Al-Qawl al-Mufid ala Kitab al-Tawhid — Volume 2 (القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد) — Page 8

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَقَالَ جَابِرٌ: الطَّوَاغِيتُ كُهَّانٌ كَانَ يَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الشَّيْطَانُ فِي كُلِّ حَيٍّ وَاحِدٍ.

Jabir said: The Taghut (idols/false deities) are soothsayers upon whom the devil would descend in every tribe.

قَوْلُهُ: «الطَّاغُوتُ أَجْمَعُ مَا قِيلَ فِيهِ: هُوَ مَا تَجَاوَزَ بِهِ الْعَبْدُ حَدَّهُ مِنْ مَعْبُودٍ أَوْ مَتْبُوعٍ، أَوْ مُطَاعٍ.

His statement: 'The most comprehensive definition given for Taghut is: that which a servant exceeds his limits with, whether it be an object of worship, a leader, or one who is obeyed.'

وَمَعْنَى مِنْ مَعْبُودٍ أَيْ بِعِلْمِهِ، وَرِضَاهُ، هَكَذَا قَالَ ابْنُ الْقَيِّمِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَقَدْ سَبَقَ فِي أَوَّلِ الْكِتَابِ التَّعْلِيقُ عَلَى هَذَا الْقَوْلِ عِنْدَ قَوْلِهِ: وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ.

The meaning of 'object of worship' is that it is with his knowledge and consent; this is how Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, stated it, and the commentary on this statement has already preceded at the beginning of the book regarding His saying: 'And avoid the Taghut.'

الشَّاهِدُ قَوْلُهُ: «بِالْجِبْتِ» حَيْثُ فَسَّرَهَا أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ بِأَنَّهَا السِّحْرُ.

The evidence is his statement: 'with the Jibt,' where the Commander of the Faithful, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, interpreted it as magic.

وَأَمَّا تَفْسِيرُ الطَّاغُوتِ بِالشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ بَابِ التَّفْسِيرِ بِالْمِثَالِ.

As for interpreting Taghut as the devil, it is a case of interpretation by example.

وَالسَّلَفُ رَحِمَهُمُ اللَّهُ يُفَسِّرُونَ الْآيَةَ أَحْيَانًا بِمِثَالٍ يُحْتَذَى عَلَيْهِ مِثْلُ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتَابَ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِنَفْسِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مُقْتَصِدٌ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ.

The predecessors, may Allah have mercy on them, sometimes interpret a verse with an example to be followed, such as His saying, the Exalted: 'Then We caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by permission of Allah.'

قَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ: الظَّالِمُ لِنَفْسِهِ الَّذِي لَا يُصَلِّي إِلَّا بَعْدَ خُرُوجِ الْوَقْتِ وَالْمُقْتَصِدُ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي فِي آخِرِ الْوَقْتِ وَالسَّابِقُ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي فِي أَوَّلِ الْوَقْتِ.

Some commentators said: The one who wrongs himself is the one who does not pray until after the time has expired, the moderate one is the one who prays at the end of the time, and the one who is foremost in good deeds is the one who prays at the beginning of the time.

وَهَذَا مِثَالٌ مِنَ الْأَمْثِلَةِ وَلَيْسَ مَا تَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ الْآيَةُ عَلَى وَجْهِ الشُّمُولِ، وَلِهَذَا فَسَّرَهَا بَعْضُهُمْ بِأَنَّ الظَّالِمَ لِنَفْسِهِ الَّذِي لَا يُخْرِجُ الزَّكَاةَ، وَالْمُقْتَصِدُ مَنْ يُخْرِجُ الزَّكَاةَ وَلَا يَتَصَدَّقُ، وَالسَّابِقُ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ مَنْ يُخْرِجُ الزَّكَاةَ وَيَتَصَدَّقُ.

This is one of the examples and is not what the verse indicates in a comprehensive way; therefore, some of them interpreted it as: the one who wrongs himself is the one who does not pay Zakat, the moderate one is the one who pays Zakat but does not give charity, and the one who is foremost in good deeds is the one who pays Zakat and gives charity.

Vocabulary · المفردات (17 verbs · 37 nouns)

• قَالَ — to say
• نَزَلَ — to descend
• تَجَاوَزَ — to exceed
• سَبَقَ — to precede
• رَحِمَ — to have mercy
• اِجْتَنَبَ — to avoid
• فَسَّرَ — to interpret
• رَضِيَ — to be pleased
• اِحْتَذَى — to follow
• أَوْرَثَ — to bequeath
• اِصْطَفَى — to choose
• ظَلَمَ — to wrong
• صَلَّى — to pray
• خَرَجَ — to exit
• دَلَّ — to indicate
• أَخْرَجَ — to pay
• تَصَدَّقَ — to give charity
• طَاغُوتٌ — tyrant
• كَاهِنٌ — soothsayer
• شَيْطَانٌ — devil
• حَيٌّ — neighborhood
• وَاحِدٌ — one
• عَبْدٌ — servant
• حَدٌّ — limit
• مَعْبُودٌ — object of worship
• مَتْبُوعٌ — leader
• مُطَاعٌ — obeyed
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• عِلْمٌ — knowledge
• رِضًى — satisfaction
• كِتَابٌ — book
• تَعْلِيقٌ — commentary
• قَوْلٌ — saying
• شَاهِدٌ — evidence
• جِبْتٌ — sorcery
• أَمِيرٌ — commander
• مُؤْمِنٌ — believer
• سِحْرٌ — magic
• تَفْسِيرٌ — interpretation
• بَابٌ — chapter
• مِثَالٌ — an example
• سَلَفٌ — predecessor
• آيَةٌ — verse
• ظَالِمٌ — wrongdoer
• نَفْسٌ — self
• مُقْتَصِدٌ — moderate person
• سَابِقٌ — forerunner
• خَيْرٌ — good deed
• إِذْنٌ — permission
• بَعْضٌ — some
• مُفَسِّرٌ — interpreter
• وَقْتٌ — time
• شُمُولٌ — comprehensiveness
• زَكَاةٌ — alms