Sharh Kashf al-Shubuhat by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح كشف الشبهات) — Page 136

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

يَكُونُ وَلِيّاً، وَإِلَّا لَكَانَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ يَدَّعِيهَا، وَلَكِنْ يُوزَنُ هَذَا الْمُدَّعِي لِلْوِلَايَةِ بِعَمَلِهِ، إِنْ كَانَ عَمَلُهُ مَبْنِيّاً عَلَى الْإِيمَانِ وَالتَّقْوَى فَإِنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ، وَإِلَّا فَلَيْسَ بِوَلِيٍّ.

He would be a saint, otherwise everyone would claim it, but this claimant to sainthood is weighed by his deeds; if his deeds are built upon faith and piety, then he is a saint, and if not, he is not a saint.

وَفِي دَعْوَاهُ الْوِلَايَةَ تَزْكِيَةٌ لِنَفْسِهِ وَذَلِكَ يُنَافِي تَقْوَى اللَّهِ - عَزَّ وَجَلَّ - لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَى.

In his claim to sainthood, there is a self-purification, and that contradicts the piety of Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He—because Allah the Exalted says: 'So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.'

فَإِذَا ادَّعَى أَنَّهُ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ زَكَّى نَفْسَهُ وَحِينَئِذٍ يَكُونُ وَاقِعاً فِي مَعْصِيَةِ اللَّهِ وَفِيمَا نَهَاهُ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ هَذَا يُنَافِي التَّقْوَى، فَأَوْلِيَاءُ اللَّهِ لَا يُزَكُّونَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِمِثْلِ هَذِهِ الشَّهَادَةِ وَإِنَّمَا هُمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَيَتَّقُونَهُ، وَيَقُومُونَ بِطَاعَتِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَلَى الْوَجْهِ الْأَكْمَلِ، وَلَا يَغُرُّونَ النَّاسَ وَيَخْدَعُونَهُمْ بِهَذِهِ الدَّعْوَى حَتَّى يُضِلُّوهُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى.

So if he claims that he is one of the saints of Allah, he has purified himself, and at that point, he is falling into disobedience to Allah and into what Allah has forbidden him from; this contradicts piety, for the saints of Allah do not purify themselves with such testimony, but rather they believe in Allah, fear Him, and perform their obedience to Him—Glorified and Exalted is He—in the most perfect manner, and they do not deceive people or trick them with this claim so as to lead them astray from the path of Allah the Exalted.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (27 verbs · 31 nouns)

• كَانَ — to be
• اِدَّعَى — to claim
• وَزَنَ — to weigh
• وَلِيّ — ally/saint
• وَاحِد — one
• مُدَّعِي — claimant