الناس أربعة رجال

 Imam ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

People are of four types:

The first man:
A man who has neither tongue nor heart. He is the disobedient, heedless, foolish one. Allah pays no regard to him; there is no good in him. He and those like him are the dregs, of no weight or value—unless Allah Almighty envelops them in His mercy, guides their hearts to faith in Him, and moves their limbs to obedience to Him. Beware of being among them. Do not concern yourself with them, and do not keep their company, for they are the people of punishment, wrath, and anger, the inhabitants of the Fire and its people. We seek refuge in Allah from them—unless you are among those who know Allah, teachers of goodness, guides and leaders of the religion, and callers to it. In that case, approach them, call them to obedience to Allah, and warn them against disobedience to Him. Then you will be recorded with Allah as a discerning judge, and you will be given the reward of the messengers and prophets. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to the Commander of the Faithful ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him):

“If Allah guides one man through you, it is better for you than all that the sun rises over.”

The second man:
A man who has a tongue but no heart. He speaks wisdom but does not act upon it. He calls people to Allah while fleeing from Him. He finds fault with others while persisting in the same faults within himself. He displays piety to people while boldly committing grave sins against Allah. When he is alone, he is like a wolf in clothing. This is the one the Prophet ﷺ warned against when he said:

“The thing I fear most for my community is a hypocrite who is eloquent of tongue.”
And in another narration:
“The thing I fear most for my community is the evil scholars.”
We seek refuge in Allah from this. Stay far away from him and flee from him, lest he seize you with the sweetness of his speech, burn you with the fire of his sins, and kill you with the stench of his inner self and heart.

The third man:
A heart without a tongue. He is a believer whom Allah has concealed from His creation and covered with His protection. Allah has shown him the faults of his own soul, illuminated his heart, and made him aware of the dangers of mixing with people and the misfortune of excessive speech. He has become certain that safety lies in silence, seclusion, and solitude. He has listened to the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:

“Whoever remains silent is saved.”
And he has heard the saying of some scholars: Worship consists of ten parts, nine of which are silence.
This man is a friend (walī) of Allah, preserved under His protection, possessing soundness and abundant intellect, a companion of the Most Merciful, favored and blessed by Him. All goodness is with him. So seek him out, keep his company, associate with him, serve him, and show affection to him by fulfilling needs that arise for him and assisting him in matters that benefit him. Then Allah will love you, purify you, and admit you—by his blessing, if Allah wills—into the ranks of His beloved ones and righteous servants.

The fourth man:
The one who is called “the great one” in the Divine Kingdom, as mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ:

“Whoever learns, teaches, and acts upon his knowledge will be called great in the Kingdom.”
He is the knower of Allah and His signs. Allah has entrusted his heart with the marvels of His knowledge and unveiled to him secrets that He has concealed from others. He has chosen him, drawn him close, raised him, guided him to the door of His nearness, and expanded his chest to accept these secrets and sciences. He has made him a discerning authority, a caller to the servants of Allah, a warner to them, a proof over them, rightly guided and guiding others, an intercessor whose intercession is accepted, truthful and confirmed in truth—standing in place of the messengers and prophets (upon them be prayers, peace, salutations, and blessings).
This is the ultimate rank among the children of Adam; there is no rank above it except prophethood. So adhere to him, beware of opposing him, distancing yourself from him, showing hostility toward him, or refusing to accept from him and return to his counsel and words. For safety lies in what he says, and destruction and misguidance lie elsewhere—except for one whom Allah grants success and supports with guidance and mercy.

Thus I have divided the people for you. Look to yourself if you are one who reflects, and safeguard yourself if you are careful and compassionate toward your soul. May Allah guide us and you to what He loves and is pleased with.

From the book Ādāb al-Sulūk wa’l-Tawassul ilā Manāzil al-Mulūk by Imam al-Jīlānī.

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قـال الإمام عبد القادر الجيلاني رضـي الله تـعـالى عـنـه و أرضـاه : الناس أربعة رجال

رجل : لا لسان له ولا قلب وهو العاصي الغر الغبي لا يعبأ الله به، لا خير فيه، وهو وأمثاله حثالة لا وزن لهم إلا أن يعمهم الله عزَّ وجلَّ برحمته، فيهدي قلوبهم للإيمان به ويحرك جوارحهم بالطاعة له عزَّ وجلَّ. فأحذر أن تكون منهم، ولا تكترث بهم ولا تقم فيهم فإنهم أهل العذاب والغضب والسخط سكان النار وأهلها نعوذ بالله عزَّ وجلَّ منهم، إلا أن تكون من العلماء بالله عزَّ وجلَّ ومن معلمي الخير وهـداة الدين وقواده ودعاته، فدونك فأتهم وادعهم إلى طاعة الله عزَّ وجلَّ، وحذرهم معصيته، فتكتب عند الله حينئذ جهبذا، فتعطى ثواب الرسل والأنبياء، قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لأمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه : (لأن يهدى الله بهداك رجلا خير لك مما طلعت عليه الشمس).

الرجل الثاني : رجل له لسان بلا قلب فينطق بالحكمة ولا يعمل بها، يدعو الناس إلى الله وهو يفر منه عزَّ وجلَّ، يستقبح عيب غيره ويدوم هو على مثله في نفسه، يظهر للناس تنسكا ويبارز الله عزَّ وجلَّ بالعظائم من المعاصي، إذا خلا كأنه ذئب عليه ثياب، وهو الذي حذر منه النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بقوله : (أخوف ما أخاف على أمتي من منافق عليم اللسان). وفي حديث آخر : (أخوف ما أخاف على أمتي من علماء السوء). نعوذ بالله من هذا، فابعد منه وهرول، لئلا يختطفك بلذيذ لسانه فتحرقك نار معاصيه، ويقتلك نتن باطنه وقلبه.

والرجل الثالث : قلب بلا لسان، وهو مؤمن ستره الله عزَّ وجلَّ عن خلقه، وأسبل عليه كنفه، وبصره بعيوب نفسه، ونور قلبه، وعرفه غوائل مخالطة الناس وشؤم الكلام والنطق، وتيقن أن السلامة في الصمت والانزواء والانفراد، وتسَمَّعَ قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : (من صمت نجا). وسَمِعَ قول بعض العلماء : العبادة عشرة أجزاء، تسعة منها في الصمت فهذا رجل ولي الله عزَّ وجلَّ، في ستر الله محفوظا ذو سلامة وعقل وافر، جليس الرحمن منعم عليه، فالخير كل الخير عنده، فدونكه ومصاحبته ومخالطته وخدمته والتحبب إليه بقضاء حوائج تسنح له ومرافق يرتفق بها، فيحبك الله ويصفيك، ويدخلك في زمرة أحبائه وعباده الصالحين ببركته إن شاء الله تعالى.

والرجل الرابع : المدعو في الملكوت بالعظيم كما جاء في الحديث عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : (من تعلم ، وعلم ، وعمل ، دعي في الملكوت عظيماً). وهو العالم بالله عزَّ وجلَّ وآياته، استودع الله عزَّ وجلَّ قلبه غرائب علمه، وأطلعه على أسرار طواها عن غيره، واصطفاه واجتباه وجذبه إليه ورقاه، وإلى باب قربه هداه، وشرح صدره لقبول تلك الأسرار والعلوم، وجعله جهبذا وداعياً للعباد ونذيرا لهم وحجة فيهم، هادياً مهدياً شافعاً مشفعاً صادقاً صديقاً، بدلاً لرسله وأنبيائه عليهم صلواته وسلامه وتحياته وبركاته. فهذه هي الغاية القصوى في بني آدم، لا منزلة فوق منزلته إلا النبوّة، فعليك به وأحذر أن تخالفه وتنافره وتجانبه وتعاديه وتترك القبول منه والرجوع إلى نصيحته وقوله، فإن السلامة فيما يقول عنده، والهلاك والضلال عند غيره إلا من يوفقه الله عزَّ وجلَّ ويمده بالسداد والرحمة.

فقد قسمت لك الناس، فانظر لنفسك إن كنت ناظراً، واحترز لها إن كنت محترزاً لها شفيقاً عليها، هدانا الله وإياك لما يحبه ويرضاه.

من كتاب آداب السلوك والتوصل إلى منازل الملوك للإمام #الجيلاني