Sharh Riyad as-Saliheen by Ibn Uthaymeen — Volume 2 (شرح رياض الصالحين) — Page 11

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

بَابٌ فِي النَّصِيحَةِ.

A chapter on sincerity.

دُونَ الْحُرُوفِ، بَلْ إِنَّهُ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ لَفْظًا وَمَعْنًى تَكَلَّمَ بِهِ وَتَلَقَّاهُ مِنْهُ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، ثُمَّ نَزَلَ بِهِ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ.

It is not merely the letters; it is the very speech of Allah in both word and meaning. He spoke it, Gabriel—peace be upon him—received it from Him, and then brought it down to Muhammad.

وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَإِنَّهُ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُّبِينٍ﴾، وَتَأَمَّلْ كَيْفَ قَالَ: ﴿عَلَى قَلْبِكَ﴾ مَعَ أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ ﷺ يَسْمَعُهُ بِأُذُنَيْهِ، وَلَكِنَّ الْأُذُنَ إِنْ لَمْ يَصِلْ مَسْمُوعُهَا إِلَى الْقَلْبِ؛ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَسْتَقِرُّ فِي النَّفْسِ، فَلَا يَسْتَقِرُّ فِي النَّفْسِ إِلَّا مَا وَصَلَ إِلَى الْقَلْبِ عَنْ طَرِيقِ الْأُذُنِ، أَوْ عَنْ طَرِيقِ الرُّؤْيَا بِالْعَيْنِ، أَوِ الْمَسِّ بِالْيَدِ، أَوِ الشَّمِّ بِالْأَنْفِ، أَوِ الذَّوْقِ بِالْفَمِ، فَالْمُهِمُّ الْقَرَارُ وَهُوَ الْقَلْبُ؛ وَلِهَذَا قَالَ: ﴿عَلَى قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ﴾

Allah the Almighty says: "It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds, brought down by the Trustworthy Spirit upon your heart, so that you may be one of the warners, in a clear Arabic tongue." Consider why He says "upon your heart," even though the Messenger—peace be upon him—heard it with his ears. If what the ear hears fails to reach the heart, it does not take root in the soul. Nothing settles in the soul unless it reaches the heart via the ear, or through sight, touch, smell, or taste. The heart is the ultimate destination. That is why He says, "upon your heart, so that you may be one of the warners."

وَعَلَى هَذَا فَلَيْسَ مِنَ النَّصِيحَةِ أَنْ يَقُولَ الْقَائِلُ: إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ عِبَارَةٌ عَنْ كَلَامِ اللَّهِ وَلَيْسَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ، أَوْ أَنْ يَقُولَ: إِنَّهُ خَلْقٌ مِنْ مَخْلُوقَاتِ اللَّهِ، أَوْ مَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ، بَلْ مِنَ النَّصِيحَةِ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِأَنَّهُ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ حَقًّا: اللَّفْظُ وَالْمَعْنَى.

It follows that it is not sincere to claim the Quran is merely an expression of Allah's speech rather than His actual speech, or to call it a created thing. True sincerity is to believe it is truly the speech of Allah, in both word and meaning.

وَمِنَ النَّصِيحَةِ لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: أَنْ يَقُومَ الْإِنْسَانُ بِاحْتِرَامِ هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ الْعَظِيمِ، فَمِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنْ لَا يَمَسَّ الْقُرْآنَ إِلَّا وَهُوَ طَاهِرٌ مِنَ الْحَدَثَيْنِ: الْأَصْغَرِ وَالْأَكْبَرِ؛ لِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ: «لَا يَمَسُّ الْقُرْآنَ إِلَّا طَاهِرٌ»، أَوْ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حَائِلٍ؛ لِأَنَّ مَنْ مَسَّهُ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حَائِلٍ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَمَسَّهُ فِي الْوَاقِعِ، وَيَنْبَغِي - لَا عَلَى سَبِيلِ الْوُجُوبِ - أَنْ لَا يَقْرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَوْ عَنْ ظَهْرِ قَلْبٍ إِلَّا مُتَطَهِّرًا؛ لِأَنَّ هَذَا مِنِ احْتِرَامِ الْقُرْآنِ.

Sincerity toward the Book of Allah requires showing respect for this great Quran. This means not touching it unless one is ritually pure from both minor and major impurities, as the Prophet—peace be upon him—stated: "None shall touch the Quran except one who is pure." Touching it through a barrier is permissible, as that does not count as direct contact. While not strictly obligatory, it is also fitting to remain in a state of purity when reciting from memory, as this honors the Quran.

وَمِنَ النَّصِيحَةِ لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: أَنْ لَا تَضَعَهُ فِي مَوْضِعٍ يُمْتَهَنُ فِيهِ، وَيَكُونُ وَضْعُهُ فِيهِ امْتِهَانًا لَهُ، كَمَحَلِّ الْقَاذُورَاتِ وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ؛ وَلِهَذَا يَجِبُ الْحَذَرُ مِمَّا يَصْنَعُهُ.

Sincerity also means never placing the Book of Allah in a demeaning or disrespectful location, such as near filth. One must be careful about where it is placed.

Vocabulary · المفردات (22 verbs · 54 nouns)

• تَكَلَّمَ — to speak
• تَلَقَّى — to receive
• نَزَلَ — to descend
• قَالَ — to say
• تَعَالَى — to be exalted
• كَانَ — to be
• تَأَمَّلَ — to contemplate
• سَمِعَ — to hear
• وَصَلَ — to arrive
• اسْتَقَرَّ — to settle
• أَشْبَهَ — to resemble
• آمَنَ — to believe
• عَزَّ — to be mighty
• جَلَّ — to be majestic
• قَامَ — to stand
• مَسَّ — to touch
• اِنْبَغَى — to be appropriate
• قَرَأَ — to read
• وَضَعَ — to place
• امْتَهَنَ — to treat with contempt
• وَجَبَ — to be necessary
• صَنَعَ — to make
• بَابٌ — chapter
• نَصِيحَةٌ — advice
• حَرْفٌ — letter
• كَلَامٌ — speech
• لَفْظٌ — wording
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• تَنْزِيلٌ — revelation
• رَبٌّ — Lord
• عَالَمٌ — world
• رُوحٌ — spirit
• أَمِينٌ — trustworthy
• قَلْبٌ — heart
• مُنْذِرٌ — warner
• لِسَانٌ — tongue
• عَرَبِيٌّ — Arabic
• مُبِينٌ — clear
• رَسُولٌ — messenger
• أُذُنٌ — ear
• مَسْمُوعٌ — audible thing
• نَفْسٌ — soul
• طَرِيقٌ — path
• رُؤْيَا — vision
• عَيْنٌ — eye
• مَسٌّ — touch
• يَدٌ — hand
• شَمٌّ — smell
• أَنْفٌ — nose
• ذَوْقٌ — taste
• فَمٌ — mouth
• مُهِمٌّ — important
• قَرَارٌ — firm establishment
• عِبَارَةٌ — expression
• خَلْقٌ — creation
• مَخْلُوقٌ — creature
• حَقٌّ — truth
• كِتَابٌ — book
• احْتِرَامٌ — respect
• عَظِيمٌ — great
• طَاهِرٌ — pure
• حَدَثٌ — ritual impurity
• أَصْغَرُ — minor
• أَكْبَرُ — major
• نَبِيٌّ — prophet
• وَرَاءٌ — behind
• حَائِلٌ — barrier
• وَاقِعٌ — reality
• وُجُوبٌ — obligation
• ظَهْرٌ — back
• مُتَطَهِّرٌ — purified
• مَوْضِعٌ — place
• امْتِهَانٌ — contempt
• مَحَلٌّ — place
• قَاذُورَةٌ — filth
• حَذَرٌ — caution