The believers after Jesus and the origin of monasticism
There were kings after Jesus son of Mary, peace and blessings be upon him, who altered the Torah and the Gospel. Among them were believers who would recite the Torah. It was said to their kings, “We do not find any insult harsher than the insult with which these people insult us; they recite, "And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then it is they who are the disbelievers," and these ayat, along with what they criticize us for in our deeds during their recitation. So summon them, and let them recite as we recite and believe as we have believed.” So he summoned them, gathered them, and offered them either death or that they abandon reciting the Torah and the Gospel except for what had been altered from them. They said, “What do you want with that? Leave us alone.”
A group among them said, “Build for us a pillar, then raise us up to it, then give us something by which we can raise our food and drink, and we will not come down to you.” Another group among them said, “Leave us to travel through the earth, wander, and drink as wild animals drink; then if you gain power over us in your land, kill us.” Another group among them said, “Build for us houses in the deserts; we will dig wells and cultivate vegetables, and we will not come down to you or pass by you.” There was no tribe except that it had a close relative among them. He said: So they did that, and Allah ﷻ revealed, "And monasticism which they invented; We did not prescribe it for them, except seeking the pleasure of Allah, but they did not observe it with its due observance."
The others said, “We will worship as so-and-so worshiped, travel as so-and-so traveled, and take houses as so-and-so took,” while they remained upon their shirk, having no knowledge of the faith of those whom they were imitating. Then when Allah sent the Prophet ﷺ, and only a few of them remained, a man came down from his hermitage, a wanderer came from his wandering, and the owner of the monastery came from his monastery; they believed in him and affirmed his truth. Allah, blessed and exalted, said, "O you who believe, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will give you two shares of His mercy"—two rewards: for their faith in Jesus, the Torah, and the Gospel, and for their faith in Muhammad ﷺ and affirming his truth. He said, "And He will make for you a light by which you walk"—the Quran and their following of the Prophet ﷺ. He said, "So that the People of the Book may not know"—they resemble you—"that they have no power over anything of the bounty of Allah," to the end of the ayah.
كَانَتْ مُلُوكٌ بَعْدَ عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلاَةُ وَالسَّلاَمُ، بَدَّلُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنْجِيلَ، وَكَانَ فِيهِمْ مُؤْمِنُونَ يَقْرَءُونَ التَّوْرَاةَ. قِيلَ لِمُلُوكِهِمْ: مَا نَجِدُ شَتْمًا أَشَدَّ مِنْ شَتْمٍ يَشْتِمُونَّا هَؤُلاَءِ؛ إِنَّهُمْ يَقْرَءُونَ ﴿وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ﴾، وَهَؤُلاَءِ الآيَاتِ، مَعَ مَا يَعِيبُونَّا بِهِ فِي أَعْمَالِنَا فِي قِرَاءَتِهِمْ، فَادْعُهُمْ فَلْيَقْرَءُوا كَمَا نَقْرَأُ وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا كَمَا آمَنَّا. فَدَعَاهُمْ فَجَمَعَهُمْ، وَعَرَضَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَتْلَ أَوْ يَتْرُكُوا قِرَاءَةَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنْجِيلِ إِلاَّ مَا بَدَّلُوا مِنْهَا، فَقَالُوا: مَا تُرِيدُونَ إِلَى ذَلِكَ؟ دَعُونَا.
فَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمُ: ابْنُوا لَنَا أُسْطُوَانَةً، ثُمَّ ارْفَعُونَا إِلَيْهَا، ثُمَّ اعْطُونَا شَيْئًا نَرْفَعُ بِهِ طَعَامَنَا وَشَرَابَنَا، فَلاَ نَرِدُ عَلَيْكُمْ. وَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ: دَعُونَا نَسِيحُ فِي الأَرْضِ وَنَهِيمُ، وَنَشْرَبُ كَمَا يَشْرَبُ الْوَحْشُ، فَإِنْ قَدَرْتُمْ عَلَيْنَا فِي أَرْضِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُونَا. وَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمُ: ابْنُوا لَنَا دُورًا فِي الْفَيَافِي، وَنَحْتَفِرُ الآبَارَ، وَنَحْتَرِثُ الْبُقُولَ، فَلاَ نَرِدُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلاَ نَمُرُّ بِكُمْ. وَلَيْسَ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْقَبَائِلِ إِلاَّ وَلَهُ حَمِيمٌ فِيهِمْ. قَالَ: فَفَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷻ ﴿وَرَهْبَانِيَّةً ابْتَدَعُوهَا مَا كَتَبْنَاهَا عَلَيْهِمْ إِلاَّ ابْتِغَاءَ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ فَمَا رَعَوْهَا حَقَّ رِعَايَتِهَا﴾.
وَالآخَرُونَ قَالُوا: نَتَعَبَّدُ كَمَا تَعَبَّدَ فُلاَنٌ، وَنَسِيحُ كَمَا سَاحَ فُلاَنٌ، وَنَتَّخِذُ دُورًا كَمَا اتَّخَذَ فُلاَنٌ، وَهُمْ عَلَى شِرْكِهِمْ، لاَ عِلْمَ لَهُمْ بِإِيمَانِ الَّذِينَ اقْتَدَوْا بِهِ. فَلَمَّا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ، وَلَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْهُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ، انْحَطَّ رَجُلٌ مِنْ صَوْمَعَتِهِ، وَجَاءَ سَائِحٌ مِنْ سِيَاحَتِهِ، وَصَاحِبُ الدَّيْرِ مِنْ دَيْرِهِ، فَآمَنُوا بِهِ وَصَدَّقُوهُ. فَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ﴾؛ أَجْرَيْنِ بِإِيمَانِهِمْ بِعِيسَى وَبِالتَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنْجِيلِ، وَبِإِيمَانِهِمْ بِمُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ وَتَصْدِيقِهِمْ. قَالَ: ﴿يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِ﴾؛ الْقُرْآنَ، وَاتِّبَاعَهُمُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ. قَالَ: ﴿لِئَلاَّ يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ﴾؛ يَتَشَبَّهُونَ بِكُمْ، ﴿أَنْ لاَ يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَىْءٍ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ﴾ الآيَةَ.
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