Al-Qawl al-Mufid ala Kitab al-Tawhid — Volume 1 (القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد) — Page 10

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

فَالْمُسْتَحَقُّ لِلْعِبَادَةِ هُوَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى.

Allah, the Exalted, is the only One worthy of worship.

قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الْبَاطِلُ}.

That is because Allah is the Truth, and that what they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Grand.

وَالْعِبَادَةُ تُطْلَقُ عَلَى شَيْئَيْنِ:

The term worship applies to two things:

الْأَوَّلُ: التَّعَبُّدُ فَهِيَ بِمَعْنَى التَّذَلُّلِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِفِعْلِ أَوَامِرِهِ، وَاجْتِنَابِ نَوَاهِيهِ مَحَبَّةً وَتَعْظِيمًا.

First: The act of devotion, which means humbling oneself before Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions out of love and reverence.

الثَّانِي: الْمُتَعَبَّدُ بِهِ فَمَعْنَاهَا كَمَا قَالَ شَيْخُ الْإِسْلَامِ ابْنُ تَيْمِيَّةَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: اسْمٌ جَامِعٌ لِكُلِّ مَا يُحِبُّهُ اللَّهُ وَيَرْضَاهُ مِنَ الْأَقْوَالِ وَالْأَعْمَالِ الظَّاهِرَةِ وَالْبَاطِنَةِ.

Second: The object of worship. As Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) defined it: 'A comprehensive term for everything Allah loves and approves of, whether in speech or action, both inward and outward.'

مِثَالُ ذَلِكَ: الصَّلَاةُ فَفِعْلُهَا عِبَادَةٌ، وَهُوَ التَّعَبُّدُ.

For example, prayer: the act of performing it is worship, representing the devotion itself.

وَنَفْسُ الصَّلَاةِ عِبَادَةٌ، وَهُوَ الْمُتَعَبَّدُ بِهِ.

The prayer itself is also worship, representing the object of worship.

فَإِفْرَادُ اللَّهِ بِهَذَا التَّوْحِيدِ أَنْ تَكُونَ عَبْدًا لِلَّهِ وَحْدَهُ تُفْرِدُهُ بِالتَّذَلُّلِ مَحَبَّةً وَتَعْظِيمًا.

To single out Allah with this monotheism is to be a servant to Him alone, dedicating your humility, love, and reverence exclusively to Him.

قَالَ تَعَالَى: {لَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ فَتَقْعُدَ مَذْمُومًا مَخْذُولًا}.

Allah the Exalted says: 'Do not set up another deity alongside Allah, lest you sit blameworthy and forsaken.'

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ}

[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -

فَوَصْفُهُ سُبْحَانَهُ بِأَنَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ كَالتَّعْلِيلِ لِثُبُوتِ الْأُلُوهِيَّةِ لَهُ، فَهُوَ الْإِلَهُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ،

Describing Him, Glorified be He, as the Lord of the worlds serves as the reason for His divinity. He is the God precisely because He is the Lord of the worlds.

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ}.

O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous -

فَالْمُنْفَرِدُ بِالْخَلْقِ هُوَ الْمُسْتَحَقُّ لِلْعِبَادَةِ.

The One who is unique in creation is the only One worthy of worship.

إِذْ مِنَ السَّفَهِ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْمَخْلُوقَ الْحَادِثَ الْآيِلَ لِلْفَنَاءِ إِلَهًا تَعْبُدُهُ

It is sheer foolishness to make a created, contingent being that is destined to perish into a god you worship.

فَهُوَ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ لَنْ يَنْفَعَكَ لَا بِإِيجَادٍ وَلَا بِإِعْدَادٍ، وَلَا بِإِمْدَادٍ، فَمِنَ السَّفَهِ.

In reality, such a being cannot benefit you by bringing anything into existence, preparing it, or sustaining it; it is truly foolish.

Vocabulary · المفردات (22 verbs · 49 nouns)

• اِسْتَحَقَّ — to deserve
• قَالَ — to say
• دَعَا — to call
• أَطْلَقَ — to apply/use a term
• تَعَبَّدَ — to worship
• ذَلَّ — to be humble
• فَعَلَ — to do
• اِجْتَنَبَ — to avoid
• أَحَبَّ — to love
• رَضِيَ — to be pleased
• أَفْرَدَ — to single out
• كَانَ — to be
• جَعَلَ — to make
• قَعَدَ — to sit
• وَصَفَ — to describe
• ثَبَتَ — to be proven
• عَبَدَ — to worship
• خَلَقَ — to create
• أَوْجَدَ — to bring into existence
• أَعَدَّ — to prepare
• أَمَدَّ — to supply
• نَفَعَ — to benefit
• مُسْتَحَقٌّ — deserved
• عِبَادَةٌ — worship
• حَقٌّ — truth
• بَاطِلٌ — a falsehood
• شَيْءٌ — thing
• تَعَبُّدٌ — devotion
• تَذَلُّلٌ — humility
• فِعْلٌ — action
• أَمْرٌ — command
• اجْتِنَابٌ — avoidance
• نَهْيٌ — prohibition
• مَحَبَّةٌ — love
• تَعْظِيمٌ — veneration
• مُتَعَبَّدٌ — object of worship
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• شَيْخٌ — sheikh
• إِسْلَامٌ — Islam
• اسْمٌ — name
• جَامِعٌ — comprehensive
• قَوْلٌ — statement
• عَمَلٌ — deed
• ظَاهِرٌ — outward
• بَاطِنٌ — inward
• مِثَالٌ — an example
• صَلَاةٌ — prayer
• تَوْحِيدٌ — monotheism
• عَبْدٌ — servant
• إِلَهٌ — god
• آخَرُ — other
• مَذْمُومٌ — blameworthy
• مَخْذُولٌ — forsaken
• حَمْدٌ — praise
• رَبٌّ — lord
• عَالَمٌ — world
• وَصْفٌ — description
• تَعْلِيلٌ — justification
• ثُبُوتٌ — establishment
• أُلُوهِيَّةٌ — divinity
• نَاسٌ — people
• خَلْقٌ — creation
• سَفَهٌ — foolishness
• مَخْلُوقٌ — created being
• حَادِثٌ — contingent
• آيِلٌ — destined
• فَنَاءٌ — perishing
• حَقِيقَةٌ — reality
• إِيجَادٌ — bringing into existence
• إِعْدَادٌ — preparation
• إِمْدَادٌ — supply