شَرْحُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَبَذْلُ النَّصِيحَةِ
Sharḥu al-Maʿrifati wa-Badhlu al-Naṣīḥati
Expounding Knowledge of God and Offering Counsel
الْحَارِثُ بْنُ أَسَدٍ الْمُحَاسِبِيُّ
Al-Ḥārithu bnu ʾAsadin al-Muḥāsibiyyu
Al-Ḥārith ibn Asad al-Muḥāsibī
Source page 17
[مُقَدِّمَةُ الْكِتَابِ]
[Muqaddimatu al-kitābi]
[Introduction to the Book]
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ. وَصَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ.
Bismi Allāhi al-raḥmāni al-raḥīmi. Wa-ṣallā Allāhu ʿalā sayyidinā Muḥammadin.
In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. May God bless our master Muḥammad.
قَالَ الشَّيْخُ الْفَقِيهُ، الْعَالِمُ، الْعَلَّامَةُ، الْوَلِيُّ، الصَّالِحُ، الْعَارِفُ بِاللّٰهِ تَعَالَى، أَبُو عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ الْحَارِثُ بْنُ أَسَدٍ الْمُحَاسِبِيُّ، رَحِمَهُ اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى وَرَضِيَ عَنْهُ، وَنَفَعَنَا بِهِ، آمِينَ:
Qāla al-shaykhu al-faqīhu, al-ʿālimu, al-ʿallāmatu, al-waliyyu, al-ṣāliḥu, al-ʿārifu bi-Allāhi taʿālā, ʾAbū ʿAbdi Allāhi al-Ḥārithu bnu ʾAsadin al-Muḥāsibiyyu, raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wa-raḍiya ʿanhu, wa-nafaʿanā bihi, ʾāmīna:
The shaykh, jurist, scholar, distinguished learned man, saint, righteous man, and knower of God Most High, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥārith ibn Asad al-Muḥāsibī, said, may God Most High have mercy on him, be pleased with him, and benefit us through him. Amen:
اعْلَمْ، رَحِمَنَا اللّٰهُ وَإِيَّاكَ، أَنَّ الْعِبَادَ لَا يَصْلُحُ لَهُمُ الْحَيَاءُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى إِلَّا بِالْمُرَاقَبَةِ لَهُ، وَالْمُرَاقَبَةُ هِيَ بَابُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِاللّٰهِ تَعَالَى، وَهِيَ فَرْضٌ مِنَ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى عَلَى الْعِبَادِ، وَبِهَا يَحْظَى الْعَبْدُ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى.
Iʿlam, raḥimanā Allāhu wa-ʾiyyāka, ʾanna al-ʿibāda lā yaṣluḥu lahumu al-ḥayāʾu mina Allāhi taʿālā ʾillā bi-al-murāqabati lahu, wa-al-murāqabatu hiya bābu al-maʿrifati bi-Allāhi taʿālā, wa-hiya farḍun mina Allāhi taʿālā ʿalā al-ʿibādi, wa-bihā yaḥẓā al-ʿabdu ʿinda Allāhi taʿālā.
Know, may God have mercy on us and on you, that His servants can have a sound sense of shame before God Most High only by remaining watchfully aware of Him. Such watchfulness is the gateway to knowing God Most High. It is a duty God Most High has imposed on His servants, and through it a servant gains favor with Him.
وَهِيَ أَصْلُ الطَّاعَةِ كُلِّهَا، وَفَرْعُهَا، وَأَوَّلُهَا وَآخِرُهَا، وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ مَأْمُورُونَ بِهَا كُلُّهُمْ، ذُكُورُهُمْ وَإِنَاثُهُمْ، وَالْخَلْقُ أَجْمَعُونَ.
Wa-hiya ʾaṣlu al-ṭāʿati kullihā, wa-farʿuhā, wa-ʾawwaluhā wa-ʾākhiruhā, wa-al-muʾminūna maʾmūrūna bihā kulluhum, dhukūruhum wa-ʾināthuhum, wa-al-khalqu ʾajmaʿūna.
It is the root and branch of all obedience, its beginning and its end. All believers are commanded to practice it, men and women alike, as is all creation.
Source page 18
فَلَوْ أَنَّ عَبْدًا عَبَدَ اللّٰهَ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ سَنَةٍ، ثُمَّ لَمْ يَعْرِفْهَا، وَلَمْ يَعْمَلْ بِهَا، لَمْ يَزْدَدْ مِنَ اللّٰهِ بِعَمَلِهِ إِلَّا بُعْدًا، وَلَمْ يَزْدَدْ قَلْبُهُ إِلَّا قَسَاوَةً، وَلَا دِينُهُ إِلَّا انْتِقَاصًا.
Fa-law ʾanna ʿabdan ʿabada Allāha ʾalfa ʾalfi sanatin, thumma lam yaʿrifhā, wa-lam yaʿmal bihā, lam yazdad mina Allāhi biʿamalihi ʾillā buʿdan, wa-lam yazdad qalbuhu ʾillā qasāwatan, wa-lā dīnuhu ʾillā intiqāṣan.
Even if a servant worshiped God for a million years, but did not understand this watchfulness or practice it, his deeds would only take him farther from God. His heart would only grow harder, and his religion would only diminish.
قَالَ الْمُحَاسِبِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى:
Qāla al-Muḥāsibiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā:
Al-Muḥāsibī said, may God Most High have mercy on him:
لَا يَبْلُغُ الْعَبْدُ دَرَجَةَ الصَّالِحِينَ، الْمُخْلِصِينَ، الصِّدِّيقِينَ، وَلَا يَسْلُكُ طَرِيقَ الْوَرِعِينَ، وَلَا يَكُونُ مُخْلِصًا، وَلَا خَائِفًا، حَتَّى يَفْهَمَ الْمُرَاقَبَةَ مِنَ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى.
Lā yablughu al-ʿabdu darajata al-ṣāliḥīna, al-mukhliṣīna, al-ṣiddīqīna, wa-lā yasluku ṭarīqa al-wariʿīna, wa-lā yakūnu mukhliṣan, wa-lā khāʾifan, ḥattā yafhama al-murāqabata mina Allāhi taʿālā.
A servant does not reach the rank of the righteous, the sincere, and the utterly truthful, or follow the path of the scrupulous, or become sincere or fearful of God, until he understands God's watching over him.
فَاسْمَعْ، رَحِمَكَ اللّٰهُ، فَإِنِّي نَصَحْتُكَ غَايَةَ النَّصِيحَةِ، فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى الصَّبْرِ فِي الْحَالَاتِ كُلِّهَا، وَتَعَلَّمْ أَنَّ الْمُرَاقَبَةَ تَنْقَسِمُ عَلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَقْسَامٍ:
Fa-ismaʿ, raḥimaka Allāhu, fa-ʾinnī naṣaḥtuka ghāyata al-naṣīḥati, fa-istaʿin bi-Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalā al-ṣabri fī al-ḥālāti kullihā, wa-taʿallam ʾanna al-murāqabata tanqasimu ʿalā ʾarbaʿati ʾaqsāmin:
Listen, may God have mercy on you, for I have given you the fullest counsel I can. Seek the help of God, mighty and majestic, to remain patient in every situation, and learn that watchfulness has four divisions:
Source page 19
الْأَوَّلُ: مَعْرِفَةُ اللّٰهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى. وَالثَّانِي: مَعْرِفَةُ إِبْلِيسَ عَدُوِّ اللّٰهِ. وَالثَّالِثُ: مَعْرِفَةُ نَفْسِكَ. وَالرَّابِعُ: مَعْرِفَةُ الْعَمَلِ لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.
Al-ʾawwalu: maʿrifatu Allāhi tabāraka wa-taʿālā. Wa-al-thānī: maʿrifatu ʾIblīsa ʿaduwwi Allāhi. Wa-al-thālithu: maʿrifatu nafsika. Wa-al-rābiʿu: maʿrifatu al-ʿamali li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla.
The first is knowing God, blessed and exalted. The second is knowing Iblīs, God's enemy. The third is knowing your own self. The fourth is knowing how to act for God, mighty and majestic.
فَهٰذِهِ أَقْسَامُ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ، فَلَوْ أَنَّ عَبْدًا عَاشَ دَهْرَهُ كُلَّهُ مُجْتَهِدًا فِي الْعِبَادَةِ، وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْهَا، ثُمَّ صَارَ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى الْجَهْلِ بِهَا، لَمْ يَنْتَفِعْ بِشَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَنْ يَتَفَضَّلَ الْجَلِيلُ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ.
Fa-hādhihi ʾaqsāmu al-murāqabati, fa-law ʾanna ʿabdan ʿāsha dahrahu kullahu mujtahidan fī al-ʿibādati, wa-lam yaʿrifhā, thumma ṣāra ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʿalā al-jahli bihā, lam yantafiʿ bishayʾin ʾillā ʾan yatafaḍḍala al-jalīlu jalla jalāluhu.
These are the divisions of watchfulness. If a servant spent his whole life striving in worship without knowing them, and then went to God, mighty and majestic, still ignorant of them, none of it would benefit him unless the Majestic One, exalted in majesty, graciously favored him.
Source page 20
بَابُ مَعْرِفَةِ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى
Bābu maʿrifati Allāhi taʿālā
Chapter on Knowing God Most High
وَهِيَ الْقِسْمُ الْأَوَّلُ مِنْ أَقْسَامِ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ.
Wa-hiya al-qismu al-ʾawwalu min ʾaqsāmi al-murāqabati.
This is the first division of watchfulness.
فَأَمَّا مَعْرِفَةُ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى فَهِيَ: أَنْ تُلْزِمَ نَفْسَكَ قُرْبَهُ، وَتَعْرِفَ بِيَقِينٍ أَنَّ اللّٰهَ تَعَالَى أَقْرَبُ مِنْكَ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ، كَمَا ذَكَرَ اللّٰهُ سُبْحَانَهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ الْعَزِيزِ: «وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ».
Fa-ʾammā maʿrifatu Allāhi taʿālā fa-hiya: ʾan tulzima nafsaka qurbahu, wa-taʿrifa biyaqīnin ʾanna Allāha taʿālā ʾaqrabu minka min ḥabli al-warīdi, kamā dhakara Allāhu subḥānahu fī kitābihi al-ʿazīzi: «wa-laqad khalaqnā al-ʾinsāna wa-naʿlamu mā tuwaswisu bihi nafsuhu wa-naḥnu ʾaqrabu ʾilayhi min ḥabli al-warīdi».
Knowing God Most High means impressing His nearness upon yourself and knowing with certainty that God Most High is closer to you than your jugular vein. As God, glorified is He, says in His mighty Book: “We created the human being, and We know what his own self whispers to him, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein.”
وَتَعْرِفَ قِيَامَهُ عَلَيْكَ، وَقُدْرَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ، وَعِلْمَهُ بِكَ، أَنَّهُ رَقِيبٌ حَفِيظٌ.
Wa-taʿrifa qiyāmahu ʿalayka, wa-qudratahu ʿalayka, wa-ʿilmahu bika, ʾannahu raqībun ḥafīẓun.
Know that He watches over you, has power over you, and knows you, that He is ever watchful and all-preserving.
Source page 21
وَأَنَّهُ وَاحِدٌ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ فِي مُلْكِهِ، وَأَنَّهُ صَادِقٌ لِوَعْدِهِ، لَيْسَ لَهُ شِبْهٌ وَلَا مِثْلٌ.
Wa-ʾannahu wāḥidun lā sharīka lahu fī mulkihi, wa-ʾannahu ṣādiqun liwaʿdihi, laysa lahu shibhun wa-lā mithlun.
Know that He is One, with no partner in His dominion; that He is true to His promise; and that nothing resembles or equals Him.
وَأَنَّهُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ، فَتُلْزِمَ ذٰلِكَ كُلَّ عُضْوٍ مِنْكَ، وَكُلَّ جَارِحَةٍ، وَكُلَّ مَفْصِلٍ، وَكُلَّ عِرْقٍ، وَعَصَبٍ، وَشَعْرٍ.
Wa-ʾannahu kulla yawmin huwa fī shaʾnin, fa-tulzima dhālika kulla ʿuḍwin minka, wa-kulla jāriḥatin, wa-kulla mafṣilin, wa-kulla ʿirqin, wa-ʿaṣabin, wa-shaʿrin.
Know that every day He is at work. Impress this upon every part of your body, every limb, every joint, every vein, every sinew, and every hair.
Source pages 21–22
وَيَكُونُ عِنْدَكَ الْيَقِينُ أَنَّ اللّٰهَ تَعَالَى قَائِمٌ عَلَى ذٰلِكَ كُلِّهِ، وَعَالِمٌ بِهِ، مُحِيطٌ بِجَمِيعِهِ، وَخَلَقَكَ فَأَحْسَنَ خَلْقَكَ، وَصَوَّرَكَ فَأَحْسَنَ صُورَتَكَ.
Wa-yakūnu ʿindaka al-yaqīnu ʾanna Allāha taʿālā qāʾimun ʿalā dhālika kullihi, wa-ʿālimun bihi, muḥīṭun bijamīʿihi, wa-khalaqaka fa-ʾaḥsana khalqaka, wa-ṣawwaraka fa-ʾaḥsana ṣūrataka.
Be certain that God Most High watches over all of this, knows it, and encompasses it all. He created you and made your creation excellent; He formed you and made your form excellent.
Source page 22
فَإِذَا ثَبَتَ ذٰلِكَ فِي قَلْبِكَ، وَصَحَّ بِهِ عَزْمُكَ، فَقَدْ وَصَلَتْ إِلَيْكَ الْمَعْرِفَةُ، وَقَامَتْ عَلَيْكَ الْحُجَّةُ، وَكُنْتَ مِنَ اللّٰهِ فِي مَقَامٍ شَرِيفٍ، وَيَصْحَبُكَ الْحَذَرُ فِي ذٰلِكَ كُلِّهِ، فَحَفِظْتَ جَوَارِحَكَ، وَقَلْبَكَ.
Fa-ʾidhā thabata dhālika fī qalbika, wa-ṣaḥḥa bihi ʿazmuka, fa-qad waṣalat ʾilayka al-maʿrifatu, wa-qāmat ʿalayka al-ḥujjatu, wa-kunta mina Allāhi fī maqāmin sharīfin, wa-yaṣḥabuka al-ḥadharu fī dhālika kullihi, fa-ḥafiẓta jawāriḥaka, wa-qalbaka.
When this becomes firmly rooted in your heart and makes your resolve sound, knowledge has reached you, the proof has been established against you, and you hold an honored station with God. Caution accompanies you in all of this, so you guard your limbs and your heart.
وَلَا تَصِلُ إِلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ هٰذَا إِلَّا بِقَطْعِ الْأَشْغَالِ كُلِّهَا، وَاللّٰهُ تَعَالَى لَا يُفَارِقُ قَلْبَكَ حَذَرًا مِنْ سَطَوَاتِهِ، بِقُدْرَتِهِ عَلَيْكَ لِمَا قَدْ سَلَفَ مِنْ ذُنُوبِكَ، وَمَا قَدْ سَيَكُونُ فِي الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ، فَتَسْتَحِي مِنْهُ لِقُرْبِهِ مِنْكَ.
Wa-lā taṣilu ʾilā shayʾin min hādhā ʾillā biqaṭʿi al-ʾashghāli kullihā, wa-Allāhu taʿālā lā yufāriqu qalbaka ḥadharan min saṭawātihi, biqudratihi ʿalayka limā qad salafa min dhunūbika, wa-mā qad sayakūnu fī al-mustaqbali, fa-tastaḥī minhu liqurbihi minka.
You can attain none of this without cutting off every distraction. God Most High never leaves your heart, as you beware of His overwhelming blows, knowing His power over you on account of your past sins and those that may yet come. His nearness to you makes you feel shame before Him.
فَلَا تَكُنْ مِنْكَ خَطْرَةٌ، وَلَا لَحْظَةٌ، وَلَا شَيْءٌ مِنْهُ ظَاهِرٌ، وَلَا بَاطِنٌ إِلَّا وَتَعْلَمُ اللّٰهَ مِنْكَ، ذٰلِكَ قَائِمٌ عَلَى الْخَطَرَاتِ، وَالْحَرَكَاتِ، وَالْوَسَاوِسِ، وَهٰذَا مَقَامُ الْخَائِفِينَ، الْعَارِفِينَ، الْأَتْقِيَاءِ، الْوَرِعِينَ.
Fa-lā takun minka khaṭratun, wa-lā laḥẓatun, wa-lā shayʾun minhu ẓāhirun, wa-lā bāṭinun ʾillā wa-taʿlamu Allāha minka, dhālika qāʾimun ʿalā al-khaṭarāti, wa-al-ḥarakāti, wa-al-wasāwisi, wa-hādhā maqāmu al-khāʾifīna, al-ʿārifīna, al-ʾatqiyāʾi, al-wariʿīna.
Let no passing thought, no glance, and nothing outward or inward arise from you without your awareness of God in relation to it: He watches over thoughts, movements, and whisperings [the printed syntax here is unclear]. This is the station of those who fear Him, know Him, are mindful of Him, and practice scrupulous restraint.
فَنَسْأَلُ اللّٰهَ تَعَالَى أَلَّا يَحْرِمَنَا وَإِيَّاكَ نَفْعَهَا بِذُنُوبِنَا، إِنَّهُ جَوَادٌ كَرِيمٌ.
Fa-nasʾalu Allāha taʿālā ʾallā yaḥrimanā wa-ʾiyyāka nafʿahā bidhunūbinā, ʾinnahu jawādun karīmun.
We ask God Most High not to deprive us or you of its benefit because of our sins. He is indeed generous and noble.
Source page 23
بَابُ مَعْرِفَةِ عَدُوِّ اللّٰهِ إِبْلِيسَ
Bābu maʿrifati ʿaduwwi Allāhi ʾIblīsa
Chapter on Knowing Iblīs, God’s Enemy
فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللّٰهَ تَعَالَى أَمَرَكَ بِمُخَالَفَةِ عَدُوِّهِ وَعَدُوِّكَ، وَهُوَ إِبْلِيسُ، فَقَالَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: «إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا».
Fa-iʿlam ʾanna Allāha taʿālā ʾamaraka bimukhālafati ʿaduwwihi wa-ʿaduwwika, wa-huwa ʾIblīsu, fa-qāla tabāraka wa-taʿālā: «ʾinna al-shayṭāna lakum ʿaduwwun fa-ittakhidhūhu ʿaduwwan».
Know that God Most High has commanded you to oppose His enemy and yours, Iblīs. He, blessed and exalted, has said: “Satan is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy.”
فَتَعَلَّمْ أَنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يُرِيدُ هَلَاكَكَ، وَإِبْطَالَ عَمَلِكَ، فَلَا تَظْهَرُ مِنْكَ طَاعَةٌ لِلّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَّا وَيُرِيدُ أَنْ يُبْطِلَهَا عَلَيْكَ بِمَكْرٍ وَخَدِيعَةٍ، وَيُفْسِدَهَا عَلَيْكَ بِأَنْوَاعِ الرِّيَاءِ، وَالْعُجْبِ، وَالْكِبْرِ، وَغَيْرِ ذٰلِكَ مِنْ مُفْسِدَاتِ الْأَعْمَالِ مِمَّا يَجْهَلُ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ خَلْقِ اللّٰهِ، الْعَابِدِينَ، الْمَغْرُورِينَ، وَالْمَخْدُوعِينَ.
Fa-taʿallam ʾanna al-shayṭāna yurīdu halākaka, wa-ʾibṭāla ʿamalika, fa-lā taẓharu minka ṭāʿatun li-llāhi ʿazza wa-jalla ʾillā wa-yurīdu ʾan yubṭilahā ʿalayka bimakrin wa-khadīʿatin, wa-yufsidahā ʿalayka bi-ʾanwāʿi al-riyāʾi, wa-al-ʿujbi, wa-al-kibri, wa-ghayri dhālika min mufsidāti al-ʾaʿmāli mimmā yajhalu kathīrun min khalqi Allāhi, al-ʿābidīna, al-maghrūrīna, wa-al-makhdūʿīna.
Learn that Satan wants your ruin and the nullification of your deeds. Whenever you perform an act of obedience to God, mighty and majestic, he wants to nullify it through cunning and deception, and spoil it with different kinds of ostentation, self-admiration, arrogance, and other things that corrupt deeds. Many of God's creatures, worshipers who are deluded and deceived, know nothing of these things.
Source page 24
فَلَيْسَ مُرَادُ إِبْلِيسَ مِنْكَ أَنْ يُوقِعَكَ فِي الْمَعْصِيَةِ فَقَطْ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا حَاجَةَ لَهُ فِي مَعْصِيَتِكَ، وَإِنَّمَا مَقْصُودُهُ أَنْ تَدْخُلَ مَعَهُ حَيْثُ يَدْخُلُ فِي جَهَنَّمَ، أَعَاذَنَا اللّٰهُ مِنْهَا.
Fa-laysa murādu ʾIblīsa minka ʾan yūqiʿaka fī al-maʿṣiyati faqaṭ, fa-ʾinnahu lā ḥājata lahu fī maʿṣiyatika, wa-ʾinnamā maqṣūduhu ʾan tadkhula maʿahu ḥaythu yadkhulu fī jahannama, ʾaʿādhanā Allāhu minhā.
Iblīs does not merely want to make you fall into disobedience. He has no need of your disobedience in itself. His aim is that you enter Hell with him, wherever he enters it. May God protect us from it.
فَإِذَا عَرَفْتَ أَنَّ إِبْلِيسَ بِهٰذِهِ الصِّفَةِ فَأَلْزِمْ نَفْسَكَ الْحَذَرَ مِنْهُ، وَحَارِبْهُ أَشَدَّ الْمُحَارَبَةِ، وَجَاهِدْهُ أَشَدَّ الْمُجَاهَدَةِ، سِرًّا وَجَهْرًا، ظَاهِرًا وَبَاطِنًا، لَا تُقَصِّرْ فِي ذٰلِكَ، حَتَّى تُظْهِرَ الْمَعْهُودَ مِنْكَ فِي مُجَاهَدَتِهِ.
Fa-ʾidhā ʿarafta ʾanna ʾIblīsa bi-hādhihi al-ṣifati fa-ʾalzim nafsaka al-ḥadhara minhu, wa-ḥāribhu ʾashadda al-muḥārabati, wa-jāhid-hu ʾashadda al-mujāhadati, sirran wa-jahran, ẓāhiran wa-bāṭinan, lā tuqaṣṣir fī dhālika, ḥattā tuẓhira al-maʿhūda minka fī mujāhadatihi.
Once you know that this is what Iblīs is like, make yourself beware of him. Fight him with all your strength and struggle against him with all your effort, privately and openly, outwardly and inwardly. Do not fall short, until you show the commitment expected of you in struggling against him.
وَمُجَاهَدَتُهُ أَنْ تُحَارِبَهُ فِي كُلِّ مَا دَعَاكَ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ، وَتَكُونَ مُعْتَصِمًا بِاللّٰهِ تَعَالَى فِي هٰذَا كُلِّهِ، مُسْتَعِينًا بِهِ عَلَى عَدُوِّكَ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا حِيلَةَ لَكَ، وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ.
Wa-mujāhadatuhu ʾan tuḥāribahu fī kulli mā daʿāka ʾilayhi mina al-sharri wa-al-khayri, wa-takūna muʿtaṣiman bi-Allāhi taʿālā fī hādhā kullihi, mustaʿīnan bihi ʿalā ʿaduwwika, fa-ʾinnahu lā ḥīlata laka, wa-lā quwwata ʾillā bi-Allāhi al-ʿaliyyi al-ʿaẓīmi.
Struggling against him means resisting him in everything to which he calls you, whether evil or good. In all of this, hold firmly to God Most High and seek His help against your enemy, for you have no resource or strength except through God, the Most High, the Magnificent.
وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللّٰهِ، بِالْبُكَاءِ، وَالتَّضَرُّعِ، وَتَسْأَلُ اللّٰهَ النَّصْرَ عَلَيْهِ لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا، فِي الْخَلَاءِ وَالْمَلَإِ.
Wa-istaʿin bi-Allāhi, bi-al-bukāʾi, wa-al-taḍarruʿi, wa-tasʾalu Allāha al-naṣra ʿalayhi laylan wa-nahāran, fī al-khalāʾi wa-al-malaʾi.
Seek God's help with tears and humble pleading. Ask God for victory over him night and day, in solitude and in company.
Source pages 25–26
وَإِذَا غَفَلْتَ عَنْ مُحَارَبَةِ عَدُوِّكَ إِبْلِيسَ، وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ، وَأَعْطَيْتَهُ مُرَادَهُ مِنْكَ، فَلَا يَقْنَعُ مِنْكَ عَدُوُّكَ إِبْلِيسُ حَتَّى يُوقِعَكَ فِي الْكُفْرِ بِاللّٰهِ تَعَالَى، لِأَنَّهُ يَنْقُلُكَ مِنْ حَالٍ إِلَى حَالٍ، حَتَّى يَغْضَبَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْكَ.
Wa-ʾidhā ghafalta ʿan muḥārabati ʿaduwwika ʾIblīsa, wa-qad ʿaṣayta, wa-ʾaʿṭaytahu murādahu minka, fa-lā yaqnaʿu minka ʿaduwwuka ʾIblīsu ḥattā yūqiʿaka fī al-kufri bi-Allāhi taʿālā, li-ʾannahu yanquluka min ḥālin ʾilā ḥālin, ḥattā yaghḍaba Allāhu ʿalayka.
If you neglect to fight your enemy Iblīs, having disobeyed and given him what he wanted from you, your enemy will not be satisfied until he makes you fall into disbelief in God Most High. He moves you from one state to another until God becomes angry with you.
Source page 26
فَاللّٰهَ، اللّٰهَ، لَا تَأْمَنْهُ، فَلَا خَلْقَ أَشَدُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْهُ، فَالْحَذَرَ، الْحَذَرَ، فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ غَمْضَةٌ، ثُمَّ الْقُدُومُ إِلَى الْغَضَبِ، أَوْ إِلَى النَّجَاةِ بِفَضْلِ اللّٰهِ، أَعَاذَنَا اللّٰهُ وَإِيَّاكَ مِنْ إِبْلِيسَ وَجُنُودِهِ. وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَظِيمِ.
Fa-Allāha, Allāha, lā taʾmanhu, fa-lā khalqa ʾashaddu ʿalayka minhu, fa-al-ḥadhara, al-ḥadhara, fa-ʾinnamā hiya ghamḍatun, thumma al-qudūmu ʾilā al-ghaḍabi, ʾaw ʾilā al-najāti bifaḍli Allāhi, ʾaʿādhanā Allāhu wa-ʾiyyāka min ʾIblīsa wa-junūdihi. Wa-lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata ʾillā bi-Allāhi al-ʿaẓīmi.
For God's sake, for God's sake, never feel safe from him! No creature is more dangerous to you. Beware, beware! It is only the blink of an eye, and then you arrive at wrath, or at deliverance through God's grace. May God protect us and you from Iblīs and his armies. There is no power and no strength except through God, the Magnificent.
Source page 27
بَابُ مَعْرِفَةِ نَفْسِكَ
Bābu maʿrifati nafsika
Chapter on Knowing Your Own Self
اعْلَمْ أَنَّ النَّفْسَ أَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ، يَعْنِي أَنَّهَا تَأْمُرُكَ، نَفْسُكَ، بِكُلِّ قَبِيحٍ، وَبِكُلِّ سُوءٍ، كَمَا قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى: «إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ».
Iʿlam ʾanna al-nafsa ʾammāratun bi-al-sūʾi, yaʿnī ʾannahā taʾmuruka, nafsuka, bikulli qabīḥin, wa-bikulli sūʾin, kamā qāla Allāhu taʿālā: «ʾinna al-nafsa laʾammāratun bi-al-sūʾi».
Know that the self persistently commands evil. This means that your own self orders you to do everything ugly and everything evil, as God Most High has said: “The self indeed persistently commands evil.”
فَيَنْبَغِي لَكَ أَنْ تَضَعَهَا حَيْثُ وَضَعَهَا اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى، وَقُمْ عَلَيْهَا بِمَا أَمَرَكَ اللّٰهُ فِيهَا، فَإِنَّ نَفْسَكَ أَغْوَى لَكَ مِنْ إِبْلِيسَ.
Fa-yanbaghī laka ʾan taḍaʿahā ḥaythu waḍaʿahā Allāhu taʿālā, wa-qum ʿalayhā bimā ʾamaraka Allāhu fīhā, fa-ʾinna nafsaka ʾaghwā laka min ʾIblīsa.
You should therefore put it in the place God Most High has assigned it, and govern it as God has commanded you. Your own self leads you astray more than Iblīs does.
Source page 28
وَإِنَّمَا يَسْتَعِينُ عَلَيْكَ الشَّيْطَانُ بِهَا، فَاعْرِفْ مُرَادَهَا إِلَى مَا تَدْعُو، وَبِمَا تَأْمُرُكَ، فَدَعْوَاهَا بَاطِلٌ، وَصِدْقُهَا كَذِبًا، وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ مِنْهَا غُرُورٌ، وَلَيْسَ لَهَا مَحْمُودٌ، وَلَا لِدَعْوَى حَقٌّ.
Wa-ʾinnamā yastaʿīnu ʿalayka al-shayṭānu bihā, fa-iʿrif murādahā ʾilā mā tadʿū, wa-bimā taʾmuruka, fa-daʿwāhā bāṭilun, wa-ṣidquhā kadhiban, wa-kullu shayʾin minhā ghurūrun, wa-laysa lahā maḥmūdun, wa-lā lidaʿwā ḥaqqun.
Satan uses it to help him against you. Learn what it wants, what it calls you toward, and what it orders you to do. Its claim is false, its truthfulness a lie; everything from it is deception. It has nothing praiseworthy, and its claim has no truth [the printed construction is irregular].
فَلَا تَغُرَّكَ نَفْسُكَ بِمَا تُضْمِرُ لَكَ مِنْ تَوَاضُعِهَا، فَإِنْ أَعْطَيْتَهَا سُؤَالَهَا مَلَكَتْ، وَإِنْ أَغْفَلْتَ عَنْ مُحَاسَبَتِهَا أَدْبَرَتْ.
Fa-lā taghurraka nafsuka bimā tuḍmiru laka min tawāḍuʿihā, fa-ʾin ʾaʿṭaytahā suʾālahā malakat, wa-ʾin ʾaghfalta ʿan muḥāsabatihā ʾadbarat.
Do not let your self deceive you with the humility it harbors for you. If you give it what it asks, it takes control; if you neglect to call it to account, it turns away.
وَإِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ هَوَاهَا خَسِرْتَ، فَلَا تَفْرَحْ يَا مَغْرُورُ بِظَاهِرِ أَعْمَالِهَا، وَلَا تَلْتَفِتْ إِلَى مَحَاسِنِ وَصْفِهَا لِلتَّزَيُّنِ، وَكَثْرَةِ أَعْمَالِهَا بِلَا صِدْقٍ فِيهِ، وَلَا خَوْفِ عَاقِبَتِهِ، وَلٰكِنِ انْظُرْ وَتَدَبَّرْ مَا بَيْنَ قَوْلِهَا وَفِعْلِهَا، وَسُوءِ ضَمِيرِهَا.
Wa-ʾini ittabaʿta hawāhā khasirta, fa-lā tafraḥ yā maghrūru biẓāhiri ʾaʿmālihā, wa-lā taltafit ʾilā maḥāsini waṣfihā li-al-tazayyuni, wa-kathrati ʾaʿmālihā bilā ṣidqin fīhi, wa-lā khawfi ʿāqibatihi, wa-lākin unẓur wa-tadabbar mā bayna qawlihā wa-fiʿlihā, wa-sūʾi ḍamīrihā.
If you follow its desire, you lose. Do not rejoice, you who are deluded, at its outward deeds. Pay no attention to the attractive description it gives of itself for adornment, or to its many deeds without sincerity in them or fear of their outcome. Instead, look carefully at the gap between what it says and what it does, and at the evil it conceals within.
Source page 29
فَإِنَّ نَفْسَكَ إِنْ لَمْ تَشْكُرْ لَهَا طَاعَتَهَا، وَبِرَّهَا لَهَا إِحْسَانَهَا، وَمَعْرُوفَهَا، وَإِلَّا غَضِبَتْ.
Fa-ʾinna nafsaka ʾin lam tashkur lahā ṭāʿatahā, wa-birrahā lahā ʾiḥsānahā, wa-maʿrūfahā, wa-ʾillā ghaḍibat.
For if you do not thank your self for its obedience, its piety, its kindness, and its good deeds, it becomes angry [the printed wording of this list is disordered].
وَإِنْ لَمْ تُظْهِرِ الْغَضَبَ، وَلَا أَضْمَرَتْهُ، وَذٰلِكَ كُلُّهُ زِيَادَةٌ فِي شَرِّهَا، فَاحْذَرْ أَنْ تَقْطَعَ بِهَا نَفْسُكَ فِي مَوْضِعٍ تَحْتَاجُ فِيهِ إِلَى صَبْرِهَا، أَوْ فِي مَوْضِعٍ تَحْتَاجُ فِيهِ إِلَى صِدْقِهَا، أَوْ فِي مَوْضِعٍ تَحْتَاجُ فِيهِ إِلَى خَلَاصِهَا، فَتَخْشَى أَنْ تَخْذُلَكَ فِي ذٰلِكَ كُلِّهِ.
Wa-ʾin lam tuẓhiri al-ghaḍaba, wa-lā ʾaḍmarat-hu, wa-dhālika kulluhu ziyādatun fī sharrihā, fa-iḥdhar ʾan taqṭaʿa bihā nafsuka fī mawḍiʿin taḥtāju fīhi ʾilā ṣabrihā, ʾaw fī mawḍiʿin taḥtāju fīhi ʾilā ṣidqihā, ʾaw fī mawḍiʿin taḥtāju fīhi ʾilā khalāṣihā, fa-takhshā ʾan takhdhulaka fī dhālika kullihi.
Even if it does not show anger, “nor conceals it,” all of that increases its evil [the printed negation and following construction are unclear]. Beware lest your self bring you to a halt where you need its patience, or where you need its truthfulness, or where you need its deliverance. You must fear that it will abandon you in all of this.
Source page 30
فَاحْذَرِ اللّٰهَ تَعَالَى فِي طَاعَتِكَ لَهُ، كَمَا تَحْذَرُهُ فِي مَعْصِيَتِكَ، وَاحْذَرْ إِذَا خَطَرَ بِبَالِكَ أَمْرٌ، وَدَعَتْكَ نَفْسُكَ إِلَى شَيْءٍ فَلَا تَعْجَلْ، وَارْفُقْ بِنَفْسِكَ، وَسَلِ الْعُلَمَاءَ، وَجَالِسِ الْفُقَهَاءَ بِاللّٰهِ تَعَالَى، بِأَمْرِهِ، وَنَهْيِهِ حَتَّى يَدُلُّوكَ عَلَى طَرِيقِ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى، وَيَدُلُّوكَ عَلَى دَوَائِكَ، وَيُعَرِّفُوكَ بِدَائِكَ.
Fa-iḥdhari Allāha taʿālā fī ṭāʿatika lahu, kamā taḥdharuhu fī maʿṣiyatika, wa-iḥdhar ʾidhā khaṭara bibālika ʾamrun, wa-daʿatka nafsuka ʾilā shayʾin fa-lā taʿjal, wa-urfuq binafsika, wa-sali al-ʿulamāʾa, wa-jālisi al-fuqahāʾa bi-Allāhi taʿālā, bi-ʾamrihi, wa-nahyihi ḥattā yadullūka ʿalā ṭarīqi Allāhi taʿālā, wa-yadullūka ʿalā dawāʾika, wa-yuʿarrifūka bidāʾika.
Beware of God Most High in your obedience to Him just as you beware of Him in your disobedience. Be careful when something occurs to you and your self calls you toward it. Do not rush; be gentle with yourself. Ask the scholars and sit with those who understand God Most High, His commands, and His prohibitions, so that they may guide you to His path, show you your remedy, and make you recognize your illness.
[احْذَرِ الْغُرُورَ بِالطَّاعَاتِ]
[Iḥdhari al-ghurūra bi-al-ṭāʿāti]
[Beware of Being Deluded by Acts of Obedience]
وَلَا يَغُرَّكَ طُولُ قِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ، وَكَثْرَةُ صِيَامِ النَّهَارِ، وَالنَّوَافِلُ الظَّاهِرَةُ بِلَا مَعْرِفَةٍ مِنْكَ بِنَفْسِكَ، وَبِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَبِرَبِّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. فَعِنْدَ ذٰلِكَ تُورَثُ الْعِلْمَ، وَالْفِقْهَ.
Wa-lā yaghurraka ṭūlu qiyāmi al-layli, wa-kathratu ṣiyāmi al-nahāri, wa-al-nawāfilu al-ẓāhiratu bilā maʿrifatin minka binafsika, wa-biqudratika, wa-birabbika ʿazza wa-jalla. Fa-ʿinda dhālika tūrathu al-ʿilma, wa-al-fiqha.
Do not be deluded by long nights of prayer, frequent days of fasting, and outward voluntary devotions when you do not know yourself, your capacity, or your Lord, mighty and majestic. With that knowledge, you are granted knowledge and understanding.
Source pages 30–31
فَمَا كَانَ مِنْ عَمَلِكَ ظَاهِرًا أَوْ بَاطِنًا، نَظَرْتَ، فَإِنْ كَانَ لِلّٰهِ خَالِصًا، صَادِقًا قَبِلَهُ اللّٰهُ مِنْكَ، وَجَازَاكَ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ غَيْرَ ذٰلِكَ رَدَّهُ عَلَيْكَ.
Fa-mā kāna min ʿamalika ẓāhiran ʾaw bāṭinan, naẓarta, fa-ʾin kāna li-llāhi khāliṣan, ṣādiqan qabilahu Allāhu minka, wa-jāzāka ʿalayhi, wa-ʾin kāna ghayra dhālika raddahu ʿalayka.
Examine whatever you do, outwardly or inwardly. If it is sincerely and truthfully for God alone, God accepts it from you and rewards you for it. If it is otherwise, He rejects it.
Source page 31
فَإِذَا كُنْتَ كَذٰلِكَ فَقَدْ أُعْطِيتَ كُلَّ خُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ، وَصَحَّ فِعْلُكَ، وَثَبَتَ عَمَلُكَ، وَزَادَ حِلْمُكَ، وَكُنْتَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءِ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى، الَّذِينَ يَنْظُرُونَ بِهِ، وَبِهِ يَأْخُذُونَ وَبِهِ يُعْطُونَ.
Fa-ʾidhā kunta ka-dhālika fa-qad ʾuʿṭīta kulla khuluqin ḥasanin, wa-ṣaḥḥa fiʿluka, wa-thabata ʿamaluka, wa-zāda ḥilmuka, wa-kunta min ʾawliyāʾi Allāhi taʿālā, alladhīna yanẓurūna bihi, wa-bihi yaʾkhudhūna wa-bihi yuʿṭūna.
When you are like this, you have been given every good quality of character. Your conduct becomes sound, your deeds become firmly established, and your forbearance grows. You become one of God's friends, who see through Him, receive through Him, and give through Him.
وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّكَ لَا تَصِلُ لِشَيْءٍ مِمَّا وَصَفْنَا إِلَّا: بِالْعَزْمِ الصَّحِيحِ، وَالنِّيَّةِ الْجَيِّدَةِ عَلَى مُخَالَفَةِ هَوَى نَفْسِكَ.
Wa-iʿlam ʾannaka lā taṣilu lishayʾin mimmā waṣafnā ʾillā: bi-al-ʿazmi al-ṣaḥīḥi, wa-al-niyyati al-jayyidati ʿalā mukhālafati hawā nafsika.
Know that you attain nothing of what we have described except through sound resolve and a good intention to oppose your self's desires.
Source pages 31–32
فَأَوَّلُ مُخَالَفَةِ الْهَوَى ضَبْطُ الْبَطْنِ عَمَّا حَرَّمَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى، فَإِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا ضَبَطَ بَطْنَهُ مَلَكَ جَوَارِحَهُ، وَعَرَفَ قَلْبَهُ، وَهَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْمُحَاسَبَةُ وَهَانَ عَلَيْهِ سَائِرُ مُخَالَفَاتِ النَّفْسِ فِيمَا تَهْوَى بِإِذْنِ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى.
Fa-ʾawwalu mukhālafati al-hawā ḍabṭu al-baṭni ʿammā ḥarrama Allāhu taʿālā, fa-ʾinna al-ʿabda ʾidhā ḍabaṭa baṭnahu malaka jawāriḥahu, wa-ʿarafa qalbahu, wa-hānat ʿalayhi al-muḥāsabatu wa-hāna ʿalayhi sāʾiru mukhālafāti al-nafsi fīmā tahwā bi-ʾidhni Allāhi taʿālā.
The first step in opposing desire is to restrain the stomach from what God Most High has forbidden. When a servant controls his stomach, he gains control of his limbs and comes to know his heart. Self-examination becomes easier for him, as does every other way of opposing what his self desires, by God's permission.
Source pages 32–33
فَإِنْ سَيَّبْتَ بَطْنَكَ وَلَمْ تَحْفَظْهُ صَعُبَ عَلَيْكَ الْأَمْرُ، وَتَمَنَّعَتْ عَلَيْكَ جَوَارِحُكَ، وَضَاعَ قَلْبُكَ، وَلَمْ تَعْرِفْ حَالَكَ، وَلَمْ تَقْدِرْ عَلَى الْمُحَاسَبَةِ.
Fa-ʾin sayyabta baṭnaka wa-lam taḥfaẓhu ṣaʿuba ʿalayka al-ʾamru, wa-tamannaʿat ʿalayka jawāriḥuka, wa-ḍāʿa qalbuka, wa-lam taʿrif ḥālaka, wa-lam taqdir ʿalā al-muḥāsabati.
If you give your stomach free rein and do not guard it, the task becomes difficult. Your limbs resist you, your heart is lost, you no longer know your condition, and you cannot examine yourself.
Source page 33
[الطَّرِيقُ إِلَى الْأَدَبِ مَعَ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى]
[Al-ṭarīqu ʾilā al-ʾadabi maʿa Allāhi taʿālā]
[The Path to Proper Conduct before God Most High]
وَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ الطَّرِيقَ إِلَى الْأَدَبِ مَعَ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللّٰهِ تَعَالَى، وَخُذِ الْمَعْلُومَ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ وَتُصَفِّيهِ مِنَ الْآفَاتِ، وَيَكُونُ وِرْدُكَ مَعْلُومًا.
Wa-ʾidhā ʾaradta al-ṭarīqa ʾilā al-ʾadabi maʿa Allāhi taʿālā fa-istaʿin bi-Allāhi taʿālā, wa-khudhi al-maʿlūma mina al-ṭaʿāmi wa-tuṣaffīhi mina al-ʾāfāti, wa-yakūnu wirduka maʿlūman.
If you seek the path to proper conduct before God Most High, seek His help. Take a known amount of food and purify it of defects, and let your daily allotment be fixed.
Source page 34
[حِفْظُ اللِّسَانِ وَالْجَوَارِحِ]
[Ḥifẓu al-lisāni wa-al-jawāriḥi]
[Guarding the Tongue and the Limbs]
وَاحْفَظْ لِسَانَكَ إِلَّا فِيمَا يَعْنِيكَ، مِمَّا لَا بُدَّ لَكَ مِنْهُ، مِنْ أَمْرٍ، وَنَهْيٍ مِمَّا يَكُونُ قُرْبَةً إِلَى اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى.
Wa-iḥfaẓ lisānaka ʾillā fīmā yaʿnīka, mimmā lā budda laka minhu, min ʾamrin, wa-nahyin mimmā yakūnu qurbatan ʾilā Allāhi taʿālā.
Guard your tongue except in matters that concern you and that you cannot do without, such as commanding and forbidding in ways that bring you nearer to God Most High.
Source page 35
وَمَعَ ذٰلِكَ تَحْفَظُ سَمْعَكَ، وَبَصَرَكَ، وَيَدَيْكَ، وَاحْفَظْ رِجْلَيْكَ، وَانْظُرْ فِيمَا تَمْشِي، وَلِمَ تَمْشِي، وَتَعَاهَدْ هٰذِهِ الْجَوَارِحَ، وَتَسْتَعِينُ عَلَيْهَا بِحِفْظِ الْقَلْبِ، حَتَّى تُرَاقِبَ اللّٰهَ فِي أَنْفَاسِكَ، وَهُمُومِكَ، فَلَا جِهَادَ أَعْظَمُ مِنَ الْجِهَادِ الَّذِي أَنْتَ فِيهِ.
Wa-maʿa dhālika taḥfaẓu samʿaka, wa-baṣaraka, wa-yadayka, wa-iḥfaẓ rijlayka, wa-unẓur fīmā tamshī, wa-lima tamshī, wa-taʿāhad hādhihi al-jawāriḥa, wa-tastaʿīnu ʿalayhā biḥifẓi al-qalbi, ḥattā turāqiba Allāha fī ʾanfāsika, wa-humūmika, fa-lā jihāda ʾaʿẓamu mina al-jihādi alladhī ʾanta fīhi.
Along with this, guard your hearing, your sight, and your hands. Guard your feet, and consider where you walk and why you walk. Attend carefully to these limbs, and help yourself govern them by guarding your heart, until you remain watchfully aware of God in your breaths and concerns. No struggle is greater than the struggle in which you are engaged.
Source page 36
[مِلَاكُ الْأَمْرِ التَّوَاضُعُ]
[Milāku al-ʾamri al-tawāḍuʿu]
[Humility Holds It All Together]
وَأَصْلُ هٰذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ كُلِّهَا وَتَمَامُهَا، وَمِلَاكُهَا بِإِذْنِ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى: التَّوَاضُعُ.
Wa-ʾaṣlu hādhihi al-ʾashyāʾi kullihā wa-tamāmuhā, wa-milākuhā bi-ʾidhni Allāhi taʿālā: al-tawāḍuʿu.
The foundation, fulfillment, and binding principle of all these things, by the permission of God Most High, is humility.
فَأَنْتَ إِذَا تَوَاضَعْتَ وَصَلْتَ إِلَى هٰذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ كُلِّهَا، وَقَوِيتَ عَلَيْهَا، وَعَلَى أَكْثَرَ مِنْهَا، فَعِنْدَ ذٰلِكَ يَنْشَرِحُ صَدْرُكَ بِإِذْنِ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى، وَيَمْتَلِئُ قَلْبُكَ نُورًا، وَيُعَلِّمُكَ اللّٰهُ مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْلَمُ.
Fa-ʾanta ʾidhā tawāḍaʿta waṣalta ʾilā hādhihi al-ʾashyāʾi kullihā, wa-qawīta ʿalayhā, wa-ʿalā ʾakthara minhā, fa-ʿinda dhālika yanshariḥu ṣadruka bi-ʾidhni Allāhi taʿālā, wa-yamtaliʾu qalbuka nūran, wa-yuʿallimuka Allāhu mā lam takun taʿlamu.
When you become humble, you attain all these things and gain the strength to practice them, and more besides. Then your breast opens, by God's permission, your heart fills with light, and God teaches you what you did not know.
Source page 37
[مُحَاسَبَةُ النَّفْسِ وَمُخَالَفَتُهَا]
[Muḥāsabatu al-nafsi wa-mukhālafatuhā]
[Examining the Self and Opposing It]
وَعَلَيْكَ يَا أَخِي بِمُحَاسَبَةِ نَفْسِكَ، وَمَعْرِفَتِهَا، وَمُخَالَفَتِهَا فِي جَمِيعِ مَا تَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ، وَلَا تُوصَفُ النَّفْسُ بِشَيْءٍ إِلَّا وَفِيهَا مِنَ الرَّذَائِلِ أَكْثَرُ مِمَّا تُوصَفُ بِهِ.
Wa-ʿalayka yā ʾakhī bimuḥāsabati nafsika, wa-maʿrifatihā, wa-mukhālafatihā fī jamīʿi mā tadʿū ʾilayhi, wa-lā tūṣafu al-nafsu bishayʾin ʾillā wa-fīhā mina al-radhāʾili ʾaktharu mimmā tūṣafu bihi.
My brother, you must examine your self, know it, and oppose it in everything to which it calls you. Whatever you say in describing the self, it contains more vices than your description can convey.
Source pages 37–38
وَهِيَ كَنْزُ إِبْلِيسَ، وَمُسْتَرَاحُهُ، وَصَدِيقَتُهُ، فَإِذَا عَرَفْتَ نَفْسَكَ هَانَتْ عَلَيْكَ، وَقَوِيتَ عَلَيْهَا.
Wa-hiya kanzu ʾIblīsa, wa-mustarāḥuhu, wa-ṣadīqatuhu, fa-ʾidhā ʿarafta nafsaka hānat ʿalayka, wa-qawīta ʿalayhā.
It is Iblīs's treasure, his resting place, and his friend. Once you know your self, it becomes easier for you to deal with, and you gain strength over it.
Source page 38
فَإِذَا عَرَفْتَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ ثَلَاثَ خِصَالٍ فَأَثْبِتْ، وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللّٰهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِنَّ، وَلَا تَغْفُلْ، وَهِيَ: أَنَّ نَفْسَكَ إِذَا أَظْهَرَتْ خَوْفًا، فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ أَمَانٌ، وَإِنِ ادَّعَتْ صِدْقًا فَهُوَ كَذِبٌ، وَإِنِ ادَّعَتْ إِخْلَاصًا، فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ رِيَاءٌ، وَإِعْجَابٌ.
Fa-ʾidhā ʿarafta min nafsika thalātha khiṣālin fa-ʾathbit, wa-istaʿin bi-Allāhi taʿālā ʿalayhinna, wa-lā taghful, wa-hiya: ʾanna nafsaka ʾidhā ʾaẓharat khawfan, fa-iʿlam ʾannahu ʾamānun, wa-ʾini iddaʿat ṣidqan fa-huwa kadhibun, wa-ʾini iddaʿat ʾikhlāṣan, fa-iʿlam ʾannahu riyāʾun, wa-ʾiʿjābun.
When you recognize three traits in your self, establish them firmly [in your understanding; the imperative is uncertain], seek God's help against them, and do not be heedless. They are these: when your self displays fear, know that it is a sense of security; when it claims truthfulness, it is lying; and when it claims sincerity, know that it is ostentation and self-admiration.
وَعِنْدَ الْحَقَائِقِ يَتَبَيَّنُ صِدْقُهَا، أَوْ يُعْرَفُ كَذِبُهَا، فَلَيْسَ بَلَاءٌ عَظِيمٌ إِلَّا وَقَدْ حَلَّ بِهَا.
Wa-ʿinda al-ḥaqāʾiqi yatabayyanu ṣidquhā, ʾaw yuʿrafu kadhibuhā, fa-laysa balāʾun ʿaẓīmun ʾillā wa-qad ḥalla bihā.
When realities are put to the test, its truthfulness becomes clear or its falsehood is exposed. There is no great affliction that has not befallen it.
فَعَلَيْكَ يَا أَخِي بِبَذْلِ مَجْهُودِكَ، وَلَا تَمِيلَنَّ فِي هٰذَا كُلِّهِ إِلَى أَحَدٍ غَيْرِ اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى، فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ فَعَلْتَ ذٰلِكَ تُوَفَّقْ إِلَى خَيْرٍ، وَلَا يَكِلْكَ اللّٰهُ إِلَى نَفْسِكَ.
Fa-ʿalayka yā ʾakhī bibadhli majhūdika, wa-lā tamīlanna fī hādhā kullihi ʾilā ʾaḥadin ghayri Allāhi taʿālā, fa-ʾinnaka ʾin faʿalta dhālika tuwaffaq ʾilā khayrin, wa-lā yakilka Allāhu ʾilā nafsika.
My brother, you must give all the effort you can. In any of this, never turn toward anyone other than God Most High. If you do so, you will be guided to good, and God will not leave you to your own self.
فَبِاللّٰهِ اسْتَعِنْ وَاتَّبِعْ مَرْضَاتَهُ فِي جَمِيعِ أُمُورِكَ بِهِ، وَلَا تُرِيدُ بِعَمَلِكَ أَحَدًا إِلَّا اللّٰهَ، فَإِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذٰلِكَ، وَقَصَدْتَ إِلَى اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، أَرْشَدَكَ اللّٰهُ، إِنْ شَاءَ اللّٰهُ، وَوَفَّقَكَ، وَجَنَّبَكَ مَكَارِهَهُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ.
Fa-bi-Allāhi istaʿin wa-ittabiʿ marḍātahu fī jamīʿi ʾumūrika bihi, wa-lā turīdu biʿamalika ʾaḥadan ʾillā Allāha, fa-ʾinnaka ʾidhā faʿalta dhālika, wa-qaṣadta ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wa-jalla, ʾarshadaka Allāhu, ʾin shāʾa Allāhu, wa-waffaqaka, wa-jannabaka makārihahu, wa-lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata ʾillā bi-Allāhi al-ʿaliyyi al-ʿaẓīmi.
Seek help from God, and through Him pursue His pleasure in all your affairs. Desire no one but God through your deeds. If you do this and direct yourself toward God, mighty and majestic, He will guide you, God willing, grant you success, and keep you away from what He dislikes. There is no power and no strength except through God, the Most High, the Magnificent.
No comments:
Post a Comment