Al-Qawl al-Mufid ala Kitab al-Tawhid — Volume 1 (القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد) — Page 19

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

قَالَ الشَّيْخُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْوَهَّابِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: كِتَابُ التَّوْحِيدِ.

Sheikh Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The Book of Monotheism.

وَقَوْلُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ﴾

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.

سَبَقَ تَعْرِيفُ التَّوْحِيدِ.

The definition of monotheism has already been provided.

لَمْ يَأْتِ الْمُؤَلِّفُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ بِخُطْبَةٍ وَمُقَدِّمَةٍ لِلْكِتَابِ، وَاكْتَفَى بِالتَّرْجَمَةِ؛ لِأَنَّكَ بِمُجَرَّدِ أَنْ تَقْرَأَ عُنْوَانَ الْكِتَابِ تَعْرِفُ أَنَّ مَوْضُوعَهُ هُوَ التَّوْحِيدُ.

The author, may Allah have mercy on him, did not include a sermon or introduction, relying instead on the title. Simply reading the title makes it clear that the subject is monotheism.

قَوْلُهُ: مَا نَافِيَةٌ.

The particle 'ma' here is negative.

قَوْلُهُ: إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ اسْتِثْنَاءٌ مُفَرَّغٌ مِنْ أَعَمِّ الْأَحْوَالِ، أَيْ: مَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا لِلْعِبَادَةِ.

The phrase 'except to worship Me' functions as an exception from the most general of states, meaning: I did not create the jinn and mankind for any purpose other than worship.

وَاللَّامُ فِي قَوْلِهِ: إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ لِلتَّعْلِيلِ، وَهَذَا التَّعْلِيلُ لِبَيَانِ الْحِكْمَةِ مِنْ خَلْقِ، وَلَيْسَ التَّعْلِيلُ الْمُلَازِمُ لِلْمَعْلُولِ، إِذْ لَوْ كَانَ كَذَلِكَ لَلَزِمَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْخَلْقُ كُلُّهُمْ عِبَادًا لِلَّهِ يَتَعَبَّدُونَ لَهُ وَلَيْسَ الْأَمْرُ كَذَلِكَ.

The 'lam' in this phrase indicates purpose. It explains the wisdom behind creation rather than acting as a cause that is inseparable from its effect. If it were the latter, it would necessitate that all of creation be worshippers of Allah, which is not the case.

فَهَذِهِ الْعِلَّةُ غَائِيَّةٌ، وَلَيْسَتْ مُوجِبَةً.

This is a teleological cause, not an obligatory one.

فَالْعِلَّةُ الْغَائِيَّةُ لِبَيَانِ الْغَايَةِ وَالْمَقْصُودِ مِنْ هَذَا الْفِعْلِ، أَنَّهَا قَدْ تَقَعُ، وَقَدْ لَا تَقَعُ.

A teleological cause clarifies the goal and intent behind an action, which may or may not be realized.

مِثْلُ: بَرَيْتُ الْقَلَمَ لِأَكْتُبَ بِهِ، فَقَدْ تَكْتُبُ، وَقَدْ لَا تَكْتُبُ.

For example, when you say, 'I sharpened the pen to write with it,' you might end up writing, or you might not.

وَالْعِلَّةُ الْمُوجِبَةُ مَعْنَاهَا: أَنَّ الْمَعْلُولَ مَبْنِيٌّ عَلَيْهَا، فَلَابُدَّ أَنْ تَقَعَ، وَتَكُونَ سَابِقَةً لِلْمَعْلُولِ، وَمُلَازِمَةً لَهُ.

An obligatory cause means the effect is built upon it; it must occur, and it must precede and accompany the effect.

Vocabulary · المفردات (15 verbs · 41 nouns)

• قَالَ — to say
• رَحِمَ — to have mercy
• تَعَالَى — to be exalted
• خَلَقَ — to create
• عَبَدَ — to worship
• سَبَقَ — to precede
• أَتَى — to come
• اكْتَفَى — to suffice
• قَرَأَ — to read
• عَرَفَ — to know
• لَزِمَ — to be necessary
• تَعَبَّدَ — to worship
• وَقَعَ — to happen
• بَرَى — to sharpen
• كَتَبَ — to write
• شَيْخ — sheikh
• كِتَاب — book
• تَوْحِيد — monotheism
• قَوْل — saying
• جِنّ — jinn
• إِنْس — mankind
• آيَة — verse
• تَعْرِيف — definition
• مُؤَلِّف — author
• خُطْبَة — sermon
• مُقَدِّمَة — introduction
• تَرْجَمَة — heading
• مُجَرَّد — mere
• عُنْوَان — title
• مَوْضُوع — subject
• نَافِيَة — negative
• اسْتِثْنَاء — exception
• مُفَرَّغ — unrestricted (in grammar)
• حَال — state
• شَيْء — thing
• عِبَادَة — worship
• لَام — lam
• تَعْلِيل — causation
• بَيَان — clarification
• حِكْمَة — wisdom
• خَلْق — creation
• مُلَازِم — inseparable
• مَعْلُول — effect
• عَبْد — servant
• أَمْر — matter
• عِلَّة — cause
• غَائِيَّة — teleological
• مُوجِبَة — obligatory
• غَايَة — goal
• مَقْصُود — intended
• فِعْل — action
• مِثْل — example
• قَلَم — pen
• مَعْنَى — meaning
• مَبْنِيّ — built
• سَابِق — preceding