Al-Qawl al-Mufid ala Kitab al-Tawhid — Volume 2 (القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد) — Page 13

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

هِيَ تَطْلُعُ الْمُخَاطَبَ لِبَيَانِ هَذَا الْمُجْمَلِ؛

It draws the listener’s attention to the explanation of this summary.

لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا جَاءَ مُبَيَّنًا مِنْ أَوَّلِ وَهْلَةٍ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ التَّلَقِّي وَالْقَبُولُ كَمَا إِذَا أُجْمِلَ ثُمَّ بُيِّنَ.

When something is explained immediately, it does not receive the same level of attention and acceptance as when it is first summarized and then clarified.

قَوْلُهُ: وَمَا هُنَّ «مَا» اسْمُ اسْتِفْهَامٍ مُبْتَدَأٌ، وَ«هُنَّ» خَبَرُ الْمُبْتَدَأِ.

Regarding his statement, 'And what are they?', the word 'ma' is an interrogative noun serving as the subject, while 'hunna' is the predicate.

وَقِيلَ: بِالْعَكْسِ «مَا»: خَبَرٌ مُقَدَّمٌ، وُجُوبًا لِأَنَّ الِاسْتِفْهَامَ لَهُ الصَّدَارَةُ وَ«هُنَّ» مُبْتَدَأٌ مُؤَخَّرٌ.

Others argue the reverse: 'ma' is a fronted predicate—necessarily so, as interrogatives must come first—and 'hunna' is the delayed subject.

لِأَنَّ هُنَّ ضَمِيرُ مَعْرِفَةٍ وَ«مَا» نَكِرَةٌ وَالْقَاعِدَةُ الْمُتَّبَعَةُ أَنَّهُ يُخْبَرُ بِالنَّكِرَةِ عَنِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَلَا عَكْسَ.

This is because 'hunna' is a definite pronoun and 'ma' is indefinite; the standard rule dictates that the indefinite serves as the predicate for the definite, not the other way around.

وَيُمْكِنُ أَنْ يُقَالَ: إِنَّ «هُنَّ» ضَمِيرٌ يَعُودُ عَلَى «مَا»، وَهِيَ نَكِرَةٌ،

It is also possible to argue that 'hunna' is a pronoun referring back to 'ma', which is indefinite.

وَالْعَائِدُ عَلَى النَّكِرَةِ نَكِرَةٌ كَمَا قَالُوا فِي قَوْلِهِ: رُبَّهُ رَجُلٌ صَالِحٌ

A pronoun referring to an indefinite noun is itself indefinite, as seen in the expression 'rubbahu rajulun salih' (many a righteous man).

فَأَدْخَلُوا «رُبَّ» عَلَى الضَّمِيرِ مَعَ أَنَّهَا لَا تَدْخُلُ إِلَّا عَلَى نَكِرَةٍ

They attached the particle 'rubba' to the pronoun, even though it strictly precedes indefinite nouns.

قَالَ ابْنُ مَالِكٍ: وَاخْصُصْ بِمُذْ وَمُنْذُ وَقْتًا وَبِرُبَّ.

Ibn Malik stated: 'Reserve mudh and mundhu for time, and use rubba [for the indefinite].'

قَوْلُهُ: «قَالَ: الشِّرْكُ بِاللَّهِ» قَدَّمَهُ لِأَنَّهُ أَعْظَمُ الْمُوبِقَاتِ،

His statement, 'He said: Shirk with Allah,' is placed first because it is the most destructive of sins.

فَإِنَّ أَعْظَمَ الذُّنُوبِ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ لِلَّهِ نِدًّا وَهُوَ خَلَقَكَ

The greatest sin is to set up an equal to Allah, even though He is the One who created you.

وَالشِّرْكُ بِاللَّهِ يَتَنَاوَلُ الشِّرْكَ بِرُبُوبِيَّتِهِ، أَوْ أُلُوهِيَّتِهِ، أَوْ أَسْمَائِهِ، أَوْ صِفَاتِهِ.

Shirk with Allah encompasses associating others with Him in His Lordship, His Divinity, His Names, or His Attributes.

فَمَنِ اعْتَقَدَ أَنَّ مَعَ اللَّهِ خَالِقًا أَوْ مُعِينًا فَهُوَ مُشْرِكٌ،

Anyone who believes there is another creator or helper alongside Allah is a polytheist.

أَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدًا سِوَى اللَّهِ يَسْتَحِقُّ أَنْ يُعْبَدَ فَهُوَ مُشْرِكٌ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْبُدْهُ، فَإِنْ عَبَدَهُ فَهُوَ أَعْظَمُ،

Likewise, believing that anyone other than Allah deserves worship makes one a polytheist, even if they do not perform the act of worship; if they do worship them, the sin is even greater.

أَوْ أَنَّ لِلَّهِ مَثِيلًا فِي صِفَاتِهِ فَهُوَ مُشْرِكٌ،

Believing that Allah has a likeness in His attributes also constitutes shirk.

أَوْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ كَاسْتِوَاءِ الْمَلِكِ عَلَى عَرْشِ مَمْلَكَتِهِ فَهُوَ مُشْرِكٌ،

Claiming that Allah’s ascension to the Throne is like a king sitting on his royal throne is shirk.

أَوْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَنْزِلُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا كَنُزُولِ الْإِنْسَانِ إِلَى أَسْفَلِ بَيْتِهِ مِنْ أَعْلَى فَهُوَ مُشْرِكٌ.

Comparing Allah’s descent to the lowest heaven to a human moving from the top floor of a house to the bottom is also shirk.

قَالَ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ.

Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: أَنَّهُ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ.

He also says: 'Indeed, he who associates others with Allah—Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his abode is the Fire.'

Vocabulary · المفردات (25 verbs · 45 nouns)

• طَلَعَ — to address
• جَاءَ — to come
• بَيَّنَ — to clarify
• كَانَ — to be
• أَجْمَلَ — to summarize
• قَالَ — to say
• أَخْبَرَ — to inform
• أَمْكَنَ — to be possible
• عَادَ — to return
• أَدْخَلَ — to insert
• دَخَلَ — to enter
• اخْتَصَّ — to specify
• قَدَّمَ — to present
• جَعَلَ — to make
• خَلَقَ — to create
• تَنَاوَلَ — to include
• اعْتَقَدَ — to believe
• اسْتَحَقَّ — to deserve
• عَبَدَ — to worship
• اسْتَوَى — to ascend
• نَزَلَ — to descend
• تَعَالَى — to be exalted
• غَفَرَ — to forgive
• شَاءَ — to will
• حَرَّمَ — to forbid
• مُخَاطَبٌ — addressee
• بَيَانٌ — clarification
• مُجْمَلٌ — summary
• وَهْلَةٌ — moment
• تَلَقٍّ — reception
• قَبُولٌ — acceptance
• قَوْلٌ — saying
• اسْمٌ — noun
• اسْتِفْهَامٌ — interrogation
• مُبْتَدَأٌ — subject
• خَبَرٌ — predicate
• عَكْسٌ — opposite
• وُجُوبٌ — necessity
• صَدَارَةٌ — precedence
• ضَمِيرٌ — pronoun
• مَعْرِفَةٌ — definite noun
• نَكِرَةٌ — indefinite
• قَاعِدَةٌ — rule
• رَجُلٌ — man
• صَالِحٌ — righteous man
• وَقْتٌ — time
• شِرْكٌ — polytheism
• مُوبِقَةٌ — destructive sin
• ذَنْبٌ — sin
• نِدٌّ — equal
• رُبُوبِيَّةٌ — lordship
• أُلُوهِيَّةٌ — divinity
• صِفَةٌ — attribute
• خَالِقٌ — creator
• مُعِينٌ — helper
• مُشْرِكٌ — polytheist
• أَحَدٌ — anyone
• مَثِيلٌ — likeness
• عَرْشٌ — throne
• مَلِكٌ — king
• مَمْلَكَةٌ — kingdom
• سَمَاءٌ — heaven
• دُنْيَا — world
• إِنْسَانٌ — human
• أَسْفَلُ — bottom
• بَيْتٌ — house
• أَعْلَى — top
• جَنَّةٌ — paradise
• مَأْوًى — abode
• نَارٌ — fire