Sharh Riyad as-Saliheen by Ibn Uthaymeen — Volume 2 (شرح رياض الصالحين) — Page 18

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَلِهَذَا أَقُولُ: يَجِبُ أَنْ نَحْمِيَ أَعْرَاضَ عُلَمَائِنَا، وَأَنْ نُدَافِعَ عَنْهُمْ، وَأَنْ نَلْتَمِسَ الْعُذْرَ لِأَخْطَائِهِمْ،

For this reason I say: It is necessary that we protect the honor of our scholars, defend them, and seek excuses for their mistakes.

وَلَا يَمْنَعُ هَذَا أَنْ نَتَّصِلَ بِهِمْ، وَأَنْ نَسْأَلَهُمْ، وَأَنْ نَبْحَثَ مَعَهُمْ، وَأَنْ نُنَاقِشَهُمْ حَتَّى نَكُونَ مُخْلِصِينَ نَاصِحِينَ لِأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ.

This does not prevent us from contacting them, asking them, researching with them, and discussing with them, so that we may be sincere advisors to the leaders of the Muslims.

النَّوْعُ الثَّانِي مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ: أَئِمَّةُ السُّلْطَةِ وَهُمُ الْأُمَرَاءُ،

The second type of Muslim leaders: the leaders of authority, who are the princes.

وَالْأُمَرَاءُ فِي الْغَالِبِ أَكْثَرُ خَطَأً مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لِسُلْطَتِهِ قَدْ تَأْخُذُهُ الْعِزَّةُ بِالْإِثْمِ، فَيُرِيدُ أَنْ يَفْرِضَ سُلْطَتَهُ عَلَى الصَّوَابِ وَالْخَطَأِ،

The princes are generally more prone to error than the scholars; because due to his authority, pride in sin may seize him, so he wants to impose his authority over what is right and what is wrong.

فَالْغَالِبُ مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي السُّلْطَةِ وَهُمُ الْأُمَرَاءُ أَنَّ الْخَطَأَ فِيهِمْ أَكْثَرُ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ.

The majority of Muslim leaders in authority, the princes, are more prone to error than the scholars, except for what Allah wills.

وَالنَّصِيحَةُ لَهُمْ هِيَ أَنْ نَكُفَّ عَنْ مَسَاوِئِهِمْ، وَأَنْ لَا نَنْشُرَهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ، وَأَنْ نَبْذُلَ لَهُمُ النَّصِيحَةَ مَا اسْتَطَعْنَا بِالْمُبَاشَرَةِ إِذَا كُنَّا نَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ نُبَاشِرَهُمْ،

The advice for them is that we refrain from their bad deeds, not spread them among the people, and offer them advice as much as we can directly if we are able to approach them.

أَوْ بِالْكِتَابَةِ إِذَا كُنَّا لَا نَسْتَطِيعُ، أَوْ بِالِاتِّصَالِ بِمَنْ يَتَّصِلُ بِهِمْ إِذَا كُنَّا لَا نَسْتَطِيعُ الْكِتَابَةَ؛

Or by writing if we cannot, or by contacting someone who contacts them if we cannot write.

لِأَنَّهُ أَحْيَانًا لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ الْإِنْسَانُ الْكِتَابَةَ لَهُمْ، وَلَوْ كَتَبَ لَمْ تَصِلْ إِلَى الْمَسْؤُولِ، فَيَتَّصِلُ بِأَحَدٍ يَتَّصِلُ بِالْمَسْؤُولِ وَيُنَبِّهُهُ، فَهَذَا مِنَ النُّصْحِ.

Because sometimes a person cannot write to them, and even if he wrote, it would not reach the official, so he contacts someone who contacts the official and alerts him; this is part of sincerity.

أَمَّا نَشْرُ مَسَاوِئِهِمْ فَلَيْسَ فِيهِ عُدْوَانٌ شَخْصِيٌّ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَطْ، بَلْ هُوَ عُدْوَانٌ شَخْصِيٌّ عَلَيْهِمْ وَعَلَى الْأُمَّةِ جَمِيعًا؛

As for spreading their bad deeds, it is not just a personal aggression against them, but it is a personal aggression against them and against the entire nation.

لِأَنَّ الْأُمَّةَ إِذَا امْتَلَأَتْ صُدُورُهَا مِنَ الْحِقْدِ عَلَى وُلَاةِ أُمُورِهَا عَصَتِ الْوُلَاةَ وَنَابَذَتْهُمْ، وَحِينَئِذٍ تَحْصُلُ الْفَوْضَى، وَيَسُودُ الْخَوْفُ، وَيَزُولُ الْأَمْنُ،

Because if the nation's chests are filled with hatred towards their rulers, they disobey the rulers and oppose them, and then chaos occurs, fear prevails, and security vanishes.

فَإِذَا بَقِيَتْ هَيْبَةُ وُلَاةِ الْأُمُورِ فِي الصُّدُورِ صَارَ لَهُمْ هَيْبَةٌ، وَحُمِيَتْ أَوَامِرُهُمْ وَنُظُمُهُمُ الَّتِي لَا تُخَالِفُ الشَّرِيعَةَ.

If the prestige of the rulers remains in the chests, they have prestige, and their orders and systems that do not contradict the Sharia are protected.

فَالْحَاصِلُ أَنَّ أَئِمَّةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ تَشْمَلُ النَّوْعَيْنِ: أَئِمَّةَ الدِّينِ وَهُمُ الْعُلَمَاءُ، وَأَئِمَّةَ السُّلْطَانِ وَهُمُ الْأُمَرَاءُ،

The conclusion is that Muslim leaders include two types: the leaders of religion, who are the scholars, and the leaders of authority, who are the princes.

وَإِنْ شِئْتَ فَقُلْ: أَئِمَّةُ الْبَيَانِ، وَأَئِمَّةُ السُّلْطَانِ، أَئِمَّةُ الْبَيَانِ.

If you wish, say: the imams of eloquence, and the imams of advice. ⟶ (sentence continues on next page)

Vocabulary · المفردات (35 verbs · 38 nouns)

• قَالَ — to say
• وَجَبَ — to be necessary
• حَمَى — to protect
• دَافَعَ — to defend
• اِلْتَمَسَ — to seek
• مَنَعَ — to prevent
• اِتَّصَلَ — to contact
• سَأَلَ — to ask
• بَحَثَ — to research
• نَاقَشَ — to discuss
• كَانَ — to be
• أَخْلَصَ — to be sincere
• نَصَحَ — to advise
• أَخَذَ — to overcome
• أَرَادَ — to want
• فَرَضَ — to impose
• شَاءَ — to will
• كَفَّ — to refrain
• نَشَرَ — to spread
• بَذَلَ — to offer
• اِسْتَطَاعَ — to be able
• بَاشَرَ — to approach directly
• كَتَبَ — to write
• وَصَلَ — to arrive
• نَبَّهَ — to alert
• اِمْتَلَأَ — to be filled
• عَصَى — to disobey
• نَابَذَ — to oppose
• حَصَلَ — to occur
• سَادَ — to prevail
• زَالَ — to vanish
• بَقِيَ — to remain
• صَارَ — to become
• خَالَفَ — to contradict
• شَمِلَ — to include
• عَرَضٌ — honor
• عَالِمٌ — (male) scholar
• عُذْرٌ — excuse
• خَطَأٌ — mistake
• إِمَامٌ — (male) leader
• مُسْلِمٌ — Muslim
• نَوْعٌ — type
• سُلْطَةٌ — authority
• أَمِيرٌ — (male) prince
• غَالِبٌ — majority
• عِزَّةٌ — pride
• إِثْمٌ — sin
• صَوَابٌ — correctness
• نَصِيحَةٌ — advice
• مَسَاءَةٌ — bad deed
• نَاسٌ — people
• كِتَابَةٌ — writing
• اتِّصَالٌ — contact
• إِنْسَانٌ — human
• مَسْؤُولٌ — official
• نُصْحٌ — sincerity
• عُدْوَانٌ — hostility
• شَخْصٌ — person
• أُمَّةٌ — nation
• صَدْرٌ — chest
• حِقْدٌ — hatred
• وَلِيٌّ — (male) guardian
• أَمْرٌ — matter
• فَوْضَى — chaos
• خَوْفٌ — fear
• أَمْنٌ — security
• هَيْبَةٌ — prestige
• نِظَامٌ — system
• شَرِيعَةٌ — law
• حَاصِلٌ — conclusion
• دِينٌ — religion
• سُلْطَانٌ — power
• بَيَانٌ — clarification