Reading from the author's text with commentary and collation of manuscripts: "But some have said: The intended meaning is the testimony of falsehood, which is lying.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: And prayers and peace be upon the noblest of the prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
As for what follows: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in *Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim*: "Chapter"
The Shaykh : But
The reader: "But some have said that the intended meaning is the testimony of falsehood, which is lying. This requires consideration, for the Exalted said[Al-Furqan 25:72] and He did not say: They do not testify with falsehood. The Arabs say: I witnessed such-and-such, meaning: I was present at it. As Ibn 'Abbas said: I witnessed the festival with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and 'Umar said: The spoils belong to whoever witnessed the battle. This is common in their speech. As for: I testified to such-and-such, its meaning is: I informed about it. The approach of the interpretation by the aforementioned Successors is that falsehood (al-zur) is that which is beautified and disguised, so that it appears contrary to what it is in reality. From this is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 2129 Since he displays what he magnifies from what he does not possess, the witness of falsehood displays words that contradict the inner reality. For this reason, the Salaf sometimes interpreted it as that which appears good. For this reason, the Salaf sometimes interpreted it as that which appears good due to a doubt (shubhah) or a desire (shahwah), while it is ugly in reality. Thus, shirk and the like appear good due to a doubt, and singing and the like appear good due to a desire.
As for the festivals of the polytheists: they combine both doubt and desire, and they are invalid; for there is no benefit in them in religion, and the immediate pleasure in them leads to pain in the end, so they became falsehood. Attending them is witnessing them. If Allah has praised the leaving of witnessing them, which is mere attendance by sight or hearing, how much more so is agreement with them by what adds to that, namely the action which is the action of falsehood, not merely witnessing it? Then, this verse alone contains praise for these people and commendation of them, and that alone encourages leaving the witnessing of their festivals and other falsehood, and it necessitates the recommendation to leave attending them. It may also indicate the dislike of attending them because Allah named them falsehood. As for the prohibition of witnessing them from this verse, there is consideration in that, and its indication of the prohibition of performing them is more apparent; for Allah the Exalted named them falsehood, and He has blamed the one who speaks falsehood, even if it does not harm others, in His saying regarding the hypocrites: "
The student: Hypocrites
The Shaykh : And even if it does not
The reader: "And even if it does not harm others"
The student: "And even if it does not harm others"
The Shaykh : By his saying with the letter ba
The student: With the letter ba
The Shaykh : Yes
The reader: Complete it, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, the correct reading is "by his saying," because he said "And He has blamed the one who speaks falsehood, even if it does not harm others, by his saying", he blamed him by his saying. It is also correct to say "for his saying" if you wish; you may omit half of it, there is no harm.
The reader: "And He has blamed"
As for what follows: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in *Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim*: "Chapter"
The Shaykh : But
The reader: "But some have said that the intended meaning is the testimony of falsehood, which is lying. This requires consideration, for the Exalted said
do not testify to falsehood
لا يشهدون الزورThe one who makes a false statement of that which one has not been given is like one who wears a garment of falsehood.
المتشبع بما لم يعط كلابس ثوبي زورAs for the festivals of the polytheists: they combine both doubt and desire, and they are invalid; for there is no benefit in them in religion, and the immediate pleasure in them leads to pain in the end, so they became falsehood. Attending them is witnessing them. If Allah has praised the leaving of witnessing them, which is mere attendance by sight or hearing, how much more so is agreement with them by what adds to that, namely the action which is the action of falsehood, not merely witnessing it? Then, this verse alone contains praise for these people and commendation of them, and that alone encourages leaving the witnessing of their festivals and other falsehood, and it necessitates the recommendation to leave attending them. It may also indicate the dislike of attending them because Allah named them falsehood. As for the prohibition of witnessing them from this verse, there is consideration in that, and its indication of the prohibition of performing them is more apparent; for Allah the Exalted named them falsehood, and He has blamed the one who speaks falsehood, even if it does not harm others, in His saying regarding the hypocrites: "
The student: Hypocrites
The Shaykh : And even if it does not
The reader: "And even if it does not harm others"
The student: "And even if it does not harm others"
The Shaykh : By his saying with the letter ba
The student: With the letter ba
The Shaykh : Yes
The reader: Complete it, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, the correct reading is "by his saying," because he said "And He has blamed the one who speaks falsehood, even if it does not harm others, by his saying", he blamed him by his saying. It is also correct to say "for his saying" if you wish; you may omit half of it, there is no harm.
The reader: "And He has blamed"