Sharh Riyad as-Saliheen by Ibn Uthaymeen — Volume 2 (شرح رياض الصالحين) — Page 17

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

بَابٌ فِي النَّصِيحَةِ.

A Chapter on Offering Counsel.

مَعَهُ وَاسْأَلْهُ، رُبَّمَا يُنْقَلُ عَنْهُ أَشْيَاءُ غَيْرُ صَحِيحَةٍ،

Approach him and ask him directly, as inaccurate statements are often attributed to scholars.

وَقَدْ نُقِلَ عَنَّا وَعَنْ غَيْرِنَا أَشْيَاءُ غَيْرُ صَحِيحَةٍ،

We ourselves, along with others, have had false things attributed to us.

لَكِنَّ النَّاسَ - نَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَافِيَةَ - إِذَا كَانَ لَهُمْ هَوًى وَأَحَبُّوا شَيْئًا وَعَرَفُوا أَحَدًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ يَقْبَلُ النَّاسُ قَوْلَهُ نَسَبُوهُ لِهَذَا الْعَالِمِ،

Yet people—may God protect us—often have their own agendas. When they favor a particular view, they will attribute it to a scholar whose opinion carries weight, hoping to gain credibility.

ثُمَّ إِذَا سَأَلْتَ نَفْسَ الَّذِي نُسِبَ إِلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ، قَالَ: أَبَدًا مَا قُلْتُ كَذَا،

If you then confront that scholar, he will insist he never said any such thing.

وَقَدْ يُخْطِئُ السَّائِلُ مَثَلًا فِي صِيغَةِ السُّؤَالِ، فَيُجِيبُ الْعَالِمُ عَلَى قَدْرِ السُّؤَالِ وَيَفْهَمُهُ السَّائِلُ عَلَى حَسَبِ مَا فِي نَفْسِهِ هُوَ، فَيَحْصُلُ الْخَطَأُ،

Misunderstandings also arise when a questioner phrases things poorly. The scholar answers exactly what is asked, but the questioner interprets the response through the lens of his own preconceptions, leading to error.

وَقَدْ يُجِيبُ الْعَالِمُ بِالصَّوَابِ بَعْدَ فَهْمِ السُّؤَالِ لَكِنْ يَفْهَمُهُ السَّائِلُ عَلَى غَيْرِ وَجْهِهِ فَيُخْطِئُ فِي النَّقْلِ.

Alternatively, a scholar may answer correctly, but the questioner misinterprets the intent and passes on a distorted account.

وَعَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ مِنَ النَّصِيحَةِ لِأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالدِّينِ أَنْ لَا يَتَتَبَّعَ الْإِنْسَانُ عَوْرَاتِهِمْ، بَلْ يَلْتَمِسَ الْعُذْرَ لَهُمْ

Regardless, true counsel for Muslim leaders in scholarship and faith requires that we avoid hunting for their faults and instead seek to excuse them.

اتَّصِلْ وَقُلْ سَمِعْتُ عَنْكَ كَذَا وَكَذَا هَلْ هَذَا صَحِيحٌ؟

Reach out to them and say, I heard you said such-and-such; is that accurate?

فَإِذَا قَالَ: نَعَمْ، قُلْ: أَظُنُّ أَنَّ هَذَا خَطَأٌ وَغَلَطٌ حَتَّى يُبَيِّنَ لَكَ

If they confirm it, reply, I believe that may be incorrect, and let them explain their reasoning.

وَرُبَّمَا يَشْرَحُ شَيْئًا لَا تَعْرِفُهُ وَتَظُنُّ أَنَّهُ أَخْطَأَ فِيهِ، وَرُبَّمَا قَدْ خَفِيَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ فَتُنَبِّهَهُ أَنْتَ، وَتَكُونُ مَشْكُورًا عَلَى هَذَا،

They might clarify something you were unaware of, or perhaps they overlooked a detail that you can help them see, for which you deserve gratitude.

وَقَدْ قَالَ أَوَّلُ إِمَامٍ فِي الدِّينِ وَالسُّلْطَةِ فِي هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ الرَّسُولِ، أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، حَيْثُ خَطَبَ أَوَّلَ خُطْبَةٍ، قَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُوَ يُخَاطِبُهُمْ يَتَحَدَّثُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ: إِنِ اعْوَجَجْتُ فَأَقِيمُونِي.

Consider the first leader of this nation after the Prophet, Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him. In his inaugural sermon, he told the people, If I go astray, set me straight.

وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ بَشَرٌ.

This is because every human is fallible.

فَقَوِّمْ أَخَاكَ وَلَا سِيَّمَا أَهْلَ الْعِلْمِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْعَالِمَ خَطَرُهُ عَظِيمٌ، الْخَطَرُ الزَّلَلِيُّ، وَالْخَطَرُ الرَّفِيعُ؛ لِأَنَّ كَلِمَةَ الْخَطَرِ تَكُونُ لِلْعُلُوِّ وَالنُّزُولِ، فَهُوَ خَطَرُهُ عَظِيمٌ،

Correct your brother, especially if he is a scholar, for a scholar carries immense weight. The term 'weight' implies both high stature and the gravity of a potential fall; his position is significant.

إِنْ أَصَابَ هَدَى اللَّهُ عَلَى يَدِهِ خَلْقًا كَثِيرًا، وَإِنْ أَخْطَأَ ضَلَّ عَلَى يَدِهِ خَلْقٌ كَثِيرٌ، فَزَلَّةُ الْعَالِمِ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الزَّلَّاتِ.

If he is right, God guides many through him; if he is wrong, many go astray because of him. Thus, a scholar's error is among the most serious of all mistakes.

Vocabulary · المفردات (30 verbs · 42 nouns)

• سَأَلَ — to ask
• نَقَلَ — to transfer
• أَحَبَّ — to love
• عَرَفَ — to know
• قَبِلَ — to accept
• نَسَبَ — to attribute
• قَالَ — to say
• أَخْطَأَ — to err
• أَجَابَ — to answer
• فَهِمَ — to understand
• حَصَلَ — to occur
• تَتَبَّعَ — to follow
• الْتَمَسَ — to seek
• اتَّصَلَ — to contact
• سَمِعَ — to hear
• ظَنَّ — to think
• بَيَّنَ — to clarify
• شَرَحَ — to explain
• خَفِيَ — to be hidden
• نَبَّهَ — to alert
• شَكَرَ — to thank
• خَطَبَ — to preach
• خَاطَبَ — to address
• تَحَدَّثَ — to speak
• اعْوَجَّ — to become crooked
• أَقَامَ — to straighten
• قَوَّمَ — to correct
• أَصَابَ — to hit the mark
• هَدَى — to guide
• ضَلَّ — to go astray
• بَابٌ — chapter
• نَصِيحَةٌ — advice
• شَيْءٌ — thing
• عَافِيَةٌ — well-being
• هَوًى — desire
• عِلْمٌ — knowledge
• عَالِمٌ — scholar
• نَفْسٌ — self
• سَائِلٌ — asker
• مَثَلٌ — example
• صِيغَةٌ — formulation
• سُؤَالٌ — question
• قَدْرٌ — extent
• خَطَأٌ — error
• صَوَابٌ — correctness
• وَجْهٌ — aspect
• نَقْلٌ — transmission
• حَالٌ — state
• إِمَامٌ — leader
• مُسْلِمٌ — Muslim
• دِينٌ — religion
• إِنْسَانٌ — human
• عَوْرَةٌ — fault
• عُذْرٌ — excuse
• غَلَطٌ — mistake
• سُلْطَةٌ — authority
• أُمَّةٌ — nation
• رَسُولٌ — messenger
• خُطْبَةٌ — sermon
• بَشَرٌ — human
• أَخٌ — brother
• خَطَرٌ — importance
• عَظِيمٌ — great
• زَلَلِيٌّ — slippery
• رَفِيعٌ — high
• كَلِمَةٌ — word
• عُلُوٌّ — elevation
• نُزُولٌ — descent
• يَدٌ — hand
• خَلْقٌ — creation
• كَثِيرٌ — many
• زَلَّةٌ — slip