Amazing Insights Into Allah’s Exclusive Sovereignty (Mulk) & Praiseworthiness (Hamd)
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Al Imam Ibn Al Qayyim (رحمه الله) said (in Tarīq Al Hijratayn):
إن حقيقة الملك إنما تتم بالعطاء والمنع، والإكرام والإهانة، والإثابة والعقوبة، والغضب والرضا، والتولية والعزل، وإعزاز منيليق به العز وإذلال من يليق به الذل.
The essence of sovereignty is only realized through giving and withholding, honoring and humiliating, rewarding and punishing, anger and pleasure, appointing and dismissing, elevating those deserving of honor, and abasing those deserving of humiliation.
قال تعالى: {قل اللهم مالك الملك تؤتي الملك من تشاء وتنزع الملك ممن تشاء وتعز من تشاء وتذل من تشاء بيدك الخيرإنك على كل شيء قدير (٢٦) تولج الليل في النهار وتولج النهار في الليل وتخرج الحي من الميت وتخرج الميت من الحيوترزق من تشاء بغير حساب} [آل عمران/ ٢٦، ٢٧].
Allah the Almighty says: "Say, 'O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent. You cause the night to enter the day, and You cause the day to enter the night; and You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living. And You give provision to whom You will without account.'" [Aal-E-Imran: 26-27].
وقال تعالى: {يسأله من في السماوات والأرض كل يوم هو في شأن (٢٩)} [الرحمن/ ٢٩]،
And He, the Exalted, says: "Whoever is within the heavens and earth asks Him; every day He is bringing about a matter." [Ar-Rahman: 29].
يغفر ذنبا، ويفرج كربا، ويكشف غما، وينصر مظلوما، ويأخذ ظالما، ويفك عانيا، ويغني فقيرا، ويجبر كسيرا، ويشفي مريضا،ويقيل عثرة، ويستر عورة، ويعز ذليلا، ويذل عزيزا، ويعطي سائلا، ويذهب بدولة، ويأتي بأخرى، ويداول الأيام بين الناس،ويرفع أقواما، ويضع آخرين.
He forgives sin, relieves distress, removes grief, supports the oppressed, seizes the oppressor, releases the captive, enriches the poor, mends the broken, heals the sick, pardons the fault, covers the shame, honors the humiliated, abases the honored, gives to the seeker, removes a state, brings about another, alternates the days among people, raises some people, and lowers others.
يسوق المقادير التي قدرها قبل خلق السماوات والأرض بخمسين ألف عام إلى مواقيتها،
He directs the decrees that He ordained fifty thousand years before creating the heavens and the earth to their appointed times.
فلا يتقدم شيء منها عن وقته ولا يتأخر، بل كل منها قد أحصاه كتابه ، وجرى به قلمه، ونفذ فيه حكمه، وسبق به علمه.
Nothing is advanced or delayed from its time; rather, everything is recorded in His Book, enacted by His pen, executed by His judgment, and preceded by His knowledge.
فهو المتصرف في الممالك كلها وحده تصرف ملك قادر قاهر عادل رحيم تام الملك، لا ينازعه في ملكه منازع، ولا يعارضهفيه معارض.
He alone manages all dominions with the control of a powerful, dominant, just, and merciful king with complete sovereignty. No one disputes His dominion, nor opposes Him in it.
فتصرفه في المملكة دائر بين العدل والإحسان والحكمة والمصلحة والرحمة، فلا يخرج تصرفه عن ذلك…
His management of the kingdom is between justice, benevolence, wisdom, benefit, and mercy; His management does not deviate from that…
وهذا من تمام تصرفه في ملكه سبحانه، فلو قصر تصرفه على وجه واحد ونمط واحد لم يكن تصرفا تاما.
…This is part of the perfection of His management of His dominion. If His management were limited to one mode or pattern, it would not be complete management.
والمقصود أن الملك والحمد في حقه متلازمان، فكل ما شمله ملكه وقدرته شمل حمده،
The point is that sovereignty and praise are inseparable in relation to Him. Everything encompassed by His dominion and power is also encompassed by His praise.
فهو محمود في ملكه وله الملك والقدرة مع حمده،
He is praised for His dominion, and He has dominion and power with His praise.
فكما يستحيل خروج شيء من الموجودات عن ملكه وقدرته يستحيل خروجها عن حمده وحكمته،
Just as it is impossible for anything in existence to fall outside of His dominion and power, it is equally impossible for anything to fall outside of His praise and wisdom.
ولهذا يحمد سبحانه نفسه عند خلقه وأمره، لينبه عباده على أن مصدر خلقه وأمره عن حمده،
Therefore, Allah praises Himself when referring to His creating and commanding to remind His servants that the source of His creation and command is from His praise.
فهو محمود على كل ما خلقة وأمر به حمد شكر وعبودية، وحمد ثناءٍ ومدح،
He is praised for everything He creates and commands with the praise of gratitude and servitude, and the praise of commendation and extolment.
ويجمعهما التبارك، فتبارك الله يشمل ذلك كله، ولهذا ذكر هذه الكلمة عقيب قوله: ﴿ألا لَهُ الخَلْقُ والأمْرُ، تَباركَ اللهُ رَبُّالعالَمِينَ﴾ [الأعراف: ٥٤]
These are encompassed by the term "Tabarak," which includes all of this. Hence, He mentioned this word following His saying: "Surely, His is the creation and command; blessed be Allah, the Lord of all the worlds" [Al-A'raf: 54].
فالحمد أوسع الصفات وأعم المدائح؛ والطرق إلى العلم به في غاية الكثرة، والسبيل إلى اعتباره في ذرّات العالم وجزئياتهوتفاصيل الأمر والنهي واسعة جدًا،
Praise is the most comprehensive of attributes and the most general of commendations. The paths to knowledge of Him are exceedingly numerous, and the means to consider it in the atoms of the universe, and the details of commands and prohibitions, are very wide.
لأن جميع أسمائه تبارك وتعالى حمد،
All His names, the Blessed and Exalted, are praiseworthy.
وصفاته حمد وأفعاله حمد،
His attributes are praiseworthy, His actions are praiseworthy.
وأحكامه حمد، وعدله حمد،
His judgments are praiseworthy, His justice is praiseworthy.
وانتقامه من أعدائه حمد، وفضله في إحسانه إلى أوليائه حمد
His retribution against His enemies is praiseworthy, and His grace in His beneficence to His allies is praiseworthy.
والخلق والأمر إنما قام بحمده ووجد بحمده وظهر بحمده وكان الغاية هي حمده
Creation and command are established by His praise, brought into existence by His praise, and manifested by His praise. The ultimate goal is His praise.
فحمده سبب ذلك وغايته ومظهره وحامله ، فحمده روح كل شيء، وقيام كل شيء بحمده،
His praise is the cause of all of this, its goal, its manifestation, and its sustainer. His praise is the spirit of everything, and everything exists by His praise.
وسريان حمده في الموجودات وظهور آثاره فيه أمر مشهود بالأبصار والبصائر،
The permeation of His praise in existences and the manifestation of its effects therein is something visible to the eyes and the insights.
فمن الطرق الدالة على شمول معنى الحمد وانبساطه على جميع المعلومات معرفة أسمائه وصفاته،
Among the ways indicating the comprehensive meaning of praise and its extension over all known things is the knowledge of His names and attributes.
وإقرار العبد بأن للعالم إلهًا حيًا جامعًا لكل صفة كمال واسم حسن وثناءٍ جميل وفعل كريم
The servant's acknowledgment that the world has a living deity encompassing every attribute of perfection, beautiful name, commendable praise, and noble action.
وأنه سبحانه له القدرة التامة والمشيئة النافذة والعلم المحيط والسمع الذي وسع الأصوات والبصر الذي أحاط بجميعالمبصرات والرحمة التي وسعت جميع المخلوقات والملك الأعلى الذي لا يخرج عنه ذرة من الذرات والغني التام المطلقمن جميع الجهات والحكمة البالغة المشهود آثارها في الكائنات ، والعزة الغالبة بجميع الوجوه والاعتبارات ، والكلماتالتامات النافذات التي لا يجاوزهن بر ولا فاجر من جميع البريات،
He, the Exalted, has complete power, effective will, encompassing knowledge, hearing that encompasses all sounds, sight that encompasses all visible things, mercy that encompasses all creatures, the supreme dominion from which not a single atom escapes, complete and absolute independence in all ways, perfect wisdom whose effects are evident in beings, overpowering might in all aspects and considerations, and perfect and effective words that no righteous or wicked among all creatures can surpass.
واحد لا شريك له في ربوبيته ولا في إلهيته، ولا شبيه له في ذاته ولا في صفاته ولا في أفعاله،
He is one without partner in His lordship or divinity, with no likeness in His essence, attributes, or actions.
وليس له من يشركه في ذرة من ذرات ملكه، أو يخلفه في تدبير خلقه، أو يحجبه عن داعيه أو مؤمليه أو سائليه،
No one shares even an atom of His dominion, substitutes Him in the management of creation, or blocks Him from His supplicants, His hopeful, or those who ask of Him.
أو يتوسط بينهم وبينه بتلبيس أو فرية أو كذب كما يكون بين الرعايا وبين الملوك،
No one intermediates between Him and them with confusion, deceit, or lies as happens between subjects and kings.
ولو كان كذلك لفسد نظام الوجود وفسد العالم بأسره: ﴿لَوْ كانَ فِيهِما آلِهَةٌ إلا الله لَفَسَدَتا﴾ [الأنبياء: ٢٢]
If it were so, the order of existence would be corrupted, and the entire world would be ruined: "Had there been within them gods besides Allah, they both would have been ruined" [Al-Anbiya: 22].
فلو كان معه آلهة أُخرى كما يقول أعداؤه المبطلون لوقع من النقص في التدبير وفساد الأمر كله ما لا يثبت معه حالٍ، ولايصلح عليه وجود.
If there were other deities along with Him as the enemies and false claimants say, there would be such a deficiency in management and corruption in the entire affair that no state would persist, nor would existence be suitable.
ومن أعظم نعمه علينا وما استوجب حمد عباده له أن يجعلنا عبيدًا له خاصة ولم يجعلنا ربنا منقسمين بين شركاءَمتشاكسين،
One of the greatest blessings upon us, and what deserves His servants’ praise, is that He made us His exclusive servants and did not make us divided among quarreling partners.
ولم يجعلنا عبيدًا لإله نحتته الأفكار، لا يسمع أصواتنا ولا يبصر أفعالنا ولا يعلم أحوالنا ولا يملك لعابديه ضرًا ولا نفعًا، ولاموتًا ولا حياة ولا نشورًا، ولا تكلم قط ولا يتكلم ولا يأْمر ولا ينهى، ولا ترفع إليه الأيدي ولا تعرج الملائكة والروح إليه، ولا يصعدإليه الكلم الطيب، ولا يرفع إليه العمل الصالح، …
He did not make us servants of a god fabricated by thoughts, who does not hear our voices, see our actions, know our conditions, have the power to bring harm or benefit, or have control over death, life, or resurrection. Such a god as has never spoken and will never speak, does not command or prohibit, to whom hands are not raised to (for supplication), nor do angels and the spirit ascend to Him, nor do good words rise to Him, nor is good work lifted to Him…
فللَّه العظيم أعظم حمد وأتمه وأكمله على ما منَّ به من معرفته وتوحيده والإقرار بصفاته العلى وأسمائه الحسنى، وإقرارقلوبنا بأنه الله الذي لا إله إلا هو عالم الغيب والشهادة رب العالمين قيوم السماوات والأرضين إله الأولين والآخرين،
So, to Allah the Magnificent be the greatest, most complete, and perfect praise for bestowing upon us the knowledge of Him, His monotheism, the acknowledgment of His supreme attributes and beautiful names, and the acknowledgment in our hearts that He is Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the Lord of the worlds, the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth, the God of the first and the last.
ولا يزال موصوفًا بصفات الجلال، منعوتًا بنعوت الكمال، منزهًا عن أضدادها من النقائص والتشبيه والمثال.
He remains always described by the attributes of majesty, characterized by the traits of perfection, free from their opposites of deficiencies, likeness to others, and any equivalent.”