Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And those who avoid the taghut so as not to worship it…”
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Then Allah the Exalted said: [Az-Zumar 39:17] الَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا أي ابعدوا عن الطاغوت لأنه مأخوذ من الجَنْب وهو الشيء المنفَصِل عن الشيء تقول: إلى جانب فلان أي أنه منفصل غير متصل، والذين اجتنبوا الطاغوت أي ابْتَعَدُوا عنها والطاغوت اسْمٌ من الطغيان والتَّاء فيه للمبالَغَة فما هو الطَّاغوت الذي اشْتَقَّ من الطغيان؟ يقول ابن القيم رحمه الله:" الطَّاغوت كُلُّ ما تجاوز به العبد حدَّه من معبود أو متبُوع أو مطاع " كل ما تجاوز به الانسان حدَّه وإنما قال: ما تجاوز به حده، مِن أجل أن يصدُق عليه أنه طغيان من معبود أو متبوع أو مطاع فمثلًا الأصنام التي يعبدها الكفار تسمى طواغيت، المتبوعين من العلماء طواغيت، المطاعين مِن الأمراء كذلك أيضًا طواغيت، لكنَّه ليس على ظاهره كلام ابن القيم ليس على ظاهره المراد بالمعبود: الذي لا إرادة له كالأَصنام من الجمادات أو المعبود الذي رَضِيَ بعبادته، وأما المعبود الذي عُبِد وهو لا يرضى بالعبادة فلا يسمى طاغوتًا ولهذا لا يمكن أن نسَمِّي عيسى بن مريم طاغوت، وكذلك أيضًا المتبوع العلماء الذين لا يرضَون أن يعبدهم الناس ليسوا طواغيت، المطاع أيضًا الأمراء الذين لا يرضَون أن يعبدهم الناس لا يسمون طواغيت، فكلام ابن القيم ليس على إطلاقه، طيب ويمكن أن نقول إن قول ابن القيم: ما تجاوز به العبد حده من معبود أو متبوع أو مطاع أنه عائد على العمل يعني أن الطاغوت عمَلُ الانسان في معبوداته أو مَن يطيعهم أو من يتَّبَعِه يعني معصيةُ الله في طاعة هؤلاء فيكون الوصف بالطغيان عائدًا على الفعل لا على المفعول وحينئذ نسلَم من الإشكال الذي قلنا إنه لا بد أن يُقَيَّد المعبود والمتبوع والمطاع بأنه راضٍ، على كل حال إن الطاغوت مأخوذ من الطغيان وهو مجاوَزَة الحد والصِّيغة فيه صيغَة مبالغة. “Those who avoid” means they distance themselves from the taghut, because the word is derived from *jamb* (side), which refers to something separated from something else. You say, “to the side of so-and-so,” meaning he is separate and not connected. “Those who avoid the taghut” means they stay away from it. Tawhid is a name derived from *taghyun* (transgression), and the *ta* in it indicates exaggeration. So what is the taghut that is derived from *taghyun*? Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “Taghut is everything by which a servant exceeds his limit, whether it is an object of worship, a person followed, or a person obeyed.” Everything by which a person exceeds his limit. He said, “by which he exceeds his limit,” so that it is true that it is *taghyun* (transgression), whether it is an object of worship, a person followed, or a person obeyed. For example, the idols that disbelievers worship are called *tawaghit* (plural of taghut). The scholars who are followed are *tawaghit*. The rulers who are obeyed are also *tawaghit*. However, the statement of Ibn al-Qayyim is not to be taken at face value. The intended meaning of “object of worship” is one that has no will, such as the inanimate idols, or an object of worship that is pleased with being worshipped. As for an object of worship that is worshipped while it is not pleased with the worship, it is not called a taghut. For this reason, we cannot call Isa ibn Maryam a taghut. Likewise, the scholars who are followed and who are not pleased that people worship them are not *tawaghit*. The rulers who are obeyed and who are not pleased that people worship them are not called *tawaghit*. So the statement of Ibn al-Qayyim is not to be taken in its absolute sense. Now, we can say that the statement of Ibn al-Qayyim, “everything by which a servant exceeds his limit, whether it is an object of worship, a person followed, or a person obeyed,” refers to the action. That is, the taghut is the action of a person in his worship, or in obeying them, or in following them. It means the disobedience to Allah in obeying these people. Thus, the description of *taghyun* (transgression) applies to the action, not to the object acted upon. In this case, we are saved from the difficulty we mentioned, which is that the object of worship, the person followed, and the person obeyed must be qualified as being pleased. In any case, taghut is derived from *taghyun* (transgression), which is exceeding the limit, and the form of the word is one of exaggeration.