌ. قَالَ: فَقَامُوا كُلُّهُمْ خَرَجُوا إِلَّا شَابًّا كَانَ فِيهِمْ نَقَصَتْ مُشَاهَدَتُهُ عَنْهُمْ، فَقَالَ صَاحِبُ

wadaʿā baʿḍu al-nāsi shaqīqan al-balkhiyya wakāna fī ṭabaqatin min ʾaṣḥābihi naḥwi al-khamsīna rajulan, fawaḍaʿa al-rajulu ṭaʿāman wāsiʿan waʾanfaqa nafaqatan kathīratan. falammā qaʿadū qāla lahum shaqīqun: ʾinna hādhā al-rajula yaqūlu: man lam yaranī ṣanaʿtu hādhā al-ṭaʿāma waʾanā ʾuqaddimuhu ʾilayhi faṭaʿāmī ʿalayhi ḥarāmun. qāla: faqāmū kulluhum kharajū ʾillā shābban kāna fīhim naqaṣat mushāhadatuhu ʿanhum, faqāla ṣāḥibu

A man invited Shaqīq al-Balkhī with about fifty companions, laying out plentiful food at great expense. Once seated, Shaqīq told them, “This man says, ‘My food is forbidden to anyone who does not see that I prepared it and am serving it.’” All rose and left except one young man whose witnessing fell short of theirs. The owner of

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٣٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 336

Volume Two, page 336

الْمَنْزِلِ لِشَقِيقٍ: رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ مَا أَرَدْتَ إِلَى هَذَا؟ فَقَالَ: أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُجَرِّبَ تَوْحِيدَ أَصْحَابِي، أَيْ كُلُّهُمْ لَا يَرَاهُ فِيمَا صَنَعَ وَلَا يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْهِ فِيمَا قَدَّمَ إِلَّا ذَلِكَ الْغُلَامَ وَحْدَهُ. وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ مُوسَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: يَا رَبِّ جَعَلْتَ رِزْقِي هَكَذَا عَلَى أَيْدِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، يُغَدِّينِي يَوْمًا هَذَا وَيُعَشِّينِي هَذَا اللَّيْلَةَ،

al-manzili lishaqīqin: raḥimaka Allāhu mā ʾaradta ʾilā hādhā? faqāla: ʾaradtu ʾan ʾujarriba tawḥīda ʾaṣḥābī, ʾay kulluhum lā yarāhu fīmā ṣanaʿa walā yanẓurūna ʾilayhi fīmā qaddama ʾillā dhālika al-ghulāma waḥdahu. waḥaddathūnā ʿan mūsā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla: yā rabbi jaʿalta rizqī hākadhā ʿalā ʾaydī banī ʾisrāʾīla, yughaddīnī yawman hādhā wayuʿashshīnī hādhā al-laylata,

the house asked Shaqīq, “God have mercy on you, what did you intend by this?” He answered, “To test my companions' realization of divine unity.” None of them saw the host in what he made or looked to him in what he served, except that young man alone. They related to us that Moses, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “My Lord, You have placed my provision thus in the Israelites' hands: one feeds me at midday, another gives me supper tonight.”

فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ: هَكَذَا أَصْنَعُ بِأَوْلِيَائِي، أُجْرِي أَرْزَاقَهُمْ عَلَى أَيْدِي الطَّالِبِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِي لِيُؤْجَرُوا فِيهِمْ. وَالْعَالِمُ الْقَاعِدُ عِنْدَهُمْ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِ الْمُتَصَرِّفِ، وَالْعَالِمُ الْمُتَكَسِّبُ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْقَاعِدِ الْجَاهِلِ، وَالْقَوِيُّ التَّارِكُ لِلتَّصَرُّفِ أَفْضَلُ عِنْدَهُمْ مِنَ الضَّعِيفِ الْمُتَصَرِّفِ، وَالْقَوِيُّ الْمُتَصَرِّفُ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الضَّعِيفِ التَّارِكِ لِلتَّصَرُّفِ.

faʾawḥā Allāhu ʾilayhi: hākadhā ʾaṣnaʿu biʾawliyāʾī, ʾujrī ʾarzāqahum ʿalā ʾaydī al-ṭālibīna min ʿibādī liyuʾjarū fīhim. wa-al-ʿālimu al-qāʿidu ʿindahum ʾafḍalu mina al-jāhili al-mutaṣarrifi, wa-al-ʿālimu al-mutakassibu ʾafḍalu mina al-qāʿidi al-jāhili, wa-al-qawiyyu al-tāriku li-l-taṣarrufi ʾafḍalu ʿindahum mina al-ḍaʿīfi al-mutaṣarrifi, wa-al-qawiyyu al-mutaṣarrifu ʾafḍalu mina al-ḍaʿīfi al-tāriki li-l-taṣarrufi.

God revealed to him, “Thus I deal with My friends: I send their provisions through the hands of My servants who seek Me, so that they may be rewarded through them.” In their view, the knowledgeable non-earner is better than the ignorant active earner, and the knowledgeable earner better than the ignorant non-earner. The strong person who refrains from activity is better than the weak one who acts; the strong active person is better than the weak one who refrains.

وَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ الْمُسْتَحِقِّينَ لِلْعَطَاءِ سِتَّةً، ذَكَرَهُمْ فِي آيَاتٍ ثَلَاثٍ، فَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الْآيَةِ الْأُولَى: (إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ) التَّوْبَةُ: 60. وَقَالَ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ: (وَفِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ لِلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ) الذَّارِيَاتُ: 19. وَقَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ: (فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ) الْحَجُّ: 36.

waqad jaʿala Allāhu al-mustaḥiqqīna li-l-ʿaṭāʾi sittatan, dhakarahum fī ʾāyātin thalāthin, faqāla ʿazza wajalla fī al-ʾāyati al-ʾūlā: (ʾinnamā al-ṣadaqātu li-l-fuqarāʾi wa-al-masākīni) al-tawbatu: 60. waqāla fī al-thāniyati: (wafī ʾamwālihim ḥaqqun li-l-sāʾili wa-al-maḥrūmi) al-dhāriyātu: 19. waqāla fī al-thālithati: (fakulū minhā waʾaṭʿimū al-qāniʿa wa-al-muʿtarra) al-ḥajju: 36.

God designated six recipients of giving in three verses. In the first He said, mighty and majestic, “Alms are only for the poor and the needy” (al-Tawba 9:60). In the second: “In their wealth is a right for the petitioner and the deprived” (al-Dhāriyāt 51:19). In the third: “Eat of them and feed the contented and the one who approaches for help” (al-Ḥajj 22:36).

فَمَنْ لَا مَعْلُومَ لَهُ مِنْ تَكَسُّبٍ أَوْ تَصَرُّفٍ فَهُوَ أَدْخَلُ شَيْءٍ فِي هَذِهِ الْآيَاتِ وَأَحْوَجُ أَحَدٍ إِلَى الْإِعْطَاءِ، وَمَنْ كَانَ ذَا مَعْلُومٍ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُ لِفَضْلِ عَيْلَةٍ أَوْ كَثْرَةِ نَفَقَةٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَدْخُلُ بِمَعْنًى مِنْ أَوْصَافِهِمْ. وَكَانَ اِبْنُ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ فِي الْآيَةِ: إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ، نَزَلَتْ فِي أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي مَعْنَاهُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ،

faman lā maʿlūma lahu min takassubin ʾaw taṣarrufin fahuwa ʾadkhalu shayʾin fī hādhihi al-ʾāyāti waʾaḥwaju ʾaḥadin ʾilā al-ʾiʿṭāʾi, waman kāna dhā maʿlūmin yaḥtāju ʾilā ʾakthara minhu lifaḍli ʿaylatin ʾaw kathrati nafaqatin faʾinnahu yadkhulu bimaʿnan min ʾawṣāfihim. wakāna ibnu ʿabbāsin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaqūlu fī al-ʾāyati: ʾinnamā al-ṣadaqātu li-l-fuqarāʾi wa-al-masākīni, nazalat fī ʾahli al-ṣuffati waman kāna fī maʿnāhum ʾilā yawmi al-qiyāmati,

Someone without regular earnings or business income falls most directly under these verses and most needs a gift. Someone with regular income that is insufficient because of additional dependents or great expenses falls under one of their descriptions. Ibn ʿAbbās, may God be pleased with him, said that “Alms are only for the poor and the needy” was revealed concerning the people of the Portico and those in their condition until Resurrection Day.

وَكَانُوا أَرْبَعَمِائَةٍ وَخَمْسِينَ رَجُلًا لَمْ تَكُنْ لَهُمْ عَشَائِرُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَلَا أَمْوَالٌ كَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ، وَكَانُوا نُزَّاعَ الْقَبَائِلِ، أَسْكَنَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صُفَّةَ الْمَسْجِدِ، وَقَسَمَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُمُ الْأَمْوَالَ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى أَفْرَدَ طَبَقَةً سَابِعَةً عَنْ جُمَلِ هَؤُلَاءِ السِّتَّةِ وَوَصَفَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ الصِّفَاتِ،

wakānū ʾarbaʿamiʾatin wakhamsīna rajulan lam takun lahum ʿashāʾiru bi-al-madīnati walā ʾamwālun ka-al-muhājirīna wa-al-ʾanṣāri, wakānū nuzzāʿa al-qabāʾili, ʾaskanahum rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ṣuffata al-masjidi, waqasama Allāhu ʿazza wajalla lahumu al-ʾamwāla. thumma ʾinna Allāha subḥānahu wataʿālā ʾafrada ṭabaqatan sābiʿatan ʿan jumali hāʾulāʾi al-sittati wawaṣafahum biʾaḥsani al-ṣifāti,

They were four hundred and fifty men without clans in Medina or property like the Emigrants and Helpers, drawn away from their tribes. God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, housed them in the mosque's portico, and God, mighty and majestic, allotted wealth to them. Then God, Glorified and Exalted, distinguished a seventh rank from the entirety of those six, describing them with the finest qualities,

وَفَضَّلَ أُجُورَ الْمُنْفِقِينَ بِطِيبِ الِاكْتِسَابِ عَلَيْهِمُ الطَّالِبِينَ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَقَالَ: (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْفِقُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 267. وَقَالَ: (وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 272. وَكُلُّ هَذَا مُتَّصِلٌ مُتَعَلِّقٌ بِقَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (لِلْفُقَرَاءِ الَّذِينَ أُحْصِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًا فِي الْأَرْضِ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 273، إِلَى آخِرِ أَوْصَافِهِمْ.

wafaḍḍala ʾujūra al-munfiqīna biṭībi al-iktisābi ʿalayhimu al-ṭālibīna wajha Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, faqāla: (yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū ʾanfiqū min ṭayyibāti mā kasabtum) al-baqaratu: 267. waqāla: (wamā tunfiqū min khayrin yuwaffa ʾilaykum) al-baqaratu: 272. wakullu hādhā muttaṣilun mutaʿalliqun biqawlihi ʿazza wajalla: (li-l-fuqarāʾi alladhīna ʾuḥṣirū fī sabīli Allāhi lā yastaṭīʿūna ḍarban fī al-ʾarḍi) al-baqaratu: 273, ʾilā ʾākhiri ʾawṣāfihim.

and enhancing the rewards of those who spend wholesome earnings on them, seeking the Face of God, mighty and majestic. He said, “Believers, spend from the good things you have earned” (al-Baqara 2:267), and, “Whatever good you spend will be repaid to you in full” (al-Baqara 2:272). All this connects with the words of God, mighty and majestic, “For the poor confined in God's path, unable to travel through the land” (al-Baqara 2:273), through the rest of their description.

فَوَصَفَهُمْ بِالْإِحْصَارِ فِي سَبِيلِهِ وَبِالْعِفَّةِ عَنِ الدُّنْيَا وَأَبْنَائِهَا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَلْحَفُونَهَا إِلْحَافًا لِزُهْدِهِمْ فِيهَا، وَسَمَّى مَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُ أَوْصَافَهُمْ جَاهِلًا. فَهَذِهِ الطَّائِفَةُ فَوْقَ الطَّبَقَاتِ الْمَوْسُومَةِ بِالصَّدَقَاتِ الْمَقْسُومِ عَلَيْهَا الزَّكَوَاتُ، بَلْ أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِالْإِنْفَاقِ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ الِاكْتِسَابِ لِلطَّيِّبَاتِ مِنْ بَعْدِ وَصْفِ أَحْسَنِ الْخَالِقِينَ لَهُمْ.

fawaṣafahum bi-al-ʾiḥṣāri fī sabīlihi wabi-al-ʿiffati ʿani al-dunyā waʾabnāʾihā waʾannahum lā yalḥafūnahā ʾilḥāfan lizuhdihim fīhā, wasammā man lā yaʿrifu ʾawṣāfahum jāhilan. fa-hādhihi al-ṭāʾifatu fawqa al-ṭabaqāti al-mawsūmati bi-al-ṣadaqāti al-maqsūmi ʿalayhā al-zakawātu, bal ʾamara al-muʾminīna bi-al-ʾinfāqi ʿalayhim mina al-iktisābi li-l-ṭayyibāti min baʿdi waṣfi ʾaḥsani al-khāliqīna lahum.

He described them as confined in His path, restrained toward this world and its people, and not importunate in seeking it because they renounce it. He calls anyone who fails to recognize their qualities ignorant. This group stands above the classes designated for alms and apportioned zakat. Rather, after the Best of Creators described them, He commanded believers to spend upon them from wholesome earnings.

وَاللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لَا يُحِبُّ عَبْدًا إِلَّا وَصَفَهُ، فَإِذَا مَدَحَهُ بِوَصْفٍ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ثَبَتَتْ مَحَبَّتُهُ لَهُ فِي الْمَدْحِ وَالْوَصْفِ، دَلِيلٌ عَلَى الْحُبِّ، وَالْمَحَبَّةُ تَدُلُّ عَلَى الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى فِي آخِرِ وَصْفِ الْمُحِبِّينَ: (ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 54.

wa-Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā lā yuḥibbu ʿabdan ʾillā waṣafahu, faʾidhā madaḥahu biwaṣfin waʾathnā ʿalayhi thabatat maḥabbatuhu lahu fī al-madḥi wa-al-waṣfi, dalīlun ʿalā al-ḥubbi, wa-al-maḥabbatu tadullu ʿalā al-faḍli al-ʿaẓīmi, kamā qāla taʿālā fī ʾākhiri waṣfi al-muḥibbīna: (dhālika faḍlu Allāhi yuʾtīhi man yashāʾu) al-māʾidatu: 54.

God, Blessed and Exalted, loves no servant without describing him. When He praises a servant by a quality and commends him, His love is established through that praise and description: evidence of love, and love indicates immense favor. As the Most High said at the end of His description of those who love, “That is God's favor, which He gives to whom He wills” (al-Māʾida 5:54).

وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: يَدُ الْمُعْطِي هِيَ الْعُلْيَا وَيَدُ الْمُعْطَى

waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ṣūfiyyati fī maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: yadu al-muʿṭī hiya al-ʿulyā wayadu al-muʿṭā

Some Sufis explained the words of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, “The giver's hand is uppermost and the recipient's hand

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٣٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 337

Volume Two, page 337

هِيَ السُّفْلَى: إِنَّ الْمُعْطِيَ هُوَ الْفَقِيرُ وَإِنَّ الْمُعْطَى هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ. وَيَصْلُحُ أَنْ يُسْتَدَلَّ لَهُ بِأَنَّ حَقِيقَةَ الْإِعْطَاءِ هُوَ النَّصِيبُ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ وَعَطَاؤُهُ مِنْهَا، فَصَارَ هُوَ الْمُعْطِيَ وَصَارَ الْغَنِيُّ هُوَ الْمُعْطَى. وَيَكُونُ دَلِيلُ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ الْخَبَرَيْنِ الْآخَرَيْنِ، قَوْلُهُ: إِنَّ الصَّدَقَةَ تَقَعُ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى قَبْلَ أَنْ تَقَعَ بِيَدِ السَّائِلِ،

hiya al-suflā: ʾinna al-muʿṭiya huwa al-faqīru waʾinna al-muʿṭā huwa al-ghaniyyu. wayaṣluḥu ʾan yustadalla lahu biʾanna ḥaqīqata al-ʾiʿṭāʾi huwa al-naṣību mina al-ʾākhirati waʿaṭāʾuhu minhā, faṣāra huwa al-muʿṭiya waṣāra al-ghaniyyu huwa al-muʿṭā. wayakūnu dalīlu hādhā al-qawli al-khabarayni al-ʾākharayni, qawluhu: ʾinna al-ṣadaqata taqaʿu biyadi Allāhi subḥānahu wataʿālā qabla ʾan taqaʿa biyadi al-sāʾili,

is lowermost,” to mean that the giver is the poor man and the recipient the rich. This can be supported by saying that true giving is a share of the hereafter, a gift from it. Thus the poor man becomes the giver and the rich man the recipient. Two other reports support this: “Alms fall into the hand of God, Glorified and Exalted, before falling into the petitioner's hand,”

وَهُوَ يَضَعُهَا فِي يَدِ السَّائِلِ فَقَدْ صَارَتْ يَدُ الْفَقِيرِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا. وَالْخَبَرُ الْآخَرُ: يَدُ اللَّهِ الْعُلْيَا وَيَدُ الْمُعْطِي الْوُسْطَى. فَهَذَا يُصَحِّحُ أَنَّ الْفَقِيرَ هُوَ الْمُعْطِي إِذْ كَانَ يَدُ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فَوْقَهُ لِأَنَّهَا هِيَ الَّتِي تَضَعُ فِي يَدِهِ الْعَطَاءَ فَكَانَتْ يَدُهُ هِيَ الْوُسْطَى.

wahuwa yaḍaʿuhā fī yadi al-sāʾili faqad ṣārat yadu al-faqīri hiya al-ʿulyā. wa-al-khabaru al-ʾākharu: yadu Allāhi al-ʿulyā wayadu al-muʿṭī al-wusṭā. fa-hādhā yuṣaḥḥiḥu ʾanna al-faqīra huwa al-muʿṭī ʾidh kāna yadu Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā fawqahu liʾannahā hiya allatī taḍaʿu fī yadihi al-ʿaṭāʾa fakānat yaduhu hiya al-wusṭā.

and He places them in the petitioner's hand, so the poor man's hand becomes uppermost. The other report says, “God's hand is uppermost, and the giver's hand is in the middle.” This confirms that the poor man is the giver, since the hand of God, Blessed and Exalted, is above him, placing the gift in his hand, which is therefore the middle hand.

فَإِنْ قِيلَ: قَدْ رَتَّبَ الْأَيْدِيَ بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: يَدُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا وَيَدُ الْمُعْطِي هِيَ الْوُسْطَى وَيَدُ الْمُعْطَى هِيَ السُّفْلَى، فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ الْمُعْطِي هُوَ الْغَنِيَّ إِذْ كَانَ الْعَطَاءُ يَظْهَرُ عِنْدَنَا عَلَى التَّرْتِيبِ. قِيلَ لَهُ: إِنَّ يَدَ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فَوْقَهُمَا مَعًا وَهِيَ لَا تَدْخُلُ تَحْتَ التَّرْتِيبِ، فَيَدُهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى الْعُلْيَا عَلَيْهِمَا جَمِيعًا.

faʾin qīla: qad rattaba al-ʾaydiya biqawlihi taʿālā: yadu Allāhi hiya al-ʿulyā wayadu al-muʿṭī hiya al-wusṭā wayadu al-muʿṭā hiya al-suflā, fayanbaghī ʾan yakūna al-muʿṭī huwa al-ghaniyya ʾidh kāna al-ʿaṭāʾu yaẓharu ʿindanā ʿalā al-tartībi. qīla lahu: ʾinna yada Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā fawqahumā maʿan wahiya lā tadkhulu taḥta al-tartībi, fayaduhu subḥānahu wataʿālā al-ʿulyā ʿalayhimā jamīʿan.

If someone says, “He ordered the hands by the saying of God Most High, ‘God's hand is uppermost, the giver's middle, and the recipient's lowermost’; the rich man should therefore be the giver, since giving appears to us in sequence,” the reply is: the hand of God, Blessed and Exalted, is above both and does not enter that ordering. The hand of God, Glorified and Exalted, is uppermost over both together.

قَالَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: يَدُ اللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَيْدِيهِمْ، وَقَدْ عَلِمْنَا أَنَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ، ثُمَّ أَخْبَرَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّهَا فَوْقَ الْكُلِّ، وَلِأَنَّهُ هُوَ الْمُعْطِي الْأَوَّلُ لَهُمَا جَمِيعًا. فَكَمَا لَا أَوَّلَ أَوَّلُ مِنْهُ فِي الْعَطَاءِ، فَكَذَلِكَ لَا يَدَ فَوْقَ يَدِهِ فِي الْإِعْطَاءِ، وَإِنَّمَا التَّرْتِيبُ بَيْنَ الْغَنِيِّ وَالْفَقِيرِ أَيُّهُمَا الْمُعْطِي بَعْدَ يَدِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى.

qāla tabāraka wataʿālā: yadu Allāhi fawqa ʾaydīhim, waqad ʿalimnā ʾanna ʾaydiyahum baʿḍuhā fawqa baʿḍin, thumma ʾakhbara maʿa dhālika ʾannahā fawqa al-kulli, waliʾannahu huwa al-muʿṭī al-ʾawwalu lahumā jamīʿan. fakamā lā ʾawwala ʾawwalu minhu fī al-ʿaṭāʾi, fa-kadhālika lā yada fawqa yadihi fī al-ʾiʿṭāʾi, waʾinnamā al-tartību bayna al-ghaniyyi wa-al-faqīri ʾayyuhumā al-muʿṭī baʿda yadi Allāhi taʿālā.

He, Blessed and Exalted, said, “God's hand is above their hands.” We know their hands are above one another, yet He declares His above all. He is the first Giver to both alike. Just as no first is earlier than He in giving, no hand is above His. The ordering concerns only the rich and poor: which is the giver after the hand of God Most High?

فَقُلْنَا: إِنَّ الْمُعْطِيَ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ إِذْ كَانَ الْعَطَاءُ الْحَقِيقِيُّ هُوَ مَا يَبْقَى وَيَدُومُ لَا مَا يَفْنَى وَيَزُولُ، وَذَلِكَ هُوَ الْعَطَاءُ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ الْبَاقِيَةِ، فَصَارَ الْفَقِيرُ هُوَ الْمُعْطِيَ لِلْغَنِيِّ فِي الدُّنْيَا نَصِيبَهُ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ لِأَنَّهُ عِمَارَةُ مَنَازِلِهِ فِيهَا، وَالْغَنِيُّ رِفْقٌ بِالْفَقِيرِ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَعِمَارَةُ دُنْيَاهُ الْفَانِيَةِ،

faqulnā: ʾinna al-muʿṭiya fī al-ḥaqīqati ʾidh kāna al-ʿaṭāʾu al-ḥaqīqiyyu huwa mā yabqā wayadūmu lā mā yafnā wayazūlu, wa-dhālika huwa al-ʿaṭāʾu mina al-ʾākhirati al-bāqiyati, faṣāra al-faqīru huwa al-muʿṭiya li-l-ghaniyyi fī al-dunyā naṣībahu mina al-ʾākhirati liʾannahu ʿimāratu manāzilihi fīhā, wa-al-ghaniyyu rifqun bi-al-faqīri mina al-dunyā waʿimāratu dunyāhu al-fāniyati,

We say the true giver is the poor man, since true giving is what remains and endures, not what perishes and disappears: a gift from the lasting hereafter. The poor man thus gives the rich man, here in this world, his portion of the hereafter, furnishing his dwellings there. The rich man provides worldly relief for the poor and furnishes his perishing worldly life,

وَالدُّنْيَا مَوْصُوفَةٌ بِلَا شَيْءٍ، فَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ يُعْطَى مِنْهَا؟ فَأَمَّا يَدُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَإِنَّهَا فَوْقَهُمَا وَالَّذِي أَعْطَاهُمَا جَمِيعًا، لِأَنَّ يَدَهُ فَوْقَ الْفَوْقِ وَفَوْقَ التَّحْتِ لَا يُوصَفُ بِتَحْتٍ وَلَا بِأَسْفَلَ، تَعَالَتْ أَوْصَافُهُ الْعُلْيَا عَنْ نُعُوتِ الْخَلْقِ السُّفْلَى وَهُوَ لَا يَدْخُلُ تَحْتَ الْقِيَاسِ وَالتَّشْبِيهِ.

wa-al-dunyā mawṣūfatun bilā shayʾin, faʾayyu shayʾin yuʿṭā minhā? faʾammā yadu Allāhi taʿālā faʾinnahā fawqahumā wa-alladhī ʾaʿṭāhumā jamīʿan, liʾanna yadahu fawqa al-fawqi wafawqa al-taḥti lā yūṣafu bitaḥtin walā biʾasfala, taʿālat ʾawṣāfuhu al-ʿulyā ʿan nuʿūti al-khalqi al-suflā wahuwa lā yadkhulu taḥta al-qiyāsi wa-al-tashbīhi.

and this world is described as nothing: what thing, then, is given from it? The hand of God Most High is above them both; He is the one who gave to both. His hand is above above and above below. He is described neither by below nor by lower. His highest attributes transcend creatures' lowly qualities; He falls under neither analogy nor comparison.

فَقَدْ حَدَّثَنَا بَعْضُ إِخْوَانِنَا عَنْ شَيْخٍ لَهُ فَقَالَ: رَأَيْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ النُّورِيَّ يَمُدُّ يَدَهُ وَيَسْأَلُ النَّاسَ فِي بَعْضِ الْمَوَاطِنِ. قَالَ: فَأَعْظَمْتُ ذَلِكَ وَاِسْتَقْبَحْتُهُ فَأَتَيْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ، فَقَالَ: لَا يَعْظُمْ هَذَا عَلَيْكَ فَإِنَّ النُّورِيَّ لَمْ يَسْأَلِ النَّاسَ إِلَّا لِيُعْطِيَهُمْ، إِنَّمَا سَأَلَ لَهُمْ لِيُثِيبَهُمْ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ فَيُؤْجَرُونَ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَضُرُّهُ.

faqad ḥaddathanā baʿḍu ʾikhwāninā ʿan shaykhin lahu faqāla: raʾaytu ʾabā al-ḥasani al-nūriyya yamuddu yadahu wayasʾalu al-nāsa fī baʿḍi al-mawāṭini. qāla: faʾaʿẓamtu dhālika wa-istaqbaḥtuhu faʾataytu al-junayda faʾakhbartuhu, faqāla: lā yaʿẓum hādhā ʿalayka faʾinna al-nūriyya lam yasʾali al-nāsa ʾillā liyuʿṭiyahum, ʾinnamā saʾala lahum liyuthībahum mina al-ʾākhirati fayuʾjarūna min ḥaythu lā yaḍurruhu.

A brother related from his teacher, “I saw Abū al-Ḥasan al-Nūrī extending his hand and asking people at some place. I found it shocking and ugly, and told al-Junayd. He said, ‘Do not find this shocking. Al-Nūrī asks people only to give to them. He asks for their sake, to reward them from the hereafter: they earn reward without harm to him.’

ثُمَّ قَالَ: هَاتِ الْمِيزَانَ. قَالَ: فَوَزَنَ مِائَةَ دِرْهَمٍ ثُمَّ قَبَضَ قَبْضَةً فَأَلْقَاهَا عَلَى الْمِائَةِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: اِحْمِلْهَا إِلَيْهِ. قَالَ: قُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي: إِنَّمَا يُوزَنُ الشَّيْءُ لِيُعْرَفَ مِقْدَارُهُ فَهَذَا قَدْ خَلَطَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا آخَرَ فَصَارَ مَجْهُولًا وَهُوَ رَجُلٌ حَكِيمٌ، فَاِسْتَحْيَيْتُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ.

thumma qāla: hāti al-mīzāna. qāla: fawazana miʾata dirhamin thumma qabaḍa qabḍatan faʾalqāhā ʿalā al-miʾati, thumma qāla: iḥmilhā ʾilayhi. qāla: qultu fī nafsī: ʾinnamā yūzanu al-shayʾu liyuʿrafa miqdāruhu fa-hādhā qad khalaṭa minhu shayʾan ʾākhara faṣāra majhūlan wahuwa rajulun ḥakīmun, fa-istaḥyaytu ʾan ʾasʾalahu ʿan dhālika.

“Then he said, ‘Bring the scales.’ He weighed a hundred dirhams, added a handful, and said, ‘Take them to him.’ I thought, ‘One weighs something to know its quantity, but now he has mixed in more and made it unknown, though he is a wise man.’ I was too embarrassed to ask.

قَالَ: فَذَهَبْتُ بِالصُّرَّةِ إِلَى النُّورِيِّ فَقَالَ: هَاتِ الْمِيزَانَ. قَالَ: فَوَزَنَ مِائَةَ دِرْهَمٍ وَقَالَ: رُدَّهَا عَلَيْهِ وَقُلْ لَهُ: أَنَا لَا أَقْبَلُ مِنْكَ أَنْتَ شَيْئًا، وَأَخَذَ مَا زَادَ عَلَى الْمِائَةِ.

qāla: fadhahabtu bi-al-ṣurrati ʾilā al-nūriyyi faqāla: hāti al-mīzāna. qāla: fawazana miʾata dirhamin waqāla: ruddahā ʿalayhi waqul lahu: ʾanā lā ʾaqbalu minka ʾanta shayʾan, waʾakhadha mā zāda ʿalā al-miʾati.

“I took the purse to al-Nūrī. ‘Bring the scales,’ he said. He weighed out a hundred dirhams and told me, ‘Return these and tell him: I accept nothing from you yourself.’ He kept what exceeded the hundred.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٣٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 338

Volume Two, page 338

قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ هَذَا أَعْجَبُ، فَسَأَلْتُهُ: لِمَ فَعَلْتَ هَذَا؟ فَقَالَ: الْجُنَيْدُ رَجُلٌ حَكِيمٌ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ الْحَبْلَ بِطَرَفَيْهِ، وَزَنَ هَذِهِ الْمِائَةَ لِنَفْسِهِ لِلثَّوَابِ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ وَطَرَحَ عَلَيْهَا قَبْضَةً بِلَا وَزْنٍ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَأَخَذْتُ مَا كَانَتْ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَرَدَدْتُ مَا كَانَ جَعَلَهُ لِنَفْسِهِ.

qāla: faqultu hādhā ʾaʿjabu, fasaʾaltuhu: lima faʿalta hādhā? faqāla: al-junaydu rajulun ḥakīmun yurīdu ʾan yaʾkhudha al-ḥabla biṭarafayhi, wazana hādhihi al-miʾata linafsihi li-l-thawābi mina al-ʾākhirati waṭaraḥa ʿalayhā qabḍatan bilā waznin li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla, faʾakhadhtu mā kānat li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla waradadtu mā kāna jaʿalahu linafsihi.

He continued, “I thought this stranger still and asked why. He replied, ‘Al-Junayd is wise and wants to hold both ends of the rope. He weighed the hundred for himself, seeking reward in the hereafter, and added an unweighed handful for God, mighty and majestic. I took what was for God, mighty and majestic, and returned what he had assigned to himself.’”

قَالَ: فَرَدَدْتُهَا إِلَى الْجُنَيْدِ فَبَكَى وَقَالَ: أَخَذَ مَالَهُ وَرَدَّ مَالَنَا، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.

qāla: faradadtuhā ʾilā al-junaydi fabakā waqāla: ʾakhadha mālahu waradda mālanā, wa-Allāhu ʾaʿlamu.

He said, “I returned them to al-Junayd. He wept and said, ‘He took what was His and returned what was ours.’” God knows best.

ذِكْرُ اِخْتِلَافِهِمْ فِي إِخْفَاءِ الْعَطَاءِ وَإِظْهَارِهِ وَمَنْ رَأَى أَنَّ الْإِظْهَارَ أَفْضَلُ وَتَفْضِيلِ ذَلِكَ

dhikru ikhtilāfihim fī ʾikhfāʾi al-ʿaṭāʾi waʾiẓhārihi waman raʾā ʾanna al-ʾiẓhāra ʾafḍalu watafḍīli dhālika

Their disagreement over concealing and disclosing gifts, those who consider disclosure better, and its relative merit

قَدِ اِخْتَلَفَ فِعْلُ الْمُخْلِصِينَ فِي ذَلِكَ، فَرَأَى بَعْضُهُمْ أَنْ يُخْفِيَ مَا يَأْخُذُ مِنَ الْعَطَاءِ لِأَنَّهُ أَدْخَلُ فِي التَّعَفُّفِ وَأَقْرَبُ إِلَى التَّصَوُّنِ، وَأَنَّهُ أَسْلَمُ لِقُلُوبِ الْغَيْرِ وَأَصْلَحُ لِنُفُوسِ الْعَامَّةِ، وَأَنَّ فِيهِ النُّصْرَةَ لِإِخْوَانِهِ مِنَ الْغِيبَةِ وَالتُّهْمَةِ بِمِثْلِ ذَلِكَ أَوْ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْهُ، وَفِيهِ الِاحْتِيَاطَ لِأَخِيهِ وَعَوْنًا لَهُ عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى،

qadi ikhtalafa fiʿlu al-mukhliṣīna fī dhālika, faraʾā baʿḍuhum ʾan yukhfiya mā yaʾkhudhu mina al-ʿaṭāʾi liʾannahu ʾadkhalu fī al-taʿaffufi waʾaqrabu ʾilā al-taṣawwuni, waʾannahu ʾaslamu liqulūbi al-ghayri waʾaṣlaḥu linufūsi al-ʿāmmati, waʾanna fīhi al-nuṣrata liʾikhwānihi mina al-ghībati wa-al-tuhmati bimithli dhālika ʾaw biʾakthara minhu, wafīhi al-iḥtiyāṭa liʾakhīhi waʿawnan lahu ʿalā al-birri wa-al-taqwā,

The sincere have differed in their practice. Some think one should conceal gifts received because this better preserves restraint and dignity, safeguards others' hearts, and improves the ordinary people's disposition. It protects one's brothers from backbiting and suspicions of this or worse, takes precautions for one's brother, and helps him in righteousness and Godfearingness,

فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (إِنْ تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا الْفُقَرَاءَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 271، وَلِلْخَبَرِ الَّذِي جَاءَ: أَفْضَلُ الصَّدَقَةِ جُهْدُ الْمُقِلِّ إِلَى فَقِيرٍ فِي سِرٍّ، وَلِأَنَّ عَمَلَ السِّرِّ يَفْضُلُ عَلَى عَمَلِ الْعَلَانِيَةِ بِسَبْعِينَ ضِعْفًا. فَإِذَا لَمْ يُعَاوِنْهُ هَذَا عَلَى إِخْفَاءِ عَطَائِهِ وَلَمْ يُسَاعِدْهُ عَلَى كَتْمِ مَعْرُوفِهِ فَلَمْ يَتِمَّ لَهُ ذَلِكَ بِنَفْسِهِ،

fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: (ʾin tukhfūhā watuʾtūhā al-fuqarāʾa fahuwa khayrun lakum) al-baqaratu: 271, wali-l-khabari alladhī jāʾa: ʾafḍalu al-ṣadaqati juhdu al-muqilli ʾilā faqīrin fī sirrin, waliʾanna ʿamala al-sirri yafḍulu ʿalā ʿamali al-ʿalāniyati bisabʿīna ḍiʿfan. faʾidhā lam yuʿāwinhu hādhā ʿalā ʾikhfāʾi ʿaṭāʾihi walam yusāʿidhu ʿalā katmi maʿrūfihi falam yatimma lahu dhālika binafsihi,

in accordance with the words of God, mighty and majestic, “If you conceal them and give them to the poor, that is better for you” (al-Baqara 2:271), and the report, “The best charity is the utmost a person of little means gives secretly to a poor person.” A private deed surpasses a public deed seventyfold. If the recipient does not help conceal the donor's gift and kindness, the donor cannot accomplish this alone,

لِأَنَّهُ سِرٌّ بَيْنَ اِثْنَيْنِ إِنْ أَفْشَاهُ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ لَمْ يَتَّفِقَا عَلَى كَتْمِهِ فَقَدْ ظَهَرَ مِنْ أَيِّهِمَا كَانَ الْخَبَرُ. كَيْفَ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: اِسْتَعِينُوا عَلَى أُمُورِكُمْ بِالْكِتْمَانِ فَإِنَّ كُلَّ ذِي نِعْمَةٍ مَحْسُودٌ؟ وَهَذَا مَذْهَبُ الْقُرَّاءِ مِنَ الْعَابِدِينَ.

liʾannahu sirrun bayna ithnayni ʾin ʾafshāhu ʾaḥaduhumā ʾaw lam yattafiqā ʿalā katmihi faqad ẓahara min ʾayyihimā kāna al-khabaru. kayfa waqad ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: istaʿīnū ʿalā ʾumūrikum bi-al-kitmāni faʾinna kulla dhī niʿmatin maḥsūdun? wa-hādhā madhhabu al-qurrāʾi mina al-ʿābidīna.

for it is a secret between two. If either reveals it, or they do not agree to conceal it, it becomes public, whichever one tells. How could it be otherwise, when the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, is reported to have said, “Seek help in your affairs through concealment, for everyone blessed is envied”? This is the view of the reciters among the worshipers.

وَقَالَ أَيُّوبُ السَّخْتِيَانِيُّ: إِنِّي لَأَتْرُكُ لُبْسَ الثَّوْبِ الْجَدِيدِ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَحْدُثَ فِي جِيرَانِي حَسَدٌ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الزَّاهِدِينَ: رُبَّمَا تَرَكْتُ اِسْتِعْمَالَ الشَّيْءِ لِأَجْلِ إِخْوَانِي يَقُولُونَ: مِنْ أَيْنَ هَذَا؟ وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيِّ أَنَّهُ رَأَى صَاحِبًا لَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَمِيصٌ جَدِيدٌ فَقَالَ: مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكَ هَذَا؟ قَالَ: كَسَانِيهِ أَخِي خَيْثَمَةُ وَلَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ أَهْلَهُ عَلِمُوا بِهِ مَا قَبِلْتُهُ.

waqāla ʾayyūbu al-sakhtiyāniyyu: ʾinnī laʾatruku lubsa al-thawbi al-jadīdi khashyata ʾan yaḥdutha fī jīrānī ḥasadun. waqāla baʿḍu al-zāhidīna: rubbamā taraktu istiʿmāla al-shayʾi liʾajli ʾikhwānī yaqūlūna: min ʾayna hādhā? waḥaddathūnā ʿan ʾibrāhīma al-taymiyyi ʾannahu raʾā ṣāḥiban lahu ʿalayhi qamīṣun jadīdun faqāla: min ʾayna laka hādhā? qāla: kasānīhi ʾakhī khaythamatu walaw ʿalimtu ʾanna ʾahlahu ʿalimū bihi mā qabiltuhu.

Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānī said, “I leave off wearing a new garment for fear of stirring envy in my neighbors.” A renunciant said, “Sometimes I refrain from using something for my brothers' sake, lest they ask where it came from.” They told us that Ibrāhīm al-Taymī saw a companion in a new shirt and asked its source. “My brother Khaythama clothed me,” he replied. “Had I known his family knew about it, I would not have accepted.”

وَدَفَعَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى بَعْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ شَيْئًا ظَاهِرًا فَرَدَّهُ وَدَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ آخَرُ شَيْئًا فِي السِّرِّ فَقَبِلَهُ. فَقِيلَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ هَذَا أَخْفَى مَعْرُوفَهُ وَعَمِلَ بِالْأَدَبِ فِي مُعَامَلَتِهِ فَقَبِلْنَا عَمَلَهُ، وَالَّذِي أَظْهَرَ مَعْرُوفَهُ أَسَاءَ فِي الْأَدَبِ فِي الْمُعَامَلَةِ فَرَدَدْنَا عَمَلَهُ عَلَيْهِ.

wadafaʿa rajulun ʾilā baʿḍi al-ʿulamāʾi shayʾan ẓāhiran faraddahu wadafaʿa ʾilayhi ʾākharu shayʾan fī al-sirri faqabilahu. faqīla lahu fī dhālika faqāla: ʾinna hādhā ʾakhfā maʿrūfahu waʿamila bi-al-ʾadabi fī muʿāmalatihi faqabilnā ʿamalahu, wa-alladhī ʾaẓhara maʿrūfahu ʾasāʾa fī al-ʾadabi fī al-muʿāmalati faradadnā ʿamalahu ʿalayhi.

A man publicly offered something to a scholar, who refused; another gave privately, and he accepted. Asked why, he said, “This man concealed his kindness and observed proper courtesy in his dealing, so we accepted his deed. The one who displayed his kindness dealt discourteously, so we returned his deed to him.”

وَدَفَعَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ إِلَى بَعْضِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ شَيْئًا بَيْنَ الْمَلَإِ فَرَدَّهُ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: لِمَ تَرُدُّ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَا أَعْطَاكَ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنَّكَ أَشْرَكْتَ غَيْرَ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى فِيمَا لِلَّهِ وَلَمْ تَقْنَعْ بِعَيْنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَرَدَدْتُ عَلَيْكَ شِرْكَكَ.

wadafaʿa baʿḍu al-nāsi ʾilā baʿḍi al-ṣūfiyyati shayʾan bayna al-malaʾi faraddahu, faqīla lahu: lima taruddu ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla mā ʾaʿṭāka? faqāla: ʾinnaka ʾashrakta ghayra Allāhi subḥānahu wataʿālā fīmā li-llāhi walam taqnaʿ biʿayni Allāhi ʿazza wajalla faradadtu ʿalayka shirkaka.

Someone offered a Sufi a gift before a gathering, and he refused. Asked, “Why do you refuse what God, mighty and majestic, has given you?” he replied, “You associated someone other than God, Glorified and Exalted, in what belongs to God. You were not content with having God, mighty and majestic, see it, so I returned your association to you.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ لَا يَقْبَلُ فِي الْعَلَانِيَةِ وَيَأْخُذُ فِي السِّرِّ، سُئِلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ فِي إِظْهَارِ الصَّدَقَةِ إِذْلَالًا لِلْعِلْمِ وَاِمْتِهَانًا لِأَهْلِهِ وَمَا كُنْتُ بِالَّذِي أَرْفَعُ شَيْئًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا بِوَضْعِ الْعِلْمِ وَإِذْلَالِ أَهْلِهِ. وَكَذَلِكَ حُدِّثْنَا أَنَّ رَجُلًا دَفَعَ إِلَى بَعْضِ الْعَارِفِينَ شَيْئًا عَلَانِيَةً فَرَدَّهُ ثُمَّ

waqad kāna baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi lā yaqbalu fī al-ʿalāniyati wayaʾkhudhu fī al-sirri, suʾila ʿan dhālika faqāla: ʾinna fī ʾiẓhāri al-ṣadaqati ʾidhlālan li-l-ʿilmi wa-imtihānan liʾahlihi wamā kuntu bi-alladhī ʾarfaʿu shayʾan mina al-dunyā biwaḍʿi al-ʿilmi waʾidhlāli ʾahlihi. wa-kadhālika ḥuddithnā ʾanna rajulan dafaʿa ʾilā baʿḍi al-ʿārifīna shayʾan ʿalāniyatan faraddahu thumma

A scholar accepted privately but refused publicly. Asked why, he said, “Publicizing charity debases knowledge and humiliates its people. I would not elevate some worldly thing by lowering knowledge and humiliating its people.” Likewise, we were told that a man publicly offered something to a knower, who refused; then

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٣٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 339

Volume Two, page 339

دَفَعَهُ إِلَيْهِ فِي السِّرِّ فَقَبِلَهُ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: رَدَدْتَ فِي الْجَهْرِ وَقَبِلْتَ فِي السِّرِّ؟ فَقَالَ: لِأَنَّكَ أَطَعْتَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى فِي السِّرِّ فَأَعَنْتُكَ عَلَى بِرِّكَ بِقَبُولِهِ وَعَصَيْتَهُ بِالْجَهْرِ فَلَمْ أَكُنْ عَوْنًا لَكَ عَلَى الْمَعْصِيَةِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَقُولُ: لَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ لَا يَذْكُرُ صِلَتَهُ وَلَا يَتَحَدَّثُ بِهَا لَقَبِلْتُ صِلَتَهُ.

dafaʿahu ʾilayhi fī al-sirri faqabilahu, faqīla lahu: radadta fī al-jahri waqabilta fī al-sirri? faqāla: liʾannaka ʾaṭaʿta Allāha taʿālā fī al-sirri faʾaʿantuka ʿalā birrika biqabūlihi waʿaṣaytahu bi-al-jahri falam ʾakun ʿawnan laka ʿalā al-maʿṣiyati. waqad kāna sufyānu al-thawriyyu yaqūlu: law ʿalimtu ʾanna ʾaḥadahum lā yadhkuru ṣilatahu walā yataḥaddathu bihā laqabiltu ṣilatahu.

he offered it privately, and he accepted. Asked why he refused openly but accepted secretly, he replied, “You obeyed God Most High in private, so my acceptance helped your goodness. You disobeyed Him through publicity, so I would not help your disobedience.” Sufyān al-Thawrī used to say, “If I knew one of them would neither mention his gift nor talk about it, I would accept.”

وَفِي هَذَا لَعَمْرِي مُوَاطَأَةٌ لِمَا نَدَبَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْإِخْفَاءِ وَلِمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَفَضَّلَهُ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ السِّرِّ، وَهُوَ أَيْضًا لَا يُدْخِلُ الْآخِذَ فِي نَهْيِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ: مَنْ أُهْدِيَ لَهُ هَدِيَّةٌ وَعِنْدَهُ قَوْمٌ فَهُمْ شُرَكَاؤُهُ فِيهَا.

wafī hādhā laʿamrī muwāṭaʾatun limā nadaba Allāhu taʿālā ʾilayhi mina al-ʾikhfāʾi walimā ʾamara bihi rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wafaḍḍalahu min ʾaʿmāli al-sirri, wahuwa ʾayḍan lā yudkhilu al-ʾākhidha fī nahyi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama min qawlihi: man ʾuhdiya lahu hadiyyatun waʿindahu qawmun fahum shurakāʾuhu fīhā.

This, by my life, agrees with the concealment God Most High commended and the private deeds God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanded and preferred. It also keeps the recipient from violating the prohibition implicit in the words of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, “When someone receives a gift with others present, they share in it.”

وَقَالَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ: أَفْضَلُ مَا أَهْدَى الرَّجُلُ إِلَى أَخِيهِ وَرِقًا أَوْ يُطْعِمُهُ خُبْزًا، فَجَعَلَ الْوَرِقَ هَدِيَّةً كَالْهَدَايَا وَهُوَ مِنْ أَفْضَلِهَا كَمَا قَالَ لِأَنَّهُ قِيَمُ الْأَشْيَاءِ. فَهَذَا الْآخِذُ لِلْهَدِيَّةِ جَهْرًا يَلْزَمُهُ الْإِشْرَاكُ لِلْحَاضِرِينَ فِيهَا إِلَّا أَنْ يَهَبُوا ذَلِكَ لَهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ لَمْ يُعْجِبْنِي ذَلِكَ.

waqāla fī al-ḥadīthi al-ʾākhari: ʾafḍalu mā ʾahdā al-rajulu ʾilā ʾakhīhi wariqan ʾaw yuṭʿimuhu khubzan, fajaʿala al-wariqa hadiyyatan ka-al-hadāyā wahuwa min ʾafḍalihā kamā qāla liʾannahu qiyamu al-ʾashyāʾi. fa-hādhā al-ʾākhidhu li-l-hadiyyati jahran yalzamuhu al-ʾishrāku li-l-ḥāḍirīna fīhā ʾillā ʾan yahabū dhālika lahu, faʾin lam yafʿal lam yuʿjibnī dhālika.

Another report says, “The best a man gives his brother is silver, or bread to eat.” It thus treats silver as a gift like other gifts, among the best, as he said, because it represents things' values. Anyone receiving a gift publicly must share it with those present, unless they relinquish their share to him. If he fails to do so, I do not approve.

وَذَهَبَ آخَرُونَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ الْمَوْصُوفِينَ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ إِلَى أَنَّ الْإِظْهَارَ لِلْآخِذِ أَفْضَلُ لِأَنَّهُ أَسْلَمُ لَهُ وَأَدْخَلُ فِي الْإِخْلَاصِ وَالصِّدْقِ وَأَخْرَجُ مِنْ إِثْبَاتِ الْقَدْرِ وَالْمَنْزِلَةِ وَالْجَاهِ بِالرَّدِّ وَالزُّهْدِ. وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ: (لَا تُكَلَّفُ إِلَّا نَفْسَكَ) النِّسَاءُ: 84.

wadhahaba ʾākharūna min ʾahli al-maʿrifati al-mawṣūfīna bi-al-tawḥīdi ʾilā ʾanna al-ʾiẓhāra li-l-ʾākhidhi ʾafḍalu liʾannahu ʾaslamu lahu waʾadkhalu fī al-ʾikhlāṣi wa-al-ṣidqi waʾakhraju min ʾithbāti al-qadri wa-al-manzilati wa-al-jāhi bi-al-raddi wa-al-zuhdi. waqad qāla Allāhu subḥānahu: (lā tukallafu ʾillā nafsaka) al-nisāʾu: 84.

Other knowers, distinguished by realization of divine unity, hold that disclosure is better for the recipient: it is safer, more conducive to sincerity and truthfulness, and further from establishing worth, status, and prestige through refusal and renunciation. God, Glorified is He, said, “You are charged only with yourself” (al-Nisāʾ 4:84).

قَالُوا: فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا إِذْ عَلِمْنَا فِي سَلَامَتِنَا وَحُكْمِ حَالِنَا مِنْ إِسْقَاطِ جَاهِنَا بِالْأَخْذِ عَلَانِيَةً مَا وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَقْوَالِ النَّاسِ، يَتَوَلَّى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَنْ بِهِ اِبْتَلَاهُ. وَقَالُوا: وَلِأَنَّ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ أَنَّ الظَّاهِرَ وَالْبَاطِنَ هُوَ الْمُعْطِي فَلَا مَعْنَى لِلرَّدِّ عَلَيْهِ فِي الظَّاهِرِ.

qālū: falaysa ʿalaynā ʾidh ʿalimnā fī salāmatinā waḥukmi ḥālinā min ʾisqāṭi jāhinā bi-al-ʾakhdhi ʿalāniyatan mā warāʾa dhālika min ʾaqwāli al-nāsi, yatawallā Allāhu ʿazza wajalla min dhālika man bihi ibtalāhu. waqālū: waliʾanna fī al-tawḥīdi ʾanna al-ẓāhira wa-al-bāṭina huwa al-muʿṭī falā maʿnā li-l-raddi ʿalayhi fī al-ẓāhiri.

They say, “Once we know that accepting publicly lowers our prestige in a way conducive to our safety and our condition's ruling, we are not responsible for what people say beyond that. God, mighty and majestic, takes charge of those He tests through it.” They also say, “Divine unity entails that the Outward and the Inward is the Giver; outwardly refusing Him therefore has no meaning.”

وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: سِرُّ الْعَارِفِ وَعَلَانِيَتُهُ وَاحِدٌ لِأَنَّ الْمَعْبُودَ فِيهِمَا وَاحِدٌ، فَاِخْتِلَافُ فِعْلِ أَحَدِهِمَا شِرْكٌ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: كُنَّا لَا نَعْبَأُ بِدُعَاءِ مَنْ يَأْخُذُ فِي السِّرِّ، فَرَفَعَ يَدَهُ بِهِ عَلَانِيَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ: هَذَا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْعَلَانِيَةُ فِي أُمُورِ الدُّنْيَا أَفْضَلُ وَالسِّرُّ فِي أُمُورِ الْآخِرَةِ أَفْضَلُ.

waqad qāla baʿḍuhum: sirru al-ʿārifi waʿalāniyatuhu wāḥidun liʾanna al-maʿbūda fīhimā wāḥidun, fa-ikhtilāfu fiʿli ʾaḥadihimā shirkun fī al-tawḥīdi. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: kunnā lā naʿbaʾu biduʿāʾi man yaʾkhudhu fī al-sirri, farafaʿa yadahu bihi ʿalāniyatan thumma qāla: hādhā mina al-dunyā wa-al-ʿalāniyatu fī ʾumūri al-dunyā ʾafḍalu wa-al-sirru fī ʾumūri al-ʾākhirati ʾafḍalu.

Someone said, “The knower's private and public life are one, because the One worshiped in both is one; differing in either action introduces association into divine unity.” A knower said, “We paid no regard to the prayer of someone who accepted secretly.” He then raised his hand with the gift openly and said, “This belongs to this world. Publicity is better in worldly affairs, secrecy in affairs of the hereafter.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُرِيدِينَ: سَأَلْتُ أُسْتَاذِي وَكَانَ أَحَدَ الْعَارِفِينَ عَنْ إِظْهَارِ السَّبَبِ أَوْ إِخْفَائِهِ فَقَالَ: أَظْهِرِ الْأَخْذَ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ إِنْ كُنْتَ آخِذًا، فَإِنَّكَ لَا تَخْلُو مِنْ أَحَدِ رَجُلَيْنِ: رَجُلٍ تَسْقُطُ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ فَذَلِكَ هُوَ الَّذِي تُرِيدُ لِأَنَّهُ أَسْلَمُ لِدِينِكَ وَأَقَلُّ لِآفَاتِ نَفْسِكَ،

waqāla baʿḍu al-murīdīna: saʾaltu ʾustādhī wakāna ʾaḥada al-ʿārifīna ʿan ʾiẓhāri al-sababi ʾaw ʾikhfāʾihi faqāla: ʾaẓhiri al-ʾakhdha ʿalā kulli ḥālin ʾin kunta ʾākhidhan, faʾinnaka lā takhlū min ʾaḥadi rajulayni: rajulin tasquṭu min qalbihi ʾidhā faʿalta dhālika fa-dhālika huwa alladhī turīdu liʾannahu ʾaslamu lidīnika waʾaqallu liʾāfāti nafsika,

A seeker said, “I asked my teacher, a knower, whether to reveal or conceal material support. He replied, ‘If you accept, reveal it in every case. You face one of two kinds of people: someone in whose estimation you fall when you do this, which is precisely what you want, since it safeguards your religion and lessens the self's faults.

وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ تَعْمَلَ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ جَاءَكَ بِلَا تَكَلُّفٍ، وَرَجُلٍ تَزْدَادُ وَتَرْتَفِعُ فِي قَلْبِهِ فَذَاكَ هُوَ الَّذِي يُرِيدُ أَخُوكَ لِأَنَّهُ يَزْدَادُ ثَوَابًا بِزِيَادَةِ حُبِّهِ لَكَ وَتَعْظِيمِهِ إِيَّاكَ فَتُؤْجَرُ أَنْتَ إِذْ كُنْتَ سَبَبَ مَزِيدِهِ وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ تَعْمَلَ فِي ذَلِكَ.

wayanbaghī ʾan taʿmala fī dhālika faqad jāʾaka bilā takallufin, warajulin tazdādu watartafiʿu fī qalbihi fadhāka huwa alladhī yurīdu ʾakhūka liʾannahu yazdādu thawāban biziyādati ḥubbihi laka wataʿẓīmihi ʾiyyāka fatuʾjaru ʾanta ʾidh kunta sababa mazīdihi wayanbaghī ʾan taʿmala fī dhālika.

“‘You should work toward this, and it has come without effort. Or there is someone in whose heart your standing increases: that is what your brother wants, since greater love and esteem for you increase his reward. You too are rewarded for causing his increase, and you should work toward that.’”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: إِذَا أَخَذْتَ فَأَظْهِرْ فَإِنَّهَا نِعْمَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ إِظْهَارُهَا أَفْضَلُ، وَإِذَا رَدَدْتَ فَأَخْفِ فَإِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ لَكَ وَإِسْرَارُهُ أَفْضَلُ. وَهَذَا لَعَمْرِي قَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ وَهُوَ طَرِيقُ الْعَارِفِينَ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ عُلَمَائِنَا: إِظْهَارُ الْعَطَاءِ مِنَ الْآخِذِ آخِرَةٌ وَكِتْمَانُهُ دُنْيَا وَإِظْهَارُ الْأَعْمَالِ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَكَتْمُهَا آخِرَةٌ، وَكَانَ هَذَا لَا يَكْرَهُ الْإِظْهَارَ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: ʾidhā ʾakhadhta faʾaẓhir faʾinnahā niʿmatun mina Allāhi ʾiẓhāruhā ʾafḍalu, waʾidhā radadta faʾakhfi faʾinnahu ʿamalun laka waʾisrāruhu ʾafḍalu. wa-hādhā laʿamrī qawlun faṣlun wahuwa ṭarīqu al-ʿārifīna. waqāla baʿḍu ʿulamāʾinā: ʾiẓhāru al-ʿaṭāʾi mina al-ʾākhidhi ʾākhiratun wakitmānuhu dunyā waʾiẓhāru al-ʾaʿmāli mina al-dunyā wakatmuhā ʾākhiratun, wakāna hādhā lā yakrahu al-ʾiẓhāra.

A knower said, “When you accept, disclose it: it is God's blessing, best made known. When you refuse, conceal it: that is your deed, best kept secret.” This, by my life, is decisive counsel, the knowers' way. One of our scholars said, “The recipient's disclosure of gifts belongs to the hereafter; concealing them is worldly. Displaying deeds is worldly; concealing them belongs to the hereafter.” He did not dislike disclosure.

وَهَذَا كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ) الضُّحَى: 11. وَقَدْ ذَمَّ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى مَنْ كَتَمَ مَا آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَقَرَنَهُ بِالْبُخْلِ، وَالْبُخْلُ بَابٌ كَبِيرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَيَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبُخْلِ وَيَكْتُمُونَ مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ) النِّسَاءُ: 37.

wa-hādhā kamā qāla Allāhu taʿālā: (waʾammā biniʿmati rabbika faḥaddith) al-ḍuḥā: 11. waqad dhamma Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā man katama mā ʾātāhu Allāhu min faḍlihi waqaranahu bi-al-bukhli, wa-al-bukhlu bābun kabīrun mina al-dunyā, faqāla taʿālā: (alladhīna yabkhalūna wayaʾmurūna al-nāsa bi-al-bukhli wayaktumūna mā ʾātāhumu Allāhu min faḍlihi) al-nisāʾu: 37.

This accords with the words of God Most High, “As for your Lord's blessing, speak of it” (al-Ḍuḥā 93:11). God, Blessed and Exalted, censured those who conceal His bounty, coupling this with miserliness, a major doorway into worldliness. The Most High said, “Those who are miserly, urge people to be miserly, and conceal what God has given them of His bounty” (al-Nisāʾ 4:37).

وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِذَا أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى عَبْدٍ نِعْمَةً أَحَبَّ أَنْ تُرَى عَلَيْهِ. وَهَذَا هُوَ الْأَقْرَبُ إِلَى قُلُوبِ الْمُوَحِّدِينَ مِنَ الْعَارِفِينَ لِأَنَّهُ مُقْتَضَى حَالِهِمْ وَمُوجَبُ مُشَاهَدَتِهِمْ

waqāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾidhā ʾanʿama Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿalā ʿabdin niʿmatan ʾaḥabba ʾan turā ʿalayhi. wa-hādhā huwa al-ʾaqrabu ʾilā qulūbi al-muwaḥḥidīna mina al-ʿārifīna liʾannahu muqtaḍā ḥālihim wamūjabu mushāhadatihim

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “When God, mighty and majestic, bestows a blessing on a servant, He loves it to be visible upon him.” This is closer to the hearts of the knowers who realize divine unity, because their condition and witnessing require it,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٤٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 340

Volume Two, page 340

لِاِسْتِوَاءِ ظُرُوفِ الْأَيْدِي عِنْدَهُمْ مِنَ الْعَبِيدِ وَنَفَاذِ نَظَرِهِمْ إِلَى الْمُعْطِي الْأَوَّلِ، فَاِسْتَوَى سِرُّهُمْ وَعَلَانِيَتُهُمْ فِي الْأَخْذِ مِنْ يَدِهِ. وَفَصْلُ الْخِطَابِ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ عِنْدِي أَنَّهُ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى تَفْصِيلٍ فَنَقُولُ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ: إِنَّ الْخَلْقَ مُبْتَلًى بَعْضُهُ بِبَعْضٍ، وَفَرْضُ كُلِّ عَبْدٍ الْقِيَامُ بِحُكْمِ حَالِهِ لِيَفْضُلَ بِقِيَامِهِ وَيَسْلَمَ فِي حَالِهِ.

li-istiwāʾi ẓurūfi al-ʾaydī ʿindahum mina al-ʿabīdi wanafādhi naẓarihim ʾilā al-muʿṭī al-ʾawwali, fa-istawā sirruhum waʿalāniyatuhum fī al-ʾakhdhi min yadihi. wafaṣlu al-khiṭābi fī hādhā al-bābi ʿindī ʾannahu yaḥtāju ʾilā tafṣīlin fanaqūlu wa-Allāhu ʾaʿlamu: ʾinna al-khalqa mubtalan baʿḍuhu bibaʿḍin, wafarḍu kulli ʿabdin al-qiyāmu biḥukmi ḥālihi liyafḍula biqiyāmihi wayaslama fī ḥālihi.

for all servants' hands are equal as vessels to them, and their vision penetrates to the first Giver. Their private and public receiving from His hand are therefore alike. My decisive judgment is that this question requires distinctions. We say, and God knows best: creatures are tested through one another. Every servant must fulfill the ruling of his condition, gaining excellence by doing so and remaining safe within it.

فَعَلَى الْمُعْطِي أَنْ يُخْفِيَ وَيُسِرَّ جُهْدَهُ، فَإِنْ أَظْهَرَ تَرَكَ عِلْمَ حَالِهِ فَنَقَصَ بِذَلِكَ فَكَانَتْ هَذِهِ آفَةً مِنْ آفَاتِ نَفْسِهِ وَبَابًا مِنْ أَبْوَابِ دُنْيَاهُ. وَعَلَى الْمُعْطَى أَنْ يَذْكُرَ وَيَنْشُرَ، فَإِنْ أَخْفَى وَكَتَمَ فَقَدْ تَرَكَ الْإِخْلَاصَ فِي عَمَلِهِ وَنَقَصَ لِذَلِكَ وَكَانَتْ آفَةً مِنْ آفَاتِ نَفْسِهِ وَبَابًا مِنْ دُنْيَاهُ مِثْلَهُ.

faʿalā al-muʿṭī ʾan yukhfiya wayusirra juhdahu, faʾin ʾaẓhara taraka ʿilma ḥālihi fanaqaṣa bi-dhālika fakānat hādhihi ʾāfatan min ʾāfāti nafsihi wabāban min ʾabwābi dunyāhu. waʿalā al-muʿṭā ʾan yadhkura wayanshura, faʾin ʾakhfā wakatama faqad taraka al-ʾikhlāṣa fī ʿamalihi wanaqaṣa li-dhālika wakānat ʾāfatan min ʾāfāti nafsihi wabāban min dunyāhu mithlahu.

The giver must conceal and keep secret as far as he can. If he publicizes, he abandons knowledge of his condition and diminishes himself: this becomes a fault of his self and a doorway into his worldliness. The recipient must mention and make known. If he conceals, he abandons sincerity in his action and is diminished; this too becomes a fault of his self and a doorway into his worldliness.

وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قِيلَ لَهُ: إِنَّ فُلَانًا أَعْطَيْتَهُ دِينَارًا فَأَثْنَى بِذَلِكَ وَشَكَرَ، فَقَالَ: لَكِنَّ فُلَانًا أَعْطَيْتُهُ مَا بَيْنَ الثَّلَاثَةِ إِلَى الْعَشَرَةِ فَمَا أَثْنَى وَلَا شَكَرَ. أَفَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُرِيدًا أَنْ يَشْكُرَهُ أَوْ يُثْنِيَ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ لِاِبْنِ الْحَمَامَةِ الشَّاعِرِ وَغَيْرِهِ:

warawaynā ʾanna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qīla lahu: ʾinna fulānan ʾaʿṭaytahu dīnāran faʾathnā bi-dhālika washakara, faqāla: lākinna fulānan ʾaʿṭaytuhu mā bayna al-thalāthati ʾilā al-ʿasharati famā ʾathnā walā shakara. ʾafakāna rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama murīdan ʾan yashkurahu ʾaw yuthniya ʿalayhi wahuwa yaqūlu li-ibni al-ḥamāmati al-shāʿiri waghayrihi:

We have transmitted that God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, was told, “You gave so-and-so a dinar, and he praised and thanked you.” He replied, “But I gave another between three and ten, and he neither praised nor thanked.” Was God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, seeking thanks or praise, when he told the poet Ibn al-Ḥamāma and others,

أَمَّا مَا مَدَحْتَنِي بِهِ فَأَلْقِهِ عَنْكَ، وَأَمَّا مَا مَدَحْتَ بِهِ رَبَّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَهَاتِهِ فَإِنَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمَدْحَ؟ لَٰكِنَّهُ أَرَادَ مِنْهُ الْقِيَامَ بِحُكْمِ حَالِهِ لِعِلْمِهِ أَنَّ فِي الشُّكْرِ وَالثَّنَاءِ حَضًّا وَتَحْرِيضًا عَلَى الْمَعْرُوفِ وَالْعَطَاءِ وَأَنَّهُ خُلُقٌ مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ، أَحَبَّهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ فَشُكْرُهُ لِلْمُنْفِقِينَ وَهُوَ الرَّازِقُ،

ʾammā mā madaḥtanī bihi faʾalqihi ʿanka, waʾammā mā madaḥta bihi rabbaka ʿazza wajalla fahātihi faʾinnahu yuḥibbu al-madḥa? lākinnahu ʾarāda minhu al-qiyāma biḥukmi ḥālihi liʿilmihi ʾanna fī al-shukri wa-al-thanāʾi ḥaḍḍan wataḥrīḍan ʿalā al-maʿrūfi wa-al-ʿaṭāʾi waʾannahu khuluqun min ʾakhlāqi al-rubūbiyyati, ʾaḥabbahu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla min nafsihi fashukruhu li-l-munfiqīna wahuwa al-rāziqu,

“Set aside the praise you have composed for me, but bring the praise of your Lord, mighty and majestic, for He loves praise”? Rather, he wanted the man to fulfill his condition's ruling, knowing that thanks and praise encourage kindness and giving. Gratitude belongs to the qualities of lordship: God, mighty and majestic, loves it in Himself, hence His thanks to those who spend, though He is the Provider,

وَأَحَبَّ مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِهِ أَنْ يَشْكُرُوا لِلْأَوَاسِطِ وَيُثْنُوا بِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَإِنْ شَهِدُوا فِيهِ الْأَوَّلَ. وَكَذَلِكَ لَمَّا قَالَتِ الْمُهَاجِرُونَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا رَأَيْنَا خَيْرًا مِنْ قَوْمٍ نَزَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ، قَاسَمُونَا الْأَمْوَالَ حَتَّى خِفْنَا أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا بِالْأَجْرِ كُلِّهِ، فَقَالَ: كَلَّا مَا شَكَرْتُمْ لَهُمْ وَأَثْنَيْتُمْ بِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ.

waʾaḥabba min ʾawliyāʾihi ʾan yashkurū li-l-ʾawāsiṭi wayuthnū bihi ʿalayhim waʾin shahidū fīhi al-ʾawwala. wa-kadhālika lammā qālati al-muhājirūna: yā rasūla Allāhi mā raʾaynā khayran min qawmin nazalnā ʿalayhim, qāsamūnā al-ʾamwāla ḥattā khifnā ʾan yadhhabū bi-al-ʾajri kullihi, faqāla: kallā mā shakartum lahum waʾathnaytum bihi ʿalayhim.

and He loves His friends to thank and praise the intermediaries, even while witnessing the First in the gift. Likewise, the Emigrants said, “Messenger of God, we have never seen people better than our hosts. They shared their wealth until we feared they would take all the reward.” He replied, “No, so long as you thank and praise them for it.”

وَلِذَلِكَ أَمَرَ بِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ فَقَالَ: مَنْ أُسْدِيَ إِلَيْهِ مَعْرُوفٌ فَلْيُكَافِئْ بِهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَلْيُثْنِ بِهِ. وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: مَنْ أَسْدَى إِلَيْكُمْ مَعْرُوفًا فَكَافِئُوهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِيعُوا فَأَثْنُوا بِهِ خَيْرًا وَاُدْعُوا لَهُ حَتَّى يَعْلَمَ أَنْ قَدْ كَافَأْتُمُوهُ. وَالْخَبَرُ الْعَامُّ بِمَعْنَى ذَلِكَ: مَنْ لَمْ يَشْكُرِ النَّاسَ لَمْ يَشْكُرِ اللَّهَ.

wali-dhālika ʾamara bihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī al-ḥadīthi al-ʾākhari faqāla: man ʾusdiya ʾilayhi maʿrūfun falyukāfiʾ bihi, faʾin lam yastaṭiʿ falyuthni bihi. wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: man ʾasdā ʾilaykum maʿrūfan fakāfiʾūhu, faʾin lam tastaṭīʿū faʾathnū bihi khayran wa-udʿū lahu ḥattā yaʿlama ʾan qad kāfaʾtumūhu. wa-al-khabaru al-ʿāmmu bimaʿnā dhālika: man lam yashkuri al-nāsa lam yashkuri Allāha.

For this reason he, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanded it in another report: “Whoever receives kindness should repay it; if unable, he should praise it.” Another wording says, “Repay anyone who does you a kindness. If unable, speak well of it and pray for him until he knows you have repaid him.” The general report expressing this is, “Whoever does not thank people does not thank God.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٤١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 341

Volume Two, page 341

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي مَعْنَى الْحَدِيثِ لَفْظَةً غَرِيبَةً جَاءَتْ مِنْ طَرِيقَيْنِ، وَهُوَ: مَنْ لَمْ يَذْكُرِ النَّاسَ لَمْ يَذْكُرِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، أَيْ يَذْكُرُهُمْ فِي الْعَطَاءِ وَيُثْنِي عَلَيْهِمْ بِهِ. وَالنَّوْعُ الثَّانِي مِنَ التَّفْضِيلِ أَنَّ عَلَى الْمُعْطِي أَنْ لَا يُحِبَّ أَنْ يُذْكَرَ مَعْرُوفُهُ وَلَا يُشْكَرَ، فَإِنْ عَلِمْتَ مَنْ يَقْصِدُ ذَلِكَ وَيُحِبُّهُ مِنْكَ فَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى نُقْصَانِ عِلْمِهِ وَقُوَّةِ آفَاتِ نَفْسِهِ،

waqad rawaynā fī maʿnā al-ḥadīthi lafẓatan gharībatan jāʾat min ṭarīqayni, wahuwa: man lam yadhkuri al-nāsa lam yadhkuri Allāha ʿazza wajalla, ʾay yadhkuruhum fī al-ʿaṭāʾi wayuthnī ʿalayhim bihi. wa-al-nawʿu al-thānī mina al-tafḍīli ʾanna ʿalā al-muʿṭī ʾan lā yuḥibba ʾan yudhkara maʿrūfuhu walā yushkara, faʾin ʿalimta man yaqṣidu dhālika wayuḥibbuhu minka fa-hādhā yadullu ʿalā nuqṣāni ʿilmihi waquwwati ʾāfāti nafsihi,

We have transmitted an unusual wording conveying this report's meaning through two routes: “Whoever does not mention people does not mention God, mighty and majestic,” meaning to mention their giving and praise them for it. The second distinction is that the giver must not love having his kindness mentioned or being thanked. If you know someone seeks and loves this from you, it indicates deficient understanding and strong faults in his self.

فَتَرْكُ الثَّنَاءِ عَلَى مِثْلِ هَذَا وَالْكَتْمُ مِنَ الْفَقِيرِ أَفْضَلُ. فَإِنْ شَكَرَ لَهُ فَأَظْهَرَ عَطَاءَهُ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَهُ لِإِعَانَتِهِ إِيَّاهُ عَلَى ظُلْمِ نَفْسِهِ وَقَدْ قَوَّى آفَاتِ نَفْسِهِ. وَهَذَا إِذَا فَعَلَهُ بِهِ مِنَ الْمُعَاوَنَةِ عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ، فَقَدْ كَانَ يَنْبَغِي لِلْمُعْطَى أَنْ يَنْصُرَهُ إِذَا كَانَ ظَالِمًا مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُ بِأَنْ يُخْفِيَ عَلَيْهِ مَا يَعْمَلُ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ.

fatarku al-thanāʾi ʿalā mithli hādhā wa-al-katmu mina al-faqīri ʾafḍalu. faʾin shakara lahu faʾaẓhara ʿaṭāʾahu faqad ẓalamahu liʾiʿānatihi ʾiyyāhu ʿalā ẓulmi nafsihi waqad qawwā ʾāfāti nafsihi. wa-hādhā ʾidhā faʿalahu bihi mina al-muʿāwanati ʿalā al-ʾithmi wa-al-ʿudwāni, faqad kāna yanbaghī li-l-muʿṭā ʾan yanṣurahu ʾidhā kāna ẓāliman min ḥaythu lā yaʿlamu biʾan yukhfiya ʿalayhi mā yaʿmalu, wa-Allāhu ʾaʿlamu bi-al-ṣawābi.

For the poor man, withholding praise and keeping such a gift secret is better. If he thanks him publicly, he wrongs him by helping him wrong himself and strengthens his faults. This assists sin and aggression. The recipient should have helped him when he was unknowingly doing wrong, by concealing what he does. God knows best what is right.

نَوْعٌ آخَرُ مِنَ التَّفْضِيلِ فِي الْأَخْذِ لِلْفَقِيرِ

nawʿun ʾākharu mina al-tafḍīli fī al-ʾakhdhi li-l-faqīri

Another distinction concerning the poor person's receiving

إِنَّ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَسْتَوِي عِنْدَهُ إِظْهَارُهُ لِلْعَطَاءِ وَإِخْفَاؤُهُ لِصِحَّةِ يَقِينِهِ بِذَلِكَ وَإِخْلَاصِ نِيَّتِهِ فِيهِ وَنَفَاذِ مُشَاهَدَتِهِ بِدَوَامِ نَظَرِهِ إِلَى الْمُنْعِمِ الْأَوَّلِ. فَهَذَا إِنْ قَبِلْتَ مِنْهُ عَلَانِيَتَهُ صَلَحَ وَإِنْ أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَيْهِ بِذَلِكَ جَازَ لِقُوَّةِ مَعْرِفَتِهِ وَكَمَالِ عَقْلِهِ وَسَبْقِ نَظَرِهِ إِلَى مَوْلَاهُ فِيمَا وَفَّقَهُ بِهِ وَتَوَلَّاهُ،

ʾinna mina al-nāsi man yastawī ʿindahu ʾiẓhāruhu li-l-ʿaṭāʾi waʾikhfāʾuhu liṣiḥḥati yaqīnihi bi-dhālika waʾikhlāṣi niyyatihi fīhi wanafādhi mushāhadatihi bidawāmi naẓarihi ʾilā al-munʿimi al-ʾawwali. fa-hādhā ʾin qabilta minhu ʿalāniyatahu ṣalaḥa waʾin ʾathnayta ʿalayhi bi-dhālika jāza liquwwati maʿrifatihi wakamāli ʿaqlihi wasabqi naẓarihi ʾilā mawlāhu fīmā waffaqahu bihi watawallāhu,

Some people find disclosing and concealing their gifts equivalent because of sound certainty, sincere intention, and penetrating witnessing through continual attention to the first Benefactor. Accepting openly from such a person is sound, and praising him is permissible, owing to his strong knowledge, mature understanding, and prior attention to his Master in what He enabled and bestowed through His care.

فَيَشْكُرُ لَهُ ذَلِكَ وَيَرَاهُ نِعْمَةً مِنْهُ. وَلِمِثْلِ هَذَا جَاءَ الْخَبَرُ الْمَشْهُورُ: إِذَا مُدِحَ الْمُؤْمِنُ رَبَا الْإِيمَانُ فِي قَلْبِهِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: يُمْدَحُ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى قَدْرِ عَقْلِهِ. وَقَالَ الثَّوْرِيُّ: مَنْ عَرَفَ نَفْسَهُ لَمْ يَضُرَّهُ مَدْحُ النَّاسِ لَهُ.

fayashkuru lahu dhālika wayarāhu niʿmatan minhu. walimithli hādhā jāʾa al-khabaru al-mashhūru: ʾidhā mudiḥa al-muʾminu rabā al-ʾīmānu fī qalbihi. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: yumdaḥu al-rajulu ʿalā qadri ʿaqlihi. waqāla al-thawriyyu: man ʿarafa nafsahu lam yaḍurrahu madḥu al-nāsi lahu.

He thanks Him for it and sees it as His blessing. Such a person is intended by the famous report, “When a believer is praised, faith grows in his heart.” A knower said, “A man should be praised according to his understanding.” Al-Thawrī said, “Whoever knows himself is unharmed by people's praise.”

النَّوْعُ الرَّابِعُ مِنَ التَّفْضِيلِ

al-nawʿu al-rābiʿu mina al-tafḍīli

The fourth distinction

مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ إِذَا أَظْهَرَ مَعْرُوفَهُ فَسَدَ قَصْدُهُ بِذَلِكَ وَاِعْتَوَرَتْهُ الْآفَاتُ مِنَ التَّزَيُّنِ وَالتَّصَنُّعِ، فَمِثْلُ هَذَا لَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ مَا أَعْلَنَ بِهِ لِأَنَّهُ يَكُونُ مُعِينًا لَهُ عَلَى مَعْصِيَتِهِ. وَهَذَا أَيْضًا لَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يُثْنَى عَلَيْهِ، فَإِنْ ذُكِرَ بِمَعْرُوفِهِ أَوْ مُدِحَ بِهِ كَانَ ذَلِكَ مَفْسَدَةً لَهُ وَاِغْتِرَارًا مِنْهُ لِقُوَّةِ نَظَرِهِ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ وَنُقْصَانِ مَعْرِفَتِهِ بِرَبِّهِ،

mina al-nāsi man ʾidhā ʾaẓhara maʿrūfahu fasada qaṣduhu bi-dhālika wa-iʿtawarathu al-ʾāfātu mina al-tazayyuni wa-al-taṣannuʿi, famithlu hādhā lā yaṣluḥu ʾan yuqbala minhu mā ʾaʿlana bihi liʾannahu yakūnu muʿīnan lahu ʿalā maʿṣiyatihi. wa-hādhā ʾayḍan lā yaṣluḥu ʾan yuthnā ʿalayhi, faʾin dhukira bimaʿrūfihi ʾaw mudiḥa bihi kāna dhālika mafsadatan lahu wa-ightirāran minhu liquwwati naẓarihi ʾilā nafsihi wanuqṣāni maʿrifatihi birabbihi,

Some people's intention is corrupted by publicizing their kindness, exposing them to display and affectation. One should not accept a publicized gift from such a person, since that would assist his disobedience. Nor should he be praised: mentioning or praising his kindness corrupts him and feeds his delusion because his attention to himself is strong and his knowledge of his Lord deficient.

فَمَنْ مَدَحَ هَذَا فَقَدْ قَتَلَهُ وَمَنْ ذَكَرَهُ بِمَعْرُوفِهِ فَقَدْ أَعَانَهُ عَلَى شِرْكِهِ. وَمَدَحَ رَجُلٌ رَجُلًا عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: ضَرَبْتَ عُنُقَهُ، لَوْ سَمِعَهَا مَا أَفْلَحَ. وَقَدْ كَانَ هُوَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُثْنِي عَلَى قَوْمٍ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ وَمِنْ حَيْثُ يَسْمَعُونَ لِثِقَتِهِ بِيَقِينِهِمْ وَعِلْمِهِ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ مَزِيدًا لَهُمْ،

faman madaḥa hādhā faqad qatalahu waman dhakarahu bimaʿrūfihi faqad ʾaʿānahu ʿalā shirkihi. wamadaḥa rajulun rajulan ʿinda al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama faqāla: ḍarabta ʿunuqahu, law samiʿahā mā ʾaflaḥa. waqad kāna huwa ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yuthnī ʿalā qawmin fī wujūhihim wamin ḥaythu yasmaʿūna lithiqatihi biyaqīnihim waʿilmihi ʾanna dhālika mazīdan lahum,

Whoever praises such a person kills him; whoever mentions his kindness helps his association. A man praised another before the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, who said, “You have struck off his head. If he heard it, he would not prosper.” Yet he himself, may God bless him and grant him peace, praised some to their faces and within their hearing, trusting their certainty and knowing it would increase their good.

وَقَالَ لِرَجُلٍ أَقْبَلَ إِلَيْهِ: هَذَا سَيِّدُ أَهْلِ الْوَبَرِ. وَقَالَ لِآخَرَ مِنْ حَيْثُ يَسْمَعُ: إِذَا أَتَاكُمْ كَرِيمُ قَوْمٍ فَأَكْرِمُوهُ. وَتَكَلَّمَ رَجُلٌ بِكَلَامٍ فَصْلٍ فَأَعْجَبَهُ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا. وَقَدْ كَانَ يُخْفِي الثَّنَاءَ عَلَى آخَرِينَ إِذَا عَلِمَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ لَهُمْ.

waqāla lirajulin ʾaqbala ʾilayhi: hādhā sayyidu ʾahli al-wabari. waqāla liʾākhara min ḥaythu yasmaʿu: ʾidhā ʾatākum karīmu qawmin faʾakrimūhu. watakallama rajulun bikalāmin faṣlin faʾaʿjabahu faqāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinna mina al-bayāni siḥran. waqad kāna yukhfī al-thanāʾa ʿalā ʾākharīna ʾidhā ʿalima ʾanna dhālika khayrun lahum.

Of a man approaching, he said, “This is the chief of the tent dwellers.” Of another, within his hearing, he said, “When a people's nobleman comes to you, honor him.” A man's decisive speech pleased him, and the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Some eloquence is magic.” He kept praise of others hidden when he knew that was better for them.

وَقَالَ الثَّوْرِيُّ لِيُوسُفَ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ: إِذَا أَوْلَيْتُكَ مَعْرُوفًا فَكُنْتُ أَنَا أَسَرَّ بِهِ مِنْكَ وَرَأَيْتُ ذَلِكَ نِعْمَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيَّ وَكُنْتُ أَشَدَّ حَيَاءً مِنْكَ فَاُشْكُرْ وَإِلَّا فَلَا. فَجُمْلَةُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْمُعْطِيَ حَالُهُ الْإِخْفَاءُ وَأَنَّ الْآخِذَ حَالُهُ الْإِظْهَارُ، فَمَنْ خَالَفَ ذَلِكَ فَارَقَ حَالَهُ،

waqāla al-thawriyyu liyūsufa bni ʾasbāṭin: ʾidhā ʾawlaytuka maʿrūfan fakuntu ʾanā ʾasarra bihi minka waraʾaytu dhālika niʿmatan mina Allāhi taʿālā ʿalayya wakuntu ʾashadda ḥayāʾan minka fa-ushkur waʾillā falā. fajumlatu dhālika ʾanna al-muʿṭiya ḥāluhu al-ʾikhfāʾu waʾanna al-ʾākhidha ḥāluhu al-ʾiẓhāru, faman khālafa dhālika fāraqa ḥālahu,

Al-Thawrī told Yūsuf ibn Asbāṭ, “If I do you a kindness and am happier about it than you, see it as the blessing of God Most High upon me, and feel more bashful than you, then thank me; otherwise do not.” The general principle is that concealment is the giver's condition and disclosure the recipient's. Whoever acts otherwise departs from his proper condition.

وَإِنَّ فَرْضَ الْمُعْطِي أَنْ يَكْرَهَ الْمَدْحَ وَلَا يُحِبَّ الثَّنَاءَ وَالذِّكْرَ، فَمَنْ عَلِمْتَ مِنْهُ ذَلِكَ فَعَلَيْكَ أَنْ تُثْنِيَ وَتَشْكُرَ وَتَنْشُرَ، وَمَنْ عَلِمْتَ مِنْهُ يُحِبُّ الْإِظْهَارَ وَيَقْتَضِي مِنْكَ الِاشْتِهَارَ،

waʾinna farḍa al-muʿṭī ʾan yakraha al-madḥa walā yuḥibba al-thanāʾa wa-al-dhikra, faman ʿalimta minhu dhālika faʿalayka ʾan tuthniya watashkura watanshura, waman ʿalimta minhu yuḥibbu al-ʾiẓhāra wayaqtaḍī minka al-ishtihāra,

The giver's obligation is to dislike praise and not love commendation or mention. When you know someone is like this, you should praise, thank, and make it known. When you know someone loves display and demands publicity from you,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٤٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 342

Volume Two, page 342

فَحَالُكَ أَنْ تُعَاوِنَهُ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ، فَتَرْكُ الثَّنَاءِ لِمِثْلِ هَذَا أَفْضَلُ لَهُ وَأَسْلَمُ لَكَ. فَهَذَا تَفْصِيلُ مَا أَجْمَلَهُ الصَّادِقُونَ. ثُمَّ اِخْتَلَفُوا فِي الْأَخْذِ مِنَ الْوَاجِبِ أَفْضَلُ أَمِ التَّطَوُّعِ؟ فَرَأَى بَعْضُهُمْ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنَ الْوَاجِبِ وَلَا يَقْبَلَ مِنَ التَّطَوُّعِ، أَيْ لِأَنَّ الْوَاجِبَ يُؤْخَذُ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَنْ قَسْمِهِ،

faḥāluka ʾan tuʿāwinahu ʿalā ẓulmihi linafsihi, fatarku al-thanāʾi limithli hādhā ʾafḍalu lahu waʾaslamu laka. fa-hādhā tafṣīlu mā ʾajmalahu al-ṣādiqūna. thumma ikhtalafū fī al-ʾakhdhi mina al-wājibi ʾafḍalu ʾami al-taṭawwuʿi? faraʾā baʿḍuhum ʾan yaʾkhudha mina al-wājibi walā yaqbala mina al-taṭawwuʿi, ʾay liʾanna al-wājiba yuʾkhadhu biʾidhni Allāhi taʿālā ʿan qasmihi,

your position is that you assist him in wronging himself; withholding praise from such a person is therefore better for him and safer for you. This details what the truthful expressed in general terms. They then disagreed whether receiving obligatory or voluntary charity is better. Some preferred obligatory charity and refused voluntary gifts, because obligatory charity is received with the permission of God Most High, from His apportionment,

وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَوْجَبَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَأْخُذَهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَوْجَبَ الزَّكَاةَ، لِأَنَّ الْفُقَرَاءَ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ لَوْ تَوَاطَؤُوا عَلَى أَنْ لَا يَقْبَلُوا الزَّكَوَاتِ أَثِمُوا أَجْمَعُونَ وَلَعَصَوْا كُلُّهُمْ بِذَلِكَ لِإِسْقَاطِهِمْ فَرْضَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ بِالزَّكَوَاتِ. قَالُوا: وَلِأَنَّ هَذَا أَدْخَلُ لَهُ فِي جُمْلَةِ الضُّعَفَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَأَقْرَبُ إِلَى التَّوَاضُعِ وَالذِّلَّةِ.

waʾinna Allāha taʿālā ʾawjaba ʿalayhi ʾan yaʾkhudhahu min ḥaythu ʾawjaba al-zakāta, liʾanna al-fuqarāʾa wa-al-masākīna law tawāṭaʾū ʿalā ʾan lā yaqbalū al-zakawāti ʾathimū ʾajmaʿūna walaʿaṣaw kulluhum bi-dhālika liʾisqāṭihim farḍa Allāhi ʿazza wajalla mina al-ʾamwāli bi-al-zakawāti. qālū: waliʾanna hādhā ʾadkhalu lahu fī jumlati al-ḍuʿafāʾi wa-al-masākīni waʾaqrabu ʾilā al-tawāḍuʿi wa-al-dhillati.

and God Most High has obliged him to accept it by obliging the payment of zakat. If the poor and needy agreed to accept no zakat, all would sin and disobey by nullifying the obligation imposed by God, mighty and majestic, upon wealth through zakat. They said, “This also places us more fully among the weak and needy and brings us closer to humility and lowliness.”

قَالُوا: وَلَا مِنَّةَ لِأَحَدٍ عَلَيْنَا فِيهِ وَلَا حَقَّ يَلْزَمُنَا عَلَيْهِ إِذْ كُنَّا نَسْتَحِقُّ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ. قَالُوا: وَلِأَنَّهُ أَسْلَمُ لِدِينِنَا لِئَلَّا يَدْخُلَ عَلَيْنَا الْأَكْلُ بِالدِّينِ لِأَنَّا إِنَّمَا نَسْتَوْجِبُهُ بِالْحَاجَةِ وَحُرْمَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ فَقَطْ، وَنَخَافُ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَخْذُنَا التَّطَوُّعَ أَكْلًا بِدِينِنَا أَوْ أَنَّا أُعْطِينَا لِصَلَاحِنَا وَاِعْتِقَادِ فَضْلِنَا فَلَا نُحِبُّ أَنْ نُخَصَّ بِشَيْءٍ دُونَ الْفُقَرَاءِ.

qālū: walā minnata liʾaḥadin ʿalaynā fīhi walā ḥaqqa yalzamunā ʿalayhi ʾidh kunnā nastaḥiqqu dhālika minhu. qālū: waliʾannahu ʾaslamu lidīninā liʾallā yadkhula ʿalaynā al-ʾaklu bi-al-dīni liʾannā ʾinnamā nastawjibuhu bi-al-ḥājati waḥurmati al-ʾislāmi faqaṭ, wanakhāfu ʾan yakūna ʾakhdhunā al-taṭawwuʿa ʾaklan bidīninā ʾaw ʾannā ʾuʿṭīnā liṣalāḥinā wa-iʿtiqādi faḍlinā falā nuḥibbu ʾan nukhaṣṣa bishayʾin dūna al-fuqarāʾi.

They said, “No one thereby holds a favor over us or a claim binding us, since it is our due. It also safeguards our religion against making a livelihood from religion: we qualify only through need and Islam's sanctity. We fear that accepting voluntary gifts means living off our religion, or being given something for our righteousness and presumed excellence. We do not wish to be singled out above the poor.”

وَهَذَا مَذْهَبُ الْقُرَّاءِ مِنَ الْعَابِدِينَ وَمَنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صَلَاحِهِ وَنَفْسِهِ فِي الدِّينِ، هُوَ مُقْتَضَى حَالِهِمْ وَمُوجَبُ شَهَادَتِهِمْ. وَاِخْتَارَتْ طَائِفَةٌ أَنْ يَأْخُذُوا مِنَ النَّوَافِلِ دُونَ الْفَرَائِضِ أَجْرَوْهُ مَجْرَى الْهَدِيَّةِ وَقَالُوا: قَدْ أُمِرَ بِقَبُولِهَا وَنُدِبَ إِلَى التَّهَادِي لِلتَّآلُفِ وَالتَّحَبُّبِ. قَالُوا: وَلَا نُزَاحِمُ الْمَسَاكِينَ فِي حُقُوقِهِمْ وَلَعَلَّنَا لَا نُكْمِلُ أَوْصَافَهُمْ،

wa-hādhā madhhabu al-qurrāʾi mina al-ʿābidīna waman yanẓuru ʾilā ṣalāḥihi wanafsihi fī al-dīni, huwa muqtaḍā ḥālihim wamūjabu shahādatihim. wa-ikhtārat ṭāʾifatun ʾan yaʾkhudhū mina al-nawāfili dūna al-farāʾiḍi ʾajrawhu majrā al-hadiyyati waqālū: qad ʾumira biqabūlihā wanudiba ʾilā al-tahādī li-l-taʾālufi wa-al-taḥabbubi. qālū: walā nuzāḥimu al-masākīna fī ḥuqūqihim walaʿallanā lā nukmilu ʾawṣāfahum,

This is the view of the reciters among worshipers and those attentive to their own religious rectitude: their condition and witnessing require it. Another group preferred voluntary gifts to obligatory payments, treating them as gifts whose acceptance is commanded and whose exchange is commended for affection and fellowship. They said, “We do not compete with the needy for their rights, and perhaps we do not fully possess their qualities.

وَنَخَافُ أَنْ لَا يُوجَدَ فِينَا مَا شَرَطَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِوَاجِبِهِ وَلَا نَضَعَهُ فِي حَقِيقَةِ مَوْضِعِهِ أَوْ لَا نَحْتَاطَ لِمَنْ يَسْقُطُ عَنْهُ الْوَاجِبُ بِهِ، فَالتَّطَوُّعُ أَوْسَعُ عَلَيْنَا. وَمَعَ هَذَا فَإِنَّهُمْ يَشْهَدُونَ النِّعْمَةَ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَأَنَّ الدِّينَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، كَمَا قَالَ: (أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ) الزُّمَرُ: 3،

wanakhāfu ʾan lā yūjada fīnā mā sharaṭa Allāhu ʿazza wajalla liwājibihi walā naḍaʿahu fī ḥaqīqati mawḍiʿihi ʾaw lā naḥtāṭa liman yasquṭu ʿanhu al-wājibu bihi, fa-al-taṭawwuʿu ʾawsaʿu ʿalaynā. wamaʿa hādhā faʾinnahum yashhadūna al-niʿmata mina Allāhi taʿālā waʾanna al-dīna ʾinnamā huwa li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla, kamā qāla: (ʾalā li-llāhi al-dīnu al-khāliṣu) al-zumaru: 3,

“Perhaps we lack what God, mighty and majestic, stipulated for His obligatory payment, fail to use it in its truly proper place, or fail to safeguard the person whose obligation is discharged through it. Voluntary giving affords us wider scope.” Moreover, they witness the blessing as from God Most High and religion as belonging entirely to God, mighty and majestic, as He said, “Surely pure religion belongs to God” (al-Zumar 39:3).

وَأَنَّهُمْ مُسْتَعْمَلُونَ بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ كَانُوا مُنْعَمًا عَلَيْهِمْ لَا مُنْعِمِينَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ، وَهَذِهِ طَرِيقَةُ بَعْضِ أَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ. وَمِمَّنْ ذَهَبَ إِلَى هَذَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْخَوَّاصُ وَأَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدُ وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُمَا. وَالْأَمْرُ فِي ذَلِكَ عِنْدِي أَنَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَأْخُذْ مِنْ كُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ وَلَا فِي كُلِّ أَوَانٍ وَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ إِلَّا عِنْدَ الْحَاجَةِ وَمَا لَا بُدَّ لَهُ مِنْهُ،

waʾannahum mustaʿmalūna biʾanfusihim min ḥaythu kānū munʿaman ʿalayhim lā munʿimīna ʿalā ʾanfusihim, wa-hādhihi ṭarīqatu baʿḍi ʾahli al-maʿrifati. wamimman dhahaba ʾilā hādhā ʾibrāhīmu al-khawwāṣu waʾabū al-qāsimi al-junaydu waman wāfaqahumā. wa-al-ʾamru fī dhālika ʿindī ʾanna man lam yaʾkhudh min kulli ʾinsānin walā fī kulli ʾawānin walam yaqbal ʾillā ʿinda al-ḥājati wamā lā budda lahu minhu,

They see themselves as employed in His service, recipients of blessing rather than benefactors of themselves. This is the way of some knowers, including Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ, Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd, and those who agreed with them. My view is that for someone who accepts neither from everyone nor at every time, and receives only when in need and only what is indispensable,

ثُمَّ قَامَ بِحُكْمِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي الْوَاجِبِ وَحُكْمِهِ فِي التَّطَوُّعِ، أَنَّ الْحَالَيْنِ يَتَقَارَبَانِ لِأَنَّ الْوَاجِبَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فِيهِ حُكْمٌ وَالتَّطَوُّعَ نَدْبٌ وَلَهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِ حُكْمٌ. فَعَلَى الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ لِدِينِهِ وَيَحْتَاطَ لِأَخِيهِ فَيَعْمَلَ بِمَا يُوجِبُ الْوَقْتُ مِنَ الْحُكْمِ مِنْ أَيِّهِمَا كَانَ فَسَوَاءٌ ذَلِكَ، وَلَا يَنْظُرَ بِظُلْمَةٍ فِي هَوَى الْحَظِّ فَفِي ذَلِكَ سَلَامَتُهُ.

thumma qāma biḥukmi Allāhi taʿālā fī al-wājibi waḥukmihi fī al-taṭawwuʿi, ʾanna al-ḥālayni yataqārabāni liʾanna al-wājiba ʾamru Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā fīhi ḥukmun wa-al-taṭawwuʿa nadbun walahu ʿazza wajalla fīhi ḥukmun. faʿalā al-ʿabdi ʾan yanẓura lidīnihi wayaḥtāṭa liʾakhīhi fayaʿmala bimā yūjibu al-waqtu mina al-ḥukmi min ʾayyihimā kāna fasawāʾun dhālika, walā yanẓura biẓulmatin fī hawā al-ḥaẓẓi fafī dhālika salāmatuhu.

then fulfills the ruling of God Most High, concerning both obligatory and voluntary giving, the two conditions are close. Obligatory giving is the command of God, Blessed and Exalted, with its ruling; voluntary giving is a recommendation, also subject to a ruling from Him, mighty and majestic. The servant must consider his religion and safeguard his brother, acting on whichever ruling the moment requires. Either is then alike. Let him not look through the darkness of desire for personal advantage: therein lies his safety.

الْفَصْلُ الثَّانِي وَالْأَرْبَعُونَ فِي كِتَابِ حُكْمِ الْمُسَافِرِ وَالْمَقَاصِدِ فِي الْأَسْفَارِ

al-faṣlu al-thānī wa-al-ʾarbaʿūna fī kitābi ḥukmi al-musāfiri wa-al-maqāṣidi fī al-ʾasfāri

Chapter Forty-Two: The Rulings Concerning the Traveler and the Purposes of Travel

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٤٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 343

Volume Two, page 343

فَإِنْ سَنَحَ لِهَذَا الْمُرِيدِ سَفَرٌ، فَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: «الْبِلَادُ بِلَادُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَالْخَلْقُ عِبَادُهُ، فَحَيْثُمَا وَجَدْتَ رِزْقًا فَأَقِمْ وَاِحْمَدِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ». وَالْخَبَرُ الْمَشْهُورُ: «سَافِرُوا تَغْنَمُوا». فَغَنِيمَةُ أَبْنَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ رِبْحُ تِجَارَةِ الْآخِرَةِ.

faʾin sanaḥa li-hādhā al-murīdi safarun, fafī al-ḥadīthi: «al-bilādu bilādu Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, wa-al-khalqu ʿibāduhu, faḥaythumā wajadta rizqan faʾaqim wa-iḥmadi Allāha ʿazza wajalla». wa-al-khabaru al-mashhūru: «sāfirū taghnamū». faghanīmatu ʾabnāʾi al-ʾākhirati ribḥu tijārati al-ʾākhirati.

If an opportunity to travel arises for this aspirant, the hadith says: “The lands belong to God, mighty and majestic, and all creatures are His servants. Wherever you find provision, settle there and praise God, mighty and majestic.” There is also the well-known report: “Travel, and you will gain.” The gain of those devoted to the hereafter is the profit of trade for the hereafter.

وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَهُوَ أَصْدَقُ الْقَائِلِينَ: (أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا) النِّسَاءُ: 97، وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَاُنْظُرُوا) الْعَنْكَبُوتُ: 20. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَفِي الْأَرْضِ آيَاتٌ لِلْمُوقِنِينَ) الذَّارِيَاتُ: 20. وَقَالَ جَلَّ وَعَلَا: (وَفِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ) الذَّارِيَاتُ: 21.

waqad qāla Allāhu taʿālā wahuwa ʾaṣdaqu al-qāʾilīna: (ʾalam takun ʾarḍu Allāhi wāsiʿatan fatuhājirū fīhā) al-nisāʾu: 97, waqāla ʿazza wajalla: (qul sīrū fī al-ʾarḍi fa-unẓurū) al-ʿankabūtu: 20. waqāla taʿālā: (wafī al-ʾarḍi ʾāyātun li-l-mūqinīna) al-dhāriyātu: 20. waqāla jalla waʿalā: (wafī ʾanfusikum ʾafalā tubṣirūna) al-dhāriyātu: 21.

God Most High, the most truthful of speakers, has said: “Was God’s earth not spacious enough for you to migrate within it?” (al-Nisāʾ 4:97). He also said, mighty and majestic: “Say: Travel through the earth and look” (al-ʿAnkabūt 29:20). He said, Most High: “On earth are signs for those who have certainty” (al-Dhāriyāt 51:20), and, majestic and exalted: “And within yourselves. Will you not see?” (al-Dhāriyāt 51:21).

فَمَنْ جُعِلَتْ آيَاتُهُ فِي نَفْسِهِ تَبَصَّرَ فَفَطِنَ، وَمَنْ جُعِلَتْ لَهُ الْآيَاتُ فِي الْآفَاقِ سَرَبَ وَسَرَى. وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (وَإِنَّكُمْ لَتَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهِمْ مُصْبِحِينَ وَبِاللَّيْلِ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ) الصَّافَّاتُ: 137 - 138. وَمِثْلُهُ: (وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ) يُوسُفُ: 105.

faman juʿilat ʾāyātuhu fī nafsihi tabaṣṣara fafaṭina, waman juʿilat lahu al-ʾāyātu fī al-ʾāfāqi saraba wasarā. wa-kadhālika qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: (waʾinnakum latamurrūna ʿalayhim muṣbiḥīna wabi-al-layli ʾafalā taʿqilūna) al-ṣāffātu: 137 - 138. wamithluhu: (wakaʾayyin min ʾāyatin fī al-samāwāti wa-al-ʾarḍi yamurrūna ʿalayhā wahum ʿanhā muʿriḍūna) yūsufu: 105.

Someone for whom His signs are placed within himself looks inward and understands; someone for whom the signs are placed on the horizons goes forth and journeys by night. God, mighty and majestic, likewise said: “You pass by them in the morning and at night. Will you not understand?” (al-Ṣāffāt 37:137–138). Similarly: “How many a sign in the heavens and the earth they pass by, turning away from it!” (Yūsuf 12:105).

فَمَنْ سَارَ فَكَانَتْ لَهُ بَصِيرَةٌ اِعْتَبَرَ وَعَقَلَ، وَمَنْ مَرَّ عَلَى الْآيَاتِ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْهَا تَذَكَّرَ وَأَقْبَلَ. وَقَدْ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِالْمَشْيِ فِي مَنَاكِبِ بِسَاطِهِ وَالْأَكْلِ مِنْ رِزْقِهِ بَعْدَ إِظْهَارِ نِعْمَتِهِ بِتَذْلِيلِ مِهَادِهِ، فَقَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى: (هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ ذَلُولًا فَاِمْشُوا فِي مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوا مِنْ رِزْقِهِ) الْمُلْكُ: 15.

faman sāra fakānat lahu baṣīratun iʿtabara waʿaqala, waman marra ʿalā al-ʾāyāti fanaẓara ʾilayhā minhā tadhakkara waʾaqbala. waqad ʾamara Allāhu ʿazza wajalla bi-al-mashyi fī manākibi bisāṭihi wa-al-ʾakli min rizqihi baʿda ʾiẓhāri niʿmatihi bitadhlīli mihādihi, faqāla subḥānahu wataʿālā: (huwa alladhī jaʿala lakumu al-ʾarḍa dhalūlan fa-imshū fī manākibihā wakulū min rizqihi) al-mulku: 15.

Whoever travels with insight takes heed and understands. Whoever passes the signs and looks at them through what they disclose remembers and turns toward God. God, mighty and majestic, has commanded people to walk over the reaches of His outspread earth and eat of His provision, after revealing His blessing in making its bed tractable. He said, glorified and exalted: “He is the One who made the earth tractable for you, so walk through its reaches and eat of His provision” (al-Mulk 67:15).

قِيلَ: فِي أَسْوَاقِهَا، وَقِيلَ: قُرَاهَا، وَقِيلَ: جِبَالِهَا، وَهُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ. أَحْدَابُ الْأَرْضِ قُرَاهَا، وَمَنَاكِبُهَا جِبَالُهَا لِأَنَّهَا أَعَالِيهَا. وَكَانَ بِشْرٌ الْحَافِي يَقُولُ: يَا مَعْشَرَ الْقُرَّاءِ، سِيحُوا تَطِيبُوا، فَإِنَّ الْمَاءَ إِذَا كَثُرَ مَقَامُهُ فِي مَوْضِعٍ تَغَيَّرَ.

qīla: fī ʾaswāqihā, waqīla: qurāhā, waqīla: jibālihā, wahuwa ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya. ʾaḥdābu al-ʾarḍi qurāhā, wamanākibuhā jibāluhā liʾannahā ʾaʿālīhā. wakāna bishrun al-ḥāfī yaqūlu: yā maʿshara al-qurrāʾi, sīḥū taṭībū, faʾinna al-māʾa ʾidhā kathura maqāmuhu fī mawḍiʿin taghayyara.

It has been interpreted as “through its markets,” or “its villages,” or “its mountains,” which is the interpretation I prefer. The earth’s rises are its villages, and its shoulders are its mountains, since they are its highest parts. Bishr al-Ḥāfī used to say: “Reciters, wander, and you will become wholesome. When water stays too long in one place, it changes.”

وَقِيلَ: إِنَّمَا سُمِّيَ سَفَرًا لِأَنَّهُ يُسْفِرُ عَنْ أَخْلَاقِ النَّفْسِ، وَأَيْضًا يُسْفِرُ عَنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَقَدَرِهِ وَحُكْمِهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ. فَإِذَا عَزَمَ عَلَى السَّفَرِ فَلْيُصَلِّ رَكْعَتَيِ الِاسْتِخَارَةِ، وَلْيَعْقِدِ التَّوَكُّلَ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَكَفَى نَاظِرًا وَسَاكِنًا إِلَيْهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، وَاثِقًا بِهِ وَمُعْتَمِدًا عَلَيْهِ، مَسْتُورًا حَالُهُ، رَاضِيًا عَنْهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي تَقَلُّبِهِ وَمَثْوَاهُ.

waqīla: ʾinnamā summiya safaran liʾannahu yusfiru ʿan ʾakhlāqi al-nafsi, waʾayḍan yusfiru ʿan ʾāyāti Allāhi subḥānahu waqadarihi waḥukmihi fī ʾarḍihi. faʾidhā ʿazama ʿalā al-safari falyuṣalli rakʿatayi al-istikhārati, walyaʿqidi al-tawakkula ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, fakafā nāẓiran wasākinan ʾilayhi tabāraka wataʿālā, wāthiqan bihi wamuʿtamidan ʿalayhi, mastūran ḥāluhu, rāḍiyan ʿanhu ʿazza wajalla fī taqallubihi wamathwāhu.

It is said that travel is called safar because it uncovers, yusfiru, the traits of the self. It also uncovers the signs of God, glorified is He, His decree, and His judgment upon His earth. When he resolves to travel, let him perform the two prayer cycles for seeking God’s choice and firmly place his trust in God, mighty and majestic. That suffices, as he looks to Him and rests in Him, blessed and exalted, trusting Him and relying upon Him, keeping his state concealed and remaining content with Him, mighty and majestic, in his movements and his place of rest.

وَلْيَنْوِ فِي سَفَرِهِ الِاعْتِبَارَ بِالْآثَارِ، وَالنَّظَرَ إِلَى الْآيَاتِ بِالِاسْتِبْصَارِ، وَالِابْتِغَاءَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ فِيمَا نَدَبَهُ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى وَكَّلَ بِالْمُسَافِرِينَ مَلَائِكَةً يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى مَقَاصِدِهِمْ، فَيُعْطِي كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ عَلَى نَحْوِ نِيَّتِهِ. فَمَنْ كَانَتْ نِيَّتُهُ طَلَبَ الدُّنْيَا أُعْطِيَ مِنْهَا، وَنُقِصَ مِنْ آخِرَتِهِ أَضْعَافُهُ، وَفُرِّقَ عَلَيْهِ هَمُّهُ، وَكَثُرَ بِالْحِرْصِ وَالرَّغْبَةِ شُغْلُهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ

walyanwi fī safarihi al-iʿtibāra bi-al-ʾāthāri, wa-al-naẓara ʾilā al-ʾāyāti bi-al-istibṣāri, wa-al-ibtighāʾa min faḍli Allāhi subḥānahu fīmā nadabahu ʾilayhi mina al-ʾasbābi. wayuqālu: ʾinna Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā wakkala bi-al-musāfirīna malāʾikatan yanẓurūna ʾilā maqāṣidihim, fayuʿṭī kulla wāḥidin ʿalā naḥwi niyyatihi. faman kānat niyyatuhu ṭalaba al-dunyā ʾuʿṭiya minhā, wanuqiṣa min ʾākhiratihi ʾaḍʿāfuhu, wafurriqa ʿalayhi hammuhu, wakathura bi-al-ḥirṣi wa-al-raghbati shughluhu, waman kānat

Let him intend, in his journey, to learn from the traces of the past, look at the signs with insight, and seek God’s bounty, glorified is He, through the means He has encouraged him to pursue. It is said that God, blessed and exalted, has assigned angels to travelers, who observe their purposes, and He gives each person according to his intention. One whose intention is to seek this world is given some of it, while many times as much is deducted from his hereafter; his concerns are scattered, and greed and desire multiply his preoccupations. But one whose

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٤٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 344

Volume Two, page 344

نِيَّتُهُ طَلَبَ الْآخِرَةِ وَأَهْلِهَا أُعْطِيَ مِنَ الْبَصِيرَةِ وَالْفِطْنَةِ، وَفُتِحَ لَهُ مِنَ التَّذْكِرَةِ وَالْعِبْرَةِ بِقَدْرِ نِيَّتِهِ، وَجُمِعَ لَهُ هَمُّهُ، وَمَلَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا بِالْقَنَاعَةِ وَالزُّهْدِ شُغْلَهُ، وَدَعَتْ لَهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَاِسْتَغْفَرَتْ لَهُ. فَلْتَكُنْ نِيَّةُ هَذَا الْمُسَافِرِ اِسْتِصْلَاحَ قَلْبِهِ، وَرِيَاضَةَ نَفْسِهِ، وَاِسْتِكْشَافَ حَالِهِ، وَاِمْتِحَانَ أَوْصَافِهِ.

niyyatuhu ṭalaba al-ʾākhirati waʾahlihā ʾuʿṭiya mina al-baṣīrati wa-al-fiṭnati, wafutiḥa lahu mina al-tadhkirati wa-al-ʿibrati biqadri niyyatihi, wajumiʿa lahu hammuhu, wamalaka mina al-dunyā bi-al-qanāʿati wa-al-zuhdi shughlahu, wadaʿat lahu al-malāʾikatu wa-istaghfarat lahu. faltakun niyyatu hādhā al-musāfiri istiṣlāḥa qalbihi, wariyāḍata nafsihi, wa-istikshāfa ḥālihi, wa-imtiḥāna ʾawṣāfihi.

intention is to seek the hereafter and its people is given insight and understanding. Remembrance and the ability to learn from events are opened to him in proportion to his intention; his concern is gathered into one, and through contentment and renunciation he gains mastery over his worldly preoccupations. The angels pray for him and ask forgiveness for him. Let this traveler’s intention be to set his heart right, discipline his self, discover his true state, and test his qualities.

لِأَنَّ النَّفْسَ إِنَّمَا أَظْهَرَتِ الْإِذْعَانَ وَالِانْقِيَادَ فِي الْحَضَرِ، وَرُبَّمَا اِسْتَكَانَتْ وَأَجَابَتْ فِي السَّفَرِ، فَإِذَا وَقَعَتْ عَلَيْهَا أَثْقَالُ الْأَسْفَارِ وَلَزِمَتْهَا حَقَائِقُ الِاسْتِخْبَارِ، خَرَجَتْ عَنْ مُعْتَادِ ذَلِكَ الْمِعْيَارِ، فَأَسْفَرَتْ حَقِيقَتُهَا وَاِنْكَشَفَتْ دَوَاعِيهَا. فَيَكُونُ الْمُسَافِرُ فِي عُلُومٍ وَبَصَائِرَ يَعْرِفُ بِهَا خَفَايَا نَفْسِهِ وَمَكَامِنَهَا، وَيَكُونُ هَذَا مِنْ خَبْءِ الْأَرْضِ الَّذِي يُخْرِجُهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِمُحِبِّيهِ مَتَى شَاءَ، كَمَا قَالَ جَلَّ وَعَلَا: (يُخْرِجُ الْخَبْءَ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ) النَّمْلُ: 25.

liʾanna al-nafsa ʾinnamā ʾaẓharati al-ʾidhʿāna wa-al-inqiyāda fī al-ḥaḍari, warubbamā istakānat waʾajābat fī al-safari, faʾidhā waqaʿat ʿalayhā ʾathqālu al-ʾasfāri walazimathā ḥaqāʾiqu al-istikhbāri, kharajat ʿan muʿtādi dhālika al-miʿyāri, faʾasfarat ḥaqīqatuhā wa-inkashafat dawāʿīhā. fayakūnu al-musāfiru fī ʿulūmin wabaṣāʾira yaʿrifu bihā khafāyā nafsihi wamakāminahā, wayakūnu hādhā min khabʾi al-ʾarḍi alladhī yukhrijuhu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla limuḥibbīhi matā shāʾa, kamā qāla jalla waʿalā: (yukhriju al-khabʾa fī al-samāwāti wa-al-ʾarḍi) al-namlu: 25.

The self has so far shown submission and compliance while at home, and it may also yield and respond while traveling. But when the burdens of journeys fall upon it and the realities of searching examination press upon it, it departs from its accustomed measure. Its reality is revealed and its motives laid bare. The traveler then acquires knowledge and insights through which he discovers his self’s secrets and hiding places. This is among the hidden things of the earth that God, mighty and majestic, brings forth for those who love Him whenever He wishes, as He said, majestic and exalted: “He brings forth what is hidden in the heavens and the earth” (al-Naml 27:25).

فَإِنْ خَرَجَ سَائِحًا فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ فَقَدْ جَاءَ ذَلِكَ فِي تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: السَّائِحُونَ، قِيلَ: فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ، وَقِيلَ: هُمْ طَلَبَةُ الْعِلْمِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ يُسَافِرُ الْأَيَّامَ فِي طَلَبِ الْحَدِيثِ الْوَاحِدِ. وَقَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ: لَوْ سَافَرَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الشَّامِ إِلَى أَقْصَى الْيَمَنِ فِي كَلِمَةٍ تَدُلُّ عَلَى هُدًى، مَا رَأَيْتُ أَنَّ سَفَرَهُ كَانَ ضَائِعًا.

faʾin kharaja sāʾiḥan fī ṭalabi al-ʿilmi faqad jāʾa dhālika fī tafsīri qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: al-sāʾiḥūna, qīla: fī ṭalabi al-ʿilmi, waqīla: hum ṭalabatu al-ʿilmi. waqad kāna saʿīdu bnu al-musayyibi yusāfiru al-ʾayyāma fī ṭalabi al-ḥadīthi al-wāḥidi. waqāla al-shaʿbiyyu: law sāfara rajulun mina al-shāmi ʾilā ʾaqṣā al-yamani fī kalimatin tadullu ʿalā hudan, mā raʾaytu ʾanna safarahu kāna ḍāʾiʿan.

If he sets out wandering in search of knowledge, this is one interpretation given to the words of God, mighty and majestic, “those who journey”: it has been said that they journey in search of knowledge, and that they are students of knowledge. Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib used to travel for days to seek a single hadith. Al-Shaʿbī said: “If a man traveled from Syria to the farthest part of Yemen for one statement that pointed him toward guidance, I would not consider his journey wasted.”

وَرَحَلَ جَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ وَغَيْرُهُ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ إِلَى مِصْرَ، فَسَارُوا شَهْرًا فِي حَدِيثٍ بَلَغَهُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أُنَيْسٍ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ يُحَدِّثُهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، حَتَّى سَمِعُوهُ. وَمَنْ سَافَرَ فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ مِنْ عَهْدِ الصَّحَابَةِ إِلَى يَوْمِنَا هَذَا أَكْثَرُ مِنْ أَنْ يُحْصَى.

waraḥala jābiru bnu ʿabdi Allāhi mina al-madīnati waghayruhu mina al-ṣaḥābati ʾilā miṣra, fasārū shahran fī ḥadīthin balaghahu ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni ʾunaysin al-ʾanṣāriyyi yuḥaddithuhu ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, ḥattā samiʿūhu. waman sāfara fī ṭalabi al-ʿilmi min ʿahdi al-ṣaḥābati ʾilā yawminā hādhā ʾaktharu min ʾan yuḥṣā.

Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh traveled from Medina, together with other Companions, to Egypt. They journeyed for a month for a hadith he had heard that ʿAbd Allāh ibn Unays al-Anṣārī was relating from the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, until they heard it themselves. Those who have traveled in search of knowledge from the age of the Companions until our own day are too numerous to count.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ فَهُوَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ». وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: «مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَلْتَمِسُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ». وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ النَّفَقَةَ فِي الْعِلْمِ كَالنَّفَقَةِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، الدِّرْهَمُ بِسَبْعِمِائَةٍ.

wafī al-khabari: «man kharaja min baytihi fī ṭalabi al-ʿilmi fahuwa fī sabīli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ḥattā yarjiʿa». wafī khabarin ʾākhara: «man salaka ṭarīqan yaltamisu fīhi ʿilman sahhala Allāhu ʿazza wajalla lahu ṭarīqan ʾilā al-jannati». wayuqālu: ʾinna al-nafaqata fī al-ʿilmi ka-al-nafaqati fī sabīli Allāhi, al-dirhamu bisabʿimiʾatin.

The report says: “Whoever leaves his home in search of knowledge is in the path of God, mighty and majestic, until he returns.” Another report says: “Whoever follows a path seeking knowledge, God, mighty and majestic, makes a path to Paradise easy for him.” It is said that spending on knowledge is like spending in God’s path: one dirham counts as seven hundred.

وَإِنْ سَافَرَ فِي لِقَاءِ الصَّالِحِينَ فَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ: كَانُوا يَحُجُّونَ لِلِّقَاءِ، وَالْحَجُّ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ الْأَسْفَارِ، فَجَعَلُوهُ سَبَبًا لِلِقَاءِ الْأَخْيَارِ. فَإِنْ نَوَى الْقُرْبَ مِنَ الْأَمْصَارِ طَمَعًا فِي سَلَامَةِ دِينِهِ وَبُعْدًا مِنْ تَعَلُّقِ النَّفْسِ بِمَا فِي الْحَضَرِ مِنْ حَظِّ دُنْيَاهُ فَحَسَنٌ.

waʾin sāfara fī liqāʾi al-ṣāliḥīna faqad jāʾa fī al-ʾathari: kānū yaḥujjūna li-l-liqāʾi, wa-al-ḥajju min ʾafḍali al-ʾasfāri, fajaʿalūhu sababan liliqāʾi al-ʾakhyāri. faʾin nawā al-qurba mina al-ʾamṣāri ṭamaʿan fī salāmati dīnihi wabuʿdan min taʿalluqi al-nafsi bimā fī al-ḥaḍari min ḥaẓẓi dunyāhu faḥasanun.

If he travels to meet the righteous, a transmitted account says that they used to undertake the pilgrimage in order to meet one another. Pilgrimage is among the finest journeys, so they made it a means of meeting good people. If he intends to draw near to the towns, hoping to keep his religion safe and distance himself from the self’s attachment to the worldly share available while settled, that is good.

وَرُبَّمَا خَرَجَ طَلَبًا لِلْخُمُولِ وَالذِّلَّةِ، خَشْيَةَ الْفِتْنَةِ بِالشُّهْرَةِ، وَرَجَاءَ صَلَاحِ قَلْبِهِ، وَاِسْتِقَامَةِ حَالِهِ فِي الْبُعْدِ مِنَ النَّاسِ، وَرِيَاضَةً بِالتَّفَرُّقِ وَالتَّوَحُّدِ إِلَى أَنْ يَقْوَى يَقِينُهُ وَيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبُهُ، فَيَسْتَوِيَ عِنْدَهُ الْحَضَرُ وَالسَّفَرُ، وَيَعْتَدِلَ عِنْدَهُ وُجُودُ الْخَلْقِ وَعَدَمُهُمْ بِإِسْقَاطِ الِاهْتِمَامِ بِهِمْ.

warubbamā kharaja ṭalaban li-l-khumūli wa-al-dhillati, khashyata al-fitnati bi-al-shuhrati, warajāʾa ṣalāḥi qalbihi, wa-istiqāmati ḥālihi fī al-buʿdi mina al-nāsi, wariyāḍatan bi-al-tafarruqi wa-al-tawaḥḥudi ʾilā ʾan yaqwā yaqīnuhu wayaṭmaʾinna qalbuhu, fayastawiya ʿindahu al-ḥaḍaru wa-al-safaru, wayaʿtadila ʿindahu wujūdu al-khalqi waʿadamuhum biʾisqāṭi al-ihtimāmi bihim.

He may set out seeking obscurity and lowliness, fearing the temptation of fame and hoping to set his heart right and establish his state by distancing himself from people. He may discipline himself through separation and solitude until his certainty grows strong and his heart finds peace. Staying and traveling will then be alike to him, and the presence or absence of people will carry equal weight, because he has let go of preoccupation with them.

وَقَدْ قَالَ الثَّوْرِيُّ: هَذَا زَمَانُ سُوءٍ لَا يُؤْمَنُ فِيهِ عَلَى الْخَامِلِ، فَكَيْفَ بِالْمَشْهُورِينَ؟ وَهَذَا زَمَانُ رَجُلٍ يَنْتَقِلُ مِنْ بَلَدٍ إِلَى بَلَدٍ، كُلَّمَا عُرِفَ فِي مَوْضِعٍ تَحَوَّلَ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ. وَقَالَ أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ: رَأَيْتُ الثَّوْرِيَّ وَقَدْ عَلَّقَ قُلَّتَهُ بِيَدِهِ، وَوَضَعَ جِرَابَهُ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: إِلَى أَيْنَ يَا

waqad qāla al-thawriyyu: hādhā zamānu sūʾin lā yuʾmanu fīhi ʿalā al-khāmili, fakayfa bi-al-mashhūrīna? wa-hādhā zamānu rajulin yantaqilu min baladin ʾilā baladin, kullamā ʿurifa fī mawḍiʿin taḥawwala ʾilā ghayrihi. waqāla ʾabū nuʿaymin: raʾaytu al-thawriyya waqad ʿallaqa qullatahu biyadihi, wawaḍaʿa jirābahu ʿalā ẓahrihi, faqultu lahu: ʾilā ʾayna yā

Al-Thawrī said: “This is an evil age, in which even an obscure person cannot be considered safe, so what of the famous? This is an age for a man who moves from one town to another: whenever he becomes known somewhere, he moves elsewhere.” Abū Nuʿaym said: “I saw al-Thawrī with his water jar hanging from his hand and his provision bag on his back. I said to him: ‘Where are you going,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٤٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 345

Volume Two, page 345

أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ؟ فَقَالَ: قَدْ بَلَغَنِي عَنْ قَرْيَةٍ فِيهَا رُخْصٌ، فَأَنَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُقِيمَ بِهَا. فَقُلْتُ: وَتَفْعَلُ هَذَا يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، إِذَا بَلَغَكَ عَنْ قَرْيَةٍ فِيهَا رُخْصٌ فَأَقِمْ بِهَا، فَإِنَّهُ أَسْلَمُ لِدِينِكَ، وَأَقَلُّ لِهَمِّكَ. وَقَدْ كَانَ سَرِيٌّ السَّقَطِيُّ يَقُولُ لِلصُّوفِيَّةِ: إِذَا خَرَجَ الشِّتَاءُ وَدَخَلَ آذَارُ وَأَوْرَقَتِ الْأَشْجَارُ طَابَ الِانْتِشَارُ.

ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi? faqāla: qad balaghanī ʿan qaryatin fīhā rukhṣun, faʾanā ʾurīdu ʾan ʾuqīma bihā. faqultu: watafʿalu hādhā yā ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi? qāla: naʿam, ʾidhā balaghaka ʿan qaryatin fīhā rukhṣun faʾaqim bihā, faʾinnahu ʾaslamu lidīnika, waʾaqallu lihammika. waqad kāna sariyyun al-saqaṭiyyu yaqūlu li-l-ṣūfiyyati: ʾidhā kharaja al-shitāʾu wadakhala ʾādhāru waʾawraqati al-ʾashjāru ṭāba al-intishāru.

Abū ʿAbd Allāh?’ He replied: ‘I have heard of a village where prices are low, and I want to settle there.’ I said: ‘You would do that, Abū ʿAbd Allāh?’ He answered: ‘Yes. When you hear of a village where prices are low, settle there. It is safer for your religion and leaves you with fewer worries.’” Sarī al-Saqaṭī used to tell the Sufis: “When winter has passed, March has arrived, and the trees have put out leaves, it is pleasant to set forth.”

وَمِنْ أَفْضَلِ الْأَسْفَارِ مَا خَرَجَ لَهُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الْجِهَادِ وَالْحَجِّ وَالرِّبَاطِ وَزِيَارَةِ قَبْرِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ثُمَّ زِيَارَةِ أَصْحَابِهِ، مُحْتَسِبًا بِذَلِكَ مَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَالسَّفَرُ فِي زِيَارَةِ الْأَخِ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُسْتَحَبٌّ مَنْدُوبٌ إِلَيْهِ.

wamin ʾafḍali al-ʾasfāri mā kharaja lahu fī sabīli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla mina al-jihādi wa-al-ḥajji wa-al-ribāṭi waziyārati qabri al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, thumma ziyārati ʾaṣḥābihi, muḥtasiban bi-dhālika mā ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. wa-al-safaru fī ziyārati al-ʾakhi fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla mustaḥabbun mandūbun ʾilayhi.

Among the finest journeys are those undertaken in the path of God, mighty and majestic: for jihad, pilgrimage, frontier service, visiting the grave of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, and then visiting his Companions, seeking through this the reward that is with God, mighty and majestic. Traveling to visit a brother for the sake of God, mighty and majestic, is commendable and encouraged.

رَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ، وَقِيلَ: مَكْتُوبٌ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ: «سِرْ مِيلًا عُدْ مَرِيضًا، سِرْ مِيلَيْنِ شَيِّعْ جَنَازَةً، سِرْ ثَلَاثَةَ أَمْيَالٍ أَجِبْ دَعْوَةً، سِرْ أَرْبَعَةَ أَمْيَالٍ زُرْ أَخًا فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى».

rawaynā fī khabarin ʿan baʿḍi ʾahli al-bayti ʿalayhimu al-salāmu, waqīla: maktūbun fī al-tawrāti: «sir mīlan ʿud marīḍan, sir mīlayni shayyiʿ janāzatan, sir thalāthata ʾamyālin ʾajib daʿwatan, sir ʾarbaʿata ʾamyālin zur ʾakhan fī Allāhi taʿālā».

We have transmitted a report from a member of the Prophet’s household, peace be upon them; it is also said to be written in the Torah: “Travel a mile to visit someone sick; travel two miles to accompany a funeral; travel three miles to accept an invitation; travel four miles to visit a brother for the sake of God Most High.”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَنَّ رَجُلًا زَارَ أَخًا لَهُ فِي قَرْيَةٍ أُخْرَى، فَأَرْصَدَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى مَدْرَجَتِهِ مَلَكًا، فَقَالَ: أَيْنَ تُرِيدُ؟ فَقَالَ: أَخًا لِي فِي هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ أَزُورُهُ. قَالَ: أَبَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ رَحِمٌ تَصِلُهَا؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: فَلَهُ عَلَيْكَ نِعْمَةٌ تَرُدُّهَا؟ قَالَ: لَا، إِلَّا أَنِّي أَحْبَبْتُهُ فِي اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. قَالَ: فَإِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِالْجَنَّةِ وَيُخْبِرُكَ أَنَّهُ قَدْ غَفَرَ لَكَ بِزِيَارَةِ أَخِيكَ.

wafī al-khabari: ʾanna rajulan zāra ʾakhan lahu fī qaryatin ʾukhrā, faʾarṣada Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿalā madrajatihi malakan, faqāla: ʾayna turīdu? faqāla: ʾakhan lī fī hādhihi al-qaryati ʾazūruhu. qāla: ʾabaynaka wabaynahu raḥimun taṣiluhā? qāla: lā. qāla: falahu ʿalayka niʿmatun tarudduhā? qāla: lā, ʾillā ʾannī ʾaḥbabtuhu fī Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. qāla: faʾinnī rasūlu Allāhi ʾilayka yubashshiruka bi-al-jannati wayukhbiruka ʾannahu qad ghafara laka biziyārati ʾakhīka.

A report tells of a man who went to visit a brother in another village. God, mighty and majestic, stationed an angel along his path. The angel asked: “Where are you going?” He replied: “To visit a brother of mine in this village.” The angel asked: “Is there a family bond between you that you are maintaining?” “No.” “Then has he done you a favor that you are repaying?” “No. It is simply that I love him for the sake of God, mighty and majestic.” The angel said: “I am God’s messenger to you, bringing you glad news of Paradise and telling you that He has forgiven you because you visited your brother.”

وَإِنْ سَافَرَ إِلَى بَعْضِ الثُّغُورِ نَاوِيًا رِبَاطَ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا أَوْ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ فَحَسَنٌ، وَإِنْ قَصَدَ عَبَّادَانَ فَرَابَطَ فِيهَا ثَلَاثًا، فَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ بِهَا ثَلَاثَمِائَةٍ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَالْعُبَّادِ؛ لِلرِّبَاطِ فِيهَا مَا يَجِلُّ وَصْفُهُ. رُوِيَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ رَجُلًا بِالْبَصْرَةِ أَنْ يُرَابِطَ بِعَبَّادَانَ ثَلَاثًا وَيُشْرِكَهُ فِي صُحْبَتِهِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: كُوشِفْتُ بِالْأَمْصَارِ فَرَأَيْتُ الثُّغُورَ كُلَّهَا تَسْجُدُ لِعَبَّادَانَ.

waʾin sāfara ʾilā baʿḍi al-thughūri nāwiyan ribāṭa ʾarbaʿīna yawman ʾaw thalāthati ʾayyāmin faḥasanun, waʾin qaṣada ʿabbādāna farābaṭa fīhā thalāthan, faqad raʾaytu bihā thalāthamiʾatin mina al-ʿulamāʾi wa-al-ʿubbādi; li-l-ribāṭi fīhā mā yajillu waṣfuhu. ruwiya ʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾannahu saʾala rajulan bi-al-baṣrati ʾan yurābiṭa biʿabbādāna thalāthan wayushrikahu fī ṣuḥbatihi. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: kūshiftu bi-al-ʾamṣāri faraʾaytu al-thughūra kullahā tasjudu liʿabbādāna.

If he travels to one of the frontier posts intending to serve there for forty days or three days, that is good. If he makes for ʿAbbādān and serves there for three days, I have seen three hundred scholars and worshippers there; frontier service there has a merit beyond description. It is related that ʿAlī, peace be upon him, asked a man in Basra to serve at ʿAbbādān for three days and include him in his company. One of the knowers said: “The towns were unveiled to me, and I saw all the frontier posts bowing down before ʿAbbādān.”

وَمَنْ قَصَدَ فِي سَفَرِهِ أَحَدَ الْمَسَاجِدِ الثَّلَاثِ الْمَنْدُوبِ إِلَيْهَا لِشَدِّ الرِّحَالِ فَهُوَ أَفْضَلُ، أَوْلَاهَا الْمَسْجِدُ الْحَرَامُ، وَمَسْجِدُ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَمَسْجِدُ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ. فَيُقَالُ: مَنْ جَمَعَ الصَّلَاةَ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَسَاجِدِ الثَّلَاثِ مِنْ سَنَتِهِ غُفِرَتْ لَهُ ذُنُوبُهُ كُلُّهَا. وَمَنْ أَهَلَّ بِحَجٍّ أَوْ عُمْرَةٍ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ خَرَجَ مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ كَيَوْمِ وَلَدَتْهُ أُمُّهُ.

waman qaṣada fī safarihi ʾaḥada al-masājidi al-thalāthi al-mandūbi ʾilayhā lishaddi al-riḥāli fahuwa ʾafḍalu, ʾawlāhā al-masjidu al-ḥarāmu, wamasjidu al-rasūli ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, wamasjidu bayti al-maqdisi. fayuqālu: man jamaʿa al-ṣalāta fī hādhihi al-masājidi al-thalāthi min sanatihi ghufirat lahu dhunūbuhu kulluhā. waman ʾahalla biḥajjin ʾaw ʿumratin mina al-masjidi al-ʾaqṣā ʾilā al-masjidi al-ḥarāmi kharaja min dhunūbihi kayawmi waladathu ʾummuhu.

Better still is to make one of the three mosques to which journeying is encouraged the destination of one’s travel: first the Sacred Mosque, then the mosque of the Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, and the mosque of Jerusalem. It is said that whoever prays in all three of these mosques within a year is forgiven all his sins. Whoever enters the consecrated state for the pilgrimage or lesser pilgrimage from the Farthest Mosque to the Sacred Mosque emerges from his sins as on the day his mother bore him.

وَخَرَجَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ قَاصِدًا إِلَى بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ حَتَّى صَلَّى فِيهِ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسَ، ثُمَّ كَرَّ رَاجِعًا مِنَ الْغَدِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ. وَسَأَلَ سُلَيْمَانُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ رَبَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ مَنْ قَصَدَ هَذَا الْمَسْجِدَ لَا يَهُمُّهُ إِلَّا الصَّلَاةُ فِيهِ أَنْ لَا تَصْرِفَ نَظَرَكَ عَنْهُ مَا دَامَ مُقِيمًا فِيهِ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ مِنْهُ، وَأَنْ تُخْرِجَهُ مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ كَيَوْمِ وَلَدَتْهُ أُمُّهُ، فَأَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى ذَلِكَ.

wakharaja ibnu ʿumara mina al-madīnati qāṣidan ʾilā bayti al-maqdisi ḥattā ṣallā fīhi al-ṣalawāti al-khamsa, thumma karra rājiʿan mina al-ghadi ʾilā al-madīnati. wasaʾala sulaymānu ʿalayhi al-salāmu rabbahu taʿālā: ʾinna man qaṣada hādhā al-masjida lā yahummuhu ʾillā al-ṣalātu fīhi ʾan lā taṣrifa naẓaraka ʿanhu mā dāma muqīman fīhi ḥattā yakhruja minhu, waʾan tukhrijahu min dhunūbihi kayawmi waladathu ʾummuhu, faʾaʿṭāhu Allāhu taʿālā dhālika.

Ibn ʿUmar left Medina for Jerusalem and prayed the five prayers there, then turned back toward Medina the following day. Solomon, peace be upon him, asked his Lord Most High: “For whoever comes to this mosque with no concern except to pray in it, do not turn Your gaze away from him for as long as he remains there, until he leaves; and bring him out of his sins as on the day his mother bore him.” God Most High granted him this.

وَأَمَّا فَضَائِلُ الْمَسْجِدَيْنِ فِي الْحَرَمَيْنِ، حَرَمِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَحَرَمِ رَسُولِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَأَكْثَرُ مِنْ أَنْ نَذْكُرَهَا. وَإِنْ سَافَرَ طَلَبًا لِلْحَلَالِ وَهُوَ يَأْمَنُ طُعْمَةَ الْحَرَامِ فَذَانِكَ لَهُ قُرْبَتَانِ، وَقَدْ فَعَلَهُ صَالِحُو السَّلَفِ فِي كُلِّ زَمَانٍ. وَلْيَكُنِ الْعَبْدُ فِي سَفَرِهِ مُرَاعِيًا لِهَمِّهِ، حَافِظًا لِقَلْبِهِ مِنَ التَّشَتُّتِ وَالطَّمَعِ

waʾammā faḍāʾilu al-masjidayni fī al-ḥaramayni, ḥarami Allāhi ʿazza wajalla waḥarami rasūlihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, faʾaktharu min ʾan nadhkurahā. waʾin sāfara ṭalaban li-l-ḥalāli wahuwa yaʾmanu ṭuʿmata al-ḥarāmi fadhānika lahu qurbatāni, waqad faʿalahu ṣāliḥū al-salafi fī kulli zamānin. walyakuni al-ʿabdu fī safarihi murāʿiyan lihammihi, ḥāfiẓan liqalbihi mina al-tashattuti wa-al-ṭamaʿi

As for the merits of the two mosques within the two sanctuaries, the sanctuary of God, mighty and majestic, and the sanctuary of His Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, they are too many for us to mention. If he travels in search of lawful provision while keeping safe from unlawful food, these are two acts bringing him nearer to God. The righteous among the early generations did this in every age. During his journey, let the servant attend to his concern and guard his heart against distraction and against placing his hopes

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٤٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 346

Volume Two, page 346

فِي الْخَلْقِ، وَالتَّعَرُّضِ لِلْمَسْأَلَةِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ ذَا مَعْلُومٍ مَعْهُودٍ كَانَ مَعْلُومُهُ الْعَلَّامَ الْوَدُودَ، وَكَانَ طَرِيقُهُ إِلَيْهِ صِدْقَ التَّوَكُّلِ، وَزَادُهُ فِي طَرِيقِهِ حُسْنَ التَّقْوَى لَهُ بِصِحَّةِ الْإِيَاسِ مِنَ النَّاسِ. وَعَلَيْهِ حِينَئِذٍ الصَّبْرُ عَلَى بَلَائِهِ، وَالرِّضَا بِتَصْرِيفِهِ فِي قَضَائِهِ، وَالشُّكْرُ عَلَى لَطَائِفِ نَعْمَائِهِ مِنْ مَنْعٍ أَوْ عَطَاءٍ أَوْ شِدَّةٍ أَوْ رَخَاءٍ، لِأَنَّهُ فِي يَدِ الْوَكِيلِ يُقَلِّبُهُ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ.

fī al-khalqi, wa-al-taʿarruḍi li-l-masʾalati, faʾin lam yakun dhā maʿlūmin maʿhūdin kāna maʿlūmuhu al-ʿallāma al-wadūda, wakāna ṭarīquhu ʾilayhi ṣidqa al-tawakkuli, wazāduhu fī ṭarīqihi ḥusna al-taqwā lahu biṣiḥḥati al-ʾiyāsi mina al-nāsi. waʿalayhi ḥīnaʾidhin al-ṣabru ʿalā balāʾihi, wa-al-riḍā bitaṣrīfihi fī qaḍāʾihi, wa-al-shukru ʿalā laṭāʾifi naʿmāʾihi min manʿin ʾaw ʿaṭāʾin ʾaw shiddatin ʾaw rakhāʾin, liʾannahu fī yadi al-wakīli yuqallibuhu kayfa yashāʾu.

in other people, or exposing himself to asking. If he has no regular, familiar provision, let the All-Knowing, the Loving, be his assured provision; let sincere trust be his path to Him, and sound reverence for Him be his provision along that path, through genuinely abandoning expectations of people. He must then endure His trial patiently, accept how He directs His decree, and give thanks for the subtleties of His blessings, whether withholding or giving, hardship or ease. For he is in the hand of the Trustee, who turns him as He wills.

وَالتَّوَكُّلُ عِنْدَ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ هُوَ فِي الصَّبْرِ لِلصَّبُورِ وَتَسْلِيمِ الْحُكْمِ لِلْحَاكِمِ، وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: (الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ) الْعَنْكَبُوتُ: 59، وَقَوْلُهُ: (إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ) يُوسُفُ: 67. وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لِبِشْرِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ: إِنِّي أُرِيدُ سَفَرًا، وَلَكِنِّي مَنَعَنِي أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ عِنْدِي شَيْءٌ. فَقَالَ: لَا يَمْنَعْكَ الْعَدَمُ مِنْ سَفَرِكَ، وَاُخْرُجْ لِقَصْدِكَ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يُعْطِكَ مَا لِغَيْرِكَ لَمْ يَمْنَعْكَ مَا لَكَ.

wa-al-tawakkulu ʿinda al-mutawakkilīna huwa fī al-ṣabri li-l-ṣabūri wataslīmi al-ḥukmi li-l-ḥākimi, waminhu qawluhu taʿālā: (alladhīna ṣabarū waʿalā rabbihim yatawakkalūna) al-ʿankabūtu: 59, waqawluhu: (ʾini al-ḥukmu ʾillā li-llāhi ʿalayhi tawakkaltu) yūsufu: 67. waqāla rajulun libishri bni al-ḥārithi: ʾinnī ʾurīdu safaran, walakinnī manaʿanī ʾannahu laysa ʿindī shayʾun. faqāla: lā yamnaʿka al-ʿadamu min safarika, wa-ukhruj liqaṣdika, faʾin lam yuʿṭika mā lighayrika lam yamnaʿka mā laka.

For those who trust, trust consists in patience for the sake of the Patient One and surrendering judgment to the Judge. Hence the words of God Most High: “Those who have been patient and place their trust in their Lord” (al-ʿAnkabūt 29:59), and His words: “Judgment belongs to God alone; in Him I have placed my trust” (Yūsuf 12:67). A man told Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith: “I want to travel, but having nothing has held me back.” He replied: “Do not let lack prevent your journey. Set out for your purpose. If He does not give you what belongs to another, He will not withhold what belongs to you.”

وَكَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْخَوَّاصُ يَقُولُ: كَفٌّ فَارِغٌ، وَقَلْبٌ طَيِّبٌ، وَمُرَّ حَيْثُ شِئْتَ. وَمَنْ طَرَقَتْهُ فَاقَةٌ أَوْ رَهِقَتْهُ حَاجَةٌ لَمْ يُخْرِجْهُ مِنَ التَّوَكُّلِ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ إِذَا عَدِمَ الْقُوَّةَ وَالصَّبْرَ، لِأَنَّهُ حِينَئِذٍ يَسْأَلُ لِرَبِّهِ لَا لِنَفْسِهِ، يُحَرِّكُهُ الْعِلْمُ لَا الْهَوَى، لِإِقَامَةِ فَرْضِهِ وَحِفْظِ عَقْلِهِ الَّذِي هُوَ مَكَانُ تَكْلِيفِهِ. وَفِي الْأَثَرِ: «مَنْ جَاعَ فَلَمْ يَسْأَلْ فَمَاتَ دَخَلَ النَّارَ»، لِأَنَّ تَرْكَ السُّؤَالِ عِنْدَ خَوْفِ رَهَقِ الْمَوْتِ وَمَعَ عَدَمِ الصَّبْرِ سَبَبُ التَّلَفِ، إِنْ كَانَ الْجُوعُ أَحَدَ الْحُتُوفِ الْقَاتِلَةِ.

wakāna ʾibrāhīmu al-khawwāṣu yaqūlu: kaffun fārighun, waqalbun ṭayyibun, wamurra ḥaythu shiʾta. waman ṭaraqathu fāqatun ʾaw rahiqathu ḥājatun lam yukhrijhu mina al-tawakkuli ʾan yasʾala ʾidhā ʿadima al-quwwata wa-al-ṣabra, liʾannahu ḥīnaʾidhin yasʾalu lirabbihi lā linafsihi, yuḥarrikuhu al-ʿilmu lā al-hawā, liʾiqāmati farḍihi waḥifẓi ʿaqlihi alladhī huwa makānu taklīfihi. wafī al-ʾathari: «man jāʿa falam yasʾal famāta dakhala al-nāra», liʾanna tarka al-suʾāli ʿinda khawfi rahaqi al-mawti wamaʿa ʿadami al-ṣabri sababu al-talafi, ʾin kāna al-jūʿu ʾaḥada al-ḥutūfi al-qātilati.

Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ used to say: “An empty hand and a wholesome heart: then go wherever you wish.” If poverty overtakes someone or need presses upon him, asking does not take him outside trust when he lacks strength and endurance. He then asks for his Lord’s sake, not his own. Knowledge moves him, not desire, so that he may fulfill his obligation and preserve the intellect on which his accountability rests. A transmitted saying states: “Whoever goes hungry, does not ask, and dies enters the Fire.” For refraining from asking when death threatens and endurance has failed causes destruction, if hunger is one of the fatal causes of death.

وَقَدْ تَأَوَّلَ بَعْضُ مُتَأَخِّرِي الصُّوفِيَّةِ قَوْلَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَحَلُّ مَا أَكَلَ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ كَسْبِ يَدِهِ»، قَالَ: الْمَسْأَلَةُ عِنْدَ الْفَاقَةِ. وَأَنَا بَرِيءٌ مِنْ عُهْدَةِ هَذَا التَّأْوِيلِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ جَعْفَرٌ الْخُلْدِيُّ يَحْكِي هَذَا عَنْ شَيْخٍ مِنَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ، وَكَانَ هُوَ يَسْتَحْسِنُهُ. وَلَكِنْ قَدْ كَانَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازُ يَمُدُّ يَدَهُ عِنْدَ الْفَاقَةِ وَيَقُولُ: ثَمَّ شَيْءٌ لِلَّهِ؟

waqad taʾawwala baʿḍu mutaʾakhkhirī al-ṣūfiyyati qawla al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «ʾaḥallu mā ʾakala al-ʿabdu min kasbi yadihi», qāla: al-masʾalatu ʿinda al-fāqati. waʾanā barīʾun min ʿuhdati hādhā al-taʾwīli. waqad kāna jaʿfarun al-khuldiyyu yaḥkī hādhā ʿan shaykhin mina al-ṣūfiyyati, wakāna huwa yastaḥsinuhu. wa-lākin qad kāna ʾabū saʿīdin al-kharrāzu yamuddu yadahu ʿinda al-fāqati wayaqūlu: thamma shayʾun li-llāhi?

One of the later Sufis interpreted the saying of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, “The most lawful food a servant eats is from the work of his own hand,” as meaning asking in poverty. I take no responsibility for this interpretation. Jaʿfar al-Khuldī used to relate it from a Sufi master and regarded it favorably. Yet Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz did hold out his hand when in need and say: “Is there something for God’s sake?”

وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الْحَدَّادِ، وَكَانَ شَيْخًا لِلْجُنَيْدِ، لَهُ عِلْمٌ فِي التَّوَكُّلِ وَحَالٌ مِنَ الزُّهْدِ، كَانَ يَقْتَاتُ بِخُرُوجِهِ بَيْنَ الْعِشَاءَيْنِ، فَيَسْأَلُ مِنْ بَابٍ أَوْ بَابَيْنِ، فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ مَعْلُومَهُ إِلَى بَعْضِ حَاجَاتِهِ مِنْ يَوْمٍ أَوْ يَوْمَيْنِ، وَلَمْ يَعِبْ هَذَا عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْخُصُوصِ.

waḥaddathūnā ʿan ʾabī jaʿfarin al-ḥaddādi, wakāna shaykhan li-l-junaydi, lahu ʿilmun fī al-tawakkuli waḥālun mina al-zuhdi, kāna yaqtātu bikhurūjihi bayna al-ʿishāʾayni, fayasʾalu min bābin ʾaw bābayni, fayakūnu dhālika maʿlūmahu ʾilā baʿḍi ḥājātihi min yawmin ʾaw yawmayni, walam yaʿib hādhā ʿalayhi ʾaḥadun mina al-khuṣūṣi.

They told us of Abū Jaʿfar al-Ḥaddād, who was a teacher of al-Junayd and possessed knowledge of trust and a state of renunciation. He obtained his food by going out between the sunset and night prayers, asking at one or two doors. That would be his provision for some of his needs for a day or two. None of the spiritual elect faulted him for this.

وَقَدْ رَأَى بَعْضُ النَّاسِ رَجُلًا مِنَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ دُفِعَ إِلَيْهِ كِيسٌ فِيهِ مِئُونَ دَرَاهِمَ فِي أَوَّلِ النَّهَارِ، فَفَرَّقَهُ كُلَّهُ، ثُمَّ سَأَلَ قُوتًا فِي يَدِهِ بَعْدَ عِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ، فَعَاتَبَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَقَالَ: دُفِعَ إِلَيْكَ شَيْءٌ أَخْرَجْتَهُ كُلَّهُ، فَلَوْ تَرَكْتَ مِنْهُ لِعَشَائِكَ شَيْئًا؟ فَقَالَ: مَا ظَنَنْتُ أَنِّي أَعِيشُ إِلَى الْمَسَاءِ، وَلَوْ عَلِمْتُ ذَلِكَ فَعَلْتُ. وَكَانَ هَذَا زَاهِدًا قَصِيرَ الْأَمَلِ.

waqad raʾā baʿḍu al-nāsi rajulan mina al-ṣūfiyyati dufiʿa ʾilayhi kīsun fīhi miʾūna darāhima fī ʾawwali al-nahāri, fafarraqahu kullahu, thumma saʾala qūtan fī yadihi baʿda ʿishāʾi al-ʾākhirati, faʿātabahu ʿalā dhālika waqāla: dufiʿa ʾilayka shayʾun ʾakhrajtahu kullahu, falaw tarakta minhu liʿashāʾika shayʾan? faqāla: mā ẓanantu ʾannī ʾaʿīshu ʾilā al-masāʾi, walaw ʿalimtu dhālika faʿaltu. wakāna hādhā zāhidan qaṣīra al-ʾamali.

Someone saw a Sufi who was given a purse containing hundreds of dirhams early in the day and distributed it all. After the late evening prayer, he then asked for food to be placed in his hand. The observer reproached him: “Something was given to you, and you gave it all away. Why did you not keep some for your supper?” He replied: “I did not expect to live until evening. Had I known that I would, I would have done so.” This was a renunciant whose hopes did not reach far ahead.

إِلَّا أَنَّ السُّؤَالَ لِلْمُتَوَكِّلِ عِنْدَ الْخَوَاصِّ يُخْرِجُهُ مِنَ التَّوَكُّلِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ سَهْلٌ يَقُولُ: الْمُتَوَكِّلُ لَا يَسْأَلُ وَلَا يَرُدُّ وَلَا يَحْتَكِرُ. وَلَيْسَ يُخْرِجُهُ عِنْدِي مِنَ التَّوَكُّلِ الْمَسْأَلَةُ عِنْدَ الْفَاقَةِ، بَلْ عَدَمُ الصَّبْرِ وَالْقُوَّةِ؛ فَفَقْدُ ذَيْنِكَ وُجُودُ الْإِذْنِ مِنَ اللَّهِ لَهُ فِي السُّؤَالِ إِذَا كَانَ نَاظِرًا إِلَى تَصْرِيفِ الْوَكِيلِ فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ، وَلِأَنَّ الْوَلِيَّ الْحَمِيدَ يُقَلِّبُ وَلِيَّهُ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأَحْوَالِ.

ʾillā ʾanna al-suʾāla li-l-mutawakkili ʿinda al-khawāṣṣi yukhrijuhu mina al-tawakkuli. waqad kāna sahlun yaqūlu: al-mutawakkilu lā yasʾalu walā yaruddu walā yaḥtakiru. walaysa yukhrijuhu ʿindī mina al-tawakkuli al-masʾalatu ʿinda al-fāqati, bal ʿadamu al-ṣabri wa-al-quwwati; fafaqdu dhaynika wujūdu al-ʾidhni mina Allāhi lahu fī al-suʾāli ʾidhā kāna nāẓiran ʾilā taṣrīfi al-wakīli fī kulli ḥālin, waliʾanna al-waliyya al-ḥamīda yuqallibu waliyyahu fī jamīʿi al-ʾaḥwāli.

The spiritual elect, however, hold that asking takes a trusting person outside trust. Sahl used to say: “One who trusts does not ask, does not refuse, and does not hoard.” In my view, asking in poverty does not take him outside trust; rather, it is the lack of patience and strength. The absence of those two means that God has given him permission to ask, provided he looks to the Trustee’s direction in every state. For the Praiseworthy Protector turns His friend through all states.

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى إِمَامَيِ أَهْلِ الظَّاهِرِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَأَهْلِ الْبَاطِنِ وَالْقُلُوبِ، اِسْتَطْعَمَا أَهْلَهَا؟ لِأَنَّ الْمُسْلِمَ يَسْتَحِقُّ عَلَى إِخْوَانِهِ سَدَّ جَوْعَتِهِ لِحُرْمَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ. وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَيْلَةُ الضَّيْفِ وَاجِبَةٌ». وَقَالَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ: «الضِّيَافَةُ حَقٌّ». وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «وَلَكَ أَنْ تَأْخُذَ

ʾalam tara ʾilā ʾimāmayi ʾahli al-ẓāhiri wa-al-kitābi waʾahli al-bāṭini wa-al-qulūbi, istaṭʿamā ʾahlahā? liʾanna al-muslima yastaḥiqqu ʿalā ʾikhwānihi sadda jawʿatihi liḥurmati al-ʾislāmi. waqāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «laylatu al-ḍayfi wājibatun». waqāla ʿalayhi al-ṣalātu wa-al-salāmu: «al-ḍiyāfatu ḥaqqun». wafī al-khabari: «walaka ʾan taʾkhudha

Have you not considered the two exemplars, one for the people of outward knowledge and the Book, the other for the people of inward knowledge and hearts: “They asked its people for food”? For a Muslim has a right that his brothers relieve his hunger, because of the sanctity of Islam. The Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “A guest’s night is an obligation.” He also said, blessings and peace be upon him: “Hospitality is a right.” A report says: “You may take

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٤٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 347

Volume Two, page 347

مِنْ مَالِهِ مِقْدَارَ لَيْلَةٍ». وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: «أَيُّمَا أَهْلُ عَرْصَةٍ أَوْ قَرْيَةٍ بَاتَ فِيهِمْ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ جَائِعًا فَقَدْ بَرِئَتْ مِنْهُمُ الذِّمَّةُ». وَكَانَ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَسْأَلُ فِي الْبَوَادِي مِنَ الْحِجَازِ إِلَى صَنْعَاءِ الْيَمَنِ، فَقَالَ: كُنْتُ أُذَكِّرُهُمْ حَدِيثَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ هَذَا فِي الضِّيَافَةِ، قَالَ: فَيُخْرِجُونَ إِلَيَّ طَعَامًا، فَآكُلُ شِبَعِي وَأَتْرُكُ مَا بَقِيَ.

min mālihi miqdāra laylatin». wafī al-ḥadīthi: «ʾayyumā ʾahlu ʿarṣatin ʾaw qaryatin bāta fīhim rajulun mina al-muslimīna jāʾiʿan faqad bariʾat minhumu al-dhimmatu». wakāna al-thawriyyu yasʾalu fī al-bawādī mina al-ḥijāzi ʾilā ṣanʿāʾi al-yamani, faqāla: kuntu ʾudhakkiruhum ḥadītha ʿabdi Allāhi hādhā fī al-ḍiyāfati, qāla: fayukhrijūna ʾilayya ṭaʿāman, faʾākulu shibaʿī waʾatruku mā baqiya.

from his property enough for one night.” The hadith says: “Any people of a settlement or village among whom a Muslim man spends the night hungry have lost the covenant of protection.” Al-Thawrī used to ask in the desert settlements from the Hijaz to Sanaʿa in Yemen. He said: “I would remind them of this hadith of ʿAbd Allāh concerning hospitality. They would bring food out to me, and I would eat my fill and leave the rest.”

وَالْمُسَافِرُ هُوَ ابْنُ السَّبِيلِ الَّذِي أَوْجَبَ اللَّهُ حَقَّهُ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ، لِأَنَّ السَّبِيلَ هُوَ الطَّرِيقُ، وَرَاكِبَهَا ابْنُهَا، لِأَنَّهُ صَاحِبُ طَرِيقٍ وَسَالِكُهُ. وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَيْضًا فِي الثَّوَاءِ عِنْدَ أَخِيهِ الْمُسْلِمِ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ شَيْءٌ، لِأَنَّهُ مُقِيمٌ عَلَى مَا أُبِيحَ لَهُ. وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «الضِّيَافَةُ ثَلَاثَةٌ، فَمَا زَادَ فَهُوَ صَدَقَةٌ».

wa-al-musāfiru huwa ibnu al-sabīli alladhī ʾawjaba Allāhu ḥaqqahu fī al-ʾamwāli, liʾanna al-sabīla huwa al-ṭarīqu, warākibahā ibnuhā, liʾannahu ṣāḥibu ṭarīqin wasālikuhu. walaysa ʿalayhi ʾayḍan fī al-thawāʾi ʿinda ʾakhīhi al-muslimi thalāthata ʾayyāmin shayʾun, liʾannahu muqīmun ʿalā mā ʾubīḥa lahu. waqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «al-ḍiyāfatu thalāthatun, famā zāda fahuwa ṣadaqatun».

The traveler is the “child of the road” whose share in wealth God has made obligatory. The road is the way, and its rider is its child, since he belongs to a road and travels along it. Nor does he incur blame for a three-day stay with his Muslim brother, for he remains within what has been permitted to him. The Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Hospitality is three days; whatever exceeds that is charity.”

فَلَا يُقِيمَنَّ فَوْقَ ثَلَاثٍ، فَقَدْ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: «وَلَا يُقِمْ فَوْقَ ثَلَاثٍ فَيُحْوِجَهُ أَنْ يُضَيِّقَ عَلَيْهِ». وَتَأْوِيلُ قَوْلِهِ عِنْدِي «فَمَا زَادَ فَهُوَ صَدَقَةٌ»، أَيْ: مَكْرُوهٌ، لَا مَنْدُوبٌ إِلَيْهِ وَلَا مَأْمُورٌ بِهِ. فَإِنِ اخْتَارَ الصَّدَقَةَ وَلَمْ يُنَزِّهْ نَفْسَهُ عَنْهَا فَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ؛ أَيْ: وَمَا كَانَ فِي الثَّلَاثِ فَهُوَ حَقٌّ لَهُ وَوَاجِبٌ عَلَى مُضِيفِهِ. فَإِنْ سَأَلُوهُ الْإِقَامَةَ فَوْقَ ثَلَاثٍ أَوْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحِبُّونَ الْإِقَامَةَ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ.

falā yuqīmanna fawqa thalāthin, faqad nahā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿan dhālika faqāla: «walā yuqim fawqa thalāthin fayuḥwijahu ʾan yuḍayyiqa ʿalayhi». wataʾwīlu qawlihi ʿindī «famā zāda fahuwa ṣadaqatun», ʾay: makrūhun, lā mandūbun ʾilayhi walā maʾmūrun bihi. faʾini ikhtāra al-ṣadaqata walam yunazzih nafsahu ʿanhā fahuwa ʾaʿlamu; ʾay: wamā kāna fī al-thalāthi fahuwa ḥaqqun lahu wawājibun ʿalā muḍīfihi. faʾin saʾalūhu al-ʾiqāmata fawqa thalāthin ʾaw ʿalima ʾannahum yuḥibbūna al-ʾiqāmata falā baʾsa bi-dhālika.

He should therefore not stay beyond three days. The Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, forbade that, saying: “He should not stay beyond three, forcing his host into the need to restrict him.” My interpretation of “whatever exceeds that is charity” is that it is discouraged, neither recommended nor commanded. If he chooses charity and does not hold himself above accepting it, he knows best. What falls within the three days is his right and his host’s obligation. If they ask him to remain beyond three days, or he knows they would welcome his staying, there is no harm in it.

وَقَدْ تَأَوَّلَ بَعْضُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ قَوْلَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «فَمَا زَادَ فَوْقَ ثَلَاثٍ فَهُوَ صَدَقَةٌ»، إِنَّهُ صَدَقَةٌ عَلَى أَصْحَابِ الْمَنْزِلِ مِنَ الضَّيْفِ، تَصَدَّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِإِقَامَتِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ مَثُوبَةٌ لَهُمْ، وَلَا يُعْجِبُنِي هَذَا التَّأْوِيلُ. وَلْيُحَافِظْ عَلَى صَلَاتِهِ فِي أَوْقَاتِهَا بِحُسْنِ طَهَارَةٍ وَجَمِيلِ أَدَاءٍ، وَلْيَحْفَظْ قَلْبَهُ أَنْ يَتَشَتَّتَ.

waqad taʾawwala baʿḍu al-ṣūfiyyati qawla al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «famā zāda fawqa thalāthin fahuwa ṣadaqatun», ʾinnahu ṣadaqatun ʿalā ʾaṣḥābi al-manzili mina al-ḍayfi, taṣaddaqa ʿalayhim liʾiqāmatihi, liʾannahu mathūbatun lahum, walā yuʿjibunī hādhā al-taʾwīlu. walyuḥāfiẓ ʿalā ṣalātihi fī ʾawqātihā biḥusni ṭahāratin wajamīli ʾadāʾin, walyaḥfaẓ qalbahu ʾan yatashattata.

Some Sufis have interpreted the words of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, “Whatever exceeds three days is charity,” as charity given by the guest to the household: he gives them charity through staying, because it brings them reward. I do not find this interpretation satisfactory. Let the traveler carefully observe his prayers at their times, with proper purification and a fine performance, and guard his heart against becoming scattered.

فَإِنَّ السَّفَرَ قَدْ يُشَتِّتُ هَمَّ الْمُرِيدِ، وَيَجْمَعُ هَمَّ الْعَارِفِينَ، وَيَشْغَلُ قُلُوبَ الضُّعَفَاءِ، وَيُرَوِّحُ قُلُوبَ الْأَقْوِيَاءِ، وَهُوَ مِحْنَةٌ وَكَشْفٌ لِأَخْلَاقِ الْعَبْدِ. وَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لِلرَّجُلِ الَّذِي زَكَّى عِنْدَهُ رَجُلًا لَمَّا سَأَلَهُ عَنْهُ لِيَقْبَلَ شَهَادَتَهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: هَلْ صَحِبْتَهُ فِي السَّفَرِ الَّذِي يُسْتَدَلُّ بِهِ عَلَى مَكَارِمِ الْأَخْلَاقِ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: مَا أَرَاكَ تَعْرِفُهُ.

faʾinna al-safara qad yushattitu hamma al-murīdi, wayajmaʿu hamma al-ʿārifīna, wayashghalu qulūba al-ḍuʿafāʾi, wayurawwiḥu qulūba al-ʾaqwiyāʾi, wahuwa miḥnatun wakashfun liʾakhlāqi al-ʿabdi. waqāla ʿumaru bnu al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu li-l-rajuli alladhī zakkā ʿindahu rajulan lammā saʾalahu ʿanhu liyaqbala shahādatahu, faqāla lahu: hal ṣaḥibtahu fī al-safari alladhī yustadallu bihi ʿalā makārimi al-ʾakhlāqi? faqāla: lā. qāla: mā ʾarāka taʿrifuhu.

Travel may scatter the aspirant’s concern, gather the concern of the knowers, preoccupy the hearts of the weak, and refresh the hearts of the strong. It is a trial that reveals the servant’s character. When a man vouched for another in the presence of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, God be pleased with him, ʿUmar questioned him so that he could accept his testimony. He asked: “Have you accompanied him on a journey, through which noble character is discerned?” He replied: “No.” ʿUmar said: “I do not think you know him.”

وَعَنْ بَعْضِ السَّلَفِ: إِذَا أَثْنَى عَلَى الرَّجُلِ مُعَامِلُوهُ فِي الْحَضَرِ وَرُفَقَاؤُهُ فِي السَّفَرِ، فَلَا تَشُكُّوا فِي صَلَاحِهِ إِذْ ذَاكَ، لِأَنَّ السَّفَرَ يُسِيءُ الْأَخْلَاقَ، وَيُكْثِرُ الضَّجَرَ، وَيُخْرِجُ مَكَامِنَ النَّفْسِ مِنَ الشُّحِّ وَالشَّرَهِ. وَكُلُّ مَنْ صَلَحَتْ صُحْبَتُهُ فِي السَّفَرِ صَلَحَتْ صُحْبَتُهُ فِي الْحَضَرِ، وَلَيْسَ كُلُّ مَنْ صُحِبَ فِي الْحَضَرِ صَلَحَ أَنْ يُصْحَبَ فِي السَّفَرِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: ثَلَاثَةٌ لَا يُلَامُونَ عَلَى الضَّجَرِ: الصَّائِمُ، وَالْمَرِيضُ، وَالْمُسَافِرُ.

waʿan baʿḍi al-salafi: ʾidhā ʾathnā ʿalā al-rajuli muʿāmilūhu fī al-ḥaḍari warufaqāʾuhu fī al-safari, falā tashukkū fī ṣalāḥihi ʾidh dhāka, liʾanna al-safara yusīʾu al-ʾakhlāqa, wayukthiru al-ḍajara, wayukhriju makāmina al-nafsi mina al-shuḥḥi wa-al-sharahi. wakullu man ṣalaḥat ṣuḥbatuhu fī al-safari ṣalaḥat ṣuḥbatuhu fī al-ḥaḍari, walaysa kullu man ṣuḥiba fī al-ḥaḍari ṣalaḥa ʾan yuṣḥaba fī al-safari. waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: thalāthatun lā yulāmūna ʿalā al-ḍajari: al-ṣāʾimu, wa-al-marīḍu, wa-al-musāfiru.

One of the early generations said: “When a man is praised by those who deal with him at home and those who accompany him on journeys, do not then doubt his goodness.” Travel worsens manners, increases irritation, and brings out the self’s hidden miserliness and greed. Everyone who makes good company on a journey makes good company at home, but not everyone accompanied at home is fit to be accompanied on a journey. One of the early generations said: “Three are not blamed for irritability: the person fasting, the sick person, and the traveler.”

وَلَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُفَارِقَهُ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ أَرْبَعَةٌ: الرَّكْوَةُ، وَالْحَبْلُ، وَالْإِبْرَةُ بِخُيُوطِهَا، وَالْمِقْرَاضُ. وَكَانَ الْخَوَّاصُ مِنَ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ، وَلَمْ تَكُنْ هَذِهِ الْأَرْبَعَةُ تُفَارِقُهُ، وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: لَيْسَتْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا. وَبَعْضُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ كَانَ يَقُولُ: إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مَعَ الْفَقِيرِ رَكْوَةٌ وَحَبْلٌ، دَلَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى نُقْصَانِ دِينِهِ.

walā yanbaghī ʾan yufāriqahu mina al-ʾasbābi ʾarbaʿatun: al-rakwatu, wa-al-ḥablu, wa-al-ʾibratu bikhuyūṭihā, wa-al-miqrāḍu. wakāna al-khawwāṣu mina al-mutawakkilīna, walam takun hādhihi al-ʾarbaʿatu tufāriquhu, wakāna yaqūlu: laysat mina al-dunyā. wabaʿḍu al-ṣūfiyyati kāna yaqūlu: ʾidhā lam yakun maʿa al-faqīri rakwatun waḥablun, dalla dhālika ʿalā nuqṣāni dīnihi.

Four practical means should never leave him: a leather water vessel, a rope, a needle with its threads, and scissors. Al-Khawwāṣ was among those who trusted in God, yet these four things never left him. He used to say: “They do not belong to this world.” One of the Sufis used to say: “If the spiritual poor person does not have a water vessel and rope with him, that shows a deficiency in his religion.”

وَكَانَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ أَرْبَابِ الْقُلُوبِ وَأَهْلِ الْمُعَايَنَةِ بِالْأَحْوَالِ إِذَا اسْتَوْطَنَتْ نُفُوسُهُمْ مِصْرًا أَوْ سَكَنَتْ إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ عَمِلُوا فِي الْغُرْبَةِ لِرَفْعِ الْعَادَةِ وَإِيثَارًا لِلْقِلَّةِ وَالذِّلَّةِ، وَقَالُوا: لَا يَخْلُو الْمُؤْمِنُ مِنْ قِلَّةٍ أَوْ عِلَّةٍ أَوْ ذِلَّةٍ. وَكَانُوا إِذَا خَافُوا الِاسْتِشْرَافَ إِلَى الْخَلْقِ خَرَجُوا فِي

wakāna jamāʿatun min ʾarbābi al-qulūbi waʾahli al-muʿāyanati bi-al-ʾaḥwāli ʾidhā istawṭanat nufūsuhum miṣran ʾaw sakanat ʾilā mawḍiʿin ʿamilū fī al-ghurbati lirafʿi al-ʿādati waʾīthāran li-l-qillati wa-al-dhillati, waqālū: lā yakhlū al-muʾminu min qillatin ʾaw ʿillatin ʾaw dhillatin. wakānū ʾidhā khāfū al-istishrāfa ʾilā al-khalqi kharajū fī

There were people of the heart and direct witnessing through spiritual states who, whenever their selves became settled in a town or attached to a place, undertook exile to break habit and choose scarcity and lowliness. They said: “A believer is never without scarcity, sickness, or lowliness.” Whenever they feared looking toward created beings for support, they would set out on

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٤٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 348

Volume Two, page 348

الْأَسْفَارِ لِقَطْعِ ذَلِكَ وَحَسْمِهِ مِنَ الْأَذْكَارِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ الْخَوَّاصُ لَا يُقِيمُ فِي بَلَدٍ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، وَيَرَى أَنَّ ذَلِكَ عِلَّةٌ فِي تَوَكُّلِهِ، فَيَعْمَلُ فِي اخْتِبَارِ نَفْسِهِ وَكَشْفِ حَالِهِ.

al-ʾasfāri liqaṭʿi dhālika waḥasmihi mina al-ʾadhkāri. waqad kāna al-khawwāṣu lā yuqīmu fī baladin ʾakthara min ʾarbaʿīna yawman, wayarā ʾanna dhālika ʿillatun fī tawakkulihi, fayaʿmalu fī ikhtibāri nafsihi wakashfi ḥālihi.

journeys to cut that off and remove it from their thoughts. Al-Khawwāṣ would not remain in a town for more than forty days. He regarded such a stay as a flaw in his trust, so he worked to test his self and uncover his state.

وَحَدَّثَنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ الشُّيُوخِ قَالَ: لَبِثْتُ فِي الْبَرِّيَّةِ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا لَمْ أَطْعَمْ شَيْئًا، وَتَطَلَّعَتْ نَفْسِي أَنْ تُعَرِّجَ عَلَى حَشِيشِ الْبَرِّيَّةِ، فَرَأَيْتُ الْخَضِرَ مُقْبِلًا نَحْوِي فَهَرَبْتُ مِنْهُ، فَلَمَّا وَلَّيْتُ عَنْهُ هَارِبًا اِلْتَفَتُّ إِلَيْهِ، فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ رَجَعَ عَنِّي، فَاُنْظُرُوا إِلَى وَلِيِّ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ كَيْفَ لَمْ يُفْسِدْ عَلَيَّ تَوَكُّلِي. فَقِيلَ لَهُ: لِمَ هَرَبْتَ مِنْهُ؟ قَالَ: تَشَوَّفَتْ نَفْسِي أَنْ يُقِيتَنِي.

waḥaddathanā ʿan baʿḍi al-shuyūkhi qāla: labithtu fī al-barriyyati ʾaḥada ʿashara yawman lam ʾaṭʿam shayʾan, wataṭallaʿat nafsī ʾan tuʿarrija ʿalā ḥashīshi al-barriyyati, faraʾaytu al-khaḍira muqbilan naḥwī faharabtu minhu, falammā wallaytu ʿanhu hāriban iltafattu ʾilayhi, faʾidhā huwa qad rajaʿa ʿannī, fa-unẓurū ʾilā waliyyi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla kayfa lam yufsid ʿalayya tawakkulī. faqīla lahu: lima harabta minhu? qāla: tashawwafat nafsī ʾan yuqītanī.

Someone related to us from one of the masters: “I spent eleven days in the wilderness without eating anything. My self began looking toward turning aside to the wild grass. Then I saw al-Khaḍir approaching me, and I fled from him. When I had turned away in flight, I looked back and saw that he had turned away from me. Look at the friend of God, mighty and majestic: how he refrained from spoiling my trust!” He was asked: “Why did you flee from him?” He answered: “My self had begun hoping he would feed me.”

وَعَلَى الْمُسَافِرِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُلُوبِ أَنْ يُفَرِّقَ بَيْنَ سُكُونِ الْقَلْبِ إِلَى الْوَطَنِ وَالسَّفَرِ، وَبَيْنَ سُكُونِ النَّفْسِ إِلَيْهِمَا، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ قَدْ يَلْتَبِسُ، فَيَحْسَبُ مَنْ لَا بَصِيرَةَ لَهُ وَلَا تَفْتِيشَ لِحَالِهِ وَلَا صِدْقَ فِي أَحْوَالِهِ أَنَّ سُكُونَ النَّفْسِ هُوَ سُكُونُ الْقَلْبِ، فَيَنْقُصُ بِذَلِكَ وَلَا يَفْطَنُ لِنُقْصَانِهِ. فَإِنْ كَانَ قَلْبُهُ يَسْكُنُ إِلَى أَحَدِهِمَا وَفِيهِ صَلَاحُ دِينِهِ وَعِمَارَةُ آخِرَتِهِ وَمَحَبَّةُ رَبِّهِ، فَهَذَا سُكُونُ الْقَلْبِ لِأَنَّهُ يَسْكُنُ إِلَى أَخْلَاقِ الْإِيمَانِ وَمَا وَرَدَ الْعِلْمُ بِهِ.

waʿalā al-musāfiri min ʾahli al-qulūbi ʾan yufarriqa bayna sukūni al-qalbi ʾilā al-waṭani wa-al-safari, wabayna sukūni al-nafsi ʾilayhimā, faʾinna dhālika qad yaltabisu, fayaḥsabu man lā baṣīrata lahu walā taftīsha liḥālihi walā ṣidqa fī ʾaḥwālihi ʾanna sukūna al-nafsi huwa sukūnu al-qalbi, fayanquṣu bi-dhālika walā yafṭanu linuqṣānihi. faʾin kāna qalbuhu yaskunu ʾilā ʾaḥadihimā wafīhi ṣalāḥu dīnihi waʿimāratu ʾākhiratihi wamaḥabbatu rabbihi, fa-hādhā sukūnu al-qalbi liʾannahu yaskunu ʾilā ʾakhlāqi al-ʾīmāni wamā warada al-ʿilmu bihi.

A traveler who is among the people of the heart must distinguish between the heart’s resting in home or travel and the self’s resting in them. The two can be confused. Someone without insight, without searching examination of his state, and without truthfulness in his spiritual states may suppose that the self’s repose is the heart’s repose. He thereby declines without noticing his decline. If his heart rests in one of the two because it sets his religion right, builds up his hereafter, and brings the love of his Lord, that is the heart’s repose: it rests in the qualities of faith and what knowledge has taught.

وَإِنْ كَانَتْ نَفْسُهُ تَسْكُنُ إِلَى أَحَدِهِمَا مِمَّا فِيهِ عَاجِلُ حُظُوظٍ وَعِمَارَةُ دُنْيَاهُ وَمُوَافَقَةُ هَوَاهُ، فَهَذَا سُكُونُ نَفْسٍ، لِأَنَّهَا تَسْكُنُ إِلَى مَعَانِي الْهَوَى، فَلْيَتَحَوَّلْ مِنَ الْوَطَنِ إِلَى الْغُرْبَةِ، وَلْيَرْجِعْ مِنَ الْغُرْبَةِ إِلَى الْمِصْرِ. وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي سَفَرٍ عَلَى غَيْرِ هَذَا النَّعْتِ مِنَ التَّفَقُّدِ لِحَالِهِ وَحُسْنِ الْقِيَامِ بِأَحْكَامِهِ فَهُوَ عَلَى هَوًى وَفِتْنَةٍ، وَسَفَرُهُ بَلَاءٌ عَلَيْهِ وَمِحْنَةٌ.

waʾin kānat nafsuhu taskunu ʾilā ʾaḥadihimā mimmā fīhi ʿājilu ḥuẓūẓin waʿimāratu dunyāhu wamuwāfaqatu hawāhu, fa-hādhā sukūnu nafsin, liʾannahā taskunu ʾilā maʿānī al-hawā, falyataḥawwal mina al-waṭani ʾilā al-ghurbati, walyarjiʿ mina al-ghurbati ʾilā al-miṣri. waman kāna fī safarin ʿalā ghayri hādhā al-naʿti mina al-tafaqqudi liḥālihi waḥusni al-qiyāmi biʾaḥkāmihi fahuwa ʿalā hawan wafitnatin, wasafaruhu balāʾun ʿalayhi wamiḥnatun.

But if his self rests in one of them because it offers immediate satisfactions, builds up his worldly life, and agrees with his desires, that is the self’s repose, for it rests in the objects of desire. Let him then move from home into exile, or return from exile to the town. Whoever travels without this attentive examination of his state and proper observance of its requirements follows desire and temptation. His journey becomes an affliction and a trial for him.

وَفَصْلُ الْخِطَابِ أَنَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ فِي سَفَرِهِ حَالٌ يَشْغَلُهُ، وَهَمٌّ يَجْمَعُهُ، وَوَقْتٌ يَحْبِسُهُ، وَمَأْوًى يُظِلُّهُ، وَمَسْكَنٌ يُؤْنِسُهُ، وَزَادٌ مِنْ بَاطِنِهِ، وَعِلْمٌ مِنْ عَالِمِهِ، فَإِنَّ الْحَضَرَ أَرْفَقُ لِحَالِهِ، وَأَصْلَحُ لِقَلْبِهِ، وَأَسْكَنُ لِنَفْسِهِ مِنَ السَّفَرِ، لِأَنَّهُ يَكُونُ فِي السَّفَرِ مُشَتَّتَ السِّرِّ، مُفَرَّقَ الْهَمِّ.

wafaṣlu al-khiṭābi ʾanna man lam yakun lahu fī safarihi ḥālun yashghaluhu, wahammun yajmaʿuhu, wawaqtun yaḥbisuhu, wamaʾwan yuẓilluhu, wamaskanun yuʾnisuhu, wazādun min bāṭinihi, waʿilmun min ʿālimihi, faʾinna al-ḥaḍara ʾarfaqu liḥālihi, waʾaṣlaḥu liqalbihi, waʾaskanu linafsihi mina al-safari, liʾannahu yakūnu fī al-safari mushattata al-sirri, mufarraqa al-hammi.

The decisive point is this: if a traveler has no spiritual state to occupy him, no concern to gather him, no present moment to hold him, no refuge to shelter him, no dwelling to comfort him, no provision from his inward being, and no knowledge from his teacher, staying at home is gentler on his state, better for his heart, and more restful for his self than travel. For on a journey his innermost awareness is scattered and his concern divided.

تَارَةً بِوُجُودِ مَعْلُومٍ يَخَافُ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَرَّةً بِفَقْدِ مُعْتَادٍ يَحِنُّ إِلَيْهِ، مَرَّةً بِاسْتِشْرَافٍ إِلَى خَلْقٍ يَطْمَعُ فِيهِ، فَمَرَّةً يَضْعُفُ قَلْبُهُ مَعَ الْعَدَمِ، وَتَارَةً يَقْوَى بِالِاسْتِطْلَاعِ إِلَى الْبَشَرِ، وَمَرَّةً يَفْزَعُ بِفَقْدِ مَا عِنْدَهُ قَدْ حَضَرَ. فَمِثْلُ هَذَا يَكُونُ فِي السَّفَرِ نُقْصَانُ مَا ادَّعَى، وَالسَّفَرُ يَجْمَعُ هَمَّ الْأَقْوِيَاءِ، وَيُشَتِّتُ قُلُوبَ الضُّعَفَاءِ، وَيُذْهِبُ أَحْوَالَ أَهْلِ الِابْتِدَاءِ.

tāratan biwujūdi maʿlūmin yakhāfu ʿalayhi, wamarratan bifaqdi muʿtādin yaḥinnu ʾilayhi, marratan bistishrāfin ʾilā khalqin yaṭmaʿu fīhi, famarratan yaḍʿufu qalbuhu maʿa al-ʿadami, watāratan yaqwā bi-al-istiṭlāʿi ʾilā al-bashari, wamarratan yafzaʿu bifaqdi mā ʿindahu qad ḥaḍara. famithlu hādhā yakūnu fī al-safari nuqṣānu mā iddaʿā, wa-al-safaru yajmaʿu hamma al-ʾaqwiyāʾi, wayushattitu qulūba al-ḍuʿafāʾi, wayudhhibu ʾaḥwāla ʾahli al-ibtidāʾi.

At one time he has provision that he fears losing; at another he lacks a familiar comfort for which he yearns. At another he looks toward someone from whom he hopes to gain. Sometimes his heart weakens when he has nothing, and sometimes it gains strength by looking to people. At another time he is frightened by the loss of what he had at hand. For someone like this, travel diminishes what he has claimed. Travel gathers the concern of the strong, scatters the hearts of the weak, and carries away the states of beginners.

ثُمَّ إِنْ لَمْ يَصْلُحْ قَلْبُهُ وَلَمْ يَسْتَقِمْ حَالُهُ فِي الْحَضَرِ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَصْلُحُ حَالُهُ وَلَا يَسْتَقِيمُ قَلْبُهُ فِي السَّفَرِ. وَأَنْشَدُوا لِبَعْضِ السَّائِحِينَ فِي التَّغَرُّبِ: أَلِفْتُ التَّفَرُّدَ وَالْغُرْبَةَ ... فَفِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ أَطَأُ تُرْبَةً؛ فَيَوْمٌ مُقِيمٌ عَلَى نِعْمَةٍ ... وَيَوْمٌ مُطِلٌّ عَلَى نَكْبَةٍ؛ وَمِمَّا يُطَيِّبُ نَفْسَ الْغَرِيبِ ... حَبِيبٌ تَطِيبُ بِهِ الصُّحْبَةُ.

thumma ʾin lam yaṣluḥ qalbuhu walam yastaqim ḥāluhu fī al-ḥaḍari, faʾinnahu lā yaṣluḥu ḥāluhu walā yastaqīmu qalbuhu fī al-safari. waʾanshadū libaʿḍi al-sāʾiḥīna fī al-tagharrubi: ʾaliftu al-tafarruda wa-al-ghurbata ... fafī kulli yawmin ʾaṭaʾu turbatan; fayawmun muqīmun ʿalā niʿmatin ... wayawmun muṭillun ʿalā nakbatin; wamimmā yuṭayyibu nafsa al-gharībi ... ḥabībun taṭību bihi al-ṣuḥbatu.

Furthermore, if his heart is not set right and his state is not established at home, his state will not be set right nor his heart established in travel. They recited these lines by a wanderer about living away from home: “I have grown accustomed to solitude and exile; each day I tread a different soil. One day I dwell amid a blessing; another I look out upon calamity. Among the things that gladden an exile’s soul is a beloved companion whose company is sweet.”

وَقَدْ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ يُسَافِرَ الرَّجُلُ وَحْدَهُ فَقَالَ: «الثَّلَاثَةُ نَفَرٌ»، وَقَالَ: «إِذَا كُنْتُمْ فِي سَفَرٍ ثَلَاثَةً فَأَمِّرُوا أَحَدَكُمْ». قَالَ: فَكَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ ذَلِكَ، وَيَقُولُونَ: ذَاكَ أَمِيرٌ أَمَّرَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَكَذَلِكَ يُسْتَحَبُّ. وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: «خَيْرُ الْأَصْحَابِ أَرْبَعَةٌ»، وَالْأَسْفَارُ وَالنُّزَهُ لَا تَطِيبُ إِلَّا فِي

waqad nahā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾan yusāfira al-rajulu waḥdahu faqāla: «al-thalāthatu nafarun», waqāla: «ʾidhā kuntum fī safarin thalāthatan faʾammirū ʾaḥadakum». qāla: fakānū yafʿalūna dhālika, wayaqūlūna: dhāka ʾamīrun ʾammarahu rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, wa-kadhālika yustaḥabbu. waqad jāʾa fī al-khabari: «khayru al-ʾaṣḥābi ʾarbaʿatun», wa-al-ʾasfāru wa-al-nuzahu lā taṭību ʾillā fī

The Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, forbade a man to travel alone, saying: “Three make a party.” He also said: “When three of you are traveling, appoint one of you as leader.” The narrator said: “They used to do this and say: ‘That is a leader whom the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, appointed.’” This is indeed recommended. A report says: “The best number of companions is four.” Journeys and outings are pleasant only in

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٤٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 349

Volume Two, page 349

جَمَاعَةٍ، وَأَقَلُّ الْجَمَاعَةِ اثْنَانِ، وَالثَّلَاثَةُ وَالْأَرْبَعَةُ أَفْضَلُ. وَالسِّيَاحَةُ لَا تَحْسُنُ إِلَّا عَلَى الِانْفِرَادِ وَالْوَحْدَةِ، فَإِنِ اتَّفَقَ ثَلَاثَةٌ فِي سِيَاحَةٍ بِقَلْبٍ وَاحِدٍ وَهَمٍّ وَاحِدٍ عَلَى حَالٍ وَاحِدٍ، فَهُمْ كَعَبْدٍ وَاحِدٍ، فَهُوَ حَسَنٌ، وَفِيهِ مُعَاوَنَةٌ عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى.

jamāʿatin, waʾaqallu al-jamāʿati ithnāni, wa-al-thalāthatu wa-al-ʾarbaʿatu ʾafḍalu. wa-al-siyāḥatu lā taḥsunu ʾillā ʿalā al-infirādi wa-al-waḥdati, faʾini ittafaqa thalāthatun fī siyāḥatin biqalbin wāḥidin wahammin wāḥidin ʿalā ḥālin wāḥidin, fahum kaʿabdin wāḥidin, fahuwa ḥasanun, wafīhi muʿāwanatun ʿalā al-birri wa-al-taqwā.

a group. The smallest group is two, though three or four is better. Spiritual wandering, however, is good only in solitude and aloneness. If three agree to wander with one heart, one concern, and one state, they are like a single servant. That is good, and it brings mutual assistance in righteousness and reverence for God.

قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيمَنْ مَنَعَهُ النُّصْرَةَ وَحَرَمَهُ مِنْهُ الصُّحْبَةَ: (لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ مِنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ) الْأَنْبِيَاءُ: 43. فَمَنْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فَقَدْ صَحِبَهُ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَصْحَبْهُ سَلَّطَ عَلَيْهِ نَفْسَهُ وَسَخَّرَهُ لَهَا.

qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla fīman manaʿahu al-nuṣrata waḥaramahu minhu al-ṣuḥbata: (lā yastaṭīʿūna naṣra ʾanfusihim walā hum minnā yuṣḥabūna) al-ʾanbiyāʾu: 43. faman naṣarahu Allāhu ʿalā nafsihi faqad ṣaḥibahu, waman lam yaṣḥabhu sallaṭa ʿalayhi nafsahu wasakhkharahu lahā.

God, mighty and majestic, said of those from whom He withheld aid and deprived of His companionship: “They cannot help themselves, nor are they given companionship from Us” (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:43). Whoever God helps against his self has received His companionship. Whoever He does not accompany, He gives his self power over him and makes him serve it.

وَجُمْلَةُ الْأَمْرِ أَنَّ السَّفَرَ عَمَلٌ مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى نِيَّةٍ وَإِخْلَاصٍ، فَمِنْهُ فَرْضٌ، وَهُوَ مَا هُرِبَ بِهِ مِنْ مَعْصِيَةٍ، وَمِنْهُ فَضْلٌ، وَهُوَ مَا طُلِبَ بِهِ طَاعَةٌ، وَمِنْهُ مُبَاحٌ، وَهُوَ مَا ضُرِبَ بِهِ فِي تِجَارَةٍ، وَمِنْهُ مَعْصِيَةٌ، وَهُوَ مَا سُعِيَ بِهِ فِي فَسَادٍ.

wajumlatu al-ʾamri ʾanna al-safara ʿamalun mina al-ʾaʿmāli yaḥtāju ʾilā niyyatin waʾikhlāṣin, faminhu farḍun, wahuwa mā huriba bihi min maʿṣiyatin, waminhu faḍlun, wahuwa mā ṭuliba bihi ṭāʿatun, waminhu mubāḥun, wahuwa mā ḍuriba bihi fī tijāratin, waminhu maʿṣiyatun, wahuwa mā suʿiya bihi fī fasādin.

In sum, travel is an action like other actions: it requires intention and sincerity. Some travel is obligatory, when it is a means of fleeing disobedience. Some is meritorious, when obedience is sought through it. Some is permitted, when one sets out on business. And some is sinful, when one uses it to pursue corruption.

الْفَصْلُ الثَّالِثُ وَالْأَرْبَعُونَ فِيهِ كِتَابُ حُكْمِ الْإِمَامِ وَوَصْفِ الْإِمَامِ وَالْمَأْمُومِ

al-faṣlu al-thālithu wa-al-ʾarbaʿūna fīhi kitābu ḥukmi al-ʾimāmi wawaṣfi al-ʾimāmi wa-al-maʾmūmi

Chapter Forty-Three: The Duties of the Prayer Leader and the Qualities of the Leader and Those Who Follow

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٥٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 350

Volume Two, page 350

فَإِنْ كَانَ هَذَا الْمُرِيدُ إِمَامًا لِحَيِّهِ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَقُومَ بِحُكْمِ الْإِمَامَةِ حَتَّى يُتِمَّهَا، فَيَسْتَحِقُّ الْإِمَامُ بِأَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ مَنْ صَلَّى خَلْفَهُ بِأَنْ يَكُونَ دَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، قَائِمًا بَيْنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَبَيْنَ عِبَادِهِ، هُوَ وِجْهَتُهُمْ وَطَرِيقَتُهُمْ إِلَيْهِ.

faʾin kāna hādhā al-murīdu ʾimāman liḥayyihi kāna ʿalayhi ʾan yaqūma biḥukmi al-ʾimāmati ḥattā yutimmahā, fayastaḥiqqu al-ʾimāmu biʾan yakūna lahu mithlu ʾajri man ṣallā khalfahu biʾan yakūna dāʿiyan ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, qāʾiman bayna Allāhi taʿālā wabayna ʿibādihi, huwa wijhatuhum waṭarīqatuhum ʾilayhi.

If this seeker leads the prayer for his neighborhood, he must fulfill the duties of that office completely. The leader earns a reward equal to that of everyone praying behind him by calling people to God, mighty and majestic, and standing between God Most High and His servants: he is their point of orientation and their path to Him.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «إِنَّمَا الْإِمَامُ أَمِيرٌ، فَإِذَا رَكَعَ فَارْكَعُوا وَإِذَا سَجَدَ فَاسْجُدُوا». وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: «فَإِنْ تَمَّ فَلَهُ وَلَهُمْ، وَإِنْ نَقَصَ فَعَلَيْهِ وَلَا عَلَيْهِمْ». وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «أَئِمَّتُكُمْ وَفْدُكُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَإِنْ أَرَدْتُمْ أَنْ تَزْكُوَ صَلَاتُكُمْ فَقَدِّمُوا خِيَارَكُمْ».

wafī al-khabari: «ʾinnamā al-ʾimāmu ʾamīrun, faʾidhā rakaʿa farkaʿū waʾidhā sajada fasjudū». wafī al-ḥadīthi: «faʾin tamma falahu walahum, waʾin naqaṣa faʿalayhi walā ʿalayhim». wafī al-khabari: «ʾaʾimmatukum wafdukum ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, faʾin ʾaradtum ʾan tazkuwa ṣalātukum faqaddimū khiyārakum».

A report says, “The prayer leader is a commander. When he bows, bow; when he prostrates, prostrate.” A hadith says, “If it is complete, the credit is his and theirs; if it falls short, the responsibility is his, not theirs.” Another report says, “Your prayer leaders are your delegation to God, mighty and majestic. If you want your prayer to be pure, put forward the best among you.”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ: «الْإِمَامُ ضَامِنٌ وَالْمُؤَذِّنُ مُؤْتَمَنٌ، اللَّهُمَّ أَرْشِدِ الْأَئِمَّةَ وَاغْفِرْ لِلْمُؤَذِّنِينَ». وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: «ثَلَاثَةٌ لَا تُقْبَلُ لَهُمْ صَلَاةٌ»، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: «لَا تُجَاوِزُ صَلَاتُهُمْ رُؤُوسَهُمْ: الْعَبْدُ الْآبِقُ، وَامْرَأَةٌ زَوْجُهَا عَلَيْهَا سَاخِطٌ، وَإِمَامُ قَوْمٍ وَهُمْ لَهُ كَارِهُونَ».

wafī al-khabari al-mashhūri: «al-ʾimāmu ḍāminun wa-al-muʾadhdhinu muʾtamanun, Allāhumma ʾarshidi al-ʾaʾimmata waghfir li-l-muʾadhdhinīna». wafī al-ḥadīthi: «thalāthatun lā tuqbalu lahum ṣalātun», wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: «lā tujāwizu ṣalātuhum ruʾūsahum: al-ʿabdu al-ʾābiqu, wamraʾatun zawjuhā ʿalayhā sākhiṭun, waʾimāmu qawmin wahum lahu kārihūna».

The well-known report says, “The prayer leader bears responsibility, and the caller to prayer holds a trust. O God, guide the prayer leaders and forgive the callers to prayer.” A hadith says, “Three people’s prayers are not accepted,” or, in another wording, “Their prayers do not rise above their heads: a runaway slave, a woman whose husband is displeased with her, and a prayer leader whom his people dislike.”

فَأَوَّلُ مَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الشُّرُوطِ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُجْتَنِبًا لِلْفُسُوقِ وَالْكَبَائِرِ وَغَيْرَ مُصِرٍّ عَلَى الصَّغَائِرِ، قَارِئًا لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، أَوْ لِمَا يُحْسِنُ مِنْهُ بِغَيْرِ لَحْنٍ وَلَا إِحَالَةِ مَعْنًى، عَالِمًا بِفَرَائِضِ الصَّلَاةِ وَسُنَنِهَا، وَمَا يُفْسِدُهَا وَمَا يُوجِبُ السَّهْوَ وَمَا لَا يُوجِبُهُ مِنْهَا.

faʾawwalu mā ʿalayhi mina al-shurūṭi ʾan yakūna mujtaniban li-l-fusūqi wa-al-kabāʾiri waghayra muṣirrin ʿalā al-ṣaghāʾiri, qāriʾan likitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, ʾaw limā yuḥsinu minhu bighayri laḥnin walā ʾiḥālati maʿnan, ʿāliman bifarāʾiḍi al-ṣalāti wasunanihā, wamā yufsiduhā wamā yūjibu al-sahwa wamā lā yūjibuhu minhā.

The first conditions he must meet are to avoid flagrant wrongdoing and major sins, and not persist in minor sins; to recite the Book of God, mighty and majestic, or whatever of it he knows well, without grammatical error or distortion of meaning; and to know prayer’s obligatory and customary practices, what invalidates it, and which lapses require a compensating prostration and which do not.

وَإِنْ حَدَثَتْ عَلَيْهِ حَادِثَةٌ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، أَوْ ذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ وُضُوءٍ وَرِعَ وَاتَّقَى اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَخَرَجَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ وَأَخَذَ بِيَدِ أَقْرَبِ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ، فَاسْتَخْلَفَهُ فِي مَقَامِهِ. وَقَدْ أَصَابَ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِمَامَ الْأُمَّةِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَخَرَجَ مِنْهَا، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ ذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ جُنُبًا فَاغْتَسَلَ، ثُمَّ رَجَعَ فَدَخَلَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ.

waʾin ḥadathat ʿalayhi ḥādithatun fī al-ṣalāti, ʾaw dhakara ʾannahu ʿalā ghayri wuḍūʾin wariʿa wattaqā Allāha ʿazza wajalla, wakharaja min ṣalātihi waʾakhadha biyadi ʾaqrabi al-nāsi minhu, fastakhlafahu fī maqāmihi. waqad ʾaṣāba dhālika rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾimāma al-ʾummati fī al-ṣalāti fakharaja minhā, wa-dhālika ʾannahu dhakara ʾannahu kāna junuban faghtasala, thumma rajaʿa fadakhala fī al-ṣalāti.

If something happens during prayer to invalidate his purification, or he remembers that he has no ablution, he must act scrupulously and fear God, mighty and majestic. He leaves the prayer, takes the hand of the person nearest him, and puts that person in his place. This happened to God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, the community’s leader in prayer. He left it because he remembered that he was in a state requiring a full ritual bath; he bathed, then returned and entered the prayer.

فَإِنْ كَانَتِ الْحَادِثَةُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ، وَإِنْ كَانَ ذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى غَيْرِ طَهَارَةٍ خَرَجَ وَلَمْ يَسْتَخْلِفْ وَابْتَدَأَ الْقَوْمُ صَلَاتَهُمْ. فَلْيَكُنِ الْإِمَامُ مَأْمُونًا عَلَى طَهَارَتِهِ بِإِكْمَالِهَا، مَأْمُونًا فِي صَلَاتِهِ بِإِقَامَتِهَا، مُخْلِصًا بِالْإِمَامَةِ، يُرِيدُ بِهَا وَجْهَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَمَا عِنْدَهُ.

faʾin kānati al-ḥādithatu fī al-ṣalāti faʿala dhālika, waʾin kāna dhakara ʾannahu dakhala fī al-ṣalāti ʿalā ghayri ṭahāratin kharaja walam yastakhlif wabtadaʾa al-qawmu ṣalātahum. falyakuni al-ʾimāmu maʾmūnan ʿalā ṭahāratihi biʾikmālihā, maʾmūnan fī ṣalātihi biʾiqāmatihā, mukhliṣan bi-al-ʾimāmati, yurīdu bihā wajha Allāhi taʿālā wamā ʿindahu.

If the invalidating event occurs during the prayer, he does as just described. But if he remembers that he entered the prayer without purification, he leaves without appointing a replacement, and the people begin their prayer again. The leader must be trustworthy in completing his purification and performing his prayer correctly, and sincere in leading it, seeking God Most High’s countenance and the reward with Him.

وَلَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ أَجْرًا وَلَا عَلَى الْأَذَانِ الَّذِي هُوَ طَرِيقٌ إِلَيْهَا. أَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ أَبِي الْعَاصِ الثَّقَفِيَّ فَقَالَ: «وَاتَّخِذْ مُؤَذِّنًا لَا يَأْخُذُ عَلَى الْأَذَانِ أَجْرًا». فَهَذَا الدَّاعِي إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ لَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ عَلَى دُعَائِهِ أَجْرًا، فَكَيْفَ الْمُصَلِّي الْقَائِمُ بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَبَيْنَ عِبَادِهِ؟

walā yaḥillu lahu ʾan yaʾkhudha ʿalā al-ṣalāti ʾajran walā ʿalā al-ʾadhāni alladhī huwa ṭarīqun ʾilayhā. ʾamara rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿuthmāna bna ʾabī al-ʿāṣi al-thaqafiyya faqāla: «wattakhidh muʾadhdhinan lā yaʾkhudhu ʿalā al-ʾadhāni ʾajran». fa-hādhā al-dāʿī ʾilā al-ṣalāti lā yaḥillu lahu ʾan yaʾkhudha ʿalā duʿāʾihi ʾajran, fakayfa al-muṣallī al-qāʾimu bayna Allāhi wabayna ʿibādihi?

He may not take payment for leading prayer, or for the call that brings people to it. God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, instructed ʿUthmān ibn Abī al-ʿĀṣ al-Thaqafī, saying, “Appoint a caller who takes no payment for the call to prayer.” If this person summoning people to prayer may not take payment for his summons, what of the person praying as he stands between God and His servants?

وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ يَقُولُ: لَيْسَ بَعْدَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ، وَلَا بَعْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ

waqad kāna baʿḍu al-salafi yaqūlu: laysa baʿda al-ʾanbiyāʾi ʾafḍalu mina al-ʿulamāʾi, walā baʿda al-ʿulamāʾi

One of the early Muslims used to say, “After the prophets, no one is better than the scholars; and after the scholars, no one is

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٥١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 351

Volume Two, page 351

أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ الْمُصَلِّينَ، لِأَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ قَامُوا بَيْنَ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى وَبَيْنَ خَلْقِهِ، هَذَا بِالنُّبُوَّةِ، وَهَذَا بِالْعِلْمِ، وَهَذَا بِعِمَادِ الدِّينِ، وَهِيَ الصَّلَاةُ. وَبِهَذِهِ الْحُجَّةِ اُحْتُجَّ عَلَى عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي تَقْدِمَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ لِلْخِلَافَةِ لَمَّا أَهَّلَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِدِينِنَا.

ʾafḍalu min ʾaʾimmati al-muṣallīna, liʾanna hāʾulāʾi qāmū bayna Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā wabayna khalqihi, hādhā bi-al-nubuwwati, wa-hādhā bi-al-ʿilmi, wa-hādhā biʿimādi al-dīni, wahiya al-ṣalātu. wabi-hādhihi al-ḥujjati uḥtujja ʿalā ʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fī taqdimati ʾabī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhu li-l-khilāfati lammā ʾahhalahu rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama lidīninā.

better than the leaders of those who pray. For these stand between God, blessed and exalted, and His creation: one through prophethood, another through knowledge, and another through religion’s supporting pillar, prayer.” This was the argument put to ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him, for giving Abū Bakr, may God Most High be pleased with him, precedence in the caliphate, since God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, had judged him fit to lead us in our religion.

قَالَ: فَنَظَرْنَا فَإِذَا الصَّلَاةُ عِمَادُ الدِّينِ، فَاخْتَرْنَا لِدُنْيَانَا مَنْ رَضِيَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِدِينِنَا. وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ دُلَّنِي عَلَى عَمَلٍ يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ، فَقَالَ: «كُنْ مُؤَذِّنًا»، قَالَ: لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ، قَالَ: «كُنْ إِمَامًا»، قَالَ: لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ، قَالَ: «فَصَلِّ بِإِزَاءِ الْإِمَامِ».

qāla: fanaẓarnā faʾidhā al-ṣalātu ʿimādu al-dīni, fakhtarnā lidunyānā man raḍiyahu rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama lidīninā. waqāla rajulun: yā rasūla Allāhi dullanī ʿalā ʿamalin yudkhilunī al-jannata, faqāla: «kun muʾadhdhinan», qāla: lā ʾastaṭīʿu, qāla: «kun ʾimāman», qāla: lā ʾastaṭīʿu, qāla: «faṣalli biʾizāʾi al-ʾimāmi».

He said, “We considered the matter and saw that prayer is religion’s supporting pillar. So for our worldly affairs we chose the man whom God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, had approved for our religion.” A man said, “Messenger of God, show me a deed that will bring me into Paradise.” He answered, “Be a caller to prayer.” “I cannot,” the man said. “Be a prayer leader.” “I cannot.” “Then pray alongside the leader.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الْوَرِعِينَ يَتَوَرَّعُ عَنِ الْإِمَامَةِ لِمَا فِيهَا وَلِمَا عَلَى الْإِمَامِ مِنْ ثِقَلِهَا وَتَحَمُّلِهَا، وَكَانُوا يَخْتَارُونَ الْأَذَانَ عَلَى الْإِمَامَةِ وَيُفَضِّلُونَهُ عَلَيْهَا، مِنْهُمْ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ. وَعَلَيْهِ أَنْ يُرَاعِيَ أَوْقَاتَ الصَّلَوَاتِ لِيُصَلِّيَ فِي أَوَائِلِهَا، فَيُدْرِكَ رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

waqad kāna baʿḍu al-wariʿīna yatawarraʿu ʿani al-ʾimāmati limā fīhā walimā ʿalā al-ʾimāmi min thiqalihā wataḥammulihā, wakānū yakhtārūna al-ʾadhāna ʿalā al-ʾimāmati wayufaḍḍilūnahu ʿalayhā, minhum kathīrun mina al-ṣaḥābati. waʿalayhi ʾan yurāʿiya ʾawqāta al-ṣalawāti liyuṣalliya fī ʾawāʾilihā, fayudrika riḍwāna Allāhi ʿazza wajalla.

Some scrupulous people avoided leading prayer because of what the office entails and the heavy burden the leader must bear. They chose the call to prayer over leading it and considered it preferable; many Companions were among them. The leader must attend carefully to prayer times and pray at their beginning, thus attaining the good pleasure of God, mighty and majestic.

وَبَيْنَ فَضْلِ الصَّلَاةِ فِي أَوَّلِ وَقْتِهَا عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ فِي آخِرِ وَقْتِهَا كَفَضْلِ الْآخِرَةِ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا، كَذَلِكَ رُوِيَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَفِي حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ: «أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيُصَلِّي الصَّلَاةَ فِي آخِرِ وَقْتِهَا وَلَمْ يَفُتْهُ، وَلَمَا فَاتَهُ مِنْ أَوَّلِ وَقْتِهَا خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا».

wabayna faḍli al-ṣalāti fī ʾawwali waqtihā ʿalā al-ṣalāti fī ʾākhiri waqtihā kafaḍli al-ʾākhirati ʿalā al-dunyā, kadhālika ruwiya ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama. wafī ḥadīthin ʾākhara: «ʾanna al-ʿabda layuṣallī al-ṣalāta fī ʾākhiri waqtihā walam yafuthu, walamā fātahu min ʾawwali waqtihā khayrun lahu mina al-dunyā wamā fīhā».

The superiority of prayer at the beginning of its time over prayer at the end is like the superiority of the hereafter over this world. So it is related from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace. Another hadith says, “A servant may pray at the end of the time without missing it; yet what he missed by not praying at the beginning is better for him than the world and everything in it.”

وَلْيُتِمَّ الرُّكُوعَ وَالسُّجُودَ وَالِاعْتِدَالَ وَالْقُعُودَ بَيْنَهُمَا، فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ قَرِيبًا مِنَ السَّوَاءِ، مُعْتَدِلًا كُلُّهُ، حَتَّى يُدْرِكَ مَنْ وَرَاءَهُ مِنَ الضُّعَفَاءِ وَالْمَرْضَى، فَتِلْكَ كَانَتْ صَلَاةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ ثَلَاثُ سَكَتَاتٍ، كَذَلِكَ رَوَى سَمُرَةُ بْنُ جُنْدَبٍ وَعِمْرَانُ بْنُ حُصَيْنٍ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

walyutimma al-rukūʿa wa-al-sujūda wa-al-iʿtidāla wa-al-quʿūda baynahumā, fayakūnu dhālika qarīban mina al-sawāʾi, muʿtadilan kulluhu, ḥattā yudrika man warāʾahu mina al-ḍuʿafāʾi wa-al-marḍā, fatilka kānat ṣalātu rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama. wayanbaghī ʾan yakūna lahu thalāthu sakatātin, kadhālika rawā samuratu bnu jundabin waʿimrānu bnu ḥuṣaynin ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama.

He should complete the bowing, prostration, upright standing, and sitting between them, keeping these roughly equal and evenly paced so that the weak and sick behind him can keep up. Such was the prayer of God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace. He should also make three pauses, as Samura ibn Jundab and ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn related from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace.

أَوَّلُهُنَّ: إِذَا كَبَّرَ، وَهِيَ الطُّولَى مِنْهَا مِقْدَارَ مَا يَقْرَأُ مَنْ خَلْفَهُ فَاتِحَةَ الْكِتَابِ لِئَلَّا يَقْرَؤُوا فِي قِرَاءَتِهِ، فَيَكُونَ عَلَيْهِ مَا نَقَصَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِمْ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَقْرَؤُوا فَاتِحَةَ الْكِتَابِ فِي سُكُوتِهِ وَاشْتَغَلُوا بِغَيْرِهَا، فَذَلِكَ حِينَئِذٍ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَقَدْ فَعَلَ هُوَ مَا عَلَيْهِ.

ʾawwaluhunna: ʾidhā kabbara, wahiya al-ṭūlā minhā miqdāra mā yaqraʾu man khalfahu fātiḥata al-kitābi liʾallā yaqraʾū fī qirāʾatihi, fayakūna ʿalayhi mā naqaṣa min ṣalātihim, faʾin lam yaqraʾū fātiḥata al-kitābi fī sukūtihi washtaghalū bighayrihā, fa-dhālika ḥīnaʾidhin ʿalayhim, waqad faʿala huwa mā ʿalayhi.

The first is after he says the opening “God is greatest.” It is the longest: long enough for those behind him to recite the Opening of the Book, so that they do not recite while he is reciting and make him responsible for the deficiency in their prayer. If they fail to recite the Opening during his silence and occupy themselves with something else, the responsibility is then theirs; he has done his duty.

وَالسَّكْتَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ إِذَا فَرَغَ هُوَ مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ الْحَمْدِ لِيُتَمِّمَ مَنْ بَقِيَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ فِي هَذِهِ السَّكْتَةِ وَهِيَ عَلَى النِّصْفِ مِنَ السَّكْتَةِ الْأُولَى، وَالسَّكْتَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ إِذَا فَرَغَ مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ السُّورَةِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ وَهِيَ أَخَفُّهُنَّ عَلَى النِّصْفِ مِنَ السَّكْتَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ.

wa-al-saktatu al-thāniyatu ʾidhā faragha huwa min qirāʾati al-ḥamdi liyutammima man baqiya ʿalayhi shayʾun min fātiḥati al-kitābi fī hādhihi al-saktati wahiya ʿalā al-niṣfi mina al-saktati al-ʾūlā, wa-al-saktatu al-thālithatu ʾidhā faragha min qirāʾati al-sūrati qabla ʾan yarkaʿa wahiya ʾakhaffuhunna ʿalā al-niṣfi mina al-saktati al-thāniyati.

The second pause comes when he has finished reciting the Opening, so that anyone who still has part of it left can finish during this silence. It is half as long as the first pause. The third comes after he has finished the additional sura and before he bows. It is the shortest, half as long as the second.

لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ مُوَاصِلًا فِي صَلَاتِهِ بِأَنْ يَصِلَ التَّكْبِيرَةَ بِالْقِرَاءَةِ وَيَصِلَ الْقِرَاءَةَ بِالرُّكُوعِ، فَقَدْ نُهِيَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ. وَعَلَى الْمَأْمُومِ أَيْضًا أَنْ لَا يَصِلَ تَكْبِيرَةَ الْإِحْرَامِ وَلَا تَسْلِيمَهُ بِتَسْلِيمِ الْإِمَامِ، وَعَلَيْهِمَا أَنْ لَا يَصِلَا التَّسْلِيمَتَيْنِ لِيَفْصِلَا بَيْنَهُمَا، فَقَدْ نُهِيَ عَنِ الْمُوَاصَلَةِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَهِيَ فِي هَذِهِ الْخَمْسِ.

liʾallā yakūna muwāṣilan fī ṣalātihi biʾan yaṣila al-takbīrata bi-al-qirāʾati wayaṣila al-qirāʾata bi-al-rukūʿi, faqad nuhiya ʿan dhālika. waʿalā al-maʾmūmi ʾayḍan ʾan lā yaṣila takbīrata al-ʾiḥrāmi walā taslīmahu bitaslīmi al-ʾimāmi, waʿalayhimā ʾan lā yaṣilā al-taslīmatayni liyafṣilā baynahumā, faqad nuhiya ʿani al-muwāṣalati fī al-ṣalāti wahiya fī hādhihi al-khamsi.

This prevents him from running the actions of prayer together: joining the opening declaration straight to the recitation, or the recitation straight to bowing. That has been forbidden. The follower, too, must not run his opening declaration into the leader’s, or his closing salutation into the leader’s salutation. Both must separate their two closing salutations rather than run them together. The prohibition against running things together in prayer concerns these five instances.

وَعَلَى الْمَأْمُومِ أَنْ يُكَبِّرَ وَيَرْكَعَ وَيَسْجُدَ وَيَرْفَعَ وَيَضَعَ بَعْدَ الْإِمَامِ، وَلَا يَخِرُّونَ سُجَّدًا حَتَّى تَقَعَ جَبْهَةُ الْإِمَامِ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُمْ قِيَامٌ ثُمَّ يَخِرُّونَ بَعْدَهُ، كَذَلِكَ كَانَتْ صَلَاةُ الصَّحَابَةِ خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

waʿalā al-maʾmūmi ʾan yukabbira wayarkaʿa wayasjuda wayarfaʿa wayaḍaʿa baʿda al-ʾimāmi, walā yakhirrūna sujjadan ḥattā taqaʿa jabhatu al-ʾimāmi ʿalā al-ʾarḍi wahum qiyāmun thumma yakhirrūna baʿdahu, kadhālika kānat ṣalātu al-ṣaḥābati khalfa rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama.

The follower must say “God is greatest,” bow, prostrate, rise, and lower himself after the leader. The followers must remain standing and not fall into prostration until the leader’s forehead has reached the ground; then they prostrate after him. This was how the Companions prayed behind God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace.

وَلَا يُكَبِّرْ حَتَّى يَعْتَدِلَ الصَّفُّ وَرَاءَهُ، وَلْيَلْتَفِتْ يَمِينًا وَشِمَالًا، فَإِنْ كَانَ أَعْوَجَ أَشَارَ بِيَدِهِ، وَإِنْ رَأَى خَلَلًا أَمَرَ بِسَدِّهِ، فَإِنَّ تَسْوِيَةَ الصَّفِّ مِنْ تَمَامِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَكَانُوا يُحَاذُونَ بَيْنَ الْمَنَاكِبِ وَيَتَضَامُّونَ فِي الْكِعَابِ. وَقَدْ قِيلَ: إِنَّ النَّاسَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَقْسَامٍ، طَائِفَةٌ بِخَمْسٍ وَعِشْرِينَ

walā yukabbir ḥattā yaʿtadila al-ṣaffu warāʾahu, walyaltafit yamīnan washimālan, faʾin kāna ʾaʿwaja ʾashāra biyadihi, waʾin raʾā khalalan ʾamara bisaddihi, faʾinna taswiyata al-ṣaffi min tamāmi al-ṣalāti, wakānū yuḥādhūna bayna al-manākibi wayataḍāmmūna fī al-kiʿābi. waqad qīla: ʾinna al-nāsa yakhrujūna mina al-ṣalāti ʿalā thalāthati ʾaqsāmin, ṭāʾifatun bikhamsin waʿishrīna

The leader should not say the opening declaration until the row behind him is straight. He should look right and left; if it is crooked, he should gesture with his hand, and if he sees a gap, order it filled. Straightening the row is part of completing the prayer. They used to align their shoulders and draw their ankles close together. It has been said that people leave prayer in three groups: one group with the reward of twenty-five

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٥٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 352

Volume Two, page 352

صَلَاةً وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُتِمُّونَ صَلَاتَهُمْ بَعْدَ رُكُوعِ الْإِمَامِ وَسُجُودِهِ، وَطَائِفَةٌ بِصَلَاةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُكَبِّرُونَ وَيَرْكَعُونَ وَيَسْجُدُونَ مَعَهُ مُوَاصَلَةً لَهُ وَمُبَادَرَةً، وَطَائِفَةٌ تَخْرُجُ بِغَيْرِ صَلَاةٍ وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ يَرْفَعُونَ وَيَضَعُونَ قَبْلَهُ فَيُسَابِقُونَ إِمَامَهُمْ.

ṣalātan wahumu alladhīna yutimmūna ṣalātahum baʿda rukūʿi al-ʾimāmi wasujūdihi, waṭāʾifatun biṣalātin wāḥidatin wahumu alladhīna yukabbirūna wayarkaʿūna wayasjudūna maʿahu muwāṣalatan lahu wamubādaratan, waṭāʾifatun takhruju bighayri ṣalātin wahumu alladhīna yarfaʿūna wayaḍaʿūna qablahu fayusābiqūna ʾimāmahum.

prayers: those who complete their prayer by bowing and prostrating after the leader; another with one prayer: those who say “God is greatest,” bow, and prostrate simultaneously with him, joining his actions and rushing to match him; and another with no prayer at all: those who rise and lower themselves before him, thus racing ahead of their leader.

وَلْيَقْرَأْ فِي صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاةِ بِسُورَتَيْنِ مِنَ الْمَثَانِي وَهِيَ مَا دُونَ الْمِائَةِ، فَإِنَّ الْإِطَالَةَ فِي قِرَاءَةِ الْفَجْرِ وَالتَّغْلِيسَ سُنَّةٌ، وَلَا يَضُرُّهُ خُرُوجُهُ مِنْهَا مُسْفِرًا إِذَا كَانَ قَدْ دَخَلَ فِيهَا مُغَلِّسًا. وَلَا أَكْرَهُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ مِنْهَا بِأَوَاخِرِ السُّوَرِ مِنْ نَحْوِ الثَّلَاثِينَ أَوِ الْعِشْرِينَ إِلَى أَنْ يَخْتِمَهَا.

walyaqraʾ fī ṣalāti al-ghadāti bisūratayni mina al-mathānī wahiya mā dūna al-miʾati, faʾinna al-ʾiṭālata fī qirāʾati al-fajri wa-al-taghlīsa sunnatun, walā yaḍurruhu khurūjuhu minhā musfiran ʾidhā kāna qad dakhala fīhā mughallisan. walā ʾakrahu ʾan yaqraʾa fī al-rakʿati al-thāniyati minhā biʾawākhiri al-suwari min naḥwi al-thalāthīna ʾawi al-ʿishrīna ʾilā ʾan yakhtimahā.

At the morning prayer, he should recite two suras from the Mathānī, those with fewer than a hundred verses. Lengthening the dawn recitation and beginning while it is still dark are customary practices. There is no harm if daylight has spread by the time he finishes, provided he began in darkness. I do not disapprove of his reciting the final thirty or twenty verses of a sura in the second cycle, continuing to its end.

لِأَنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ مَزِيدَ تَذْكِرَةٍ وَفَضْلَ تَبْصِرَةٍ، لِأَنَّهُ يَبْعُدُ طُرُوقُهُ عَلَى الْأَسْمَاعِ لِكَثْرَةِ الِاعْتِيَادِ لِتِلَاوَةِ السُّوَرِ الْقِصَارِ فَهِيَ أَدْنَى إِلَى الِانْقِطَاعِ وَالتَّفَكُّرِ، وَإِنَّمَا كُرِهَ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ مِنْ أَوَّلِهَا كَذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَقْطَعَ أَوْ يَقْرَأَ مِنْ وَسَطِهَا، ثُمَّ يَرْكَعَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْتِمَهَا، هَذَا الَّذِي كَرِهَهُ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ.

liʾanna fī dhālika mazīda tadhkiratin wafaḍla tabṣiratin, liʾannahu yabʿudu ṭurūquhu ʿalā al-ʾasmāʿi likathrati al-iʿtiyādi litilāwati al-suwari al-qiṣāri fahiya ʾadnā ʾilā al-inqiṭāʿi wa-al-tafakkuri, waʾinnamā kuriha ʾan yaqraʾa min ʾawwalihā kadhālika, thumma yaqṭaʿa ʾaw yaqraʾa min wasaṭihā, thumma yarkaʿa qabla ʾan yakhtimahā, hādhā alladhī karihahu baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi.

That brings a stronger reminder and deeper insight, since such passages seldom reach ears accustomed to hearing the short suras repeatedly. They are therefore more conducive to withdrawing from distractions and reflecting. What some scholars disapproved of was reciting a similar amount from the beginning of a sura and then stopping, or starting in its middle and bowing before reaching its end.

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَرَأَ بَعْضَ سُورَةِ يُونُسَ فَلَمَّا انْتَهَى إِلَى ذِكْرِ مُوسَى وَفِرْعَوْنَ قَطَعَ فَرَكَعَ، وَرَوَيْنَا حَدِيثًا أَشْهَرَ مِنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَرَأَ فِي رَكْعَتَيِ الْفَجْرِ بِآيَةٍ مِنْ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: ١٣٦، الْآيَةَ، وَفِي الثَّانِيَةِ: ﴿رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا بِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ﴾ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ٥٣.

waqad rawaynā ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qaraʾa baʿḍa sūrati yūnusa falammā intahā ʾilā dhikri mūsā wafirʿawna qaṭaʿa farakaʿa, warawaynā ḥadīthan ʾashhara minhu ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qaraʾa fī rakʿatayi al-fajri biʾāyatin min sūrati al-baqarati qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿qūlū ʾāmannā bi-Allāhi﴾ al-baqarati: 136, al-ʾāyata, wafī al-thāniyati: ﴿rabbanā ʾāmannā bimā ʾanzalta﴾ ʾāli ʿimrāna: 53.

We have related that the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, recited part of Sura Yūnus; when he reached the account of Moses and Pharaoh, he stopped and bowed. We have related a better-known hadith that, in the two dawn cycles, the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, recited a verse from Sura al-Baqara, the Most High’s words, “Say: We believe in God” [al-Baqara 2:136], continuing the verse; and in the second, “Our Lord, we believe in what You have sent down” [Āl ʿImrān 3:53].

وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ أَنَّهُ قَرَأَ فِيهِمَا: ﴿شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ﴾ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ١٨، وَأَنَّهُ سَمِعَ بِلَالًا يَقْرَأُ مِنْ هَهُنَا وَهَهُنَا فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: أَخْلِطُ الطَّيِّبَ بِالطَّيِّبِ، فَقَالَ: «أَحْسَنْتَ أَوْ أَصَبْتَ».

wafī riwāyatin ʾannahu qaraʾa fīhimā: ﴿shahida Allāhu ʾannahu lā ʾilāha ʾillā huwa﴾ ʾāli ʿimrāna: 18, waʾannahu samiʿa bilālan yaqraʾu min hahunā wahahunā fasaʾalahu ʿan dhālika faqāla: ʾakhliṭu al-ṭayyiba bi-al-ṭayyibi, faqāla: «ʾaḥsanta ʾaw ʾaṣabta».

Another version says that he recited in them, “God bears witness that there is no god but Him” [Āl ʿImrān 3:18]. He also heard Bilāl reciting passages from here and there, and asked him about it. Bilāl answered, “I am mixing good things with good things.” He said, “You have done well,” or, “You have done right.”

وَالْخَبَرُ الْمَشْهُورُ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ، قَالَ الصُّنَابِحِيُّ: صَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَهُ الْمَغْرِبَ فَأَصْغَيْتُ إِلَيْهِ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ، فَإِذَا هُوَ يَقْرَأُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ: ﴿رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا﴾ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ٨، الْآيَةَ، فَكَذَلِكَ يُسْتَحَبُّ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ بِهَذِهِ الْآيَةِ خَاصَّةً فِي الثَّالِثَةِ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْمَغْرِبِ.

wa-al-khabaru al-mashhūru ʿan ʾabī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi, qāla al-ṣunābiḥiyyu: ṣallaytu khalfahu al-maghriba faʾaṣghaytu ʾilayhi fī al-rakʿati al-thālithati, faʾidhā huwa yaqraʾu hādhihi al-ʾāyata: ﴿rabbanā lā tuzigh qulūbanā baʿda ʾidh hadaytanā﴾ ʾāli ʿimrāna: 8, al-ʾāyata, fa-kadhālika yustaḥabbu ʾan yaqraʾa bi-hādhihi al-ʾāyati khāṣṣatan fī al-thālithati min ṣalāti al-maghribi.

In the well-known report about Abū Bakr the Truthful, al-Ṣunābiḥī said, “I prayed the sunset prayer behind him and listened closely during the third cycle. He was reciting this verse: ‘Our Lord, do not let our hearts turn astray after You have guided us’ [Āl ʿImrān 3:8], continuing the verse.” It is accordingly recommended to recite this particular verse in the third cycle of the sunset prayer.

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّهُ أَمَّ النَّاسَ فِي صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ فَقَرَأَ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ بِالْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ سُورَةِ آلِ عِمْرَانَ، وَأَنَّهُ قَرَأَ أَيْضًا فِي هَذِهِ الصَّلَاةِ بِآخِرِ سُورَةِ الْفُرْقَانِ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: ﴿تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا﴾ الْفُرْقَانِ: ٦١.

warawaynā ʿani ibni masʿūdin ʾannahu ʾamma al-nāsa fī ṣalāti al-ʿishāʾi al-ʾākhirati faqaraʾa fī al-rakʿati al-thāniyati bi-al-ʿashri al-ʾawākhiri min sūrati ʾāli ʿimrāna, waʾannahu qaraʾa ʾayḍan fī hādhihi al-ṣalāti biʾākhiri sūrati al-furqāni min qawlihi tabāraka wataʿālā: ﴿tabāraka alladhī jaʿala fī al-samāʾi burūjan﴾ al-furqāni: 61.

We have related that Ibn Masʿūd led the people in the night prayer and recited the last ten verses of Sura Āl ʿImrān in the second cycle. In this prayer he also recited the end of Sura al-Furqān, beginning with the words of the Blessed and Exalted: “Blessed is He who placed constellations in the sky” [al-Furqān 25:61].

وَقَدْ قَالَ الْفُقَهَاءُ فِي الْمُسْتَحَبِّ مِنَ الْقِرَاءَةِ بَعْدَ سُورَةِ الْحَمْدِ مِنَ الزِّيَادَةِ عَلَيْهَا أَنْ يَقْرَأَ ثَلَاثَ آيَاتٍ مِنْ سُورَةٍ، وَبَعْضُهُمْ يَقُولُ: آيَتَيْنِ مِنْ سُورَةٍ، فَإِنِ اكْتَفَى بِسُورَةِ الْحَمْدِ أَجْزَأَهُ. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ فَقِيهِ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ وَكَانَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ يَسْتَخْلِفُهُ فِي الْفُتْيَا وَيَأْمُرُ أَنْ يُسْتَفْتَى أَنَّهُ افْتَتَحَ الصَّلَاةَ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ الْحَمْدَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: ﴿مُدْهَامَّتَانِ﴾ الرَّحْمَنِ: ٦٤، وَرَكَعَ.

waqad qāla al-fuqahāʾu fī al-mustaḥabbi mina al-qirāʾati baʿda sūrati al-ḥamdi mina al-ziyādati ʿalayhā ʾan yaqraʾa thalātha ʾāyātin min sūratin, wabaʿḍuhum yaqūlu: ʾāyatayni min sūratin, faʾini iktafā bisūrati al-ḥamdi ʾajzaʾahu. waqad rawaynā ʿan jābiri bni zaydin faqīhi ʾahli al-baṣrati wakāna ibnu ʿabbāsin yastakhlifuhu fī al-futyā wayaʾmuru ʾan yustaftā ʾannahu iftataḥa al-ṣalāta thumma qaraʾa al-ḥamda thumma qāla: ﴿mudhāmmatāni﴾ al-raḥmāni: 64, warakaʿa.

As for the recommended additional recitation after the Opening, jurists have said that one should recite three verses of a sura; some say two. If one recites only the Opening, that suffices. We have related that Jābir ibn Zayd, the jurist of Basra, whom Ibn ʿAbbās appointed to give legal opinions in his place and whom he directed people to consult, began a prayer, recited the Opening, then said, “Both deep green” [al-Raḥmān 55:64], and bowed.

وَهَذِهِ أَقْصَرُ آيَةٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَبَعْدَهَا ﴿ثُمَّ نَظَرَ﴾. وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ بَعْضَ الْأَئِمَّةِ فِي جَامِعٍ عَظِيمٍ مِنْ جَوَامِعِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ قَرَأَ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ بِآخِرِ سُورَةِ يُونُسَ وَخَلْفَهُ الْعُلَمَاءُ وَالْأَشْهَادُ، فَمَا أَنْكَرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ.

wa-hādhihi ʾaqṣaru ʾāyatin fī kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wabaʿdahā ﴿thumma naẓara﴾. waqad raʾaytu baʿḍa al-ʾaʾimmati fī jāmiʿin ʿaẓīmin min jawāmiʿi al-muslimīna qaraʾa fī al-rakʿati al-thāniyati min ṣalāti al-ʿishāʾi al-ʾākhirati biʾākhiri sūrati yūnusa wakhalfahu al-ʿulamāʾu wa-al-ʾashhādu, famā ʾankara ʿalayhi ʾaḥadun.

This is the shortest verse in the Book of God, mighty and majestic, followed by “Then he looked.” I once saw a prayer leader in one of the Muslims’ great congregational mosques recite the end of Sura Yūnus in the second cycle of the night prayer. Scholars and leading witnesses were behind him, and no one objected.

وَلْيَقْرَأْ فِي صَلَاةِ الظُّهْرِ بِطِوَالِ الْمُفَصَّلِ إِلَى الثَّلَاثِينَ آيَةً، فِي صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ بِوَسَطِ الْمُفَصَّلِ عَلَى نِصْفِ صَلَاةِ الظُّهْرِ، فِي الْمَغْرِبِ بِأَوَاخِرِ الْمُفَصَّلِ، وَآخِرُ صَلَاةٍ صَلَّاهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمَغْرِبُ، قَرَأَ فِيهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

walyaqraʾ fī ṣalāti al-ẓuhri biṭiwāli al-mufaṣṣali ʾilā al-thalāthīna ʾāyatan, fī ṣalāti al-ʿaṣri biwasaṭi al-mufaṣṣali ʿalā niṣfi ṣalāti al-ẓuhri, fī al-maghribi biʾawākhiri al-mufaṣṣali, waʾākhiru ṣalātin ṣallāhā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama al-maghribu, qaraʾa fīhā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama

At noon he should recite from the long suras of the Mufaṣṣal, up to thirty verses; in the afternoon, from its middle suras, about half as much as at noon; and at sunset, from its final suras. The last prayer God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, performed was the sunset prayer, in which God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, recited

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٥٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 353

Volume Two, page 353

سُورَةَ وَالْمُرْسَلَاتِ، مَا صَلَّى بَعْدَهَا حَتَّى قُبِضَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَقَالَ أَنَسٌ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ أَخَفِّ النَّاسِ صَلَاةً فِي تَمَامٍ. ثُمَّ قَالَ أَيْضًا: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَأْمُرُ بِالتَّخْفِيفِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَإِنْ كَانَ لَيَؤُمُّنَا بِسُورَةِ وَالصَّافَّاتِ.

sūrata wa-al-mursalāti, mā ṣallā baʿdahā ḥattā qubiḍa ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama. waqāla ʾanasun: kāna rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama min ʾakhaffi al-nāsi ṣalātan fī tamāmin. thumma qāla ʾayḍan: kāna rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaʾmuru bi-al-takhfīfi fī al-ṣalāti waʾin kāna layaʾummunā bisūrati wa-al-ṣāffāti.

Sura “By Those Sent Forth.” He prayed no further prayer before he died, God bless him and grant him peace. Anas said, “God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, was among those whose prayer was shortest while still complete.” He also said, “God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, used to tell us to keep prayer brief, though he would lead us with Sura ‘By Those Ranged in Rows.’”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الرُّخَصِ: «إِذَا صَلَّى أَحَدُكُمْ بِالنَّاسِ فَلْيُخَفِّفْ فَإِنَّ فِيهِمُ الْكَبِيرَ وَالضَّعِيفَ وَذَا الْحَاجَةِ، وَإِذَا صَلَّى لِنَفْسِهِ فَلْيُطَوِّلْ مَا شَاءَ». وَقَدْ كَانَ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ يُصَلِّي بِقَوْمِهِ صَلَاةَ عِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ فَافْتَتَحَ بِسُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ، فَخَرَجَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ وَأَتَمَّ لِنَفْسِهِ، ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ فَقَالُوا: نَافَقَ الرَّجُلُ.

waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī al-rukhaṣi: «ʾidhā ṣallā ʾaḥadukum bi-al-nāsi falyukhaffif faʾinna fīhimu al-kabīra wa-al-ḍaʿīfa wadhā al-ḥājati, waʾidhā ṣallā linafsihi falyuṭawwil mā shāʾa». waqad kāna muʿādhu bnu jabalin yuṣallī biqawmihi ṣalāta ʿishāʾi al-ʾākhirati faftataḥa bisūrati al-baqarati, fakharaja rajulun mina al-ṣalāti waʾatamma linafsihi, thumma inṣarafa faqālū: nāfaqa al-rajulu.

On concessions, we have related from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “When one of you leads people in prayer, let him keep it brief, for among them are the elderly, the weak, and those with pressing needs. When he prays alone, he may make it as long as he wishes.” Muʿādh ibn Jabal was leading his people in the night prayer and began with Sura al-Baqara. A man withdrew from the congregational prayer, finished by himself, and left. They said, “The man has acted like a hypocrite.”

ثُمَّ تَشَاكَيَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَشْكَى الرَّجُلَ وَزَبَرَ مُعَاذًا وَقَالَ: «أَفَتَّانٌ أَنْتَ؟ اقْرَأْ بِسُورَةِ سَبِّحْ وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا». وَلْيُسَبِّحْ فِي رُكُوعِهِ وَسُجُودِهِ سَبْعًا أَوْ خَمْسًا لِيُدْرِكَ مَنْ وَرَاءَهُ ثَلَاثًا ثَلَاثًا لِأَنَّهُمْ يَرْكَعُونَ وَيَسْجُدُونَ بَعْدَهُ.

thumma tashākayā ʾilā rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama faʾashkā al-rajula wazabara muʿādhan waqāla: «ʾafattānun ʾanta? iqraʾ bisūrati sabbiḥ wa-al-samāʾi wa-al-ṭāriqi wa-al-shamsi waḍuḥāhā». walyusabbiḥ fī rukūʿihi wasujūdihi sabʿan ʾaw khamsan liyudrika man warāʾahu thalāthan thalāthan liʾannahum yarkaʿūna wayasjudūna baʿdahu.

The two then brought their complaints to God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace. He upheld the man’s complaint and rebuked Muʿādh, saying, “Are you trying to drive people away? Recite ‘Glorify,’ ‘By the Sky and the Night Visitor,’ or ‘By the Sun and Its Brightness.’” The leader should pronounce glorification seven or five times while bowing and prostrating, so those behind him have time for three repetitions in each posture, since they bow and prostrate after him.

وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ لَمَّا صَلَّى خَلْفَ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ كَانَ أَمِيرًا بِالْمَدِينَةِ قَالَ: مَا صَلَّيْتُ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِثْلَ صَلَاةِ هَذَا الشَّابِّ. قَالَ: وَكُنَّا نُسَبِّحُ وَرَاءَهُ فِي الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ عَشْرًا عَشْرًا، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا مُجَهَّلًا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: كُنَّا نُسَبِّحُ وَرَاءَهُ فِي الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ عَشْرًا عَشْرًا.

warawaynā ʾanna ʾanasa bna mālikin lammā ṣallā khalfa ʿumara bni ʿabdi al-ʿazīzi kāna ʾamīran bi-al-madīnati qāla: mā ṣallaytu baʿda rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama mithla ṣalāti hādhā al-shābbi. qāla: wakunnā nusabbiḥu warāʾahu fī al-rukūʿi wa-al-sujūdi ʿashran ʿashran, waqad rawaynā mujahhalan ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: kunnā nusabbiḥu warāʾahu fī al-rukūʿi wa-al-sujūdi ʿashran ʿashran.

We have related that, after Anas ibn Mālik prayed behind ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, then governor of Medina, he said, “Since God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, I have not prayed a prayer like this young man’s.” He said, “Behind him we used to pronounce glorification ten times each while bowing and prostrating.” We have also related, with an unnamed transmitter, a report concerning God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, saying, “Behind him we used to pronounce glorification ten times each while bowing and prostrating.”

فَإِنْ قَرَأَ فِي الْأَخِيرَتَيْنِ مِنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ وَعِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ بَعْدَ الْحَمْدِ بِسُورَةٍ قَصِيرَةٍ أَوْ آيَتَيْنِ مِنْ سُورَةٍ فَحَسَنٌ لِيُدْرِكَ مَنْ وَرَاءَهُ قِرَاءَةَ الْحَمْدِ عَلَى مَهَلٍ. وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَ مَذْهَبُ السَّلَفِ فِي الْإِمَامِ يَكُونُ رَاكِعًا فَيَسْمَعُ خَفْقَ النِّعَالِ هَلْ يَنْتَظِرُ فِي رُكُوعِهِ وَيَتَوَقَّفُ حَتَّى يَدْخُلُوا فِي الرَّكْعَةِ أَوْ لَا يُبَالِيهِمْ؟

faʾin qaraʾa fī al-ʾakhīratayni mina al-ẓuhri wa-al-ʿaṣri waʿishāʾi al-ʾākhirati baʿda al-ḥamdi bisūratin qaṣīratin ʾaw ʾāyatayni min sūratin faḥasanun liyudrika man warāʾahu qirāʾata al-ḥamdi ʿalā mahalin. waqadi ikhtalafa madhhabu al-salafi fī al-ʾimāmi yakūnu rākiʿan fayasmaʿu khafqa al-niʿāli hal yantaẓiru fī rukūʿihi wayatawaqqafu ḥattā yadkhulū fī al-rakʿati ʾaw lā yubālīhim?

If, in the last two cycles of the noon, afternoon, or night prayer, he adds a short sura or two verses after the Opening, that is good: it gives those behind him time to recite the Opening at a measured pace. The early Muslims differed about a leader who hears footsteps while bowing. Should he remain bowing and wait for the newcomers to join that cycle, or pay no attention to them?

فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: يَنْتَظِرُ حَتَّى يَلْحَقُوا مَعَهُ، وَمِمَّنِ اخْتَارَهُ الشَّعْبِيُّ. وَقَالَ آخَرُونَ: لَا يَنْتَظِرُهُمْ فَإِنَّ حُرْمَةَ مَنْ مَعَهُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ حُرْمَةِ مَنْ تَأَخَّرَ عَنْهَا، وَقَالَ بِهَذَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ النَّخَعِيُّ، وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ فُقَهَاءُ الْحِجَازِ: لَا يَنْتَظِرُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُ زِيَادَةٌ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، وَمِنَ الْإِخْلَاصِ بِهَا تَرْكُ التَّوَقُّفِ بِهَا لِأَجْلِهِمْ.

faqāla baʿḍuhum: yantaẓiru ḥattā yalḥaqū maʿahu, wamimmani ikhtārahu al-shaʿbiyyu. waqāla ʾākharūna: lā yantaẓiruhum faʾinna ḥurmata man maʿahu fī al-ṣalāti ʾaʿẓamu min ḥurmati man taʾakhkhara ʿanhā, waqāla bi-hādhā ʾibrāhīmu al-nakhaʿiyyu, wa-kadhālika qāla fuqahāʾu al-ḥijāzi: lā yantaẓiruhum faʾinnahu ziyādatun fī al-ṣalāti, wamina al-ʾikhlāṣi bihā tarku al-tawaqqufi bihā liʾajlihim.

Some said he should wait for them to catch up; al-Shaʿbī favored this. Others said he should not, because those already praying with him have a stronger claim to consideration than those who are late. Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī held this view, as did the jurists of the Hijaz: he should not wait, since that adds something to the prayer, and sincerity in prayer includes declining to prolong it for their sake.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ فُقَهَاءِ الْكُوفَةِ: إِنِ انْتَظَرَهُمْ فَحَسَنٌ لِيُدْرِكُوا مَعَهُ الْجَمَاعَةَ فَيَكُونَ لَهُ فَضْلُ إِدْرَاكِهِمْ. وَقَدْ قَدَّمَ عُثْمَانُ الْقُنُوتَ قَبْلَ الرُّكُوعِ فِي صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاةِ لِيُدْرِكَ النَّاسُ الرُّكُوعَ. وَالَّذِي عِنْدِي فِي هَذَا التَّوَسُّطُ وَهُوَ أَنَّهُ يَنْتَظِرُ فَإِنْ سَمِعَ خَفْقَ نِعَالِهِمْ فِي أَوَّلِ رُكُوعِهِ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يَمُدَّ حَتَّى يَلْحَقُوا.

waqāla baʿḍu fuqahāʾi al-kūfati: ʾini intaẓarahum faḥasanun liyudrikū maʿahu al-jamāʿata fayakūna lahu faḍlu ʾidrākihim. waqad qaddama ʿuthmānu al-qunūta qabla al-rukūʿi fī ṣalāti al-ghadāti liyudrika al-nāsu al-rukūʿa. wa-alladhī ʿindī fī hādhā al-tawassuṭu wahuwa ʾannahu yantaẓiru faʾin samiʿa khafqa niʿālihim fī ʾawwali rukūʿihi falā baʾsa ʾan yamudda ḥattā yalḥaqū.

Some jurists of Kufa said it is good to wait, so they can join the congregation and he can earn the merit of enabling them to do so. ʿUthmān placed the supplication before bowing in the morning prayer so people could catch the bowing. My own view is a middle course: he may wait. If he hears their footsteps at the beginning of his bow, there is no harm in prolonging it until they join him.

وَإِنْ سَمِعَهَا فِي آخِرِ رُكُوعِهِ عِنْدَ رَفْعِ رَأْسِهِ لَمْ أُحِبَّ أَنْ يَزِيدَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ لِأَجْلِهِمْ فَلْيَرْفَعْ وَلَا يُبَالِ. وَأَفْضَلُ التَّشَهُّدِ عِنْدِي الَّذِي رَوَاهُ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وَجَابِرٌ، وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَتِ الرِّوَايَاتُ فِي أَلْفَاظِ التَّشَهُّدِ وَالَّذِي أَخْتَارُهُ وَأَقُولُهُ مَا رَوَيْنَاهُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِإِثْبَاتِ الْوَاوَاتِ، وَبِتَقْدِيمِ اسْمِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي أَوَّلِهِ، وَبِزِيَادَةِ الْمُبَارَكَاتِ.

waʾin samiʿahā fī ʾākhiri rukūʿihi ʿinda rafʿi raʾsihi lam ʾuḥibba ʾan yazīda fī al-ṣalāti liʾajlihim falyarfaʿ walā yubāli. waʾafḍalu al-tashahhudi ʿindī alladhī rawāhu ibnu masʿūdin wajābirun, waqadi ikhtalafati al-riwāyātu fī ʾalfāẓi al-tashahhudi wa-alladhī ʾakhtāruhu waʾaqūluhu mā rawaynāhu ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi biʾithbāti al-wāwāti, wabitaqdīmi ismi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fī ʾawwalihi, wabiziyādati al-mubārakāti.

But if he hears them at the end of his bow, as he is raising his head, I do not favor lengthening the prayer for them. He should rise and pay no attention. In my view, the best testimony recited while seated is the one related by Ibn Masʿūd and Jābir. Reports differ in its wording. What I choose and recite is what we related from ʿAbd Allāh, retaining the conjunctions “and,” placing the name of God, mighty and majestic, first, and adding “blessed.”

فَأَكُونُ بِذَلِكَ جَامِعًا بَيْنَ جَمِيعِ الرِّوَايَاتِ لِأَنَّ فِي حَدِيثِ عُمَرَ ذِكْرَ الْمُبَارَكَاتِ وَتَأْخِيرَ قَوْلِهِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَمِنْ رِوَايَةِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ذِكْرُ التَّسْمِيَةِ.

faʾakūnu bi-dhālika jāmiʿan bayna jamīʿi al-riwāyāti liʾanna fī ḥadīthi ʿumara dhikra al-mubārakāti wataʾkhīra qawlihi li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla, wamin riwāyati ibni ʿumara dhikru al-tasmiyati.

I thereby bring together all the versions: ʿUmar’s report includes “blessed” and places “to God, mighty and majestic” later, while Ibn ʿUmar’s version includes the opening invocation of God’s name.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٥٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 354

Volume Two, page 354

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا ذَلِكَ فِي حَدِيثِ الثَّوْرِيِّ عَنْ أَيْمَنَ بْنِ وَائِلٍ عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَقُولُ: «بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، وَبِاللَّهِ، التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ، وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ»، فَهَذَا هُوَ الْأَفْضَلُ عِنْدِي لِأَنَّهُ هُوَ الْأَحْوَطُ وَلِدُخُولِ رِوَايَاتِ الْجَمَاعَاتِ فِيهِ.

waqad rawaynā dhālika fī ḥadīthi al-thawriyyi ʿan ʾaymana bni wāʾilin ʿan ʾabī al-zubayri ʿan jābirin ʾanna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna yaqūlu: «bismi Allāhi, wabi-Allāhi, al-taḥiyyātu li-llāhi, wa-al-ṣalawātu wa-al-ṭayyibātu li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla», fa-hādhā huwa al-ʾafḍalu ʿindī liʾannahu huwa al-ʾaḥwaṭu walidukhūli riwāyāti al-jamāʿāti fīhi.

We have related this in al-Thawrī’s report from Ayman ibn Wāʾil, from Abū al-Zubayr, from Jābir: God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, used to say, “In God’s name, and through God. All greetings belong to God; prayers and good things belong to God, mighty and majestic.” This is best in my view, because it is the more cautious course and includes the versions transmitted by the various groups.

ثُمَّ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي مُوَاجَهَةِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالْإِشَارَةِ إِلَيْهِ فِي السَّلَامِ أَوْ تَرْكِهَا، فَالَّذِي أَخْتَارُهُ: السَّلَامُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ، لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ جَاءَ فِي بَعْضِ الْأَخْبَارِ كَالتَّفْسِيرِ لِمَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ.

thumma ikhtalafū fī muwājahati al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama bi-al-ʾishārati ʾilayhi fī al-salāmi ʾaw tarkihā, fa-alladhī ʾakhtāruhu: al-salāmu ʿalā al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾilā waraḥmatu Allāhi wabarakātuhu, al-salāmu ʿalaynā waʿalā ʿibādi Allāhi al-ṣāliḥīna, liʾannahu qad jāʾa fī baʿḍi al-ʾakhbāri ka-al-tafsīri limā dhakarnāhu.

They then differed over directly addressing the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, in the salutation, or leaving out that form of address. My choice is, “Peace be upon the Prophet,” God bless him and grant him peace, continuing through “and God’s mercy and blessings. Peace be upon us and upon God’s righteous servants.” Some reports provide what amounts to an explanation of this choice.

قَالَ: كُنَّا نَقُولُ إِذَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِنَا: «السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ»، فَلَمَّا قُبِضَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صِرْنَا نَقُولُ: «السَّلَامُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ». وَفِي كُلِّ الرِّوَايَاتِ قَوْلُهُ: «وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ»، فَكَذَلِكَ أَخْتَارُ إِلَّا فِي رِوَايَةِ عُمَرَ فَإِنَّهُ ذَكَرَهُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

qāla: kunnā naqūlu ʾidhā kāna rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama bayna ʾaẓhurinā: «al-salāmu ʿalayka ʾayyuhā al-nabiyyu waraḥmatu Allāhi wabarakātuhu», falammā qubiḍa ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ṣirnā naqūlu: «al-salāmu ʿalā al-nabiyyi». wafī kulli al-riwāyāti qawluhu: «waʾashhadu ʾanna muḥammadan ʿabduhu warasūluhu», fa-kadhālika ʾakhtāru ʾillā fī riwāyati ʿumara faʾinnahu dhakarahu rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama.

The transmitter said, “While God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, was among us, we used to say, ‘Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and God’s mercy and blessings.’ After he died, God bless him and grant him peace, we began saying, ‘Peace be upon the Prophet.’” All versions include, “And I testify that Muḥammad is His servant and His messenger,” which is also my choice, except that ʿUmar’s version names him “God’s Messenger,” God bless him and grant him peace.

وَحَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ عَنْ بَعْضِ الصَّالِحِينَ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَدِ اخْتَلَفَ الْعُلَمَاءُ عَلَيْنَا فِي التَّشَهُّدِ فِيمَ نَأْخُذُ؟ فَقَالَ: «التَّشَهُّدُ هُوَ الَّذِي رَوَاهُ ابْنُ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ».

waḥaddathanī baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi ʿan baʿḍi al-ṣāliḥīna qāla: raʾaytu al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī al-manāmi faqultu: yā rasūla Allāhi qadi ikhtalafa al-ʿulamāʾu ʿalaynā fī al-tashahhudi fīma naʾkhudhu? faqāla: «al-tashahhudu huwa alladhī rawāhu ibnu ʾummi ʿabdin».

A scholar told me, on the authority of a righteous man, “I saw the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, in a dream. I said, ‘Messenger of God, the scholars have given us differing versions of the seated testimony. Which should we adopt?’ He said, ‘The testimony is the one related by Ibn Umm ʿAbd.’”

وَلَا يَدَعْ أَنْ يَسْتَعِيذَ فِي تَشَهُّدِهِ بِالْكَلِمَاتِ الْخَمْسِ فَيَقُولُ: «أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ، وَعَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ، وَمِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ، وَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ بِقَوْمٍ فِتْنَةً فَاقْبِضْنِي إِلَيْكَ غَيْرَ مَفْتُونٍ»، قَدْ فَعَلَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَمَرَ بِهِ.

walā yadaʿ ʾan yastaʿīdha fī tashahhudihi bi-al-kalimāti al-khamsi fayaqūlu: «ʾaʿūdhu bika min ʿadhābi jahannama, waʿadhābi al-qabri, waʾaʿūdhu bika min fitnati al-maḥyā wa-al-mamāti, wamin fitnati al-masīḥi al-dajjāli, waʾidhā ʾaradta biqawmin fitnatan faqbiḍnī ʾilayka ghayra maftūnin», qad faʿalahu rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama waʾamara bihi.

He should not omit seeking refuge with the five petitions during his seated testimony, saying, “I seek refuge in You from the punishment of Hell and the punishment of the grave. I seek refuge in You from the trials of life and death and the trial of the false messiah. If You intend a trial for a people, take me to Yourself without subjecting me to it.” God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, did this and commanded it.

وَالْمَسِيحُ بِنَصْبِ الْمِيمِ مَعَ التَّخْفِيفِ لِأَنَّهُ قِيلَ سُمِّيَ كَذَلِكَ مَعْدُولًا بِهِ مِنْ مَاسِحٍ، أَيْ يَمْسَحُ الْأَرْضَ مَسْحًا، لِأَنَّهُ قِيلَ: تُطْوَى لَهُ الْأَرْضُ. وَبَعْضُ أَهْلِ اللُّغَةِ يَقُولُ: عُدِلَ بِهِ عَنْ مَمْسُوحِ الْعَيْنِ أَيْ مَطْمُوسِهَا. وَالتَّكْبِيرُ وَالتَّسْلِيمُ جَزْمٌ وَالْأَذَانُ جَزْمٌ، قَدْ قِيلَ ذَلِكَ، وَأَسْتَحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ غَيْرَ الْإِمَامِ.

wa-al-masīḥu binaṣbi al-mīmi maʿa al-takhfīfi liʾannahu qīla summiya kadhālika maʿdūlan bihi min māsiḥin, ʾay yamsaḥu al-ʾarḍa masḥan, liʾannahu qīla: tuṭwā lahu al-ʾarḍu. wabaʿḍu ʾahli al-lughati yaqūlu: ʿudila bihi ʿan mamsūḥi al-ʿayni ʾay maṭmūsihā. wa-al-takbīru wa-al-taslīmu jazmun wa-al-ʾadhānu jazmun, qad qīla dhālika, waʾastaḥibbu ʾan yakūna al-muʾadhdhinu ghayra al-ʾimāmi.

The word masīḥ has an a-vowel on the mīm and no doubled consonant. It is said to be derived from māsiḥ, “one who traverses,” because he traverses the earth, which is said to be folded up for him. Some linguists derive it from “one whose eye has been effaced,” meaning obliterated. The declarations “God is greatest,” the closing salutations, and the call to prayer are to end with their final vowels unpronounced, as has been said. I prefer the caller to prayer to be someone other than the prayer leader.

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَرِهَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْإِمَامُ مُؤَذِّنًا، وَقَدْ كَانَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِذَا ذَكَرَ فَضْلَ الْأَذَانِ يَقُولُ: لَوْلَا الْإِمَامَةُ لَأَذَّنْتُ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «الْأَذَانُ إِلَى الْمُؤَذِّنِ وَالْإِقَامَةُ إِلَى الْإِمَامِ»، أَيْ هُوَ أَمْلَكُ بِهَا.

waqad rawaynā fī al-khabari ʾanna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kariha ʾan yakūna al-ʾimāmu muʾadhdhinan, waqad kāna ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʾidhā dhakara faḍla al-ʾadhāni yaqūlu: lawlā al-ʾimāmatu laʾadhdhantu. warawaynā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «al-ʾadhānu ʾilā al-muʾadhdhini wa-al-ʾiqāmatu ʾilā al-ʾimāmi», ʾay huwa ʾamlaku bihā.

We have related a report that God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, disliked having the prayer leader also serve as the caller. Whenever ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, mentioned the merit of the call to prayer, he would say, “Were it not for my office as leader, I would make the call.” We have related from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, “The call to prayer is the caller’s responsibility; the signal to begin is the leader’s,” meaning that the leader has the stronger authority over it.

وَلِلْمُؤَذِّنِ أَنْ يَنْتَظِرَ الْإِمَامَ، وَلَيْسَ عَلَى الْإِمَامِ وَالْمَأْمُومِ انْتِظَارُ الْمُؤَذِّنِ إِذَا دَخَلَ الْوَقْتُ، وَلَا عَلَى الْمُؤَذِّنِ انْتِظَارُ أَحَدٍ إِذَا انْتَظَرَ الْإِمَامَ وَدَخَلَ الْوَقْتُ. وَالصَّلَاةُ فِي أَوَّلِ وَقْتِهَا أَفْضَلُ مِنَ انْتِظَارِ الْجَمَاعَةِ لَهَا، وَأَفْضَلُ مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ طِوَالِ السُّوَرِ فِيهَا.

wali-l-muʾadhdhini ʾan yantaẓira al-ʾimāma, walaysa ʿalā al-ʾimāmi wa-al-maʾmūmi intiẓāru al-muʾadhdhini ʾidhā dakhala al-waqtu, walā ʿalā al-muʾadhdhini intiẓāru ʾaḥadin ʾidhā intaẓara al-ʾimāma wadakhala al-waqtu. wa-al-ṣalātu fī ʾawwali waqtihā ʾafḍalu mina intiẓāri al-jamāʿati lahā, waʾafḍalu min qirāʾati ṭiwāli al-suwari fīhā.

The caller may wait for the leader, but once the prayer time begins, neither the leader nor the congregation is required to wait for the caller. Nor must the caller wait for anyone else once he has waited for the leader and the time has begun. Praying at the beginning of the time is better than waiting for a congregation to assemble, and better than reciting long suras in the prayer.

وَقِيلَ: قَدْ كَانُوا إِذَا حَضَرَ اثْنَانِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ لَمْ يَنْتَظِرُوا الثَّالِثَ، وَإِذَا حَضَرَ أَرْبَعَةٌ فِي الْجَنَازَةِ لَمْ يَنْتَظِرُوا الْخَامِسَ. وَقِيلَ: انْتِظَارُ الْمَأْمُومِ مَعَ شُهُودِ الْإِمَامِ مَكْرُوهٌ، وَالنَّعْيُ بِالْمَيِّتِ وَالْإِيذَانُ بِهِ بِدْعَةٌ.

waqīla: qad kānū ʾidhā ḥaḍara ithnāni fī al-ṣalāti lam yantaẓirū al-thālitha, waʾidhā ḥaḍara ʾarbaʿatun fī al-janāzati lam yantaẓirū al-khāmisa. waqīla: intiẓāru al-maʾmūmi maʿa shuhūdi al-ʾimāmi makrūhun, wa-al-naʿyu bi-al-mayyiti wa-al-ʾīdhānu bihi bidʿatun.

It is said that when two people were present for prayer, they did not wait for a third; and when four were present for a funeral, they did not wait for a fifth. It is also said that waiting for a follower when the leader is present is disliked, and that proclaiming a death and announcing it are innovations.

وَقَدْ تَأَخَّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ وَكَانُوا فِي سَفَرٍ، وَإِنَّمَا تَأَخَّرَ لِطَهَارَةٍ، فَلَمْ يُنْتَظَرْ، وَقَدَّمُوا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ عَوْفٍ فَصَلَّى بِهِمْ حَتَّى فَاتَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَكْعَةٌ فَقَامَ يَقْضِيهَا، قَالَ: فَأَشْفَقْنَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: «أَحْسَنْتُمْ هَكَذَا فَافْعَلُوا».

waqad taʾakhkhara rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿan ṣalāti al-fajri wakānū fī safarin, waʾinnamā taʾakhkhara liṭahāratin, falam yuntaẓar, waqaddamū ʿabda al-raḥmāni bna ʿawfin faṣallā bihim ḥattā fātat rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama rakʿatun faqāma yaqḍīhā, qāla: faʾashfaqnā min dhālika faqāla: «ʾaḥsantum hākadhā fafʿalū».

God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, was once late for the dawn prayer while they were traveling, delayed only by his purification. They did not wait for him, but put ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf forward to lead them. God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, missed one cycle and stood to make it up. The transmitter said, “We were apprehensive about this,” but he said, “You have done well. This is how you should act.”

وَقَدْ تَأَخَّرَ فِي صَلَاةِ الظُّهْرِ فَقَدَّمُوا أَبَا بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ حَتَّى جَاءَ وَهُمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، فَقَامَ إِلَى جَانِبِهِ، لِيَدْخُلْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ مُكَبِّرًا إِذَا قَالَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ: قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ، وَيَكُونُ النَّاسُ قَدْ قَامُوا إِذَا

waqad taʾakhkhara fī ṣalāti al-ẓuhri faqaddamū ʾabā bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ḥattā jāʾa wahum fī al-ṣalāti, faqāma ʾilā jānibihi, liyadkhul fī al-ṣalāti mukabbiran ʾidhā qāla al-muʾadhdhinu: qad qāmati al-ṣalātu, wayakūnu al-nāsu qad qāmū ʾidhā

He was also late for the noon prayer, and they put Abū Bakr, may God be pleased with him, forward. He arrived while they were praying and stood beside him. The leader should enter prayer with the opening declaration when the caller says, “The prayer has begun,” and the people should already have stood when

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٥٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 355

Volume Two, page 355

قَالَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ: «حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ»، كَذَلِكَ السُّنَّةُ وَعَلَيْهِ كَانَ السَّلَفُ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا إِذَا قَالَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ: «حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ» قَامَ النَّاسُ لِلدَّعْوَةِ، فَإِذَا قَالَ: «قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ» كَبَّرَ الْإِمَامُ، وَيَبْقَى الْمُؤَذِّنُ وَحْدَهُ يُتِمُّ الْإِقَامَةَ، ثُمَّ يَدْخُلُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَالْإِمَامُ يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ الْحَمْدِ.

qāla al-muʾadhdhinu: «ḥayya ʿalā al-ṣalāti», kadhālika al-sunnatu waʿalayhi kāna al-salafu. warawaynā ʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu waʿabdi Allāhi wakānū ʾidhā qāla al-muʾadhdhinu: «ḥayya ʿalā al-ṣalāti» qāma al-nāsu li-l-daʿwati, faʾidhā qāla: «qad qāmati al-ṣalātu» kabbara al-ʾimāmu, wayabqā al-muʾadhdhinu waḥdahu yutimmu al-ʾiqāmata, thumma yadkhulu fī al-ṣalāti wa-al-ʾimāmu yaqraʾu sūrata al-ḥamdi.

the caller says, “Come to prayer.” Such is the customary practice followed by the early Muslims. We have related from ʿAlī, peace be upon him, and ʿAbd Allāh that, when the caller said, “Come to prayer,” the people rose in response. When he said, “The prayer has begun,” the leader said the opening declaration, while the caller alone remained to finish the signal. He then entered the prayer as the leader recited the Opening.

لِأَنَّ حَقِيقَةَ قَوْلِهِ: «قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ» أَيْ قَدْ قَامَ النَّاسُ لِلصَّلَاةِ، وَقَدْ قَامَ الْمُصَلُّونَ لِأَنَّ الصَّلَاةَ لَا تَقُومُ، فَإِذَا قَامُوا عِنْدَ قَوْلِهِ: «قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ» كَانَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ صَادِقًا فِي قَوْلِهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ جَائِزًا عَلَى الْمَجَازِ لِقُرْبِ الْوَقْتِ وَظُهُورِ سَبَبِ الْقِيَامِ.

liʾanna ḥaqīqata qawlihi: «qad qāmati al-ṣalātu» ʾay qad qāma al-nāsu li-l-ṣalāti, waqad qāma al-muṣallūna liʾanna al-ṣalāta lā taqūmu, faʾidhā qāmū ʿinda qawlihi: «qad qāmati al-ṣalātu» kāna al-muʾadhdhinu ṣādiqan fī qawlihi, waʾin kāna jāʾizan ʿalā al-majāzi liqurbi al-waqti waẓuhūri sababi al-qiyāmi.

The actual meaning of “The prayer has stood” is that the people have stood for prayer, that the worshippers have risen; prayer itself does not stand up. If they rise when he says, “The prayer has stood,” his words are true. The expression is also permissible figuratively, since the time is near and the reason for rising is evident.

وَلِذَلِكَ كُرِهَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْإِمَامُ مُؤَذِّنًا لِأَنَّهُ حِينَئِذٍ يَحْتَاجُ أَنْ يُكَبِّرَ وَيَدْخُلَ النَّاسُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ عِنْدَ قَوْلِهِ: «قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ». وَكَذَلِكَ جَاءَ عَنِ السَّلَفِ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْأَذَانُ فِي الْمَنَارَةِ وَالْإِقَامَةُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ لِيَقْرُبَ عَلَى الْمُؤَذِّنِ الدُّخُولُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ.

wali-dhālika kuriha ʾan yakūna al-ʾimāmu muʾadhdhinan liʾannahu ḥīnaʾidhin yaḥtāju ʾan yukabbira wayadkhula al-nāsu fī al-ṣalāti ʿinda qawlihi: «qad qāmati al-ṣalātu». wa-kadhālika jāʾa ʿani al-salafi mina al-sunnati ʾan yakūna al-ʾadhānu fī al-manārati wa-al-ʾiqāmatu fī al-masjidi liyaqruba ʿalā al-muʾadhdhini al-dukhūlu fī al-ṣalāti.

This is why it was considered undesirable for the leader also to be the caller: at that moment he must say the opening declaration, and the people must enter the prayer when he says, “The prayer has begun.” The early Muslims likewise transmitted the practice of giving the call from the minaret and the signal to begin inside the mosque, so the caller could join the prayer more readily.

وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ بِلَالٌ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا تَسْبِقْنِي بِآمِينَ»، أَيْ تَمَهَّلْ حَتَّى أُدْرِكَ التَّأْمِينَ مَعَكَ لِفَضْلِهِ، إِذْ قَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ يَسْبِقُهُ بِافْتِتَاحِ الْحَمْدِ. وَفِي هَذَا دَلِيلٌ عَلَى صِحَّةِ اخْتِيَارِنَا فِيمَا ذَكَرْنَا مِنَ انْتِظَارِ الْإِمَامِ لِمَنْ سَمِعَ خَفْقَ نَعْلِهِ إِذَا كَانَ فِي أَوَّلِ الرُّكُوعِ، لِقَوْلِ بِلَالٍ: «لَا تَسْبِقْنِي بِآمِينَ» وَلَمْ يَقُلْ: «لَا تَسْبِقْنِي بِالْحَمْدِ».

wa-kadhālika qāla bilālun lirasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «lā tasbiqnī biʾāmīna», ʾay tamahhal ḥattā ʾudrika al-taʾmīna maʿaka lifaḍlihi, ʾidh qad ʿalima ʾannahu yasbiquhu biftitāḥi al-ḥamdi. wafī hādhā dalīlun ʿalā ṣiḥḥati ikhtiyārinā fīmā dhakarnā mina intiẓāri al-ʾimāmi liman samiʿa khafqa naʿlihi ʾidhā kāna fī ʾawwali al-rukūʿi, liqawli bilālin: «lā tasbiqnī biʾāmīna» walam yaqul: «lā tasbiqnī bi-al-ḥamdi».

Bilāl similarly said to God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, “Do not get ahead of me in saying ‘Amen.’” He meant, “Take your time so I can say ‘Amen’ with you and gain its merit,” knowing that the Prophet would begin the Opening before him. This supports our stated preference that a leader may wait for someone whose footsteps he hears if he is at the beginning of the bow. Bilāl said, “Do not get ahead of me in saying ‘Amen,’” not, “Do not get ahead of me in reciting the Opening.”

وَلَا أَسْتَحِبُّ لِلْإِمَامِ الْجَهْرَ بِبِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ آيَةً مِنْ سُورَةِ الْحَمْدِ فَأَكْثَرُ الرِّوَايَاتِ وَأَثْبَتُهَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَرْكُ الْجَهْرِ بِهَا، وَأَنَّهُ الْآخِرُ مِنْ فِعْلِهِ فَقَدْ كَانُوا يَأْخُذُونَ بِالْآخِرِ فَالْآخِرِ مِنْ أَفْعَالِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلِأَنَّهُ مَذْهَبُ أَكْثَرِ الْعُلَمَاءِ.

walā ʾastaḥibbu li-l-ʾimāmi al-jahra bibismi Allāhi al-raḥmāni al-raḥīmi, waʾin kānat ʾāyatan min sūrati al-ḥamdi faʾaktharu al-riwāyāti waʾathbatuhā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama tarku al-jahri bihā, waʾannahu al-ʾākhiru min fiʿlihi faqad kānū yaʾkhudhūna bi-al-ʾākhiri fa-al-ʾākhiri min ʾafʿālihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama waliʾannahu madhhabu ʾakthari al-ʿulamāʾi.

I do not recommend that the leader recite “In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate” aloud, even though it is a verse of the Opening. Most reports from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, and the most firmly established, say that he did not recite it aloud and that this was his later practice. They used to follow his most recent practice, God bless him and grant him peace. It is also the position of most scholars.

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مِنَ السُّنَّةِ أَنْ يُخْفِيَ الْإِمَامُ أَرْبَعًا: «سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ»، وَالِاسْتِعَاذَةَ، وَقِرَاءَةَ «بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ»، وَالتَّأْمِينَ. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ كَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَهُ الْجَهْرَ بِهَا، وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: لَيْسَ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ الْجَهْرُ بِهَا.

warawaynā ʿani ibni masʿūdin ʾannahu qāla: mina al-sunnati ʾan yukhfiya al-ʾimāmu ʾarbaʿan: «subḥānaka Allāhumma», wa-al-istiʿādhata, waqirāʾata «bismi Allāhi al-raḥmāni al-raḥīmi», wa-al-taʾmīna. waqad rawaynā ʿan ʿaliyyin karrama Allāhu wajhahu al-jahra bihā, waʿani ibni ʿabbāsin: laysa mina al-sunnati al-jahru bihā.

We have related from Ibn Masʿūd that he said, “The customary practice is for the leader to say four things quietly: ‘Glory be to You, O God,’ the prayer for refuge, ‘In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate,’ and ‘Amen.’” We have also related from ʿAlī, may God honor his face, the practice of reciting it aloud, and from Ibn ʿAbbās, “Reciting it aloud is not the customary practice.”

وَلَا أَكْرَهُ الْقُنُوتَ فِي صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاةِ بِالْكَلِمَاتِ الثَّمَانِيَةِ الَّتِي رُوِيَتْ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ يَقُولَهَا سِرًّا وَلَا يَرْفَعَ يَدَيْهِ، لِأَنَّهَا تَجْرِي مَجْرَى الدُّعَاءِ، وَإِنْ تَرَكَ ذَلِكَ فَحَسَنٌ، قَدْ تَرَكَهُ أَكْثَرُ الْفُقَهَاءِ.

walā ʾakrahu al-qunūta fī ṣalāti al-ghadāti bi-al-kalimāti al-thamāniyati allatī ruwiyat ʿani al-ḥasani ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾan yaqūlahā sirran walā yarfaʿa yadayhi, liʾannahā tajrī majrā al-duʿāʾi, waʾin taraka dhālika faḥasanun, qad tarakahu ʾaktharu al-fuqahāʾi.

I do not disapprove of the supplication in the morning prayer using the eight phrases related by al-Ḥasan from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, provided he says them quietly and does not raise his hands, since they have the character of a prayer of petition. Omitting it is also good; most jurists have omitted it.

وَأَسْتَحِبُّ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَغَدَاتِهَا مِنَ السُّوَرِ مَا رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فِي حَدِيثَيْنِ، الْمَشْهُورُ مِنْهُمَا: أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاةِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ بِسُورَةِ السَّجْدَةِ وَ﴿هَلْ أَتَى﴾ الدَّهْرِ: ١، وَالْحَدِيثُ الْآخَرُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْمَغْرِبِ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ ﴿قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ وَ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾ الْكَافِرُونَ: ١، الْإِخْلَاصِ: ١، وَفِي عِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ بِسُورَةِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَسُورَةِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ.

waʾastaḥibbu ʾan yaqraʾa fī laylati al-jumuʿati waghadātihā mina al-suwari mā rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi fī ḥadīthayni, al-mashhūru minhumā: ʾannahu kāna yaqraʾu fī ṣalāti al-ghadāti yawma al-jumuʿati bisūrati al-sajdati wa﴿hal ʾatā﴾ al-dahri: 1, wa-al-ḥadīthu al-ʾākharu ʾannahu kāna yaqraʾu fī ṣalāti al-maghribi laylata al-jumuʿati ﴿qul yā ʾayyuhā al-kāfirūna﴾ wa﴿qul huwa Allāhu ʾaḥadun﴾ al-kāfirūna: 1, al-ʾikhlāṣi: 1, wafī ʿishāʾi al-ʾākhirati bisūrati al-jumuʿati wasūrati al-munāfiqīna.

For the night before Friday and Friday morning, I recommend the suras we have related from God’s Messenger in two hadiths. The better-known says that, at Friday’s morning prayer, he recited Sura al-Sajda and “Has there come” [al-Dahr 76:1]. The other says that, at the sunset prayer on the night before Friday, he recited “Say: O unbelievers” and “Say: He is God, One” [al-Kāfirūn 109:1; al-Ikhlāṣ 112:1], and at the night prayer, Sura al-Jumuʿa and Sura al-Munāfiqūn.

وَأَسْتَحِبُّ أَنْ يَقُولَ فِي تَشَهُّدِهِ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ مَا عَلَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَائِشَةَ مِنَ الْجَوَامِعِ وَالْكَوَامِلِ: «اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ، مَا عَلِمْتُ مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ أَعْلَمْ، أَسْأَلُكَ مِمَّا سَأَلَكَ مِنْهُ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِمَّا اسْتَعَاذَكَ مِنْهُ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ».

waʾastaḥibbu ʾan yaqūla fī tashahhudihi mina al-duʿāʾi mā ʿallama rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿāʾishata mina al-jawāmiʿi wa-al-kawāmili: «Allāhumma ʾinnī ʾasʾaluka mina al-khayri kullihi ʿājilihi waʾājilihi, mā ʿalimtu minhu wamā lam ʾaʿlam, ʾasʾaluka mimmā saʾalaka minhu muḥammadun ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, waʾaʿūdhu bika mimmā istaʿādhaka minhu muḥammadun ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama».

During the seated testimony, I recommend the comprehensive and complete prayer God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, taught ʿĀʾisha: “O God, I ask You for every good, immediate and future, what I know of it and what I do not know. I ask You for what Muḥammad, God bless him and grant him peace, asked You for. I seek refuge in You from what Muḥammad, God bless him and grant him peace, sought Your protection from.

«أَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ وَعَمَلٍ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ وَعَمَلٍ، اللَّهُمَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ لِي مِنْ أَمْرٍ فَاجْعَلْ عَاقِبَتَهُ رُشْدًا».

«ʾasʾaluka al-jannata wamā qarraba ʾilayhā min qawlin waʿamalin, waʾaʿūdhu bika mina al-nāri wamā qarraba ʾilayhā min qawlin waʿamalin, Allāhumma mā qaḍayta lī min ʾamrin fajʿal ʿāqibatahu rushdan».

“I ask You for Paradise and whatever words and deeds bring me near it. I seek refuge in You from the Fire and whatever words and deeds bring me near it. O God, whatever matter You decree for me, make its outcome right and sound.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٥٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 356

Volume Two, page 356

ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَيَقُولُ: ﴿رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا﴾ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ٨، الْآيَةَ، ﴿رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ﴾. وَلَيْسَ بَعْدَ هَذَا دُعَاءٌ مُفَضَّلٌ وَلَا كَلَامٌ مَأْثُورٌ سِوَى مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ آنِفًا مِنَ الِاسْتِعَاذَةِ بِالْكَلِمَاتِ الْخَمْسِ، وَإِنِ اقْتَصَرَ عَلَيْهَا أَجْزَأَتْهُ.

thumma yastaghfiru li-l-muʾminīna wa-al-muʾmināti wayaqūlu: ﴿rabbanā lā tuzigh qulūbanā baʿda ʾidh hadaytanā﴾ ʾāli ʿimrāna: 8, al-ʾāyata, ﴿rabbanā ʾātinā fī al-dunyā ḥasanatan wafī al-ʾākhirati ḥasanatan waqinā ʿadhāba al-nāri﴾. walaysa baʿda hādhā duʿāʾun mufaḍḍalun walā kalāmun maʾthūrun siwā mā dhakarnāhu ʾānifan mina al-istiʿādhati bi-al-kalimāti al-khamsi, waʾini iqtaṣara ʿalayhā ʾajzaʾathu.

He then asks forgiveness for believing men and women and says, “Our Lord, do not let our hearts turn astray after You have guided us” [Āl ʿImrān 3:8], continuing the verse; and, “Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” Beyond this, no preferred petition or transmitted wording remains except the five prayers for refuge already mentioned. If he confines himself to those, they suffice.

وَيُكْرَهُ لِلْإِمَامِ أَنْ يَخُصَّ نَفْسَهُ بِدُعَاءٍ دُونَ مَنْ خَلْفَهُ، فَإِنْ دَعَا فِي صَلَاتِهِ فَلْيَجْمَعْ بِالنُّونِ فَيَقُولُ: نَسْأَلُكَ وَنَسْتَعِيذُكَ، وَهُوَ يَنْوِي بِذَلِكَ نَفْسَهُ وَمَنْ خَلْفَهُ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «مَنْ أَمَّ قَوْمًا فَلَا يَخُصَّ نَفْسَهُ بِدَعْوَةٍ دُونَهُمْ».

wayukrahu li-l-ʾimāmi ʾan yakhuṣṣa nafsahu biduʿāʾin dūna man khalfahu, faʾin daʿā fī ṣalātihi falyajmaʿ bi-al-nūni fayaqūlu: nasʾaluka wanastaʿīdhuka, wahuwa yanwī bi-dhālika nafsahu waman khalfahu. wafī al-khabari: «man ʾamma qawman falā yakhuṣṣa nafsahu bidaʿwatin dūnahum».

It is disliked for the leader to pray only for himself, leaving out those behind him. When he prays during the service, he should use the plural with the prefix nūn, saying, “We ask You” and “We seek Your protection,” intending himself and those behind him. A report says, “Whoever leads people in prayer must not single himself out for a petition that excludes them.”

فَإِنِ اخْتَارَ الْمُرِيدُ التَّأْذِينَ عَلَى الْإِمَامَةِ فَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ: إِنَّ الْأَذَانَ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْإِمَامَةِ، وَإِنَّ الْمُؤَذِّنَ أَعْظَمُ أَجْرًا لِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «الْإِمَامُ أَمِيرٌ»، وَلِقَوْلِهِ: «الْإِمَامُ ضَامِنٌ»، فَشَبَّهَهَا بِالْإِمَارَةِ وَالضَّمَانِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «فَإِنْ نَقَصَ فَعَلَيْهِ لَا عَلَيْهِمْ».

faʾini ikhtāra al-murīdu al-taʾdhīna ʿalā al-ʾimāmati faqad qāla baʿḍu al-salafi mina al-ʿulamāʾi: ʾinna al-ʾadhāna ʾafḍalu mina al-ʾimāmati, waʾinna al-muʾadhdhina ʾaʿẓamu ʾajran liqawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «al-ʾimāmu ʾamīrun», waliqawlihi: «al-ʾimāmu ḍāminun», fashabbahahā bi-al-ʾimārati wa-al-ḍamāni, thumma qāla: «faʾin naqaṣa faʿalayhi lā ʿalayhim».

If the seeker prefers making the call to leading prayer, some early scholars have said that making the call is better and earns the caller a greater reward. They cite the words of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, “The prayer leader is a commander,” and, “The prayer leader bears responsibility.” He thus compared the office to command and liability, then said, “If it falls short, the responsibility is his, not theirs.”

فَالْأَذَانُ أَسْلَمُ، وَلَعَلَّهُ لَا يَقُومُ بِحُكْمِ الْإِمَامَةِ وَلَا يُتِمُّ وَصْفَ الْإِمَامِ فَيَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ بَعْضُ صَلَاةِ الْمُصَلِّينَ كَمَا يَكُونُ لَهُ أَيْضًا فِي الْإِتْمَامِ أُجُورُهُمْ، وَأَيْضًا فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ دَعَا لِلْمُؤَذِّنِينَ دُعَاءً هُوَ أَمْدَحُ مِنْ دُعَائِهِ لِلْإِمَامِ بِقَوْلِهِ: «اللَّهُمَّ أَرْشِدِ الْأَئِمَّةَ، وَاغْفِرْ لِلْمُؤَذِّنِينَ».

fa-al-ʾadhānu ʾaslamu, walaʿallahu lā yaqūmu biḥukmi al-ʾimāmati walā yutimmu waṣfa al-ʾimāmi fayakūnu ʿalayhi baʿḍu ṣalāti al-muṣallīna kamā yakūnu lahu ʾayḍan fī al-ʾitmāmi ʾujūruhum, waʾayḍan faʾinna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama daʿā li-l-muʾadhdhinīna duʿāʾan huwa ʾamdaḥu min duʿāʾihi li-l-ʾimāmi biqawlihi: «Allāhumma ʾarshidi al-ʾaʾimmata, waghfir li-l-muʾadhdhinīna».

Making the call is therefore safer. He may fail to fulfill the leader’s duties or meet the leader’s complete description, becoming responsible for some deficiency in the worshippers’ prayer, just as he shares their rewards when he performs it completely. Moreover, God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, made a more favorable prayer for callers than for leaders when he said, “O God, guide the prayer leaders and forgive the callers to prayer.”

وَبِقَوْلِهِ: «يُغْفَرُ لِلْمُؤَذِّنِ مَدَى صَوْتِهِ وَيَشْهَدُ لَهُ كُلُّ رَطْبٍ وَيَابِسٍ»، وَوَصَفَهُ أَيْضًا بِوَصْفٍ هُوَ أَبْلَغُ فَقَالَ: «الْمُؤَذِّنُ مُؤْتَمَنٌ»، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: «مُؤَذِّنُوكُمْ وَأَئِمَّتُكُمْ ضُمَنَاؤُكُمْ»، فَالْأَمِينُ أَرْفَعُ حَالًا مِنَ الضَّامِنِ لِأَنَّ الضَّامِنَ غَارِمٌ، وَقَدْ لَا يَكُونُ أَمِينًا، وَالْأَمِينُ مَكِينٌ وَلَا ضَمَانَ عَلَيْهِ.

wabiqawlihi: «yughfaru li-l-muʾadhdhini madā ṣawtihi wayashhadu lahu kullu raṭbin wayābisin», wawaṣafahu ʾayḍan biwaṣfin huwa ʾablaghu faqāla: «al-muʾadhdhinu muʾtamanun», wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: «muʾadhdhinūkum waʾaʾimmatukum ḍumanāʾukum», fa-al-ʾamīnu ʾarfaʿu ḥālan mina al-ḍāmini liʾanna al-ḍāmina ghārimun, waqad lā yakūnu ʾamīnan, wa-al-ʾamīnu makīnun walā ḍamāna ʿalayhi.

He also said, “The caller is forgiven as far as his voice reaches, and every moist and dry thing bears witness for him.” He gave him a stronger description as well: “The caller holds a trust.” Another wording says, “Your callers and your prayer leaders are your guarantors.” The trusted person has a higher standing than the guarantor: the guarantor is liable for a debt and may not be trustworthy, whereas the trusted person has an established position and bears no such liability.

وَمِنْ هَذَا كَرِهَ سَهْلُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيُّ الْإِمَامَةَ، قَالَ أَبُو حَازِمٍ: قُلْتُ لِسَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ وَكَانَ يُقَدِّمُ فِتْيَانَ قَوْمِهِ يُصَلُّونَ بِهِ، فَقُلْتُ: أَنْتَ صَاحِبُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَكَ مِنَ السَّابِقَةِ وَالْفَضْلِ، لَوْ تَقَدَّمْتَ فَصَلَّيْتَ بِقَوْمِكَ، فَقَالَ: يَا ابْنَ أَخِي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «الْإِمَامُ ضَامِنٌ» فَأَكْرَهُ أَنْ أَكُونَ ضَامِنًا.

wamin hādhā kariha sahlu bnu saʿdin al-sāʿidiyyu al-ʾimāmata, qāla ʾabū ḥāzimin: qultu lisahli bni saʿdin wakāna yuqaddimu fityāna qawmihi yuṣallūna bihi, faqultu: ʾanta ṣāḥibu rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama walaka mina al-sābiqati wa-al-faḍli, law taqaddamta faṣallayta biqawmika, faqāla: yā ibna ʾakhī samiʿtu rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaqūlu: «al-ʾimāmu ḍāminun» faʾakrahu ʾan ʾakūna ḍāminan.

For this reason Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Sāʿidī disliked leading prayer. Abū Ḥāzim said, “Sahl ibn Saʿd used to put forward young men of his people to lead him in prayer. I said to him, ‘You are a Companion of God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, with your early service and distinction. If only you would step forward and lead your people!’ He replied, ‘My nephew, I heard God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, say, “The prayer leader bears responsibility,” and I dislike bearing that responsibility.’”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «مَنْ أَذَّنَ فِي مَسْجِدٍ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ وَجَبَتْ لَهُ الْجَنَّةُ، وَمَنْ أَذَّنَ أَرْبَعِينَ عَامًا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ». وَفِي الْخَبَرِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «ثَلَاثَةٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى كَثِيبٍ مِنْ مِسْكٍ يَفْزَعُ النَّاسُ وَلَا يَفْزَعُونَ حَتَّى يُقْضَى بَيْنَ الْخَلَائِقِ».

wafī al-khabari: «man ʾadhdhana fī masjidin sabʿa sinīna wajabat lahu al-jannatu, waman ʾadhdhana ʾarbaʿīna ʿāman dakhala al-jannata bighayri ḥisābin». wafī al-khabari ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «thalāthatun yawma al-qiyāmati ʿalā kathībin min miskin yafzaʿu al-nāsu walā yafzaʿūna ḥattā yuqḍā bayna al-khalāʾiqi».

A report says, “Whoever makes the call in a mosque for seven years is assured of Paradise, and whoever makes it for forty years enters Paradise without an accounting.” A report from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, says, “Three people will stand on a mound of musk on the Day of Resurrection. Others will be terrified, but they will not, until judgment is passed among all creatures:

«رَجُلٌ قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ فَأَدَّاهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى بِمَا فِيهِ، وَرَجُلٌ أَذَّنَ فِي مَسْجِدٍ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَرَجُلٌ اُبْتُلِيَ بِالرِّقِّ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَأَطَاعَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَطَاعَ مَوَالِيَهُ». وَرَوَيْنَا فِي تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِمَّنْ دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ﴾ فُصِّلَتْ: ٣٣، قَالَ: نَزَلَتْ فِي الْمُؤَذِّنِينَ.

«rajulun qaraʾa al-qurʾāna faʾaddāhu ʾilā Allāhi subḥānahu wataʿālā bimā fīhi, warajulun ʾadhdhana fī masjidin ibtighāʾa wajhi Allāhi taʿālā, warajulun ubtuliya bi-al-riqqi fī al-dunyā faʾaṭāʿa Allāha ʿazza wajalla waʾaṭāʿa mawāliyahu». warawaynā fī tafsīri qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿waman ʾaḥsanu qawlan mimman daʿā ʾilā Allāhi﴾ fuṣṣilat: 33, qāla: nazalat fī al-muʾadhdhinīna.

“a man who recited the Qurʾān and rendered his duty to God, glorified and exalted, according to its contents; a man who made the call in a mosque seeking God Most High’s countenance; and a man tested with slavery in this world who obeyed God, mighty and majestic, and his masters.” In explanation of the Most High’s words, “Who is better in speech than someone who calls to God?” [Fuṣṣilat 41:33], we have related: “It was revealed concerning the callers to prayer.”

﴿وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا﴾، قَالَ: الصَّلَاةُ بَيْنَ الْأَذَانِ وَالْإِقَامَةِ. وَيُسْتَحَبُّ إِذَا فَرَغَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ مِنَ الْأَذَانِ أَنْ يَقُولَ: وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَتَلَا قَوْلَهُ: ﴿وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ﴾، وَقَوْلَهُ: ﴿مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾. فَأَسْتَحِبُّ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ بَيْنَ الْأَذَانِ وَالْإِقَامَةِ أَرْبَعًا، وَأَنْ يَجْهَدَ فِي الدُّعَاءِ.

﴿waʿamila ṣāliḥan﴾, qāla: al-ṣalātu bayna al-ʾadhāni wa-al-ʾiqāmati. wayustaḥabbu ʾidhā faragha al-muʾadhdhinu mina al-ʾadhāni ʾan yaqūla: waʾanā mina al-muslimīna, al-ḥamdu li-llāhi rabbi al-ʿālamīna, watalā qawlahu: ﴿waʿamila ṣāliḥan waqāla ʾinnanī mina al-muslimīna﴾, waqawlahu: ﴿mukhliṣīna lahu al-dīna al-ḥamdu li-llāhi rabbi al-ʿālamīna﴾. faʾastaḥibbu ʾan yuṣalliya al-muʾadhdhinu bayna al-ʾadhāni wa-al-ʾiqāmati ʾarbaʿan, waʾan yajhada fī al-duʿāʾi.

“And does what is right”: he said this means prayer between the call and the signal to begin. When the caller finishes the call, it is recommended that he say, “I too am one of those who submit. Praise belongs to God, Lord of all worlds.” He recited His words, “And does what is right and says, ‘I am one of those who submit,’” and, “Devoting religion purely to Him. Praise belongs to God, Lord of all worlds.” I recommend that the caller pray four cycles between the call and the signal, and exert himself in petition.

قَالَ: وَكَانَ السَّلَفُ يَكْرَهُونَ أَرْبَعًا وَيَتَدَافَعُونَهَا عَنْهُمْ: الْإِمَامَةَ وَالْفُتْيَا وَالْوَصِيَّةَ وَالْوَدِيعَةَ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: مَا شَيْءٌ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ، وَأَكُونُ مَأْمُومًا فَأُكْفَى سَهْوَهَا وَيَتَحَمَّلُ غَيْرِي ثِقْلَهَا، وَلَكِنْ إِذَا أُقِيمَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَلْيَتَقَدَّمْ مَنْ أُمِرَ بِالتَّقَدُّمِ وَلَا يَتَدَافَعُونَهَا، فَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْعِلْمِ

qāla: wakāna al-salafu yakrahūna ʾarbaʿan wayatadāfaʿūnahā ʿanhum: al-ʾimāmata wa-al-futyā wa-al-waṣiyyata wa-al-wadīʿata. waqāla baʿḍuhum: mā shayʾun ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya mina al-ṣalāti fī jamāʿatin, waʾakūnu maʾmūman faʾukfā sahwahā wayataḥammalu ghayrī thiqlahā, wa-lākin ʾidhā ʾuqīmati al-ṣalātu falyataqaddam man ʾumira bi-al-taqaddumi walā yatadāfaʿūnahā, faqad jāʾa fī al-ʿilmi

He said that the early Muslims disliked four responsibilities and tried to pass them on: leading prayer, issuing legal opinions, administering a bequest, and holding a deposit in trust. One of them said, “Nothing is dearer to me than congregational prayer in which I am a follower: I am spared responsibility for its lapses, and someone else bears its burden.” But once the signal to begin has been given, the person instructed to lead should step forward; they should not pass the office from one to another. A transmitted account tells

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٥٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 357

Volume Two, page 357

أَنَّ قَوْمًا تَدَافَعُوا الْإِمَامَةَ بَعْدَ إِقَامَةِ الصَّلَاةِ فَخُسِفَ بِهِمْ، وَلَكِنْ لَا يُقِيمُ الْمُؤَذِّنُ حَتَّى يَحْضُرَ الْإِمَامُ، وَلَا يَنْتَظِرُوا الْإِمَامَ قِيَامًا فَإِنَّهُ مَكْرُوهٌ، وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا تَقُومُوا حَتَّى تَرَوْنِي».

ʾanna qawman tadāfaʿū al-ʾimāmata baʿda ʾiqāmati al-ṣalāti fakhusifa bihim, wa-lākin lā yuqīmu al-muʾadhdhinu ḥattā yaḥḍura al-ʾimāmu, walā yantaẓirū al-ʾimāma qiyāman faʾinnahu makrūhun, waqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «lā taqūmū ḥattā tarawnī».

that some people kept passing the leadership of prayer to one another after the signal had been given, and the ground swallowed them up. But the caller should not give the signal until the leader is present, nor should the people wait for the leader while standing, for that is disliked. God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Do not stand until you see me.”

وَكَانَ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ يَقُولُ: مَنْ أَرَادَ سَلَامَةَ الدُّنْيَا وَعِزَّ الْآخِرَةِ فَلْيَجْتَنِبْ أَرْبَعًا: لَا يُحَدِّثُ وَلَا يَشْهَدُ وَلَا يَؤُمُّ وَلَا يُفْتِي، وَفِي بَعْضِهَا: وَلَا يُجِيبُ دَعْوَةً، وَقَالَ مَرَّةً: وَلَا يَقْبَلُ هَدِيَّةً، وَهَذَا مِنْ تَشْدِيدِهِ.

wakāna bishru bnu al-ḥārithi yaqūlu: man ʾarāda salāmata al-dunyā waʿizza al-ʾākhirati falyajtanib ʾarbaʿan: lā yuḥaddithu walā yashhadu walā yaʾummu walā yuftī, wafī baʿḍihā: walā yujību daʿwatan, waqāla marratan: walā yaqbalu hadiyyatan, wa-hādhā min tashdīdihi.

Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith used to say, “Whoever wants safety in this world and honor in the hereafter should avoid four things: transmitting reports, bearing witness, leading prayer, and giving legal opinions.” Some versions add, “Nor should he accept an invitation,” and on one occasion he said, “Nor accept a gift.” This reflects his severity.

وَالَّذِي أَخْتَارُ مِنَ التَّأْذِينِ وَالْإِقَامَةِ مَذْهَبُ أَهْلِ الْحِجَازِ بِتَثْنِيَةِ الْأَذَانِ بِالتَّرْجِيعِ وَإِفْرَادِ الْإِقَامَةِ، وَأَنْ يَزِيدَ فِي أَذَانِ الْفَجْرِ «الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ» مَرَّتَيْنِ، وَأَنْ يُؤَذِّنَ لَهَا قَبْلَ دُخُولِ الْوَقْتِ خَاصَّةً لِيَتَأَهَّبَ لَهَا الْمُصَلُّونَ.

wa-alladhī ʾakhtāru mina al-taʾdhīni wa-al-ʾiqāmati madhhabu ʾahli al-ḥijāzi bitathniyati al-ʾadhāni bi-al-tarjīʿi waʾifrādi al-ʾiqāmati, waʾan yazīda fī ʾadhāni al-fajri «al-ṣalātu khayrun mina al-nawmi» marratayni, waʾan yuʾadhdhina lahā qabla dukhūli al-waqti khāṣṣatan liyataʾahhaba lahā al-muṣallūna.

For the call to prayer and the signal to begin, I choose the practice of the Hijaz: repeating the call’s phrases in pairs, with a return to the testimonies, and saying the signal’s phrases singly. At dawn the caller should add “Prayer is better than sleep” twice. For this prayer alone he should make the call before its time begins, so worshippers can prepare.

وَإِنَّمَا هِيَ الصَّلَاةُ الْوُسْطَى إِلَّا أَنْ يَتَّفِقُوا عَلَى صِحَّةِ الْحَدِيثِ: «شَغَلُونَا عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَى صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ»، فَلْيُدَعِ الِاخْتِيَارُ لِلْآثَارِ. وَأَنْ يَمُدَّ الْمُؤَذِّنُ صَوْتَهُ وَيَرْفَعَهُ جُهْدَهُ وَيَتَرَسَّلَ أَذَانَهُ، وَقِيلَ: كَانُوا يَسْتَحِبُّونَ خَفْضَ الصَّوْتِ فِي كُلِّ مَوْطِنٍ إِلَّا فِي مَوْضِعَيْنِ: فِي الْأَذَانِ وَعِنْدَ التَّلْبِيَةِ.

waʾinnamā hiya al-ṣalātu al-wusṭā ʾillā ʾan yattafiqū ʿalā ṣiḥḥati al-ḥadīthi: «shaghalūnā ʿani al-ṣalāti al-wusṭā ṣalāti al-ʿaṣri», falyudaʿi al-ikhtiyāru li-l-ʾāthāri. waʾan yamudda al-muʾadhdhinu ṣawtahu wayarfaʿahu juhdahu wayatarassala ʾadhānahu, waqīla: kānū yastaḥibbūna khafḍa al-ṣawti fī kulli mawṭinin ʾillā fī mawḍiʿayni: fī al-ʾadhāni waʿinda al-talbiyati.

This is the middle prayer, unless agreement is reached on the soundness of the hadith, “They kept us occupied away from the middle prayer, the afternoon prayer.” Personal preference must then yield to the transmitted reports. The caller should prolong his voice, raise it with all his strength, and deliver the call at a measured pace. It is said that they preferred lowering the voice in every situation except two: the call to prayer and the pilgrim’s response, “Here I am.”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «يَتَمَهَّلُ الْمُؤَذِّنُ بَيْنَ أَذَانِهِ وَإِقَامَتِهِ قَدْرَ مَا يَفْرُغُ الْآكِلُ مِنْ طَعَامِهِ، وَالْمُعْتَصِرُ مِنِ اعْتِصَارِهِ». فَهَذَا تَوْقِيتٌ مِنْ مِقْدَارِ الْمُصَلِّينَ بَيْنَ الْأَذَانَيْنِ، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ بِهِ حَاجَةٌ إِلَى هَذَيْنِ فَلْيُقَدِّمْ ذَلِكَ قَبْلَ دُخُولِهِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ لِئَلَّا يَشْغَلَهُ شَيْءٌ عَنْ صَلَاتِهِ.

wafī al-khabari: «yatamahhalu al-muʾadhdhinu bayna ʾadhānihi waʾiqāmatihi qadra mā yafrughu al-ʾākilu min ṭaʿāmihi, wa-al-muʿtaṣiru mini iʿtiṣārihi». fa-hādhā tawqītun min miqdāri al-muṣallīna bayna al-ʾadhānayni, faman kānat bihi ḥājatun ʾilā hādhayni falyuqaddim dhālika qabla dukhūlihi fī al-ṣalāti liʾallā yashghalahu shayʾun ʿan ṣalātihi.

A report says, “The caller should allow enough time between the call and the signal for someone eating to finish his food and someone relieving himself to finish.” This sets the interval between the two calls according to worshippers’ needs. Anyone needing either should attend to it before entering prayer, so nothing distracts him from it.

وَنَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ مُدَافَعَةِ الْأَخْبَثَيْنِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، وَأَمَرَ بِتَبْدِئَةِ الْعَشَاءِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: «إِذَا وُضِعَ الْعَشَاءُ وَأُقِيمَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَابْدَؤُوا بِالْعَشَاءِ»، ذَلِكَ لِيَكُونَ الْقَلْبُ فَارِغًا لِرَبِّهِ خَالِيًا مِنْ نَوَائِبِهِ، فَذَلِكَ مِنْ إِقَامَةِ الصَّلَاةِ وَتَمَامِهَا.

wanahā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿan mudāfaʿati al-ʾakhbathayni fī al-ṣalāti, waʾamara bitabdiʾati al-ʿashāʾi fī qawlihi: «ʾidhā wuḍiʿa al-ʿashāʾu waʾuqīmati al-ṣalātu fabdaʾū bi-al-ʿashāʾi», dhālika liyakūna al-qalbu fārighan lirabbihi khāliyan min nawāʾibihi, fa-dhālika min ʾiqāmati al-ṣalāti watamāmihā.

God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, forbade resisting the urge to urinate or defecate during prayer. He commanded that supper be taken first, saying, “When supper is served and the signal for prayer is given, begin with supper.” This is so the heart may be free for its Lord and clear of pressing needs. That belongs to establishing prayer and completing it.

وَأَكْرَهُ الْإِمَامَةَ لِمَنْ كَثُرَ سَهْوُهُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، أَوْ دَامَ اشْتِغَالُ قَلْبِهِ عَنْ فَهْمِ الْمُنَاجَاةِ، أَوْ لِمَنْ عَلِمَ أَنَّ وَرَاءَهُ مَنْ هُوَ أَقْرَأُ مِنْهُ أَوْ أَفْقَهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَالْعِلْمِ وَإِنْ كَانَ هُوَ عَابِدًا صَالِحًا، أَوْ لِفَقِيهٍ بِالْعِلْمِ إِذَا كَانَ وَرَاءَهُ أَتْقَى مِنْهُ وَأَصْلَحُ وَأَوْرَعُ بَعْدَ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُؤَدِّيًا لِفَرْضِ التِّلَاوَةِ.

waʾakrahu al-ʾimāmata liman kathura sahwuhu fī al-ṣalāti, ʾaw dāma ishtighālu qalbihi ʿan fahmi al-munājāti, ʾaw liman ʿalima ʾanna warāʾahu man huwa ʾaqraʾu minhu ʾaw ʾafqahu fī al-dīni wa-al-ʿilmi waʾin kāna huwa ʿābidan ṣāliḥan, ʾaw lifaqīhin bi-al-ʿilmi ʾidhā kāna warāʾahu ʾatqā minhu waʾaṣlaḥu waʾawraʿu baʿda ʾan yakūna muʾaddiyan lifarḍi al-tilāwati.

I dislike the office of prayer leader for someone who often lapses in prayer, whose heart is persistently distracted from understanding its intimate address, or who knows that someone behind him recites better or understands religion and its learning more deeply, even if he is himself a righteous worshipper. The same applies to a learned jurist when someone behind him is more God-fearing, upright, and scrupulous, provided that person can fulfill the obligatory recitation.

وَلَا يَؤُمُّ الْأُمِّيُّ الْقُرَّاءَ وَلَا الْأَعْجَمِيُّ الْفُصَحَاءَ وَلَا الْمُتَيَمِّمُونَ الْمُتَوَضِّئِينَ، وَإِنِ اتَّفَقَ أُمِّيُّونَ قُدِّمَ أَقْرَؤُهُمْ، وَإِنْ حَضَرَ أَئِمَّةٌ قُرَّاءٌ فَلْيَتَقَدَّمْ بِالْعِلْمِ، وَإِنِ اتَّفَقَ رَجُلَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا قَدْ جَمَعَ كُلَّ الْقُرْآنِ إِلَّا أَنَّ الْآخَرَ أَحْسَنُ تَجْوِيدًا وَتَثْقِيفًا لِمَا يَقْرَأُ مِنْهُ وَلَيْسَ يَحْفَظُ جَمِيعَهُ فَلْيُقَدَّمْ أَقْوَمُهُمْ قِرَاءَةً إِذَا كَانَ عَالِمًا بِالصَّلَاةِ.

walā yaʾummu al-ʾummiyyu al-qurrāʾa walā al-ʾaʿjamiyyu al-fuṣaḥāʾa walā al-mutayammimūna al-mutawaḍḍiʾīna, waʾini ittafaqa ʾummiyyūna quddima ʾaqraʾuhum, waʾin ḥaḍara ʾaʾimmatun qurrāʾun falyataqaddam bi-al-ʿilmi, waʾini ittafaqa rajulāni ʾaḥaduhumā qad jamaʿa kulla al-qurʾāni ʾillā ʾanna al-ʾākhara ʾaḥsanu tajwīdan watathqīfan limā yaqraʾu minhu walaysa yaḥfaẓu jamīʿahu falyuqaddam ʾaqwamuhum qirāʾatan ʾidhā kāna ʿāliman bi-al-ṣalāti.

Someone unable to recite should not lead accomplished reciters, nor someone with inarticulate Arabic lead fluent speakers, nor those purified with earth lead those who have performed ablution with water. If all are unskilled readers, the best reader should be put forward. If several accomplished leaders are present, precedence should be determined by knowledge. If one of two men has memorized the whole Qurʾān but the other articulates and recites his portions more accurately, though he does not know it all, the better reciter should be put forward, provided he knows the prayer’s requirements.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «يَؤُمُّ الْقَوْمَ أَقْرَؤُهُمْ لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَإِنْ كَانُوا فِي الْقِرَاءَةِ سَوَاءً فَأَفْقَهُهُمْ فِي الدِّينِ، فَإِنْ كَانُوا فِي الْفِقْهِ سَوَاءً فَأَكْبَرُهُمْ سِنًّا». فَلِذَلِكَ الْأَمْرُ: الرَّجُلُ أَحَقُّ بِالْإِمَامَةِ إِذَا كَانَ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَأْذَنَ.

wafī al-khabari: «yaʾummu al-qawma ʾaqraʾuhum likitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, faʾin kānū fī al-qirāʾati sawāʾan faʾafqahuhum fī al-dīni, faʾin kānū fī al-fiqhi sawāʾan faʾakbaruhum sinnan». fali-dhālika al-ʾamru: al-rajulu ʾaḥaqqu bi-al-ʾimāmati ʾidhā kāna fī manzilihi ʾillā ʾan yaʾdhana.

A report says, “The one who best recites the Book of God, mighty and majestic, should lead the people. If they are equal in recitation, then the one most knowledgeable in religion; if they are equal in that knowledge, then the oldest.” Such, then, is the rule. A man has the stronger right to lead in his own home, unless he gives permission to another.

وَأَسْتَحِبُّ لِلْإِمَامِ إِذَا سَلَّمَ أَنْ يُسْرِعَ الِانْفِتَالَ بِوَجْهِهِ إِلَى النَّاسِ، وَأَكْرَهُ لِلْمَأْمُومِ الْقِيَامَ قَبْلَ انْفِتَالِ إِمَامِهِ، فَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي ذَلِكَ سُنَّةً حَسَنَةً عَنْ طَلْحَةَ وَالزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّهُمَا صَلَّيَا فِي الْبَصْرَةِ خَلْفَ إِمَامٍ، فَلَمَّا سَلَّمَا قَالَا لِلْإِمَامِ: مَا أَحْسَنَ صَلَاتَكَ وَأَتَمَّهَا، كَمَا كُنَّا نُصَلِّي إِلَّا شَيْئًا وَاحِدًا أَنَّكَ لَمَّا سَلَّمْتَ لَمْ تَنْفَتِلْ بِوَجْهِكَ.

waʾastaḥibbu li-l-ʾimāmi ʾidhā sallama ʾan yusriʿa al-infitāla biwajhihi ʾilā al-nāsi, waʾakrahu li-l-maʾmūmi al-qiyāma qabla infitāli ʾimāmihi, faqad rawaynā fī dhālika sunnatan ḥasanatan ʿan ṭalḥata wa-al-zubayri, ʾannahumā ṣallayā fī al-baṣrati khalfa ʾimāmin, falammā sallamā qālā li-l-ʾimāmi: mā ʾaḥsana ṣalātaka waʾatammahā, kamā kunnā nuṣallī ʾillā shayʾan wāḥidan ʾannaka lammā sallamta lam tanfatil biwajhika.

I recommend that the leader turn promptly to face the people after the closing salutation. I dislike a follower’s standing up before his leader turns. We have related a good practice from Ṭalḥa and al-Zubayr: they prayed in Basra behind a leader, then after finishing said to him, “How beautiful and complete your prayer was, just as we used to pray, except for one thing: when you gave the closing salutation, you did not turn to face us.”

ثُمَّ قَالُوا لِلنَّاسِ: مَا أَحْسَنَ مَا صَلَّيْتُمْ إِلَّا أَنَّكُمُ انْصَرَفْتُمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَنْفَتِلَ إِمَامُكُمْ. وَمَنْ كَرِهَهُ جِيرَانُهُ

thumma qālū li-l-nāsi: mā ʾaḥsana mā ṣallaytum ʾillā ʾannakumu inṣaraftum qabla ʾan yanfatila ʾimāmukum. waman karihahu jīrānuhu

Then they said to the people, “How well you prayed, except that you left before your leader turned.” Anyone disliked by his neighbors,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٣٥٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 358

Volume Two, page 358

أَوْ كَرِهَهُ مَنْ وَرَاءَهُ مِنَ الْمَأْمُومِينَ فَلَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ أَنْ يَتَقَدَّمَ، فَإِنِ اخْتَلَفُوا فَكَرِهَهُ قَوْمٌ وَأَحَبَّهُ آخَرُونَ نُظِرَ إِلَى أَهْلِ الدِّينِ وَالْعِلْمِ مِنْهُمْ فَحُكِمَ بِقَوْلِهِمْ وَلَا يُعْتَبَرُ الْأَكْثَرُ إِذَا كَانَ الْأَقَلُّونَ هُمُ الْأَخْيَرَ. وَلَا يُصَلِّي خَلْفَ مُبْتَدِعٍ، فَمَنْ صَلَّى خَلْفَ مُبْتَدِعٍ وَلَا يَعْلَمُ فَلْيُعِدْ.

ʾaw karihahu man warāʾahu mina al-maʾmūmīna falā yaḥillu lahu ʾan yataqaddama, faʾini ikhtalafū fakarihahu qawmun waʾaḥabbahu ʾākharūna nuẓira ʾilā ʾahli al-dīni wa-al-ʿilmi minhum faḥukima biqawlihim walā yuʿtabaru al-ʾaktharu ʾidhā kāna al-ʾaqallūna humu al-ʾakhyara. walā yuṣallī khalfa mubtadiʿin, faman ṣallā khalfa mubtadiʿin walā yaʿlamu falyuʿid.

or by the followers behind him, may not step forward to lead. If they differ, some disliking him and others liking him, the judgment should follow those among them who possess religious integrity and knowledge. A majority does not decide the matter if the minority are the better people. One should not pray behind an innovator; someone who does so unknowingly should repeat the prayer.

وَمَنْ سَمِعَ الْأَذَانَ مِنْ مَسْجِدٍ وَهُوَ فِي طَرِيقٍ يَمْشِي فَلْيَدْخُلْ فَلْيُصَلِّ، وَلَا يُؤَخِّرْ إِلَى مَسْجِدٍ آخَرَ إِلَّا لِأَحَدِ مَعْنَيَيْنِ: أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنْ لُحُوقِ إِمَامٍ آخَرَ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ هَذَا، أَوْ يَكُونَ يَعْرِفُ هَذَا بِبِدْعَةٍ أَوْ فُسُوقٍ، وَإِلَّا فَالصَّلَاةُ مَعَ أَوَّلِ مَنْ قَامَ بِهَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ أَفْضَلُ.

waman samiʿa al-ʾadhāna min masjidin wahuwa fī ṭarīqin yamshī falyadkhul falyuṣalli, walā yuʾakhkhir ʾilā masjidin ʾākhara ʾillā liʾaḥadi maʿnayayni: ʾan yakūna ʿalā yaqīnin min luḥūqi ʾimāmin ʾākhara ʾafḍala min hādhā, ʾaw yakūna yaʿrifu hādhā bibidʿatin ʾaw fusūqin, waʾillā fa-al-ṣalātu maʿa ʾawwali man qāma bihā mina al-muslimīna ʾafḍalu.

Anyone walking along a road who hears the call from a mosque should enter and pray. He should not put it off for another mosque except for one of two reasons: he is certain of catching another leader who is better than this one, or he knows this one to practice innovation or wrongdoing. Otherwise, praying with the first Muslims who begin the prayer is better.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «لَا صَلَاةَ لِجَارِ الْمَسْجِدِ إِلَّا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ». وَفِي جَارِ الْمَسْجِدِ قَوْلَانِ: أَحَدُهُمَا مَنْ سَمِعَ الْأَذَانَ وَرُوِيَ هَذَا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، وَالثَّانِي مَنْ كَانَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْمَسْجِدِ ثَلَاثُ دُورٍ وَهُوَ الرَّابِعُ، وَالتَّشْدِيدُ فِي تَرْكِ الْجَمَاعَةِ عَلَى مَنْ سَمِعَ التَّأْذِينَ.

wafī al-khabari: «lā ṣalāta lijāri al-masjidi ʾillā fī al-masjidi». wafī jāri al-masjidi qawlāni: ʾaḥaduhumā man samiʿa al-ʾadhāna waruwiya hādhā ʿan ʿaliyyin ʿalayhi al-salāmu, wa-al-thānī man kāna baynahu wabayna al-masjidi thalāthu dūrin wahuwa al-rābiʿu, wa-al-tashdīdu fī tarki al-jamāʿati ʿalā man samiʿa al-taʾdhīna.

A report says, “The mosque’s neighbor has no prayer except in the mosque.” There are two views of what makes someone its neighbor. One is that he can hear the call, a view related from ʿAlī, peace be upon him. The other is that three houses stand between his house and the mosque, his being the fourth. The stern warning about missing congregational prayer applies to someone who hears the call.

وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي جَنْبِهِ مَسْجِدَانِ فَأَوْلَاهُمَا بِالصَّلَاةِ فِيهِ أَقْرَبُهُمَا مِنْهُ، وَهَذَا مَذْهَبُ الْحَسَنِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ نِيَّةٌ فِي كَثْرَةِ الْخُطَا إِلَى الْأَبْعَدِ، أَوْ يَكُونَ إِمَامُ الْأَبْعَدِ هُوَ الْأَفْضَلَ، وَقِيلَ: أَقْدَمُهُمَا، وَرُوِيَ هَذَا عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ وَبَعْضِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُجَاوِزُونَ الْمَسَاجِدَ الْمُحْدَثَةَ إِلَى الْعُتُقِ.

waman kāna fī janbihi masjidāni faʾawlāhumā bi-al-ṣalāti fīhi ʾaqrabuhumā minhu, wa-hādhā madhhabu al-ḥasani ʾillā ʾan yakūna lahu niyyatun fī kathrati al-khuṭā ʾilā al-ʾabʿadi, ʾaw yakūna ʾimāmu al-ʾabʿadi huwa al-ʾafḍala, waqīla: ʾaqdamuhumā, waruwiya hādhā ʿan ʾanasi bni mālikin wabaʿḍi al-ṣaḥābati ʾannahum kānū yujāwizūna al-masājida al-muḥdathata ʾilā al-ʿutuqi.

If two mosques are near him, the nearer one has the stronger claim to his prayer. This is al-Ḥasan’s position, unless he intends to gain the merit of more steps by going farther, or the farther mosque has the better leader. Another view prefers the older mosque. It is related that Anas ibn Mālik and some other Companions would pass newly established mosques to reach older ones.

وَمَنْ كَانَ مَأْمُومًا فَلَا يَقْرَأْ سُورَةً مَعَ الْحَمْدِ فِيمَا يَجْهَرُ بِهِ الْإِمَامُ أَصْلًا وَلَا يَقْرَأِ الْحَمْدَ أَيْضًا إِلَّا فِي سَكَتَاتِ الْإِمَامِ وَإِنْ قَطَّعَهَا، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِلْإِمَامِ سَكَتَاتٌ قَرَأَ الْحَمْدَ فَقَطْ فِيمَا يَجْهَرُ بِهِ الْإِمَامُ، وَكَانَ مَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ وِزْرِ قِرَاءَتِهِ فِي قِرَاءَةِ الْإِمَامِ عَلَى إِمَامِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ نَقَصَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَرَكَ مَا عَلَيْهِ فَاللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حَسِيبُهُ.

waman kāna maʾmūman falā yaqraʾ sūratan maʿa al-ḥamdi fīmā yajharu bihi al-ʾimāmu ʾaṣlan walā yaqraʾi al-ḥamda ʾayḍan ʾillā fī sakatāti al-ʾimāmi waʾin qaṭṭaʿahā, faʾin lam yakun li-l-ʾimāmi sakatātun qaraʾa al-ḥamda faqaṭ fīmā yajharu bihi al-ʾimāmu, wakāna mā ʿalayhi min wizri qirāʾatihi fī qirāʾati al-ʾimāmi ʿalā ʾimāmihi, liʾannahu qad naqaṣa ṣalātahu wataraka mā ʿalayhi fa-Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ḥasībuhu.

A follower must not add a sura to the Opening during the portions the leader recites aloud. He should recite the Opening only during the leader’s pauses, even if he must divide it among them. If the leader makes no pauses, he should recite only the Opening while the leader recites aloud. Any blame incurred by reciting during the leader’s recitation falls on the leader, because the leader has diminished his prayer and neglected his duty. God, mighty and majestic, will call him to account.

فَإِذَا أَسَرَّ الْإِمَامُ فَلْيَقْرَأِ الْحَمْدَ وَسُورَةً إِذَا أَمْكَنَهُ وَلَا بُدَّ مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ الْحَمْدِ وَحْدَهَا، وَأَسْتَحِبُّ لِلْإِمَامِ أَنْ يَتَحَوَّلَ إِذَا صَلَّى الْمَكْتُوبَةَ فَلَا يُصَلِّي فِي مَوْضِعِهِ نَافِلَةً، فَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ إِذَا سَلَّمَ وَثَبَ، وَكَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِذَا سَلَّمَ وَثَبَ، وَكَانَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِذَا سَلَّمَ وَثَبَ.

faʾidhā ʾasarra al-ʾimāmu falyaqraʾi al-ḥamda wasūratan ʾidhā ʾamkanahu walā budda min qirāʾati al-ḥamdi waḥdahā, waʾastaḥibbu li-l-ʾimāmi ʾan yataḥawwala ʾidhā ṣallā al-maktūbata falā yuṣallī fī mawḍiʿihi nāfilatan, fafī al-khabari: ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna ʾidhā sallama wathaba, wakāna ʾabū bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʾidhā sallama wathaba, wakāna ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʾidhā sallama wathaba.

When the leader recites quietly, the follower should recite the Opening and another sura if he can; reciting the Opening itself is indispensable. I recommend that the leader move after performing the obligatory prayer and not pray a voluntary prayer in the same place. A report says that the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, would rise promptly after the closing salutation. Abū Bakr, may God be pleased with him, would rise promptly after it, and ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, would do the same.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَقْعُدُ إِلَّا قَدْرَ قَوْلِهِ: «اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلَامُ وَمِنْكَ السَّلَامُ، تَبَارَكْتَ وَتَعَالَيْتَ يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ»، ثُمَّ يَنْصَرِفُ، وَإِنْ تَحَوَّلَ الْمَأْمُومُ فَصَلَّى النَّافِلَةَ فِي غَيْرِ مَكَانِ الْفَرِيضَةِ وَلَوْ بِقَدَمٍ فَحَسَنٌ، فَفِي ذَلِكَ أَثَرٌ، فَإِنْ جَلَسَا قَلِيلًا لِلتَّسْبِيحِ وَالدُّعَاءِ فَلَا بَأْسَ، وَهَذَا آخِرُ كِتَابِ الْإِمَامَةِ.

wafī al-khabari al-mashhūri ʾannahu lam yakun yaqʿudu ʾillā qadra qawlihi: «Allāhumma ʾanta al-salāmu waminka al-salāmu, tabārakta wataʿālayta yā dhā al-jalāli wa-al-ʾikrāmi», thumma yanṣarifu, waʾin taḥawwala al-maʾmūmu faṣallā al-nāfilata fī ghayri makāni al-farīḍati walaw biqadamin faḥasanun, fafī dhālika ʾatharun, faʾin jalasā qalīlan li-l-tasbīḥi wa-al-duʿāʾi falā baʾsa, wa-hādhā ʾākhiru kitābi al-ʾimāmati.

The well-known report says that he would remain seated only long enough to say, “O God, You are Peace, and from You is peace. Blessed and exalted are You, Possessor of Majesty and Honor,” then turn away. It is good for the follower, too, to move and pray the voluntary prayer somewhere other than the place of the obligatory prayer, even by a single step, for a report supports this. There is no harm if both remain seated briefly for glorification and petition. This ends the book on leading prayer.