قال الله تعالىٰ: {إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَومٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمۗ} [الرعد: 11] ، وقال تعالىٰ: {وَلَا تَكُونُواْ كَٱلَّتِي نَقَضَت غَزلَهَا مِن بَعدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنكَٰثا} [النحل: 92].
Allah Almighty says: {Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves} [Al-Ra‘d: 11]. He also says: {And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong} [Al-Nahl: 92].
(وَالأنْكَاثُ): جَمْعُ نِكْثٍ، وَهُوَ الْغَزْلُ المَنْقُوضُ.
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وقال تعالىٰ: {وَلَا يَكُونُواْ كَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيهِمُ ٱلأَمَدُ فَقَسَت قُلُوبُهُم} [الحديد: 16]، وقال تعالىٰ: {فَمَا رَعَوهَا حَقَّ رِعَايَتِهَا} [الحديد: 27].
Allah Almighty also says: {And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened} [Al-Hadīd: 16]. And He says: {But they did not observe it with due observance} [Al-Hadīd: 27].
1) علىٰ العبد أن يحافظ علىٰ ما اعتاده من الخير، فهذا هو هدي النَّبيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فقد قال صلى الله عليه وسلم: «الخير عادة». رواه ابن ماجه.
1) A person should maintain good deeds he performs habitually. This is the Prophet’s guidance. He said: “Goodness is a habit.” [Narrated by Ibn Mājah]
2) مخالفة أهل الكتاب الذين كانوا يعملون العمل الصالح، فلما طال عليهم الأمد قست قلوبهم وتركوا العمل.
2) Acting differently from the People of the Scripture who used to do good, but when a long period passed over them, their hearts hardened and they abandoned the good deeds.
1/692ــ وعن عبدِ الله بنِ عمروِ بنِ العاص رضي الله عنهما قال: قال لي رسولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: « يَا عَبْدَ الله، لا تكُنْ مِثْلَ فُلانٍ؛ كَانَ يقُومُ اللَّيْلَ فَتَرَكَ قيَامَ اللَّيْلِ». متفقٌ عليه.
692/1 - ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: “O ‘Abdullāh, do not be like so-and-so. He used to offer Qiyām al-Layl (voluntary night prayer) and then abandoned it.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
فلان: يُكنىٰ به عن واحد من الناس، وهذه الكلمة يُحتمل أنها من كلام الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم، فلم يذكر اسمه لعبد الله بن عمرو رضي الله عنهما ستراً عليه، لأن المقصود هو القضية دون صاحبها، ويُحتمل أن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم عيّنه لكنَّ عبدَ الله بن عمروٍ رضي الله عنهما أبهمه.
“Fulān” (so-and-so): it refers to an unidentified person. This word might have been said by the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) himself, as he wanted to keep the intended person anonymous to conceal his faults, for what mattered was the deed itself, not the doer. But it is also possible that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) identified the person, but ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr did not name him.
1) إذا منّ الله تعالىٰ علىٰ عبده بباب خير فلا يتقاعس ويتأخر، فإن المداومة علىٰ الخير من هدي النَّبيِّ وإرشاده.
1) When Allah Almighty, out of His grace, enables someone to do good, he should not slacken and drag his feet in doing it. Performing good deeds on a regular basis was part of the Prophet’s guidance.
2) ترك العمل الصالح منقصة واضحة، يتباعد عنها أهل الهمم.
2) Abandoning good deeds is a clear fault, avoided by people of firm determination.
إن من أعظم ما يُوصىٰ به في أبواب الخير الاستمرار في طلب العلم، فلا يبدأ الإنسان بطلب العلم الشرعي، ثمّ إذا فتح الله عليه باب علمٍ تركه، فإن هذا كفر نعمة أنعمها الله عليه، فيا باغي الخير: إذا بدأت بطلب العلم فاستمر، إلا أن يشغلك عنه شيء علىٰ وجه الضرورة، ولفترة محدودة، وإلَّا فداومْ وأبشر، لأن طلب العلم فرض كفاية، ومن طلبه فإن الله تعالىٰ يثيبه علىٰ طلبه ثواب الفرض، وثواب الفرض أعظم من ثواب النافلة.
One of the best pieces of advice with regard to the performance of good deeds is to seek knowledge on a persistent basis. A person should not start to seek knowledge and then when Allah Almighty helps him in this area, he abandons it. This constitutes ingratitude towards Allah. So, if you embark upon pursuit of knowledge, keep on, unless you are temporarily distracted by something necessary. Apart from this, seek knowledge persistently and rejoice, for the pursuit of knowledge is a collective duty, for which a person is given the reward for an obligation, which is greater than rewards for supererogatory deeds.
وما أجمل أبيات نظمها العلامة حافظ حكمي (ت 1377هـ) في الحثِّ على طلب العلم. قال ــ رحمه الله تعالى ــ في منظومته (الميمية في الوصايا والآداب العلمية):
How beautiful are the lines of poetry composed by the erudite scholar Hāfizh Hakami (d. 1377 A.H.) on the merit of the pursuit of knowledge. In his poem "Al-Mīmiyyah fi al-Wasāya Wa al-Ādāb al-‘Ilmiyyah", he says:
قِوامُهُ وبدُونِ العِلْمِ لَمْ يَقُمِ
it is established, and without knowledge it is not
العِلمُ مِيزانُ شَرْعِ اللهِ حيثُ بهِ
Knowledge carries the weight of divine legislation whereby
أهلُ السّماوَاتِ والأرْضِينَ مِنْ لَمَمِ
from the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths
العِلْمُ يا صَاحِ يَسْـتَـغْـفِـرْ لِصاحِبِهِ
Knowledge, O companion, invokes Allah’s forgiveness for its seeker
فقَدْ ظَفِرْتَ ورَبِّ اللَّوْحِ والْقَلَمِ
I swear by the Almighty Lord that you have won
يا طالِبَ العِـلمِ لا تَـبْـغِي بـهِ بَدلاً
O seeker of knowledge, do not accept any alternative to it
فِي القَوْلِ والفِعْلِ والآدابَ فَالْتَزِمِ
in your words, actions, and manners
وقَدِّسِ العِلمَ واعْرِفْ قَدْرَ حُرْمَتِهِ
Revere knowledge and recognize its status
لَوْ يَعْلَمُ الْمَرْءُ قَدْرَ العِلْمِ لَمْ يَنَمِ
for if one knew the standing of knowledge, he would not sleep from it
واجْهَدْ بِعَزْمٍ قَوِيٍّ لا انْثِنَاءَ لَــهُ
Strive to attain it with relentless effort
وَقَدِّمِ النَّصَّ والآرَاءَ فَاتَّهِمِ
and give precedence to the text, and take opinions with doubt
وبِالْمُهِمِّ الْمُهِمِّ ابْدَأْ لِتُدْرِكَهُ
Start with what is more important to grasp it
يَجْلو بِنُورِ هُداهُ كلُّ مُنْبَهِمِ
with its light of guidance every ambiguity becomes clear
ما العِلْمُ إلا كِتابُ اللهِ أو أثَرٌ
Knowledge is naught but the Book of Allah or the tradition (of the Prophet)
اللهِ لاسِيَّما في حِنْدسِ الظُّلَمِ
of Allah especially in the darkness of night
وَبَالتَّدَبُّرِ والتّرتِيلِ فَاتْلُ كِتابَ
With contemplation and measured recitation read the Book
ـناجُونَ نَصّاً صَريحاً للرَّسولِ نُمِي
saved ones as explicitly revealed to the Messenger
ارْوِ الْحَدِيثَ ولازِم أهْلَهُ فهُمُ الْـ
Narrate Hadīth and stay with its people, for they are the
واعْزِلْ عن اللهِ سُوءَ الظنِّ والتُّهَمِ
and shun any ill expectation or accusation against Allah
فاعْمَلْ عَلى وَجَلٍ وادْأَبْ إلَى أجَلٍ
So work diligently until your term ends
والرّواحِ وأَدْلِجْ قاصِداً ودُمِ
and the late hours and the night with purpose and perseverance
سَدِّدْ وقارِبْ وأبْشِرْ واسْتَعِنْ بِغُدوٍ
Do your best, rejoice, and make use of the early hours
فَطَالَمَا حُرِمَ الْمُنْبَتُّ بالسَّأَمِ
and the immoderate person is ever deprived by tedium
فمِثْل ما خَانَتِ الكسْلانَ هِمَّـتُـهُ
Nothing betrays the lazy person more than his resolve