How is human perfection found in servitude to Allah?
2026-09-21
T34 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Selected explanation · Selected source passage(s) — fully translated
Selected passage. The opening pronoun refers to reliance upon Allah and seeking His help, as shown by the immediately preceding discussion in al-ʿUbūdiyyah. The English translates every displayed Arabic paragraph; this selection is not the complete surrounding work. Square brackets identify translator-supplied clarification.
النص العربي
المقتطف
فَإِنَّهَا هِيَ الْعَوْنُ عَلَى سَائِرِ أَنْوَاعِ الْعِبَادَةِ إذْ هُوَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَا يُعْبَدُ إلَّا بِمَعُونَتِهِ. إذَا تَبَيَّنَ هَذَا فَكَمَالُ الْمَخْلُوقِ فِي تَحْقِيقِ عُبُودِيَّتِهِ لِلَّهِ وَكُلَّمَا ازْدَادَ الْعَبْدُ تَحْقِيقًا لِلْعُبُودِيَّةِ ازْدَادَ كَمَالِهِ وَعَلَتْ دَرَجَتُهُ وَمَنْ تَوَهَّمَ أَنَّ الْمَخْلُوقَ يَخْرُجُ عَنْ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ بِوَجْهِ مِنْ الْوُجُوهِ. أَوْ أَنَّ الْخُرُوجَ عَنْهَا أَكْمَلُ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَجْهَلِ الْخَلْقِ وَأَضَلِّهِمْ.
English translation
English translation reviewed against the displayed Arabic by SalafAlSalih editorial preparation (AI-assisted); explanatory additions appear in square brackets or separate notes.
Selected explanation
For it [reliance upon Allah and seeking His help] is the aid to every other kind of worship, since He, Glorified is He, is not worshipped except through His help. Once this is clear, the perfection of a created being lies in realizing his servitude to Allah. The more the servant realizes that servitude, the more complete he becomes and the higher his rank rises. Whoever imagines that a created being can escape servitude in any way, or that escaping it is more perfect, is among the most ignorant and misguided of creation.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 10/176
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic passage checked against the cited volume and printed page. English reviewed against every displayed Arabic paragraph on 14 October 2026.