What is the meaning of Ibn Taymiyyah’s statement: “Jihad against the disbelievers is better for them than the punishments of the sky,” end of quote?
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Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. I read in the book *Qa'idah fi al-Mahabbah* (A Principle in Love) by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) the statement: “Jihad against the disbelievers is better for them than the punishments of the sky,” end of quote. What is the meaning of this phrase? And is the punishment attributed to the sky? Clear.
Answer:
This is that their fighting, and the fact that some of them enter into Islam or pay the jizyah and live in safety, is better for them than a general punishment from Allah descending upon them, as it descended upon the previous nations, such as the people of Noah, 'Ad, and Thamud. Jihad is lighter than the annihilating punishments that befall them, as happened to the previous nations. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. I read in the book *Qa'idah fi al-Mahabbah* (A Principle in Love) by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) the statement: “Jihad against the disbelievers is better for them than the punishments of the sky,” end of quote. What is the meaning of this phrase? And is the punishment attributed to the sky? Clear.
Answer:
This is that their fighting, and the fact that some of them enter into Islam or pay the jizyah and live in safety, is better for them than a general punishment from Allah descending upon them, as it descended upon the previous nations, such as the people of Noah, 'Ad, and Thamud. Jihad is lighter than the annihilating punishments that befall them, as happened to the previous nations. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [1030 -2802] ما معنى قول ابن تيمية: وجهاد الكُفار أفضل لهم من عقوبات السماء، انتهى؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.