Worship and Repentance

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وَفِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ عَن مَعَاذٍ قَالَ

And in the two Sahihs, from Muadh who said

كُنتُ رَدِيفًا لِلنَّبِيِّ عَلَى حِمَارٍ

I was a riding partner of the Prophet on a donkey

فَقَالَ يَا مُعَاذُ أَتَدْرِي مَا حَقُّ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ

So he said, 'O Muadh, do you know what is Allah's right upon the servants?'

قُلْتُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ

I said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.'

قَالَ حَقُّ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهُ وَلَا يُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا

He said, 'Allah's right upon the servants is that they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him.'

وَحَقُّ الْعِبَادِ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ لَا يُعَذِّبَ مَنْ لَا يُشْرِكْ بِهِ

And the servants' right upon Allah is that He does not punish those who do not associate anything with Him.

وَالْعِبَادَةُ هِيَ الْغَايَةُ الَّتِي خَلَقَ اللَّهُ لَهَا الْعِبَادَ مِنْ جِهَةِ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَحَبَّتِهِ وَرِضَاهُ

And worship is the goal for which Allah created the servants, concerning His command, love, and approval.

كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى الذاريات وَمَا خلقت الْجِنّ وَالْإِنْس إِلَّا ليعبدون

As He, the Most High, said in Adh-Dhariyat, 'And I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me.'

وَبِهَا أَرْسَلَ الرُّسُلَ وَأَنْزَلَ الْكُتُبَ

And it was for this that He sent the messengers and revealed the books.

وَهِيَ اسْمٌ يَجْمَعُ كَمَالَ الذُّلِّ وَنِهَايَتَهُ وَكَمَالَ الْحُبِّ لِلَّهِ وَنِهَايَتَهُ

And it is a term that encompasses complete humility at its highest degree, and complete love for Allah at its highest degree.

فالحب الخلي عَن ذل والذل الخلي عَن حب لَا يكون عبَادَة

For love devoid of humility and humility devoid of love is not worship.

وَإِنَّمَا الْعِبَادَةُ مَا يَجْمَعُ كَمَالَ الْأَمْرَيْنِ

Rather, worship is what combines the completion of both matters.

وَلِهَذَا كَانَتِ الْعِبَادَةُ لَا تَصْلُحُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ

And for this reason, worship is suitable for none but Allah.

وَهِيَ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مَنْفَعَتُهَا لِلْعَبْدِ وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ عَنْهَا فَهِيَ لَهُ مِنْ جِهَةِ مَحَبَّتِهِ لَهَا وَرِضَاهُ بِهَا

And even though its benefit is for the servant and Allah is self-sufficient from it, it is for Him in terms of His love for it and His approval of it.

وَلِهَذَا كَانَ الله أَشد فَرحا بتوبة العَبْد من الفاقد لراحلته عَلَيْهَا طَعَامه وَشَرَابه فِي ارْض دوية ملهكة إِذا نَام آيسا مِنْهَا ثمَّ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَوَجَدَهَا

And for this reason, Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His servant than one who finds his lost mount, upon it his food and drink, in a barren, dangerous land after sleeping in despair of it, then waking to find it.

فَاللَّهُ أَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِتَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ مِنْ هَذَا بِرَاحِلَتِهِ

So Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His servant than this man is with his lost mount.

وَهَذَا يَتَعَلَّقُ بِهِ أُمُورٌ جَلِيلَةٌ قَدْ بَسَطْنَاهَا وَشَرَحْنَاهَا فِي غَيْرِ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ

And concerning this, there are significant matters that we have expanded upon and explained elsewhere.

وَالتَّوَكُّلُ وَالاسْتِعَانَةُ لِلْعَبْدِ لِأَنَّهُ هُوَ الْوَسِيلَةُ وَالطَّرِيقُ الَّذِي يَنَالُ بِهِ مَقْصُودَهُ وَمَطْلُوبَهُ مِنَ الْعِبَادَةِ

And reliance and seeking help are for the servant because they are the means and the path through which he attains his goals and desires in worship.

فَالِاسْتِعَانَةُ كَالدُّعَاءِ وَالْمَسْأَلَةِ

For seeking help is like supplication and requesting.

وَقَدْ رَوَى الطَّبَرَانِيُّ فِي كِتَابِ الدُّعَاءِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ قَالَ

And Al-Tabarani narrated in the Book of Supplication from the Prophet who said

يَقُول الله يَا ابْن آدم إِنَّمَا هِيَ ارْبَعْ وَاحِدَة لي وَوَاحِدَة لَك وَوَاحِدَة بيني وَبَيْنك وَوَاحِدَة بَيْنك وَبَين خلقي

Allah says, 'O son of Adam, there are four things: one for Me, one for you, one between Me and you, and one between you and My creation.'

فَأَمَّا الَّتِي لِي فَتَعْبُدُنِي لَا تُشْرِكْ بِي شَيْئًا

As for the one that is for Me, it is that you worship Me, associating nothing with Me.

وَأَمَّا الَّتِي هِيَ لَكَ فَعَمَلُكَ أُجَازِيكَ بِهِ أَحْوَجَ مَا تَكُونُ إِلَيْهِ

And as for the one that is for you, it is your deeds for which I will recompense you when you need it most.

وَأَمَّا الَّتِي بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ فَمِنْكَ الدُّعَاءُ وَعَلَيَّ الْإِجَابَةُ

And as for the one that is between Me and you, it is from you supplication, and upon Me is the response.

وَأَمَّا الَّتِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ خَلْقِي فَأتِ لِلنَّاسِ مَا تُحِبُّ أَنْ يَأْتُوا إِلَيْكَ

And as for the one that is between you and My creation, it is that you treat people as you would love for them to treat you.