Al-Qawl al-Mufid ala Kitab al-Tawhid — Volume 3 (القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد) — Page 6

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَأَمَّا بِالنِّسْبَةِ لِلتَّسَمِّي بِـ [الْإِمَامِ] فَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ بِكَثِيرٍ مِنَ التَّسَمِّي بِـ [شَيْخِ الْإِسْلَامِ]؛

As for naming oneself [Imam], it is much easier than naming oneself [Sheikh al-Islam].

لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ - ﷺ - سَمَّى إِمَامَ الْمَسْجِدِ إِمَاماً وَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا اثْنَانِ.

Because the Prophet (peace be upon him) named the leader of the mosque an Imam, even if there were only two people with him.

لَكِنْ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُنَبَّهَ أَنَّهُ لَا يُتَسَامَحُ فِي إِطْلَاقِ كَلِمَةِ إِمَامٍ إِلَّا عَلَى مَنْ كَانَ قُدْوَةً وَلَهُ أَتْبَاعٌ كَالْإِمَامِ أَحْمَدَ وَالْبُخَارِيِّ وَمُسْلِمٍ وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِمَّنْ لَهُ أَثَرٌ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ؛

However, it should be noted that the word 'Imam' should not be used loosely except for someone who is a role model and has followers, like Imam Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim, and others who have had an impact on Islam.

لِأَنَّ وَصْفَ الْإِنْسَانِ بِمَا لَا يَسْتَحِقُّ هَضْمٌ لِلْأُمَّةِ؛

Because describing a person with what they do not deserve is an injustice to the nation.

لِأَنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ إِذَا تَصَوَّرَ أَنَّ هَذَا إِمَامٌ وَهَذَا إِمَامٌ هَانَ الْإِمَامُ الْحَقُّ فِي عَيْنِهِ.

Because if a person imagines that this is an Imam and that is an Imam, the true Imam becomes insignificant in their eyes.

قَالَ الشَّاعِرُ: أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ السَّيْفَ يَنْقُصُ قَدْرُهُ إِذَا قِيلَ إِنَّ السَّيْفَ أَمْضَى مِنَ الْعَصَا.

The poet said: Do you not see that the sword loses its value if it is said that the sword is sharper than a stick?

وَمِنْ ذَلِكَ أَيْضاً [آيَةُ اللهِ، حُجَّةُ اللهِ، حُجَّةُ الْإِسْلَامِ] فَإِنَّهَا أَلْقَابٌ حَادِثَةٌ لَا تَنْبَغِي؛

And from that also are [Ayatollah, Hujjatullah, Hujjat al-Islam], for they are new titles that are not appropriate.

لِأَنَّهُ لَا حُجَّةَ لِلهِ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ إِلَّا الرُّسُلُ.

Because there is no proof of Allah over His servants except the messengers.

وَأَمَّا آيَةُ اللهِ: فَإِنْ أُرِيدَ الْمَعْنَى الْأَعَمُّ فَلَا مَدْحَ فِيهِ؛ لِأَنَّ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ آيَةُ اللهِ،

As for Ayatollah: if the general meaning is intended, there is no praise in it, because everything is a sign of Allah.

كَمَا قِيلَ: كُلُّ شَيْءٍ لَهُ آيَةٌ تَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ وَاحِدٌ.

As it was said: Everything has a sign indicating that He is One.

وَإِنْ أُرِيدَ الْمَعْنَى الْأَخَصُّ أَيْ أَنَّ هَذَا الرَّجُلَ آيَةٌ خَارِقَةٌ فَهَذَا فِي الْغَالِبِ يَكُونُ مُبَالَغاً فِيهِ

And if the specific meaning is intended, i.e., that this man is an extraordinary sign, then this is usually exaggerated.

وَالْعِبَارَةُ السَّلِيمَةُ أَنْ يُقَالَ: عَالِمٌ، مُفْتٍ، قَاضٍ، حَاكِمٌ، إِمَامٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ مُسْتَحِقّاً لِذَلِكَ.

The sound expression is to say: scholar, mufti, judge, ruler, imam, for whoever is deserving of that.

وَكَانَتْ فِي أَوَّلِ حُدُوثِهَا أَلْقَاباً زَائِدَةً عَلَى الِاسْمِ، ثُمَّ اسْتُعْمِلَتْ أَسْمَاءً،

They were initially additional titles to the name, then they were used as names.

وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الِاسْمُ مَنْهِيّاً عَنْهُ مِنْ جِهَتَيْنِ مِثْلَ شِهَابِ الدِّينِ فَإِنَّ الشِّهَابَ الشُّعْلَةُ مِنَ النَّارِ، ثُمَّ إِضَافَةُ ذَلِكَ إِلَى الدِّينِ،

And the name might be forbidden for two reasons, such as Shihab al-Din, for the 'shihab' is a flame of fire, then adding that to 'the religion'.

وَكَانَ النَّوَوِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ يَكْرَهُ تَلْقِيبَهُ بِمُحْيِي الدِّينِ وَشَيْخُ الْإِسْلَامِ ابْنُ تَيْمِيَّةَ يَكْرَهُ تَلْقِيبَهُ بِتَقِيِّ الدِّينِ وَيَقُولُ: لَكِنَّ أَهْلِي لَقَّبُونِي بِذَلِكَ فَاشْتَهَرَ.

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) used to dislike being nicknamed Muhyi al-Din, and Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah used to dislike being nicknamed Taqi al-Din and would say: But my family nicknamed me that, so it became famous.

Vocabulary · المفردات (18 verbs · 54 nouns)

• سَمَّى — to name
• كَانَ — to be
• اِنْبَغَى — to be appropriate
• نَبَّهَ — to alert
• تَسَامَحَ — to be lenient
• اِسْتَحَقَّ — to deserve
• تَصَوَّرَ — to imagine
• هَانَ — to become insignificant
• قَالَ — to say
• رَأَى — to see
• نَقَصَ — to decrease
• مَضَى — to be sharper
• دَلَّ — to indicate
• اِسْتَعْمَلَ — to use
• نَهَى — to forbid
• كَرِهَ — to dislike
• لَقَّبَ — to nickname
• اِشْتَهَرَ — to become famous
• نِسْبَة — relation
• إِمَام — leader
• شَيْخ — sheikh
• إِسْلَام — Islam
• نَبِيّ — prophet
• مَسْجِد — mosque
• اثْنَان — two
• كَلِمَة — word
• قُدْوَة — role model
• تَابِع — follower
• أَثَر — impact
• وَصْف — description
• إِنْسَان — human
• هَضْم — injustice
• أُمَّة — nation
• حَقّ — truth
• عَيْن — eye
• شَاعِر — poet
• سَيْف — sword
• قَدْر — value
• عَصَا — stick
• آيَة — sign
• حُجَّة — proof
• لَقَب — title
• حَادِث — new
• عَبْد — servant
• رَسُول — messenger
• مَعْنَى — meaning
• مَدْح — praise
• شَيْء — thing
• وَاحِد — one
• رَجُل — man
• خَارِق — extraordinary
• غَالِب — majority
• مُبَالَغ — exaggerated
• عِبَارَة — phrase
• سَلِيم — sound
• عَالِم — scholar
• مُفْتٍ — mufti
• قَاضٍ — judge
• حَاكِم — ruler
• مُسْتَحِقّ — deserving
• حُدُوث — occurrence
• زَائِد — additional
• اسْم — name
• مَنْهِيّ — forbidden
• جِهَة — side
• شِهَاب — meteor
• دِين — religion
• شُعْلَة — flame
• نَار — fire
• إِضَافَة — addition
• تَلْقِيب — nicknaming
• أَهْل — family