What is the meaning of Abdullah ibn Amr’s statement to the man who stayed with him for three nights, when he said to him at the end: “This is what brought you to this state, and it is what we cannot bear”?

The questioner : Ma'ruf: , his statement: “This is what brought you to this state, and it is what we cannot bear” indicates the superiority of this deed in the heart, meaning that it does not carry deceit or such things regarding other acts of worship, or is it merely from the perspective of sincerity in this worship and drawing attention to its importance? Or does the phrase “what we cannot bear” indicate superiority?

The Shaykh : No, my brother, it indicates obligation; because the purpose of “we cannot bear” is practical; because, the, what do we say? Good intentions and bad intentions generally must have practical effects related to a person’s actions and his conduct. For example, envy; envy is one case— for example— a person looks at his wealthy neighbor with a look of envy, but he does not wish for the removal of this blessing, nor does he engage in an action that leads to realizing this latent envy in his heart; this does not harm him. Therefore, there is a hadith in *al-Jami' al-Saghir*— I do not remember it now, whether I published it in *al-Sahih* or *al-Da'if*: in a hadith.

The questioner : If you are in doubt.

The Shaykh : Oh?

The questioner : If you are in doubt...

The Shaykh: If what?

The questioner : You are in doubt.

The Shaykh : No, it mentions superstition and envy, these things, like what we mentioned recently about superstition, that .

Another questioner : .

The Shaykh: And upon you peace.

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Start with the right, do not let the Shaykh’s idolatry drag you.
I say that bad morals and good morals must necessarily show their effects on a person’s actions and his body; otherwise, these good and bad morals would have no praise or blame except in their manifestation. So, what you asked about in the hadith, and Ibn Amr said that this is what we cannot bear; *al-taqa* (capacity) in the Arabic language is the limit of ability, the limit of ability, and the verse.

The questioner : .

The Shaykh : What does it mean? As in the other verse: , due to not noting this meaning that *al-taqa* (capacity) is the last limit of ability, some people understand *al-taqa* (capacity) to be ability; therefore, they estimate in the verse of fasting: , they say: “And upon those who cannot bear it”; no, this is a corruption of the meaning, a clear corruption of the meaning, even though this estimation is contrary to the eloquence of the Qur'an. But what is their excuse? They understood “cannot bear it” to mean “cannot do it,” whereas the intended meaning is that they can do it with hardship. And this was, of course, as you know, in the early days of Islam for the general public of those obligated, then it became specific to the elderly, the weak, pregnant women, and nursing mothers, and so on.
So, this “what we cannot bear” is an explicit text that we are unable to act upon it; did you understand how? Yes, this character that he heard from the Companion does not mean that, by Allah, I can suppress the good intention for the Muslims in my heart, I do not hold grudges against them, no; the intended meaning is an additional meaning to this, which is the practical response to good character; therefore, it was difficult for Ibn Amr to be like this man; because it is a practical issue, and thus it appears that the issue is not one of the recommended, but one of the obligatory; meaning it is obligatory for a person to be like this practically.