al-Amīr ʿAbd al-Qādir b. Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Jazāʾirī · Kitāb al-Mawāqif fī baʿḍ ishārāt al-Qurʾān ilā al-asrār wa-l-maʿārif

المواقف

The Book of Stations

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Mawqif 318 · “Two thirds of his religion are gone”
In briefAI
Starting from the report “Whoever humbles himself before a rich man because of his wealth, two thirds of his religion are gone”, the Emir quotes al-Asyūṭī on its weak chains and Ibn al-Jawzī's inclusion of it among fabricated reports. He reads it as a prohibition addressed to the poor man. Here “religion” (dīn) means requital, so the loss is the greater part of the requital prepared for his poverty, unless repentance remedies it. He prefers taking “two thirds” as the greater part, as nearer to safety.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 1035, Damascus 1966, p. 1036, Damascus 1966, p. 1037 (archive.org)
رَوَى عَنْهُ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «مَنْ تَوَاضَعَ لِغَنِيٍّ لِأَجْلِ غِنَاهُ ذَهَبَ ثُلُثَا دِينِهِ».
It is related from him (God bless him and grant him peace) that he said: “Whoever humbles himself before a rich man because of his wealth, two thirds of his religion are gone.”
قَالَ جَلَالُ الدِّينِ الْأَسْيُوطِيُّ: خَرَّجَهُ الْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي الشُّعَبِ، عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، وَأَنَسٍ؛ بِلَفْظِ: «مَنْ اَصْبَحَ حَزِينًا عَلَى الدُّنْيَا؛ اَصْبَحَ سَاخِطاً عَلَى رَبِّهِ، وَمَنْ اَصْبَحَ يَشْكُو [?] مُصِيبَتَهُ؛ فَاِنَّمَا يَشْكُو رَبَّهُ. وَمَنْ دَخَلَ عَلَى غَنِيٍّ فَتَضَعْضَعَ لَهُ؛ ذَهَبَ ثُلُثَا [?] دِينِهِ».
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Asyūṭī said: al-Bayhaqī brought it out in the Shuʿab, from Ibn Masʿūd and Anas, in the wording: “Whoever rises in the morning grieving over this world rises in the morning angry with his Lord. Whoever rises in the morning complaining of his misfortune complains only of his Lord. And whoever comes in to a rich man and abases himself before him, two thirds of his religion are gone.”
وَقَالَ فِي اِسْنَادِ كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا: ضَعِيفٌ.
And he said of the chain of transmission of each of the two: weak.
ثُمَّ رَوَى بِسَنَدِهِ عَنْ وَهْبِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ [?] قَالَ: «قَرَأْتُ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ» فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ.
Then he related, with his chain, from Wahb ibn Munabbih, who said: “I read in the Torah,” and he mentioned something similar.
وَأَخْرَجَ الدَّيْلَمِيُّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي ذَرٍّ: «لَعَنَ اللَّهُ فَقِيراً تَوَاضَعَ لِغَنِيٍّ مِنْ أَجْلِ مَالِهِ. مَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُمْ فَقَدْ [?] ذَهَبَ ثُلُثَا دِينِهِ».
Al-Daylamī brought out, from the ḥadīth of Abū Dharr: “God curse a poor man who humbles himself before a rich man for the sake of his wealth. Whoever of them does that, two thirds of his religion are gone.”
وَأَوْرَدَ ابْنُ الْجَوْزِيِّ الْحَدِيثَ فِي الْمَوْضُوعَاتِ فَلَمْ يُصِبْ ا هـ.
Ibn al-Jawzī included the ḥadīth in al-Mawḍūʿāt, and he was not right in doing so. End of quotation.
اعْلَمْ أَنَّ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ وَرَدَ بِلَفْظِ الْخَبَرِ.
Know that this ḥadīth has come in the form of a statement.
وَمَعْنَاهُ النَّهْيُ عَنِ التَّوَاضُعِ لِلْغَنِيِّ [?] لِغِنَاهُ.
Its meaning is a prohibition of humbling oneself before the rich man because of his wealth.
وَالْمُرَادُ بِالنَّهْيِ الْفَقِيرُ.
The one meant by the prohibition is the poor man.
وَقَدْ صَرَّحَ فِي الرِّوَايَةِ الْأَخِيرَةِ بِذِكْرِ الْفَقِيرِ [?] وَالنَّهْيِ وَالْوَعِيدِ...
In the last transmission he stated explicitly the poor man, the prohibition and the threat …
وَاِنْ وَرَدَ فِي حَقِّ الْفَقِيرِ فَالْغَنَاءُ صِفَةٌ اِلَهِيَّةٌ، مِنْهَا تَجَلَّتْ [?] تَوَاضَعَ النَّاسُ لَهَا كَالْعِزَّةِ.
Even if it has come concerning the poor man, wealth is a divine attribute; from it it became manifest, and people humble themselves before it, as before might.
وَبِالْخُصُوصِ الْفَقِيرُ.
And especially the poor man.
فَاِذَا زَهِدَ الْفَقِيرُ فِي الْغَنِيِّ وَفِيمَا [?] فِي يَدِهِ مِنَ الْغِنَى عَظَّمَ الْغَنِيُّ الْفَقِيرَ.
So when the poor man renounces the rich man and the wealth in his hand, the rich man holds the poor man in high regard.
فَاِذَا سَأَلَ الْفَقِيرُ الْغَنِيَّ شَيْئاً؛ سَقَطَ مِنْ [?] عَيْنِهِ.
But when the poor man asks the rich man for something, he falls in his eye.
وَالدِّينُ هُنَا بِمَعْنَى الْجَزَاءِ، كَمَا هُوَ فِي قَوْلِهِ: «مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ⁽¹⁾».
Here “religion” (dīn) means requital, as it does in His words: “Master of the Day of Requital” (Q 1:4).
أَيِ الْجَزَاءِ.
That is, requital.
وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ ـ تَعَالَى ـ أَعَدَّ لِلْفَقِيرِ فِي الدَّارِ الْآخِرَةِ جَزَاءً مَخْصُوصاً فِي مُقَابَلَةِ فَقْرِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا.
This is because God (exalted is He) has prepared for the poor man, in the Last Abode, a particular requital in return for his poverty in this world.
فَاِذَا عَظَّمَ غَنِيّاً لِغِنَاهُ نَقَصَهُ ذَلِكَ أَكْثَرَ جَزَاءِهِ.
So if he holds a rich man in high regard because of his wealth, that robs him of the greater part of his requital.
وَلَوْ لَمْ يُعَظِّمِ الْغَنِيَّ لِغِنَاهُ لَكَانَ جَزَاؤُهُ مَوْفُوراً.
Had he not held the rich man in high regard for his wealth, his requital would have been full.
وَعَلَيْهِ: فَلَيْسَ الْمُرَادُ بِالدِّينِ ـ هُنَا ـ مَا يَشْمَلُ أُصُولَ الشَّرَائِعِ وَفُرُوعَهَا، الَّذِي هُوَ عِبَارَةٌ عَنْ وَضْعٍ اِلَهِيٍّ [?] سَابِقٍ، لِذَوِي الْعُقُولِ بِاخْتِيَارِهِمُ الْمَحْمُودِ اِلَى الْخَيْرِ بِالذَّاتِ.
Accordingly, what is meant by “religion” here is not that which comprises the roots and branches of the revealed laws: that which denotes a prior divine institution for those endowed with intellect, by their praiseworthy choice, towards what is good in itself.
فَاِنَّ هَذَا لَا يُتَصَوَّرُ [?] فِيهِ ذَهَابُ الْبَعْضِ وَبَقَاءُ الْبَعْضِ.
For in this, the loss of a part and the survival of a part cannot be conceived.
وَعَلَيْهِ؛ فَتَعْبِيرُهُ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ بِالثُّلُثَيْنِ هُوَ كِنَايَةٌ عَنْ ذَهَابِ أَكْثَرِ جَزَائِهِ، الَّذِي كَانَ أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ ـ تَعَالَى ـ لَهُ، لَوْ لَمْ يُعَظِّمِ الْغَنِيَّ اِلَّا اَنْ تَدَارَكَهُ اللَّهُ بِالتَّوْبَةِ، وَالنَّدَمِ عَلَى مَا فَرَطَ مِنْهُ.
Accordingly, his expression (God bless him and grant him peace) “two thirds” is a figurative way of saying the loss of the greater part of his requital, which God (exalted is He) had prepared for him had he not held the rich man in high regard, unless God remedies it for him through repentance and remorse for what he let slip.
لَايُقَالُ مَا الْحِكْمَةُ فِي تَعْبِيرِهِ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ بِالثُّلُثَيْنِ، وَعُدُو لِهِ عَنِ التَّعْبِيرِ بِالْأَكْثَرِ، لِأَنَّا
It cannot be said: “What is the wisdom in his expressing it (God bless him and grant him peace) as two thirds, and his turning away from expressing it as ‘the greater part’?”, because we …
نَقُولُ هُوَ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– مُخْبِرٌ بِمَا أَخْبَرَهُ اللَّهُ– تَعَالَى–.
We say: he (God bless him and grant him peace) reports what God (exalted is He) told him.
وَمَا كُلُّ أَفْعَالِ اللَّهِ تُعْلَمُ حِكْمَتُهُ فِيهَا.
Not every act of God is such that His wisdom in it is known.
وَتَفْسِيرُ الثُّلُثَيْنِ بِالْأَكْثَرِ أَقْرَبُ اِلَى السَّلَامَةِ مِنَ الْخَطَأِ.
To interpret the 'two thirds' as 'the greater part' is nearer to safety from error.
وَأَبْعَدُ مِنَ التَّعَسُّفِ فِي كَلَامِ النُّبُوَّةِ بِالْوَهْمِ. مِمَّا لَمْ يُعْلِمْنَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِمُرَادِهِ.
It is also further from forcing, by conjecture, a meaning onto the speech of prophecy in matters whose intended sense God (exalted is He) has not made known to us.

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