On Preaching

Jul 13, 2011 by Admin

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

And beware not to desire praise from them by preaching, or to let such thought cross your heart, or to believe that you have a status above them, or to intend to [indirectly] praise yourself through showing your innocence of the matters against which you are preaching to them. And be sure that if any such thoughts occurred to you, they would be from your enemy, Satan, who wants to trick you in matters you have been lenient about. And know that preaching to people with good advice and teaching is one of the attributes of the Prophets and Messengers.

So observe carefully how you conduct yourself and how you adopt the etiquette of those whom you are representing among his community. This is why it is said, “The knowers (ʿulamāʾ) are the inheritors of the Prophets.” And it is reported that Sahl ibn ‘Abdullāh al-Tustarī had said: “He who wants to see the sessions of the Prophets should observe the sessions of the ʿulamāʾ; so acknowledge that to them.” And beware not to become arrogant because of that towards those who come to you, for this would be at your peril. And know that there is no difference between yourself and those present before you, except that God has created in you what He manifests through you to them in the form of preaching, after He has created in you the power and will to do so. You are, in your entirety, created for God: your choice, your power, and your deed. The credit in that is to God over you, in creating that for you; you have no credit over others except by the rendering of Godmost-high, not by your own merit.

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واحذر أن تطلب منهم في نصيحتك مَحمَدة عندهم تخطر في قلبك، أو تكون لك عليهم مَنزلة، أو تقصد مدح نفسك عندهم بما تُفهمهم من براءتك من أمورهم التي تنصحهم فيها. وتحقق أن شيئًا من ذلك إذا خطر لك وسوسة من عدوك الشيطان يريده أن يرديك بما تتساهل فيه. واعلم التكلّم على الناس بالنصيحة والتعليم من صفات الأنبياء والمرسلين، فانظر كيف تتأدب في ذلك بآداب من أنت قائم مقامه في أمته، ولهذا ورد أن « العلماء ورثة الأنبياء » وقد ورد عن سهل بن عبدالله التُستَري أنه قال: « من أراد النظر إلى مجالس الأنبياء فلينظر إلى مجالس العلماء، فاعرفوا ذلك لهم. » واحذر أن تَكبُر نفسك بسبب ذلك على من يَحضُرك، فإنها مهلكة. واعلم أنه لا فرق بينك وبين الحاضرين لديك، غير أن الله تعالى خلق فيك ما يُظهر منك لهم من النصيحة بعد أن خلق فيك إرادةً واختيارًا لذلك. فأنت مخلوق كلك لله تعالى: اختيارك وقوتك وعملك. والفضل لله تعالى عليك في خلق ذلك لك، لا الفضل لك على غيرك إلا بجعل الله تعالى، لا باستحقاقك.

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Shaykh ‘Abd al-Ghanī al-Nābulusī (may God be satisfied with him)
from his Wasāʾil al-Tahqīq wa Rasāʾil al-Tawfīq
(The Means of Truth-Seeking and the Letters of Providential Guidance)
Translated by: Samer Akkach