On the Discernment of the Believer (Firāsa)

باب فی فراسۃ المؤمن

بَابٌ فِيْ فِرَاسَةِ الْمُؤْمِنِ — Concerning the Firāsa (Insightful Discernment) of the Believer

قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: إِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّلْمُتَوَسِّمِيْنَ

(al-Ḥijr 15:75)

Vocabulary: inna fī dhālika — indeed in this event; la-āyāt — there are surely signs, lessons, manifestations of divine power; li'l-mutawassimīn — for those who reflect and ponder, for those possessing firāsa, for those who draw conclusions from traces; wasm — a mark; sima — a mark; sīmā — the forehead, a sign; tawassum — firāsa, sagacity, taking a lesson.

Translation: Allah Most High says: Indeed in this event there are signs, there are tokens, for those who take a lesson.

اِحْذَرُوْا فِرَاسَةَ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْظُرُ بِنُوْرِ اللّٰهِ وَيَنْطِقُ بِتَوْفِيْقِ اللّٰهِ.

(Ibn Jarīr from Thawbān; Kanz al-ʿUmmāl.)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Thawbān (may Allah be pleased with him): He [the Prophet ﷺ] said: Beware of the firāsa of the man of faith, for he sees by the light of Allah and speaks by the enabling grace (tawfīq) of Allah.

اِتَّقُوْا فِرَاسَةَ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْظُرُ بِنُوْرِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

(al-Ḥakīm [al-Tirmidhī]; al-Ṭabarānī and Ibn ʿAdī from Abū Umāma; Ibn Jarīr from Ibn ʿUmar — likewise [Kanz al-ʿUmmāl].) [reading uncertain]

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him): He said: Guard yourselves against the firāsa of the believer, for he sees by the light of Allah.

إِنَّ لِلّٰهِ تَعَالٰى عِبَادًا يَعْرِفُوْنَ بِالتَّوَسُّمِ.

(al-Ḥakīm [al-Tirmidhī] and al-Bazzār from Anas; Kanz al-ʿUmmāl.)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): Allah has servants of such a kind too, who recognise [people] by signs.

إِنَّ لِلّٰهِ تَعَالٰى مَلٰٓئِكَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ تَنْطِقُ عَلٰى أَلْسِنَةِ بَنِيْ آدَمَ بِمَا فِي الْمَرْءِ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَالشَّرِّ.

(al-Ḥākim; al-Bayhaqī in Shuʿab al-Īmān — from Anas.) [reading uncertain]

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): Allah Most High has such angels in the earth as speak, through the tongue of men, such things as are the qualities of good or of evil in that man.

إِذَا أَرَادَ اللّٰهُ بِعَبْدٍ خَيْرًا جَعَلَ لَهُ وَاعِظًا مِنْ نَفْسِهِ يَأْمُرُهُ وَيَنْهَاهُ.

(al-Daylamī in Musnad al-Firdaws from Umm Salama; Kanz al-ʿUmmāl.) [reading uncertain]

Translation: It is narrated from Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her): He said: When Allah Most High intends good for a servant, He appoints for him a preacher from within his own self, who both commands him and also forbids him.

إِذَا أَرَادَ اللّٰهُ بِعَبْدٍ خَيْرًا فَتَحَ لَهُ قُفْلَ قَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ فِيْهِ الْيَقِيْنَ وَالصِّدْقَ وَجَعَلَ قَلْبَهُ دَاعِيًا لِمَا سَلَكَ فِيْهِ وَجَعَلَ قَلْبَهُ سَلِيْمًا وَلِسَانَهُ صَادِقًا وَخَلِيْقَتَهُ مُسْتَقِيْمَةً وَجَعَلَ أُذُنَيْهِ سَمِيْعَةً وَعَيْنَيْهِ بَصِيْرَةً.

[reading uncertain]

(Abu'l-Shaykh from Abū Dharr; Kanz al-ʿUmmāl.)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Abū Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him): When Allah Most High intends good for a servant, He opens for him the lock of his heart, and places in it (in the heart) certainty and truthfulness, and makes his heart a propagator of the path on which he walks (that is, he takes others along with him too), and makes his heart free of fault, and makes his tongue truthful and his conduct firm, and makes his ears hearing and his eyes seeing.

[Note: Hasrat's rendering "makes his heart a propagator (مبلغ) of the path" supports the reading دَاعِيًا above.]

مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ مَا لَهُ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ فَلْيَعْلَمْ مَا لِلّٰهِ عِنْدَهُ.

(Abū Nuʿaym in al-Ḥilya from Abū Hurayra; Abū Nuʿaym in al-Ḥilya from Samura; Kanz al-ʿUmmāl.) [reading uncertain]

Translation: It is narrated from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): Whoever would be glad to know what he has with Allah, let him know what there is for Allah with him.