Sharh Riyad as-Saliheen by Ibn Uthaymeen — Volume 2 (شرح رياض الصالحين) — Page 53

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

بَابٌ فِي الْأَمْرِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيِ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ.

A chapter on enjoining good and forbidding evil.

وَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِذَا كَانُوا كَثِيرِينَ فِي الْأَسْفَلِ وَبَعْضُهُمْ فِي الْأَعْلَى، حَتَّى تَتَوَازَنَ حُمُولَةُ السَّفِينَةِ، وَحَتَّى لَا يَضِيقَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ، وَفِيهِ أَنَّ هَذِهِ السَّفِينَةَ الْمُشْتَرَكَةَ بَيْنَ هَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُخَرِّبَهَا، فَإِنَّهُ لَا بُدَّ أَنْ يُمْسِكُوا عَلَى يَدَيْهِ، وَأَنْ يَأْخُذُوا عَلَى يَدَيْهِ، لِيَنْجُوا جَمِيعًا، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلُوا هَلَكُوا جَمِيعًا، هَكَذَا دِينُ اللَّهِ، إِذَا أَخَذَ الْعُقَلَاءُ وَأَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ وَالدِّينِ عَلَى الْجُهَّالِ وَالسُّفَهَاءِ نَجَوْا جَمِيعًا، وَإِنْ تَرَكُوهُمْ وَمَا أَرَادُوا هَلَكُوا جَمِيعًا، كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لَا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ﴾.

When a crowd is on a ship, some must stay below and others above to keep the vessel balanced and prevent overcrowding. If anyone on that shared ship tries to scuttle it, the others must seize his hands and stop him so that everyone survives; if they fail to do so, they will all perish. The religion of God works the same way: if the wise, the learned, and the pious restrain the ignorant and the foolish, all will be saved. If they leave them to their own devices, everyone will perish, just as God Almighty said: 'Fear a trial that will not strike only those who have wronged among you, and know that God is severe in punishment.'

وَفِي هَذَا الْمَثَلِ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى أَنَّهُ يَنْبَغِي يُعَلِّمَ النَّاسَ أَنْ يَضْرِبَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِيُقَرِّبَ لَهُمُ الْمَعْقُولَ بِصُورَةِ الْمَحْسُوسِ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ﴾، وَكَمْ مِنْ إِنْسَانٍ تَشْرَحُ لَهُ الْمَعْنَى شَرْحًا كَثِيرًا وَتُرَدِّدُهُ عَلَيْهِ فَلَا يَفْهَمُ، فَإِذَا ضَرَبْتَ لَهُ مَثَلًا بِشَيْءٍ مَحْسُوسٍ يَفْهَمُهُ وَيَعْرِفُهُ.

This parable shows that teachers should use examples to make abstract concepts tangible. As God Almighty said: 'We present these parables to the people, but only the learned understand them.' How often do you explain a concept at length, repeating it over and over, only for the listener to remain confused? Yet, once you provide a concrete example, they grasp it immediately.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (29 verbs · 47 nouns)

• كَانَ — to be
• ضَاقَ — to be narrow
• اِشْتَرَكَ — to be shared
• بَابٌ — chapter
• أَمْرٌ — command
• مَعْرُوفٌ — good