The Best Explanations of the Al-Nuniyyah Poem
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
I ask Allah to grant you success, O son of the Shaykh. You have asked more than one question regarding which is one of the best explanations for the believers?
The Shaykh:
The truth is that the Niyyah (poem) has no substantial explanations. The best thing to rely on for understanding it is to refer to the words of the poet in his books, for the one who has the capability should review the poet’s words in his books, such as al-Sawa’iq al-Mursalah, Ijtimā’ al-Juyūsh al-Islāmiyyah, and Mārāji’ al-Sālikīn, as well as the books of Ibn al-Ṭayyib (may Allah have mercy on him), for they are verses composed of the great discussions contained therein. This is the best thing: referring to his words in his books (may Allah have mercy on him), for this poem is a summary of what he mentioned in his books, and what Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned. So the best thing to rely on for understanding this poem is referring to the books of the two Shaykhs: the poet and Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah. Here is a summary of their words. Some writings have been written on it recently, such as the writing of Shaykh Aḥmad ibn ‘Īsā (may Allah have mercy on him), which is an attempt, not a true explanation; it is an attempt at some things, and it has some benefit, but it does not suffice. There are also comments by Shaykh Ibn Sa‘dī (may Allah have mercy on him), which are also few and do not provide an explanation of the Al-Nuniyyah as required; they are merely an imitation of some meanings.
Therefore, he did not call it an explanation (sharh); he called it a clarification (tawdīh) of the Kāfiyyah. The Shaykh did not call it an explanation. Shaykh Muḥammad al-Harrās (may Allah have mercy on him), one of the scholars of al-Azhar, who was among the supporters of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and was a pious, upright scholar upon the creed of the people of the Sunnah and the community, wrote an explanation on it. But in truth, he did not digest the words of the two Shaykhs as he should. However, his book is, in my opinion, the best attempt. Al-Harrās’s explanation is the best attempt, but it is not completely aligned with the required explanation.
The questioner:
Shaykh Abū Shāqīq.
The Shaykh:
Shaykh ‘Abd al-Laṭīf explained only the introduction. He wrote the first chapter, but did not explain it; rather, he wrote an introduction to it. It is said that he began to explain it, but did not complete it. Allah knows best.
The questioner:
And certainly.
The Shaykh:
Yes, he did not explain anything but the introduction. Absolutely, he is the one who knows it completely; he reviews the words of the two Shaykhs for every chapter according to its context.
I ask Allah to grant you success, O son of the Shaykh. You have asked more than one question regarding which is one of the best explanations for the believers?
The Shaykh:
The truth is that the Niyyah (poem) has no substantial explanations. The best thing to rely on for understanding it is to refer to the words of the poet in his books, for the one who has the capability should review the poet’s words in his books, such as al-Sawa’iq al-Mursalah, Ijtimā’ al-Juyūsh al-Islāmiyyah, and Mārāji’ al-Sālikīn, as well as the books of Ibn al-Ṭayyib (may Allah have mercy on him), for they are verses composed of the great discussions contained therein. This is the best thing: referring to his words in his books (may Allah have mercy on him), for this poem is a summary of what he mentioned in his books, and what Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned. So the best thing to rely on for understanding this poem is referring to the books of the two Shaykhs: the poet and Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah. Here is a summary of their words. Some writings have been written on it recently, such as the writing of Shaykh Aḥmad ibn ‘Īsā (may Allah have mercy on him), which is an attempt, not a true explanation; it is an attempt at some things, and it has some benefit, but it does not suffice. There are also comments by Shaykh Ibn Sa‘dī (may Allah have mercy on him), which are also few and do not provide an explanation of the Al-Nuniyyah as required; they are merely an imitation of some meanings.
Therefore, he did not call it an explanation (sharh); he called it a clarification (tawdīh) of the Kāfiyyah. The Shaykh did not call it an explanation. Shaykh Muḥammad al-Harrās (may Allah have mercy on him), one of the scholars of al-Azhar, who was among the supporters of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and was a pious, upright scholar upon the creed of the people of the Sunnah and the community, wrote an explanation on it. But in truth, he did not digest the words of the two Shaykhs as he should. However, his book is, in my opinion, the best attempt. Al-Harrās’s explanation is the best attempt, but it is not completely aligned with the required explanation.
The questioner:
Shaykh Abū Shāqīq.
The Shaykh:
Shaykh ‘Abd al-Laṭīf explained only the introduction. He wrote the first chapter, but did not explain it; rather, he wrote an introduction to it. It is said that he began to explain it, but did not complete it. Allah knows best.
The questioner:
And certainly.
The Shaykh:
Yes, he did not explain anything but the introduction. Absolutely, he is the one who knows it completely; he reviews the words of the two Shaykhs for every chapter according to its context.
Source
شرح الكافية الشافية في الانتصار للفرقة الناجية [ القصيدة النونية ] [ صالح الفوزان ]، بداية من قوله : هو قابض هو باسط هو خافض — islamhouse.com (39:54)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.