Qut al Quloob Chapter 32 c by Abu Ṭalib al-Makki

قُوتُ الْقُلُوبِ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ الْمَحْبُوبِ وَوَصْفِ طَرِيقِ الْمُرِيدِ إِلَى مَقَامِ التَّوْحِيدِ

Qūtu al-qulūbi fī muʿāmalati al-maḥbūbi wa-waṣfi ṭarīqi al-murīdi ʾilā maqāmi al-tawḥīdi

Nourishment for Hearts in Dealings with the Beloved and a Description of the Seeker’s Path to the Station of Divine Oneness

Chapter 32 · Stations 8–9

مَقَامَاتُ الْيَقِينِ: الرِّضَا وَالْمَحَبَّةُ

Maqāmātu al-yaqīni: al-riḍā wa-al-maḥabbatu

Stations of Certainty: Contentment and Love

أَبُو طَالِبٍ الْمَكِّيُّ

Abu Ṭalib al-Makki

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٦٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 63

Volume Two, page 63

ذِكْرُ أَحْكَامِ مَقَامِ الرِّضَا

dhikru ʾaḥkāmi maqāmi al-riḍā

An account of the principles governing the station of contentment

الرِّضَا عَنِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى مِنْ أَعْلَى مَقَامَاتِ الْيَقِينِ بِاللَّهِ، وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: (هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ) الرَّحْمَنُ: 60، فَمَنْ أَحْسَنَ الرِّضَا عَنِ اللَّهِ جَازَاهُ اللَّهُ بِالرِّضَا عَنْهُ، فَقَابَلَ الرِّضَا بِالرِّضَا، وَهَذَا غَايَةُ الْجَزَاءِ وَنِهَايَةُ الْعَطَاءِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ) التَّوْبَةُ: 100.

al-riḍā ʿani Allāhi subḥānahu wataʿālā min ʾaʿlā maqāmāti al-yaqīni bi-Allāhi, waqad qāla taʿālā: (hal jazāʾu al-ʾiḥsāni ʾillā al-ʾiḥsānu) al-raḥmānu: 60, faman ʾaḥsana al-riḍā ʿani Allāhi jāzāhu Allāhu bi-al-riḍā ʿanhu, faqābala al-riḍā bi-al-riḍā, wa-hādhā ghāyatu al-jazāʾi wanihāyatu al-ʿaṭāʾi, wahuwa qawluhu ʿazza wajalla: (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum waraḍū ʿanhu) al-tawbatu: 100.

Contentment with God, glorified and exalted is He, is among the highest stations of certainty in God. The Exalted has said, “Is the recompense of doing good anything but good?” (al-Raḥmān 55:60). Whoever excels in being content with God, God rewards by being pleased with him: He answers contentment with pleasure. This is the utmost recompense and the highest gift. It is His saying, mighty and majestic is He: “God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him” (al-Tawba 9:100).

وَقَدْ رَفَعَ اللَّهُ الرِّضَا عَلَى جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ، وَهِيَ مِنْ أَعْلَى الْجَنَّاتِ، كَمَا فَضَّلَ الذِّكْرَ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ) التَّوْبَةُ: 27، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: (إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ) الْعَنْكَبُوتُ: 45. وَالذِّكْرُ عِنْدَ الذَّاكِرِينَ الْمُشَاهَدَةُ، فَمُشَاهَدَةُ الْمَذْكُورِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ، وَهُوَ أَحَدُ الْوَجْهَيْنِ مِنَ الْآيَةِ.

waqad rafaʿa Allāhu al-riḍā ʿalā jannāti ʿadnin, wahiya min ʾaʿlā al-jannāti, kamā faḍḍala al-dhikra ʿalā al-ṣalāti faqāla taʿālā: (wamasākina ṭayyibatan fī jannāti ʿadnin wariḍwānun mina Allāhi ʾakbaru) al-tawbatu: 27, kamā qāla taʿālā: (ʾinna al-ṣalāta tanhā ʿani al-faḥshāʾi wa-al-munkari waladhikru Allāhi ʾakbaru) al-ʿankabūtu: 45. wa-al-dhikru ʿinda al-dhākirīna al-mushāhadatu, famushāhadatu al-madhkūri fī al-ṣalāti ʾakbaru mina al-ṣalāti, wahuwa ʾaḥadu al-wajhayni mina al-ʾāyati.

God has set His pleasure above the Gardens of Eden, which are among the highest gardens, just as He has preferred remembrance to prayer. The Exalted said, “And pleasant dwellings in Gardens of Eden; yet pleasure from God is greater” (al-Tawba, 27). Likewise, the Exalted said, “Prayer restrains indecency and wrongdoing, but the remembrance of God is greater” (al-ʿAnkabūt 29:45). For those who remember, remembrance is contemplation: contemplating the One remembered during prayer is greater than prayer. This is one of the verse’s two interpretations.

وَالْوَجْهُ الثَّانِي ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ لِلْعَبْدِ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ ذِكْرِ الْعَبْدِ لِلَّهِ. وَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ السَّاجِي: مِنْ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ عِبَادٌ يَسْتَحْيُونَ مِنَ الصَّبْرِ يَتَلَقَّفُونَ مَوَاقِعَ أَقْدَارِهِ بِالرِّضَا تَلَقُّفًا، وَقَدْ كَانَ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ يَقُولُ: أَصْبَحْتُ وَمَا لِي سُرُورٌ إِلَّا فِي مَوَاقِعِ الْقَضَاءِ. فَالرَّاضُونَ عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هُمُ الذَّاكِرُونَ لِلَّهِ بِمَا يُحِبُّ وَيَرْضَى، فَالرِّضْوَانُ الْأَكْبَرُ جَزَاءُ أَهْلِ الذِّكْرِ الْأَكْبَرِ.

wa-al-wajhu al-thānī dhikru Allāhi li-l-ʿabdi ʾakbaru min dhikri al-ʿabdi li-llāhi. waqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi al-sājī: min khalqi Allāhi ʿibādun yastaḥyūna mina al-ṣabri yatalaqqafūna mawāqiʿa ʾaqdārihi bi-al-riḍā talaqqufan, waqad kāna ʿumaru bnu ʿabdi al-ʿazīzi yaqūlu: ʾaṣbaḥtu wamā lī surūrun ʾillā fī mawāqiʿi al-qaḍāʾi. fa-al-rāḍūna ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wajalla humu al-dhākirūna li-llāhi bimā yuḥibbu wayarḍā, fa-al-riḍwānu al-ʾakbaru jazāʾu ʾahli al-dhikri al-ʾakbari.

The second interpretation is that God’s remembrance of the servant is greater than the servant’s remembrance of God. Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Sājī said, “Among God’s creatures are servants ashamed merely to endure patiently: they eagerly receive the occurrences of His decrees with contentment.” ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz used to say, “I awaken with no joy except in the occurrences of the decree.” Those content with God, mighty and majestic is He, are those who remember God in ways He loves and approves. The greater divine pleasure is therefore the recompense of those devoted to the greater remembrance.

وَهَذَا أَحَدُ الْمَعَانِي فِي قَوْلِهِ: مَنْ شَغَلَهُ ذِكْرِي عَنْ مَسْأَلَتِي أَعْطَيْتُهُ أَفْضَلَ مَا أُعْطِي السَّائِلِينَ؛ أَيِْ الرِّضَا عَنْهُ، لِأَنَّ السَّائِلِينَ يَسْأَلُونَهُ لَهُمْ فَأَعْطَاهُمُ الْعَفْوَ، وَالذَّاكِرُونَ ذَكَرُوهُ فَأَعْطَاهُمُ الرِّضَا عَنْهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيَكُونُ أَيْضًا مَعْنَاهُ: أَعْطَيْتُهُ النَّظَرَ إِلَيَّ لِأَنَّ الذِّكْرَ يَدْخُلُ فِي الْمُشَاهَدَةِ، فَقَابَلَ النَّظَرَ إِلَيْهِ الْيَوْمَ بِالنَّظَرِ إِلَيْهِ غَدًا كَمَا قَابَلَ الْوَصْفَ بِالْوَصْفِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُسْفِرَةٌ) (ضَاحِكَةٌ مُسْتَبْشِرَةٌ) عَبَسَ: 38–39.

wa-hādhā ʾaḥadu al-maʿānī fī qawlihi: man shaghalahu dhikrī ʿan masʾalatī ʾaʿṭaytuhu ʾafḍala mā ʾuʿṭī al-sāʾilīna; ʾayi al-riḍā ʿanhu, liʾanna al-sāʾilīna yasʾalūnahu lahum faʾaʿṭāhumu al-ʿafwa, wa-al-dhākirūna dhakarūhu faʾaʿṭāhumu al-riḍā ʿanhu ʿazza wajalla, wayakūnu ʾayḍan maʿnāhu: ʾaʿṭaytuhu al-naẓara ʾilayya liʾanna al-dhikra yadkhulu fī al-mushāhadati, faqābala al-naẓara ʾilayhi al-yawma bi-al-naẓari ʾilayhi ghadan kamā qābala al-waṣfa bi-al-waṣfi fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: (wujūhun yawmaʾidhin musfiratun) (ḍāḥikatun mustabshiratun) ʿabasa: 38–39.

This is one meaning of His saying, “Whoever is so occupied with remembering Me that he does not ask Me, I give him better than what I give those who ask”: namely, being pleased with him. Those who ask petition Him for themselves, so He grants them pardon; those who remember have remembered Him, so He grants them contentment with Him, mighty and majestic is He. It can also mean, “I grant him the vision of Me,” since remembrance enters into contemplation. He thus answers looking toward Him today with looking upon Him tomorrow, just as He answers one description with another in His saying, mighty and majestic is He: “Faces on that day will be radiant, laughing and rejoicing” (ʿAbasa 80:38–39).

وَقَالَ الرَّسُولُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: يَتَجَلَّى لَنَا رَبُّنَا ضَاحِكًا، وَالذِّكْرُ قُرْبُ السَّمْعِ. وَالسَّمْعُ يَخْرُجُ إِلَى النَّظَرِ، وَالرِّضَا هُوَ حَالُ الْمُوَفَّقِ، وَالْيَقِينُ هُوَ حَقِيقَةُ الْإِيمَانِ، وَإِلَى هَذَا نَدَبَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فِي وَصِيَّتِهِ لَهُ فَقَالَ: اِعْمَلْ لِلَّهِ بِالْيَقِينِ فِي الرِّضَا، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فَإِنَّ فِي الصَّبْرِ عَلَى مَا تَكْرَهُ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا، فَرَفَعَهُ إِلَى أَعْلَى الْمَقَامَاتِ ثُمَّ رَدَّهُ إِلَى أَوْسَطِهَا.

waqāla al-rasūlu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: yatajallā lanā rabbunā ḍāḥikan, wa-al-dhikru qurbu al-samʿi. wa-al-samʿu yakhruju ʾilā al-naẓari, wa-al-riḍā huwa ḥālu al-muwaffaqi, wa-al-yaqīnu huwa ḥaqīqatu al-ʾīmāni, waʾilā hādhā nadaba al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ibna ʿabbāsin fī waṣiyyatihi lahu faqāla: iʿmal li-llāhi bi-al-yaqīni fī al-riḍā, faʾin lam yakun faʾinna fī al-ṣabri ʿalā mā takrahu khayran kathīran, farafaʿahu ʾilā ʾaʿlā al-maqāmāti thumma raddahu ʾilā ʾawsaṭihā.

The Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Our Lord manifests Himself to us laughing.” Remembrance is proximity through hearing, and hearing leads out to seeing. Contentment is the state of one granted success, and certainty is the reality of faith. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, encouraged Ibn ʿAbbās toward this in his counsel to him: “Act for God with certainty in contentment; if that is not possible, there is much good in patiently enduring what you dislike.” He raised him to the highest stations, then brought him back to the middle of them.

كَذَلِكَ قَالَ لِابْنِ عَمْرٍو: اُعْبُدِ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ، فَنَدَبَ إِلَى الْمُشَاهَدَةِ وَهُوَ الْإِحْسَانُ لِأَنَّهُ سَأَلَ: مَا الْإِحْسَانُ؟ قَالَ: تَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، ثُمَّ رَدَّهُ إِلَى الصَّبْرِ وَالْمُجَاهَدَةِ وَهُوَ الْإِيمَانُ، وَهَذَا مَكَانُ الْعِلْمِ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَرَاهُ، وَلَيْسَ بَعْدَ هَذَا مَكَانٌ يُوصَفُ، وَقَدْ رَفَعَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الرِّضَا مِنْهُ فَوْقَ مَا أُعْطِيَ مِنَ النَّظَرِ، فَفِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَتَجَلَّى لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَيَقُولُ: سَلُونِي، فَيَقُولُونَ: رِضَاكَ، فَسُؤَالُهُمُ الرِّضَا بَعْدَ النَّظَرِ تَفْضِيلٌ

kadhālika qāla li-bni ʿamrin: uʿbudi Allāha kaʾannaka tarāhu, faʾin lam takun tarāhu faʾinnahu yarāka, fanadaba ʾilā al-mushāhadati wahuwa al-ʾiḥsānu liʾannahu saʾala: mā al-ʾiḥsānu? qāla: taʿbudu Allāha kaʾannaka tarāhu, thumma raddahu ʾilā al-ṣabri wa-al-mujāhadati wahuwa al-ʾīmānu, wa-hādhā makānu al-ʿilmi biʾanna Allāha yarāhu, walaysa baʿda hādhā makānun yūṣafu, waqad rafaʿa Allāhu taʿālā al-riḍā minhu fawqa mā ʾuʿṭiya mina al-naẓari, fafī al-khabari ʾanna Allāha taʿālā yatajallā li-l-muʾminīna fayaqūlu: salūnī, fayaqūlūna: riḍāka, fasuʾāluhumu al-riḍā baʿda al-naẓari tafḍīlun

Likewise, he told Ibn ʿAmr, “Worship God as though you see Him; if you do not see Him, He sees you.” He thus urged contemplation, which is excellence: when he asked, “What is excellence?” he answered, “You worship God as though you see Him.” Then he brought him back to patience and striving, which is faith. This is the position of knowing that God sees him; beyond this there is no position to describe. God Most High has placed His pleasure above the vision He grants. A report states that God Most High manifests Himself to the believers and says, “Ask Me,” and they answer, “Your pleasure.” Their asking for His pleasure after the vision accords

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٦٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 64

Volume Two, page 64

عَظِيمٌ لِلرِّضَا، وَلِأَنَّ بِالرِّضَا دَامَ لَهُمُ النَّظَرُ لَمَّا كَانَ الرِّضَا مُوجِبَ النَّظَرِ، سَأَلُوا دَوَامَ الرِّضَا لِيَدُومَ الْقُرْبُ وَالنَّظَرُ، فَسَأَلُوهُ تَمَامَ النِّعْمَةِ مِنْ حَيْثُ بِدَايَتُهَا، وَلَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَظْهَرَ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِمْ: رِضَاكَ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ هَذَا، وَلَا يُرْسَمُ فِي كِتَابٍ حَقِيقَةُ الْأَمْرِ لِأَنَّهُ عَلَى كَشْفِ وَصْفٍ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الذَّاتِ، يُوجِبُ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ هَيْبَةَ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ، وَخَوْفُ هَذَا عَنِ الْقُلُوبِ مَحْجُوبٌ وَحِكْمَةٌ مِنْ سَرَائِرِ الْغُيُوبِ.

ʿaẓīmun li-l-riḍā, waliʾanna bi-al-riḍā dāma lahumu al-naẓaru lammā kāna al-riḍā mūjiba al-naẓari, saʾalū dawāma al-riḍā liyadūma al-qurbu wa-al-naẓaru, fasaʾalūhu tamāma al-niʿmati min ḥaythu bidāyatuhā, walā yaṣluḥu ʾan yaẓhara fī maʿnā qawlihim: riḍāka ʾakbaru min hādhā, walā yursamu fī kitābin ḥaqīqatu al-ʾamri liʾannahu ʿalā kashfi waṣfin min ṣifāti al-dhāti, yūjibu ʿalā al-ʿabdi haybata al-rubūbiyyati, wakhawfu hādhā ʿani al-qulūbi maḥjūbun waḥikmatun min sarāʾiri al-ghuyūbi.

great precedence to divine pleasure. Because the vision lasts for them through that pleasure, and pleasure brings about the vision, they ask for lasting pleasure so that nearness and vision will last. They ask Him for the consummation of the blessing at its very source. No greater meaning of their words “Your pleasure” can appropriately be disclosed than this, nor can the reality of the matter be set down in a book. It involves uncovering a description among the attributes of the Essence, which imposes upon the servant awe before lordship. The fear of this is veiled from hearts, and it is wisdom among the hidden secrets of the unseen.

وَهَذَا فِي الدُّنْيَا ثَوَابٌ لِأَهْلِ الْخَشْيَةِ عَنْ مَعْرِفَةٍ خَاصِّيَّةٍ، قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ: (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ رَبَّهُ) الْبَيِّنَةُ: 8، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيدٌ) ق: 35، قَالَ: يَأْتِي أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ فِي وَقْتِ الْمَزِيدِ ثَلَاثُ تُحَفٍ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ: أَحَدُهَا هَدِيَّةٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُمْ فِي الْجِنَانِ مِثْلُهَا، وَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: (فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ) السَّجْدَةُ: 17.

wa-hādhā fī al-dunyā thawābun liʾahli al-khashyati ʿan maʿrifatin khāṣṣiyyatin, qāla Allāhu subḥānahu: (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum waraḍū ʿanhu dhālika liman khashiya rabbahu) al-bayyinatu: 8, waqāla baʿḍu al-mufassirīna fī qawlihi taʿālā: (waladaynā mazīdun) Qāf: 35, qāla: yaʾtī ʾahla al-jannati fī waqti al-mazīdi thalāthu tuḥafin min ʿindi rabbi al-ʿālamīna: ʾaḥaduhā hadiyyatun min ʿindi Allāhi laysa ʿindahum fī al-jināni mithluhā, wa-dhālika qawluhu taʿālā: (falā taʿlamu nafsun mā ʾukhfiya lahum min qurrati ʾaʿyunin) al-sajdatu: 17.

In this world, this is a reward for those whose reverent fear arises from a distinctive knowledge. God, glorified is He, said, “God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him; that is for whoever fears his Lord” (al-Bayyina 98:8). One commentator explained His exalted saying, “And with Us there is more” (Qāf 50:35), as follows: “At the time of the increase, three precious gifts come to the people of Paradise from the Lord of all worlds. The first is a gift from God unlike anything they possess in the gardens.” This is His exalted saying, “No soul knows what delight of the eyes has been hidden for them” (al-Sajda 32:17).

وَالثَّانِيَةُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ فَيَزِيدُ ذَلِكَ عَلَى الْهِدَايَةِ، فَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: (سَلَامٌ قَوْلًا مِنْ رَبٍّ رَحِيمٍ) يس: 58، وَالثَّالِثَةُ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِنِّي عَنْكُمْ رَاضٍ فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ أَفْضَلَ مِنَ الْهَدِيَّةِ وَمِنَ التَّسْلِيمِ، فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: (وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ) التَّوْبَةُ: 72، مِنَ النَّعِيمِ الَّذِي هُمْ فِيهِ. وَرُوِيَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لِطَائِفَةٍ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ: مَا أَنْتُمْ؟ قَالُوا نَحْنُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ.

wa-al-thāniyatu al-salāmu ʿalayhim min rabbihim fayazīdu dhālika ʿalā al-hidāyati, fahuwa qawluhu taʿālā: (salāmun qawlan min rabbin raḥīmin) Yā Sīn: 58, wa-al-thālithatu yaqūlu Allāhu taʿālā ʾinnī ʿankum rāḍin fayakūnu dhālika ʾafḍala mina al-hadiyyati wamina al-taslīmi, fa-dhālika qawluhu taʿālā: (wariḍwānun mina Allāhi ʾakbaru) al-tawbatu: 72, mina al-naʿīmi alladhī hum fīhi. waruwiya ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla liṭāʾifatin mina al-muʾminīna: mā ʾantum? qālū naḥnu al-muʾminūna.

“The second is a greeting of peace from their Lord, which exceeds the guidance.” This is His exalted saying, “Peace, a word from a merciful Lord” (Yā Sīn 36:58). “The third is that God Most High says, ‘I am pleased with you.’ This is better than either the gift or the greeting.” Thus His exalted saying, “And pleasure from God is greater” (al-Tawba 9:72), means greater than the bliss they enjoy. It is related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, asked a group of believers, “What are you?” They answered, “We are the believers.”

فَقَالَ: مَا عَلَامَةُ إِيمَانِكُمْ؟ قَالُوا: نَصْبِرُ عِنْدَ الْبَلَاءِ وَنَشْكُرُ عِنْدَ الرِّضَا وَنَرْضَى بِمَوَاقِعِ الْقَضَاءِ، فَقَالَ: مُؤْمِنُونَ وَرَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ، وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: حُلَمَاءُ عُلَمَاءُ كَادُوا مِنْ فِقْهِهِمْ أَنْ يَكُونُوا أَنْبِيَاءَ، فَشَهِدَ لَهُمْ بِالْإِيمَانِ بَعْدَ وَصْفِ الرِّضَا، وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلَ لُقْمَانُ الْحَكِيمُ الرِّضَا مِنْ شَرْطِ الْإِيمَانِ لَا يَصْلُحُ إِلَّا بِهِ، فَقَالَ فِي وَصِيَّتِهِ: لِلْإِيمَانِ أَرْبَعَةُ أَرْكَانٍ لَا يَصْلُحُ إِلَّا بِهِنَّ، كَمَا لَا يَصْلُحُ الْجَسَدُ إِلَّا بِالْيَدَيْنِ وَالرِّجْلَيْنِ: ذَكَرَ مِنْهَا الرِّضَا بِقَدَرِ اللَّهِ.

faqāla: mā ʿalāmatu ʾīmānikum? qālū: naṣbiru ʿinda al-balāʾi wanashkuru ʿinda al-riḍā wanarḍā bimawāqiʿi al-qaḍāʾi, faqāla: muʾminūna warabbi al-kaʿbati, wafī khabarin ʾākhara ʾannahu qāla: ḥulamāʾu ʿulamāʾu kādū min fiqhihim ʾan yakūnū ʾanbiyāʾa, fashahida lahum bi-al-ʾīmāni baʿda waṣfi al-riḍā, wa-kadhālika jaʿala luqmānu al-ḥakīmu al-riḍā min sharṭi al-ʾīmāni lā yaṣluḥu ʾillā bihi, faqāla fī waṣiyyatihi: li-l-ʾīmāni ʾarbaʿatu ʾarkānin lā yaṣluḥu ʾillā bihinna, kamā lā yaṣluḥu al-jasadu ʾillā bi-al-yadayni wa-al-rijlayni: dhakara minhā al-riḍā biqadari Allāhi.

He asked, “What is the sign of your faith?” They replied, “We are patient under trial, grateful when content, and content with the occurrences of the decree.” He said, “Believers, by the Lord of the Kaʿba!” Another report has him say, “Forbearing and learned people, whose understanding has almost made them prophets.” He attested to their faith after their description of contentment. Likewise, Luqmān the Wise made contentment a condition without which faith cannot be sound. He said in his counsel, “Faith has four pillars without which it cannot be sound, just as the body cannot be sound without its two hands and two feet.” Among them he mentioned contentment with God’s decree.

وَحَدَّثُونَا فِي الْإِسْرَائِيلِيَّاتِ أَنَّ عَابِدًا عَبَدَ اللَّهَ دَهْرًا طَوِيلًا، فَرَأَى فِي الْمَنَامِ: فُلَانَةُ الرَّاعِيَةُ رَفِيقَتُكَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، فَسَأَلَ عَنْهَا إِلَى أَنْ وَجَدَهَا، فَاسْتَضَافَهَا ثَلَاثًا لِيَنْظُرَ إِلَى عَمَلِهَا فَكَانَ يَبِيتُ قَائِمًا وَتَبِيتُ نَائِمَةً، وَيَظَلُّ صَائِمًا وَتَظَلُّ مُفْطِرَةً، فَقَالَ: أَمَا لَكِ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ مَا رَأَيْتُ؟ قَالَتْ: مَا هُوَ وَاللَّهِ إِلَّا مَا رَأَيْتَ، لَا أَعْرِفُ غَيْرَهُ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَقُولُ: تَذَكَّرِي حَتَّى قَالَتْ: خَصِيلَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ هِيَ فِيَّ.

waḥaddathūnā fī al-ʾisrāʾīliyyāti ʾanna ʿābidan ʿabada Allāha dahran ṭawīlan, faraʾā fī al-manāmi: fulānatu al-rāʿiyatu rafīqatuka fī al-jannati, fasaʾala ʿanhā ʾilā ʾan wajadahā, fa-staḍāfahā thalāthan liyanẓura ʾilā ʿamalihā fakāna yabītu qāʾiman watabītu nāʾimatan, wayaẓallu ṣāʾiman wataẓallu mufṭiratan, faqāla: ʾamā laki ʿamalun ghayru mā raʾaytu? qālat: mā huwa wa-Allāhi ʾillā mā raʾayta, lā ʾaʿrifu ghayrahu, falam yazal yaqūlu: tadhakkarī ḥattā qālat: khaṣīlatun wāḥidatun hiya fiyya.

They related to us among the Israelite traditions that a worshipper who had worshipped God for a long time saw in a dream, “Such-and-such a shepherdess is your companion in Paradise.” He inquired about her until he found her, then asked to stay with her for three nights to observe her practice. He would spend the night standing in prayer while she slept, and pass the day fasting while she did not fast. He asked, “Do you have any practice besides what I have seen?” She replied, “By God, it is only what you have seen; I know no other.” He kept saying, “Think back,” until she said, “There is one little quality I possess.”

إِنْ كُنْتُ فِي شِدَّةٍ لَمْ أَتَمَنَّ فِي رَخَاءٍ، وَإِنْ كُنْتُ فِي مَرَضٍ لَمْ أَتَمَنَّ أَنِّي فِي صِحَّةٍ، وَإِنْ كُنْتُ فِي الشَّمْسِ لَمْ أَتَمَنَّ أَنِّي فِي الظِّلِّ. قَالَ: فَوَضَعَ الْعَابِدُ يَدَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ فَقَالَ: أَهَذِهِ خَصِيلَةٌ؟ هَذِهِ وَاللَّهِ خَصْلَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ يَعْجِزُ عَنْهَا الْعَبْدُ.

ʾin kuntu fī shiddatin lam ʾatamanna fī rakhāʾin, waʾin kuntu fī maraḍin lam ʾatamanna ʾannī fī ṣiḥḥatin, waʾin kuntu fī al-shamsi lam ʾatamanna ʾannī fī al-ẓilli. qāla: fawaḍaʿa al-ʿābidu yadahu ʿalā raʾsihi faqāla: ʾa-hādhihi khaṣīlatun? hādhihi wa-Allāhi khaṣlatun ʿaẓīmatun yaʿjizu ʿanhā al-ʿabdu.

“If I am in hardship, I do not wish to be in ease; if ill, I do not wish to be healthy; if in the sun, I do not wish to be in the shade.” The worshipper put his hand on his head and said, “Is this a little quality? By God, this is an immense virtue beyond the servant’s capacity.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ: مَنْ رَضِيَ بِمَا يَنْزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ غُفِرَ لَهُ، وَقَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ: ذِرْوَةُ الْإِيمَانِ الصَّبْرُ لِلْحُكْمِ وَالرِّضَا بِالْقَدَرِ. وَرُوِيَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حُوَيْطِبٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا أُعْطِيَ الْعَبْدُ الرِّضَا بِمَا قَسَمَ

waqad rawaynā ʿani ibni masʿūdin: man raḍiya bimā yanzilu mina al-samāʾi ʾilā al-ʾarḍi ghufira lahu, waqāla ʾabū al-dardāʾi: dhirwatu al-ʾīmāni al-ṣabru li-l-ḥukmi wa-al-riḍā bi-al-qadari. waruwiya ʿan muḥammadi bni ḥuwayṭibin ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: min khayri mā ʾuʿṭiya al-ʿabdu al-riḍā bimā qasama

We have related from Ibn Masʿūd, “Whoever is content with what descends from heaven to earth is forgiven.” Abū al-Dardāʾ said, “The summit of faith is patience under the judgment and contentment with the decree.” It is related from Muḥammad ibn Ḥuwayṭib, from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Among the best things a servant is granted is contentment with what

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٦٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 65

Volume Two, page 65

اللَّهُ لَهُ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ: طُوبَى لِمَنْ هُدِيَ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ وَكَانَ رِزْقُهُ كَفَافًا وَرَضِيَ بِهِ، وَفِي مِثْلِهِ أَيْضًا مَنْ رَضِيَ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِالْقَلِيلِ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ بِالْقَلِيلِ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَدِيثًا: مِنْ طُرُقِ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ إِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا اِبْتَلَاهُ، فَإِنْ صَبَرَ اِجْتَبَاهُ وَإِنْ رَضِيَ اِصْطَفَاهُ.

Allāhu lahu, wafī al-khabari al-mashhūri: ṭūbā liman hudiya ʾilā al-ʾislāmi wakāna rizquhu kafāfan waraḍiya bihi, wafī mithlihi ʾayḍan man raḍiya mina Allāhi ʿazza wajalla bi-al-qalīli mina al-rizqi raḍiya Allāhu minhu bi-al-qalīli mina al-ʿamali, waqad rawaynā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ḥadīthan: min ṭuruqi ʾahli al-bayti ʾidhā ʾaḥabba Allāhu ʿabdan ibtalāhu, faʾin ṣabara ijtabāhu waʾin raḍiya iṣṭafāhu.

God has allotted him.” The well-known report says, “Blessed is whoever is guided to Islam, whose provision is sufficient, and who is content with it.” Another report of the same kind says, “Whoever is content with little provision from God, mighty and majestic is He, God is content with little action from him.” We have also related from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, a tradition transmitted through the People of the Household: “When God loves a servant, He tests him; if he is patient, He chooses him, and if he is content, He elects him.”

فَالرِّضَا عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالرَّحْمَةُ لِلْخَلْقِ وَسَلَامَةُ الْقَلْبِ وَالنَّصِيحَةُ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ وَسَخَاوَةُ النَّفْسِ مَقَامُ الْأَبْدَالِ مِنَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي أَخْبَارِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ قَالُوا: سَلْ رَبَّكَ أَمْرًا إِذَا فَعَلْنَاهُ يَرْضَى بِهِ عَنَّا، قَالَ مُوسَى: إِلَهِي قَدْ سَمِعْتَ مَا يَقُولُونَ، فَقَالَ: يَا مُوسَى قُلْ لَهُمْ يَرْضَوْنَ عَنِّي حَتَّى أَرْضَى عَنْهُمْ.

fa-al-riḍā ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wa-al-raḥmatu li-l-khalqi wasalāmatu al-qalbi wa-al-naṣīḥatu li-l-muslimīna wasakhāwatu al-nafsi maqāmu al-ʾabdāli mina al-ṣiddīqīna, waqad rawaynā fī ʾakhbāri mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾanna banī ʾisrāʾīla qālū: sal rabbaka ʾamran ʾidhā faʿalnāhu yarḍā bihi ʿannā, qāla mūsā: ʾilāhī qad samiʿta mā yaqūlūna, faqāla: yā mūsā qul lahum yarḍawna ʿannī ḥattā ʾarḍā ʿanhum.

Contentment with God, mighty and majestic is He, mercy toward creatures, soundness of heart, sincere concern for Muslims, and generosity of soul constitute the station of the abdāl among the utterly truthful. We have related in accounts of Moses, peace be upon him, that the Children of Israel said, “Ask your Lord for something we can do that will make Him pleased with us.” Moses said, “My God, You have heard what they say.” He answered, “Moses, tell them to be content with Me, so that I may be pleased with them.”

وَيَشْهَدُ لِهَذَا الْخَبَرُ الْمَرْوِيُّ عَنْ نَبِيِّنَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ مَا لَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ مَا لِلَّهِ عِنْدَهُ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُنْزِلُ الْعَبْدَ مِنْهُ بِحَيْثُ أَنْزَلَهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا حَدِيثًا حَسَنًا كَالْمُسْنَدِ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ الْبُنَانِيِّ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ: إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنْبَتَ اللَّهُ لِطَائِفَةٍ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أَجْنِحَةً فَيَطِيرُونَ مِنْ قُبُورِهِمْ إِلَى الْجِنَانِ، يَسْرَحُونَ فِيهَا وَيَتَنَعَّمُونَ كَيْفَ شَاؤُوا.

wayashhadu li-hādhā al-khabaru al-marwiyyu ʿan nabiyyinā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man ʾaḥabba ʾan yaʿlama mā lahu ʿinda Allāhi falyanẓur mā li-llāhi ʿindahu, faʾinna Allāha yunzilu al-ʿabda minhu biḥaythu ʾanzalahu min nafsihi, waqad rawaynā ḥadīthan ḥasanan ka-al-musnadi ʿan ḥammādi bni salamata ʿan thābitin al-bunāniyyi ʿan ʾanasi bni mālikin: ʾidhā kāna yawmu al-qiyāmati ʾanbata Allāhu liṭāʾifatin min ʾummatī ʾajniḥatan fayaṭīrūna min qubūrihim ʾilā al-jināni, yasraḥūna fīhā wayatanaʿʿamūna kayfa shāʾū.

This is supported by the report related from our Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Whoever wishes to know his standing with God should consider God’s standing with him, for God places the servant in relation to Himself where the servant has placed Him within his own self.” We have related a fine tradition, as though explicitly traced to the Prophet, from Ḥammād ibn Salama, from Thābit al-Bunānī, from Anas ibn Mālik: “When the Day of Resurrection comes, God will cause wings to grow for a group of my community, and they will fly from their graves to the gardens, roaming there and enjoying bliss as they wish.”

قَالَ: فَتَقُولُ لَهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ: هَلْ رَأَيْتُمُ الْحِسَابَ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: مَا رَأَيْنَا حِسَابًا. فَيَقُولُونَ: هَلْ جُزْتُمُ الصِّرَاطَ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: مَا رَأَيْنَا الصِّرَاطَ. فَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ: رَأَيْتُمْ جَهَنَّمَ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: مَا رَأَيْنَا شَيْئًا. فَتَقُولُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ: مِنْ أُمَّةِ مَنْ أَنْتُمْ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ مِنْ أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. فَيَقُولُونَ: نَشَدْنَاكُمُ اللَّهَ، حَدِّثُونَا مَا كَانَتْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا. فَيَقُولُونَ: خَصْلَتَانِ كَانَتَا فِينَا فَبَلَّغَنَا اللَّهُ هَذِهِ الْمَنْزِلَةَ بِفَضْلِ رَحْمَتِهِ.

qāla: fataqūlu lahumu al-malāʾikatu: hal raʾaytumu al-ḥisāba? fayaqūlūna: mā raʾaynā ḥisāban. fayaqūlūna: hal juztumu al-ṣirāṭa? fayaqūlūna: mā raʾaynā al-ṣirāṭa. fayuqālu lahum: raʾaytum jahannama? fayaqūlūna: mā raʾaynā shayʾan. fataqūlu al-malāʾikatu: min ʾummati man ʾantum? fayaqūlūna min ʾummati muḥammadin ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama. fayaqūlūna: nashadnākumu Allāha, ḥaddithūnā mā kānat ʾaʿmālukum fī al-dunyā. fayaqūlūna: khaṣlatāni kānatā fīnā faballaghanā Allāhu hādhihi al-manzilata bifaḍli raḥmatihi.

He continued: “The angels will ask them, ‘Have you seen the reckoning?’ They will reply, ‘We have seen no reckoning.’ They will ask, ‘Have you crossed the bridge?’ They will reply, ‘We have not seen the bridge.’ They will be asked, ‘Have you seen Hell?’ They will reply, ‘We have seen nothing.’ The angels will ask, ‘Whose community do you belong to?’ They will answer, ‘The community of Muḥammad, may God bless him and grant him peace.’ They will say, ‘We adjure you by God: tell us what you used to do in this world.’ They will answer, ‘We possessed two qualities, and God brought us to this rank through His abundant mercy.’”

فَيَقُولُونَ: وَمَا هُمَا؟ فَيَقُولُونَ كُنَّا إِذَا خَلَوْنَا نَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ نَعْصِيَهُ وَنَرْضَى بِالْيَسِيرِ مِمَّا قَسَمَ اللَّهُ لَنَا، فَتَقُولُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ: يَحِقُّ لَكُمْ هَذَا. هَكَذَا كَانَ فِي كِتَابِ شَيْخِنَا عَنْ أَنَسٍ، وَقَالَ فِيهِ لِطَائِفَةٍ مِنْ أُمَّتِي فَفِيهِ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى الْمُسْنَدِ، وَقَدْ جَاءَ الْأَثَرُ: مَنْ رَضِيَ مِنَ اللَّهِ بِالْقَلِيلِ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ بِالْقَلِيلِ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ.

fayaqūlūna: wamā humā? fayaqūlūna kunnā ʾidhā khalawnā nastaḥyī ʾan naʿṣiyahu wanarḍā bi-al-yasīri mimmā qasama Allāhu lanā, fataqūlu al-malāʾikatu: yaḥiqqu lakum hādhā. hākadhā kāna fī kitābi shaykhinā ʿan ʾanasin, waqāla fīhi liṭāʾifatin min ʾummatī fafīhi dalīlun ʿalā al-musnadi, waqad jāʾa al-ʾatharu: man raḍiya mina Allāhi bi-al-qalīli mina al-rizqi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu bi-al-qalīli mina al-ʿamali.

“They will ask, ‘What were they?’ They will reply, ‘When alone, we were ashamed to disobey Him, and we were content with the little God allotted us.’ The angels will say, ‘This is rightfully yours.’” This is how it stood in our teacher’s book, from Anas. The words “for a group of my community” indicate that it is traced to the Prophet. A transmitted saying likewise states, “Whoever is content with little provision from God, God is pleased with him for little action.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ عُلَمَائِنَا: أَعْرِفُ فِي الْمَوْتَى عَالَمًا يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى مَنَازِلِهِمْ مِنَ الْجِنَانِ، فِي قُبُورِهِمْ يُغْدَى عَلَيْهِمْ وَيُرَاحُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا، وَهُمْ فِي غُمُومٍ وَكُرُوبٍ فِي الْبَرْزَخِ، لَوْ قُسِمَتْ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ لَمَاتُوا أَجْمَعِينَ، قِيلَ: وَمَا كَانَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ؟ قَالَ: كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمُ التَّوَكُّلُ وَلَا مِنَ الرِّضَا نَصِيبٌ، وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي فَرْضِ الرِّضَا قَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَعْطُوا اللَّهَ الرِّضَا مِنْ قُلُوبِكُمْ تَظْفَرُوا بِثَوَابِ فَقْرِكُمْ، وَإِلَّا فَلَا.

waqāla baʿḍu ʿulamāʾinā: ʾaʿrifu fī al-mawtā ʿālaman yanẓurūna ʾilā manāzilihim mina al-jināni, fī qubūrihim yughdā ʿalayhim wayurāḥu mina al-jannati bukratan waʿashiyyan, wahum fī ghumūmin wakurūbin fī al-barzakhi, law qusimat ʿalā ʾahli al-baṣrati lamātū ʾajmaʿīna, qīla: wamā kānat ʾaʿmāluhum? qāla: kānū muslimīna, ʾillā ʾannahum lam yakun lahumu al-tawakkulu walā mina al-riḍā naṣībun, waqad jāʾa fī farḍi al-riḍā qawlu al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾaʿṭū Allāha al-riḍā min qulūbikum taẓfarū bithawābi faqrikum, waʾillā falā.

One of our scholars said, “I know a host among the dead who look from their graves toward their dwellings in the gardens. Something is brought to them from Paradise morning and evening, yet they suffer sorrows and anguish in the intermediate world that, if divided among the people of Basra, would kill them all.” He was asked, “What had they done?” He answered, “They were Muslims, but they possessed neither trust nor a share of contentment.” Concerning the obligation of contentment, the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, is reported to have said, “Give God contentment from your hearts, and you will gain the reward of your poverty; otherwise, you will not.”

وَقَرَنَ لُقْمَانُ الرِّضَا بِالتَّوْحِيدِ فَقَالَ فِي وَصِيَّتِهِ لِابْنِهِ: أُوصِيكَ بِخِصَالٍ تُقَرِّبُكَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَتُبَاعِدُكَ مِنْ سَخَطِهِ: الْأُولَى تَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ لَا تُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا، وَالثَّانِيَةُ الرِّضَا بِقَدَرِ اللَّهِ فِيمَا أَحْبَبْتَ وَكَرِهْتَ، وَقَالَ فِي وَصِيَّتِهِ: وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَيَرْضَى بِقَدَرِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ أَقَامَ الْإِيمَانَ وَفَرَّغَ يَدَهُ وَرِجْلَيْهِ لِكَسْبِ الْخَيْرِ، وَأَقَامَ الْأَخْلَاقَ الصَّالِحَةَ الَّتِي تُصْلِحُ لِلْعَبْدِ أَمْرَهُ.

waqarana luqmānu al-riḍā bi-al-tawḥīdi faqāla fī waṣiyyatihi li-bnihi: ʾūṣīka bikhiṣālin tuqarribuka ʾilā Allāhi watubāʿiduka min sakhaṭihi: al-ʾūlā taʿbudu Allāha lā tushriku bihi shayʾan, wa-al-thāniyatu al-riḍā biqadari Allāhi fīmā ʾaḥbabta wakarihta, waqāla fī waṣiyyatihi: waman yatawakkalu ʿalā Allāhi wayarḍā biqadari Allāhi faqad ʾaqāma al-ʾīmāna wafarragha yadahu warijlayhi likasbi al-khayri, waʾaqāma al-ʾakhlāqa al-ṣāliḥata allatī tuṣliḥu li-l-ʿabdi ʾamrahu.

Luqmān joined contentment to the affirmation of God’s oneness in his counsel to his son: “I counsel you to adopt qualities that draw you near to God and distance you from His displeasure. The first is to worship God without associating anything with Him; the second is contentment with God’s decree in what you love and what you dislike.” He also said in his counsel, “Whoever trusts in God and is content with God’s decree has established faith, freed his hand and his feet for acquiring good, and established the righteous dispositions that set the servant’s affairs right.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٦٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 66

Volume Two, page 66

فَمِنَ الرِّضَا سُرُورُ الْقَلْبِ بِالْمَقْدُورِ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأُمُورِ وَطِيبُ النَّفْسِ وَسُكُونُهَا فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ، وَطُمَأْنِينَةُ الْقَلْبِ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مُفْزِعٍ مُهْلِعٍ مِنْ أُمُورِ الدُّنْيَا وَقَنَاعَةُ الْعَبْدِ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَاغْتِبَاطُهُ بِقِسْمَةِ رَبِّهِ وَفَرَحُهُ بِقِيَامِ مَوْلَاهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَاسْتِسْلَامُ الْعَبْدِ لِلْمَوْلَى فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَرِضَاهُ مِنْهُ بِأَدْنَى شَيْءٍ وَتَسْلِيمُهُ لَهُ الْأَحْكَامَ وَالْقَضَايَا بِاعْتِقَادِ حُسْنِ التَّدْبِيرِ وَكَمَالِ التَّقْدِيرِ فِيهَا.

famina al-riḍā surūru al-qalbi bi-al-maqdūri fī jamīʿi al-ʾumūri waṭību al-nafsi wasukūnuhā fī kulli ḥālin, waṭumaʾnīnatu al-qalbi ʿinda kulli mufziʿin muhliʿin min ʾumūri al-dunyā waqanāʿatu al-ʿabdi bikulli shayʾin, wa-ghtibāṭuhu biqismati rabbihi wafaraḥuhu biqiyāmi mawlāhu ʿalayhi, wa-stislāmu al-ʿabdi li-l-mawlā fī kulli shayʾin wariḍāhu minhu biʾadnā shayʾin wataslīmuhu lahu al-ʾaḥkāma wa-al-qaḍāyā bi-ʿtiqādi ḥusni al-tadbīri wakamāli al-taqdīri fīhā.

Contentment includes the heart’s joy in what has been decreed in every matter, the soul’s gladness and repose in every condition, and the heart’s tranquility before everything terrifying and alarming in worldly affairs. It includes the servant’s satisfaction with everything, his delight in his Lord’s allotment, and his joy that his Master watches over him; the servant’s surrender to the Master in everything, his contentment with the least thing from Him, and his yielding judgments and decrees to Him in the conviction that His governance is good and His determination perfect.

وَلِتَسْلِيمِ الْعَبْدِ إِلَى مَوْلَاهُ مَا فِي يَدَيْهِ رِضًا بِحُكْمِهِ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَنْ لَا يَشْكُوَ الْمَلِكَ السَّيِّدَ إِلَى الْعَبْدِ الْمَمْلُوكِ وَلَا يَتَبَرَّمَ بِفِعْلِ الْحَبِيبِ، وَلَا يَفْقِدَ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حُسْنَ صُنْعِ الْقَرِيبِ، وَمِنَ الرِّضَا أَنَّ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الرِّضَا لَا يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ: هَذَا يَوْمٌ شَدِيدُ الْحَرِّ وَلَا هَذَا يَوْمٌ شَدِيدُ الْبَرْدِ، وَلَا يَقُولُ: الْفَقْرُ بَلَاءٌ، وَمِحْنَةٌ وَالْعِيَالُ هَمٌّ وَتَعَبٌ، وَالِاحْتِرَافُ كَدٌّ وَمَشَقَّةٌ.

walitaslīmi al-ʿabdi ʾilā mawlāhu mā fī yadayhi riḍan biḥukmihi ʿalayhi, waʾan lā yashkuwa al-malika al-sayyida ʾilā al-ʿabdi al-mamlūki walā yatabarrama bifiʿli al-ḥabībi, walā yafqida fī kulli shayʾin ḥusna ṣunʿi al-qarībi, wamina al-riḍā ʾanna ʿinda ʾahli al-riḍā lā yaqūlu al-ʿabdu: hādhā yawmun shadīdu al-ḥarri walā hādhā yawmun shadīdu al-bardi, walā yaqūlu: al-faqru balāʾun, wamiḥnatun wa-al-ʿiyālu hammun wataʿabun, wa-al-iḥtirāfu kaddun wamashaqqatun.

It also concerns the servant’s surrendering what is in his hands to his Master, content with His judgment over him: he should not complain of the sovereign Master to an owned servant, chafe at the Beloved’s action, or fail to find in everything the beautiful workmanship of the Near One. Among the people of contentment, contentment also means that the servant does not say, “This is a terribly hot day,” or “This is a terribly cold day”; nor does he say, “Poverty is affliction and ordeal, dependants are worry and fatigue, and earning a living is toil and hardship.”

وَلَا يَفْقِدُ بِقَلْبِهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا لَا يَغُرُّهُ بِهِ بَلْ يَرْضَى الْقَلْبُ وَيُسَلِّمُ وَيَسْكُنُ الْعَقْلُ، وَيَسْتَسْلِمُ بِوُجُودِ حَلَاوَةِ التَّدْبِيرِ وَاسْتِحْسَانِ حُكْمِ التَّقْدِيرِ، كَمَا قَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ: أَصْبَحْتُ وَمَا لِي سُرُورٌ إِلَّا فِي انْتِظَارِ مَوَاقِعِ الْقَدَرِ، وَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: الْفَقْرُ وَالْغِنَى مَطِيَّتَانِ مَا أُبَالِي أَيَّهُمَا رَكِبْتُ، إِنْ كَانَ الْفَقْرُ فَإِنَّ فِيهِ الصَّبْرَ، وَإِنْ كَانَ الْغِنَى فَإِنَّ فِيهِ الْبَدْلَ.

walā yafqidu biqalbihi min dhālika mā lā yaghurruhu bihi bal yarḍā al-qalbu wayusallimu wayaskunu al-ʿaqlu, wayastaslimu biwujūdi ḥalāwati al-tadbīri wa-stiḥsāni ḥukmi al-taqdīri, kamā qāla ʿumaru bnu ʿabdi al-ʿazīzi: ʾaṣbaḥtu wamā lī surūrun ʾillā fī intiẓāri mawāqiʿi al-qadari, waqāla ibnu masʿūdin: al-faqru wa-al-ghinā maṭiyyatāni mā ʾubālī ʾayyahumā rakibtu, ʾin kāna al-faqru faʾinna fīhi al-ṣabra, waʾin kāna al-ghinā faʾinna fīhi al-badla.

He does not fail to find in his heart, regarding that, what does not deceive him by it. Rather, the heart is content and submits; the intellect becomes still and surrenders, finding sweetness in divine governance and regarding the judgment of determination as good. As ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz said, “I awaken with no joy except in awaiting the occurrences of the decree.” Ibn Masʿūd said, “Poverty and wealth are two mounts; I do not care which I ride. If it is poverty, it contains patience; if wealth, it contains giving in exchange.”

وَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ أَبِي الْحَوَارِيِّ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي سُلَيْمَانَ: إِنَّ فُلَانًا قَالَ: وَدِدْتُ أَنَّ اللَّيْلَ أَطْوَلُ مِمَّا هُوَ، فَقَالَ: قَدْ أَحْسَنَ، وَقَدْ أَسَاءَ، أَحْسَنَ حَيْثُ تَمَنَّى طُولَهُ لِلْعِبَادَةِ وَأَسَاءَ إِذَا لَمْ يُحِبَّ مَا لَمْ يُحِبَّ اللَّهُ. وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: مَا أُبَالِي عَلَى أَيِّ حَالٍ أَصْبَحْتُ وَأَمْسَيْتُ مِنْ شِدَّةٍ أَوْ رَخَاءٍ.

waqāla ʾaḥmadu bnu ʾabī al-ḥawāriyyi: qultu liʾabī sulaymāna: ʾinna fulānan qāla: wadidtu ʾanna al-layla ʾaṭwalu mimmā huwa, faqāla: qad ʾaḥsana, waqad ʾasāʾa, ʾaḥsana ḥaythu tamannā ṭūlahu li-l-ʿibādati waʾasāʾa ʾidhā lam yuḥibba mā lam yuḥibba Allāhu. waruwiya ʿan ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: mā ʾubālī ʿalā ʾayyi ḥālin ʾaṣbaḥtu waʾamsaytu min shiddatin ʾaw rakhāʾin.

Aḥmad ibn Abī al-Ḥawārī said, “I told Abū Sulaymān that someone had said, ‘I wish the night were longer than it is.’ He answered, ‘He has done well, and he has done badly: well in wishing it longer for worship, and badly when he did not love what God did not love.’” It is related from ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may God be pleased with him: “I do not care in what condition I enter morning and evening, whether hardship or ease.”

وَقَالَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ لِامْرَأَتِهِ عَاتِكَةَ وَقَدْ غَضِبَ: وَاللَّهِ لَأَسُوءَنَّكِ، فَقَالَتْ: أَتَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَصْرِفَنِي عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ بَعْدَ أَنْ هَدَانِيَ اللَّهُ لَهُ؟ قَالَ: لَا، قَالَتْ: فَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ تَسُوءُنِي إِذًا؟ وَقَالَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ الصَّنْعِيُّ: قَالَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَابِعَةَ: اللَّهُمَّ ارْضَ عَنَّا، فَقَالَتْ: أَمَا تَسْتَحْيِي مِنَ اللَّهِ أَنْ تَسْأَلَهُ الرِّضَا وَأَنَّكَ غَيْرُ رَاضٍ عَنْهُ؟ فَقَالَ: أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ.

waqāla dhāta yawmin li-mraʾatihi ʿātikata waqad ghaḍiba: wa-Allāhi laʾasūʾannaki, faqālat: ʾatastaṭīʿu ʾan taṣrifanī ʿani al-ʾislāmi baʿda ʾan hadāniya Allāhu lahu? qāla: lā, qālat: faʾayyu shayʾin tasūʾunī ʾidhan? waqāla jaʿfaru bnu sulaymāna al-ṣanʿiyyu: qāla sufyānu al-thawriyyu yawman ʿinda rābiʿata: Allāhumma irḍa ʿannā, faqālat: ʾamā tastaḥyī mina Allāhi ʾan tasʾalahu al-riḍā waʾannaka ghayru rāḍin ʿanhu? faqāla: ʾastaghfiru Allāha.

One day, when angry, he said to his wife ʿĀtika, “By God, I will upset you.” She asked, “Can you turn me away from Islam after God has guided me to it?” He said, “No.” She replied, “With what, then, could you upset me?” Jaʿfar ibn Sulaymān al-Ṣanʿī said, “One day, in Rābiʿa’s presence, Sufyān al-Thawrī said, ‘God, be pleased with us.’ She said, ‘Are you not ashamed before God to ask Him for His pleasure when you are not content with Him?’ He answered, ‘I ask God’s forgiveness.’”

قَالَ جَعْفَرٌ فَقُلْتُ لَهَا: مَتَى يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ رَاضِيًا عَنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى؟ فَقَالَتْ: إِذَا كَانَ سُرُورُهُ بِالْمُصِيبَةِ مِثْلَ سُرُورِهِ بِالنِّعْمَةِ، وَقَالَ فُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ: إِذَا اسْتَوَى عِنْدَهُ الْمَنْعُ وَالْعَطَاءُ فَقَدْ رَضِيَ، وَفِي أَخْبَارِ دَاوُدَ: مَا لِأَوْلِيَائِي وَالْهَمِّ بِالدُّنْيَا، إِنَّ الْهَمَّ يُذْهِبُ حَلَاوَةَ مُنَاجَاتِي مِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ، وَفِي بَعْضِهَا: يَا دَاوُدُ، إِيَّاكَ وَالِاهْتِمَامَ بِالدُّنْيَا، مَحَبَّتِي مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِي أَنْ يَكُونُوا رُوحَانِيِّينَ لَا يَغْتَمُّونَ، إِيَّاكَ وَالْغَمَّ وَلَا تَهْتَمَّ لِلْخَيْرِ وَأَنْتَ تُرِيدُنِي.

qāla jaʿfarun faqultu lahā: matā yakūnu al-ʿabdu rāḍiyan ʿani Allāhi taʿālā? faqālat: ʾidhā kāna surūruhu bi-al-muṣībati mithla surūrihi bi-al-niʿmati, waqāla fuḍaylu bnu ʿiyāḍin: ʾidhā istawā ʿindahu al-manʿu wa-al-ʿaṭāʾu faqad raḍiya, wafī ʾakhbāri dāwūda: mā liʾawliyāʾī wa-al-hammi bi-al-dunyā, ʾinna al-hamma yudhhibu ḥalāwata munājātī min qulūbihim, wafī baʿḍihā: yā dāwūdu, ʾiyyāka wa-al-ihtimāma bi-al-dunyā, maḥabbatī min ʾawliyāʾī ʾan yakūnū rūḥāniyyīna lā yaghtammūna, ʾiyyāka wa-al-ghamma walā tahtamma li-l-khayri waʾanta turīdunī.

Jaʿfar said, “I asked her, ‘When is the servant content with God Most High?’ She answered, ‘When his joy in calamity is like his joy in blessing.’” Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ said, “When withholding and giving are equal to him, he has attained contentment.” Accounts of David include: “What have My friends to do with worldly worry? Worry removes the sweetness of intimate converse with Me from their hearts.” Another says, “David, beware of concern for this world. What I love from My friends is that they be spiritual beings who do not grieve. Beware of grief, and do not worry about good while you seek Me.”

وَيُقَالُ: أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ هَمًّا فِي الدُّنْيَا أَكْثَرُهُمْ هَمًّا فِي الْآخِرَةِ، وَأَقَلُّهُمْ هَمًّا فِي الدُّنْيَا أَقَلُّهُمْ هَمًّا فِي الْآخِرَةِ، وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الْإِيمَانُ بِالْقَدَرِ يُذْهِبُ الْهَمَّ وَالْحَزَنَ، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْفَرَحَ بِالدُّنْيَا يُخْرِجُ هَمَّ الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْقَلْبِ، وَالْغَمَّ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا يَحْجُبُ عَنِ الْحُزْنِ عَلَى فَوْتِ الْآخِرَةِ، وَذُكِرَ عِنْدَ رَابِعَةَ عَابِدٌ لَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَنْزِلَةٌ، وَكَانَ قُوتُهُ مَا يُقَمِّمُ مِنْ مَزْبَلَةٍ لِبَعْضِ

wayuqālu: ʾaktharu al-nāsi hamman fī al-dunyā ʾaktharuhum hamman fī al-ʾākhirati, waʾaqalluhum hamman fī al-dunyā ʾaqalluhum hamman fī al-ʾākhirati, warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: al-ʾīmānu bi-al-qadari yudhhibu al-hamma wa-al-ḥazana, wa-ʿlam ʾanna al-faraḥa bi-al-dunyā yukhriju hamma al-ʾākhirati mina al-qalbi, wa-al-ghamma ʿalā al-dunyā yaḥjubu ʿani al-ḥuzni ʿalā fawti al-ʾākhirati, wadhukira ʿinda rābiʿata ʿābidun lahu ʿinda Allāhi manzilatun, wakāna qūtuhu mā yuqammimu min mazbalatin libaʿḍi

It is said, “Those with the most worry in this world will have the most in the next; those with the least worry in this world will have the least in the next.” We have related from God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Faith in the decree dispels worry and sorrow.” Know that delight in this world drives concern for the next world from the heart, while grief over this world bars grief over missing the next. A worshipper who had standing with God was mentioned in Rābiʿa’s presence. His food was what he scavenged from a rubbish heap belonging to one of

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٦٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 67

Volume Two, page 67

مُلُوكِهِمْ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ عِنْدَهَا: فَمَا يَضُرُّ هَذَا إِذَا كَانَتْ لَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَنْزِلَةٌ أَنْ يَسْأَلَهُ، فَيَجْعَلَ قُوتَهُ فِي غَيْرِ هَذَا؟ فَقَالَتْ لَهُ: اُسْكُتْ يَا بَطَّالُ، أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ هُمْ أَرْضَى عَنْهُ أَنْ يَتَخَيَّرُوا عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَنْقُلَهُمْ مِنْ مَعِيشَةٍ حَتَّى يَكُونَ هُوَ الَّذِي يَخْتَارُ لَهُمْ.

mulūkihim faqāla rajulun ʿindahā: famā yaḍurru hādhā ʾidhā kānat lahu ʿinda Allāhi manzilatun ʾan yasʾalahu, fayajʿala qūtahu fī ghayri hādhā? faqālat lahu: uskut yā baṭṭālu, ʾamā ʿalimta ʾanna ʾawliyāʾa Allāhi hum ʾarḍā ʿanhu ʾan yatakhayyarū ʿalayhi ʾan yanqulahum min maʿīshatin ḥattā yakūna huwa alladhī yakhtāru lahum.

their kings. A man in her presence said, “What harm would it do him, if he has standing with God, to ask Him to provide his food through something else?” She answered, “Be quiet, idle fellow! Do you not know that God’s friends are too content with Him to choose for Him that He should transfer them from one livelihood, until He Himself chooses for them?”

وَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ أَبِي الْحَوَارِيِّ: قَالَ لِي أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى مِنْ كَرَمِهِ قَدْ رَضِيَ مِنْ عَبِيدِهِ بِمَا رَضِيَ الْعَبِيدُ مِنْ مَوَالِيهِمْ. قُلْتُ: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: أَلَيْسَ مُرَادُ الْعَبْدِ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ أَنْ يَرْضَى عَنْهُ مَوْلَاهُ؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: فَإِنَّ مَحَبَّةَ اللَّهِ مِنْ عَبِيدِهِ أَنْ يَرْضَوْا عَنْهُ. وَقَالَ الْأَعْمَشُ: قَالَ لِي أَبُو وَائِلٍ: يَا سُلَيْمَانُ، نِعْمَ الرَّبُّ رَبُّنَا لَوْ أَطَعْنَاهُ مَا عَصَانَا.

waqāla ʾaḥmadu bnu ʾabī al-ḥawāriyyi: qāla lī ʾabū sulaymāna: ʾinna Allāha taʿālā min karamihi qad raḍiya min ʿabīdihi bimā raḍiya al-ʿabīdu min mawālīhim. qultu: wakayfa dhālika? qāla: ʾalaysa murādu al-ʿabdi mina al-khalqi ʾan yarḍā ʿanhu mawlāhu? qultu: naʿam. qāla: faʾinna maḥabbata Allāhi min ʿabīdihi ʾan yarḍaw ʿanhu. waqāla al-ʾaʿmashu: qāla lī ʾabū wāʾilin: yā sulaymānu, niʿma al-rabbu rabbunā law ʾaṭaʿnāhu mā ʿaṣānā.

Aḥmad ibn Abī al-Ḥawārī said, “Abū Sulaymān told me, ‘In His generosity, God Most High is satisfied to receive from His servants what servants are satisfied to receive from their masters.’ I asked, ‘How is that?’ He said, ‘Is not a created servant’s wish that his master be pleased with him?’ I answered, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘What God loves from His servants is that they be content with Him.’” Al-Aʿmash said, “Abū Wāʾil told me, ‘Sulaymān, what an excellent Lord our Lord is! If we obeyed Him, He would not disobey us.’”

وَقَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي مَعْنَاهُ: (وَيَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ) الشُّورَى: 26، أَيْ يُعْطِيهِمْ وَيَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُمْ، وَالِاسْتِجَابَةُ الطَّاعَةُ كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي) الْبَقَرَةُ: 186، فَلَمَّا اسْتَجَابُوا لَهُ اسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ، أَطَاعُوهُ فِيمَا أَحَبَّ فَأَطَاعَهُمْ فِيمَا يُحِبُّونَ، وَهَذَا أَحَدُ وَجْهَيِ الْآيَةِ كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (وَأَوْفُوا بِعَهْدِي أُوفِ بِعَهْدِكُمْ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 40، وَهُوَ عَلَى تَأْوِيلِ مَنْ قَرَأَ: هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَنْ يُطِيعَكَ؟

waqāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla fī maʿnāhu: (wayastajību alladhīna ʾāmanū waʿamilū al-ṣāliḥāti) al-shūrā: 26, ʾay yuʿṭīhim wayastajību lahum, wa-al-istijābatu al-ṭāʿatu kaqawlihi taʿālā: (falyastajībū lī) al-baqaratu: 186, falammā istajābū lahu istajāba lahum, ʾaṭāʿūhu fīmā ʾaḥabba faʾaṭāʿahum fīmā yuḥibbūna, wa-hādhā ʾaḥadu wajhayi al-ʾāyati kaqawlihi taʿālā: (waʾawfū biʿahdī ʾūfi biʿahdikum) al-baqaratu: 40, wahuwa ʿalā taʾwīli man qaraʾa: hal yastaṭīʿu rabbuka ʾan yuṭīʿaka?

God, mighty and majestic is He, has said in this sense, “He answers those who believe and do righteous deeds” (al-Shūrā 42:26), meaning that He gives to them and responds to them. Responding is obedience, as in His exalted saying, “Let them respond to Me” (al-Baqara 2:186). When they responded to Him, He responded to them: they obeyed Him in what He loved, and He obeyed them in what they love. This is one of the verse’s two interpretations, like His exalted saying, “Fulfil My covenant, and I will fulfil yours” (al-Baqara 2:40). It follows the interpretation of the reading, “Is your Lord able?” as “Will He obey you?”

قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: كَانَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ أَعْلَمَ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ يَشُكُّوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، وَإِنَّمَا مَعْنَاهُ: هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يُطِيعَكَ؟ وَرَوَيْنَا أَيْضًا عَنْ عَائِشَةَ مِثْلَهُ، وَقَالَ الْفُضَيْلُ: مَنْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَطَاعَهُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ، وَمَنْ خَافَ مِنَ اللَّهِ خَافَ مِنْهُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ، وَفِي أَخْبَارِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: يَا رَبِّ دُلَّنِي عَلَى أَمْرٍ فِيهِ رِضَاكَ حَتَّى أَعْمَلَهُ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ رِضَايَ فِي كُرْهِكَ وَأَنْتَ لَا تَصْبِرُ عَلَى مَا تَكْرَهُ.

qāla ibnu ʿabbāsin: kāna al-ḥawāriyyūna ʾaʿlama bi-Allāhi ʾan yashukkū ʾanna Allāha yaqdiru ʿalā dhālika, waʾinnamā maʿnāhu: hal yastaṭīʿu ʾan yuṭīʿaka? warawaynā ʾayḍan ʿan ʿāʾishata mithlahu, waqāla al-fuḍaylu: man ʾaṭāʿa Allāha taʿālā ʾaṭāʿahu kullu shayʾin, waman khāfa mina Allāhi khāfa minhu kullu shayʾin, wafī ʾakhbāri mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu: yā rabbi dullanī ʿalā ʾamrin fīhi riḍāka ḥattā ʾaʿmalahu, faʾawḥā Allāhu taʿālā ʾilayhi ʾinna riḍāya fī kurhika waʾanta lā taṣbiru ʿalā mā takrahu.

Ibn ʿAbbās said, “The disciples knew God too well to doubt that God had power over that. Its meaning is simply, ‘Is He able to obey you?’” We have also related the same from ʿĀʾisha. Al-Fuḍayl said, “Whoever obeys God Most High, everything obeys him; whoever fears God, everything fears him.” Among the accounts of Moses, peace be upon him, is this: “Lord, direct me to something that pleases You so that I may do it.” God Most High revealed to him, “My pleasure lies in what you dislike, and you cannot patiently endure what you dislike.”

قَالَ: يَا رَبِّ دُلَّنِي عَلَيْهِ. قَالَ: فَإِنَّ رِضَايَ فِي رِضَاكَ بِقَضَائِي، وَقَدْ يُرْوَى عَلَى وَجْهٍ آخَرَ أَنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ سَأَلُوا مُوسَى فَقَالُوا: لَوْ عَلِمْنَا فِي أَيِّ شَيْءٍ رِضَا رَبِّنَا لَفَعَلْنَاهُ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ قُلْ لَهُمْ: رِضَايَ فِي رِضَاهُمْ بِقَضَائِي. وَفِي مُنَاجَاةِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: يَا رَبِّ أَيُّ خَلْقِكَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ؟ قَالَ: مَنْ إِذَا أَخَذْتُ مِنْهُ الْمَحْبُوبَ سَالَمَنِي. قَالَ: فَأَيُّ خَلْقِكَ أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ سَاخِطٌ؟ قَالَ: مَنْ يَسْتَخِيرُنِي فِي الْأَمْرِ فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُ لَهُ سَخِطَ قَضَائِي.

qāla: yā rabbi dullanī ʿalayhi. qāla: faʾinna riḍāya fī riḍāka biqaḍāʾī, waqad yurwā ʿalā wajhin ʾākhara ʾanna banī ʾisrāʾīla saʾalū mūsā faqālū: law ʿalimnā fī ʾayyi shayʾin riḍā rabbinā lafaʿalnāhu, faʾawḥā Allāhu ʾilayhi qul lahum: riḍāya fī riḍāhum biqaḍāʾī. wafī munājāti mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu: yā rabbi ʾayyu khalqika ʾaḥabbu ʾilayka? qāla: man ʾidhā ʾakhadhtu minhu al-maḥbūba sālamanī. qāla: faʾayyu khalqika ʾanta ʿalayhi sākhiṭun? qāla: man yastakhīrunī fī al-ʾamri faʾidhā qaḍaytu lahu sakhiṭa qaḍāʾī.

He said, “Lord, direct me to it.” He answered, “My pleasure lies in your contentment with My decree.” Another version relates that the Children of Israel asked Moses, “If we knew what pleased our Lord, we would do it.” God revealed to him, “Tell them: My pleasure lies in their contentment with My decree.” In Moses’ intimate converse, peace be upon him, he asks, “Lord, which of Your creatures do You love most?” He answers, “One who remains at peace with Me when I take his beloved from him.” He asks, “With which of Your creatures are You displeased?” He answers, “One who seeks My choice in a matter, then resents My decree when I decide for him.”

وَقَدْ وَرَدَ أَشَدُّ مِنْ هَذَا كُلِّهِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَالَ: (أَنَا اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا) طه: 14، مَنْ لَمْ يَصْبِرْ عَلَى بَلَائِي وَيَرْضَ بِقَضَائِي وَيَشْكُرْ نَعْمَائِي فَلْيَتَّخِذْ رَبًّا سِوَايَ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَاهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ طَرِيقٍ. وَمِثْلُهُ فِي الشِّدَّةِ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: قَدَّرْتُ الْمَقَادِيرَ وَدَبَّرْتُ التَّدْبِيرَ وَأَحْكَمْتُ الصُّنْعَ، فَمَنْ رَضِيَ فَلَهُ الرِّضَا مِنِّي حِينَ يَلْقَانِي وَمَنْ سَخِطَ فَلَهُ السَّخَطُ مِنِّي حِينَ يَلْقَانِي.

waqad warada ʾashaddu min hādhā kullihi ʾanna Allāha taʿālā qāla: (ʾanā Allāhu lā ʾilāha ʾillā ʾanā) Ṭā Hā: 14, man lam yaṣbir ʿalā balāʾī wayarḍa biqaḍāʾī wayashkur naʿmāʾī falyattakhidh rabban siwāya, waqad rawaynāhu ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama min ṭarīqin. wamithluhu fī al-shiddati yaqūlu Allāhu taʿālā: qaddartu al-maqādīra wadabbartu al-tadbīra waʾaḥkamtu al-ṣunʿa, faman raḍiya falahu al-riḍā minnī ḥīna yalqānī waman sakhiṭa falahu al-sakhaṭu minnī ḥīna yalqānī.

More severe than all this is the report that God Most High said, “I am God; there is no god but Me” (Ṭā Hā 20:14): “Whoever does not patiently endure My trial, accept My decree, and thank Me for My blessings, let him take a lord besides Me.” We have related this through one chain from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. Equally severe is God Most High’s saying, “I determined the decrees, ordered the governance, and perfected the workmanship. Whoever is content will receive pleasure from Me when he meets Me; whoever is displeased will receive displeasure from Me when he meets Me.”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَوَّلُ مَا كُتِبَ لِمُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: (إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا) طه: 14، مَنْ رَضِيَ بِحُكْمِي وَاسْتَسْلَمَ لِقَضَائِي وَصَبَرَ عَلَى بَلَائِي كَتَبْتُهُ صِدِّيقًا وَحَشَرْتُهُ مَعَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ. وَرَوَيْنَا فِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ بِمَعْنَاهُ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ: قَدَّرْتُ الْخَيْرَ وَالشَّرَّ وَأَجْرَيْتُهُمَا عَلَى أَيْدِي عِبَادِي، فَطُوبَى لِمَنْ خَلَقْتُهُ لِلْخَيْرِ وَأَجْرَيْتُ الْخَيْرَ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ وَوَيْلٌ

wafī al-khabari: ʾawwalu mā kutiba limūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu: (ʾinnanī ʾanā Allāhu lā ʾilāha ʾillā ʾanā) Ṭā Hā: 14, man raḍiya biḥukmī wa-staslama liqaḍāʾī waṣabara ʿalā balāʾī katabtuhu ṣiddīqan waḥashartuhu maʿa al-ṣiddīqīna yawma al-qiyāmati. warawaynā fī al-khabari al-mashhūri bimaʿnāhu yaqūlu Allāhu jalla jalāluhu: qaddartu al-khayra wa-al-sharra waʾajraytuhumā ʿalā ʾaydī ʿibādī, faṭūbā liman khalaqtuhu li-l-khayri waʾajraytu al-khayra ʿalā yadayhi wawaylun

A report says, “The first thing written for Moses, peace be upon him, was: ‘Indeed, I am God; there is no god but Me’ (Ṭā Hā 20:14). Whoever is content with My judgment, surrenders to My decree, and patiently endures My trial, I record him as utterly truthful and gather him with the utterly truthful on the Day of Resurrection.” We have related the sense of the well-known report in which God, exalted is His majesty, says, “I determined good and evil and caused both to occur through My servants’ hands. Blessed is the one I created for good and through whose hands I caused good to occur, and woe

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٦٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 68

Volume Two, page 68

لِمَنْ خَلَقْتُهُ لِلشَّرِّ وَأَجْرَيْتُ الشَّرَّ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ، وَوَيْلٌ ثُمَّ وَيْلٌ لِمَنْ قَالَ: لِمَ وَكَيْفَ؟ وَفِي الْأَخْبَارِ السَّالِفَةِ أَنَّ نَبِيًّا مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ شَكَا إِلَى اللَّهِ الْجُوعَ وَالْفَقْرَ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ، كُلَّ ذَلِكَ لَا يُنْظَرُ فِي مَسْأَلَتِهِ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ: لِمَ تَشْكُو؟ هَكَذَا كَانَ بَدْؤُكَ عِنْدِي فِي أُمِّ الْكِتَابِ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَخْلُقَ السَّمَٰوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ، وَهَكَذَا سَبَقَ لَكَ مِنِّي وَهَكَذَا قَضَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَخْلُقَ الدُّنْيَا.

liman khalaqtuhu li-l-sharri waʾajraytu al-sharra ʿalā yadayhi, wawaylun thumma waylun liman qāla: lima wakayfa? wafī al-ʾakhbāri al-sālifati ʾanna nabiyyan mina al-ʾanbiyāʾi shakā ʾilā Allāhi al-jūʿa wa-al-faqra ʿashra sinīna, kulla dhālika lā yunẓaru fī masʾalatihi faʾawḥā Allāhu ʾilayhi: lima tashkū? hākadhā kāna badʾuka ʿindī fī ʾummi al-kitābi qabla ʾan ʾakhluqa al-samāwāti wa-al-ʾarḍa, wa-hākadhā sabaqa laka minnī wa-hākadhā qaḍaytu ʿalayka qabla ʾan ʾakhluqa al-dunyā.

to the one I created for evil and through whose hands I caused evil to occur! Woe, and again woe, to whoever says, ‘Why?’ and ‘How?’” Earlier accounts tell of a prophet who complained to God of hunger and poverty for ten years, throughout which his petition went unconsidered. God revealed to him, “Why do you complain? This was how your beginning stood with Me in the Mother of the Book before I created the heavens and earth; this was what had already gone forth from Me for you, and this was what I decreed for you before creating the world.”

أَفَتُرِيدُ أَنْ أُعِيدَ خَلْقَ الدُّنْيَا مِنْ أَجْلِكَ أَمْ تُرِيدُ أَنْ أُبَدِّلَ مَا قَدَّرْتُ عَلَيْكَ، فَيَكُونَ مَا تُحِبُّ فَوْقَ مَا أُحِبُّ وَيَكُونَ مَا تُرِيدُ فَوْقَ مَا أُرِيدُ، وَعِزَّتِي وَجَلَالِي لَئِنْ تَخَالَجَ فِي صَدْرِكَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى لَأَمْحُوَنَّكَ مِنْ دِيوَانِ النُّبُوَّةِ. وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ بَعْضُ أَوْلَادِهِ الصِّغَارِ يَصْعَدُونَ عَلَى جِسْمِهِ وَيَنْزِلُونَ، يَجْعَلُ أَحَدُهُمْ رِجْلَهُ عَلَى أَضْلَاعِهِ كَهَيْئَةِ الدَّرَجِ فَيَصْعَدُ إِلَى رَأْسِهِ ثُمَّ يَنْزِلُ عَلَى أَضْلَاعِهِ.

ʾafaturīdu ʾan ʾuʿīda khalqa al-dunyā min ʾajlika ʾam turīdu ʾan ʾubaddila mā qaddartu ʿalayka, fayakūna mā tuḥibbu fawqa mā ʾuḥibbu wayakūna mā turīdu fawqa mā ʾurīdu, waʿizzatī wajalālī laʾin takhālaja fī ṣadrika marratan ʾukhrā laʾamḥuwannaka min dīwāni al-nubuwwati. warawaynā ʾanna ʾādama ʿalayhi al-salāmu kāna baʿḍu ʾawlādihi al-ṣighāri yaṣʿadūna ʿalā jismihi wayanzilūna, yajʿalu ʾaḥaduhum rijlahu ʿalā ʾaḍlāʿihi kahayʾati al-daraji fayaṣʿadu ʾilā raʾsihi thumma yanzilu ʿalā ʾaḍlāʿihi.

“Do you want Me to create the world anew for your sake, or to alter what I determined for you, so that what you love should stand above what I love, and what you want above what I want? By My might and majesty, if this stirs in your breast again, I shall erase you from the register of prophethood.” We have related that some of Adam’s young children used to climb up and down his body, peace be upon him. One would place his foot on Adam’s ribs as on a staircase, climb to his head, then descend over his ribs.

كَذَلِكَ قَالَ وَهُوَ مُطْرِقٌ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَلَا يَنْطِقُ وَلَا يَرْفَعُ رَأْسَهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ بَعْضُ وَلَدِهِ: يَا أَبَتِ، أَلَا تَرَى مَا يَصْنَعُ هَذَا بِكَ لَوْ نَهَيْتَهُ عَنْ هَذَا؟ فَقَالَ: يَا بَنِيَّ، إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ مَا لَمْ تَرَوْا، وَعَلِمْتُ مَا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا، إِنِّي تَحَرَّكْتُ حَرَكَةً وَاحِدَةً فَأُهْبِطْتُ مِنْ دَارِ الْكَرَامَةِ إِلَى دَارِ الْهَوَانِ، وَمِنْ دَارِ النَّعِيمِ إِلَى دَارِ الشَّقَاءِ، فَأَخَافُ أَنْ أَتَحَرَّكَ حَرَكَةً أُخْرَى فَيُصِيبَنِي مَا لَا أَعْلَمُ.

kadhālika qāla wahuwa muṭriqun ʾilā al-ʾarḍi walā yanṭiqu walā yarfaʿu raʾsahu, faqāla lahu baʿḍu waladihi: yā ʾabati, ʾalā tarā mā yaṣnaʿu hādhā bika law nahaytahu ʿan hādhā? faqāla: yā baniyya, ʾinnī raʾaytu mā lam taraw, waʿalimtu mā lam taʿlamū, ʾinnī taḥarraktu ḥarakatan wāḥidatan faʾuhbiṭtu min dāri al-karāmati ʾilā dāri al-hawāni, wamin dāri al-naʿīmi ʾilā dāri al-shaqāʾi, faʾakhāfu ʾan ʾataḥarraka ḥarakatan ʾukhrā fayuṣībanī mā lā ʾaʿlamu.

Thus the account relates, while he kept his gaze lowered to the ground, saying nothing and not raising his head. One of his children said, “Father, do you not see what this child is doing to you? Why not forbid him?” He answered, “My children, I have seen what you have not seen and known what you have not known. I made a single movement, and was brought down from the abode of honor to the abode of humiliation, from the abode of bliss to the abode of misery. I fear making another movement and being struck by something I do not know.”

رَوَيْنَا فِي بَعْضِ الْأَخْبَارِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ ضَمِنَ لِي إِنْ حَفِظْتُ لِسَانِي أَنْ يَرُدَّنِي إِلَى الدَّارِ الَّتِي أَخْرَجَنِي مِنْهَا، وَقَالَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ سَهْلٌ: حَظُّ الْخَلْقِ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ عَلَى قَدْرِ حَظِّهِمْ مِنَ الرِّضَا، وَحَظُّهُمْ مِنَ الرِّضَا عَلَى قَدْرِ عَيْشِهِمْ مَعَ اللَّهِ، وَرَوَى عَطِيَّةُ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ بِحُكْمِهِ وَجَلَالِهِ جَعَلَ الرَّوْحَ وَالْفَرَحَ فِي الرِّضَا وَالْيَقِينِ، وَجَعَلَ الْغَمَّ وَالْحَزَنَ فِي الشَّكِّ وَالسَّخَطِ.

rawaynā fī baʿḍi al-ʾakhbāri ʾannahu qāla: ʾinna Allāha ḍamina lī ʾin ḥafiẓtu lisānī ʾan yaruddanī ʾilā al-dāri allatī ʾakhrajanī minhā, waqāla ʾabū muḥammadin sahlun: ḥaẓẓu al-khalqi mina al-yaqīni ʿalā qadri ḥaẓẓihim mina al-riḍā, waḥaẓẓuhum mina al-riḍā ʿalā qadri ʿayshihim maʿa Allāhi, warawā ʿaṭiyyatu ʿan ʾabī saʿīdin ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾanna Allāha biḥukmihi wajalālihi jaʿala al-rawḥa wa-al-faraḥa fī al-riḍā wa-al-yaqīni, wajaʿala al-ghamma wa-al-ḥazana fī al-shakki wa-al-sakhaṭi.

In some reports we have related that he said, “God has guaranteed me that if I guard my tongue, He will return me to the abode from which He expelled me.” Abū Muḥammad Sahl said, “People’s share of certainty corresponds to their share of contentment, and their share of contentment to the extent of their life with God.” ʿAṭiyya related from Abū Saʿīd, from God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, that God, in His judgment and majesty, placed relief and joy in contentment and certainty, and placed distress and sorrow in doubt and displeasure.

وَمِنَ الرِّضَا أَنْ لَا تَذُمَّ شَيْئًا مُبَاحًا وَلَا تَعِيبَهُ إِذَا كَانَ بِقَضَاءِ مَوْلَاهُ، شَاهِدًا لِلصَّانِعِ فِي جَمِيعِ الصَّنْعَةِ نَاظِرًا إِلَى إِتْقَانِ الصُّنْعِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ ذَلِكَ عَنْ مُعْتَادِ الْمَعْقُولِ وَالْعَادَةِ، وَبَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ يَجْعَلُ هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءَ فِي بَابِ الْحَيَاءِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ: هِيَ مِنْ حُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ جَعَلَهُ مِنْ بَابِ الْأَدَبِ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ.

wamina al-riḍā ʾan lā tadhumma shayʾan mubāḥan walā taʿībahu ʾidhā kāna biqaḍāʾi mawlāhu, shāhidan li-l-ṣāniʿi fī jamīʿi al-ṣanʿati nāẓiran ʾilā ʾitqāni al-ṣunʿi wa-al-ḥikmati waʾin lam yakhruj dhālika ʿan muʿtādi al-maʿqūli wa-al-ʿādati, wabaʿḍu al-ʿārifīna yajʿalu hādhihi al-ʾashyāʾa fī bābi al-ḥayāʾi mina Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, waminhum man yaqūlu: hiya min ḥusni al-khuluqi maʿa Allāhi taʿālā, waminhum man jaʿalahu min bābi al-ʾadabi bayna yadayi Allāhi.

Contentment includes not disparaging or faulting anything permissible when it comes by its Master’s decree, witnessing the Maker in all workmanship and considering the perfection of the making and its wisdom, even when it does not depart from customary intelligibility and habit. Some who know God place these matters under modesty before God, mighty and majestic is He; some call them good character toward God Most High; others place them under proper conduct in God’s presence.

فَإِذَا كَانَ هَذَا كَذَلِكَ كَانَ ذَمُّ الْأَشْيَاءِ الَّتِي أُبِيحَتْ وَعَيْبُهَا مِنْ سُوءِ الْخُلُقِ مَعَ اللَّهِ، وَكَانَتْ مِنْ سُوءِ الْأَدَبِ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ، وَأَعْظَمُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنَّهَا تَدْخُلُ فِي بَابِ قِلَّةِ الْحَيَاءِ مِنَ اللَّهِ، وَيَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَكُونَ هَذَا أَحَدَ مَعَانِي الْخَبَرِ الَّذِي جَاءَ: قِلَّةُ الْحَيَاءِ كُفْرٌ، يَعْنِي كُفْرَ النِّعْمَةِ بِأَنْ يَذُمَّ وَيَعِيبَ بَعْضَ مَا أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ بِهِ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْإِرْفَاقِ وَالْإِلْطَافِ، إِذْ كَانَ فِيهَا تَقْصِيرٌ عَنْ تَمَامِ مِثْلِهَا أَوْ كَانَتْ مُخَالِفَةً لِهَوَاهُ مِنْهَا.

faʾidhā kāna hādhā kadhālika kāna dhammu al-ʾashyāʾi allatī ʾubīḥat waʿaybuhā min sūʾi al-khuluqi maʿa Allāhi, wakānat min sūʾi al-ʾadabi bayna yadayi Allāhi, waʾaʿẓamu min dhālika ʾannahā tadkhulu fī bābi qillati al-ḥayāʾi mina Allāhi, wayaṣluḥu ʾan yakūna hādhā ʾaḥada maʿānī al-khabari alladhī jāʾa: qillatu al-ḥayāʾi kufrun, yaʿnī kufra al-niʿmati biʾan yadhumma wayaʿība baʿḍa mā ʾanʿama Allāhu bihi ʿalayhi mina al-ʾirfāqi wa-al-ʾilṭāfi, ʾidh kāna fīhā taqṣīrun ʿan tamāmi mithlihā ʾaw kānat mukhālifatan lihawāhu minhā.

If this is so, disparaging and faulting permitted things is bad character toward God and poor conduct in His presence. More serious still, it falls under lack of modesty before God. This may be one meaning of the report, “Lack of modesty is unbelief”: that is, ingratitude for a blessing, when someone disparages and faults some of the comforts and kindnesses God has bestowed because they fall short of the perfection of their like or conflict with what he desires from them.

فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ كُفْرًا لِلنِّعْمَةِ وَقِلَّةَ حَيَاءِ الْعَبْدِ مِنَ الْمُنْعِمِ، إِذْ قَدْ أَمَرَهُ بِالشُّكْرِ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، فَبَدَّلَ الشُّكْرَ كُفْرًا لِأَنَّ أَحَدًا لَوِ اصْطَنَعَ لَكَ طَعَامًا فَعِبْتَهُ وَذَمَمْتَهُ كَرِهَ ذَلِكَ مِنْكَ، فَكَذَلِكَ تَعَالَى يَكْرَهُ ذَلِكَ مِنْكَ، وَهَذَا دَاخِلٌ فِي مَعْرِفَةِ مَعَانِي الصِّفَاتِ، وَفِي مَعْنَى مَا قِيلَ: أَعْرَفُكُمْ بِرَبِّهِ أَعْرَفُكُمْ بِنَفْسِهِ، لِأَنَّكَ إِذَا عَرَفْتَ صِفَاتِ نَفْسِكَ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ الْخَلْقِ عَرَفْتَ مِنْهَا صِفَاتِ خَالِقِكَ.

fayakūnu dhālika kufran li-l-niʿmati waqillata ḥayāʾi al-ʿabdi mina al-munʿimi, ʾidh qad ʾamarahu bi-al-shukri ʿalā dhālika, fabaddala al-shukra kufran liʾanna ʾaḥadan lawi iṣṭanaʿa laka ṭaʿāman faʿibtahu wadhamamtahu kariha dhālika minka, fa-kadhālika taʿālā yakrahu dhālika minka, wa-hādhā dākhilun fī maʿrifati maʿānī al-ṣifāti, wafī maʿnā mā qīla: ʾaʿrafukum birabbihi ʾaʿrafukum binafsihi, liʾannaka ʾidhā ʿarafta ṣifāti nafsika fī muʿāmalati al-khalqi ʿarafta minhā ṣifāti khāliqika.

That is ingratitude for the blessing and the servant’s lack of modesty before the Benefactor, who has commanded him to give thanks for it; he has exchanged gratitude for ingratitude. If someone prepared food for you and you faulted and disparaged it, he would dislike that from you. Likewise, the Exalted dislikes it from you. This belongs to understanding the meanings of the attributes and to the saying, “The one among you who best knows his Lord best knows himself.” When you know your own qualities in dealing with creatures, you come through them to know the attributes of your Creator.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٦٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 69

Volume Two, page 69

وَبَعْضُ الرَّاضِينَ يَجْعَلُ ذَمَّ الْأَشْيَاءِ وَعَيْبَهَا بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْغِيبَةِ لِصَانِعِهَا لِأَنَّهَا صَنْعَتُهُ وَنِتَاجُ حِكْمَتِهِ، وَنَفَادُ عِلْمِهِ وَحُكْمُ تَدْبِيرِهِ وَتَدْبِيرُ مَقَادِيرِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ أَحْكَمُ الْحَاكِمِينَ وَخَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ وَأَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ، لَهُ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حِكْمَةٌ بَالِغَةٌ وَفِي كُلِّ صَنْعَةٍ صُنْعٌ مُتْقَنٌ، وَلِأَنَّكَ إِذَا عِبْتَ صَنْعَةَ أَحَدٍ وَذَمَمْتَهَا سَرَى ذَلِكَ إِلَى الصَّانِعِ، لِأَنَّهُ كَذَلِكَ صَنَعَهَا وَعَنْ حِكْمَتِهِ أَظْهَرَهَا، إِذْ كَانَتِ الصَّنْعَةُ مَجْبُولَةً لَمْ تَصْنَعْ نَفْسَهَا وَلَا صُنْعَ لَهَا فِي خِلْقَتِهَا.

wabaʿḍu al-rāḍīna yajʿalu dhamma al-ʾashyāʾi waʿaybahā bimanzilati al-ghībati liṣāniʿihā liʾannahā ṣanʿatuhu wanitāju ḥikmatihi, wanafādu ʿilmihi waḥukmu tadbīrihi watadbīru maqādīrihi, liʾannahu ʾaḥkamu al-ḥākimīna wakhayru al-rāziqīna waʾaḥsanu al-khāliqīna, lahu fī kulli shayʾin ḥikmatun bālighatun wafī kulli ṣanʿatin ṣunʿun mutqanun, waliʾannaka ʾidhā ʿibta ṣanʿata ʾaḥadin wadhamamtahā sarā dhālika ʾilā al-ṣāniʿi, liʾannahu kadhālika ṣanaʿahā waʿan ḥikmatihi ʾaẓharahā, ʾidh kānati al-ṣanʿatu majbūlatan lam taṣnaʿ nafsahā walā ṣunʿa lahā fī khilqatihā.

Some of those who are content regard disparaging and faulting things as tantamount to backbiting their Maker, since they are His workmanship, the product of His wisdom, the outworking of His knowledge, the judgment of His governance, and the ordering of His decrees. He is the wisest of judges, the best of providers, and the best of creators. In everything He has consummate wisdom, and in every work, perfected workmanship. When you fault and disparage someone’s work, that extends to its maker, who made it that way and brought it forth through his wisdom. The work was fashioned; it did not make itself and had no part in creating itself.

وَكَانَ الْوَرِعُونَ لَا يَعِيبُونَ صَنْعَةً عِنْدَ كَرَاهَةِ الْغِيبَةِ لَهُ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الرَّاضِيَ عَنِ اللَّهِ مُتَأَدِّبٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ يَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ يُعَارِضَهُ فِي دَارِهِ أَوْ يَعْتَرِضَ عَلَيْهِ فِي حُكْمِهِ، فَصَاحِبُ الدَّارِ يَصْنَعُ فِي حُكْمِهِ مَا شَاءَ وَالْحَاكِمُ يَحْكُمُ بِأَمْرِهِ كَيْفَ شَاءَ، وَالْعَبْدُ رَاضٍ بِصُنْعِ سَيِّدِهِ مُسَلِّمٌ لِحِكْمَةِ حَاكِمِهِ. وَرُوِيَ فِي الْإِسْرَائِيلِيَّاتِ أَنَّ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ مَرَّ مَعَ نَفَرٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ بِجِيفَةِ كَلْبٍ فَغَطَّوْا آنَافَهُمْ وَقَالُوا: أُفٍّ أُفٍّ، مَا أَنْتَنَ رِيحَهُ!

wakāna al-wariʿūna lā yaʿībūna ṣanʿatan ʿinda karāhati al-ghībati lahu wa-dhālika ʾanna al-rāḍiya ʿani Allāhi mutaʾaddibun bayna yadayi Allāhi yastaḥyī ʾan yuʿāriḍahu fī dārihi ʾaw yaʿtariḍa ʿalayhi fī ḥukmihi, faṣāḥibu al-dāri yaṣnaʿu fī ḥukmihi mā shāʾa wa-al-ḥākimu yaḥkumu biʾamrihi kayfa shāʾa, wa-al-ʿabdu rāḍin biṣunʿi sayyidihi musallimun liḥikmati ḥākimihi. waruwiya fī al-ʾisrāʾīliyyāti ʾanna ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu marra maʿa nafarin min ʾaṣḥābihi bijīfati kalbin faghaṭṭaw ʾānāfahum waqālū: ʾuffin ʾuffin, mā ʾantana rīḥahu!

The scrupulous would not fault workmanship, out of aversion to backbiting its maker. One content with God behaves properly in God’s presence and is ashamed to oppose Him in His house or object to His judgment. The owner of the house does what He wishes within His rule, and the Judge judges by His command as He wishes. The servant is content with his Master’s workmanship and submits to his Judge’s wisdom. An Israelite tradition relates that Jesus, peace be upon him, passed a dog’s carcass with some companions. They covered their noses and said, “Ugh, ugh! How foul it smells!”

فَلَمْ يُخَمِّرْ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنْفَهُ وَقَالَ: مَا أَشَدَّ بَيَاضَ أَسْنَانِهِ، أَرَادَ أَنْ يَنْهَاهُمْ بِذَلِكَ عَنِ الْغِيبَةِ وَيُعَلِّمَهُمْ تَرْكَ عَيْبِ الْأَشْيَاءِ، كَيْفَ هُوَ يَرَى بِعَيْنِ نَفْسِهِ أَنَّ الصَّنْعَةَ مِنْ صَانِعِهَا، فَهُوَ يُقَلِّبُهَا وَيُصَرِّفُهَا عَلَى مَعَانِي نَظَرِهِ، وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ مَا عَابَ طَعَامًا قَطُّ، إِنِ اشْتَهَاهُ أَكَلَهُ وَإِلَّا تَرَكَهُ.

falam yukhammir ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾanfahu waqāla: mā ʾashadda bayāḍa ʾasnānihi, ʾarāda ʾan yanhāhum bi-dhālika ʿani al-ghībati wayuʿallimahum tarka ʿaybi al-ʾashyāʾi, kayfa huwa yarā biʿayni nafsihi ʾanna al-ṣanʿata min ṣāniʿihā, fahuwa yuqallibuhā wayuṣarrifuhā ʿalā maʿānī naẓarihi, warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu mā ʿāba ṭaʿāman qaṭṭu, ʾini ishtahāhu ʾakalahu waʾillā tarakahu.

Jesus, peace be upon him, did not cover his nose, but said, “How very white its teeth are!” By this he intended to forbid them from backbiting and teach them to refrain from faulting things. How could he do otherwise, when with his own eye he sees that the work comes from its Maker, who turns and disposes it according to the meanings of His regard? We have related of God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he never faulted any food: if he desired it, he ate it; otherwise, he left it.

وَقَالَ أَنَسٌ: خَدَمْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ، لَيْسَ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ كَمَا يُرِيدُ صَاحِبِي، مَا قَالَ لِي لِشَيْءٍ فَعَلْتُهُ: لِمَ فَعَلْتَهُ؟ وَلَا لِشَيْءٍ لَمْ أَفْعَلْهُ: أَلَا فَعَلْتَهُ، وَلَا قَالَ فِي شَيْءٍ كَانَ: لَيْتَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ وَلَا لِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَكُنْ: لَيْتَهُ كَانَ، وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: لَوْ قُضِيَ شَيْءٌ لَكَانَ، وَهَذَا وَصْفُ الرَّاضِي الْمُوقِنِ الْقَائِمِ بِشَهَادَتِهِ.

waqāla ʾanasun: khadamtu rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿashra sinīna, laysa kullu imriʾin kamā yurīdu ṣāḥibī, mā qāla lī lishayʾin faʿaltuhu: lima faʿaltahu? walā lishayʾin lam ʾafʿalhu: ʾalā faʿaltahu, walā qāla fī shayʾin kāna: laytahu lam yakun walā lishayʾin lam yakun: laytahu kāna, wakāna yaqūlu: law quḍiya shayʾun lakāna, wa-hādhā waṣfu al-rāḍī al-mūqini al-qāʾimi bishahādatihi.

Anas said, “I served God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, for ten years. Not everyone was as my companion wished, yet he never said of anything I did, ‘Why did you do it?’ or of anything I did not do, ‘Why did you not do it?’ He never said of something that happened, ‘If only it had not happened,’ or of something that did not happen, ‘If only it had happened.’ He used to say, ‘Had something been decreed, it would have been.’” This describes the content and certain person who stands by his witnessing.

فَبِالنَّظَرِ فِي هَذِهِ الدَّقَائِقِ وَالْوُقُوفِ عِنْدَهَا رُفِعَ الْقَوْمُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ إِلَى مَقَامِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ، وَبِالتَّهَاوُنِ بِهَا وَالْغَفْلَةِ عَنْهَا نَغِلَتِ الْقُلُوبُ فَفَسَدَتْ حَتَّى لَمْ تَصْلُحْ لِلْمَحَبَّةِ وَالرِّضَا، وَهَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي مِنَ الِاعْتِرَاضَاتِ، وَالتَّخَيُّرُ هُوَ تَقَدُّمٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَذَاكَ التَّدْبِيرُ الَّذِي يُشِيرُ إِلَيْهِ سَهْلٌ وَيَقُولُ: إِنَّ تَدْبِيرَ الْخَلْقِ حَجَبَهُمْ عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

fabi-al-naẓari fī hādhihi al-daqāʾiqi wa-al-wuqūfi ʿindahā rufiʿa al-qawmu ʿinda Allāhi ʾilā maqāmi al-muqarrabīna, wabi-al-tahāwuni bihā wa-al-ghaflati ʿanhā naghilati al-qulūbu fafasadat ḥattā lam taṣluḥ li-l-maḥabbati wa-al-riḍā, wa-hādhihi al-maʿānī mina al-iʿtirāḍāti, wa-al-takhayyuru huwa taqaddumun bayna yadayi Allāhi wa-dhāka al-tadbīru alladhī yushīru ʾilayhi sahlun wayaqūlu: ʾinna tadbīra al-khalqi ḥajabahum ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wajalla.

By considering these subtleties and stopping at their limits, these people were raised with God to the station of those brought near. By treating them lightly and neglecting them, hearts became diseased and corrupted until they were unfit for love and contentment. These attitudes are forms of objection; choosing for oneself is advancing ahead of God. This is the self-directed planning to which Sahl refers when he says, “People’s planning has veiled them from God, mighty and majestic is He.”

وَحُكِيَ لَنَا أَنَّ بَعْضَهُمْ صَحِبَ بَعْضَ الْعَارِفِينَ فِي طَرِيقٍ فَعَبِثَ بِشَيْءٍ فَنَحَّاهُ مِنْ مَكَانٍ إِلَى مَكَانٍ آخَرَ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْعَارِفُ: مَاذَا صَنَعْتَ؟ أَحْدَثْتَ فِي الْمُلْكِ حَدَثًا عَنْ غَيْرِ ضَرُورَةٍ وَلَا سُنَّةٍ، وَلَا تَصْحَبْنِي أَبَدًا. فَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَنَا مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ إِلَّا هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءُ لَقَدْ كَانَ كَافِيًا، وَفَوْقَ ذَلِكَ تَهَاوُنُنَا بِهَا وَأَعْظَمُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ تَرْكُ التَّوْبَةِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارِ مِنْهَا.

waḥukiya lanā ʾanna baʿḍahum ṣaḥiba baʿḍa al-ʿārifīna fī ṭarīqin faʿabitha bishayʾin fanaḥḥāhu min makānin ʾilā makānin ʾākhara faqāla lahu al-ʿārifu: mādhā ṣanaʿta? ʾaḥdathta fī al-mulki ḥadathan ʿan ghayri ḍarūratin walā sunnatin, walā taṣḥabnī ʾabadan. falaw lam yakun lanā mina al-dhunūbi ʾillā hādhihi al-ʾashyāʾu laqad kāna kāfiyan, wafawqa dhālika tahāwununā bihā waʾaʿẓamu min dhālika tarku al-tawbati wa-al-istighfāri minhā.

It was told to us that one man accompanied a knower of God along a road, fiddled with something, and moved it from one place to another. The knower asked, “What have you done? You have introduced a change into the dominion without necessity or a prophetic practice. Never accompany me again.” Even if we had no sins besides these things, that would suffice. Beyond them lies our carelessness about them, and greater still is our failure to repent of them and seek forgiveness.

وَأَعْمَالُ طُلَّابِ الرِّضَا مِنَ اللَّهِ مُضَاعَفَةٌ عَلَى أَعْمَالِ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لِأَنَّ أَعْمَالَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ تُضَاعَفُ إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ، وَتَضْعِيفُ طَالِبِي الرِّضَا لَا تُحْصَى، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (وَاللَّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 261، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً) الْبَقَرَةُ: 245، قِيلَ: الْحَسَنَةُ إِلَى أَلْفَيْ أَلْفِ حَسَنَةٍ، وَقَدْ قَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ: (وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمُ ابْتِغَاءَ

waʾaʿmālu ṭullābi al-riḍā mina Allāhi muḍāʿafatun ʿalā ʾaʿmāli al-mujāhidīna fī sabīli Allāhi liʾanna ʾaʿmāla al-mujāhidīna tuḍāʿafu ʾilā sabʿimiʾati ḍiʿfin, wataḍʿīfu ṭālibī al-riḍā lā tuḥṣā, qāla Allāhu taʿālā: (wa-Allāhu yuḍāʿifu liman yashāʾu) al-baqaratu: 261, waqāla taʿālā: (fayuḍāʿifahu lahu ʾaḍʿāfan kathīratan) al-baqaratu: 245, qīla: al-ḥasanatu ʾilā ʾalfay ʾalfi ḥasanatin, waqad qāla subḥānahu: (wamathalu alladhīna yunfiqūna ʾamwālahumu ibtighāʾa

The deeds of those seeking God’s pleasure are multiplied beyond the deeds of those striving in God’s way. The latter are multiplied seven hundredfold, whereas the multiplication granted to seekers of pleasure cannot be counted. God Most High said, “God multiplies for whom He wills” (al-Baqara 2:261), and the Exalted said, “So that He may multiply it for him many times over” (al-Baqara 2:245). It is said that a single good deed reaches two million good deeds. He, glorified is He, also said, “The likeness of those who spend their wealth seeking

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٧٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 70

Volume Two, page 70

مَرْضَاتِ اللَّهِ وَتَثْبِيتًا مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ كَمَثَلِ جَنَّةٍ بِرَبْوَةٍ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 265، فَكَمْ فِي هَذِهِ الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ سُنْبُلَةٍ وَحَبَّةٍ، فَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ قَالَ: وَاللَّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ هُمْ أَهْلُ الرِّضَا عَنْهُ، وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ أَقْرَضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا لِأَجْلِهِ لِمُضَاعَفَتِهِ لَهُمْ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً، فَمَنْ عَقَلَ عَنِ اللَّهِ حِكْمَتَهُ كَانَ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِيمَا حَكَمَ مُسَلِّمًا لَهُ مَا شَهِدَ، لِأَنَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ بِاخْتِيَارِهِ أَنْشَأَ الْأَشْيَاءَ، وَبِمَشِيئَتِهِ أَبْدَاهَا وَعَنْهُ يَتَصَرَّفُ الْمَقْدُورُ وَإِلَيْهِ عَوَاقِبُ الْأُمُورِ.

marḍāti Allāhi watathbītan min ʾanfusihim kamathali jannatin birabwatin) al-baqaratu: 265, fakam fī hādhihi al-jannati min sunbulatin waḥabbatin, fa-hāʾulāʾi alladhīna qāla: wa-Allāhu yuḍāʿifu liman yashāʾu hum ʾahlu al-riḍā ʿanhu, wahumu alladhīna ʾaqraḍū Allāha qarḍan ḥasanan liʾajlihi limuḍāʿafatihi lahum ʾaḍʿāfan kathīratan, faman ʿaqala ʿani Allāhi ḥikmatahu kāna maʿa Allāhi taʿālā fīmā ḥakama musalliman lahu mā shahida, liʾannahu subḥānahu bi-khtiyārihi ʾanshaʾa al-ʾashyāʾa, wabimashīʾatihi ʾabdāhā waʿanhu yataṣarrafu al-maqdūru waʾilayhi ʿawāqibu al-ʾumūri.

God’s pleasure and to strengthen themselves is like a garden on high ground” (al-Baqara 2:265). How many ears and grains that garden contains! Those of whom He said, “God multiplies for whom He wills,” are the people content with Him. They lent God a good loan for His sake, that He might multiply it for them many times. Whoever understands God’s wisdom from Him stands with God Most High in what He judges, surrendering to Him what he witnesses. For He, glorified is He, originated things by His choice and displayed them by His will; what is decreed proceeds from Him, and to Him belong the final outcomes of affairs.

لَا يَكُونُ مَعَ نَفْسِهِ فِيمَا يَهْوَاهُ وَلَا مَعَ مُعْتَادِهِ وَعُرْفِهِ فِيمَا يَعْقِلُ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: قَدْ نِلْتُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَقَامٍ حَالًا إِلَّا الرِّضَا، فَمَا لِي مِنْهُ إِلَّا مَشَامُّ الرِّيحِ، وَعَلَى ذَلِكَ لَوْ أَدْخَلَ الْخَلَائِقَ كُلَّهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَدْخَلَنِيَ النَّارَ لَكُنْتُ بِذَلِكَ رَاضِيًا، وَقِيلَ لِعَارِفٍ فَوْقَهُ: نِلْتَ غَايَةَ الرِّضَا عَنْهُ؟ فَقَالَ: الْغَايَةَ لَا، وَلَكِنْ مَقَامٌ مِنَ الرِّضَا قَدْ نِلْتُهُ.

lā yakūnu maʿa nafsihi fīmā yahwāhu walā maʿa muʿtādihi waʿurfihi fīmā yaʿqilu, waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: qad niltu min kulli maqāmin ḥālan ʾillā al-riḍā, famā lī minhu ʾillā mashāmmu al-rīḥi, waʿalā dhālika law ʾadkhala al-khalāʾiqa kullahumu al-jannata waʾadkhalaniya al-nāra lakuntu bi-dhālika rāḍiyan, waqīla liʿārifin fawqahu: nilta ghāyata al-riḍā ʿanhu? faqāla: al-ghāyata lā, wa-lākin maqāmun mina al-riḍā qad niltuhu.

He does not stand with his own self in what it desires, or with his habits and customary understanding in what he comprehends. One knower of God said, “I have attained a state from every station except contentment; of that I have only a scent upon the breeze. Even so, were He to admit all creatures to Paradise and me to the Fire, I would be content with that.” A knower above him was asked, “Have you attained the utmost contentment with Him?” He answered, “Not the utmost, but I have attained a station of contentment.”

حَتَّى لَوْ جَعَلَنِي جِسْرًا عَلَى جَهَنَّمَ يَعْبُرُ الْخَلَائِقُ عَلَيَّ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، ثُمَّ مَلَأَ بِي جَهَنَّمَ تَحِلَّةً لِقَسَمِهِ وَبَدَلًا مِنْ خَلِيقَتِهِ لَأَحْبَبْتُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ حُكْمِهِ، وَرَضِيتُ بِهِ مِنْ قِسْمِهِ، وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنِ الرُّوذْبَارِيِّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْجَلَّاءِ الدِّمَشْقِيِّ قَوْلَ فُلَانٍ: وَدِدْتُ أَنَّ جَسَدِي قُرِضَ بِالْمَقَارِيضِ، وَأَنَّ هَذَا الْخَلْقَ أَطَاعُوهُ، مَا مَعْنَاهُ؟ قَالَ: يَا هَذَا، إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْإِشْفَاقِ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ وَالنُّصْحِ فَأَعْرِفُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ طَرِيقِ التَّعْظِيمِ وَالْإِجْلَالِ فَلَا أَعْرِفُ. قَالَ ثُمَّ غُشِيَ عَلَيْهِ.

ḥattā law jaʿalanī jisran ʿalā jahannama yaʿburu al-khalāʾiqu ʿalayya ʾilā al-jannati, thumma malaʾa bī jahannama taḥillatan liqasamihi wabadalan min khalīqatihi laʾaḥbabtu dhālika min ḥukmihi, waraḍītu bihi min qismihi, waḥaddathūnā ʿani al-rūdhbāriyyi qāla: qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi bni al-jallāʾi al-dimashqiyyi qawla fulānin: wadidtu ʾanna jasadī quriḍa bi-al-maqārīḍi, waʾanna hādhā al-khalqa ʾaṭāʿūhu, mā maʿnāhu? qāla: yā hādhā, ʾin kāna min ṭarīqi al-ʾishfāqi ʿalā al-khalqi wa-al-nuṣḥi faʾaʿrifu, waʾin kāna min ṭarīqi al-taʿẓīmi wa-al-ʾijlāli falā ʾaʿrifu. qāla thumma ghushiya ʿalayhi.

“Were He to make me a bridge over Hell so that creatures crossed over me to Paradise, then fill Hell with me to fulfil His oath and in place of His creation, I would love that judgment from Him and accept that allotment.” They related to us from al-Rūdhbārī: “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Jallāʾ al-Dimashqī about someone’s saying, ‘I wish my body were cut with shears and these creatures obeyed Him.’ What did it mean? He answered, ‘Man, if it comes from compassion and sincere concern for creatures, I understand it; if from magnifying and revering God, I do not understand it.’ Then he fainted.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ عِمْرَانُ بْنُ حُصَيْنٍ اسْتَسْقَى بَطْنُهُ فَلَبِثَ مُلْقًى عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً سَطِيحًا، لَا يَقُومُ وَلَا يَقْعُدُ، قَدْ نُقِبَ لَهُ فِي سَرِيرٍ مِنْ جَرِيدٍ كَانَ تَحْتَهُ مَوْضِعًا لِغَائِطِهِ وَبَوْلِهِ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ مُطَرِّفٌ أَوْ أَخُوهُ الْعَلَاءُ فَجَعَلَ يَبْكِي لِمَا يَرَى مِنْ حَالِهِ، فَقَالَ: لِمَ تَبْكِي؟ فَقَالَ: لِأَنِّي أَرَاكَ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْحَالِ الْعَظِيمَةِ. فَقَالَ: لَا تَبْكِ فَإِنَّ أَحَبَّهُ إِلَيَّ أَحَبُّهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ.

waqad kāna ʿimrānu bnu ḥuṣaynin istasqā baṭnuhu falabitha mulqan ʿalā ẓahrihi thalāthīna sanatan saṭīḥan, lā yaqūmu walā yaqʿudu, qad nuqiba lahu fī sarīrin min jarīdin kāna taḥtahu mawḍiʿan lighāʾiṭihi wabawlihi, fadakhala ʿalayhi muṭarrifun ʾaw ʾakhūhu al-ʿalāʾu fajaʿala yabkī limā yarā min ḥālihi, faqāla: lima tabkī? faqāla: liʾannī ʾarāka ʿalā hādhihi al-ḥāli al-ʿaẓīmati. faqāla: lā tabki faʾinna ʾaḥabbahu ʾilayya ʾaḥabbuhu ʾilā Allāhi.

ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn’s belly had become dropsical, and he lay flat on his back for thirty years, unable to stand or sit. An opening had been made in the palm-stick bed beneath him for his stool and urine. Muṭarrif, or his brother al-ʿAlāʾ, entered and began weeping at the sight of his condition. He asked, “Why are you weeping?” He replied, “Because I see you in this dreadful state.” He answered, “Do not weep. What God loves most is what I love most.”

ثُمَّ قَالَ: أُحَدِّثُكَ شَيْئًا لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ أَنْ يَنْفَعَكَ بِهِ، وَاكْتُمْ عَنِّي حَتَّى أَمُوتَ أَنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَزُورُنِي فَآنَسُ بِهَا، وَتُسَلِّمُ عَلَيَّ فَأَسْمَعُ تَسْلِيمَهَا. أَرَادَ عِمْرَانُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ بِذَلِكَ أَنْ يُعْلَمَ أَنَّ هَذَا الْبَلَاءَ لَيْسَ بِعُقُوبَةٍ: لِأَنَّ مِثْلَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ دَرَجَةٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ، وَبَلَاءُ الْعُقُوبَاتِ لَا يَكُونُ مَعَهُ الْآيَاتُ وَلَا يُوجَدُ عِنْدَهُ الْحَلَاوَاتُ، وَلَا مَزِيدُ الْقُلُوبِ مِنْ نَسِيمِ رَيْحَانِ الْغُيُوبِ وَلِأَنَّهُ كَانَ حَزِنَ عَلَيْهِ فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يُبَشِّرَهُ: فَلَا تَذْكُرِ الْحَبِيبَ وَلَا حُبَّ لِقَاءِ الطَّبِيبِ، كَمَا أَنْشَدَ بَعْضُ الْمُحِبِّينَ:

thumma qāla: ʾuḥaddithuka shayʾan laʿalla Allāha ʾan yanfaʿaka bihi, wa-ktum ʿannī ḥattā ʾamūta ʾanna al-malāʾikata tazūrunī faʾānasu bihā, watusallimu ʿalayya faʾasmaʿu taslīmahā. ʾarāda ʿimrānu raḥimahu Allāhu bi-dhālika ʾan yuʿlama ʾanna hādhā al-balāʾa laysa biʿuqūbatin: liʾanna mithla hādhihi al-ʾāyati ʾinnamā huwa darajatun waraḥmatun, wabalāʾu al-ʿuqūbāti lā yakūnu maʿahu al-ʾāyātu walā yūjadu ʿindahu al-ḥalāwātu, walā mazīdu al-qulūbi min nasīmi rayḥāni al-ghuyūbi waliʾannahu kāna ḥazina ʿalayhi faʾarāda ʾan yubashshirahu: falā tadhkuri al-ḥabība walā ḥubba liqāʾi al-ṭabībi, kamā ʾanshada baʿḍu al-muḥibbīna:

Then he said, “I will tell you something by which God may benefit you; keep this about me secret until I die: the angels visit me, and I find companionship in them. They greet me, and I hear their greeting.” By this, ʿImrān, may God have mercy on him, wanted it known that this affliction was not punishment. Such a sign is a rank and a mercy; punitive afflictions are not accompanied by signs, sweetness, or the heart’s increase from the breeze of the unseen’s fragrant herbs. Since the visitor had grieved for him, he wished to give him glad tidings: “So do not mention the beloved, nor love of meeting the physician.” As one of the lovers recited:

يَا حَبِيبًا بِذِكْرِهِ نَتَدَاوَى ... وَصَفُوهُ لِكُلِّ دَاءٍ عَجِيبٍ. مَنْ أَرَادَ الطَّبِيبَ سُرَّ إِذَا ... اعْتَلَّ اشْتِيَاقًا إِلَى لِقَاءِ الطَّبِيبِ. مَنْ أَرَادَ الْحَبِيبَ سَارَ إِلَيْهِ ... وَجَفَا الْأَهْلَ دُونَهُ وَالْقَرِيبَ. لَيْسَ دَاءُ الْمُحِبِّ دَاءً يُدَاوَى ... إِنَّمَا بُرْؤُهُ لِقَاءُ الْحَبِيبِ.

yā ḥabīban bidhikrihi natadāwā ... waṣafūhu likulli dāʾin ʿajībin. man ʾarāda al-ṭabība surra ʾidhā ... iʿtalla ishtiyāqan ʾilā liqāʾi al-ṭabībi. man ʾarāda al-ḥabība sāra ʾilayhi ... wajafā al-ʾahla dūnahu wa-al-qarība. laysa dāʾu al-muḥibbi dāʾan yudāwā ... ʾinnamā burʾuhu liqāʾu al-ḥabībi.

O beloved, by remembering whom we find our cure: they prescribed him for every strange disease. Whoever seeks the physician rejoices when he falls ill, longing to meet the physician. Whoever seeks the beloved journeys toward him, forsaking family and kin for his sake. The lover’s sickness is no sickness medicines can cure: its only healing is the meeting with the beloved.

قَالَ: وَدَخَلْنَا عَلَى سُوَيْدِ بْنِ شُعْبَةَ نَعُودُهُ، فَرَأَيْنَا ثَوْبًا مُلْقًى فَمَا ظَنَنَّا أَنَّ تَحْتَهُ شَيْئًا حَتَّى كُشِفَ، فَقَالَتْ لَهُ امْرَأَتُهُ: أَهْلِي فِدَاؤُكَ مَا نُطْعِمُكَ مَا نَسْقِيكَ؟ فَقَالَ: طَالَتِ الضِّجْعَةُ وَدَبِرَتِ الْحَرَاقِيفُ وَأَصْبَحْتُ نِضْوًا لَا أَطْعَمُ طَعَامًا وَلَا أُسِيغُ شَرَابًا مُنْذُ كَذَا، فَذَكَرَ أَيَّامًا ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَمَا يَسُرُّنِي أَنِّي نَقَصْتُ مِنْ هَذَا قُلَامَةَ ظُفْرٍ.

qāla: wadakhalnā ʿalā suwaydi bni shuʿbata naʿūduhu, faraʾaynā thawban mulqan famā ẓanannā ʾanna taḥtahu shayʾan ḥattā kushifa, faqālat lahu imraʾatuhu: ʾahlī fidāʾuka mā nuṭʿimuka mā nasqīka? faqāla: ṭālati al-ḍijʿatu wadabirati al-ḥarāqīfu waʾaṣbaḥtu niḍwan lā ʾaṭʿamu ṭaʿāman walā ʾusīghu sharāban mundhu kadhā, fadhakara ʾayyāman thumma qāla: wamā yasurrunī ʾannī naqaṣtu min hādhā qulāmata ẓufrin.

He said, “We visited Suwayd ibn Shuʿba in his illness and saw a cloth lying there. We did not think anything was underneath until it was uncovered. His wife said, ‘May my family be your ransom! What shall we feed you? What shall we give you to drink?’ He answered, ‘I have lain here long; my hip bones have become sore, and I have wasted away. I have neither eaten food nor swallowed drink for such-and-such a time,’ mentioning a number of days. Then he said, ‘It would not please me to have this diminished by a fingernail clipping.’”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٧١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 71

Volume Two, page 71

وَاعْتَلَّ حُذَيْفَةُ عِلَّةَ الْمَوْتِ فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ: اُخْنُقْ خِنَاقَكَ فَوَعِزَّتِكَ إِنَّكَ لَتَعْلَمُ أَنِّي أُحِبُّكَ، فَلَمَّا حَضَرَهُ الْمَوْتُ جَعَلَ يَقُولُ: حَبِيبٌ جَاءَ عَلَى فَاقَةٍ لَا أَفْلَحَ مَنْ نَدِمَ، وَرُوِيَ أَيْضًا مِثْلُ هَذَا عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، وَلَمَّا قَدِمَ سَعْدٌ إِلَى مَكَّةَ وَكَانَ قَدْ كُفَّ بَصَرُهُ جَاءَهُ النَّاسُ يُهْرَعُونَ، كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ يَسْأَلُهُ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ لَهُ فَيَدْعُو لِهَذَا وَلِهَذَا، وَكَانَ مُجَابَ الدَّعْوَةِ، دَعَا لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِذَلِكَ.

wa-ʿtalla ḥudhayfatu ʿillata al-mawti fajaʿala yaqūlu: ukhnuq khināqaka fawaʿizzatika ʾinnaka lataʿlamu ʾannī ʾuḥibbuka, falammā ḥaḍarahu al-mawtu jaʿala yaqūlu: ḥabībun jāʾa ʿalā fāqatin lā ʾaflaḥa man nadima, waruwiya ʾayḍan mithlu hādhā ʿan ʾabī hurayrata, walammā qadima saʿdun ʾilā makkata wakāna qad kuffa baṣaruhu jāʾahu al-nāsu yuhraʿūna, kullu wāḥidin yasʾaluhu ʾan yadʿuwa lahu fayadʿū li-hādhā wali-hādhā, wakāna mujāba al-daʿwati, daʿā lahu rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama bi-dhālika.

When Ḥudhayfa fell mortally ill, he kept saying, “Tighten Your strangling grip! By Your might, You surely know that I love You.” When death came, he said, “A beloved has come in a time of need; may whoever regrets it never prosper.” Something similar is also related from Abū Hurayra. When Saʿd came to Mecca after losing his sight, people hurried to him, each asking him to pray on his behalf, and he prayed for one and another. His supplications were answered: God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, had prayed that this be granted him.

قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ السَّائِبِ: فَأَتَيْتُهُ وَأَنَا غُلَامٌ فَتَعَرَّفْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَعَرَفَنِي وَقَالَ: أَنْتَ قَارِئُ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ، فَذَكَرَ قِصَّةً قَالَ فِي آخِرِهَا فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: يَا عَمِّ، أَنْتَ تَدْعُو لِلنَّاسِ فَلَوْ دَعَوْتَ لِنَفْسِكَ فَرَدَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ بَصَرَكَ، فَتَبَسَّمَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ، قَضَاءُ اللَّهِ عِنْدِي أَحْسَنُ مِنْ بَصَرِي، وَقَالَ إِنَّ بَعْضَ هَذِهِ الطَّائِفَةِ ضَاعَ وَلَدُهُ وَكَانَ صَغِيرًا ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ لَا يَعْرِفُ لَهُ خَبَرًا فَقِيلَ لَهُ: لَوْ سَأَلْتَ اللَّهَ أَنْ يَرُدَّهُ عَلَيْكَ فَقَالَ: اعْتِرَاضِي عَلَيْهِ فِيمَا قَضَى أَشَدُّ مِنْ ذَهَابِ وَلَدِي.

qāla ʿabdu Allāhi bnu al-sāʾibi: faʾataytuhu waʾanā ghulāmun fataʿarraftu ʾilayhi faʿarafanī waqāla: ʾanta qāriʾu ʾahli makkata? qultu: naʿam, fadhakara qiṣṣatan qāla fī ʾākhirihā faqultu lahu: yā ʿammi, ʾanta tadʿū li-l-nāsi falaw daʿawta linafsika faradda Allāhu ʿalayka baṣaraka, fatabassama thumma qāla: yā bunayya, qaḍāʾu Allāhi ʿindī ʾaḥsanu min baṣarī, waqāla ʾinna baʿḍa hādhihi al-ṭāʾifati ḍāʿa waladuhu wakāna ṣaghīran thalāthata ʾayyāmin lā yaʿrifu lahu khabaran faqīla lahu: law saʾalta Allāha ʾan yaruddahu ʿalayka faqāla: iʿtirāḍī ʿalayhi fīmā qaḍā ʾashaddu min dhahābi waladī.

ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Sāʾib said, “I came to him as a boy, introduced myself, and he recognized me. He asked, ‘Are you the Qurʾān reciter of the people of Mecca?’ I said, ‘Yes.’” He recounted a story, at whose end he said, “I asked him, ‘Uncle, you pray for other people; why not pray for yourself so that God may restore your sight?’ He smiled and said, ‘My son, God’s decree is more beautiful to me than my sight.’” He also said that a member of this group lost his young child for three days without news. Asked, “Why not ask God to return him?” he replied, “My objection to His decree would be worse than losing my child.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ الْعُبَّادِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: أَذْنَبْتُ ذَنْبًا فَأَنَا أَبْكِي عَلَيْهِ مُنْذُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً، وَكَانَ قَدِ اجْتَهَدَ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ لِأَجْلِ التَّوْبَةِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الذَّنْبِ. قِيلَ لَهُ: وَمَا هُوَ؟ قَالَ: قُلْتُ مَرَّةً لِشَيْءٍ كَانَ: لَيْتَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: لَوْ قُرِضَ جِسْمِي بِالْمَقَارِيضِ كَانَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَقُولَ لِشَيْءٍ قَضَاهُ اللَّهُ: لَيْتَهُ لَمْ يَقْضِهِ.

waqad rawaynā ʿan baʿḍi al-ʿubbādi ʾannahu qāla: ʾadhnabtu dhanban faʾanā ʾabkī ʿalayhi mundhu thalāthīna sanatan, wakāna qadi ijtahada fī al-ʿibādati liʾajli al-tawbati min dhālika al-dhanbi. qīla lahu: wamā huwa? qāla: qultu marratan lishayʾin kāna: laytahu lam yakun, waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: law quriḍa jismī bi-al-maqārīḍi kāna ʾaḥabba ʾilayya min ʾan ʾaqūla lishayʾin qaḍāhu Allāhu: laytahu lam yaqḍihi.

We have related from a worshipper who said, “I committed a sin, and have wept over it for thirty years.” He had exerted himself in worship to repent of that sin. Asked what it was, he answered, “I once said of something that had happened, ‘If only it had not happened.’” One of the early predecessors said, “Having my body cut with shears would be dearer to me than saying of something God decreed, ‘If only He had not decreed it.’”

وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ بِشْرٍ الْحَافِي قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ بِعَبَّادَانَ رَجُلًا قَدْ قَطَّعَهُ الْبَلَاءُ وَقَدْ سَالَتْ حَدَقَتَاهُ عَلَى خَدَّيْهِ، وَهُوَ فِي ذَلِكَ كَثِيرُ الذِّكْرِ عَظِيمُ الشُّكْرِ لِلَّهِ، قَالَ وَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ صُرِعَ مِنْ حُبِّهِ بِهِ، قَالَ: فَوَضَعْتُ رَأْسَهُ فِي حِجْرِي وَجَعَلْتُ أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ كَشْفَ مَا بِهِ، وَأَدْعُو لَهُ، فَأَفَاقَ فَسَمِعَ دُعَائِي فَقَالَ: مَنْ هَذَا الْفُضُولِيُّ الَّذِي يَدْخُلُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ رَبِّي وَيَعْتَرِضُ عَلَيْهِ فِي نِعَمِهِ عَلَيَّ؟ قَالَ وَنَحَّى رَأْسَهُ.

waḥaddathūnā ʿan bishrin al-ḥāfī qāla: raʾaytu biʿabbādāna rajulan qad qaṭṭaʿahu al-balāʾu waqad sālat ḥadaqatāhu ʿalā khaddayhi, wahuwa fī dhālika kathīru al-dhikri ʿaẓīmu al-shukri li-llāhi, qāla waʾidhā huwa qad ṣuriʿa min ḥubbihi bihi, qāla: fawaḍaʿtu raʾsahu fī ḥijrī wajaʿaltu ʾasʾalu Allāha ʿazza wajalla kashfa mā bihi, waʾadʿū lahu, faʾafāqa fasamiʿa duʿāʾī faqāla: man hādhā al-fuḍūliyyu alladhī yadkhulu baynī wabayna rabbī wayaʿtariḍu ʿalayhi fī niʿamihi ʿalayya? qāla wanaḥḥā raʾsahu.

They related to us from Bishr al-Ḥāfī: “At ʿAbbādān I saw a man devastated by affliction, whose eyes had run down his cheeks; yet he remembered God often and thanked Him greatly. Then he was overcome through his love for Him. I placed his head in my lap and began asking God, mighty and majestic is He, to remove his suffering, praying for him. He recovered consciousness, heard my prayer, and said, ‘Who is this meddler who comes between me and my Lord and objects to His blessings upon me?’ Then he moved his head away.”

قَالَ بِشْرٌ فَاعْتَقَدْتُ أَنْ لَا أَعْتَرِضَ عَلَى عَبْدٍ فِي نِعْمَةٍ أَرَاهَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ، وَقِيلَ لِعَبْدِ الْوَاحِدِ ابْنِ زَيْدٍ: هَهُنَا رَجُلٌ قَدْ تَعَبَّدَ خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً فَقَصَدَهُ فَقَالَ: حَبِيبِي أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْكَ هَلْ قَنِعْتَ بِهِ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: هَلْ أَنِسْتَ بِهِ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: فَهَلْ رَضِيتَ عَنْهُ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: فَإِنَّمَا مَزِيدُكَ مِنْهُ الصَّوْمُ وَالصَّلَاةُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: لَوْلَا أَنِّي أَسْتَحْيِي مِنْكَ لَأَخْبَرْتُكَ أَنَّ مُعَامَلَتَكَ خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً مَدْخُولَةٌ.

qāla bishrun fa-ʿtaqadtu ʾan lā ʾaʿtariḍa ʿalā ʿabdin fī niʿmatin ʾarāhā ʿalayhi mina al-balāʾi, waqīla liʿabdi al-wāḥidi ibni zaydin: hāhunā rajulun qad taʿabbada khamsīna sanatan faqaṣadahu faqāla: ḥabībī ʾakhbirnī ʿanka hal qaniʿta bihi? qāla: lā. qāla: hal ʾanista bihi? qāla: lā. qāla: fahal raḍīta ʿanhu? qāla: lā. qāla: faʾinnamā mazīduka minhu al-ṣawmu wa-al-ṣalātu? qāla: naʿam. qāla: lawlā ʾannī ʾastaḥyī minka laʾakhbartuka ʾanna muʿāmalataka khamsīna sanatan madkhūlatun.

Bishr said, “I resolved never to object concerning a blessing of affliction that I saw upon a servant.” ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Zayd was told, “Here is a man who has worshipped for fifty years.” He went to him and asked, “My beloved, tell me about yourself: have you found sufficiency in Him?” “No.” “Have you found intimacy with Him?” “No.” “Are you content with Him?” “No.” “Then is the increase you receive from Him merely fasting and prayer?” “Yes.” He said, “Were I not ashamed before you, I would tell you that your dealings with God for fifty years have been flawed.”

أَرَادَ بِذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يُقَرِّبْكَ فَيَجْعَلَكَ فِي الْمُقَرَّبِينَ فَيَكُونَ مَزِيدُكَ لَدَيْهِ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْقُلُوبِ، وَكَذَلِكَ يَصْنَعُ بِأَوْلِيَائِهِ، إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ عِنْدَهُ فِي طَبَقَةِ أَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ، فَمَزِيدُ الْعُمُومِ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْجَوَارِحِ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الرَّجُلُ مُخْلِصًا فِي مَقَامِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ فَوْقَهُ فَوْقٌ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ مُحَيْرِيزٍ، وَكَانَ مِنْ عُبَّادِ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ وَعُلَمَائِهِمْ، كَلِمَةً غَرِيبَةَ الْمَعْنَى دَقِيقَةً فِي مَعْنَى الْمُخَالَفَةِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

ʾarāda bi-dhālika ʾannahu lam yuqarribka fayajʿalaka fī al-muqarrabīna fayakūna mazīduka ladayhi min ʾaʿmāli al-qulūbi, wa-kadhālika yaṣnaʿu biʾawliyāʾihi, ʾinnamā ʾanta ʿindahu fī ṭabaqati ʾaṣḥābi al-yamīni, famazīdu al-ʿumūmi min ʾaʿmāli al-jawāriḥi, waqad yakūnu al-rajulu mukhliṣan fī maqāmihi waʾin kāna fawqahu fawqun, waqad rawaynā ʿani ibni muḥayrīzin, wakāna min ʿubbādi ʾahli al-shāmi waʿulamāʾihim, kalimatan gharībata al-maʿnā daqīqatan fī maʿnā al-mukhālafati li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla.

He meant: God has not brought you near and placed you among those brought near, so that your increase with Him would consist of works of the heart, as He does with His friends. You are simply in the class of the companions of the right hand; the increase of ordinary believers consists of bodily works. A man may be sincere in his station even though there are heights above it. We have related from Ibn Muḥayrīz, one of Syria’s worshippers and scholars, a saying of unusual and subtle meaning concerning opposition to God, mighty and majestic is He.

وَإِنْ كَانَ قَدْ فَسَّرَهَا فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَكْشِفْ مَعْنَاهَا لِفَهْمِ السَّامِعِينَ مِنْهُ وَالْحَاضِرِينَ عِنْدَهُ فَيَحْتَاجُ تَفْسِيرُهَا إِلَى تَفْسِيرٍ، رَوَيْنَا عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كُلُّكُمْ يَلْقَى اللَّهَ تَعَالَى، وَلَعَلَّهُ قَدْ كَذَّبَهُ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَوْ كَانَ لَهُ أُصْبُعٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ ظَلَّ يُشِيرُ بِهَا، وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِ شَلَلٌ ظَلَّ يُوَارِيهَا، يَعْنِي بِذَلِكَ أَنَّ الذَّهَبَ مِنْ زِينَةِ الدُّنْيَا، وَقَدْ ذَمَّ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الدُّنْيَا وَأَنَّ الْبَلَاءَ زِينَةُ أَهْلِ الْآخِرَةِ وَقَدْ مَدَحَ اللَّهُ الْآخِرَةَ، أَيْ فَأَنْتَ إِذَا أَعْطَاكَ زِينَةَ الدُّنْيَا أَظْهَرْتَهَا

waʾin kāna qad fassarahā faʾinnahu lam yakshif maʿnāhā lifahmi al-sāmiʿīna minhu wa-al-ḥāḍirīna ʿindahu fayaḥtāju tafsīruhā ʾilā tafsīrin, rawaynā ʿanhu ʾannahu qāla: kullukum yalqā Allāha taʿālā, walaʿallahu qad kadhdhabahu wa-dhālika ʾanna ʾaḥadakum law kāna lahu ʾuṣbuʿun min dhahabin ẓalla yushīru bihā, walaw kāna bihi shalalun ẓalla yuwārīhā, yaʿnī bi-dhālika ʾanna al-dhahaba min zīnati al-dunyā, waqad dhamma Allāhu taʿālā al-dunyā waʾanna al-balāʾa zīnatu ʾahli al-ʾākhirati waqad madaḥa Allāhu al-ʾākhirata, ʾay faʾanta ʾidhā ʾaʿṭāka zīnata al-dunyā ʾaẓhartahā

Although he explained it, he did not uncover its meaning to the understanding of his listeners and those present, so his explanation needs explaining. We related that he said, “Every one of you will meet God Most High, perhaps having contradicted Him. If one of you had a finger of gold, he would keep pointing with it; but if he had paralysis, he would keep concealing it.” He meant that gold is worldly adornment, though God Most High has disparaged this world, while affliction is the adornment of the people of the next world, which God has praised. That is, when He gives you worldly adornment, you display it

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٧٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 72

Volume Two, page 72

وَفَخَرْتَ بِهَا وَإِذَا أَعْطَاكَ زِينَةَ الْآخِرَةِ وَهِيَ الْمَصَائِبُ وَالْبَلَاءُ كَرِهْتَهَا وَأَخْفَيْتَهَا لِئَلَّا تُعَابَ بِذَلِكَ، فَحَسَبَ عَلَيْهِ حُبَّ الدُّنْيَا وَالتَّزَيُّنَ بِهَا وَكَرَاهَةَ الْبَلَاءِ تَكْذِيبًا لِلَّهِ وَرَدًّا عَلَيْهِ مَا وَصَفَهُ، وَهَذَا يَدْخُلُ فِي بَابِ الزُّهْدِ وَفِي بَابِ الرِّضَا، وَيَدْخُلُ عَلَى مَنْ أَخْفَى الْفَقْرَ وَالْبَلَاءَ حَيَاءً مِنَ النَّاسِ لِئَلَّا يُعَابَ بِذَلِكَ، فَهُوَ مِنْ ضَعْفِ يَقِينِهِ بِقُوَّةِ شَاهِدِ الْخَلْقِ، وَيَدْخُلُ فِيهِ مَنْ أَظْهَرَ الْغِنَى مِنْ غَيْرِ نِيَّةٍ وَلَا تَحَدُّثٍ بِنِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ، فَذَلِكَ أَيْضًا مِنْ قُوَّةِ شَاهِدِ حُبِّ الدُّنْيَا.

wafakharta bihā waʾidhā ʾaʿṭāka zīnata al-ʾākhirati wahiya al-maṣāʾibu wa-al-balāʾu karihtahā waʾakhfaytahā liʾallā tuʿāba bi-dhālika, faḥasaba ʿalayhi ḥubba al-dunyā wa-al-tazayyuna bihā wakarāhata al-balāʾi takdhīban li-llāhi waraddan ʿalayhi mā waṣafahu, wa-hādhā yadkhulu fī bābi al-zuhdi wafī bābi al-riḍā, wayadkhulu ʿalā man ʾakhfā al-faqra wa-al-balāʾa ḥayāʾan mina al-nāsi liʾallā yuʿāba bi-dhālika, fahuwa min ḍaʿfi yaqīnihi biquwwati shāhidi al-khalqi, wayadkhulu fīhi man ʾaẓhara al-ghinā min ghayri niyyatin walā taḥadduthin biniʿmati Allāhi, fa-dhālika ʾayḍan min quwwati shāhidi ḥubbi al-dunyā.

and boast of it, whereas when He gives you the adornment of the next world, namely calamities and affliction, you dislike and conceal it lest you be faulted for it. He counted love of the world, adorning oneself with it, and dislike of affliction as contradicting God and rejecting His description. This belongs to the subjects of renunciation and contentment. It applies to anyone who conceals poverty and affliction out of shame before people, lest he be faulted: it stems from weak certainty and the force of his awareness of creatures. It also includes anyone who displays wealth without an intention or an acknowledgment of God’s blessing. This too arises from the force of his awareness of worldly love.

وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ: ثَلَاثُ مَقَامَاتٍ لَا حَدَّ لَهَا، الزُّهْدُ وَالْوَرَعُ وَالرِّضَا، وَخَالَفَهُ سُلَيْمَانُ ابْنُهُ، وَكَانَ عَارِفًا، وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ كَانَ يُقَدِّمُهُ عَلَى أَبِيهِ فَقَالَ: بَلَى، مَنْ تَوَرَّعَ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدْ بَلَغَ حَدَّ الْوَرَعِ، وَمَنْ زَهِدَ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدْ بَلَغَ حَدَّ الزُّهْدِ، وَمَنْ رَضِيَ عَنِ اللَّهِ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدْ بَلَغَ حَدَّ الرِّضَا.

wa-kadhālika qāla ʾabū sulaymāna al-dārāniyyu: thalāthu maqāmātin lā ḥadda lahā, al-zuhdu wa-al-waraʿu wa-al-riḍā, wakhālafahu sulaymānu ibnuhu, wakāna ʿārifan, wamina al-nāsi man kāna yuqaddimuhu ʿalā ʾabīhi faqāla: balā, man tawarraʿa fī kulli shayʾin faqad balagha ḥadda al-waraʿi, waman zahida fī kulli shayʾin faqad balagha ḥadda al-zuhdi, waman raḍiya ʿani Allāhi fī kulli shayʾin faqad balagha ḥadda al-riḍā.

Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī likewise said, “Three stations have no limit: renunciation, scrupulousness, and contentment.” His son Sulaymān disagreed. He was a knower of God, and some people ranked him above his father. He said, “Indeed they do: whoever practices scrupulousness in everything has reached its limit; whoever renounces everything has reached the limit of renunciation; whoever is content with God in everything has reached the limit of contentment.”

وَلَا يَنْقُصُ الرَّاضِيَ مِنْ مَقَامِ الرِّضَا مَسْأَلَةُ مَوْلَاهُ مَزِيدَ الْآخِرَةِ وَصَلَاحَ الدُّنْيَا، تَعَبُّدًا بِذَلِكَ وَافْتِقَارًا إِلَيْهِ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ لِأَنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ رِضَاهُ وَمُقْتَضَى تَمَدُّحِهِ بِمَسْأَلَةِ الْخَلَائِقِ لَهُ، فَإِنْ صَرَفَ مَسَائِلَهُ إِلَى طَلَبِ النَّصِيبِ مِنَ الْمَوْلَى وَابْتِغَاءِ الْقُرْبِ مِنْهُ حُبًّا لَهُ وَآثَرَهُ عَلَى مَا سِوَاهُ كَانَ فَاضِلًا فِي ذَلِكَ، لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ رَدَّ قَلْبَهُ إِلَيْهِ وَجَمَعَ هَمَّهُ بِذَلِكَ.

walā yanquṣu al-rāḍiya min maqāmi al-riḍā masʾalatu mawlāhu mazīda al-ʾākhirati waṣalāḥa al-dunyā, taʿabbudan bi-dhālika wa-ftiqāran ʾilayhi fī kulli shayʾin liʾanna fī dhālika riḍāhu wamuqtaḍā tamadduḥihi bimasʾalati al-khalāʾiqi lahu, faʾin ṣarafa masāʾilahu ʾilā ṭalabi al-naṣībi mina al-mawlā wa-btighāʾi al-qurbi minhu ḥubban lahu waʾātharahu ʿalā mā siwāhu kāna fāḍilan fī dhālika, liʾannahu qad radda qalbahu ʾilayhi wajamaʿa hammahu bi-dhālika.

Asking his Master for increase in the next world and soundness in this one does not diminish a content person’s station, when he does so as worship and in dependence upon Him for everything. This contains His pleasure and accords with His praise of creatures’ asking Him. If the servant directs his requests toward seeking a share from the Master and nearness to Him out of love, preferring Him to everything else, he is excellent in doing so: he has turned his heart back toward Him and gathered his whole concern in that direction.

وَهَذَا عَلَى قَدْرِ مُشَاهَدَةِ الرَّاضِي عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ، وَهُوَ مَقَامُ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ وَمُقْتَضَى حَالِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ يُسْأَلُ عَنْ عَمَلِهِ بِعِلْمِهِ فِي وَقْتٍ مِنْ أَحْوَالِهِ كَمَا يُسْأَلُ عَنْ جُمْلَةِ أَعْمَالِهِ بِعُلُومِهِ فِي جُمْلَةِ عُمُرِهِ، وَهَذَا أَصْلٌ فَاعْرِفْهُ، فَهُوَ طَرِيقُ الصُّوفِيِّينَ وَعَلَيْهِ عَمَلُ الْعَارِفِينَ مِنَ السَّلَفِ، فَلَمْ يَكُنْ يَضُرُّهُمْ عِنْدَهُمْ خِلَافُ مَنْ خَالَفَ.

wa-hādhā ʿalā qadri mushāhadati al-rāḍī ʿan maʿrifatihi, wahuwa maqāmu al-muqarrabīna wamuqtaḍā ḥālihi, liʾannahu yusʾalu ʿan ʿamalihi biʿilmihi fī waqtin min ʾaḥwālihi kamā yusʾalu ʿan jumlati ʾaʿmālihi biʿulūmihi fī jumlati ʿumurihi, wa-hādhā ʾaṣlun fa-ʿrifhu, fahuwa ṭarīqu al-ṣūfiyyīna waʿalayhi ʿamalu al-ʿārifīna mina al-salafi, falam yakun yaḍurruhum ʿindahum khilāfu man khālafa.

This corresponds to the content person’s contemplation arising from his knowledge; it is the station of those brought near and what his state requires. He is questioned about acting according to his knowledge at a particular time within his states, just as he is questioned about all his actions according to his various kinds of knowledge throughout his life. Recognize this principle: it is the Sufis’ path and the practice of the knowers among the early predecessors. In their estimation, others’ disagreement did them no harm.

وَإِنْ كَانَ دُعَاؤُهُ تَمْجِيدَ السَّيِّدِ وَثَنَاءً عَلَيْهِ شُغْلًا بِذِكْرِهِ وَنِسْيَانًا لِغَيْرِهِ وَوَلَهًا بِحُبِّهِ، لِأَنَّهُ مُسْتَوْجِبٌ لِذَلِكَ بِوَصْفِهِ، وَلِأَنَّهُ وَاجِبٌ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَدِ اسْتَغْرَقَهُ وُجُوبُ مَا عَلَيْهِ عَمَّا لَهُ، فَهَذَا أَفْضَلُ وَهُوَ مَقَامُ الْمُحِبِّينَ، وَهُوَ مِنَ الْقِيَامِ بِشَهَادَتِهِ، وَقَدْ دَخَلَ فِيمَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ مِنْ مُقْتَضَى حَالِهِ بِالْعَمَلِ بِعَمَلِهِ فِي وَقْتِهِ.

waʾin kāna duʿāʾuhu tamjīda al-sayyidi wathanāʾan ʿalayhi shughlan bidhikrihi wanisyānan lighayrihi wawalahan biḥubbihi, liʾannahu mustawjibun li-dhālika biwaṣfihi, waliʾannahu wājibun ʿalayhi, faqadi istaghraqahu wujūbu mā ʿalayhi ʿammā lahu, fa-hādhā ʾafḍalu wahuwa maqāmu al-muḥibbīna, wahuwa mina al-qiyāmi bishahādatihi, waqad dakhala fīmā dhakarnāhu min muqtaḍā ḥālihi bi-al-ʿamali biʿamalihi fī waqtihi.

If his prayer consists of glorifying the Master and praising Him, absorbed in His remembrance, forgetting everything else, and bewildered by love for Him, because His attributes make Him worthy of it and because it is the servant’s duty, then the obligation he owes has absorbed him away from what he might receive. This is better: it is the lovers’ station and a form of standing by one’s witnessing. It falls within what we have described of a state’s requirements, through acting by one’s practice in its proper time.

وَلِلْعُلَمَاءِ مَسْأَلَةٌ قَدِ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهَا: فِي أَهْلِ الْمَقَامَاتِ ثَلَاثٍ، أَيُّهُمْ أَفْضَلُ؟ عَبْدٌ يُحِبُّ الْمَوْتَ شَوْقًا إِلَى لِقَاءِ اللَّهِ، وَعَبْدٌ يُحِبُّ الْبَقَاءَ لِلْكَدِّ وَالْخِدْمَةِ لِلْمَوْلَى، وَعَبْدٌ قَالَ: لَا أَخْتَارُ شَيْئًا بَلْ أَرْضَى مَا يَخْتَارُ لِي مَوْلَايَ، إِنْ شَاءَ أَحْيَانِي أَبَدًا وَإِنْ شَاءَ أَمَاتَنِي غَدًا، قَالَ: فَتَحَاكَمُوا إِلَى بَعْضِ الْعَارِفِينَ فَقَالَ: صَاحِبُ الرِّضَى أَفْضَلُهُمْ لِأَنَّهُ أَقَلُّهُمْ فُضُولًا.

wali-l-ʿulamāʾi masʾalatun qadi ikhtalafū fīhā: fī ʾahli al-maqāmāti thalāthin, ʾayyuhum ʾafḍalu? ʿabdun yuḥibbu al-mawta shawqan ʾilā liqāʾi Allāhi, waʿabdun yuḥibbu al-baqāʾa li-l-kaddi wa-al-khidmati li-l-mawlā, waʿabdun qāla: lā ʾakhtāru shayʾan bal ʾarḍā mā yakhtāru lī mawlāya, ʾin shāʾa ʾaḥyānī ʾabadan waʾin shāʾa ʾamātanī ghadan, qāla: fataḥākamū ʾilā baʿḍi al-ʿārifīna faqāla: ṣāḥibu al-riḍā ʾafḍaluhum liʾannahu ʾaqalluhum fuḍūlan.

Scholars have disagreed over a question concerning people in three stations: which is best? A servant who loves death from longing to meet God; one who loves remaining alive to toil in the Master’s service; or one who says, “I choose nothing: I am content with whatever my Master chooses for me. If He wishes, He may keep me alive forever; if He wishes, He may cause me to die tomorrow.” They referred their dispute to a knower of God, who answered, “The person of contentment is the best, because he interferes least.”

وَهَذَا كَمَا قَالَهُ فِي الِاعْتِبَارِ بِتَرْكِ الِاعْتِرَاضِ وَالِاخْتِبَارِ، لِأَنَّهُ دَخَلَ فِي الدَّارِ بِغَيْرِ اخْتِيَارٍ، وَكَذَلِكَ يَكُونُ خُرُوجُهُ مِنْهَا عَلَى مَعْنَى دُخُولِهِ بِلَا اخْتِيَارٍ، لِأَنَّ مَقَامَ الرِّضَا أَعْلَى مِنْ مَقَامِ التَّشَوُّقِ، ثُمَّ الَّذِي يَلِيهِ فِي الْفَضْلِ الَّذِي يُحِبُّ الْمَوْتَ شَوْقًا إِلَى لِقَاءِ اللَّهِ، وَهَذَا مَقَامٌ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ وَفِي حَقِيقَةِ الزُّهْدِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ.

wa-hādhā kamā qālahu fī al-iʿtibāri bitarki al-iʿtirāḍi wa-al-ikhtibāri, liʾannahu dakhala fī al-dāri bighayri ikhtiyārin, wa-kadhālika yakūnu khurūjuhu minhā ʿalā maʿnā dukhūlihi bilā ikhtiyārin, liʾanna maqāma al-riḍā ʾaʿlā min maqāmi al-tashawwuqi, thumma alladhī yalīhi fī al-faḍli alladhī yuḥibbu al-mawta shawqan ʾilā liqāʾi Allāhi, wa-hādhā maqāmun fī al-maḥabbati wafī ḥaqīqati al-zuhdi fī al-ḥayāti.

His judgment is sound when assessed by relinquishing objection and testing: the servant entered this abode without choosing, and his departure should match his entrance, without choosing. The station of contentment is higher than the station of longing. Next in excellence comes one who loves death from longing to meet God; this is a station in love and in the reality of renouncing life.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ، وَالَّذِي يُحِبُّ الْبَقَاءَ لِلْخِدْمَةِ وَكَثْرَةِ

wafī al-khabari: man ʾaḥabba liqāʾa Allāhi ʾaḥabba Allāhu liqāʾahu, wa-alladhī yuḥibbu al-baqāʾa li-l-khidmati wakathrati

The report says, “Whoever loves meeting God, God loves meeting him.” As for one who loves remaining alive for service and abundant

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٧٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 73

Volume Two, page 73

الْمُعَامَلَةِ هُوَ فَاضِلٌ، بَعْدَ هَذَيْنِ مَقَامُهُ قُوَّةُ الرَّجَاءِ وَحُسْنُ الظَّنِّ فِي الْعِصْمَةِ، وَلَهُ أَيْضًا مُطَالَعَاتٌ مِنَ الْأُنْسِ وَمُلَاحَظَاتٌ فِي الْقُرْبِ، بِهِ طَابَ مَقَامُهُ وَعِنْدَهُ سَكَنَتْ نَفْسُهُ وَقَصُرَتْ أَيَّامُهُ، وَقَدْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَفْضَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا أَوْ قَالَ: أَكْمَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا مَنْ طَالَ عُمُرُهُ وَحَسُنَ عَمَلُهُ، هَذَا لِأَنَّ الْأَعْمَالَ مُقْتَضَى الْإِيمَانِ إِذْ حَقِيقَةُ الْإِيمَانِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ قَوْلٌ وَعَمَلٌ.

al-muʿāmalati huwa fāḍilun, baʿda hādhayni maqāmuhu quwwatu al-rajāʾi waḥusnu al-ẓanni fī al-ʿiṣmati, walahu ʾayḍan muṭālaʿātun mina al-ʾunsi wamulāḥaẓātun fī al-qurbi, bihi ṭāba maqāmuhu waʿindahu sakanat nafsuhu waqaṣurat ʾayyāmuhu, waqad qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾafḍalu al-muʾminīna ʾīmānan ʾaw qāla: ʾakmalu al-muʾminīna ʾīmānan man ṭāla ʿumuruhu waḥasuna ʿamaluhu, hādhā liʾanna al-ʾaʿmāla muqtaḍā al-ʾīmāni ʾidh ḥaqīqatu al-ʾīmāni ʾinnamā huwa qawlun waʿamalun.

dealings with God, he is excellent after those two. His station is strong hope and favorable expectation of divine protection. He also has glimpses of intimacy and perceptions of nearness; through it his sojourn becomes pleasant, his soul rests, and his days seem short. God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “The best believers in faith,” or he said, “the most complete believers in faith, are those whose lives are long and whose deeds are good.” This is because deeds are what faith requires: the reality of faith is speech and action.

وَلَيْسَ بَعْدَ هَؤُلَاءِ مَقَامٌ يُفْرَحُ بِهِ وَلَا يُغْبَطُ صَاحِبُهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَا يُوصَفُ بِمَدْحٍ إِنَّمَا هُوَ حُبُّ الْبَقَاءِ لِمُتْعَةِ النَّفْسِ وَمُوَافَقَةِ الْهَوَى، وَقَدْ تُشْرِفُ النَّفْسُ عَلَى الضُّعَفَاءِ مِنْ أَهْلِ هَذَا الطَّرِيقِ وَيَخْتَفِي فِيهَا عِلَّةٌ، وَهُوَ أَنْ يُحِبَّ الْبَقَاءَ لِأَجْلِ النَّفْسِ وَلِلْمُتْعَةِ بِرَوْحِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا طُبِعَتْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ حُبِّ الْحَيَاةِ، وَتَكْرَهَ الْمَوْتَ لِمُنَافَرَةِ الطَّبْعِ وَلِطُولِ الْأَمَلِ، فَيَتَوَهَّمُ أَنَّهُ مِمَّنْ يُحِبُّ الْبَقَاءَ لِأَجْلِ اللَّهِ وَطَاعَتِهِ.

walaysa baʿda hāʾulāʾi maqāmun yufraḥu bihi walā yughbaṭu ṣāḥibuhu ʿalayhi, walā yūṣafu bimadḥin ʾinnamā huwa ḥubbu al-baqāʾi limutʿati al-nafsi wamuwāfaqati al-hawā, waqad tushrifu al-nafsu ʿalā al-ḍuʿafāʾi min ʾahli hādhā al-ṭarīqi wayakhtafī fīhā ʿillatun, wahuwa ʾan yuḥibba al-baqāʾa liʾajli al-nafsi wali-l-mutʿati birawḥi al-dunyā wamā ṭubiʿat ʿalayhi min ḥubbi al-ḥayāti, watakraha al-mawta limunāfarati al-ṭabʿi waliṭūli al-ʾamali, fayatawahhamu ʾannahu mimman yuḥibbu al-baqāʾa liʾajli Allāhi waṭāʿatihi.

Beyond these people there is no station to rejoice in, whose possessor merits envy or praise; there is only love of remaining alive for the self’s enjoyment and the gratification of desire. The self may gain ascendancy over weak people on this path while a hidden defect remains within it: a person loves survival for his own sake, for enjoyment of worldly ease, and from his innate love of life, while disliking death because his nature recoils from it and his hopes stretch far ahead. Yet he imagines himself among those who love remaining alive for God’s sake and in obedience to Him.

وَهَذَا هُوَ مِنَ الشَّهْوَةِ الْخَفِيَّةِ الَّتِي لَا يُخْرِجُهَا إِلَّا حَقِيقَةُ الزُّهْدِ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَلَا يَفْضُلُ فِي هَذَا الطَّرِيقِ الثَّالِثِ إِلَّا عَارِفٌ زَاهِدٌ دَائِمُ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ بِالْيَقِينِ، فَأَمَّا الْمُعْتَلُّ بِوَصْفِهِ وَهَوَاهُ فَلَيْسَ يَقَعُ بِهِ اعْتِبَارٌ فِي طَرِيقٍ وَلَا مَقَامٍ، وَاجْتَمَعَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ وُهَيْبُ بْنُ الْوَرْدِ وَسُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ وَيُوسُفُ بْنُ أَسْبَاطٍ فَقَالَ الثَّوْرِيُّ: قَدْ كُنْتُ أَكْرَهُ مَوْتَ الْفَجْأَةِ قَبْلَ الْيَوْمِ، فَأَمَّا الْيَوْمَ فَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي مِتُّ.

wa-hādhā huwa mina al-shahwati al-khafiyyati allatī lā yukhrijuhā ʾillā ḥaqīqatu al-zuhdi fī al-dunyā, walā yafḍulu fī hādhā al-ṭarīqi al-thālithi ʾillā ʿārifun zāhidun dāʾimu al-mushāhadati bi-al-yaqīni, faʾammā al-muʿtallu biwaṣfihi wahawāhu falaysa yaqaʿu bihi iʿtibārun fī ṭarīqin walā maqāmin, wa-jtamaʿa dhāta yawmin wuhaybu bnu al-wardi wasufyānu al-thawriyyu wayūsufu bnu ʾasbāṭin faqāla al-thawriyyu: qad kuntu ʾakrahu mawta al-fajʾati qabla al-yawmi, faʾammā al-yawma fawadidtu ʾannī mittu.

This is a hidden appetite that only true renunciation of the world can expel. Only a knower who renounces the world and continually contemplates with certainty excels in this third path. One impaired by his own disposition and desire counts for nothing in any path or station. One day Wuhayb ibn al-Ward, Sufyān al-Thawrī, and Yūsuf ibn Asbāṭ gathered. Al-Thawrī said, “Before today I used to dislike sudden death; today I wish I were dead.”

فَقَالَ لَهُ يُوسُفُ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: لِمَا أَتَخَوَّفُ مِنَ الْفِتْنَةِ، فَقَالَ يُوسُفُ: لَكِنِّي لَا أَكْرَهُ طُولَ الْبَقَاءِ، فَقَالَ الثَّوْرِيُّ: وَلِمَ تَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ؟ قَالَ: لَعَلِّي أُصَادِفُ يَوْمًا أَتُوبُ فِيهِ وَأَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا، فَقِيلَ لِوُهَيْبٍ: أَيَّ شَيْءٍ تَقُولُ أَنْتَ؟ فَقَالَ: أَنَا لَا أَخْتَارُ شَيْئًا أَحَبُّ ذَلِكَ إِلَيَّ أَحَبُّهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ. قَالَ: فَقَبَّلَ الثَّوْرِيُّ مَا بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ وَقَالَ: رُوحَانِيَّةٌ وَرَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ.

faqāla lahu yūsufu: walima? qāla: limā ʾatakhawwafu mina al-fitnati, faqāla yūsufu: lākinnī lā ʾakrahu ṭūla al-baqāʾi, faqāla al-thawriyyu: walima takrahu al-mawta? qāla: laʿallī ʾuṣādifu yawman ʾatūbu fīhi waʾaʿmalu ṣāliḥan, faqīla liwuhaybin: ʾayya shayʾin taqūlu ʾanta? faqāla: ʾanā lā ʾakhtāru shayʾan ʾaḥabbu dhālika ʾilayya ʾaḥabbuhu ʾilā Allāhi. qāla: faqabbala al-thawriyyu mā bayna ʿaynayhi waqāla: rūḥāniyyatun warabbi al-kaʿbati.

Yūsuf asked, “Why?” He answered, “Because of the trials I fear.” Yūsuf said, “But I do not dislike a long life.” Al-Thawrī asked, “Why do you dislike death?” He answered, “Perhaps I will encounter a day on which I repent and do good.” Wuhayb was asked, “What do you say?” He answered, “I choose nothing. What God loves most is what I love most.” Al-Thawrī kissed him between the eyes and said, “Spirituality, by the Lord of the Kaʿba!”

يَعْنِي مَقَامَ الرُّوحَانِيِّينَ وَهُمُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ أَهْلُ الرَّوْحِ وَالرَّيْحَانِ، وَأُولُو الْمَحَبَّةِ وَالرِّضْوَانِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: (فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ) الْوَاقِعَةُ: 89، يَعْنِي لَهُمْ رِيحٌ مِنْ نَسِيمِ الْقُرْبِ وَرَيْحَانٌ مِنْ طِيبِ الْحُبِّ، وَأَيْضًا أَنَّهُ تَعَالَى لَمَّا ذَكَرَ أَنَّ لِأَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ فِي كُلِّ شِدَّةٍ وَهَوْلٍ سَلَامَةً، وَكَانَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ هُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ، كَانَ أَيْضًا فِيمَا دَلَّ الْفَهْمُ عَلَيْهِ، أَنَّ لِلْمُقَرَّبِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ هَوْلٍ رَوْحًا بِهِ لِشَهَادَتِهِمُ الْقَرِيبَ، وَفِي كُلِّ قُرْبٍ مِنْهُ رَيْحَانٌ لِقُرْبِ الْحَبِيبِ فَبِذَلِكَ عَلَوْا وَبِذَلِكَ فُضِّلُوا.

yaʿnī maqāma al-rūḥāniyyīna wahumu al-muqarrabūna ʾahlu al-rawḥi wa-al-rayḥāni, wa-ʾulū al-maḥabbati wa-al-riḍwāni, kamā qāla taʿālā: (farawḥun warayḥānun) al-wāqiʿatu: 89, yaʿnī lahum rīḥun min nasīmi al-qurbi warayḥānun min ṭībi al-ḥubbi, waʾayḍan ʾannahu taʿālā lammā dhakara ʾanna liʾaṣḥābi al-yamīni fī kulli shiddatin wahawlin salāmatan, wakāna al-muqarrabūna humu al-ʾaʿlawna, kāna ʾayḍan fīmā dalla al-fahmu ʿalayhi, ʾanna li-l-muqarrabīna min kulli hawlin rawḥan bihi lishahādatihimu al-qarība, wafī kulli qurbin minhu rayḥānun liqurbi al-ḥabībi fabi-dhālika ʿalaw wabi-dhālika fuḍḍilū.

He meant the station of the spiritual ones: those brought near, the people of relief and fragrance, possessed of love and divine pleasure. As the Exalted said, “Then relief and fragrant herbs” (al-Wāqiʿa 56:89): they have a breeze from the air of nearness and fragrance from the sweetness of love. Moreover, when the Exalted mentioned that the companions of the right hand have safety amid every hardship and terror, and since those brought near are higher, understanding also indicates that amid every terror those brought near have relief through Him, because they witness the Near One. In every nearness to Him is fragrance from the Beloved’s proximity. By this they rise, and by this they are preferred.

وَهَكَذَا قَالَ بَعْضُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ: سِرُّ الْعَارِفِ فِي الْأَشْيَاءِ وَاقِفٌ مِثْلَ الْمَاءِ فِي الْبِئْرِ لَا يَخْتَارُ الْمَقَامَ وَإِنْ أُخْرِجَ خَرَجَ، فَإِنْ ذَمَّ هَذَا الرَّاضِي مَا ذَمَّهُ اللَّهُ، وَكَرِهَ مَا كَرِهَهُ اللَّهُ لَمْ يَنْقُصْ ذَلِكَ رِضَاهُ، وَكَانَ مُحْسِنًا فِي فِعْلِهِ لِمُوَافَقَتِهِ مَوْلَاهُ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَرْضَ بِحَالِهِ نَقْصٌ فِي الدِّينِ وَالْآخِرَةِ أَوْ كَرِهَ مَزِيدَ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْكَثْرَةِ وَالْجَمْعِ وَالِادِّخَارِ لَمْ يَقْدَحْ ذَلِكَ فِي رِضَاهُ لِأَنَّهُ مِنَ التَّحَقُّقِ بِالزُّهْدِ، وَهُوَ فِي جَمِيعِ ذَلِكَ مُوَافِقٌ لِلْعِلْمِ.

wa-hākadhā qāla baʿḍu al-ṣūfiyyati: sirru al-ʿārifi fī al-ʾashyāʾi wāqifun mithla al-māʾi fī al-biʾri lā yakhtāru al-maqāma waʾin ʾukhrija kharaja, faʾin dhamma hādhā al-rāḍī mā dhammahu Allāhu, wakariha mā karihahu Allāhu lam yanquṣ dhālika riḍāhu, wakāna muḥsinan fī fiʿlihi limuwāfaqatihi mawlāhu, waʾin lam yarḍa biḥālihi naqṣun fī al-dīni wa-al-ʾākhirati ʾaw kariha mazīda al-dunyā mina al-kathrati wa-al-jamʿi wa-al-iddikhāri lam yaqdaḥ dhālika fī riḍāhu liʾannahu mina al-taḥaqquqi bi-al-zuhdi, wahuwa fī jamīʿi dhālika muwāfiqun li-l-ʿilmi.

Thus one of the Sufis said, “The knower’s inmost being remains still amid things, like water in a well: it does not choose to remain, and if drawn out, it comes out.” If this content person disparages what God disparages and dislikes what God dislikes, it does not diminish his contentment; he does well because he agrees with his Master. If he is not content with a condition involving deficiency in religion and the next world, or dislikes worldly increase in abundance, accumulation, and hoarding, that does not impair his contentment, for it realizes renunciation. In all this, he accords with knowledge.

وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ بِأَحْكَامِهِ مِنَ الْعَبْدِ وَأَغْيَرُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ مِنَ الْغَيْرِ، وَأَعْلَى مُشَاهَدَةً مِنَ الْخَلْقِ، لَهُ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى، فَهُوَ عَلَى

wa-Allāhu taʿālā ʾaʿlamu biʾaḥkāmihi mina al-ʿabdi waʾaghyaru ʿalā nafsihi mina al-ghayri, waʾaʿlā mushāhadatan mina al-khalqi, lahu al-mathalu al-ʾaʿlā, fahuwa ʿalā

God Most High knows His judgments better than the servant, is more jealous for Himself than another, and is higher in witnessing than creatures. His is the highest likeness; thus He, in

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٧٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 74

Volume Two, page 74

ذَلِكَ يَشْهَدُ أَحْكَامَهُ وَيَذُمُّ الْمَحْكُومَ عَلَيْهِ إِذْ تَعَدَّى حُدُودَ أَمْرِهِ، وَيُنْفِذُ عِلْمَهُ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ وَيَمْقُتُ الْعَاصِينَ لَهُ بِاجْتِرَاحِ نَهْيِهِ، حِكْمَةً مِنْهُ وَعَدْلًا، كَمَا أَنَّهُ يَشْهَدُ يَدَهُ فِي الْعَطَاءِ وَيَمْدَحُ الْمُنْفِقِينَ، وَيُمْضِي إِرَادَتَهُ بِالْقَضَاءِ بِتَوْفِيقِهِ، وَيَشْكُرُ الْعَامِلِينَ كَرَمًا مِنْهُ وَفَضْلًا، كَذَلِكَ الرَّاضِي عَنْهُ مُوَافِقٌ فِيمَا حَكَمَ وَمُتَّبِعٌ لَهُ فِيمَا رَسَمَ، وَمُسَلِّمٌ لَهُ فِيمَا قَدَّرَ وَعَالِمٌ مِنْهُ رَاضٍ بِمَا دَبَّرَ، وَمُسْتَعْمِلٌ لِمَا شَرَعَ وَمُوَاطِئٌ لِرَسُولِهِ، يَذُمُّ مَا ذَمَّهُ مَوْلَاهُ وَيَمْدَحُ مَا مَدَحَهُ لِأَجْلِ مَوْلَاهُ لَا لِأَجْلِ نَفْعِهِ إِيَّاهُ.

dhālika yashhadu ʾaḥkāmahu wayadhummu al-maḥkūma ʿalayhi ʾidh taʿaddā ḥudūda ʾamrihi, wayunfidhu ʿilmahu bimashīʾatihi wayamqutu al-ʿāṣīna lahu bi-jtirāḥi nahyihi, ḥikmatan minhu waʿadlan, kamā ʾannahu yashhadu yadahu fī al-ʿaṭāʾi wayamdaḥu al-munfiqīna, wayumḍī ʾirādatahu bi-al-qaḍāʾi bitawfīqihi, wayashkuru al-ʿāmilīna karaman minhu wafaḍlan, kadhālika al-rāḍī ʿanhu muwāfiqun fīmā ḥakama wamuttabiʿun lahu fīmā rasama, wamusallimun lahu fīmā qaddara waʿālimun minhu rāḍin bimā dabbara, wamustaʿmilun limā sharaʿa wamuwāṭiʾun lirasūlihi, yadhummu mā dhammahu mawlāhu wayamdaḥu mā madaḥahu liʾajli mawlāhu lā liʾajli nafʿihi ʾiyyāhu.

that, witnesses His judgments and censures the person judged when he transgresses the limits of His command. He executes His knowledge by His will and abhors those who disobey Him by committing what He forbids, in wisdom and justice. Likewise, He witnesses His own hand in giving while praising those who spend, carries out His will through decree and His granting success, and thanks those who act, in generosity and grace. So the person content with Him agrees with His judgment, follows what He prescribes, submits to His determination, knows from Him, accepts His governance, practices His law, and agrees with His Messenger. He censures what his Master censures and praises what He praises for his Master’s sake, not for the benefit it brings him.

وَالتَّحَدُّثُ بِالْأَوْجَاعِ وَالْإِخْبَارُ عَنِ الْمَصَائِبِ لَا يَنْقُصُ حَالَ الرَّاضِي إِذَا رَآهَا نِعْمَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ، وَكَانَ الْقَلْبُ مُسَلِّمًا رَاضِيًا غَيْرَ مُتَسَخِّطٍ وَلَا مُتَبَرِّمٍ بِمُرِّ الْقَضَاءِ، وَأَوَّلُ الرِّضَا الصَّبْرُ ثُمَّ الْقَنَاعَةُ، ثُمَّ الزُّهْدُ ثُمَّ الْمَحَبَّةُ، ثُمَّ التَّوَكُّلُ، فَالرِّضَا حِينَئِذٍ حَالُ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ وَالتَّوَكُّلُ مَقَامُ الرِّضَا، وَقَالَ فُضَيْلٌ: إِذَا اسْتَوَى الْعَطَاءُ وَالْمَنْعُ عِنْدَ الْعَبْدِ فَهُوَ الرِّضَا، وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ: إِذَا لَمْ يَخْتَلِفْ قَلْبُهُ فِي الْعَدَمِ وَالْوُجُودِ وَفِي الصِّحَّةِ وَالسُّقْمِ فَقَدْ رَضِيَ.

wa-al-taḥadduthu bi-al-ʾawjāʿi wa-al-ʾikhbāru ʿani al-maṣāʾibi lā yanquṣu ḥāla al-rāḍī ʾidhā raʾāhā niʿmatan mina Allāhi ʿalayhi, wakāna al-qalbu musalliman rāḍiyan ghayra mutasakhkhiṭin walā mutabarrimin bimurri al-qaḍāʾi, waʾawwalu al-riḍā al-ṣabru thumma al-qanāʿatu, thumma al-zuhdu thumma al-maḥabbatu, thumma al-tawakkulu, fa-al-riḍā ḥīnaʾidhin ḥālu al-mutawakkili wa-al-tawakkulu maqāmu al-riḍā, waqāla fuḍaylun: ʾidhā istawā al-ʿaṭāʾu wa-al-manʿu ʿinda al-ʿabdi fahuwa al-riḍā, waqāla ghayruhu: ʾidhā lam yakhtalif qalbuhu fī al-ʿadami wa-al-wujūdi wafī al-ṣiḥḥati wa-al-suqmi faqad raḍiya.

Speaking of pains and reporting calamities does not diminish the content person’s state if he sees them as a blessing God has bestowed and his heart remains surrendered and content, neither resentful nor irritated by the bitterness of the decree. Contentment begins with patience, then satisfaction with little, renunciation, love, and trust. Contentment is then the state of the trusting person, while trust is the station of contentment. Fuḍayl said, “When giving and withholding are equal to the servant, that is contentment.” Another said, “When his heart does not vary between having and lacking, health and sickness, he has attained contentment.”

وَقَالَ الثَّوْرِيُّ: مَنْعُ اللَّهِ عَطَاؤُهُ لِأَنَّهُ يَمْنَعُ مِنْ غَيْرِ بُخْلٍ وَلَا عَدَمٍ، فَمَنْعُهُ اخْتِبَارٌ وَحُسْنُ نَظَرٍ، وَهَذَا كَمَا قَالَ لِأَنَّ حَقِيقَةَ الْمَنْعِ إِنَّمَا يَكُونُ لِمَنْ لَكَ عِنْدَهُ شَيْءٌ فَمَنَعَكَ أَوْ تَسْتَحِقُّ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئًا فَلَمْ يُعْطِكَ، فَأَمَّا مَنْ لَا تَسْتَحِقُّ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئًا، وَلَا لَكَ مَعَهُ شَيْءٌ لِأَنَّهُ الْأَوَّلُ قَبْلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَالْمُظْهِرُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَالْمَالِكُ لِمَا أَظْهَرَ، وَالْمُخْتَارُ لِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَيْسَ لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ اخْتِيَارٌ، وَلَا فِي حُكْمِهِ اشْتِرَاكٌ.

waqāla al-thawriyyu: manʿu Allāhi ʿaṭāʾuhu liʾannahu yamnaʿu min ghayri bukhlin walā ʿadamin, famanʿuhu ikhtibārun waḥusnu naẓarin, wa-hādhā kamā qāla liʾanna ḥaqīqata al-manʿi ʾinnamā yakūnu liman laka ʿindahu shayʾun famanaʿaka ʾaw tastaḥiqqu ʿalayhi shayʾan falam yuʿṭika, faʾammā man lā tastaḥiqqu ʿalayhi shayʾan, walā laka maʿahu shayʾun liʾannahu al-ʾawwalu qabla kulli shayʾin, wa-al-muẓhiru likulli shayʾin, wa-al-māliku limā ʾaẓhara, wa-al-mukhtāru limā khalaqa walaysa liʾaḥadin min khalqihi ikhtiyārun, walā fī ḥukmihi ishtirākun.

Al-Thawrī said, “God’s withholding is His giving, for He withholds without miserliness or lack; His withholding is a test and benevolent consideration.” It is as he said: withholding, strictly speaking, occurs only when someone holds something belonging to you and denies it to you, or owes you something and does not give it. But you have no claim against Him and possess nothing alongside Him. He is the First before everything, the One who manifests everything, owns what He manifests, and chooses for what He creates. None of His creatures has choice or any share in His judgment.

لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِي حُكْمِهِ أَحَدًا، وَالْعَبْدُ لَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْئًا مَذْكُورًا، فَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ اخْتَارَهُ فَهُوَ عَطَاءٌ مِنْهُ عَلَى تَفَاوُتِ مَقَادِيرَ وَضُرُوبِ أَحْكَامٍ، وَتَصَارِيفِ تَدْبِيرٍ حُلْوٍ وَمُرٍّ وَلُطْفٍ وَعُنْفٍ وَشِدَّةٍ وَرَخَاءٍ، وَمُوَافَقَةٍ لِلنَّفْسِ وَمِرْفَقٍ وَمُخَالَفَةٍ لِمَا يَهْوَى مِمَّا لِطَبْعِهَا لَا يُوَافِقُ، فَالصَّبْرُ عَلَى الْأَحْكَامِ مَقَامُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالرِّضَا بِهَا مَقَامُ الْمُوقِنِينَ، وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حُكْمًا لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ، وَاصْبِرْ حَتَّى يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحَاكِمِينَ.

lahu al-khalqu wa-al-ʾamru walā yushriku fī ḥukmihi ʾaḥadan, wa-al-ʿabdu lam yakun shayʾan madhkūran, fakullu shayʾin ikhtārahu fahuwa ʿaṭāʾun minhu ʿalā tafāwuti maqādīra waḍurūbi ʾaḥkāmin, wataṣārīfi tadbīrin ḥulwin wamurrin waluṭfin waʿunfin washiddatin warakhāʾin, wamuwāfaqatin li-l-nafsi wamirfaqin wamukhālafatin limā yahwā mimmā liṭabʿihā lā yuwāfiqu, fa-al-ṣabru ʿalā al-ʾaḥkāmi maqāmu al-muʾminīna wa-al-riḍā bihā maqāmu al-mūqinīna, waman ʾaḥsanu mina Allāhi ḥukman liqawmin yūqinūna, wa-ṣbir ḥattā yaḥkuma Allāhu wahuwa khayru al-ḥākimīna.

Creation and command belong to Him, and He shares His judgment with no one. The servant was once nothing worth mentioning. Everything He chooses is therefore a gift from Him, despite differing measures, kinds of judgment, and turns of governance: sweet and bitter, gentle and harsh, hardship and ease, agreement with the self and benefit, or opposition to what it desires in ways uncongenial to its nature. Patience under the judgments is the believers’ station; contentment with them is the station of those possessing certainty. “Who is better than God in judgment for a people who are certain?” And, “Be patient until God judges, for He is the best of judges.”

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الرِّضَا فِي مَقَامَاتِ الْيَقِينِ وَأَحْوَالِ الْمُحِبِّينَ، وَمُشَاهَدَةِ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ وَهُوَ دَاخِلٌ فِي كُلِّ أَفْعَالِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ لِأَنَّهَا عَنْ قَضَائِهِ، لَا يَكُونُ فِي مُلْكِهِ إِلَّا مَا قَضَاهُ فَعَلَى الْعَارِفِينَ بِهِ الرِّضَا بِالْقَضَاءِ، ثُمَّ يُرَدُّ ذَلِكَ إِلَى تَفْصِيلِ الْعِلْمِ وَتَرْتِيبِ الْأَحْكَامِ، فَمَا كَانَ مِنْ خَيْرٍ وَبِرٍّ أَمَرَ بِهِ أَوْ نَدَبَ إِلَيْهِ، رَضِيَ بِهِ الْعَبْدُ وَأَحَبَّهُ شَرْعًا وَفِعْلًا وَوَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ الشُّكْرُ.

wa-ʿlam ʾanna al-riḍā fī maqāmāti al-yaqīni waʾaḥwāli al-muḥibbīna, wamushāhadati al-mutawakkilīna wahuwa dākhilun fī kulli ʾafʿāli Allāhi subḥānahu liʾannahā ʿan qaḍāʾihi, lā yakūnu fī mulkihi ʾillā mā qaḍāhu faʿalā al-ʿārifīna bihi al-riḍā bi-al-qaḍāʾi, thumma yuraddu dhālika ʾilā tafṣīli al-ʿilmi watartībi al-ʾaḥkāmi, famā kāna min khayrin wabirrin ʾamara bihi ʾaw nadaba ʾilayhi, raḍiya bihi al-ʿabdu waʾaḥabbahu sharʿan wafiʿlan wawajaba ʿalayhi al-shukru.

Know that contentment belongs among the stations of certainty, the lovers’ states, and the contemplation of those who trust. It extends to all the acts of God, glorified is He, because they proceed from His decree; nothing occurs in His dominion except what He decrees. Those who know Him must therefore be content with the decree. This must then be referred to the distinctions of knowledge and the ordering of rulings. Whatever good and righteousness He commands or encourages, the servant accepts and loves as law and as action, and he must give thanks for it.

وَمَا كَانَ مِنْ شَرٍّ نَهَى عَنْهُ وَتَهَدَّدَ عَلَيْهِ، فَعَلَى الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَرْضَى بِهِ عَدْلًا وَقَدَرًا وَيُسَلِّمَهُ لِمَوْلَاهُ حِكْمَةً وَحُكْمًا، وَعَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَصْبِرَ عَنْهُ وَيُقِرَّ بِهِ ذَنْبًا وَيَعْتَرِفَ بِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ ظُلْمًا، وَيَرْضَى بِعَوْدِ الْأَحْكَامِ عَلَيْهِ بِالْعِقَابِ، وَأَنَّهُ اجْتَرَحَهُ بِجَوَارِحِهِ اكْتِسَابًا وَرِضًا بِأَنَّ لِلَّهِ الْحُجَّةَ الْبَالِغَةَ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَنْ لَا عُذْرَ لَهُ فِيهِ، وَيَرْضَى بِأَنَّهُ فِي مَشِيئَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ عَفْوٍ عَنْهُ بِرَحْمَتِهِ وَكَرَمِهِ إِنْ شَاءَ، أَوْ عُقُوبَةٍ لَهُ بِعَدْلِهِ وَحَقِّهِ إِنْ شَاءَ.

wamā kāna min sharrin nahā ʿanhu watahaddada ʿalayhi, faʿalā al-ʿabdi ʾan yarḍā bihi ʿadlan waqadaran wayusallimahu limawlāhu ḥikmatan waḥukman, waʿalayhi ʾan yaṣbira ʿanhu wayuqirra bihi dhanban wayaʿtarifa bihi linafsihi ẓulman, wayarḍā biʿawdi al-ʾaḥkāmi ʿalayhi bi-al-ʿiqābi, waʾannahu ijtaraḥahu bijawāriḥihi iktisāban wariḍan biʾanna li-llāhi al-ḥujjata al-bālighata ʿalayhi, waʾan lā ʿudhra lahu fīhi, wayarḍā biʾannahu fī mashīʾati Allāhi ʿazza wajalla min ʿafwin ʿanhu biraḥmatihi wakaramihi ʾin shāʾa, ʾaw ʿuqūbatin lahu biʿadlihi waḥaqqihi ʾin shāʾa.

As for evil He forbids and threatens to punish, the servant must accept it as justice and decree, entrusting it to his Master as wisdom and judgment. He must restrain himself from it, acknowledge it as sin and as wrong he has done himself, and accept the application of punitive judgments to him. He must acknowledge having committed it through his own limbs as his acquisition, accepting that God has the conclusive argument against him and that he has no excuse. He must accept being subject to the will of God, mighty and majestic is He: pardon through His mercy and generosity if He wishes, or punishment through His justice and right if He wishes.

وَفَصْلُ الْخِطَابِ أَنَّهُ يَرْضَى بِسُوءِ الْقَضَاءِ عَقْدًا لَا مِنْ نَفْسِهِ فِعْلًا، وَيَرْضَى بِهِ عَنِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَرْضَى بِهِ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ لِأَنَّ الْمُوقِنِينَ وَالْمُحِبِّينَ لَا يُسْقِطُونَ الْأَمْرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيَ عَنِ

wafaṣlu al-khiṭābi ʾannahu yarḍā bisūʾi al-qaḍāʾi ʿaqdan lā min nafsihi fiʿlan, wayarḍā bihi ʿani Allāhi walā yarḍā bihi min nafsihi liʾanna al-mūqinīna wa-al-muḥibbīna lā yusqiṭūna al-ʾamra bi-al-maʿrūfi wa-al-nahya ʿani

The decisive distinction is that he accepts an adverse decree as a matter of conviction, but not as an act proceeding from himself: he accepts it from God, yet does not approve it from himself. For those possessing certainty and love do not abolish the command to do right and the prohibition of

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٧٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 75

Volume Two, page 75

الْمُنْكَرِ، وَلَا يُنْكِرُونَ إِنْكَارَ الْمَعَاصِي وَكَرَاهَتَهَا بِالْأَلْسِنَةِ وَالْقُلُوبِ مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّ الْإِيمَانَ فَرَضَهَا، وَالشَّرْعَ وَرَدَ بِهَا وَلِأَنَّ الْحَبِيبَ كَرِهَهَا، فَكَانُوا مَعَهُ فِيمَا كَرِهَ كَمَا كَانُوا مَعَهُ فِيمَا أَحَبَّ، وَمَقَامُ الْيَقِينِ لَا يُسْقِطُ فَرَائِضَ الْإِيمَانِ، وَمُشَاهَدَةُ التَّوْحِيدِ لَا تُبْطِلُ شَرَائِعَ الرَّسُولِ وَلَا تُسْقِطُ اتِّبَاعَهُ، فَمَنْ زَعَمَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَكَذَبَ عَلَى الْمُوقِنِينَ وَالْمُحِبِّينَ.

al-munkari, walā yunkirūna ʾinkāra al-maʿāṣī wakarāhatahā bi-al-ʾalsinati wa-al-qulūbi min qibali ʾanna al-ʾīmāna faraḍahā, wa-al-sharʿa warada bihā waliʾanna al-ḥabība karihahā, fakānū maʿahu fīmā kariha kamā kānū maʿahu fīmā ʾaḥabba, wamaqāmu al-yaqīni lā yusqiṭu farāʾiḍa al-ʾīmāni, wamushāhadatu al-tawḥīdi lā tubṭilu sharāʾiʿa al-rasūli walā tusqiṭu ittibāʿahu, faman zaʿama dhālika faqadi iftarā ʿalā Allāhi warasūlihi, wakadhaba ʿalā al-mūqinīna wa-al-muḥibbīna.

wrongdoing. Nor do they reject denouncing sins and disliking them with tongues and hearts, for faith has made this obligatory, revealed law has prescribed it, and the Beloved dislikes those sins. They therefore stand with Him in what He dislikes, as they stand with Him in what He loves. The station of certainty does not abolish faith’s obligations, and contemplating divine oneness does not invalidate the Messenger’s laws or remove the obligation to follow him. Whoever claims otherwise has fabricated a lie against God and His Messenger and falsely represented those possessing certainty and love.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى ذَمَّ قَوْمًا رَضُوا بِالدُّنْيَا وَرَضُوا بِالْمَعَاصِي وَرَضُوا بِالتَّخَلُّفِ عَنِ السَّوَابِقِ، فَقَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ: (رَضُوا بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاطْمَأَنُّوا بِهَا) يُونُسُ: 7، فَذَمَّهُمْ بِذَلِكَ وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَلِتَصْغَى إِلَيْهِ أَفْئِدَةُ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ وَلِيَرْضَوْهُ وَلِيَقْتَرِفُوا مَا هُمْ مُقْتَرِفُونَ) الْأَنْعَامُ: 113، فَعَابَهُمْ بِهِ وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (رَضُوا بِأَنْ يَكُونُوا مَعَ الْخَوَالِفِ) التَّوْبَةُ: 87، يَعْنِي النِّسَاءَ، وَهَذَا جَمْعُ التَّأْنِيثِ وَطُبِعَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ، فَهُمْ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ.

ʾalam tara ʾanna Allāha taʿālā dhamma qawman raḍū bi-al-dunyā waraḍū bi-al-maʿāṣī waraḍū bi-al-takhallufi ʿani al-sawābiqi, faqāla subḥānahu: (raḍū bi-al-ḥayāti al-dunyā wa-ṭmaʾannū bihā) yūnusu: 7, fadhammahum bi-dhālika waqāla taʿālā: (walitaṣghā ʾilayhi ʾafʾidatu alladhīna lā yuʾminūna bi-al-ʾākhirati waliyarḍawhu waliyaqtarifū mā hum muqtarifūna) al-ʾanʿāmu: 113, faʿābahum bihi waqāla taʿālā: (raḍū biʾan yakūnū maʿa al-khawālifi) al-tawbatu: 87, yaʿnī al-nisāʾa, wa-hādhā jamʿu al-taʾnīthi waṭubiʿa ʿalā qulūbihim, fahum lā yafqahūna.

Do you not see that God Most High censured people satisfied with this world, with sins, and with falling behind those who advance? He, glorified is He, said, “They are content with the life of this world and feel secure in it” (Yūnus 10:7), censuring them for that. The Exalted said, “So that the hearts of those who do not believe in the next world may incline to it, approve it, and commit what they commit” (al-Anʿām 6:113), faulting them for it. The Exalted also said, “They were content to be with those left behind” (al-Tawba 9:87), meaning women: this is a feminine plural. “Their hearts were sealed, so they do not understand.”

فَمَنْ رَضِيَ بِالْمَعَاصِي وَالْمَنَاكِيرِ مِنْهُ أَوْ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ، وَأَحَبَّ لِأَجْلِهَا وَوَالَى وَنَصَرَ عَلَيْهَا أَوِ ادَّعَى أَنَّ ذَلِكَ فِي مَقَامِ الرِّضَا الَّذِي يُجَازَى عَلَيْهِ بِالرِّضَا أَوْ أَنَّهُ حَالُ الرَّاضِينَ الَّذِينَ وَصَفَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَمَدَحَهُمْ، فَهُوَ مَعَ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ ذَمَّ اللَّهُ وَمَقَتَ.

faman raḍiya bi-al-maʿāṣī wa-al-manākīri minhu ʾaw min ghayrihi, waʾaḥabba liʾajlihā wawālā wanaṣara ʿalayhā ʾawi iddaʿā ʾanna dhālika fī maqāmi al-riḍā alladhī yujāzā ʿalayhi bi-al-riḍā ʾaw ʾannahu ḥālu al-rāḍīna alladhīna waṣafahumu Allāhu taʿālā wamadaḥahum, fahuwa maʿa hāʾulāʾi alladhīna dhamma Allāhu wamaqata.

Whoever approves sins and reprehensible acts, whether his own or another’s, loves people because of them, allies himself with them, and supports them in those acts, or claims that this belongs to the station of contentment rewarded with divine pleasure, or to the state of the content whom God Most High describes and praises, belongs with those God has censured and abhorred.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الدَّالُّ عَلَى الشَّرِّ كَفَاعِلِهِ، وَعَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَغِيبُ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَيَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ مِثْلُ وِزْرِ فَاعِلِهِ، قِيلَ: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: يَبْلُغُهُ فَيَرْضَى بِهِ، وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ لَوْ أَنَّ عَبْدًا قُتِلَ بِالْمَشْرِقِ وَرَضِيَ بِقَتْلِهِ آخَرُ بِالْمَغْرِبِ، كَانَ شَرِيكَهُ فِي قَتْلِهِ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا حَدِيثًا حَسَنًا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ طَرِيقٍ مُرْسَلٍ: مَنْ نَظَرَ إِلَى مَنْ فَوْقَهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَإِلَى مَنْ دُونَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ صَابِرًا شَاكِرًا.

wafī al-khabari al-dāllu ʿalā al-sharri kafāʿilihi, waʿani ibni masʿūdin ʾanna al-ʿabda layaghību ʿani al-munkari wayakūnu ʿalayhi mithlu wizri fāʿilihi, qīla: wakayfa dhālika? qāla: yablughuhu fayarḍā bihi, waqad jāʾa fī al-ḥadīthi law ʾanna ʿabdan qutila bi-al-mashriqi waraḍiya biqatlihi ʾākharu bi-al-maghribi, kāna sharīkahu fī qatlihi, waqad rawaynā ḥadīthan ḥasanan ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama min ṭarīqin mursalin: man naẓara ʾilā man fawqahu fī al-dīni waʾilā man dūnahu fī al-dunyā katabahu Allāhu ṣābiran shākiran.

A report says, “One who directs others to evil is like its perpetrator.” Ibn Masʿūd said that a servant may be absent from a wrongdoing yet bear a burden like its perpetrator’s. Asked how, he answered, “He hears of it and approves it.” A tradition states, “If a servant were killed in the East and another in the West approved his killing, the latter would share in killing him.” We have related a fine tradition from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, through a mursal chain: “Whoever looks toward those above him in religion and below him in worldly things, God records him as patient and grateful.”

وَمَنْ نَظَرَ إِلَى مَنْ دُونَهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَمَنْ فَوْقَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا لَمْ يَكْتُبْهُ اللَّهُ صَابِرًا وَلَا شَاكِرًا، وَقَدْ غَلِطَ فِي بَابِ الرِّضَا بَعْضُ الْبَطَّالِينَ مِنَ الْمُتَأَخِّرِينَ، مِمَّنْ لَا عِلْمَ لَهُ وَلَا يَقِينٌ، فَحَمَلَ الرِّضَا عَلَى جَمِيعِ مَا يَكُونُ مِنْهُ مِنْ مَعْصِيَةٍ وَهَوًى لِجَهْلِهِ بِالتَّفْضِيلِ وَقِلَّةِ فَهْمِهِ بِعِلْمِ التَّأْوِيلِ، وَلِاتِّبَاعِهِ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنَ التَّنْزِيلِ طَلَبًا لِلْفِتْنَةِ وَغُرْبَةِ الْحَالِ وَابْتِدَاعًا فِي الْقَوْلِ وَالْفَعَالِ، لِأَنَّ أَوْقَاتَهُ قَدْ ذَهَبَتْ فَلَا يَذْهَبْ وَقْتُ غَيْرِهِ بِذِكْرِهَا.

waman naẓara ʾilā man dūnahu fī al-dīni waman fawqahu fī al-dunyā lam yaktubhu Allāhu ṣābiran walā shākiran, waqad ghaliṭa fī bābi al-riḍā baʿḍu al-baṭṭālīna mina al-mutaʾakhkhirīna, mimman lā ʿilma lahu walā yaqīnun, faḥamala al-riḍā ʿalā jamīʿi mā yakūnu minhu min maʿṣiyatin wahawan lijahlihi bi-al-tafḍīli waqillati fahmihi biʿilmi al-taʾwīli, walittibāʿihi mā tashābaha mina al-tanzīli ṭalaban li-l-fitnati waghurbati al-ḥāli wa-btidāʿan fī al-qawli wa-al-faʿāli, liʾanna ʾawqātahu qad dhahabat falā yadhhab waqtu ghayrihi bidhikrihā.

“Whoever looks toward those below him in religion and above him in worldly things, God does not record him as patient or grateful.” Some idle claimants among later generations, lacking knowledge and certainty, have erred concerning contentment, applying it to all their own sins and desires. They do so through ignorance of distinctions of excellence, little understanding of interpretation, and following ambiguous revelation in pursuit of turmoil and an extraordinary state, innovating in speech and deeds. Their own time has been wasted; let no one else’s time be wasted recounting it.

وَبُطْلَانُ قَوْلِ هَذَا عِنْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ أَظْهَرُ مِنْ أَنْ يُدَلَّ عَلَى فَسَادِهِ، وَالِاشْتِغَالُ بِالْبَطَّالِ بَطَالَةٌ، وَإِنَّمَا الرِّضَا فِيمَا كَانَ غَيْرَ مُخَالَفَةٍ لِلَّهِ وَلَا مَعْصِيَةٍ مِثْلِ مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَقْصِ الدُّنْيَا وَنَقْصِ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ مِنَ الْأَهْلِ وَالْوَلَدِ، وَفِيمَا عَلَى النَّفْسِ فِيهِ مَشَقَّةٌ وَلَهَا مِنْهُ كَرَاهَةٌ، وَفِيمَا كَانَ مَزِيدًا فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَا عُقُوبَةَ فِيهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَا وَعِيدَ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا ذَمَّ لِفَاعِلِيهِ.

wabuṭlānu qawli hādhā ʿinda al-ʿulamāʾi ʾaẓharu min ʾan yudalla ʿalā fasādihi, wa-al-ishtighālu bi-al-baṭṭāli baṭālatun, waʾinnamā al-riḍā fīmā kāna ghayra mukhālafatin li-llāhi walā maʿṣiyatin mithli mā yakūnu min naqṣi al-dunyā wanaqṣi al-ʾamwāli wa-al-ʾanfusi mina al-ʾahli wa-al-waladi, wafīmā ʿalā al-nafsi fīhi mashaqqatun walahā minhu karāhatun, wafīmā kāna mazīdan fī al-ʾākhirati lā ʿuqūbata fīhi mina Allāhi walā waʿīda ʿalayhi walā dhamma lifāʿilīhi.

To scholars, the falsity of this person’s claim is too obvious to require demonstration; occupying oneself with an idle claimant is idleness. Contentment concerns only what involves neither opposition to God nor sin: worldly loss, loss of property and of lives among family and children, what is difficult and disagreeable to the self, and what brings increase in the next world without divine punishment, threat, or censure of those who do it.

وَقَدْ يَحْتَجُّ أَيْضًا بَطَّالٌ لِبُخْلِهِ وَقِلَّةِ مُوَاسَاتِهِ وَبَذْلِهِ أَوْ يَعْتَلُّ لِاتِّسَاعِهِ فِي أَمْرِ الدُّنْيَا وَاسْتِئْثَارِهِ عَلَى الْفَقْرِ، إِنَّ الَّذِي يَمْنَعُهُ مِنَ الْبَذْلِ وَالْإِيثَارِ وَالزُّهْدِ فِيمَا فِي يَدَيْهِ وَالْإِخْرَاجِ رِضَاهُ بِحَالِهِ وَقِلَّةُ اعْتِرَاضِهِ عَلَى مُجْرِيهِ فِيهِ،

waqad yaḥtajju ʾayḍan baṭṭālun libukhlihi waqillati muwāsātihi wabadhlihi ʾaw yaʿtallu li-ttisāʿihi fī ʾamri al-dunyā wa-stiʾthārihi ʿalā al-faqri, ʾinna alladhī yamnaʿuhu mina al-badhli wa-al-ʾīthāri wa-al-zuhdi fīmā fī yadayhi wa-al-ʾikhrāji riḍāhu biḥālihi waqillatu iʿtirāḍihi ʿalā mujrīhi fīhi,

An idle claimant may also defend his miserliness and lack of sharing and generosity, or excuse his worldly abundance and his preference over poverty, by saying that what prevents him from giving, preferring others, renouncing his possessions, and parting with them is his contentment with his condition and his reluctance to object to the One who causes him to live in it,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٧٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 76

Volume Two, page 76

وَإِنَّ هَذَا مَقَامٌ مِنْ مَقَامَاتِ الرِّضَا خُصَّ بِهِ عِنْدَ نَفْسِهِ، وَهَذَا قَوْلُ لَاعِبٍ ذِي هَوًى، وَهُوَ مِنْ خُدَعِ النُّفُوسِ وَأَمَانِيِّهَا وَمِنْ غُرُورِ الْعَدُوِّ وَمَكَايِدِهِ، لِأَنَّ الرِّضَا لَا يَمْنَعُ مِنِ اخْتِيَارِ الْفَقْرِ وَالضِّيقَةِ لِمَعْرِفَةِ الرَّاضِي بِفَضْلِ الزُّهْدِ وَأَوْصَافِهِ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ، فَالرَّاضِي لَا يَأْمُرُ بِالِاسْتِئْثَارِ وَالِاتِّسَاعِ لِمَا كُرِهَ مِنَ النِّعْمَةِ وَالِاسْتِكْثَارِ، لِأَنَّ الرِّضَا لَا يُوَقِّفُ عَمَّا نُدِبَ الْعَبْدُ إِلَيْهِ وَلَا يَحْمِلُ عَلَى مَا كُرِهَ لَهُ.

waʾinna hādhā maqāmun min maqāmāti al-riḍā khuṣṣa bihi ʿinda nafsihi, wa-hādhā qawlu lāʿibin dhī hawan, wahuwa min khudaʿi al-nufūsi waʾamāniyyihā wamin ghurūri al-ʿaduwwi wamakāyidihi, liʾanna al-riḍā lā yamnaʿu mini ikhtiyāri al-faqri wa-al-ḍīqati limaʿrifati al-rāḍī bifaḍli al-zuhdi waʾawṣāfihi kayfa yakūnu, fa-al-rāḍī lā yaʾmuru bi-al-istiʾthāri wa-al-ittisāʿi limā kuriha mina al-niʿmati wa-al-istikthāri, liʾanna al-riḍā lā yuwaqqifu ʿammā nudiba al-ʿabdu ʾilayhi walā yaḥmilu ʿalā mā kuriha lahu.

and that this is a station of contentment with which, in his own estimation, he has been specially favored. This is the claim of a frivolous man driven by desire, one of the self’s deceits and vain hopes and the enemy’s delusions and stratagems. Contentment does not prevent choosing poverty and straitened circumstances, because the content person knows the excellence of renunciation and what its qualities are. The content person does not prescribe monopolizing goods and expanding one’s means in disapproved luxury and accumulation. Contentment neither holds a servant back from what he is encouraged to do nor drives him toward what is disapproved for him.

وَهَذَا اعْتِذَارٌ مِنَ النَّفْسِ وَتَمْوِيهٌ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ لِيَسْلَمَ مِنْهُمْ، وَلَا عُذْرَ بِهَذَا عِنْدَ مَالِكِهِ وَلَا سَلَامَةَ لَهُ فِيهِ مِنْ خَالِقِهِ، وَمُجْمَلُ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ أَنَّ الرِّضَا لَا يَصِحُّ إِلَّا فِيمَا يَحْسُنُ الصَّبْرُ عَلَيْهِ وَالشُّكْرُ عَلَيْهِ، لِأَنَّ الرِّضَا مَقَامٌ فَوْقَ الصَّبْرِ وَالشُّكْرِ وَمَزِيدُ الصَّابِرِينَ وَالشَّاكِرِينَ، فَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ الْعَبْدُ عَلَى نُقْصَانٍ مِنَ الدِّينِ وَفِي مَزِيدٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ رَضِيَ بِحَالِهِ، فَرِضَاهُ بِحَالِهِ شَرٌّ مِنْ أَعْمَالِهِ لِمُخَالَفَةِ الْأَمْرِ.

wa-hādhā iʿtidhārun mina al-nafsi watamwīhun ʿalā al-khalqi liyaslama minhum, walā ʿudhra bi-hādhā ʿinda mālikihi walā salāmata lahu fīhi min khāliqihi, wamujmalu mā dhakarnāhu ʾanna al-riḍā lā yaṣiḥḥu ʾillā fīmā yaḥsunu al-ṣabru ʿalayhi wa-al-shukru ʿalayhi, liʾanna al-riḍā maqāmun fawqa al-ṣabri wa-al-shukri wamazīdu al-ṣābirīna wa-al-shākirīna, faʾammā ʾin kāna al-ʿabdu ʿalā nuqṣānin mina al-dīni wafī mazīdin mina al-dunyā thumma raḍiya biḥālihi, fariḍāhu biḥālihi sharrun min ʾaʿmālihi limukhālafati al-ʾamri.

This is an excuse offered by the self and a deception of creatures to escape their criticism. It affords him no excuse before his Owner and no safety from his Creator. The sum of our argument is that contentment is valid only where patience and gratitude are commendable, since it is a station above patience and gratitude and an increase granted to the patient and grateful. If a servant suffers decline in religion while increasing in worldly possessions, then accepts his condition, his satisfaction with it is worse than his actions, because it contradicts the command.

قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 35، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ) الْإِسْرَاءُ: 57، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (سَابِقُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ) الْحَدِيدُ: 21، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَسَارِعُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ) آلُ عِمْرَانَ: 133، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَفِي ذَلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ) الْمُطَفِّفِينَ: 26، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ) الْمُؤْمِنُونَ: 61، فَنَدَبَ إِلَى الْمُسَارَعَةِ وَالسَّوَابِقِ وَذَمَّ التَّخَلُّفَ عَنْهَا وَالتَّثَبُّطَ بِالْعَوَائِقِ، فَعَلَى هَذَا طَرِيقُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَفِيهِ مَقَامَاتُ الْمُوقِنِينَ.

qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: (ittaqū Allāha wa-btaghū ʾilayhi al-wasīlata) al-māʾidatu: 35, waqāla taʿālā: (yabtaghūna ʾilā rabbihimu al-wasīlata ʾayyuhum ʾaqrabu) al-ʾisrāʾu: 57, waqāla taʿālā: (sābiqū ʾilā maghfiratin min rabbikum) al-ḥadīdu: 21, waqāla taʿālā: (wasāriʿū ʾilā maghfiratin min rabbikum) ʾālu ʿimrāna: 133, waqāla taʿālā: (wafī dhālika falyatanāfasi al-mutanāfisūna) al-muṭaffifīna: 26, waqāla taʿālā: (yusāriʿūna fī al-khayrāti wahum lahā sābiqūna) al-muʾminūna: 61, fanadaba ʾilā al-musāraʿati wa-al-sawābiqi wadhamma al-takhallufa ʿanhā wa-al-tathabbuṭa bi-al-ʿawāʾiqi, faʿalā hādhā ṭarīqu al-muʾminīna wafīhi maqāmātu al-mūqinīna.

God, mighty and majestic is He, said, “Fear God and seek the means of approach to Him” (al-Māʾida 5:35). The Exalted said, “They seek the means of approach to their Lord, which of them is nearer” (al-Isrāʾ 17:57). The Exalted said, “Race toward forgiveness from your Lord” (al-Ḥadīd 57:21). The Exalted said, “Hasten toward forgiveness from your Lord” (Āl ʿImrān 3:133). The Exalted said, “For this let competitors compete” (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:26). The Exalted said, “They hasten in good deeds and are foremost in them” (al-Muʾminūn 23:61). He thus encourages haste and precedence and censures falling behind and being held back by obstacles. This is the believers’ path, containing the stations of those possessing certainty.

وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ سَبَبُ تَرْكِ سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ السُّوقَ وَزُهْدِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا قَوْلُهُ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ لِأَنَّهَا كَلِمَةُ رِضًا ظَهَرَتْ مِنْهُ فِي مَوْضِعِ الِاسْتِرْجَاعِ لِلْمُصِيبَةِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ بَلَغَهُ أَنَّ الْحَرِيقَ وَقَعَ فِي سُوقِهِ فَأَحْرَقَ دُكَّانَهُ، فَخَرَجَ فِي قِطْعٍ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَاسْتَقْبَلَهُ قَوْمٌ فَقَالُوا: يَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ، احْتَرَقَتْ دَكَاكِينُ النَّاسِ إِلَّا دُكَّانَكَ فَقَالَ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، ثُمَّ تَفَكَّرَ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: قُلْتُ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ فِي سَلَامَةِ مَالِي وَهَلَكَ أَمْوَالُ إِخْوَانِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ.

waʾinnamā kāna sababu tarki sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi al-sūqa wazuhdihi fī al-dunyā qawluhu: al-ḥamdu li-llāhi liʾannahā kalimatu riḍan ẓaharat minhu fī mawḍiʿi al-istirjāʿi li-l-muṣībati wa-dhālika ʾannahu balaghahu ʾanna al-ḥarīqa waqaʿa fī sūqihi faʾaḥraqa dukkānahu, fakharaja fī qiṭʿin mina al-layli fa-staqbalahu qawmun faqālū: yā ʾabā al-ḥasani, iḥtaraqat dakākīnu al-nāsi ʾillā dukkānaka faqāla: al-ḥamdu li-llāhi, thumma tafakkara fī dhālika faqāla: qultu al-ḥamdu li-llāhi fī salāmati mālī wahalaka ʾamwālu ʾikhwānī al-muslimīna.

The reason Sarī al-Saqaṭī left the market and renounced the world was his saying, “Praise be to God.” It was an expression of satisfaction uttered where a calamity called for acknowledging one’s return to God. He had heard that fire had broken out in his market and burned his shop. He went out during the night, and people met him, saying, “Abū al-Ḥasan, everyone’s shops have burned except yours.” He said, “Praise be to God.” Then he reflected: “I said, ‘Praise be to God,’ for the safety of my property, while my Muslim brothers’ possessions perished.”

فَتَصَدَّقَ بِجَمِيعِ مَا كَانَ فِي دُكَّانِهِ مِنَ السَّقَطِ وَالْآلَةِ كَفَّارَةً لِكَلِمَتِهِ هَذِهِ، وَخَرَجَ مِنَ السُّوقِ فَشَكَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ فِعْلَهُ، فَزَهِدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَرَفَعَهُ إِلَى مَقَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ فَأَوْصَلَهُ تَرْكُ الرِّضَا إِلَى الرِّضَا، وَبَلَغَنِي عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ: قُلْتُ كَلِمَةً فَأَنَا أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ مِنْهُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً يَعْنِي قَوْلَهُ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ لَمْ يَهْتَمَّ بِأَمْرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ.

fataṣaddaqa bijamīʿi mā kāna fī dukkānihi mina al-saqaṭi wa-al-ʾālati kaffāratan likalimatihi hādhihi, wakharaja mina al-sūqi fashakara Allāhu lahu fiʿlahu, fazahida fī al-dunyā warafaʿahu ʾilā maqāmi al-maḥabbati faʾawṣalahu tarku al-riḍā ʾilā al-riḍā, wabalaghanī ʿanhu ʾannahu kāna yaqūlu: qultu kalimatan faʾanā ʾastaghfiru Allāha minhu thalāthīna sanatan yaʿnī qawlahu al-ḥamdu li-llāhi. waqad jāʾa fī al-khabari: man lam yahtamma biʾamri al-muslimīna falaysa mina al-muslimīna.

He gave away all the sundry wares and equipment in his shop as expiation for those words and left the market. God appreciated his action; he renounced the world, and God raised him to the station of love. Giving up that satisfaction brought him to contentment. It reached me that he used to say, “I uttered a word for which I have sought God’s forgiveness for thirty years,” meaning “Praise be to God.” A report states, “Whoever has no concern for Muslims’ affairs is not one of the Muslims.”

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ: أَوْثَقُ عُرَى الْإِيمَانِ الْحُبُّ فِي اللَّهِ وَالْبُغْضُ فِيهِ، فَجَعَلَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَوْثَقِ الْعُرَى لِأَنَّهُ مَنُوطٌ بِالْإِيمَانِ، لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ الشَّيْطَانُ حَلَّهُ وَلَا سُلْطَانَ لَهُ عَلَيْهِ كَمَا لَا سَبِيلَ لَهُ

wafī al-khabari al-mashhūri: ʾawthaqu ʿurā al-ʾīmāni al-ḥubbu fī Allāhi wa-al-bughḍu fīhi, fajaʿala dhālika min ʾawthaqi al-ʿurā liʾannahu manūṭun bi-al-ʾīmāni, lā yastaṭīʿu al-shayṭānu ḥallahu walā sulṭāna lahu ʿalayhi kamā lā sabīla lahu

The well-known report says, “The firmest bonds of faith are love for God’s sake and hatred for His sake.” He made this one of its firmest bonds because it is attached to faith. Satan cannot undo it and has no authority over it, just as he has no way

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٧٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 77

Volume Two, page 77

عَلَى حَلِّ الْإِيمَانِ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهُ، وَقَدْ تَوَلَّى تَأْبِيدَ الْإِيمَانِ بِرُوحِهِ بَعْدَ كَتْبِهِ فِي الْقُلُوبِ بِرَحْمَتِهِ وَفِي الْحُبِّ فِي اللَّهِ الْوَلَاةُ وَالنُّصْرَةُ بِالنَّفْسِ وَالْمَالِ وَالْفِعْلِ وَالْمَقَالِ، وَفِي الْبُغْضِ فِي اللَّهِ تَرْكُ ذَلِكَ فَبُغْضُ الْمُبْتَدِعِ وَالْفَاجِرِ الْمُجَاهِرِ وَالظَّالِمِ الْمُعْتَدِي، وَتَرْكُ مُوَالَاتِهِمْ وَنُصْرَتِهِمْ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فَلِأَجْلِ ذَلِكَ صَارَتِ الْمُوَالَاةُ لِأَوْلِيَاءِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُعَادَاةُ لِأَعْدَائِهِ مِنْ أَوْثَقِ عُرَى الْإِيمَانِ.

ʿalā ḥalli al-ʾīmāni liʾanna Allāha yaḥūlu baynahu wabaynahu, waqad tawallā taʾbīda al-ʾīmāni birūḥihi baʿda katbihi fī al-qulūbi biraḥmatihi wafī al-ḥubbi fī Allāhi al-walātu wa-al-nuṣratu bi-al-nafsi wa-al-māli wa-al-fiʿli wa-al-maqāli, wafī al-bughḍi fī Allāhi tarku dhālika fabughḍu al-mubtadiʿi wa-al-fājiri al-mujāhiri wa-al-ẓālimi al-muʿtadī, watarku muwālātihim wanuṣratihim wājibun ʿalā al-muʾminīna, faliʾajli dhālika ṣārati al-muwālātu liʾawliyāʾi Allāhi wa-al-muʿādātu liʾaʿdāʾihi min ʾawthaqi ʿurā al-ʾīmāni.

to undo faith, because God comes between him and it. He has undertaken to perpetuate faith through His spirit after inscribing it in hearts through His mercy. Love for God’s sake contains loyalty and support with one’s person, wealth, actions, and words; hatred for God’s sake entails withholding these. Hatred of the innovator, the openly flagrant sinner, and the transgressing oppressor, and refraining from alliance with them and support for them, are obligatory for believers. Thus loyalty to God’s friends and enmity toward His enemies became among the firmest bonds of faith.

لِأَنَّكَ قَدْ تَعْصِي وَتُخَالِفُ مَوْلَاكَ لِتَسْلِيطِ الْعَدُوِّ وَغَلَبَةِ هَوَاكَ، إِلَّا أَنَّكَ تُبْغِضُ الْعَاصِينَ وَلَا تُوَالِيهِمْ عَلَى الْمَعَاصِي، وَلَا تُحِبُّهُمْ لِأَجْلِهَا مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّ الْعَدُوَّ لَمْ يُسَلَّطْ عَلَى حَلِّ عَقْدِ إِيمَانِكَ، كَمَا سُلِّطَ عَلَى فِعْلِهِ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ، كَمَا أَنَّهُ لَمْ يُسَلَّطْ عَلَى حَلِّ عَقْدِ إِيمَانِكَ كَمَا سُلِّطَ عَلَى حَلِّ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ وَالْخَوْفِ مِنْكَ، وَلَمْ يُسَلَّطْ أَيْضًا عَلَيْكَ فِي اسْتِحْلَالِ الْمَحَارِمِ وَلَا اسْتِحْسَانِهَا وَلَا التَّدَيُّنِ بِهَا، وَلَا فِي تَرْكِ التَّوْبَةِ مِنْهَا وَلَا بِالرِّضَا بِهَا كَمَا سُلِّطَ عَلَيْكَ بِاقْتِرَافِهَا.

liʾannaka qad taʿṣī watukhālifu mawlāka litaslīṭi al-ʿaduwwi waghalabati hawāka, ʾillā ʾannaka tubghiḍu al-ʿāṣīna walā tuwālīhim ʿalā al-maʿāṣī, walā tuḥibbuhum liʾajlihā min qibali ʾanna al-ʿaduwwa lam yusallaṭ ʿalā ḥalli ʿaqdi ʾīmānika, kamā sulliṭa ʿalā fiʿlihi min nafsika, kamā ʾannahu lam yusallaṭ ʿalā ḥalli ʿaqdi ʾīmānika kamā sulliṭa ʿalā ḥalli al-murāqabati wa-al-khawfi minka, walam yusallaṭ ʾayḍan ʿalayka fī istiḥlāli al-maḥārimi walā istiḥsānihā walā al-tadayyuni bihā, walā fī tarki al-tawbati minhā walā bi-al-riḍā bihā kamā sulliṭa ʿalayka bi-qtirāfihā.

You may disobey and oppose your Master because the enemy has been given power and your desire has prevailed, yet you hate those who disobey and neither ally with them in sins nor love them because of sins. The enemy has not been given power to undo the bond of your faith as he has been empowered over its commission through your self. Nor has he been empowered to undo faith’s bond as he has to undo your watchfulness and fear. He has not been empowered over you to deem forbidden things lawful or good, adopt them as religion, abandon repentance from them, or approve them, as he has been empowered to make you commit them.

فَإِنْ سُلِّطَ عَلَى مِثْلِ هَذَا مِنْكَ الْعَدُوُّ حَتَّى تُحِبَّ الْفُسَّاقَ وَتُوَالِيَهُمْ وَتَنْصُرَهُمْ عَلَى فِسْقِهِمْ، أَوْ تَسْتَحِلَّ مَا ارْتُكِبَ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ أَوْ تَرْضَى بِهِ أَوْ تَدِينَ بِهِ، فَقَدِ انْسَلَخَ مِنْكَ الْإِيمَانُ كَمَا انْسَلَخَ النَّهَارُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ، فَلَسْتَ مِنْهُ فِي كَثِيرٍ وَلَا قَلِيلٍ لِأَنَّ هَذِهِ الْعُقُودَ مَنُوطَةٌ بِعُرَى الْإِيمَانِ، وَهِيَ وَهُوَ فِي قَرَنٍ وَاحِدٍ مُقْتَرِنَانِ، أَلَمْ تَسْمَعِ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: (لَا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ) آلُ عِمْرَانَ: 28.

faʾin sulliṭa ʿalā mithli hādhā minka al-ʿaduwwu ḥattā tuḥibba al-fussāqa watuwāliyahum watanṣurahum ʿalā fisqihim, ʾaw tastaḥilla mā irtukiba mina al-ḥarāmi ʾaw tarḍā bihi ʾaw tadīna bihi, faqadi insalakha minka al-ʾīmānu kamā insalakha al-nahāru mina al-layli, falasta minhu fī kathīrin walā qalīlin liʾanna hādhihi al-ʿuqūda manūṭatun biʿurā al-ʾīmāni, wahiya wahuwa fī qaranin wāḥidin muqtarināni, ʾalam tasmaʿi Allāha taʿālā yaqūlu: (lā yattakhidhi al-muʾminūna al-kāfirīna ʾawliyāʾa min dūni al-muʾminīna waman yafʿal dhālika falaysa mina Allāhi fī shayʾin) ʾālu ʿimrāna: 28.

If the enemy is empowered over such things in you, so that you love the flagrant sinners, ally with them, and support their sin, or deem committed prohibitions lawful, approve them, or adopt them as religion, faith has slipped away from you as daylight slips away from night. You have no share of it, great or small, for these convictions are fastened to faith’s bonds; they and faith are coupled in a single tether. Have you not heard God Most High say, “Let believers not take unbelievers as allies instead of believers; whoever does so has no connection with God” (Āl ʿImrān 3:28)?

أَوَمَا سَمِعْتَهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: (لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى أَوْلِيَاءَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 51، وَمِثْلُهُ: (لَا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ) آلُ عِمْرَانَ: 28، أَتُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَانًا مُبِينًا أَيْ حُجَّةً قَاطِعَةً، أَنْ يَجْمَعَكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ فِي النَّارِ، وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (وَإِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ) الْجَاثِيَةُ: 19.

ʾawamā samiʿtahu taʿālā yaqūlu: (lā tattakhidhū al-yahūda wa-al-naṣārā ʾawliyāʾa baʿḍuhum ʾawliyāʾu baʿḍin waman yatawallahum minkum faʾinnahu minhum) al-māʾidatu: 51, wamithluhu: (lā yattakhidhi al-muʾminūna al-kāfirīna ʾawliyāʾa min dūni al-muʾminīna) ʾālu ʿimrāna: 28, ʾaturīdūna ʾan tajʿalū li-llāhi ʿalaykum sulṭānan mubīnan ʾay ḥujjatan qāṭiʿatan, ʾan yajmaʿakum waʾiyyāhum fī al-nāri, wa-kadhālika qāla Allāhu taʿālā: (waʾinna al-ẓālimīna baʿḍuhum ʾawliyāʾu baʿḍin wa-Allāhu waliyyu al-muttaqīna) al-jāthiyatu: 19.

Have you not heard Him, exalted is He, say, “Do not take Jews and Christians as allies; they are allies of one another. Whoever among you allies himself with them is one of them” (al-Māʾida 5:51)? Likewise: “Let believers not take unbelievers as allies instead of believers” (Āl ʿImrān 3:28). “Do you wish to give God a clear warrant against you?” That is, a conclusive argument for gathering you with them in the Fire. Likewise, God Most High said, “The wrongdoers are allies of one another, while God is the ally of those who are mindful of Him” (al-Jāthiya 45:19).

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَكَذَلِكَ نُوَلِّي بَعْضَ الظَّالِمِينَ بَعْضًا بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ) الْأَنْعَامُ: 921، ثُمَّ قَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّى وَنُصْلِهِ جَهَنَّمَ) النِّسَاءُ: 115، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي خَبَرٍ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَخَذَ عَلَى كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ فِي الْمِيثَاقِ أَنْ يُبْغِضَ كُلَّ مُنَافِقٍ، وَأَخَذَ عَلَى كُلِّ مُنَافِقٍ أَنْ يُبْغِضَ كُلَّ مُؤْمِنٍ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ: الْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ وَلَهُ مَا احْتَسَبَ.

waqāla taʿālā: (wa-kadhālika nuwallī baʿḍa al-ẓālimīna baʿḍan bimā kānū yaksibūna) al-ʾanʿāmu: 921, thumma qāla taʿālā: (wayattabiʿ ghayra sabīli al-muʾminīna nuwallihi mā tawallā wanuṣlihi jahannama) al-nisāʾu: 115, waqad rawaynā fī khabarin ʾanna Allāha taʿālā ʾakhadha ʿalā kulli muʾminin fī al-mīthāqi ʾan yubghiḍa kulla munāfiqin, waʾakhadha ʿalā kulli munāfiqin ʾan yubghiḍa kulla muʾminin, wafī al-khabari al-mashhūri: al-marʾu maʿa man ʾaḥabba walahu mā iḥtasaba.

The Exalted said, “Thus We place some wrongdoers under the authority of others because of what they used to earn” (al-Anʿām, 921). Then the Exalted said, “And follows a path other than the believers’: We turn him toward what he has turned to and make him burn in Hell” (al-Nisāʾ 4:115). We have related a report that God Most High bound every believer in the covenant to hate every hypocrite, and every hypocrite to hate every believer. The well-known report says, “A person is with those he loves, and receives what he seeks as reward.”

وَفِي حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ: مَنْ أَحَبَّ قَوْمًا وَوَالَاهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا جَاءَ مَعَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَفِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: أَوْثَقُ عُرَى الْإِيمَانِ الْحُبُّ فِي اللَّهِ وَالْبُغْضُ فِيهِ، وَجْهٌ خَفِيٌّ هُوَ أَنْ يُحِبَّكَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَيُبْغِضَكَ الْمُنَافِقُونَ، فَيَكُونَ ذَلِكَ عَلَامَةً وَثِيقَةَ عُرَى إِيمَانِكَ لِأَنَّ قَوْلَهُ الْحُبُّ فِي

wafī ḥadīthin ʾākhara: man ʾaḥabba qawman wawālāhum fī al-dunyā jāʾa maʿahum yawma al-qiyāmati, wafī maʿnā qawlihi: ʾawthaqu ʿurā al-ʾīmāni al-ḥubbu fī Allāhi wa-al-bughḍu fīhi, wajhun khafiyyun huwa ʾan yuḥibbaka al-muʾminūna wayubghiḍaka al-munāfiqūna, fayakūna dhālika ʿalāmatan wathīqata ʿurā ʾīmānika liʾanna qawlahu al-ḥubbu fī

Another tradition says, “Whoever loves a people and allies himself with them in this world will come with them on the Day of Resurrection.” There is a hidden aspect to the saying, “The firmest bonds of faith are love for God’s sake and hatred for His sake”: that believers love you and hypocrites hate you. That is a sign securely bound to your faith, for his saying, “Love for

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٧٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 78

Volume Two, page 78

اللَّهِ، يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يُبْغِضَكَ الْمُنَافِقُونَ كَمَا تُبْغِضُهُمْ أَنْتَ، فَكَأَنَّكَ تَتَحَبَّبُ إِلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ حَتَّى يُحِبُّوكَ وَتَتَبَغَّضُ إِلَى الْمُنَافِقِينَ حَتَّى يُبْغِضُوكَ بِإِظْهَارِ التَّبَاعُدِ عَنْهُ وَبِتَرْكِ الْمُمَالَاةِ لَهُ وَبِنُصْحِكَ إِيَّاهُمْ، فَيَدُلُّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى قُوَّةِ إِيمَانِكَ، لَمْ تَأْخُذْكَ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةُ لَائِمٍ مِنْهُمْ، كَمَا وَصَفَ تَعَالَى بِذَلِكَ مَنْ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ، وَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ أَبْعَدَ لَكَ مِنَ الْمُدَاهَنَةِ وَالنِّفَاقِ، وَأَقْرَبَ إِلَى الْوَرَعِ وَالْإِخْلَاصِ فَإِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ بِهِمْ أَبْغَضُوكَ أَوْ مَقَتُوكَ.

Allāhi, yaṣluḥu ʾan yubghiḍaka al-munāfiqūna kamā tubghiḍuhum ʾanta, fakaʾannaka tataḥabbabu ʾilā al-muʾminīna ḥattā yuḥibbūka watatabaghghaḍu ʾilā al-munāfiqīna ḥattā yubghiḍūka biʾiẓhāri al-tabāʿudi ʿanhu wabitarki al-mumālāti lahu wabinuṣḥika ʾiyyāhum, fayadullu dhālika ʿalā quwwati ʾīmānika, lam taʾkhudhka fī Allāhi lawmatu lāʾimin minhum, kamā waṣafa taʿālā bi-dhālika man yuḥibbuhum wayuḥibbūnahu, wayakūnu dhālika ʾabʿada laka mina al-mudāhanati wa-al-nifāqi, waʾaqraba ʾilā al-waraʿi wa-al-ʾikhlāṣi faʾidhā faʿalta dhālika bihim ʾabghaḍūka ʾaw maqatūka.

God’s sake” can imply that hypocrites hate you just as you hate them. It is as though you make yourself lovable to believers so that they love you, and hateful to hypocrites so that they hate you, by displaying distance from the hypocrite, refusing to accommodate him, and offering them sincere counsel. This indicates the strength of your faith: no reproacher among them has deterred you concerning God, as the Exalted describes those He loves and who love Him. It takes you farther from flattery and hypocrisy and nearer to scrupulousness and sincerity. If you deal with them thus, they will hate or abhor you.

فَهَذَا عَلَى مَعْنَى مَا قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ: (أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ) الْفَتْحُ: 29، وَقَالَ: (أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 54، وَكَمَا أَمَرَ نَبِيَّهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ يَلُونَكُمْ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ وَلْيَجِدُوا فِيكُمْ غِلْظَةً) التَّوْبَةُ: 123، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ: أَحَبُّ عِبَادِي إِلَيَّ الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونِي بِالْأَسْحَارِ وَيُبْغَضُونَ إِلَى الْفُجَّارِ.

fa-hādhā ʿalā maʿnā mā qāla Allāhu subḥānahu: (ʾashiddāʾu ʿalā al-kuffāri ruḥamāʾu baynahum) al-fatḥu: 29, waqāla: (ʾadhillatin ʿalā al-muʾminīna ʾaʿizzatin ʿalā al-kāfirīna) al-māʾidatu: 54, wakamā ʾamara nabiyyahu ʿalayhi al-salāmu fī qawlihi taʿālā: (qātilū alladhīna yalūnakum mina al-kuffāri walyajidū fīkum ghilẓatan) al-tawbatu: 123, waruwiya ʿan ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla qāla: ʾaḥabbu ʿibādī ʾilayya alladhīna yadhkurūnī bi-al-ʾasḥāri wayubghaḍūna ʾilā al-fujjāri.

This accords with God’s saying, glorified is He: “Firm against unbelievers, merciful among themselves” (al-Fatḥ 48:29), and He said, “Humble toward believers, mighty against unbelievers” (al-Māʾida 5:54), and with His command to His Prophet, peace be upon him, in His exalted saying, “Fight the unbelievers nearest you, and let them find firmness in you” (al-Tawba 9:123). It is related from Jesus, peace be upon him, that God, mighty and majestic is He, said, “The servants dearest to Me are those who remember Me before dawn and become hated by the wicked.”

مَعْنَاهُ أَنْ يُظْهِرَ لَهُمُ الْبُغْضَ وَيُنَابِذَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ حَتَّى يُبْغِضُوهُ، فَإِذَا أَبْغَضُوهُ أَبْغَضَهُمُ اللَّهُ، فَيَكُونُ بُغْضُهُمْ إِلَيْهِ بِهَذَا الْمَعْنَى أَيْ كَانَ سَبَبَ عُقُوبَةٍ لَهُمْ بِالْبُغْضِ وَالْمَقْتِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَقُولُ: إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الرَّجُلَ مُحَبَّبًا إِلَى جِيرَانِهِ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ مُنَافِقٌ، وَقَالَ كَعْبُ الْأَحْبَارِ لِأَبِي إِدْرِيسَ الْخَوْلَانِيِّ وَكَانَ مِنْ عُلَمَاءِ الشَّامِ: كَيْفَ أَنْتَ فِي قَوْمِكَ؟ قَالَ: يُحِبُّونِي وَيُكْرِمُونِي.

maʿnāhu ʾan yuẓhira lahumu al-bughḍa wayunābidhahumu al-ʿadāwata ḥattā yubghiḍūhu, faʾidhā ʾabghaḍūhu ʾabghaḍahumu Allāhu, fayakūnu bughḍuhum ʾilayhi bi-hādhā al-maʿnā ʾay kāna sababa ʿuqūbatin lahum bi-al-bughḍi wa-al-maqti, waqad kāna al-thawriyyu yaqūlu: ʾidhā raʾayta al-rajula muḥabbaban ʾilā jīrānihi fa-ʿlam ʾannahu munāfiqun, waqāla kaʿbu al-ʾaḥbāri liʾabī ʾidrīsa al-khawlāniyyi wakāna min ʿulamāʾi al-shāmi: kayfa ʾanta fī qawmika? qāla: yuḥibbūnī wayukrimūnī.

The meaning is that he shows them hatred and openly declares enmity until they hate him; when they hate him, God hates them. Their hatred toward him has this meaning: he becomes a cause of their punishment through hatred and abhorrence. Al-Thawrī used to say, “When you see a man beloved by his neighbors, know that he is a hypocrite.” Kaʿb al-Aḥbār asked Abū Idrīs al-Khawlānī, one of Syria’s scholars, “How do you stand among your people?” He answered, “They love and honor me.”

قَالَ كَعْبٌ: مَا صَدَقَتْنِيَ التَّوْرَاةُ إِذَنْ. قَالَ: وَمَا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ؟ قَالَ: أَجِدُ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ أَنَّ الرَّجُلَ الْعَالِمَ لَا يُحِبُّهُ جِيرَانُهُ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُرِيدِينَ: قُلْتُ لِبَعْضِ أَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ: إِنِّي كَثِيرُ الْغَفْلَةِ عَنِ اللَّهِ قَلِيلُ الْمُسَارَعَةِ إِلَى مَرْضَاتِهِ، أَوْصِنِي بِشَيْءٍ أَعْمَلُهُ أُدْرِكُ بِهِ مَا يَفُوتُنِي مِنْ هَذَا، قَالَ: يَا أَخِي، إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَتَحَبَّبَ إِلَى أَوْلِيَاءِ اللَّهِ وَتَتَقَرَّبَ مِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَافْعَلْ، لَعَلَّهُمْ يُحِبُّونَكَ.

qāla kaʿbun: mā ṣadaqatniya al-tawrātu ʾidhan. qāla: wamā fī al-tawrāti? qāla: ʾajidu fī al-tawrāti ʾanna al-rajula al-ʿālima lā yuḥibbuhu jīrānuhu, waqāla baʿḍu al-murīdīna: qultu libaʿḍi ʾahli al-maʿrifati: ʾinnī kathīru al-ghaflati ʿani Allāhi qalīlu al-musāraʿati ʾilā marḍātihi, ʾawṣinī bishayʾin ʾaʿmaluhu ʾudriku bihi mā yafūtunī min hādhā, qāla: yā ʾakhī, ʾini istaṭaʿta ʾan tataḥabbaba ʾilā ʾawliyāʾi Allāhi watataqarraba min qulūbihim fa-fʿal, laʿallahum yuḥibbūnaka.

Kaʿb said, “Then the Torah has not told me the truth.” He asked, “What is in the Torah?” He answered, “I find in the Torah that a learned man is not loved by his neighbors.” One seeker said, “I told a knower, ‘I am often heedless of God and slow to hasten toward His pleasure. Counsel me to do something by which I may recover what I miss of this.’ He answered, ‘Brother, if you can make yourself lovable to God’s friends and draw near to their hearts, do so. Perhaps they will love you.’”

فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِ أَوْلِيَائِهِ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ سَبْعِينَ نَظْرَةً، فَلَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَيْكَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ لِمَحَبَّتِهِمْ لَكَ فَيُجِيرَكَ جِيرَةَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ، إِذَا لَمْ تَكُنْ مِمَّنْ يُنْظَرُ إِلَيْهِ كِفَاحًا، وَكَذَلِكَ يُقَالُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِ الصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ مُوَاجَهَةً، ثُمَّ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِ قَوْمٍ فِي قُلُوبِ قَوْمٍ وَإِلَى قُلُوبِ قَوْمٍ مِنْ قُلُوبِ آخَرِينَ.

faʾinna Allāha ʿazza wajalla yanẓuru ʾilā qulūbi ʾawliyāʾihi fī kulli yawmin sabʿīna naẓratan, falaʿallahu ʾan yanẓura ʾilayka fī qulūbihim limaḥabbatihim laka fayujīraka jīrata al-dunyā wa-al-ʾākhirati, ʾidhā lam takun mimman yunẓaru ʾilayhi kifāḥan, wa-kadhālika yuqālu: ʾinna Allāha taʿālā ʿazza wajalla yanẓuru ʾilā qulūbi al-ṣiddīqīna wa-al-shuhadāʾi muwājahatan, thumma yanẓuru ʾilā qulūbi qawmin fī qulūbi qawmin waʾilā qulūbi qawmin min qulūbi ʾākharīna.

“For God, mighty and majestic is He, looks into His friends’ hearts seventy times every day. Perhaps, through their love for you, He will look upon you within their hearts and grant you protection in this world and the next, if you are not among those upon whom He looks directly.” It is likewise said that God Most High, mighty and majestic is He, looks face to face into the hearts of the utterly truthful and the martyrs. Then He looks into some people’s hearts within other people’s hearts, and into some people’s hearts from the hearts of others.

فَهَكَذَا عِنْدِي مِنْ عَزَائِمِ الدِّينِ وَسَبِيلِ الْوَرِعِينَ أَنْ تَتَبَغَّضَ إِلَى أَعْدَائِهِ وَتَتَمَقَّتَ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنَ الْمُبْتَدِعِينَ وَالظَّالِمِينَ، لِيُبْغِضُوكَ وَيَمْقُتُوكَ، فَيَكُونَ لَكَ مِنَ الْقُرْبَةِ كَحُبِّ أَوْلِيَائِهِ لَكَ وَحُبِّكَ لَهُمْ، فَهَذَا مِنْ أَسْبَابِ وِلَايَةِ اللَّهِ. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: اللَّهُمَّ، لَا تَجْعَلْ لِفَاجِرٍ عِنْدِي يَدًا فَيُحِبَّهُ قَلْبِي.

fa-hākadhā ʿindī min ʿazāʾimi al-dīni wasabīli al-wariʿīna ʾan tatabaghghaḍa ʾilā ʾaʿdāʾihi watatamaqqata ʾilayhim mina al-mubtadiʿīna wa-al-ẓālimīna, liyubghiḍūka wayamqutūka, fayakūna laka mina al-qurbati kaḥubbi ʾawliyāʾihi laka waḥubbika lahum, fa-hādhā min ʾasbābi wilāyati Allāhi. waqad rawaynā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: Allāhumma, lā tajʿal lifājirin ʿindī yadan fayuḥibbahu qalbī.

Likewise, in my view, the firm requirements of religion and the path of the scrupulous include making yourself hateful and abhorrent to His enemies among innovators and oppressors, so that they hate and abhor you. This brings you nearness like that brought by His friends’ love for you and your love for them; it is one of the causes of friendship with God. We have related from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “God, let no wicked person have a favor over me, lest my heart love him.”

وَوَصَلَ بَعْضُ الْأُمَرَاءِ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ بِأَلْفِ دِينَارٍ وَعَشَرَةِ أَثْوَابٍ فَرَدَّهَا عَلَيْهِ وَقَالَ: مَا كُنْتُ لِأَقْبَلَ مِنْهُ يَأْخُذُ الْمَالَ مِنْ غَيْرِ حِلِّهِ وَيَضَعُهُ فِي غَيْرِ حَقِّهِ، وَقَدْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: رُدُّوا هَدِيَّةَ الْفَاجِرِ

wawaṣala baʿḍu al-ʾumarāʾi ʾabā hurayrata biʾalfi dīnārin waʿasharati ʾathwābin faraddahā ʿalayhi waqāla: mā kuntu liʾaqbala minhu yaʾkhudhu al-māla min ghayri ḥillihi wayaḍaʿuhu fī ghayri ḥaqqihi, waqad qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ruddū hadiyyata al-fājiri

One of the rulers sent Abū Hurayra a thousand dinars and ten garments, but he returned them, saying, “I would never accept from him: he takes wealth from an unlawful source and puts it where it has no rightful claim.” God’s Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Return the wicked person’s gift

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٧٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 79

Volume Two, page 79

عَلَيْهِ لَا يَرَى أَنَّكُمْ تَرْضَوْنَ عَمَلَهُ، وَأَقَلُّ مَا لَكَ فِي هَذَا الزُّهْدُ وَهُوَ بَابٌ كَبِيرٌ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الدِّينِ، إِذَا كَانَتِ الْمُدَاهَنَةُ وَالْمُمَالَأَةُ مِنْ أَكْبَرِ أَبْوَابِ الدُّنْيَا، لِأَنَّ بِذَلِكَ يَسْتَوِي عَيْشُ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَتِمُّ سَلَامَتُهَا لَهُمْ، فَهَذَا هُوَ الطَّرَفُ الْآخَرُ مِنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: الْحُبُّ فِي اللَّهِ وَالْبُغْضُ فِي اللَّهِ، وَهُوَ وَجْهٌ غَامِضٌ، وَمَعْنَاهُ إِذَا كُشِفَ جَلِيٌّ ظَاهِرٌ مَوْجُودٌ عِنْدَ عُلَمَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ.

ʿalayhi lā yarā ʾannakum tarḍawna ʿamalahu, waʾaqallu mā laka fī hādhā al-zuhdu wahuwa bābun kabīrun min ʾabwābi al-dīni, ʾidhā kānati al-mudāhanatu wa-al-mumālaʾatu min ʾakbari ʾabwābi al-dunyā, liʾanna bi-dhālika yastawī ʿayshu ʾahli al-dunyā watatimmu salāmatuhā lahum, fa-hādhā huwa al-ṭarafu al-ʾākharu min maʿnā qawlihi: al-ḥubbu fī Allāhi wa-al-bughḍu fī Allāhi, wahuwa wajhun ghāmiḍun, wamaʿnāhu ʾidhā kushifa jaliyyun ẓāhirun mawjūdun ʿinda ʿulamāʾi al-ʾākhirati.

to him, so he does not think you approve his conduct.” The least you gain in this is renunciation, a great chapter of religion, whereas flattery and accommodating others are among the greatest chapters of worldly life: through them worldly people’s livelihoods run smoothly and their worldly security is complete. This is the other side of the saying, “Love for God’s sake and hatred for God’s sake.” It is an obscure aspect whose meaning, once uncovered, is clear and evident, found among scholars of the next world.

وَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُحِبَّهُ الْفَاسِقُونَ وَيَأْمَنَ فِيهِمْ، وَجَعَلَ مَنْ يُسَارِعُ بِالْإِدْهَانِ وَإِظْهَارِ الْمُتَابَعَةِ لِلظَّالِمِينَ خَشْيَةَ دَوْرِ الدَّوَائِرِ عَلَيْهِ عَلَمَيْنِ مِنْ أَعْلَامِ النِّفَاقِ، فَقَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ: (سَتَجِدُونَ آخَرِينَ يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَأْمَنُوكُمْ وَيَأْمَنُوا قَوْمَهُمْ كُلَّ مَا رُدُّوا إِلَى الْفِتْنَةِ أُرْكِسُوا فِيهَا) النِّسَاءُ: 91، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى فِي الْمَعْنَى الثَّانِي: (فَتَرَى الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 52، يَعْنِي الْمُنَافِقِينَ: (يُسَارِعُونَ فِيهِمْ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 52، يَعْنِي يُوَاطِئُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ سِرًّا.

waqad jaʿala Allāhu man ʾarāda ʾan yuḥibbahu al-fāsiqūna wayaʾmana fīhim, wajaʿala man yusāriʿu bi-al-ʾidhāni waʾiẓhāri al-mutābaʿati li-l-ẓālimīna khashyata dawri al-dawāʾiri ʿalayhi ʿalamayni min ʾaʿlāmi al-nifāqi, faqāla subḥānahu: (satajidūna ʾākharīna yurīdūna ʾan yaʾmanūkum wayaʾmanū qawmahum kulla mā ruddū ʾilā al-fitnati ʾurkisū fīhā) al-nisāʾu: 91, waqāla taʿālā fī al-maʿnā al-thānī: (fatarā alladhīna fī qulūbihim maraḍun) al-māʾidatu: 52, yaʿnī al-munāfiqīna: (yusāriʿūna fīhim) al-māʾidatu: 52, yaʿnī yuwāṭiʾūna al-kāfirīna sirran.

God has made two signs of hypocrisy: someone wanting the disobedient to love him and wanting safety among them; and someone hastening to flatter and display allegiance to oppressors for fear that fortune may turn against him. He, glorified is He, said, “You will find others who wish to be safe from you and safe from their people; whenever they are returned to temptation, they are plunged back into it” (al-Nisāʾ 4:91). Concerning the second meaning, the Exalted said, “You see those in whose hearts is sickness” (al-Māʾida 5:52), meaning hypocrites, “hastening among them” (al-Māʾida 5:52), meaning secretly aligning with unbelievers.

(يَقُولُونَ نَخْشَى أَنْ تُصِيبَنَا دَائِرَةٌ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 52، أَيْ نَخَافُ أَنْ تَكُونَ الدَّوْلَةُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، قَالَ تَعَالَى: (فَعَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ بِالْفَتْحِ أَوْ أَمْرٍ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 52، فَيَنْبَغِي لِمَنْ أَمِنَ فِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَأَحَبُّوهُ أَنْ يُخَافَ فِي الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَأَهْلِ الْبِدَعِ أَنْ يُبْغِضُوهُ، وَيَنْبَغِي لِمَنْ سَارَعَ فِي مُوَاطَأَةِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْ يَنِئَ وَيُبْطِئَ فِي مُدَاهَنَةِ الظَّالِمِينَ وَمُتَابَعَتِهِمْ، حَتَّى يَخْلُصَ لَهُ إِيمَانُهُ مِنَ النِّفَاقِ وَتَسْتَقِيمَ طَرِيقُهُ مِنَ الضَّلَالِ.

(yaqūlūna nakhshā ʾan tuṣībanā dāʾiratun) al-māʾidatu: 52, ʾay nakhāfu ʾan takūna al-dawlatu li-l-kāfirīna ʿalā al-muʾminīna, qāla taʿālā: (faʿasā Allāhu ʾan yaʾtiya bi-al-fatḥi ʾaw ʾamrin min ʿindihi) al-māʾidatu: 52, fayanbaghī liman ʾamina fī al-muʾminīna waʾahli al-sunnati waʾaḥabbūhu ʾan yukhāfa fī al-munāfiqīna waʾahli al-bidaʿi ʾan yubghiḍūhu, wayanbaghī liman sāraʿa fī muwāṭaʾati al-muʾminīna ʾan yaniʾa wayubṭiʾa fī mudāhanati al-ẓālimīna wamutābaʿatihim, ḥattā yakhluṣa lahu ʾīmānuhu mina al-nifāqi watastaqīma ṭarīquhu mina al-ḍalāli.

“They say, ‘We fear that a reversal may strike us’” (al-Māʾida 5:52): that is, we fear that unbelievers may gain ascendancy over believers. The Exalted said, “Perhaps God will bring victory or a command from Himself” (al-Māʾida 5:52). Whoever is secure among believers and the people of the Sunna, and loved by them, should be feared among hypocrites and innovators, so that they hate him. Whoever hastens to align with believers should hold back and be slow to flatter and follow oppressors, so that his faith becomes free of hypocrisy and his path becomes straight, free from error.

وَقَدْ نَفَى اللَّهُ الْإِيمَانَ عَمَّنْ أَحَبَّ مَنْ حَادَّهُ، وَأَثْبَتَ الْإِيمَانَ وَالتَّأْيِيدَ بِالْيَقِينِ لِمَنْ أَبْغَضَ فِيهِ أَعْدَاءَهُ، فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (لَا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ) الْمُجَادَلَةُ: 22، الْآيَةَ، فَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ بِأَنَّ الرِّضَا قَدْ يَكُونُ بِالْمَعَاصِي مِنْهُ أَوْ مِنْ سِوَاهُ، كَمَا يَكُونُ فِي الطَّاعَاتِ، فَقَدْ جَعَلَ الْمَعَاصِيَ وَالْمُخَالَفَاتِ مِنَ الْقُرُبَاتِ وَسَوَّى بَيْنَهُمَا.

waqad nafā Allāhu al-ʾīmāna ʿamman ʾaḥabba man ḥāddahu, waʾathbata al-ʾīmāna wa-al-taʾyīda bi-al-yaqīni liman ʾabghaḍa fīhi ʾaʿdāʾahu, faqāla taʿālā: (lā tajidu qawman yuʾminūna bi-Allāhi wa-al-yawmi al-ʾākhiri yuwāddūna man ḥādda Allāha warasūlahu) al-mujādalatu: 22, al-ʾāyata, faʾammā man qāla mina al-jāhilīna biʾanna al-riḍā qad yakūnu bi-al-maʿāṣī minhu ʾaw min siwāhu, kamā yakūnu fī al-ṭāʿāti, faqad jaʿala al-maʿāṣiya wa-al-mukhālafāti mina al-qurubāti wasawwā baynahumā.

God has denied faith to whoever loves those who oppose Him, while affirming faith and strengthening through certainty for whoever hates His enemies for His sake. The Exalted said, “You will not find a people who believe in God and the Last Day loving those who oppose God and His Messenger” (al-Mujādila 58:22), and the rest of the verse. As for an ignorant person who says contentment may encompass sins, whether his own or another’s, as it encompasses obedience, he has made sins and violations into means of nearness and equated the two.

وَفِي هَذَا هَدْمُ شَرَائِعِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَإِبْطَالُ تَفْصِيلِ اللَّهِ مَا أَحَلَّ لَنَا مِمَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْنَا، وَمَا أَمَرَنَا بِهِ مِمَّا نَهَانَا، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ فِي خَبَرٍ: مِنْ شَرِّ النَّاسِ مَنْزِلَةً عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ يَقْتَدِي بِسَيِّئَةِ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَيَتْرُكُ حَسَنَتَهُ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: مَنْ حَمَلَ شَاذَّ الْعُلَمَاءِ فَقَدْ حَمَلَ شَرًّا كَثِيرًا، وَمِنْ حُسْنِ الْأَدَبِ فِي الْمُعَامَلَةِ إِذَا عَمِلْتَ صَالِحًا فَقُلْ: يَا سَيِّدِي، أَنْتَ اسْتَعْمَلْتَنِي وَبِحَوْلِكَ وَقُوَّتِكَ وَحُسْنِ تَوْفِيقِكَ أَطَعْتُكَ، لِأَنَّ جَوَارِحِيَ جُنُودُكَ.

wafī hādhā hadmu sharāʾiʿi al-ʾanbiyāʾi waʾibṭālu tafṣīli Allāhi mā ʾaḥalla lanā mimmā ḥarrama ʿalaynā, wamā ʾamaranā bihi mimmā nahānā, waqad ruwiya fī khabarin: min sharri al-nāsi manzilatan ʿinda Allāhi man yaqtadī bisayyiʾati al-muʾmini wayatruku ḥasanatahu, waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: man ḥamala shādhdha al-ʿulamāʾi faqad ḥamala sharran kathīran, wamin ḥusni al-ʾadabi fī al-muʿāmalati ʾidhā ʿamilta ṣāliḥan faqul: yā sayyidī, ʾanta istaʿmaltanī wabiḥawlika waquwwatika waḥusni tawfīqika ʾaṭaʿtuka, liʾanna jawāriḥiya junūduka.

This demolishes the prophets’ laws and nullifies God’s distinction between what He permits us and what He forbids us, and between what He commands and prohibits. A report states, “Among those worst in standing with God is one who follows a believer’s bad deed and abandons his good deed.” A scholar said, “Whoever takes up scholars’ aberrant opinions has taken up much evil.” Proper conduct in dealing with God includes this: when you do good, say, “My Master, You put me to work, and through Your power, strength, and gracious granting of success I obeyed You, for my limbs are Your troops.”

وَإِذَا عَمِلْتَ شَيْئًا: ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي، وَبِهَوَايَ وَشَهْوَتِي اجْتَرَحَتْ جَوَارِحِي وَهِيَ صِفَاتِي، ثُمَّ يَعْتَقِدُ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ بِقَدَرِهِ وَمَشِيئَتِهِ كَانَ مَا قَضَاهُ، فَتَكُونُ بِالْمَعْنَيَيْنِ قَدْ وَافَقْتَ مَرْضَاةَ مَوْلَاكَ وَتَكُونُ فِي الْحَالَيْنِ عَامِلًا بِمَا يُرْضِيهِ بِالْقَوْلِ وَالْعُقُودِ، وَيَنْتَفِي عَنْكَ الْعُجْبُ فِي أَعْمَالِ بِرِّكَ وَيَصِحُّ مِنْكَ الْمَقْتُ لِنَفْسِكَ وَاعْتِرَافُكَ بِظُلْمِكَ.

waʾidhā ʿamilta shayʾan: ẓalamtu nafsī, wabihawāya washahwatī ijtaraḥat jawāriḥī wahiya ṣifātī, thumma yaʿtaqidu fī dhālika ʾannahu biqadarihi wamashīʾatihi kāna mā qaḍāhu, fatakūnu bi-al-maʿnayayni qad wāfaqta marḍāta mawlāka watakūnu fī al-ḥālayni ʿāmilan bimā yurḍīhi bi-al-qawli wa-al-ʿuqūdi, wayantafī ʿanka al-ʿujbu fī ʾaʿmāli birrika wayaṣiḥḥu minka al-maqtu linafsika wa-ʿtirāfuka biẓulmika.

When you do something wrong, say, “I have wronged myself; through my desire and appetite my limbs committed it, and these are my own qualities.” Then one believes that what He decreed occurred through His determination and will. Through both meanings you will have accorded with your Master’s pleasure, acting in both states according to what pleases Him in speech and inward convictions. Self-admiration in your good deeds will disappear, and your abhorrence of yourself and acknowledgment of your wrongdoing will be genuine.

وَقَدْ ثَقُلَتْ هَذِهِ الْمُشَاهَدَةُ عَلَى الْجَاهِلِ، فَإِذَا عَمِلَ حَسَنًا شَهِدَ نَفْسَهُ وَنَظَرَ إِلَى حَوْلِهِ وَقُوَّتِهِ، فَهَلَكَ بِالْكِبْرِ وَبَطَلَ عَمَلُهُ بِالْعُجْبِ، وَإِذَا عَمِلَ سَيِّئًا لَمْ يَعْتَرِفْ بِالذَّنْبِ وَلَمْ يُقِرَّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِالظُّلْمِ، وَلَمْ تَصِحَّ لَهُ تَوْبَةٌ وَلَمْ يُرْضَ لَهُ عَمَلًا، نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ مُشَاهَدَةِ الضَّلَالِ.

waqad thaqulat hādhihi al-mushāhadatu ʿalā al-jāhili, faʾidhā ʿamila ḥasanan shahida nafsahu wanaẓara ʾilā ḥawlihi waquwwatihi, fahalaka bi-al-kibri wabaṭala ʿamaluhu bi-al-ʿujbi, waʾidhā ʿamila sayyiʾan lam yaʿtarif bi-al-dhanbi walam yuqirra ʿalā nafsihi bi-al-ẓulmi, walam taṣiḥḥa lahu tawbatun walam yurḍa lahu ʿamalan, naʿūdhu bi-Allāhi min mushāhadati al-ḍalāli.

This way of witnessing weighs heavily upon the ignorant. When he does good, he beholds himself and looks to his own power and strength, perishing through pride and invalidating his deed through self-admiration. When he does evil, he neither acknowledges the sin nor admits wrongdoing against himself. His repentance is not sound, and no deed is accepted with pleasure for him. We seek refuge in God from the witnessing of error.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٨٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 80

Volume Two, page 80

وَقَالَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ سَهْلٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِذَا عَمِلَ الْعَبْدُ حَسَنَةً فَقَالَ: يَا رَبِّ أَنْتَ اسْتَعْمَلْتَنِي، شَكَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: أَنْتَ عَمِلْتَ، فَإِذَا نَظَرَ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ أَنَا عَمِلْتُ، يَقُولُ اللَّهُ بَلْ أَنَا اسْتَعْمَلْتُ، قَالَ وَإِذَا عَمِلَ سَيِّئَةً فَقَالَ: أَنْتَ قَدَّرْتَ وَأَنْتَ أَرَدْتَ، يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَنْتَ ظَلَمْتَ وَأَنْتَ عَصَيْتَ بِشَهْوَتِكَ وَهَوَاكَ.

waqāla ʾabū muḥammadin sahlun raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: ʾidhā ʿamila al-ʿabdu ḥasanatan faqāla: yā rabbi ʾanta istaʿmaltanī, shakara Allāhu lahu dhālika faqāla: ʾanta ʿamilta, faʾidhā naẓara ʾilā nafsihi faqāla ʾanā ʿamiltu, yaqūlu Allāhu bal ʾanā istaʿmaltu, qāla waʾidhā ʿamila sayyiʾatan faqāla: ʾanta qaddarta waʾanta ʾaradta, yaqūlu Allāhu taʿālā: ʾanta ẓalamta waʾanta ʿaṣayta bishahwatika wahawāka.

Abū Muḥammad Sahl, may God Most High have mercy on him, said, “When the servant does a good deed and says, ‘Lord, You put me to work,’ God appreciates that and says, ‘You acted.’ But when he looks at himself and says, ‘I acted,’ God says, ‘Rather, I put you to work.’ When he commits a bad deed and says, ‘You determined it and You willed it,’ God Most High says, ‘You did wrong and disobeyed through your appetite and desire.’”

فَإِنْ قَالَ الْعَبْدُ: ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي وَعَصَيْتُ بِجَهْلِي اسْتَحْيَا اللَّهُ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ: بَلْ أَنَا قَدَّرْتُ وَأَنَا قَضَيْتُ، قَدْ غُفِرَ لَكَ بِاعْتِرَافِكَ بِالظُّلْمِ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ، فَهَذِهِ آدَابُ الْعَامِلِينَ وَمُشَاهَدَةُ الْعَالِمِينَ، وَهَذَا دَاخِلٌ فِي قَوْلِهِ: أَعْرَفُكُمْ بِرَبِّهِ أَعْرَفُكُمْ بِنَفْسِهِ، فَكَذَلِكَ يُحِبُّ ابْنُ آدَمَ مِمَّنْ عَامَلَهُ الِاعْتِرَافَ وَالتَّوَاضُعَ، وَهَذَا أَيْضًا أَحَدُ الْمَعَانِي فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (وَآخَرُونَ اعْتَرَفُوا بِذُنُوبِهِمْ خَلَطُوا عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَآخَرَ سَيِّئًا) التَّوْبَةُ: 1، 2، قِيلَ: هُوَ الِاعْتِرَافُ عَقِيبَ الْعَمَلِ السَّيِّئِ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ تَقَدَّمَ ذِكْرُهُ فَكَانَ الصَّالِحُ بَعْدَهُ اعْتِرَافَهُ.

faʾin qāla al-ʿabdu: ẓalamtu nafsī waʿaṣaytu bijahlī istaḥyā Allāhu minhu faqāla: bal ʾanā qaddartu waʾanā qaḍaytu, qad ghufira laka bi-ʿtirāfika bi-al-ẓulmi ʿalā nafsika, fa-hādhihi ʾādābu al-ʿāmilīna wamushāhadatu al-ʿālimīna, wa-hādhā dākhilun fī qawlihi: ʾaʿrafukum birabbihi ʾaʿrafukum binafsihi, fa-kadhālika yuḥibbu ibnu ʾādama mimman ʿāmalahu al-iʿtirāfa wa-al-tawāḍuʿa, wa-hādhā ʾayḍan ʾaḥadu al-maʿānī fī qawlihi taʿālā: (waʾākharūna iʿtarafū bidhunūbihim khalaṭū ʿamalan ṣāliḥan waʾākhara sayyiʾan) al-tawbatu: 1, 2, qīla: huwa al-iʿtirāfu ʿaqība al-ʿamali al-sayyiʾi liʾannahu qad taqaddama dhikruhu fakāna al-ṣāliḥu baʿdahu iʿtirāfahu.

“But if the servant says, ‘I wronged myself and disobeyed through my ignorance,’ God is shy before him and says, ‘Rather, I determined and decreed it; you have been forgiven through admitting the wrong against yourself.’” These are the manners of those who act and the witnessing of those who know. This falls within the saying, “The one among you who best knows his Lord best knows himself.” A human being likewise loves acknowledgment and humility from those dealing with him. It is also one meaning of the Exalted’s saying, “Others acknowledged their sins, mixing a righteous deed with another that was evil” (al-Tawba, 1, 2). It is said that the righteous deed is acknowledgment following the evil act: the latter has already been mentioned, and the good that follows it is his acknowledgment.

وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي رَوَيْنَاهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ آنِفًا أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مَنْ نَظَرَ إِلَى مَنْ فَوْقَهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَإِلَى مَنْ دُونَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا، كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ صَابِرًا شَاكِرًا، وَمَنْ نَظَرَ إِلَى مَنْ دُونَهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَمَنْ فَوْقَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا، لَمْ يَكْتُبْهُ صَابِرًا وَلَا شَاكِرًا، فِيهِ أَرْبَعَةُ مَعَانٍ حِسَانٍ إِذَا تَدَبَّرَهَا الْعَبْدُ وَتَفَكَّرَ فِيهَا لَمْ يَعْدَمْ أَنْ يَرَى أَهْلَهَا، لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَخْلُو أَنْ يَرَى بِعَيْنِهِ أَوْ بِقَلْبِهِ لِسِيرَةِ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ.

wafī al-ḥadīthi alladhī rawaynāhu ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾānifan ʾannahu qāla: man naẓara ʾilā man fawqahu fī al-dīni waʾilā man dūnahu fī al-dunyā, katabahu Allāhu ṣābiran shākiran, waman naẓara ʾilā man dūnahu fī al-dīni waman fawqahu fī al-dunyā, lam yaktubhu ṣābiran walā shākiran, fīhi ʾarbaʿatu maʿānin ḥisānin ʾidhā tadabbarahā al-ʿabdu watafakkara fīhā lam yaʿdam ʾan yarā ʾahlahā, liʾannahu lā yakhlū ʾan yarā biʿaynihi ʾaw biqalbihi lisīrati al-mutaqaddimīna.

The tradition we related shortly before from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, says, “Whoever looks toward those above him in religion and below him in worldly things, God records him as patient and grateful. Whoever looks toward those below him in religion and above him in worldly things, He does not record him as patient or grateful.” It contains four fine meanings. If a servant reflects on them and considers them, he will certainly find people who embody them, for he inevitably sees with his eyes or in his heart through the lives of earlier people.

فَيَرَى مَنْ فَوْقَهُ فِي بَابِ الدُّنْيَا فَيَشْكُرُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَالِهِ وَيَقْنَعُ مِنْهُ بِرِزْقِهِ فَيَكُونُ صَابِرًا شَاكِرًا بِمَعْرِفَةِ مَا قَنِعَ بِهِ، وَرَضِيَ بِاخْتِيَارِ مَا صُرِفَ عَنْهُ مِنَ الْفُضُولِ، وَزُوِيَ عَنْهُ مِنَ الْحِسَابِ الطَّوِيلِ، وَلَا يَخْلُو أَنْ يَرَى مَنْ فَوْقَهُ فِي أَمْرِ الدِّينِ يُسَارِعُ إِلَيْهِ وَيُسَابِقُهُ إِذْ قَدْ نُدِبَ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، فَيَكُونُ حَضًّا لَهُ وَحَثًّا عَلَى افْتِعَالِ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَأَعْمَالِ الصَّالِحَاتِ، وَأَقَلُّ مَا يُفِيدُهُ ذَلِكَ الْإِزْرَاءُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَالْمَقْتُ لَهَا فِي تَقْصِيرِهِ.

fayarā man fawqahu fī bābi al-dunyā fayashkuru Allāha ʿalā ḥālihi wayaqnaʿu minhu birizqihi fayakūnu ṣābiran shākiran bimaʿrifati mā qaniʿa bihi, waraḍiya bi-khtiyāri mā ṣurifa ʿanhu mina al-fuḍūli, wazuwiya ʿanhu mina al-ḥisābi al-ṭawīli, walā yakhlū ʾan yarā man fawqahu fī ʾamri al-dīni yusāriʿu ʾilayhi wayusābiquhu ʾidh qad nudiba ʾilā dhālika, fayakūnu ḥaḍḍan lahu waḥaththan ʿalā iftiʿāli al-khayrāti waʾaʿmāli al-ṣāliḥāti, waʾaqallu mā yufīduhu dhālika al-ʾizrāʾu ʿalā nafsihi wa-al-maqtu lahā fī taqṣīrihi.

He sees someone above him in worldly matters, then thanks God for his own condition and is satisfied with the provision received from Him. He becomes patient and grateful through understanding what he has accepted, content with the choice by which excess has been diverted from him and lengthy reckoning kept away. He inevitably also sees someone above him in religion and hastens toward and races with him, as he has been encouraged to do. This urges and spurs him to perform good acts and righteous works. At the very least, it teaches him to think little of himself and abhor his own shortcomings.

ثُمَّ يَنْظُرُ فِي الْأَمْرَيْنِ الْآخَرَيْنِ مِنْ وَجْهٍ آخَرَ، فَلَا يَخْلُو أَنْ يَرَى مَنْ هُوَ دُونَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا مِنْ ذَوِي الْفَاقَاتِ وَالْحَاجَاتِ، فَيَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى تَفْضِيلِهِ عَلَيْهِ وَحُسْنِ صَوْنِهِ لَهُ وَيَشْكُرُ نِعْمَتَهُ لِفَضْلِ إِحْسَانِهِ وَكِفَايَتِهِ لَهُ، وَيَجِدُ أَيْضًا فِي الْمَعْنَى الْآخَرِ مَنْ هُوَ دُونَهُ فِي أَمْرِ الدِّينِ مِنَ الْفَجَرَةِ وَالظَّالِمِينَ وَأَهْلِ الْبِدَعِ وَالزَّائِغِينَ، فَيَفْرَحُ بِفَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَرَحْمَتِهِ وَيَشْكُرُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حُسْنِ إِسْلَامِهِ وَجَمِيلِ مُعَافَاتِهِ مِمَّا ابْتُلِيَ بِهِ غَيْرُهُ، فَيَكُونُ أَيْضًا صَابِرًا شَاكِرًا.

thumma yanẓuru fī al-ʾamrayni al-ʾākharayni min wajhin ʾākhara, falā yakhlū ʾan yarā man huwa dūnahu fī al-dunyā min dhawī al-fāqāti wa-al-ḥājāti, fayaḥmadu Allāha ʿalā tafḍīlihi ʿalayhi waḥusni ṣawnihi lahu wayashkuru niʿmatahu lifaḍli ʾiḥsānihi wakifāyatihi lahu, wayajidu ʾayḍan fī al-maʿnā al-ʾākhari man huwa dūnahu fī ʾamri al-dīni mina al-fajarati wa-al-ẓālimīna waʾahli al-bidaʿi wa-al-zāʾighīna, fayafraḥu bifaḍli Allāhi waraḥmatihi wayashkuru Allāha ʿalā ḥusni ʾislāmihi wajamīli muʿāfātihi mimmā ibtuliya bihi ghayruhu, fayakūnu ʾayḍan ṣābiran shākiran.

Then he considers the other two matters from another angle. He inevitably sees someone below him in worldly things, among those in poverty and need, and praises God for favoring him over that person and protecting him well. He thanks Him for His blessing, abundant kindness, and sufficient provision. In the other respect, he also finds people below him in religion: the wicked, oppressors, innovators, and those who deviate. He rejoices in God’s grace and mercy and thanks Him for the soundness of his Islam and the gracious protection from what has afflicted others. Thus he too becomes patient and grateful.

فَيَكُونُ لِلْعَبْدِ فِي هَذِهِ الطَّبَقَاتِ مِنَ النَّاسِ أَرْبَعُ مُعَامَلَاتٍ بِمَا وَهَبَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْبَصِيرَةِ وَالِاعْتِبَارِ، وَيَشْهَدُ لِمَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ قَوْلُهُ: لَا حَسَدَ إِلَّا فِي اثْنَيْنِ؛ رَجُلٍ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ حِكْمَةً فَهُوَ يَبُثُّهَا فِي النَّاسِ وَيَعْمَلُهَا، وَرَجُلٍ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالًا فَسَلَّطَهُ عَلَى هَلَكَتِهِ فِي الْحَقِّ، وَفِي لَفْظِ حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ: وَرَجُلٍ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْقُرْآنَ فَهُوَ يَقُومُ بِهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَآنَاءَ النَّهَارِ فَيَقُولُ

fayakūnu li-l-ʿabdi fī hādhihi al-ṭabaqāti mina al-nāsi ʾarbaʿu muʿāmalātin bimā wahaba Allāhu mina al-baṣīrati wa-al-iʿtibāri, wayashhadu limā dhakarnāhu qawluhu: lā ḥasada ʾillā fī ithnayni; rajulin ʾātāhu Allāhu ḥikmatan fahuwa yabuththuhā fī al-nāsi wayaʿmaluhā, warajulin ʾātāhu Allāhu mālan fasallaṭahu ʿalā halakatihi fī al-ḥaqqi, wafī lafẓi ḥadīthin ʾākhara: warajulin ʾātāhu Allāhu al-qurʾāna fahuwa yaqūmu bihi ʾānāʾa al-layli waʾānāʾa al-nahāri fayaqūlu

The servant therefore has four ways of dealing with these classes of people, through the insight and reflection God has granted. Supporting what we have said is the saying, “There is no envy except in two cases: a man to whom God gives wisdom, which he spreads among people and practices; and a man to whom God gives wealth, empowering him to expend it in the truth.” Another tradition’s wording says, “And a man to whom God gives the Qurʾān, who stands reciting it during the watches of night and the hours of day; then says

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٨١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 81

Volume Two, page 81

الرَّجُلُ: لَوْ آتَانِيَ اللَّهُ مَا آتَى هَذَا فَعَلْتُ كَمَا يَفْعَلُ، فَنَدَبَ إِلَى الْحَسَدِ عَلَى أَعْمَالِ الْبِرِّ وَفَضَّلَ الْحَاسِدَ لِمَا نَدَبَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمُنَافَسَةِ فِي أَعْمَالِ الْخَيْرِ، فَمَنْ حَسَدَ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْخَيْرِ، كَانَ ذَلِكَ مَزِيدًا لَهُ فِي مَقَامِ الرِّضَا لِلْغِبْطَةِ بِهِ وَالطَّلَبِ لَهُ، فَأَمَّا مَنْ قُلِبَتْ عَلَيْهِ هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي فَجَهِلَ عَوَاقِبَ الْأُمُورِ، وَغَلَبَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْغَفْلَةُ وَاسْتَحْوَذَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْجَهَالَةُ، فَجَعَلَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى مَنْ فَوْقَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَيَغْبِطُهُ عَلَى حَالِهِ، أَوْ يَتَمَنَّى مَكَانَهُ.

al-rajulu: law ʾātāniya Allāhu mā ʾātā hādhā faʿaltu kamā yafʿalu, fanadaba ʾilā al-ḥasadi ʿalā ʾaʿmāli al-birri wafaḍḍala al-ḥāsida limā nadaba Allāhu ʾilayhi mina al-munāfasati fī ʾaʿmāli al-khayri, faman ḥasada ʿalā hādhihi al-maʿānī min ʾaʿmāli al-khayri, kāna dhālika mazīdan lahu fī maqāmi al-riḍā li-l-ghibṭati bihi wa-al-ṭalabi lahu, faʾammā man qulibat ʿalayhi hādhihi al-maʿānī fajahila ʿawāqiba al-ʾumūri, waghalabat ʿalayhi al-ghaflatu wa-staḥwadhat ʿalayhi al-jahālatu, fajaʿala yanẓuru ʾilā man fawqahu fī al-dunyā fayaghbiṭuhu ʿalā ḥālihi, ʾaw yatamannā makānahu.

another man, ‘If God gave me what He has given this man, I would do as he does.’” Thus he encouraged envy of righteous deeds and commended the envier because God encourages competition in good works. Whoever envies these forms of good works increases in the station of contentment through admiring and seeking them. But someone for whom these meanings are reversed, who is ignorant of outcomes, overcome by heedlessness and dominated by ignorance, begins looking at those above him in worldly things, envying their condition or wishing for their place.

أَوْ يُدْخِلُهُ نَظَرُهُ إِلَيْهِ فِي اسْتِصْغَارِ نِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَيَزْدَرِي يَسِيرَ مَا قَسَمَهُ اللَّهُ لَهُ، ثُمَّ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى مَنْ دُونَهُ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ عُمُومِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَيَرْضَى بِنُقْصَانِ مَقَامِهِ وَيَجْعَلُ ذَلِكَ مَعْذِرَةً لَهُ وَتَأَسِّيًا بِهِ، وَيُثَبِّطُهُ عَنِ الْمُسَارَعَةِ إِلَى الْقُرُبَاتِ وَلَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يُدَاخِلَهُ الْعُجْبُ وَالْكِبْرُ حَتَّى يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْهِ بِحَالِهِ، أَوْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ بِأَعْمَالِهِ، لِتَقْصِيرِ غَيْرِهِ عَنْ مِثْلِ فِعَالِهِ.

ʾaw yudkhiluhu naẓaruhu ʾilayhi fī istiṣghāri niʿmati Allāhi ʿalayhi wayazdarī yasīra mā qasamahu Allāhu lahu, thumma yanẓuru ʾilā man dūnahu fī al-dīni min ʿumūmi al-muslimīna fayarḍā binuqṣāni maqāmihi wayajʿalu dhālika maʿdhiratan lahu wataʾassiyan bihi, wayuthabbiṭuhu ʿani al-musāraʿati ʾilā al-qurubāti walaʿallahu ʾan yudākhilahu al-ʿujbu wa-al-kibru ḥattā yatafaḍḍala ʿalayhi biḥālihi, ʾaw yanẓura ʾilā nafsihi biʾaʿmālihi, litaqṣīri ghayrihi ʿan mithli fiʿālihi.

Or looking at him leads him to belittle God’s blessing upon himself and disdain the little God has allotted him. Then he looks at ordinary Muslims below him in religion, accepts his deficient station, and makes their example an excuse and model for himself. This holds him back from hastening toward acts of nearness. Self-admiration and pride may enter him, until he regards his own condition as superior to the other’s or regards himself highly for his works because others fall short of deeds like his.

فَهَذَا إِذًا يُكْتَبُ جَزُوعًا عَنِ الصَّبْرِ كَفُورَ النِّعْمَةِ بِإِضَاعَةِ الشُّكْرِ، لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ بِصَابِرٍ وَلَا شَاكِرٍ، وَهَذَا وَصْفٌ مِنْ أَوْصَافِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ، وَهُوَ مَقَامُ الْهَالِكِينَ، إِذِ الصَّبْرُ وَالشُّكْرُ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَقَدْ وُصِفَ هَذَا الْبَلَدُ بِمِثْلِ هَذَا الْمَعْنَى: فَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ، وَقَدْ حَدَّثُونَا عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ: طُفْتُ الشَّرْقَ وَالْغَرْبَ فَمَا رَأَيْتُ بَلَدًا شَرًّا مِنْ بَغْدَادَ.

fa-hādhā ʾidhan yuktabu jazūʿan ʿani al-ṣabri kafūra al-niʿmati biʾiḍāʿati al-shukri, liʾannahu laysa biṣābirin walā shākirin, wa-hādhā waṣfun min ʾawṣāfi al-munāfiqīna, wahuwa maqāmu al-hālikīna, ʾidhi al-ṣabru wa-al-shukru min ṣifāti al-muʾminīna, waqad wuṣifa hādhā al-baladu bimithli hādhā al-maʿnā: fa-Allāhu al-mustaʿānu, waqad ḥaddathūnā ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni al-mubāraki raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾannahu qāla: ṭuftu al-sharqa wa-al-gharba famā raʾaytu baladan sharran min baghdāda.

Such a person is recorded as impatient rather than patient, ungrateful for blessings because he has neglected gratitude: he is neither patient nor grateful. This is a characteristic of hypocrites and the station of those who perish, since patience and gratitude belong to believers. This city has been described in similar terms; God is the One whose help is sought. They related to us from ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak, may God Most High have mercy on him, that he said, “I traveled through East and West and saw no city worse than Baghdad.”

قِيلَ: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ؟ قَالَ: هُوَ بَلَدٌ تُزْدَرَى فِيهِ النِّعْمَةُ وَتُسْتَصْغَرُ فِيهِ الْمَعْصِيَةُ، وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قِيلَ لَهُ حِينَ قَدِمَ خُرَاسَانَ: كَيْفَ رَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ بِبَغْدَادَ؟ قَالَ: مَا رَأَيْتُ بِهَا إِلَّا شُرْطِيًّا غَضْبَانَ أَوْ تَاجِرًا لَهْفَانَ أَوْ قَارِئًا حَيْرَانَ، وَقِيلَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ يَتَصَدَّقُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ بِدِينَارٍ لِأَجْلِ مُقَامِهِ بِبَغْدَادَ، إِلَى أَنْ يَخْرُجَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ، فَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَتَصَدَّقُ بِسِتَّةَ عَشَرَ دِينَارًا.

qīla: wakayfa dhālika yā ʾabā ʿabdi al-raḥmāni? qāla: huwa baladun tuzdarā fīhi al-niʿmatu watustaṣgharu fīhi al-maʿṣiyatu, waḥaddathūnā ʿanhu ʾannahu qīla lahu ḥīna qadima khurāsāna: kayfa raʾayta al-nāsa bibaghdāda? qāla: mā raʾaytu bihā ʾillā shurṭiyyan ghaḍbāna ʾaw tājiran lahfāna ʾaw qāriʾan ḥayrāna, waqīla ʾinnahu kāna yataṣaddaqu kulla yawmin bidīnārin liʾajli muqāmihi bibaghdāda, ʾilā ʾan yakhruja ʾilā makkata, fabalaghanī ʾannahu kāna yataṣaddaqu bisittata ʿashara dīnāran.

He was asked, “How is that, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān?” He answered, “It is a city where blessings are disdained and sins regarded as small.” They also related that when he arrived in Khurasan, he was asked, “How did you find the people in Baghdad?” He answered, “I saw there only an angry policeman, an anxious merchant, or a bewildered Qurʾān reciter.” It is said that he gave a dinar in charity each day because of his stay in Baghdad, until he left for Mecca. It reached me that he would give sixteen dinars in charity.

وَقَدْ وَصَفَهَا الشَّافِعِيُّ أَنَّهَا هِيَ الدُّنْيَا، فَرَوَيْنَا عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: الدُّنْيَا كُلُّهَا بَادِيَةٌ وَبَغْدَادُ حَاضِرَتُهَا. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْأَعْلَى قَالَ: قَالَ لِيَ الشَّافِعِيُّ: يَا يُونُسُ، رَأَيْتَ بَغْدَادَ؟ قُلْتُ: لَا. قَالَ: مَا رَأَيْتَ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا رَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ، وَقَدْ ذَمَّ الْعِرَاقَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْهُمْ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ وَكَعْبُ الْأَحْبَارِ، فَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عُمَرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِمَوْلًى لَهُ: أَيْنَ تَسْكُنُ؟ قَالَ: الْعِرَاقَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: مَا تَصْنَعُ هُنَاكَ؟ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّهُ مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ سَكَنَ الْعِرَاقَ إِلَّا قُيِّضَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ.

waqad waṣafahā al-shāfiʿiyyu ʾannahā hiya al-dunyā, farawaynā ʿanhu ʾannahu qāla: al-dunyā kulluhā bādiyatun wabaghdādu ḥāḍiratuhā. warawaynā ʿan yūnusa bni ʿabdi al-ʾaʿlā qāla: qāla liya al-shāfiʿiyyu: yā yūnusu, raʾayta baghdāda? qultu: lā. qāla: mā raʾayta al-dunyā walā raʾayta al-nāsa, waqad dhamma al-ʿirāqa jamāʿatun minhum ʿumaru bnu ʿabdi al-ʿazīzi wakaʿbu al-ʾaḥbāri, farawaynā ʿan ʿumara ʾannahu qāla limawlan lahu: ʾayna taskunu? qāla: al-ʿirāqa, faqāla lahu: mā taṣnaʿu hunāka? balaghanī ʾannahu mā min ʾaḥadin sakana al-ʿirāqa ʾillā quyyiḍa lahu qarīnun mina al-balāʾi.

Al-Shāfiʿī described Baghdad as the world itself. We related that he said, “The whole world is countryside, and Baghdad its metropolis.” We also related from Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā: “Al-Shāfiʿī asked me, ‘Yūnus, have you seen Baghdad?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Then you have not seen the world or its people.’” Several people censured Iraq, including ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz and Kaʿb al-Aḥbār. We related that ʿUmar asked a client of his, “Where do you live?” “Iraq.” He asked, “What are you doing there? I have heard that no one lives in Iraq without an accompanying affliction being assigned to him.”

وَذَكَرَ كَعْبُ الْأَحْبَارِ الْعِرَاقَ يَوْمًا فَقَالَ: فِيهِ تِسْعَةُ أَعْشَارِ الشَّرِّ، وَفِيهِ الدَّاءُ الْعُضَالُ، وَمَنْ سَكَنَ بَلَدًا كَثِيرَ الْمُنْكَرِ ظَاهِرَ الْمَعَاصِي، فَكَانَ مُنْزَعِجًا فِيهِ غَيْرَ مُطْمَئِنٍّ إِلَيْهِ يَرْغَبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي إِخْرَاجِهِ مِنْهُ لِحُسْنِ اخْتِيَارِهِ لَهُ، وَكَانَ مُضْطَرًّا فِي الْمُقَامِ فِيهِ لِعَيْلَةٍ ثَقِيلَةٍ أَوْ قِلَّةِ ذَاتِ يَدٍ حَقِيقَةٍ، لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ حِيلَةً فِي الْخُرُوجِ وَلَا يَعْرِفُ طَرِيقًا، وَهُوَ عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنْ سَلَامَةِ دِينِهِ فِيهِ، فَإِنَّهُ مَعْذُورٌ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ لِحُسْنِ تَفَضُّلٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ، وَهُوَ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى الْعَفْوِ وَالسَّلَامَةِ مِمَّنْ

wadhakara kaʿbu al-ʾaḥbāri al-ʿirāqa yawman faqāla: fīhi tisʿatu ʾaʿshāri al-sharri, wafīhi al-dāʾu al-ʿuḍālu, waman sakana baladan kathīra al-munkari ẓāhira al-maʿāṣī, fakāna munzaʿijan fīhi ghayra muṭmaʾinnin ʾilayhi yarghabu ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fī ʾikhrājihi minhu liḥusni ikhtiyārihi lahu, wakāna muḍṭarran fī al-muqāmi fīhi liʿaylatin thaqīlatin ʾaw qillati dhāti yadin ḥaqīqatin, lā yastaṭīʿu ḥīlatan fī al-khurūji walā yaʿrifu ṭarīqan, wahuwa ʿalā yaqīnin min salāmati dīnihi fīhi, faʾinnahu maʿdhūrun ʿinda Allāhi liḥusni tafaḍḍulin mina Allāhi, wahuwa ʾaqrabu ʾilā al-ʿafwi wa-al-salāmati mimman

One day Kaʿb al-Aḥbār mentioned Iraq and said, “It contains nine-tenths of evil, and the incurable disease.” Whoever lives in a city full of wrongdoing and open sins, yet feels disturbed and unsettled there and entreats God, mighty and majestic is He, to bring him out through His good choice for him, but is compelled to remain by heavy dependent responsibilities or genuine lack of means, unable to devise a departure or find a route, while certain of his religion’s safety there, is excused before God through God’s gracious favor. He is nearer pardon and safety than someone who

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٨٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 82

Volume Two, page 82

اغْتَبَطَ بِمُقَامِهِ وَاطْمَأَنَّ وَرَضِيَ بِحَالِهِ، أَوْ كَانَ مُقَامُهُ عَلَى هَوًى أَوْ لِاخْتِلَافِ أَسْبَابِ الْفِتْنَةِ وَالدُّنْيَا، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا) النِّسَاءُ: 97، فِي التَّفْسِيرِ: إِذَا كُنْتَ فِي بَلَدٍ يُعْمَلُ فِيهِ بِالْمَعَاصِي فَتَحَوَّلْ مِنْهُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ، وَقِيلَ: إِذَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ فِي بَلَدٍ مَنْ يَعْمَلُ فِيهِ بِالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْمَعَاصِي أَضْعَفُ أَوْ أَقَلُّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ وَالْمَعْرُوفِ، ثُمَّ لَمْ يُنْكِرْ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ وَجَبَ الْخُرُوجُ مِنْهُ.

ightabaṭa bimuqāmihi wa-ṭmaʾanna waraḍiya biḥālihi, ʾaw kāna muqāmuhu ʿalā hawan ʾaw li-khtilāfi ʾasbābi al-fitnati wa-al-dunyā, qāla Allāhu taʿālā: (ʾalam takun ʾarḍu Allāhi wāsiʿatan fatuhājirū fīhā) al-nisāʾu: 97, fī al-tafsīri: ʾidhā kunta fī baladin yuʿmalu fīhi bi-al-maʿāṣī fataḥawwal minhu ʾilā ghayrihi, waqīla: ʾidhā kāna al-ʿabdu fī baladin man yaʿmalu fīhi bi-al-munkari wa-al-maʿāṣī ʾaḍʿafu ʾaw ʾaqallu min ʾahli al-dīni wa-al-maʿrūfi, thumma lam yunkir dhālika faqad wajaba al-khurūju minhu.

delights in staying, feels secure, and accepts his condition, or stays from desire or because of the varied opportunities for temptation and worldly gain. God Most High said, “Was God’s earth not spacious enough for you to emigrate within it?” (al-Nisāʾ 4:97). The commentary says: if you live in a city where sins are committed, move from it to another. It is also said: if a servant is in a city where those committing wrongdoing and sins are weaker or fewer than the people of religion and right conduct, but he does not denounce it, departure becomes obligatory.

ثُمَّ قَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي قَوْمٍ مِنَ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ عَذَرَهُمْ وَأَرْجَى إِلَى الْعَفْوِ أَمْرَهُمْ: (وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا) النِّسَاءُ: 75، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى فِي تَمَامِ وَصْفِهِمْ وَاسْتِثْنَائِهِمْ مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ: (وَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلًا) (فَأُولَئِكَ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ) النِّسَاءُ: 98–99، وَلَا يَصِحُّ الرِّضَا إِلَّا بِالْعِصْمَةِ مِنْ جَمِيعِ الْهَوَى، وَأَوَّلُ الرِّضَا الْقَنَاعَةُ.

thumma qāla ʿazza wajalla fī qawmin mina al-mustaḍʿafīna ʿadharahum waʾarjā ʾilā al-ʿafwi ʾamrahum: (wa-al-mustaḍʿafīna mina al-rijāli wa-al-nisāʾi wa-al-wildāni alladhīna yaqūlūna rabbanā ʾakhrijnā min hādhihi al-qaryati al-ẓālimi ʾahluhā) al-nisāʾu: 75, waqāla taʿālā fī tamāmi waṣfihim wa-stithnāʾihim min ghayrihim: (walā yastaṭīʿūna ḥīlatan walā yahtadūna sabīlan) (fa-ʾulāʾika ʿasā Allāhu ʾan yaʿfuwa ʿanhum) al-nisāʾu: 98–99, walā yaṣiḥḥu al-riḍā ʾillā bi-al-ʿiṣmati min jamīʿi al-hawā, waʾawwalu al-riḍā al-qanāʿatu.

Then He, mighty and majestic is He, spoke of a group of the oppressed whom He excused and whose affair He left in hope of pardon: “The oppressed among men, women, and children who say, ‘Our Lord, bring us out of this town whose people are oppressors’” (al-Nisāʾ 4:75). Completing their description and excepting them from others, the Exalted said, “And they can devise no means and find no way; those, perhaps God will pardon them” (al-Nisāʾ 4:98–99). Contentment is sound only through protection from all desire. Its beginning is satisfaction with little.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ: لَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ قَانِعًا حَتَّى لَوْ جَاءَ إِلَى بَابِ مَنْزِلِهِ جَمِيعُ مَا يَرْغَبُ فِيهِ أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الِاتِّسَاعِ وَالنِّعْمَةِ، فَعُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ لَمْ يَنْظُرْ إِلَى ذَلِكَ وَلَمْ يَفْتَحْ بَابَهُ قَنَاعَةً مِنْهُ بِحَالِهِ، وَالْعِصْمَةُ حَالُ الرَّاضِي عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَهِيَ ظَاهِرُ الرَّحْمَةِ، وَالرَّحْمَةُ أَوَّلُ الرِّضَا مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى: (إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي) يُوسُفُ: 53.

waqāla baʿḍu ʾahli al-maʿrifati: lā yakūnu al-ʿabdu qāniʿan ḥattā law jāʾa ʾilā bābi manzilihi jamīʿu mā yarghabu fīhi ʾahlu al-dunyā mina al-ittisāʿi wa-al-niʿmati, faʿuriḍa ʿalayhi lam yanẓur ʾilā dhālika walam yaftaḥ bābahu qanāʿatan minhu biḥālihi, wa-al-ʿiṣmatu ḥālu al-rāḍī ʿani Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, wahiya ẓāhiru al-raḥmati, wa-al-raḥmatu ʾawwalu al-riḍā mina Allāhi taʿālā, qāla Allāhu subḥānahu wataʿālā: (ʾinna al-nafsa laʾammāratun bi-al-sūʾi ʾillā mā raḥima rabbī) yūsufu: 53.

One of the knowers said, “A servant is not truly satisfied until, if everything worldly people desire of abundance and luxury came to his door and was offered to him, he would neither look at it nor open his door, satisfied with his condition.” Divine protection is the state of one content with God, mighty and majestic is He. It is mercy’s outward manifestation, and mercy is the beginning of pleasure from God Most High. God, glorified and exalted is He, said, “The self surely commands evil, except insofar as my Lord has mercy” (Yūsuf 12:53).

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (لَا عَاصِمَ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا مَنْ رَحِمَ) هُودٌ: 43، فَالْعِصْمَةُ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِعَبْدِهِ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى الرَّحْمَةِ مِنْهُ، ثُمَّ تُدْخِلُهُ فِي مَقَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ وَهِيَ رَحْمَةُ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ، ثُمَّ تَرْفَعُهُ إِلَى الرِّضَا فَتَكُونُ الْمَحَبَّةُ مَقَامَهُ عَنْ شَهَادَةِ مَحْبُوبٍ، وَيَكُونُ الرِّضَا حَالَهُ فِي جَمِيعِ تَصْرِيفِ الْبَقِيَّةِ وَالْمَطْلُوبِ، وَهَذَا آخِرُ كِتَابِ الرِّضَا.

waqāla taʿālā: (lā ʿāṣima al-yawma min ʾamri Allāhi ʾillā man raḥima) hūdun: 43, fa-al-ʿiṣmatu mina Allāhi liʿabdihi dalīlun ʿalā al-raḥmati minhu, thumma tudkhiluhu fī maqāmi al-maḥabbati wahiya raḥmatu al-maḥbūbīna, thumma tarfaʿuhu ʾilā al-riḍā fatakūnu al-maḥabbatu maqāmahu ʿan shahādati maḥbūbin, wayakūnu al-riḍā ḥālahu fī jamīʿi taṣrīfi al-baqiyyati wa-al-maṭlūbi, wa-hādhā ʾākhiru kitābi al-riḍā.

The Exalted said, “There is no protector today from God’s command except for one upon whom He has mercy” (Hūd 11:43). God’s protection of His servant is evidence of mercy from Him. It then brings him into the station of love, the mercy of those beloved, and raises him to contentment. Love becomes his station through witnessing a beloved, and contentment his state throughout every disposition of what remains and what is sought. This is the end of the Book of Contentment.

ذِكْرُ أَحْكَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ وَوَصْفِ أَهْلِهَا وَهُوَ الْمَقَامُ التَّاسِعُ مِنْ مَقَامَاتِ الْيَقِينِ

dhikru ʾaḥkāmi al-maḥabbati wawaṣfi ʾahlihā wahuwa al-maqāmu al-tāsiʿu min maqāmāti al-yaqīni

An account of love’s principles and a description of its people: the ninth station of certainty.

الْمَحَبَّةُ مِنْ أَعْلَى مَقَامَاتِ الْعَارِفِينَ، وَهِيَ إِيثَارٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْمُخْلِصِينَ وَمَعَهَا نِهَايَةُ الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ، قَالَ اللَّهُ جَلَّتْ قُدْرَتُهُ: ﴿يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ﴾ الْمَائِدَةِ: 54 ثُمَّ قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ﴾ الْحَدِيدِ: 21 وَهَذَا الْخَبَرُ مُتَّصِلٌ بِالِابْتِدَاءِ فِي الْمَعْنَى لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى وَصَفَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْمُحِبِّينَ بِفَضْلِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَمَا اِعْتَرَضَ بَيْنَهُمَا مِنَ الْكَلَامِ فَهُوَ نَعْتُ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ.

al-maḥabbatu min ʾaʿlā maqāmāti al-ʿārifīna, wahiya ʾīthārun mina Allāhi taʿālā liʿibādihi al-mukhliṣīna wamaʿahā nihāyatu al-faḍli al-ʿaẓīmi, qāla Allāhu jallat qudratuhu: ﴿yuḥibbuhum wayuḥibbūnahu﴾ al-māʾidati: 54 thumma qāla taʿālā: ﴿dhālika faḍlu Allāhi yuʾtīhi man yashāʾu﴾ al-ḥadīdi: 21 wa-hādhā al-khabaru muttaṣilun bi-al-ibtidāʾi fī al-maʿnā liʾanna Allāha taʿālā waṣafa al-muʾminīna al-muḥibbīna bifaḍlihi ʿalayhim, wamā iʿtaraḍa baynahumā mina al-kalāmi fahuwa naʿtu al-maḥbūbīna.

Love is among the highest stations of those who know God. It is God Most High’s special favor toward His sincere servants, accompanied by the utmost measure of His immense bounty. God, exalted is His power, says, “He loves them, and they love Him” (al-Māʾidah 5:54), then says, “That is God’s bounty; He grants it to whomever He wills” (al-Ḥadīd 57:21). In meaning, this statement connects with the opening: God Most High describes the believing lovers through His bounty toward them, while the intervening words describe those He loves.

وَرُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَ حَبِيبَهُ بِالنَّارِ، وَقَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِصْدَاقَ قَوْلِ نَبِيِّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، رَدًّا عَلَى مَنِ اِدَّعَى مَحَبَّتَهُ وَاِحْتِجَاجًا عَلَيْهِمْ: ﴿قُلْ فَلِمَ يُعَذِّبُكُمْ بِذُنُوبِكُمْ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ بَشَرٌ مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ﴾ الْمَائِدَةِ: 18 وَقَالَ زَيْدُ بْنُ أَسْلَمَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيُحِبُّ الْعَبْدَ حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ مِنْ حُبِّهِ لَهُ أَنْ يَقُولَ: اِصْنَعْ مَا شِئْتَ فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكَ.

waruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: mā kāna Allāhu liyuʿadhdhiba ḥabībahu bi-al-nāri, waqāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla miṣdāqa qawli nabiyyihi ʿalayhi al-salāmu, raddan ʿalā mani iddaʿā maḥabbatahu wa-ḥtijājan ʿalayhim: ﴿qul falima yuʿadhdhibukum bidhunūbikum bal ʾantum basharun mimman khalaqa﴾ al-māʾidati: 18 waqāla zaydu bnu ʾaslama: ʾinna Allāha layuḥibbu al-ʿabda ḥattā yablugha min ḥubbihi lahu ʾan yaqūla: iṣnaʿ mā shiʾta faqad ghafartu laka.

It is related from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “God would never punish His beloved with fire.” Confirming His Prophet’s words, peace be upon him, God, mighty and majestic, answers those who claimed His love and argues against them: “Say: Why, then, does He punish you for your sins? Rather, you are human beings among those He created” (al-Māʾidah 5:18). Zayd ibn Aslam said, “God may love a servant so greatly that He says, ‘Do whatever you wish, for I have forgiven you.’”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ أَبَانٍ عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا لَمْ يَضُرَّهُ ذَنْبٌ، وَالتَّائِبُ مِنَ الذَّنْبِ كَمَنْ لَا ذَنْبَ لَهُ، ثُمَّ تَلَا: إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ، وَقَدِ اِشْتَرَطَ اللَّهُ لِلْمَحَبَّةِ غُفْرَانَ الذُّنُوبِ بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ﴾ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: 31.

warawaynā ʿan ʾismāʿīla bni ʾabānin ʿan ʾanasin qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾidhā ʾaḥabba Allāhu ʿabdan lam yaḍurrahu dhanbun, wa-al-tāʾibu mina al-dhanbi kaman lā dhanba lahu, thumma talā: ʾinna Allāha yuḥibbu al-tawwābīna wayuḥibbu al-mutaṭahhirīna, waqadi ishtaraṭa Allāhu li-l-maḥabbati ghufrāna al-dhunūbi biqawlihi taʿālā: ﴿yuḥbibkumu Allāhu wayaghfir lakum dhunūbakum﴾ ʾāli ʿimrāna: 31.

We have transmitted from Ismāʿīl ibn Abān, from Anas, who said: God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, said, “When God loves a servant, no sin harms him; and one who repents of sin is like one who has no sin.” Then he recited, “God loves those who repent and loves those who purify themselves.” God has stipulated forgiveness of sins in connection with love, saying, exalted is He, “God will love you and forgive you your sins” (Āl ʿImrān 3:31).

فَكُلُّ مُؤْمِنٍ بِاللَّهِ فَهُوَ مُحِبٌّ لِلَّهِ، وَلَكِنْ مَحَبَّتُهُ عَلَى قَدْرِ إِيمَانِهِ، وَكَشْفِ مُشَاهَدَتِهِ وَتَجَلِّي الْمَحْبُوبِ لَهُ عَلَى وَصْفٍ مِنْ أَوْصَافِهِ، دَلِيلُ ذَلِكَ اِسْتِجَابَتُهُمْ لَهُ

fakullu muʾminin bi-Allāhi fahuwa muḥibbun li-llāhi, wa-lākin maḥabbatuhu ʿalā qadri ʾīmānihi, wakashfi mushāhadatihi watajallī al-maḥbūbi lahu ʿalā waṣfin min ʾawṣāfihi, dalīlu dhālika istijābatuhum lahu

Every believer in God therefore loves God, but his love is proportionate to his faith, the unveiling of his witnessing, and the beloved’s self-disclosure to him through one of His attributes. The evidence for this is their response to Him—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٨٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 83

Volume Two, page 83

بِالتَّوْحِيدِ وَاِلْتِزَامِ أَمْرِهِ وَتَسْلِيمِ حُكْمِهِ، ثُمَّ تَفَاوُتُهُمْ فِي مُشَاهَدَاتِ التَّوْحِيدِ، وَفِي دَوَامِ الِالْتِزَامِ لِلْأَوَامِرِ وَفِي تَسْلِيمِ الْأَحْكَامِ، فَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ يَكُونُ إِلَّا عَنْ مَحَبَّةٍ، وَإِنْ تَفَاوَتَ الْمُحِبُّونَ عَلَى حَسَبِ أَقْسَامِهِمْ مِنَ الْمَحْبُوبِ، وَلَيْسَ يَقْصُرُ عَنِ الْمَحَبَّةِ صَغِيرٌ كَمَا لَا يَصْغُرُ عَنِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ مَنْ عَرَفَ، وَلَا يَكْبُرُ عَنِ التَّوْبَةِ كَبِيرٌ وَلَوْ كَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ الْعُلُومِ قَدْ أُوقِفَ.

bi-al-tawḥīdi wa-ltizāmi ʾamrihi wataslīmi ḥukmihi, thumma tafāwutuhum fī mushāhadāti al-tawḥīdi, wafī dawāmi al-iltizāmi li-l-ʾawāmiri wafī taslīmi al-ʾaḥkāmi, falaysa dhālika yakūnu ʾillā ʿan maḥabbatin, waʾin tafāwata al-muḥibbūna ʿalā ḥasabi ʾaqsāmihim mina al-maḥbūbi, walaysa yaqṣuru ʿani al-maḥabbati ṣaghīrun kamā lā yaṣghuru ʿani al-maʿrifati man ʿarafa, walā yakburu ʿani al-tawbati kabīrun walaw kāna ʿalā kulli al-ʿulūmi qad ʾūqifa.

—by affirming His oneness, adhering to His command, and yielding to His judgment; then their differing degrees of witnessing oneness, persevering in adherence to the commands, and yielding to the decrees. This can arise only from love, although lovers differ according to the portions they receive from the beloved. No lesser person falls short of love, just as no one who knows is too small for knowledge; nor is anyone so great as to be above repentance, even if he has been acquainted with every science.

لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى وَصَفَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِشِدَّةِ الْحُبِّ لَهُ فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: 165 وَفِي قَوْلِهِ أَشَدُّ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى تَفَاوُتِهِمْ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ لِأَنَّ الْمَعْنَى أَشَدُّ فَأَشَدُّ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ شَدِيدٌ، وَالْحُبُّ لِلَّهِ، فَأَشْبَهَ هَذَا الْخِطَابُ قَوْلَهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ﴾ الْحُجُرَاتِ: 13 فَدَلَّ عَلَى تَفَاوُتِهِمْ فِي الْإِكْرَامِ عَلَى قَدْرِ تَفَاضُلِهِمْ فِي التَّقْوَى وَلَمْ يَقُلْ: إِنَّ الْكِرَامَ الْمُتَّقُونَ.

liʾanna Allāha taʿālā waṣafa al-muʾminīna bishiddati al-ḥubbi lahu faqāla taʿālā: ﴿wa-alladhīna ʾāmanū ʾashaddu ḥubban li-llāhi﴾ al-baqarati: 165 wafī qawlihi ʾashaddu dalīlun ʿalā tafāwutihim fī al-maḥabbati liʾanna al-maʿnā ʾashaddu faʾashaddu walam yaqul shadīdun, wa-al-ḥubbu li-llāhi, faʾashbaha hādhā al-khiṭābu qawlahu taʿālā: ﴿ʾinna ʾakramakum ʿinda Allāhi ʾatqākum﴾ al-ḥujurāti: 13 fadalla ʿalā tafāwutihim fī al-ʾikrāmi ʿalā qadri tafāḍulihim fī al-taqwā walam yaqul: ʾinna al-kirāma al-muttaqūna.

For God Most High describes believers as intensely loving Him, saying, exalted is He: “Those who believe are stronger in love for God” (al-Baqarah 2:165). “Stronger” indicates their differing degrees of love, meaning stronger and stronger. He did not say “strong,” with love being for God. This address thus resembles His saying, exalted is He, “The most honored of you before God is the most reverent of you” (al-Ḥujurāt 49:13), indicating that their degrees of honor correspond to their degrees of reverence. He did not say, “The honored are the reverent.”

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُعْطِي الدُّنْيَا مَنْ يُحِبُّ وَمَنْ لَا يُحِبُّ، وَلَا يُعْطِي الْإِيمَانَ إِلَّا مَنْ يُحِبُّ، فَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ مُتَزَايِدُونَ فِي الْحُبِّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْ تَزَايُدِهِمْ فِي الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِهِ وَالْمُشَاهَدَةِ لَهُ، وَقَدْ جَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْحُبَّ لِلَّهِ مِنْ شَرْطِ الْإِيمَانِ قَالَ: أَنْ يَكُونَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا.

warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾanna Allāha yuʿṭī al-dunyā man yuḥibbu waman lā yuḥibbu, walā yuʿṭī al-ʾīmāna ʾillā man yuḥibbu, fa-al-muʾminūna mutazāyidūna fī al-ḥubbi li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla ʿan tazāyudihim fī al-maʿrifati bihi wa-al-mushāhadati lahu, waqad jaʿala rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama al-ḥubba li-llāhi min sharṭi al-ʾīmāni qāla: ʾan yakūna Allāhu warasūluhu ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi mimmā siwāhumā.

We have transmitted from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, that God gives the world both to those He loves and to those He does not love, but gives faith only to those He loves. Believers’ love for God, mighty and majestic, increases as their knowledge of Him and witnessing of Him increase. God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, made love for God a condition of faith, saying, “That God and His Messenger should be dearer to him than anything besides them.”

وَفِي حَدِيثٍ: لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى يَكُونَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا، وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ أَشَدَّ تَوْكِيدًا وَأَبْلَغَ مِنْ هَذَيْنِ قَوْلُهُ: وَاللَّهِ، لَا يُؤْمِنُ الْعَبْدُ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ وَمَالِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ، وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: وَمِنْ نَفْسِكَ، وَقَدْ أَمَرَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالْمَحَبَّةِ لِلَّهِ فِيمَا شَرَعَهُ مِنَ الْأَحْكَامِ فَقَالَ أَحِبُّوا اللَّهَ لِمَا أَسْدَى إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ نِعَمِهِ، وَأَحِبُّونِي لِحُبِّ اللَّهِ.

wafī ḥadīthin: lā yuʾminu ʾaḥadukum ḥattā yakūna Allāhu warasūluhu ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi mimmā siwāhumā, wafī khabarin ʾākhara ʾashadda tawkīdan waʾablagha min hādhayni qawluhu: wa-Allāhi, lā yuʾminu al-ʿabdu ḥattā ʾakūna ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi min ʾahlihi wamālihi wa-al-nāsi ʾajmaʿīna, wafī khabarin ʾākhara: wamin nafsika, waqad ʾamara ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama bi-al-maḥabbati li-llāhi fīmā sharaʿahu mina al-ʾaḥkāmi faqāla ʾaḥibbū Allāha limā ʾasdā ʾilaykum min niʿamihi, waʾaḥibbūnī liḥubbi Allāhi.

In one report: “None of you believes until God and His Messenger are dearer to him than anything besides them.” Another report is more emphatic and forceful than these two: “By God, the servant does not believe until I am dearer to him than his family, his wealth, and all people.” In another report: “And than your own self.” Among the prescriptions he established, he, God bless him and grant him peace, commanded love for God: “Love God for the blessings He has bestowed upon you, and love me for love of God.”

فَدَلَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى فَرْضِ الْحُبِّ لِلَّهِ وَإِنْ تَفَاضَلَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ فِي نِهَايَاتِ فَضَائِلِهِ، وَمِنْ أَفْضَلِ مَا أَسْدَى إِلَيْنَا مِنْ نِعَمِهِ الْمَعْرِفَةُ بِهِ، فَأَفْضَلُ الْحُبِّ لَهُ مَا كَانَ عَنِ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ، وَالْمُحِبُّونَ لِلَّهِ عَلَى مَرَاتِبَ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ؛ بَعْضُهَا أَعْلَى مِنْ بَعْضٍ، فَأَشَدُّهُمْ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ أَحْسَنُهُمْ تَخَلُّقًا بِأَخْلَاقِهِ مِثْلِ الْعِلْمِ وَالْحِلْمِ وَالْعَفْوِ وَحُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ، وَالسَّتْرِ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ.

fadalla dhālika ʿalā farḍi al-ḥubbi li-llāhi waʾin tafāḍala al-muʾminūna fī nihāyāti faḍāʾilihi, wamin ʾafḍali mā ʾasdā ʾilaynā min niʿamihi al-maʿrifatu bihi, faʾafḍalu al-ḥubbi lahu mā kāna ʿani al-mushāhadati, wa-al-muḥibbūna li-llāhi ʿalā marātiba mina al-maḥabbati; baʿḍuhā ʾaʿlā min baʿḍin, faʾashadduhum ḥubban li-llāhi ʾaḥsanuhum takhalluqan biʾakhlāqihi mithli al-ʿilmi wa-al-ḥilmi wa-al-ʿafwi waḥusni al-khuluqi, wa-al-satri ʿalā al-khalqi.

This shows that love for God is obligatory, although believers differ in how far they attain its virtues. Among the greatest blessings He has bestowed upon us is knowledge of Him; thus the highest love for Him arises from witnessing. Those who love God occupy degrees of love, some higher than others. Those whose love for God is strongest are those who most fully acquire His qualities, such as knowledge, forbearance, pardon, good character, and concealing the faults of created beings.

وَأَعْرَفُهُمْ بِمَعَانِي صِفَاتِهِ وَأَتْرَكُهُمْ مُنَازَعَةً لَهُ فِي مَعَانِي الصِّفَاتِ كَيْ لَا يُشْرِكُوهُ فِيهَا، مِثْلِ الْكِبْرِ وَالْحَمْدِ وَحُبِّ الْمَدْحِ وَحُبِّ الْغِنَى وَالْعِزِّ وَطَلَبِ الذِّكْرِ، ثُمَّ أَشَدُّهُمْ حُبًّا لِرَسُولِهِ إِذْ كَانَ حَبِيبَ الْحَبِيبِ وَأَتْبَعُهُمْ لِآثَارِهِ أَشْبَهُهُمْ هَدْيًا لِشَمَائِلِهِ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أُحِبُّكَ فَقَالَ: اِسْتَعِدَّ لِلْفَقْرِ فَقَالَ: إِنِّي أُحِبُّ اللَّهَ فَقَالَ: اِسْتَعِدَّ لِلْبَلَاءِ.

waʾaʿrafuhum bimaʿānī ṣifātihi waʾatrakuhum munāzaʿatan lahu fī maʿānī al-ṣifāti kay lā yushrikūhu fīhā, mithli al-kibri wa-al-ḥamdi waḥubbi al-madḥi waḥubbi al-ghinā wa-al-ʿizzi waṭalabi al-dhikri, thumma ʾashadduhum ḥubban lirasūlihi ʾidh kāna ḥabība al-ḥabībi waʾatbaʿuhum liʾāthārihi ʾashbahuhum hadyan lishamāʾilihi, waqad ruwiya ʾanna rajulan qāla: yā rasūla Allāhi ʾinnī ʾuḥibbuka faqāla: istaʿidda li-l-faqri faqāla: ʾinnī ʾuḥibbu Allāha faqāla: istaʿidda li-l-balāʾi.

They best know the meanings of His attributes and most completely abandon contesting Him over those meanings, lest they claim a share in them: grandeur, praise, love of commendation, love of self-sufficiency and might, and seeking renown. They also love His Messenger most, since he is the beloved’s beloved, follow his traces most closely, and most resemble his character in their conduct. It is related that a man said, “Messenger of God, I love you.” He said, “Prepare for poverty.” He said, “I love God.” He said, “Prepare for affliction.”

وَالْفَرْقُ بَيْنَهُمَا أَنَّ الْبَلَاءَ مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الْمُبْلِي وَهُوَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْمُبْتَلِي، فَلَمَّا ذَكَرَ مَحَبَّتَهُ أَخْبَرَهُ بِالْبَلَاءِ لِيَصْبِرَ عَلَى أَخْلَاقِهِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلِرَبِّكَ

wa-al-farqu baynahumā ʾanna al-balāʾa min ʾakhlāqi al-mublī wahuwa Allāhu taʿālā al-mubtalī, falammā dhakara maḥabbatahu ʾakhbarahu bi-al-balāʾi liyaṣbira ʿalā ʾakhlāqihi, kamā qāla taʿālā: ﴿walirabbika

The difference is that affliction belongs to the ways of the one who afflicts, God Most High, who puts to the test. When the man mentioned loving Him, he told him of affliction so that he would patiently endure His ways, as the Most High says: “And for your Lord—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٨٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 84

Volume Two, page 84

فَاِصْبِرْ﴾ الْمُدَّثِّرِ: 7 فَدَلَّ عَلَى أَحْكَامِهِ وَبَلَائِهِ، وَالْفَقْرُ مِنْ أَوْصَافِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَلَمَّا ذَكَرَ مَحَبَّتَهُ دَلَّهُ عَلَى اِتِّبَاعِ أَوْصَافِهِ لِيَقْتَفِيَ آثَارَهُ لِقَوْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: أَحْيِنِي مِسْكِينًا وَأَمِتْنِي مِسْكِينًا وَاُحْشُرْنِي فِي جُمْلَةِ الْمَسَاكِينِ، وَمِنْ عَلَامَةِ الْمَحَبَّةِ كَثْرَةُ ذِكْرِ الْحَبِيبِ، وَهُوَ دَلِيلُ مَحَبَّةِ الْمَوْلَى لِعَبْدِهِ وَهُوَ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ مِنَنِهِ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ.

fa-ṣbir﴾ al-muddaththiri: 7 fadalla ʿalā ʾaḥkāmihi wabalāʾihi, wa-al-faqru min ʾawṣāfi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, falammā dhakara maḥabbatahu dallahu ʿalā ittibāʿi ʾawṣāfihi liyaqtafiya ʾāthārahu liqawlihi ʿalayhi al-salāmu: ʾaḥyinī miskīnan waʾamitnī miskīnan wa-ḥshurnī fī jumlati al-masākīni, wamin ʿalāmati al-maḥabbati kathratu dhikri al-ḥabībi, wahuwa dalīlu maḥabbati al-mawlā liʿabdihi wahuwa min ʾafḍali minanihi ʿalā khalqihi.

—be patient” (al-Muddaththir 74:7), thus pointing to His decrees and affliction. Poverty is one of the qualities of God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace. When the man mentioned loving him, he directed him to follow his qualities and walk in his footsteps, for he, peace be upon him, said, “Let me live poor, let me die poor, and gather me among the poor.” One sign of love is frequent remembrance of the beloved. This indicates the Master’s love for His servant and is among His finest gifts to His creation.

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ لِلَّهِ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ صَدَقَةً يَمُنُّ بِهَا عَلَى خَلْقِهِ، وَمَا تَصَدَّقَ عَلَى عَبْدٍ بِصَدَقَةٍ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ أَنْ يُلْهِمَهُ ذِكْرَهُ. وَفِي حَدِيثِ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ مِعْوَلٍ قِيلَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَيُّ الْأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ: اِجْتِنَابُ الْمَحَارِمِ، وَلَا يَزَالُ فُوكَ رَطْبًا مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ، وَقَدْ أَمَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِكَثْرَةِ الذِّكْرِ لِلَّهِ كَمَا أَمَرَ بِمَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ، لِأَنَّ الذِّكْرَ مُقْتَضَى الْمَحَبَّةِ.

wafī al-khabari ʾanna li-llāhi fī kulli yawmin ṣadaqatan yamunnu bihā ʿalā khalqihi, wamā taṣaddaqa ʿalā ʿabdin biṣadaqatin ʾafḍala min ʾan yulhimahu dhikrahu. wafī ḥadīthi sufyāna ʿan māliki bni miʿwalin qīla: yā rasūla Allāhi, ʾayyu al-ʾaʿmāli ʾafḍalu? qāla: ijtinābu al-maḥārimi, walā yazālu fūka raṭban min dhikri Allāhi, waqad ʾamara al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama bikathrati al-dhikri li-llāhi kamā ʾamara bimaḥabbati Allāhi, liʾanna al-dhikra muqtaḍā al-maḥabbati.

A report says that God bestows a charitable gift upon His creation every day, and He gives no servant a finer gift than inspiring him to remember Him. In Sufyān’s report from Mālik ibn Miʿwal, someone asked, “Messenger of God, which deeds are best?” He answered, “Avoiding forbidden things, and that your mouth remain moist with remembrance of God.” The Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, commanded frequent remembrance of God just as he commanded love for God, because remembrance is what love calls for.

فَقَالَ: أَكْثِرْ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ حَتَّى يَقُولَ النَّاسُ إِنَّكَ مَجْنُونٌ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا: أَكْثِرُوا مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ حَتَّى يَقُولَ الْمُنَافِقُونَ إِنَّكُمْ مُرَاؤُونَ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ الْمَدَنِيِّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ: أَتَانَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ إِلَى مَسْجِدِ قُبَاءَ، فَذَكَرَ حَدِيثًا فِيهِ طُولٌ قَالَ فِي آخِرِ: مَنْ تَوَاضَعَ لِلَّهِ رَفَعَهُ وَمَنْ تَكَبَّرَ وَضَعَهُ، وَمَنْ أَكْثَرَ ذِكْرَ اللَّهِ أَحَبَّهُ اللَّهُ.

faqāla: ʾakthir min dhikri Allāhi ḥattā yaqūla al-nāsu ʾinnaka majnūnun, waqad rawaynā: ʾakthirū min dhikri Allāhi ḥattā yaqūla al-munāfiqūna ʾinnakum murāʾūna, wafī ḥadīthi ʾabī salamata al-madaniyyi ʿan ʾabīhi ʿan jaddihi: ʾatānā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama dhāta yawmin ʾilā masjidi qubāʾa, fadhakara ḥadīthan fīhi ṭūlun qāla fī ʾākhiri: man tawāḍaʿa li-llāhi rafaʿahu waman takabbara waḍaʿahu, waman ʾakthara dhikra Allāhi ʾaḥabbahu Allāhu.

He said, “Remember God so much that people say you are mad.” We have also transmitted: “Remember God so much that the hypocrites say you are showing off.” In Abū Salamah al-Madanī’s report from his father, from his grandfather: “God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, came to us one day at the mosque of Qubāʾ.” He related a lengthy report, saying at its end, “Whoever humbles himself for God, He raises; whoever acts arrogantly, He lowers; and whoever remembers God often, God loves.”

وَقَدْ أَخْبَرَ أَنَّ الذَّاكِرِينَ هُمُ السَّابِقُونَ الْمُفَرِّدُونَ، وَرَفَعَهُمْ إِلَى مَقَامِ النُّبُوَّةِ فِي وَضْعِ الْوِزْرِ، وَرَفْعِ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كَانَ الذِّكْرُ مُوجِبَ الْحُبِّ فِي قَوْلِهِ: سِيرُوا سَبَقَ الْمُفَرِّدُونَ، قِيلَ: مَنِ الْمُفَرِّدُونَ؟ قَالَ: الْمُسْتَهْتَرُونَ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ، وَضَعَ الذِّكْرُ عَنْهُمْ أَوْزَارَهُمْ يَرِدُونَ الْقِيَامَةَ خِفَافًا.

waqad ʾakhbara ʾanna al-dhākirīna humu al-sābiqūna al-mufarridūna, warafaʿahum ʾilā maqāmi al-nubuwwati fī waḍʿi al-wizri, warafʿi al-dhikri ʾin kāna al-dhikru mūjiba al-ḥubbi fī qawlihi: sīrū sabaqa al-mufarridūna, qīla: mani al-mufarridūna? qāla: al-mustahtarūna bidhikri Allāhi, waḍaʿa al-dhikru ʿanhum ʾawzārahum yaridūna al-qiyāmata khifāfan.

He stated that those who remember are the foremost, the devoted ones, and raised them to the station of prophecy in the removal of burdens and elevation of remembrance, if remembrance brings about love, saying: “Travel on: the devoted ones have gone ahead.” Asked, “Who are the devoted ones?” he answered, “Those utterly absorbed in remembrance of God. Remembrance has lifted their burdens from them; they arrive at the Resurrection lightly laden.”

وَمِنْ أَعْلَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ: حُبُّ لِقَاءِ الْحَبِيبِ عَلَى الْعِيَانِ، وَالْكَشْفِ فِي دَارِ السَّلَامِ وَمَحَلِّ الْقُرْبِ وَهُوَ الِاشْتِيَاقُ إِلَى الْمَوْتِ، لِأَنَّهُ مِفْتَاحُ اللِّقَاءِ وَبَابُ الدُّخُولِ إِلَى الْمُعَايَنَةِ، وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: مَنْ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ، وَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ: حَبِيبٌ جَاءَ عَلَى فَاقَةٍ لَا أَفْلَحَ مَنْ نَدِمَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ مَا مِنْ خَصْلَةٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَكُونُ فِي الْعَبْدِ بَعْدَ حُبِّ لِقَائِهِ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ السُّجُودِ، فَقَدَّمَ حُبَّ لِقَاءِ اللَّهِ.

wamin ʾaʿlāmi al-maḥabbati: ḥubbu liqāʾi al-ḥabībi ʿalā al-ʿiyāni, wa-al-kashfi fī dāri al-salāmi wamaḥalli al-qurbi wahuwa al-ishtiyāqu ʾilā al-mawti, liʾannahu miftāḥu al-liqāʾi wabābu al-dukhūli ʾilā al-muʿāyanati, wafī al-ḥadīthi: man ʾaḥabba liqāʾa Allāhi ʾaḥabba Allāhu liqāʾahu, waqāla ḥudhayfatu ʿinda al-mawti: ḥabībun jāʾa ʿalā fāqatin lā ʾaflaḥa man nadima, waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi mā min khaṣlatin ʾaḥabba ʾilā Allāhi takūnu fī al-ʿabdi baʿda ḥubbi liqāʾihi min kathrati al-sujūdi, faqaddama ḥubba liqāʾi Allāhi.

Among love’s signs is yearning to meet the beloved face to face, unveiled in the abode of peace and the place of nearness. This is longing for death, since it is the key to meeting and the door into direct vision. A report says, “Whoever loves to meet God, God loves to meet him.” At death, Ḥudhayfah said, “A beloved has come at a time of need; may whoever regrets it find no success.” One of the early believers said, “After love of meeting Him, no quality in a servant is dearer to God than frequent prostration,” thus placing love of meeting God first.

وَقَدْ شَرَطَ اللَّهُ لِحَقِيقَةِ الصِّدْقِ الْقَتْلَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ، وَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُ يُحِبُّ قَتْلَ مَحْبُوبِهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفًّا كَأَنَّهُمْ بُنْيَانٌ مَرْصُوصٌ﴾ الصَّفِّ: 4، بَعْدَ قَوْلِهِ تَقْرِيرًا لَهُمْ: لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ؟ حَيْثُ قَالُوا: إِنَّا نُحِبُّ اللَّهَ، فَجَعَلَ الْقَتْلَ مِحْنَةَ مَحَبَّتِهِ وَعَلَامَةَ أَخْذِ مَالِ مَحْبُوبِهِ وَنَفْسِهِ، إِذْ يَقُولُ تَعَالَى: ﴿يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ﴾ التَّوْبَةِ: 111.

waqad sharaṭa Allāhu liḥaqīqati al-ṣidqi al-qatla fī sabīlihi, waʾakhbara ʾannahu yuḥibbu qatla maḥbūbihi fī qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿ʾinna Allāha yuḥibbu alladhīna yuqātilūna fī sabīlihi ṣaffan kaʾannahum bunyānun marṣūṣun﴾ al-ṣaffi: 4, baʿda qawlihi taqrīran lahum: lima taqūlūna mā lā tafʿalūna? ḥaythu qālū: ʾinnā nuḥibbu Allāha, fajaʿala al-qatla miḥnata maḥabbatihi waʿalāmata ʾakhdhi māli maḥbūbihi wanafsihi, ʾidh yaqūlu taʿālā: ﴿yuqātilūna fī sabīli Allāhi fayaqtulūna wayuqtalūna﴾ al-tawbati: 111.

God has made being slain in His path a condition of genuine truthfulness, and has declared that He loves His beloved to be slain, in His saying, exalted is He: “God loves those who fight in His path in ranks, as though they were a tightly joined structure” (al-Ṣaff 61:4), after confronting them with, “Why do you say what you do not do?” when they said, “We love God.” Thus He made being slain the trial of His love and the sign of taking His beloved’s wealth and life, saying, exalted is He, “They fight in God’s path, killing and being killed” (al-Tawbah 9:111).

وَفِي وَصِيَّةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ لِعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا: الْحَقُّ ثَقِيلٌ وَهُوَ مَعَ ثِقَلِهِ مَرِيءٌ، وَالْبَاطِلُ خَفِيفٌ وَهُوَ مَعَ خِفَّتِهِ وَبِيءٌ؛ فَإِنْ حَفِظْتَ وَصِيَّتِي لَمْ يَكُنْ غَائِبٌ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ وَهُوَ مُدْرِكٌ، وَإِنْ ضَيَّعْتَ وَصِيَّتِي لَمْ يَكُنْ غَائِبٌ أَبْغَضَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ وَلَنْ تُعْجِزَهُ، وَكَانَ

wafī waṣiyyati ʾabī bakrin liʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā: al-ḥaqqu thaqīlun wahuwa maʿa thiqalihi marīʾun, wa-al-bāṭilu khafīfun wahuwa maʿa khiffatihi wabīʾun; faʾin ḥafiẓta waṣiyyatī lam yakun ghāʾibun ʾaḥabba ʾilayka mina al-mawti wahuwa mudrikun, waʾin ḍayyaʿta waṣiyyatī lam yakun ghāʾibun ʾabghaḍa ʾilayka mina al-mawti walan tuʿjizahu, wakāna

In Abū Bakr’s counsel to ʿUmar, God be pleased with them both: “Truth is heavy, yet wholesome despite its weight; falsehood is light, yet pestilent despite its lightness. If you keep my counsel, no absent thing will be dearer to you than death, which will overtake you. If you neglect my counsel, no absent thing will be more hateful to you than death, and you will not elude it.” And—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٨٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 85

Volume Two, page 85

الثَّوْرِيُّ وَبِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَٰرِثِ يَقُولَانِ: لَا يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ إِلَّا مُرِيبٌ، وَهُوَ كَمَا قَالَا: لِأَنَّ الْحَبِيبَ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ لَا يَكْرَهُ لِقَاءَ الْحَبِيبِ، وَهَذَا لَا يَجِدُهُ إِلَّا عَبْدٌ يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ قَلْبِهِ، عِنْدَهَا يَشْتَاقُ إِلَيْهِ مَوْلَاهُ فَيَنْزَعِجُ الْقَلْبُ لِشَوْقِ الْغَيْبِ، فَيُحِبُّ لِقَاءَهُ.

al-thawriyyu wabishru bnu al-ḥārithi yaqūlāni: lā yakrahu al-mawta ʾillā murībun, wahuwa kamā qālā: liʾanna al-ḥabība ʿalā kulli ḥālin lā yakrahu liqāʾa al-ḥabībi, wa-hādhā lā yajiduhu ʾillā ʿabdun yuḥibbu Allāha bikulli qalbihi, ʿindahā yashtāqu ʾilayhi mawlāhu fayanzaʿiju al-qalbu lishawqi al-ghaybi, fayuḥibbu liqāʾahu.

—al-Thawrī and Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith used to say, “Only one troubled by doubt dislikes death.” It is as they said, for under every circumstance a beloved does not dislike meeting the beloved. Only a servant who loves God with his whole heart experiences this. Then his Master longs for him, and the heart is stirred by longing for the unseen, so that it loves meeting Him.

وَرُوِيَ أَنَّ أَبَا حُذَيْفَةَ بْنَ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ زَمْعَةَ لَمَّا تَبَنَّى سَالِمًا مَوْلَاهُ، عَاتَبَتْهُ قُرَيْشٌ فِي ذَلِكَ وَقَالُوا: أَنْكَحْتَ عَقِيلَةً مِنْ عَقَائِلِ قُرَيْشٍ بِمَوْلًى فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ، لَقَدْ أَنْكَحْتُهُ إِيَّاهَا وَأَنِّي لَأَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ خَيْرٌ مِنْهَا، فَكَانَ قَوْلُهُ أَشَدَّ عَلَيْهِمْ قَالُوا: وَكَيْفَ؟ وَهِيَ أُخْتُكَ وَهُوَ مَوْلَاكَ فَقَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى رَجُلٍ يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ قَلْبِهِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ إِلَى سَالِمٍ.

waruwiya ʾanna ʾabā ḥudhayfata bna ʿutbata bni zamʿata lammā tabannā sāliman mawlāhu, ʿātabat-hu qurayshun fī dhālika waqālū: ʾankaḥta ʿaqīlatan min ʿaqāʾili qurayshin bimawlan faqāla: wa-Allāhi, laqad ʾankaḥtuhu ʾiyyāhā waʾannī laʾaʿlamu ʾannahu khayrun minhā, fakāna qawluhu ʾashadda ʿalayhim qālū: wakayfa? wahiya ʾukhtuka wahuwa mawlāka faqāla: samiʿtu rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaqūlu: man ʾarāda ʾan yanẓura ʾilā rajulin yuḥibbu Allāha bikulli qalbihi falyanẓur ʾilā sālimin.

It is related that when Abū Ḥudhayfah ibn ʿUtbah ibn Zamʿah adopted his freedman Sālim, Quraysh reproached him, saying, “You married a noblewoman of Quraysh to a freedman!” He said, “By God, I married her to him knowing full well that he is better than she.” This was still harder for them to hear. They said, “How, when she is your sister and he your freedman?” He answered, “I heard God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘Whoever wishes to see a man who loves God with his whole heart should look at Sālim.’”

فَمِنَ الدَّلِيلِ أَنَّ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَنْ يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ بِبَعْضِ قَلْبِهِ فَيُؤْثِرُهُ بَعْضَ الْإِيثَارِ، وَيُوجَدُ فِيهِ مَحَبَّةُ الِاعْتِبَارِ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُحِبُّهُ بِكُلِّ قَلْبِهِ فَيُؤْثِرُهُ عَلَى مَا سِوَاهُ، فَهَذَا عَابِدُهُ وَمَأْلُوهُهُ الَّذِي لَا مَعْبُودَ لَهُ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِيَّاهُ، وَفِيهِ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى أَنَّهُمْ عَلَى مَقَامَاتِ الْمَحَبَّةِ عَنْ مَعَانِي مُشَاهَدَاتِ الصِّفَاتِ مَا بَيْنَ الْبَعْضِ فِي الْقُلُوبِ وَالْكُلِّيَّةِ.

famina al-dalīli ʾanna mina al-muʾminīna man yuḥibbu Allāha bibaʿḍi qalbihi fayuʾthiruhu baʿḍa al-ʾīthāri, wayūjadu fīhi maḥabbatu al-iʿtibāri, waminhum man yuḥibbuhu bikulli qalbihi fayuʾthiruhu ʿalā mā siwāhu, fa-hādhā ʿābiduhu wamaʾlūhuhu alladhī lā maʿbūda lahu walā ʾilāha ʾiyyāhu, wafīhi dalīlun ʿalā ʾannahum ʿalā maqāmāti al-maḥabbati ʿan maʿānī mushāhadāti al-ṣifāti mā bayna al-baʿḍi fī al-qulūbi wa-al-kulliyyati.

This supplies evidence that some believers love God with part of their heart and give Him a partial preference, and that a love of reflective consideration is found in such a person. Others love Him with their whole heart and prefer Him over everything else. Such a person is His worshipper and one devoted to Him, having no object of worship and no god [but] Him. It also indicates that they occupy stations of love arising from the meanings witnessed in the attributes, ranging from partial involvement of the heart to its entirety.

وَقَدْ كَانَ نُعَيْمَانُ يُؤْتَى بِهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَيَجِدُهُ فِي مَعْصِيَةٍ يَرْتَكِبُهَا إِلَى أَنْ أُتِيَ بِهِ يَوْمًا فَحَدَّهُ فَلَعَنَهُ رَجُلٌ وَقَالَ: مَا أَكْثَرَ مَا يُؤْتَى بِهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا تَفْعَلْ فَإِنَّهُ يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ، فَلَمْ يُخْرِجْهُ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ مَعَ الْمُخَالَفَةِ.

waqad kāna nuʿaymānu yuʾtā bihi rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fayajiduhu fī maʿṣiyatin yartakibuhā ʾilā ʾan ʾutiya bihi yawman faḥaddahu falaʿanahu rajulun waqāla: mā ʾakthara mā yuʾtā bihi rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama faqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā tafʿal faʾinnahu yuḥibbu Allāha warasūlahu, falam yukhrijhu mina al-maḥabbati maʿa al-mukhālafati.

Nuʿaymān used to be brought before God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, who would find him committing a sin. One day he was brought before him and he imposed the prescribed punishment. A man cursed him, saying, “How often he is brought before God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace!” God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Do not do that, for he loves God and His Messenger.” Despite his disobedience, he did not exclude him from love.

وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: إِذَا كَانَ الْإِيمَانُ فِي ظَاهِرِ الْقَلْبِ يَعْنِي عَلَى الْفُؤَادِ كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُ يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ حُبًّا مُتَوَسِّطًا، فَإِذَا دَخَلَ الْإِيمَانُ بَاطِنَ الْقَلْبِ فَكَانَ فِي سُوَيْدَائِهِ أَحَبَّهُ الْحُبَّ الْبَالِغَ، وَعَلَامَةُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ؛ فَإِنْ كَانَ يُؤْثِرُ اللَّهَ عَلَى جَمِيعِ هَوَاهُ وَيُغَلِّبُ مَحَبَّتَهُ عَلَى هَوَى الْعَبْدِ، حَتَّى تَصِيرَ مَحَبَّةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ مَحَبَّةَ الْعَبْدِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَهُوَ مُحِبٌّ لِلَّهِ حَقًّا، كَمَا أَنَّهُ مُؤْمِنٌ بِهِ حَقًّا.

waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: ʾidhā kāna al-ʾīmānu fī ẓāhiri al-qalbi yaʿnī ʿalā al-fuʾādi kāna al-muʾminu yuḥibbu Allāha ḥubban mutawassiṭan, faʾidhā dakhala al-ʾīmānu bāṭina al-qalbi fakāna fī suwaydāʾihi ʾaḥabbahu al-ḥubba al-bāligha, waʿalāmatu dhālika ʾan yanẓura; faʾin kāna yuʾthiru Allāha ʿalā jamīʿi hawāhu wayughallibu maḥabbatahu ʿalā hawā al-ʿabdi, ḥattā taṣīra maḥabbatu Allāhi hiya maḥabbata al-ʿabdi min kulli shayʾin, fahuwa muḥibbun li-llāhi ḥaqqan, kamā ʾannahu muʾminun bihi ḥaqqan.

One of those who know God said: “When faith is in the heart’s exterior, meaning upon the fuʾād, the believer loves God with a moderate love. When faith enters the heart’s interior, its very core, he loves Him with consummate love. The sign of this is to examine oneself: if one prefers God over every desire and gives love for Him precedence over the servant’s desire, until love of God becomes the servant’s love above everything, then one truly loves God, just as one truly believes in Him.”

وَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ قَلْبَكَ دُونَ ذَلِكَ فَلَكَ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ بِقَدْرِ ذَلِكَ، فَأَدَلُّ عَلَامَاتِ الْمَحَبَّةِ الْإِيثَارُ لِلْمَحْبُوبِ عَلَى ذَخَائِرِ الْقُلُوبِ، وَلِذَلِكَ وَصَفَ اللَّهُ الْمُحِبِّينَ بِالْإِيثَارِ، وَوَصَفَهُ الْعَارِفُونَ بِذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ تَعَالَى فِي وَصْفِهِ الْمُحِبِّينَ: ﴿يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً﴾ الْحَشْرِ: 9، ثُمَّ قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ﴾ الْحَشْرِ: 9، وَقَالَ فِي وَصْفِهِ: تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا.

waʾin raʾayta qalbaka dūna dhālika falaka mina al-maḥabbati biqadri dhālika, faʾadallu ʿalāmāti al-maḥabbati al-ʾīthāru li-l-maḥbūbi ʿalā dhakhāʾiri al-qulūbi, wali-dhālika waṣafa Allāhu al-muḥibbīna bi-al-ʾīthāri, wawaṣafahu al-ʿārifūna bi-dhālika, faqāla taʿālā fī waṣfihi al-muḥibbīna: ﴿yuḥibbūna man hājara ʾilayhim walā yajidūna fī ṣudūrihim ḥājatan﴾ al-ḥashri: 9, thumma qāla taʿālā: ﴿wayuʾthirūna ʿalā ʾanfusihim﴾ al-ḥashri: 9, waqāla fī waṣfihi: ta-llāhi laqad ʾātharaka Allāhu ʿalaynā.

If you find your heart below that level, your share of love is proportionate to it. The clearest sign of love is preferring the beloved over the heart’s treasures. God therefore characterized lovers by giving preference, and those who know Him described Him in this way. Describing lovers, the Most High says, “They love those who migrated to them and find no need within their breasts” (al-Ḥashr 59:9), then the Most High says, “They prefer others over themselves” (59:9). In description of Him, it is said, “By God, God has preferred you over us.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: إِنَّ ظَاهِرَ الْقَلْبِ مَحَلُّ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَإِنَّ بَاطِنَهُ مَكَانُ الْإِيمَانِ، فَمِنْ هَهُنَا تَفَاوَتَ الْمُحِبُّونَ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ لِفَضْلِ الْإِيمَانِ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ، وَفَضْلِ الْبَاطِنِ عَلَى الظَّاهِرِ، وَفَرَّقَ بَعْضُ عُلَمَائِنَا الْبَصْرِيِّينَ بَيْنَ الْقَلْبِ وَالْفُؤَادِ، فَقَالَ: الْفُؤَادُ مُقَدَّمُ الْقَلْبِ وَمَا اِسْتَدَقَّ مِنْهُ، وَالْقَلْبُ أَصْلُهُ وَمَا اِتَّسَعَ مِنْهُ، وَقَالَ مَرَّةً: فِي الْقَلْبِ تَجْوِيفَانِ، فَالتَّجْوِيفُ الظَّاهِرُ هُوَ الْفُؤَادُ وَهُوَ مَكَانُ الْعَقْلِ، وَالتَّجْوِيفُ الْبَاطِنُ هُوَ الْقَلْبُ وَفِيهِ السَّمْعُ وَالْبَصَرُ وَعَنْهُ يَكُونُ

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: ʾinna ẓāhira al-qalbi maḥallu al-ʾislāmi, waʾinna bāṭinahu makānu al-ʾīmāni, famin hāhunā tafāwata al-muḥibbūna fī al-maḥabbati lifaḍli al-ʾīmāni ʿalā al-ʾislāmi, wafaḍli al-bāṭini ʿalā al-ẓāhiri, wafarraqa baʿḍu ʿulamāʾinā al-baṣriyyīna bayna al-qalbi wa-al-fuʾādi, faqāla: al-fuʾādu muqaddamu al-qalbi wamā istadaqqa minhu, wa-al-qalbu ʾaṣluhu wamā ittasaʿa minhu, waqāla marratan: fī al-qalbi tajwīfāni, fa-al-tajwīfu al-ẓāhiru huwa al-fuʾādu wahuwa makānu al-ʿaqli, wa-al-tajwīfu al-bāṭinu huwa al-qalbu wafīhi al-samʿu wa-al-baṣaru waʿanhu yakūnu

One scholar said, “The heart’s exterior is the seat of submission, while its interior is the place of faith.” Hence lovers differ in love, because of faith’s superiority over submission and the interior’s over the exterior. One of our Basran scholars distinguished the qalb from the fuʾād: “The fuʾād is the heart’s forepart and its tapering portion; the qalb is its root and broader part.” On another occasion he said, “The heart has two cavities: the outer one is the fuʾād, the seat of intellect; the inner one is the qalb, containing hearing and sight, from which arise—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٨٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 86

Volume Two, page 86

الْفَهْمُ وَالْمُشَاهَدَةُ، وَهُوَ مَحَلُّ الْإِيمَانِ، وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ: ﴿كَتَبَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْإِيمَانَ﴾ الْمُجَادَلَةِ: 22 وَقَالَ: إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَذِكْرَى لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ، فَمَحَبَّةُ الْإِسْلَامِ مُفْتَرَضَةٌ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ وَهِيَ مُتَّصِلَةٌ بِأَدَاءِ الْفَرَائِضِ وَاِجْتِنَابِ الْمَحَارِمِ طَاعَةً لِلَّهِ وَمَحَبَّةً لَهُ.

al-fahmu wa-al-mushāhadatu, wahuwa maḥallu al-ʾīmāni, waqad qāla Allāhu: ﴿kataba fī qulūbihimu al-ʾīmāna﴾ al-mujādalati: 22 waqāla: ʾinna fī dhālika ladhikrā liman kāna lahu qalbun ʾaw ʾalqā al-samʿa wahuwa shahīdun, famaḥabbatu al-ʾislāmi muftaraḍatun ʿalā al-khalqi wahiya muttaṣilatun biʾadāʾi al-farāʾiḍi wa-jtinābi al-maḥārimi ṭāʿatan li-llāhi wamaḥabbatan lahu.

—understanding and witnessing; it is the seat of faith.” God has said, “He has inscribed faith in their hearts” (al-Mujādilah 58:22), and, “In that is indeed a reminder for anyone who has a heart or gives ear while fully present.” The love belonging to submission is obligatory for created beings. It is connected with performing the obligatory duties and avoiding forbidden things, in obedience to God and love for Him.

فَأَمَّا مَحَبَّةُ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ فَعَنْ مُشَاهَدَةِ مَعَانِي الصِّفَاتِ وَبَعْدَ مَعْرِفَةِ أَخْلَاقِ الذَّاتِ، وَهِيَ مَخْصُوصَةٌ بِمَخْصُوصِينَ، وَالْأَصْلُ فِي هَذَا أَنَّ الْمَحَبَّةَ، إِذَا كَانَتْ عَنِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ فَإِنَّ الْمَعْرِفَةَ عُمُومٌ وَخُصُوصٌ؛ فَلِخُصُوصِ الْعَارِفِينَ خَاصَّةُ الْمَحَبَّةِ، وَلِعُمُومِهِمْ عُمُومُ الْمَحَبَّةِ.

faʾammā maḥabbatu al-muqarrabīna faʿan mushāhadati maʿānī al-ṣifāti wabaʿda maʿrifati ʾakhlāqi al-dhāti, wahiya makhṣūṣatun bimakhṣūṣīna, wa-al-ʾaṣlu fī hādhā ʾanna al-maḥabbata, ʾidhā kānat ʿani al-maʿrifati faʾinna al-maʿrifata ʿumūmun wakhuṣūṣun; falikhuṣūṣi al-ʿārifīna khāṣṣatu al-maḥabbati, waliʿumūmihim ʿumūmu al-maḥabbati.

The love of those brought near, however, arises from witnessing the meanings of the attributes and follows knowledge of the qualities of the Essence. It is reserved for particular people. The underlying principle is that, when love arises from knowledge, knowledge has both a general and a special degree: the select among those who know have a distinctive love, and the generality have a general love.

وَيُرْوَى فِي الْأَخْبَارِ السَّالِفَةِ: أَنَّ زُلَيْخَا لَمَّا آمَنَتْ وَتَزَوَّجَ بِهَا يُوسُفُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، اِنْفَرَدَتْ عَنْهُ وَتَخَلَّتْ لِلْعِبَادَةِ وَاِنْقَطَعَتْ، فَكَانَ يَدْعُوهَا إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ نَهَارًا فَتُدَافِعُهُ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ، فَإِذَا دَعَاهَا لَيْلًا سَوَّفَتْهُ نَهَارًا فَقَالَتْ: يَا يُوسُفُ إِنَّمَا كُنْتُ أُحِبُّكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَعْرِفَهُ، فَأَمَّا إِذْ عَرَفْتُهُ فَمَا أَبْقَتْ مَحَبَّتُهُ مَحَبَّةً لِسِوَاهُ، وَمَا أُرِيدُ بِهِ بَدَلًا.

wayurwā fī al-ʾakhbāri al-sālifati: ʾanna zulaykhā lammā ʾāmanat watazawwaja bihā yūsufu ʿalayhi al-salāmu, infaradat ʿanhu watakhallat li-l-ʿibādati wa-nqaṭaʿat, fakāna yadʿūhā ʾilā firāshihi nahāran fatudāfiʿuhu ʾilā al-layli, faʾidhā daʿāhā laylan sawwafat-hu nahāran faqālat: yā yūsufu ʾinnamā kuntu ʾuḥibbuka qabla ʾan ʾaʿrifahu, faʾammā ʾidh ʿaraftuhu famā ʾabqat maḥabbatuhu maḥabbatan lisiwāhu, wamā ʾurīdu bihi badalan.

Ancient accounts relate that, when Zulaikhā believed and Joseph, peace be upon him, married her, she withdrew from him, devoted herself to worship, and secluded herself. He would call her to his bed by day, and she would put him off until night; when he called her at night, she postponed him until day. She said, “Joseph, I loved you only before I knew Him. Now that I know Him, love for Him has left no love for anyone else, and I want no substitute for Him.”

حَتَّى قَالَ لَهَا: فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَنِي بِذَلِكَ، وَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ مُخْرِجٌ مِنْكِ وَلَدَيْنِ وَجَاعِلُهُمَا نَبِيَّيْنِ فَقَالَتْ: أَمَّا إِذَا كَانَ اللَّهُ أَمَرَكَ بِذَلِكَ وَجَعَلَنِي طَرِيقًا إِلَيْهِ فَطَاعَةً لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ، فَعِنْدَهَا سَكَنَتْ إِلَيْهِ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ بِاللَّهِ: إِذَا تَمَّ التَّوْحِيدُ تَمَّتِ الْمَحَبَّةُ، وَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الْمَحَبَّةُ تَمَّ التَّوَكُّلُ، فَتَمَّ إِيمَانُهُ وَخَلَصَ فَرْضُهُ وَسُمِّيَ ذَلِكَ يَقِينًا.

ḥattā qāla lahā: faʾinna Allāha ʾamaranī bi-dhālika, waʾakhbaranī ʾannahu mukhrijun minki waladayni wajāʿiluhumā nabiyyayni faqālat: ʾammā ʾidhā kāna Allāhu ʾamaraka bi-dhālika wajaʿalanī ṭarīqan ʾilayhi faṭāʿatan liʾamri Allāhi, faʿindahā sakanat ʾilayhi, waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi bi-Allāhi: ʾidhā tamma al-tawḥīdu tammati al-maḥabbatu, waʾidhā jāʾati al-maḥabbatu tamma al-tawakkulu, fatamma ʾīmānuhu wakhalaṣa farḍuhu wasummiya dhālika yaqīnan.

At last he said to her, “God has commanded me to do this and told me that He will bring forth two sons from you and make them prophets.” She said, “If God has commanded you to do it and made me a means toward it, then obedience to God’s command!” Then she rested with him. One of those learned in God said, “When affirmation of oneness is complete, love is complete; when love comes, trust is complete. One’s faith is then complete and one’s obligatory duty made pure; this is called certainty.”

وَقَالَ الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ فِي فَرْضِ الْمَحَبَّةِ: إِذَا قِيلَ لَكَ: تُحِبُّ اللَّهَ؟ فَاُسْكُتْ فَإِنْ قُلْتَ: لَا، كَفَرْتَ وَإِنْ قُلْتَ: نَعَمْ، فَلَيْسَ وَصْفُكَ وَصْفَ الْمُحِبِّينَ، فَاِحْذَرِ الْمَقْتَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ عُلَمَائِنَا: لَيْسَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ نَعِيمٌ أَعْلَى مِنْ نَعِيمِ أَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَالْمَحَبَّةِ، وَلَا فِي جَهَنَّمَ عَذَابٌ أَشَدُّ مِنْ عَذَابِ مَنِ اِدَّعَى الْمَعْرِفَةَ وَالْمَحَبَّةَ، وَلَمْ يَتَحَقَّقْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ.

waqāla al-fuḍaylu bnu ʿiyāḍin fī farḍi al-maḥabbati: ʾidhā qīla laka: tuḥibbu Allāha? fa-skut faʾin qulta: lā, kafarta waʾin qulta: naʿam, falaysa waṣfuka waṣfa al-muḥibbīna, fa-ḥdhari al-maqta, waqāla baʿḍu ʿulamāʾinā: laysa fī al-jannati naʿīmun ʾaʿlā min naʿīmi ʾahli al-maʿrifati wa-al-maḥabbati, walā fī jahannama ʿadhābun ʾashaddu min ʿadhābi mani iddaʿā al-maʿrifata wa-al-maḥabbata, walam yataḥaqqaq bishayʾin min dhālika.

Al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ said concerning the obligation of love: “If someone asks you, ‘Do you love God?’ remain silent. If you say no, you disbelieve; if you say yes, your character is not that of lovers, so beware of abhorrence.” One of our scholars said, “No bliss in Paradise is higher than the bliss of the people of knowledge and love; and no torment in Hell is harsher than that of someone who claimed knowledge and love without realizing any of it.”

وَقَالَ عَالِمٌ فَوْقَهُ: كُلُّ أَهْلِ الْمَقَامَاتِ يُرْجَى أَنْ يُعْفَى عَنْهُمْ وَيُسْمَحَ لَهُمْ إِلَّا مَنِ اِدَّعَى الْمَعْرِفَةَ وَالْمَحَبَّةَ، فَإِنَّهُمْ يُطَالَبُونَ بِكُلِّ شَعْرَةٍ مُطَالَبَةً، وَبِكُلِّ حَرَكَةٍ وَسُكُونٍ وَكُلِّ نَظْرَةٍ وَخَطْرَةٍ لِلَّهِ وَفِي اللَّهِ وَمَعَ اللَّهِ، وَاِعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْمَحَبَّةَ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِعَبْدِهِ لَيْسَتْ كَمَحَبَّةِ الْخَلْقِ، إِذْ مَحَبَّةُ الْخَلْقِ تَكُونُ حَادِثَةً لِأَحَدِ سَبْعِ مَعَانٍ؛ لِطَبْعٍ أَوْ لِجِنْسٍ أَوْ لِنَفْعٍ أَوْ لِوَصْفٍ أَوْ لِهَوًى أَوْ لِرَحِمٍ مَاسَّةٍ أَوْ لِتَقَرُّبٍ بِذَلِكَ إِلَى اللَّهِ.

waqāla ʿālimun fawqahu: kullu ʾahli al-maqāmāti yurjā ʾan yuʿfā ʿanhum wayusmaḥa lahum ʾillā mani iddaʿā al-maʿrifata wa-al-maḥabbata, faʾinnahum yuṭālabūna bikulli shaʿratin muṭālabatan, wabikulli ḥarakatin wasukūnin wakulli naẓratin wakhaṭratin li-llāhi wafī Allāhi wamaʿa Allāhi, wa-ʿlam ʾanna al-maḥabbata mina Allāhi liʿabdihi laysat kamaḥabbati al-khalqi, ʾidh maḥabbatu al-khalqi takūnu ḥādithatan liʾaḥadi sabʿi maʿānin; liṭabʿin ʾaw lijinsin ʾaw linafʿin ʾaw liwaṣfin ʾaw lihawan ʾaw liraḥimin māssatin ʾaw litaqarrubin bi-dhālika ʾilā Allāhi.

A scholar above him said, “Everyone occupying the stations may hope for pardon and indulgence except those who claim knowledge and love: they are held to account for every hair, every movement and stillness, every glance and passing thought, for God, in God, and with God.” Know that God’s love for His servant is unlike created beings’ love. Created love arises for one of seven reasons: temperament, affinity of kind, benefit, a quality, desire, close kinship, or seeking nearness to God through it.

فَهَذِهِ حُدُودُ الشَّيْءِ الَّذِي يُشْبِهُهُ الشَّيْءُ، وَاللَّهُ يَتَعَالَى عَنْ جَمِيعِ ذَلِكَ لَا يُوصَفُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْهُ إِذْ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلِأَنَّ هَذِهِ أَسْبَابٌ مُحْدَثَةٌ فِي الْخَلْقِ لِمَعَانٍ حَادِثَةٍ وَمُتَوَلِّدَةٍ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّينَ لِأَسْبَابٍ عَلَيْهِمْ دَاخِلَةٍ، وَقَدْ تَتَغَيَّرُ الْأَوْقَاتُ وَتَنْقَلِبُ لِاِنْقِلَابِ الْأَوْصَافِ، وَمَحَبَّةُ اللَّهِ سَابِقَةٌ لِلْأَسْبَابِ عَنْ كَلِمَتِهِ الْحُسْنَى، قَدِيمَةٌ قَبْلَ الْحَادِثَاتِ عَنْ عِنَايَتِهِ الْعُلْيَا.

fa-hādhihi ḥudūdu al-shayʾi alladhī yushbihuhu al-shayʾu, wa-Allāhu yataʿālā ʿan jamīʿi dhālika lā yūṣafu bishayʾin minhu ʾidh laysa kamithlihi shayʾun fī kulli shayʾin waliʾanna hādhihi ʾasbābun muḥdathatun fī al-khalqi limaʿānin ḥādithatin wamutawallidatin mina al-muḥibbīna liʾasbābin ʿalayhim dākhilatin, waqad tataghayyaru al-ʾawqātu watanqalibu li-nqilābi al-ʾawṣāfi, wamaḥabbatu Allāhi sābiqatun li-l-ʾasbābi ʿan kalimatihi al-ḥusnā, qadīmatun qabla al-ḥādithāti ʿan ʿināyatihi al-ʿulyā.

These are the limits of a thing resembling another thing. God transcends them all and is described by none of them, since in every respect nothing is like Him. These are causes produced within created beings, arising from newly occurring meanings generated in lovers by causes that enter into them. Times may change and turn as qualities change. God’s love, however, precedes causes, proceeding from His most gracious word; it is eternal before temporal occurrences, proceeding from His supreme care.

لَا تَتَغَيَّرُ أَبَدًا وَلَا تَنْقَلِبُ لِأَجْلِ مَا بَدَا لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُمْ مِنَّا الْحُسْنَى، يَعْنِي الْكَلِمَةَ الْحُسْنَى، وَقِيلَ الْمَنْزِلَةَ الْحُسْنَى فَلَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَسْبِقَهَا سَابِقٌ مِنْهُمْ بَلْ قَدْ سَبَقَتْ كُلَّ سَابِقَةٍ، تَكُونُ:

lā tataghayyaru ʾabadan walā tanqalibu liʾajli mā badā liqawlihi taʿālā: ʾinna alladhīna sabaqat lahum minnā al-ḥusnā, yaʿnī al-kalimata al-ḥusnā, waqīla al-manzilata al-ḥusnā falā yajūzu ʾan yasbiqahā sābiqun minhum bal qad sabaqat kulla sābiqatin, takūnu:

It never changes or turns because of anything that appears, for the Most High says, “Those for whom the most gracious has already gone forth from Us,” meaning the most gracious word, or, according to another explanation, the most gracious rank. No prior act of theirs can therefore precede it; rather, it has preceded every prior thing that may come to be:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٨٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 87

Volume Two, page 87

كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ رُشْدَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا بِهِ عَالِمِينَ﴾ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ 51 فَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ: هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿لَهُمْ قَدَمُ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ﴾ يُونُسَ: 2، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى فِي آخِرِ آيَاتِهِمْ: ﴿فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ مَلِيكٍ مُقْتَدِرٍ﴾ الْقَمَرِ: 55، وَلَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَبْلَ قَدَمِهِ الصِّدْقِ مِنْهُمْ قَدَمٌ.

kaqawlihi taʿālā: ﴿walaqad ʾātaynā ʾibrāhīma rushdahu min qablu wakunnā bihi ʿālimīna﴾ al-ʾanbiyāʾi 51 fa-kadhālika qāla: huwa sammākumu al-muslimīna min qablu, waqāla taʿālā: ﴿lahum qadamu ṣidqin ʿinda rabbihim﴾ yūnusa: 2, waqāla taʿālā fī ʾākhiri ʾāyātihim: ﴿fī maqʿadi ṣidqin ʿinda malīkin muqtadirin﴾ al-qamari: 55, walā yaṣluḥu ʾan yakūna qabla qadamihi al-ṣidqi minhum qadamun.

As in His saying, exalted is He, “We had already given Abraham his right guidance, and We knew him well” (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:51). Likewise He said, “He named you Muslims before,” and the Exalted said, “They have a sure precedence with their Lord” (Yūnus 10:2). At the end of the verses concerning them, the Exalted says, “In a seat of truth with a Sovereign of complete power” (al-Qamar 54:55). No precedence of theirs can fittingly exist before His true precedence.

كَمَا لَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَبْلَ عِلْمِهِ بِهِمْ مِنْهُمْ عَمَلٌ، لِأَنَّ عِلْمَهُ سَبَقَ الْمَعْلُومَ وَمَحَبَّتَهُ لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ سَبَقَتْ مَحَبَّتَهُمْ إِيَّاهُ وَمُعَامَلَتَهُمْ لَهُ، ثُمَّ هِيَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ خَاصِّيَّةُ حُكْمٍ مِنْ أَحْكَامِهِ وَمَزِيدٌ مِنْ فَضْلِ أَقْسَامِهِ وَتَتِمَّةٌ مِنْ سَابِغِ إِنْعَامِهِ، خَالِصَةٌ لِمُخْلِصِينَ، وَمُؤْثِرَةٌ لِمُؤْثِرِينَ بِقَدَمِ صِدْقٍ سَابِقٍ لِخَالِصِينَ، يَؤُولُ إِلَى مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ صَادِقٍ لِسَابِقِينَ.

kamā lā yaṣluḥu ʾan yakūna qabla ʿilmihi bihim minhum ʿamalun, liʾanna ʿilmahu sabaqa al-maʿlūma wamaḥabbatahu liʾawliyāʾihi sabaqat maḥabbatahum ʾiyyāhu wamuʿāmalatahum lahu, thumma hiya maʿa dhālika khāṣṣiyyatu ḥukmin min ʾaḥkāmihi wamazīdun min faḍli ʾaqsāmihi watatimmatun min sābighi ʾinʿāmihi, khāliṣatun limukhliṣīna, wamuʾthiratun limuʾthirīna biqadami ṣidqin sābiqin likhāliṣīna, yaʾūlu ʾilā maqʿadi ṣidqin ʿinda ṣādiqin lisābiqīna.

Nor can any deed of theirs fittingly precede His knowledge of them, for His knowledge preceded what is known, and His love for His friends preceded their love for Him and their dealings with Him. Moreover, it is the distinctive effect of one of His decrees, an increase in the bounty of His allotments, and a completion of His abundant favor: pure for those who are sincere, preferring those who give preference, through a prior precedence of truth granted to the pure, leading to a seat of truth with the Truthful One for those who lead the way.

لَيْسَ لِذَلِكَ سَبَبٌ مَعْقُولٌ وَلَا لِأَجْلِ عَمَلٍ مَعْمُولٍ، بَلْ يَجْرِي مَجْرَى سِرِّ الْقَدَرِ وَلُطْفِ الْقَادِرِ، وَإِفْشَاءُ سِرِّ الْقَدَرِ كُفْرٌ، وَلَا يَعْلَمُهُ إِلَّا نَبِيٌّ أَوْ صِدِّيقٌ وَلَا يَطَّلِعُ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا مَنْ يُظْهِرُهُ، وَمَا ظَهَرَ فِي الْأَخْبَارِ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ، فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ طَرِيقُ الْأَحْبَابِ وَمَقَامَاتُ أَهْلِ الْقُرْبِ مِنْ أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ.

laysa li-dhālika sababun maʿqūlun walā liʾajli ʿamalin maʿmūlin, bal yajrī majrā sirri al-qadari waluṭfi al-qādiri, waʾifshāʾu sirri al-qadari kufrun, walā yaʿlamuhu ʾillā nabiyyun ʾaw ṣiddīqun walā yaṭṭaliʿu ʿalayhi ʾillā man yuẓhiruhu, wamā ẓahara fī al-ʾakhbāri mina al-ʾasbābi, faʾinnamā huwa ṭarīqu al-ʾaḥbābi wamaqāmātu ʾahli al-qurbi min ʾulī al-ʾalbābi.

There is no rationally apprehensible cause for this, nor is it because of a deed performed. It follows the course of destiny’s secret and the subtle kindness of the All-Powerful. Divulging destiny’s secret is unbelief; only a prophet or an utterly truthful one knows it, and only one whom He makes manifest gains access to it. The causes mentioned in transmitted accounts are simply the path of the beloved and the stations of people of understanding who are near.

وَإِنَّمَا تَسْتَبِينُ الْمَحَبَّةُ وَتَظْهَرُ لِلْعَبْدِ لِحُسْنِ تَوْفِيقِهِ وَكِلَاءَةِ عِصْمَتِهِ، وَلَطَائِفِ تَعْلِيمِهِ مِنْ غَرَائِبِ عِلْمِهِ وَخَفَايَا لُطْفِهِ، فِي سُرْعَةِ رَدِّهِمْ إِلَيْهِ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَوُقُوفِهِمْ عِنْدَهُ، وَنَظَرِهِمْ إِلَيْهِ دُونَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَقُرْبِهِ مِنْهُمْ أَقْرَبَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَكَثْرَةِ اِسْتِعْمَالِهِمْ لِحُسْنِ مَرْضَاتِهِ وَكَشْفِ اِطِّلَاعِهِمْ عَلَى مَعَانِي صِفَاتِهِ، وَلَطِيفِ تَعْرِيفِهِ لَهُمْ مَكْنُونَ أَسْرَارِهِ وَفُتُوحِهِ لِأَفْكَارِهِمْ مِنْ بَوَاطِنِ إِنْعَامِهِ وَاِسْتِخْرَاجِهِ مِنْهُمْ خَالِصَ شُكْرِهِ وَحَقِيقَةَ ذِكْرِهِ.

waʾinnamā tastabīnu al-maḥabbatu wataẓharu li-l-ʿabdi liḥusni tawfīqihi wakilāʾati ʿiṣmatihi, walaṭāʾifi taʿlīmihi min gharāʾibi ʿilmihi wakhafāyā luṭfihi, fī surʿati raddihim ʾilayhi fī kulli shayʾin wawuqūfihim ʿindahu, wanaẓarihim ʾilayhi dūna kulli shayʾin waqurbihi minhum ʾaqraba min kulli shayʾin, wakathrati istiʿmālihim liḥusni marḍātihi wakashfi iṭṭilāʿihim ʿalā maʿānī ṣifātihi, walaṭīfi taʿrīfihi lahum maknūna ʾasrārihi wafutūḥihi liʾafkārihim min bawāṭini ʾinʿāmihi wa-stikhrājihi minhum khāliṣa shukrihi waḥaqīqata dhikrihi.

Love becomes clear and appears to the servant through God’s gracious enabling, the guardianship of His protection, and His subtle instruction in the wonders of His knowledge and hidden kindness: swiftly returning them to Him in everything; their stopping before Him and looking toward Him apart from everything; His nearness to them, nearer than everything; frequently employing them in what well pleases Him; unveiling their awareness of His attributes’ meanings; delicately acquainting them with His hidden secrets; opening their thoughts to His inward favors; and drawing from them pure gratitude and true remembrance of Him.

فَهَذِهِ طَرِيقَاتُ الْمُحِبِّينَ لَهُ عَنْ كُشُوفِ اِطِّلَاعِهِ لَهُمْ مِنْ عَيْنِ الْيَقِينِ، يُقَالُ: إِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا اِسْتَخْدَمَهُ؛ فَإِذَا اِسْتَخْدَمَهُ اِقْتَطَعَهُ، وَقِيلَ إِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا نَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ، وَإِذَا نَظَرَ اللَّهُ إِلَى عَبْدٍ لَمْ يُعَذِّبْهُ، وَرُوِيَ بَعْضُ هَذَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَرَوَيْنَا فِي الْخَبَرِ: إِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا اِبْتَلَاهُ، وَإِذَا أَحَبَّهُ الْحُبَّ الْبَالِغَ اِقْتَنَاهُ، قِيلَ: وَمَا اِقْتِنَاؤُهُ؟ قِيلَ: لَمْ يَتْرُكْ لَهُ أَهْلًا وَلَا مَالًا.

fa-hādhihi ṭarīqātu al-muḥibbīna lahu ʿan kushūfi iṭṭilāʿihi lahum min ʿayni al-yaqīni, yuqālu: ʾidhā ʾaḥabba Allāhu ʿabdan istakhdamahu; faʾidhā istakhdamahu iqtaṭaʿahu, waqīla ʾidhā ʾaḥabba Allāhu ʿabdan naẓara ʾilayhi, waʾidhā naẓara Allāhu ʾilā ʿabdin lam yuʿadhdhibhu, waruwiya baʿḍu hādhā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama. warawaynā fī al-khabari: ʾidhā ʾaḥabba Allāhu ʿabdan ibtalāhu, waʾidhā ʾaḥabbahu al-ḥubba al-bāligha iqtanāhu, qīla: wamā iqtināʾuhu? qīla: lam yatruk lahu ʾahlan walā mālan.

These are the paths of those who love Him, arising from the unveilings of awareness He grants them in direct certainty. It is said, “When God loves a servant, He employs him in His service; when He employs him, He sets him apart.” It is also said, “When God loves a servant, He looks toward him; when God looks toward a servant, He does not punish him.” Some of this is related from God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace. We have transmitted: “When God loves a servant, He tries him; when He loves him consummately, He takes him as His own.” Asked what that means, the answer was, “He leaves him neither family nor wealth.”

فَالْمَحَبَّةُ مَزِيدُ إِيثَارٍ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّ الْأَوَّلِ وَهُوَ اللَّهُ، لِعَبْدِهِ وَأَحْكَامٌ تَظْهَرُ مِنَ الْمَحْبُوبِ وَهُوَ الْعَبْدُ، فِي حُسْنِ مُعَامَلَتِهِ، أَوْ حَقِيقَةُ عِلْمٍ يَهَبُهُ لَهُ، كَمَا قَالَ إِخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ عَرَفُوا مَحَبَّةَ اللَّهِ لِيُوسُفَ عَلَيْهِمْ: تَاللَّهِ، لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا، ثُمَّ قَالُوا: وَإِنْ كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ؟ فَذَكَرُوا سَالِفَ خَطَايَاهُمْ وَأَنَّهُ آثَرَهُ بِمَا لَمْ يُؤْثِرْهُمْ بِهِ.

fa-al-maḥabbatu mazīdu ʾīthārin mina al-muḥibbi al-ʾawwali wahuwa Allāhu, liʿabdihi waʾaḥkāmun taẓharu mina al-maḥbūbi wahuwa al-ʿabdu, fī ḥusni muʿāmalatihi, ʾaw ḥaqīqatu ʿilmin yahabuhu lahu, kamā qāla ʾikhwatu yūsufa ʿarafū maḥabbata Allāhi liyūsufa ʿalayhim: ta-llāhi, laqad ʾātharaka Allāhu ʿalaynā, thumma qālū: waʾin kunnā lakhāṭiʾīna? fadhakarū sālifa khaṭāyāhum waʾannahu ʾātharahu bimā lam yuʾthirhum bihi.

Love is thus an increased preference from the first lover, God, for His servant, and effects appearing in the beloved, the servant, through the excellence of his dealings, or a reality of knowledge God grants him. Thus Joseph’s brothers, recognizing God’s love for Joseph over them, said, “By God, God has preferred you over us.” Then they said, “Indeed, we were in error.” They recalled their former sins and that He had favored Joseph with what He had not favored them.

فَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي وَصْفِهِ إِيَّاهُ: ﴿قَالَ اِجْعَلْنِي عَلَى خَزَائِنِ الْأَرْضِ إِنِّي حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾ يُوسُفَ: 55، وَقَالَ فِي مَوْهِبَتِهِ لَهُ: آتَيْنَاهُ حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا، وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ، فَذَكَرَ مَا سَلَفَ مِنْ إِحْسَانِهِ لَمَّا آثَرَهُ بِهِ، وَقَالَتِ الرُّسُلُ: إِنْ نَحْنُ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَمُنُّ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿اللَّهُ

faqāla Allāhu taʿālā fī waṣfihi ʾiyyāhu: ﴿qāla ijʿalnī ʿalā khazāʾini al-ʾarḍi ʾinnī ḥafīẓun ʿalīmun﴾ yūsufa: 55, waqāla fī mawhibatihi lahu: ʾātaynāhu ḥukman waʿilman, wa-kadhālika najzī al-muḥsinīna, fadhakara mā salafa min ʾiḥsānihi lammā ʾātharahu bihi, waqālati al-rusulu: ʾin naḥnu ʾillā basharun mithlukum wa-lākinna Allāha yamunnu ʿalā man yashāʾu min ʿibādihi, waqāla taʿālā: ﴿Allāhu

God Most High describes him: “He said: Put me in charge of the storehouses of the land; I am a knowledgeable guardian” (Yūsuf 12:55). Of His gift to him He says, “We gave him judgment and knowledge, and thus We reward those who do good.” He thus mentioned his earlier excellence when favoring him with that. The messengers said, “We are only human beings like you, but God bestows favor on whichever of His servants He wills.” The Most High also says: “God—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٨٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 88

Volume Two, page 88

يَصْطَفِي مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا وَمِنَ النَّاسِ﴾ الْحَجِّ: 75 وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: إِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا اِبْتَلَاهُ يَعْنِي اِخْتَبَرَهُ؛ فَإِنْ صَبَرَ اِجْتَبَاهُ، وَإِنْ رَضِيَ اِصْطَفَاهُ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: إِذَا رَأَيْتَكَ تُحِبُّهُ وَرَأَيْتَهُ يَبْتَلِيكَ فَاِعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُصَافِيَكَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُرِيدِينَ لِأُسْتَاذِهِ: قَدْ طُولِعْتُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ فَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ هَلِ اِبْتَلَاكَ بِمَحْبُوبٍ سِوَاهُ فَآثَرْتَ عَلَيْهِ إِيَّاهُ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا فَقَالَ: فَلَا تَطْمَعْ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يُعْطِيهَا عَبْدًا حَتَّى يَبْلُوَهُ.

yaṣṭafī mina al-malāʾikati rusulan wamina al-nāsi﴾ al-ḥajji: 75 wafī al-khabari: ʾidhā ʾaḥabba Allāhu ʿabdan ibtalāhu yaʿnī ikhtabarahu; faʾin ṣabara ijtabāhu, waʾin raḍiya iṣṭafāhu, waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: ʾidhā raʾaytaka tuḥibbuhu waraʾaytahu yabtalīka fa-ʿlam ʾannahu yurīdu ʾan yuṣāfiyaka, waqāla baʿḍu al-murīdīna liʾustādhihi: qad ṭūliʿtu bishayʾin mina al-maḥabbati faqāla: yā bunayya hali ibtalāka bimaḥbūbin siwāhu faʾātharta ʿalayhi ʾiyyāhu? faqāla: lā faqāla: falā taṭmaʿ fī al-maḥabbati, faʾinnahu lā yuʿṭīhā ʿabdan ḥattā yabluwahu.

—chooses messengers from among angels and from among people” (al-Ḥajj 22:75). A report says, “When God loves a servant, He afflicts him,” meaning tests him; “if he is patient, He selects him, and if he is content, He chooses him.” One scholar said, “If you see yourself loving Him and Him trying you, know that He wishes to admit you to intimate friendship.” A seeker told his teacher, “Something of love has been disclosed to me.” He said, “My son, has He tested you with something beloved besides Him, and have you preferred Him over it?” “No.” “Then do not aspire to love: He does not give it to a servant until He tests him.”

وَمِنْ دَلَائِلِ الْمَحَبَّةِ حُبُّ كَلَامِ الْحَبِيبِ وَتَكْرِيرُهُ عَلَى الْأَسْمَاعِ وَالْقُلُوبِ، وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ بَعْضِ الْمُرِيدِينَ قَالَ: كُنْتُ وَجَدْتُ حَلَاوَةَ الْمُنَاجَاةِ فِي سُوءِ الْإِرَادَةِ، فَأَدْمَنْتُ عَلَى قِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا، ثُمَّ لَحِقَتْنِي فَتْرَةٌ فَاِنْقَطَعْتُ عَنِ التِّلَاوَةِ، قَالَ: فَسَمِعْتُ قَائِلًا يَقُولُ لِي فِي الْمَنَامِ: إِنْ كُنْتَ تَزْعُمُ أَنَّكَ تُحِبُّنِي فَلِمَ جَفَوْتَ كِتَابِي، أَمَا تَرَى مَا فِيهِ مِنْ لَطِيفِ عِتَابِي، قَالَ: فَاِنْتَبَهْتُ، وَقَدْ أُشْرِبَ فِي قَلْبِي مَحَبَّةُ الْقُرْآنِ فَعَاوَدْتُ إِلَى حَالِيَ الْأَوَّلِ.

wamin dalāʾili al-maḥabbati ḥubbu kalāmi al-ḥabībi watakrīruhu ʿalā al-ʾasmāʿi wa-al-qulūbi, waḥaddathūnā ʿan baʿḍi al-murīdīna qāla: kuntu wajadtu ḥalāwata al-munājāti fī sūʾi al-ʾirādati, faʾadmantu ʿalā qirāʾati al-qurʾāni laylan wanahāran, thumma laḥiqatnī fatratun fa-nqaṭaʿtu ʿani al-tilāwati, qāla: fasamiʿtu qāʾilan yaqūlu lī fī al-manāmi: ʾin kunta tazʿumu ʾannaka tuḥibbunī falima jafawta kitābī, ʾamā tarā mā fīhi min laṭīfi ʿitābī, qāla: fa-ntabahtu, waqad ʾushriba fī qalbī maḥabbatu al-qurʾāni faʿāwadtu ʾilā ḥāliya al-ʾawwali.

Among love’s proofs is loving the beloved’s speech and repeating it to ears and hearts. They related to us from a seeker: “I had found the sweetness of intimate prayer amid faulty aspiration, and so constantly read the Qurʾān, night and day. Then lassitude overtook me, and I stopped reciting. In a dream I heard someone say, ‘If you claim to love Me, why have you forsaken My Book? Do you not see My gentle reproaches within it?’ I awoke with love of the Qurʾān infused into my heart and returned to my former state.”

وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: لَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مُرِيدًا حَتَّى يَجِدَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ كُلَّ مَا يُرِيدُ، وَقَدْ كَانَ اِبْنُ مَسْعُودٍ يَقُولُ: لَا عَلَى أَحَدِكُمْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ إِلَّا الْقُرْآنَ فَإِنْ كَانَ يُحِبُّ الْقُرْآنَ فَهُوَ يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ يُحِبُّ الْقُرْآنَ فَلَيْسَ يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ، وَمِنْ عَلَامَةِ حُبِّ الْقُرْآنِ حُبُّ أَهْلِ الْقُرْآنِ وَكَثْرَةُ تِلَاوَتِهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَأَطْرَافَ النَّهَارِ.

waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: lā yakūnu al-ʿabdu murīdan ḥattā yajida fī al-qurʾāni kulla mā yurīdu, waqad kāna ibnu masʿūdin yaqūlu: lā ʿalā ʾaḥadikum ʾan yasʾala ʿalā nafsihi ʾillā al-qurʾāna faʾin kāna yuḥibbu al-qurʾāna fahuwa yuḥibbu Allāha, waʾin lam yakun yuḥibbu al-qurʾāna falaysa yuḥibbu Allāha, wamin ʿalāmati ḥubbi al-qurʾāni ḥubbu ʾahli al-qurʾāni wakathratu tilāwatihi ʾānāʾa al-layli waʾaṭrāfa al-nahāri.

One of those who know said, “A servant is not a seeker until he finds in the Qurʾān everything he seeks.” Ibn Masʿūd used to say, “None of you needs to ask concerning himself anything except the Qurʾān: if he loves the Qurʾān, he loves God; if he does not love the Qurʾān, he does not love God.” Signs of love for the Qurʾān include loving its people and reciting it often throughout the night and at the ends of the day.

وَقَالَ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: عَلَامَةُ حُبِّ اللَّهِ حُبُّ الْقُرْآنِ وَعَلَامَةُ حُبِّ الْقُرْآنِ وَحُبِّ اللَّهِ حُبُّ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَعَلَامَةُ حُبِّ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حُبُّ السُّنَّةِ، وَعَلَامَةُ حُبِّ السُّنَّةِ حُبُّ الْآخِرَةِ، وَعَلَامَةُ حُبِّ الْآخِرَةِ بُغْضُ الدُّنْيَا، وَعَلَامَةُ بُغْضِ الدُّنْيَا أَنْ لَا يَأْخُذَ مِنْهَا إِلَّا زَادًا وَبُلْغَةً إِلَى الْآخِرَةِ.

waqāla sahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi: ʿalāmatu ḥubbi Allāhi ḥubbu al-qurʾāni waʿalāmatu ḥubbi al-qurʾāni waḥubbi Allāhi ḥubbu al-nabiyyi ʿalayhi al-salāmu waʿalāmatu ḥubbi al-nabiyyi ʿalayhi al-salāmu ḥubbu al-sunnati, waʿalāmatu ḥubbi al-sunnati ḥubbu al-ʾākhirati, waʿalāmatu ḥubbi al-ʾākhirati bughḍu al-dunyā, waʿalāmatu bughḍi al-dunyā ʾan lā yaʾkhudha minhā ʾillā zādan wabulghatan ʾilā al-ʾākhirati.

Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh said, “The sign of loving God is loving the Qurʾān; the sign of loving the Qurʾān and God is loving the Prophet, peace be upon him; the sign of loving the Prophet, peace be upon him, is loving the Sunna; the sign of loving the Sunna is loving the hereafter; the sign of loving the hereafter is disliking this world; and the sign of disliking this world is taking from it only provisions and enough to reach the hereafter.”

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى وَهُوَ أَحْسَنُ الْقَائِلِينَ: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَنْ يَرْتَدَّ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ﴾ الْمَائِدَةِ: 54 أَيْ لَا يَرْتَدُّونَ لِأَنَّهُمْ أَبْدَالُ الْمُرْتَدِّينَ، وَلَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَهُمْ، كَمَا قَالَ: يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُمْ، وَمِنْ عَلَامَةِ مَحَبَّةِ الْمَوْلَى تَقْدِيمُ أُمُورِ الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا يُقَرِّبُ مِنَ الْحَبِيبِ عَلَى أُمُورِ الدُّنْيَا مِنْ كُلِّ مَا تَهْوَى النَّفْسُ.

waqāla taʿālā wahuwa ʾaḥsanu al-qāʾilīna: ﴿yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū man yartadda minkum ʿan dīnihi fasawfa yaʾtī Allāhu biqawmin yuḥibbuhum wayuḥibbūnahu﴾ al-māʾidati: 54 ʾay lā yartaddūna liʾannahum ʾabdālu al-murtaddīna, walā yanbaghī ʾan yakūnū ʾamthālahum, kamā qāla: yastabdil qawman ghayrakum thumma lā yakūnū ʾamthālakum, wamin ʿalāmati maḥabbati al-mawlā taqdīmu ʾumūri al-ʾākhirati min kulli mā yuqarribu mina al-ḥabībi ʿalā ʾumūri al-dunyā min kulli mā tahwā al-nafsu.

The Most High, the finest of speakers, says, “Believers, whoever among you turns back from his religion, God will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him” (al-Māʾidah 5:54). They do not turn back, for they replace the apostates and ought not resemble them, as He says, “He will replace you with another people; then they will not be like you.” One sign of loving the Master is giving the concerns of the hereafter, everything that brings one near the beloved, precedence over worldly concerns, everything the self desires.

وَالْمُبَادَرَةُ بِأَوَامِرِ الْمَحْبُوبِ وَبَوَادِيهِ قَبْلَ عَاجِلِ حُظُوظِ النَّفْسِ، ثُمَّ إِيثَارُ مَحَبَّتِهِ عَلَى هَوَاكَ وَاِتِّبَاعُ رَسُولِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِيمَا أَمَرَكَ بِهِ وَنَهَاكَ، وَالذُّلُّ لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ بِهِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ، ثُمَّ التَّعَزُّزُ عَلَى أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا الْمَوْصُوفِينَ بِهَا الْمُؤْثِرِينَ لَهَا، كَمَا قِيلَ لِاِبْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ: مَا التَّوَاضُعُ؟ فَقَالَ: التَّكَبُّرُ عَلَى الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ.

wa-al-mubādaratu biʾawāmiri al-maḥbūbi wabawādīhi qabla ʿājili ḥuẓūẓi al-nafsi, thumma ʾīthāru maḥabbatihi ʿalā hawāka wa-ttibāʿu rasūlihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fīmā ʾamaraka bihi wanahāka, wa-al-dhullu liʾawliyāʾihi mina al-ʿulamāʾi bihi wa-al-ʿāmilīna, thumma al-taʿazzuzu ʿalā ʾabnāʾi al-dunyā al-mawṣūfīna bihā al-muʾthirīna lahā, kamā qīla li-bni al-mubāraki: mā al-tawāḍuʿu? faqāla: al-takabburu ʿalā al-mutakabbirīna.

It means hastening to the beloved’s commands and what first appears from Him before the self’s immediate pleasures; then preferring love for Him to your desires, following His Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, in what he commanded and forbade, and humbling yourself before His friends who know Him and act. It also means maintaining dignity before the worldly, those characterized by and preferring the world. When Ibn al-Mubārak was asked, “What is humility?” he answered, “Showing pride toward the proud.”

وَقَالَ الْفَتْحُ بْنُ شَحْرَفَ، رَأَيْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي النَّوْمِ فَقُلْتُ: أَنْبِئْنِي بِحَرْفِ خَيْرٍ فَقَالَ: مَا أَحْسَنَ تَوَاضُعَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ رَجَاءَ ثَوَابِ اللَّهِ، وَأَحْسَنُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ تِيهُ الْفُقَرَاءِ عَلَى الْأَغْنِيَاءِ ثِقَةً بِاللَّهِ، وَإِنَّمَا وَصَفَ اللَّهُ أَحِبَّاءَهُ بِالذُّلِّ لِلْأَوْلِيَاءِ وَالْعِزِّ عَلَى الْأَعْدَاءِ لِأَنَّهُ يَصِفُ مَنْ يُحِبُّهُ بِأَحْسَنِ الْأَوْصَافِ، فَالذُّلُّ لِلْحَبِيبِ حَسَنٌ، وَالْعِزُّ عَلَى الْعَدُوِّ فِي حُسْنِهِ مِثْلُ الْعِزِّ عَلَى

waqāla al-fatḥu bnu shaḥrafa, raʾaytu ʿaliyya bna ʾabī ṭālibin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fī al-nawmi faqultu: ʾanbiʾnī biḥarfi khayrin faqāla: mā ʾaḥsana tawāḍuʿa al-ʾaghniyāʾi li-l-fuqarāʾi rajāʾa thawābi Allāhi, waʾaḥsanu min dhālika tīhu al-fuqarāʾi ʿalā al-ʾaghniyāʾi thiqatan bi-Allāhi, waʾinnamā waṣafa Allāhu ʾaḥibbāʾahu bi-al-dhulli li-l-ʾawliyāʾi wa-al-ʿizzi ʿalā al-ʾaʿdāʾi liʾannahu yaṣifu man yuḥibbuhu biʾaḥsani al-ʾawṣāfi, fa-al-dhullu li-l-ḥabībi ḥasanun, wa-al-ʿizzu ʿalā al-ʿaduwwi fī ḥusnihi mithlu al-ʿizzi ʿalā

Al-Fatḥ ibn Shaḥraf said, “I saw ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, God be pleased with him, in a dream and asked, ‘Tell me a word of good.’ He said, ‘How beautiful is the rich person’s humility before the poor in hope of God’s reward; finer still is the poor person’s proud bearing before the rich through confidence in God.’” God describes His beloved as humble before His friends and mighty against enemies because He describes those He loves with the finest qualities. Humility toward the beloved is beautiful, and might against the enemy is, in its beauty, like might against—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٨٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 89

Volume Two, page 89

الذَّلِيلِ، فَلِذَلِكَ وَصَفَ اللَّهُ مُحِبَّهُ بِالذُّلِّ لِلْوَلِيِّ وَبِالْعِزِّ عَلَى الْعَدُوِّ، وَقُبْحُ الْعِزِّ عَلَى الْحَبِيبِ كَقُبْحِ الذُّلِّ لِلْعَدُوِّ، وَاللَّهُ لَا يَصِفُ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ بِقَبِيحٍ، وَمِنْ عَلَامَاتِ الْحُبِّ: الْمُجَاهَدَةُ فِي طَرِيقِ الْمَحْبُوبِ بِالْمَالِ وَالنَّفْسِ، لِيَقْرُبَ مِنْهُ وَيَبْلُغَ مَرْضَاتَهُ وَيَقْطَعَ كُلَّ قَاطِعٍ يَقْطَعُهُ عَنْهُ بِالْمُسَارَعَةِ إِلَى قُرْبِهِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَعَجِلْتُ إِلَيْكَ رَبِّ لِتَرْضَى﴾ طَهَ 84.

al-dhalīli, fali-dhālika waṣafa Allāhu muḥibbahu bi-al-dhulli li-l-waliyyi wabi-al-ʿizzi ʿalā al-ʿaduwwi, waqubḥu al-ʿizzi ʿalā al-ḥabībi kaqubḥi al-dhulli li-l-ʿaduwwi, wa-Allāhu lā yaṣifu ʾawliyāʾahu biqabīḥin, wamin ʿalāmāti al-ḥubbi: al-mujāhadatu fī ṭarīqi al-maḥbūbi bi-al-māli wa-al-nafsi, liyaqruba minhu wayablugha marḍātahu wayaqṭaʿa kulla qāṭiʿin yaqṭaʿuhu ʿanhu bi-al-musāraʿati ʾilā qurbihi, kamā qāla taʿālā: ﴿waʿajiltu ʾilayka rabbi litarḍā﴾ Ṭā Hā 84.

—the abased. Therefore God describes His lover as humble toward the friend and mighty against the enemy. Acting mightily toward the beloved is as ugly as humbling oneself before the enemy; God does not describe His friends with anything ugly. Among love’s signs is striving along the beloved’s path with wealth and life, to draw near Him, attain His pleasure, and sever every impediment that separates one from Him by hastening toward His nearness, as the Most High says, “I hastened to You, my Lord, that You might be pleased” (Ṭā Hā 20:84).

وَكَمَا أَمَرَ حَبِيبَهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي قَوْلِهِ: وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلًا فِيهِ مَعْنَيَانِ: أَحَدُهُمَا اِنْقَطِعْ إِلَيْهِ اِنْقِطَاعًا عَمَّا سِوَاهُ بِالْإِخْلَاصِ لَهُ وَالْأَثَرَةِ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ، وَالْأُخْرَى: اِقْطَعْ كُلَّ مَا قَطَعَكَ عَنْهُ إِلَيْهِ أَيْ اِقْطَعْ كُلَّ قَاطِعٍ حَتَّى تَصِلَ إِلَيْهِ، فَهَٰذَانِ مِنْ أَدَلِّ الدَّلِيلِ عَلَى الْمَحَبَّةِ.

wakamā ʾamara ḥabībahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī qawlihi: watabattal ʾilayhi tabtīlan fīhi maʿnayāni: ʾaḥaduhumā inqaṭiʿ ʾilayhi inqiṭāʿan ʿammā siwāhu bi-al-ʾikhlāṣi lahu wa-al-ʾatharati ʿalā ghayrihi, wa-al-ʾukhrā: iqṭaʿ kulla mā qaṭaʿaka ʿanhu ʾilayhi ʾay iqṭaʿ kulla qāṭiʿin ḥattā taṣila ʾilayhi, fahādhāni min ʾadalli al-dalīli ʿalā al-maḥabbati.

Likewise He commanded His beloved, God bless him and grant him peace, “Devote yourself wholly to Him.” This has two meanings. First, cut yourself off for Him from everything besides Him, through sincerity toward Him and preferring Him over all else. Second, sever whatever cuts you off from Him, turning toward Him: sever every impediment until you reach Him. These two are among the clearest proofs of love.

ثُمَّ أَنْ لَا يَخَافَ فِي حُبِّهِ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ لَامَهُ عَلَى مَحَبَّتِهِ أَوْ عَلَى السُّلُوكِ إِلَيْهِ بِشِقِّ النَّفْسِ وَهِجْرَانِ الدَّارِ وَرَفْضِ الْمَالِ، وَلَا يَرْجُوَ فِي مَحَبَّتِهِ مَدْحَ مَادِحٍ وَلَا يَرْغَبَ فِي حُسْنِ ثَنَاءِ الْعِبَادِ بِإِيثَارِكَ لَهُ عَلَى الْأَهْلِ وَالْمَالِ، ثُمَّ وُجُودُ الْأُنْسِ فِي الْوَحْدَةِ وَالرَّوْحِ بِالْخَلْوَةِ، وَلُطْفُ التَّمَلُّقِ فِي الْمُنَاجَاةِ وَالتَّنَعُّمُ بِكَلَامِهِ وَالتَّنَعُّمُ بِمُرِّ أَحْكَامِهِ وَوَجْدُ حَلَاوَةِ الْخِدْمَةِ وَرُؤْيَةُ الْبَلَاءِ مِنْهُ نِعْمَةً.

thumma ʾan lā yakhāfa fī ḥubbihi lawmata lāʾimin mina al-khalqi lāmahu ʿalā maḥabbatihi ʾaw ʿalā al-sulūki ʾilayhi bishiqqi al-nafsi wahijrāni al-dāri warafḍi al-māli, walā yarjuwa fī maḥabbatihi madḥa mādiḥin walā yarghaba fī ḥusni thanāʾi al-ʿibādi biʾīthārika lahu ʿalā al-ʾahli wa-al-māli, thumma wujūdu al-ʾunsi fī al-waḥdati wa-al-rawḥi bi-al-khalwati, waluṭfu al-tamalluqi fī al-munājāti wa-al-tanaʿʿumu bikalāmihi wa-al-tanaʿʿumu bimurri ʾaḥkāmihi wawajdu ḥalāwati al-khidmati waruʾyatu al-balāʾi minhu niʿmatan.

Then one must not fear a reproacher’s reproach in loving Him, from any creature who blames one for loving Him or journeying toward Him through hardship, leaving home, and relinquishing wealth. One should neither hope for praise nor desire people’s commendation for preferring Him over family and wealth. Then come finding intimacy in solitude and relief in seclusion, gentle endearment in intimate prayer, delight in His speech and even in His bitter decrees, tasting service’s sweetness, and seeing affliction from Him as a blessing.

وَقَالَ ثَابِتٌ الْبُنَانِيُّ: كَابَدْتُ الْقُرْآنَ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً وَتَنَعَّمْتُ بِهِ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً، وَمِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ تَرْكُ السُّكُونِ إِلَى غَيْرِ مَحْبُوبِهِ إِذْ هُوَ السَّكَنُ، وَقَالَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ: خِيَانَةُ الْمُحِبِّ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَشَدُّ مِنْ مَعْصِيَةِ الْعَامَّةِ، وَهُوَ أَنْ يَسْكُنَ إِلَى غَيْرِ اللَّهِ وَيَسْتَأْنِسَ بِسِوَاهُ.

waqāla thābitun al-bunāniyyu: kābadtu al-qurʾāna ʿishrīna sanatan watanaʿʿamtu bihi ʿishrīna sanatan, wamina al-maḥabbati tarku al-sukūni ʾilā ghayri maḥbūbihi ʾidh huwa al-sakanu, waqāla ʾabū muḥammadin: khiyānatu al-muḥibbi ʿinda Allāhi ʾashaddu min maʿṣiyati al-ʿāmmati, wahuwa ʾan yaskuna ʾilā ghayri Allāhi wayastaʾnisa bisiwāhu.

Thābit al-Bunānī said, “I struggled with the Qurʾān for twenty years and delighted in it for twenty years.” Love includes abandoning repose in anything besides one’s beloved, since He is one’s repose. Abū Muḥammad said, “A lover’s betrayal is more grievous before God than ordinary people’s sin: it is to rest in something other than God and find intimacy in anything besides Him.”

وَفِي قِصَّةِ بَرْخٍ، الْعَبْدِ الْأَسْوَدِ الَّذِي اِسْتَسْقَى بِهِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَالَ لِمُوسَى: إِنَّ بَرْخًا نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ هُوَ لِي إِلَّا أَنَّ فِيهِ عَيْبًا، قَالَ: يَا رَبِّ، وَمَا عَيْبُهُ؟ قَالَ: يُعْجِبُهُ نَسِيمُ السَّحَرِ فَيَسْكُنُ إِلَيْهِ، وَمَنْ أَحَبَّنِي لَمْ يَسْكُنْ إِلَى شَيْءٍ، فَالسُّكُونُ فِي هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ الِاسْتِرَاحَةُ إِلَى الشَّيْءِ وَالْأُنْسُ بِهِ، وَالسُّكُونُ فِي غَيْرِ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ النَّظَرُ إِلَى الشَّيْءِ وَالْإِدْلَالُ بِهِ وَالطُّمَأْنِينَةُ وَالْقَطْعُ بِهِ.

wafī qiṣṣati barkhin, al-ʿabdi al-ʾaswadi alladhī istasqā bihi mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾanna Allāha taʿālā qāla limūsā: ʾinna barkhan niʿma al-ʿabdu huwa lī ʾillā ʾanna fīhi ʿayban, qāla: yā rabbi, wamā ʿaybuhu? qāla: yuʿjibuhu nasīmu al-saḥari fayaskunu ʾilayhi, waman ʾaḥabbanī lam yaskun ʾilā shayʾin, fa-al-sukūnu fī hādhā al-mawḍiʿi al-istirāḥatu ʾilā al-shayʾi wa-al-ʾunsu bihi, wa-al-sukūnu fī ghayri hādhā al-mawḍiʿi al-naẓaru ʾilā al-shayʾi wa-al-ʾidlālu bihi wa-al-ṭumaʾnīnatu wa-al-qaṭʿu bihi.

In the story of Barkh, the black servant through whom Moses, peace be upon him, sought rain, God Most High said to Moses, “Barkh is an excellent servant of Mine, except that he has a fault.” He asked, “My Lord, what is his fault?” He said, “He enjoys the predawn breeze and rests in it. Whoever loves Me rests in nothing.” Here “resting” means taking ease in a thing and finding intimacy with it; elsewhere it means looking toward a thing, presuming upon it, feeling assured, and relying on it decisively.

ذَكَرْتُ هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةَ لِبَعْضِ أَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ فَقَالَ: لَمْ يُرِدْ بِهَذَا بَرْخًا إِنَّمَا أَرَادَ بِهِ مُوسَى، لِأَنَّهُ أَقَامَهُ مَقَامَ الْمَحَبَّةِ فَاِسْتَحَى أَنْ يُوَاجِهَهُ بِذَلِكَ، فَعَرَّضَ لَهُ بِبَرْخٍ وَكَانَ هَذَا جَوَابًا مِنْهُ: إِنِّي سَأَلْتُهُ، لِمَ أَخْبَرَ مُوسَى بِعَيْبِهِ وَهُوَ يُحِبُّهُ دُونَ أَنْ يُخْبِرَهُ هُوَ بِعَيْبِ نَفْسِهِ، فَأَجَابَ بِهَذَا.

dhakartu hādhihi al-ḥikāyata libaʿḍi ʾahli al-maʿrifati faqāla: lam yurid bi-hādhā barkhan ʾinnamā ʾarāda bihi mūsā, liʾannahu ʾaqāmahu maqāma al-maḥabbati fa-staḥā ʾan yuwājihahu bi-dhālika, faʿarraḍa lahu bibarkhin wakāna hādhā jawāban minhu: ʾinnī saʾaltuhu, lima ʾakhbara mūsā biʿaybihi wahuwa yuḥibbuhu dūna ʾan yukhbirahu huwa biʿaybi nafsihi, faʾajāba bi-hādhā.

I mentioned this account to someone possessed of knowledge. He said, “He did not mean Barkh by this; He meant Moses. Having established him in the station of love, He was too reticent to confront him directly, so He alluded to it through Barkh.” This was his answer because I had asked him why He told Moses of Barkh’s fault, although He loved Barkh, instead of telling Barkh himself of his own fault. He answered in this way.

فَالْمُقَرَّبُونَ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّينَ إِنَّمَا نَعِيمُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَرَوْحُهُمْ وَرَاحَتُهُمْ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ كَانَ بَلَاؤُهُمْ مِنْهُ، فَإِذَا وَجَدُوا ذَلِكَ فِي سِوَاهُ كَانَتْ ذُنُوبًا لَهُمْ عَنْ غَفْلَةٍ أُدْخِلَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُوا مِنْهَا إِلَيْهِ فَيَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ، وَرَوَيْنَا أَنَّ عَابِدًا عَبَدَ اللَّهَ فِي غَيْضَةٍ دَهْرًا، فَنَظَرَ إِلَى طَيْرٍ قَدْ عَشَّشَ فِي شَجَرَةٍ يَأْوِي إِلَيْهَا وَيُصَفِّرُ عِنْدَهَا فَقَالَ: لَوْ حَوَّلْتُ مَسْجِدِي إِلَى تِلْكَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَكُنْتُ آنَسُ بِصَوْتِ هَذَا الطَّائِرِ.

fa-al-muqarrabūna mina al-muḥibbīna ʾinnamā naʿīmuhum bi-Allāhi warawḥuhum warāḥatuhum ʾilayhi min ḥaythu kāna balāʾuhum minhu, faʾidhā wajadū dhālika fī siwāhu kānat dhunūban lahum ʿan ghaflatin ʾudkhilat ʿalayhim liyatūbū minhā ʾilayhi fayaghfira lahum, warawaynā ʾanna ʿābidan ʿabada Allāha fī ghayḍatin dahran, fanaẓara ʾilā ṭayrin qad ʿashshasha fī shajaratin yaʾwī ʾilayhā wayuṣaffiru ʿindahā faqāla: law ḥawwaltu masjidī ʾilā tilka al-shajarati fakuntu ʾānasu biṣawti hādhā al-ṭāʾiri.

The lovers brought near find their bliss only in God; their relief and rest are toward Him, just as their affliction comes from Him. If they find this in anything else, it counts as sins arising from heedlessness introduced into them, so that they may repent to Him and He may forgive them. We have related that a worshipper served God in a thicket for a long time. Seeing a bird nesting in a tree, returning to it and chirping there, he said, “If only I moved my place of worship to that tree, I could enjoy this bird’s song.”

قَالَ: فَفَعَلَ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: قُلْ لِفُلَانٍ الْعَابِدِ: اِسْتَأْنَسْتَ بِمَخْلُوقٍ لَأَحُطَّنَّكَ دَرَجَةً لَا تَنَالُهَا بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عَمَلِكَ أَبَدًا فَمِنْ صِدْقِ الْمَحَبَّةِ وَخَالِصِهَا الِانْقِطَاعُ إِلَى الْحَبِيبِ بِوُجُودِ الْأُنْسِ بِهِ، وَمُصَادَفَةِ الِاسْتِرَاحَةِ وَالرَّوْحِ عِنْدَهُ بِمُحَادَثَةٍ فِي الْمُجَالَسَةِ، وَمُنَاجَاةٍ فِي الْخَلْوَةِ وَذَوْقِ حَلَاوَةِ النَّعِيمِ فِي تَرْكِ الْمُخَالَفَةِ لِغَلَبَةِ حُبِّ الْمُوَافَقَةِ، كَمَا أَنْشَدَنِي بَعْضُهُمْ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْمُحِبِّينَ:

qāla: fafaʿala faʾawḥā Allāhu ʾilā al-nabiyyi ʿalayhi al-salāmu: qul lifulānin al-ʿābidi: istaʾnasta bimakhlūqin laʾaḥuṭṭannaka darajatan lā tanāluhā bishayʾin min ʿamalika ʾabadan famin ṣidqi al-maḥabbati wakhāliṣihā al-inqiṭāʿu ʾilā al-ḥabībi biwujūdi al-ʾunsi bihi, wamuṣādafati al-istirāḥati wa-al-rawḥi ʿindahu bimuḥādathatin fī al-mujālasati, wamunājātin fī al-khalwati wadhawqi ḥalāwati al-naʿīmi fī tarki al-mukhālafati lighalabati ḥubbi al-muwāfaqati, kamā ʾanshadanī baʿḍuhum ʿan baʿḍi al-muḥibbīna:

He did so, and God revealed to the prophet, peace be upon him: “Tell that worshipper: You found intimacy with a created thing. I shall lower you by a degree that none of your deeds will ever regain.” True, pure love therefore includes withdrawing to the beloved through finding intimacy with Him, encountering rest and relief in His presence through conversation in companionship and intimate prayer in seclusion, and tasting bliss’s sweetness in abandoning disobedience because love of conformity prevails. As someone recited to me from one of the lovers:

أَلَذُّ جَمِيلَ الصَّبْرِ عَمَّا أَلَذُّهُ ... وَأَهْوَى لِمَا أَهْوَاهُ تَرْكًا فَأَتْرُكُهُ

ʾaladhdhu jamīla al-ṣabri ʿammā ʾaladhdhuhu ... waʾahwā limā ʾahwāhu tarkan faʾatrukuhu

I savor fair patience in forgoing what I savor; for what I love, I love to leave it, and so I leave it.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٩٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 90

Volume Two, page 90

وَقَالَ نَظِيرُهُ فِي مِثْلِهِ: وَأَتْرُكُ مَا أَهْوَى لِمَنْ قَدْ هَوِيتُهُ، وَأَرْضَى بِمَا يَرْضَى وَإِنْ سَخِطَتْ نَفْسِي، ثُمَّ الطُّمَأْنِينَةُ إِلَى الْحَبِيبِ وَعُكُوفُ الْهَمِّ عَلَى الْقَرِيبِ وَدَوَامُ النَّظَرِ، وَسِيَاحَةُ الْفِكْرِ لِأَنَّ مَنْ عَرَفَهُ أَحَبَّهُ، وَمَنْ أَحَبَّهُ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ، وَمَنْ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ عَكَفَ عَلَيْهِ، أَمَا فَهِمْتَ هَذَا مِنْ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَاُنْظُرْ إِلَى إِلَٰهِكَ الَّذِي ظَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ عَاكِفًا﴾ طَهَ: 97.

waqāla naẓīruhu fī mithlihi: waʾatruku mā ʾahwā liman qad hawītuhu, waʾarḍā bimā yarḍā waʾin sakhiṭat nafsī, thumma al-ṭumaʾnīnatu ʾilā al-ḥabībi waʿukūfu al-hammi ʿalā al-qarībi wadawāmu al-naẓari, wasiyāḥatu al-fikri liʾanna man ʿarafahu ʾaḥabbahu, waman ʾaḥabbahu naẓara ʾilayhi, waman naẓara ʾilayhi ʿakafa ʿalayhi, ʾamā fahimta hādhā min qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿wa-nẓur ʾilā ʾilāhika alladhī ẓalta ʿalayhi ʿākifan﴾ Ṭā Hā: 97.

Another like him said similarly: “I leave what I desire for the one I love, and am content with what pleases him, even if my self resents it.” Then come repose in the beloved, the concentration of one’s concern upon the Near One, continual looking, and the roaming of thought. Whoever knows Him loves Him; whoever loves Him looks toward Him; whoever looks toward Him remains devoted to Him. Have you not understood this from His saying, exalted is He, “Look at your god to which you remained devoted” (Ṭā Hā 20:97)?

وَمِنْ فَرَائِضِ الْمَحَبَّةِ وَفَضَائِلِهَا؛ مُوَافَقَةُ الْحَبِيبِ فِيمَا أَحَبَّ حُبَّ اللَّهِ، كَمَا قَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لِصُهَيْبٍ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ صُهَيْبًا: لَوْ لَمْ يَخَفِ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَعْصِهِ؛ أَيْ أَنَّ مَحَبَّتَهُ لَهُ تَمْنَعُهُ مِنْ مُخَالَفَتِهِ عَنْ غَيْرِ خِيفَةٍ، فَهُوَ يُطِيعُهُ حُبًّا لَهُ، وَكَانَ صُهَيْبٌ يَقُولُ إِنَّهُ يَسْتَخْرِجُ مِنْ حُبِّي لِرَبِّي شَيْئًا لَا يَسْتَخْرِجُهُ غَيْرُهُ؛ يَعْنِي مِنْ مَعَانِي الصِّفَاتِ الْمُخَوِّفَةِ وَالْأَفْعَالِ الْمَرْجُوَّةِ.

wamin farāʾiḍi al-maḥabbati wafaḍāʾilihā; muwāfaqatu al-ḥabībi fīmā ʾaḥabba ḥubba Allāhi, kamā qāla ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu liṣuhaybin raḥima Allāhu ṣuhayban: law lam yakhafi Allāha lam yaʿṣihi; ʾay ʾanna maḥabbatahu lahu tamnaʿuhu min mukhālafatihi ʿan ghayri khīfatin, fahuwa yuṭīʿuhu ḥubban lahu, wakāna ṣuhaybun yaqūlu ʾinnahu yastakhriju min ḥubbī lirabbī shayʾan lā yastakhrijuhu ghayruhu; yaʿnī min maʿānī al-ṣifāti al-mukhawwifati wa-al-ʾafʿāli al-marjuwwati.

Among love’s obligations and excellences is agreeing with the beloved in what he loves, through love of God. Thus ʿUmar, God be pleased with him, said to Ṣuhayb, “God have mercy on Ṣuhayb: even if he did not fear God, he would not disobey Him.” His love for Him, apart from fear, prevents disobedience; he obeys Him out of love. Ṣuhayb used to say, “It draws from my love for my Lord something that nothing else draws out,” meaning from the meanings of attributes that inspire fear and acts that inspire hope.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ عُلَمَائِنَا: الْإِيثَارُ يَشْهَدُ لِلْحُبِّ، فَعَلَامَةُ حُبِّهِ إِيثَارُهُ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ، وَقَالَ: لَيْسَ كُلُّ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِطَاعَةِ اللَّهِ صَارَ حَبِيبًا لِلَّهِ، وَلَكِنْ كُلُّ مَنِ اِجْتَنَبَ مَا نَهَاهُ صَارَ حَبِيبًا وَهَذَا كَمَا قَالَ: إِنَّ الْمَحَبَّةَ تَسْتَبِينُ بِتَرْكِ الْمُخَالَفَةِ، وَلَا تَبِينُ بِكَثْرَةِ الْأَعْمَالِ، كَمَا قِيلَ: أَعْمَالُ الْبِرِّ يَعْمَلُهَا الْبَرُّ وَالْفَاجِرُ وَالْمَعَاصِي لَا يَتْرُكُهَا إِلَّا صِدِّيقٌ.

waqāla baʿḍu ʿulamāʾinā: al-ʾīthāru yashhadu li-l-ḥubbi, faʿalāmatu ḥubbihi ʾīthāruhu ʿalā nafsika, waqāla: laysa kullu man ʿamila biṭāʿati Allāhi ṣāra ḥabīban li-llāhi, wa-lākin kullu mani ijtanaba mā nahāhu ṣāra ḥabīban wa-hādhā kamā qāla: ʾinna al-maḥabbata tastabīnu bitarki al-mukhālafati, walā tabīnu bikathrati al-ʾaʿmāli, kamā qīla: ʾaʿmālu al-birri yaʿmaluhā al-barru wa-al-fājiru wa-al-maʿāṣī lā yatrukuhā ʾillā ṣiddīqun.

One of our scholars said, “Preference bears witness to love; the sign of loving Him is preferring Him over yourself.” He also said, “Not everyone who acts in obedience to God becomes God’s beloved, but everyone who avoids what He forbids becomes beloved.” This is as he said: love becomes evident through abandoning disobedience, and does not become evident through many deeds. As it is said, “Both the righteous and the wicked perform good works; only an utterly truthful person abandons sins.”

وَقِيلَ: أَفْضَلُ مَنَازِلِ الطَّاعَاتِ الصَّبْرُ عَلَى الطَّاعَاتِ، وَإِنَّ الصَّبْرَ عَلَى الطَّاعَةِ يُضَاعَفُ إِلَى سَبْعِينَ، وَالصَّبْرَ عَنِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ يُضَاعَفُ إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةٍ كَأَنَّهُ أُقِيمَ مَقَامَ الْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، لِأَنَّهُ يَقَعُ اِخْتِبَارًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَضَرُورَةً مِنْ كُلِّيَّةِ النَّفْسِ، فَإِذَا تَرَكَ هَوَاهُ فَقَدْ تَرَكَ نَفْسَهُ، فَأَقَلُّ مَا لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ الزُّهْدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، وَمِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ ضُوعِفَتْ حَسَنَاتُهُ إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةٍ، وَمِنْ أَجْلِهِ ثَبَتَتْ لَهُ الْمَحَبَّةُ بِتَرْكِ الْمُخَالَفَةِ.

waqīla: ʾafḍalu manāzili al-ṭāʿāti al-ṣabru ʿalā al-ṭāʿāti, waʾinna al-ṣabra ʿalā al-ṭāʿati yuḍāʿafu ʾilā sabʿīna, wa-al-ṣabra ʿani al-maʿṣiyati yuḍāʿafu ʾilā sabʿimiʾatin kaʾannahu ʾuqīma maqāma al-mujāhidi fī sabīli Allāhi, liʾannahu yaqaʿu ikhtibāran mina Allāhi waḍarūratan min kulliyyati al-nafsi, faʾidhā taraka hawāhu faqad taraka nafsahu, faʾaqallu mā lahu fī dhālika al-zuhdu fī al-dunyā wa-al-jihādu fī sabīli Allāhi, wamin ʾajli dhālika ḍūʿifat ḥasanātuhu ʾilā sabʿimiʾatin, wamin ʾajlihi thabatat lahu al-maḥabbatu bitarki al-mukhālafati.

It is said, “The highest rank of obedience is perseverance in obedience.” Perseverance in obedience is multiplied seventyfold, while restraint from sin is multiplied seven hundredfold, as though one had been placed in the station of striving in God’s path. It occurs as a test from God and a compulsion from the entirety of the self. When one abandons desire, one abandons oneself; the least this entails is renunciation of the world and striving in God’s path. For this reason one’s good deeds are multiplied seven hundredfold, and love is established through abandoning disobedience.

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ﴾ الرَّحْمَٰنِ: 46 تَفَضُّلُهُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ بِحُبِّهِ، وَأَعْجَبُ مَا سَمِعْتُ فِي هَذَا أَنَّ مُوسَى سَأَلَ الْخَضِرَ: بِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ بَلَغْتَ هَذِهِ الْمَنْزِلَةَ؟ فَقَالَ: بِتَرْكِ الْمَعَاصِي كُلِّهَا، وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ اِشْتَرَى مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ﴾ التَّوْبَةِ: 111، قَالَ: عَيْشَ نُفُوسِهِمُ الْفَانِيَ وَهُوَ عَاجِلُ حُظُوظِهِمْ مِنَ الشَّهَوَاتِ.

qāla Allāhu taʿālā: ﴿waliman khāfa maqāma rabbihi jannatāni﴾ al-raḥmāni: 46 tafaḍḍuluhu ʿalā ghayrihi biḥubbihi, waʾaʿjabu mā samiʿtu fī hādhā ʾanna mūsā saʾala al-khaḍira: biʾayyi shayʾin balaghta hādhihi al-manzilata? faqāla: bitarki al-maʿāṣī kullihā, waqad kāna ʾabū muḥammadin yaqūlu fī qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿ʾinna Allāha ishtarā mina al-muʾminīna ʾanfusahum waʾamwālahum﴾ al-tawbati: 111, qāla: ʿaysha nufūsihimu al-fāniya wahuwa ʿājilu ḥuẓūẓihim mina al-shahawāti.

God Most High says, “For whoever fears standing before his Lord are two gardens” (al-Raḥmān 55:46), His favor over another through His love. The most remarkable thing I have heard concerning this is that Moses asked al-Khaḍir, “How did you attain this rank?” He answered, “By abandoning every sin.” Abū Muḥammad used to explain His saying, exalted is He, “God has purchased from believers their lives and wealth” (al-Tawbah 9:111): “The perishable life of their selves, namely their immediate shares of appetites.”

وَمِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ وُجُودُ الرَّوْحِ بِالشَّكْوَى إِلَيْهِ وَالِاسْتِرَاحَةُ إِلَى عِلْمِهِ بِهِ وَحْدَهُ، وَإِخْلَاصُ الْمُعَامَلَةِ لِوَجْهِهِ وَحُسْنُ الْأَدَبِ فِيهَا، وَهُوَ الْإِخْفَاءُ لَهَا وَكَتْمُ مَا يَحْكُمُ بِهِ مِنَ الضِّيقِ وَالشَّدَائِدِ، وَإِظْهَارُ مَا يُنْعِمُ بِهِ مِنَ الْإِلْطَافِ وَالْفَوَائِدِ وَكَثْرَةُ التَّفَكُّرِ فِي نَعْمَائِهِ وَخَفِيِّ أَلْطَافِهِ، وَغَرَائِبِ صُنْعِهِ وَعَجَائِبِ قُدْرَتِهِ وَحُسْنُ الثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِ فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ، وَنَشْرُ الْآلَاءِ مِنْهُ وَالْأَفْضَالِ وَالصَّبْرُ عَلَى بَلَائِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ صَارَ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ وَأَوْلِيَائِهِ.

wamina al-maḥabbati wujūdu al-rawḥi bi-al-shakwā ʾilayhi wa-al-istirāḥatu ʾilā ʿilmihi bihi waḥdahu, waʾikhlāṣu al-muʿāmalati liwajhihi waḥusnu al-ʾadabi fīhā, wahuwa al-ʾikhfāʾu lahā wakatmu mā yaḥkumu bihi mina al-ḍīqi wa-al-shadāʾidi, waʾiẓhāru mā yunʿimu bihi mina al-ʾilṭāfi wa-al-fawāʾidi wakathratu al-tafakkuri fī naʿmāʾihi wakhafiyyi ʾalṭāfihi, wagharāʾibi ṣunʿihi waʿajāʾibi qudratihi waḥusnu al-thanāʾi ʿalayhi fī kulli ḥālin, wanashru al-ʾālāʾi minhu wa-al-ʾafḍāli wa-al-ṣabru ʿalā balāʾihi, liʾannahu qad ṣāra min ʾahlihi waʾawliyāʾihi.

Love includes finding relief in complaining to Him and resting in His knowledge alone of one’s condition; making one’s dealings sincerely for His sake and observing courtesy in them. That courtesy means concealing them, keeping silent about the constriction and hardships He decrees, and displaying the kindnesses and benefits He grants; often reflecting upon His blessings, hidden kindnesses, wondrous workmanship, and marvelous power; praising Him well in every state; proclaiming His favors and bounties; and patiently enduring His affliction, because one has become one of His own people and friends.

وَقَدْ يَعْسِفُ بِأَوْلِيَائِهِ وَيُعَنِّفُ بِأَحْبَابِهِ لِتَمَكُّنِهِ مِنْهُمْ وَمَكَانَتِهِمْ عِنْدَهُ، وَلِعِلْمِهِ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يُرِيدُونَ لَهُ بَدَلًا وَلَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهُ حِوَلًا، إِذْ لَيْسَتْ لَهُمْ رَاحَةٌ لِسِوَاهُ وَلَا بُغْيَةٌ فِي سِوَاهُ وَلَا لَهُمْ هِمَّةٌ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ، كَمَا قَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُحِبِّينَ: وَيْلِي مِنْكَ وَوَيْلِي عَلَيْكَ، أَفْزَعُ مِنْكَ وَأَشْتَاقُ إِلَيْكَ، إِنْ طَلَبْتُكَ أَتْعَبْتَنِي وَإِنْ هَرَبْتُ مِنْكَ طَلَبْتَنِي، فَلَيْسَ لِي مَعَكَ رَاحَةٌ وَلَا لِي فِي غَيْرِكَ اِسْتِرَاحَةٌ.

waqad yaʿsifu biʾawliyāʾihi wayuʿannifu biʾaḥbābihi litamakkunihi minhum wamakānatihim ʿindahu, waliʿilmihi ʾannahum lā yurīdūna lahu badalan walā yabghūna ʿanhu ḥiwalan, ʾidh laysat lahum rāḥatun lisiwāhu walā bughyatun fī siwāhu walā lahum himmatun ʾillā ʾiyyāhu, kamā qāla baʿḍu al-muḥibbīna: waylī minka wawaylī ʿalayka, ʾafzaʿu minka waʾashtāqu ʾilayka, ʾin ṭalabtuka ʾatʿabtanī waʾin harabtu minka ṭalabtanī, falaysa lī maʿaka rāḥatun walā lī fī ghayrika istirāḥatun.

He may treat His friends harshly and deal sternly with His beloved, because of His hold upon them and their standing with Him, and because He knows they want no replacement for Him and seek no change away from Him. They have no rest with another, no desire for another, and no aim except Him. As one lover said, “My anguish from You, and my anguish for You! I fear You and long for You. If I seek You, You weary me; if I flee You, You pursue me. With You I have no rest, and in another I find no relief.”

ثُمَّ الْمُسَارَعَةُ إِلَى مَا نَدَبَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَنْوَاعِ الْبِرِّ بِوُجُودِ الْحَلَاوَةِ وَبِشَرْحِ الصَّدْرِ كَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ، وَلَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ، ثُمَّ الرِّضَا بِقَضَائِهِ لِأَنَّهُ

thumma al-musāraʿatu ʾilā mā nadaba ʾilayhi min ʾanwāʿi al-birri biwujūdi al-ḥalāwati wabisharḥi al-ṣadri kamā jāʾa fī al-ʾathari, walā yazālu ʿabdī yataqarrabu ʾilayya bi-al-nawāfili ḥattā ʾuḥibbahu, thumma al-riḍā biqaḍāʾihi liʾannahu

Then comes hastening toward the various forms of goodness He has recommended, with a sense of sweetness and an expanded breast, as the transmitted saying has it: “My servant continues to draw near Me through voluntary acts until I love him.” Then comes contentment with His decree, because one—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٩١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 91

Volume Two, page 91

مُسْتَحْسِنٌ لِأَفْعَالِهِ، ثُمَّ اللَّهَجُ بِذِكْرِهِ وَمَحَبَّةُ مَنْ يَذْكُرُهُ وَمُجَالَسَةُ مَنْ يَذْكُرُهُ، وَدَوَامُ التَّشَكِّي وَالْحَنِينِ إِلَيْهِ وَخُلُوُّ الْقَلْبِ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ، وَسَبْقُ النَّظَرِ إِلَى الْخَالِقِ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَسُرْعَةُ الرُّجُوعِ إِلَيْهِ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَوَجْدُ الْأُنْسِ بِهِ عِنْدَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَكَثْرَةُ الذِّكْرِ لَهُ وَالتَّذَكُّرِ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَمِنْ عَلَامَةِ الْمَحَبَّةِ طُولُ التَّهَجُّدِ، وَرُوِيَ عَنِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ: كَذَبَ مَنِ اِدَّعَى مَحَبَّتِي إِذَا جَنَّهُ اللَّيْلُ نَامَ عَنِّي.

mustaḥsinun liʾafʿālihi, thumma al-lahaju bidhikrihi wamaḥabbatu man yadhkuruhu wamujālasatu man yadhkuruhu, wadawāmu al-tashakkī wa-al-ḥanīni ʾilayhi wakhuluwwu al-qalbi mina al-khalqi, wasabqu al-naẓari ʾilā al-khāliqi fī kulli shayʾin, wasurʿatu al-rujūʿi ʾilayhi bikulli shayʾin, wawajdu al-ʾunsi bihi ʿinda kulli shayʾin, wakathratu al-dhikri lahu wa-al-tadhakkuri bikulli shayʾin, wamin ʿalāmati al-maḥabbati ṭūlu al-tahajjudi, waruwiya ʿani Allāhi subḥānahu: kadhaba mani iddaʿā maḥabbatī ʾidhā jannahu al-laylu nāma ʿannī.

—finds His acts beautiful. Then come constant remembrance of Him, loving and keeping company with those who remember Him, continual lament and yearning toward Him, emptying the heart of creation, looking first to the Creator in everything, swiftly returning everything to Him, finding intimacy with Him in everything, and often remembering Him and being reminded through everything. One sign of love is long night prayer. It is related from God, glorified is He: “Whoever claims to love Me but sleeps heedlessly of Me when night enfolds him has lied.”

إِلَّا أَنَّ بَعْضَهُمْ جَعَلَ سَهَرَ اللَّيْلِ فِي مَقَامٍ بِعَيْنِهِ، ذُكِرَ لَهُ هَذَا الْخَبَرُ فَقَالَ: ذَاكَ إِذَا أَقَامَهُ مَقَامَ الشَّوْقِ فَأَمَّا إِذَا أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِ السَّكِينَةَ وَآوَاهُ بِالْأُنْسِ فِي الْقُرْبِ، اِسْتَوَى نَوْمُهُ وَسَهَرُهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ جَمَاعَةً مِنَ الْمُحِبِّينَ، نَوْمُهُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ سَهَرِهِمْ، وَإِمَامُ الْمُحِبِّينَ وَسَيِّدُ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَنَامُ مِثْلَ مَا يَقُومُ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ نَوْمُهُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ قِيَامِهِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ تَأْتِي عَلَيْهِ لَيْلَةٌ حَتَّى يَنَامَ فِيهَا.

ʾillā ʾanna baʿḍahum jaʿala sahara al-layli fī maqāmin biʿaynihi, dhukira lahu hādhā al-khabaru faqāla: dhāka ʾidhā ʾaqāmahu maqāma al-shawqi faʾammā ʾidhā ʾanzala ʿalayhi al-sakīnata waʾāwāhu bi-al-ʾunsi fī al-qurbi, istawā nawmuhu wasaharuhu, thumma qāla: raʾaytu jamāʿatan mina al-muḥibbīna, nawmuhum bi-al-layli ʾaktharu min saharihim, waʾimāmu al-muḥibbīna wasayyidu al-maḥbūbīna rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna yanāmu mithla mā yaqūmu, waqad yakūnu nawmuhu ʾakthara min qiyāmihi walam yakun taʾtī ʿalayhi laylatun ḥattā yanāma fīhā.

Some, however, assigned staying awake at night to one particular station. When this report was mentioned to one of them, he said, “That is when He establishes him in longing. When He sends tranquility upon him and shelters him in intimacy through nearness, sleeping and waking become alike.” He added, “I have seen lovers who slept more at night than they stayed awake.” The leader of lovers and master of the beloved, God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, slept as much as he stood in prayer; sometimes he slept more, and no night passed without his sleeping during it.

وَمِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ الْخُرُوجُ إِلَى الْحَبِيبِ مِنَ الْمَالِ بِالزُّهْدِ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَالْخُرُوجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ النَّفْسِ بِإِيثَارِ الْحَقِّ عَلَى جَمِيعِ الْأَهْوَاءِ، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: عَلَامَةُ الْمَحَبَّةِ دَوَامُ النَّشَاطِ وَالدُّؤُوبِ بِشَهْوَةٍ يَفْتُرُ بَدَنُهُ وَلَا يَفْتُرُ قَلْبُهُ، وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: الْعَمَلُ عَنِ الْمَحَبَّةِ لَا يُدَاخِلُهُ الْفُتُورُ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: وَاللَّهِ مَا اِسْتَسْقَى مُحِبٌّ لِلَّهِ مِنْ طَاعَتِهِ وَلَوْ حَلَّ بِعَظِيمِ الْوَسَائِلِ.

wamina al-maḥabbati al-khurūju ʾilā al-ḥabībi mina al-māli bi-al-zuhdi fī al-dunyā, wa-al-khurūju ʾilayhi mina al-nafsi biʾīthāri al-ḥaqqi ʿalā jamīʿi al-ʾahwāʾi, waqāla al-junaydu: ʿalāmatu al-maḥabbati dawāmu al-nashāṭi wa-al-duʾūbi bishahwatin yafturu badanuhu walā yafturu qalbuhu, waqad qāla baʿḍu al-salafi: al-ʿamalu ʿani al-maḥabbati lā yudākhiluhu al-futūru, waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: wa-Allāhi mā istasqā muḥibbun li-llāhi min ṭāʿatihi walaw ḥalla biʿaẓīmi al-wasāʾili.

Love includes leaving wealth behind to go to the beloved through renouncing the world, and leaving the self behind to go to Him by preferring truth over every desire. Al-Junayd said, “The sign of love is continual energy and eager persistence: one’s body flags, but one’s heart does not.” One of the early believers said, “Action arising from love admits no weariness.” One scholar said, “By God, no lover of God has sought water from his obedience, even if he attained great means of approach.”

وَمِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ التَّنَاصُحُ بِالْحَقِّ وَالتَّوَاصِي بِهِ وَالصَّبْرُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، كَمَا وَصَفَ تَعَالَى الرَّابِحِينَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ، فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ﴾ ﴿إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ﴾ الْعَصْرِ: 2 - 3، لِأَنَّ الْمُحِبِّينَ لَيْسُوا كَمَنْ وَصَفَهُ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿يُؤْتِكُمْ أُجُورَكُمْ وَلَا يَسْأَلْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ﴾ ﴿إِنْ يَسْأَلْكُمُوهَا فَيُحْفِكُمْ تَبْخَلُوا وَيُخْرِجْ أَضْغَانَكُمْ﴾ مُحَمَّدٍ: 36 - 37 يَعْنِي أَنْ يَسْأَلَكُمْ مَحْبُوبُكُمْ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَيَسْتَقْصِيَ عَلَيْكُمْ يُخْرِجْ أَحْقَادَكُمْ عَلَيْهِ.

wamina al-maḥabbati al-tanāṣuḥu bi-al-ḥaqqi wa-al-tawāṣī bihi wa-al-ṣabru ʿalā dhālika, kamā waṣafa taʿālā al-rābiḥīna mina al-ṣāliḥīna, faqāla taʿālā: ﴿ʾinna al-ʾinsāna lafī khusrin﴾ ﴿ʾillā alladhīna ʾāmanū waʿamilū al-ṣāliḥāti watawāṣaw bi-al-ḥaqqi watawāṣaw bi-al-ṣabri﴾ al-ʿaṣri: 2 - 3, liʾanna al-muḥibbīna laysū kaman waṣafahu fī qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿yuʾtikum ʾujūrakum walā yasʾalkum ʾamwālakum﴾ ﴿ʾin yasʾalkumūhā fayuḥfikum tabkhalū wayukhrij ʾaḍghānakum﴾ muḥammadin: 36 - 37 yaʿnī ʾan yasʾalakum maḥbūbukum mina al-ʾamwāli wayastaqṣiya ʿalaykum yukhrij ʾaḥqādakum ʿalayhi.

Love includes sincerely counseling one another in truth, urging it upon one another, and enduring this patiently. So the Most High describes the righteous who prosper, saying, exalted is He: “The human being is indeed in loss, except those who believe, perform good works, urge one another to truth, and urge one another to patience” (al-ʿAṣr 103:2–3). Lovers are unlike those He describes in His saying, exalted is He: “He will give you your rewards and will not ask you for your wealth. If He were to ask for it and press you, you would be miserly, and He would expose your rancors” (Muḥammad 47:36–37): if your beloved asks for your wealth and presses His claim, He exposes your resentments against Him.

وَرَوَيْنَا فِي مَقْرَأِ اِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: وَيُخْرِجْ أَضْغَانَكُمْ؛ يَعْنِي الْأَمْوَالَ، فَلَوْ لَمْ يَدْخُلْ عَلَى هَؤُلَاءِ الضُّعَفَاءِ إِلَّا الشِّرْكُ فِي مَحَبَّةِ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالشُّغْلُ بِهَا عَنْ ذِكْرِ ذِي الْجَلَالِ، فَخَسِرُوا مَا رَبِحَ الْمُخْلِصُونَ مِنَ الْأَحْبَابِ، وَفَاتَهُمْ مَا أَدْرَكَ الصَّالِحُونَ مِنْ طُوبَى وَحُسْنِ مَآبٍ، فَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَسْأَلُ أَحْبَابَهُ أَمْوَالَهُمْ وَأَنْفُسَهُمْ حَتَّى لَا يَبْقَى لَهُمْ مَحْبُوبٌ سِوَاهُ وَلِئَلَّا يَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ مَحَبَّةً مِنْهُ وَكَشْفًا لِمَحَبَّتِهِمْ وَاِخْتِبَارًا لِأَخْبَارِهِمْ فِي صِدْقِهِمْ وَصَبْرِهِمْ.

warawaynā fī maqraʾi ibni ʿabbāsin: wayukhrij ʾaḍghānakum; yaʿnī al-ʾamwāla, falaw lam yadkhul ʿalā hāʾulāʾi al-ḍuʿafāʾi ʾillā al-shirku fī maḥabbati al-ʾamwāli wa-al-shughlu bihā ʿan dhikri dhī al-jalāli, fakhasirū mā rabiḥa al-mukhliṣūna mina al-ʾaḥbābi, wafātahum mā ʾadraka al-ṣāliḥūna min ṭūbā waḥusni maʾābin, fa-Allāhu taʿālā yasʾalu ʾaḥbābahu ʾamwālahum waʾanfusahum ḥattā lā yabqā lahum maḥbūbun siwāhu waliʾallā yaʿbudū ʾillā ʾiyyāhu maḥabbatan minhu wakashfan limaḥabbatihim wa-khtibāran liʾakhbārihim fī ṣidqihim waṣabrihim.

We have transmitted in Ibn ʿAbbās’s reading, “And He will bring out your rancors,” meaning wealth. Even if nothing entered these weak people except association in their love of wealth and distraction by it from remembering the Possessor of Majesty, they would lose what the sincere beloved gained and miss the blessedness and fair return attained by the righteous. God Most High asks His beloved for their wealth and lives so that no beloved besides Him remains for them and they worship Him alone: from His love, to disclose their love, and to test the reports of their truthfulness and patience.

وَلِأَنَّهُ جَوَادٌ مَلِكٌ لَا يَسْأَلُ إِلَّا كُلِّيَّةَ الشَّيْءِ وَجُمْلَتَهُ، وَهُوَ غَيُورٌ لَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُشْرِكَهُ سِوَاهُ فِي مَحَبَّتِهِ، فَلَا يَصْبِرُ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا مَنْ عَرَفَهُ وَلَا يُحِبُّهُ إِلَّا مَنْ صَبَرَ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَا يَرْضَى بِحُكْمِهِ فِيهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أَيْقَنَ بِهِ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ لَا يَسْأَلُ الْجُمْلَةَ كُلَّهَا إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَحَبَّهُ الْمَحَبَّةَ الْخَاصَّةَ، وَذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ مِنْ نِظَامِ حِكْمَتِهِ.

waliʾannahu jawādun malikun lā yasʾalu ʾillā kulliyyata al-shayʾi wajumlatahu, wahuwa ghayūrun lā yuḥibbu ʾan yushrikahu siwāhu fī maḥabbatihi, falā yaṣbiru ʿalayhi ʾillā man ʿarafahu walā yuḥibbuhu ʾillā man ṣabara ʿalayhi, walā yarḍā biḥukmihi fīhi ʾillā man ʾayqana bihi, ʾillā ʾannahu lā yasʾalu al-jumlata kullahā ʾillā liman ʾaḥabbahu al-maḥabbata al-khāṣṣata, wa-dhālika kulluhu min niẓāmi ḥikmatihi.

He is a generous King who asks only for a thing in its entirety and totality. He is jealous and does not love another to share in His love. Only one who knows Him patiently endures Him; only one who endures Him loves Him; only one certain of Him accepts His judgment concerning him. Yet He asks for the whole totality only in the case of one whom He loves with special love. All this belongs to the order of His wisdom.

وَقِيلَ لِبَعْضِ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ وَكَانَ قَدْ بَذَلَ الْمَجْهُودَ فِي بَذْلِ مَالِهِ وَنَفْسِهِ، حَتَّى لَمْ يَبْقَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهَا بَقِيَّةٌ: مَا كَانَ سَبَبُ حَالِكَ هَذِهِ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ؟ فَقَالَ: كَلِمَةٌ سَمِعْتُهَا مِنْ خَلْقٍ لِخَلْقٍ عَمِلَتْ بِي هَذَا الْبَلَاءَ، قِيلَ: وَمَا هِيَ؟ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ مُحِبًّا قَدْ خَلَا بِمَحْبُوبِهِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: أَنَا وَاللَّهِ أُحِبُّكَ بِقَلْبِي كُلِّهِ، وَأَنْتَ مُعْرِضٌ عَنِّي بِوَجْهِكَ كُلِّهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الْمَحْبُوبُ: إِنْ كُنْتَ تُحِبُّنِي فَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ تُنْفِقُ عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ: يَا سَيِّدِي، أُمَلِّكُكَ مَا أَمْلِكُ، ثُمَّ أُنْفِقُ عَلَيْكَ رُوحِي حَتَّى تَهْلِكَ، فَقُلْتُ:

waqīla libaʿḍi al-maḥbūbīna wakāna qad badhala al-majhūda fī badhli mālihi wanafsihi, ḥattā lam yabqa ʿalayhi minhā baqiyyatun: mā kāna sababu ḥālika hādhihi mina al-maḥabbati? faqāla: kalimatun samiʿtuhā min khalqin likhalqin ʿamilat bī hādhā al-balāʾa, qīla: wamā hiya? qāla: samiʿtu muḥibban qad khalā bimaḥbūbihi wahuwa yaqūlu: ʾanā wa-Allāhi ʾuḥibbuka biqalbī kullihi, waʾanta muʿriḍun ʿannī biwajhika kullihi, faqāla lahu al-maḥbūbu: ʾin kunta tuḥibbunī faʾayyu shayʾin tunfiqu ʿalayya faqāla: yā sayyidī, ʾumallikuka mā ʾamliku, thumma ʾunfiqu ʿalayka rūḥī ḥattā tahlika, faqultu:

One of the beloved had exhausted himself giving away his wealth and life until nothing of them remained. Asked, “What caused this state of love in you?” he answered, “Words I heard one creature say to another brought this trial upon me.” Asked what they were, he said, “I heard a lover alone with his beloved say, ‘By God, I love you with my whole heart, while you turn your whole face away from me.’ The beloved asked, ‘If you love me, what will you spend on me?’ He answered, ‘My master, I give you ownership of everything I own; then I shall spend my spirit on you until it perishes.’ I said—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٩٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 92

Volume Two, page 92

هَذَا خَلْقٌ لِخَلْقٍ وَعَبْدٌ لِعَبْدٍ، فَكَيْفَ بِخَلْقٍ لِخَالِقٍ وَعَبْدٍ لِمَعْبُودٍ، فَكَانَ ذَلِكَ سَبَبَهُ فَقَدْ دَخَلَتِ الْأَمْوَالُ فِي الْأَنْفُسِ تَحْتَ الشِّرَاءِ، وَقَدْ بَاعُوهُ نُفُوسَهُمْ فَمَا دُونَهَا لِمَحَبَّتِهِمْ إِيَّاهُ، وَقَدِ اِشْتَرَاهَا مِنْهُمْ لِنَفَاسَتِهَا عِنْدَهُ، فَعَلَامَةُ مَحَبَّتِهِ لَهَا اِشْتِرَاؤُهَا مِنْهُمْ، وَعَلَامَةُ شِرَائِهَا طَيُّهَا عَنْهُمْ؛ فَإِذَا طَوَاهَا فَلَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْهَا بَقِيَّةُ هَوًى فِي سِوَاهُ، فَقَدِ اِشْتَرَاهَا.

hādhā khalqun likhalqin waʿabdun liʿabdin, fakayfa bikhalqin likhāliqin waʿabdin limaʿbūdin, fakāna dhālika sababahu faqad dakhalati al-ʾamwālu fī al-ʾanfusi taḥta al-shirāʾi, waqad bāʿūhu nufūsahum famā dūnahā limaḥabbatihim ʾiyyāhu, waqadi ishtarāhā minhum linafāsatihā ʿindahu, faʿalāmatu maḥabbatihi lahā ishtirāʾuhā minhum, waʿalāmatu shirāʾihā ṭayyuhā ʿanhum; faʾidhā ṭawāhā falam yakun ʿalayhim minhā baqiyyatu hawan fī siwāhu, faqadi ishtarāhā.

—“This is one creature toward another, one servant toward another; what, then, of a creature toward the Creator, a servant toward the One worshipped?” That was what caused his state. Wealth is included along with selves in the purchase. They have sold Him their selves and everything beneath them because they love Him, and He has purchased them because they are precious to Him. His purchasing them indicates His love for them; His folding them away from their owners indicates the purchase. Once He folds them away so that no remnant of desire for another remains upon them, He has purchased them.

وَاِعْلَمْ أَنَّ آفَاتِ النُّفُوسِ هِيَ أَدْوَاؤُهَا، وَطُهْرَةُ النُّفُوسِ مِنَ الْأَدْوَاءِ هُوَ دَوَاؤُهَا، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا﴾ الشَّمْسِ: 9، فَإِذَا صَفَّاهَا مِنَ الْآفَاتِ فَقَدْ صَافَاهَا، وَإِذَا اِمْتَحَنَهَا بِالتَّمْحِيصِ مِنَ الشَّهَوَاتِ لِلتَّقْوَى فَقَدِ اِشْتَرَاهَا، وَلِكُلِّ دَاءٍ مِنَ النَّفْسِ دَوَاءٌ عَلَى قَدْرِ صِغَرِهِ وَعِظَمِهِ، فَضَعِ الدَّوَاءَ عَلَى الدَّاءِ مِنْ حَيْثُ دَخَلَ عَلَيْكَ، بِإِدْخَالِ ضِدِّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَبِقَطْعِ أَصْلِهِ عَنْهُ.

wa-ʿlam ʾanna ʾāfāti al-nufūsi hiya ʾadwāʾuhā, waṭuhratu al-nufūsi mina al-ʾadwāʾi huwa dawāʾuhā, kamā qāla taʿālā: ﴿qad ʾaflaḥa man zakkāhā﴾ al-shamsi: 9, faʾidhā ṣaffāhā mina al-ʾāfāti faqad ṣāfāhā, waʾidhā imtaḥanahā bi-al-tamḥīṣi mina al-shahawāti li-l-taqwā faqadi ishtarāhā, walikulli dāʾin mina al-nafsi dawāʾun ʿalā qadri ṣigharihi waʿiẓamihi, faḍaʿi al-dawāʾa ʿalā al-dāʾi min ḥaythu dakhala ʿalayka, biʾidkhāli ḍiddihi ʿalayhi wabiqaṭʿi ʾaṣlihi ʿanhu.

Know that the defects of selves are their diseases, and purification of selves from diseases is their remedy. The Most High says, “Successful is the one who purifies it” (al-Shams 91:9). When He purifies them of defects, He makes them His intimate friends; when He tests them by refining them of appetites for reverence, He purchases them. Every disease of the self has a remedy proportionate to its smallness or greatness. Apply the remedy where the disease entered you, introducing its opposite and cutting away its root.

فَعَلَامَةُ النُّفُوسِ الْمُشْتَرَاةِ وَهِيَ الْمَحْبُوبَةُ الْمُجْتَبَاةُ، التَّوْبَةُ إِلَى الْحَبِيبِ بِالْخِدْمَةِ لَهُ وَكَثْرَةُ الْحَمْدِ لَهُ بِالسِّيَاحَةِ إِلَيْهِ وَدَوَامُ الصَّلَاةِ، بِحُسْنِ الْأَدَبِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَالْأَمْرُ بِمَا يُحِبُّ وَالنَّهْيُ عَمَّا يَكْرَهُ وَالْحِفْظُ بِحُدُودِهِ الَّتِي حَدَّهَا وَتَرْتِيبُ الْعِلْمِ عَلَى مَدَارِجِ الْعَقْلِ، بِإِخْفَاءِ عِلْمِ التَّوْحِيدِ وَأَسْرَارِ قَيُّومِيَّةِ الْقُدْرَةِ مِنَ الْمُحَافَظَةِ، لِأَنَّ الْعَقْلَ حَدٌّ، وَذَلِكَ مِنْ كِتْمَانِ عِلْمِ الْمَحَبَّةِ.

faʿalāmatu al-nufūsi al-mushtarāti wahiya al-maḥbūbatu al-mujtabātu, al-tawbatu ʾilā al-ḥabībi bi-al-khidmati lahu wakathratu al-ḥamdi lahu bi-al-siyāḥati ʾilayhi wadawāmu al-ṣalāti, biḥusni al-ʾadabi bayna yadayhi wa-al-ʾamru bimā yuḥibbu wa-al-nahyu ʿammā yakrahu wa-al-ḥifẓu biḥudūdihi allatī ḥaddahā watartību al-ʿilmi ʿalā madāriji al-ʿaqli, biʾikhfāʾi ʿilmi al-tawḥīdi waʾasrāri qayyūmiyyati al-qudrati mina al-muḥāfaẓati, liʾanna al-ʿaqla ḥaddun, wa-dhālika min kitmāni ʿilmi al-maḥabbati.

The signs of purchased selves, beloved and chosen, are repentance to the beloved through serving Him, much praise of Him through journeying toward Him, and continual prayer with proper courtesy before Him; commanding what He loves and forbidding what He dislikes; observing the limits He has set; and arranging knowledge according to the intellect’s ascending degrees. Concealing knowledge of oneness and the secrets of power’s self-subsisting governance is part of this safeguarding, because intellect is a limit. This belongs to concealing the knowledge of love.

فَهُوَ عِنْدَ الْمُحِبِّينَ كَحِفْظِ حُدُودِهِ عَلَى الْجَوَارِحِ الَّتِي شَرَعَهَا بِأَلْسِنَةِ الرُّسُلِ، وَمَنْ يَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ، وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ، وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُحِبَّهُ اللَّهُ فَلْيَزْهَدْ فِي الدُّنْيَا، فَلَا يَطْمَعَنَّ طَامِعٌ فِي مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ قَبْلَ الزُّهْدِ فِي الدُّنْيَا، فَهَذِهِ جُمَلُ أَوْصَافِ الْمُحِبِّينَ.

fahuwa ʿinda al-muḥibbīna kaḥifẓi ḥudūdihi ʿalā al-jawāriḥi allatī sharaʿahā biʾalsinati al-rusuli, waman yataʿadda ḥudūda Allāhi faqad ẓalama nafsahu, waman lam yatub fa-ʾulāʾika humu al-ẓālimūna, ʾinna Allāha yuḥibbu al-tawwābīna wayuḥibbu al-mutaṭahhirīna, wa-Allāhu yuḥibbu al-muttaqīna, waqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man ʾarāda ʾan yuḥibbahu Allāhu falyazhad fī al-dunyā, falā yaṭmaʿanna ṭāmiʿun fī maḥabbati Allāhi qabla al-zuhdi fī al-dunyā, fa-hādhihi jumalu ʾawṣāfi al-muḥibbīna.

For lovers, this is like observing upon the bodily members the limits He legislated through the messengers’ tongues. “Whoever transgresses God’s limits has wronged himself”; “Those who do not repent are the wrongdoers”; “God loves those who repent and those who purify themselves”; and “God loves the reverent.” God’s Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever wishes God to love him should renounce the world.” Let no one aspire to God’s love before renouncing the world. These, in outline, are the qualities of lovers.

وَمِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ أَنْ لَا يَطْلُبَ خِدْمَةَ سِوَاهُ وَأَنْ يَجْتَمِعَ فِي مَحَبَّتِهِ هَمُّهُ وَهَوَاهُ، وَلَا يَهْوَى إِلَّا مَا فِيهِ رِضَا الْمَوْلَى، وَلَا يَقْضِي عَلَيْهِ مَوْلَاهُ إِلَّا بِمَا يَهْوَاهُ. وَرُوِيَ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ إِذَا رَأَيْتَهُ يُوحِشُكَ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ، فَاِعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُؤْنِسَكَ بِهِ وَفِي أَخْبَارِ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ: إِنَّ أَوَدَّ الْأَوِدَّاءِ إِلَيَّ مَنْ عَبَدَنِي لِغَيْرِ نَوَالٍ، لَكِنْ لِيُعْطِيَ الرُّبُوبِيَّةَ حَقَّهَا.

wamina al-maḥabbati ʾan lā yaṭluba khidmata siwāhu waʾan yajtamiʿa fī maḥabbatihi hammuhu wahawāhu, walā yahwā ʾillā mā fīhi riḍā al-mawlā, walā yaqḍī ʿalayhi mawlāhu ʾillā bimā yahwāhu. waruwiya ʿan baʿḍi al-ʿulamāʾi ʾidhā raʾaytahu yūḥishuka min khalqihi, fa-ʿlam ʾannahu yurīdu ʾan yuʾnisaka bihi wafī ʾakhbāri dāwūda ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾanna Allāha taʿālā ʾawḥā ʾilayhi: ʾinna ʾawadda al-ʾawiddāʾi ʾilayya man ʿabadanī lighayri nawālin, lākin liyuʿṭiya al-rubūbiyyata ḥaqqahā.

Love includes seeking to serve no one else, gathering one’s concern and desire wholly into His love, and desiring only what pleases the Master, while one’s Master decrees only what one desires. It is related from a scholar, “When you see Him making you feel estranged from His creation, know that He wishes to give you intimacy with Himself.” Accounts of David, peace be upon him, relate that God Most High revealed to him, “Dearest to Me among loving friends is one who worships Me without seeking a gift, but to give lordship its due.”

وَفِيمَا نَقَلَ وَهْبٌ مِنَ الزَّبُورِ، وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ عَبَدَنِي لِجَنَّةٍ أَوْ نَارٍ لَوْ لَمْ أَخْلُقْ جَنَّةً وَلَا نَارًا لَمْ أَكُنْ أَهْلًا أَنْ أُطَاعَ، أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، وَفِي أَخْبَارِ عِيسَى: إِذَا رَأَيْتَ التَّقِيَّ مَشْغُوفًا فِي طَلَبِ الرَّبِّ فَقَدْ أَلْهَاهُ ذَلِكَ عَمَّا سِوَاهُ، وَعَنْ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: الْمُحِبُّ لِلَّهِ يُحِبُّ النَّصَبَ.

wafīmā naqala wahbun mina al-zabūri, waman ʾaẓlamu mimman ʿabadanī lijannatin ʾaw nārin law lam ʾakhluq jannatan walā nāran lam ʾakun ʾahlan ʾan ʾuṭāʿa, ʾaw kamā qāla, wafī ʾakhbāri ʿīsā: ʾidhā raʾayta al-taqiyya mashghūfan fī ṭalabi al-rabbi faqad ʾalhāhu dhālika ʿammā siwāhu, waʿan ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu: al-muḥibbu li-llāhi yuḥibbu al-naṣaba.

Among what Wahb transmitted from the Psalms: “Who is more unjust than one who worships Me for a garden or a fire? If I had created neither garden nor fire, would I not have been worthy of obedience?” Or words to that effect. Accounts of Jesus say, “When you see the reverent person passionately absorbed in seeking the Lord, that has distracted him from everything else.” And from Jesus, peace be upon him: “The lover of God loves toil.”

وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ مَرَّ عَلَى طَائِفَةٍ مِنَ الْعُبَّادِ قَدِ اِحْتَرَقُوا مِنَ الْعِبَادَةِ كَأَنَّهُمُ الشِّنَانُ الْبَالِيَةُ فَقَالَ: مَا أَنْتُمْ؟ فَقَالُوا: نَحْنُ عُبَّادٌ قَالَ: لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ تَعَبَّدْتُمْ؟ قَالُوا: خَوَّفَنَا اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ فَخِفْنَا مِنْهَا فَقَالَ: وَحَقٌّ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُؤَمِّنَكُمْ مَا خِفْتُمْ، ثُمَّ جَاوَزَهُمْ فَمَرَّ بِآخَرِينَ أَشَدَّ عِبَادَةً مِنْهُمْ فَقَالَ: لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ تَعَبَّدْتُمْ؟ قَالُوا: شَوَّقَنَا اللَّهُ إِلَى الْجِنَانِ وَمَا أَعَدَّ فِيهَا لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ فَنَحْنُ نَرْجُو ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: حَقٌّ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُعْطِيَكُمْ مَا رَجَوْتُمْ، ثُمَّ جَاوَزَهُمْ

waruwiya ʿanhu ʾannahu marra ʿalā ṭāʾifatin mina al-ʿubbādi qadi iḥtaraqū mina al-ʿibādati kaʾannahumu al-shinānu al-bāliyatu faqāla: mā ʾantum? faqālū: naḥnu ʿubbādun qāla: liʾayyi shayʾin taʿabbadtum? qālū: khawwafanā Allāhu mina al-nāri fakhifnā minhā faqāla: waḥaqqun ʿalā Allāhi ʾan yuʾamminakum mā khiftum, thumma jāwazahum famarra biʾākharīna ʾashadda ʿibādatan minhum faqāla: liʾayyi shayʾin taʿabbadtum? qālū: shawwaqanā Allāhu ʾilā al-jināni wamā ʾaʿadda fīhā liʾawliyāʾihi fanaḥnu narjū dhālika, faqāla: ḥaqqun ʿalā Allāhi ʾan yuʿṭiyakum mā rajawtum, thumma jāwazahum

It is related that he passed worshippers so consumed by worship that they resembled worn-out waterskins. “Who are you?” he asked. “We are worshippers.” “Why have you devoted yourselves to worship?” “God made us fear the Fire, and we feared it.” He said, “It is fitting that God grant you safety from what you feared.” He passed on to others more devoted than they and asked, “Why have you devoted yourselves to worship?” They answered, “God made us long for the gardens and what He prepared there for His friends, and we hope for that.” He said, “It is fitting that God give you what you hoped for.” Then he passed on—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٩٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 93

Volume Two, page 93

فَمَرَّ بِآخَرِينَ يَتَعَبَّدُونَ فَقَالَ: مَا أَنْتُمْ؟ قَالُوا: نَحْنُ الْمُحِبُّونَ لِلَّهِ، لَمْ نَعْبُدْهُ خَوْفًا مِنْ نَارِهِ وَلَا شَوْقًا إِلَى جَنَّةٍ وَلَكِنْ حُبًّا لَهُ وَتَعْظِيمًا لِجَلَالِهِ فَقَالَ: أَنْتُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ اللَّهِ حَقًّا، مَعَكُمْ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُقِيمَ فَأَقَامَ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِهِمْ، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِلْأَوَّلِينَ: مَخْلُوقًا خِفْتُمْ وَمَخْلُوقًا أَحْبَبْتُمْ، وَقَالَ لِهَؤُلَاءِ: أَنْتُمُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ.

famarra biʾākharīna yataʿabbadūna faqāla: mā ʾantum? qālū: naḥnu al-muḥibbūna li-llāhi, lam naʿbud-hu khawfan min nārihi walā shawqan ʾilā jannatin wa-lākin ḥubban lahu wataʿẓīman lijalālihi faqāla: ʾantum ʾawliyāʾu Allāhi ḥaqqan, maʿakum ʾumirtu ʾan ʾuqīma faʾaqāma bayna ʾaẓhurihim, wafī lafẓin ʾākhara ʾannahu qāla li-l-ʾawwalīna: makhlūqan khiftum wamakhlūqan ʾaḥbabtum, waqāla li-hāʾulāʾi: ʾantumu al-muqarrabūna.

—and came upon others worshipping. He asked, “Who are you?” They said, “We are those who love God. We have not worshipped Him from fear of His Fire or longing for a garden, but from love for Him and reverence for His majesty.” He said, “You are truly God’s friends. I have been commanded to stay with you,” and remained among them. Another version has him tell the earlier groups, “You feared a created thing and loved a created thing,” and these, “You are those brought near.”

وَمِمَّنْ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ هَذَا الْقَوْلُ وَأُقِيمَ فِي هَذَا الْمَقَامِ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ التَّابِعِينَ بِإِحْسَانٍ مِنْهُمْ: أَبُو حَازِمٍ الْمَدَنِيُّ كَانَ يَقُولُ إِنِّي لَأَسْتَحِي مِنْ رَبِّي أَنْ أَعْبُدَهُ خَوْفًا مِنَ الْعِقَابِ، فَأَكُونَ مِثْلَ الْعَبْدِ السُّوءِ إِنْ لَمْ يُعْطَ أَجْرَ عَمَلِهِ لَمْ يَعْمَلْ، وَلَكِنْ أَعْبُدُهُ مَحَبَّةً لَهُ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا مَعْنَى هَذَا الْكَلَامِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا يَكُونُ أَحَدُكُمْ كَالْعَبْدِ السُّوءِ؛ إِنْ خَافَ عَمِلَ، وَلَا كَالْأَجِيرِ السُّوءِ إِنْ لَمْ يُعْطَ أَجْرًا لَمْ يَعْمَلْ.

wamimman ruwiya ʿanhu hādhā al-qawlu waʾuqīma fī hādhā al-maqāmi jamāʿatun mina al-tābiʿīna biʾiḥsānin minhum: ʾabū ḥāzimin al-madaniyyu kāna yaqūlu ʾinnī laʾastaḥī min rabbī ʾan ʾaʿbudahu khawfan mina al-ʿiqābi, faʾakūna mithla al-ʿabdi al-sūʾi ʾin lam yuʿṭa ʾajra ʿamalihi lam yaʿmal, wa-lākin ʾaʿbuduhu maḥabbatan lahu, waqad rawaynā maʿnā hādhā al-kalāmi ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā yakūnu ʾaḥadukum ka-al-ʿabdi al-sūʾi; ʾin khāfa ʿamila, walā ka-al-ʾajīri al-sūʾi ʾin lam yuʿṭa ʾajran lam yaʿmal.

This saying is related from several who followed in goodness and were established in this station, including Abū Ḥāzim al-Madanī. He said, “I am ashamed before my Lord to worship Him from fear of punishment, becoming like a bad servant who will not work unless paid his wage. I worship Him out of love for Him.” We have transmitted the meaning of this from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “Let none of you be like the bad servant, working only when afraid, nor like the bad hired worker, refusing to work unless paid.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ إِخْوَانِ مَعْرُوفٍ لَهُ: أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْكَ أَيُّ شَيْءٍ أَهَاجَكَ إِلَى الْعِبَادَةِ وَالِانْقِطَاعِ عَنِ الْخَلْقِ؟ فَسَكَتَ فَقُلْتُ: ذِكْرُ الْمَوْتِ؟ فَقَالَ: وَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ الْمَوْتُ؟ قُلْتُ: ذِكْرُ الْقَبْرِ وَالْبَرْزَخِ فَقَالَ: وَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ الْقَبْرُ؟ فَقُلْتُ: خَوْفُ النَّارِ وَرَجَاءُ الْجَنَّةِ فَقَالَ: وَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ هَذَا؟ إِنَّ وَاحِدًا بِيَدِهِ هَذَا كُلُّهُ إِنْ أَحْبَبْتَهُ أَنْسَاكَ جَمِيعَ ذَلِكَ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ مَعْرِفَةٌ كَفَاكَ جَمِيعَ هَذَا.

waqāla baʿḍu ʾikhwāni maʿrūfin lahu: ʾakhbirnī ʿanka ʾayyu shayʾin ʾahājaka ʾilā al-ʿibādati wa-al-inqiṭāʿi ʿani al-khalqi? fasakata faqultu: dhikru al-mawti? faqāla: waʾayyu shayʾin al-mawtu? qultu: dhikru al-qabri wa-al-barzakhi faqāla: waʾayyu shayʾin al-qabru? faqultu: khawfu al-nāri warajāʾu al-jannati faqāla: waʾayyu shayʾin hādhā? ʾinna wāḥidan biyadihi hādhā kulluhu ʾin ʾaḥbabtahu ʾansāka jamīʿa dhālika, waʾin kānat baynaka wabaynahu maʿrifatun kafāka jamīʿa hādhā.

One of Maʿrūf’s brethren asked him, “Tell me, what stirred you to worship and withdraw from creation?” He remained silent. “Remembering death?” I asked. He said, “What is death?” “Remembering the grave and the intermediate realm?” “What is the grave?” “Fear of the Fire and hope of Paradise?” He said, “What is all that? One has all of this in His hand. If you love Him, He makes you forget it all; if there is knowledge between you and Him, He suffices you for all of it.”

وَحُدِّثْتُ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْمُوَفَّقِ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ فِي النَّوْمِ كَأَنِّي أُدْخِلْتُ الْجَنَّةَ، فَرَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا قَاعِدًا عَلَى مَائِدَةٍ وَمَلَكَانِ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَشِمَالِهِ يُلَقِّمَانِهِ مِنْ جَمِيعِ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَهُوَ يَأْكُلُ، وَرَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا قَائِمًا عَلَى بَابِ الْجَنَّةِ يَتَصَفَّحُ وُجُوهَ قَوْمٍ، فَيُدْخِلُ بَعْضًا وَيَرُدُّ بَعْضًا، قَالَ: ثُمَّ جَاوَزْتُهَا إِلَى حَظِيرَةِ الْقُدْسِ، فَرَأَيْتُ فِي سُرَادِقِ الْعَرْشِ رَجُلًا قَدْ شَخَصَ بِبَصَرِهِ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَا يَطْرِفُ.

waḥuddithtu ʿan ʿaliyyi bni al-muwaffaqi qāla: raʾaytu fī al-nawmi kaʾannī ʾudkhiltu al-jannata, faraʾaytu rajulan qāʿidan ʿalā māʾidatin wamalakāni ʿan yamīnihi washimālihi yulaqqimānihi min jamīʿi al-ṭayyibāti wahuwa yaʾkulu, waraʾaytu rajulan qāʾiman ʿalā bābi al-jannati yataṣaffaḥu wujūha qawmin, fayudkhilu baʿḍan wayaruddu baʿḍan, qāla: thumma jāwaztuhā ʾilā ḥaẓīrati al-qudsi, faraʾaytu fī surādiqi al-ʿarshi rajulan qad shakhaṣa bibaṣarihi yanẓuru ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla lā yaṭrifu.

I was told from ʿAlī ibn al-Muwaffaq: “In a dream I seemed to be admitted into Paradise. I saw a man sitting at a table, with two angels at his right and left feeding him all manner of good things while he ate. I saw another standing at Paradise’s gate, examining people’s faces, admitting some and turning others back. I then went beyond it into the enclosure of holiness. Within the pavilion of the Throne I saw a man staring fixedly at God, mighty and majestic, without blinking.”

فَقُلْتُ لِرِضْوَانَ: مَنْ هَذَا؟ فَقَالَ: مَعْرُوفٌ الْكَرْخِيُّ عَبَدَ اللَّهَ لَا خَوْفًا مِنْ نَارِهِ وَلَا شَوْقًا إِلَى جَنَّتِهِ بَلْ حُبًّا لَهُ، فَقَدْ أَبَاحَهُ النَّظَرَ إِلَيْهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، قُلْتُ: فَمَنِ الْآخَرَانِ قَالَ: أَخَوَاكَ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَٰرِثِ وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، وَهَذَا مَقَامُ الْأَبْدَالِ مِنَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ، لَا يُقَامُونَ مَقَامَ أَبْدَالِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَلَا يُعْطَوْنَ مَنَازِلَ الشُّهَدَاءِ، حَتَّى تَغْلِبَ مَحَبَّةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ فَيَتَأَلَّهُونَ إِلَيْهِ، وَيَذْهَلُونَ بِهِ عَنْ غَيْرِهِ وَيَنْسَوْنَ فِي ذِكْرِهِ مَنْ سِوَاهُ.

faqultu liriḍwāna: man hādhā? faqāla: maʿrūfun al-karkhiyyu ʿabada Allāha lā khawfan min nārihi walā shawqan ʾilā jannatihi bal ḥubban lahu, faqad ʾabāḥahu al-naẓara ʾilayhi ʾilā yawmi al-qiyāmati, qultu: famani al-ʾākharāni qāla: ʾakhawāka bishru bnu al-ḥārithi waʾaḥmadu bnu ḥanbalin, wa-hādhā maqāmu al-ʾabdāli mina al-ṣiddīqīna, lā yuqāmūna maqāma ʾabdāli al-ʾanbiyāʾi walā yuʿṭawna manāzila al-shuhadāʾi, ḥattā taghliba maḥabbatu Allāhi ʿalā qulūbihim fī kulli ḥālin fayataʾallahūna ʾilayhi, wayadhhalūna bihi ʿan ghayrihi wayansawna fī dhikrihi man siwāhu.

“I asked Riḍwān, ‘Who is this?’ He said, ‘Maʿrūf al-Karkhī. He worshipped God neither from fear of His Fire nor longing for His Paradise, but from love for Him. God has permitted him to gaze upon Him until Resurrection Day.’ I asked, ‘And the other two?’ He said, ‘Your brothers Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.’” This is the station of the substitutes among the utterly truthful. They are not established as substitutes for the prophets or granted the martyrs’ ranks until love of God dominates their hearts in every state: they worshipfully turn toward Him, become oblivious through Him to others, and forget everyone else in remembering Him.

فَيَعْبُدُونَهُ لِأَجْلِهِ صِرْفًا، وَهُمُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ وَنَعِيمُهُمْ فِي الْجِنَانِ صِرْفٌ، وَيُمْزَجُ لِأَهْلِ الْمَزْجِ وَهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْيَمِينِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى فِي وَصْفِ نَعِيمِهِمْ: ﴿إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ﴾ ﴿عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنْظُرُونَ﴾ ﴿تَعْرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ النَّعِيمِ﴾ ﴿يُسْقَوْنَ مِنْ رَحِيقٍ مَخْتُومٍ﴾ الْمُطَفِّفِينَ: 22 - 23 - 24 - 25.

fayaʿbudūnahu liʾajlihi ṣirfan, wahumu al-muqarrabūna wanaʿīmuhum fī al-jināni ṣirfun, wayumzaju liʾahli al-mazji wahum ʾaṣḥābu al-yamīni, kamā qāla taʿālā fī waṣfi naʿīmihim: ﴿ʾinna al-ʾabrāra lafī naʿīmin﴾ ﴿ʿalā al-ʾarāʾiki yanẓurūna﴾ ﴿taʿrifu fī wujūhihim naḍrata al-naʿīmi﴾ ﴿yusqawna min raḥīqin makhtūmin﴾ al-muṭaffifīna: 22 - 23 - 24 - 25.

They worship Him purely for His own sake. They are those brought near, and their bliss in the gardens is unmixed; a mixture is given to those whose state is mixed, the companions of the right. The Most High describes their bliss: “The righteous are indeed in bliss, gazing from couches. You recognize on their faces the radiance of bliss. They are given a sealed nectar to drink” (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:22–25).

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٩٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 94

Volume Two, page 94

ثُمَّ قَالَ فِي نَعْتِ شَرَابِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ وَمِزَاجِهِ، يَعْنِي مِزَاجَ شَرَابِ الْأَبْرَارِ: مِنْ تَسْنِيمٍ عَيْنًا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا الْمُقَرَّبُونَ؛ أَيْ يَشْرَبُهَا الْمُقَرَّبُونَ صِرْفًا، وَيُمْزَجُ لِأَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ، فَمَا طَابَ شَرَابُ الْأَبْرَارِ إِلَّا بِمِزَاجِ شَرَابِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ، فَعَبَّرَ عَنْ جَمْعِ نَعِيمِ الْجِنَانِ بِالشَّرَابِ، كَمَا عَبَّرَ عَنِ الْعُلُومِ وَالْأَعْمَالِ بِالْكِتَابِ، فَقَالَ فِي نَعْتِ الْأَبْرَارِ مِثْلَهُ؛ إِنَّ كِتَابَ الْأَبْرَارِ لَفِي عِلِّيِّينَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَشْهَدُهُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ.

thumma qāla fī naʿti sharābi al-muqarrabīna wamizājihi, yaʿnī mizāja sharābi al-ʾabrāri: min tasnīmin ʿaynan yashrabu bihā al-muqarrabūna; ʾay yashrabuhā al-muqarrabūna ṣirfan, wayumzaju liʾaṣḥābi al-yamīni, famā ṭāba sharābu al-ʾabrāri ʾillā bimizāji sharābi al-muqarrabīna, faʿabbara ʿan jamʿi naʿīmi al-jināni bi-al-sharābi, kamā ʿabbara ʿani al-ʿulūmi wa-al-ʾaʿmāli bi-al-kitābi, faqāla fī naʿti al-ʾabrāri mithlahu; ʾinna kitāba al-ʾabrāri lafī ʿilliyyīna, thumma qāla: yashhaduhu al-muqarrabūna.

Then, describing the drink of those brought near and its admixture, meaning the admixture in the righteous’ drink, He says, “From Tasnīm, a spring from which those brought near drink.” Those brought near drink it pure, while it is mixed for the companions of the right. The righteous’ drink becomes pleasant only through admixture of the drink of those brought near. He expressed the totality of the gardens’ bliss through drink, just as He expressed knowledge and deeds through a book, saying similarly of the righteous, “The record of the righteous is in ʿIlliyyūn,” then, “Those brought near witness it.”

فَمَا حَسُنَ عِلْمُهُمْ وَلَا صَفَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ، وَلَا عَلَا كِتَابُهُمْ إِلَّا بِشَهَادَةِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ لِمَا قَرُبَ مِنْهُمْ وَحَضَرُوهُ، كَذَلِكَ كَانُوا فِي الدُّنْيَا تَحْسُنُ عُلُومُهُمْ بِعِلْمِهِمْ وَتَرْتَفِعُ أَعْمَالُهُمْ بِمُشَاهَدَتِهِمْ، وَيَجِدُونَ الْمَزِيدَ فِي نُفُوسِهِمْ بِقُرْبِهِمْ مِنْهُمْ، كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُعِيدُهُ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿جَزَاءً وِفَاقًا﴾ النَّبَأِ: 26 أَيْ وَافَقَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿سَيَجْزِيهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ﴾ الْأَنْعَامِ: 139 أَيْ كَوَصْفِهِمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا إِنَّهُ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ.

famā ḥasuna ʿilmuhum walā ṣafat ʾaʿmāluhum, walā ʿalā kitābuhum ʾillā bishahādati al-muqarrabīna limā qaruba minhum waḥaḍarūhu, kadhālika kānū fī al-dunyā taḥsunu ʿulūmuhum biʿilmihim watartafiʿu ʾaʿmāluhum bimushāhadatihim, wayajidūna al-mazīda fī nufūsihim biqurbihim minhum, kamā badaʾnā ʾawwala khalqin nuʿīduhu, waqāla taʿālā: ﴿jazāʾan wifāqan﴾ al-nabaʾi: 26 ʾay wāfaqa ʾaʿmālahum, waqāla taʿālā: ﴿sayajzīhim waṣfahum﴾ al-ʾanʿāmi: 139 ʾay kawaṣfihim fī al-dunyā ʾinnahu ḥakīmun ʿalīmun.

Their knowledge becomes good, their deeds pure, and their record elevated only through the testimony of those brought near to what approached them and they attended. So it was in this world: their knowledge improved through those people’s knowledge, their deeds rose through their witnessing, and they found increase within themselves through nearness to them. “As We began the first creation, We repeat it.” The Most High says, “A fitting recompense” (al-Nabaʾ 78:26), corresponding to their deeds; and the Most High says, “He will repay them for their description” (al-Anʿām 6:139), according to their description in this world. “He is wise, knowing.”

فَمَنْ كَانَ فِي هَذِهِ الدَّارِ نَعِيمُهُ طَيِّبَاتِ الْمُلْكِ، فَكَذَلِكَ غَدًا يَكُونُ الْمُلْكُ نَعِيمَهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ فِيهَا نَعِيمُهُ وَرَوْحُهُ بِالطَّيِّبِ الْمَلِكِ، فَهُوَ غَدًا فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ مَلِيكِهِ، كَمَا قَالَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ: مَنْ كَانَ الْيَوْمَ مَشْغُولًا بِنَفْسِهِ فَهُوَ غَدًا مَشْغُولٌ بِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ كَانَ الْيَوْمَ مَشْغُولًا بِرَبِّهِ فَهُوَ غَدًا مَشْغُولٌ بِرَبِّهِ.

faman kāna fī hādhihi al-dāri naʿīmuhu ṭayyibāti al-mulki, fa-kadhālika ghadan yakūnu al-mulku naʿīmahu, waman kāna fīhā naʿīmuhu warawḥuhu bi-al-ṭayyibi al-maliki, fahuwa ghadan fī maqʿadi ṣidqin ʿinda malīkihi, kamā qāla ʾabū sulaymāna al-dārāniyyu: man kāna al-yawma mashghūlan binafsihi fahuwa ghadan mashghūlun binafsihi waman kāna al-yawma mashghūlan birabbihi fahuwa ghadan mashghūlun birabbihi.

Whoever finds bliss in this abode in the good things of the kingdom will likewise find the kingdom his bliss tomorrow. Whoever finds bliss and relief here in the Good King will tomorrow occupy a seat of truth with his Sovereign. As Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī said, “Whoever is occupied with himself today will be occupied with himself tomorrow; whoever is occupied with his Lord today will be occupied with his Lord tomorrow.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَابِعَةَ الْعَدَوِيَّةِ وَكَانَتْ إِحْدَى الْمُحِبِّينَ، وَكَانَ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَقْعُدُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَيَقُولُ: عَلِّمِينَا مِمَّا أَفَادَكِ اللَّهُ مِنْ ظَرَائِفِ الْحِكْمَةِ، وَكَانَتْ تَقُولُ: نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ أَنْتَ لَوْلَا أَنَّكَ تُحِبُّ الدُّنْيَا، وَقَدْ كَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ زَاهِدًا فِي الدُّنْيَا عَالِمًا، إِلَّا إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ تَجْعَلُ إِيثَارَ كُتُبِ الْحَدِيثِ وَالْإِقْبَالَ عَلَى النَّاسِ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الدُّنْيَا.

waqad rawaynā ʿan rābiʿata al-ʿadawiyyati wakānat ʾiḥdā al-muḥibbīna, wakāna al-thawriyyu yaqʿudu bayna yadayhā wayaqūlu: ʿallimīnā mimmā ʾafādaki Allāhu min ẓarāʾifi al-ḥikmati, wakānat taqūlu: niʿma al-rajulu ʾanta lawlā ʾannaka tuḥibbu al-dunyā, waqad kāna raḥimahu Allāhu zāhidan fī al-dunyā ʿāliman, ʾillā ʾinnahā kānat tajʿalu ʾīthāra kutubi al-ḥadīthi wa-al-ʾiqbāla ʿalā al-nāsi min ʾabwābi al-dunyā.

We have transmitted from Rābiʿah al-ʿAdawiyyah, who was one of the lovers. Al-Thawrī would sit before her and say, “Teach us some of the subtleties of wisdom God has granted you.” She would say, “What a fine man you would be, if only you did not love the world!” He, God have mercy on him, was a learned renunciant of the world, but she regarded preference for books of prophetic reports and attending to people as avenues of worldliness.

وَقَالَ لَهَا الثَّوْرِيُّ يَوْمًا: لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ شَرِيطَةٌ وَلِكُلِّ إِيمَانٍ حَقِيقَةٌ، فَمَا حَقِيقَةُ إِيمَانِكِ؟ فَقَالَتْ: مَا عَبَدْتُ اللَّهَ خَوْفًا مِنَ اللَّهِ، فَأَكُونَ كَالْأَمَةِ السُّوءِ إِنْ خَافَتْ عَمِلَتْ، وَلَا حُبًّا لِلْجَنَّةِ فَأَكُونَ كَأَمَةِ السُّوءِ إِنْ أُعْطِيَتْ عَمِلَتْ، وَلَكِنِّي عَبَدْتُهُ حُبًّا لَهُ وَشَوْقًا إِلَيْهِ، وَرَوَى عَنْهَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ: إِنِّي لَأَسْتَحِي أَنْ أَسْأَلَ الدُّنْيَا مَنْ يَمْلِكُهَا، فَكَيْفَ أَسْأَلُهَا مَنْ لَا يَمْلِكُهَا، وَكَانَ هَذَا جَوَابًا لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ لَهَا: اُذْكُرِي لِي حَوَائِجَكِ حَتَّى أَقْضِيَهَا.

waqāla lahā al-thawriyyu yawman: likulli ʿabdin sharīṭatun walikulli ʾīmānin ḥaqīqatun, famā ḥaqīqatu ʾīmāniki? faqālat: mā ʿabadtu Allāha khawfan mina Allāhi, faʾakūna ka-al-ʾamati al-sūʾi ʾin khāfat ʿamilat, walā ḥubban li-l-jannati faʾakūna kaʾamati al-sūʾi ʾin ʾuʿṭiyat ʿamilat, walakinnī ʿabadtuhu ḥubban lahu washawqan ʾilayhi, warawā ʿanhā ḥammādu bnu zaydin ʾannahā qālat: ʾinnī laʾastaḥī ʾan ʾasʾala al-dunyā man yamlikuhā, fakayfa ʾasʾaluhā man lā yamlikuhā, wakāna hādhā jawāban liʾannahu qāla lahā: udhkurī lī ḥawāʾijaki ḥattā ʾaqḍiyahā.

One day al-Thawrī said to her, “Every servant has a condition, and every faith a reality. What is your faith’s reality?” She answered, “I have not worshipped God from fear of God, becoming like a bad maidservant who works when afraid, nor from love of Paradise, becoming like a bad maidservant who works when given something. I have worshipped Him from love for Him and longing for Him.” Ḥammād ibn Zayd related that she said, “I am ashamed to ask for the world from its Owner; how could I ask for it from one who does not own it?” This answered his offer, “Tell me your needs so I may meet them.”

وَخَطَبَهَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ زَيْدٍ فَقَالَتْ: يَا شَهْوَانِيُّ اُطْلُبْ شَهْوَانِيَّةً مِثْلَكَ، أَيُّ شَيْءٍ رَأَيْتَ فِيَّ مِنْ آلَةِ الشَّهْوَةِ؟ وَخَطَبَهَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ أَمِيرُ الْبَصْرَةِ عَلَى مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ وَقَالَ: لِي غَلَّةُ عَشَرَةِ آلَافٍ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ أَدْفَعُهَا إِلَيْكِ، فَكَتَبَتْ إِلَيْهِ: مَا يَسُرُّنِي أَنَّكَ لِي عَبْدٌ وَأَنَّ كُلَّ مَا تَمْلِكُهُ لِي وَأَنَّكَ شَغَلْتَنِي عَنِ اللَّهِ طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ.

wakhaṭabahā ʿabdu al-wāḥidi bnu zaydin faqālat: yā shahwāniyyu uṭlub shahwāniyyatan mithlaka, ʾayyu shayʾin raʾayta fiyya min ʾālati al-shahwati? wakhaṭabahā muḥammadu bnu sulaymāna ʾamīru al-baṣrati ʿalā miʾati ʾalfin waqāla: lī ghallatu ʿasharati ʾālāfin fī kulli shahrin ʾadfaʿuhā ʾilayki, fakatabat ʾilayhi: mā yasurrunī ʾannaka lī ʿabdun waʾanna kulla mā tamlikuhu lī waʾannaka shaghaltanī ʿani Allāhi ṭarfata ʿaynin.

ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Zayd proposed to her. She said, “Man of appetites, seek a woman of appetites like yourself! What instrument of desire did you see in me?” Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān, governor of Basra, proposed to her with a hundred thousand, saying, “I have an income of ten thousand each month, which I shall give you.” She wrote back, “It would not please me to have you as my slave and everything you own as mine, if you distracted me from God for the blink of an eye.”

وَقَدْ قَالَتْ فِي مَعْنَى الْمَحَبَّةِ أَبْيَاتًا تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى شَرْحٍ، حَمَلَهَا عَنْهَا أَهْلُ الْبَصْرَةِ وَغَيْرُهُمْ، مِنْهُمْ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ الضُّبَعِيُّ وَسُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ وَحَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ وَعَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ زَيْدٍ: أُحِبُّكَ حُبَّيْنِ: حُبَّ الْهَوَى ... وَحُبًّا لِأَنَّكَ أَهْلٌ لِذَاكَا فَأَمَّا الَّذِي هُوَ حُبُّ الْهَوَى ... فَشُغْلِي بِذِكْرِكَ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَا وَأَمَّا الَّذِي أَنْتَ أَهْلٌ لَهُ ... فَكَشْفُكَ لِلْحُجُبِ حَتَّى أَرَاكَا فَلَا الْحَمْدُ فِي ذَا وَلَا ذَاكَ لِي ... وَلَكِنْ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ فِي ذَا وَذَاكَا.

waqad qālat fī maʿnā al-maḥabbati ʾabyātan taḥtāju ʾilā sharḥin, ḥamalahā ʿanhā ʾahlu al-baṣrati waghayruhum, minhum jaʿfaru bnu sulaymāna al-ḍubaʿiyyu wasufyānu al-thawriyyu waḥammādu bnu zaydin waʿabdu al-wāḥidi bnu zaydin: ʾuḥibbuka ḥubbayni: ḥubba al-hawā ... waḥubban liʾannaka ʾahlun lidhākā faʾammā alladhī huwa ḥubbu al-hawā ... fashughlī bidhikrika ʿamman siwākā waʾammā alladhī ʾanta ʾahlun lahu ... fakashfuka li-l-ḥujubi ḥattā ʾarākā falā al-ḥamdu fī dhā walā dhāka lī ... wa-lākin laka al-ḥamdu fī dhā wadhākā.

She composed verses on love’s meaning that require explanation. People of Basra and others transmitted them from her, including Jaʿfar ibn Sulaymān al-Ḍubaʿī, Sufyān al-Thawrī, Ḥammād ibn Zayd, and ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Zayd: “I love You with two loves: the love of desire, and a love because You are worthy of it. As for the love of desire, it is my being occupied with remembering You instead of others. As for the love of which You are worthy, it is Your lifting the veils until I see You. Praise in neither this nor that belongs to me; to You belongs praise in both this and that.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٩٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 95

Volume Two, page 95

فَأَمَّا قَوْلُهَا: حُبُّ الْهَوَى وَقَوْلُهَا حُبٌّ أَنْتَ أَهْلٌ لَهُ، وَتَفْرِيقُهَا بَيْنَ الْحُبَّيْنِ فَإِنَّهُ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى تَفْصِيلٍ حَتَّى يَقِفَ عَلَيْهِ مَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُهُ، وَيَخْبُرَهُ مَنْ لَمْ يَشْهَدْهُ، وَفِي تَسْمِيَتِهِ وَنَعْتِ وَصْفِهِ إِنْكَارٌ مِنْ ذَوِي الْعُقُولِ، مِمَّنْ لَا ذَوْقَ لَهُ وَلَا قَدَمَ فِيهِ، وَلَكِنَّا نَحْمِلُ ذَلِكَ وَنَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ مَنْ عَرَفَهُ يَعْنِي حُبَّ الْهَوَى، إِنِّي رَأَيْتُكَ فَأَحْبَبْتُكَ عَنْ مُشَاهَدَةِ عَيْنِ الْيَقِينِ.

faʾammā qawluhā: ḥubbu al-hawā waqawluhā ḥubbun ʾanta ʾahlun lahu, watafrīquhā bayna al-ḥubbayni faʾinnahu yaḥtāju ʾilā tafṣīlin ḥattā yaqifa ʿalayhi man lā yaʿrifuhu, wayakhburahu man lam yashhad-hu, wafī tasmiyatihi wanaʿti waṣfihi ʾinkārun min dhawī al-ʿuqūli, mimman lā dhawqa lahu walā qadama fīhi, walakinnā naḥmilu dhālika wanadullu ʿalayhi man ʿarafahu yaʿnī ḥubba al-hawā, ʾinnī raʾaytuka faʾaḥbabtuka ʿan mushāhadati ʿayni al-yaqīni.

Her expressions “the love of desire” and “a love of which You are worthy,” and her distinction between the two loves, require detailed explanation, so that those unfamiliar with it may grasp it and those who have not witnessed it may know it through experience. Its naming and description provoke rejection among rational people who have neither tasted it nor gained a foothold in it. Nevertheless, we bear that and point it out to one who knows it. By “the love of desire” she means: “I saw You and loved You through the witnessing of direct certainty.”

لَا عَنْ خَبَرٍ وَسَمْعِ تَصْدِيقٍ مِنْ طَرِيقِ النِّعَمِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ، فَتَخْتَلِفَ مَحَبَّتِي إِذَا تَغَيَّرَتِ الْأَفْعَالُ لِاِخْتِلَافِ ذَلِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَلَكِنْ مَحَبَّتِي مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْعِيَانِ، فَقَرُبْتُ مِنْكَ وَهَرَبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَاِشْتَغَلْتُ بِكَ وَاِنْقَطَعْتُ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَ، وَقَدْ كَانَتْ لِي قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ أَهْوَاءٌ مُتَفَرِّقَةٌ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُكَ اِجْتَمَعَتْ كُلُّهَا فَصِرْتَ أَنْتَ كُلِّيَّةَ الْقَلْبِ وَجُمْلَةَ الْمَحَبَّةِ فَأَنْسَيْتَنِي مَا سِوَاكَ.

lā ʿan khabarin wasamʿi taṣdīqin min ṭarīqi al-niʿami wa-al-ʾiḥsāni, fatakhtalifa maḥabbatī ʾidhā taghayyarati al-ʾafʿālu li-khtilāfi dhālika ʿalayya, wa-lākin maḥabbatī min ṭarīqi al-ʿiyāni, faqarubtu minka waharabtu ʾilayka wa-shtaghaltu bika wa-nqaṭaʿtu ʿamman siwāka, waqad kānat lī qabla dhālika ʾahwāʾun mutafarriqatun falammā raʾaytuka ijtamaʿat kulluhā faṣirta ʾanta kulliyyata al-qalbi wajumlata al-maḥabbati faʾansaytanī mā siwāka.

“Not through a report and believing what I heard by way of blessings and beneficence, so that my love would vary when actions changed because of the changing things that befell me. My love comes through direct vision. I drew near You, fled to You, occupied myself with You, and withdrew from everyone else. Before that I had scattered desires; when I saw You, they all gathered together. You became the whole of my heart and the entirety of my love, and made me forget everything else.”

ثُمَّ إِنِّي مَعَ ذَلِكَ لَا أَسْتَحِقُّ عَلَى هَذَا الْحُبِّ، وَلَا أَسْتَأْهِلُ أَنْ أَنْظُرَ إِلَيْكَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَلَى الْكَشْفِ وَالْعِيَانِ فِي مَحَلِّ الرِّضْوَانِ، لِأَنَّ حُبِّي لَكَ لَا يُوجِبُ عَلَيْكَ جَزَاءً عَلَيْهِ بَلْ يُوجِبُ عَلَيَّ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ لَكَ مِنِّي كُلَّ شَيْءٍ مِمَّا لَا أُطِيقُهُ وَلَا أَقُومُ بِحَقِّكَ فِيهِ أَبَدًا، إِذْ كُنْتُ قَدْ أَحْبَبْتُكَ فَلَزِمَنِي خَوْفُ التَّقْصِيرِ، وَوَجَبَ عَلَيَّ الْحَيَاءُ مِنْ قِلَّةِ الْوَفَاءِ.

thumma ʾinnī maʿa dhālika lā ʾastaḥiqqu ʿalā hādhā al-ḥubbi, walā ʾastaʾhilu ʾan ʾanẓura ʾilayka fī al-ʾākhirati ʿalā al-kashfi wa-al-ʿiyāni fī maḥalli al-riḍwāni, liʾanna ḥubbī laka lā yūjibu ʿalayka jazāʾan ʿalayhi bal yūjibu ʿalayya kulla shayʾin laka minnī kulla shayʾin mimmā lā ʾuṭīquhu walā ʾaqūmu biḥaqqika fīhi ʾabadan, ʾidh kuntu qad ʾaḥbabtuka falazimanī khawfu al-taqṣīri, wawajaba ʿalayya al-ḥayāʾu min qillati al-wafāʾi.

“Yet for this love I deserve nothing, nor am I worthy to gaze upon You in the hereafter, unveiled and face to face in the place of good pleasure. My love for You imposes no recompense upon You. Rather, it imposes everything upon me: to You, from me, everything that I cannot bear and in which I can never fulfill Your right. Because I have loved You, fear of falling short is incumbent upon me, and shame for my scant fidelity is required of me.”

فَتَفَضَّلْتَ عَلَيَّ بِفَضْلِ كَرَمِكَ، وَمَا أَنْتَ لَهُ أَهْلٌ مِنْ تَفَضُّلِكَ، فَأَرَيْتَنِي وَجْهَكَ عِنْدَكَ آخِرًا كَمَا أَرَيْتَنِيهِ الْيَوْمَ عِنْدِي أَوَّلًا، فَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ عَلَى مَا تَفَضَّلْتَ بِهِ ذَا عِنْدِي فِي الدُّنْيَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ عَلَى مَا تَفَضَّلْتَ بِهِ فِي ذَاكَ عِنْدَكَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ، وَلَا حَمْدَ لِي فِي ذَا هَهُنَا وَلَا حَمْدَ لِي فِي ذَاكَ هُنَاكَ، إِذْ كُنْتُ وَصَلْتُ إِلَيْهِمَا بِكَ فَأَنْتَ الْمَحْمُودُ فِيهِمَا لِأَنَّكَ وَصَلْتَنِي بِهِمَا.

fatafaḍḍalta ʿalayya bifaḍli karamika, wamā ʾanta lahu ʾahlun min tafaḍḍulika, faʾaraytanī wajhaka ʿindaka ʾākhiran kamā ʾaraytanīhi al-yawma ʿindī ʾawwalan, falaka al-ḥamdu ʿalā mā tafaḍḍalta bihi dhā ʿindī fī al-dunyā walaka al-ḥamdu ʿalā mā tafaḍḍalta bihi fī dhāka ʿindaka fī al-ʾākhirati, walā ḥamda lī fī dhā hāhunā walā ḥamda lī fī dhāka hunāka, ʾidh kuntu waṣaltu ʾilayhimā bika faʾanta al-maḥmūdu fīhimā liʾannaka waṣaltanī bihimā.

“Then You favored me through Your generous bounty and the graciousness befitting You. You showed me Your face with You at the end, just as You showed it to me today, with me, at the beginning. Yours is the praise for this favor You granted me here in the world, and Yours the praise for that favor You granted there with You in the hereafter. No praise belongs to me for this here or for that there, since through You I attained both. You are the Praised One in both, because You brought me to them.”

فَهَذَا الَّذِي فَسَّرْنَاهُ هُوَ وَجْدُ الْمُحِبِّينَ الْمُحِقِّينَ ظَنًّا بِقَوْلِهَا ذَلِكَ، إِذَا كَانَ لَهَا فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ قَدَمُ صِدْقٍ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ وَلَا يَسَعُنَا أَنْ نَشْرَحَ فِي كِتَابٍ كَشْفَ حَقِيقَةِ مَا أَجْمَلْنَاهُ وَلَا أَنْ نُفَصِّلَ وَصْفَ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّينَ كَذَلِكَ حَتَّى يُدِلَّ بِمَحَبَّتِهِ وَيَقْتَضِيَ الْجَزَاءَ عَلَيْهَا مِنْ مَحْبُوبِهِ وَيُوجِبَ عَلَى حَبِيبِهِ شَيْئًا لِأَجْلِ مَحَبَّتِهِ، فَهُوَ مَخْدُوعٌ بِالْمَحَبَّةِ وَمَحْجُوبٌ بِالنَّظَرِ إِلَيْهَا.

fa-hādhā alladhī fassarnāhu huwa wajdu al-muḥibbīna al-muḥiqqīna ẓannan biqawlihā dhālika, ʾidhā kāna lahā fī al-maḥabbati qadamu ṣidqin, wa-Allāhu ʾaʿlamu walā yasaʿunā ʾan nashraḥa fī kitābin kashfa ḥaqīqati mā ʾajmalnāhu walā ʾan nufaṣṣila waṣfa mā dhakarnāhu waman lam yakun mina al-muḥibbīna kadhālika ḥattā yudilla bimaḥabbatihi wayaqtaḍiya al-jazāʾa ʿalayhā min maḥbūbihi wayūjiba ʿalā ḥabībihi shayʾan liʾajli maḥabbatihi, fahuwa makhdūʿun bi-al-maḥabbati wamaḥjūbun bi-al-naẓari ʾilayhā.

What we have explained is the experience of true lovers, offered as an interpretation of her words on the assumption that she had a true foothold in love. God knows best. We cannot explain in a book the unveiling of the reality we have summarized, nor detail the description we have given. A lover who is not like this, but presumes upon his love, demands recompense for it from his beloved, and imposes something upon his beloved on account of it, is deceived by love and veiled through looking at it.

وَإِنَّمَا ذَاكَ مَقَامُ الرَّجَاءِ الَّذِي ضِدُّهُ الْخَوْفُ، وَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ فِي شَيْءٍ وَلَا تَصِحُّ الْمَحَبَّةُ إِلَّا بِخَوْفِ الْمَقْتِ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: مَا عَرَفَهُ مَنْ ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ عَرَفَهُ، وَلَا أَحَبَّهُ مَنْ تَوَهَّمَ أَنَّهُ أَحَبَّهُ.

waʾinnamā dhāka maqāmu al-rajāʾi alladhī ḍidduhu al-khawfu, walaysa mina al-maḥabbati fī shayʾin walā taṣiḥḥu al-maḥabbatu ʾillā bikhawfi al-maqti fī al-maḥabbati, waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: mā ʿarafahu man ẓanna ʾannahu ʿarafahu, walā ʾaḥabbahu man tawahhama ʾannahu ʾaḥabbahu.

That is only the station of hope, whose opposite is fear, and has nothing to do with love. Love is sound only with fear of abhorrence within love. One of those who know said, “One who thinks he has known Him has not known Him; one who imagines he has loved Him has not loved Him.”

ذِكْرُ مَخَاوِفِ الْمُحِبِّينَ وَمَقَامَاتِهِمْ فِي الْخَوْفِ

dhikru makhāwifi al-muḥibbīna wamaqāmātihim fī al-khawfi

An account of lovers’ fears and their stations in fear.

وَلِلْمُحِبِّ سَبْعُ مَخَاوِفَ لَيْسَتْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَقَامَاتِ، بَعْضُهَا أَشَدُّ مِنْ بَعْضٍ: أَوَّلُهَا خَوْفُ الْإِعْرَاضِ، وَأَشَدُّ مِنْهُ خَوْفُ الْحِجَابِ، وَأَعْظَمُ مِنْ هَذَا خَوْفُ الْبُعْدِ، وَهَذَا الْمَعْنَى فِي سُورَةِ هُودٍ هُوَ الَّذِي شَيَّبَ الْحَبِيبَ إِذْ سَمِعَ الْمَحْبُوبَ يَقُولُ: أَلَا بُعْدًا لِثَمُودَ أَلَا بُعْدًا لِمَدْيَنَ كَمَا بَعِدَتْ ثَمُودُ فَذِكْرُ الْبُعْدِ فِي الْبُعْدِ، يُشَيِّبُ أَهْلَ الْقُرْبِ فِي الْقُرْبِ.

wali-l-muḥibbi sabʿu makhāwifa laysat bishayʾin min ʾahli al-maqāmāti, baʿḍuhā ʾashaddu min baʿḍin: ʾawwaluhā khawfu al-ʾiʿrāḍi, waʾashaddu minhu khawfu al-ḥijābi, waʾaʿẓamu min hādhā khawfu al-buʿdi, wa-hādhā al-maʿnā fī sūrati hūdin huwa alladhī shayyaba al-ḥabība ʾidh samiʿa al-maḥbūba yaqūlu: ʾalā buʿdan lithamūda ʾalā buʿdan limadyana kamā baʿidat thamūdu fadhikru al-buʿdi fī al-buʿdi, yushayyibu ʾahla al-qurbi fī al-qurbi.

The lover has seven fears not belonging to any of the people of the stations, some more severe than others. First is fear of being turned away from; more severe is fear of the veil; greater still is fear of distance. This meaning in Sūrat Hūd turned the beloved’s hair gray when he heard his beloved say, “Away with Thamūd! Away with Midian, as Thamūd was swept away!” Mention of distance amid distance turns the hair of those near gray even in their nearness.

ثُمَّ خَوْفُ السَّلْبِ لِلْمُرِيدِ وَالْإِيقَافِ مَعَ التَّحْدِيدِ، وَهَذَا يَكُونُ لِلْخُصُوصِ فِي الْإِظْهَارِ وَالِاخْتِيَارِ مِنْهُمْ، فَيُسْلَبُونَ حَقِيقَةَ ذَلِكَ عُقُوبَةً لَهُمْ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ عِنْدَ الدَّعْوَى لِلْمَحَبَّةِ وَوَصْفِ النَّفْسِ لِحَقِيقَتِهَا، وَيَنْقُصُونَ مَعَهُ وَلَا يَقْنَطُونَ لِذَلِكَ وَهُوَ لَطِيفٌ مِنَ الْمَكْرِ الْخَفِيِّ، ثُمَّ خَوْفُ الْفَوْتِ الَّذِي لَا دَرَكَ لَهُ، سَمِعَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ وَهُوَ أَحَدُ الْمُحِبِّينَ قَائِلًا يَقُولُ فِي سِيَاحَتِهِ نَظْمًا:

thumma khawfu al-salbi li-l-murīdi wa-al-ʾīqāfi maʿa al-taḥdīdi, wa-hādhā yakūnu li-l-khuṣūṣi fī al-ʾiẓhāri wa-al-ikhtiyāri minhum, fayuslabūna ḥaqīqata dhālika ʿuqūbatan lahum, waqad yakūnu ʿinda al-daʿwā li-l-maḥabbati wawaṣfi al-nafsi liḥaqīqatihā, wayanquṣūna maʿahu walā yaqnaṭūna li-dhālika wahuwa laṭīfun mina al-makri al-khafiyyi, thumma khawfu al-fawti alladhī lā daraka lahu, samiʿa ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾad-hama wahuwa ʾaḥadu al-muḥibbīna qāʾilan yaqūlu fī siyāḥatihi naẓman:

Then there is fear of the seeker’s being stripped of his attainment and halted within limits. This happens to the select through their own display and choosing: they are stripped of its reality as punishment. It may happen when they claim love and describe themselves as realizing it. They diminish through this, yet do not despair because of it; this is a subtle form of hidden contrivance. Then comes fear of irrecoverable loss. During his wanderings, Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, one of the lovers, heard a voice reciting verse:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٩٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 96

Volume Two, page 96

كُلُّ شَيْءٍ لَكَ مَغْفُورٌ ... سِوَى الْإِعْرَاضِ عَنِّي قَدْ وَهَبْنَا مِنْكَ مَا فَاتَ ... بَقِيَ مَا فَاتَ مِنِّي فَاِضْطَرَبَ وَغُشِيَ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يُفِقْ يَوْمًا وَلَيْلَةً، وَهَذَا فِي قِصَّةٍ طَوِيلَةٍ كَانَتْ لَهُ بَعْدَ مَقَامَاتٍ أُقِيمَ نُقِلَ عَنْهَا إِلَى هَذَا الْمَكَانِ، حَتَّى قَالَ فِي آخِرِ ذَلِكَ: فَسَمِعْتُ النِّدَاءَ مِنَ الْجُبِّ: يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ كُنْ عَبْدًا قَالَ: فَكُنْتُ عَبْدًا، فَاِسْتَرَحْتُ.

kullu shayʾin laka maghfūrun ... siwā al-ʾiʿrāḍi ʿannī qad wahabnā minka mā fāta ... baqiya mā fāta minnī fa-ḍṭaraba waghushiya ʿalayhi falam yufiq yawman walaylatan, wa-hādhā fī qiṣṣatin ṭawīlatin kānat lahu baʿda maqāmātin ʾuqīma nuqila ʿanhā ʾilā hādhā al-makāni, ḥattā qāla fī ʾākhiri dhālika: fasamiʿtu al-nidāʾa mina al-jubbi: yā ʾibrāhīmu kun ʿabdan qāla: fakuntu ʿabdan, fa-staraḥtu.

“Everything is forgiven you except turning away from Me. We have pardoned what was missed on your side; what was missed from Me remains.” He shook and fainted, not recovering for a day and a night. This belongs to a long story about him, after stations in which he had been established and from which he was transferred to this place. At its end he said, “I heard a call from the pit: ‘Ibrāhīm, be a servant.’ I became a servant and found rest.”

مَعْنَاهُ لَا يَمْلِكُكَ إِلَّا وَاحِدٌ تَكُونُ عَبْدًا لَهُ حُرًّا مِمَّا سِوَاهُ، وَلَا تَمْلِكْ شَيْئًا فَإِنَّ الْأَشْيَاءَ فِي خِزَانَةِ مَلِيكِهَا فَلَا تَتَمَلَّكْهَا فَتَحْجُبَكَ عَنْ مَالِكِكَ، وَتَأْسِرَكَ بِمِقْدَارِ مَا مَلَكْتَهَا، وَقَدْ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ خَلْقِهِ أَنَّ رَجُلَيْنِ أَحَدَهُمَا فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ مُتَشَاكِسُونَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَهْلٍ وَمَالٍ وَشَهَوَاتٍ، وَآخَرَ مُسَالِمًا خَالِصًا لِوَاحِدٍ، إِنَّهُمَا لَا يَسْتَوِيَانِ.

maʿnāhu lā yamlikuka ʾillā wāḥidun takūnu ʿabdan lahu ḥurran mimmā siwāhu, walā tamlik shayʾan faʾinna al-ʾashyāʾa fī khizānati malīkihā falā tatamallak-hā fataḥjubaka ʿan mālikika, wataʾsiraka bimiqdāri mā malaktahā, waqad ḍaraba Allāhu mathalan baynahu wabayna khalqihi ʾanna rajulayni ʾaḥadahumā fīhi shurakāʾu mutashākisūna ʿalayhi min ʾahlin wamālin washahawātin, waʾākhara musāliman khāliṣan liwāḥidin, ʾinnahumā lā yastawiyāni.

This means: let only One own you; be His servant, free of everything else. Own nothing, for things are in their Sovereign’s treasury. Do not take possession of them, lest they veil you from your Owner and enslave you in proportion to your ownership of them. God has drawn a comparison between Himself and His creation: two men, one subject to quarrelsome partners, family, wealth, and appetites, and another peaceably devoted to one alone. They are not equal.

فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَجُلًا فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ مُتَشَاكِسُونَ وَرَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِرَجُلٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ﴾ الزُّمَرِ: 29، أَيِ الْأَكْثَرُ لَيْسُوا عُلَمَاءَ، هَكَذَا الْوَاحِدُ وَأَشَدُّ مِنَ الْفَوْتِ خَوْفُ السُّلُوِّ وَهَذَا أَخْوَفُ مَا يَخَافُونَ، لِأَنَّ حُبًّا لَهُ كَانَ بِهِ لَا بِهِمْ وَهُوَ نِعْمَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ لَا يُعْرَفُ قَدْرُهَا، فَكَيْفَ يَشْكُرُهُ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا يَقُومُ لَهَا شَيْءٌ؟

fī qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿ḍaraba Allāhu mathalan rajulan fīhi shurakāʾu mutashākisūna warajulan salaman lirajulin hal yastawiyāni mathalan al-ḥamdu li-llāhi bal ʾaktharuhum lā yaʿlamūna﴾ al-zumari: 29, ʾayi al-ʾaktharu laysū ʿulamāʾa, hākadhā al-wāḥidu waʾashaddu mina al-fawti khawfu al-suluwwi wa-hādhā ʾakhwafu mā yakhāfūna, liʾanna ḥubban lahu kāna bihi lā bihim wahuwa niʿmatun ʿaẓīmatun lā yuʿrafu qadruhā, fakayfa yashkuruhu ʿalayhā walā yaqūmu lahā shayʾun?

The Exalted says, “God offers a likeness: a man belonging to quarrelsome partners, and a man wholly belonging to one man. Are they equal as a likeness? Praise belongs to God, but most of them do not know” (al-Zumar 39:29). That is, the majority are not knowers; such is the One. More severe than loss is fear of forgetting love, the fear they dread most. Love for Him came through Him, not through themselves. It is an immense blessing whose measure is unknown; how can one thank Him for it when nothing can match it?

فَكَذَلِكَ سُلُوُّهُمْ عَنْهُ يَكُونُ بِهِ كَمَا حُبُّهُمْ لَهُ بِهِ، فَيَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِمُ السُّلُوُّ عَنْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ، مِنْ مَكَانِ مَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْحُبُّ لَهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ، فَتَجِدُ السُّلُوَّ بِهِ كَمَا وَجَدْتَ الْحُبَّ لَهُ، فَتَكُونُ بِهِ قَدْ سَلَوْتَ عَنْهُ وَأَنْتَ لَا تَدْرِي كَيْفَ سَلَوْتَ، لِأَنَّهُ يُدْرِجُكَ فِي ذَلِكَ إِدْرَاجًا بِلَطَائِفِ الْحِكْمَةِ.

fa-kadhālika suluwwuhum ʿanhu yakūnu bihi kamā ḥubbuhum lahu bihi, fayadkhulu ʿalayhimu al-suluwwu ʿanhu min ḥaythu lā yashʿurūna, min makāni mā dakhala ʿalayhimu al-ḥubbu lahu min ḥaythu lā yaʿlamūna, fatajidu al-suluwwa bihi kamā wajadta al-ḥubba lahu, fatakūnu bihi qad salawta ʿanhu waʾanta lā tadrī kayfa salawta, liʾannahu yudrijuka fī dhālika ʾidrājan bilaṭāʾifi al-ḥikmati.

Likewise their forgetting Him happens through Him, just as their love for Him happens through Him. Forgetting Him enters them unawares, from the very place where love for Him entered without their knowing. You find forgetfulness through Him just as you found love for Him. Through Him you have ceased to love Him, without knowing how, because He leads you gradually into it through wisdom’s subtle ways.

كَمَا أَنَّكَ أَحْبَبْتَهُ وَأَنْتَ لَا تَدْرِي لِأَنَّهُ أَشْهَدَكَ وَصْفَهُ بِاِطِّلَاعِ الْقُدْرَةِ عَنْ جِنَانِ الرَّحْمَةِ، فَوَجَدْتَ نَفْسَكَ مُحِبًّا لَهُ، كَذَلِكَ تَرْجِعُ الْمَحَبَّةُ كَمَا جَاءَتْ تَحْجُبُكَ عَنْهُ عَنْ وَصْفِ الْمَكْرِ وَالْجَبْرِيَّةِ، فَتَجِدُ قَلْبَكَ سَالِيًا عَنْهُ بِلَا حَوْلٍ مِنْهُ وَلَا قُوَّةٍ وَلَا اِجْتِلَابٍ وَلَا حِيلَةٍ، وَهَذَا لَا يَصِفُهُ إِلَّا عَارِفٌ بِدَقِيقِ بَلَائِهِ، وَلَا يَحْذَرُهُ إِلَّا خَائِفٌ مِنْ خَفِيِّ مَكْرِهِ وَاِبْتِلَائِهِ.

kamā ʾannaka ʾaḥbabtahu waʾanta lā tadrī liʾannahu ʾashhadaka waṣfahu bi-ṭṭilāʿi al-qudrati ʿan jināni al-raḥmati, fawajadta nafsaka muḥibban lahu, kadhālika tarjiʿu al-maḥabbatu kamā jāʾat taḥjubuka ʿanhu ʿan waṣfi al-makri wa-al-jabriyyati, fatajidu qalbaka sāliyan ʿanhu bilā ḥawlin minhu walā quwwatin walā ijtilābin walā ḥīlatin, wa-hādhā lā yaṣifuhu ʾillā ʿārifun bidaqīqi balāʾihi, walā yaḥdharuhu ʾillā khāʾifun min khafiyyi makrihi wa-btilāʾihi.

Just as you loved Him without knowing how, because He made you witness His attribute through power’s disclosure from the gardens of mercy, and found yourself loving Him, so love withdraws as it came, veiling you from Him through the attribute of contrivance and compulsion. You find your heart forgetful of Him without any power, strength, contrivance, or device of its own. Only one who knows the delicacy of His trial can describe this; only one afraid of His hidden contrivance and testing guards against it.

فَإِذَا سَلَوْتَ عَنْهُ بِهِ كَانَ ذَلِكَ دَلِيلًا مِنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ رَفَضَكَ وَأَطْرَحَكَ كَمَا أَنْتَ إِذَا كُنْتَ تُحِبُّهُ إِنَّمَا أَحْبَبْتَهُ بِهِ، وَهَذَا هُوَ تَحْقِيقُ الْمَكْرِ السَّرِيعِ بِسُرْعَةِ تَقْلِيبِ الْقُدْرَةِ لِقُلُوبِ الَّذِي تَحَقَّقَ بِالْمَكُورِ، وَهُوَ دَرَكُ الشَّقَاءِ الَّذِي أَدْرَكَ الْمَغْرُورَ بِمَا لَا يُدْرِكُهُ الطَّرْفُ لِسُرْعَتِهِ، وَلَا يَحُولُ فِي الْوَهْمِ لِخَفِيَّتِهِ، كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِذَا لَهُمْ مَكْرٌ فِي آيَاتِنَا﴾ يُونُسَ: 21، أَيْ مَعْصِيَةٌ بِالنِّعَمِ.

faʾidhā salawta ʿanhu bihi kāna dhālika dalīlan minhu ʾannahu qad rafaḍaka waʾaṭraḥaka kamā ʾanta ʾidhā kunta tuḥibbuhu ʾinnamā ʾaḥbabtahu bihi, wa-hādhā huwa taḥqīqu al-makri al-sarīʿi bisurʿati taqlībi al-qudrati liqulūbi alladhī taḥaqqaqa bi-al-makūri, wahuwa daraku al-shaqāʾi alladhī ʾadraka al-maghrūra bimā lā yudrikuhu al-ṭarfu lisurʿatihi, walā yaḥūlu fī al-wahmi likhafiyyatihi, kaqawlihi taʿālā: ﴿ʾidhā lahum makrun fī ʾāyātinā﴾ yūnusa: 21, ʾay maʿṣiyatun bi-al-niʿami.

When through Him you forget Him, this indicates from Him that He has rejected and cast you aside, just as, when you loved Him, you loved Him only through Him. This is the realization of swift contrivance through power’s swift turning of the hearts of the one realized in contrivance. It is the overtaking misery that catches the deluded person with something too swift for the eye to grasp and too hidden to pass through imagination. As the Most High says, “At once they contrive against Our signs” (Yūnus 10:21), meaning disobedience through blessings.

قُلِ اللَّهُ أَسْرَعُ مَكْرًا أَيْ أَخْفَى تَقْلِيبًا قَدْ أَظْهَرَ لَهُمْ نِعَمًا أَحَبُّوهَا، وَكَانَتْ عُقُوبَةً وَنِقَامًا بَاطِنَةً فِي لَبْسِ النِّعَمِ الظَّاهِرَةِ يُدْرَجُونَ بِهَا دَرَجَةً دَرَجَةً مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ، وَأَشَدُّ مِنْ هَذَا كُلِّهِ خَوْفُ الِاسْتِبْدَالِ لِأَنَّهُ لَا مَشُوبَةَ فِيهِ، وَهَذَا حَقِيقَةُ الِاسْتِدْرَاجِ يَقَعُ عَنْ نِهَايَةِ الْمَقْتِ مِنَ الْمَحْبُوبِ، وَغَايَةِ الْبُغْضِ مِنْهُ وَالْبُعْدِ، وَالسُّلُوُّ مُقَدِّمَةُ هَذَا الْمَقَامِ وَالْإِعْرَاضُ وَالْحِجَابُ بِدَايَةُ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ.

quli Allāhu ʾasraʿu makran ʾay ʾakhfā taqlīban qad ʾaẓhara lahum niʿaman ʾaḥabbūhā, wakānat ʿuqūbatan waniqāman bāṭinatan fī labsi al-niʿami al-ẓāhirati yudrajūna bihā darajatan darajatan min ḥaythu lā yaʿlamūna, waʾashaddu min hādhā kullihi khawfu al-istibdāli liʾannahu lā mashūbata fīhi, wa-hādhā ḥaqīqatu al-istidrāji yaqaʿu ʿan nihāyati al-maqti mina al-maḥbūbi, waghāyati al-bughḍi minhu wa-al-buʿdi, wa-al-suluwwu muqaddimatu hādhā al-maqāmi wa-al-ʾiʿrāḍu wa-al-ḥijābu bidāyatu dhālika kullihi.

“Say: God is swifter in contrivance,” meaning subtler in turning things. He has displayed blessings they loved, while these were inward punishment and retribution clothed in outward blessings, through which they are led, degree by degree, without knowing. More severe than all this is fear of being replaced, for it contains no admixture. This is the reality of gradual entrapment, arising from the beloved’s utmost abhorrence, extreme hatred, and distance. Forgetfulness is the prelude to this station, and turning away and the veil are the beginning of it all.

وَالْقَبْضُ عَنِ الذِّكْرِ وَضِيقُ الصَّدْرِ بِالْبِرِّ أَسْبَابُ هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي الْمُبْعِدَةِ وَالْمَدَارِجِ الْمُدْرِجَةِ، إِذَا قَوِيَتْ وَتَزَايَدَتْ

wa-al-qabḍu ʿani al-dhikri waḍīqu al-ṣadri bi-al-birri ʾasbābu hādhihi al-maʿānī al-mubʿidati wa-al-madāriji al-mudrijati, ʾidhā qawiyat watazāyadat

Being held back from remembrance and feeling constricted by goodness are causes of these conditions that distance one and these stages that lead one onward. When they grow strong and increase—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٩٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 97

Volume Two, page 97

أَخْرَجَتْ إِلَى هَذَا كُلِّهِ، وَإِذَا تَنَاقَصَتْ وَبُدِّلَ بِهَا الصَّالِحَاتُ وَالْحَسَنَاتُ أَدْخَلَتْ فِي مَقَامَاتِ الْمَحَبَّةِ وَالْقُرُبَاتِ، كَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ: التَّائِبُ حَبِيبُ اللَّهِ، وَكَذَلِكَ فِي تَدَبُّرِ الْخِطَابِ أَنَّ الْعَاكِفَ عَلَى هَوَاهُ مَقِيتُ اللَّهِ، فَوَجْدُ هَذِهِ الْأَوْصَافِ مِنْكَ دَلَائِلُ مَا غَابَ عَنْكَ مِنَ الِاسْتِبْدَالِ بِكَ وَالْإِسْقَاطِ لَكَ، وَالْخَوْفُ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي عَلَامَةُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِأَخْلَاقِهِ الْمَلُوئَةِ.

ʾakhrajat ʾilā hādhā kullihi, waʾidhā tanāqaṣat wabuddila bihā al-ṣāliḥātu wa-al-ḥasanātu ʾadkhalat fī maqāmāti al-maḥabbati wa-al-qurubāti, kamā jāʾa fī al-ʾathari: al-tāʾibu ḥabību Allāhi, wa-kadhālika fī tadabburi al-khiṭābi ʾanna al-ʿākifa ʿalā hawāhu maqītu Allāhi, fawajdu hādhihi al-ʾawṣāfi minka dalāʾilu mā ghāba ʿanka mina al-istibdāli bika wa-al-ʾisqāṭi laka, wa-al-khawfu min hādhihi al-maʿānī ʿalāmatu al-maʿrifati biʾakhlāqihi al-malūʾati.

—they bring one out into all of this. When they diminish and are replaced by righteous and good deeds, they bring one into the stations of love and nearness, as the report says, “The repentant is God’s beloved.” Likewise, reflection upon the address shows that one devoted to his desire is abhorrent to God. Finding these qualities in yourself indicates what is hidden from you of your being replaced and cast down. Fear of these conditions is a sign of knowing His “full” qualities.

وَلَا يَصْلُحُ شَرْحُ هَذِهِ الْمَقَامَاتِ فِي كِتَابٍ وَلَا تَفْصِيلُهَا بِرَسْمِ خِطَابٍ، إِنَّمَا يُشْرَحُ فِي قَلْبِهِ بِيَقِينِهِ قَدْ شُرِحَ وَبِفَضْلِ الْعَبْدِ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ قَدْ فُصِلَ، فَأَمَّا قَلْبُهُ مُشْتَرَكٌ وَعَبْدٌ فِي هَوَاهُ مُرْتَبِكٌ، فَلَيْسَ لِذَلِكَ أَهْلًا وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ، وَثَمَّ خَوْفٌ ثَامِنٌ عَنْ شَهَادَةِ حُبٍّ عَالٍ يَغْرُبُ اِسْمُهُ فَيَلْتَبِسُ، وَيَخْفَى وَصْفُهُ لِقِلَّةِ اِشْتِهَارِهِ فِي الِاسْتِمَاعِ فَيُجْهَلُ.

walā yaṣluḥu sharḥu hādhihi al-maqāmāti fī kitābin walā tafṣīluhā birasmi khiṭābin, ʾinnamā yushraḥu fī qalbihi biyaqīnihi qad shuriḥa wabifaḍli al-ʿabdi min nafsihi qad fuṣila, faʾammā qalbuhu mushtarakun waʿabdun fī hawāhu murtabikun, falaysa li-dhālika ʾahlan wa-Allāhu al-mustaʿānu, wathamma khawfun thāminun ʿan shahādati ḥubbin ʿālin yaghrubu ismuhu fayaltabisu, wayakhfā waṣfuhu liqillati ishtihārihi fī al-istimāʿi fayujhalu.

These stations should not be explained in a book or detailed in written discourse. They are explained only within a heart already opened by its certainty, and through the servant’s excellence, separated from himself. A heart that is shared and a servant entangled in desire are unfit for this; God is the One whose help is sought. There is an eighth fear arising from witnessing an exalted love: its name is unfamiliar and so becomes confused, its description hidden because it is seldom heard, and so it remains unknown.

لَمْ نُسَمِّهِ لِأَنَّهُ خَوْفٌ عَنْ مَقَامٍ لَهُ اِسْمٌ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ، فَيَشْتَبِهُ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِنْ سَامِعِيهِ فَيُنْكِرُونَهُ وَيَتَشَنَّجُ فِي أَوْهَامِ غَيْرِ مُشَاهِدِيهِ بِالْخَلْقِ فَيُمَثِّلُونَهُ، لِأَنَّ أَسْمَاءَ صِفَاتِ الْخَلْقِ مُلْتَبِسَةٌ بِمَعْنَى صِفَاتِ الْخَالِقِ، وَإِنَّمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا يَعْلَمُونَ وَهُمْ بِعُلُومِهِمْ مَحْجُوبُونَ، فَكَيْفَ بِهَا يَشْهَدُونَ، فَإِنْ ذَكَرْنَا خَوْفَهُ نَمَّ عَلَى ذِكْرِ مَقَامِهِ فَظَهَرَ بِإِظْهَارِهِ، فَكَانَ طَيُّهُ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ نَشْرِهِ.

lam nusammihi liʾannahu khawfun ʿan maqāmin lahu ismun mina al-maḥabbati, fayashtabihu ʿalā kathīrin min sāmiʿīhi fayunkirūnahu wayatashannaju fī ʾawhāmi ghayri mushāhidīhi bi-al-khalqi fayumaththilūnahu, liʾanna ʾasmāʾa ṣifāti al-khalqi multabisatun bimaʿnā ṣifāti al-khāliqi, waʾinnamā lahum min dhālika mā yaʿlamūna wahum biʿulūmihim maḥjūbūna, fakayfa bihā yashhadūna, faʾin dhakarnā khawfahu namma ʿalā dhikri maqāmihi faẓahara biʾiẓhārihi, fakāna ṭayyuhu ʾafḍala min nashrihi.

We have not named it, because it is fear arising from a station with a name belonging to love. Many who hear it would confuse it and deny it; in the imaginations of those who have not witnessed it, it contracts into the created, and they liken it to created things. Names of created attributes overlap with the meaning of the Creator’s attributes. They possess only what they know of this, and are veiled by their knowledge: how, then, could they witness through it? If we mentioned its fear, that would betray its station, which would become manifest through its disclosure. Concealment was therefore better than publication.

إِلَى أَنْ يَسْأَلَ عَنْهُ مَنِ اُبْتُلِيَ بِمَصْدَرِهِ عَنْهُ، بَعْدَ أَنْ نَشَرْتَ مِنْهُ لِأَنَّ مَقَامَاتِ الْمَحَبَّةِ كُلَّهَا إِلَى جَنْبِ مَقَامِهِ، كَنَهْرٍ أُضِيفَ إِلَى بَحْرٍ مِثْلُهُ، كَمَثَلِ مُشَاهَدَاتِ الْيَقِينِ كُلِّهَا إِلَى جَنْبِ شَهَادَةِ التَّوْحِيدِ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ، وَهُوَ وَصْفٌ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ يُعْرَفُ لِأَنَّهُ مِنْ شَوْقِ الْحَبِيبِ إِلَى الْمُحِبِّ، وَهُوَ مِنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ رَابِعَةَ آنِفًا: حُبُّ الْهَوَى، وَمِنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَرَى رَبَّكَ يُسَارِعُ إِلَى هَوَاكَ.

ʾilā ʾan yasʾala ʿanhu mani ubtuliya bimaṣdarihi ʿanhu, baʿda ʾan nasharta minhu liʾanna maqāmāti al-maḥabbati kullahā ʾilā janbi maqāmihi, kanahrin ʾuḍīfa ʾilā baḥrin mithluhu, kamathali mushāhadāti al-yaqīni kullihā ʾilā janbi shahādati al-tawḥīdi bi-al-tawḥīdi, wahuwa waṣfun mina al-maḥabbati yuʿrafu liʾannahu min shawqi al-ḥabībi ʾilā al-muḥibbi, wahuwa min maʿnā qawli rābiʿata ʾānifan: ḥubbu al-hawā, wamin maʿnā qawli ʿāʾishata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhā li-l-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾarā rabbaka yusāriʿu ʾilā hawāka.

Until someone tried by its issuing from him asks about it, after you have spread something of it. All the stations of love beside his station resemble a river added to a sea, just as all witnessings of certainty stand beside witnessing oneness through oneness. It is a description of love that is known, because it comes from the beloved’s longing toward the lover. It belongs to the meaning of Rābiʿah’s earlier phrase, “the love of desire,” and to ʿĀʾishah’s saying, God be pleased with her, to the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “I see your Lord hastens to fulfill your desire.”

وَمَنْ صَدَرَ عَنْ مَقَامِ مُحِبٍّ بَعْدَ وُرُودِهِ رُفِعَ إِلَى هَذَا الْمَقَامِ لِأَنَّهُ فِي مَقَامِ مَحْبُوبٍ لِجَمِيلِ مُشَاهَدَاتِ الْيَقِينِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يُنْشِدُ هَذَيْنِ الْبَيْتَيْنِ كَثِيرًا: وَمِنْ بَعْدِ هَذَا مَا تَدِقُّ صِفَاتُهُ ... وَمَا كَتْمُهُ أَحْظَى لَدَيْهِ وَأَعْدَلُ أَلَا إِنَّ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ سِرًّا يُسِرُّهُ ... إِلَى أَهْلِهِ فِي السِّرِّ وَالسِّتْرُ أَجْمَلُ.

waman ṣadara ʿan maqāmi muḥibbin baʿda wurūdihi rufiʿa ʾilā hādhā al-maqāmi liʾannahu fī maqāmi maḥbūbin lijamīli mushāhadāti al-yaqīni, waqad kāna al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu yunshidu hādhayni al-baytayni kathīran: wamin baʿdi hādhā mā tadiqqu ṣifātuhu ... wamā katmuhu ʾaḥẓā ladayhi waʾaʿdalu ʾalā ʾinna li-l-raḥmāni sirran yusirruhu ... ʾilā ʾahlihi fī al-sirri wa-al-sitru ʾajmalu.

Whoever departs from the station of a lover after entering it is raised to this station, because he occupies the station of one beloved through beautiful witnessings of certainty. Al-Junayd, God have mercy on him, often recited these two verses: “Beyond this are things whose qualities grow subtle, things whose concealment is more favored with Him and more just. Surely the All-Merciful has a secret He confides to its people in secret, and concealment is more beautiful.”

وَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَا مَعْنَاهُ بَعْضَ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ فِي كَلَامٍ مَنْظُومٍ فِي بَيْتَيْنِ وَهُمَا: فَمِنْكَ بَدَا حُبٌّ بِعِزٍّ تَمَازَجَا ... بِمَاءِ وِصَالٍ كُنْتَ أَنْتَ وَصَلْتَهُ ظَهَرْتَ لِمَنْ أَبْقَيْتَ بَعْدَ فَنَائِهِ ... فَكَانَ بِلَا كَوْنٍ لِأَنَّكَ كُنْتَهُ وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: مَنْ عَرَفَ اللَّهَ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْمَحَبَّةِ بِغَيْرِ خَوْفٍ هَلَكَ بِالْبَسْطِ وَالْإِدْلَالِ، وَمَنْ عَرَفَهُ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْخَوْفِ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَحَبَّةٍ اِنْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ بِالْبُعْدِ وَالِاسْتِيحَاشِ، وَمَنْ عَرَفَ اللَّهَ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْمَحَبَّةِ وَالْخَوْفِ أَحَبَّهُ اللَّهُ فَقَرَّبَهُ وَعَلَّمَهُ وَمَكَّنَهُ.

waqad dhakarnā maʿnāhu baʿḍa al-maḥbūbīna fī kalāmin manẓūmin fī baytayni wahumā: faminka badā ḥubbun biʿizzin tamāzajā ... bimāʾi wiṣālin kunta ʾanta waṣaltahu ẓaharta liman ʾabqayta baʿda fanāʾihi ... fakāna bilā kawnin liʾannaka kuntahu waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: man ʿarafa Allāha min ṭarīqi al-maḥabbati bighayri khawfin halaka bi-al-basṭi wa-al-ʾidlāli, waman ʿarafahu min ṭarīqi al-khawfi min ghayri maḥabbatin inqaṭaʿa ʿanhu bi-al-buʿdi wa-al-istīḥāshi, waman ʿarafa Allāha min ṭarīqi al-maḥabbati wa-al-khawfi ʾaḥabbahu Allāhu faqarrabahu waʿallamahu wamakkanahu.

We have mentioned its meaning to one of the beloved in two lines of verse: “From You appeared a love mingled with might, with the water of a union You Yourself had joined. You appeared to one You preserved after his passing away; he existed without existence, because You were he.” One scholar said, “Whoever knows God through love without fear perishes through expansiveness and presumption. Whoever knows Him through fear without love is cut off by distance and estrangement. Whoever knows God through love and fear, God loves, bringing him near, teaching him, and establishing him.”

وَلَيْسَ الْعَجَبُ مِنْ خَوْفِ الْخَائِفِينَ إِذْ لَا يَعْرِفُونَ إِلَّا الصِّفَاتِ الْمُخَوِّفَاتِ وَالْأَفْعَالَ الْقَاصِمَاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا الْعَجَبُ مِنْ خَوْفِ الْمُحِبِّينَ مَعَ مَا عَرَفُوا مِنْ أَخْلَاقِهِ وَحَنَانِهِ وَشَهِدُوا مِنْ تَعَطُّفِهِ وَأَلْطَافِهِ مَا لَمْ يَعْرِفِ الْخَائِفُونَ، ثُمَّ هُمْ مَعَ حُبِّهِمْ يَهَابُونَهُ وَعَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ بِهِ يُحَابُّونَهُ، وَفِي فَزَعِهِمْ مِنْهُ يَشْتَاقُونَ إِلَيْهِ، وَفِي بَسْطِهِ لَهُمْ يَنْقَبِضُونَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، وَفِي إِعْزَازِهِ لَهُمْ يَذِلُّونَ لَهُ، لِأَنَّ مَنْ قُبِضَ فَاِنْقَبَضَ

walaysa al-ʿajabu min khawfi al-khāʾifīna ʾidh lā yaʿrifūna ʾillā al-ṣifāti al-mukhawwifāti wa-al-ʾafʿāla al-qāṣimāti, waʾinnamā al-ʿajabu min khawfi al-muḥibbīna maʿa mā ʿarafū min ʾakhlāqihi waḥanānihi washahidū min taʿaṭṭufihi waʾalṭāfihi mā lam yaʿrifi al-khāʾifūna, thumma hum maʿa ḥubbihim yahābūnahu waʿalā ʾanfusihim bihi yuḥābbūnahu, wafī fazaʿihim minhu yashtāqūna ʾilayhi, wafī basṭihi lahum yanqabiḍūna bayna yadayhi, wafī ʾiʿzāzihi lahum yadhillūna lahu, liʾanna man qubiḍa fa-nqabaḍa

The fear of the fearful is no marvel, since they know only frightening attributes and crushing acts. The marvel is lovers’ fear despite their knowledge of His ways and tenderness and their witnessing of His affection and kindness, unknown to the fearful. Even with their love they stand in awe of Him and, through Him, love Him above themselves. In their dread of Him they long for Him; when He expands their state, they contract before Him; when He honors them, they humble themselves before Him. For someone who is constrained and becomes constrained—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٩٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 98

Volume Two, page 98

فَلَيْسَ بِعَجَبٍ، وَلَكِنْ مَنْ أُعِزَّ وَأُكْرِمَ فَتَوَاضَعَ وَذَلَّ فَهُوَ الْعَجَبُ، فَلِلْمُحِبِّينَ الِانْقِبَاضُ فِي الْبَسْطِ، وَلِلْخَائِفِينَ الِانْقِبَاضُ فِي الْقَبْضِ، وَلِلْمُحِبِّينَ الذُّلُّ مَعَ الْعِزِّ وَالْكَرَامَةِ، وَلِلْخَائِفِينَ الذِّلَّةُ مَعَ الْهَيْبَةِ وَالْمِهْنَةِ، فَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ مَعْرِفَةَ الْمُحِبِّينَ بِهِ أَعْظَمُ الْمَعَارِفِ إِذْ كَانَتْ أَوَائِلُ أَحْوَالِهِمُ الْمَخَاوِفَ، فَكُلُّ مُحِبٍّ لِلَّهِ خَائِفٌ وَلَيْسَ كُلُّ خَائِفٍ مُحِبًّا يَعْنِي مَحَبَّةَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ، لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَذُقْ طَعْمَ الْحُبِّ.

falaysa biʿajabin, wa-lākin man ʾuʿizza waʾukrima fatawāḍaʿa wadhalla fahuwa al-ʿajabu, fali-l-muḥibbīna al-inqibāḍu fī al-basṭi, wali-l-khāʾifīna al-inqibāḍu fī al-qabḍi, wali-l-muḥibbīna al-dhullu maʿa al-ʿizzi wa-al-karāmati, wali-l-khāʾifīna al-dhillatu maʿa al-haybati wa-al-mihnati, fa-hādhā yadullu ʿalā ʾanna maʿrifata al-muḥibbīna bihi ʾaʿẓamu al-maʿārifi ʾidh kānat ʾawāʾilu ʾaḥwālihimu al-makhāwifa, fakullu muḥibbin li-llāhi khāʾifun walaysa kullu khāʾifin muḥibban yaʿnī maḥabbata al-muqarrabīna, liʾannahu lam yadhuq ṭaʿma al-ḥubbi.

—is no marvel. The marvel is one who is exalted and honored, yet becomes humble and lowly. Lovers contract during expansion; the fearful contract during constriction. Lovers are humble amid honor and dignity; the fearful are abased amid awe and humiliation. This indicates that lovers’ knowledge of Him is the greatest knowledge, since fearful states were the beginnings of their experience. Every lover of God is afraid, but not every fearful person is a lover, meaning with the love of those brought near, because he has not tasted love.

لِأَنَّ طَعْمَ مَحَبَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْمُفْتَرَضَةِ لَا يَقَعُ بِهَا اِعْتِبَارٌ فِي مَقَامَاتِ الْخُصُوصِ، لِأَنَّهُ لَا يُوجَدُ عَنْهَا مَوَاجِيدُ الْأَحْوَالِ، وَلَا يُعْلَى بِهَا فِي مُشَاهَدَاتِ الِانْتِقَالِ، لِأَنَّهَا قُوتُ الْإِيمَانِ، مَنُوطَةٌ بِصِحَّتِهِ وَمَوْجُودَةٌ بِوُجُودِهِ، وَالْمَحَبَّةُ لَا تَرْفَعُ الْهَيْبَةَ، فَلِذَلِكَ كَانَ مُحِبًّا خَائِفًا لِأَنَّ الْمَحْبُوبَ مَهُوبٌ، وَالْخَوْفُ قَدْ يَقْبِضُ عَنِ الْمَحَبَّةِ لِشُغْلِ الْخَائِفِ بِوَصْفِهِ السَّالِفِ، وَهَذَا كَشْفُ الْأَبْرَارِ وَهُوَ حِجَابُ الْمُقَرَّبِ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ قُوتٌ.

liʾanna ṭaʿma maḥabbati al-muslimīna al-muftaraḍati lā yaqaʿu bihā iʿtibārun fī maqāmāti al-khuṣūṣi, liʾannahu lā yūjadu ʿanhā mawājīdu al-ʾaḥwāli, walā yuʿlā bihā fī mushāhadāti al-intiqāli, liʾannahā qūtu al-ʾīmāni, manūṭatun biṣiḥḥatihi wamawjūdatun biwujūdihi, wa-al-maḥabbatu lā tarfaʿu al-haybata, fali-dhālika kāna muḥibban khāʾifan liʾanna al-maḥbūba mahūbun, wa-al-khawfu qad yaqbiḍu ʿani al-maḥabbati lishughli al-khāʾifi biwaṣfihi al-sālifi, wa-hādhā kashfu al-ʾabrāri wahuwa ḥijābu al-muqarrabi mina al-maḥabbati qūtun.

The taste of Muslims’ obligatory love is not a measure in the stations of the select, since it produces no ecstatic experiences of states and does not elevate one in transformative witnessings. It is faith’s nourishment, bound to its soundness and present when it is present. Love does not remove awe; hence one is a fearful lover, because the beloved inspires awe. Fear may withhold one from love by occupying the fearful person with his former attribute. This is the righteous’ unveiling and the near one’s veil; from love comes nourishment.

وَهَذَا كَمَا يَقُولُ فِي الرَّجَاءِ وَالْخَوْفِ لِأَنَّهُمَا وَصْفَا الْإِيمَانِ، إِلَّا إِنَّ الْخَائِفَ يَتَدَرَّجُ الرَّجَاءُ فِي حَالِهِ وَالرَّاجِيَ يَنْطَوِي الْخَوْفُ فِي رَجَائِهِ، وَفِي سَبْقِ تَرْتِيبِ الْمَقَامَاتِ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى حُكْمٌ غَرِيبٌ وَحِكْمَةٌ لَطِيفَةٌ لَا يَعْرِفُهَا إِلَّا مَنْ أُعْطِيَ يَقِينَ شَهَادَتِهَا، إِنْ سَبَقَ إِلَى الْعَبْدِ بِمَقَامِ الْخَوْفِ كَانَ مُحِبًّا حُبَّ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ الْعَارِفِينَ، وَإِنْ سَبَقَ إِلَيْهِ بِمَقَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ كَانَ مُحِبًّا مَحَبَّةَ أَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مَقَامَاتُ الْمُحِبِّينَ الْمُسْتَأْنِسِينَ وَلَا الْمُشْتَاقِينَ فِي مَقَامَاتِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ.

wa-hādhā kamā yaqūlu fī al-rajāʾi wa-al-khawfi liʾannahumā waṣfā al-ʾīmāni, ʾillā ʾinna al-khāʾifa yatadarraju al-rajāʾu fī ḥālihi wa-al-rājiya yanṭawī al-khawfu fī rajāʾihi, wafī sabqi tartībi al-maqāmāti mina Allāhi taʿālā ḥukmun gharībun waḥikmatun laṭīfatun lā yaʿrifuhā ʾillā man ʾuʿṭiya yaqīna shahādatihā, ʾin sabaqa ʾilā al-ʿabdi bimaqāmi al-khawfi kāna muḥibban ḥubba al-muqarrabīna al-ʿārifīna, waʾin sabaqa ʾilayhi bimaqāmi al-maḥabbati kāna muḥibban maḥabbata ʾaṣḥābi al-yamīni, walam yakun lahu maqāmātu al-muḥibbīna al-mustaʾnisīna walā al-mushtāqīna fī maqāmāti al-muqarrabīna.

This is as is said of hope and fear, since they are faith’s two attributes: hope gradually enters the fearful person’s state, while fear is enfolded in the hopeful person’s hope. In God Most High’s prior ordering of stations there is a wondrous decree and subtle wisdom, known only to one granted certainty of witnessing it. If the station of fear comes first to the servant, he loves with the love of the knowing ones brought near. If love’s station comes first, he loves with the companions of the right’s love, without the stations of lovers enjoying intimacy or those longing within the stations of the near.

وَكُلُّ هَؤُلَاءِ مُوقِنُونَ صَالِحُونَ وَإِنْ خَرَجَتْ أَحْوَالُهُمْ عَنْ تَرْتِيبِ عُلُومِ أَهْلِ الظَّاهِرِ، لِأَنَّ الْمُنْكِرَ لَهُ أَكْثَرُ مِنَ الْمُقِرِّ، وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ، وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ هُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ، وَرُبَّمَا كَانَتِ الْمَحَبَّةُ ثَوَابًا لِلْخَوْفِ وَمَزِيدًا لَهُ وَهَذَا فِي مَقَامِ الْعَامِلِينَ، وَرُبَّمَا كَانَ الْخَوْفُ مَزِيدَ الْمَحَبَّةِ وَثَوَابَهَا وَهَذَا فِي مَقَامِ الْعَالِمِينَ.

wakullu hāʾulāʾi mūqinūna ṣāliḥūna waʾin kharajat ʾaḥwāluhum ʿan tartībi ʿulūmi ʾahli al-ẓāhiri, liʾanna al-munkira lahu ʾaktharu mina al-muqirri, wa-Allāhu ghālibun ʿalā ʾamrihi, wa-lākinna ʾakthara al-nāsi lā yaʿlamūna hum darajātun ʿinda Allāhi wa-Allāhu baṣīrun bimā yaʿmalūna, warubbamā kānati al-maḥabbatu thawāban li-l-khawfi wamazīdan lahu wa-hādhā fī maqāmi al-ʿāmilīna, warubbamā kāna al-khawfu mazīda al-maḥabbati wathawābahā wa-hādhā fī maqāmi al-ʿālimīna.

All these are righteous people of certainty, even when their states fall outside the ordering of the outward scholars’ sciences, because more deny it than acknowledge it. “God prevails over His affair, but most people do not know.” “They are degrees before God, and God sees what they do.” Sometimes love is the reward of fear and its increase, in the station of those who act; sometimes fear is love’s increase and reward, in the station of those who know.

فَمَنْ كَانَتِ الْمَحَبَّةُ مَزِيدَهُ بَعْدَ الْخَوْفِ فَهُوَ مِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ، وَمَنْ كَانَ الْخَوْفُ مَزِيدَ مَحَبَّتِهِ فَهَذَا مِنَ الْأَبْرَارِ الْمُحِبِّينَ، وَهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْيَمِينِ. وَسُئِلَ بَعْضُ عُلَمَائِنَا الْبَصْرِيِّينَ: الْحُبُّ أَفْضَلُ أَوِ الْحَيَاءُ؟ فَقَالَ: الْحُبُّ الَّذِي يُورَثُ مِنْهُ الْخَوْفُ، الْحَيَاءُ أَفْضَلُ مِنْهُ، وَالْحُبُّ الَّذِي يُورَثُ الْحَيَاءُ مِنْهُ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْحَيَاءِ وَهُوَ الشَّوْقُ، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: الْمَحَبَّةُ نَفْسُهَا قُرْبُ الْقَلْبِ مِنَ اللَّهِ بِالِاسْتِنَارَةِ وَالْفَرَحِ.

faman kānati al-maḥabbatu mazīdahu baʿda al-khawfi fahuwa mina al-muqarrabīna al-maḥbūbīna, waman kāna al-khawfu mazīda maḥabbatihi fa-hādhā mina al-ʾabrāri al-muḥibbīna, wahum ʾaṣḥābu al-yamīni. wasuʾila baʿḍu ʿulamāʾinā al-baṣriyyīna: al-ḥubbu ʾafḍalu ʾawi al-ḥayāʾu? faqāla: al-ḥubbu alladhī yūrathu minhu al-khawfu, al-ḥayāʾu ʾafḍalu minhu, wa-al-ḥubbu alladhī yūrathu al-ḥayāʾu minhu ʾafḍalu mina al-ḥayāʾi wahuwa al-shawqu, waqāla al-junaydu: al-maḥabbatu nafsuhā qurbu al-qalbi mina Allāhi bi-al-istinārati wa-al-faraḥi.

One whose increase after fear is love belongs to the beloved brought near; one whose love is increased by fear belongs to the righteous lovers, the companions of the right. One of our Basran scholars was asked, “Is love better, or modest shame?” He said, “As for love that produces fear, modest shame is better than it. Love that produces modest shame is better than modest shame; this is longing.” Al-Junayd said, “Love itself is the heart’s nearness to God through illumination and joy.”

فَأَمَّا حُبُّ تَجَلِّي الصِّفَاتِ عَنِ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْبَاطِنَةِ فَإِنَّا لَمْ نَذْكُرْ مِنْهَا شَيْئًا، وَإِنَّمَا ذَكَرْنَا مَحَبَّةَ الْأَخْلَاقِ عَنِ الْأَسْمَاءِ الظَّاهِرَةِ، وَلَا أَحْسَبُ أَنَّهُ يَحِلُّ رَسْمُهُ فِي كِتَابٍ وَلَا كَشْفُهُ لِعُمُومِ النَّاسِ لِأَنَّهُ مِنْ سِرِّ الْمَحَبَّةِ لَا يُكَاشَفُ بِهِ إِلَّا مَنِ اِطَّلَعَ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا يُتَحَدَّثُ بِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُعْطِيَهُ، وَمَا رَأَيْتُ أَحَدًا رَسَمَهُ فِي كِتَابٍ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْ كِتَابٍ، وَإِنَّمَا يُتَلَقَّى مِنْ أَفْوَاهِ الْعُلَمَاءِ، وَيُنْسَخُ مِنْ قَلْبٍ إِلَى قَلْبٍ.

faʾammā ḥubbu tajallī al-ṣifāti ʿani al-ʾasmāʾi al-bāṭinati faʾinnā lam nadhkur minhā shayʾan, waʾinnamā dhakarnā maḥabbata al-ʾakhlāqi ʿani al-ʾasmāʾi al-ẓāhirati, walā ʾaḥsabu ʾannahu yaḥillu rasmuhu fī kitābin walā kashfuhu liʿumūmi al-nāsi liʾannahu min sirri al-maḥabbati lā yukāshafu bihi ʾillā mani iṭṭalaʿa ʿalayhi walā yutaḥaddathu bihi ʾillā man ʾuʿṭiyahu, wamā raʾaytu ʾaḥadan rasamahu fī kitābin liʾannahu lā yuʾkhadhu min kitābin, waʾinnamā yutalaqqā min ʾafwāhi al-ʿulamāʾi, wayunsakhu min qalbin ʾilā qalbin.

As for love of the attributes’ self-disclosure through the inward names, we have mentioned none of it; we have mentioned only love of the qualities through the outward names. I do not think it permissible to inscribe it in a book or reveal it to people generally. It is among love’s secrets, disclosed only to one acquainted with it and spoken of only by one granted it. I have seen no one record it in a book, for it is not taken from a book: it is received from scholars’ mouths and copied from heart to heart.

وَهُوَ يُشْبِهُ مَا كَتَبْنَا عَنْهُ آنِفًا مِنَ الْخَوْفِ الثَّامِنِ الَّذِي لَمْ نَصِفْهُ لِمَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُهُ، وَمِمَّا نُقِلَ فِي الْأَثَرِ مِنْ وَصْفِ مَنْ أُذِيقَ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُفْصَحْ بِذِكْرِ وَصْفِهِ أَنَّا رَوَيْنَا فِي الْأَخْبَارِ: أَنَّ بَعْضَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ سَأَلَهُ بَعْضُ الْأَبْدَالِ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ اللَّهَ أَنْ يَرْزُقَهُ ذَرَّةً مِنْ مَحَبَّتِهِ

wahuwa yushbihu mā katabnā ʿanhu ʾānifan mina al-khawfi al-thāmini alladhī lam naṣifhu liman lā yaʿrifuhu, wamimmā nuqila fī al-ʾathari min waṣfi man ʾudhīqa minhu walam yufṣaḥ bidhikri waṣfihi ʾannā rawaynā fī al-ʾakhbāri: ʾanna baʿḍa al-ṣiddīqīna saʾalahu baʿḍu al-ʾabdāli ʾan yasʾala Allāha ʾan yarzuqahu dharratan min maḥabbatihi

It resembles what we wrote earlier about the eighth fear, which we did not describe for those unfamiliar with it. Among transmitted descriptions of one given a taste of it, without an explicit account of its nature, is this report we have related: one of the substitutes asked an utterly truthful man to ask God to grant him an atom of His love—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٩٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 99

Volume Two, page 99

فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ، فَهَامَ فِي الْجِبَالِ وَحَارَ عَقْلُهُ، وَوَلِهَ قَلْبُهُ، وَبَقِيَ شَاخِصًا سَبْعَةَ أَيَّامٍ لَا يَنْتَفِعُ بِشَيْءٍ وَلَا يَنْتَفِعُ بِهِ شَيْءٌ، فَسَأَلَ لَهُ الصِّدِّيقُ رَبَّهُ فَقَالَ: يَا رَبِّ اُنْقُصْهُ مِنَ الذَّرَّةِ نِصْفَهَا، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ إِنَّمَا أَعْطَيْنَاهُ جُزْءًا مِنْ مِائَةِ أَلْفِ جُزْءٍ مِنْ ذَرَّةٍ مِنَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ مِائَةَ أَلْفِ عَبْدٍ سَأَلُونِي شَيْئًا مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ فِي الْوَقْتِ الَّذِي سَأَلَنِي هَذَا فَأَخَّرْتُ إِجَابَتَهُمْ إِلَى أَنْ شَفَعْتَ أَنْتَ لِهَذَا.

fafaʿala dhālika, fahāma fī al-jibāli waḥāra ʿaqluhu, wawaliha qalbuhu, wabaqiya shākhiṣan sabʿata ʾayyāmin lā yantafiʿu bishayʾin walā yantafiʿu bihi shayʾun, fasaʾala lahu al-ṣiddīqu rabbahu faqāla: yā rabbi unquṣhu mina al-dharrati niṣfahā, faʾawḥā Allāhu ʾilayhi ʾinnamā ʾaʿṭaynāhu juzʾan min miʾati ʾalfi juzʾin min dharratin mina al-maʿrifati, wa-dhālika ʾanna miʾata ʾalfi ʿabdin saʾalūnī shayʾan mina al-maḥabbati fī al-waqti alladhī saʾalanī hādhā faʾakhkhartu ʾijābatahum ʾilā ʾan shafaʿta ʾanta li-hādhā.

—so he did. The man wandered distraught in the mountains; his reason was bewildered, his heart enraptured. For seven days he remained staring, benefiting from nothing and benefiting nothing. The truthful man asked his Lord on his behalf, “My Lord, reduce his atom by half.” God revealed to him, “We gave him only one of a hundred thousand parts of an atom of knowledge. A hundred thousand servants asked Me for something of love at the same time as he did. I delayed answering them until you interceded for him.”

فَلَمَّا أَجَبْتُكَ فِيمَا سَأَلْتَ أَعْطَيْتُهُمْ كَمَا أَعْطَيْتُهُ، فَقَسَمْتُ ذَرَّةً مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ بَيْنَ مِائَةِ أَلْفِ عَبْدٍ فَهَذَا مَا أَصَابَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقُلْتُ: سُبْحَانَكَ أَحْكَمَ الْحَاكِمِينَ اُنْقُصْهُ مِمَّا أَعْطَيْتَهُ، قَالَ: فَأَذْهَبَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ جُمْلَةَ ذَلِكَ الْجُزْءِ وَبَقِيَ فِيهِ عُشْرُ مِعْشَارِهِ وَهُوَ جُزْءٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ جُزْءٍ، فَاِعْتَدَلَ خَوْفُهُ وَحُبُّهُ وَعِلْمُهُ وَرَجَاؤُهُ، وَصَارَ كَسَائِرِ الْعَارِفِينَ.

falammā ʾajabtuka fīmā saʾalta ʾaʿṭaytuhum kamā ʾaʿṭaytuhu, faqasamtu dharratan mina al-maḥabbati bayna miʾati ʾalfi ʿabdin fa-hādhā mā ʾaṣābahu min dhālika, faqultu: subḥānaka ʾaḥkama al-ḥākimīna unquṣhu mimmā ʾaʿṭaytahu, qāla: faʾadhhaba Allāhu ʿanhu jumlata dhālika al-juzʾi wabaqiya fīhi ʿushru miʿshārihi wahuwa juzʾun min ʾalfi juzʾin, fa-ʿtadala khawfuhu waḥubbuhu waʿilmuhu warajāʾuhu, waṣāra kasāʾiri al-ʿārifīna.

“When I answered your request, I gave them as I gave him, dividing an atom of love among a hundred thousand servants. This was his share.” I said, “Glory be to You, wisest of judges! Reduce what You have given him.” He said, “God removed the totality of that portion, leaving in him a tenth of its tenth, which is one part in a thousand.” His fear, love, knowledge, and hope then came into balance, and he became like other knowers.

وَمِنْ عِلْمِ الْمَحَبَّةِ سَهَرُ اللَّيْلِ بِمُنَاجَاةِ الْجَلِيلِ، وَالْحَنِينُ إِلَى الْغُرُوبِ شَوْقًا إِلَى الْخَلْوَةِ بِالْمَحْبُوبِ، وَمُنَاجَاةُ الْقَلْبِ سَرَائِرَ الْوَجْدِ، وَمُطَالَعَةُ الْغَيْبِ وَالْمُنَاجَاةُ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْمُصَافَاةِ، إِنَّمَا هِيَ بِالْقُلُوبِ وَهِيَ مُطَالَعَاتُهَا بَوَاطِنَ الْغُيُوبِ، وَجَوَلَانُهَا فِي سِرِّ الْمَلَكُوتِ وَعُلُوُّهَا فِي مَعَانِي الْجَبَرُوتِ بِأَنْوَارِ أَرْوَاحِهَا، يَحْمِلُهَا شُعَاعُ أَنْوَارِهِ فَيُوقِعُهَا عَلَى خَزَائِنِ أَسْرَارِهِ، وَالْمُنَاجَاةُ دَلِيلُ رُؤْيَةِ الْقُرْبِ وَشَاهِدُ وُجُودِ الْأُنْسِ.

wamin ʿilmi al-maḥabbati saharu al-layli bimunājāti al-jalīli, wa-al-ḥanīnu ʾilā al-ghurūbi shawqan ʾilā al-khalwati bi-al-maḥbūbi, wamunājātu al-qalbi sarāʾira al-wajdi, wamuṭālaʿatu al-ghaybi wa-al-munājātu ʿinda ʾahli al-muṣāfāti, ʾinnamā hiya bi-al-qulūbi wahiya muṭālaʿātuhā bawāṭina al-ghuyūbi, wajawalānuhā fī sirri al-malakūti waʿuluwwuhā fī maʿānī al-jabarūti biʾanwāri ʾarwāḥihā, yaḥmiluhā shuʿāʿu ʾanwārihi fayūqiʿuhā ʿalā khazāʾini ʾasrārihi, wa-al-munājātu dalīlu ruʾyati al-qurbi washāhidu wujūdi al-ʾunsi.

Love’s knowledge includes staying awake at night in intimate prayer to the Majestic, yearning for sunset out of longing for seclusion with the beloved, the heart’s whispered exchange of the secrets of ecstasy, and contemplating the unseen. For the people of intimate friendship, this converse occurs only through hearts: their contemplation of the hidden depths of the unseen, roaming in the secret of the spiritual kingdom, and rising into the meanings of omnipotence by their spirits’ lights. The radiance of His lights carries them to the treasuries of His secrets. Intimate prayer proves the vision of nearness and witnesses the presence of intimacy.

وَفِيمَا أُخْبِرْنَا عَنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كَذَبَ مَنِ اِدَّعَى مَحَبَّتِي إِذَا جَنَّهُ اللَّيْلُ نَامَ عَنِّي، أَلَيْسَ كُلُّ حَبِيبٍ يُحِبُّ الْخَلْوَةَ بِحَبِيبِهِ، فَهَا أَنَا ذَا قَرِيبٌ مِنْ أَحْبَابِي أَسْمَعُ سِرَّهُمْ وَنَجْوَاهُمْ وَأَشْهَدُ حَنِينَهُمْ وَشَكْوَاهُمْ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ الْقُدَمَاءِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَوْحَى إِلَى بَعْضِ الصِّدِّيقِينَ: أَنَّ لِي عِبَادًا مِنْ عِبَادِي يُحِبُّونِي وَأُحِبُّهُمْ، وَيَشْتَاقُونَ إِلَيَّ وَأَشْتَاقُ إِلَيْهِمْ، يَذْكُرُونِي وَأَذْكُرُهُمْ، وَيَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيَّ وَأَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ.

wafīmā ʾukhbirnā ʿani Allāhi taʿālā ʾannahu qāla: kadhaba mani iddaʿā maḥabbatī ʾidhā jannahu al-laylu nāma ʿannī, ʾalaysa kullu ḥabībin yuḥibbu al-khalwata biḥabībihi, fahā ʾanā dhā qarībun min ʾaḥbābī ʾasmaʿu sirrahum wanajwāhum waʾashhadu ḥanīnahum washakwāhum. warawaynā ʿan baʿḍi al-ʿulamāʾi al-qudamāʾi ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla ʾawḥā ʾilā baʿḍi al-ṣiddīqīna: ʾanna lī ʿibādan min ʿibādī yuḥibbūnī waʾuḥibbuhum, wayashtāqūna ʾilayya waʾashtāqu ʾilayhim, yadhkurūnī waʾadhkuruhum, wayanẓurūna ʾilayya waʾanẓuru ʾilayhim.

We were told that God Most High said, “Whoever claims to love Me but sleeps heedlessly of Me when night enfolds him has lied. Does not every lover love seclusion with his beloved? Here I am, near My beloved: I hear their secrets and whispered converse and witness their yearning and complaint.” We have transmitted from an ancient scholar that God, mighty and majestic, revealed to an utterly truthful one, “Among My servants are servants who love Me and whom I love, who long for Me and for whom I long, who remember Me and whom I remember, who look toward Me and toward whom I look.”

فَإِنْ حَذَوْتَ طَرِيقَهُمْ أَحْبَبْتُكَ، وَإِنْ عَدَلْتَ عَنْهُمْ مَقَتُّكَ، قَالَ: يَا رَبِّ: وَمَا عَلَامَتُهُمْ؟ قَالَ: يُرَاعُونَ الظِّلَالَ بِالنَّهَارِ كَمَا يُرَاعِي الرَّاعِي الشَّفِيقُ غَنَمَهُ، وَيَحِنُّونَ إِلَى غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ كَمَا تَحِنُّ الطَّيْرُ إِلَى أَوْكَارِهَا عِنْدَ الْغُرُوبِ، فَإِذَا جَنَّهُمُ اللَّيْلُ، وَاِخْتَلَطَ الظَّلَامُ، وَفُرِشَتِ الْفُرُشُ، وَنُصِبَتِ الْأَسِرَّةُ، وَخَلَا كُلُّ حَبِيبٍ بِحَبِيبِهِ، نَصَبُوا لِي أَقْدَامَهُمْ، وَاِفْتَرَشُوا لِي وُجُوهَهُمْ، وَنَاجَوْنِي بِكَلَامِي، وَتَمَلَّقُوا لِي بِإِنْعَامِي.

faʾin ḥadhawta ṭarīqahum ʾaḥbabtuka, waʾin ʿadalta ʿanhum maqattuka, qāla: yā rabbi: wamā ʿalāmatuhum? qāla: yurāʿūna al-ẓilāla bi-al-nahāri kamā yurāʿī al-rāʿī al-shafīqu ghanamahu, wayaḥinnūna ʾilā ghurūbi al-shamsi kamā taḥinnu al-ṭayru ʾilā ʾawkārihā ʿinda al-ghurūbi, faʾidhā jannahumu al-laylu, wa-khtalaṭa al-ẓalāmu, wafurishati al-furushu, wanuṣibati al-ʾasirratu, wakhalā kullu ḥabībin biḥabībihi, naṣabū lī ʾaqdāmahum, wa-ftarashū lī wujūhahum, wanājawnī bikalāmī, watamallaqū lī biʾinʿāmī.

“If you follow their path, I shall love you; if you turn away from them, I shall abhor you.” He asked, “My Lord, what marks them?” He answered, “By day they watch the shadows as a tender shepherd watches his flock; they yearn for sunset as birds yearn for their nests at dusk. When night enfolds them, darkness gathers, bedding is spread, beds are set up, and each lover withdraws with his beloved, they plant their feet before Me, spread their faces upon the ground for Me, converse with Me through My words, and seek My affection through My favors.”

فَبَيْنَ صَارِخٍ وَبَاكٍ، وَبَيْنَ مُتَأَوِّهٍ وَشَاكٍ، وَبَيْنَ قَائِمٍ وَقَاعِدٍ، وَبَيْنَ رَاكِعٍ وَسَاجِدٍ، بِعَيْنِي مَا يَتَحَمَّلُونَ مِنْ أَجْلِي، وَبِسَمْعِي مَا يَشْتَكُونَ مِنْ حُبِّي، فَأَوَّلُ مَا أُعْطِيهِمْ ثَلَاثًا أَقْذِفُ مِنْ نُورِي فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَيُخْبِرُونَ عَنِّي كَمَا أُخْبِرُ عَنْهُمْ، وَالثَّانِيَةُ لَوْ كَانَتِ السَّمَٰوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَا فِيهِمَا فِي مَوَازِينِهِمْ لَاِسْتَقْلَلْتُهَا لَهُمْ، وَالثَّالِثَةُ أُقْبِلُ بِوَجْهِي عَلَيْهِمْ فَتَرَى مَنْ أَقْبَلْتُ بِوَجْهِي عَلَيْهِ لَا يَعْلَمُ أَحَدٌ مَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُعْطِيَهُ.

fabayna ṣārikhin wabākin, wabayna mutaʾawwihin washākin, wabayna qāʾimin waqāʿidin, wabayna rākiʿin wasājidin, biʿaynī mā yataḥammalūna min ʾajlī, wabisamʿī mā yashtakūna min ḥubbī, faʾawwalu mā ʾuʿṭīhim thalāthan ʾaqdhifu min nūrī fī qulūbihim fayukhbirūna ʿannī kamā ʾukhbiru ʿanhum, wa-al-thāniyatu law kānati al-samāwātu wa-al-ʾarḍu wamā fīhimā fī mawāzīnihim la-staqlaltuhā lahum, wa-al-thālithatu ʾuqbilu biwajhī ʿalayhim fatarā man ʾaqbaltu biwajhī ʿalayhi lā yaʿlamu ʾaḥadun mā ʾurīdu ʾan ʾuʿṭiyahu.

“Some cry out, some weep; some sigh, some complain; some stand, some sit; some bow, some prostrate. Before My eye is what they endure for Me; within My hearing is their complaint from loving Me. The first gifts I give them are three: I cast My light into their hearts, and they speak of Me as I speak of them. Second, were the heavens, earth, and everything in them in their scales, I would consider it little for them. Third, I turn My face toward them: consider one toward whom I turn My face! No one knows what I intend to give him.”

وَأَمَّا الشَّوْقُ فَإِنَّهُ مَقَامٌ رَفِيعٌ مِنْ مَقَامَاتِ الْمَحَبَّةِ، وَلَيْسَ يُبْقِي الشَّوْقُ لِلْعَبْدِ رَاحَةً وَلَا نَعِيمًا فِي غَيْرِ مَشُوقِهِ، وَالْمُشْتَاقُونَ مُقَرَّبُونَ بِمَا أُشْهِدُوا مِنَ الشَّوْقِ إِلَيْهِ، وَهُمُ الْمَأْمُورُ بِطَلَبِهِمْ، الْمَوْجُودُ الْحَبِيبُ عِنْدَهُمْ مَثُوبَةً مِنْهُ لَهُمْ لَمَّا شَوَّقَهُمْ إِلَيْهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ لِمُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: اُطْلُبْنِي عِنْدَ الْمُنْكَسِرَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ مِنْ أَجْلِي، هُمُ الْمُشْتَاقُونَ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّينَ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.

waʾammā al-shawqu faʾinnahu maqāmun rafīʿun min maqāmāti al-maḥabbati, walaysa yubqī al-shawqu li-l-ʿabdi rāḥatan walā naʿīman fī ghayri mashūqihi, wa-al-mushtāqūna muqarrabūna bimā ʾushhidū mina al-shawqi ʾilayhi, wahumu al-maʾmūru biṭalabihim, al-mawjūdu al-ḥabību ʿindahum mathūbatan minhu lahum lammā shawwaqahum ʾilayhi fī qawlihi limūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu: uṭlubnī ʿinda al-munkasirati qulūbuhum min ʾajlī, humu al-mushtāqūna mina al-muḥibbīna wa-Allāhu ʾaʿlamu.

Longing is an exalted station of love. It leaves the servant no rest or bliss in anything besides the one longed for. Those who long are brought near through what they have been made to witness of longing for Him. They are the ones whom others are commanded to seek, with whom the beloved is found, as His reward to them for the longing He inspired. He said to Moses, peace be upon him, “Seek Me among those whose hearts are broken for My sake.” These are the longing ones among the lovers. God knows best.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٠٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 100

Volume Two, page 100

وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْحَبِيبَ قَرُبَ مِنْهُمْ بِوَصْفِهِ تَكَرُّمًا، فَفَرِحُوا بِقُرْبِهِ، وَعَاشُوا بِمُشَاهَدَتِهِ، وَنَعِمُوا لِحُضُورِهِمْ عِنْدَهُ، ثُمَّ اِحْتَجَبَ عَنْهُمْ غَيْرَةً عَلَى نَفْسِهِ لِعِزِّهِ فَاِنْكَسَرَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِأَجْلِهِ، فَاِشْتَاقُوا إِلَى مَا عَوَّدَهُمْ مِنْهُ، فَثَبَتَتْ لَدَيْهِ حُرْمَتُهُمْ، فَأَمَرَ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ بِطَلَبِهِمْ، وَأَوْجَدَ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَهُمْ لِمَكَانَتِهِمْ عِنْدَهُ، فَفَرَحُ هَؤُلَاءِ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّينَ بِقُرْبِهِ لَا يُوصَفُ، وَاِنْكِسَارُهُمْ، وَحُزْنُهُمْ لِأَجْلِهِ لَا يُعْرَفُ.

wa-dhālika ʾanna al-ḥabība qaruba minhum biwaṣfihi takarruman, fafariḥū biqurbihi, waʿāshū bimushāhadatihi, wanaʿimū liḥuḍūrihim ʿindahu, thumma iḥtajaba ʿanhum ghayratan ʿalā nafsihi liʿizzihi fa-nkasarat qulūbuhum liʾajlihi, fa-shtāqū ʾilā mā ʿawwadahum minhu, fathabatat ladayhi ḥurmatuhum, faʾamara ʾawliyāʾahu biṭalabihim, waʾawjada nafsahu ʿindahum limakānatihim ʿindahu, fafaraḥu hāʾulāʾi mina al-muḥibbīna biqurbihi lā yūṣafu, wa-nkisāruhum, waḥuznuhum liʾajlihi lā yuʿrafu.

The beloved graciously drew near them through His attribute. They rejoiced in His nearness, lived through witnessing Him, and delighted in being present with Him. Then, jealous for Himself in His might, He veiled Himself from them. Their hearts broke for Him, and they longed for what He had accustomed them to receive from Him. Their sanctity before Him was established; He commanded His friends to seek them and made Himself found with them because of their standing with Him. These lovers’ joy in His nearness is indescribable; their brokenness and sorrow for Him cannot be fathomed.

وَاللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ قَدْ يُعْرِضُ عَنْ مُحِبِّيهِ تَعَزُّزًا لِيُزْعِجَهُمُ الشَّوْقُ إِلَيْهِ، وَيُقْلِقَهُمُ الْأَسَفُ عَلَيْهِ، وَيَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ فِي إِعْرَاضِهِ عَنْهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ لِيَنْظُرُوا إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ يَعْلَمُونَ، فَيَسْكُنُونَ بِالْأَدَبِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ، وَكَانَ أَحَدَ الْمُشْتَاقِينَ وَهُوَ مِنْ أَبْدَالِ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ نَتَكَلَّمُ فِي عِلْمِهِمْ وَنَكْشِفُ طَرِيقَهُمْ، وَكَانَتْ لَهُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَمَاكِنُ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ رَفِيعَةٌ، وَكَاشِفَاتٌ فِي الْقُرْبِ عَلِيَّةٌ.

wa-Allāhu subḥānahu qad yuʿriḍu ʿan muḥibbīhi taʿazzuzan liyuzʿijahumu al-shawqu ʾilayhi, wayuqliqahumu al-ʾasafu ʿalayhi, wayanẓuru ʾilayhim fī ʾiʿrāḍihi ʿanhum min ḥaythu lā yaʿlamūna liyanẓurū ʾilayhi min ḥaythu yaʿlamūna, fayaskunūna bi-al-ʾadabi bayna yadayhi, waḥaddathūnā ʿan ʾibrāhīma bni ʾad-hama, wakāna ʾaḥada al-mushtāqīna wahuwa min ʾabdāli hāʾulāʾi alladhīna natakallamu fī ʿilmihim wanakshifu ṭarīqahum, wakānat lahu raḥimahu Allāhu ʾamākinu mina al-maḥabbati rafīʿatun, wakāshifātun fī al-qurbi ʿaliyyatun.

God, glorified is He, may turn away from His lovers in majesty, so that longing for Him agitates them and sorrow for Him unsettles them. As He turns away, He looks toward them without their knowing, so that they knowingly look toward Him and become still in courtesy before Him. They related to us from Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, one of those who longed and one of the substitutes whose knowledge and path we discuss and disclose. He, God have mercy on him, possessed lofty places in love and exalted unveilings in nearness.

قَالَ: قُلْتُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ يَا رَبِّ إِنْ كُنْتَ أَعْطَيْتَ أَحَدًا مِنَ الْمُحِبِّينَ لَكَ مَا تَسْكُنُ بِهِ قُلُوبُهُمْ قَبْلَ لِقَائِكَ فَأَعْطِنِي ذَلِكَ، فَقَدْ أَضَرَّ بِيَ الْقَلَقُ، قَالَ: فَرَأَيْتُ فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنَّهُ أَوْقَفَنِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ، أَمَا اِسْتَحَيْتَ مِنِّي أَنْ تَسْأَلَنِي مَا يَسْكُنُ بِهِ قَلْبُكَ قَبْلَ لِقَائِي، وَهَلْ يَسْكُنُ الْمُشْتَاقُ قَبْلَ لِقَاءِ حَبِيبِهِ أَمْ هَلْ يَسْتَرْوِحُ الْمُحِبُّ إِلَى غَيْرِ مَشُوقِهِ؟

qāla: qultu dhāta yawmin yā rabbi ʾin kunta ʾaʿṭayta ʾaḥadan mina al-muḥibbīna laka mā taskunu bihi qulūbuhum qabla liqāʾika faʾaʿṭinī dhālika, faqad ʾaḍarra biya al-qalaqu, qāla: faraʾaytu fī al-manāmi ʾannahu ʾawqafanī bayna yadayhi, faqāla: yā ʾibrāhīmu, ʾamā istaḥayta minnī ʾan tasʾalanī mā yaskunu bihi qalbuka qabla liqāʾī, wahal yaskunu al-mushtāqu qabla liqāʾi ḥabībihi ʾam hal yastarwiḥu al-muḥibbu ʾilā ghayri mashūqihi?

He said, “One day I said, ‘My Lord, if You have given any of Your lovers something that quiets their hearts before meeting You, give me that, for restlessness has harmed me.’ In a dream I saw Him place me before Him and say, ‘Ibrāhīm, were you not ashamed to ask Me for something that would quiet your heart before meeting Me? Can one who longs become still before meeting his beloved? Can a lover find relief in anyone other than the one he longs for?’”

قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَبِّ تِهْتُ فِي حُبِّكَ فَلَمْ أَدْرِ مَا أَقُولُ فَاِغْفِرْ لِي وَعَلِّمْنِي كَيْفَ أَقُولُ، فَقَالَ: قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ رَضِّنِي بِقَضَائِكَ، وَصَبِّرْنِي عَلَى بَلَائِكَ، وَأَوْزِعْنِي شُكْرَ نَعْمَائِكَ. وَقَدْ حَدَّثُونَا بِمَعْنَى ذَلِكَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عِيسَى الْخَرَّازِ، وَكَانَ مُشْتَهِرًا بِالسَّمَاعِ كَثِيرَ الْحَرَكَةِ وَالصَّعْقِ عِنْدَهُ، ذَكَرَ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ سَهْلٍ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُهُ فِي الْمَنَامِ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ فَقُلْتُ: مَا فَعَلَ اللَّهُ بِكَ.

qāla: qultu: yā rabbi tihtu fī ḥubbika falam ʾadri mā ʾaqūlu fa-ghfir lī waʿallimnī kayfa ʾaqūlu, faqāla: quli Allāhumma raḍḍinī biqaḍāʾika, waṣabbirnī ʿalā balāʾika, waʾawziʿnī shukra naʿmāʾika. waqad ḥaddathūnā bimaʿnā dhālika ʿan ʾaḥmada bni ʿīsā al-kharrāzi, wakāna mushtahiran bi-al-samāʿi kathīra al-ḥarakati wa-al-ṣaʿqi ʿindahu, dhakara baʿḍu ʾaṣḥābi sahlin qāla: raʾaytuhu fī al-manāmi baʿda mawtihi faqultu: mā faʿala Allāhu bika.

“I said, ‘My Lord, I lost my way in loving You and did not know what to say. Forgive me and teach me how to speak.’ He said, ‘Say: O God, make me content with Your decree, patient under Your affliction, and inspired to thank You for Your blessings.’” They related a similar meaning from Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā al-Kharrāz, renowned for spiritual audition and often moved or overcome during it. One of Sahl’s companions said, “I saw him in a dream after his death and asked, ‘What did God do with you?’”

فَقَالَ: أَوْقَفَنِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، فَقَالَ لِي: يَا أَحْمَدُ حَمَلْتَ وَصْفِي عَلَى لَيْلَى وَسُعْدَى لَوْلَا أَنِّي نَظَرْتُ إِلَيْكَ فِي مَقَامٍ وَاحِدٍ أَرَدْتَنِي بِهِ خَالِصًا لَعَذَّبْتُكَ، قَالَ: وَأَقَامَنِي مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابِ الْخَوْفِ فَأَرْعَدْتُ وَفَزِعْتُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ، ثُمَّ أَقَامَنِي مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابِ الرِّضَا فَقُلْتُ: يَا سَيِّدِي لَمْ أَجِدْ مَنْ يَحْمِلُنِي غَيْرَكَ، فَطَرَحْتُ نَفْسِي فَقَالَ: فَقُلْ: صَدَقْتَ مِنْ أَيْنَ تَجِدُ مَنْ يَحْمِلُكَ غَيْرِي؟ قَالَ: وَأَمَرَ بِي إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ.

faqāla: ʾawqafanī bayna yadayhi, faqāla lī: yā ʾaḥmadu ḥamalta waṣfī ʿalā laylā wasuʿdā lawlā ʾannī naẓartu ʾilayka fī maqāmin wāḥidin ʾaradtanī bihi khāliṣan laʿadhdhabtuka, qāla: waʾaqāmanī min warāʾi ḥijābi al-khawfi faʾarʿadtu wafaziʿtu mā shāʾa Allāhu, thumma ʾaqāmanī min warāʾi ḥijābi al-riḍā faqultu: yā sayyidī lam ʾajid man yaḥmilunī ghayraka, faṭaraḥtu nafsī faqāla: faqul: ṣadaqta min ʾayna tajidu man yaḥmiluka ghayrī? qāla: waʾamara bī ʾilā al-jannati.

He answered, “He placed me before Him and said, ‘Aḥmad, you applied My description to Laylā and Suʿdā. Had I not looked upon you in one station in which you sought Me alone, I would have punished you.’ He set me behind the veil of fear; I trembled and dreaded as long as God willed. Then He set me behind the veil of contentment. I said, ‘My Master, I found none but You to sustain me,’ and cast myself down. He said, ‘Then say: You have spoken truly; where would you find anyone but Me to sustain you?’ Then He ordered me into Paradise.”

وَفِي هَذَا تَخْوِيفٌ لِلسَّامِعِينَ عَلَى التَّشْبِيهِ، الْحَائِدِينَ عَنْ سَمْعِ أَهْلِ الْفَهْمِ وَالتَّنْبِيهِ، لِأَنَّ السَّمَاعَ عِلْمٌ لَا يَصْلُحُ إِلَّا لِأَهْلِ الصَّفَاءِ، فَمَنْ سَمِعَهُ عَلَى كَدَرٍ فَذَاكَ لَهُ مِحْنَةٌ وَضَرَرٌ، وَيَدْخُلُ مِنَ الْآفَاتِ عَلَى نُقْصَانِ الْمُشَاهَدَاتِ إِذَا سَمِعَ مِنْ قِبَلِ النَّغْمَةِ وَالصَّوْتِ مَا يَدْخُلُ عَلَى مَنْ نَظَرَ إِلَى الْأَيْدِي فِي الْعَطَاءِ، لِأَنَّ الصَّوْتَ ظَرْفٌ لِلْمَعَانِي بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْيَدِ ظَرْفًا لِلْأَرْزَاقِ.

wafī hādhā takhwīfun li-l-sāmiʿīna ʿalā al-tashbīhi, al-ḥāʾidīna ʿan samʿi ʾahli al-fahmi wa-al-tanbīhi, liʾanna al-samāʿa ʿilmun lā yaṣluḥu ʾillā liʾahli al-ṣafāʾi, faman samiʿahu ʿalā kadarin fadhāka lahu miḥnatun waḍararun, wayadkhulu mina al-ʾāfāti ʿalā nuqṣāni al-mushāhadāti ʾidhā samiʿa min qibali al-naghmati wa-al-ṣawti mā yadkhulu ʿalā man naẓara ʾilā al-ʾaydī fī al-ʿaṭāʾi, liʾanna al-ṣawta ẓarfun li-l-maʿānī bimanzilati al-yadi ẓarfan li-l-ʾarzāqi.

This warns those who listen through likeness-making, departing from the listening of people of understanding and awakened attention. Spiritual audition is a science suited only to the pure; whoever listens with inner turbidity finds trial and harm. When listening from the side of melody and sound, deficient witnessing admits the same afflictions as looking to the hands that give. Sound is a container for meanings, as the hand is a container for provisions.

فَالنَّاظِرُ الْمُوقِنُ يَأْخُذُ رِزْقَهُ مِنَ الْيَدِ، وَيَتْرُكُ النَّظَرَ وَالسَّامِعُ الْمُحِقُّ، يَأْخُذُ الْمَعَانِيَ مِنَ الصَّوْتِ وَلَا يَلْتَفِتُ إِلَى التَّنْغِيمِ بِهَا، فَمَنْ سَمِعَ عَلَى التَّشْبِيهِ وَالتَّمْثِيلِ أَلْحَدَ، وَمَنْ سَمِعَ عَلَى الْهَوَى وَالشَّهْوَةِ فَهُوَ لَعِبٌ وَلَهَا، وَمَنْ سَمِعَ بِاِسْتِخْرَاجِ الْفَهْمِ وَمُشَاهَدَةِ الْعِلْمِ عَلَى مَعَانِي صِفَاتِ حَقٍّ وَنَظَرٍ وَتَطَرُّقٍ وَدَلِيلٍ عَلَى آيَاتِ صِدْقٍ، كَانَ سَامِعًا عَلَى مَزِيدٍ، وَهَذِهِ طَرَائِقُ أَهْلِ التَّوْحِيدِ.

fa-al-nāẓiru al-mūqinu yaʾkhudhu rizqahu mina al-yadi, wayatruku al-naẓara wa-al-sāmiʿu al-muḥiqqu, yaʾkhudhu al-maʿāniya mina al-ṣawti walā yaltafitu ʾilā al-tanghīmi bihā, faman samiʿa ʿalā al-tashbīhi wa-al-tamthīli ʾalḥada, waman samiʿa ʿalā al-hawā wa-al-shahwati fahuwa laʿibun walahā, waman samiʿa bi-stikhrāji al-fahmi wamushāhadati al-ʿilmi ʿalā maʿānī ṣifāti ḥaqqin wanaẓarin wataṭarruqin wadalīlin ʿalā ʾāyāti ṣidqin, kāna sāmiʿan ʿalā mazīdin, wa-hādhihi ṭarāʾiqu ʾahli al-tawḥīdi.

The observer endowed with certainty takes his provision from the hand and abandons looking at it. The true listener takes meanings from sound without attending to their melodic rendering. Whoever listens through comparison and likeness-making deviates; whoever listens through desire and appetite is engaged in play and has amused himself. Whoever listens by drawing out understanding and witnessing knowledge, directed toward meanings of true attributes, reflection, a path, and evidence of truthful signs, listens with increase. These are the paths of those who affirm oneness.

وَفِي السَّمَاعِ حَرَامٌ وَحَلَالٌ وَشُبْهَةٌ، فَمَنْ سَمِعَهُ بِنَفْسٍ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ هَوًى وَشَهْوَةٍ فَهُوَ حَرَامٌ، وَمَنْ سَمِعَهُ بِمَعْقُولِهِ عَلَى صِفَةِ

wafī al-samāʿi ḥarāmun waḥalālun washubhatun, faman samiʿahu binafsin bimushāhadati hawan washahwatin fahuwa ḥarāmun, waman samiʿahu bimaʿqūlihi ʿalā ṣifati

Within audition are the forbidden, the permitted, and the doubtful. Listening with the self while contemplating desire and appetite is forbidden. Whoever listens through his reason in a manner—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٠١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 101

Volume Two, page 101

مُبَاحٍ مِنْ جَارِيَةٍ وَزَوْجَةٍ كَانَ شُبْهَةً لِدُخُولِ اللَّهْوِ فِيهِ، وَفَعَلَ هَذَا بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ مِنَ التَّابِعِينَ، وَمَنْ سَمِعَهُ بِقَلْبٍ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ مَعَانٍ تَدُلُّهُ عَلَى الدَّلِيلِ وَتُشْهِدُهُ طُرُقَاتِ الْجَلِيلِ فَهَذَا مُبَاحٌ، لَا يَصِحُّ إِلَّا لِأَهْلِهِ مِمَّنْ كَانَ لَهُ نَصِيبٌ مِنْهُ، وَوَجَدَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مَكَانًا لَهُ لِعَبْدٍ أُقِيمَ مَقَامَ حُزْنٍ، أَوْ شَوْقٍ أَوْ فِي مَقَامِ خَوْفٍ، أَوْ مَحَبَّةٍ، فَيُحَرِّكُهُ السَّمْعُ وَيُخْرِجُهُ إِلَى الشَّهَادَةِ، فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ مَزِيدَهُ مِنَ السَّمْعِ.

mubāḥin min jāriyatin wazawjatin kāna shubhatan lidukhūli al-lahwi fīhi, wafaʿala hādhā baʿḍu al-salafi mina al-tābiʿīna, waman samiʿahu biqalbin bimushāhadati maʿānin tadulluhu ʿalā al-dalīli watushhiduhu ṭuruqāti al-jalīli fa-hādhā mubāḥun, lā yaṣiḥḥu ʾillā liʾahlihi mimman kāna lahu naṣībun minhu, wawajada fī qalbihi makānan lahu liʿabdin ʾuqīma maqāma ḥuznin, ʾaw shawqin ʾaw fī maqāmi khawfin, ʾaw maḥabbatin, fayuḥarrikuhu al-samʿu wayukhrijuhu ʾilā al-shahādati, fayakūnu dhālika mazīdahu mina al-samʿi.

—otherwise permitted, from a slave woman or wife, encounters doubt because amusement enters into it. Some early Successors did this. Listening with the heart, witnessing meanings that direct one to the Guide and reveal the Majestic’s paths, is permitted. It is sound only for its people, those with a share in it and a place for it in their hearts: a servant established in sorrow, longing, fear, or love, whom hearing moves and brings forth into witnessing. That is his increase through hearing.

فَأَمَّا مَنْ سَمِعَهُ عَلَى نَغْمَةٍ، أَوْ لِأَجْلِ صَوْتٍ، أَوْ لِيَلْهُوَ بِهِ، أَوْ لِيَسْتَرْوِحَ إِلَيْهِ، فَهَذَا لَاعِبٌ لَاهٍ لَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ إِذْ لَيْسَ مُرَادًا بِهِ، وَكَانَ الْجُنَيْدُ يَقُولُ: تَنْزِلُ الرَّحْمَةُ عَلَى هَذِهِ الطَّائِفَةِ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ مَوَاطِنَ، عِنْدَ الطَّعَامِ لِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَأْكُلُونَ إِلَّا عَنْ فَاقَةٍ، وَعِنْدَ الْمُذَاكَرَةِ لِأَنَّهُمْ يَتَذَاكَرُونَ أَحْوَالَ النَّبِيِّينَ، وَمَقَامَاتِ الصِّدِّيقِينَ، وَعِنْدَ السَّمَاعِ لِأَنَّهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ بِوَجْدٍ وَيَشْهَدُونَ حَقًّا.

faʾammā man samiʿahu ʿalā naghmatin, ʾaw liʾajli ṣawtin, ʾaw liyalhuwa bihi, ʾaw liyastarwiḥa ʾilayhi, fa-hādhā lāʿibun lāhin lā yaḥillu lahu ʾidh laysa murādan bihi, wakāna al-junaydu yaqūlu: tanzilu al-raḥmatu ʿalā hādhihi al-ṭāʾifati fī thalāthati mawāṭina, ʿinda al-ṭaʿāmi liʾannahum lā yaʾkulūna ʾillā ʿan fāqatin, waʿinda al-mudhākarati liʾannahum yatadhākarūna ʾaḥwāla al-nabiyyīna, wamaqāmāti al-ṣiddīqīna, waʿinda al-samāʿi liʾannahum yasmaʿūna biwajdin wayashhadūna ḥaqqan.

But someone listening for a melody, for a voice, for amusement, or for relief is playing and amusing himself; it is not lawful for him, since he is not its intended recipient. Al-Junayd used to say, “Mercy descends upon this group in three situations: at meals, because they eat only from need; during mutual recollection, because they recall the prophets’ states and the utterly truthful ones’ stations; and during audition, because they listen with ecstasy and witness truth.”

وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ يَقُولُ: تُعْرَفُ مَوَاجِيدُ أَصْحَابِنَا فِي ثَلَاثَةِ أَشْيَاءَ، عِنْدَ الْمَسَائِلِ وَعِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ، وَعِنْدَ السَّمَاعِ، وَإِنَّمَا ذَكَرْنَا هَذَا لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ طَرِيقًا لِبَعْضِ الْمُحِبِّينَ وَحَالًا لِبَعْضِ الْمُشْتَاقِينَ، فَإِنْ أَنْكَرْنَاهُ مُجْمَلًا فَقَدْ أَنْكَرْنَا عَلَى تِسْعِينَ صَادِقًا مِنْ خِيَارِ الْأُمَّةِ، وَقَدْ دَخَلَ فِيهِ غَيْرُ أَهْلِهِ فَأَحَالُوهُ عَنْ وِجْهَتِهِ، وَعَدَلُوا بِهِ عَنْ قَصْدِهِ.

wakāna baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna yaqūlu: tuʿrafu mawājīdu ʾaṣḥābinā fī thalāthati ʾashyāʾa, ʿinda al-masāʾili waʿinda al-ghaḍabi, waʿinda al-samāʿi, waʾinnamā dhakarnā hādhā liʾannahu kāna ṭarīqan libaʿḍi al-muḥibbīna waḥālan libaʿḍi al-mushtāqīna, faʾin ʾankarnāhu mujmalan faqad ʾankarnā ʿalā tisʿīna ṣādiqan min khiyāri al-ʾummati, waqad dakhala fīhi ghayru ʾahlihi faʾaḥālūhu ʿan wijhatihi, waʿadalū bihi ʿan qaṣdihi.

One knower used to say, “Our companions’ ecstatic experiences are recognized in three things: questions, anger, and audition.” We mention this because it was a path for some lovers and a state for some who longed. Rejecting it wholesale would mean rejecting ninety truthful people among the community’s finest. Those unfit for it have entered it, diverting it from its direction and turning it away from its purpose.

وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ السَّامِعِينَ يَقْتَاتُ السَّمَاعَ فَيَجْعَلُهُ قُوتَهُ، وَيَتَقَوَّى بِهِ عَلَى زِيَادَةِ طَيِّهِ، وَأَحَدُهُمْ يَطْوِي الْيَوْمَيْنِ وَالثَّلَاثَةَ، فَإِذَا تَاقَتْ نَفْسُهُ إِلَى الْقُوتِ عَدَلَ بِهَا إِلَى السَّمَاعِ، فَأَثَارَ مِنْهُ مَوَاجِيدَهُ، وَأَهَاجَ فِيهِ أَذْكَارَهُ، فَحَمَلَهُ ذَلِكَ عَنِ الطَّعَامِ، وَأَغْنَاهُ عَنِ الْأَنَامِ، فَهَذَا لَا يَصْلُحُ إِلَّا لِقَلْبٍ صَافٍ مِنَ الْأَكْدَارِ، نَقِيٍّ نَظِيفٍ مِنَ الْآثَامِ، وَمَنْ شَهِدَ فِيهِ خَلْقًا فَذَلِكَ عَلَامَةُ كَدَرِ قَلْبِهِ، وَمَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِيهِ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا فَهُوَ دَلِيلُ نَقْصِ لُبِّهِ.

waqad kāna baʿḍu al-sāmiʿīna yaqtātu al-samāʿa fayajʿaluhu qūtahu, wayataqawwā bihi ʿalā ziyādati ṭayyihi, waʾaḥaduhum yaṭwī al-yawmayni wa-al-thalāthata, faʾidhā tāqat nafsuhu ʾilā al-qūti ʿadala bihā ʾilā al-samāʿi, faʾathāra minhu mawājīdahu, waʾahāja fīhi ʾadhkārahu, faḥamalahu dhālika ʿani al-ṭaʿāmi, waʾaghnāhu ʿani al-ʾanāmi, fa-hādhā lā yaṣluḥu ʾillā liqalbin ṣāfin mina al-ʾakdāri, naqiyyin naẓīfin mina al-ʾāthāmi, waman shahida fīhi khalqan fa-dhālika ʿalāmatu kadari qalbihi, waman ʾaḥdatha fīhi laʿiban walahwan fahuwa dalīlu naqṣi lubbihi.

Some listeners made audition their sustenance, drawing strength from it to extend their fasting. One might go without food for two or three days; when his self yearned for sustenance, he turned it toward audition, which stirred his ecstasies and awakened his remembrances, carrying him away from food and making him independent of people. This suits only a heart clear of turbidity, pure and clean of sins. Whoever witnesses a creature in it shows his heart’s turbidity; whoever introduces play and amusement into it shows his understanding’s deficiency.

حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ الشُّيُوخِ عَنْ شَيْخٍ لَهُ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ الْخَضِرَ فَقُلْتُ: مَا تَقُولُ فِي هَذَا السَّمَاعِ الَّذِي يَخْتَلِفُ فِيهِ أَصْحَابُنَا؟ فَقَالَ: هُوَ الصَّفَا الزُّلَالُ لَا يَثْبُتُ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا أَقْدَامُ الْعُلَمَاءِ، وَقَدْ صَدَقَ فِي قَوْلِهِ: لِأَنَّا رَوَيْنَا عَنْ نَبِيِّنَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَخْوَفُ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَى أُمَّتِي الشَّهْوَةُ الْخَفِيَّةُ وَالنَّغْمَةُ الْمُلْهِيَةُ، وَأَنَّ حَمَّادًا رَوَى عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ: الْغِنَاءُ يُنْبِتُ النِّفَاقَ فِي الْقَلْبِ.

ḥaddathanī baʿḍu al-shuyūkhi ʿan shaykhin lahu qāla: raʾaytu ʾabā al-ʿabbāsi al-khaḍira faqultu: mā taqūlu fī hādhā al-samāʿi alladhī yakhtalifu fīhi ʾaṣḥābunā? faqāla: huwa al-ṣafā al-zulālu lā yathbutu ʿalayhi ʾillā ʾaqdāmu al-ʿulamāʾi, waqad ṣadaqa fī qawlihi: liʾannā rawaynā ʿan nabiyyinā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾakhwafu mā ʾakhāfu ʿalā ʾummatī al-shahwatu al-khafiyyatu wa-al-naghmatu al-mulhiyatu, waʾanna ḥammādan rawā ʿan ʾibrāhīma: al-ghināʾu yunbitu al-nifāqa fī al-qalbi.

One of the shaykhs told me from his teacher: “I saw Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Khaḍir and asked, ‘What do you say about this audition over which our companions differ?’ He said, ‘It is a slippery smooth rock: only scholars’ feet remain firm upon it.’” He spoke truly, for we have transmitted from our Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “What I fear most for my community is hidden appetite and distracting melody.” Ḥammād also related from Ibrāhīm: “Singing causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart.”

وَعَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ: وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: الْغِنَاءُ وَهَذَا كَمَا قَالَاهُ: لِأَنَّ سَمَاعَ الْغِنَاءِ حَرَامٌ وَأُجُورَ الْمُغَنِّيَاتِ وَأَثْمَانَهُنَّ حَرَامٌ، وَالْفَرْقُ بَيْنَ الْأَغَانِي وَالْقَصَائِدِ أَنَّ الْأَغَانِيَ مَا شُبِّبَ بِهِ النِّسَاءُ وَذُكِرَ فِيهِ الْغَزَلُ، وَوُصِفْنَ بِهِ، وَشُهِدْنَ مِنْهُ، وَدَعَا إِلَى الْهَوَى، وَشَوَّقَ إِلَى اللَّهْوِ، فَمَنْ سَمِعَ مِنْ حَيْثُ قَالَ الْقَائِلُونَ بِهَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي فَالسَّمَاعُ عَلَيْهِ حَرَامٌ.

waʿan mujāhidin: wamina al-nāsi man yashtarī lahwa al-ḥadīthi liyuḍilla ʿan sabīli Allāhi qāla: al-ghināʾu wa-hādhā kamā qālāhu: liʾanna samāʿa al-ghināʾi ḥarāmun waʾujūra al-mughanniyāti waʾathmānahunna ḥarāmun, wa-al-farqu bayna al-ʾaghānī wa-al-qaṣāʾidi ʾanna al-ʾaghāniya mā shubbiba bihi al-nisāʾu wadhukira fīhi al-ghazalu, wawuṣifna bihi, washuhidna minhu, wadaʿā ʾilā al-hawā, washawwaqa ʾilā al-lahwi, faman samiʿa min ḥaythu qāla al-qāʾilūna bi-hādhihi al-maʿānī fa-al-samāʿu ʿalayhi ḥarāmun.

From Mujāhid, concerning “Among people are those who purchase idle talk to lead astray from God’s path,” he said, “Singing.” It is as the two said, for hearing singing is forbidden, and the wages and purchase prices of female singers are forbidden. The difference between songs and odes is that songs celebrate women in amorous verse, mention flirtation, describe women and evoke their presence, summon desire, and arouse longing for amusement. Whoever listens from the standpoint intended by speakers using these meanings is forbidden to listen.

وَالْقَصَائِدُ مَا ذَكَّرَ بِاللَّهِ، وَدَلَّ عَلَيْهِ، وَشَوَّقَ إِلَيْهِ، وَأَهَاجَ مَوَاجِيدَ الْإِيمَانِ، وَأَثَارَ مُشَاهَدَاتِ الْعُلُومِ، وَذَكَّرَ بِهِ طُرُقَاتِ الْآخِرَةِ وَمَقَامَاتِ الصَّادِقِينَ، فَمَنْ سَمِعَ مِنْ حَيْثُ شَهِدَ بِهَذِهِ الشَّهَادَةِ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ إِذْ لَهُ نَصِيبٌ مِنْهُ، وَقَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ: وَمِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ، فَالْكَلَامُ رُوحَانِ، مَنْثُورٌ وَمَنْظُومٌ، فَالْمَنْثُورُ كَلَامُ الْعَامَّةِ، وَالْمَنْظُومُ كَلَامُ الشُّعَرَاءِ، فَمَا ذُكِّرَ بِهِ اللَّهُ وَيُذْكَرُ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ طَرِيقٌ إِلَيْهِ.

wa-al-qaṣāʾidu mā dhakkara bi-Allāhi, wadalla ʿalayhi, washawwaqa ʾilayhi, waʾahāja mawājīda al-ʾīmāni, waʾathāra mushāhadāti al-ʿulūmi, wadhakkara bihi ṭuruqāti al-ʾākhirati wamaqāmāti al-ṣādiqīna, faman samiʿa min ḥaythu shahida bi-hādhihi al-shahādati fahuwa min ʾahlihi ʾidh lahu naṣībun minhu, waqāla Allāhu subḥānahu: wamin kulli shayʾin khalaqnā zawjayni laʿallakum tadhakkarūna, fa-al-kalāmu rūḥāni, manthūrun wamanẓūmun, fa-al-manthūru kalāmu al-ʿāmmati, wa-al-manẓūmu kalāmu al-shuʿarāʾi, famā dhukkira bihi Allāhu wayudhkaru minhu fahuwa ṭarīqun ʾilayhi.

Odes are what remind one of God, point toward Him, awaken longing for Him, stir faith’s ecstasies, arouse the witnessings of knowledge, and recall the hereafter’s paths and the truthful ones’ stations. Whoever listens from this witnessing belongs among its people and has a share in it. God, glorified is He, says, “Of everything We created a pair, that you might remember.” Speech has two spirits: prose and verse. Prose is the speech of ordinary people, verse that of poets. Whatever recalls God and from which He is remembered is a path to Him.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٠٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 102

Volume Two, page 102

وَلَمْ يَزَلِ الْحِجَازِيُّونَ عِنْدَنَا يَسْمَعُونَ السَّمَاعَ فِي أَفْضَلِ أَيَّامِ السَّنَةِ وَهِيَ الْأَيَّامُ الَّتِي أَمَرَ اللَّهُ عِبَادَهُ أَنْ يَذْكُرُوهُ فِيهَا، أَيَّامُ التَّشْرِيقِ مِنْ وَقْتِ عَطَاءِ بْنِ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ إِلَى يَوْمِنَا هَذَا مَا أَنْكَرَهُ عَالِمٌ، وَقَدْ كَانَ لِعَطَاءٍ جَارِيَتَانِ يُلَحِّنَانِ فَكَانَ إِخْوَانُهُ يَسْتَمِعُونَ إِلَيْهِمَا، وَيَحْمِلُ الْقَوْلَ فِي السَّمَاعِ أَنَّ مَنْ سَمِعَ فَظَهَرَتْ عَلَيْهِ صِفَاتُ نَفْسِهِ وَذَكَّرَتْهُ حُظُوظَ دُنْيَاهُ فَالسَّمَاعُ عَلَيْهِ حَرَامٌ.

walam yazali al-ḥijāziyyūna ʿindanā yasmaʿūna al-samāʿa fī ʾafḍali ʾayyāmi al-sanati wahiya al-ʾayyāmu allatī ʾamara Allāhu ʿibādahu ʾan yadhkurūhu fīhā, ʾayyāmu al-tashrīqi min waqti ʿaṭāʾi bni ʾabī rabāḥin ʾilā yawminā hādhā mā ʾankarahu ʿālimun, waqad kāna liʿaṭāʾin jāriyatāni yulaḥḥināni fakāna ʾikhwānuhu yastamiʿūna ʾilayhimā, wayaḥmilu al-qawla fī al-samāʿi ʾanna man samiʿa faẓaharat ʿalayhi ṣifātu nafsihi wadhakkarat-hu ḥuẓūẓa dunyāhu fa-al-samāʿu ʿalayhi ḥarāmun.

Among us, the people of the Hijaz have continually practiced audition during the year’s finest days, the days on which God commanded His servants to remember Him, the days of Tashrīq. From ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ’s time until today, no scholar has rejected it. ʿAṭāʾ had two slave women who sang melodies, and his brethren listened to them. The argument concerning audition bears this: if listening makes the qualities of one’s self appear and recalls one’s worldly pleasures, audition is forbidden to that person.

وَمَنْ سَمِعَ فَظَهَرَ لَهُ بِهِ ذِكْرُ رَبِّهِ، وَتَذَكَّرَ بِهِ أَجَلَّ مَا شَوَّقَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ وَأَعَدَّهُ لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ، فَهُوَ لَهُ ذِكْرٌ مِنَ الْأَذْكَارِ، وَسُئِلَ عَالِمُنَا رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ: بَلَغَنَا أَنَّكَ تُنْكِرُ السَّمَاعَ، وَقَدْ كَانَ الْجُنَيْدُ وَسَرِيٌّ السَّقَطِيُّ وَذُو النُّونِ يَسْمَعُونَ فَقَالَ: كَيْفَ أُنْكِرُ السَّمَاعَ وَقَدْ سَمِعَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الطَّيَّارِ، يَعْنِي اِبْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، وَإِنَّمَا أُنْكِرُ اللَّهْوَ وَأُنْكِرُ اللَّعِبَ فِي السَّمَاعِ.

waman samiʿa faẓahara lahu bihi dhikru rabbihi, watadhakkara bihi ʾajalla mā shawwaqahu Allāhu ʾilayhi waʾaʿaddahu liʾawliyāʾihi, fahuwa lahu dhikrun mina al-ʾadhkāri, wasuʾila ʿālimunā raḥimahu Allāhu faqīla lahu: balaghanā ʾannaka tunkiru al-samāʿa, waqad kāna al-junaydu wasariyyun al-saqaṭiyyu wadhū al-nūni yasmaʿūna faqāla: kayfa ʾunkiru al-samāʿa waqad samiʿahu ʿabdu Allāhi bnu jaʿfarin al-ṭayyāri, yaʿnī ibna ʾabī ṭālibin, waʾinnamā ʾunkiru al-lahwa waʾunkiru al-laʿiba fī al-samāʿi.

If listening brings forth remembrance of one’s Lord and recalls the most glorious things for which God has inspired longing and which He has prepared for His friends, it is a form of remembrance for that person. Our scholar, God have mercy on him, was asked, “We hear that you reject audition, although al-Junayd, Sarī al-Saqaṭī, and Dhū al-Nūn listened.” He answered, “How could I reject audition when ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar al-Ṭayyār, meaning the son of Abū Ṭālib, listened to it? I reject only amusement and play in audition.”

وَلَعَمْرِي أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَشْيَاخَ الَّذِينَ ذُكِرُوا قَدْ كَانُوا يَسْمَعُونَ، وَلَكِنْ كَانَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ سَمِعَ السِّرَّ دُونَ الْعَلَانِيَةِ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ مَعَ إِخْوَانِهِ وَنُظَرَائِهِ دُونَ الْأَتْبَاعِ وَالْأَصْحَابِ، وَكَانُوا يَقُولُونَ: لَا يَصِحُّ السَّمَاعُ إِلَّا لِعَارِفٍ مَكِينٍ، وَلَا يَصْلُحُ لِمُرِيدٍ مُبْتَدِئٍ وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ قَدْ تَرَكَ السَّمَاعَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ، فَقَالَ: مِمَّنْ؟ فَقِيلَ لَهُ: فَأَنْتَ، فَقَالَ: مَعَ مَنْ؟ كَانُوا لَا يَسْمَعُونَ إِلَّا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ وَمَعَ أَهْلِهِ.

walaʿamrī ʾanna hāʾulāʾi al-ʾashyākha alladhīna dhukirū qad kānū yasmaʿūna, wa-lākin kāna minhum man samiʿa al-sirra dūna al-ʿalāniyati, waminhum man kāna yasmaʿu maʿa ʾikhwānihi wanuẓarāʾihi dūna al-ʾatbāʿi wa-al-ʾaṣḥābi, wakānū yaqūlūna: lā yaṣiḥḥu al-samāʿu ʾillā liʿārifin makīnin, walā yaṣluḥu limurīdin mubtadiʾin wakāna baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi qad taraka al-samāʿa faqīla lahu, faqāla: mimman? faqīla lahu: faʾanta, faqāla: maʿa man? kānū lā yasmaʿūna ʾillā min ʾahlihi wamaʿa ʾahlihi.

By my life, those shaykhs did listen; some listened privately rather than publicly, and others with their brethren and peers rather than followers and companions. They used to say, “Audition is sound only for a firmly established knower; it is unsuitable for a beginning seeker.” One scholar abandoned audition. Asked about it, he said, “From whom?” He was told, “Then you?” He said, “With whom?” They listened only to those fitted for it and alongside those fitted for it.

وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ مُعَاذٍ قَالَ: فَقَدْنَا ثَلَاثًا فَمَا نَرَاهَا وَلَا أَرَاهَا تَزْدَادُ إِلَّا عِزَّةً، حُسْنَ الْوَجْهِ مَعَ الصِّيَانَةِ، وَحُسْنَ الْقَوْلِ مَعَ الدِّيَانَةِ، وَحُسْنَ الْإِخَاءِ مَعَ الْوَفَاءِ، وَقَدْ سَمِعَ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ غَيْرَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ أَرْبَعَةٌ مِنْهُمْ: اِبْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ وَالْمُغِيرَةُ بْنُ شُعْبَةَ وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ قَالَ: طُفْتُ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ بِالْبَيْتِ، وَكَانَتْ لَيْلَةً مُظْلِمَةً ذَاتَ مَطَرٍ وَرَعْدٍ، فَخَلَا الطَّوَافُ، فَلَمَّا اِنْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى الْبَابِ قُلْتُ: اللَّهُمَّ اِعْصِمْنِي حَتَّى لَا أَعْصِيَكَ أَبَدًا.

waḥaddathūnā ʿan yaḥyā bni muʿādhin qāla: faqadnā thalāthan famā narāhā walā ʾarāhā tazdādu ʾillā ʿizzatan, ḥusna al-wajhi maʿa al-ṣiyānati, waḥusna al-qawli maʿa al-diyānati, waḥusna al-ʾikhāʾi maʿa al-wafāʾi, waqad samiʿa mina al-ṣaḥābati ghayra ʿabdi Allāhi bni jaʿfarin ʾarbaʿatun minhum: ibnu al-zubayri wa-al-mughīratu bnu shuʿbata waḥaddathūnā ʿan ʾibrāhīma bni ʾad-hama qāla: ṭuftu dhāta laylatin bi-al-bayti, wakānat laylatan muẓlimatan dhāta maṭarin waraʿdin, fakhalā al-ṭawāfu, falammā intahaytu ʾilā al-bābi qultu: Allāhumma iʿṣimnī ḥattā lā ʾaʿṣiyaka ʾabadan.

They related from Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh: “We have lost three things and no longer see them; I see them becoming only rarer: beauty of face with chastity, beauty of speech with piety, and fine brotherhood with fidelity.” Four Companions besides ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar listened, among them Ibn al-Zubayr and al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah. They also related from Ibrāhīm ibn Adham: “One night I circumambulated the House. It was dark, rainy, and thundery, and the circuit was deserted. Reaching the door, I said, ‘O God, protect me so that I never disobey You.’”

قَالَ: فَسَمِعْتُ قَائِلًا يَقُولُ مِنْ جَوْفِ الْبَيْتِ: يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ أَنْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي أَنْ أَعْصِمَكَ وَكُلُّ عِبَادِي يَسْأَلُونِي الْعِصْمَةَ فَإِذَا عَصَمْتُهُمْ فَعَلَى مَنْ أَتَفَضَّلُ وَلِمَنْ أَغْفِرُ؟ وَفِي خَبَرِ وَهْبِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ أَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَى دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّكَ تُكْثِرُ مَسْأَلَتِي وَلَا تَسْأَلُنِي أَنْ أَهَبَ لَكَ الشَّوْقَ، قَالَ: يَا رَبِّ وَمَا الشَّوْقُ؟ قَالَ: إِنِّي خَلَقْتُ قُلُوبَ الْمُشْتَاقِينَ مِنْ رِضْوَانِي، وَأَتْمَمْتُهَا بِنُورِ وَجْهِي، فَجَعَلْتُ أَسْرَارَهُمْ مَوْضِعَ نَظَرِي إِلَى الْأَرْضِ.

qāla: fasamiʿtu qāʾilan yaqūlu min jawfi al-bayti: yā ʾibrāhīmu ʾanta tasʾalunī ʾan ʾaʿṣimaka wakullu ʿibādī yasʾalūnī al-ʿiṣmata faʾidhā ʿaṣamtuhum faʿalā man ʾatafaḍḍalu waliman ʾaghfiru? wafī khabari wahbi bni munabbihin ʾawḥā Allāhu taʿālā ʾilā dāwūda ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾannaka tukthiru masʾalatī walā tasʾalunī ʾan ʾahaba laka al-shawqa, qāla: yā rabbi wamā al-shawqu? qāla: ʾinnī khalaqtu qulūba al-mushtāqīna min riḍwānī, waʾatmamtuhā binūri wajhī, fajaʿaltu ʾasrārahum mawḍiʿa naẓarī ʾilā al-ʾarḍi.

“I heard a voice from inside the House: ‘Ibrāhīm, you ask Me to protect you, and all My servants ask Me for protection. If I protect them, upon whom shall I bestow favor, and whom shall I forgive?’” In Wahb ibn Munabbih’s account, God Most High revealed to David, peace be upon him: “You ask Me much, but do not ask Me to grant you longing.” He asked, “My Lord, what is longing?” He said, “I created the longing ones’ hearts from My good pleasure and completed them with the light of My face, making their innermost selves the place of My gaze upon the earth.”

وَقَطَعْتُ مِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ طُرُقًا يَنْظُرُونَ بِهِ إِلَى عَجَائِبِ قُدْرَتِي فَيَزْدَادُونَ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ شَوْقًا إِلَيَّ، ثُمَّ أَدْعُو نُجَبَاءَ مَلَائِكَتِي فَإِذَا أَتَوْنِي خَرُّوا لِي سُجَّدًا فَأَقُولُ: إِنِّي لَمْ أَدْعُكُمْ لِعِبَادَتِي، اِرْفَعُوا رُءُوسَكُمْ أُرِكُمْ قُلُوبَ الْمُشْتَاقِينَ إِلَيَّ فَوَعِزَّتِي وَجَلَالِي إِنَّ سَمَٰوَاتِي لَتُضِيءُ مِنْ نُورِ قُلُوبِهِمْ كَمَا تُضِيءُ الشَّمْسُ لِأَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا.

waqaṭaʿtu min qulūbihim ṭuruqan yanẓurūna bihi ʾilā ʿajāʾibi qudratī fayazdādūna fī kulli yawmin shawqan ʾilayya, thumma ʾadʿū nujabāʾa malāʾikatī faʾidhā ʾatawnī kharrū lī sujjadan faʾaqūlu: ʾinnī lam ʾadʿukum liʿibādatī, irfaʿū ruʾūsakum ʾurikum qulūba al-mushtāqīna ʾilayya fawaʿizzatī wajalālī ʾinna samāwātī latuḍīʾu min nūri qulūbihim kamā tuḍīʾu al-shamsu liʾahli al-dunyā.

“I cut paths from their hearts by which they look upon the wonders of My power, increasing every day in longing for Me. Then I call the noble ones among My angels. When they come, they fall prostrate before Me. I say, ‘I did not call you to worship Me. Raise your heads: I shall show you the hearts of those who long for Me. By My might and majesty, My heavens shine with their hearts’ light as the sun shines for the people of the world.’”

مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ لِدَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: وَلَا تَسْأَلُنِي الشَّوْقَ لَيْسَ أَنَّهُ قَدْ يُعْطِي الْأَوْلِيَاءَ مَا لَا يُعْطِي الْأَنْبِيَاءَ كَمَا غَلِطَ فِي هَذَا بَعْضُ النَّاسِ، فَفَضَّلَ الْعَارِفَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، وَلَكِنَّهُ ذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ لِدَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لِيَسْأَلَهُ إِيَّاهُ فَيُعْطِيَهُ، فَلَمَّا أَخْبَرَهُ بِهِ أَعْطَاهُ مَقَامَ الشَّوْقِ إِلَيْهِ، فَجَاوَزَ مَقَامَاتِ الْمُشْتَاقِينَ مِنَ الْعَارِفِينَ، وَإِنَّمَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى لِسَانِهِ لِيُرِيَهُ فَضْلَ مَكَانِهِ، وَيُظْهِرَ لَهُ ذَلِكَ عَنْ مَسْأَلَتِهِ لِيُفَضِّلَهُ وَيُشَرِّفَهُ بِسُرْعَةِ إِجَابَتِهِ.

maʿnā qawlihi li-dāwūda ʿalayhi al-salāmu: walā tasʾalunī al-shawqa laysa ʾannahu qad yuʿṭī al-ʾawliyāʾa mā lā yuʿṭī al-ʾanbiyāʾa kamā ghaliṭa fī hādhā baʿḍu al-nāsi, fafaḍḍala al-ʿārifa ʿalā al-nabiyyi, walakinnahu dhakara dhālika li-dāwūda ʿalayhi al-salāmu liyasʾalahu ʾiyyāhu fayuʿṭiyahu, falammā ʾakhbarahu bihi ʾaʿṭāhu maqāma al-shawqi ʾilayhi, fajāwaza maqāmāti al-mushtāqīna mina al-ʿārifīna, waʾinnamā ʾarāda ʾan yajʿala dhālika ʿalā lisānihi liyuriyahu faḍla makānihi, wayuẓhira lahu dhālika ʿan masʾalatihi liyufaḍḍilahu wayusharrifahu bisurʿati ʾijābatihi.

His saying to David, peace be upon him, “You do not ask Me for longing,” does not mean He gives friends what He does not give prophets, as some mistakenly thought, preferring the knower to the prophet. He mentioned it to David, peace be upon him, so that he would ask and receive it. When He told him of it, He granted him the station of longing for Him, surpassing the stations of longing knowers. He wished to put it upon David’s tongue, show him his rank’s excellence, and disclose it in response to his request, favoring and honoring him through a swift answer.

كَمَا أَنَّ قَوْلَ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: وَمَا الشَّوْقُ؟ لَيْسَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْرِفِ الشَّوْقَ وَقَدْ آتَاهُ

kamā ʾanna qawla dāwūda ʿalayhi al-salāmu: wamā al-shawqu? laysa ʾannahu lam yaʿrifi al-shawqa waqad ʾātāhu

Likewise, David’s saying, peace be upon him, “What is longing?” does not mean that he did not know longing, when He had already given him—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٠٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 103

Volume Two, page 103

الْحِكْمَةَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ، وَلَكِنْ سَكَتَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ اِسْتِحْيَاءً مِنْهُ، وَاِعْتَرَفَ لَدَيْهِ بِالْجَهْلِ لِأَنَّهُ عِنْدَ عَلَّامِ الْغُيُوبِ، وَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَسْمَعَ مِنْهُ حَقِيقَةَ وَصْفِهِ لِأَنَّهُ أَصْدَقُ الْقَائِلِينَ وَأَمْدَحُ الْوَاصِفِينَ. وَأَمَّا الْغَيْرَةُ فَحَالٌ سَنِيَّةٌ مِنْ أَحْوَالِ الْمُحِبِّينَ، لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ أَظْهَرَهُمْ عَلَى مَعَانِي نَفْسِهِ فَضَنُّوا بِهَا لَمَّا اِمْتَلَأَتْ بِهَا قُلُوبُهُمْ، وَحَارَتْ فِيهَا عُقُولُهُمْ، إِلَّا أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ خُصُوصُ أَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ، وَهُمْ عُمُومُ الْمُحِبِّينَ.

al-ḥikmata wa-al-nubuwwata, wa-lākin sakata bayna yadayhi istiḥyāʾan minhu, wa-ʿtarafa ladayhi bi-al-jahli liʾannahu ʿinda ʿallāmi al-ghuyūbi, waʾarāda ʾan yasmaʿa minhu ḥaqīqata waṣfihi liʾannahu ʾaṣdaqu al-qāʾilīna waʾamdaḥu al-wāṣifīna. waʾammā al-ghayratu faḥālun saniyyatun min ʾaḥwāli al-muḥibbīna, liʾannahu qad ʾaẓharahum ʿalā maʿānī nafsihi faḍannū bihā lammā imtalaʾat bihā qulūbuhum, waḥārat fīhā ʿuqūluhum, ʾillā ʾanna hāʾulāʾi khuṣūṣu ʾaṣḥābi al-yamīni, wahum ʿumūmu al-muḥibbīna.

—wisdom and prophethood. Rather, he remained silent before Him out of shame and admitted ignorance in His presence, since he stood before the Knower of unseen things. He wished to hear the reality of its description from Him, the truest speaker and most praiseworthy describer. Jealous protectiveness is a lofty state of lovers: He has disclosed to them meanings of Himself, which they guard jealously because their hearts are filled with them and their intellects bewildered by them. These, however, are the select among the companions of the right, the generality of lovers.

إِلَّا إِنَّهُ إِذَا رَفَعَهُمْ إِلَى مَقَامِ التَّوْحِيدِ فَأَشْهَدَهُمُ الْإِيجَادَ بِالْوَحْدَانِيَّةِ وَالِانْفِرَادَ بِالْفَرْدَانِيَّةِ نَظَرُوا، فَإِذَا هُوَ لَمْ يُعْطِ مِنْهُ لِسِوَاهُ شَيْئًا وَلَا أَظْهَرَ مِنْ مَعَانِيهِ وَصْفًا، فَاِنْطَوَتِ الْغَيْرَةُ مِنْ تَوْحِيدِهِمْ لَمَّا عَرَفُوا بِيَقِينِ التَّوْحِيدِ أَنَّهُ مَا نَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ سِوَاهُ، وَلَا عَرَفَهُ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ، فَتَسْقُطُ هِمَمُهُمْ بِالْغَيْرَةِ عَلَيْهِ، وَعَرَفُوا حِكْمَتَهُ بِتَعْرِيفِهِ أَنْوَاعَ مَا يُظْهِرُ وَأَقْسَامَ مَا يَنْشُرُ.

ʾillā ʾinnahu ʾidhā rafaʿahum ʾilā maqāmi al-tawḥīdi faʾashhadahumu al-ʾījāda bi-al-waḥdāniyyati wa-al-infirāda bi-al-fardāniyyati naẓarū, faʾidhā huwa lam yuʿṭi minhu lisiwāhu shayʾan walā ʾaẓhara min maʿānīhi waṣfan, fa-nṭawati al-ghayratu min tawḥīdihim lammā ʿarafū biyaqīni al-tawḥīdi ʾannahu mā naẓara ʾilayhi siwāhu, walā ʿarafahu ʾillā ʾiyyāhu, fatasquṭu himamuhum bi-al-ghayrati ʿalayhi, waʿarafū ḥikmatahu bitaʿrīfihi ʾanwāʿa mā yuẓhiru waʾaqsāma mā yanshuru.

When He raises them to the station of oneness and makes them witness origination through unity and sole existence through singularity, they look and discover that He has given nothing of Himself to another, nor manifested any description of His meanings. Jealousy is enfolded within their affirmation of oneness, for they know with its certainty that none besides Him has looked upon Him or known Him. Their concerns for jealous protection of Him fall away. They know His wisdom through His making known the kinds of things He manifests and the divisions of what He unfolds.

وَأَنَّهُ فِي غَيْبِ غَيْبِهِ لَا يَظْهَرُ عَلَيْهِ سِوَاهُ وَفِي سِرِّ سِرِّهِ لَا يَشْهَدُهُ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ، فَقَامَ لَهُمْ مَقَامُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ مَقَامَ الْغَيْرَةِ عَلَيْهِ، فَهَذَا إِذَا طُولِعُوا بِهِ مَقَامُ الْمُوَحِّدِينَ مِنَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي دَلَائِلِ الْمُحِبِّ وَأَوْصَافِهِ أَبْيَاتًا عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ مُعَاذٍ، وَأَبِي تُرَابٍ النَّخْشَبِيِّ، وَعَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازِ أَيْ أَيْضًا عَلَى قَافِيَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فِي مَعَانٍ مُتَقَارِبَةٍ، وَهِيَ جَامِعَةٌ مُخْتَصَرَةٌ فِي نَعْتِ الْمُحِبِّينَ مِنَ الْمُرِيدِينَ، وَفِي وَصْفِ السَّائِحِينَ مِنَ الْمُرَادِينَ بِالتَّقَرُّبِ وَالِانْقِطَاعِ أُولِي الْأَحْوَالِ وَالْمُشَاهَدَاتِ الرِّفَاعِ.

waʾannahu fī ghaybi ghaybihi lā yaẓharu ʿalayhi siwāhu wafī sirri sirrihi lā yashhaduhu ʾillā ʾiyyāhu, faqāma lahum maqāmu al-maʿrifati bi-al-tawḥīdi maqāma al-ghayrati ʿalayhi, fa-hādhā ʾidhā ṭūliʿū bihi maqāmu al-muwaḥḥidīna mina al-ṣiddīqīna, waqad rawaynā fī dalāʾili al-muḥibbi waʾawṣāfihi ʾabyātan ʿan yaḥyā bni muʿādhin, waʾabī turābin al-nakhshabiyyi, waʿan ʾabī saʿīdin al-kharrāzi ʾay ʾayḍan ʿalā qāfiyatin wāḥidatin fī maʿānin mutaqāribatin, wahiya jāmiʿatun mukhtaṣaratun fī naʿti al-muḥibbīna mina al-murīdīna, wafī waṣfi al-sāʾiḥīna mina al-murādīna bi-al-taqarrubi wa-al-inqiṭāʿi ʾulī al-ʾaḥwāli wa-al-mushāhadāti al-rifāʿi.

They know that in the unseen of His unseen none besides Him gains access to Him, and in the secret of His secret none but He witnesses Him. Knowledge through oneness takes the place of jealous protectiveness toward Him. When disclosed to them, this is the station of those affirming oneness among the utterly truthful. We have transmitted verses describing lovers and their signs from Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh, Abū Turāb al-Nakhshabī, and Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz, that is, also in one rhyme and with related meanings. They concisely encompass lovers among seekers and wandering ones among those sought through nearness and withdrawal, possessors of exalted states and witnessings.

فَالَّذِي رَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَبِي تُرَابٍ هَذِهِ الْأَبْيَاتُ: لَا تُخْدَعَنَّ فَلِلْمُحِبِّ دَلَائِلُ ... وَلَدَيْهِ مِنْ تُحَفِ الْحَبِيبِ وَسَائِلُ مِنْهَا تَنَعُّمُهُ بِمُرِّ بَلَائِهِ ... وَسُرُورُهُ فِي كُلِّ مَا هُوَ فَاعِلُ فَالْمَنْعُ مِنْهُ عَطِيَّةٌ مَقْبُولَةٌ ... وَالْفَقْرُ إِكْرَامٌ وَلُطْفٌ عَاجِلُ وَمِنَ اللَّطَائِفِ أَنْ يُرَى مِنْ عَزْمِهِ ... طَوْعُ الْحَبِيبِ وَإِنْ أَلَحَّ الْعَاذِلُ.

fa-alladhī rawaynā ʿan ʾabī turābin hādhihi al-ʾabyātu: lā tukhdaʿanna fali-l-muḥibbi dalāʾilu ... waladayhi min tuḥafi al-ḥabībi wasāʾilu minhā tanaʿʿumuhu bimurri balāʾihi ... wasurūruhu fī kulli mā huwa fāʿilu fa-al-manʿu minhu ʿaṭiyyatun maqbūlatun ... wa-al-faqru ʾikrāmun waluṭfun ʿājilu wamina al-laṭāʾifi ʾan yurā min ʿazmihi ... ṭawʿu al-ḥabībi waʾin ʾalaḥḥa al-ʿādhilu.

What we transmitted from Abū Turāb is this: “Do not be deceived: the lover has signs, and among the beloved’s gifts he has means of approach. One is delight in His bitter affliction, and joy in everything He does. His withholding is an accepted gift; poverty is honor and immediate kindness. Among the subtleties is that his resolve displays obedience to the beloved, though the reproacher persists.”

وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ أَنْ يُرَى مُتَبَسِّمًا ... وَالْقَلْبُ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَبِيبِ بَلَابِلُ وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ أَنْ يُرَى مُتَفَهِّمًا ... لِكَلَامِ مَنْ يَحْظَى لَدَيْهِ السَّائِلُ وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ أَنْ يُرَى مُتَقَشِّفًا ... مُتَحَفِّظًا مِنْ كُلِّ مَا هُوَ قَائِلُ وَالَّذِي رَوَيْنَاهُ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ مُعَاذٍ: وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ أَنْ تَرَاهُ مُشَمِّرًا ... فِي خِرْقَتَيْنِ عَلَى شُطُوطِ السَّاحِلِ.

wamina al-dalāʾili ʾan yurā mutabassiman ... wa-al-qalbu fīhi mina al-ḥabībi balābilu wamina al-dalāʾili ʾan yurā mutafahhiman ... likalāmi man yaḥẓā ladayhi al-sāʾilu wamina al-dalāʾili ʾan yurā mutaqashshifan ... mutaḥaffiẓan min kulli mā huwa qāʾilu wa-alladhī rawaynāhu ʿan yaḥyā bni muʿādhin: wamina al-dalāʾili ʾan tarāhu mushammiran ... fī khirqatayni ʿalā shuṭūṭi al-sāḥili.

“One sign is that he is seen smiling while his heart holds tumults from the beloved. One sign is that he is seen attending to understand the speech of Him with whom the petitioner finds favor. One sign is that he is seen living austerely, guarding every word he speaks.” What we transmitted from Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh is: “One sign is that you see him girded for effort, in two ragged garments along the coastline.”

وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ حُزْنُهُ وَنَحِيبُهُ ... جَوْفَ الظَّلَامِ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ عَاذِلٍ وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ أَنْ تَرَاهُ مُسَافِرًا ... نَحْوَ الْجِهَادِ وَكُلِّ فِعْلٍ فَاضِلٍ وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ زُهْدُهُ فِيمَا يَرَى ... مِنْ دَارِ ذُلٍّ وَالنَّعِيمِ الزَّائِلِ وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ أَنْ تَرَاهُ بَاكِيًا ... أَنْ قَدْ رَآهُ عَلَى قَبِيحٍ فَاعِلٍ.

wamina al-dalāʾili ḥuznuhu wanaḥībuhu ... jawfa al-ẓalāmi famā lahu min ʿādhilin wamina al-dalāʾili ʾan tarāhu musāfiran ... naḥwa al-jihādi wakulli fiʿlin fāḍilin wamina al-dalāʾili zuhduhu fīmā yarā ... min dāri dhullin wa-al-naʿīmi al-zāʾili wamina al-dalāʾili ʾan tarāhu bākiyan ... ʾan qad raʾāhu ʿalā qabīḥin fāʿilin.

“One sign is his sorrow and sobbing in the depth of darkness, with none to reproach him. One sign is that you see him traveling toward striving and every noble deed. One sign is his renunciation of what he sees of an abode of abasement and vanishing delight. One sign is that you see him weeping because He has seen him engaged in an ugly act.”

وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ أَنْ تَرَاهُ مُسَلِّمًا ... كُلَّ الْأُمُورِ إِلَى الْمَلِيكِ الْعَادِلِ وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ أَنْ تَرَاهُ رَاضِيًا ... بِمَلِيكِهِ فِي كُلِّ حُكْمٍ نَازِلٍ وَمِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ ضَحِكُهُ بَيْنَ الْوَرَى ... وَالْقَلْبُ مَحْزُونٌ كَقَلْبِ الثَّاكِلِ.

wamina al-dalāʾili ʾan tarāhu musalliman ... kulla al-ʾumūri ʾilā al-malīki al-ʿādili wamina al-dalāʾili ʾan tarāhu rāḍiyan ... bimalīkihi fī kulli ḥukmin nāzilin wamina al-dalāʾili ḍaḥikuhu bayna al-warā ... wa-al-qalbu maḥzūnun kaqalbi al-thākili.

“One sign is that you see him surrendering every affair to the just Sovereign. One sign is that you see him content with his Sovereign in every descending decree. One sign is his laughter among people while his heart grieves like the heart of one bereaved.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٠٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 104

Volume Two, page 104

وَالَّذِي رَوَيْنَاهُ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازِ دَخَلَ فِيمَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ عَنْهُمَا، وَأَحْسَبُ أَنَّهُ أَخَذَهُ مِنْهُمَا لِأَنَّهُمَا أَقْدَمُ مِنْهُ، إِلَّا أَنَّ قَوْلَهُ كَانَ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ بَيْتًا فَقَطْ، وَجَمِيعُ مَا قَدَّمْنَا ذِكْرَهُ مِنَ الْعَلَامَاتِ وَالدَّلَالَاتِ هِيَ أَوْصَافُ الْمُحِبِّينَ، وَكُلُّ مُحِبٍّ لِلَّهِ فَعَنْ مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ، لِأَنَّ وُجُودَ الْعَبْدِ لِمَحَبَّتِهِ لِلَّهِ عَلَامَةُ غَيْبِ مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ لَهُ، يُبَيِّنُ ذَلِكَ الْغَيْبَ لَهُ فِي هَذِهِ الشَّهَادَةِ.

wa-alladhī rawaynāhu ʿan ʾabī saʿīdin al-kharrāzi dakhala fīmā dhakarnāhu ʿanhumā, waʾaḥsabu ʾannahu ʾakhadhahu minhumā liʾannahumā ʾaqdamu minhu, ʾillā ʾanna qawlahu kāna ʾaḥada ʿashara baytan faqaṭ, wajamīʿu mā qaddamnā dhikrahu mina al-ʿalāmāti wa-al-dalālāti hiya ʾawṣāfu al-muḥibbīna, wakullu muḥibbin li-llāhi faʿan maḥabbati Allāhi, liʾanna wujūda al-ʿabdi limaḥabbatihi li-llāhi ʿalāmatu ghaybi maḥabbati Allāhi lahu, yubayyinu dhālika al-ghayba lahu fī hādhihi al-shahādati.

What we transmitted from Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz is included in what we cited from those two. I think he took it from them, since they preceded him, though his version had only eleven couplets. All the signs and indications already mentioned are lovers’ qualities. Every lover of God loves through God’s love: the servant’s experience of loving God is a sign of God’s unseen love for him, making that unseen reality clear to him in this witnessed experience.

إِلَّا أَنَّ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ مَقَامَيْنِ، مَقَامَ تَعْرِيفٍ وَمَقَامَ تَعَرُّفٍ، فَمَقَامُ التَّعْرِيفِ هُوَ مَعْرِفَةُ الْعُمُومِ وَهَذَا قَبْلَ الْمَحَبَّةِ الْخَاصَّةِ، وَمَقَامُ التَّعَرُّفِ مَعْرِفَةُ الْخُصُوصِ وَهَذَا بَعْدَ مَحَبَّةِ الْعُمُومِ، وَهُوَ مَزِيدُ الْحُبِّ الْأَوَّلِ، وَهَذَا مَحَبَّةُ خُصُوصٍ، وَكَذَلِكَ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ مَقَامَانِ، مَقَامُ مُحِبٍّ وَأَعْلَى مِنْهُ مَقَامُ مَحْبُوبٍ، وَهَذَا كَمَا عَبَّرُوا عَنْ قَوْلِهِمْ مُرِيدٌ وَمُرَادٌ.

ʾillā ʾanna fī al-maḥabbati maqāmayni, maqāma taʿrīfin wamaqāma taʿarrufin, famaqāmu al-taʿrīfi huwa maʿrifatu al-ʿumūmi wa-hādhā qabla al-maḥabbati al-khāṣṣati, wamaqāmu al-taʿarrufi maʿrifatu al-khuṣūṣi wa-hādhā baʿda maḥabbati al-ʿumūmi, wahuwa mazīdu al-ḥubbi al-ʾawwali, wa-hādhā maḥabbatu khuṣūṣin, wa-kadhālika fī al-maḥabbati maqāmāni, maqāmu muḥibbin waʾaʿlā minhu maqāmu maḥbūbin, wa-hādhā kamā ʿabbarū ʿan qawlihim murīdun wamurādun.

There are, however, two stations within love: making known and making oneself known. The first is the generality’s knowledge and precedes special love; the second is the select’s knowledge and follows general love, an increase upon the first love and a love of the select. Likewise, love has two stations: that of a lover, and above it that of one beloved. This is like their terminology of seeker and one sought.

وَعَلَى الْحَقِيقَةِ كُلُّ مُرِيدٍ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ مُرَادٌ بِذَلِكَ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ جَعَلُوا اِسْمَ مُرَادٍ بِوَصْفٍ مَخْصُوصٍ يُعْرَفُ بِهِ فَيَمْتَازُ مَعَهُ الْمُبْتَدِئُ مِنَ الْمُبَادَأِ، وَالْمُنِيبُ مِنَ الْمُجْتَبَى، وَالطَّالِبُ مِنَ الْمَطْلُوبِ، وَالرَّاغِبُ مِنَ الْمَرْغُوبِ، وَالْحَافِظُ مِنَ الْمَحْفُوظِ، فَكَذَلِكَ لَعَمْرِي لَيْسَ الْحَامِلُ مِثْلَ الْمَحْمُولِ، وَلَا الزَّائِرُ كَالْمَزُورِ وَلَا الِاشْتِيَاقُ كَالْحُضُورِ، وَلَا الْمُحِبُّ مِثْلَ الْمَحْبُوبِ.

waʿalā al-ḥaqīqati kullu murīdin li-llāhi fahuwa murādun bi-dhālika, ʾillā ʾannahum jaʿalū isma murādin biwaṣfin makhṣūṣin yuʿrafu bihi fayamtāzu maʿahu al-mubtadiʾu mina al-mubādaʾi, wa-al-munību mina al-mujtabā, wa-al-ṭālibu mina al-maṭlūbi, wa-al-rāghibu mina al-marghūbi, wa-al-ḥāfiẓu mina al-maḥfūẓi, fa-kadhālika laʿamrī laysa al-ḥāmilu mithla al-maḥmūli, walā al-zāʾiru ka-al-mazūri walā al-ishtiyāqu ka-al-ḥuḍūri, walā al-muḥibbu mithla al-maḥbūbi.

In reality, everyone seeking God is sought through that very seeking. They nevertheless assign “one sought” a particular distinguishing quality, thereby separating one who begins from one first approached, one who turns back from one chosen, one seeking from one sought, one desiring from one desired, one guarding from one guarded. By my life, one carrying is not like one carried; a visitor is not like one visited, longing is not like presence, and a lover is not like one beloved.

قَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى الدَّبِيلِيُّ: عَرَضْتُ عَلَى أَبِي يَزِيدَ الْبِسْطَامِيِّ كِتَابَ صَاحِبِنَا عَبْدِ الرَّحِيمِ فِي الْإِخْلَاصِ فَمَا أَعْجَبَهُ مِنْهُ إِلَّا حِكَايَةُ أَبِي عَاصِمٍ الشَّامِيِّ فِي الشَّوْقِ، يَعْنِي أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحِيمِ ذَكَرَ الْإِخْلَاصَ فِي كِتَابِهِ فَقَالَ: قِيلَ لِأَبِي عَاصِمٍ وَافِدِ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ يَشْتَاقُ إِلَى اللَّهِ، فَقَالَ: لَا، قِيلَ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: إِنَّمَا يُشْتَاقُ إِلَى غَائِبٍ، فَإِذَا كَانَ الْغَائِبُ حَاضِرًا فَإِلَى مَنْ يُشْتَاقُ؟ قُلْتُ: سَقَطَ الشَّوْقُ، وَهَذَا مَقَامُ مَحْبُوبٍ.

qāla ʾabū mūsā al-dabīliyyu: ʿaraḍtu ʿalā ʾabī yazīda al-bisṭāmiyyi kitāba ṣāḥibinā ʿabdi al-raḥīmi fī al-ʾikhlāṣi famā ʾaʿjabahu minhu ʾillā ḥikāyatu ʾabī ʿāṣimin al-shāmiyyi fī al-shawqi, yaʿnī ʾanna ʿabda al-raḥīmi dhakara al-ʾikhlāṣa fī kitābihi faqāla: qīla liʾabī ʿāṣimin wāfidi ʾahli al-shāmi yashtāqu ʾilā Allāhi, faqāla: lā, qīla: walima? qāla: ʾinnamā yushtāqu ʾilā ghāʾibin, faʾidhā kāna al-ghāʾibu ḥāḍiran faʾilā man yushtāqu? qultu: saqaṭa al-shawqu, wa-hādhā maqāmu maḥbūbin.

Abū Mūsā al-Dabīlī said, “I showed Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī our companion ʿAbd al-Raḥīm’s book on sincerity. Nothing pleased him except the account of Abū ʿĀṣim al-Shāmī concerning longing.” That is, ʿAbd al-Raḥīm discussed sincerity in his book and said: Abū ʿĀṣim, the Syrian delegation’s representative, was asked whether one longs for God. He answered, “No.” Asked why, he said, “One longs only for someone absent. When the absent is present, for whom would one long?” I say: longing falls away; this is the station of one beloved.

وَفِي الْمُشَاهَدَةِ مَقَامَانِ: مَقَامُ شَوْقٍ وَمَقَامُ أُنْسٍ، فَالشَّوْقُ حَالٌ مِنَ الْقَلَقِ وَالِانْزِعَاجِ عَنْ مُطَالَعَةِ الْعِزَّةِ وَمُعَايَنَةِ الْأَوْصَافِ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابِ الْغَيْبِ بِخَفَايَا الْأَلْطَافِ، وَفِي هَذَا الْمَقَامِ الْحُزْنُ وَالِانْكِسَارُ، وَالْأُنْسُ حَالٌ مِنَ الْقُرْبِ عَنْ مُكَاشَفَةِ الْحُضُورِ بِلَطَائِفِ الْقُدْرَةِ، فَفِي هَذَا الْمَقَامِ السُّرُورُ وَالِاسْتِبْشَارُ، وَقَالَ ضَيْغَمٌ: عَجِيبٌ لِلْخَلِيقَةِ كَيْفَ أَرَادَتْ بِكَ بَدَلًا، وَعَجِبْتُ لَهَا كَيْفَ أَنِسَتْ بِسِوَاكَ.

wafī al-mushāhadati maqāmāni: maqāmu shawqin wamaqāmu ʾunsin, fa-al-shawqu ḥālun mina al-qalaqi wa-al-inziʿāji ʿan muṭālaʿati al-ʿizzati wamuʿāyanati al-ʾawṣāfi min warāʾi ḥijābi al-ghaybi bikhafāyā al-ʾalṭāfi, wafī hādhā al-maqāmi al-ḥuznu wa-al-inkisāru, wa-al-ʾunsu ḥālun mina al-qurbi ʿan mukāshafati al-ḥuḍūri bilaṭāʾifi al-qudrati, fafī hādhā al-maqāmi al-surūru wa-al-istibshāru, waqāla ḍayghamun: ʿajībun li-l-khalīqati kayfa ʾarādat bika badalan, waʿajibtu lahā kayfa ʾanisat bisiwāka.

Witnessing has two stations: longing and intimacy. Longing is a state of restlessness and agitation arising from contemplation of might and vision of the attributes from behind the veil of the unseen through hidden kindnesses. In this station are sorrow and brokenness. Intimacy is a state of nearness arising from the unveiling of presence through power’s subtle workings; in this station are joy and gladness. Ḍaygham said, “How strange that creation should want a substitute for You! I marvel that it should find intimacy with another.”

وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: عَلَامَةُ كَمَالِ الْحُبِّ دَوَامُ ذِكْرِهِ فِي الْقَلْبِ بِالْفَرَحِ وَالسُّرُورِ وَالشَّوْقِ إِلَيْهِ وَالْأُنْسِ بِهِ، وَأَثَرَةُ مَحَبَّةِ نَفْسِهِ، وَالرِّضَا بِكُلِّ مَا يَصْنَعُ وَعَلَامَةُ أُنْسِهِ بِاللَّهِ اِسْتِلْذَاذُ الْخَلْوَةِ، وَحَلَاوَةُ الْمُنَاجَاةِ، وَاِسْتِفْرَاغُ كُلِّهِ حَتَّى لَا يَكَادَ يَعْقِلُ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا، وَلَا يُحْمَلُ هَذَا عَلَى الْأُنْسِ بِالْخَلْقِ، فَيُرَتَّبُ عَلَى مَدَارِجِ الْمَعْقُولِ، كَمَا لَا يَحْمِلُ الْمَحَبَّةَ عَلَى مَحَبَّةِ الْخَلْقِ فَيَكُونُ بِمَعَانِي الْعُقُولِ، لِأَنَّهُ حَالٌ مِنْهَا.

waqāla al-junaydu: ʿalāmatu kamāli al-ḥubbi dawāmu dhikrihi fī al-qalbi bi-al-faraḥi wa-al-surūri wa-al-shawqi ʾilayhi wa-al-ʾunsi bihi, waʾatharatu maḥabbati nafsihi, wa-al-riḍā bikulli mā yaṣnaʿu waʿalāmatu ʾunsihi bi-Allāhi istildhādhu al-khalwati, waḥalāwatu al-munājāti, wa-stifrāghu kullihi ḥattā lā yakāda yaʿqilu al-dunyā wamā fīhā, walā yuḥmalu hādhā ʿalā al-ʾunsi bi-al-khalqi, fayurattabu ʿalā madāriji al-maʿqūli, kamā lā yaḥmilu al-maḥabbata ʿalā maḥabbati al-khalqi fayakūnu bimaʿānī al-ʿuqūli, liʾannahu ḥālun minhā.

Al-Junayd said, “The sign of complete love is constant remembrance of Him in the heart with joy and gladness, longing for Him, intimacy with Him, preference for love of His self, and contentment with everything He does. The sign of intimacy with God is finding seclusion delightful, intimate prayer sweet, and one’s whole being emptied until one scarcely comprehends the world and what it contains.” This must not be understood as intimacy with creatures and arranged upon reason’s degrees, just as love must not be understood as created love and placed within rational meanings, for it is a state arising from it.

أَوْ إِنَّمَا هُوَ طُمَأْنِينَةٌ وَسُكُونٌ إِلَيْهِ، وَوَجْدُ حَلَاوَةٍ مِنْهُ، وَاِسْتِرَاحَةٌ وَرَوْحٌ بِمَا أَوْجَدَهُمْ، وَقَدْ أَنْكَرَ الْأُنْسَ مَنْ لَا مَقَامَ لَهُ فِيهِ، كَمَا أَنْكَرَ الْمَحَبَّةَ أَيْضًا مَنْ لَا مَعْرِفَةَ لَهُ بِهَا لِأَنَّهُ تَخَيَّلَ فِيهِ مَحَبَّةَ الْمَخْلُوقِ، وَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا صِفَاتِهِمْ، فَقَالَ: لَا يَعْرِفُ الْمَحَبَّةَ وَلَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا لِمَخْلُوقٍ وَلَيْسَ إِلَّا الْخَوْفُ وَالْهَيْبَةُ.

ʾaw ʾinnamā huwa ṭumaʾnīnatun wasukūnun ʾilayhi, wawajdu ḥalāwatin minhu, wa-stirāḥatun warawḥun bimā ʾawjadahum, waqad ʾankara al-ʾunsa man lā maqāma lahu fīhi, kamā ʾankara al-maḥabbata ʾayḍan man lā maʿrifata lahu bihā liʾannahu takhayyala fīhi maḥabbata al-makhlūqi, watamaththala lahā ṣifātihim, faqāla: lā yaʿrifu al-maḥabbata walā yaʿqiluhā ʾillā limakhlūqin walaysa ʾillā al-khawfu wa-al-haybatu.

Or rather, it is assurance and repose in Him, finding sweetness from Him, and rest and relief through what He gives them to experience. Someone with no station in intimacy has denied it, just as someone unfamiliar with love has denied love, imagining in it love for a creature and picturing created attributes in it. He said, “Love is neither known nor comprehended except toward a creature; there is only fear and awe.”

وَمِمَّنْ ذَهَبَ إِلَى هَذَا الْقَوْلِ: أَحْمَدُ بْنُ غَالِبٍ الْمَعْرُوفُ بِغُلَامِ خَلِيلٍ، أَنْكَرَ عَلَى الْجُنَيْدِ وَأَبِي سَعِيدٍ وَالثَّوْرِيِّ كَلَامَهُمْ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ، وَلَيْسَ

wamimman dhahaba ʾilā hādhā al-qawli: ʾaḥmadu bnu ghālibin al-maʿrūfu bighulāmi khalīlin, ʾankara ʿalā al-junaydi waʾabī saʿīdin wa-al-thawriyyi kalāmahum fī al-maḥabbati, walaysa

Among those who adopted this view was Aḥmad ibn Ghālib, known as Ghulām Khalīl. He objected to al-Junayd, Abū Saʿīd, and al-Thawrī speaking about love. This is not—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٠٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 105

Volume Two, page 105

هَذَا مَذْهَبَ السَّلَفِ وَلَا طَرِيقَةَ الْعَارِفِينَ، كَتَبَ عَامِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ إِلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ: آنَسَكَ اللَّهُ بِنَفْسِهِ، وَقِيلَ لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ وَقَدْ نَزَلَ مِنَ الْجَبَلِ: مِنْ أَيْنَ أَقْبَلْتَ؟ قَالَ: مِنَ الْأُنْسِ بِاللَّهِ وَأَنْشَدُونَا لِبَعْضِ الْعَارِفِينَ: الْأُنْسُ بِاللَّهِ لَا يَحْوِيهِ بَطَّالٌ ... وَلَيْسَ يُدْرِكُهُ بِالْحَوْلِ مُحْتَالٌ وَالْآنِسُونَ رِجَالٌ كُلُّهُمْ نُجُبٌ ... وَكُلُّهُمْ صَفْوَةٌ لِلَّهِ عُمَّالٌ.

hādhā madhhaba al-salafi walā ṭarīqata al-ʿārifīna, kataba ʿāmiru bnu ʿabdi Allāhi ʾilā baʿḍi ʾikhwānihi: ʾānasaka Allāhu binafsihi, waqīla liʾibrāhīma bni ʾad-hama waqad nazala mina al-jabali: min ʾayna ʾaqbalta? qāla: mina al-ʾunsi bi-Allāhi waʾanshadūnā libaʿḍi al-ʿārifīna: al-ʾunsu bi-Allāhi lā yaḥwīhi baṭṭālun ... walaysa yudrikuhu bi-al-ḥawli muḥtālun wa-al-ʾānisūna rijālun kulluhum nujubun ... wakulluhum ṣafwatun li-llāhi ʿummālun.

—the way of the early believers or the path of those who know. ʿĀmir ibn ʿAbd Allāh wrote to a brother, “May God grant you intimacy with Himself.” Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, descending from the mountain, was asked where he had come from. He answered, “From intimacy with God.” They recited to us from a knower: “No idler encompasses intimacy with God; no schemer attains it by his power. Those intimate with Him are men all noble, all God’s elect, diligent in His service.”

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي التَّفْسِيرِ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ﴾ الرَّعْدِ: 28، قَالَ: هَشَّتْ إِلَيْهِ وَأَنِسَتْ بِهِ، وَفِي مَقَامِ الْأُنْسِ يَكُونُ التَّمَلُّقُ وَالْمُنَاجَاةُ، وَمَعَهُ تَكُونُ الْمُحَادَثَةُ وَالْمُجَالَسَةُ، وَمَعْنًى مِنَ الْبَسْطِ، وَلَا يُحِبُّ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى هَذَا النَّوْعَ مِنَ الْإِدْلَالِ إِلَّا مِمَّنْ أَقَامَهُ مَقَامَ الْأُنْسِ، وَلَا يَحْسُنُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا مِنْهُمْ.

waqad rawaynā fī al-tafsīri ʿan saʿīdi bni ʾabī ʿarūbata ʿan qatādata fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿alladhīna ʾāmanū taṭmaʾinnu qulūbuhum bidhikri Allāhi﴾ al-raʿdi: 28, qāla: hashshat ʾilayhi waʾanisat bihi, wafī maqāmi al-ʾunsi yakūnu al-tamalluqu wa-al-munājātu, wamaʿahu takūnu al-muḥādathatu wa-al-mujālasatu, wamaʿnan mina al-basṭi, walā yuḥibbu Allāhu taʿālā hādhā al-nawʿa mina al-ʾidlāli ʾillā mimman ʾaqāmahu maqāma al-ʾunsi, walā yaḥsunu dhālika ʾillā minhum.

In Qurʾānic commentary we have transmitted from Saʿīd ibn Abī ʿArūbah, from Qatādah, concerning His saying, mighty and majestic, “Those who believe, their hearts find repose in remembrance of God” (al-Raʿd 13:28): “They brighten toward Him and find intimacy with Him.” The station of intimacy includes affectionate entreaty and whispered prayer, conversation and companionship, and a measure of expansiveness. God Most High loves this kind of familiarity only from those He has placed in intimacy’s station; it is becoming only in them.

لِنَحْوِ قَوْلِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي مَقَامِ الْأُنْسِ: يَا رَبِّ لِي مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ، قَالَ: وَمَا هُوَ؟ قَالَ: لِي مِثْلُكَ وَلَيْسَ لَكَ مِثْلُ نَفْسِكَ، قَالَ: صَدَقْتَ، مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: مِثْلُكَ أَيْ لِي أَنْتَ كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ﴾ الشُّورَى: 11، مَعْنَاهُ لَيْسَ كَهُوَ شَيْءٌ لِأَنَّهُ لَا مِثْلَ لَهُ، فَيَكُونُ لِمِثْلِهِ مِثْلٌ إِذْ لَا يَكُونُ لِمِثْلِهِ مِثْلٌ، وَالْعَرَبُ تُعَبِّرُ بِالْمِثْلِ عَنْ نَفْسِ الشَّيْءِ.

linaḥwi qawli mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu fī maqāmi al-ʾunsi: yā rabbi lī mā laysa laka, qāla: wamā huwa? qāla: lī mithluka walaysa laka mithlu nafsika, qāla: ṣadaqta, maʿnā qawlihi: mithluka ʾay lī ʾanta kaqawlihi taʿālā: ﴿laysa kamithlihi﴾ al-shūrā: 11, maʿnāhu laysa kahuwa shayʾun liʾannahu lā mithla lahu, fayakūnu limithlihi mithlun ʾidh lā yakūnu limithlihi mithlun, wa-al-ʿarabu tuʿabbiru bi-al-mithli ʿan nafsi al-shayʾi.

For example, Moses, peace be upon him, said in intimacy’s station, “My Lord, I have what You do not.” He asked, “What is that?” Moses said, “I have one like You, while You have none like Yourself.” He said, “You have spoken truly.” “One like You” means, “I have You,” as in His saying, exalted is He, “There is nothing like His likeness” (al-Shūrā 42:11), meaning nothing is like Him, for He has no likeness, such that His likeness would have a likeness, since His likeness has no likeness. Arabs use “likeness” to mean the thing itself.

وَفَوْقَ هَذَا مِنَ الْبَسْطِ مَا أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مُوَاجِهًا لِلْجَلِيلِ الْعَظِيمِ: إِنِّي قَتَلْتُ مِنْهُمْ نَفْسًا فَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونِ، وَأَعْظَمُ مِنْ هَذَا قَوْلُهُ: اِذْهَبْ إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ، فَقَالَ مُجِيبًا لَهُ، فَأَرْسِلْ إِلَى هَارُونَ وَلَهُمْ عَلَيَّ ذَنْبٌ، وَمِثْلُهُ قَوْلُهُ: إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ يُكَذِّبُونِ وَيَضِيقُ صَدْرِي فَحَسُنَ هَذَا مِنْهُ، لِأَنَّهُ أَقَامَهُ مَقَامَ الْبَسْطِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَالْأُنْسِ بِهِ، وَلِأَنَّ مَكَانَهُ لَدَيْهِ مَكَانُ مَحْبُوبٍ، فَأَدَلَّ بِهِ عَلَيْهِ فَحَمَلَهُ ذَلِكَ.

wafawqa hādhā mina al-basṭi mā ʾakhbara Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhu ʾannahu qāla muwājihan li-l-jalīli al-ʿaẓīmi: ʾinnī qataltu minhum nafsan faʾakhāfu ʾan yaqtulūni, waʾaʿẓamu min hādhā qawluhu: idhhab ʾilā firʿawna, faqāla mujīban lahu, faʾarsil ʾilā hārūna walahum ʿalayya dhanbun, wamithluhu qawluhu: ʾinnī ʾakhāfu ʾan yukadhdhibūni wayaḍīqu ṣadrī faḥasuna hādhā minhu, liʾannahu ʾaqāmahu maqāma al-basṭi bayna yadayhi wa-al-ʾunsi bihi, waliʾanna makānahu ladayhi makānu maḥbūbin, faʾadalla bihi ʿalayhi faḥamalahu dhālika.

Greater expansiveness appears in what God Most High reports of him addressing the Majestic, the Great: “I killed one of them, and fear they will kill me.” Greater still, when He said, “Go to Pharaoh,” he answered, “Then send to Aaron; they have a charge against me.” Similarly, “I fear they will deny me, and my breast constricts.” This was becoming in him because God had placed him in expansiveness before Him and intimacy with Him, and because his standing with Him was that of one beloved. He presumed upon that closeness, which sustained him in this.

وَهَذَا مِنْ غَيْرِ مُوسَى فِي غَيْرِ هَذَا الْمَقَامِ مِنْ سُوءِ الْأَدَبِ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْمُرْسِلِ، وَلَمْ يَحْتَمِلْ لِيُونُسَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ خَاطِرًا مِنْ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ لَمَّا أُقِيمَ مَقَامَ الْقَبْضِ وَالْخَوْفِ، حَتَّى عُوقِبَ بِالسِّجْنِ فِي بَطْنِ الْحُوتِ فِي الْبَحْرِ، فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ ثَلَاثٍ، وَنُودِيَ عَلَيْهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْحَشْرِ، لَوْلَا أَنْ تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالْعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ، وَقِيلَ: عَرَاءُ الْقِيَامَةِ.

wa-hādhā min ghayri mūsā fī ghayri hādhā al-maqāmi min sūʾi al-ʾadabi bayna yadayi al-mursili, walam yaḥtamil liyūnusa ʿalayhi al-salāmu khāṭiran min hādhā al-qawli lammā ʾuqīma maqāma al-qabḍi wa-al-khawfi, ḥattā ʿūqiba bi-al-sijni fī baṭni al-ḥūti fī al-baḥri, fī ẓulumātin thalāthin, wanūdiya ʿalayhi ʾilā yawmi al-ḥashri, lawlā ʾan tadārakahu niʿmatun min rabbihi lanubidha bi-al-ʿarāʾi wahuwa madhmūmun, waqīla: ʿarāʾu al-qiyāmati.

From someone other than Moses, in another station, this would be discourtesy before the Sender. Not even a passing thought of such speech was tolerated from Jonah, peace be upon him, when he was placed in constriction and fear. He was punished by imprisonment in the fish’s belly in the sea, in three darknesses. It was proclaimed concerning him until the Day of Gathering: “Had a blessing from his Lord not reached him, he would have been cast onto the bare shore, blameworthy.” Some said this means the bare expanse of the Resurrection.

وَنَهَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى حَبِيبَهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ يَقْتَدِيَ بِهِ فِي الْقَوْلِ وَالْفِعْلِ فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَاِصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُنْ كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَى وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ﴾ الْقَلَمِ: 48، وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿مِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَلَّمَ اللَّهُ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَاتٍ﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: 253، وَاِحْتَمَلَ لِإِخْوَةِ يُوسُفَ مَا عَزَمُوا عَلَيْهِ وَاِعْتَقَدُوهُ وَمَا فَعَلُوهُ وَمَا أَسَرُّوهُ مِنْ قَوْلِهِمْ: اُقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ أَوِ اِطْرَحُوهُ أَرْضًا يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ إِلَى نَحْوِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْكَلَامِ وَالْفِعَالِ.

wanahā Allāhu taʿālā ḥabībahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾan yaqtadiya bihi fī al-qawli wa-al-fiʿli faqāla taʿālā: ﴿fa-ṣbir liḥukmi rabbika walā takun kaṣāḥibi al-ḥūti ʾidh nādā wahuwa makẓūmun﴾ al-qalami: 48, waqad qāla taʿālā: ﴿minhum man kallama Allāhu warafaʿa baʿḍahum darajātin﴾ al-baqarati: 253, wa-ḥtamala liʾikhwati yūsufa mā ʿazamū ʿalayhi wa-ʿtaqadūhu wamā faʿalūhu wamā ʾasarrūhu min qawlihim: uqtulū yūsufa ʾawi iṭraḥūhu ʾarḍan yakhlu lakum wajhu ʾabīkum ʾilā naḥwi dhālika mina al-kalāmi wa-al-fiʿāli.

God Most High forbade His beloved, God bless him and grant him peace, to follow him in speech and action, saying, exalted is He: “Be patient with your Lord’s judgment, and do not be like the companion of the fish when he cried out, choked with distress” (al-Qalam 68:48). The Exalted also says, “Among them are those to whom God spoke, and He raised some in degrees” (al-Baqarah 2:253). Yet He tolerated from Joseph’s brothers what they resolved, believed, did, and concealed, including, “Kill Joseph or cast him into some land, so your father’s attention will be yours alone,” and similar words and deeds.

وَلَقَدْ عَدَدْتُ مِنْ أَوَّلِ قَوْلِهِمْ لَيُوسُفُ وَأَخُوهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَى أَبِينَا مِنَّا إِلَى رَأْسِ الْعَشْرِ مِنْ أَخْبَارِهِ عَنْهُمْ فِي قَوْلِهِ، وَكَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ نَيِّفًا وَأَرْبَعِينَ خَطِيئَةً بَعْضُهَا أَكْبَرُ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، قَدْ يَجْتَمِعُ فِي الْكَلِمَةِ الْوَاحِدَةِ الْأَرْبَعَةُ وَالْخَمْسَةُ مِنَ الْخَطَايَا، وَدُونَ ذَلِكَ وَفَوْقَهُ بِدَقَائِقِ الِاسْتِخْرَاجِ وَمَعْرِفَةِ خَفَايَا الذُّنُوبِ، فَغَفَرَ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ إِنْ كَانُوا فِي مَقَامِ مَحْبُوبِينَ، وَلَمْ يَحْتَمِلْ لِعُزَيْرٍ

walaqad ʿadadtu min ʾawwali qawlihim layūsufu waʾakhūhu ʾaḥabbu ʾilā ʾabīnā minnā ʾilā raʾsi al-ʿashri min ʾakhbārihi ʿanhum fī qawlihi, wakānū fīhi mina al-zāhidīna nayyifan waʾarbaʿīna khaṭīʾatan baʿḍuhā ʾakbaru min baʿḍin, qad yajtamiʿu fī al-kalimati al-wāḥidati al-ʾarbaʿatu wa-al-khamsatu mina al-khaṭāyā, wadūna dhālika wafawqahu bidaqāʾiqi al-istikhrāji wamaʿrifati khafāyā al-dhunūbi, faghafara lahum dhālika ʾin kānū fī maqāmi maḥbūbīna, walam yaḥtamil liʿuzayrin

I counted more than forty sins, some greater than others, from their first saying, “Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we are,” to the end of the ten in His account of them, “They held him in little regard.” Four or five sins may combine within a single utterance, or fewer or more, through fine discernment and knowledge of hidden sins. He forgave them this if they occupied the station of the beloved. Yet from ʿUzayr He did not tolerate—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٠٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 106

Volume Two, page 106

مَسْأَلَةً وَاحِدَةً سَأَلَ عَنْهَا فِي الْقَدَرِ حَتَّى قِيلَ مُحِيَ مِنْ دِيوَانِ النُّبُوَّةِ، وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ: ﴿ثُمَّ اِتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: 92، مَا جَاءَتْكُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَنْ ذَلِكَ، فَإِنْ شَاءَ أَنْ يَعْفُوَ عَفَا عَنِ الْعَظَائِمِ فَلَمْ يَعْظُمْ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ، وَإِنْ شَاءَ طَالَبَ وَنَاقَشَ عَلَى الصَّغَائِرِ، وَلَا تَصْغُرُ الذَّرَّةُ وَالْخَرْدَلَةُ عَنْ مُطَالَبَتِهِ، وَكَيْفَ يَصْغُرُ ذَنْبٌ مِمَّنْ وَاجَهَ بِهِ الْمَلِكَ الْجَبَّارَ؟

masʾalatan wāḥidatan saʾala ʿanhā fī al-qadari ḥattā qīla muḥiya min dīwāni al-nubuwwati, waqad qāla Allāhu taʿālā fawqa dhālika kullihi: ﴿thumma ittakhadhtumu al-ʿijla min baʿdihi﴾ al-baqarati: 92, mā jāʾatkumu al-bayyinātu faʿafawnā ʿan dhālika, faʾin shāʾa ʾan yaʿfuwa ʿafā ʿani al-ʿaẓāʾimi falam yaʿẓum ʿalayhi shayʾun, waʾin shāʾa ṭālaba wanāqasha ʿalā al-ṣaghāʾiri, walā taṣghuru al-dharratu wa-al-khardalatu ʿan muṭālabatihi, wakayfa yaṣghuru dhanbun mimman wājaha bihi al-malika al-jabbāra?

—a single question he asked about destiny, so that it was said he was erased from prophethood’s register. Beyond all this, God Most High says, “Then you took the calf after him” (al-Baqarah 2:92), “the clear proofs had come to you, yet We pardoned that.” If He wills to pardon, He pardons enormities, and nothing is too great for Him. If He wills, He demands an account and scrutinizes minor sins; an atom or mustard seed is not too small for His demand. How can a sin be small when committed before the King, the Compeller?

أَلَا تَرَى مَنْ كَشَفَ عَوْرَتَهُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ نَبِيٍّ كَفَرَ لِاِنْتِهَاكِ حُرْمَةِ النُّبُوَّةِ فَكَيْفَ بِالْعَظِيمِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَوْلَا فَضْلُهُ وَرَحْمَتُهُ؟ وَفِي قَوْلِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ: ﴿يَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ﴾ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: 129، قِيلَ: يَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ عَلَى الذَّنْبِ الْعَظِيمِ، وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ عَلَى الذَّنْبِ الصَّغِيرِ، وَقِيلَ: يَشْتَرِكُ الْجَمَاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْصِيَةِ فَيَغْفِرُهَا لِبَعْضِهِمْ وَيُبَدِّلُهَا حَسَنَاتٍ، فَلَا تَضُرُّهُ بَلْ تَكُونُ عَاقِبَتُهَا مَا يَسُرُّهُ.

ʾalā tarā man kashafa ʿawratahu bayna yaday nabiyyin kafara li-ntihāki ḥurmati al-nubuwwati fakayfa bi-al-ʿaẓīmi al-ʾakbari lawlā faḍluhu waraḥmatuhu? wafī qawlihi subḥānahu: ﴿yaghfiru liman yashāʾu wayuʿadhdhibu man yashāʾu﴾ ʾāli ʿimrāna: 129, qīla: yaghfiru liman yashāʾu ʿalā al-dhanbi al-ʿaẓīmi, wayuʿadhdhibu man yashāʾu ʿalā al-dhanbi al-ṣaghīri, waqīla: yashtariku al-jamāʿatu fī al-maʿṣiyati fayaghfiruhā libaʿḍihim wayubaddiluhā ḥasanātin, falā taḍurruhu bal takūnu ʿāqibatuhā mā yasurruhu.

Do you not see that someone exposing his nakedness before a prophet disbelieves by violating prophethood’s sanctity? What, then, before the Great, the Greatest, were it not for His bounty and mercy? Concerning His saying, glorified is He, “He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills” (Āl ʿImrān 3:129), it is said, “He forgives whom He wills for a great sin and punishes whom He wills for a small one.” It is also said that a group may share in a sin, and He forgives some, changing it into good deeds, so it does not harm them and its outcome instead gladdens them.

وَيُعَذِّبُ الْبَعْضَ بِذَنْبِهِ وَلَا يَغْفِرُ لَهُ، وَقَدْ لَا يَنْفَعُهُ مَعَهُ عَمَلٌ لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ، وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ، يَحْكُمُ بِأَمْرِهِ فِي خَلْقِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ، كَيْفَ شَاءَ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ، وَاِحْتَمَلَ لِآصَفَ بْنِ بَرْخِيَا فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ، يُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ كَانَ أَحَدَ الْمُسْرِفِينَ، وَلَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ تُذْكَرَ ذُنُوبُهُ لِمَكَانِ عِلْمِهِ وَلِحُسْنِ عَطْفِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ.

wayuʿadhdhibu al-baʿḍa bidhanbihi walā yaghfiru lahu, waqad lā yanfaʿuhu maʿahu ʿamalun lā yusʾalu ʿammā yafʿalu, wahum yusʾalūna lahu al-khalqu wa-al-ʾamru, yaḥkumu biʾamrihi fī khalqihi mā yashāʾu, kayfa shāʾa, walā ḥawla walā quwwata ʾillā bi-Allāhi, wa-ḥtamala liʾāṣafa bni barkhiyā fawqa dhālika kullihi, yuqālu: ʾinnahu kāna ʾaḥada al-musrifīna, walā yaṣluḥu ʾan tudhkara dhunūbuhu limakāni ʿilmihi waliḥusni ʿaṭfi Allāhi ʿalayhi.

Others He punishes for their sin without forgiving them; no deed may benefit them alongside it. “He is not questioned about what He does, while they are questioned.” His are creation and command. By His command He decrees in His creation whatever He wills, however He wills. There is no power or strength except through God. He tolerated from Āṣaf ibn Barkhiyā more than all this. It is said he was one of the transgressors, but his sins should not be mentioned because of his knowledge’s standing and God’s gracious affection toward him.

ثُمَّ تَدَارَكَهُ مَوْلَاهُ، وَاِجْتَبَاهُ، وَأَعْطَاهُ الْعِلْمَ وَالْفَضْلَ، وَأَيَّدَ بِهِ نَبِيَّهُ وَخَلِيفَتَهُ، وَجَعَلَهُ وَزِيرَهُ، وَأَطْلَعَهُ عَلَى الِاسْمِ الْأَعْظَمِ بَعْدَ مَا كَانَ مِنْهُ مَا يَتَعَاظَمُ لِئَلَّا يَيْأَسَ مُحِبٌّ مِنْ عَطْفِهِ، وَلِكَيْلَا يَقْنَطَ مُتَحَجِّبٌ مِنْ لُطْفِهِ، وَلَمْ يَسْمَحْ لِبَلْعَمَ بْنِ بَاعُورَاءَ بِذَنْبٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ ذُنُوبِ آصَفَ بْنِ بَرْخِيَا إِلَّا إِنَّ بَلْعَمَ أَكَلَ دُنْيَاهُ بِدِينِهِ وَأَدْخَلَ الْهَوَى عَلَى الْعِلْمِ فَضَلَّ بِذَلِكَ وَهَلَكَ وَاِشْتَدَّ مَقْتُ اللَّهِ لَهُ.

thumma tadārakahu mawlāhu, wa-jtabāhu, waʾaʿṭāhu al-ʿilma wa-al-faḍla, waʾayyada bihi nabiyyahu wakhalīfatahu, wajaʿalahu wazīrahu, waʾaṭlaʿahu ʿalā al-ismi al-ʾaʿẓami baʿda mā kāna minhu mā yataʿāẓamu liʾallā yayʾasa muḥibbun min ʿaṭfihi, walikaylā yaqnaṭa mutaḥajjibun min luṭfihi, walam yasmaḥ libalʿama bni bāʿūrāʾa bidhanbin wāḥidin min dhunūbi ʾāṣafa bni barkhiyā ʾillā ʾinna balʿama ʾakala dunyāhu bidīnihi waʾadkhala al-hawā ʿalā al-ʿilmi faḍalla bi-dhālika wahalaka wa-shtadda maqtu Allāhi lahu.

Then his Master reached him, chose him, gave him knowledge and bounty, strengthened His prophet and vicegerent through him, made him his minister, and acquainted him with the Greatest Name after his grave offenses, so that no lover would despair of His affection and no veiled person lose hope in His kindness. Yet He did not excuse Balaam ibn Bāʿūrāʾ for even one of Āṣaf ibn Barkhiyā’s sins. Balaam, however, consumed his worldly portion through his religion and introduced desire into knowledge; thereby he went astray and perished, and God’s abhorrence of him grew severe.

وَآصَفُ كَانَتْ مَعَاصِيهِ فِي جَوَارِحِهِ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ خَالِقِهِ، فَكَانَ آصَفُ مُسْتَبْدَلًا بِهِ مِنْ بَلْعَمَ لَمَّا أُرِيَ تِلْكَ الْآيَاتِ، فَاِنْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا بَعْدَ الْعِبَادَاتِ، إِذْ لَمْ يُرِدْ بِحَقَائِقِهَا وَالنِّيَّاتِ فِيهِ، وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ أُوتِيَ الِاسْمَ الْأَعْظَمَ الْمُتَّصِلَ بِكُلِّ الْمُتَّصِلَةِ بِكَانَ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ: كَانَ أُوتِيَ فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ اِنْسَلَخَ مِنَ الْآيَاتِ فَسَكَنَ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا وَهَوَى فِي الْهَالِكَاتِ، وَلَمْ يَنْفَعْهُ مَا كَانَ مِنْهُ مِنَ الْعِبَادَةِ وَالزَّهَادَةِ كَيْ لَا يَأْمَنَ عَامِلٌ مِنْ عُمَّالِهِ مَكْرَهُ، وَلِئَلَّا يُدِلَّ عَالِمٌ عَلَيْهِ بِمَا أَظْهَرَهُ.

waʾāṣafu kānat maʿāṣīhi fī jawāriḥihi baynahu wabayna khāliqihi, fakāna ʾāṣafu mustabdalan bihi min balʿama lammā ʾuriya tilka al-ʾāyāti, fa-nsalakha minhā baʿda al-ʿibādāti, ʾidh lam yurid biḥaqāʾiqihā wa-al-niyyāti fīhi, wayuqālu: ʾinnahu ʾūtiya al-isma al-ʾaʿẓama al-muttaṣila bikulli al-muttaṣilati bikāna, waqad qīla: kāna ʾūtiya fawqa dhālika thumma insalakha mina al-ʾāyāti fasakana ʾilā al-dunyā wahawā fī al-hālikāti, walam yanfaʿhu mā kāna minhu mina al-ʿibādati wa-al-zahādati kay lā yaʾmana ʿāmilun min ʿummālihi makrahu, waliʾallā yudilla ʿālimun ʿalayhi bimā ʾaẓharahu.

Āṣaf’s sins involved his limbs, between himself and his Creator. Āṣaf was therefore substituted for Balaam, who, after being shown those signs, cast them off despite his acts of worship, since he did not intend their realities and the intentions within it. It is said he was given the Greatest Name connected with “all,” the one connected with “was.” Some say he had been given even more; then he cast off the signs, rested in the world, and plunged into destructive things. His former worship and renunciation did not benefit him, so that no worker in His service would feel secure from His contrivance and no scholar presume upon what He disclosed to him.

وَكَانَ آصَفُ فِي كَبَائِرِ الْمُخَالَفَاتِ فَاُسْتُنْقِذَ مِنْهَا ثُمَّ أُوتِيَ بَعْدَهَا الْآيَاتِ لِأَنَّهُ بِوَصْفِ مُرَادٍ وَفِي مَقَامِ مَحْبُوبٍ، هَذَا بِحَضْرَةِ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ وَخَلِيفَتِهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ سُلَيْمَانَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ.

wakāna ʾāṣafu fī kabāʾiri al-mukhālafāti fa-stunqidha minhā thumma ʾūtiya baʿdahā al-ʾāyāti liʾannahu biwaṣfi murādin wafī maqāmi maḥbūbin, hādhā biḥaḍrati nabiyyi Allāhi wakhalīfatihi fī al-ʾarḍi sulaymāna ʿalayhi al-salāmu.

Āṣaf had been immersed in grave acts of disobedience, but was rescued from them and afterward given the signs, because he bore the quality of one sought and occupied the station of one beloved. This happened in the presence of God’s prophet and vicegerent on earth, Solomon, peace be upon him.

فَأَمَّا قِصَّةُ بَلْعَمَ فَهِيَ أَشْهَرُ مِنْ أَنْ نَذْكُرَهَا، وَلَهَا مُقَدِّمَاتٌ فِيهَا قَصَصٌ وَإِطَالَةٌ لَا نَشْتَغِلُ بِذِكْرِهِ، وَلَكِنْ نَذْكُرُ بَعْضَ مَا اِنْتَهَى إِلَيْنَا مِنْ قِصَّةِ آصَفَ، وَلَيْسَ كُلُّ أَحَدٍ عَلَى قِصَّتِهِ يَقِفُ، حَدَّثُونَا أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَوْحَى إِلَى سُلَيْمَانَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: يَا اِبْنَ رَأْسِ الْعَابِدِينَ وَيَا اِبْنَ

faʾammā qiṣṣatu balʿama fahiya ʾashharu min ʾan nadhkurahā, walahā muqaddimātun fīhā qaṣaṣun waʾiṭālatun lā nashtaghilu bidhikrihi, wa-lākin nadhkuru baʿḍa mā intahā ʾilaynā min qiṣṣati ʾāṣafa, walaysa kullu ʾaḥadin ʿalā qiṣṣatihi yaqifu, ḥaddathūnā ʾanna Allāha taʿālā ʾawḥā ʾilā sulaymāna ʿalayhi al-salāmu: yā ibna raʾsi al-ʿābidīna wayā ibna

Balaam’s story is too well known to recount. Its preliminaries contain lengthy narratives with which we shall not occupy ourselves. Instead, we shall mention some of Āṣaf’s story that has reached us, for not everyone knows it. They related that God Most High revealed to Solomon, peace be upon him: “Son of the chief of worshippers, son of—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٠٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 107

Volume Two, page 107

مَحَجَّةِ الزَّاهِدِينَ، إِلَى كَمْ يَعْصِينِي اِبْنُ خَالَتِكَ آصَفُ وَأَنَا أَحْلُمُ عَنْهُ مَرَّةً بَعْدَ مَرَّةٍ، فَوَعِزَّتِي وَجَلَالِي لَئِنْ أَخَذْتُهُ عَطْفَةً مِنْ عَطَفَاتِي عَلَيْهِ لَأَتْرُكَنَّهُ مُثْلَةً لِمَنْ مَعَهُ وَنَكَالًا لِمَنْ بَعْدَهُ، قَالَ: فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ آصَفُ عَلَى سُلَيْمَانَ أَخْبَرَهُ بِمَا أَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ، فَخَرَجَ حَتَّى عَلَا كَثِيبًا مِنْ رَمْلٍ، ثُمَّ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ نَحْوَ السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: إِلَٰهِي وَسَيِّدِي أَنْتَ أَنْتَ وَأَنَا أَنَا فَكَيْفَ أَتُوبُ إِنْ لَمْ تَتُبْ عَلَيَّ وَكَيْفَ أَسْتَعْصِمُ إِنْ لَمْ تَعْصِمْنِي لَأَعُودَنَّ.

maḥajjati al-zāhidīna, ʾilā kam yaʿṣīnī ibnu khālatika ʾāṣafu waʾanā ʾaḥlumu ʿanhu marratan baʿda marratin, fawaʿizzatī wajalālī laʾin ʾakhadhtuhu ʿaṭfatan min ʿaṭafātī ʿalayhi laʾatrukannahu muthlatan liman maʿahu wanakālan liman baʿdahu, qāla: falammā dakhala ʾāṣafu ʿalā sulaymāna ʾakhbarahu bimā ʾawḥā Allāhu ʾilayhi, fakharaja ḥattā ʿalā kathīban min ramlin, thumma rafaʿa yadayhi naḥwa al-samāʾi wahuwa yaqūlu: ʾilāhī wasayyidī ʾanta ʾanta waʾanā ʾanā fakayfa ʾatūbu ʾin lam tatub ʿalayya wakayfa ʾastaʿṣimu ʾin lam taʿṣimnī laʾaʿūdanna.

—the renunciants’ clear path! How long will your maternal cousin Āṣaf disobey Me while I forbear with him again and again? By My might and majesty, if I seize him with one turn of My turns toward him, I shall leave him an example to those with him and a deterrent to those after him.” When Āṣaf entered Solomon’s presence, Solomon told him what God had revealed. Āṣaf went out, climbed a sand dune, and raised his hands toward heaven: “My God and Master, You are You, and I am I. How can I repent unless You turn toward me? How can I seek protection unless You protect me? I shall surely return!”

فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ: صَدَقْتَ أَنْتَ أَنْتَ وَأَنَا أَنَا اِسْتَقْبِلِ التَّوْبَةَ إِلَيَّ فَقَدْ تُبْتُ عَلَيْكَ وَأَنَا التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ، وَهَذَا كَلَامُ مُدِلٍّ بِهِ عَلَيْهِ، وَهَارِبٍ مِنْهُ إِلَيْهِ، وَمُتَمَلِّقٍ لَهُ مِنْهُ وَمِنْ إِدْلَالِ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ مِنَ الْمُسْتَأْمِنِينَ مُنَاجَاةُ بَرْخٍ الْأَسْوَدِ الَّذِي أَمَرَ اللَّهُ كَلِيمَهُ أَنْ يَسْأَلَهُ أَنْ يَسْتَسْقِيَ لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ بَعْدَ أَنْ قُحِطُوا سَبْعَ سِنِينَ، وَاِسْتَسْقَى لَهُمْ مُوسَى فِي سَبْعِينَ أَلْفًا.

faʾawḥā Allāhu ʾilayhi: ṣadaqta ʾanta ʾanta waʾanā ʾanā istaqbili al-tawbata ʾilayya faqad tubtu ʿalayka waʾanā al-tawwābu al-raḥīmu, wa-hādhā kalāmu mudillin bihi ʿalayhi, wahāribin minhu ʾilayhi, wamutamalliqin lahu minhu wamin ʾidlāli al-maḥbūbīna mina al-mustaʾminīna munājātu barkhin al-ʾaswadi alladhī ʾamara Allāhu kalīmahu ʾan yasʾalahu ʾan yastasqiya libanī ʾisrāʾīla baʿda ʾan quḥiṭū sabʿa sinīna, wa-stasqā lahum mūsā fī sabʿīna ʾalfan.

God revealed to him, “You have spoken truly. You are you, and I am I. Turn afresh in repentance to Me: I have turned toward you, and I am the Ever-Relenting, the Merciful.” This is speech of one presuming upon Him through Him, fleeing from Him to Him, and seeking His affection through Him. Another instance of the beloved’s familiarity, among those seeking security, is the prayer of black Barkh. God commanded His interlocutor to ask Barkh to seek rain for the Israelites after seven years of drought. Moses had sought rain for them among seventy thousand.

فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى مُوسَى كَيْفَ أَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُمْ، وَقَدْ أَظْلَمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ذُنُوبُهُمْ وَسَرَائِرُهُمْ خَبِيثَةٌ يَدْعُونَنِي عَلَى غَيْرِ يَقِينٍ، وَيَأْمَنُونَ مَكْرِي، اِرْجِعْ فَإِنَّ عَبْدًا مِنْ عِبَادِي يُقَالُ لَهُ بَرْخٌ قُلْ لَهُ يَخْرُجْ حَتَّى أَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ، فَسَأَلَ عَنْهُ مُوسَى فَلَمْ يُعْرَفْ، فَبَيْنَا مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ يَمْشِي فِي طَرِيقٍ فَإِذَا بِعَبْدٍ أَسْوَدَ اِسْتَقْبَلَهُ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ تُرَابٌ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ فِي شَمْلَةٍ قَدْ عَقَدَهَا عَلَى عُنُقِهِ.

faʾawḥā Allāhu ʾilā mūsā kayfa ʾastajību lahum, waqad ʾaẓlamat ʿalayhim dhunūbuhum wasarāʾiruhum khabīthatun yadʿūnanī ʿalā ghayri yaqīnin, wayaʾmanūna makrī, irjiʿ faʾinna ʿabdan min ʿibādī yuqālu lahu barkhun qul lahu yakhruj ḥattā ʾastajība lahu, fasaʾala ʿanhu mūsā falam yuʿraf, fabaynā mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu dhāta yawmin yamshī fī ṭarīqin faʾidhā biʿabdin ʾaswada istaqbalahu bayna ʿaynayhi turābun min ʾathari al-sujūdi fī shamlatin qad ʿaqadahā ʿalā ʿunuqihi.

God revealed to Moses, “How can I answer them when their sins have darkened over them and their inward selves are foul? They call upon Me without certainty and feel secure from My contrivance. Return. One of My servants is called Barkh; tell him to come out so I may answer him.” Moses asked about him, but he was not known. One day, as Moses, peace be upon him, walked along a road, a black servant met him, with soil between his eyes from prostration, wearing a cloak tied around his neck.

فَعَرَفَهُ مُوسَى بِنُورِ اللَّهِ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ وَقَالَ: مَا اِسْمُكَ؟ فَقَالَ: اِسْمِي بَرْخٌ قَالَ: فَأَنْتَ طِلْبَتُنَا مُنْذُ حِينٍ، اُخْرُجْ فَاِسْتَسْقِ لَنَا، قَالَ: فَخَرَجَ فَقَالَ فِي كَلَامِهِ: مَا هَذَا مِنْ فَعَالِكَ وَمَا هَذَا مِنْ حِلْمِكَ، فَمَا هَذَا الَّذِي بَدَا لَكَ؟ أَنَقَصَتْ عَلَيْكَ غُيُوثُكَ، أَمْ عَانَدَتْ عَنْ طَاعَتِكَ الرِّيَاحُ، أَمْ نَفِدَ مَا عِنْدَكَ، أَمِ اِشْتَدَّ غَضَبُكَ عَلَى الْمُذْنِبِينَ، أَلَسْتَ كُنْتَ غَفَّارًا قَبْلَ خَلْقِ الْخَاطِئِينَ.

faʿarafahu mūsā binūri Allāhi fasallama ʿalayhi waqāla: mā ismuka? faqāla: ismī barkhun qāla: faʾanta ṭilbatunā mundhu ḥīnin, ukhruj fa-stasqi lanā, qāla: fakharaja faqāla fī kalāmihi: mā hādhā min faʿālika wamā hādhā min ḥilmika, famā hādhā alladhī badā laka? ʾanaqaṣat ʿalayka ghuyūthuka, ʾam ʿānadat ʿan ṭāʿatika al-riyāḥu, ʾam nafida mā ʿindaka, ʾami ishtadda ghaḍabuka ʿalā al-mudhnibīna, ʾalasta kunta ghaffāran qabla khalqi al-khāṭiʾīna.

Moses recognized him through God’s light, greeted him, and asked, “What is your name?” He answered, “My name is Barkh.” “You are the one we have long sought. Come out and seek rain for us.” He went out and said in his prayer, “This is not Your way of acting, nor Your forbearance. What is this that has occurred to You? Have Your rains diminished? Have the winds resisted obeying You? Have Your stores run out? Has Your anger at sinners grown intense? Were You not ever-forgiving before creating those who err?”

خَلَقْتَ الرَّحْمَةَ، وَأَمَرْتَ بِالْعَطْفَةِ فَتَكُونَ لِمَا تَأْمُرُ مِنَ الْمُخَالِفِينَ، أَمْ تُرِينَا إِنَّكَ مُمْتَنِعٌ، أَمْ تَخْشَى الْفَوْتَ فَتَعْجَلُ بِالْعُقُوبَةِ؟ قَالَ فَمَا بَرِحَ حَتَّى اِخْضَلَّتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ بِالْقَطْرِ وَأَنْبَتَ اللَّهُ الْعُشْبَ فِي نِصْفِ يَوْمٍ حَتَّى بَلَغَ الرُّكَبَ، قَالَ: فَرَجَعَ بَرْخٌ، قَالَ: فَفِي هَذَا ذِكْرَى الرَّاجِينَ، وَأُنْسُ الْمُشْتَاقِينَ، وَطَمَعٌ لِلْعَالِمِينَ، وَتَحَبُّبٌ إِلَى الْمُطِيعِينَ؛ هَذَا كَمَا قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: الْحَبِيبُ لَا يُحَاسَبُ وَالْعَدُوُّ لَا يُحْسَبُ.

khalaqta al-raḥmata, waʾamarta bi-al-ʿaṭfati fatakūna limā taʾmuru mina al-mukhālifīna, ʾam turīnā ʾinnaka mumtaniʿun, ʾam takhshā al-fawta fataʿjalu bi-al-ʿuqūbati? qāla famā bariḥa ḥattā ikhḍallat banū ʾisrāʾīla bi-al-qaṭri waʾanbata Allāhu al-ʿushba fī niṣfi yawmin ḥattā balagha al-rukaba, qāla: farajaʿa barkhun, qāla: fafī hādhā dhikrā al-rājīna, waʾunsu al-mushtāqīna, waṭamaʿun li-l-ʿālimīna, wataḥabbubun ʾilā al-muṭīʿīna; hādhā kamā qāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: al-ḥabību lā yuḥāsabu wa-al-ʿaduwwu lā yuḥsabu.

“You created mercy and commanded affection: will You then be among those who disobey Your command? Or are You showing us that You withhold Yourself? Do You fear missing Your chance, so that You hurry to punish?” He had scarcely finished when the Israelites were drenched with rain. In half a day God grew grass up to their knees. Barkh returned. In this are a reminder for the hopeful, intimacy for the longing, hope for the knowing, and an expression of affection toward the obedient. As a knower said, “The beloved is not called to account, and the enemy is not counted.”

وَرُوِيَ عَنِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ أَنَّهُ أَوْحَى إِلَى عَبْدٍ تَدَارَكَهُ بَعْدَ أَنْ كَانَ أَشْفَى عَلَى الْهَلَكَةِ: كَمْ مِنْ ذَنْبٍ وَاجَهْتَنِي بِهِ غَفَرْتُهُ لَكَ قَدْ أَهْلَكْتُ فِي دُونِهِ أُمَّةً مِنَ الْأُمَمِ، وَقَدِ اِشْتَرَكَ عَبْدَانِ فِي اِسْمِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ ثُمَّ تَبَايَنَا فِي الِاجْتِبَاءِ وَالْعِصْمَةِ؛ آدَمُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَإِبْلِيسُ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ اِجْتَبَى آدَمَ وَهَذَا لِمَا سَبَقَ لَهُ مِنَ الِاصْطِفَاءِ وَالْكَلِمَةِ الْحُسْنَى، وَإِبْلِيسُ أَبْلَسَ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَأُغْوِيَ لِمَا سَبَقَ لَهُ مِنَ الشِّقْوَةِ وَالْكَلِمَةِ السُّوءِ.

waruwiya ʿani Allāhi subḥānahu ʾannahu ʾawḥā ʾilā ʿabdin tadārakahu baʿda ʾan kāna ʾashfā ʿalā al-halakati: kam min dhanbin wājahtanī bihi ghafartuhu laka qad ʾahlaktu fī dūnihi ʾummatan mina al-ʾumami, waqadi ishtaraka ʿabdāni fī ismi al-maʿṣiyati thumma tabāyanā fī al-ijtibāʾi wa-al-ʿiṣmati; ʾādamu ʿalayhi al-salāmu waʾiblīsu laʿnatu Allāhi ʿalayhi, thumma ijtabā ʾādama wa-hādhā limā sabaqa lahu mina al-iṣṭifāʾi wa-al-kalimati al-ḥusnā, waʾiblīsu ʾablasa min raḥmatihi waʾughwiya limā sabaqa lahu mina al-shiqwati wa-al-kalimati al-sūʾi.

It is related that God, glorified is He, revealed to a servant He rescued from the brink of destruction: “How many sins you confronted Me with have I forgiven, when for less I destroyed a whole nation!” Two servants shared the designation of disobedience but differed in election and protection: Adam, peace be upon him, and Iblīs, God’s curse upon him. He then chose Adam because of the prior election and gracious word for him; Iblīs despaired of His mercy and was led astray because of the prior misery and evil word allotted him.

وَقَدْ عَاتَبَ اللَّهُ نَبِيَّهُ عَلَى الْإِعْرَاضِ عَنْ عَبْدٍ، وَكَرِهَ لَهُ الْإِقْبَالَ عَلَى عَبْدٍ فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَأَمَّا مَنْ يَسْعَى وَهُوَ يَخْشَى فَأَنْتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّى﴾ عَبَسَ 8 - 9 - 10 وَقَالَ تَعَالَى فِي الْأُخْرَى: ﴿أَمَّا مَنِ اِسْتَغْنَى﴾ ﴿فَأَنْتَ لَهُ تَصَدَّى﴾ ﴿وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا يَزَّكَّى﴾ عَبَسَ: 5 - 6 - 7، وَرَبُّهُمَا وَاحِدٌ، وَبِمِثْلِهِ أَمَرَهُ بِالْإِقْبَالِ وَالسَّلَامِ عَلَى طَائِفَةٍ، وَأَمَرَهُ بِالْإِعْرَاضِ وَتَرْكِ الْقُعُودِ مَعَ طَائِفَةٍ.

waqad ʿātaba Allāhu nabiyyahu ʿalā al-ʾiʿrāḍi ʿan ʿabdin, wakariha lahu al-ʾiqbāla ʿalā ʿabdin faqāla taʿālā: ﴿waʾammā man yasʿā wahuwa yakhshā faʾanta ʿanhu talahhā﴾ ʿabasa 8 - 9 - 10 waqāla taʿālā fī al-ʾukhrā: ﴿ʾammā mani istaghnā﴾ ﴿faʾanta lahu taṣaddā﴾ ﴿wamā ʿalayka ʾallā yazzakkā﴾ ʿabasa: 5 - 6 - 7, warabbuhumā wāḥidun, wabimithlihi ʾamarahu bi-al-ʾiqbāli wa-al-salāmi ʿalā ṭāʾifatin, waʾamarahu bi-al-ʾiʿrāḍi watarki al-quʿūdi maʿa ṭāʾifatin.

God reproached His Prophet for turning away from one servant and disliked his attending to another, saying, exalted is He: “As for one who comes striving, while fearful, you are distracted from him” (ʿAbasa 80:8–10). In the other case the Exalted says, “As for one who considers himself self-sufficient, you attend to him, though it is no concern of yours if he does not purify himself” (80:5–7). Their Lord is one. Similarly, He commanded him to attend to and greet one group, and to turn away from and avoid sitting with another.

فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَإِذَا جَاءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ﴾ الْأَنْعَامِ: 45، ﴿وَاِصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ

faqāla taʿālā: ﴿waʾidhā jāʾaka alladhīna yuʾminūna biʾāyātinā faqul salāmun ʿalaykum kataba rabbukum ʿalā nafsihi al-raḥmata﴾ al-ʾanʿāmi: 45, ﴿wa-ṣbir nafsaka maʿa

The Most High said, “When those who believe in Our signs come to you, say: Peace be upon you. Your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself” (al-Anʿām 6:45), and, “Keep yourself patiently with—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٠٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 108

Volume Two, page 108

الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ﴾ الْكَهْفِ: 82، ﴿وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ الَّذِينَ يَخُوضُونَ فِي آيَاتِنَا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّى يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ﴾ الْأَنْعَامِ: 68 ﴿وَإِمَّا يُنْسِيَنَّكَ الشَّيْطَانُ فَلَا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَى مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾ الْأَنْعَامِ: 68 وَكُلُّهُمْ عَبِيدٌ لِوَاحِدٍ وَمَثَلُ الْمَحْبُوبِ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّ مِثْلُ مَقَامِ الْمُصْطَفَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ مَقَامِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ.

alladhīna yadʿūna rabbahum bi-al-ghadāti wa-al-ʿashiyyi﴾ al-kahfi: 82, ﴿waʾidhā raʾayta alladhīna yakhūḍūna fī ʾāyātinā faʾaʿriḍ ʿanhum ḥattā yakhūḍū fī ḥadīthin ghayrihi﴾ al-ʾanʿāmi: 68 ﴿waʾimmā yunsiyannaka al-shayṭānu falā taqʿud baʿda al-dhikrā maʿa al-qawmi al-ẓālimīna﴾ al-ʾanʿāmi: 68 wakulluhum ʿabīdun liwāḥidin wamathalu al-maḥbūbi mina al-muḥibbi mithlu maqāmi al-muṣṭafā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama min maqāmi mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu.

—those who call upon their Lord morning and evening” (al-Kahf 18:82). “When you see those who engage in idle discussion of Our signs, turn away until they enter another conversation” (al-Anʿām 6:68). “If Satan makes you forget, then after remembering, do not sit with the wrongdoing people” (6:68). All are servants of One. The beloved’s relation to the lover resembles the Chosen One’s station, God bless him and grant him peace, in relation to Moses’ station, peace be upon him.

قَالَ مُوسَى: رَبِّ اِشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي، وَقَالَ لِمُحَمَّدٍ: أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ؟ وَقَالَ مُوسَى: وَاِجْعَلْ لِي وَزِيرًا مِنْ أَهْلِي هَارُونَ أَخِي، وَقَالَ لِمُحَمَّدٍ: وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ، أَيْ تُقْرَنُ بِي فِي الشَّهَادَةِ وَالْأَذَانِ، لَا أُوَازِرُكَ بِغَيْرِي لِأَنَّكَ مِنْ أَهْلِي، وَالْوَزِيرُ الْقَرِينُ وَالظَّهِيرُ، أَيْ فَأَنْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِي فَقَدْ وَزَرْتُكَ وَقَرَنْتُكَ بِذِكْرِي، فَأَنَا ظَهِيرُكَ وَمُعِينُكَ لَا أَشُدُّ أَزْرَكَ بِغَيْرِي.

qāla mūsā: rabbi ishraḥ lī ṣadrī, waqāla limuḥammadin: ʾalam nashraḥ laka ṣadraka? waqāla mūsā: wa-jʿal lī wazīran min ʾahlī hārūna ʾakhī, waqāla limuḥammadin: warafaʿnā laka dhikraka, ʾay tuqranu bī fī al-shahādati wa-al-ʾadhāni, lā ʾuwāziruka bighayrī liʾannaka min ʾahlī, wa-al-wazīru al-qarīnu wa-al-ẓahīru, ʾay faʾanta min ʾahlī faqad wazartuka waqarantuka bidhikrī, faʾanā ẓahīruka wamuʿīnuka lā ʾashuddu ʾazraka bighayrī.

Moses said, “My Lord, expand my breast,” while He said to Muḥammad, “Have We not expanded your breast?” Moses said, “Appoint for me a minister from my family, Aaron my brother,” while He said to Muḥammad, “We raised your renown,” meaning: you are joined with Me in the testimony and call to prayer. I do not support you through another, because you belong to Me. A minister is a companion and supporter: you belong to Me, so I have supported you and joined you to My remembrance. I am your supporter and helper; I do not strengthen you through another.

فَأَشْبَهَ هَذَا مَا رَوَيْنَاهُ عَنْ لَيْثٍ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿عَسَى أَنْ يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَحْمُودًا﴾ الْإِسْرَاءِ: 79 قَالَ يُقْعِدُهُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ فَكَانَ الْعَرْشُ مَكَانَ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَهُوَ مُسْتَغْنٍ عَنْهُ بِقُدْرَتِهِ، فَوَهَبَهُ لِحَبِيبِهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ فَجَعَلَهُ مَكَانَهُ تَفَضُّلًا لَهُ وَتَشْرِيفًا، لِيَكُونَ هُنَاكَ فَوْقَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ فِي الْجَلَالَةِ، كَمَا كَانَ هَهُنَا آخِرَهُمْ فِي الرِّسَالَةِ.

faʾashbaha hādhā mā rawaynāhu ʿan laythin ʿan mujāhidin fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿ʿasā ʾan yabʿathaka rabbuka maqāman maḥmūdan﴾ al-ʾisrāʾi: 79 qāla yuqʿiduhu ʿalā al-ʿarshi fakāna al-ʿarshu makāna al-rubūbiyyati bimashīʾatihi fī al-dunyā wahuwa mustaghnin ʿanhu biqudratihi, fawahabahu liḥabībihi fī al-ʾākhirati fajaʿalahu makānahu tafaḍḍulan lahu watashrīfan, liyakūna hunāka fawqa al-mursalīna fī al-jalālati, kamā kāna hāhunā ʾākhirahum fī al-risālati.

This resembles what we transmitted from Layth, from Mujāhid, concerning His saying, mighty and majestic, “Perhaps your Lord will raise you to a praised station” (al-Isrāʾ 17:79): “He seats him upon the Throne.” The Throne was the place of lordship by His will in this world, though by His power He has no need of it. He bestowed it upon His beloved in the hereafter, making it his place as a favor and honor, so that there he would stand above the messengers in majesty, just as here he was their last in messengerhood.

وَقَالَ لِمُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ بَعْدَ الْمَقَامِ: قَدْ أُوتِيتَ سُؤَالَكَ يَا مُوسَى وَلَقَدْ مَنَنَّا عَلَيْكَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى، فَفِي هَذَا تَحْدِيدٌ، وَقَالَ لِمُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ بَعْدَ الْمَقَامَاتِ: وَقُلْ رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا فَلَمْ يَحُدَّ لَهُ حَدًّا، فَهَذَا غَايَةُ الْمَزِيدِ. وَقَالَ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي أَنْظُرْ إِلَيْكَ أَيْ فِي مَحَلِّ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ، وَقَالَ لِمُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: مَا زَاغَ الْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَى، فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى؛ أَيْ مَكَانَ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ.

waqāla limūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu baʿda al-maqāmi: qad ʾūtīta suʾālaka yā mūsā walaqad manannā ʿalayka marratan ʾukhrā, fafī hādhā taḥdīdun, waqāla limuḥammadin ʿalayhi al-salāmu baʿda al-maqāmāti: waqul rabbi zidnī ʿilman falam yaḥudda lahu ḥaddan, fa-hādhā ghāyatu al-mazīdi. waqāla mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu rabbi ʾarinī ʾanẓur ʾilayka ʾay fī maḥalli al-ʿubūdiyyati, waqāla limuḥammadin ʿalayhi al-salāmu: mā zāgha al-baṣaru wamā ṭaghā, fakāna qāba qawsayni ʾaw ʾadnā; ʾay makāna al-rubūbiyyati.

After the station, He said to Moses, peace be upon him, “You have been granted your request, Moses; We had already favored you another time.” This sets a limit. After the stations, He said to Muḥammad, peace be upon him, “Say: My Lord, increase me in knowledge,” setting no limit for him: this is the utmost increase. Moses, peace be upon him, said, “My Lord, show me, that I may look upon You,” meaning in servanthood’s place. Of Muḥammad, peace be upon him, He said, “The sight neither swerved nor overstepped,” and, “He was two bow-lengths away, or nearer,” meaning the place of lordship.

فَبَيْنَ الْمُحِبِّ وَالْمَحْبُوبِ فِي التَّقْلِيبِ، كَمَا بَيْنَ مُوسَى وَمُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ فِي التَّقْرِيبِ، كَمْ بَيْنَ مَنْ رَأَى مَا رَأَى عِنْدَ نَفْسِهِ فِي مَكَانِهِ وَبَيْنَ مَنْ رَأَى رَبَّهُ فِي عُلُوِّهِ، كَمْ بَيْنَ مَنْ عَجِلَ إِلَيْهِ شَوْقًا مِنْهُ لِيَرْضَى عَنْهُ وَبَيْنَ مَنْ عُجِلَ بِهِ شَوْقًا إِلَيْهِ لِيَرْضَاهُ إِلَيْهِ لِرِضَاهُ عَنْهُ، كَمْ بَيْنَ مَنْ رَأَى مَا رَأَى فَلَمْ يَثْبُتْ، فَفَاضَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْأَنْوَارُ لِضِيقِهِ، وَبَيْنَ مَنْ رَأَى مَا رَأَى فَثَبَتَ لَهُ وَغَاضَتْ فِيهِ الْأَنْوَارُ لِسَعَتِهِ.

fabayna al-muḥibbi wa-al-maḥbūbi fī al-taqlībi, kamā bayna mūsā wamuḥammadin ʿalayhimā al-salāmu fī al-taqrībi, kam bayna man raʾā mā raʾā ʿinda nafsihi fī makānihi wabayna man raʾā rabbahu fī ʿuluwwihi, kam bayna man ʿajila ʾilayhi shawqan minhu liyarḍā ʿanhu wabayna man ʿujila bihi shawqan ʾilayhi liyarḍāhu ʾilayhi liriḍāhu ʿanhu, kam bayna man raʾā mā raʾā falam yathbut, fafāḍat ʿalayhi al-ʾanwāru liḍīqihi, wabayna man raʾā mā raʾā fathabata lahu waghāḍat fīhi al-ʾanwāru lisaʿatihi.

The difference between lover and beloved in being turned from state to state is like that between Moses and Muḥammad, peace be upon them both, in being brought near. How far apart are one who saw what he saw with himself in his own place and one who saw his Lord in His exaltation! How far apart are one who hurried toward Him out of longing to please Him and one hurried toward Him through longing for him, that He might accept him toward Him because He was pleased with him! How far apart are one who saw but could not remain firm, lights overflowing upon him through his narrowness, and one who saw and remained firm, the lights sinking into him through his spaciousness!

فَقَدْ جَاوَزَ الْمَحْبُوبُ مَقَامَ الْمُحِبِّ فِي التَّمْكِينِ، كَمَا جَاوَزَ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَقَامَ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي الْمَكَانِ أَدْخَلَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ مُوسَى لَامَ الْمِلْكِ وَأَقَامَ مُحَمَّدًا مَقَامَهُ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَقَالَ تَعَالَى لِمُوسَى: ﴿وَاِصْطَنَعْتُكَ لِنَفْسِي﴾ طَهَ: 41 وَقَالَ لِمُحَمَّدٍ: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ﴾ الْفَتْحِ: 1، فَكَمْ بَيْنَ مَنْ صَنَعَهُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَبَيْنَ مَنْ جَعَلَهُ بَدَلًا مِنْ نَفْسِهِ تَفَضُّلًا وَتَعْظِيمًا.

faqad jāwaza al-maḥbūbu maqāma al-muḥibbi fī al-tamkīni, kamā jāwaza muḥammadun ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama maqāma mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu fī al-makāni ʾadkhala baynahu wabayna mūsā lāma al-milki waʾaqāma muḥammadan maqāmahu fī al-mulki waqāla taʿālā limūsā: ﴿wa-ṣṭanaʿtuka linafsī﴾ Ṭā Hā: 41 waqāla limuḥammadin: ﴿ʾinna alladhīna yubāyiʿūnaka ʾinnamā yubāyiʿūna Allāha﴾ al-fatḥi: 1, fakam bayna man ṣanaʿahu linafsihi wabayna man jaʿalahu badalan min nafsihi tafaḍḍulan wataʿẓīman.

The beloved surpasses the lover’s station in establishment, as Muḥammad, God bless him and grant him peace, surpasses Moses’ station, peace be upon him, in place. He inserted the possessive lām between Himself and Moses, while establishing Muḥammad in His place within sovereignty. The Exalted said to Moses, “I fashioned you for Myself” (Ṭā Hā 20:41), and to Muḥammad, “Those who pledge allegiance to you pledge allegiance only to God” (al-Fatḥ 48:1). How far apart are one whom He fashioned for Himself and one whom He graciously and honorably made stand in His own place!

كَمْ بَيْنَ مَنْ فَصَلَ مَدْحَهُ مِنْ وَصْفِهِ وَبَيْنَ مَنْ وَصَلَ مَدْحَهُ بِوَصْفِهِ، فَقَالَ تَعَالَى فِي الْفَصْلِ: ﴿وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِنِّي وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلَى عَيْنِي﴾ طَهَ: 39 وَقَالَ فِي الْوَصْلِ: ﴿لِتُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُعَزِّرُوهُ وَتُوَقِّرُوهُ﴾ الْفَتْحِ: 9 الْآيَةَ، وَقَالَ فِي مِثْلِهِ: وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تُرْضُوهُ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿يَا مُوسَى إِنِّي اِصْطَفَيْتُكَ عَلَى النَّاسِ بِرِسَالَاتِي وَبِكَلَامِي فَخُذْ مَا آتَيْتُكَ وَكُنْ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ﴾ الْأَعْرَافِ: 144 أَيْ خُذْ مَا آتَيْتُكَ مِنْ

kam bayna man faṣala madḥahu min waṣfihi wabayna man waṣala madḥahu biwaṣfihi, faqāla taʿālā fī al-faṣli: ﴿waʾalqaytu ʿalayka maḥabbatan minnī walituṣnaʿa ʿalā ʿaynī﴾ Ṭā Hā: 39 waqāla fī al-waṣli: ﴿lituʾminū bi-Allāhi warasūlihi watuʿazzirūhu watuwaqqirūhu﴾ al-fatḥi: 9 al-ʾāyata, waqāla fī mithlihi: wa-Allāhu warasūluhu ʾaḥaqqu ʾan turḍūhu, waqad qīla fī qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿yā mūsā ʾinnī iṣṭafaytuka ʿalā al-nāsi birisālātī wabikalāmī fakhudh mā ʾātaytuka wakun mina al-shākirīna﴾ al-ʾaʿrāfi: 144 ʾay khudh mā ʾātaytuka min

How far apart are one whose praise He separated from His own description and one whose praise He joined to His own description! In separation the Exalted says, “I cast upon you love from Me, that you might be fashioned under My eye” (Ṭā Hā 20:39). In conjunction He says, “That you may believe in God and His Messenger, support him, and honor him” (al-Fatḥ 48:9), the verse; and similarly, “God and His Messenger have greater right that you please Him.” Concerning His saying, exalted is He, “Moses, I have chosen you above people with My messages and My speech; take what I have given you and be among the grateful” (al-Aʿrāf 7:144), it has been said: take what I have given you of—

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٠٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 109

Volume Two, page 109

الْكَلَامِ قِبَلًا: وَاصْطَفَيْتُكَ بِهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ، فَاشْكُرْ عَلَيْهِ، وَالنَّظَرُ فَقَدْ خَصَصْتُ بِهِ مُحَمَّدًا. وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَكَعْبٍ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَسَمَ كَلَامَهُ وَرُؤْيَتَهُ بَيْنَ مُوسَى وَمُحَمَّدٍ، فَأَعْطَى مُوسَى الْكَلَامَ وَخَصَّ مُحَمَّدًا بِالرُّؤْيَةِ. وَمِمَّا يُؤَيِّدُ هَذَا الْقَوْلَ أَنَّ الَّذِي آتَاهُ الْكَلَامَ هُوَ الَّذِي ثَبَتَ لَهُ، فَدَلَّ أَنَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي أُرِيدَ بِهِ.

al-kalāmi qibalan: wa-ṣṭafaytuka bihi ʿalā al-nāsi, fa-shkur ʿalayhi, wa-al-naẓaru faqad khaṣaṣtu bihi muḥammadan. waʿani ibni ʿabbāsin wakaʿbin ʾanna Allāha taʿālā qasama kalāmahu waruʾyatahu bayna mūsā wamuḥammadin, faʾaʿṭā mūsā al-kalāma wakhaṣṣa muḥammadan bi-al-ruʾyati. wamimmā yuʾayyidu hādhā al-qawla ʾanna alladhī ʾātāhu al-kalāma huwa alladhī thabata lahu, fadalla ʾannahu huwa alladhī ʾurīda bihi.

speech face to face: “Through it I have chosen you above other people, so give thanks for it. As for the vision, I have reserved that for Muḥammad.” Ibn ʿAbbās and Kaʿb relate that God Most High divided His speech and the vision of Him between Moses and Muḥammad, giving Moses speech and reserving the vision for Muḥammad. This view is supported by the fact that the speech He granted Moses was what Moses could withstand. This shows that it was what was intended for him.

لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى إِذَا أَرَادَ عَبْدًا بِشَيْءٍ ثَبَّتَهُ فِيهِ وَقَوَّاهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَقَدْ ثَبَّتَ مُحَمَّدًا لِمَا آتَاهُ مِنَ الرُّؤْيَةِ وَقَوَّاهُ لَهَا وَمَكَّنَهُ فِيهِ، لِأَنَّهُ أَرَادَ بِهَا. وَمِنْ وَصْفِ مَقَامِ الْمَحْبُوبِ مَا قِيلَ لِعَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: صِفْ لَنَا أَصْحَابَكَ، فَقَالَ: عَنْ أَيِّهِمْ تَسْأَلُونَ؟ قَالُوا: عَنْ سَلْمَانَ، قَالَ: أَدْرَكَ عِلْمَ الْأَوَّلِ وَالْآخِرِ.

liʾanna Allāha taʿālā ʾidhā ʾarāda ʿabdan bishayʾin thabbatahu fīhi waqawwāhu ʿalayhi, waqad thabbata muḥammadan limā ʾātāhu mina al-ruʾyati waqawwāhu lahā wamakkanahu fīhi, liʾannahu ʾarāda bihā. wamin waṣfi maqāmi al-maḥbūbi mā qīla liʿaliyyi bni ʾabī ṭālibin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: ṣif lanā ʾaṣḥābaka, faqāla: ʿan ʾayyihim tasʾalūna? qālū: ʿan salmāna, qāla: ʾadraka ʿilma al-ʾawwali wa-al-ʾākhiri.

For when God Most High intends something for a servant, He makes him steadfast in it and gives him the strength to bear it. He made Muḥammad steadfast in the vision He granted him, strengthened him for it, and established him in it, because He intended it for him. A description of the station of one who is beloved appears in what was said to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, may God be pleased with him: “Describe your companions to us.” He asked, “Which of them are you asking about?” They said, “Salmān.” He replied, “He attained knowledge of the first and the last.”

قَالُوا: فَعَمَّارٌ؟ قَالَ: مُلِئَ إِيمَانًا إِلَى مَشَاشِهِ. قَالُوا: حُذَيْفَةُ؟ قَالَ: صَاحِبُ السِّرِّ، أُعْطِيَ عِلْمَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ. قَالُوا: فَأَخْبِرْنَا عَنْ نَفْسِكَ، فَقَالَ: إِيَّايَ أَرَدْتُمْ بِهَذَا، كُنْتُ إِذَا سَأَلْتُ أُعْطِيتُ، وَإِذَا سَكَتُّ اُبْتُدِأْتُ؛ فَهَذَا مَقَامُ مَحْبُوبٍ، لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا سَأَلَ سُمِعَ مِنْهُ فَاسْتُجِيبَ لَهُ، وَإِذَا سَكَتَ نُظِرَ إِلَيْهِ فَعُطِفَ عَلَيْهِ.

qālū: faʿammārun? qāla: muliʾa ʾīmānan ʾilā mashāshihi. qālū: ḥudhayfatu? qāla: ṣāḥibu al-sirri, ʾuʿṭiya ʿilma al-munāfiqīna. qālū: faʾakhbirnā ʿan nafsika, faqāla: ʾiyyāya ʾaradtum bi-hādhā, kuntu ʾidhā saʾaltu ʾuʿṭītu, waʾidhā sakattu ubtudiʾtu; fa-hādhā maqāmu maḥbūbin, liʾannahu ʾidhā saʾala sumiʿa minhu fa-stujība lahu, waʾidhā sakata nuẓira ʾilayhi faʿuṭifa ʿalayhi.

They asked, “And ʿAmmār?” He said, “He was filled with faith to the marrow of his bones.” They asked, “Ḥudhayfa?” He said, “The keeper of the secret: he was given knowledge of the hypocrites.” They said, “Then tell us about yourself.” He replied, “It was me you meant by all this. Whenever I asked, I was given; whenever I remained silent, I was approached first.” This is the station of one who is beloved: when he asks, he is heard and answered; when he remains silent, attention is turned toward him and he receives kindness.

وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْهُ: مَنْ أَحَبَّ مَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُ فَإِنَّمَا يُمَازِحُ نَفْسَهُ؛ أَيْ مَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُ صِفَاتِ حَبِيبِهِ وَأَخْلَاقَهُ وَأَفْعَالَهُ وَأَحْكَامَهُ فَيُحِبُّهُ بَعْدَ خُبْرِهِ فَيُسَارِعُ إِلَى مَرْضَاتِهِ وَيُجَانِبُ مَكَارِهَهُ، فَإِنَّمَا يُمَازِحُ نَفْسَهُ؛ أَيْ يَلْهُو بِهَا وَيَلْعَبُ، لَيْسَ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ حَدِّ الْمُحِبِّينَ وَلَا حَقِيقَةِ الْعَارِفِينَ، إِذْ لَا يَأْمَنُ انْقِلَابَ مَحَبَّتِهِ لِتَقْلِيبِ أَفْعَالِ مَحْبُوبِهِ.

waqad rawaynā ʿanhu: man ʾaḥabba man lā yaʿrifu faʾinnamā yumāziḥu nafsahu; ʾay man lā yaʿrifu ṣifāti ḥabībihi waʾakhlāqahu waʾafʿālahu waʾaḥkāmahu fayuḥibbuhu baʿda khubrihi fayusāriʿu ʾilā marḍātihi wayujānibu makārihahu, faʾinnamā yumāziḥu nafsahu; ʾay yalhū bihā wayalʿabu, laysa fīhi shayʾun min ḥaddi al-muḥibbīna walā ḥaqīqati al-ʿārifīna, ʾidh lā yaʾmanu inqilāba maḥabbatihi litaqlībi ʾafʿāli maḥbūbihi.

We have also related from him: “Whoever loves someone he does not know is merely jesting with himself.” That is, whoever does not know his beloved's attributes, character, deeds, and judgments, and so love him through that knowledge, hastening toward his pleasure and avoiding what he dislikes, is merely jesting with himself: amusing himself and playing. He possesses nothing of what defines lovers or of the reality attained by those who know God, since he cannot be sure his love will not be overturned by the changing actions of his beloved.

وَلَا يَأْمَنُ تَغْيِيرَ حُبِّهِ لِابْتِلَاءِ حَبِيبِهِ وَاخْتِلَافِ أَحْكَامِهِ، فَكَأَنَّهُ كَانَ مَازِحًا بِحُبِّهِ لَا مُحِقًّا بِهِ، وَفِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْمَقَامِ مِنْ جَهْلِ الْمُحِبِّينَ بِأَفْعَالِ الْمَحْبُوبِ اغْتِرَارٌ عَظِيمٌ. وَمِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ كِتْمَانُ الْمَحَبَّةِ إِجْلَالًا لِلْحَبِيبِ وَهَيْبَةً لَهُ وَتَعْزِيزًا وَتَعْظِيمًا لَهُ وَحَيَاءً مِنْهُ؛ وَهَذَا وَصْفُ الْمَخْصُوصِينَ مِنْ عُقَلَاءِ الْمُحِبِّينَ وَهُوَ مِنَ الْوَفَاءِ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الصَّفَاءِ.

walā yaʾmanu taghyīra ḥubbihi li-btilāʾi ḥabībihi wa-khtilāfi ʾaḥkāmihi, fakaʾannahu kāna māziḥan biḥubbihi lā muḥiqqan bihi, wafī mithli hādhā al-maqāmi min jahli al-muḥibbīna biʾafʿāli al-maḥbūbi ightirārun ʿaẓīmun. wamina al-maḥabbati kitmānu al-maḥabbati ʾijlālan li-l-ḥabībi wahaybatan lahu wataʿzīzan wataʿẓīman lahu waḥayāʾan minhu; wa-hādhā waṣfu al-makhṣūṣīna min ʿuqalāʾi al-muḥibbīna wahuwa mina al-wafāʾi ʿinda ʾahli al-ṣafāʾi.

Nor can he be sure his love will not change through his beloved's trials and differing judgments. It is as though he were jesting with his love, rather than being sincere in it. Such a condition, in which lovers are ignorant of the beloved's actions, involves great self-deception. Love also includes concealing love out of reverence for the Beloved, awe of Him, honor and veneration for Him, and shame before Him. This characterizes the specially favored among discerning lovers; those of purity regard it as faithfulness.

إِذْ كَانَتِ الْمَحَبَّةُ سِرَّ الْمَحْبُوبِ فِي غَايَةِ الْقُلُوبِ؛ فَإِظْهَارُهَا وَابْتِذَالُهَا مِنَ الْخِيَانَةِ فِيهَا، وَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْأَدَبِ وَلَا الْحَيَاءِ النِّسْبَةُ إِلَيْهَا وَلَا الْإِشَارَةُ بِهَا، لِأَنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ اشْتِهَارًا فَتَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ دَقَائِقُ الدَّعْوَى وَالِاسْتِكْبَارِ. وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: أَبْعَدُ النَّاسِ مِنَ اللَّهِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ إِشَارَةً بِهِ، هُوَ الَّذِي يُكْثِرُ التَّعْرِيضَ بِهِ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَيُظْهِرُ التَّزَيُّنَ وَالتَّصَنُّعَ بِذِكْرِهِ عِنْدَ كُلِّ أَحَدٍ، هَذَا مَمْقُوتٌ عِنْدَ الْمُحِبِّينَ لِلَّهِ وَالْعُلَمَاءِ بِهِ.

ʾidh kānati al-maḥabbatu sirra al-maḥbūbi fī ghāyati al-qulūbi; faʾiẓhāruhā wa-btidhāluhā mina al-khiyānati fīhā, walaysa mina al-ʾadabi walā al-ḥayāʾi al-nisbatu ʾilayhā walā al-ʾishāratu bihā, liʾanna fī dhālika ishtihāran fatadkhulu ʿalayhi daqāʾiqu al-daʿwā wa-al-istikbāri. waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: ʾabʿadu al-nāsi mina Allāhi ʾaktharuhum ʾishāratan bihi, huwa alladhī yukthiru al-taʿrīḍa bihi fī kulli shayʾin wayuẓhiru al-tazayyuna wa-al-taṣannuʿa bidhikrihi ʿinda kulli ʾaḥadin, hādhā mamqūtun ʿinda al-muḥibbīna li-llāhi wa-al-ʿulamāʾi bihi.

Love is the Beloved's secret in the deepest reaches of hearts. Exposing it and making it commonplace is a betrayal of it. Neither courtesy nor modesty permits claiming it or signaling one's possession of it, for that brings publicity, through which subtle pretension and arrogance enter. One of those who know God said: “Those furthest from God are those who most often make a display of referring to Him.” Such a person constantly alludes to Him in everything and ostentatiously adorns himself with His remembrance before everyone. Lovers of God and those who know Him detest this.

دَخَلَ ذُو النُّونِ الْمِصْرِيُّ عَلَى بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِهِ مِمَّنْ كَانَ يَذْكُرُ الْمَحَبَّةَ فَرَآهُ مُبْتَلَى بِبَلَاءٍ يَجِلُّ عَنِ الْوَصْفِ، فَقَالَ ذُو النُّونِ: لَا يُحِبُّهُ مَنْ وَجَدَ أَلَمَ ضَرْبِهِ، فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ: لَٰكِنِّي أَقُولُ: لَا يُحِبُّهُ مَنْ لَمْ يَتَنَعَّمْ بِضَرْبِهِ. فَقَالَ ذُو النُّونِ: لَٰكِنِّي أَقُولُ: لَا يُحِبُّهُ مَنْ شَهَرَ نَفْسَهُ بِحُبِّهِ، فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ: أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ.

dakhala dhū al-nūni al-miṣriyyu ʿalā baʿḍi ʾikhwānihi mimman kāna yadhkuru al-maḥabbata faraʾāhu mubtalā bibalāʾin yajillu ʿani al-waṣfi, faqāla dhū al-nūni: lā yuḥibbuhu man wajada ʾalama ḍarbihi, faqāla al-rajulu: lākinnī ʾaqūlu: lā yuḥibbuhu man lam yatanaʿʿam biḍarbihi. faqāla dhū al-nūni: lākinnī ʾaqūlu: lā yuḥibbuhu man shahara nafsahu biḥubbihi, faqāla al-rajulu: ʾastaghfiru Allāha waʾatūbu ʾilayhi.

Dhū al-Nūn al-Miṣrī visited one of his brethren who used to speak of love and saw him suffering an affliction beyond description. Dhū al-Nūn said, “He does not love Him who feels the pain of His blows.” The man replied, “But I say: he does not love Him who finds no delight in His blows.” Dhū al-Nūn said, “But I say: he does not love Him who makes himself famous for loving Him.” The man replied, “I ask God's forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance.”

وَهَذَا كَمَا قَالَ ذُو النُّونِ هُوَ مِنْ عَلَامَةِ الْإِخْلَاصِ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ إِذْ كَانَتْ أَعْمَالَ الْقُلُوبِ، فَوُجُودُ الْإِشْفَاقِ وَالْحَذَرِ مِنْ إِظْهَارِهَا خَشْيَةَ السَّلْبِ وَالِاسْتِبْدَالِ، وَخَوْفَ الْمَكْرِ وَالِاسْتِدْرَاجِ، عَلَامَةُ التَّحَقُّقِ بِهَا، وَدَفْعُهَا عَنِ النَّفْسِ، وَسَتْرُهَا عَنْ أَبْنَاءِ الْجِنْسِ، وَتَرْكُ التَّظَاهُرِ بِهَا عَلَامَةُ الظَّفَرِ بِهَا، لِأَنَّ الْمَحْبُوبَ غَيُورٌ، وَغَيْرَتُهُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَعَلَى ظُهُورِ مَحَبَّتِهِ أَشَدُّ مِنْ غَيْرَتِهِ عَلَى إِظْهَارِ مَحَبَّتِهِ، وَغَيْرَتُهُ عَلَى إِظْهَارِهِمْ لِغَيْرِ أَبْنَاءِ

wa-hādhā kamā qāla dhū al-nūni huwa min ʿalāmati al-ʾikhlāṣi fī al-maḥabbati ʾidh kānat ʾaʿmāla al-qulūbi, fawujūdu al-ʾishfāqi wa-al-ḥadhari min ʾiẓhārihā khashyata al-salbi wa-al-istibdāli, wakhawfa al-makri wa-al-istidrāji, ʿalāmatu al-taḥaqquqi bihā, wadafʿuhā ʿani al-nafsi, wasatruhā ʿan ʾabnāʾi al-jinsi, watarku al-taẓāhuri bihā ʿalāmatu al-ẓafari bihā, liʾanna al-maḥbūba ghayūrun, waghayratuhu ʿalā nafsihi waʿalā ẓuhūri maḥabbatihi ʾashaddu min ghayratihi ʿalā ʾiẓhāri maḥabbatihi, waghayratuhu ʿalā ʾiẓhārihim lighayri ʾabnāʾi

As Dhū al-Nūn said, this is a sign of sincerity in love, since love belongs to the deeds of hearts. Feeling apprehension and guarding against revealing it, for fear of its being taken away or exchanged for something else, and for fear of divine stratagem and gradual enticement, is a sign of truly realizing it. Disclaiming it for oneself, concealing it from one's fellows, and refraining from parading it show that it has been attained. For the Beloved is jealous: His jealousy over Himself and over His love becoming apparent is greater than His jealousy over its being disclosed; and His jealousy over their disclosing it to those outside their own

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١١٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 110

Volume Two, page 110

جِنْسِهِمْ أَشَدُّ مِنْ غَيْرَةِ جَمِيعِ مُحِبِّيهِ عَلَيْهِ؛ وَهَذَا كَلَامٌ عَلَى عَالِمٍ صَاحٍ فِي مَقَامِ صَحْوٍ مَكِينٍ، فَأَمَّا السَّكْرَانُ بِحَالِهِ وَالْوَلْهَانُ بِوَجْدِهِ فَمَغْلُوبٌ، وَالْمَغْلُوبُ مَعْذُورٌ. قَالَ رَجُلٌ لِأَبِي مَحْفُوظٍ، وَقَدْ رَأَى مِنْ بَعْضِ الْمُحِبِّينَ شَيْئًا اسْتَجْهَلَهُ فِيهِ فَأَخْبَرَ مَعْرُوفًا بِذَلِكَ فَتَبَسَّمَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا أَخِي، لَهُ مُحِبُّونَ صِغَارٌ وَكِبَارٌ وَمَجَانِينُ وَعُقَلَاءُ، فَهَذَا الَّذِي رَأَيْتَهُ مِنْ مَجَانِينِهِمْ.

jinsihim ʾashaddu min ghayrati jamīʿi muḥibbīhi ʿalayhi; wa-hādhā kalāmun ʿalā ʿālimin ṣāḥin fī maqāmi ṣaḥwin makīnin, faʾammā al-sakrānu biḥālihi wa-al-walhānu biwajdihi famaghlūbun, wa-al-maghlūbu maʿdhūrun. qāla rajulun liʾabī maḥfūẓin, waqad raʾā min baʿḍi al-muḥibbīna shayʾan istajhalahu fīhi faʾakhbara maʿrūfan bi-dhālika fatabassama thumma qāla: yā ʾakhī, lahu muḥibbūna ṣighārun wakibārun wamajānīnu waʿuqalāʾu, fa-hādhā alladhī raʾaytahu min majānīnihim.

kind is greater than all His lovers' jealousy over Him. This applies to a learned, sober person firmly established in sobriety. Someone intoxicated by his spiritual state and distraught with ecstasy is overpowered, and one who is overpowered is excused. A man spoke to Abū Maḥfūẓ after observing something in one of the lovers that he considered foolish. He told Maʿrūf about it, who smiled and then said, “Brother, He has lovers great and small, mad and discerning. The one you saw belongs to the mad among them.”

وَمِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ كِتْمَانُ بَلَاءِ الْحَبِيبِ بَعْدَ الرِّضَا بِهِ لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنَ السِّرِّ عِنْدَهُ وَحُسْنِ الْأَدَبِ لَدَيْهِ، وَعُوتِبَ سَهْلٌ فِي الْعِلَّةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ بِهِ، عِلَّةٍ مَهُولَةٍ كَانَ يُدَاوِي النَّاسَ مِنْهَا وَلَا يُدَاوِي نَفْسَهُ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: ضَرْبُ الْحَبِيبِ لَا يُوجِعُ. وَكَانَ حِينَئِذٍ يَقُولُ: مِنْ عَلَامَةِ الْمُحِبِّ فِي الْمَكَارِهِ وَالْأَسْقَامِ هَيَجَانُ الْمَحَبَّةِ وَذِكْرُهَا عِنْدَ نُزُولِ الْبَلَاءِ.

wamina al-maḥabbati kitmānu balāʾi al-ḥabībi baʿda al-riḍā bihi liʾanna dhālika mina al-sirri ʿindahu waḥusni al-ʾadabi ladayhi, waʿūtiba sahlun fī al-ʿillati allatī kānat bihi, ʿillatin mahūlatin kāna yudāwī al-nāsa minhā walā yudāwī nafsahu, faqīla lahu fī dhālika faqāla: ḍarbu al-ḥabībi lā yūjiʿu. wakāna ḥīnaʾidhin yaqūlu: min ʿalāmati al-muḥibbi fī al-makārihi wa-al-ʾasqāmi hayajānu al-maḥabbati wadhikruhā ʿinda nuzūli al-balāʾi.

Love also includes concealing the Beloved's affliction after accepting it contentedly, because this belongs to keeping His secret and observing proper courtesy before Him. Sahl was reproached concerning an illness he suffered, a dreadful illness for which he treated others while leaving himself untreated. When he was questioned about this, he replied, “The Beloved's blows do not hurt.” At that time he used to say: “One sign of the lover amid hardships and sicknesses is a surge of love and the remembrance of it when affliction descends.”

إِذْ هُوَ لُطْفٌ مِنْ مَوْلَاهُ وَفِيهِ الْغُرْبَةُ إِلَى مَحْبُوبِهِ وَقِلَّةُ التَّأَذِّي بِكُلِّ بَلَاءٍ يُصِيبُهُ لِغَلَبَةِ الْحُبِّ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الْمُحِبِّينَ يَقُولُ: أَصْفَى مَا أَكُونُ ذِكْرًا إِذَا مَا كُنْتُ مَحْمُومًا. وَذَكَرَ بَعْضُ مَنْ يَنْتَمِي إِلَى الْمَحَبَّةِ مَقَامَهُ فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ عِنْدَ بَعْضِ الْمُحِبِّينَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الْمُحِبُّ: أَرَأَيْتَ هَذَا الَّذِي تَذْكُرُ مَحَبَّتَهُ، أَهَمَمْتَ بِسِوَاهُ قَطُّ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ.

ʾidh huwa luṭfun min mawlāhu wafīhi al-ghurbatu ʾilā maḥbūbihi waqillatu al-taʾadhdhī bikulli balāʾin yuṣībuhu lighalabati al-ḥubbi ʿalā qalbihi. waqad kāna baʿḍu al-muḥibbīna yaqūlu: ʾaṣfā mā ʾakūnu dhikran ʾidhā mā kuntu maḥmūman. wadhakara baʿḍu man yantamī ʾilā al-maḥabbati maqāmahu fī al-maḥabbati ʿinda baʿḍi al-muḥibbīna, faqāla lahu al-muḥibbu: ʾaraʾayta hādhā alladhī tadhkuru maḥabbatahu, ʾahamamta bisiwāhu qaṭṭu? qāla: naʿam.

For affliction is a kindness from his Master; within it lie estrangement toward his Beloved and little distress at whatever trial befalls him, because love dominates his heart. One of the lovers used to say, “My remembrance is purest when I have a fever.” Someone who professed love described his station in love before one of the lovers. The lover asked him, “This One whose love you speak of: have you ever concerned yourself with anyone other than Him?” He said, “Yes.”

قَالَ: فَهَلْ رَأَيْتَهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَثَلَاثًا؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: لَوْلَا أَنِّي أَسْتَحِي لَأَخْبَرْتُكَ أَنَّ مَحَبَّتَكَ مَعْلُولَةٌ، تَهْتَمُّ بِسِوَى حَبِيبِكَ وَلَا تَرَاهُ فِي لَيْلَتِكَ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَٰكِنِّي لَا أَدَّعِي مَحَبَّتَهُ، وَعَلَى ذَلِكَ مَا اهْتَمَمْتُ بِسِوَاهُ مُذْ عَرَفْتُهُ، وَرُبَّمَا رَأَيْتُهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ سَبْعَ مِرَارٍ.

qāla: fahal raʾaytahu fī laylatin marratayni wathalāthan? qāla: lā. qāla: lawlā ʾannī ʾastaḥī laʾakhbartuka ʾanna maḥabbataka maʿlūlatun, tahtammu bisiwā ḥabībika walā tarāhu fī laylatika. thumma qāla: lākinnī lā ʾaddaʿī maḥabbatahu, waʿalā dhālika mā ihtamamtu bisiwāhu mudh ʿaraftuhu, warubbamā raʾaytuhu fī laylatin sabʿa mirārin.

He asked, “Have you seen Him twice or three times in a single night?” He said, “No.” He replied, “Were I not ashamed to do so, I would tell you that your love is defective. You concern yourself with someone besides your Beloved and do not see Him during your night.” Then he said, “Yet I do not claim to love Him. Even so, I have concerned myself with no one else since I came to know Him, and I have sometimes seen Him seven times in a single night.”

وَذَكَرَ بَعْضُ الْمُحِبِّينَ مِمَّنْ كَانَ بَدَلًا عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ مِمَّنْ تَكَلَّمَ فِي عِلْمِ طَرِيقِهِ وَوَصْفِهِ حَالَهُ وَذَكَرَ الْقِصَّةَ بِطُولِهَا، قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِائَةً وَعِشْرِينَ مَرَّةً وَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ سَبْعِينَ مَسْأَلَةً، أَظْهَرْتُ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةً فَأَنْكَرَهَا النَّاسُ فَأَخْفَيْتُ الْبَاقِي. وَفِيمَا ذُكِرَ مِنْ وَصْفِ الْمُحِبِّ كِفَايَةٌ وَغَيْبَةٌ عَنْ وَصْفِ الْمَحْبُوبِ، وَلَيْسَ يُمْكِنُنَا وَصْفُ الْمَحْبُوبِ إِذْ كَانَ حَالُهُ يَجِلُّ عَنِ الْوَصْفِ.

wadhakara baʿḍu al-muḥibbīna mimman kāna badalan ʿan ʾibrāhīma bni ʾadhama mimman takallama fī ʿilmi ṭarīqihi wawaṣfihi ḥālahu wadhakara al-qiṣṣata biṭūlihā, qāla: raʾaytu Allāha ʿazza wajalla miʾatan waʿishrīna marratan wasaʾaltuhu ʿan sabʿīna masʾalatan, ʾaẓhartu minhā ʾarbaʿatan faʾankarahā al-nāsu faʾakhfaytu al-bāqī. wafīmā dhukira min waṣfi al-muḥibbi kifāyatun waghaybatun ʿan waṣfi al-maḥbūbi, walaysa yumkinunā waṣfu al-maḥbūbi ʾidh kāna ḥāluhu yajillu ʿani al-waṣfi.

One of the lovers, who had succeeded Ibrāhīm ibn Adham and spoke about the knowledge of his path and described his spiritual state, related the story at length. He said: “I saw God, mighty and majestic is He, one hundred and twenty times and asked Him about seventy matters. I disclosed four of them, but people rejected them, so I concealed the rest.” What has been said about the lover is sufficient and leaves the beloved undescribed. We cannot describe the beloved, because his state surpasses description.

وَكَيْفَ يُوصَفُ مَنْ يَسْمَعُ وَيُبْصِرُ مَنْ يُحِبُّهُ وَيَبْطِشُ وَيَعْقِلُ عَنْ مَحْبُوبِهِ، فَيَكُونُ هُوَ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ وَقَلْبَهُ وَيَدَهُ وَمُؤَيِّدَهُ، كَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: إِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ، وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ، وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا، وَقَلْبَهُ الَّذِي يَعْقِلُ بِهِ، وَإِنْ سَأَلَنِي أَعْطَيْتُهُ وَإِنْ سَكَتَ ادَّخَرْتُ لَهُ، لَوْ قُسِمَ نُورُهُ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ لَوَسِعَهُمْ؛ فَهَذَا كُلُّهُ فِي مَقَامِ مَحْبُوبٍ.

wakayfa yūṣafu man yasmaʿu wayubṣiru man yuḥibbuhu wayabṭishu wayaʿqilu ʿan maḥbūbihi, fayakūnu huwa samʿahu wabaṣarahu waqalbahu wayadahu wamuʾayyidahu, kamā jāʾa fī al-khabari: ʾidhā ʾaḥbabtuhu kuntu samʿahu alladhī yasmaʿu bihi, wabaṣarahu alladhī yubṣiru bihi, wayadahu allatī yabṭishu bihā, waqalbahu alladhī yaʿqilu bihi, waʾin saʾalanī ʾaʿṭaytuhu waʾin sakata iddakhartu lahu, law qusima nūruhu ʿalā ʾahli al-ʾarḍi lawasiʿahum; fa-hādhā kulluhu fī maqāmi maḥbūbin.

How can one describe someone who hears and sees the One who loves him, and acts and understands through his Beloved, so that He becomes his hearing, sight, heart, hand, and supporter? As the report says: “When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he acts, and his heart with which he understands. If he asks Me, I give him; if he remains silent, I store up for him. Were his light divided among the people of the earth, it would suffice them.” All this belongs to the station of one who is beloved.

وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْآيَاتِ وَالْقُدَرَ مِنْ سَرَائِرِ الْغُيُوبِ وَخَفَايَا الْمَلَكُوتِ الَّتِي تُسَمِّيهَا الْعَامَّةُ الْمُعْجِزَاتِ وَالْآيَاتِ وَتُسَمِّيهَا الْعُلَمَاءُ الْكَرَامَاتِ وَالْإِجَابَاتِ؛ وَهِيَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ مُودَعَةٌ وَقُدْرَتُهُ فِي عِبَادِهِ جَارِيَةٌ، وَعِنَايَاتٌ لَهُ فِي مُلْكِهِ مُسْتَقِرَّةٌ، لَيْسَ لِلْعِبَادِ مِنْهَا إِلَّا كَشْفُهَا وَنَظَرُهُمْ إِلَيْهَا إِذَا أُقِيمُوا مَقَامَ الْأُنْسِ مِنْ مَقَامِ مَحْبُوبٍ.

wayuqālu: ʾinna hādhihi al-ʾāyāti wa-al-qudara min sarāʾiri al-ghuyūbi wakhafāyā al-malakūti allatī tusammīhā al-ʿāmmatu al-muʿjizāti wa-al-ʾāyāti watusammīhā al-ʿulamāʾu al-karāmāti wa-al-ʾijābāti; wahiya ʾāyātu Allāhi fī ʾarḍihi mūdaʿatun waqudratuhu fī ʿibādihi jāriyatun, waʿināyātun lahu fī mulkihi mustaqirratun, laysa li-l-ʿibādi minhā ʾillā kashfuhā wanaẓaruhum ʾilayhā ʾidhā ʾuqīmū maqāma al-ʾunsi min maqāmi maḥbūbin.

It is said that these signs and powers belong to the hidden secrets of the unseen and the concealed things of the spiritual kingdom. Ordinary people call them miracles and signs; scholars call them gracious wonders and answered prayers. They are God's signs deposited in His earth, His power operating among His servants, and His acts of care established within His dominion. The servants' share in them is merely their unveiling and beholding them, when they are established in the station of intimacy within the station of one who is beloved.

وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهَا تُوجَدُ فِي الْمَقَامِ السَّابِعِ عَشَرَ مِنْ مَقَامَاتِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، إِذَا أُقِيمَ الْعَبْدُ هَذَا الْمَقَامَ فِي الْمَعْرِفَةِ نُودِيَ بِهَا ظَهَرَتْ لَهُ، وَفَوْقَهَا ثَلَاثَةٌ وَثَمَانُونَ مَقَامًا مِنْ مَقَامَاتِ الْعَارِفِينَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهَا لَا

wayuqālu: ʾinnahā tūjadu fī al-maqāmi al-sābiʿi ʿashara min maqāmāti al-maʿrifati, ʾidhā ʾuqīma al-ʿabdu hādhā al-maqāma fī al-maʿrifati nūdiya bihā ẓaharat lahu, wafawqahā thalāthatun wathamānūna maqāman min maqāmāti al-ʿārifīna ʾafḍalu min dhālika, wayuqālu: ʾinnahā lā

It is said that these appear at the seventeenth station among the stations of knowledge of God. When the servant is established at this station of knowledge, he is called through them and they become manifest to him. Above it are eighty-three stations of those who know God, superior to this. It is also said that they are not

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١١١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 111

Volume Two, page 111

تَكُونُ لِأَبْدَالِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ مِنَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ، وَإِنَّمَا يُعْطَاهَا أَبْدَالُ النَّبِيِّينَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ، فَأَبْدَالُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ فَضْلُهُمْ عَلَى أَبْدَالِ النَّبِيِّينَ كَفَضْلِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّينَ وَكَفَضْلِ الصِّدِّيقِينَ عَلَى مَنْ دُونَهُمْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ، كَيْفَ وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: مَا رَأَيْتُ هَذِهِ الْكَرَامَاتِ أُظْهِرَتْ إِلَّا عَلَى أَيْدِي الْبُلْهِ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ. وَقَدْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَكْثَرُ مَنْ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي الْبُلْهُ، وَعِلِّيُّونَ لِذَوِي الْأَلْبَابِ.

takūnu liʾabdāli al-mursalīna mina al-ṣiddīqīna, waʾinnamā yuʿṭāhā ʾabdālu al-nabiyyīna mina al-ṣāliḥīna, faʾabdālu al-mursalīna faḍluhum ʿalā ʾabdāli al-nabiyyīna kafaḍli al-mursalīna ʿalā al-nabiyyīna wakafaḍli al-ṣiddīqīna ʿalā man dūnahum mina al-ṣāliḥīna, kayfa waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: mā raʾaytu hādhihi al-karāmāti ʾuẓhirat ʾillā ʿalā ʾaydī al-bulhi mina al-ṣādiqīna. waqad qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾaktharu man yadkhulu al-jannata min ʾummatī al-bulhu, waʿilliyyūna lidhawī al-ʾalbābi.

granted to the substitutes for the messengers among the utterly truthful; they are given only to the substitutes for the prophets among the righteous. The superiority of the messengers' substitutes over the prophets' substitutes is like that of messengers over prophets, and that of the utterly truthful over the righteous below them. Indeed, one scholar said: “I have seen these gracious wonders manifested only at the hands of the simple-hearted among the truthful.” God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Most of my community who enter Paradise are the simple-hearted; the highest heaven belongs to those endowed with understanding.”

فَأُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ هُمُ الْمُوَاجَهُونَ بِالْخِطَابِ، الشُّهَدَاءُ عَلَيْهِ، الْمُسْتَحْفَظُونَ لِلْكِتَابِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: (بِمَا اُسْتُحْفِظُوا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَاءَ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 44. وَالْعَامَّةُ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهَا مِنْ أَعْلَى مَقَامَاتِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، فَجَمِيعُ تِلْكَ الْأَسْرَارِ مِنَ الْغُيُوبِ الَّتِي تَكُنُّهَا الْحُجُبُ وَالْأَسْتَارُ لَا يُظْهَرُ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا مَطْلُوبٌ، وَالْمَطْلُوبُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ مَسْلُوبٌ.

fa-ʾulū al-ʾalbābi humu al-muwājahūna bi-al-khiṭābi, al-shuhadāʾu ʿalayhi, al-mustaḥfaẓūna li-l-kitābi, kamā qāla taʿālā: (bimā ustuḥfiẓū min kitābi Allāhi wakānū ʿalayhi shuhadāʾa) al-māʾidatu: 44. wa-al-ʿāmmatu yaḥsabūna ʾannahā min ʾaʿlā maqāmāti al-maʿrifati, fajamīʿu tilka al-ʾasrāri mina al-ghuyūbi allatī takunnuhā al-ḥujubu wa-al-ʾastāru lā yuẓharu ʿalayhi ʾillā maṭlūbun, wa-al-maṭlūbu ʿan nafsihi maslūbun.

Those endowed with understanding are the ones directly addressed, who bear witness to Him and are entrusted with preserving the Book, as the Exalted said: “Because they were entrusted with God's Book and were witnesses over it” (al-Māʾida 5:44). Ordinary people suppose that these wonders belong to the highest stations of knowledge. All these secrets are among the unseen things concealed by veils and coverings. Only someone who is sought is given access to them, and the one sought has been stripped of himself.

فَمَنْ بَقِيَتْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ بَقِيَّةٌ، أَوْ نَظَرَ إِلَى حَرَكَتِهِ وَسُكُونِهِ بِعَيْنِهِ نَظْرَةً خَفِيَّةً فَسَتْرُهَا عَلَيْهِ رَحْمَةٌ لَهُ، لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ كُوشِفَ هَلَكَ فِي حَيْرَةِ الْهَوَى، وَغَرِقَ فِي بَحْرِ الدُّنْيَا، وَنَفْسُ حُبِّهِ لَهَا، وَعَيْنُ طَلَبِهِ إِيَّاهَا هُوَ حِجَابُهَا عَنْهُ وَاسْتِتَارُهَا مِنْهُ، حَتَّى يَكُونَ كَارِهًا لِظُهُورِهَا كَرَاهَتِهِ لِظُهُورِ الْخَلْقِ عَلَيْهِ فِي مَعْصِيَتِهِ، وَخَائِفًا مِنْهَا خِيفَتَهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ فِي تَظَاهُرِهَا عَلَيْهِ بِهَلَكَتِهِ.

faman baqiyat ʿalayhi min nafsihi baqiyyatun, ʾaw naẓara ʾilā ḥarakatihi wasukūnihi biʿaynihi naẓratan khafiyyatan fasatruhā ʿalayhi raḥmatun lahu, liʾannahu law kūshifa halaka fī ḥayrati al-hawā, waghariqa fī baḥri al-dunyā, wanafsu ḥubbihi lahā, waʿaynu ṭalabihi ʾiyyāhā huwa ḥijābuhā ʿanhu wa-stitāruhā minhu, ḥattā yakūna kārihan liẓuhūrihā karāhatihi liẓuhūri al-khalqi ʿalayhi fī maʿṣiyatihi, wakhāʾifan minhā khīfatahu min nafsihi fī taẓāhurihā ʿalayhi bihalakatihi.

For anyone in whom some residue of self remains, or who casts even a hidden glance of his own upon his movement and stillness, concealing these things is a mercy. If they were unveiled to him, he would perish in the bewilderment of desire and drown in the sea of this world. His very love for them and his pursuit of them are what veil them from him and keep them hidden, until he dislikes their appearance as much as he dislikes people discovering him in disobedience, and fears them as he fears his own self conspiring against him to destroy him.

فَإِذَا بَقِيَ بِبَاقٍ وَحَيَّ بِحَيَاةِ حَيٍّ صِرْفًا مِنْهُ وَصِفْرًا عَنْهُ بِلَا طَلَبٍ وَلَا نَظَرٍ وَلَا سَبَبٍ وَلَا فِكْرٍ، أُدِّيَ لِعَجَائِبِهِ، وَفُتِحَ لَهُ كُنُوزُ غَرَائِبِهِ، وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ مِمَّنْ يَكْشِفُ عَنْ مُشَاهَدَتِهِ: عَبَدْتُ اللَّهَ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً بِأَعْمَالِ الْقُلُوبِ وَالْجَوَارِحِ عَلَى بَذْلِ الْمَجْهُودِ، وَاسْتِفْرَاغِ الطَّاقَةِ، حَتَّى ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّ لِي عِنْدَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا.

faʾidhā baqiya bibāqin waḥayya biḥayāti ḥayyin ṣirfan minhu waṣifran ʿanhu bilā ṭalabin walā naẓarin walā sababin walā fikrin, ʾuddiya liʿajāʾibihi, wafutiḥa lahu kunūzu gharāʾibihi, wayafʿalu Allāhu mā yashāʾu. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna mimman yakshifu ʿan mushāhadatihi: ʿabadtu Allāha thalāthīna sanatan biʾaʿmāli al-qulūbi wa-al-jawāriḥi ʿalā badhli al-majhūdi, wa-stifrāghi al-ṭāqati, ḥattā ẓanantu ʾanna lī ʿinda Allāhi shayʾan.

When he subsists through One who subsists and lives through the life of the Living One, wholly from Him and empty of himself, without seeking, looking, means, or thought, he is brought to His marvels and the treasures of His wonders are opened to him. God does whatever He wills. One of those who know God, disclosing his own contemplative experience, said: “I worshiped God for thirty years through the deeds of hearts and bodily members, exerting every effort and exhausting my strength, until I supposed that I possessed something of worth with God.”

فَذَكَرَ أَشْيَاءَ مِنْ مُكَاشَفَاتِ السَّمَوَاتِ فِي قِصَّةٍ طَوِيلَةٍ قَالَ فِي آخِرِهَا: فَبَلَغْتُ صَفًّا مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ بِعَدَدِ جَمِيعِ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَقُلْتُ: مَا أَنْتُمْ؟ قَالُوا: نَحْنُ الْمَحْبُوبُ لِلَّهِ نَعْبُدُهُ هَهُنَا مُنْذُ ثَلَاثِمِائَةِ أَلْفِ سَنَةٍ، مَا خَطَرَ عَلَى قُلُوبِنَا قَطُّ طَلَبٌ لِسِوَاهُ وَلَا ذَكَرْنَا غَيْرَهُ. قَالَ: فَاسْتَحْيَيْتُ مِنْ أَعْمَالِي فَوَهَبْتُهَا لِمَنْ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْوَعِيدُ تَخْفِيفًا عَنْهُمْ فِي جَهَنَّمَ.

fadhakara ʾashyāʾa min mukāshafāti al-samawāti fī qiṣṣatin ṭawīlatin qāla fī ʾākhirihā: fabalaghtu ṣaffan mina al-malāʾikati biʿadadi jamīʿi mā khalaqa Allāhu min shayʾin faqultu: mā ʾantum? qālū: naḥnu al-maḥbūbu li-llāhi naʿbuduhu hāhunā mundhu thalāthimiʾati ʾalfi sanatin, mā khaṭara ʿalā qulūbinā qaṭṭu ṭalabun lisiwāhu walā dhakarnā ghayrahu. qāla: fa-staḥyaytu min ʾaʿmālī fawahabtuhā liman ḥaqqa ʿalayhi al-waʿīdu takhfīfan ʿanhum fī jahannama.

He then described various unveilings of the heavens in a lengthy account, at the end of which he said: “I reached a row of angels equal in number to everything God has created. I asked, ‘What are you?’ They replied, ‘We are God's beloved. We have worshiped Him here for three hundred thousand years. No desire for anything besides Him has ever crossed our hearts, and we have remembered no one else.’” He said: “I was ashamed of my deeds, so I gave them to those against whom the threat had become due, to lighten their suffering in Hell.”

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: كُلُّ مَقَامٍ أُعَبِّرُ عَنْهُ إِلَّا مَقَامَ الْمَحَبَّةِ. قِيلَ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنَّ الشَّيْءَ يُعَبَّرُ عَنْهُ بِأَلْطَفَ مِنْهُ وَلَا شَيْءَ أَلْطَفُ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ. وَقِيلَ لِمَعْرُوفٍ: أَخْبِرْنَا عَنِ الْمَحَبَّةِ أَيُّ شَيْءٍ هِيَ؟ قَالَ: يَا أَخِي، لَيْسَ الْمَحَبَّةُ مِنْ تَعْلِيمِ النَّاسِ، الْمَحَبَّةُ مِنْ تَعْلِيمِ الْحَبِيبِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ الْحُذَّاقُ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ لَا يُخْبِرُونَ بِحَقَائِقِ أَرْبَعِ مَقَامَاتٍ؛ حَقِيقَةِ التَّوْحِيدِ، وَحَقِيقَةِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، وَحَقِيقَةِ الْمَحَبَّةِ، وَحَقِيقَةِ الْإِخْلَاصِ.

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: kullu maqāmin ʾuʿabbiru ʿanhu ʾillā maqāma al-maḥabbati. qīla: walima? qāla: liʾanna al-shayʾa yuʿabbaru ʿanhu biʾalṭafa minhu walā shayʾa ʾalṭafu mina al-maḥabbati. waqīla limaʿrūfin: ʾakhbirnā ʿani al-maḥabbati ʾayyu shayʾin hiya? qāla: yā ʾakhī, laysa al-maḥabbatu min taʿlīmi al-nāsi, al-maḥabbatu min taʿlīmi al-ḥabībi. waqad kāna al-ḥudhdhāqu mina al-ʿulamāʾi lā yukhbirūna biḥaqāʾiqi ʾarbaʿi maqāmātin; ḥaqīqati al-tawḥīdi, waḥaqīqati al-maʿrifati, waḥaqīqati al-maḥabbati, waḥaqīqati al-ʾikhlāṣi.

One scholar said, “I can express every station except the station of love.” Asked why, he replied, “A thing is expressed through something subtler than itself, and nothing is subtler than love.” Maʿrūf was asked, “Tell us about love. What is it?” He replied, “Brother, love is not taught by people. Love is taught by the Beloved.” The most accomplished scholars would not disclose the realities of four stations: the reality of affirming divine oneness, the reality of knowing God, the reality of love, and the reality of sincerity.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: كُلُّ الْمَقَامَاتِ عَنْ أَنْوَارِ الْأَفْعَالِ وَالصِّفَاتِ، إِلَّا الْمَحَبَّةَ فَإِنَّهَا عَنْ نُورِ حَقِيقَةِ الذَّاتِ، فَلِذَلِكَ عَزَّ وَصْفُهَا، وَعَزَبَ عِلْمُهَا، وَقَلَّ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْمُتَحَقِّقُ بِهَا؛ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهَا سِرٌّ كَالْمَعْرِفَةِ، إِذَا ظَهَرَ الْمَحْبُوبُ أَحْبَبْتَهُ كَمَا إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْمَعْرُوفَ عَرَفْتَهُ؛ وَذَلِكَ مُتَعَلِّقٌ بِهِ وَهُوَ الظَّاهِرُ لِظَاهِرِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَالْمَحَبَّةِ الْبَاطِنُ لِبَاطِنِ الْمَحَبَّةِ، وَالْمَعْرِفَةُ عَنْ وَصْفٍ بَاطِنٍ، وَمَنْ أَدْرَكَ مَقَامَ الْمَحَبَّةِ لِلَّهِ لَمْ يَضُرَّهُ فَوْتُ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْمَقَامَاتِ، وَمَنْ فَاتَهُ

waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: kullu al-maqāmāti ʿan ʾanwāri al-ʾafʿāli wa-al-ṣifāti, ʾillā al-maḥabbata faʾinnahā ʿan nūri ḥaqīqati al-dhāti, fali-dhālika ʿazza waṣfuhā, waʿazaba ʿilmuhā, waqalla mina al-muʾminīna al-mutaḥaqqiqu bihā; wa-dhālika ʾannahā sirrun ka-al-maʿrifati, ʾidhā ẓahara al-maḥbūbu ʾaḥbabtahu kamā ʾidhā raʾayta al-maʿrūfa ʿaraftahu; wa-dhālika mutaʿalliqun bihi wahuwa al-ẓāhiru liẓāhiri al-maʿrifati wa-al-maḥabbati al-bāṭinu libāṭini al-maḥabbati, wa-al-maʿrifatu ʿan waṣfin bāṭinin, waman ʾadraka maqāma al-maḥabbati li-llāhi lam yaḍurrahu fawtu shayʾin mina al-maqāmāti, waman fātahu

One of those who know God said: “All the stations arise from the lights of acts and attributes, except love, which arises from the light of the reality of the Essence. Therefore its description is difficult, knowledge of it is elusive, and few believers truly realize it.” It is a secret like knowledge: when the Beloved appears, you love Him, just as when you see the One known, you know Him. This depends upon Him. He is manifest to the outward aspect of knowledge and love, and hidden to the inward aspect of love; knowledge arises from an inward attribute. Whoever attains the station of love for God suffers no harm from missing any other station. Whoever misses

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١١٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 112

Volume Two, page 112

الْمَحَبَّةُ لَمْ يُغْبَطْ بِدَرْكِ شَيْءٍ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ) الطَّلَاقُ: 3، إِنَّ الْهَاءَ عَائِدَةٌ عَلَى التَّوَكُّلِ، أَيْ فَالتَّوَكُّلُ حَسْبُهُ مِنْ جَمِيعِ الْمَقَامَاتِ، وَالتَّوَكُّلُ حَالٌ مِنْ مَقَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ. وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ)، وَالرِّضَا مَقَامٌ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ.

al-maḥabbatu lam yughbaṭ bidarki shayʾin, waqad qīla fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: (waman yatawakkal ʿalā Allāhi fahuwa ḥasbuhu) al-ṭalāqu: 3, ʾinna al-hāʾa ʿāʾidatun ʿalā al-tawakkuli, ʾay fa-al-tawakkulu ḥasbuhu min jamīʿi al-maqāmāti, wa-al-tawakkulu ḥālun min maqāmi al-maḥabbati. waqad qāla Allāhu taʿālā: (wariḍwānun mina Allāhi ʾakbaru), wa-al-riḍā maqāmun mina al-maḥabbati.

love is not to be envied for attaining anything. Regarding His saying, mighty and majestic is He, “Whoever places his trust in God, He is sufficient for him” (al-Ṭalāq 65:3), it has been said that the pronoun refers to trust: trust suffices him in place of all the stations. Trust is a state within the station of love. God Most High has also said, “And pleasure from God is greater” (al-Tawba 9:72). Contentment is a station within love.

فَقَدْ جَلَّتِ الْمَحَبَّةُ أَنْ تُوصَفَ وَدَقَّتْ عَنِ الْعُلُومِ بِالْعُقُولِ أَنْ يُعْرَفَ، مِثْلُهَا مِثْلُ الْعِلْمِ بِاللَّهِ؛ فَكَذَلِكَ أَيُّ قَلْبٍ أَجَلُّ مِنْ قَلْبٍ يَكُونُ مَحْبُوبُهُ اللَّهَ، وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مِنْ مَعْلُومِهِ اللَّهُ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ لِلْقَلْبِ حَبَّةً هِيَ بَاطِنُهُ عَلَيْهَا تَتَعَلَّقُ الْمَحَبَّةُ، وَمِنْهُ سُمِّيَتْ مَحَبَّةً؛ كَانَ اشْتِقَاقُهُ مِنْ حَبَّةِ الْقَلْبِ وَهِيَ الَّتِي يُقَالُ لَهَا سُوَيْدَاؤُهُ، وَالْمِيمُ فِي الْأَسْمَاءِ قَدْ تُزَادُ لِلْمُبَالَغَةِ فِي الْوَصْفِ.

faqad jallati al-maḥabbatu ʾan tūṣafa wadaqqat ʿani al-ʿulūmi bi-al-ʿuqūli ʾan yuʿrafa, mithluhā mithlu al-ʿilmi bi-Allāhi; fa-kadhālika ʾayyu qalbin ʾajallu min qalbin yakūnu maḥbūbuhu Allāha, walā ʾaʿlamu min maʿlūmihi Allāhu. waqīla: ʾinna li-l-qalbi ḥabbatan hiya bāṭinuhu ʿalayhā tataʿallaqu al-maḥabbatu, waminhu summiyat maḥabbatan; kāna ishtiqāquhu min ḥabbati al-qalbi wahiya allatī yuqālu lahā suwaydāʾuhu, wa-al-mīmu fī al-ʾasmāʾi qad tuzādu li-l-mubālaghati fī al-waṣfi.

Love is too exalted to be described and too subtle to be known through intellectual learning. It is like knowledge of God: what heart could be more exalted than a heart whose beloved is God, or more knowing than one whose object of knowledge is God? It is said that the heart has a kernel, its innermost part, to which love attaches. From this it was named maḥabba, supposedly derived from ḥabbat al-qalb, the heart's kernel, also called its black core. The letter mīm may be added to nouns to intensify their meaning.

وَمِنْ هَذَا قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (قَدْ شَغَفَهَا حُبًّا) يُوسُفُ: 30، لَمَّا وَصَفَهَا بِنِهَايَةِ الْوَصْفِ فِي الْحُبِّ؛ أَيْ قَدْ خَرَقَ حُبُّهُ شَغَافَ قَلْبِهَا فَوَصَلَ إِلَى حَبَّةِ الْقَلْبِ، وَخَرَقَ الشَّغَافَ وَهُوَ حِجَابُ الْقَلْبِ، وَحُبًّا مَنْصُوبٌ عَلَى التَّفْسِيرِ كَأَنَّهُ قِيلَ: قَدْ شَغَفَهَا أَيْ خَرَقَ شَغَافَهَا، فَقِيلَ: مَاذَا؟ فَقِيلَ: حُبًّا.

wamin hādhā qawlu Allāhi ʿazza wajalla: (qad shaghafahā ḥubban) yūsufu: 30, lammā waṣafahā binihāyati al-waṣfi fī al-ḥubbi; ʾay qad kharaqa ḥubbuhu shaghāfa qalbihā fawaṣala ʾilā ḥabbati al-qalbi, wakharaqa al-shaghāfa wahuwa ḥijābu al-qalbi, waḥubban manṣūbun ʿalā al-tafsīri kaʾannahu qīla: qad shaghafahā ʾay kharaqa shaghāfahā, faqīla: mādhā? faqīla: ḥubban.

An example is God's saying, mighty and majestic is He, “He has pierced her heart with love” (Yūsuf 12:30), describing her love in the strongest possible terms. His love pierced the covering of her heart and reached its kernel; it broke through the shaghāf, the heart's veil. The word ḥubban, “with love,” is accusative as an explanatory specification. It is as though one said, “He has pierced her heart,” meaning its covering; then came the question, “With what?” and the answer, “With love.”

فَالْحُبُّ إِذَا وَصَلَ إِلَى هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ مِنَ الْعَبْدِ لَمْ يَمْلِكِ الْمُحِبُّ نَفْسَهُ، فَفَرَغَ قَلْبُهُ لَهُ، وَامْتَلَأَ بِهِ، وَلَمْ يَجْرِ عَلَى تَرْتِيبِ مَا رَسَمْنَاهُ، وَرُبَّمَا خَرَجَ إِلَى الْوَلَهِ وَالِاسْتِهْتَارِ وَجَاوَزَ مِعْيَارَ الْعَقْلِ فِي التَّصْرِيفِ وَالْأَذْكَارِ، وَالْعَرَبُ تَقُولُ: قَدْ دَمَغَهُ وَأَرْأَسَهُ وَفَادَهُ وَرَكَبْتُهُ، كَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُمْ: أَشْغَفَهُ، إِذَا أَصَابَ شَغَافَ قَلْبِهِ فَهَتَكَ حِجَابَهُ.

fa-al-ḥubbu ʾidhā waṣala ʾilā hādhā al-mawḍiʿi mina al-ʿabdi lam yamliki al-muḥibbu nafsahu, fafaragha qalbuhu lahu, wa-mtalaʾa bihi, walam yajri ʿalā tartībi mā rasamnāhu, warubbamā kharaja ʾilā al-walahi wa-al-istihtāri wajāwaza miʿyāra al-ʿaqli fī al-taṣrīfi wa-al-ʾadhkāri, wa-al-ʿarabu taqūlu: qad damaghahu waʾarʾasahu wafādahu warakabtuhu, kadhālika qawluhum: ʾashghafahu, ʾidhā ʾaṣāba shaghāfa qalbihi fahataka ḥijābahu.

When love reaches this place within the servant, the lover no longer controls himself. His heart empties itself for Him and becomes filled with Him. He no longer follows the orderly scheme we have described. He may pass into bewilderment and consuming obsession, exceeding reason's measure in his conduct and remembrances. The Arabs say damaghahu, “he struck his brain,” arʾasahu, “he struck his head,” fādahu, “he struck his heart,” and rakabtuhu, “I struck his knee.” Likewise they say ashghafahu when someone strikes the covering of another's heart and tears its veil.

وَقَدْ قُرِئَتْ بِالْعَيْنِ، وَمَعْنَى قَدْ شَعَفَهَا بَلَغَ أَعْلَى الْقَلْبِ وَنِهَايَتَهُ لِأَنَّ الشَّعَفَ أَعْلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَأَبْعَدُهُ، فَالْمَعْنَى ذَهَبَ بِهِ الْحُبُّ أَقْصَى الْمَذَاهِبِ وَغَايَتَهُ، فَحِينَئِذٍ يَمْلِكُهُ الْحُبُّ فَيَكُونُ أَسِيرَهُ، وَيَغْلِبُ عَلَيْهِ الْحَبِيبُ فَيَصِيرُ مَأْسُورَهُ فَيَحْكُمُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا يُجَاوِزُ، وَيَفْرُغُ لَهُ قَلْبُهُ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ رَسْمِهِ، وَيَمْتَلِئُ بِهِ فَلَا يَبْقَى فِيهِ شَيْءٌ رَسْمُهُ.

waqad quriʾat bi-al-ʿayni, wamaʿnā qad shaʿafahā balagha ʾaʿlā al-qalbi wanihāyatahu liʾanna al-shaʿafa ʾaʿlā kulli shayʾin waʾabʿaduhu, fa-al-maʿnā dhahaba bihi al-ḥubbu ʾaqṣā al-madhāhibi waghāyatahu, faḥīnaʾidhin yamlikuhu al-ḥubbu fayakūnu ʾasīrahu, wayaghlibu ʿalayhi al-ḥabību fayaṣīru maʾsūrahu fayaḥkumu ʿalayhi walā yujāwizu, wayafrughu lahu qalbuhu min kulli shayʾin rasmihi, wayamtaliʾu bihi falā yabqā fīhi shayʾun rasmuhu.

It has also been recited with the letter ʿayn. The meaning of qad shaʿafahā is that it reached the highest point and extremity of the heart, since shaʿaf means the highest and furthest point of anything. Thus love has carried him to the furthest possible reaches. Love then possesses him, and he becomes its captive; the Beloved overpowers him, and he becomes His prisoner. The Beloved rules him, and he does not transgress. His heart becomes empty for Him of every thing's trace, and filled with Him, leaving in it no thing's trace.

وَلَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى الْكَذِبِ لِظُهُورِ سُلْطَانِ قَهْرِ الْحُبِّ، فَحِينَئِذٍ يَكْشِفُ قِنَاعَهُ وَيُرْسِلُ عِذَارَهُ فِيهِ وَيَصِفُهُ الْحُبُّ بِالْحُبِّ وَهُوَ صَامِتٌ بِخِيفَةِ الْمُحِبِّ إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَحَبَّ، وَهُوَ ظَاهِرٌ، وَلَيْسَ يَكُونُ هَذَا إِلَّا فِي مَقَامِ سُكْرٍ وَحَالِ غَلَبَةٍ، فَمَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ هَذَا الْمَقَامَ أَنْكَرَ هَذَا الْكَلَامَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَرْبِطَ قَلْبَهُ بِتَأْيِيدِهِ وَيَحْفَظَ سِرَّهُ بِتَمْكِينِهِ.

walā yaqdiru ʿalā al-kadhibi liẓuhūri sulṭāni qahri al-ḥubbi, faḥīnaʾidhin yakshifu qināʿahu wayursilu ʿidhārahu fīhi wayaṣifuhu al-ḥubbu bi-al-ḥubbi wahuwa ṣāmitun bikhīfati al-muḥibbi ʾillā liman ʾaḥabba, wahuwa ẓāhirun, walaysa yakūnu hādhā ʾillā fī maqāmi sukrin waḥāli ghalabatin, faman lam yaʿrif hādhā al-maqāma ʾankara hādhā al-kalāma ʾillā ʾan yarbiṭa qalbahu bitaʾyīdihi wayaḥfaẓa sirrahu bitamkīnihi.

He cannot pretend, because love's overpowering authority has become manifest. Then he lifts his veil and lets the reins go freely in it. Love describes him as loving while he remains silent in the lover's fear, except before someone he loves, although he is manifest. This occurs only in a station of intoxication and a state of being overpowered. Anyone unfamiliar with this station rejects such speech, unless God steadies his heart with His support and preserves his secret by establishing him firmly.

كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَأَصْبَحَ فُؤَادُ أُمِّ مُوسَى فَارِغًا إِنْ كَادَتْ لَتُبْدِي بِهِ لَوْلَا أَنْ رَبَطْنَا عَلَى قَلْبِهَا لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ) الْقَصَصُ: 10، أَيْ مِنَ الْمُصَدِّقِينَ إِنَّا نَرُدُّهُ إِلَيْهَا وَلَا تُظْهِرُ أَنَّهُ ابْنُهَا فَيُقْتَلَ، وَكَمَا لَطَفَ لِلْفِتْيَةِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْكَهْفِ لَمَّا غَلَبَ حُبُّ الْإِيمَانِ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ، إِذْ قَامُوا فَقَالُوا: رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، لِئَلَّا يُظْهِرُوا إِيمَانَهُمْ لَمَّا غَلَبَ حُبُّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيُقْتَلُوا.

kamā qāla taʿālā: (waʾaṣbaḥa fuʾādu ʾummi mūsā fārighan ʾin kādat latubdī bihi lawlā ʾan rabaṭnā ʿalā qalbihā litakūna mina al-muʾminīna) al-qaṣaṣu: 10, ʾay mina al-muṣaddiqīna ʾinnā narudduhu ʾilayhā walā tuẓhiru ʾannahu ibnuhā fayuqtala, wakamā laṭafa li-l-fityati alladhīna ʾāmanū wahum ʾaṣḥābu al-kahfi lammā ghalaba ḥubbu al-ʾīmāni ʿalā qulūbihim, ʾidh qāmū faqālū: rabbunā rabbu al-samawāti wa-al-ʾarḍi, liʾallā yuẓhirū ʾīmānahum lammā ghalaba ḥubbuhu ʿalayhim fayuqtalū.

As the Exalted said: “The heart of Moses' mother became empty. She almost disclosed him, had We not strengthened her heart so that she would remain among the believers” (al-Qaṣaṣ 28:10). That is, among those who believed that We would return him to her, so she would not reveal that he was her son and cause him to be killed. Likewise He dealt gently with the believing youths, the Companions of the Cave, when love of faith overwhelmed their hearts: they stood and said, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth,” so that they would not disclose their faith when its love overwhelmed them and consequently be killed.

فَهَذِهِ لَطَائِفُ الْحَكِيمِ وَخَفِيُّ صُنْعِ الْعَلِيمِ، فَالْمُحِبُّونَ لَهُ حَافِظُونَ لِلْغَيْبِ بِمَا حَفِظَ، وَقَالَ سُمْنُونٌ لِبَعْضِ الْفُقَرَاءِ فِي قِصَّةٍ ذَكَرَهَا يَفْرَحُ بِحُبِّهِ وَيَذْكُرُ الْمَحَبَّةَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ فِي وَصْفِ الْمُحِبِّينَ: أَقَامَهُمْ مَقَامَ الْمَحَبَّةِ فَلَمْ يَزِنِ الْمُلْكُ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ حَبَّةً، فَمَحَبَّةُ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ فِي مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ شِرْكٌ عِنْدَ الْمُحِبِّينَ؛ وَهِيَ خِيَانَةٌ عِنْدَ بَعْضِهِمْ، وَهُوَ مِنْ

fa-hādhihi laṭāʾifu al-ḥakīmi wakhafiyyu ṣunʿi al-ʿalīmi, fa-al-muḥibbūna lahu ḥāfiẓūna li-l-ghaybi bimā ḥafiẓa, waqāla sumnūnun libaʿḍi al-fuqarāʾi fī qiṣṣatin dhakarahā yafraḥu biḥubbihi wayadhkuru al-maḥabbata, waqāla baʿḍu al-nāsi fī waṣfi al-muḥibbīna: ʾaqāmahum maqāma al-maḥabbati falam yazini al-mulku fī qulūbihim ḥabbatan, famaḥabbatu ghayri Allāhi fī maḥabbati Allāhi shirkun ʿinda al-muḥibbīna; wahiya khiyānatun ʿinda baʿḍihim, wahuwa min

These are the subtle kindnesses of the All-Wise and the hidden workmanship of the All-Knowing. His lovers keep the unseen secret through His safeguarding. Sumnūn spoke to one of the poor in a story he related, rejoicing in His love and speaking of love. Someone described the lovers thus: “He established them in the station of love, and all dominion weighed no more than a grain in their hearts.” To the lovers, loving anything besides God within one's love of God is associationism; some regard it as betrayal. It belongs to

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١١٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 113

Volume Two, page 113

نَقْضِ الْعَهْدِ وَقِلَّةِ الْوَفَاءِ بِالْعَقْدِ. وَقَالَ سَهْلٌ: مَنْ أَحَبَّ الدِّرْهَمَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْآخِرَةَ، وَمَنْ أَحَبَّ الْخُبْزَ لَمْ يُحِبَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَلَا يُخْرِجُ حُبُّ الْوَالِدِ وَالْوَلَدِ الْمُحِبِّينَ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ، لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ فِي الْقُلُوبِ نَصِيبًا لَهُمْ، وَلَا يُخْرِجُهُ أَيْضًا حُبُّ الزَّوْجَةِ بِمَعْنَى الرِّفْقِ بِهَا وَالرَّحْمَةِ لَهَا، وَلَا يُخْرِجُهُ أَيْضًا حُبُّ مَصَالِحِ الدُّنْيَا مِنْ حَاجَاتِ الْأَجْسَامِ وَالْقُلُوبِ مِمَّا لَا بُدَّ مِنْهُ.

naqḍi al-ʿahdi waqillati al-wafāʾi bi-al-ʿaqdi. waqāla sahlun: man ʾaḥabba al-dirhama lā yuḥibbu al-ʾākhirata, waman ʾaḥabba al-khubza lam yuḥibba Allāha ʿazza wajalla. walā yukhriju ḥubbu al-wālidi wa-al-waladi al-muḥibbīna mina al-maḥabbati, liʾanna dhālika jaʿala Allāhu fī al-qulūbi naṣīban lahum, walā yukhrijuhu ʾayḍan ḥubbu al-zawjati bimaʿnā al-rifqi bihā wa-al-raḥmati lahā, walā yukhrijuhu ʾayḍan ḥubbu maṣāliḥi al-dunyā min ḥājāti al-ʾajsāmi wa-al-qulūbi mimmā lā budda minhu.

breaking the covenant and failing to honor the bond. Sahl said: “Whoever loves the dirham does not love the hereafter; whoever loves bread does not love God, mighty and majestic is He.” Love for parents and children does not remove lovers from love, because God has allotted them a share in hearts. Neither does love for one's wife, in the sense of kindness and compassion toward her. Nor does love for worldly necessities, the indispensable needs of bodies and hearts, remove a person from it.

وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ يَكُونُ فِي مَكَانِ مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ، لِأَنَّ مَحَبَّةَ اللَّهِ فِي أَنْوَارِ الْإِيمَانِ، وَمَحَبَّةَ هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ فِي مَكَانِ الْعَقْلِ، هَكَذَا عِنْدِي فِي الْفَرْقِ بَيْنَ مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ وَمَحَبَّةِ الْمَخْلُوقِ، وَيُخْرِجُهُ جَمِيعُ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَ بَعْضِ الْمُحِبِّينَ مِنَ السَّلَفِ، فَأَمَّا الِاشْتِغَالُ بِهَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ بِالْإِيثَارِ لَهَا عَلَى التَّفَرُّغِ لِمَرْضَاةِ اللَّهِ وَالِانْحِطَاطِ فِي أَهْوَائِهَا دُونَ مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ يُخْرِجُهُ عِنْدَ الْكُلِّ.

walaysa dhālika kulluhu yakūnu fī makāni maḥabbati Allāhi, liʾanna maḥabbata Allāhi fī ʾanwāri al-ʾīmāni, wamaḥabbata hādhihi al-ʾashyāʾi fī makāni al-ʿaqli, hākadhā ʿindī fī al-farqi bayna maḥabbati Allāhi wamaḥabbati al-makhlūqi, wayukhrijuhu jamīʿu dhālika ʿinda baʿḍi al-muḥibbīna mina al-salafi, faʾammā al-ishtighālu bi-hādhihi al-ʾashyāʾi bi-al-ʾīthāri lahā ʿalā al-tafarrughi limarḍāti Allāhi wa-al-inḥiṭāṭi fī ʾahwāʾihā dūna maḥabbati Allāhi faʾinna dhālika yukhrijuhu ʿinda al-kulli.

None of this occupies the place of love for God, because love for God dwells in the lights of faith, while love for these things occupies the place of reason. This is how I understand the distinction between love for God and love for created beings. Some lovers among the early generations hold that all these things remove a person from love. But being occupied with these things, preferring them to devoting oneself to God's pleasure, and sinking into their desires instead of loving God removes him from love in everyone's view.

وَعِنْدِي يُخْرِجُ الْعَبْدَ مِنْ حَقِيقَةِ الْمَحَبَّةِ السُّكُونُ إِلَى غَيْرِ اللَّهِ، وَالْفَرَحُ بِسِوَاهُ، وَالْحُزْنُ عَلَى فَوْتِ غَيْرِهِ إِيَّاهُ. وَقِيلَ لِبَعْضِ الْعَارِفِينَ مِنَ الْأَبْدَالِ: النَّاسُ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّكَ مُحِبٌّ، فَقَالَ: لَسْتُ مُحِبًّا، الْمُحِبُّ مَتْعُوبٌ، وَلَٰكِنِّي مَحْبُوبٌ. وَقِيلَ لَهُ أَيْضًا: النَّاسُ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّكَ وَاحِدٌ مِنَ السَّبْعَةِ، فَقَالَ: أَنَا كُلُّ السَّبْعَةِ. وَقَالَ هَذَا: إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُونِي فَقَدْ رَأَيْتُمْ أَرْبَعِينَ بَدَلًا.

waʿindī yukhriju al-ʿabda min ḥaqīqati al-maḥabbati al-sukūnu ʾilā ghayri Allāhi, wa-al-faraḥu bisiwāhu, wa-al-ḥuznu ʿalā fawti ghayrihi ʾiyyāhu. waqīla libaʿḍi al-ʿārifīna mina al-ʾabdāli: al-nāsu yaqūlūna ʾinnaka muḥibbun, faqāla: lastu muḥibban, al-muḥibbu matʿūbun, walākinnī maḥbūbun. waqīla lahu ʾayḍan: al-nāsu yaqūlūna ʾinnaka wāḥidun mina al-sabʿati, faqāla: ʾanā kullu al-sabʿati. waqāla hādhā: ʾidhā raʾaytumūnī faqad raʾaytum ʾarbaʿīna badalan.

In my view, resting in anything other than God, rejoicing in anyone besides Him, and grieving over the loss of anything else remove the servant from the reality of love. One of the knowers among the spiritual substitutes was told, “People say that you are a lover.” He replied, “I am not a lover. The lover is wearied; I am beloved.” He was also told, “People say that you are one of the seven.” He replied, “I am all seven.” This man also said: “When you see me, you have seen forty substitutes.”

قِيلَ: كَيْفَ وَأَنْتَ شَخْصٌ وَاحِدٌ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنِّي قَدْ رَأَيْتُ أَرْبَعِينَ بَدَلًا فَأَخَذْتُ مِنْ كُلِّ بَدَلٍ خُلُقًا مِنْ أَخْلَاقِهِ، وَقِيلَ لَهُ: بَلَغَنَا أَنَّكَ تَرَى الْخَضِرَ، فَتَبَسَّمَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَيْسَ الْعَجَبُ مِمَّنْ يَرَى الْخَضِرَ وَلَٰكِنِ الْعَجَبُ مِمَّنْ يُرِيدُ الْخَضِرُ أَنْ يَرَاهُ فَيُحْجَبُ عَنْهُ فَلَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَعَمْرِي أَنَّ مَنْ كَانَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ لَمْ يَرَهُ بَشَرٌ وَلَا مَلَكٌ.

qīla: kayfa waʾanta shakhṣun wāḥidun? qāla: liʾannī qad raʾaytu ʾarbaʿīna badalan faʾakhadhtu min kulli badalin khuluqan min ʾakhlāqihi, waqīla lahu: balaghanā ʾannaka tarā al-khaḍira, fatabassama thumma qāla: laysa al-ʿajabu mimman yarā al-khaḍira walākini al-ʿajabu mimman yurīdu al-khaḍiru ʾan yarāhu fayuḥjabu ʿanhu falā yaqdiru ʿalayhi, walaʿamrī ʾanna man kāna ʿinda Allāhi lam yarahu basharun walā malakun.

He was asked, “How, when you are only one person?” He replied, “Because I have seen forty substitutes and taken one trait of character from each.” He was told, “We have heard that you see al-Khaḍir.” He smiled and said, “The marvel is not someone who sees al-Khaḍir, but someone whom al-Khaḍir wishes to see yet who is veiled from him, so he cannot reach him. By my life, anyone who is with God is seen by neither human nor angel.”

حَدَّثُونَا أَنَّ الْحَسَنَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ اخْتَفَى عِنْدَ حَبِيبٍ الْعَجَمِيِّ مِنَ الْحَجَّاجِ، فَسُعِيَ بِهِ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ الشُّرَطُ، فَفَزِعَ الْحَسَنُ وَذَهَبَ لِيَتَسَوَّرَ الْحَائِطَ وَيَهْرُبَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ حَبِيبٌ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ: اُقْعُدْ حَتَّى نُبْصِرَ. فَقَالَ: فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ الشُّرَطُ فَقَالُوا: أَيْنَ الْحَسَنُ؟ قِيلَ لَنَا إِنَّهُ عِنْدَكَ، فَقَالَ: هَلْ تَرَوْنَ شَيْئًا؟ فَفَتَّشُوا الدَّارَ كُلَّهَا وَخَرَجُوا وَهُمْ لَا يَرَوْنَهُ.

ḥaddathūnā ʾanna al-ḥasana raḥimahu Allāhu ikhtafā ʿinda ḥabībin al-ʿajamiyyi mina al-ḥajjāji, fasuʿiya bihi fadakhala ʿalayhi al-shuraṭu, fafaziʿa al-ḥasanu wadhahaba liyatasawwara al-ḥāʾiṭa wayahruba, faqāla lahu ḥabībun ʾabū muḥammadin: uqʿud ḥattā nubṣira. faqāla: fadakhala ʿalayhi al-shuraṭu faqālū: ʾayna al-ḥasanu? qīla lanā ʾinnahu ʿindaka, faqāla: hal tarawna shayʾan? fafattashū al-dāra kullahā wakharajū wahum lā yarawnahu.

They related to us that al-Ḥasan, may God have mercy on him, hid from al-Ḥajjāj with Ḥabīb al-ʿAjamī. Someone informed against him, and the police entered. Al-Ḥasan was frightened and went to climb the wall and escape. Ḥabīb Abū Muḥammad told him, “Sit down until we see.” The narrator said: “The police entered and asked, ‘Where is al-Ḥasan? We have been told he is with you.’ He replied, ‘Do you see anything?’ They searched the whole house and left without seeing him.”

فَقَالَ لَهُ الْحَسَنُ: كَيْفَ لَمْ يَنْظُرُوا إِلَيَّ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنَّكَ كُنْتَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فَلَمْ يَرَوْكَ، وَلَوْ كُنْتَ عِنْدِي لَأَبْصَرُوكَ. قَالَ لَهُ الْحَسَنُ: إِنِّي قَدْ رَأَيْتُكَ لَمَّا دَخَلُوا هَمَمْتَ بِشَيْءٍ، فَهَلْ ذَكَرْتَ اسْمَ اللَّهِ الْأَعْظَمَ؟ قَالَ: لَا، وَلَٰكِنْ قُلْتُ: اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْهُ عِنْدَكَ حَتَّى لَا يُبْصِرُوهُ، وَهَذَا هُوَ وَاحِدٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْحَسَنِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ الْحَسَنُ فَوْقَهُ بِدَرَجَاتٍ أَحْوَجَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ.

faqāla lahu al-ḥasanu: kayfa lam yanẓurū ʾilayya? qāla: liʾannaka kunta ʿinda Allāhi falam yarawka, walaw kunta ʿindī laʾabṣarūka. qāla lahu al-ḥasanu: ʾinnī qad raʾaytuka lammā dakhalū hamamta bishayʾin, fahal dhakarta isma Allāhi al-ʾaʿẓama? qāla: lā, walākin qultu: Allāhumma ijʿalhu ʿindaka ḥattā lā yubṣirūhu, wa-hādhā huwa wāḥidun min ʾaṣḥābi al-ḥasani, waqad kāna al-ḥasanu fawqahu bidarajātin ʾaḥwajahu Allāhu ʾilayhi.

Al-Ḥasan asked him, “How did they fail to see me?” He replied, “Because you were with God, so they did not see you. Had you been with me, they would have seen you.” Al-Ḥasan said, “I saw you turn your attention to something when they entered. Did you invoke God's greatest name?” He replied, “No. I merely said, ‘O God, place him with You so that they cannot see him.’” This man was one of al-Ḥasan's companions. Al-Ḥasan was many degrees above him, yet God made him need his help.

وَقِيلَ لِأَبِي يَزِيدَ: بَلَغْتَ جَبَلَ قَافٍ؟ فَقَالَ: جَبَلُ قَافٍ أَمْرُهُ قَرِيبٌ، الشَّأْنُ فِي جَبَلِ كَافٍ وَجَبَلِ عَيْنٍ وَجَبَلِ صَادٍ. قَالَ: وَمَا هَذَا؟ قَالَ: هَذِهِ جِبَالٌ مُحِيطَةٌ بِالْأَرَضِينَ السُّفْلَى، حَوْلَ كُلِّ أَرْضٍ جَبَلٌ بِمَنْزِلَةِ جَبَلِ قَافٍ مُحِيطٌ بِهَذِهِ الدُّنْيَا، وَهُوَ أَصْغَرُهَا، وَهَذِهِ أَصْغَرُ الْأَرَضِينَ، وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ يُخْبِرُ أَنَّهُ صَعِدَ جَبَلَ قَافٍ، وَرَأَى سَفِينَةَ نُوحٍ مَطْرُوحَةً فَوْقَهُ، وَكَانَ يَصِفُهُ وَيَصِفُهَا.

waqīla liʾabī yazīda: balaghta jabala qāfin? faqāla: jabalu qāfin ʾamruhu qarībun, al-shaʾnu fī jabali kāfin wajabali ʿaynin wajabali ṣādin. qāla: wamā hādhā? qāla: hādhihi jibālun muḥīṭatun bi-al-ʾaraḍīna al-suflā, ḥawla kulli ʾarḍin jabalun bimanzilati jabali qāfin muḥīṭun bi-hādhihi al-dunyā, wahuwa ʾaṣgharuhā, wa-hādhihi ʾaṣgharu al-ʾaraḍīna, waqad kāna ʾabū muḥammadin yukhbiru ʾannahu ṣaʿida jabala qāfin, waraʾā safīnata nūḥin maṭrūḥatan fawqahu, wakāna yaṣifuhu wayaṣifuhā.

Abū Yazīd was asked, “Have you reached Mount Qāf?” He replied, “Mount Qāf is a simple matter. What matters are Mount Kāf, Mount ʿAyn, and Mount Ṣād.” The questioner asked, “What are these?” He replied, “Mountains encircling the lower earths. Around every earth is a mountain like Mount Qāf, which surrounds this world. It is the smallest of them, and this is the smallest of the earths.” Abū Muḥammad used to relate that he had climbed Mount Qāf and seen Noah's ark lying upon it; he would describe both the mountain and the ark.

وَقَالَ: لِلَّهِ عَبْدٌ بِالْبَصْرَةِ يَرْفَعُ رِجْلَهُ وَهُوَ قَاعِدٌ فَيَضَعُهَا عَلَى جَبَلِ قَافٍ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ: الدُّنْيَا كُلُّهَا خُطْوَةٌ لِلْوَلِيِّ، وَإِنَّ وَلِيًّا لِلَّهِ خَطَا خُطْوَةً وَاحِدَةً خَمْسَمِائَةِ عَامٍ، وَرَفَعَ رِجْلَهُ عَلَى

waqāla: li-llāhi ʿabdun bi-al-baṣrati yarfaʿu rijlahu wahuwa qāʿidun fayaḍaʿuhā ʿalā jabali qāfin, waqad qīla: al-dunyā kulluhā khuṭwatun li-l-waliyyi, waʾinna waliyyan li-llāhi khaṭā khuṭwatan wāḥidatan khamsamiʾati ʿāmin, warafaʿa rijlahu ʿalā

He said, “God has a servant in Basra who raises his foot while seated and sets it upon Mount Qāf.” It has been said: “The whole world is a single step for a friend of God.” One friend of God took a single step spanning five hundred years, placing one foot upon

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١١٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 114

Volume Two, page 114

جَبَلِ قَافٍ وَالْأُخْرَى عَلَى جَانِبِ الْجَبَلِ الْآخَرِ، فَعَبَرَ الْأَرْضَ كُلَّهَا، وَقِيلَ لِأَبِي يَزِيدَ: دَخَلْتَ إِرَمَ ذَاتَ الْعِمَادِ؟ فَقَالَ: قَدْ دَخَلْتُ أَلْفَ مَدِينَةٍ لِلَّهِ فِي مُلْكِهِ، أَدْنَاهَا ذَاتُ الْعِمَادِ، ثُمَّ عَدَّدَ كُلَّهَا؛ الْبَيْتَ وَتَأْوِيلَ وَبَارِيسَ وَجَايِلَقَ وَجَابَرْسَ وَمِسْكَ، وَلَعَلَّ قَائِلًا يَقُولُ: فَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ فِي وَصْفِهَا: (الَّتِي لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِي الْبِلَادِ) الْفَجْرُ: 8.

jabali qāfin wa-al-ʾukhrā ʿalā jānibi al-jabali al-ʾākhari, faʿabara al-ʾarḍa kullahā, waqīla liʾabī yazīda: dakhalta ʾirama dhāta al-ʿimādi? faqāla: qad dakhaltu ʾalfa madīnatin li-llāhi fī mulkihi, ʾadnāhā dhātu al-ʿimādi, thumma ʿaddada kullahā; al-bayta wataʾwīla wabārīsa wajāyilaqa wajābarsa wamiska, walaʿalla qāʾilan yaqūlu: faqad qāla Allāhu fī waṣfihā: (allatī lam yukhlaq mithluhā fī al-bilādi) al-fajru: 8.

Mount Qāf and the other on the far side of the other mountain, thus crossing the whole earth. Abū Yazīd was asked, “Have you entered Iram of the Pillars?” He replied, “I have entered a thousand cities belonging to God within His dominion; the least of them is the City of the Pillars.” Then he enumerated them all: al-Bayt, Taʾwīl, Bārīs, Jāyilaq, Jābars, and Misk. Someone may object that God described it as “the like of which was never created in the lands” (al-Fajr 89:8).

قِيلَ: فَإِنَّ مَعْنَاهُ فِي بِلَادِ الْيَمَنِ لِأَنَّهُمْ خُوطِبُوا بِمَا فِي بِلَادِهِمْ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: (أَوْ يُنْفَوْا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 33، يَعْنِي أَرْضَ بِلَادِهِمْ، فَذَاتُ الْعِمَادِ مَدِينَةُ عَادٍ فِي الْيَمَنِ بَيْنَ أَبْيَنَ وَالشِّحْرِ، يُقَالُ: لَهَا سُورٌ لَهُ أَلْفُ بَابٍ مَا بَيْنَ الْبَابَيْنِ فَرْسَخٌ، مُرَكَّبَةٌ عَلَى أَعْمِدَةِ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْيَاقُوتِ وَالزَّبَرْجَدِ، فِيهَا مِائَةُ أَلْفِ عَمُودٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ.

qīla: faʾinna maʿnāhu fī bilādi al-yamani liʾannahum khūṭibū bimā fī bilādihim, kamā qāla taʿālā: (ʾaw yunfaw mina al-ʾarḍi) al-māʾidatu: 33, yaʿnī ʾarḍa bilādihim, fadhātu al-ʿimādi madīnatu ʿādin fī al-yamani bayna ʾabyana wa-al-shiḥri, yuqālu: lahā sūrun lahu ʾalfu bābin mā bayna al-bābayni farsakhun, murakkabatun ʿalā ʾaʿmidati al-dhahabi wa-al-fiḍḍati wa-al-yāqūti wa-al-zabarjadi, fīhā miʾatu ʾalfi ʿamūdin min dhālika.

The reply is that this means in the lands of Yemen, because they were addressed concerning their own lands, just as the Exalted said, “Or be banished from the land” (al-Māʾida 5:33), meaning their homeland. The City of the Pillars is the city of ʿĀd in Yemen, between Abyan and al-Shiḥr. It is said to have a wall with a thousand gates, a parasang between each pair. It is built upon pillars of gold, silver, ruby, and chrysolite, with one hundred thousand such pillars.

كَانَتِ الْجِنُّ اصْطَنَعَتْهَا لِعَادِ بْنِ شَدَّادِ بْنِ سَامِ بْنِ نُوحٍ، اسْتَخْرَجَتِ الْجِنُّ هَذِهِ الْعُمُدَ مِنْ قُعُورِ الْبِحَارِ وَالْقِفَارِ، وَكَانَتْ سُخِّرَتِ الْجِنُّ لَهُ قَبْلَ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ دَاوُدَ بِأَرْبَعَةِ آلَافِ عَامٍ، تَجْتَمِعُ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَدِينَةِ طَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الْأَبْدَالِ لَيَالِيَ الْجُمَعِ وَفِي الْأَعْيَادِ، يُقَالُ: فِيهَا صَنَادِيقُ مِنْ حِجَارَةٍ، طُولُ كُلِّ صُنْدُوقٍ عَشَرَةُ أَذْرُعٍ، فِيهَا قُبُورُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ؛ أَجْسَادُهُمْ صَحِيحَةٌ بَاقِيَةٌ إِلَى يَوْمِنَا هَذَا.

kānati al-jinnu iṣṭanaʿathā liʿādi bni shaddādi bni sāmi bni nūḥin, istakhrajati al-jinnu hādhihi al-ʿumuda min quʿūri al-biḥāri wa-al-qifāri, wakānat sukhkhirati al-jinnu lahu qabla sulaymāna bni dāwūda biʾarbaʿati ʾālāfi ʿāmin, tajtamiʿu fī hādhihi al-madīnati ṭāʾifatun mina al-ʾabdāli layāliya al-jumaʿi wafī al-ʾaʿyādi, yuqālu: fīhā ṣanādīqu min ḥijāratin, ṭūlu kulli ṣundūqin ʿasharatu ʾadhruʿin, fīhā qubūru al-ʾanbiyāʾi; ʾajsāduhum ṣaḥīḥatun bāqiyatun ʾilā yawminā hādhā.

The jinn made it for ʿĀd ibn Shaddād ibn Sām ibn Noah, extracting these pillars from the depths of seas and deserts. The jinn had been subjected to him four thousand years before Solomon son of David. A company of spiritual substitutes gathers in this city on Thursday nights and festivals. It is said that it contains stone chests, each ten cubits long, holding the graves of prophets whose bodies remain intact to this day.

وَهِيَ مَحْجُوبَةٌ عَنْ أَبْصَارِ الْعِبَادِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ سَهْلٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَزُورُهَا فِي كُلِّ جُمُعَةٍ، وَهَذَا وَاحِدٌ مِنَ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ، وَهَذِهِ آيَاتٌ يَسِيرَةٌ مِنْ قُدْرَةِ اللَّهِ الْكَبِيرَةِ. وَقِيلَ لِهَذَا الْعَبْدِ: حَدِّثْنَا عَنْ مُشَاهَدَتِكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ، فَصَاحَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَيْلَكُمْ، لَا يَصْلُحُ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَعْلَمُوا ذَلِكَ. قِيلَ: فَحَدِّثْنَا بِأَشَدِّ مُجَاهَدَتِكَ لِنَفْسِكَ فِي اللَّهِ، فَقَالَ: وَهَذَا أَيْضًا لَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ أُطْلِعَكُمْ عَلَيْهِ.

wahiya maḥjūbatun ʿan ʾabṣāri al-ʿibādi, waqad kāna sahlun raḥimahu Allāhu yazūruhā fī kulli jumuʿatin, wa-hādhā wāḥidun mina al-maḥbūbīna, wa-hādhihi ʾāyātun yasīratun min qudrati Allāhi al-kabīrati. waqīla li-hādhā al-ʿabdi: ḥaddithnā ʿan mushāhadatika mina Allāhi, faṣāḥa thumma qāla: waylakum, lā yaṣluḥu lakum ʾan taʿlamū dhālika. qīla: faḥaddithnā biʾashaddi mujāhadatika linafsika fī Allāhi, faqāla: wa-hādhā ʾayḍan lā yajūzu ʾan ʾuṭliʿakum ʿalayhi.

It is veiled from people's sight. Sahl, may God have mercy on him, used to visit it every Friday. He is one of the beloved, and these are only slight signs of God's immense power. This servant was asked, “Tell us about your contemplative vision of God.” He cried out and then said, “Woe to you! It would not be right for you to know that.” He was asked, “Then tell us about your most strenuous struggle against yourself for God's sake.” He replied, “That too is something I may not reveal to you.”

قِيلَ: فَحَدِّثْنَا عَنْ رِيَاضَةِ نَفْسِكَ فِي بِدَايَتِهَا، قَالَ: نَعَمْ، دَعَوْتُ نَفْسِي إِلَى اللَّهِ فِي بَعْضِ الْأُمُورِ فَتَلَكَّعَتْ عَلَيَّ، فَعَزَمْتُ عَلَيْهَا أَنْ لَا أَشْرَبَ الْمَاءَ سَنَةً وَلَا أَذُوقَ الْغَمْضَ سَنَةً، فَوَفَتْ لِي بِذَلِكَ. وَحَكَى عَنْهُ يَحْيَى بْنُ مُعَاذٍ فِي بَعْضِ مُشَاهَدَاتِهِ أَنَّهُ رَآهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ إِلَى صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ مُسْتَوْفِزًا عَلَى صُدُورِ قَدَمَيْهِ، رَافِعًا أَخْمَصَهَا وَعَقِبَيْهِ عَنِ الْأَرْضِ ضَارِبًا بِذَقَنِهِ عَلَى صَدْرِهِ شَاخِصًا بِعَيْنَيْهِ لَا يَطْرِفُ.

qīla: faḥaddithnā ʿan riyāḍati nafsika fī bidāyatihā, qāla: naʿam, daʿawtu nafsī ʾilā Allāhi fī baʿḍi al-ʾumūri fatalakkaʿat ʿalayya, faʿazamtu ʿalayhā ʾan lā ʾashraba al-māʾa sanatan walā ʾadhūqa al-ghamḍa sanatan, fawafat lī bi-dhālika. waḥakā ʿanhu yaḥyā bnu muʿādhin fī baʿḍi mushāhadātihi ʾannahu raʾāhu min baʿdi ṣalāti al-ʿishāʾi ʾilā ṣalāti al-fajri mustawfizan ʿalā ṣudūri qadamayhi, rāfiʿan ʾakhmaṣahā waʿaqibayhi ʿani al-ʾarḍi ḍāriban bidhaqanihi ʿalā ṣadrihi shākhiṣan biʿaynayhi lā yaṭrifu.

He was asked, “Then tell us about your discipline of yourself at the beginning.” He replied, “Yes. I called my self toward God in a certain matter, but it held back. I resolved that I would drink no water for a year and taste no sleep for a year, and it fulfilled that for me.” Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh related that on one occasion he observed him from after the night prayer until the dawn prayer, poised on the fronts of his feet, their arches and his heels raised off the ground, his chin pressed against his chest, staring without blinking.

قَالَ: ثُمَّ سَجَدَ عِنْدَ السَّحَرِ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ فَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ، إِنَّ قَوْمًا طَلَبُوكَ فَأَعْطَيْتَهُمْ طَيَّ الْأَرْضِ فَرَضُوا بِذَلِكَ، وَإِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، وَإِنَّ قَوْمًا طَلَبُوكَ فَأَعْطَيْتَهُمُ الْمَشْيَ عَلَى الْمَاءِ وَالْهَوَاءِ فَرَضُوا بِذَلِكَ، وَإِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، وَإِنَّ قَوْمًا طَلَبُوكَ فَأَعْطَيْتَهُمْ كُنُوزَ الْأَرْضِ فَانْقَلَبَتْ لَهُمُ الْأَعْيَانُ فَرَضُوا بِذَلِكَ، وَإِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، حَتَّى عَدَّ نَيِّفًا وَعِشْرِينَ مَقَامًا مِنْ كَرَامَاتِ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ.

qāla: thumma sajada ʿinda al-saḥari thumma qaʿada faqāla: Allāhumma, ʾinna qawman ṭalabūka faʾaʿṭaytahum ṭayya al-ʾarḍi faraḍū bi-dhālika, waʾinnī ʾaʿūdhu bika min dhālika, waʾinna qawman ṭalabūka faʾaʿṭaytahumu al-mashya ʿalā al-māʾi wa-al-hawāʾi faraḍū bi-dhālika, waʾinnī ʾaʿūdhu bika min dhālika, waʾinna qawman ṭalabūka faʾaʿṭaytahum kunūza al-ʾarḍi fa-nqalabat lahumu al-ʾaʿyānu faraḍū bi-dhālika, waʾinnī ʾaʿūdhu bika min dhālika, ḥattā ʿadda nayyifan waʿishrīna maqāman min karāmāti al-ʾawliyāʾi.

He said: “Then, before dawn, he prostrated himself, sat up, and said: ‘O God, some people sought You and You gave them the folding up of the earth, and they were satisfied with that; I seek refuge in You from that. Some people sought You and You gave them walking on water and through the air, and they were satisfied with that; I seek refuge in You from that. Some people sought You and You gave them the earth's treasures, and material things were transformed for them, and they were satisfied with that; I seek refuge in You from that.’” He enumerated more than twenty stations among the gracious wonders of God's friends.

قَالَ: ثُمَّ اِلْتَفَتَ فَرَآنِي، فَقَالَ: يَحْيَى؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ يَا سَيِّدِي. قَالَ: مُنْذُ مَتَى أَنْتَ هَهُنَا؟ قُلْتُ: مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ. فَسَكَتَ فَقُلْتُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، حَدِّثْنِي بِشَيْءٍ، فَقَالَ: أُخْبِرُكَ بِمَا يَصْلُحُ لَكَ، أَدْخَلَنِي فِي الْفَلَكِ الْأَسْفَلِ فَدَوَّرَنِي فِي الْمَلَكُوتِ السُّفْلِيِّ، فَأَرَانِي الْأَرَضِينَ وَمَا تَحْتَهَا إِلَى الثَّرَى، ثُمَّ أَدْخَلَنِي فِي الْفَلَكِ الْعُلْوِيِّ فَطَوَّفَ بِي فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَأَرَانِي مَا فِيهَا مِنَ الْجِنَانِ إِلَى الْعَرْشِ، ثُمَّ

qāla: thumma iltafata faraʾānī, faqāla: yaḥyā? qultu: naʿam yā sayyidī. qāla: mundhu matā ʾanta hāhunā? qultu: min ṣalāti al-ʿishāʾi. fasakata faqultu: yā sayyidī, ḥaddithnī bishayʾin, faqāla: ʾukhbiruka bimā yaṣluḥu laka, ʾadkhalanī fī al-falaki al-ʾasfali fadawwaranī fī al-malakūti al-sufliyyi, faʾarānī al-ʾaraḍīna wamā taḥtahā ʾilā al-tharā, thumma ʾadkhalanī fī al-falaki al-ʿulwiyyi faṭawwafa bī fī al-samawāti waʾarānī mā fīhā mina al-jināni ʾilā al-ʿarshi, thumma

He said: “Then he turned and saw me. He said, ‘Yaḥyā?’ I replied, ‘Yes, my master.’ He asked, ‘How long have you been here?’ I said, ‘Since the night prayer.’ He fell silent, and I said, ‘My master, tell me something.’ He replied, ‘I will tell you what is suitable for you. He admitted me to the lower sphere and took me around the lower spiritual kingdom, showing me the earths and what lies beneath them down to the soil. Then He admitted me to the upper sphere and took me through the heavens, showing me the gardens within them up to the Throne. Then

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١١٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 115

Volume Two, page 115

أَوْقَفَنِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ فَقَالَ لِي: سَلْنِي أَيَّ شَيْءٍ رَأَيْتَ حَتَّى أَهَبَهُ لَكَ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، مَا رَأَيْتُ شَيْئًا اسْتَحْسَنْتُهُ فَأَسْأَلَكَ إِيَّاهُ، فَقَالَ: أَنْتَ عَبْدِي حَقًّا، تَعْبُدُنِي لِأَجْلِي صِدْقًا، لَأَفْعَلَنَّ بِكَ، ذَكَرَ أَشْيَاءَ. قَالَ يَحْيَى بْنُ مُعَاذٍ: فَهَالَنِي ذَلِكَ وَامْتَلَأْتُ بِهِ وَعَجِبْتُ مِنْهُ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، وَلِمَ لَا سَأَلْتَهُ الْمَعْرِفَةَ بِهِ، وَقَدْ قَالَ: سَلْنِي مَا شِئْتَ؟ فَصَاحَ بِي صَيْحَةً وَقَالَ: اُسْكُتْ، وَيْلَكَ، غِرْتُ عَلَيْهِ مِنِّي.

ʾawqafanī bayna yadayhi faqāla lī: salnī ʾayya shayʾin raʾayta ḥattā ʾahabahu laka, faqultu: yā sayyidī, mā raʾaytu shayʾan istaḥsantuhu faʾasʾalaka ʾiyyāhu, faqāla: ʾanta ʿabdī ḥaqqan, taʿbudunī liʾajlī ṣidqan, laʾafʿalanna bika, dhakara ʾashyāʾa. qāla yaḥyā bnu muʿādhin: fahālanī dhālika wa-mtalaʾtu bihi waʿajibtu minhu, faqultu: yā sayyidī, walima lā saʾaltahu al-maʿrifata bihi, waqad qāla: salnī mā shiʾta? faṣāḥa bī ṣayḥatan waqāla: uskut, waylaka, ghirtu ʿalayhi minnī.

He set me before Him and said, ‘Ask Me for anything you have seen, and I will give it to you.’ I said, ‘My master, I have seen nothing that pleased me enough to ask You for it.’ He said, ‘You are truly My servant, worshiping Me sincerely for My own sake. I shall certainly do such things for you,’” and he mentioned several things. Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh said: “This overwhelmed me, filled me, and amazed me. I said, ‘My master, why did you not ask Him for knowledge of Himself, when He said, “Ask Me whatever you wish”?’ He shouted at me: ‘Be silent! Woe to you! I was jealous over Him even against myself.’”

وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو تُرَابٍ النَّخْشَبِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مُعْجَبًا بِبَعْضِ الْمُرِيدِينَ، فَكَانَ يُؤْوِيهِ وَيَقُومُ بِمَصَالِحِهِ، وَالْمُرِيدُ مَشْغُولٌ بِعِبَادَتِهِ وَمَوَاجِيدِهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو تُرَابٍ يَوْمًا: لَوْ رَأَيْتَ أَبَا يَزِيدَ، فَقَالَ الْمُرِيدُ: إِنِّي عَنْهُ مَشْغُولٌ، فَلَمَّا أَكْثَرَ عَلَيْهِ أَبُو تُرَابٍ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ: لَوْ رَأَيْتَ أَبَا يَزِيدَ، هَاجَ وَجْدُ الْمُرِيدِ فَقَالَ: وَيْحَكَ، مَا أَصْنَعُ بِأَبِي يَزِيدَ؟ قَدْ رَأَيْتُ اللَّهَ فَأَغْنَانِي عَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ.

waqad kāna ʾabū turābin al-nakhshabiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu muʿjaban bibaʿḍi al-murīdīna, fakāna yuʾwīhi wayaqūmu bimaṣāliḥihi, wa-al-murīdu mashghūlun biʿibādatihi wamawājīdihi, faqāla lahu ʾabū turābin yawman: law raʾayta ʾabā yazīda, faqāla al-murīdu: ʾinnī ʿanhu mashghūlun, falammā ʾakthara ʿalayhi ʾabū turābin min qawlihi: law raʾayta ʾabā yazīda, hāja wajdu al-murīdi faqāla: wayḥaka, mā ʾaṣnaʿu biʾabī yazīda? qad raʾaytu Allāha faʾaghnānī ʿan ʾabī yazīda.

Abū Turāb al-Nakhshabī, may God have mercy on him, admired one of the aspirants. He sheltered him and took care of his needs, while the aspirant remained absorbed in worship and spiritual experiences. One day Abū Turāb said to him, “If only you would see Abū Yazīd.” The aspirant replied, “I am too occupied for him.” When Abū Turāb kept repeating, “If only you would see Abū Yazīd,” the aspirant's ecstasy surged, and he said, “Woe to you! What would I do with Abū Yazīd? I have seen God, and He has made me independent of Abū Yazīd.”

قَالَ أَبُو تُرَابٍ: فَهَاجَ طَبْعِي وَلَمْ أَمْلِكْ نَفْسِي فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: وَيْلَكَ، لَوْ رَأَيْتَ أَبَا يَزِيدَ مَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً كَانَ أَنْفَعَ لَكَ مِنْ أَنْ تَرَى اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً، فَبُهِتَ الْمُرِيدُ مِنْ قَوْلِي وَأَنْكَرَهُ وَقَالَ: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: وَيْلَكَ، إِنَّمَا تَرَى اللَّهَ عِنْدَكَ فَيَظْهَرُ لَكَ عَلَى مِقْدَارِكَ، وَتَرَى أَبَا يَزِيدَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ قَدْ ظَهَرَ لَهُ عَلَى مِقْدَارِهِ. قَالَ: فَعَرَفَ مَا أَقُولُ فَقَالَ: احْمِلْنِي إِلَيْهِ.

qāla ʾabū turābin: fahāja ṭabʿī walam ʾamlik nafsī faqultu lahu: waylaka, law raʾayta ʾabā yazīda marratan wāḥidatan kāna ʾanfaʿa laka min ʾan tarā Allāha ʿazza wajalla sabʿīna marratan, fabuhita al-murīdu min qawlī waʾankarahu waqāla: wakayfa dhālika? faqultu lahu: waylaka, ʾinnamā tarā Allāha ʿindaka fayaẓharu laka ʿalā miqdārika, watarā ʾabā yazīda ʿinda Allāhi qad ẓahara lahu ʿalā miqdārihi. qāla: faʿarafa mā ʾaqūlu faqāla: iḥmilnī ʾilayhi.

Abū Turāb said: “My temper flared and I lost control of myself. I told him, ‘Woe to you! Seeing Abū Yazīd once would benefit you more than seeing God, mighty and majestic is He, seventy times.’ The aspirant was stunned by my words and rejected them, asking, ‘How could that be?’ I replied, ‘Woe to you! You see God with yourself, so He appears to you according to your capacity. You see Abū Yazīd with God, who has appeared to him according to his capacity.’ He understood what I meant and said, ‘Take me to him.’”

فَذَكَرَ قِصَّةً قَالَ فِي آخِرِهَا: فَوَقَفْنَا عَلَى تَلٍّ نَنْتَظِرُهُ يَخْرُجُ إِلَيْنَا مِنَ النَّهْرِ، قَالَ: فَمَرَّ بِنَا وَقَدْ قَلَبَ فَرْوَةً عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ، فَقُلْتُ لِلْفَتَى: هَذَا أَبُو يَزِيدَ فَاُنْظُرْ إِلَيْهِ. قَالَ: فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ الْفَتَى فَصَعِقَ، فَحَرَّكْنَاهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ مَيِّتٌ. قَالَ: فَتَعَاوَنَّا عَلَى دَفْنِهِ فَقُلْتُ لِأَبِي يَزِيدَ: يَا سَيِّدِي، نَظَرُهُ إِلَيْكَ قَتَلَهُ؟

fadhakara qiṣṣatan qāla fī ʾākhirihā: fawaqafnā ʿalā tallin nantaẓiruhu yakhruju ʾilaynā mina al-nahri, qāla: famarra binā waqad qalaba farwatan ʿalā ẓahrihi, faqultu li-l-fatā: hādhā ʾabū yazīda fa-nẓur ʾilayhi. qāla: fanaẓara ʾilayhi al-fatā faṣaʿiqa, faḥarraknāhu faʾidhā huwa mayyitun. qāla: fataʿāwannā ʿalā dafnihi faqultu liʾabī yazīda: yā sayyidī, naẓaruhu ʾilayka qatalahu?

He related a story, ending: “We stood on a hill waiting for him to come toward us from the river. He passed us wearing a sheepskin turned inside out over his back. I told the young man, ‘This is Abū Yazīd; look at him.’ The young man looked and collapsed. We moved him and found that he was dead. We helped each other bury him, and I asked Abū Yazīd, ‘My master, did his looking at you kill him?’”

قَالَ: لَا، وَلَٰكِنْ كَانَ صَاحِبُكَ صَادِقًا وَأَسْكَنَ قَلْبَهُ سِرٌّ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَنْكَشِفُ لَهُ بِوَصْفِهِ، فَلَمَّا رَآنَا كُشِفَ لَهُ سِرُّ قَلْبِهِ فَضَاقَ عَنْ حَمْلِهِ لِأَنَّهُ فِي مَقَامِ الضُّعَفَاءِ الْمُرِيدِينَ فَقَتَلَهُ ذَلِكَ، فَهَذِهِ جُمَلٌ مِنْ أَوْصَافِ الْمَحْبُوبِ الْمُرَادِ، وَرِزْقٌ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّ الْجَوَادِ، بِتَيْسِيرٍ مِنَ الطَّالِبِ لِلْمَطْلُوبِ وَعِنَايَةٍ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّ لِلْمَحْبُوبِ، وَمَقَامُ الْحَبِيبِ أَعَزُّ مِنْ أَنْ يَظْهَرَ وَأَخْفَى مِنْ أَنْ يُعْرَفَ.

qāla: lā, walākin kāna ṣāḥibuka ṣādiqan waʾaskana qalbahu sirrun lam yakun yankashifu lahu biwaṣfihi, falammā raʾānā kushifa lahu sirru qalbihi faḍāqa ʿan ḥamlihi liʾannahu fī maqāmi al-ḍuʿafāʾi al-murīdīna faqatalahu dhālika, fa-hādhihi jumalun min ʾawṣāfi al-maḥbūbi al-murādi, warizqun bighayri ḥisābin mina al-muḥibbi al-jawādi, bitaysīrin mina al-ṭālibi li-l-maṭlūbi waʿināyatin mina al-muḥibbi li-l-maḥbūbi, wamaqāmu al-ḥabībi ʾaʿazzu min ʾan yaẓhara waʾakhfā min ʾan yuʿrafa.

He replied, “No. But your companion was sincere, and a secret had settled his heart that could not be unveiled to him in his own condition. When he saw us, his heart's secret was unveiled to him, and he could not bear it, because he occupied the station of weak aspirants. That was what killed him.” These are some descriptions of the beloved who is sought, and of provision without reckoning from the generous Lover: ease bestowed by the Seeker upon the sought, and care bestowed by the Lover upon the beloved. The beloved's station is too precious to be exposed and too hidden to be known.

غَيْرَةً مِنْهُ عَلَيْهِمْ سَتَرَهُمْ بِأَفْعَالِهِمْ وَضَنًّا مِنْهُ بِهِمْ حَجَبَهُمْ بِأَوْصَافِهِمْ، أَهْلُ الْمَقَامَاتِ يَشْتَاقُونَ إِلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يَشْتَاقُ إِلَيْهِمْ، وَأَهْلُ الْقُرْبِ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ، وَأَهْلُ الْمَحَبَّةِ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَسْمَعُوا كَلَامَهُ وَهُوَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَهُمْ، وَأَهْلُ الْأَحْوَالِ يَسْأَلُونَهُ وَهُوَ حَسْبُهُمْ وَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يَسْأَلُوهُ، وَأَهْلُ الْمُشَاهَدَاتِ يَزُورُونَهُ وَهُوَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ يَزُورُهُمْ، وَأَهْلُ الْآخِرَةِ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَهُوَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا.

ghayratan minhu ʿalayhim satarahum biʾafʿālihim waḍannan minhu bihim ḥajabahum biʾawṣāfihim, ʾahlu al-maqāmāti yashtāqūna ʾilayhi wahuwa yashtāqu ʾilayhim, waʾahlu al-qurbi yanẓurūna ʾilayhi wahuwa yanẓuru ʾilayhim, waʾahlu al-maḥabbati yuḥibbūna ʾan yasmaʿū kalāmahu wahuwa yuḥibbu ʾan yasmaʿa kalāmahum, waʾahlu al-ʾaḥwāli yasʾalūnahu wahuwa ḥasbuhum wayuḥibbu ʾan yasʾalūhu, waʾahlu al-mushāhadāti yazūrūnahu wahuwa fī qulūbihim yazūruhum, waʾahlu al-ʾākhirati yanẓurūna ʾilayhi fī al-ʾākhirati wahuwa yanẓuru ʾilayhim fī al-dunyā.

Out of jealousy over them, He conceals them through their actions; cherishing them, He veils them through their attributes. Those who possess spiritual stations long for Him, while He longs for them. Those who enjoy nearness gaze upon Him, while He gazes upon them. Those who love desire to hear His speech, while He desires to hear theirs. Those who possess spiritual states ask Him; He suffices them and loves that they ask Him. Those who contemplate visit Him, while He visits them in their hearts. Those destined for the hereafter gaze upon Him there, while He gazes upon them in this world.

ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ، كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا فِي قِصَّةِ دَاوُدَ الْمَلِكِ الرَّسُولِ؛ إِذْ أَرْسَلَهُ الْمَلِكُ الْجَلِيلُ إِلَى أَحِبَّائِهِ الْأَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ أَنْ يَسْأَلَهُمْ أَنْ يَسْأَلُوهُ حَاجَةً، فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ نَفَرُوا مِنْهُ لِئَلَّا يَشْغَلَهُمْ عَنْهُ، فَذَكَرْنَاهَا قَبْلَ هَذَا، فَلَا تُنْكِرَنَّ مِنْ هَذَا شَيْئًا، فَإِنَّهُ يُعْطِي الْمَحْبُوبَ فِي الدُّنْيَا أَوَّلَ عَطَاءِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ؛ وَهُوَ: كُنْ، فَيَزْهَدُونَ فِي ذَلِكَ لِأَجْلِ بَقَائِهِ وَيَكْرَهُونَ ذَلِكَ لِحُبِّهِ، قَدْ جَاوَزُوا مَعَارِفَ مَنْ سِوَاهُمْ.

dhālika faḍlu Allāhi yuʾtīhi man yashāʾu, kamā dhakarnā fī qiṣṣati dāwūda al-maliki al-rasūli; ʾidh ʾarsalahu al-maliku al-jalīlu ʾilā ʾaḥibbāʾihi al-ʾarbaʿata ʿashara al-ʾawliyāʾi ʾan yasʾalahum ʾan yasʾalūhu ḥājatan, falammā raʾawhu nafarū minhu liʾallā yashghalahum ʿanhu, fadhakarnāhā qabla hādhā, falā tunkiranna min hādhā shayʾan, faʾinnahu yuʿṭī al-maḥbūba fī al-dunyā ʾawwala ʿaṭāʾi ʾahli al-jannati fī al-ʾākhirati; wahuwa: kun, fayazhadūna fī dhālika liʾajli baqāʾihi wayakrahūna dhālika liḥubbihi, qad jāwazū maʿārifa man siwāhum.

That is God's bounty, which He gives to whom He wills. We mentioned this in the story of David, the king and messenger, when the majestic King sent him to His fourteen beloved friends to ask them to request something of Him. When they saw David, they recoiled from him lest he distract them from God. We have related this earlier. Do not reject any of it: in this world He gives the beloved the first gift granted to the people of Paradise in the hereafter, namely “Be.” Yet they renounce it for the sake of His abiding presence and dislike it out of love for Him. They have surpassed the knowledge of others.

فَإِذَا أَعْطَاهُمْ كُنْ أَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يَقُولُوا: كُنْ فِي أَمْرِ السَّاعَةِ وَلَا يَقُولُوا: كُنْ فِي كَشْفِ الْغِطَاءِ عَنِ النِّيرَانِ وَالْجِنَانِ، وَمَا وَرَاءَهَا مِنَ

faʾidhā ʾaʿṭāhum kun ʾamarahum ʾan yaqūlū: kun fī ʾamri al-sāʿati walā yaqūlū: kun fī kashfi al-ghiṭāʾi ʿani al-nīrāni wa-al-jināni, wamā warāʾahā mina

When He gives them “Be,” He commands them to say “Be” concerning the Hour, and not to say “Be” to remove the covering from the fires and gardens and what lies beyond them of

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١١٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 116

Volume Two, page 116

الْكَوْنِ وَالْمَكَانِ لِلْعِيَانِ قَبْلَ اللِّقَاءِ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ ظَاهِرَةً لِبَاطِنٍ إِلَّا أَنَّهَا مَسْتُورَةٌ بِالصُّنْعِ لِلْإِيقَانِ، مَقْطُوعٌ عَنْهَا الْوَهْمُ رَاجِعٌ عَنْهَا الْفِكْرُ وَالْهَمُّ، وَسَأَلَهُمْ أَنْ لَا يُظْهِرُوا مَا فِي الْحِكْمَةِ وَالْعَقْلِ إِخْفَاؤُهُ، لِأَنَّ إِظْهَارَهُ لَا يَصْلُحُ لِلْخَلَائِقِ وَلَا يَسْتَقِيمُ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُ الْمَمْلَكَةِ، وَلَا يَنْتَظِمُ بِهِ التَّدْبِيرُ لِمَا سَبَقَ مِنَ التَّقْدِيرِ، وَفِيهِ سُقُوطُ الْأَحْكَامِ وَوُقُوعُ الْهَلَكَةِ لِلْأَنَامِ.

al-kawni wa-al-makāni li-l-ʿiyāni qabla al-liqāʾi, waʾin kānat ẓāhiratan libāṭinin ʾillā ʾannahā mastūratun bi-al-ṣunʿi li-l-ʾīqāni, maqṭūʿun ʿanhā al-wahmu rājiʿun ʿanhā al-fikru wa-al-hammu, wasaʾalahum ʾan lā yuẓhirū mā fī al-ḥikmati wa-al-ʿaqli ʾikhfāʾuhu, liʾanna ʾiẓhārahu lā yaṣluḥu li-l-khalāʾiqi walā yastaqīmu ʿalayhi ʾamru al-mamlakati, walā yantaẓimu bihi al-tadbīru limā sabaqa mina al-taqdīri, wafīhi suqūṭu al-ʾaḥkāmi wawuqūʿu al-halakati li-l-ʾanāmi.

existence and place, making them visible before the meeting. Although manifest to inward awareness, they remain concealed by the divine workmanship for certainty: imagination is cut off from them, and thought and concern turn back from them. He asked them not to disclose what wisdom and reason require to be concealed, because its disclosure would not benefit creatures, the kingdom's order could not stand upon it, and governance would not accord with the decree already established. It would abolish the ordinances and bring destruction upon created beings.

فَإِذَا رَأَوْا ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ وَمَا قَدِ اسْتَثْنَاهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْهَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَهُ أَحْسَنَ اسْتِجَابَةٍ، وَرَدُّوهَا إِلَيْهِ أَسْرَعَ مَرَدٍّ وَأَبْلَغَهُ فِي مَرْضَاتِهِ، وَهُوَ أَنْ يَتْرُكُوا إِظْهَارَ شَيْءٍ لِإِظْهَارِهِ وَيَزْهَدُوا فِي كُلِّ مَعْنًى مِنْهَا لِوَجْهِهِ، وَرَضُوا بِتَصْرِيفِ قُدْرَتِهِ فِي مَجَارِي حِكْمَتِهِ.

faʾidhā raʾaw dhālika minhu wamā qadi istathnāhu ʿalayhim minhā istajābū lahu ʾaḥsana istijābatin, waraddūhā ʾilayhi ʾasraʿa maraddin waʾablaghahu fī marḍātihi, wahuwa ʾan yatrukū ʾiẓhāra shayʾin liʾiẓhārihi wayazhadū fī kulli maʿnan minhā liwajhihi, waraḍū bitaṣrīfi qudratihi fī majārī ḥikmatihi.

When they recognize this from Him and the exceptions He has imposed upon them, they answer Him in the finest way, returning these gifts to Him as swiftly and as fully in accordance with His pleasure as possible. They refrain from manifesting anything, leaving its manifestation to Him; they renounce every aspect of these gifts for His sake and accept His power's operation along the courses of His wisdom.

وَهَذَا غَايَةُ الْجَهْدِ وَنِهَايَةُ الزُّهْدِ وَالْحُبِّ، فَيَشْكُرُ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ أَحْسَنَ شُكْرٍ وَيَدَّخِرُ لَهُمْ عِنْدَهُ أَفْضَلَ ذُخْرٍ، وَلَمَّا دَخَلَ الزَّنْجُ الْبَصْرَةَ فَقَتَلُوا الْأَنْفُسَ وَنَهَبُوا الْأَمْوَالَ، اجْتَمَعَ إِلَى سَهْلٍ إِخْوَانُهُ فَقَالُوا: لَوْ سَأَلْتَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي هَذَا الْأَمْرِ، وَلَوْ دَعَوْتَ، فَسَكَتَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى عِبَادٌ فِي هَذِهِ الْبَلْدَةِ، لَوْ دَعَوْا عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ لَمْ يُصْبِحْ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ ظَالِمٌ إِلَّا مَاتَ فِي لَيْلَةٍ، وَلَٰكِنْ لَا يَفْعَلُونَ.

wa-hādhā ghāyatu al-jahdi wanihāyatu al-zuhdi wa-al-ḥubbi, fayashkuru lahum dhālika ʾaḥsana shukrin wayaddakhiru lahum ʿindahu ʾafḍala dhukhrin, walammā dakhala al-zanju al-baṣrata faqatalū al-ʾanfusa wanahabū al-ʾamwāla, ijtamaʿa ʾilā sahlin ʾikhwānuhu faqālū: law saʾalta Allāha ʿazza wajalla fī hādhā al-ʾamri, walaw daʿawta, fasakata thumma qāla: li-llāhi taʿālā ʿibādun fī hādhihi al-baldati, law daʿaw ʿalā al-ẓālimīna lam yuṣbiḥ ʿalā wajhi al-ʾarḍi ẓālimun ʾillā māta fī laylatin, walākin lā yafʿalūna.

This is the utmost exertion and the culmination of renunciation and love. He shows them the fullest appreciation for this and stores up the finest treasure for them with Him. When the Zanj entered Basra, killing people and plundering property, Sahl's brethren gathered around him and said, “If only you would ask God, mighty and majestic is He, about this, and pray!” He remained silent, then said, “God Most High has servants in this town who, if they prayed against the wrongdoers, would leave no wrongdoer upon the earth alive by morning: every one would die in a single night. But they do not do so.”

قِيلَ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يُحِبُّونَ مَا لَا يُحِبُّ، ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ مِنْ إِجَابَةِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَشْيَاءَ لَا نَسْتَطِيعُ ذِكْرَهَا، حَتَّى قَالَ: لَوْ سَأَلُوهُ أَنْ لَا يُقِيمَ السَّاعَةَ لَمْ يُقِمْهَا. وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا بَلَغَ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى هَذِهِ الْمَكَانَةَ حَتَّى يُعْطِيَهُ كُنْ اقْتَضَتْهُ الْحَالُ أَنْ يَقُولَ: وَفِّقْنِي لِمَا تُحِبُّ وَاعْصِمْنِي مِمَّا تَكْرَهُ.

qīla: walima? qāla: liʾannahum lā yuḥibbūna mā lā yuḥibbu, thumma dhakara min ʾijābati Allāhi taʿālā ʾashyāʾa lā nastaṭīʿu dhikrahā, ḥattā qāla: law saʾalūhu ʾan lā yuqīma al-sāʿata lam yuqimhā. wa-ʿlam ʾanna al-ʿabda ʾidhā balagha mina Allāhi taʿālā hādhihi al-makānata ḥattā yuʿṭiyahu kun iqtaḍathu al-ḥālu ʾan yaqūla: waffiqnī limā tuḥibbu wa-ʿṣimnī mimmā takrahu.

He was asked, “Why?” He replied, “Because they do not love what He does not love.” Then he mentioned instances of God Most High's answering them that we cannot recount, even saying, “If they asked Him not to bring about the Hour, He would not bring it about.” Know that when the servant reaches this standing with God Most High, so that He grants him “Be,” his state requires him to say, “Enable me to do what You love, and protect me from what You dislike.”

فَإِنِّي بَشَرٌ جَاهِلٌ لَا أُحْسِنُ التَّدْبِيرَ وَلَا أَعْرِفُ الْمَقَادِيرَ وَلَا عِلْمَ لِي بِعَوَاقِبِ الْأُمُورِ، وَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي قَوْلِي تَفَاوُتٌ وَفِي إِرَادَتِي اضْطِرَابٌ، وَإِذَا أَجَابَهُ تَعَالَى إِلَى ذَلِكَ، سَكَتَ فَلَمْ يَنْطِقْ وَسَلَّمَ، وَرَضِيَ بِالتَّدْبِيرِ فَأَطْرَقَ، لِأَنَّ الَّذِي يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يُحِبُّ أَنْ تَكُونَ الْأُمُورُ عَلَى مَا هِيَ عَلَيْهِ، لِأَنَّهَا عَنْ تَدْبِيرٍ يَظْهَرُ بِمَعَانِي الْخَيْرِ وَالشَّرِّ.

faʾinnī basharun jāhilun lā ʾuḥsinu al-tadbīra walā ʾaʿrifu al-maqādīra walā ʿilma lī biʿawāqibi al-ʾumūri, waʾakhāfu ʾan yakūna fī qawlī tafāwutun wafī ʾirādatī iḍṭirābun, waʾidhā ʾajābahu taʿālā ʾilā dhālika, sakata falam yanṭiq wasallama, waraḍiya bi-al-tadbīri faʾaṭraqa, liʾanna alladhī yuḥibbu Allāha taʿālā yuḥibbu ʾan takūna al-ʾumūru ʿalā mā hiya ʿalayhi, liʾannahā ʿan tadbīrin yaẓharu bimaʿānī al-khayri wa-al-sharri.

“For I am an ignorant human being. I cannot manage affairs well, do not know the decrees, and have no knowledge of how things will end. I fear inconsistency in my speech and disturbance in my will.” When the Exalted answers this prayer, he remains silent, says nothing, submits, accepts the governance, and lowers his head. For whoever loves God Most High loves things to be as they are, since they arise from a governance that appears through the meanings of good and evil.

لِأَنَّهُ تَوَلَّى التَّدْبِيرَ بِنَفْسِهِ كَمَا اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ بِوَصْفِهِ، وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ تَدْبِيرَ الْمُلْكِ إِنَّمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّبْرَ وَالرِّضَا لِلْمَلِكِ، فَمَرْجِعُ الْعَبْدِ إِلَى الصَّمْتِ وَالْأَدَبِ فِي نُفُوذِ الْمُرَادِ كَمَا كَانَ، وَتَرَكَ الْعَبْدُ الْفُضُولَ وَالِاعْتِرَاضَ وَحَصَلَ لَهُ مَقَامُ التَّوَكُّلِ وَالرِّضَا، وَلِذَلِكَ كَانَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِذَا قِيلَ لَهُ: مَا مُرَادُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مِنَ الْخَلْقِ؟ يَقُولُ: مَا هُمْ عَلَيْهِ.

liʾannahu tawallā al-tadbīra binafsihi kamā istawā ʿalā al-ʿarshi biwaṣfihi, walam yajʿal ʿalā al-ʿibādi tadbīra al-mulki ʾinnamā jaʿala ʿalayhimu al-ṣabra wa-al-riḍā li-l-maliki, famarjiʿu al-ʿabdi ʾilā al-ṣamti wa-al-ʾadabi fī nufūdhi al-murādi kamā kāna, wataraka al-ʿabdu al-fuḍūla wa-al-iʿtirāḍa waḥaṣala lahu maqāmu al-tawakkuli wa-al-riḍā, wali-dhālika kāna ʾabū muḥammadin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʾidhā qīla lahu: mā murādu Allāhi taʿālā mina al-khalqi? yaqūlu: mā hum ʿalayhi.

He Himself has undertaken governance, just as He established Himself over the Throne according to His attribute. He has not charged servants with governing the dominion; He has charged them only with patience and contentment before the King. The servant therefore returns to silence and courtesy as the divine intention takes effect as it was decreed. He abandons meddling and objection and attains the station of trust and contentment. For this reason, when Abū Muḥammad, may God Most High have mercy on him, was asked, “What does God Most High intend for creation?” he would answer, “The condition in which they are.”

فَكَيْفَ تُرِيدُ مَا لَا يُرِيدُ وَهُوَ مُحِبٌّ لِصِفَاتِهِ الَّتِي عَنْهَا تَظْهَرُ الْمُرَادَاتُ، وَمِنْهَا تَبْدُو الْأَحْكَامُ، وَلَا بُدَّ مِمَّا يَكُونُ كَمَا لَا بُدَّ مِمَّا كَانَ، وَكُنْ مُنْطَوٍ تَحْتَ كَانَ، وَلَوْلَا كَانَ لَمْ يَكُنْ، فَكَانَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ كُنْ، لِأَنَّ لَهُ وَلَهُمْ مِثْلَ كُنْ أَمْثَالٌ، وَلَيْسَ لَهُمْ وَلَا لَهُ مِثْلُ كَانَ مِثْلٌ.

fakayfa turīdu mā lā yurīdu wahuwa muḥibbun liṣifātihi allatī ʿanhā taẓharu al-murādātu, waminhā tabdū al-ʾaḥkāmu, walā budda mimmā yakūnu kamā lā budda mimmā kāna, wakun munṭawin taḥta kāna, walawlā kāna lam yakun, fakāna ʾaḥabbu ʾilayhim min kun, liʾanna lahu walahum mithla kun ʾamthālun, walaysa lahum walā lahu mithlu kāna mithlun.

How, then, can you will what He does not will, when he loves His attributes, from which intended things become manifest and judgments appear? What will be is inevitable, just as what has been is inevitable. “Be” is contained within “was”; without “was,” it would not be. Thus “was” is dearer to them than “Be,” because both He and they have counterparts to “Be,” whereas neither they nor He has any counterpart to “was.”

فَهَؤُلَاءِ هُمُ الَّذِينَ لَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ، وَهُمُ الْمُحِبُّونَ لِلَّهِ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الزَّاهِدُونَ فِي مَلَكُوتِهِ لِوِدَادِهِ، وَكَذَلِكَ صَنَعُوا مِثْلَ هَذَا فِيمَا اسْتَخْلَفَهُمْ فِيهِ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ لَمَّا سَمِعُوهُ يَقُولُ: وَأَنْفِقُوا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُمْ مُسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيهِ، فَأَخْرَجُوا الْكُلَّ لِأَجْلِهِ، فَكَانَ هُوَ خَلَفًا لَهُمْ بَعْدَ أَنْ كَانُوا وُكَلَاءَ.

fa-hāʾulāʾi humu alladhīna lā taʿlamu nafsun mā ʾukhfiya lahum min qurrati ʾaʿyunin, wahumu al-muḥibbūna li-llāhi min ʿibādihi al-zāhidūna fī malakūtihi liwidādihi, wa-kadhālika ṣanaʿū mithla hādhā fīmā istakhlafahum fīhi mina al-ʾamwāli lammā samiʿūhu yaqūlu: waʾanfiqū mimmā jaʿalakum mustakhlafīna fīhi, faʾakhrajū al-kulla liʾajlihi, fakāna huwa khalafan lahum baʿda ʾan kānū wukalāʾa.

These are the ones for whom no soul knows what delight has been hidden away (al-Sajda 32:17). They are His servants who love God and renounce His spiritual kingdom out of affection for Him. They acted similarly with the wealth over which He made them stewards. When they heard Him say, “Spend from that over which He has appointed you stewards” (al-Ḥadīd 57:7), they gave it all away for His sake. He then became their replacement after they had been trustees.

فَإِذَا قَالُوا: حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ، يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُمْ: فَانْقَلَبُوا بِنِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ، وَاتَّبَعُوا رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ، لِأَنَّهُمْ عَمِلُوا بِمَا قَالُوا، فَتَحَقَّقُوا بِالْإِيمَانِ، وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ الْإِيمَانَ قَوْلٌ وَعَمَلٌ، وَلَا يَنُوبُ الْقَوْلُ عَنِ الْعَمَلِ، وَإِذَا قَالُوا: إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: صَدَقْتُمْ.

faʾidhā qālū: ḥasbunā Allāhu waniʿma al-wakīlu, yaqūlu Allāhu taʿālā lahum: fa-nqalabū biniʿmati Allāhi wafaḍlin lam yamsashum sūʾun, wa-ttabaʿū riḍwāna Allāhi, raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum waraḍū ʿanhu, liʾannahum ʿamilū bimā qālū, fataḥaqqaqū bi-al-ʾīmāni, waqīla: ʾinna al-ʾīmāna qawlun waʿamalun, walā yanūbu al-qawlu ʿani al-ʿamali, waʾidhā qālū: ʾiyyāka naʿbudu waʾiyyāka nastaʿīnu, qāla Allāhu taʿālā: ṣadaqtum.

When they say, “God is sufficient for us, and an excellent Trustee is He,” God Most High says to them, “So they returned with God's blessing and bounty; no harm touched them, and they followed God's pleasure” (Āl ʿImrān 3:173–174). God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him, because they practiced what they said and thereby realized faith. It has been said: “Faith is speech and action; speech cannot take the place of action.” When they say, “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help” (al-Fātiḥa 1:5), God Most High says, “You have spoken truly.”

لِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَخْدُمُونَ وَلَا يَذِلُّونَ لِسِوَاهُ، وَلَا يَعُدُّونَ لِلنَّوَائِبِ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ، وَلَا يَسْتَعِينُونَ بِغَيْرِهِ، وَلِذَلِكَ صَارُوا صِدِّيقِينَ لِتَصْدِيقِ الصَّادِقِ لَهُمْ، كَمَا بَلَغَنَا أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَقْرَأُ قَوْلَهُ: إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ، فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: كَذَبْتَ، وَلَوْ كُنْتَ إِيَّايَ تَعْبُدُ لَمْ تَخَفْ وَلَمْ تَرْجُ سِوَايَ، وَلَوْ كُنْتَ بِي تَسْتَعِينُ لَمْ تَسْكُنْ إِلَى مَالِكَ وَأَهْلِكَ.

liʾannahum lā yakhdumūna walā yadhillūna lisiwāhu, walā yaʿuddūna li-l-nawāʾibi ʾillā ʾiyyāhu, walā yastaʿīnūna bighayrihi, wali-dhālika ṣārū ṣiddīqīna litaṣdīqi al-ṣādiqi lahum, kamā balaghanā ʾanna al-ʿabda layaqraʾu qawlahu: ʾiyyāka naʿbudu waʾiyyāka nastaʿīnu, fayaqūlu Allāhu taʿālā: kadhabta, walaw kunta ʾiyyāya taʿbudu lam takhaf walam tarju siwāya, walaw kunta bī tastaʿīnu lam taskun ʾilā mālika waʾahlika.

For they serve and humble themselves before no one else, count on no one but Him against calamities, and seek help from no other. Thus they become utterly truthful because the Truthful One confirms their truthfulness. We have heard that a servant may recite His words, “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help,” and God Most High says, “You have lied. If you worshiped Me alone, you would neither fear nor hope in anyone else. If you sought help from Me, you would not rest your confidence in your wealth and family.”

وَكَذَلِكَ بَلَغَنَا أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَقْرَأُ السُّورَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَتُصَلِّي عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَفْرُغَ مِنْهَا، إِذَا عَمِلَ بِهَا فَهَذَا صِدِّيقٌ، وَأَنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَقْرَأُ السُّورَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَتَلْعَنُهُ إِلَى أَنْ يَخْتِمَهَا، إِذَا لَمْ يَعْمَلْ بِمَا يَقُولُ فَهَذَا كَذَّابٌ، فَأَيْنَ الْإِيمَانُ؟ وَلَا إِيمَانَ إِلَّا بِعَمَلٍ فَلَيْسَ هَذَا مُؤْمِنًا حَقًّا، فَالْأَوْلِيَاءُ حَقَّقُوا الْقَوْلَ بِالْعَمَلِ، وَشَهِدُوا الْإِيمَانَ بِالْيَقِينِ.

wa-kadhālika balaghanā ʾanna al-ʿabda layaqraʾu al-sūrata mina al-qurʾāni fatuṣallī ʿalayhi ḥattā yafrugha minhā, ʾidhā ʿamila bihā fa-hādhā ṣiddīqun, waʾanna al-ʿabda layaqraʾu al-sūrata mina al-qurʾāni fatalʿanuhu ʾilā ʾan yakhtimahā, ʾidhā lam yaʿmal bimā yaqūlu fa-hādhā kadhdhābun, faʾayna al-ʾīmānu? walā ʾīmāna ʾillā biʿamalin falaysa hādhā muʾminan ḥaqqan, fa-al-ʾawliyāʾu ḥaqqaqū al-qawla bi-al-ʿamali, washahidū al-ʾīmāna bi-al-yaqīni.

We have likewise heard that a servant may recite a sūra of the Qurʾān and it blesses him until he finishes it, if he acts according to it: such a person is utterly truthful. Another servant may recite a sūra and it curses him until he completes it, if he does not practice what he says: such a person is a liar. Where, then, is faith? There is no faith without action, so this person is not truly a believer. God's friends substantiate speech through action and bear witness to faith through certainty.

فَإِذَا قَالُوا: حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، تَوَكَّلُوا عَلَيْهِ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَتَأَلَّهُوا إِلَيْهِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ غَيْرُهُ، فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: صَدَقْتُمْ، فَيَكُونُونَ صِدِّيقِينَ، كَمَا يَقُولُ لِلشَّيْءِ: كُنْ فَيَكُونُ، فَتَدَبَّرُوا، فَإِذَا قَالَ: وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ، قَامُوا مَقَامَ التَّوَكُّلِ فَصَارَ لَهُمْ فِي الصِّدْقِ مَقَامَاتٌ، يَقُولُ الصَّادِقُ: صَدَقْتُمْ، فَيَكُونُونَ صِدِّيقِينَ.

faʾidhā qālū: ḥasbunā Allāhu waniʿma al-wakīlu, wa-al-ḥamdu li-llāhi, walā ʾilāha ʾillā Allāhu, wa-Allāhu ʾakbaru, tawakkalū ʿalayhi waraḍū ʿanhu wataʾallahū ʾilayhi, walam yakun fī ṣudūrihim ghayruhu, fayaqūlu Allāhu taʿālā: ṣadaqtum, fayakūnūna ṣiddīqīna, kamā yaqūlu li-l-shayʾi: kun fayakūnu, fatadabbarū, faʾidhā qāla: waniʿma al-wakīlu, qāmū maqāma al-tawakkuli faṣāra lahum fī al-ṣidqi maqāmātun, yaqūlu al-ṣādiqu: ṣadaqtum, fayakūnūna ṣiddīqīna.

When they say, “God is sufficient for us, and an excellent Trustee is He,” “Praise belongs to God,” “There is no god but God,” and “God is greatest,” they put their trust in Him, are content with Him, and devote themselves to Him. Their breasts contain no one else. God Most High then says, “You have spoken truly,” and they become utterly truthful, just as He says to a thing, “Be,” and it is. Reflect on this. When he says, “An excellent Trustee,” they occupy the station of trust and acquire stations in truthfulness. The Truthful One says, “You have spoken truly,” and they become utterly truthful.

فَيَقُولُ: عِبَادِي، أَنْتُمْ خِيرَتِي مِنْ ذَوِي وِدَادِي، وَأَنَا وَكِيلُكُمْ، رَضِيتُمْ بِي وَأَنَا حَسْبُكُمْ، فَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ انْقَلَبُوا بِنِعْمَةٍ مِنَ

fayaqūlu: ʿibādī, ʾantum khīratī min dhawī widādī, waʾanā wakīlukum, raḍītum bī waʾanā ḥasbukum, fa-hāʾulāʾi alladhīna inqalabū biniʿmatin mina

He says: “My servants, you are My chosen ones among those who love Me. I am your Trustee. You have accepted Me contentedly, and I suffice you.” These are the ones who returned with a blessing from

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١١٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 117

Volume Two, page 117

اللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ، وَاتَّبَعُوا رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ، فَأَعْطَاهُمْ مِنَ الْجَزَاءِ أَرْبَعَةَ مَعَانٍ: النِّعْمَةَ وَالْفَضْلَ وَالتَّوَكُّلَ عَلَيْهِ وَصَرْفَ السُّوءِ وَاتِّبَاعَ الرِّضَا بِرِضَاهُمْ عَنْهُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ، فَالْحَبِيبُ يُعْتَذَرُ لَهُ، وَالْعَدُوُّ لَا يُقْبَلُ عُذْرُهُ، وَالْمَحْبُوبُ لَا يُحَاسَبُ، وَالْمُبْغَضُ لَا يُحْسَبُ لَهُ، وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْأُدَبَاءِ فِي مَعْنَاهُ: مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِلْوِصَالِ أَهْلًا ... فَكُلُّ إِحْسَانِهِ ذُنُوبٌ.

Allāhi wafaḍlin lam yamsashum sūʾun, wa-ttabaʿū riḍwāna Allāhi, faʾaʿṭāhum mina al-jazāʾi ʾarbaʿata maʿānin: al-niʿmata wa-al-faḍla wa-al-tawakkula ʿalayhi waṣarfa al-sūʾi wa-ttibāʿa al-riḍā biriḍāhum ʿanhu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum, fa-al-ḥabību yuʿtadharu lahu, wa-al-ʿaduwwu lā yuqbalu ʿudhruhu, wa-al-maḥbūbu lā yuḥāsabu, wa-al-mubghaḍu lā yuḥsabu lahu, waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʾudabāʾi fī maʿnāhu: man lam yakun li-l-wiṣāli ʾahlan ... fakullu ʾiḥsānihi dhunūbun.

God and bounty; no harm touched them, and they followed God's pleasure. He rewarded them with four meanings: blessing, bounty, trust in Him, averting harm, and following His pleasure; through their contentment with Him, God was pleased with them. Excuses are made for the dear one, while an enemy's excuse is not accepted. The beloved is not called to account, while the hated one's deeds are not credited. A man of letters expressed the meaning thus: “For one unworthy of union, every good deed is a sin.”

وَقَالَ آخَرُ فِي وَصْفٍ آخَرَ: فِي وَجْهِهِ شَافِعٌ يَمْحُو إِسَاءَتَهُ ... مِنَ الْقُلُوبِ وَيَأْتِي بِالْمَعَاذِيرِ. وَأَنْشَدْتُ لِبَعْضِ الْمُرِيدِينَ الْمُتَحَقِّقِينَ: إِنِّي جَعَلْتُ مَنْظَرِي فِي مُهْجَتِي ... وَجَعَلْتُ وُدَّكَ لِي إِلَيْكَ شَفَاعَةً. وَلَوْ إِنَّ وَقْتًا مِنْكَ بِالدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ ... لَكَانَ قَلِيلًا أَلْفُ عَامٍ بِسَاعَةٍ.

waqāla ʾākharu fī waṣfin ʾākhara: fī wajhihi shāfiʿun yamḥū ʾisāʾatahu ... mina al-qulūbi wayaʾtī bi-al-maʿādhīri. waʾanshadtu libaʿḍi al-murīdīna al-mutaḥaqqiqīna: ʾinnī jaʿaltu manẓarī fī muhjatī ... wajaʿaltu wuddaka lī ʾilayka shafāʿatan. walaw ʾinna waqtan minka bi-al-dahri kullihi ... lakāna qalīlan ʾalfu ʿāmin bisāʿatin.

Another offered a different description: “Within his face is an intercessor that erases his offenses from hearts and brings excuses for him.” I recited these lines by one of the aspirants who had attained realization: “I have placed my gaze within my heart's blood and made your affection for me my intercession with you. If one moment with you were exchanged for all of time, a thousand years for one hour would still be little.”

فَلْيَتَّقِ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى عَبْدٌ لَمْ يُطْلِعْهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ، فَيَزْهَدُ فِيهِ وَيَعْلُو هَمُّهُ عَنْهُ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ قُدْرَةٍ عَظِيمَةٍ، وَمُعَايَنَةِ آيَاتٍ كَثِيرَةٍ ظَاهِرًا وَبَاطِنًا، أَنْ يَدَّعِيَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ أَوْ يَتَوَهَّمَ الْمَحَبَّةَ، فَمَا عِنْدَهُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا أَمَانِيُّ وَغُرُورٌ وَظُنُونٌ وَزُورٌ، وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى يُعْطِي قَوْمًا الظُّنُونَ كَمَا يُعْطِي أَوْلِيَاءَهُ الْيَقِينَ، وَيُعْطِي قَوْمًا الْمُزَوَّرَاتِ لِعِلَلِ الْقُلُوبِ كَمَا يُعْطِي أَحِبَّاءَهُ الْمُحَقَّقَاتِ فِي مَقَامِ مَحْبُوبٍ، بِآيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ وَشَوَاهِدَ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ، بِإِثْبَاتِ آيَاتٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَآيَاتِ

falyattaqi Allāha taʿālā ʿabdun lam yuṭliʿhu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿalā mā dhakarnāhu, fayazhadu fīhi wayaʿlū hammuhu ʿanhu bimushāhadati qudratin ʿaẓīmatin, wamuʿāyanati ʾāyātin kathīratin ẓāhiran wabāṭinan, ʾan yaddaʿiya al-maʿrifata ʾaw yatawahhama al-maḥabbata, famā ʿindahu minhā ʾillā ʾamāniyyu waghurūrun waẓunūnun wazūrun, wa-Allāhu taʿālā yuʿṭī qawman al-ẓunūna kamā yuʿṭī ʾawliyāʾahu al-yaqīna, wayuʿṭī qawman al-muzawwarāti liʿilali al-qulūbi kamā yuʿṭī ʾaḥibbāʾahu al-muḥaqqaqāti fī maqāmi maḥbūbin, biʾāyātin bayyinātin washawāhida mina al-yaqīni, biʾithbāti ʾāyātin fī al-qurʾāni waʾāyāti

Let any servant whom God, mighty and majestic is He, has not admitted to what we have described, so that he renounces it and rises in aspiration beyond it through witnessing immense power and beholding many signs outwardly and inwardly, fear God Most High before claiming knowledge or imagining he possesses love. He has nothing of it but wishes, delusion, suppositions, and falsehood. God Most High gives some people suppositions, as He gives His friends certainty. He gives some counterfeits because of diseased hearts, as He gives His beloved verified realities in the station of the beloved, through clear signs and witnesses of certainty, by establishing signs in the Qurʾān and signs of

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١١٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 118

Volume Two, page 118

الرَّسُولِ، وَلَا يُظْهِرُهُمْ عَلَى كُنْ حَتَّى يَنْكَشِفَ الْكَوْنُ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ، وَفِي الْكَوْنِ مَا فِيهِ مِنْ نَفِيسِ الْمَلَكُوتِ وَعَظِيمِ الرَّغَبُوتِ مِمَّا لَا يَصْلُحُ ذِكْرُهُ، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ آفَاتِ النُّفُوسِ وَزِينَةَ الْمُلْكِ حُجُبُ قُلُوبِ الْعُمُومِ، وَحُظُوظَ الْعَقْلِ وَشَهَوَاتِ الْأَرْوَاحِ مِنْ رَغَبُوتِ الْمَلَكُوتِ حُجُبُ قُلُوبِ الْخُصُوصِ، وَسُمُوَّ الْقَلْبِ إِلَى مَعَانِي الدَّرَجَاتِ الَّتِي يُشَاهِدُهَا، وَوُقُوفَهَا مَعَ خَصَائِصِ الرَّحَمُوتِ وَالرَّغَبُوتِ الَّتِي يُطَالَعُ بِهَا حُجُبُ قُلُوبِ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ.

al-rasūli, walā yuẓhiruhum ʿalā kun ḥattā yankashifa al-kawnu ʿan qulūbihim, wafī al-kawni mā fīhi min nafīsi al-malakūti waʿaẓīmi al-raghabūti mimmā lā yaṣluḥu dhikruhu, wa-ʿlam ʾanna ʾāfāti al-nufūsi wazīnata al-mulki ḥujubu qulūbi al-ʿumūmi, waḥuẓūẓa al-ʿaqli washahawāti al-ʾarwāḥi min raghabūti al-malakūti ḥujubu qulūbi al-khuṣūṣi, wasumuwwa al-qalbi ʾilā maʿānī al-darajāti allatī yushāhiduhā, wawuqūfahā maʿa khaṣāʾiṣi al-raḥamūti wa-al-raghabūti allatī yuṭālaʿu bihā ḥujubu qulūbi al-maḥbūbīna.

the Messenger. He does not give them access to “Be” until created existence is unveiled from their hearts. Within existence lie the precious things of the spiritual kingdom and the immense realm of desire, which it is not fitting to describe. Know that the afflictions of selves and the adornment of earthly dominion veil ordinary hearts. The interests of reason and the spirits' desires for the spiritual kingdom's delights veil the hearts of the elect. The heart's ascent toward the meanings of the degrees it witnesses, and its resting with the special qualities of mercy and desire revealed to it, veil the hearts of the beloved.

لِأَنَّهُمْ إِذَا جَاوَزُوا شَهَوَاتِ النُّفُوسِ وَرُفِعَتْ بِحُبِّهِمْ عَنْهُ حُجُبُ الْعُقُولِ وَقَعُوا فِي شَهَوَاتِ الْأَرْوَاحِ، فَلَا يُوَاجَهُونَ بِالْوَجْهِ وَلَا يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى الْوَصْفِ حَتَّى يُجَاوِزُوا أَيْضًا شَهَوَاتِ الْأَرْوَاحِ وَيَنْكَشِفَ عَنْهُمْ أَيْضًا حُجُبُ الْأَنْوَارِ فَيُخَلِّفُوا الرَّسْمَ وَيُغَيِّرُوا الْوَسْمَ، فَإِذَا انْكَشَفَتِ الْمَقَامَاتُ وَانْقَطَعَتِ الْفَضَائِلُ وَحُقِّقَتِ الْمُطَالَعَاتُ وَسَقَطَتِ الْمَنَازِلُ وَالدَّرَجَاتُ، اُصْطُلِمَ الطَّالِبُ وَغُلِبَ الْمَطْلُوبُ وَفَنِيَ الرَّاغِبُ وَبَقِيَ الْمَرْغُوبُ.

liʾannahum ʾidhā jāwazū shahawāti al-nufūsi warufiʿat biḥubbihim ʿanhu ḥujubu al-ʿuqūli waqaʿū fī shahawāti al-ʾarwāḥi, falā yuwājahūna bi-al-wajhi walā yanẓurūna ʾilā al-waṣfi ḥattā yujāwizū ʾayḍan shahawāti al-ʾarwāḥi wayankashifa ʿanhum ʾayḍan ḥujubu al-ʾanwāri fayukhallifū al-rasma wayughayyirū al-wasma, faʾidhā inkashafati al-maqāmātu wa-nqaṭaʿati al-faḍāʾilu waḥuqqiqati al-muṭālaʿātu wasaqaṭati al-manāzilu wa-al-darajātu, uṣṭulima al-ṭālibu waghuliba al-maṭlūbu wafaniya al-rāghibu wabaqiya al-marghūbu.

For when they pass beyond the desires of selves and the veils of reason are lifted from Him through their love, they fall into the desires of spirits. They are not met by the Face and do not behold the attribute until they also pass beyond the desires of spirits and the veils of lights are removed from them, leaving outward form behind and changing their distinguishing mark. When stations are unveiled, distinctions cease, revelations are realized, and ranks and degrees fall away, the seeker is swept away, the sought is overpowered, the one desiring vanishes, and the Desired remains.

أَظْهَرَ لَهُمُ التَّعَلُّقَ بِالِاسْمِ وَهُوَ آخِرُ الْحُجُبِ وَأَوَّلُ الْقُرْبِ، يَبْتَلِيهِمْ بِهِ لِيَنْظُرَ كَيْفَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِي الْوَسْمِ، فَعِنْدَهَا حَقَّتْ كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ الْآيَةُ، وَهُنَاكَ صَحَّ لَهُ هَذَا الْمَقَامُ، وَفِي مَعْنَاهُ: ظَهَرْتَ لِمَنْ أَفْنَيْتَ بَعْدَ بَقَائِهِ ... فَصَارَ بِلَا كَوْنٍ لِأَنَّكَ كُنْتَهُ. فَهَذَا مَكَانُ وَجْدِهِ بِمَوْجُودِهِ وَقِيَامِهِ بِقَيُّومِيَّتِهِ بَعْدَ أَنْ كَانَ وَاجِدًا بِكَوْنِهِ وَقَائِمًا بِقِيَامِهِ.

ʾaẓhara lahumu al-taʿalluqa bi-al-ismi wahuwa ʾākhiru al-ḥujubi waʾawwalu al-qurbi, yabtalīhim bihi liyanẓura kayfa yaʿmalūna fī al-wasmi, faʿindahā ḥaqqat kullu man ʿalayhā fānin wayabqā wajhu rabbika al-ʾāyatu, wahunāka ṣaḥḥa lahu hādhā al-maqāmu, wafī maʿnāhu: ẓaharta liman ʾafnayta baʿda baqāʾihi ... faṣāra bilā kawnin liʾannaka kuntahu. fa-hādhā makānu wajdihi bimawjūdihi waqiyāmihi biqayyūmiyyatihi baʿda ʾan kāna wājidan bikawnihi waqāʾiman biqiyāmihi.

He reveals to them attachment to the Name, the last veil and the beginning of nearness, testing them through it to see how they act within the distinguishing mark. Then the verse becomes real: “Everyone upon it passes away, and the Face of your Lord remains” (al-Raḥmān 55:26–27). At that point this station becomes true for him. Its meaning is expressed in these lines: “You appeared to one whom You annihilated after his subsistence; he became without existence, because You were he.” This is the place of his finding through the One found, and his standing through His self-subsistence, after he had found through his own existence and stood through his own standing.

وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ يَقُولُ: إِنْ أَعْطَاكَ مُنَاجَاةَ مُوسَى وَرُوحَانِيَّةَ عِيسَى وَخُلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ، فَاطْلُبْ مَا وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ، فَإِنَّ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ أَضْعَافًا مُضَاعَفَةً، فَإِنْ سَكَنْتَ إِلَى ذَلِكَ حَجَبَكَ بِهِ، وَهَذَا هُوَ بَلَاءُ مِثْلِهِمْ فِي مِثْلِ حَالِهِمْ لِأَنَّهُمُ الْأَمْثَلُ فَالْأَمْثَلُ بِالْأَنْبِيَاءِ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يَنْظُرِ الْعَبْدُ إِلَى جَمِيعِ الْمَطْلُوبِ وَلَمْ يَقِفْ عَلَى كَوْنٍ مَرْغُوبٍ أَقَامَهُ حِينَئِذٍ مَقَامَ مَحْبُوبٍ.

waqad kāna ʾabū yazīda yaqūlu: ʾin ʾaʿṭāka munājāta mūsā warūḥāniyyata ʿīsā wakhullata ʾibrāhīma ṣalawātu Allāhi wasalāmuhu ʿalayhim ʾajmaʿīna, fa-ṭlub mā warāʾa dhālika, faʾinna ʿindahu fawqa dhālika ʾaḍʿāfan muḍāʿafatan, faʾin sakanta ʾilā dhālika ḥajabaka bihi, wa-hādhā huwa balāʾu mithlihim fī mithli ḥālihim liʾannahumu al-ʾamthalu fa-al-ʾamthalu bi-al-ʾanbiyāʾi, faʾidhā lam yanẓuri al-ʿabdu ʾilā jamīʿi al-maṭlūbi walam yaqif ʿalā kawnin marghūbin ʾaqāmahu ḥīnaʾidhin maqāma maḥbūbin.

Abū Yazīd used to say: “If He gives you Moses' intimate conversation, Jesus' spirituality, and Abraham's friendship, God's blessings and peace be upon them all, seek what lies beyond. He has many times more than this; if you rest in it, He will veil you by it.” This is the trial of people like them in states like theirs, because they resemble the prophets most closely, degree after degree. If the servant pays no attention to the whole of what is sought and does not stop at any desired created existence, He then establishes him in the station of the beloved.

فَآوَاهُ فِي ظِلِّهِ وَعَطَفَ عَلَيْهِ بِحَنَانِهِ، وَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ بِعَيْنِهِ وَوَاجَهَهُ بِوَجْهِهِ فَتَوَجَّهَ إِلَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَثْنِ، وَسَارَعَ إِلَى قُرْبِهِ وَلَمْ يَنِ، فَلَمْ يَشْهَدْ فِي وَجْهِهِ وَجْهًا، وَلَا رَأَى فِي يَدِهِ يَدًا، وَقَامَ بِشَهَادَتِهِ لِقَيُّومِيَّتِهِ مُشَاهِدًا، فَهَذَا غَايَةُ الطَّالِبِينَ مِنَ الْعَارِفِينَ، وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ الْمُحِبِّينَ: كُوشِفْتُ بِأَرْبَعِينَ حَوْرَاءَ، رَأَيْتُهُنَّ يَتَسَاعَيْنَ فِي الْهَوَاءِ عَلَيْهِنَّ ثِيَابٌ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَذَهَبٍ وَجَوْهَرٍ يَتَخَشْخَشْنَ، وَتَنْثَنِي مَعَهُنَّ، فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِنَّ نَظْرَةً فَعُوقِبْتُ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا.

faʾāwāhu fī ẓillihi waʿaṭafa ʿalayhi biḥanānihi, wanaẓara ʾilayhi biʿaynihi wawājahahu biwajhihi fatawajjaha ʾilayhi walam yathni, wasāraʿa ʾilā qurbihi walam yani, falam yashhad fī wajhihi wajhan, walā raʾā fī yadihi yadan, waqāma bishahādatihi liqayyūmiyyatihi mushāhidan, fa-hādhā ghāyatu al-ṭālibīna mina al-ʿārifīna, waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna al-muḥibbīna: kūshiftu biʾarbaʿīna ḥawrāʾa, raʾaytuhunna yatasāʿayna fī al-hawāʾi ʿalayhinna thiyābun min fiḍḍatin wadhahabin wajawharin yatakhashkhashna, watanthanī maʿahunna, fanaẓartu ʾilayhinna naẓratan faʿūqibtu ʾarbaʿīna yawman.

He shelters him in His shade, turns toward him tenderly, looks upon him with His eye, and meets him with His Face. The servant turns toward Him without turning aside and hastens toward His nearness without flagging. He witnesses no face within His Face and sees no hand within His hand; he stands contemplating through his witnessing of His self-subsistence. This is the utmost reach of the seekers who know God. One loving knower said: “Forty heavenly maidens were unveiled to me. I saw them racing through the air, wearing garments of silver, gold, and jewels that rustled and swayed with them. I glanced at them once and was punished for forty days.”

قَالَ: ثُمَّ كُوشِفْتُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ بِثَمَانِينَ حَوْرَاءَ؛ فَوْقَهُنَّ فِي الْحُسْنِ وَالْجَمَالِ، وَقِيلَ: اُنْظُرْ إِلَيْهِنَّ. قَالَ: فَسَجَدْتُ وَغَمَّضْتُ عَيْنَيَّ فِي سُجُودِي لِئَلَّا أَنْظُرَ، وَقُلْتُ: أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِمَّا سِوَاكَ، لَا حَاجَةَ لِي بِهَذَا، فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أَتَضَرَّعُ حَتَّى صُرِفْنَ عَنِّي، وَلِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِثْلُ هَذَا الْعَبْدِ فِي كُلِّ قَرْنٍ وَزَمَانٍ مَا يَكْثُرُ عَدَدُهُ، مُتَفَرِّقِينَ فِي أَرْضِهِ وَمُنْتَشِرِينَ فِي بِلَادِهِ وَمَخْمُولِينَ مُخْتَبِئِينَ تَحْتَ سِتْرِهِ فِي عِبَادِهِ.

qāla: thumma kūshiftu baʿda dhālika bithamānīna ḥawrāʾa; fawqahunna fī al-ḥusni wa-al-jamāli, waqīla: unẓur ʾilayhinna. qāla: fasajadtu waghammaḍtu ʿaynayya fī sujūdī liʾallā ʾanẓura, waqultu: ʾaʿūdhu bika mimmā siwāka, lā ḥājata lī bi-hādhā, falam ʾazal ʾataḍarraʿu ḥattā ṣurifna ʿannī, wa-li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla mithlu hādhā al-ʿabdi fī kulli qarnin wazamānin mā yakthuru ʿadaduhu, mutafarriqīna fī ʾarḍihi wamuntashirīna fī bilādihi wamakhmūlīna mukhtabiʾīna taḥta sitrihi fī ʿibādihi.

He said: “Afterward eighty maidens were unveiled to me, surpassing the first in loveliness and beauty. I was told, ‘Look at them.’ I prostrated myself and closed my eyes during my prostration so that I would not look, saying, ‘I seek refuge in You from everything besides You. I have no need of this.’ I kept imploring until they were turned away from me.” In every age and time God, mighty and majestic is He, has many servants like this one, scattered across His earth, dispersed throughout His lands, unknown and hidden beneath His covering among His servants.

لَا تَسْتَطِيعُ الْعُقُولُ حَمْلَ وَصْفِهِمْ لِضَعْفِهَا، وَلَا يَثْبُتُ فِي الْقُلُوبِ حَقُّ نَعْتِهِمْ لِوَصْفِهَا، أَقَلُّ مَا يُوصَفُونَ بِهِ الْإِخْلَاصُ فِي الْحَرَكَةِ وَالسُّكُونِ، وَهُوَ أَجَلُّ مَا عِنْدَنَا.

lā tastaṭīʿu al-ʿuqūlu ḥamla waṣfihim liḍaʿfihā, walā yathbutu fī al-qulūbi ḥaqqu naʿtihim liwaṣfihā, ʾaqallu mā yūṣafūna bihi al-ʾikhlāṣu fī al-ḥarakati wa-al-sukūni, wahuwa ʾajallu mā ʿindanā.

Minds cannot bear their description because of their weakness, and the reality of their qualities cannot settle in hearts because of those hearts' condition. The least that can be said of them is that they are sincere in movement and stillness, which is the highest thing we possess.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١١٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 119

Volume Two, page 119

وَالْإِخْلَاصُ عِنْدَ الْمُخْلِصِينَ إِخْرَاجُ الْخَلْقِ مِنْ مُعَامَلَةِ الْخَالِقِ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يَدْخُلُوا كَيْفَ يَخْرُجُونَ؟ وَأَوَّلُ الْخَلْقِ النَّفْسُ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يَتَكَدَّرِ الْقَلْبُ بِهَا كَيْفَ يُصَفَّى مِنْهَا؟ وَالْإِخْلَاصُ عِنْدَ الْمُحِبِّينَ أَنْ لَا يَعْمَلَ عَمَلًا لِأَجْلِ نَفْسٍ، وَلَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ مُطَالَعَةُ الْعَرَضِ وَالتَّشَرُّفُ إِلَى حَظِّ طَبْعٍ، بَلْ لِلتَّعْظِيمِ، وَلَا يُشْرِكَ مَحْبُوبًا فِي حُبِّ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ.

wa-al-ʾikhlāṣu ʿinda al-mukhliṣīna ʾikhrāju al-khalqi min muʿāmalati al-khāliqi, faʾidhā lam yadkhulū kayfa yakhrujūna? waʾawwalu al-khalqi al-nafsu, faʾidhā lam yatakaddari al-qalbu bihā kayfa yuṣaffā minhā? wa-al-ʾikhlāṣu ʿinda al-muḥibbīna ʾan lā yaʿmala ʿamalan liʾajli nafsin, walā dakhala ʿalayhi muṭālaʿatu al-ʿaraḍi wa-al-tasharrufu ʾilā ḥaẓẓi ṭabʿin, bal li-l-taʿẓīmi, walā yushrika maḥbūban fī ḥubbi dhī al-jalāli wa-al-ʾikrāmi.

For the sincere, sincerity means excluding creation from one's dealings with the Creator. But if created beings have never entered, how can they be excluded? The first created thing is the self: if it has not clouded the heart, how can the heart be purified of it? For lovers, sincerity means doing no deed for a self, allowing no prospect of gain or anticipation of a natural gratification to enter it, acting only in veneration, and associating no beloved with the love of the Possessor of Majesty and Generosity.

وَلَا يُعَلِّقَ قَلْبَهُ بِمَا يَرُوقُ نَظَرَهُ مِنْ جَمَالٍ لِمَا مَلَأَهُ مِنْ نِهَايَةِ الْحُسْنِ وَغَايَةِ الْجَمَالِ، وَلَا سَبِيلَ إِلَى هَذَا إِلَّا بَعْدَ مَعْرِفَتِهِ، وَلَا مَعْرِفَةَ قَبْلَ مُعَايَنَتِهِ، إِذْ لَيْسَ الْخَبَرُ كَالْمُعَايَنَةِ، وَلَا مُعَايَنَةَ إِلَّا بِنُورِ الْيَقِينِ، وَلَا حَقَّ يَقِينٍ بِوُجُودِ هَوَى نَفْسٍ، فَإِذَا انْكَشَفَ الْحِجَابُ وَهَوَى الْهَوَى طَلَعَتْ عَيْنُ الْيَقِينِ، فَأَنْوَارُ الصِّفَاتِ مِنَ الْحُسْنِ وَالْجَمَالِ وَالْبَهَاءِ وَالْكَمَالِ فِي عَيْنِ الْيَقِينِ عَيْنًا بَعْدَ عَيْنٍ كَنُورٍ فَوْقَ نُورٍ، إِلَى نُورِ النُّورِ.

walā yuʿalliqa qalbahu bimā yarūqu naẓarahu min jamālin limā malaʾahu min nihāyati al-ḥusni waghāyati al-jamāli, walā sabīla ʾilā hādhā ʾillā baʿda maʿrifatihi, walā maʿrifata qabla muʿāyanatihi, ʾidh laysa al-khabaru ka-al-muʿāyanati, walā muʿāyanata ʾillā binūri al-yaqīni, walā ḥaqqa yaqīnin biwujūdi hawā nafsin, faʾidhā inkashafa al-ḥijābu wahawā al-hawā ṭalaʿat ʿaynu al-yaqīni, faʾanwāru al-ṣifāti mina al-ḥusni wa-al-jamāli wa-al-bahāʾi wa-al-kamāli fī ʿayni al-yaqīni ʿaynan baʿda ʿaynin kanūrin fawqa nūrin, ʾilā nūri al-nūri.

Nor does he attach his heart to beauty that pleases his eye, because the utmost loveliness and perfect beauty have filled it. This is possible only after knowing Him; there is no knowledge before beholding Him, for hearing a report is not like seeing. There is no seeing except through certainty's light, and no true certainty while a self's desire remains. When the veil is lifted and desire falls away, the eye of certainty rises. The lights of the attributes, loveliness, beauty, splendor, and perfection, appear within direct certainty, one immediate vision after another, like light above light, until the Light of light.

وَالْإِخْلَاصُ عِنْدَ الْمُوَحِّدِينَ خُرُوجُ الْخَلْقِ مِنَ النَّظَرِ إِلَيْهِمْ فِي الْأَفْعَالِ وَتَرْكُ السُّكُونِ وَالِاسْتِرَاحَةِ بِهِمْ فِي الْأَحْوَالِ، وَمِنَ الْإِخْلَاصِ فِي الصِّدْقِ عِنْدَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ سُؤَالُ الْحُجْبَةِ فِي قُلُوبِ النَّاسِ، كَمَا قَالَ بِشْرٌ وَقَدْ سُئِلَ: بِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ بَلَغْتَ هَذِهِ الْمَنْزِلَةَ؟ فَقَالَ: كُنْتُ أُكَاتِمُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى حَالِي؛ مَعْنَاهُ أَسْأَلُهُ أَنْ يَكْتُمَ عَلَيَّ وَيُخْفِيَ أَمْرِي.

wa-al-ʾikhlāṣu ʿinda al-muwaḥḥidīna khurūju al-khalqi mina al-naẓari ʾilayhim fī al-ʾafʿāli watarku al-sukūni wa-al-istirāḥati bihim fī al-ʾaḥwāli, wamina al-ʾikhlāṣi fī al-ṣidqi ʿinda al-ṣiddīqīna suʾālu al-ḥujbati fī qulūbi al-nāsi, kamā qāla bishrun waqad suʾila: biʾayyi shayʾin balaghta hādhihi al-manzilata? faqāla: kuntu ʾukātimu Allāha taʿālā ḥālī; maʿnāhu ʾasʾaluhu ʾan yaktuma ʿalayya wayukhfiya ʾamrī.

For those who affirm divine oneness, sincerity means that created beings disappear from consideration in acts, and that one ceases to rest in them or find relief through them in spiritual states. For the utterly truthful, sincerity in truthfulness includes asking to be hidden from people's hearts. Bishr, asked how he had attained his rank, replied, “I used to keep my state secret with God Most High.” He meant: I asked Him to keep it concealed for me and hide my condition.

وَحُدِّثْتُ أَنَّهُ رَأَى الْخَضِرَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فَقَالَ: اُدْعُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لِي، فَقَالَ: يَسَّرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْكَ طَاعَتَهُ. قَالَ: قُلْتُ: زِدْنِي، فَقَالَ: وَسَتَرَهَا عَلَيْكَ، فَقِيلَ فِي تَأْوِيلِ ذَلِكَ مَعْنَيَانِ؛ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَالَ: وَسَتَرَهَا عَلَيْكَ أَيْ يَسْتُرُكَ حَتَّى لَا تُعْرَفَ بِهَا كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا آنِفًا. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: أَرَادَ سَتْرَهَا عَنْكَ حَتَّى لَا تَنْظُرَ أَنْتَ إِلَيْهَا.

waḥuddithtu ʾannahu raʾā al-khaḍira ʿalayhi al-salāmu faqāla: udʿu Allāha taʿālā lī, faqāla: yassara Allāhu taʿālā ʿalayka ṭāʿatahu. qāla: qultu: zidnī, faqāla: wasatarahā ʿalayka, faqīla fī taʾwīli dhālika maʿnayāni; minhum man qāla: wasatarahā ʿalayka ʾay yasturuka ḥattā lā tuʿrafa bihā kamā dhakarnā ʾānifan. waqāla baʿḍuhum: ʾarāda satrahā ʿanka ḥattā lā tanẓura ʾanta ʾilayhā.

I was told that he saw al-Khaḍir, peace be upon him, and said, “Pray to God Most High for me.” He replied, “May God Most High make obedience to Him easy for you.” He said: “I asked, ‘Give me more,’ and he replied, ‘And conceal it over you.’” Two explanations of this have been given. Some say that “conceal it over you” means covering you so that you are not known for it, as we just mentioned. Others say that he meant concealing it from you so that you yourself do not regard it.

وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: قَلَّقَنِي الشَّوْقُ إِلَى الْخَضِرِ، فَسَأَلْتُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى مَرَّةً أَنْ يُرِيَنِي إِيَّاهُ، لِيُعَلِّمَنِي شَيْئًا كَانَ أَهَمَّ الْأَشْيَاءِ عَلَيَّ. قَالَ: فَرَأَيْتُهُ، فَمَا غَلَبَ عَلَى قَلْبِي وَلَا هَمَّنِي إِلَّا أَنْ قُلْتُ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ، عَلِّمْنِي شَيْئًا إِذَا قُلْتُهُ حُجِبْتُ عَنْ قُلُوبِ الْخَلِيقَةِ، فَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِي فِيهَا قَدْرٌ، وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْنِي أَحَدٌ بِصَلَاحٍ وَلَا دِيَانَةٍ.

waqāla baʿḍuhum: qallaqanī al-shawqu ʾilā al-khaḍiri, fasaʾaltu Allāha taʿālā marratan ʾan yuriyanī ʾiyyāhu, liyuʿallimanī shayʾan kāna ʾahamma al-ʾashyāʾi ʿalayya. qāla: faraʾaytuhu, famā ghalaba ʿalā qalbī walā hammanī ʾillā ʾan qultu lahu: yā ʾabā al-ʿabbāsi, ʿallimnī shayʾan ʾidhā qultuhu ḥujibtu ʿan qulūbi al-khalīqati, falam yakun lī fīhā qadrun, walam yaʿrifnī ʾaḥadun biṣalāḥin walā diyānatin.

Someone said: “Longing for al-Khaḍir made me restless, so I once asked God Most High to show him to me, so that he could teach me something of the greatest importance to me. I saw him, and nothing occupied my heart or concerned me except to say, ‘Abū al-ʿAbbās, teach me something that, when I say it, will veil me from the hearts of creation, so that I have no standing in them and no one knows me for righteousness or devotion.’”

فَقَالَ: قُلْ: اللَّهُمَّ أَسْبِلْ عَلَيَّ كَثِيفَ سِتْرِكَ وَحُطَّ عَلَيَّ سُرَادِقَاتِ حُجُبِكَ، وَاجْعَلْنِي فِي مَكْنُونِ غَيْبِكَ وَاحْجُبْنِي فِي قُلُوبِ خَلِيقَتِكَ. قَالَ: ثُمَّ غَابَ فَلَمْ أَرَهُ وَلَمْ أَشْتَقْ إِلَيْهِ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ. قَالَ: فَمَا تَرَكْتُ أَنْ أَقُولَ هَذِهِ الْكَلِمَاتِ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ، فَحُدِّثْتُ أَنَّ هَذَا كَانَ يُسْتَذَلُّ وَيُمْتَهَنُ حَتَّى كَانَ أَهْلُ الذِّمَّةِ يَسْخَرُونَ بِهِ فِي الطَّرِيقِ، يُحَمِّلُونَهُ الْأَشْيَاءَ فِي الطَّرِيقِ لِسُقُوطِهِ عِنْدَهُمْ.

faqāla: qul: Allāhumma ʾasbil ʿalayya kathīfa sitrika waḥuṭṭa ʿalayya surādiqāti ḥujubika, wa-jʿalnī fī maknūni ghaybika wa-ḥjubnī fī qulūbi khalīqatika. qāla: thumma ghāba falam ʾarahu walam ʾashtaq ʾilayhi baʿda dhālika. qāla: famā taraktu ʾan ʾaqūla hādhihi al-kalimāti fī kulli yawmin, faḥuddithtu ʾanna hādhā kāna yustadhallu wayumtahanu ḥattā kāna ʾahlu al-dhimmati yaskharūna bihi fī al-ṭarīqi, yuḥammilūnahu al-ʾashyāʾa fī al-ṭarīqi lisuqūṭihi ʿindahum.

He replied, “Say: ‘O God, let the thick covering of Your concealment descend over me; lower upon me the enclosures of Your veils; place me within Your hidden unseen, and veil me within the hearts of Your creatures.’” He said: “Then he disappeared, and I neither saw him nor longed for him afterward. I never ceased saying these words every day.” I was told that this man was humiliated and treated contemptuously, so much so that protected non-Muslim subjects mocked him in the road and made him carry things because he had no standing with them.

وَكَانَ الصِّبْيَانُ يُولَعُونَ بِهِ، وَكَانَتْ رَاحَتُهُ فِي ذَلِكَ وَوُجُودُ قَلْبِهِ بِهِ وَاسْتِقَامَةُ حَالِهِ عَلَيْهِ، وَهَذَا طَرِيقُ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ السَّلَفِ وَحَالُ طَبَقَةٍ مِنْ صَادِقِي الْخَلَفِ، أَخْفَوْا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَأَسْقَطُوا مَنَازِلَهُمْ فَسُمُّوا عُقَلَاءَ الْمَجَانِينِ، وَهَذَا مِنَ الزُّهْدِ فِي النَّفْسِ وَحَقِيقَةِ التَّوَاضُعِ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ زُهْدُ مَجَانِينِ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ وَتَوَاضُعُ مُوقِنِي الضُّعَفَاءِ.

wakāna al-ṣibyānu yūlaʿūna bihi, wakānat rāḥatuhu fī dhālika wawujūdu qalbihi bihi wa-stiqāmatu ḥālihi ʿalayhi, wa-hādhā ṭarīqu jamāʿatin mina al-salafi waḥālu ṭabaqatin min ṣādiqī al-khalafi, ʾakhfaw ʾanfusahum waʾasqaṭū manāzilahum fasummū ʿuqalāʾa al-majānīni, wa-hādhā mina al-zuhdi fī al-nafsi waḥaqīqati al-tawāḍuʿi, ʾillā ʾannahu zuhdu majānīni al-ʾawliyāʾi watawāḍuʿu mūqinī al-ḍuʿafāʾi.

Children pestered him, yet he found his ease in this, his heart's presence through it, and his spiritual state remained sound upon it. This was the path of a group of the early generations and the condition of a class of truthful later people. They hid themselves and cast away their rank, becoming known as the wise among the mad. This belongs to renouncing the self and to genuine humility, although it is the renunciation of the mad among God's friends and the humility of those with certainty among the weak.

فَالتَّكَبُّرُ يَكُونُ بِثَلَاثَةِ مَعَانٍ: تَكَبُّرٌ عَلَى النَّاسِ عُجْبًا بِالنَّفْسِ، وَتَكَبُّرٌ فِي قُلُوبِ النَّاسِ عِزَّةً مِنَ النَّفْسِ، أَيْ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكْبُرَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ تَكَبُّرًا مِنْهُ، وَتَكَبُّرٌ فِي الْقَلْبِ عَنْ نَظَرِهِ إِلَى صَلَاحِهِ وَدِينِهِ فَيَكْبُرُ ذَلِكَ

fa-al-takabburu yakūnu bithalāthati maʿānin: takabburun ʿalā al-nāsi ʿujban bi-al-nafsi, watakabburun fī qulūbi al-nāsi ʿizzatan mina al-nafsi, ʾay yuḥibbu ʾan yakbura fī qulūbihim fayakūnu dhālika takabburan minhu, watakabburun fī al-qalbi ʿan naẓarihi ʾilā ṣalāḥihi wadīnihi fayakburu dhālika

Arrogance has three meanings: acting proudly toward people out of self-admiration; seeking greatness within people's hearts out of self-importance, meaning that one loves to be great in their hearts, which itself is arrogance; and an inward arrogance arising from one's contemplation of one's own righteousness and religion, so that these become great

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٢٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 120

Volume Two, page 120

عِنْدَهُ فَيُدِلُّ بِهِ، وَلِذَلِكَ رَآهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ لِقُصُورِ عِلْمِ الْيَقِينِ مِنْهُ، وَهَذَا أَدَقُّ مَعَانِي التَّكَبُّرِ وَلَا يَتَخَلَّصُ مِنْهُ إِلَّا صَحِيحُو التَّوْحِيدِ، صَادِقُو الْيَقِينِ مُخْلِصُو الصَّالِحِينَ، وَأَمَّا التَّكَبُّرُ الظَّاهِرُ الَّذِي هُوَ التَّطَاوُلُ وَالْفَخْرُ وَالتَّظَاهُرُ، فَذَاكَ جَلِيٌّ وَهُوَ مِنْ أَكْثَفِ حُجُبِ الْقَلْبِ وَأَقْوَى صِفَاتِ النَّفْسِ، فَلِذَلِكَ فَزِعَ الْعُلَمَاءُ مِنْ دَقَائِقِهِ لَمَّا عَرَفُوهُ، فَطَلَبُوا الْقِلَّةَ وَالذِّلَّةَ لِلنَّفْسِ لِيَمْتَهِنُوهَا بِخَفَايَا التَّوَاضُعِ، لِيَنْتَفِيَ عَنْهُمْ دَقَائِقُ الْكِبْرِ لِتَخْلُصَ لَهُمُ الْأَعْمَالُ.

ʿindahu fayudillu bihi, wali-dhālika raʾāhu min nafsihi liquṣūri ʿilmi al-yaqīni minhu, wa-hādhā ʾadaqqu maʿānī al-takabburi walā yatakhallaṣu minhu ʾillā ṣaḥīḥū al-tawḥīdi, ṣādiqū al-yaqīni mukhliṣū al-ṣāliḥīna, waʾammā al-takabburu al-ẓāhiru alladhī huwa al-taṭāwulu wa-al-fakhru wa-al-taẓāhuru, fa-dhāka jaliyyun wahuwa min ʾakthafi ḥujubi al-qalbi waʾaqwā ṣifāti al-nafsi, fali-dhālika faziʿa al-ʿulamāʾu min daqāʾiqihi lammā ʿarafūhu, faṭalabū al-qillata wa-al-dhillata li-l-nafsi liyamtahinūhā bikhafāyā al-tawāḍuʿi, liyantafiya ʿanhum daqāʾiqu al-kibri litakhluṣa lahumu al-ʾaʿmālu.

in his eyes, and he presumes upon them. He regards them as originating in himself because his knowledge of certainty is deficient. This is arrogance's most subtle form; only those sound in divine oneness, truthful in certainty, and sincere among the righteous escape it. Overt arrogance, consisting of self-exaltation, boasting, and display, is plain. It is among the heart's thickest veils and the self's strongest attributes. Once scholars recognized it, they feared its subtleties and sought obscurity and lowliness for the self, humbling it through hidden forms of humility, so that arrogance's subtleties would leave them and their deeds become pure.

وَالتَّوَاضُعُ عِنْدَ الْمُتَوَاضِعِينَ هُوَ حَقِيقَةُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ ذَلِيلًا صِفَةً لَا مُتَذَلِّلًا مُتَعَمِّدًا لِلذِّلَّةِ، وَأَنْ يَكُونَ عِنْدَ نَفْسِهِ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَحِيدًا حَقِيرًا مُعْتَقِدًا لِصِغَرِهِ وَحَقَارَتِهِ فِي نَفْسِهِ، لَا مُتَوَاضِعًا مُتَكَلِّفًا، وَعَلَامَةُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ لَا يَغْضَبَ إِذَا عَابَهُ وَنَقَصَهُ عَائِبٌ، وَلَا يَكْرَهَ أَنْ يَذُمَّهُ وَيَقْذِفَهُ بِالْكَبَائِرِ ذَامٌّ، وَبَيَانُ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْدِهِ أَنْ لَا يَجِدَ طَعْمَ الذُّلِّ فِي ذِلَّةٍ وَلَا يَشْهَدَ الضَّعَةَ فِي تَوَاضُعِهِ، إِذْ قَدْ صَارَ ذَلِكَ لَهُ صِفَةً.

wa-al-tawāḍuʿu ʿinda al-mutawāḍiʿīna huwa ḥaqīqatu ʾan yakūna al-ʿabdu dhalīlan ṣifatan lā mutadhallilan mutaʿammidan li-l-dhillati, waʾan yakūna ʿinda nafsihi fī nafsihi waḥīdan ḥaqīran muʿtaqidan liṣigharihi waḥaqāratihi fī nafsihi, lā mutawāḍiʿan mutakallifan, waʿalāmatu dhālika ʾan lā yaghḍaba ʾidhā ʿābahu wanaqaṣahu ʿāʾibun, walā yakraha ʾan yadhummahu wayaqdhifahu bi-al-kabāʾiri dhāmmun, wabayānu dhālika fī wajdihi ʾan lā yajida ṭaʿma al-dhulli fī dhillatin walā yashhada al-ḍaʿata fī tawāḍuʿihi, ʾidh qad ṣāra dhālika lahu ṣifatan.

For the humble, humility means that lowliness is truly the servant's character, rather than something he deliberately performs. Within himself he regards himself as solitary and insignificant, convinced of his own smallness and insignificance, rather than putting on humility. Its sign is that he does not become angry when someone faults or belittles him, and does not dislike being criticized or accused of grave sins. In his experience this is shown by his not tasting humiliation in lowliness or perceiving abasement in humility, because these have become his character.

فَمَنْ ذَلَّ وَوَجَدَ ذَوْقَ ذُلِّهِ فَهُوَ مُتَعَمِّلٌ لِلتَّوَاضُعِ، وَمَنْ تَوَاضَعَ وَشَهِدَ تَوَاضُعَهُ وَضَعَتَهُ فَهَذَا مُتَعَزِّزٌ؛ وَهِيَ عَلَامَةُ بَقِيَّةِ الْأَنَفَةِ فِي نَفْسِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَمَتَى غَضِبَ أَوْ كَرِهَ ذَمَّهُ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ فَهُوَ يَفْرَحُ وَيَرْضَى بِمَدْحِهِ، فَإِذَا كَانَتْ فِيهِ هَذِهِ الْعَلَامَاتُ فَهُوَ مَحْجُوبٌ عَنْ جَمِيعِ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ مِنَ الْمَقَامَاتِ، وَمَتَى ذَلَّ نَفْسَهُ وَتَوَاضَعَ عِنْدَ نَفْسِهِ فَلَمْ يَجِدْ لِذُلِّهِ ذَوْقًا وَلَا لِضَعَتِهِ حِسًّا فَقَدْ صَارَ الذُّلُّ وَالتَّوَاضُعُ كَوْنَهُ.

faman dhalla wawajada dhawqa dhullihi fahuwa mutaʿammilun li-l-tawāḍuʿi, waman tawāḍaʿa washahida tawāḍuʿahu waḍaʿatahu fa-hādhā mutaʿazzizun; wahiya ʿalāmatu baqiyyati al-ʾanafati fī nafsihi linafsihi, wamatā ghaḍiba ʾaw kariha dhammahu min ghayrihi fahuwa yafraḥu wayarḍā bimadḥihi, faʾidhā kānat fīhi hādhihi al-ʿalāmātu fahuwa maḥjūbun ʿan jamīʿi mā dhakarnāhu mina al-maqāmāti, wamatā dhalla nafsahu watawāḍaʿa ʿinda nafsihi falam yajid lidhullihi dhawqan walā liḍaʿatihi ḥissan faqad ṣāra al-dhullu wa-al-tawāḍuʿu kawnahu.

Anyone who becomes lowly yet tastes his lowliness is laboring to produce humility. Anyone who humbles himself yet observes his own humility and abasement is still asserting his dignity. This shows a residue of self-regard within him. Whenever he is angered by or dislikes another's criticism, he also rejoices in and welcomes praise. Anyone bearing these signs is veiled from all the stations we have described. But when he abases himself and is humble in his own estimation without tasting his lowliness or sensing his abasement, lowliness and humility have become his very being.

فَهَذَا لَا يَكْرَهُ الذَّمَّ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ لِوَجْدِ النَّقْصِ فِي نَفْسِهِ، وَلَا يُحِبُّ الْمَدْحَ مِنْهُمْ لِفَقْدِ الْقَدْرِ وَالْمَنْزِلَةِ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ، فَصَارَتِ الذِّلَّةُ وَالضَّعَةُ صِفَتَهُ لَا تُفَارِقُهُ، لَازِمَةً لَهُ لُزُومَ الزَّبَالَةِ لِلزَّبَّالِ وَالْكِسَاحَةِ لِلْكَسَّاحِ؛ هُمَا صِنْعَتَانِ لَهُمَا كَسَائِرِ الصَّنَائِعِ، وَرُبَّمَا فَخَرُوا بِهِمَا لِعَدَمِ النَّظَرِ إِلَى نَقْصِهِمَا، فَهَذِهِ وِلَايَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ لَهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ، قَدْ وَلَّاهُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَمَلَّكَهُ عَلَيْهَا فَقَهَرَهَا بِعِزِّهِ.

fa-hādhā lā yakrahu al-dhamma mina al-khalqi liwajdi al-naqṣi fī nafsihi, walā yuḥibbu al-madḥa minhum lifaqdi al-qadri wa-al-manzilati min nafsihi, faṣārati al-dhillatu wa-al-ḍaʿatu ṣifatahu lā tufāriquhu, lāzimatan lahu luzūma al-zabālati li-l-zabbāli wa-al-kisāḥati li-l-kassāḥi; humā ṣinʿatāni lahumā kasāʾiri al-ṣanāʾiʿi, warubbamā fakharū bihimā liʿadami al-naẓari ʾilā naqṣihimā, fa-hādhihi wilāyatun ʿaẓīmatun lahu min nafsihi, qad wallāhu ʿalā nafsihi wamallakahu ʿalayhā faqaharahā biʿizzihi.

Such a person does not dislike people's criticism, since he finds deficiency in himself, and does not love their praise, since he finds no worth or rank in himself. Lowliness and abasement become his inseparable character, clinging to him as refuse collection belongs to the refuse collector and sweeping filth to the sweeper. These are trades like other trades, and their practitioners may even take pride in them because they do not regard their low status. This is great authority granted him over his self: God has appointed him over it and given him dominion over it, so that he subdues it through His might.

وَهَذَا مَقَامُ مَحْبُوبٍ وَبَعْدَهُ الْمُكَاشَفَاتُ بِسَرَائِرِ الْغُيُوبِ، أَوَّلُ ذَلِكَ دُخُولُ نُورِ الْحِكْمَةِ فِي الْقَلْبِ وَيَنْبُوعُ الْحِكَمِ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ، كَمَا رَوَيْنَا أَنَّ عِيسَى بْنَ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ قَالَ: يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، أَيْنَ يَنْبُتُ الزَّرْعُ؟ قَالُوا: فِي التُّرَابِ، فَقَالَ: بِحَقٍّ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ: لَا تَنْبُعُ الْحِكْمَةُ إِلَّا فِي قَلْبٍ مِثْلِ التُّرَابِ.

wa-hādhā maqāmu maḥbūbin wabaʿdahu al-mukāshafātu bisarāʾiri al-ghuyūbi, ʾawwalu dhālika dukhūlu nūri al-ḥikmati fī al-qalbi wayanbūʿu al-ḥikami min qalbihi, kamā rawaynā ʾanna ʿīsā bna maryama ʿalayhi al-ṣalātu wa-al-salāmu qāla: yā banī ʾisrāʾīla, ʾayna yanbutu al-zarʿu? qālū: fī al-turābi, faqāla: biḥaqqin ʾaqūlu lakum: lā tanbuʿu al-ḥikmatu ʾillā fī qalbin mithli al-turābi.

This is the station of one who is beloved, followed by unveilings of the hidden secrets. It begins with the light of wisdom entering the heart and wise sayings welling up from it. As we have related, Jesus son of Mary, blessings and peace be upon him, said: “Children of Israel, where do crops grow?” They replied, “In the soil.” He said, “Truly I tell you: wisdom springs forth only in a heart like soil.”

وَمَنْ كَانَ حَالُهُ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى الذُّلَّ طَلَبَهُ وَاسْتَحْلَاهُ، كَمَا يَطْلُبُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ الْعِزَّ وَيَسْتَحْلِيهِ إِذَا وَجَدَهُ، فَإِنْ فَارَقَ ذَلِكَ الذُّلَّ سَاعَةً تَغَيَّرَ قَلْبُهُ لِفِرَاقِ حَالِهِ، كَمَا أَنَّ الْمُتَعَزِّزَ إِنْ فَارَقَهُ الْعِزُّ سَاعَةً تَكَدَّرَ عَلَيْهِ عَيْشُهُ لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ عَيْشُ نَفْسِهِ، وَمِمَّنْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْهُ اخْتِيَارَ الذُّلِّ وَإِسْقَاطَ الْمَنْزِلَةِ وَالْقَدْرِ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ وَمَحْوَ جَاهِهِ وَمَوْضِعِهِ مِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ، وَأَظْهَرَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ أَلْوَانَ مَعَانِي الذَّمِّ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ أَنْ يُحْصَى.

waman kāna ḥāluhu maʿa Allāhi taʿālā al-dhulla ṭalabahu wa-staḥlāhu, kamā yaṭlubu al-mutakabbiru al-ʿizza wayastaḥlīhi ʾidhā wajadahu, faʾin fāraqa dhālika al-dhulla sāʿatan taghayyara qalbuhu lifirāqi ḥālihi, kamā ʾanna al-mutaʿazziza ʾin fāraqahu al-ʿizzu sāʿatan takaddara ʿalayhi ʿayshuhu liʾanna dhālika ʿayshu nafsihi, wamimman rawaynā ʿanhu ikhtiyāra al-dhulli waʾisqāṭa al-manzilati wa-al-qadri ʿinda al-nāsi wamaḥwa jāhihi wamawḍiʿihi min qulūbihim, waʾaẓhara ʿalā nafsihi ʾalwāna maʿānī al-dhammi ʾaktharu min ʾan yuḥṣā.

Anyone whose state with God Most High is lowliness seeks it and finds it sweet, just as the arrogant person seeks dignity and delights in finding it. If he leaves this lowliness for an hour, his heart changes at losing its state, just as someone who prizes dignity finds life embittered if dignity leaves him for an hour, since it is his self's livelihood. Those from whom we have related the choice of lowliness, abandoning rank and standing among people, erasing prestige and position from their hearts, and displaying various grounds for censure are too numerous to count.

وَذِكْرُهُمْ يَطُولُ، وَذَاكَ أَنَّ حَالَهُمُ الصِّدْقُ فَتَقْتَضِيهِمُ الْقِيَامَ بِحُكْمِهَا فَلَا بُدَّ مِنْ قِيَامِهِمْ بِمُقْتَضَى حَالِهِمْ. حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ الْأَشْيَاخِ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الْكَرِينِيِّ أُسْتَاذِ الْجُنَيْدِ، أَنَّ رَجُلًا دَعَاهُ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ ثُمَّ يَرُدُّهُ، فَرَجَعَ إِلَيْهِ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى أَدْخَلَهُ الْمَنْزِلَ فِي الْمَرَّةِ الرَّابِعَةِ، فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: قَدْ رُضْتُ نَفْسِي عَلَى الذُّلِّ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً حَتَّى صَارَتْ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْكَلْبِ يُطْرَدُ

wadhikruhum yaṭūlu, wa-dhāka ʾanna ḥālahumu al-ṣidqu fataqtaḍīhimu al-qiyāma biḥukmihā falā budda min qiyāmihim bimuqtaḍā ḥālihim. ḥaddathanī baʿḍu al-ʾashyākhi ʿan ʾabī al-ḥasani al-karīniyyi ʾustādhi al-junaydi, ʾanna rajulan daʿāhu thalātha marrātin ʾilā ṭaʿāmihi thumma yarudduhu, farajaʿa ʾilayhi baʿda dhālika ḥattā ʾadkhalahu al-manzila fī al-marrati al-rābiʿati, fasaʾalahu ʿan dhālika, faqāla: qad ruḍtu nafsī ʿalā al-dhulli ʿishrīna sanatan ḥattā ṣārat bimanzilati al-kalbi yuṭradu

Recounting them would take a long time. Their state is truthfulness, which requires them to act according to its rule; they must fulfill what their state demands. One of the shaykhs related to me concerning Abū al-Ḥasan al-Karīnī, al-Junayd's teacher, that a man invited him to eat three times and each time turned him away. He returned again, until the man admitted him into the house on the fourth occasion. Asked about this, he said, “I have trained my self in lowliness for twenty years, until it became like a dog that is driven away

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٢١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 121

Volume Two, page 121

فَيَنْطَرِدُ ثُمَّ يُدْعَى فَيُرْمَى لَهُ عَظْمٌ فَيَجِيءُ، وَزَادَ غَيْرُهُ، وَقَالَ: لَوْ رَدَدْتَنِي خَمْسِينَ مَرَّةً ثُمَّ دَعَوْتَنِي بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ لَأَجَبْتُ. وَحَدَّثَنِي شَيْخٌ آخَرُ عَنْ أُسْتَاذِهِ قَالَ: نَزَلْتُ فِي مَحَلَّةٍ فَعُرِفْتُ فِيهَا بِالصَّلَاحِ، فَتَشَتَّتَ قَلْبِي فَدَخَلْتُ حَمَّامًا فِي جَوْفِ الْمَحَلَّةِ وَعُنِيتُ عَلَى ثِيَابٍ فَاخِرٍ فَسَرَقْتُهَا وَلَبِسْتُهَا، ثُمَّ لَبِسْتُ مُرَقَّعَتِي فَوْقَهَا، وَخَرَجْتُ وَجَعَلْتُ أَمْشِي قَلِيلًا قَلِيلًا لِيُفْطَنَ بِي.

fayanṭaridu thumma yudʿā fayurmā lahu ʿaẓmun fayajīʾu, wazāda ghayruhu, waqāla: law radadtanī khamsīna marratan thumma daʿawtanī baʿda dhālika laʾajabtu. waḥaddathanī shaykhun ʾākharu ʿan ʾustādhihi qāla: nazaltu fī maḥallatin faʿuriftu fīhā bi-al-ṣalāḥi, fatashattata qalbī fadakhaltu ḥammāman fī jawfi al-maḥallati waʿunītu ʿalā thiyābin fākhirin fasaraqtuhā walabistuhā, thumma labistu muraqqaʿatī fawqahā, wakharajtu wajaʿaltu ʾamshī qalīlan qalīlan liyufṭana bī.

and goes, then is called and has a bone thrown to it, so it returns.” Another narrator added that he said, “Had you turned me away fifty times and then invited me, I would have answered.” Another shaykh told me from his teacher: “I settled in a neighborhood and became known there for righteousness. My heart became scattered, so I entered a bathhouse within the neighborhood, fixed my attention on fine clothes, stole them, and put them on. Then I put my patched robe over them, went out, and began walking very slowly so that I would be noticed.”

فَلَحِقُونِي فَنَزَعُوا مُرَقَّعَتِي وَاسْتَخْرَجُوا الثِّيَابَ، وَصَفَعُونِي وَأَوْجَعُونِي ضَرْبًا، فَصِرْتُ أُعْرَفُ فِي النَّاحِيَةِ بِلِصِّ الْحَمَّامِ فَسَكَنَتْ نَفْسِي. وَحُدِّثْتُ عَنْ بَعْضِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ أَنَّهُ وَقَفَ عَلَى رَجُلٍ يَأْكُلُ، فَمَدَّ يَدَهُ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ: إِنْ كَانَ ثَمَّ شَيْءٌ لِلَّهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: اجْلِسْ فَكُلْ، فَقَالَ: أَعْطِنِي فِي كَفِّي، فَأَعْطَاهُ فِي كَفِّهِ فَقَعَدَ فِي مَكَانِهِ يَأْكُلُهُ.

falaḥiqūnī fanazaʿū muraqqaʿatī wa-stakhrajū al-thiyāba, waṣafaʿūnī waʾawjaʿūnī ḍarban, faṣirtu ʾuʿrafu fī al-nāḥiyati biliṣṣi al-ḥammāmi fasakanat nafsī. waḥuddithtu ʿan baʿḍi al-ṣūfiyyati ʾannahu waqafa ʿalā rajulin yaʾkulu, famadda yadahu ʾilayhi faqāla: ʾin kāna thamma shayʾun li-llāhi, faqāla lahu: ijlis fakul, faqāla: ʾaʿṭinī fī kaffī, faʾaʿṭāhu fī kaffihi faqaʿada fī makānihi yaʾkuluhu.

“They caught up with me, pulled off my patched robe, found the clothes, slapped me, and beat me painfully. I became known in the district as the bathhouse thief, and my self grew still.” I was told that a certain Sufi stood before a man who was eating, stretched out his hand, and said, “If there is something for God's sake.” The man told him, “Sit and eat.” He replied, “Give it to me in my palm.” The man did so, and he sat where he was and ate it.

فَسَأَلَهُ عَنِ امْتِنَاعِهِ مِنَ الْجُلُوسِ مَعَهُ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ حَالِي مَعَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الذُّلُّ، فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أُفَارِقَ حَالِي، وَكَانَ هَذَا رُبَّمَا مَدَّ يَدَهُ إِلَى الْهَرَّاسِ فَيَضَعُ فِيهَا هَرِيسَتَهُ، وَالْعَرَبُ تَأْنَفُ أَنْ يُوضَعَ الشَّيْءُ فِي أَكُفِّهَا لِعِزَّةِ نُفُوسِهَا، حَتَّى رَوَيْنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ الصَّحَابَةِ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ الْأُوَّلِ فِي أَوَّلِ النُّبُوَّةِ فَقَالَ: جُعْتُ ثَلَاثًا لَمْ أَطْعَمْ شَيْئًا، فَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّ إِنْسَانًا يَتَصَدَّقُ بِزَبِيبٍ، فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ: هَاتِ كَفَّكَ.

fasaʾalahu ʿani imtināʿihi mina al-julūsi maʿahu, faqāla: ʾinna ḥālī maʿa Allāhi ʿazza wajalla al-dhullu, fakarihtu ʾan ʾufāriqa ḥālī, wakāna hādhā rubbamā madda yadahu ʾilā al-harrāsi fayaḍaʿu fīhā harīsatahu, wa-al-ʿarabu taʾnafu ʾan yūḍaʿa al-shayʾu fī ʾakuffihā liʿizzati nufūsihā, ḥattā rawaynā ʿan baʿḍi al-ṣaḥābati mina al-muhājirīna al-ʾuwwali fī ʾawwali al-nubuwwati faqāla: juʿtu thalāthan lam ʾaṭʿam shayʾan, fabalaghanī ʾanna ʾinsānan yataṣaddaqu bizabībin, fasaʾaltuhu faqāla: hāti kaffaka.

He asked why he had refused to sit with him. He replied, “My state with God, mighty and majestic is He, is lowliness, and I disliked leaving my state.” This man sometimes stretched out his hand to a seller of harīsa, who placed his wheat-and-meat porridge in it. The Arabs disdain having something placed in their palms because of their self-respect. We have even related from one of the earliest emigrant Companions, at the beginning of prophethood: “I went hungry for three days without eating anything. I heard that someone was giving raisins in charity, so I asked him. He said, ‘Hold out your palm.’”

فَقُلْتُ: إِنِّي رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ وَلَا آخُذُ فِي كَفِّي فَاجْعَلْهُ لِي فِي شَيْءٍ. قَالَ: فَجَعَلَهُ فِي كَيْلٍ ثُمَّ نَاوَلَنِيهِ، فَلَمَّا فَرَّغْتُهُ رَدَدْتُهُ إِلَيْهِ، فَكَانَتْ فِيهِ عِزَّةُ نَفْسٍ، لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَهُ: أَنْتَ رَجُلٌ فِيكَ جَاهِلِيَّةٌ، فَقَالَ: عَلَى مَا أَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ كِبَرِ السِّنِّ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، وَكَانَ قَدْ خَاصَمَ رَجُلًا فَأَرَى عَلَيْهِ تَعَزُّزًا.

faqultu: ʾinnī rajulun mina al-ʿarabi walā ʾākhudhu fī kaffī fa-jʿalhu lī fī shayʾin. qāla: fajaʿalahu fī kaylin thumma nāwalanīhi, falammā farraghtuhu radadtuhu ʾilayhi, fakānat fīhi ʿizzatu nafsin, lā jarama ʾanna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla lahu: ʾanta rajulun fīka jāhiliyyatun, faqāla: ʿalā mā ʾanā ʿalayhi min kibari al-sinni? qāla: naʿam, wakāna qad khāṣama rajulan faʾarā ʿalayhi taʿazzuzan.

“I said, ‘I am an Arab, and I do not take things in my palm. Put it in something for me.’ He put it in a measuring vessel and handed it to me. When I had emptied it, I returned it.” There was self-pride in him. No wonder God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, told him, “You are a man who still has pagan ignorance within him.” He asked, “Even at my advanced age?” He replied, “Yes.” He had quarreled with a man and displayed superiority toward him.

وَإِنَّمَا نَبَّهْنَا بِبَعْضِ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ لَهُ الْعُقُولَ الْمُسْتَيْقِظَةَ وَحَرَّكْنَا بِمَا بَيَّنَّا الْقُلُوبَ الْحَيَّةَ، لِيَحْيَا مَنْ حَيَّ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ بِذِكْرِ أَوْصَافِ الصَّادِقِينَ وَطُرُقَاتِ الْمُخْلِصِينَ لِيُسْتَدَلَّ عَلَى الْكَثِيرِ بِالْيَسِيرِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ شُهُودِ بِسْطَامَ عَظِيمُ الْقَدْرِ فِيهِمْ لَا يُفَارِقُ مَجْلِسَ أَبِي يَزِيدَ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَوْمًا: يَا أَبَا يَزِيدَ، أَنَا مُنْذُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً أَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ لَا أُفْطِرُ، وَأَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ لَا أَنَامُ.

waʾinnamā nabbahnā bibaʿḍi mā dhakarnāhu lahu al-ʿuqūla al-mustayqiẓata waḥarraknā bimā bayyannā al-qulūba al-ḥayyata, liyaḥyā man ḥayya ʿan bayyinatin bidhikri ʾawṣāfi al-ṣādiqīna waṭuruqāti al-mukhliṣīna liyustadalla ʿalā al-kathīri bi-al-yasīri, waqad kāna shāhidun min shuhūdi bisṭāma ʿaẓīmu al-qadri fīhim lā yufāriqu majlisa ʾabī yazīda faqāla lahu yawman: yā ʾabā yazīda, ʾanā mundhu thalāthīna sanatan ʾaṣūmu al-dahra lā ʾufṭiru, waʾaqūmu al-layla lā ʾanāmu.

Through some of what we have related for this purpose, we have merely alerted wakeful minds and stirred living hearts through our explanation, so that whoever lives may live upon clear evidence. By describing the truthful and the paths of the sincere, a little may indicate much. A legal witness of great standing among the witnesses of Bisṭām constantly attended Abū Yazīd's gathering. One day he said, “Abū Yazīd, for thirty years I have fasted continually without breaking my fast and stood in prayer through the night without sleeping.”

وَلَا أَجِدُ فِي قَلْبِي شَيْئًا مِنْ هَذَا الْعِلْمِ الَّذِي تَذْكُرُ، وَأَنَا أُصَدِّقُ بِهِ وَأُحِبُّهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو يَزِيدَ: لَوْ صُمْتَ ثَلَاثَمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ وَقُمْتَ لَيْلَهَا مَا وَجَدْتَ مِنْ هَذَا ذَرَّةً. قَالَ: وَلِمَ؟ لِأَنَّكَ مَحْجُوبٌ بِنَفْسِكَ. قَالَ: أَفَلِهَذَا دَوَاءٌ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: قُلْ لِي حَتَّى أَعْلَمَهُ. قَالَ: لَا تَقْبَلُ. قَالَ: فَاذْكُرْهُ لِي.

walā ʾajidu fī qalbī shayʾan min hādhā al-ʿilmi alladhī tadhkuru, waʾanā ʾuṣaddiqu bihi waʾuḥibbuhu, faqāla lahu ʾabū yazīda: law ṣumta thalāthamiʾati sanatin waqumta laylahā mā wajadta min hādhā dharratan. qāla: walima? liʾannaka maḥjūbun binafsika. qāla: ʾafali-hādhā dawāʾun? qāla: naʿam. qāla: qul lī ḥattā ʾaʿlamahu. qāla: lā taqbalu. qāla: fa-dhkurhu lī.

“Yet I find nothing in my heart of this knowledge you describe, although I believe in it and love it.” Abū Yazīd replied, “Were you to fast for three hundred years and stand in prayer through their nights, you would not find an atom of it.” He asked, “Why?” “Because you are veiled by your self.” He asked, “Is there a remedy?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “Tell me so that I may know it.” He replied, “You will not accept it.” He said, “Then describe it to me.”

قَالَ: اذْهَبِ السَّاعَةَ إِلَى الْمُزَيِّنِ وَاحْلِقْ رَأْسَكَ وَلِحْيَتَكَ، وَانْزِعْ هَذَا اللِّبَاسَ وَاتَّزِرْ بِعَبَاءَةٍ وَعَلِّقْ فِي عُنُقِكَ مِخْلَاةً مَمْلُوءَةً جَوْزًا، وَاجْمَعِ الصِّبْيَانَ حَوْلَكَ وَقُلْ: كُلُّ مَنْ صَفَعَنِي صَفْعَةً أَعْطَيْتُهُ جَوْزَةً، وَادْخُلِ الْأَسْوَاقَ كُلَّهَا عِنْدَ الشُّهُودِ وَعِنْدَ مَنْ يَعْرِفُكَ وَأَنْتَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، تَقُولُ لِي مِثْلَ هَذَا؟ فَقَالَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ: قَوْلُكَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ شِرْكٌ.

qāla: idhhabi al-sāʿata ʾilā al-muzayyini wa-ḥliq raʾsaka waliḥyataka, wa-nziʿ hādhā al-libāsa wa-ttazir biʿabāʾatin waʿalliq fī ʿunuqika mikhlātan mamlūʾatan jawzan, wa-jmaʿi al-ṣibyāna ḥawlaka waqul: kullu man ṣafaʿanī ṣafʿatan ʾaʿṭaytuhu jawzatan, wa-dkhuli al-ʾaswāqa kullahā ʿinda al-shuhūdi waʿinda man yaʿrifuka waʾanta ʿalā dhālika, faqāla al-rajulu: subḥāna Allāhi, taqūlu lī mithla hādhā? faqāla ʾabū yazīda: qawluka subḥāna Allāhi shirkun.

He said, “Go now to the barber and shave your head and beard. Remove these clothes, wrap yourself in a coarse cloak, hang a bag full of walnuts around your neck, gather the children around you, and say, ‘I will give a walnut to everyone who slaps me.’ In that condition, enter all the markets, before the legal witnesses and everyone who knows you.” The man exclaimed, “Glory be to God! You tell me to do this?” Abū Yazīd said, “Your saying ‘Glory be to God’ is associationism.”

قَالَ: كَيْفَ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنَّكَ عَظَّمْتَ نَفْسَكَ فَسَبَّحْتَهَا. قَالَ: هَذَا لَا أَفْعَلُهُ، وَلَٰكِنْ دُلَّنِي عَلَى غَيْرِهِ. قَالَ: ابْتَدِئْ بِهَذَا قَبْلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ. فَقَالَ: لَا أُطِيقُهُ. فَقَالَ: قَدْ قُلْتُ لَكَ إِنَّكَ لَا تَقْبَلُ، فَهَذَا لَمَّا قَالَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ كَانَ مُشْرِكًا عِنْدَهُ لِأَنَّهُ سَبَّحَهُ بِرَسْمِ النَّفْسِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ يَقُولُ: سُبْحَانِي مَا أَعْظَمَ شَأْنِي، وَهُوَ مُوَحِّدٌ لِأَنَّهُ وَحَّدَ بِأَوَّلِيَّةٍ بَدَتْ.

qāla: kayfa? qāla: liʾannaka ʿaẓẓamta nafsaka fasabbaḥtahā. qāla: hādhā lā ʾafʿaluhu, walākin dullanī ʿalā ghayrihi. qāla: ibtadiʾ bi-hādhā qabla kulli shayʾin. faqāla: lā ʾuṭīquhu. faqāla: qad qultu laka ʾinnaka lā taqbalu, fa-hādhā lammā qāla subḥāna Allāhi kāna mushrikan ʿindahu liʾannahu sabbaḥahu birasmi al-nafsi, waqad kāna ʾabū yazīda yaqūlu: subḥānī mā ʾaʿẓama shaʾnī, wahuwa muwaḥḥidun liʾannahu waḥḥada biʾawwaliyyatin badat.

He asked, “How?” He replied, “Because you exalted your self and glorified it.” The man said, “I will not do that. Show me something else.” He said, “Begin with this before anything else.” He replied, “I cannot bear it.” He said, “I told you that you would not accept it.” Thus, when this man said “Glory be to God,” Abū Yazīd regarded him as associating another with God, because he glorified Him through the self's outward form. Yet Abū Yazīd would say, “Glory be to me! How great is my majesty!” while affirming divine oneness, because he affirmed oneness through a primordial reality that had appeared.

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٢٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 122

Volume Two, page 122

وَهَذَا الَّذِي ذَكَرَهُ دَوَاءُ مَنِ اعْتَلَّ بِنَظَرِهِ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ، ثُمَّ سَقِمَ بِنَظَرِ النَّاسِ إِلَيْهِ، لَزِمَهُ سَدُّ نَظَرِهِ إِلَى نَظَرِهِمْ، لَيْسَ لَهَا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ كَاشِفَةٌ، إِلَّا أَنَّ هَذَا مِنْ طِبِّ الْمَجَانِينِ، يَصْلُحُ لِضُعَفَاءِ الْيَقِينِ، وَلَوْ أَدْخَلَ الطَّبِيبُ الْأَعْلَى ذَرَّةً مِنْ عَيْنِ الْيَقِينِ، أَخْرَجَ بِهَا مِنْ قَلْبِهِ كُلَّ نَظْرَةٍ فَاسْتَرَاحَ مِنْ كُلِّ دَوَاءٍ.

wa-hādhā alladhī dhakarahu dawāʾu mani iʿtalla binaẓarihi ʾilā nafsihi, thumma saqima binaẓari al-nāsi ʾilayhi, lazimahu saddu naẓarihi ʾilā naẓarihim, laysa lahā min dūni Allāhi kāshifatun, ʾillā ʾanna hādhā min ṭibbi al-majānīni, yaṣluḥu liḍuʿafāʾi al-yaqīni, walaw ʾadkhala al-ṭabību al-ʾaʿlā dharratan min ʿayni al-yaqīni, ʾakhraja bihā min qalbihi kulla naẓratin fa-starāḥa min kulli dawāʾin.

What he described is a remedy for someone made ill by regarding himself, then sickened by people's regard for him, so that he must block his own regard for theirs. None but God can remove it. Yet this belongs to the medicine of the mad and is suitable for those weak in certainty. If the Supreme Physician introduced one atom of direct certainty, He would remove every such glance from his heart, and he would be relieved of every remedy.

وَلَٰكِنْ لِيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًا لِيَهْلِكَ مَنْ هَلَكَ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ بِشَوَاهِدِ الْحَقِّ، وَيَحْيَا مَنْ حَيَّ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ بِشَاهِدِ الْحَقِّ، وَيَتْلُوهُ شَاهِدٌ مِنْهُ، فَلَا تُنْكِرَنَّ مِنْ جَمِيعِ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ شَيْئًا، فَتَخْسَرَ أَقَلَّ أَنْصِبَةِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْقُدْرَةِ وَالْيَقِينِ، لِأَنَّ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْصِبَةً مِنْ هَذَا الْعِلْمِ؛ مِنْهَا الْمُشَاهَدَةُ لِمَا وَصَفْنَاهُ، وَالْإِدْرَاكُ لِمَا رَمَزْنَاهُ، وَمِنْهَا الْوَجْدُ وَالْحَالُ، وَمِنْهَا الْمُعَامَلَةُ وَالْمُنَازَلَةُ، وَمِنْهَا الذَّوْقُ وَالشَّمُّ مِنْهُ وَآخِرُهَا التَّصْدِيقُ وَالْقَبُولُ.

walākin liyaqḍiya Allāhu ʾamran kāna mafʿūlan liyahlika man halaka ʿan bayyinatin bishawāhidi al-ḥaqqi, wayaḥyā man ḥayya ʿan bayyinatin bishāhidi al-ḥaqqi, wayatlūhu shāhidun minhu, falā tunkiranna min jamīʿi mā dhakarnāhu shayʾan, fatakhsara ʾaqalla ʾanṣibati al-muʾminīna min ʿilmi al-qudrati wa-al-yaqīni, liʾanna li-l-muʾminīna ʾanṣibatan min hādhā al-ʿilmi; minhā al-mushāhadatu limā waṣafnāhu, wa-al-ʾidrāku limā ramaznāhu, waminhā al-wajdu wa-al-ḥālu, waminhā al-muʿāmalatu wa-al-munāzalatu, waminhā al-dhawqu wa-al-shammu minhu waʾākhiruhā al-taṣdīqu wa-al-qabūlu.

But this is so that God may accomplish what was decreed: whoever perishes may perish upon clear evidence through witnesses of the Real, and whoever lives may live upon clear evidence through a witness of the Real, followed by a witness from Him. Do not reject anything we have described, lest you lose the believers' smallest share in knowledge of power and certainty. Believers have different shares in this knowledge: witnessing what we describe, comprehending what we indicate, ecstasy and spiritual state, dealings and encounters, tasting and catching its scent, and finally assent and acceptance.

فَأَقَلُّ النَّصِيبِ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ إِنْ لَمْ يَشْهَدْ فَلَا يَجْحَدْ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ فَلْيَتَعَرَّفْ، وَيَكُونُ مَعْقِلُهُ التَّسْلِيمَ وَلَيْسَ وَرَاءَ هَذَا مَكَانٌ، وَهَذِهِ الْمَقَامَاتُ الَّتِي شَرَحْنَاهَا وَهِيَ مَقَامَاتُ الْيَقِينِ؛ أَوَّلُهَا التَّوْبَةُ إِلَى هَذَا الْمَقَامِ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ، مَنُوطٌ بَعْضُهَا بِبَعْضٍ، إِنْ أُعْطِيَ الْعَبْدُ حَقِيقَةً مِنْ أَحَدِهَا أُعْطِيَ مِنْ كُلِّ مَقَامٍ حَالَهُ وَمَعَ كُلِّ حَالٍ مُشَاهَدَةً، وَلِكُلِّ مُشَاهَدَةٍ عِلْمٌ، إِلَّا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ.

faʾaqallu al-naṣībi min ʿilmi al-maʿrifati ʾin lam yashhad falā yajḥad, waʾin lam yaʿrif falyataʿarraf, wayakūnu maʿqiluhu al-taslīma walaysa warāʾa hādhā makānun, wa-hādhihi al-maqāmātu allatī sharaḥnāhā wahiya maqāmātu al-yaqīni; ʾawwaluhā al-tawbatu ʾilā hādhā al-maqāmi mina al-maḥabbati, manūṭun baʿḍuhā bibaʿḍin, ʾin ʾuʿṭiya al-ʿabdu ḥaqīqatan min ʾaḥadihā ʾuʿṭiya min kulli maqāmin ḥālahu wamaʿa kulli ḥālin mushāhadatan, walikulli mushāhadatin ʿilmun, ʾillā man shahida bi-al-ḥaqqi wahum yaʿlamūna.

The smallest share in knowledge of God is that, if one does not witness, one does not deny; if one does not know, one seeks to know, taking submission as one's refuge. There is no place beyond this. These stations we have explained, the stations of certainty from repentance through this station of love, are interconnected. If a servant is granted the reality of one, he is granted the state of every station, a witnessing with every state, and knowledge for every witnessing: “Except those who bear witness to the truth knowingly” (al-Zukhruf 43:86).

وَكُلُّهَا مَجْمُوعَةٌ فِي حَقِيقَةِ الْإِيمَانِ، إِنْ أُعْطِيَ الْعَبْدُ حَقِيقَةً مِنْ إِيمَانٍ وَيَقِينٍ حَتَّى يَكُونَ مُؤْمِنًا حَقًّا، غَيْرَ مُرْتَدٍّ عَنْهُ وَلَا مُسْتَبْدَلٍ بِهِ فِي عِلْمِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَكَانَ إِيمَانُهُ مِنَّةً وَهِبَةً لَا عَارِيَةً وَلَا وَدِيعَةً، فَيُسْتَرَدَّ وَيَرْتَدَّ عَلَى إِظْهَارِ لَبْسٍ أَوْ إِدْرَاجِ مَكْرٍ، مِحْنَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَخِبْرَةً، وَيَكُونَ مُسْتَبْدَلًا لَا بَدَلًا.

wakulluhā majmūʿatun fī ḥaqīqati al-ʾīmāni, ʾin ʾuʿṭiya al-ʿabdu ḥaqīqatan min ʾīmānin wayaqīnin ḥattā yakūna muʾminan ḥaqqan, ghayra murtaddin ʿanhu walā mustabdalin bihi fī ʿilmi Allāhi taʿālā, wakāna ʾīmānuhu minnatan wahibatan lā ʿāriyatan walā wadīʿatan, fayustaradda wayartadda ʿalā ʾiẓhāri labsin ʾaw ʾidrāji makrin, miḥnatan mina Allāhi taʿālā wakhibratan, wayakūna mustabdalan lā badalan.

All of them are gathered within the reality of faith, if the servant is granted a reality of faith and certainty so that he becomes a true believer, neither turning away from it nor replaced by another in God Most High's knowledge. His faith must be a favor and gift, not a loan or deposit that might be reclaimed, so that he turns away through an exposed confusion or a gradually unfolding stratagem, as a trial and testing from God Most High, and becomes one replaced rather than a substitute.

فَإِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ كَذَلِكَ وَكَانَ بَدَلًا مِنْ مُسْتَبْدَلٍ بِهِ أُعْطِيَ مِنْ جَمِيعِهَا حَالًا فَحَالًا، وَشَهَادَةً شَهَادَةً، وَإِنْ تَفَاوَتُوا فِي الْعُلُومِ وَتَعَالَوْا فِي الْقُرْبِ وَذَاكَ هُوَ كَمَالُ الْإِيمَانِ، وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي وَصْفِ كَمَالِ الْإِيمَانِ ثَلَاثَةَ أَحَادِيثَ مِنْ أُصُولِ هَذِهِ الْأَحْوَالِ وَأَسَاسِ هَذِهِ الْأَفْعَالِ، مِنْهَا أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لَا يَسْتَكْمِلُ الْعَبْدُ إِيمَانَهُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ قِلَّةُ الشَّيْءِ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ الشَّيْءِ، وَحَتَّى لَا يُعْرَفَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْرَفَ.

faʾidhā lam yakun kadhālika wakāna badalan min mustabdalin bihi ʾuʿṭiya min jamīʿihā ḥālan faḥālan, washahādatan shahādatan, waʾin tafāwatū fī al-ʿulūmi wataʿālaw fī al-qurbi wa-dhāka huwa kamālu al-ʾīmāni, waqad rawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī waṣfi kamāli al-ʾīmāni thalāthata ʾaḥādītha min ʾuṣūli hādhihi al-ʾaḥwāli waʾasāsi hādhihi al-ʾafʿāli, minhā ʾannahu qāla: lā yastakmilu al-ʿabdu ʾīmānahu ḥattā yakūna qillatu al-shayʾi ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi min kathrati al-shayʾi, waḥattā lā yuʿrafa ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi min ʾan yuʿrafa.

If this does not happen and he is a substitute for someone replaced, he is granted every station, state after state and witnessing after witnessing, though people differ in their knowledge and ascend to different degrees of nearness. That is complete faith. We have related three sayings from God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, describing complete faith, which underlie these states and provide the foundation of these deeds. Among them: “The servant does not perfect his faith until having little is dearer to him than having much, and being unknown is dearer to him than being known.”

فَهَذَانِ حَالَا الصَّادِقِ الزَّاهِدِ، وَهُمَا أَوَّلُ الطَّرِيقِ الْمُؤَدِّي إِلَى التَّحْقِيقِ وَأُسُّ الْبُنْيَانِ الرَّافِعِ، إِلَى أَنَّهُ أَلَّا يَخَافَ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ وَلَا يُرَائِيَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ، وَإِذَا عَرَضَ لَهُ أَمْرَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا لِلدُّنْيَا وَالْآخَرُ لِلْآخِرَةِ، آثَرَ أَمْرَ الْآخِرَةِ عَلَى أَمْرِ الدُّنْيَا، فَهَذِهِ أَحْوَالُ الْمُحِبِّ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى، الْمُخْلِصِ بِمُعَامَلَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، الرَّاغِبِ فِيمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى.

fa-hādhāni ḥālā al-ṣādiqi al-zāhidi, wahumā ʾawwalu al-ṭarīqi al-muʾaddī ʾilā al-taḥqīqi waʾussu al-bunyāni al-rāfiʿi, ʾilā ʾannahu ʾallā yakhāfa fī Allāhi lawmata lāʾimin walā yurāʾiya bishayʾin min ʿamalihi, waʾidhā ʿaraḍa lahu ʾamrāni ʾaḥaduhumā li-l-dunyā wa-al-ʾākharu li-l-ʾākhirati, ʾāthara ʾamra al-ʾākhirati ʿalā ʾamri al-dunyā, fa-hādhihi ʾaḥwālu al-muḥibbi li-llāhi taʿālā, al-mukhliṣi bimuʿāmalati Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, al-rāghibi fīmā ʿinda Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā.

These are the two states of the truthful renunciant: the beginning of the path leading to realization and the foundation of the rising edifice. It extends to fearing no critic's blame for God's sake, displaying none of one's deeds for others, and, when faced with two courses, one worldly and the other for the hereafter, choosing the latter over the former. These are the states of one who loves God Most High, is sincere in dealing with God, mighty and majestic is He, and desires what is with God, blessed and exalted is He.

وَالْحَدِيثُ الثَّالِثُ قَوْلُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا يَكْمُلُ إِيمَانُ أَحَدِكُمْ حَتَّى يَكُونَ فِيهِ ثَلَاثُ خِصَالٍ؛ مَنْ إِذَا غَضِبَ لَمْ يُخْرِجْهُ غَضَبُهُ عَنْ حَقٍّ، وَإِذَا رَضِيَ لَمْ يُدْخِلْهُ رِضَاهُ فِي بَاطِلٍ، وَإِذَا قَدَرَ لَمْ يَتَنَاوَلْ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ، فَهَذِهِ تَجْمَعُ أَحْوَالَ الْعَدْلِ وَالْفَضْلِ وَالْمُرَاقَبَةِ وَالزُّهْدِ، وَهِيَ أُصُولُ الْمَقَامَاتِ.

wa-al-ḥadīthu al-thālithu qawluhu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā yakmulu ʾīmānu ʾaḥadikum ḥattā yakūna fīhi thalāthu khiṣālin; man ʾidhā ghaḍiba lam yukhrijhu ghaḍabuhu ʿan ḥaqqin, waʾidhā raḍiya lam yudkhilhu riḍāhu fī bāṭilin, waʾidhā qadara lam yatanāwal mā laysa lahu, fa-hādhihi tajmaʿu ʾaḥwāla al-ʿadli wa-al-faḍli wa-al-murāqabati wa-al-zuhdi, wahiya ʾuṣūlu al-maqāmāti.

The third report is his saying, may God bless him and grant him peace: “None of you has complete faith until he possesses three qualities: when angry, his anger does not draw him away from what is right; when pleased, his pleasure does not lead him into falsehood; and when able, he does not take what is not his.” These encompass the states of justice, generosity, watchfulness, and renunciation, which are the foundations of the stations.

وَيُشْبِهُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ قَوْلُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ الرَّابِعِ: ثَلَاثٌ مَنْ أُوتِيَهُنَّ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ آلُ دَاوُدَ، الْعَدْلُ فِي الرِّضَا وَالْغَضَبِ، وَالْقَصْدُ فِي

wayushbihu hādhā al-ḥadītha qawluhu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī al-ḥadīthi al-rābiʿi: thalāthun man ʾūtiyahunna faqad ʾūtiya mithla mā ʾūtiya ʾālu dāwūda, al-ʿadlu fī al-riḍā wa-al-ghaḍabi, wa-al-qaṣdu fī

Similar to this is his saying, may God bless him and grant him peace, in a fourth report: “Whoever is given three things has been given the like of what the House of David received: justice in pleasure and anger, moderation in

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٢٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 123

Volume Two, page 123

الْغِنَى وَالْفَقْرِ وَخَشْيَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي السِّرِّ وَالْعَلَانِيَةِ، وَتَفْسِيرُ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ قَبْلُ مِنْ أَنَّ هَذِهِ الْمَقَامَاتِ مُرْتَبِطَةٌ بَعْضُهَا بِبَعْضٍ، وَأَنَّ مَنْ أُعْطِيَ حَقِيقَةً مِنْ أَحَدِهَا أُعْطِيَ جَمِيعَهَا حَالًا، إِذْ يَجْمَعُ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ الْإِيمَانُ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى، لِيَتُوبَ الْعَبْدُ إِلَى مَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ، وَإِلَى مَا آمَنَ بِهِ مِنَ الْوَعْدِ وَمَا آمَنَ بِهِ مِنَ الْوَعِيدِ، لِيَحِقَّ إِيمَانُهُ وَيَصِحَّ يَقِينُهُ، وَلِيَسْتَقِيمَ تَوْحِيدُهُ.

al-ghinā wa-al-faqri wakhashyatu Allāhi taʿālā fī al-sirri wa-al-ʿalāniyati, watafsīru mā dhakarnāhu qablu min ʾanna hādhihi al-maqāmāti murtabiṭatun baʿḍuhā bibaʿḍin, waʾanna man ʾuʿṭiya ḥaqīqatan min ʾaḥadihā ʾuʿṭiya jamīʿahā ḥālan, ʾidh yajmaʿu dhālika kullahu al-ʾīmānu bi-Allāhi taʿālā, liyatūba al-ʿabdu ʾilā man ʾāmana bihi, waʾilā mā ʾāmana bihi mina al-waʿdi wamā ʾāmana bihi mina al-waʿīdi, liyaḥiqqa ʾīmānuhu wayaṣiḥḥa yaqīnuhu, waliyastaqīma tawḥīduhu.

wealth and poverty, and fear of God Most High in private and in public.” Here is the explanation of what we said earlier: these stations are interconnected, and anyone granted the reality of one is granted them all as a state, since faith in God Most High encompasses everything. The servant turns in repentance to the One in whom he believes, and to the promise and threat in which he believes, so that his faith becomes true, his certainty sound, and his affirmation of divine oneness upright.

كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَمَنْ تَابَ مَعَكَ) هُودٌ: 112، وَقَالَ: فَآمَنَ لَهُ لُوطٌ وَقَالَ إِنِّي مُهَاجِرٌ إِلَى رَبِّي، فَذَهَبَ إِلَيْهِ لَمَّا آمَنَ بِهِ، وَهُوَ الرُّجُوعُ وَهِيَ التَّوْبَةُ، ثُمَّ يَزْهَدُ فِيمَا تَابَ مِنْهُ مِنْ هَوَاهُ لِتَصِحَّ تَوْبَتُهُ وَتَخْلُصَ نِيَّتُهُ، فَيَكُونَ نَصُوحًا.

kamā qāla taʿālā: ʾinna alladhīna qālū rabbunā Allāhu thumma istaqāmū, waqāla taʿālā: (fa-staqim kamā ʾumirta waman tāba maʿaka) hūdun: 112, waqāla: faʾāmana lahu lūṭun waqāla ʾinnī muhājirun ʾilā rabbī, fadhahaba ʾilayhi lammā ʾāmana bihi, wahuwa al-rujūʿu wahiya al-tawbatu, thumma yazhadu fīmā tāba minhu min hawāhu litaṣiḥḥa tawbatuhu watakhluṣa niyyatuhu, fayakūna naṣūḥan.

As the Exalted said: “Those who say, ‘Our Lord is God,’ and then remain steadfast” (Fuṣṣilat 41:30). The Exalted also said, “Remain steadfast as you have been commanded, together with those who have repented with you” (Hūd 11:112), and, “Lot believed in him, and he said, ‘I am emigrating to my Lord’” (al-ʿAnkabūt 29:26). He went to Him when he believed in Him: this is returning, which is repentance. Then he renounces the desire from which he repented, so that his repentance becomes sound and his intention pure, making him sincerely repentant.

كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: (مَا عِنْدَكُمْ يَنْفَدُ وَمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ بَاقٍ) النَّحْلُ: 96، وَقَالَ: وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى، وَقَالَ: وَشَرَوْهُ بِثَمَنٍ بَخْسٍ دَرَاهِمَ مَعْدُودَةٍ وَكَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ، لَمَّا أَخْرَجُوهُ مِنْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَرَكُوهُ وَتَابُوا إِلَى أَبِيهِمْ وَزَهِدُوا فِيهِ، ثُمَّ يَصْبِرُ عَمَّا زَهِدَ فِيهِ لِيَحِقَّ زُهْدُهُ، كَمَا قَالَ: وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ، وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (وَلِرَبِّكَ فَاصْبِرْ) الْمُدَّثِّرُ: 7.

kamā qāla taʿālā: (mā ʿindakum yanfadu wamā ʿinda Allāhi bāqin) al-naḥlu: 96, waqāla: wa-al-ʾākhiratu khayrun waʾabqā, waqāla: washarawhu bithamanin bakhsin darāhima maʿdūdatin wakānū fīhi mina al-zāhidīna, lammā ʾakhrajūhu min ʾaydīhim watarakūhu watābū ʾilā ʾabīhim wazahidū fīhi, thumma yaṣbiru ʿammā zahida fīhi liyaḥiqqa zuhduhu, kamā qāla: watawāṣaw bi-al-ḥaqqi watawāṣaw bi-al-ṣabri, waqāla ʿazza wajalla: (walirabbika fa-ṣbir) al-muddaththiru: 7.

As the Exalted said, “What you possess runs out, while what is with God remains” (al-Naḥl 16:96), and, “The hereafter is better and more lasting” (al-Aʿlā 87:17). He also said, “They sold him for a paltry price, a few counted dirhams, having little interest in him” (Yūsuf 12:20): they relinquished him, left him, returned to their father, and had no desire for him. Then the servant patiently abstains from what he has renounced, so that his renunciation becomes real, as He said: “They counsel one another to truth and to patience” (al-ʿAṣr 103:3), and, mighty and majestic is He, “Be patient for your Lord” (al-Muddaththir 74:7).

ثُمَّ يَشْكُرُ عَلَى مَا صَبَرَ عَنْهُ لِيَكْمُلَ صَبْرُهُ، كَمَا قَالَ: (لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ) الْكَهْفُ: 39، (وَمَا بِكُمْ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ) النَّحْلُ: 53، (وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 231، ثُمَّ يَرْجُو مَنْ شَكَرَ لَهُ لِيَزِيدَهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ فَيُعْطِيَهُ فَوْقَ سُؤْلِهِ بِحُسْنِ ظَنِّهِ بِهِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ) الزُّمَرُ: 9.

thumma yashkuru ʿalā mā ṣabara ʿanhu liyakmula ṣabruhu, kamā qāla: (lā quwwata ʾillā bi-Allāhi) al-kahfu: 39, (wamā bikum min niʿmatin famina Allāhi) al-naḥlu: 53, (wa-dhkurū niʿmata Allāhi ʿalaykum) al-baqaratu: 231, thumma yarjū man shakara lahu liyazīdahu min faḍlihi fayuʿṭiyahu fawqa suʾlihi biḥusni ẓannihi bihi, kamā qāla taʿālā: (wayarjū raḥmata rabbihi) al-zumaru: 9.

Then he gives thanks for what he has patiently abstained from, so that his patience becomes complete, as He said: “There is no power except through God” (al-Kahf 18:39), “Whatever blessing you possess comes from God” (al-Naḥl 16:53), and “Remember God's blessing upon you” (al-Baqara 2:231). Then he hopes in the One to whom he has given thanks, that He may increase His bounty to him and grant him more than he asks because of his good opinion of Him, as the Exalted said: “He hopes for his Lord's mercy” (al-Zumar 39:9).

وَقَدْ ذَمَّ مَنْ أَيِسَ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ بِقَوْلِهِ: وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَؤُوسٌ كَفُورٌ، ثُمَّ يَخَافُ فَوْتَ مَا رَجَا وَيَخَافُ مِنْ تَقْصِيرِهِ فِي الشُّكْرِ لِمَا أَوْلَى، لِتَحِقَّ غِبْطَتُهُ بِرَجَائِهِ وَيَتِمَّ إِشْفَاقُهُ مِنْ تَبْدِيلِ الْآيَةِ وَيَخَافُ نُقْصَانَ الْمَزِيدِ، كَمَا قَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ: (يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا) السَّجْدَةُ: 16، وَقَالَ مُخْبِرًا عَنْ أَوْلِيَائِهِ: إِنَّا كُنَّا قَبْلُ فِي أَهْلِنَا مُشْفِقِينَ فَمَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا.

waqad dhamma man ʾayisa min raḥmatihi biqawlihi: walaʾin ʾadhaqnā al-ʾinsāna minnā raḥmatan thumma nazaʿnāhā minhu ʾinnahu layaʾūsun kafūrun, thumma yakhāfu fawta mā rajā wayakhāfu min taqṣīrihi fī al-shukri limā ʾawlā, litaḥiqqa ghibṭatuhu birajāʾihi wayatimma ʾishfāquhu min tabdīli al-ʾāyati wayakhāfu nuqṣāna al-mazīdi, kamā qāla subḥānahu: (yadʿūna rabbahum khawfan waṭamaʿan) al-sajdatu: 16, waqāla mukhbiran ʿan ʾawliyāʾihi: ʾinnā kunnā qablu fī ʾahlinā mushfiqīna famanna Allāhu ʿalaynā.

He censured those who despair of His mercy, saying, “If We let the human being taste mercy from Us and then withdraw it, he becomes despairing and ungrateful” (Hūd 11:9). Then the servant fears losing what he hoped for and fears his own failure to thank Him for what He has bestowed, so that his joy in hope becomes real, his apprehension of a changed sign complete, and he fears a diminution of the increase. As the Glorified said, “They call upon their Lord in fear and hope” (al-Sajda 32:16). Reporting His friends' words, He said: “Previously, among our families, we were apprehensive, and God bestowed His favor upon us” (al-Ṭūr 52:26–27).

وَقَدْ عَابَ اللَّهُ مَنْ فَرِحَ بِمَا أَظْهَرَ لَهُ وَفَخَرَ بِمَا أُوتِيَ وَأَمِنَ عَوْدَ الْبَلَاءِ وَنَسِيَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ مُبْتَلَى، فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَاهُ نَعْمَاءَ بَعْدَ ضَرَّاءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ ذَهَبَ السَّيِّئَاتُ عَنِّي إِنَّهُ لَفَرِحٌ فَخُورٌ، ثُمَّ يَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَى مَنْ خَافَهُ فَيُسَلِّمُ نَفْسَهُ إِلَيْهِ وَيَسْتَسْلِمُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ أَنْ يَحْكُمَ فِيهِ مَا أَحَبَّ، لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَتَوَكَّلُوا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 23.

waqad ʿāba Allāhu man fariḥa bimā ʾaẓhara lahu wafakhara bimā ʾūtiya waʾamina ʿawda al-balāʾi wanasiya ʾannahu kāna mubtalā, fī qawlihi taʿālā: walaʾin ʾadhaqnāhu naʿmāʾa baʿda ḍarrāʾa massathu layaqūlanna dhahaba al-sayyiʾātu ʿannī ʾinnahu lafariḥun fakhūrun, thumma yatawakkalu ʿalā man khāfahu fayusallimu nafsahu ʾilayhi wayastaslimu bayna yadayhi ʾan yaḥkuma fīhi mā ʾaḥabba, liqawlihi taʿālā: (waʿalā Allāhi fatawakkalū ʾin kuntum muʾminīna) al-māʾidatu: 23.

God reproved the person who rejoices in what is shown to him, boasts of what he has received, feels safe from affliction's return, and forgets that he was tried. The Exalted said: “If We let him taste prosperity after hardship has touched him, he says, ‘Evils have left me!’ He is jubilant and boastful” (Hūd 11:10). Then the servant trusts the One he fears, entrusting himself to Him and submitting before Him to whatever judgment He wishes, because the Exalted said, “Put your trust in God if you are believers” (al-Māʾida 5:23).

وَقَوْلِهِ: نِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ، ثُمَّ يَرْضَى بِمَنْ تَوَكَّلَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَمَّنْ تَوَكَّلَ لَهُ لِعِلْمِهِ بِحِكْمَتِهِ الْبَالِغَةِ وَتَدْبِيرِهِ الْحَسَنِ، لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 119، وَلِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى:

waqawlihi: niʿma ʾajru al-ʿāmilīna alladhīna ṣabarū waʿalā rabbihim yatawakkalūna, thumma yarḍā biman tawakkala ʿalayhi waʿamman tawakkala lahu liʿilmihi biḥikmatihi al-bālighati watadbīrihi al-ḥasani, liqawlihi taʿālā: (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum waraḍū ʿanhu) al-māʾidatu: 119, waliqawlihi taʿālā:

And because He said, “Excellent is the reward of those who act, those who are patient and put their trust in their Lord” (al-ʿAnkabūt 29:58–59). Then he becomes content with the One upon whom he has relied and pleased with the One for whose sake he has relied, knowing His consummate wisdom and good governance, because the Exalted said, “God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him” (al-Māʾida 5:119), and because the Exalted said:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٢٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 124

Volume Two, page 124

(وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّهِ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 207، ثُمَّ يُحِبُّ مَنْ رَضِيَ بِهِ وَرَضِيَ عَنْهُ، إِذْ كَانَ قَدِ اخْتَارَهُ عَلَى مَا سِوَاهُ وَإِذْ صَارَ حَسْبَهُ لَمَّا رَآهُ، فَصَارَتْ هَذِهِ الْمَقَامَاتُ التِّسْعُ كَمَقَامٍ وَاحِدٍ، بَعْضُهَا مَنُوطٌ بِبَعْضٍ، وَدَلِيلُهَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى الْحَقُّ الْيَقِينُ النُّورُ الْمُبِينُ، الَّذِي لَا يَأْتِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْهَوَى، وَلَا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ مِنْ خَيْلِ الْأَعْدَاءِ.

(wamina al-nāsi man yashrī nafsahu ibtighāʾa marḍāti Allāhi) al-baqaratu: 207, thumma yuḥibbu man raḍiya bihi waraḍiya ʿanhu, ʾidh kāna qadi ikhtārahu ʿalā mā siwāhu waʾidh ṣāra ḥasbahu lammā raʾāhu, faṣārat hādhihi al-maqāmātu al-tisʿu kamaqāmin wāḥidin, baʿḍuhā manūṭun bibaʿḍin, wadalīluhā kitābu Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā al-ḥaqqu al-yaqīnu al-nūru al-mubīnu, alladhī lā yaʾtīhi al-bāṭilu min bayni yadayhi min ṭarīqi al-hawā, walā min khalfihi min khayli al-ʾaʿdāʾi.

“Among people is one who sells himself seeking God's pleasure” (al-Baqara 2:207). Then he loves the One whom he has accepted and with whom he is content, having chosen Him above all else and found Him sufficient when he saw Him. Thus these nine stations become like a single station, each connected to the others. Their proof is the Book of God, blessed and exalted is He, certain truth and manifest light, which falsehood cannot approach from before it by the path of desire or from behind it through the enemy's cavalry.

فَأَشْبَهَتْ دَعَائِمَ الْإِسْلَامِ الْخَمْسَ فِي مَقَامِ الْعُمُومِ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْإِسْلَامِ، إِذْ بَعْضُهَا مُرْتَبِطٌ بِبَعْضٍ كَهَذِهِ فِي مَقَامِ الْخُصُوصِ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ، ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ بَعْدَ مَقَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ إِلَى حَالِ الرِّضَا قُوَّةً فَقُوَّةً، ثُمَّ يَتَرَدَّدُ فِي مَقَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ رُتْبَةً رُتْبَةً، وَلَيْسَ فَوْقَ حَالِ الرِّضَا مَقَامٌ يُعْرَفُ، وَلَا فَوْقَ مَقَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ حَالٌ يُوصَفُ، وَهُمَا مُوجَبُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَمُنْتَهَاهَا الْمَعْرُوفُ وَقَرَارُهَا الْمَأْلُوفُ.

faʾashbahat daʿāʾima al-ʾislāmi al-khamsa fī maqāmi al-ʿumūmi min ṭarīqi al-ʾislāmi, ʾidh baʿḍuhā murtabiṭun bibaʿḍin ka-hādhihi fī maqāmi al-khuṣūṣi min ṭarīqi al-muqarrabīna, thumma yarjiʿu baʿda maqāmi al-maḥabbati ʾilā ḥāli al-riḍā quwwatan faquwwatan, thumma yataraddadu fī maqāmi al-maḥabbati rutbatan rutbatan, walaysa fawqa ḥāli al-riḍā maqāmun yuʿrafu, walā fawqa maqāmi al-maḥabbati ḥālun yūṣafu, wahumā mūjabu al-maʿrifati wamuntahāhā al-maʿrūfu waqarāruhā al-maʾlūfu.

They resemble Islam's five pillars in the station of the generality on the path of Islam, for those are interconnected just as these are in the station of the elect on the path of those brought near. After the station of love, he returns to the state of contentment, strength upon strength, then moves within the station of love, rank after rank. No station is known above contentment's state, and no state can be described above love's station. Both arise from knowledge; its ultimate end is the One known, and its resting place is the One intimately familiar.

وَإِنَّ إِلَى رَبِّكَ الْمُنْتَهَى، إِلَى رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمُسْتَقَرُّ، فَلَيْسَ لِلرِّضَا نِهَايَةٌ إِذْ لَيْسَ لِلْمَحْبُوبِ غَايَةٌ، وَإِنَّ الرِّضَا مَزِيدُ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَلَيْسَ لِلْحُبِّ نِهَايَةٌ لِأَنَّهُ عَنِ الْوَصْفِ وَلَا غَايَةَ لِلصِّفَاتِ، وَلَيْسَ لِطَلَبِ الْمُحِبِّ حَدٌّ لِأَنَّهُ عَنِ الْقُرْبِ، وَلَا غَايَةَ لِلْقُرْبِ لِأَنَّهُ عَنْ وَصْفِ قَرِيبٍ، وَلَا حَدَّ لِقُرْبٍ.

waʾinna ʾilā rabbika al-muntahā, ʾilā rabbika yawmaʾidhin al-mustaqarru, falaysa li-l-riḍā nihāyatun ʾidh laysa li-l-maḥbūbi ghāyatun, waʾinna al-riḍā mazīdu ʾahli al-jannati fī al-jannati, walaysa li-l-ḥubbi nihāyatun liʾannahu ʿani al-waṣfi walā ghāyata li-l-ṣifāti, walaysa liṭalabi al-muḥibbi ḥaddun liʾannahu ʿani al-qurbi, walā ghāyata li-l-qurbi liʾannahu ʿan waṣfi qarībin, walā ḥadda liqurbin.

“To your Lord is the final end” (al-Najm 53:42), and “With your Lord that day is the resting place” (al-Qiyāma 75:12). Contentment has no end because the Beloved has no limit. Contentment is the increase granted to Paradise's people within Paradise. Love has no end because it arises from the attribute, and the attributes have no limit. The lover's seeking has no boundary because it arises from nearness. Nearness has no limit because it comes from the attribute of One who is near; there is no boundary to nearness.

فَيَتَرَافَعُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ فِي الْحُبِّ مَقَامَاتٍ عَلَى تَجَلِّي الْحَبِيبِ بِمَعَانِي الصِّفَاتِ، وَيَتَزَايَدُ الرِّضْوَانُ فِي الرِّضَا دَرَجَاتٍ حَسَبَ تَعَالِيهِمْ فِي عُلُوِّ الْمُشَاهَدَاتِ، وَيَتَعَالَى أَهْلُ عِلِّيِّينَ فِي الْعُلُوِّ غَايَاتٍ عَلَى قَدْرِ أَنْصِبَتِهِمْ مِنْ قُوَّةِ الْإِيمَانِ وَصَفَاءِ الْيَقِينِ.

fayatarāfaʿu al-muʾminūna fī al-ḥubbi maqāmātin ʿalā tajallī al-ḥabībi bimaʿānī al-ṣifāti, wayatazāyadu al-riḍwānu fī al-riḍā darajātin ḥasaba taʿālīhim fī ʿuluwwi al-mushāhadāti, wayataʿālā ʾahlu ʿilliyyīna fī al-ʿuluwwi ghāyātin ʿalā qadri ʾanṣibatihim min quwwati al-ʾīmāni waṣafāʾi al-yaqīni.

Believers rise through stations of love as the Beloved reveals Himself through the meanings of the attributes. Divine pleasure increases through degrees of contentment in proportion to their ascent in lofty contemplations. The people of ʿIlliyyīn rise ever higher according to their shares in faith's strength and certainty's purity.

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ) آلُ عِمْرَانَ: 139، فَأَعْطَاهُمْ مِنْ مَعَانِي وَصْفِهِ الْعُلُوَّ، ثُمَّ وَصَفَ نَصِيبَهُمْ بِوَصْفِهِمْ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ كِتَابَ الْأَبْرَارِ لَفِي عِلِّيِّينَ، وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ.

qāla Allāhu taʿālā: (waʾantumu al-ʾaʿlawna ʾin kuntum muʾminīna) ʾālu ʿimrāna: 139, faʾaʿṭāhum min maʿānī waṣfihi al-ʿuluwwa, thumma waṣafa naṣībahum biwaṣfihim faqāla: ʾinna kitāba al-ʾabrāri lafī ʿilliyyīna, wamā ʾadrāka mā ʿilliyyūna.

God Most High said, “You are the highest, if you are believers” (Āl ʿImrān 3:139), granting them elevation among the meanings of His attribute. Then He described their allotted place through their own quality, saying, “The record of the righteous is in ʿIlliyyīn. What will make you understand what ʿIlliyyūn is?” (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:18–19).

فَعِلِّيُّونَ لَا نِهَايَةَ لَهُ فِي الْعُلُوِّ إِذْ هُوَ مِنْ أَسْمَاءِ الْمُبَالَغَةِ فِي الْوَصْفِ، وَقِيلَ: إِنَّهُ اسْمٌ لَا وَاحِدَ لَهُ مِنْ جِنْسِهِ، فَهُوَ عَلِيٌّ فِي عُلُوِّهِمْ يَعْلُو بِهِمْ أَبَدًا فِي عُلُوِّ عُلُوِّهِمْ فِي دَارِ الْأَبَدِ، وَهُمْ أَعْلَوْنَ لِأَنَّ الْأَعْلَى مَعَهُمْ، فَهُمْ يَعْلُونَ بِهِ، وَعِلِّيُّونَ يَعْلُو بِهِمْ هَذَا كُلُّهُ لِأَنَّهُ مَعَهُمْ، كَمَا قَالَ: وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ.

faʿilliyyūna lā nihāyata lahu fī al-ʿuluwwi ʾidh huwa min ʾasmāʾi al-mubālaghati fī al-waṣfi, waqīla: ʾinnahu ismun lā wāḥida lahu min jinsihi, fahuwa ʿaliyyun fī ʿuluwwihim yaʿlū bihim ʾabadan fī ʿuluwwi ʿuluwwihim fī dāri al-ʾabadi, wahum ʾaʿlawna liʾanna al-ʾaʿlā maʿahum, fahum yaʿlūna bihi, waʿilliyyūna yaʿlū bihim hādhā kulluhu liʾannahu maʿahum, kamā qāla: waʾantumu al-ʾaʿlawna wa-Allāhu maʿakum.

ʿIlliyyūn has no limit in height, since its name intensifies the quality it describes. It is also said to be a noun with no singular of its own form. It is lofty within their elevation and raises them forever in the ever higher height of their ascent, in the abode of eternity. They are highest because the Most High is with them; through Him they ascend, and ʿIlliyyūn rises with them. All this is because He is with them, as He said: “You are the highest, and God is with you” (Muḥammad 47:35).

فَالرِّضَا الْأَوَّلُ الَّذِي هُوَ قَبْلَ الْمَحَبَّةِ مَقَامُ التَّوَكُّلِ، وَحَالُ الْمُحِبِّ الْمَحْبُوبِ حَالُهُ، وَالرِّضَا الثَّانِي الَّذِي يَكُونُ بَعْدَ الْمَحَبَّةِ مَقَامُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، وَحَالُ الْمَحْبُوبِ التَّوَكُّلُ حَالُهُ، وَالْمَحَبَّةُ مِنْ أَشْرَفِ الْمَقَامَاتِ لَيْسَ فَوْقَهَا إِلَّا مَقَامُ الْخُلَّةِ، وَهُوَ مَقَامٌ فِي الْمَعْرِفَةِ الْخَاصَّةِ وَهِيَ تَخَلُّلُ أَسْرَارِ الْغَيْبِ، فَيَطَّلِعُ عَلَى مُشَاهَدَةِ الْمَحْبُوبِ بِأَنْ يُعْطَى حِيطَةً بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ عَلَى مَشِيئَتِهِ الَّتِي لَا تَنْقَلِبُ، وَعِلْمِهِ الْقَدِيمِ الَّذِي لَا يَتَغَيَّرُ.

fa-al-riḍā al-ʾawwalu alladhī huwa qabla al-maḥabbati maqāmu al-tawakkuli, waḥālu al-muḥibbi al-maḥbūbi ḥāluhu, wa-al-riḍā al-thānī alladhī yakūnu baʿda al-maḥabbati maqāmu al-maʿrifati, waḥālu al-maḥbūbi al-tawakkulu ḥāluhu, wa-al-maḥabbatu min ʾashrafi al-maqāmāti laysa fawqahā ʾillā maqāmu al-khullati, wahuwa maqāmun fī al-maʿrifati al-khāṣṣati wahiya takhallulu ʾasrāri al-ghaybi, fayaṭṭaliʿu ʿalā mushāhadati al-maḥbūbi biʾan yuʿṭā ḥīṭatan bishayʾin min ʿilmihi bimashīʾatihi ʿalā mashīʾatihi allatī lā tanqalibu, waʿilmihi al-qadīmi alladhī lā yataghayyaru.

The first contentment, which precedes love, is the station of trust; its state is that of the lover who is beloved. The second contentment, which follows love, is the station of knowledge and the beloved's state; trust is its state. Love is among the noblest stations, surpassed only by intimate friendship. This is a station within special knowledge, a permeation of the secrets of the unseen. A person gains access to contemplation of the Beloved by being granted, through His will, an encompassing knowledge of something of His knowledge, concerning His unchanging will and His eternal knowledge that never alters.

وَفِي هَذَا الْمَقَامِ الْإِشْرَافُ عَلَى بِحَارِ الْغُيُوبِ وَسَرَائِرِ مَا كَانَ فِي الْقَدِيمِ وَعَوَاقِبِ مَا يَؤُوبُ، وَمِنْهُ مُكَاشَفَةُ الْعَبْدِ بِحَالِهِ وَإِشْهَادُهُ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ مَقَامَهُ، وَالْإِشْرَافُ عَلَى مَقَامَاتِ الْعِبَادِ مِنَ الْمَآلِ وَالِاطِّلَاعُ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي تَقَلُّبِهِمْ فِي الْأَبَدِ حَالًا فَحَالًا، وَقَدْ ذَكَرَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ الْبِسْطَامِيُّ وَأَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ سَهْلٌ أَنَّهُمَا أُقِيمَا فِي هَذَا الْمَقَامِ، وَوَصَفَا حَالَيْهِمَا مِنْهُ، وَقَدْ كَانَ لِشَقِيقٍ وَابْنِ أَدْهَمَ الْبَلْخِيَّيْنِ مُطَالَعَاتٌ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي، وَقَدْ سُلِكَ

wafī hādhā al-maqāmi al-ʾishrāfu ʿalā biḥāri al-ghuyūbi wasarāʾiri mā kāna fī al-qadīmi waʿawāqibi mā yaʾūbu, waminhu mukāshafatu al-ʿabdi biḥālihi waʾishhāduhu mina al-maḥabbati maqāmahu, wa-al-ʾishrāfu ʿalā maqāmāti al-ʿibādi mina al-maʾāli wa-al-iṭṭilāʿu ʿalayhim fī taqallubihim fī al-ʾabadi ḥālan faḥālan, waqad dhakara ʾabū yazīda al-bisṭāmiyyu waʾabū muḥammadin sahlun ʾannahumā ʾuqīmā fī hādhā al-maqāmi, wawaṣafā ḥālayhimā minhu, waqad kāna lishaqīqin wa-bni ʾadhama al-balkhiyyayni muṭālaʿātun fī hādhihi al-maʿānī, waqad sulika

This station includes surveying the seas of unseen things, the secrets of what was in eternity past, and the ultimate outcomes of what returns. It includes the servant's state being unveiled to him, his station in love being shown to him, surveying servants' final stations, and seeing their transformations throughout eternity, state after state. Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī and Abū Muḥammad Sahl said that they had been established in this station and described their states within it. Shaqīq and Ibn Adham, the two men of Balkh, also received disclosures of these meanings. Along this path was led

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٢٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 125

Volume Two, page 125

بِأَبِي الْفَيْضِ فِي هَذَا الطَّرِيقِ، فَظَهَرَ عَلَى مَا فِيهِ مِمَّا يَبْهَرُ مَنْ رَأَى انْقِلَابَ الْأَعْيَانِ وَتَبْصِرَةً بِعَظِيمِ الْعِيَانِ، وَهَذَا مَحْجُوبٌ عَنْ أَوْهَامِ الْقُلُوبِ بِعُقُولِهَا، وَمُسْتَقِرٌّ فِي جُبِّ غَيَابَةِ الْقُلُوبِ بِأَرْوَاحِهَا، فَإِذَا خَرَجَتِ النَّفْسُ مِنَ الرُّوحِ فَكَانَ رُوحَانِيًّا خُرُوجَ اللَّيْلِ مِنَ النَّهَارِ تَنَفَّسَ الْمَكْرُوبُ، وَإِذَا خَلَا الْعَقْلُ عَنِ الْقَلْبِ فَكَانَ رَبَّانِيًّا انْفَرَجَتِ الْكُرُوبُ.

biʾabī al-fayḍi fī hādhā al-ṭarīqi, faẓahara ʿalā mā fīhi mimmā yabharu man raʾā inqilāba al-ʾaʿyāni watabṣiratan biʿaẓīmi al-ʿiyāni, wa-hādhā maḥjūbun ʿan ʾawhāmi al-qulūbi biʿuqūlihā, wamustaqirrun fī jubbi ghayābati al-qulūbi biʾarwāḥihā, faʾidhā kharajati al-nafsu mina al-rūḥi fakāna rūḥāniyyan khurūja al-layli mina al-nahāri tanaffasa al-makrūbu, waʾidhā khalā al-ʿaqlu ʿani al-qalbi fakāna rabbāniyyan infarajati al-kurūbu.

Abū al-Fayḍ, who gained access to what it contains: things that dazzle those who behold transformations of material realities and illumination through mighty direct vision. This is veiled from hearts' imaginings through their intellects and lodged within the pit of hearts' hidden depths through their spirits. When the self departs from the spirit, as night departs from day, and the person becomes spiritual, the distressed one breathes freely. When intellect leaves the heart and the person becomes godly, distress is dispelled.

كَمَا قَالَ الْعَارِفُ: بِحَيَاتِي يَا حَيَاتِي ... لَا تُبْعِدْ قُرُبَاتِي. أَخْرِجِ النَّفْسَ مِنَ الرُّو ... حِ وَرَوِّحْ كُرُبَاتِي. وَقَدْ قَالَ أَحْسَنُ الْقَائِلِينَ: (وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 255، وَالِاسْتِثْنَاءُ وَاقِعٌ عَلَى إِعْطَاءِ الْحِيطَةِ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ شَهَادَةِ عِلْمِهِ، بِنُورٍ ثَاقِبٍ مِنْ وَصْفِهِ وَشُعَاعٍ لَائِحٍ مِنْ سُبْحَتِهِ إِذْ شَاءَ.

kamā qāla al-ʿārifu: biḥayātī yā ḥayātī ... lā tubʿid qurubātī. ʾakhriji al-nafsa mina al-rū ... ḥi warawwiḥ kurubātī. waqad qāla ʾaḥsanu al-qāʾilīna: (walā yuḥīṭūna bishayʾin min ʿilmihi ʾillā bimā shāʾa) al-baqaratu: 255, wa-al-istithnāʾu wāqiʿun ʿalā ʾiʿṭāʾi al-ḥīṭati bishayʾin min shahādati ʿilmihi, binūrin thāqibin min waṣfihi washuʿāʿin lāʾiḥin min subḥatihi ʾidh shāʾa.

As the knower said: “By my life, O my life, do not put my nearness far away. Draw the self out of the spirit and ease my sorrows.” The Best of Speakers said, “They encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills” (al-Baqara 2:255). The exception concerns granting an encompassing grasp of something witnessed of His knowledge, through a penetrating light from His attribute and a gleaming ray from His splendor, whenever He wills.

وَهَذَا مَعْنًى مِنْ سِرِّ التَّوْحِيدِ لَا يَكْشِفُهُ إِلَّا عَيْنُ الْيَقِينِ، وَلَا نُظْهِرُهُ حَتَّى يَظْهَرَ لَنَا مِنْهُ عَارِفٌ مَا عَلَيْهِ قَدْ أُوقِفَ، وَمَا مِنْهُ بِهِ قَدْ كُوشِفَ، فَحِينَئِذٍ يَقَعُ الْعَيْنُ عَلَى الْعَيْنِ وَيُضِيءُ الْكَوْكَبُ الدُّرِّيُّ فِي جَوْهَرِ مِشْكَاةِ الْقَلْبِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ لِلشَّيْخِ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ بْنِ سَالِمٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنْ هَذَا الطَّرِيقِ مُشَاهَدَاتٌ وَمُطَالَعَاتٌ وَسِيَاحَاتٌ فِي الْغُيُوبِ، وَجَرَيَانٌ فِي الْآخِرِيَّاتِ.

wa-hādhā maʿnan min sirri al-tawḥīdi lā yakshifuhu ʾillā ʿaynu al-yaqīni, walā nuẓhiruhu ḥattā yaẓhara lanā minhu ʿārifun mā ʿalayhi qad ʾūqifa, wamā minhu bihi qad kūshifa, faḥīnaʾidhin yaqaʿu al-ʿaynu ʿalā al-ʿayni wayuḍīʾu al-kawkabu al-durriyyu fī jawhari mishkāti al-qalbi, waqad kāna li-l-shaykhi ʾabī al-ḥasani bni sālimin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā min hādhā al-ṭarīqi mushāhadātun wamuṭālaʿātun wasiyāḥātun fī al-ghuyūbi, wajarayānun fī al-ʾākhiriyyāti.

This is a meaning within the secret of divine oneness, unveiled only by direct certainty. We do not disclose it until someone appears to us who knows what he has been shown of it and what has been unveiled to him through it. Then eye meets eye, and the radiant star shines within the substance of the heart's niche. Through this path Shaykh Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Sālim, may God Most High have mercy on him, received contemplations and disclosures, journeys through unseen things, and passage through the realities of the hereafter.

وَانْقَلَبَتْ لَهُ الْأَعْيَانُ وَظَهَرَ لَهُ الْعِيَانُ، وَطُوِيَ لَهُ الْمَكَانُ وَرَأَى أَلْفَ وَلِيٍّ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَحَمَلَ عَنْ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ عِلْمًا، ثُمَّ انْقَطَعَ الطَّرِيقُ بَعْدَ فَقْدِهِ وَعَفَا الْأَثَرُ وَدَرَسَ الْخَبَرُ، ثُمَّ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ بِمَا هُوَ صَانِعٌ بِهَذَا الطَّرِيقِ وَأَهْلِهِ، هَلْ يُنْشِئُ لَهُ أَهْلًا وَيَنْهَجُ لَهُ غَامِضَاتِ الطَّرِيقِ طَرِيقًا أَمْ يَطْوِيهِمْ فِي طَيِّ طَرِيقِهِمْ وَيُخْفِي طَرِيقَهُمْ فِي خَفَاءِ الْمَوْجِ الْغَامِضِ فِي غَامِضَاتِ الْعِلْمِ السَّابِقِ؟

wa-nqalabat lahu al-ʾaʿyānu waẓahara lahu al-ʿiyānu, waṭuwiya lahu al-makānu waraʾā ʾalfa waliyyin li-llāhi taʿālā, waḥamala ʿan kulli wāḥidin ʿilman, thumma inqaṭaʿa al-ṭarīqu baʿda faqdihi waʿafā al-ʾatharu wadarasa al-khabaru, thumma Allāhu taʿālā ʾaʿlamu bimā huwa ṣāniʿun bi-hādhā al-ṭarīqi waʾahlihi, hal yunshiʾu lahu ʾahlan wayanhaju lahu ghāmiḍāti al-ṭarīqi ṭarīqan ʾam yaṭwīhim fī ṭayyi ṭarīqihim wayukhfī ṭarīqahum fī khafāʾi al-mawji al-ghāmiḍi fī ghāmiḍāti al-ʿilmi al-sābiqi?

Material realities were transformed for him, direct vision appeared to him, space was folded up for him, and he saw a thousand friends of God Most High, receiving knowledge from each one. After his loss, the path was cut off, its traces faded, and its account was effaced. God Most High knows best what He will do with this path and its people: will He bring forth people for it and lay out a way through its hidden reaches, or fold them away within their path and conceal their path within the obscurity of the hidden wave, amid the obscurities of prior knowledge?

نَقُولُ فِي ذَلِكَ كَمَا قَالَ إِمَامُ الْأَئِمَّةِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، كَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَهُ، بَعْدَ إِذْ ذَكَرَ فِي خُطْبَتِهِ قِيَامَ السَّاعَةِ وَاسْتِقْرَارَ أَهْلِ الدَّارَيْنِ فِيهِمَا، قَالَ: ثُمَّ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا هُوَ صَانِعٌ بِالدُّنْيَا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، فَهَذَا مِنْ سِرِّ السِّرِّ الَّذِي أَوْدَعَهُ صَاحِبُ الْأَمْرِ، وَلَيْسَ فَوْقَ الْخُلَّةِ مَقَامٌ إِلَّا دَرَجَةُ النُّبُوَّةِ، وَهُوَ مَحْجُوبٌ عَنِ الْقُلُوبِ كَحِجَابِ هَذَا الْمَقَامِ مِنَ الْخُلَّةِ عَنْ قُلُوبِ الْعُمُومِ.

naqūlu fī dhālika kamā qāla ʾimāmu al-ʾaʾimmati ʿaliyyu bnu ʾabī ṭālibin, karrama Allāhu wajhahu, baʿda ʾidh dhakara fī khuṭbatihi qiyāma al-sāʿati wa-stiqrāra ʾahli al-dārayni fīhimā, qāla: thumma Allāhu ʾaʿlamu bimā huwa ṣāniʿun bi-al-dunyā baʿda dhālika, fa-hādhā min sirri al-sirri alladhī ʾawdaʿahu ṣāḥibu al-ʾamri, walaysa fawqa al-khullati maqāmun ʾillā darajatu al-nubuwwati, wahuwa maḥjūbun ʿani al-qulūbi kaḥijābi hādhā al-maqāmi mina al-khullati ʿan qulūbi al-ʿumūmi.

We say of this what the imam of imams, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, may God honor his face, said after speaking in a sermon of the Hour's arising and the inhabitants of the two abodes settling within them: “Then God knows best what He will do with the world afterward.” This belongs to the secret of the secret entrusted by the Master of the command. Above intimate friendship there is no station except the degree of prophethood. It is veiled from hearts as this station of intimate friendship is veiled from ordinary hearts.

فَهَذَا لَا فَوْتَ فِيهِ لِأَنَّهُ دَرْكٌ مِنْهُ، وَلَا حُزْنَ عَلَيْهِ لِأَنَّهُ لَا نَصِيبَ عَنْهُ، وَلَٰكِنَّ مَقَامَ الْخُلَّةِ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا مَقَامَ مَحْبُوبٍ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ. وَمَا سَمِعْتُ مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ الْبَاطِنِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ الثَّاقِبَةِ رَسْمًا مِنْ عِلْمِ الْخُلَّةِ وَلَا مِنْ وَصْفِ مَحْبُوبِهِ شَيْئًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَلَا إِشَارَاتِهِ إِلَّا نُكَتًا فِي الْأَخْبَارِ وَلُمَعًا مِنَ الْآثَارِ.

fa-hādhā lā fawta fīhi liʾannahu darkun minhu, walā ḥuzna ʿalayhi liʾannahu lā naṣība ʿanhu, walākinna maqāma al-khullati lā yakūnu ʾillā maqāma maḥbūbin ʿalā kulli ḥālin. wamā samiʿtu min ʾaḥadin min ʾahli al-ʿilmi al-bāṭini wa-al-maʿrifati al-thāqibati rasman min ʿilmi al-khullati walā min waṣfi maḥbūbihi shayʾan fī kitābi Allāhi taʿālā, walā ʾishārātihi ʾillā nukatan fī al-ʾakhbāri walumaʿan mina al-ʾāthāri.

There is no loss in this, because attainment comes from it, and no grief over it, because there is no share from it. Yet the station of intimate friendship is always the station of someone beloved. I have heard from none of those possessing inward knowledge and penetrating recognition any delineation of the knowledge of intimate friendship, or anything describing His beloved in God Most High's Book, or its indications, except subtle points in reports and flashes in transmitted accounts.

أَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ كَلَامُ مَحْبُوبٍ مِنْ مَقَامِ خُلَّةٍ، وَلَٰكِنَّهُ مُسْتَوْدَعٌ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى الْمَكْنُونِ، وَغَامِضٌ مِنْ خِطَابِهِ الْمَصُونِ، وَمَخْبُوءٌ فِي سِرِّ آيَاتِهِ عَنِ الْقُلُوبِ وَالْعُيُونِ، وَكَاشَفَ بِهِ السَّاجِدِينَ، وَأَظْهَرَ عَلَيْهِ أَهْلَ السِّرِّ مِنَ الْعَارِفِينَ، أَلَّا يَسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي يُخْرِجُ الْخَبْءَ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَقَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: (قُلْ أَنْزَلَهُ الَّذِي يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ) الْفُرْقَانُ: 6.

ʾaʿlamu ʾannahu kalāmu maḥbūbin min maqāmi khullatin, walākinnahu mustawdaʿun fī kitābi Allāhi taʿālā al-maknūni, waghāmiḍun min khiṭābihi al-maṣūni, wamakhbūʾun fī sirri ʾāyātihi ʿani al-qulūbi wa-al-ʿuyūni, wakāshafa bihi al-sājidīna, waʾaẓhara ʿalayhi ʾahla al-sirri mina al-ʿārifīna, ʾallā yasjudū li-llāhi alladhī yukhriju al-khabʾa fī al-samawāti wa-al-ʾarḍi, waqawluhu taʿālā: (qul ʾanzalahu alladhī yaʿlamu al-sirra fī al-samawāti wa-al-ʾarḍi) al-furqānu: 6.

I know that this is the speech of a beloved from a station of intimate friendship. It is deposited within God Most High's concealed Book, obscure within His guarded address, and hidden in the secret of His verses from hearts and eyes. He unveils it to those who prostrate and reveals it to the possessors of the secret among those who know: “That they should not prostrate to God, who brings forth what is hidden in the heavens and the earth” (al-Naml 27:25), and His saying, exalted is He, “Say: He who knows the secret in the heavens and the earth sent it down” (al-Furqān 25:6).

وَقَدْ كَانَ الْحَسَنُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَرْوِي فِي الْخُلَّةِ أَخْبَارًا، مِنْهَا أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَوْحَى إِلَى بَعْضِ أَوْلِيَائِهِ: إِنَّمَا أَتَّخِذُ لِخُلَّتِي مَنْ لَا يَفْتُرُ عَنْ ذِكْرِي وَلَا يَكُونُ لَهُ غَيْرِي

waqad kāna al-ḥasanu raḥimahu Allāhu yarwī fī al-khullati ʾakhbāran, minhā ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla ʾawḥā ʾilā baʿḍi ʾawliyāʾihi: ʾinnamā ʾattakhidhu likhullatī man lā yafturu ʿan dhikrī walā yakūnu lahu ghayrī

Al-Ḥasan, may God have mercy on him, used to relate accounts about intimate friendship, including that God, mighty and majestic is He, revealed to one of His friends: “I take into My intimate friendship only someone who never slackens in remembering Me, who has no one but Me

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٢٦

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 126

Volume Two, page 126

وَلَا يُؤْثِرُ عَلَيَّ شَيْئًا مِنْ خَلْقِي، وَإِنْ حُرِّقَ بِالنَّارِ لَمْ يَجِدْ لِحَرْقِ النَّارِ وَجَعًا، وَإِنْ قُطِّعَ بِالْمَنَاشِيرِ لَمْ يَجِدْ لِلَمْسِ الْحَدِيدِ أَلَمًا. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنِ الْخَلِيلِ الْحَبِيبِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: تَحَابُّوا فِي اللَّهِ وَتَصَافَوْا وَتَبَاذَلُوا وَتَخَالَلُوا فِيهَا، وَلَيْسَ مِنْ كَرَمِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ عَبْدًا مِنْ عِبَادِهِ خَلِيلًا، فَنَبَّهَ أَنَّ الْخُلَّةَ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى كَانَتْ لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ عَنْ فَرْطِ كَرَمِهِ وَفَضْلِ آلَائِهِ.

walā yuʾthiru ʿalayya shayʾan min khalqī, waʾin ḥurriqa bi-al-nāri lam yajid liḥarqi al-nāri wajaʿan, waʾin quṭṭiʿa bi-al-manāshīri lam yajid lilamsi al-ḥadīdi ʾalaman. waqad rawaynā ʿani al-khalīli al-ḥabībi ʿalayhi al-salāmu ʾannahu qāla: taḥābbū fī Allāhi wataṣāfaw watabādhalū watakhālalū fīhā, walaysa min karami Allāhi taʿālā ʾan ʾattakhidha ʿabdan min ʿibādihi khalīlan, fanabbaha ʾanna al-khullata mina Allāhi taʿālā kānat liʾawliyāʾihi ʿan farṭi karamihi wafaḍli ʾālāʾihi.

and prefers nothing of My creation to Me. If burned with fire, he feels no pain from its burning; if cut with saws, he feels no pain from iron's touch.” We have related from the beloved intimate friend, peace be upon him, that he said: “Love one another in God, be pure toward one another, give freely to one another, and enter intimate friendship within it. It is not of God Most High's generosity that I should take one of His servants as an intimate friend.” He thus indicated that God Most High's intimate friendship with His friends arose from His abundant generosity and the profusion of His favors.

أَلْحَقَهُمْ بِكَرَامَتِهِ وَأَهَّلَهُمْ بِفَضْلِهِ لَهَا وَعَظَّمَهُمْ عَنْ نَصِيبِ تَعْظِيمِهِ فِيهَا، وَاللَّهُ الْوَاسِعُ الْكَرِيمُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ، إِذَا رَفَعَ عَبْدًا جَاوَزَ بِهِ الْحُدُودَ، وَإِذَا خَفَضَهُ وَضَعَهُ تَحْتَ الْمَحْدُودِ، وَقَدْ تَكَلَّمَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي مَقَامٍ مِنْ هَذَا وَقَدْ سُئِلَ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ: هُوَ غَايَةُ الْحُبِّ وَهُوَ مَقَامٌ عَزِيزٌ يَسْتَغْرِقُ الْعُقُولَ وَيُنْسِي النُّفُوسَ، وَهُوَ مِنْ أَعْلَى عِلْمِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى.

ʾalḥaqahum bikarāmatihi waʾahhalahum bifaḍlihi lahā waʿaẓẓamahum ʿan naṣībi taʿẓīmihi fīhā, wa-Allāhu al-wāsiʿu al-karīmu dhū al-faḍli al-ʿaẓīmi, ʾidhā rafaʿa ʿabdan jāwaza bihi al-ḥudūda, waʾidhā khafaḍahu waḍaʿahu taḥta al-maḥdūdi, waqad takallama al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā fī maqāmin min hādhā waqad suʾila ʿanhu faqāla: huwa ghāyatu al-ḥubbi wahuwa maqāmun ʿazīzun yastaghriqu al-ʿuqūla wayunsī al-nufūsa, wahuwa min ʾaʿlā ʿilmi al-maʿrifati bi-Allāhi taʿālā.

He joined them to His honor, qualified them for it through His bounty, and magnified them from their share in His magnification within it. God is all-embracing and generous, possessed of immense bounty. When He raises a servant, He carries him beyond bounds; when He lowers him, He places him beneath what is bounded. Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, was asked about a station of this kind and said: “It is the utmost love, a precious station that overwhelms intellects and makes selves forgotten. It belongs to the highest knowledge of God Most High.”

وَقَالَ: فِي هَذَا الْمَقَامِ يَعْلَمُ الْعَبْدُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُحِبُّهُ، وَيَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ: بِحَقِّي عَلَيْكَ وَبِجَاهِي عِنْدَكَ، وَيَقُولُ: بِحُبِّكَ لِي. قَالَ: وَهَؤُلَاءِ هُمُ الْمُدِلُّونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، وَالْمُسْتَأْنِسُونَ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَهُمْ جُلَسَاءُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، قَدْ رَفَعَ الْحِشْمَةَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهُمْ وَزَالَتِ الْوَحْشَةُ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَهُ، فَهُمْ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ بِأَشْيَاءَ هِيَ عِنْدَ الْعَامَّةِ كُفْرٌ بِاللَّهِ لِمَا قَدْ عَلِمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يُحِبُّهُمْ، وَأَنَّ لَهُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ جَاهًا وَمَنْزِلَةً.

waqāla: fī hādhā al-maqāmi yaʿlamu al-ʿabdu ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla yuḥibbuhu, wayaqūlu al-ʿabdu: biḥaqqī ʿalayka wabijāhī ʿindaka, wayaqūlu: biḥubbika lī. qāla: wa-hāʾulāʾi humu al-mudillūna ʿalā Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā, wa-al-mustaʾnisūna bi-Allāhi taʿālā, wahum julasāʾu Allāhi taʿālā, qad rafaʿa al-ḥishmata baynahu wabaynahum wazālati al-waḥshatu baynahum wabaynahu, fahum yatakallamūna biʾashyāʾa hiya ʿinda al-ʿāmmati kufrun bi-Allāhi limā qad ʿalimū ʾanna Allāha taʿālā yuḥibbuhum, waʾanna lahum ʿinda Allāhi jāhan wamanzilatan.

He said: “In this station the servant knows that God, mighty and majestic is He, loves him. The servant says, ‘By my right over You and my standing with You,’ and, ‘By Your love for me.’ These are the ones who speak familiarly with God, blessed and exalted is He, and find intimacy with God Most High. They are God Most High's companions in sitting. He has removed reserve between Himself and them, and estrangement between them and Him has disappeared. They say things that ordinary people regard as unbelief in God, because they know God Most High loves them and that they have standing and rank with Him.”

ثُمَّ قَالَ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ: أَمَّا أَهْلُ الْأُنْسِ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَلَيْسَ إِلَى مَعْرِفَتِهِمْ سُبُلٌ، هَذَا مِنْ كَلَامِ الْجُنَيْدِ وَنَحْوَ مَعْنَاهُ حَدَّثَنِي بِهِ الْخَاقَانِيُّ الْمُقْرِئُ، وَلَوْلَا أَنَّا رَوَيْنَا عَنْهُ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ لَمَا كُنَّا نَشْرَحُ حَالَ هَؤُلَاءِ إِشْفَاقًا عَلَى الْأَلْبَابِ، كَمَا قَالَ الْمُجَلَّى: وَأَنْ أَشْرَحَ ثَنَاءَكَ غَيْرَ أَنِّي ... أُجِلُّكَ عَنْ كِتَابٍ فِي كِتَابٍ.

thumma qāla ʿan baʿḍi al-ʿulamāʾi: ʾammā ʾahlu al-ʾunsi bi-Allāhi taʿālā falaysa ʾilā maʿrifatihim subulun, hādhā min kalāmi al-junaydi wanaḥwa maʿnāhu ḥaddathanī bihi al-khāqāniyyu al-muqriʾu, walawlā ʾannā rawaynā ʿanhu mā dhakarnāhu lamā kunnā nashraḥu ḥāla hāʾulāʾi ʾishfāqan ʿalā al-ʾalbābi, kamā qāla al-mujallā: waʾan ʾashraḥa thanāʾaka ghayra ʾannī ... ʾujilluka ʿan kitābin fī kitābin.

Then he quoted one of the scholars: “As for those intimate with God Most High, there are no paths to knowing them.” These are al-Junayd's words; al-Khāqānī the Qurʾān reciter related their approximate meaning to me. Had we not transmitted from him what we have mentioned, we would not explain these people's state, out of concern for people's understanding. As al-Mujallā said: “As for setting out your praise, yet I honor you above a writing within a book.”

وَقَدْ كَانَ شَيْخُنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ الْجَلَّاءِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ كَتَبَ إِلَى شَيْخِنَا أَبِي الْحَسَنِ بْنِ سَالِمٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ مَسَائِلَ مِنْ مَعَانِي السَّرَائِرِ فِي كِتَابٍ، فَحَدَّثَنِي مَنْ رَآهُ: رَمَى بِالْكِتَابِ وَقَالَ: أَيْنَ صَاحِبُ هَذِهِ الْمَسَائِلِ؟ فَقِيلَ: هُوَ غَائِبٌ بِمَكَّةَ، فَقَالَ: أَنَا لَا أُجِيبُ عَنْ هَذَا فِي كِتَابٍ، قُولُوا لَهُ: يَحْضُرُ إِنْ أَرَادَ، وَقَدْ حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ الْجَلَّاءِ بِهَذَا.

waqad kāna shaykhunā ʾabū bakri bnu al-jallāʾi raḥimahu Allāhu kataba ʾilā shaykhinā ʾabī al-ḥasani bni sālimin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yasʾaluhu ʿan masāʾila min maʿānī al-sarāʾiri fī kitābin, faḥaddathanī man raʾāhu: ramā bi-al-kitābi waqāla: ʾayna ṣāḥibu hādhihi al-masāʾili? faqīla: huwa ghāʾibun bimakkata, faqāla: ʾanā lā ʾujību ʿan hādhā fī kitābin, qūlū lahu: yaḥḍuru ʾin ʾarāda, waqad ḥaddathanī ibnu al-jallāʾi bi-hādhā.

Our shaykh Abū Bakr ibn al-Jallāʾ, may God have mercy on him, wrote to our shaykh Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Sālim, may God Most High have mercy on him, asking in a letter about matters concerning the meanings of inward secrets. Someone who saw him told me that he threw the letter aside and asked, “Where is the person asking these questions?” He was told, “He is away in Mecca.” He said, “I will not answer this in writing. Tell him to come in person if he wishes.” Ibn al-Jallāʾ himself also told me this.

لِأَنَّ مَقَامَ الْخُلَّةِ هُوَ الَّذِي أَخْفَيْنَاهُ وَعَظَّمْنَاهُ، لَا يُعْطَاهُ الْعَبْدُ إِلَّا فِي مَقَامٍ مَعَ مَقَامٍ، فَالْمَقَامُ الْأَوَّلُ هُوَ الْمَعْرِفَةُ الْخَاصِّيَّةُ بِظُهُورِ تَعَرُّفٍ كَشْفًا عَنْ وَصْفِ الْبَاطِنِ، ثُمَّ يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ الْمَحَبَّةُ الْمَخْصُوصَةُ وَهُوَ مَقَامُ مَحْبُوبٍ، ثُمَّ يُرْفَعُ مِنْ هَذَا الْمَقَامِ إِلَى مَقَامِ الْخُلَّةِ وَهُوَ الْإِشْرَافُ عَلَى سَرَائِرِ غُيُوبٍ مِنْ شُرُفَاتِ الْعَرْشِ وَسُرَادِقَاتِ الْقُدْسِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ.

liʾanna maqāma al-khullati huwa alladhī ʾakhfaynāhu waʿaẓẓamnāhu, lā yuʿṭāhu al-ʿabdu ʾillā fī maqāmin maʿa maqāmin, fa-al-maqāmu al-ʾawwalu huwa al-maʿrifatu al-khāṣṣiyyatu biẓuhūri taʿarrufin kashfan ʿan waṣfi al-bāṭini, thumma yadkhulu ʿalayhi al-maḥabbatu al-makhṣūṣatu wahuwa maqāmu maḥbūbin, thumma yurfaʿu min hādhā al-maqāmi ʾilā maqāmi al-khullati wahuwa al-ʾishrāfu ʿalā sarāʾiri ghuyūbin min shurufāti al-ʿarshi wasurādiqāti al-qudsi waghayri dhālika.

For intimate friendship is the station we have concealed and held in reverence. The servant receives it only through one station joined to another. The first is special knowledge through the appearance of divine self-disclosure, unveiling the attribute of the Inward. Then special love enters him, the station of one beloved. From this station he is raised to intimate friendship, which is the surveying of hidden secrets from the heights of the Throne, the enclosures of holiness, and other such things.

وَالْأَصْلُ فِيمَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ أَنَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ يُعْطِي مَقَامَاتِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ فِي مَقَامِ عَارِفٍ، وَلَا يُعْطِي فِيهِ مَقَامَ مَحْبُوبٍ، وَقَدْ يُعْطِي مَقَامَاتٍ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ فِي مَقَامِ مُحِبٍّ وَلَا يُعْطِي شَهَادَتَهُ خُلَّةً لِغَيْرِ خَلِيلٍ عَارِفٍ، فَإِذَا جُمِعَ مَقَامُ مَعْرِفَةِ تَعَرُّفٍ إِلَى مَقَامِ مَحَبَّةِ مَحْبُوبٍ أُعْطِيَ مَقَامًا مِنَ الْخُلَّةِ الَّذِي وَصَفْنَاهُ، وَهَذَا مِنْ أَعَزِّ مَا أُظْهِرَ فِي الْكَوْنِ لِمَظْهَرٍ مَكْنُونٍ.

wa-al-ʾaṣlu fīmā dhakarnāhu ʾannahu subḥānahu yuʿṭī maqāmāti al-maʿrifati fī maqāmi ʿārifin, walā yuʿṭī fīhi maqāma maḥbūbin, waqad yuʿṭī maqāmātin mina al-maḥabbati fī maqāmi muḥibbin walā yuʿṭī shahādatahu khullatan lighayri khalīlin ʿārifin, faʾidhā jumiʿa maqāmu maʿrifati taʿarrufin ʾilā maqāmi maḥabbati maḥbūbin ʾuʿṭiya maqāman mina al-khullati alladhī waṣafnāhu, wa-hādhā min ʾaʿazzi mā ʾuẓhira fī al-kawni limaẓharin maknūnin.

The principle underlying our account is that the Glorified grants stations of knowledge within the station of a knower, without granting there the station of a beloved. He may grant stations of love within the station of a lover, but does not grant His witnessing as intimate friendship to anyone other than an intimate friend who knows. When a station of knowledge through self-disclosure is joined to a station of love belonging to a beloved, he receives a station of the intimate friendship we described. This is among the rarest things manifested in existence through a hidden place of manifestation.

وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ خَطَبَ النَّاسَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ بِثَلَاثٍ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَدِ اتَّخَذَ صَاحِبَكُمْ خَلِيلًا

warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu khaṭaba al-nāsa qabla mawtihi bithalāthin faqāla: ʾinna Allāha taʿālā qadi ittakhadha ṣāḥibakum khalīlan

We have related that God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, addressed the people three days before his death and said: “God Most High has taken your companion as an intimate friend,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٢٧

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 127

Volume Two, page 127

كَمَا اتَّخَذَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا، فَرُفِعَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي مَقَامِ مَحْبُوبٍ إِلَى دَرَجَةِ خَلِيلٍ كَمَا نُقِلَ مِنْ مَقَامِ مُحِبٍّ إِلَى حَالِ مَحْبُوبٍ، كَمَا زِيدَ بِالْمَحَبَّةِ فِي مَقَامِ مَحْبُوبِ الصَّفْوَةِ، وَقَالَ أَيْضًا فِي الْمَقَامِ الْأَوَّلِ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ اتَّخَذَ مُوسَى صَفِيًّا وَاتَّخَذَنِي حَبِيبًا، فَأَوَّلُ الْعَطَاءِ هُوَ الصَّفَاءُ مِنَ الْهَوَى ثُمَّ الْمَحَبَّةُ بَعْدَ الصَّفَاءِ، ثُمَّ الزِّيَادَةُ بِوَصْفِ مَحْبُوبٍ فَوْقَ الْمَحَبَّةِ.

kamā ittakhadha ʾibrāhīma khalīlan, farufiʿa ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī maqāmi maḥbūbin ʾilā darajati khalīlin kamā nuqila min maqāmi muḥibbin ʾilā ḥāli maḥbūbin, kamā zīda bi-al-maḥabbati fī maqāmi maḥbūbi al-ṣafwati, waqāla ʾayḍan fī al-maqāmi al-ʾawwali: ʾinna Allāha ʿazza wajalla ittakhadha mūsā ṣafiyyan wa-ttakhadhanī ḥabīban, faʾawwalu al-ʿaṭāʾi huwa al-ṣafāʾu mina al-hawā thumma al-maḥabbatu baʿda al-ṣafāʾi, thumma al-ziyādatu biwaṣfi maḥbūbin fawqa al-maḥabbati.

just as He took Abraham as an intimate friend.” Thus he, may God bless him and grant him peace, was raised within the station of a beloved to the degree of an intimate friend, just as he was transferred from the station of a lover to the state of a beloved, and was increased through love within the station of the beloved of pure election. He also said of the first station: “God, mighty and majestic is He, took Moses as His chosen one and took me as His beloved.” The first gift is purification from desire; then comes love after purity, and then an increase beyond love through the quality of being beloved.

ثُمَّ ارْتَفَعَ فَعَلَا بَعْدَ الْقُوَّةِ وَالِاسْتِوَاءِ إِلَى الْعَلِيِّ الْأَعْلَى، فَدَنَا لَمَّا عَلَا فَتَدَلَّى حَتَّى دَنَا فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى، وَكَانَتِ الْيَدُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَالْوَجْهُ مُوَاجِهًا لِوَجْهِهِ: وَكَانَ مَا كَانَ مِمَّا لَسْتُ أَذْكُرُهُ ... فَظُنَّ خَيْرًا وَلَا تَسْأَلْ عَنِ الْخَبَرِ، إِذْ مِنَ الْعُلُومِ عِلْمٌ لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُسْأَلَ عَنْهُ حَتَّى يُبْدِيَ الْعَالِمُ ذِكْرَهُ.

thumma irtafaʿa faʿalā baʿda al-quwwati wa-al-istiwāʾi ʾilā al-ʿaliyyi al-ʾaʿlā, fadanā lammā ʿalā fatadallā ḥattā danā fakāna qāba qawsayni ʾaw ʾadnā, wakānati al-yadu min warāʾihi wa-al-wajhu muwājihan liwajhihi: wakāna mā kāna mimmā lastu ʾadhkuruhu ... faẓunna khayran walā tasʾal ʿani al-khabari, ʾidh mina al-ʿulūmi ʿilmun lā yanbaghī ʾan yusʾala ʿanhu ḥattā yubdiya al-ʿālimu dhikrahu.

Then, after strength and full establishment, he rose and ascended to the High, the Most High. As he ascended he drew near, then descended until he was near, two bow-lengths or closer. The Hand was behind him and the Face facing his face. “There occurred what occurred, which I will not recount; think well, and do not ask for the account.” For among the kinds of knowledge is one that should not be asked about until the knower himself begins to mention it.

فَهَذَا مِنْهَا فَلَا يُبْدِي إِلَّا بِقَدْرٍ مَعْلُومٍ بِمِقْدَارِ مَا أَبْدَى الْمُبْدِئُ، وَيُعِيدُ مِنْهُ بِقَدْرِ مَا أَعَادَ الْمُعِيدُ، وَكَانَ لَدَيْهِ خَلِيلًا كَمَا كَانَ عِنْدَهُ قَرِيبًا، فَصَارَتِ الْخُلَّةُ مَقَامًا فِي مَحْبُوبٍ وَهُوَ نِهَايَةُ الْمَزِيدِ، كَمَا كَانَ مَقَامُ مَحْبُوبٍ وَزِيَادَةً عَلَى مَقَامِ مُحِبٍّ كَمَا رَفَعَهُ إِلَى الْمَحَبَّةِ بَعْدَ الصَّفْوَةِ مِنْ كَدَرِ الْهَوَى.

fa-hādhā minhā falā yubdī ʾillā biqadrin maʿlūmin bimiqdāri mā ʾabdā al-mubdiʾu, wayuʿīdu minhu biqadri mā ʾaʿāda al-muʿīdu, wakāna ladayhi khalīlan kamā kāna ʿindahu qarīban, faṣārati al-khullatu maqāman fī maḥbūbin wahuwa nihāyatu al-mazīdi, kamā kāna maqāmu maḥbūbin waziyādatan ʿalā maqāmi muḥibbin kamā rafaʿahu ʾilā al-maḥabbati baʿda al-ṣafwati min kadari al-hawā.

This is one such knowledge. He discloses it only in a known measure, according to what the Originator has disclosed, and repeats of it only as much as the Restorer has repeated. He was an intimate friend in His presence, just as he was near to Him. Intimate friendship thus became a station within being beloved, the utmost increase, just as the station of being beloved was an increase beyond the station of loving, and just as He raised him to love after purifying him from desire's cloudiness.

وَكَذَلِكَ أَنْتَ أَيُّهَا السَّامِعُ الشَّاهِدُ، يَجْعَلُ لَكَ بَعْدَ الصَّفَاءِ نَصِيبًا مِنْ نَصِيبٍ وَشَهَادَةً عَلَى شَهَادَةٍ، وَوَجْدًا مِنْ وَجْدٍ وَفَقْدًا لِلنَّفْسِ مِنْ فَقْدٍ، فَلَا يُذْهِبْ كَثِيرُ النُّبُوَّةِ مِنْهُ صَغِيرَ الْعَطِيَّةِ لَكَ، لِأَنَّهُ تَعَالَى رَفَعَ الطَّائِعِينَ لَهُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَقَامًا إِلَى مَقَامِ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ، وَالصِّدِّيقُونَ بَاقُونَ إِلَى نُزُولِ الرُّوحِ عِيسَى بْنِ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ، وَهُمُ الْأَبْدَالُ عَدَدُهُمْ فِي كُلِّ الدُّنْيَا ثَلَاثُمِائَةٍ.

wa-kadhālika ʾanta ʾayyuhā al-sāmiʿu al-shāhidu, yajʿalu laka baʿda al-ṣafāʾi naṣīban min naṣībin washahādatan ʿalā shahādatin, wawajdan min wajdin wafaqdan li-l-nafsi min faqdin, falā yudhhib kathīru al-nubuwwati minhu ṣaghīra al-ʿaṭiyyati laka, liʾannahu taʿālā rafaʿa al-ṭāʾiʿīna lahu walirasūlihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama maqāman ʾilā maqāmi al-nabiyyīna wa-al-ṣiddīqīna, wa-al-ṣiddīqūna bāqūna ʾilā nuzūli al-rūḥi ʿīsā bni maryama ʿalayhi al-ṣalātu wa-al-salāmu, wahumu al-ʾabdālu ʿadaduhum fī kulli al-dunyā thalāthumiʾatin.

Likewise, you who hear and witness are granted, after purification, a share from a share, witnessing upon witnessing, ecstasy from ecstasy, and loss of self from loss of self. Do not let the abundance of prophethood's gift from Him obscure the small gift given to you. For the Exalted raised those obedient to Him and His Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, in rank toward the rank of prophets and the utterly truthful. The utterly truthful will remain until the descent of the Spirit, Jesus son of Mary, blessings and peace be upon him. They are the substitutes, numbering three hundred throughout the world.

وَمَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُمُ الشُّهَدَاءُ وَالصَّالِحُونَ، فَهُمْ ثَلَاثُ طَبَقَاتٍ وَكُلُّهُمْ مُقَرَّبُونَ سَابِقُونَ، إِيمَانُ صِدِّيقٍ مِنْهُمْ كَإِيمَانِ جَمِيعِ الشُّهَدَاءِ، وَإِيمَانُ شَهِيدٍ كَإِيمَانِ كُلِّ الصَّالِحِينَ، وَإِيمَانُ كُلِّ صَالِحٍ بِمِقْدَارِ إِيمَانِ أَلْفِ مُؤْمِنٍ مِنْ عُمُومِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَلَيْسَ فِي الْخُلَّةِ شَرِيكٌ لِغَيْرِ الْخَلِيلِ عَلَى خَلِيلِهِ، وَلِأَنَّهَا حَالٌ مُفْرَدَةٌ لِفَرْدِهِ، مُوَحَّدَةٌ لِوَاحِدٍ، وَلَوْ كَانَ يَصْلُحُ لَهَا نَظِيرٌ وَيُوَزَّرُ بِهَا وَزِيرٌ كَانَ أَحَقَّ الْأُمَّةِ بِذَلِكَ الصِّدِّيقُ.

wamā shāʾa Allāhu minhumu al-shuhadāʾu wa-al-ṣāliḥūna, fahum thalāthu ṭabaqātin wakulluhum muqarrabūna sābiqūna, ʾīmānu ṣiddīqin minhum kaʾīmāni jamīʿi al-shuhadāʾi, waʾīmānu shahīdin kaʾīmāni kulli al-ṣāliḥīna, waʾīmānu kulli ṣāliḥin bimiqdāri ʾīmāni ʾalfi muʾminin min ʿumūmi al-muslimīna, walaysa fī al-khullati sharīkun lighayri al-khalīli ʿalā khalīlihi, waliʾannahā ḥālun mufradatun lifardihi, muwaḥḥadatun liwāḥidin, walaw kāna yaṣluḥu lahā naẓīrun wayuwazzaru bihā wazīrun kāna ʾaḥaqqa al-ʾummati bi-dhālika al-ṣiddīqu.

Among them are as many witnesses and righteous people as God wills. They form three classes, all brought near and foremost. The faith of one utterly truthful person equals that of all the witnesses; the faith of one witness equals that of all the righteous; and the faith of each righteous person equals that of a thousand ordinary Muslim believers. In intimate friendship, no one may share an intimate friend's claim upon his Friend, for it is a state exclusively for its Unique One, unified for the One. If a counterpart could be admitted to it and a minister appointed through it, the community's most deserving person would be al-Ṣiddīq.

فَقَدْ أَعْطَاهُ تَعَالَى ثَلَاثًا لَمْ يُعْطِهَا غَيْرَهُ، مِنْهَا أَنَّا رَوَيْنَا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَهُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَعْطَاكَ مِثْلَ إِيمَانِ كُلِّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِي مِنْ أُمَّتِي، وَأَعْطَانِي مِثْلَ إِيمَانِ كُلِّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِي مِنْ وَلَدِ آدَمَ، وَالْحَدِيثُ الثَّانِي أَنَّ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى ثَلَاثَمِائَةِ خُلُقٍ، مَنْ لَقِيَهُ بِخُلُقٍ مِنْهَا مَعَ التَّوْحِيدِ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ، فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، هَلْ فِيَّ مِنْهَا خُلُقٌ وَاحِدٌ؟

faqad ʾaʿṭāhu taʿālā thalāthan lam yuʿṭihā ghayrahu, minhā ʾannā rawaynā ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla lahu: ʾinna Allāha ʿazza wajalla ʾaʿṭāka mithla ʾīmāni kulli man ʾāmana bī min ʾummatī, waʾaʿṭānī mithla ʾīmāni kulli man ʾāmana bī min waladi ʾādama, wa-al-ḥadīthu al-thānī ʾanna li-llāhi taʿālā thalāthamiʾati khuluqin, man laqiyahu bikhuluqin minhā maʿa al-tawḥīdi dakhala al-jannata, faqāla ʾabū bakrin raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhu: yā rasūla Allāhi, hal fiyya minhā khuluqun wāḥidun?

The Exalted granted him three things He granted no one else. We have related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, told him: “God, mighty and majestic is He, has given you the equivalent of the faith of everyone in my community who believes in me, and given me the equivalent of the faith of everyone among Adam's descendants who believes in me.” The second report states: “God Most High has three hundred traits of character. Whoever meets Him possessing one of them, together with affirmation of divine oneness, enters Paradise.” Abū Bakr, may God Most High be pleased with him, asked, “Messenger of God, do I possess even one of these traits?”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٢٨

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 128

Volume Two, page 128

فَقَالَ: كُلُّهَا فِيكَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ، وَأَحَبُّهَا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ السَّخَاءُ، وَالْحَدِيثُ الثَّالِثُ هُوَ الْمُسْتَفِيضُ: رَأَيْتُ مِيزَانًا دُلِّيَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَوُضِعْتُ فِي كِفَّةٍ فَرَجَحْتُ بِهِمْ، وَوُضِعَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فِي كِفَّةٍ، وَجِيءَ بِأُمَّتِي فَوُضِعَتْ فِي كِفَّةٍ، فَرَجَحَ بِهِمْ، وَلَيْسَ بَيْنَ الصِّدِّيقِ وَبَيْنَ الرَّسُولِ إِلَّا دَرَجَةُ النُّبُوَّةِ.

faqāla: kulluhā fīka yā ʾabā bakrin, waʾaḥabbuhā ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla al-sakhāʾu, wa-al-ḥadīthu al-thālithu huwa al-mustafīḍu: raʾaytu mīzānan dulliya mina al-samāʾi fawuḍiʿtu fī kiffatin farajaḥtu bihim, wawuḍiʿa ʾabū bakrin fī kiffatin, wajīʾa biʾummatī fawuḍiʿat fī kiffatin, farajaḥa bihim, walaysa bayna al-ṣiddīqi wabayna al-rasūli ʾillā darajatu al-nubuwwati.

He replied, “You possess them all, Abū Bakr, and the dearest of them to God, mighty and majestic is He, is generosity.” The third report is widely transmitted: “I saw a balance lowered from heaven. I was placed in one pan and outweighed them. Abū Bakr was placed in one pan, and my community was brought and placed in the other; he outweighed them.” Nothing separates al-Ṣiddīq from the Messenger except the degree of prophethood.

وَالْقُطْبُ الْيَوْمَ الَّذِي هُوَ إِمَامٌ لِأَثَافِيِّ الثَّلَاثَةِ وَالْأَوْتَادِ السَّبْعَةِ وَالْأَبْدَالِ الْأَرْبَعِينَ وَالسَّبْعِينَ إِلَى ثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ، كُلُّهُمْ فِي مِيزَانِهِ، وَإِيمَانُ جَمِيعِهِمْ كَإِيمَانِهِ، إِنَّمَا هُوَ بَدَلٌ مِنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ، وَالْأَثَافِيُّ الثَّلَاثَةُ بَعْدَهُ إِنَّمَا هُمْ أَبْدَالُ الثَّلَاثَةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ بَعْدَهُ، وَالسَّبْعَةُ هُمْ أَبْدَالُ السَّبْعَةِ إِلَى الْعَشَرَةِ.

wa-al-quṭbu al-yawma alladhī huwa ʾimāmun liʾathāfiyyi al-thalāthati wa-al-ʾawtādi al-sabʿati wa-al-ʾabdāli al-ʾarbaʿīna wa-al-sabʿīna ʾilā thalāthimiʾatin, kulluhum fī mīzānihi, waʾīmānu jamīʿihim kaʾīmānihi, ʾinnamā huwa badalun min ʾabī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhu, wa-al-ʾathāfiyyu al-thalāthatu baʿdahu ʾinnamā hum ʾabdālu al-thalāthati al-khulafāʾi baʿdahu, wa-al-sabʿatu hum ʾabdālu al-sabʿati ʾilā al-ʿasharati.

The Pole today, who leads the three supports, the seven pegs, and the forty and seventy substitutes up to three hundred, balances all of them in his scale; their combined faith equals his. He is the substitute for Abū Bakr, may God Most High be pleased with him. The three supports after him are substitutes for the three caliphs who followed Abū Bakr, and the seven are substitutes for the seven who complete the ten.

ثُمَّ الْأَبْدَالُ الثَّلَاثُمِائَةِ وَثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ إِنَّمَا هُمْ أَبْدَالُ الْبَدْرِيِّينَ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ أَهْلِ الرَّحْمَةِ وَالرِّضْوَانِ، فَمَعَ هَذَا الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ لَمْ يَصْلُحْ أَنْ يُشْرِكَ الْحَبِيبَ الرَّسُولَ الْمُقَرَّبَ الْخَلِيلَ فِي مَقَامِ الْخُلَّةِ، كَمَا صَلَحَ أَنْ يُشْرِكَ فِي مَقَامِ الْأُخُوَّةِ، وَهُوَ الْمَقَامُ الَّذِي شَرَّكَ فِيهِ عَلِيًّا كَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَهُ، فَقَالَ: عَلِيٌّ مِنِّي بِمَنْزِلَةِ هَارُونَ مِنْ مُوسَى، فَهَذَا مَقَامُ أُخُوَّةٍ.

thumma al-ʾabdālu al-thalāthumiʾati wathalāthata ʿashara ʾinnamā hum ʾabdālu al-badriyyīna mina al-ʾanṣāri wa-al-muhājirīna ʾahli al-raḥmati wa-al-riḍwāni, famaʿa hādhā al-faḍli al-ʿaẓīmi liʾabī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhu lam yaṣluḥ ʾan yushrika al-ḥabība al-rasūla al-muqarraba al-khalīla fī maqāmi al-khullati, kamā ṣalaḥa ʾan yushrika fī maqāmi al-ʾukhuwwati, wahuwa al-maqāmu alladhī sharraka fīhi ʿaliyyan karrama Allāhu wajhahu, faqāla: ʿaliyyun minnī bimanzilati hārūna min mūsā, fa-hādhā maqāmu ʾukhuwwatin.

The three hundred and thirteen substitutes are substitutes for the participants at Badr among the Helpers and Emigrants, the people of mercy and divine pleasure. Despite this immense favor granted Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, may God Most High be pleased with him, he could not share the station of intimate friendship with the beloved Messenger, the intimate friend brought near, although he could share the station of brotherhood. This is the station in which he gave ʿAlī a share, may God honor his face, saying, “ʿAlī stands in relation to me as Aaron did to Moses.” This is a station of brotherhood.

كَذَلِكَ فِي التَّفَرُّدِ بِمَقَامِ الْخُلَّةِ: لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا مِنَ النَّاسِ خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلًا، وَلَٰكِنْ صَاحِبُكُمْ خَلِيلُ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، يَعْنِي نَفْسَهُ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ، لِأَنَّهُ وَاحِدٌ لِوَاحِدٍ، مُفْرَدٌ لِفَرْدٍ، فَاعْتَبِرُوا يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ بِتَدَبُّرِ فَهْمِ الْخِطَابِ، فَمَنْ أُعْطِيَ مِنَ الصَّفَاءِ نَصِيبًا أُعْطِيَ مِنَ الْحُبِّ نَصِيبًا، وَكَانَ لَهُ مِنَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِقُوَّةِ مَحَبَّتِهِ، وَمِنَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِقَدْرِ مَعْرِفَتِهِ.

kadhālika fī al-tafarrudi bimaqāmi al-khullati: law kuntu muttakhidhan mina al-nāsi khalīlan la-ttakhadhtu ʾabā bakrin khalīlan, walākin ṣāḥibukum khalīlu Allāhi tabāraka wataʿālā, yaʿnī nafsahu ṣalawātu Allāhi ʿalayhi, liʾannahu wāḥidun liwāḥidin, mufradun lifardin, fa-ʿtabirū yā ʾulī al-ʾalbābi bitadabburi fahmi al-khiṭābi, faman ʾuʿṭiya mina al-ṣafāʾi naṣīban ʾuʿṭiya mina al-ḥubbi naṣīban, wakāna lahu mina al-maʿrifati biquwwati maḥabbatihi, wamina al-maʿrifati biqadri maʿrifatihi.

Likewise, concerning exclusive possession of intimate friendship: “If I were to take an intimate friend from among people, I would take Abū Bakr, but your companion is God's intimate friend, blessed and exalted is He.” He meant himself, God's blessings be upon him, for he is one for the One, set apart for the Unique. Reflect, people of understanding, by carefully considering the address. Whoever receives a share of purity receives a share of love; his share of knowledge accords with the strength of his love, and his share of knowledge with the measure of his knowledge.

فَأَمَّا الْمَعْرِفَةُ الْأَصْلِيَّةُ الَّتِي هِيَ أَصْلُ الْمَقَامَاتِ وَمَكَانُ الْمُشَاهَدَاتِ، فَهِيَ عِنْدَهُمْ وَاحِدَةٌ، لِأَنَّ الْمَعْرُوفَ بِهَا وَاحِدٌ وَالْمُتَعَرِّفَ عَنْهَا وَاحِدٌ، إِلَّا أَنَّ لَهَا أَعْلَى وَأَوَّلَ، فَخُصُوصُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي أَعْلَاهَا وَهِيَ مَقَامَاتُ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ، وَعُمُومُهُمْ فِي أَوَّلِهَا وَهِيَ مَقَامَاتُ الْأَبْرَارِ، وَهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْيَمِينِ، وَلِكُلٍّ مِنْهُمْ وِجْهَةٌ مِنَ الصِّفَاتِ الْمَخُوفَةِ عَنْهَا كَانُوا خَائِفِينَ، أَوِ الْأَخْلَاقِ الْمَرْجُوَّةِ مِنْهَا كَانُوا رَاجِينَ.

faʾammā al-maʿrifatu al-ʾaṣliyyatu allatī hiya ʾaṣlu al-maqāmāti wamakānu al-mushāhadāti, fahiya ʿindahum wāḥidatun, liʾanna al-maʿrūfa bihā wāḥidun wa-al-mutaʿarrifa ʿanhā wāḥidun, ʾillā ʾanna lahā ʾaʿlā waʾawwala, fakhuṣūṣu al-muʾminīna fī ʾaʿlāhā wahiya maqāmātu al-muqarrabīna, waʿumūmuhum fī ʾawwalihā wahiya maqāmātu al-ʾabrāri, wahum ʾaṣḥābu al-yamīni, walikullin minhum wijhatun mina al-ṣifāti al-makhūfati ʿanhā kānū khāʾifīna, ʾawi al-ʾakhlāqi al-marjuwwati minhā kānū rājīna.

As for original knowledge, the foundation of the stations and the place of contemplations, they regard it as one, because the One known through it is one, and the One who makes Himself known through it is one. Yet it has a summit and a beginning. The elect among believers occupy its summit, the stations of those brought near; ordinary believers occupy its beginning, the stations of the righteous, the people of the right hand. Each has a direction: fearsome attributes from which they came to fear, or hoped-for qualities from which they came to hope.

أَوِ الْأَفْعَالِ وَالْأَمْلَاكِ عِنْدَهَا كَانُوا صَابِرِينَ شَاكِرِينَ، أَوْ مَعَانِي أَوْصَافِ ذَاتٍ مِنْهَا كَانُوا مُحِبِّينَ مُتَوَكِّلِينَ، قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى: (وَلِكُلٍّ وِجْهَةٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 148، وَيُقَالُ: مَنْ أَحَبَّ شَيْئًا حُشِرَ مَعَهُ.

ʾawi al-ʾafʿāli wa-al-ʾamlāki ʿindahā kānū ṣābirīna shākirīna, ʾaw maʿānī ʾawṣāfi dhātin minhā kānū muḥibbīna mutawakkilīna, qāla Allāhu subḥānahu wataʿālā: (walikullin wijhatun huwa muwallīhā fa-stabiqū al-khayrāti) al-baqaratu: 148, wayuqālu: man ʾaḥabba shayʾan ḥushira maʿahu.

Or acts and possessions before which they became patient and thankful, or meanings of attributes of the Essence through which they became loving and trusting. God, glorified and exalted is He, said: “Each has a direction toward which he turns, so race toward good deeds” (al-Baqara 2:148). It is said: “Whoever loves something will be gathered with it.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٢٩

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 129

Volume Two, page 129

وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: الْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ وَلَهُ مَا احْتَسَبَ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ مَاتَ عَلَى مَرْتَبَةٍ مِنَ الْمَرَاتِبِ بُعِثَ عَلَيْهَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَأَمَّا جُمَلُ مَقَامَاتِ الْمُحِبِّينَ فَمَذْكُورَةٌ فِي الْكِتَابِ الْعَزِيزِ، مِنَ الْحَبِيبِ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ مَقَامًا: خَمْسٌ فِي دَلِيلِ الْخِطَابِ وَتَدَبُّرِ الْأَلْبَابِ، وَسَبْعَةٌ فِي صَرِيحِ الْكَلَامِ بِظَاهِرِ الْأَفْهَامِ.

wafī al-khabari: al-marʾu maʿa man ʾaḥabba walahu mā iḥtasaba, wafī al-khabari: man māta ʿalā martabatin mina al-marātibi buʿitha ʿalayhā yawma al-qiyāmati, faʾammā jumalu maqāmāti al-muḥibbīna famadhkūratun fī al-kitābi al-ʿazīzi, mina al-ḥabībi ithnay ʿashara maqāman: khamsun fī dalīli al-khiṭābi watadabburi al-ʾalbābi, wasabʿatun fī ṣarīḥi al-kalāmi biẓāhiri al-ʾafhāmi.

A report says, “A person is with those he loves and receives what he intended for God's reward.” Another says, “Whoever dies at a particular rank will be raised at that rank on the Day of Resurrection.” The broad stations of lovers are mentioned in the mighty Book by the Beloved: twelve stations, five inferred from the address through thoughtful reflection, and seven explicitly stated in language whose meaning is apparent.

فَأَمَّا السَّبْعُ الْمُصَرَّحَةُ فَقَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 222، (وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الصَّابِرِينَ) آلُ عِمْرَانَ: 146، (وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الشَّاكِرِينَ) آلُ عِمْرَانَ: 144، (وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ) آلُ عِمْرَانَ: 76، (وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ) آلُ عِمْرَانَ: 134، (وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ) آلُ عِمْرَانَ: 159.

faʾammā al-sabʿu al-muṣarraḥatu faqawluhu ʿazza wajalla: (ʾinna Allāha yuḥibbu al-tawwābīna wayuḥibbu al-mutaṭahhirīna) al-baqaratu: 222, (wa-Allāhu yuḥibbu al-ṣābirīna) ʾālu ʿimrāna: 146, (wa-Allāhu yuḥibbu al-shākirīna) ʾālu ʿimrāna: 144, (wa-Allāhu yuḥibbu al-muttaqīna) ʾālu ʿimrāna: 76, (wa-Allāhu yuḥibbu al-muḥsinīna) ʾālu ʿimrāna: 134, (wa-Allāhu yuḥibbu al-mutawakkilīna) ʾālu ʿimrāna: 159.

The seven explicitly stated are His sayings, mighty and majestic is He: “God loves those who repeatedly repent, and loves those who purify themselves” (al-Baqara 2:222); “God loves the patient” (Āl ʿImrān 3:146); “God loves the thankful” (Āl ʿImrān 3:144); “God loves the God-fearing” (Āl ʿImrān 3:76); “God loves those who do good” (Āl ʿImrān 3:134); and “God loves those who trust” (Āl ʿImrān 3:159).

وَأَمَّا الْخَمْسَةُ الْمُتَدَبَّرَةُ فَهُمُ الْمُوَحِّدُونَ لِقَوْلِهِ: لَا يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ، وَالْعَادِلُونَ لِقَوْلِهِ: لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ، وَالْمُسْتَقِيمُونَ لِقَوْلِهِ: لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَاسِقِينَ، وَالْمُتَوَاضِعُونَ لِقَوْلِهِ: لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْتَكْبِرِينَ، وَالْمُوفُونَ لِقَوْلِهِ: لَا يُحِبُّ الْخَائِنِينَ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ طَبَقَاتُ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ تَعْرِيضًا وَتَصْرِيحًا، وَشَرْحُ هَذِهِ الْأَوْصَافِ هِيَ مَقَامَاتُ الْيَقِينِ، وَفِي كُلِّ مَقَامٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ أَحْوَالٌ يَكْثُرُ عَدَدُهَا.

waʾammā al-khamsatu al-mutadabbaratu fahumu al-muwaḥḥidūna liqawlihi: lā yuḥibbu al-kāfirīna, wa-al-ʿādilūna liqawlihi: lā yuḥibbu al-ẓālimīna, wa-al-mustaqīmūna liqawlihi: lā yuḥibbu al-fāsiqīna, wa-al-mutawāḍiʿūna liqawlihi: lā yuḥibbu al-mustakbirīna, wa-al-mūfūna liqawlihi: lā yuḥibbu al-khāʾinīna, wa-hāʾulāʾi ṭabaqātu al-maḥbūbīna taʿrīḍan wataṣrīḥan, washarḥu hādhihi al-ʾawṣāfi hiya maqāmātu al-yaqīni, wafī kulli maqāmin min hādhihi ʾaḥwālun yakthuru ʿadaduhā.

The five inferred through reflection are those who affirm divine oneness, because He says, “He does not love unbelievers”; the just, because He says, “He does not love wrongdoers”; the upright, because He says, “He does not love the disobedient”; the humble, because He says, “He does not love the arrogant”; and the faithful to their commitments, because He says, “He does not love the treacherous.” These are the classes of the beloved, indicated implicitly and explicitly. The exposition of these qualities consists of the stations of certainty; each station contains numerous states.

كُلُّ حَالٍ مِنْهَا طَرِيقٌ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فِي كُلِّ طَرِيقٍ طَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّينَ، مَحَبَّتُهُمْ عَلَى قَدْرِ مَعْرِفَتِهِمْ وَمَعْرِفَتُهُمْ عَلَى زِنَةِ تَعَرُّفِ الْمَعْرُوفِ إِلَيْهِمْ، وَعَنْ نَحْوِ تَعْرِيفِ الْمَعْرُوفِ لَهُمْ، وَذَلِكَ مَعْنًى مِنْ مَعَارِفِهِمْ، فَهُمْ عَلَى زِنَةِ يَقِينِهِمْ، وَيَقِينُهُمْ عَلَى حَسَبِ صَفَاءِ إِيمَانِهِمْ، وَإِيمَانُهُمْ عَلَى نَحْوِ عِنَايَةِ اللَّهِ بِهِمْ وَتَفَضُّلِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَإِيثَارِهِ لَهُمْ، وَمِنْ وَرَاءِ ذَلِكَ سِرُّ الْقَدَرِ الْمُخْتَزَنُ الْمُسْتَأْثَرُ، وَلَيْسَ فَوْقَ الْمَحَبَّةِ مَقَامٌ مَشْهُورٌ، وَلَا دُونَ التَّوْبَةِ حَالٌ مَذْكُورٌ.

kullu ḥālin minhā ṭarīqun ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, fī kulli ṭarīqin ṭāʾifatun mina al-muḥibbīna, maḥabbatuhum ʿalā qadri maʿrifatihim wamaʿrifatuhum ʿalā zinati taʿarrufi al-maʿrūfi ʾilayhim, waʿan naḥwi taʿrīfi al-maʿrūfi lahum, wa-dhālika maʿnan min maʿārifihim, fahum ʿalā zinati yaqīnihim, wayaqīnuhum ʿalā ḥasabi ṣafāʾi ʾīmānihim, waʾīmānuhum ʿalā naḥwi ʿināyati Allāhi bihim watafaḍḍulihi ʿalayhim waʾīthārihi lahum, wamin warāʾi dhālika sirru al-qadari al-mukhtazanu al-mustaʾtharu, walaysa fawqa al-maḥabbati maqāmun mashhūrun, walā dūna al-tawbati ḥālun madhkūrun.

Each state is a path to God, mighty and majestic is He, and each path has a company of lovers. Their love accords with their knowledge, and their knowledge with the measure and manner in which the One known makes Himself known to them. This is one aspect of their forms of knowledge. They stand according to their certainty; their certainty accords with their faith's purity; and their faith accords with God's care, bounty, and preference for them. Beyond all this lies the secret of destiny, stored away and reserved to Him. No well-known station stands above love, and no recognized state lies below repentance.

فَأَوَّلُ الْمَقَامَاتِ التَّوْبَةُ، يَخْرُجُ بِهَا مِنَ الظُّلْمِ وَالظُّلْمُ حَالٌ مِنَ الشِّرْكِ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ) لُقْمَانُ: 13، وَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ أُولَئِكَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْنُ وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ فِي الدُّنْيَا) الْأَنْعَامُ: 82، وَهَذَا فَصْلُ الْخِطَابِ لِأَضْدَادِهِمْ، فَأَيُّ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِالْأَمْنِ؟ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ أُولَئِكَ هُمْ أَحَقُّ بِالْأَمْنِ غَدًا فِي الْمَقَامِ الْأَمِينِ.

faʾawwalu al-maqāmāti al-tawbatu, yakhruju bihā mina al-ẓulmi wa-al-ẓulmu ḥālun mina al-shirki, qāla Allāhu taʿālā: (ʾinna al-shirka laẓulmun ʿaẓīmun) luqmānu: 13, waqāla Allāhu taʿālā: (alladhīna ʾāmanū walam yalbisū ʾīmānahum biẓulmin ʾulāʾika lahumu al-ʾamnu wahum muhtadūna fī al-dunyā) al-ʾanʿāmu: 82, wa-hādhā faṣlu al-khiṭābi liʾaḍdādihim, faʾayyu al-farīqayni ʾaḥaqqu bi-al-ʾamni? alladhīna ʾāmanū walam yalbisū ʾīmānahum biẓulmin ʾulāʾika hum ʾaḥaqqu bi-al-ʾamni ghadan fī al-maqāmi al-ʾamīni.

Repentance is the first station; through it one leaves wrongdoing, and wrongdoing is a state of associationism. God Most High said, “Associationism is a tremendous wrong” (Luqmān 31:13), and God Most High said, “Those who believe and do not mingle their faith with wrongdoing possess security and are guided in this world” (al-Anʿām 6:82). This settles the question against their opposites: which of the two parties has the better claim to security? Those who believe and do not mingle their faith with wrongdoing have the better claim to security tomorrow, in the secure station.

وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَمَنْ لَمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ) الْحُجُرَاتُ: 11، فَآخِرُ الظُّلْمِ أَوَّلُ التَّوْبَةِ وَآخِرُ التَّوْبَةِ أَوَّلُ الْمَحَبَّةِ، وَآخِرُ الْمَحَبَّةِ أَوَّلُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَهِيَ مَعْرِفَةُ مُتَعَرِّفٍ، وَهِيَ الْخَاصِّيَّةُ مَزِيدُ الْمَحَبَّةِ الْأُولَى وَآخِرُ نَصِيبِ الْعَبْدِ مِنَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَأَوَّلُ التَّوْحِيدِ، وَهُوَ تَوْحِيدُ الشَّاهِدِينَ وَلَا آخِرَ لَهُ، وَأَوْسَطُ الْمَقَامَاتِ الزُّهْدُ وَأَوَّلُ الزُّهْدِ آخِرُ الْهَوَى، وَآخِرُ الزُّهْدِ أَوَّلُ الْعِلْمِ وَآخِرُ الْعِلْمِ أَوَّلُ الْخَوْفِ وَآخِرُ الْخَوْفِ أَوَّلُ الْحُبِّ وَهَذَا حُبُّ مَحْبُوبٍ.

waqāla taʿālā: (waman lam yatub fa-ʾulāʾika humu al-ẓālimūna) al-ḥujurātu: 11, faʾākhiru al-ẓulmi ʾawwalu al-tawbati waʾākhiru al-tawbati ʾawwalu al-maḥabbati, waʾākhiru al-maḥabbati ʾawwalu al-maʿrifati wahiya maʿrifatu mutaʿarrifin, wahiya al-khāṣṣiyyatu mazīdu al-maḥabbati al-ʾūlā waʾākhiru naṣībi al-ʿabdi mina al-maʿrifati waʾawwalu al-tawḥīdi, wahuwa tawḥīdu al-shāhidīna walā ʾākhira lahu, waʾawsaṭu al-maqāmāti al-zuhdu waʾawwalu al-zuhdi ʾākhiru al-hawā, waʾākhiru al-zuhdi ʾawwalu al-ʿilmi waʾākhiru al-ʿilmi ʾawwalu al-khawfi waʾākhiru al-khawfi ʾawwalu al-ḥubbi wa-hādhā ḥubbu maḥbūbin.

The Exalted said, “Those who do not repent are the wrongdoers” (al-Ḥujurāt 49:11). Wrongdoing's end is repentance's beginning; repentance's end is love's beginning; love's end is knowledge's beginning, knowledge of One who makes Himself known. This special knowledge is an increase beyond the first love, the servant's final share of knowledge, and the beginning of affirming divine oneness: the oneness of those who witness, which has no end. Renunciation is the middle station. Its beginning is desire's end; its end is knowledge's beginning; knowledge's end is fear's beginning; and fear's end is love's beginning. This is the love of one beloved.

وَالظَّالِمُ لَا مَقَامَ لَهُ وَلَا جَاهَ، وَمَنْ لَا جَاهَ لَهُ فَلَا شَفَاعَةَ وَمَنْ لَا شَفَاعَةَ فَلَا شَهَادَةَ، وَمَنْ لَا شَهَادَةَ فَلَا يَقِينَ، فَلَوْ أُعْطِيَ مِثْقَالًا مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ لَمْ يُنْجِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ فِي وَصْفِ الدَّاخِلِينَ: أَخْرِجُوا مِنَ النَّارِ مَنْ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ إِيمَانٍ، ثُمَّ قَالَ فِي الْخَبَرِ الْآخَرِ: السَّخَاءُ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ، وَلَا يَدْخُلُ فِي النَّارِ مُوقِنٌ، وَقَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى فِي تَفْصِيلِ مَا وَصَلْنَا مِمَّا عَنْهُ شَهِدْنَاهُ: (لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ)

wa-al-ẓālimu lā maqāma lahu walā jāha, waman lā jāha lahu falā shafāʿata waman lā shafāʿata falā shahādata, waman lā shahādata falā yaqīna, falaw ʾuʿṭiya mithqālan mina al-ʾīmāni lam yunjihi, liʾannahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla fī waṣfi al-dākhilīna: ʾakhrijū mina al-nāri man fī qalbihi mithqālu dharratin min ʾīmānin, thumma qāla fī al-khabari al-ʾākhari: al-sakhāʾu mina al-yaqīni, walā yadkhulu fī al-nāri mūqinun, waqāla subḥānahu wataʿālā fī tafṣīli mā waṣalnā mimmā ʿanhu shahidnāhu: (lā yanālu ʿahdī al-ẓālimīna)

The wrongdoer has neither station nor standing. Whoever has no standing has no intercession; whoever has no intercession has no witnessing; whoever has no witnessing has no certainty. Even if given a measure of faith, it would not save him, for he, may God bless him and grant him peace, described those who enter the Fire: “Bring out of the Fire anyone whose heart contains an atom's weight of faith.” In another report he said, “Generosity comes from certainty, and no one possessing certainty enters the Fire.” The Glorified and Exalted explained what we have connected from what we witnessed of Him: “My covenant does not extend to wrongdoers.”

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٣٠

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 130

Volume Two, page 130

الْبَقَرَةُ: 124، ثُمَّ قَالَ فِي الْبَيَانِ الثَّانِي مِنَ الْخِطَابِ: (لَا يَمْلِكُونَ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنْدَ الرَّحْمٰنِ عَهْدًا) مَرْيَمُ: 87، وَقَالَ فِي الْبَيَانِ الثَّالِثِ: (وَلَا يَمْلِكُ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ) الزُّخْرُفُ: 86، وَقَالَ فِي وَجْدِ الْيَقِينِ بَعْدَ شَهَادَةِ الْعَيْنِ فِي الرُّؤْيَةِ بَعْدَ الْمُكَاشَفَةِ: (وَكَذَلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ) الْأَنْعَامُ: 75.

al-baqaratu: 124, thumma qāla fī al-bayāni al-thānī mina al-khiṭābi: (lā yamlikūna al-shafāʿata ʾillā mani ittakhadha ʿinda al-raḥmāni ʿahdan) maryamu: 87, waqāla fī al-bayāni al-thālithi: (walā yamliku alladhīna yadʿūna min dūnihi al-shafāʿata ʾillā man shahida bi-al-ḥaqqi wahum yaʿlamūna) al-zukhrufu: 86, waqāla fī wajdi al-yaqīni baʿda shahādati al-ʿayni fī al-ruʾyati baʿda al-mukāshafati: (wa-kadhālika nurī ʾibrāhīma malakūta al-samawāti wa-al-ʾarḍi waliyakūna mina al-mūqinīna) al-ʾanʿāmu: 75.

(al-Baqara 2:124). In the second explanation within the address He said: “None possess intercession except those who have made a covenant with the All-Merciful” (Maryam 19:87). In the third He said: “Those whom they call upon besides Him possess no intercession, except those who knowingly bear witness to the truth” (al-Zukhruf 43:86). Concerning the experience of certainty after direct witnessing, in vision after unveiling, He said: “Thus We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, so that he may be among those possessing certainty” (al-Anʿām 6:75).

ثُمَّ قَالَ بِنَبَإٍ يَقِينٍ: إِنِّي وَجَدْتُ، وَكَمَا أَنَّ الْيَقِينَ بَعْدَ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ كَذَلِكَ الْوَجْدُ بَعْدَ الْيَقِينِ، وَالْيَقِينُ هُوَ حَقِيقَةُ الْإِيمَانِ وَكَمَالُهُ، كَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ: الصَّبْرُ نِصْفُ الْإِيمَانِ، وَالشُّكْرُ نِصْفُ الْإِيمَانِ وَالْيَقِينُ الْإِيمَانُ كُلُّهُ. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِي تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ، قِيلَ: الْجَاهُ وَقِيلَ: الشَّفَاعَةُ وَيُقَالُ: الْوِلَايَةُ، وَقِيلَ: الْإِمَامَةُ.

thumma qāla binabaʾin yaqīnin: ʾinnī wajadtu, wakamā ʾanna al-yaqīna baʿda al-mushāhadati kadhālika al-wajdu baʿda al-yaqīni, wa-al-yaqīnu huwa ḥaqīqatu al-ʾīmāni wakamāluhu, kamā jāʾa fī al-ʾathari: al-ṣabru niṣfu al-ʾīmāni, wa-al-shukru niṣfu al-ʾīmāni wa-al-yaqīnu al-ʾīmānu kulluhu. waqad rawaynā fī tafsīri qawlihi taʿālā: lā yanālu ʿahdī al-ẓālimīna, qīla: al-jāhu waqīla: al-shafāʿatu wayuqālu: al-wilāyatu, waqīla: al-ʾimāmatu.

Then He said, “With certain news: I have found” (al-Naml 27:22–23). Just as certainty follows contemplation, so finding follows certainty. Certainty is the reality and perfection of faith, as a tradition says: “Patience is half of faith; gratitude is half of faith; and certainty is faith in its entirety.” We have related several interpretations of His saying, exalted is He, “My covenant does not extend to wrongdoers”: standing, intercession, divine guardianship, or leadership.

لَا يَكُونُ الظَّالِمُ إِمَامًا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ لِأَنَّ مَنْ تَبِعَهُ أُمَّةٌ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَهُوَ إِمَامٌ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ، وَالظَّالِمُ مُتَهَدَّدٌ بِالنَّارِ مُتَوَعَّدٌ بِسُوءِ الْمُنْقَلَبِ، مَشْفُوعٌ فِيهِ فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ شَفِيعًا؟ مَحْجُوبٌ عَنْهُ فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ شَهِيدًا؟ أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ إِلَى قَوْلِ الشَّاهِدِ: وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ، وَإِلَى قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (وَسَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ يَنْقَلِبُونَ) الشُّعَرَاءُ: 227، مَعَ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (فَتَكُونَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ وَذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الظَّالِمِينَ) الْمَائِدَةُ: 29.

lā yakūnu al-ẓālimu ʾimāman li-l-muttaqīna liʾanna man tabiʿahu ʾummatun mina al-muʾminīna fahuwa ʾimāmun li-l-muttaqīna, wa-al-ẓālimu mutahaddadun bi-al-nāri mutawaʿʿadun bisūʾi al-munqalabi, mashfūʿun fīhi fakayfa yakūnu shafīʿan? maḥjūbun ʿanhu fakayfa yakūnu shahīdan? ʾalam tasmaʿ ʾilā qawli al-shāhidi: walā taḥsabanna Allāha ghāfilan ʿammā yaʿmalu al-ẓālimūna, waʾilā qawlihi taʿālā: (wasayaʿlamu alladhīna ẓalamū ʾayya munqalabin yanqalibūna) al-shuʿarāʾu: 227, maʿa qawlihi taʿālā: (fatakūna min ʾaṣḥābi al-nāri wa-dhālika jazāʾu al-ẓālimīna) al-māʾidatu: 29.

A wrongdoer cannot lead the God-fearing, for anyone followed by a community of believers is a leader of the God-fearing. The wrongdoer is threatened with the Fire and an evil return; he needs intercession, so how can he intercede? He is veiled from Him, so how can he witness? Have you not heard the Witness's saying, “Do not think God unaware of what wrongdoers do” (Ibrāhīm 14:42), and His saying, exalted is He, “Those who do wrong will know to what return they will return” (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:227), together with His saying, exalted is He, “Then you will be among the people of the Fire: that is the recompense of wrongdoers” (al-Māʾida 5:29)?

ثُمَّ أَجْمَلَ ذَلِكَ بِقَوْلِهِ: وَمَنْ لَمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ، فَصَغِيرُ التَّوْبَةِ لِصَغِيرِ الظُّلْمِ عَنْ صَغَائِرِ الْمَظَالِمِ، وَكَبِيرُ التَّوْبَةِ لِكَبِيرِ الظُّلْمِ عَنْ كَبَائِرِ الْمَظَالِمِ، وَالظُّلْمُ ظُلْمَةٌ الْيَوْمَ فِي الْقَلْبِ وَظُلْمَةٌ غَدًا فِي الْقِيَامَةِ، فَالتَّوْبَةُ تُخْرِجُ الْعَبْدَ مِنَ الظُّلْمِ، وَبِخُرُوجِهِ مِنَ الظُّلْمِ يَدْخُلُ فِي مَنَازِلِ الْعَهْدِ، وَبِرِعَايَةِ الْعَهْدِ يَعْمَلُ فِي الْإِصْلَاحِ، وَاللَّهُ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُصْلِحِينَ، كَمَا لَا يُصْلِحُ عَمَلَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ.

thumma ʾajmala dhālika biqawlihi: waman lam yatub fa-ʾulāʾika humu al-ẓālimūna, faṣaghīru al-tawbati liṣaghīri al-ẓulmi ʿan ṣaghāʾiri al-maẓālimi, wakabīru al-tawbati likabīri al-ẓulmi ʿan kabāʾiri al-maẓālimi, wa-al-ẓulmu ẓulmatun al-yawma fī al-qalbi waẓulmatun ghadan fī al-qiyāmati, fa-al-tawbatu tukhriju al-ʿabda mina al-ẓulmi, wabikhurūjihi mina al-ẓulmi yadkhulu fī manāzili al-ʿahdi, wabiriʿāyati al-ʿahdi yaʿmalu fī al-ʾiṣlāḥi, wa-Allāhu lā yuḍīʿu ʾajra al-muṣliḥīna, kamā lā yuṣliḥu ʿamala al-mufsidīna.

He summed it up by saying, “Those who do not repent are the wrongdoers.” Lesser repentance addresses lesser wrongdoing arising from minor wrongs, and greater repentance addresses greater wrongdoing arising from grave wrongs. Wrongdoing is darkness in the heart today and darkness at the Resurrection tomorrow. Repentance brings the servant out of wrongdoing; leaving wrongdoing, he enters the dwellings of the covenant; observing the covenant, he works to set things right. God does not waste the reward of those who reform, just as He does not make the corrupters' work prosper.

فَإِذَا كَانَ مُصْلِحًا بِالتَّوْبَةِ مَا أَفْسَدَ بِالْهَوَى اُسْتُعْمِلَ بِالصَّالِحَاتِ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ صَلَحَ، فَإِذَا عَمِلَ بِالصَّالِحَاتِ أُدْخِلَ فِي الصَّالِحِينَ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ فَضُلَ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: (وَيُؤْتِ كُلَّ ذِي فَضْلٍ فَضْلَهُ) هُودٌ: 3، وَقَالَ فِي الْبَيَانِ الْأَوَّلِ: (وَعَمِلُوا الصَّٰلِحَاتِ لَنُدْخِلَنَّهُمْ فِي الصَّالِحِينَ) الْعَنْكَبُوتُ: 9، فَمَنْ صَلَحَ لَهُ تَوَلَّاهُ وَمَنْ تَوَلَّاهُ عَلَّمَهُ وَحَبَاهُ وَكَاشَفَهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ وَعَافَاهُ وَأَحَبَّهُ.

faʾidhā kāna muṣliḥan bi-al-tawbati mā ʾafsada bi-al-hawā ustuʿmila bi-al-ṣāliḥāti liʾannahu qad ṣalaḥa, faʾidhā ʿamila bi-al-ṣāliḥāti ʾudkhila fī al-ṣāliḥīna liʾannahu qad faḍula, qāla Allāhu taʿālā: (wayuʾti kulla dhī faḍlin faḍlahu) hūdun: 3, waqāla fī al-bayāni al-ʾawwali: (waʿamilū al-ṣāliḥāti lanudkhilannahum fī al-ṣāliḥīna) al-ʿankabūtu: 9, faman ṣalaḥa lahu tawallāhu waman tawallāhu ʿallamahu waḥabāhu wakāshafahu min nafsihi waʿāfāhu waʾaḥabbahu.

When he repairs through repentance what he spoiled through desire, he is employed in good deeds because he has become sound. When he performs good deeds, he is admitted among the righteous because he has excelled. God Most High said, “He grants each possessor of merit his due” (Hūd 11:3), and in the first explanation, “And perform good deeds, We shall surely admit them among the righteous” (al-ʿAnkabūt 29:9). Whoever becomes fit for Him, He takes into His care; whoever He takes into His care, He teaches, favors, grants unveiling of Himself, preserves, and loves.

فَكَانَ هُوَ حَسْبَهُ وَكَفَاهُ وَجَعَلَهُ تَحْتَ كَنَفِهِ وَآوَاهُ، فَيَكُونُ ظَاهِرُ حَالِهِ الْعِصْمَةَ مِنَ الْهَوَى، وَأَعْلَاهُ مُشَاهَدَةَ عَيْنِ الْيَقِينِ مِنَ الْمَوْلَى، وَمَنِ اكْتَسَبَ مِنَ الْمَظَالِمِ ظَلَمَ، وَمَنْ ظَلَمَ وَلَّاهُ مِثْلَهُ وَمَنْ وَلَّاهُ مِثْلَهُ تَوَلَّى عَنْهُ، وَمَنْ تَوَلَّى عَنْهُ أَفْسَدَ وَمَنْ أَفْسَدَ قَطَعَ مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَنْ يُوصَلَ، وَمَنْ قَطَعَ بَعُدَ فَانْقَطَعَ وَمَنِ انْقَطَعَ فَبَعُدَ لُعِنَ وَطُرِدَ.

fakāna huwa ḥasbahu wakafāhu wajaʿalahu taḥta kanafihi waʾāwāhu, fayakūnu ẓāhiru ḥālihi al-ʿiṣmata mina al-hawā, waʾaʿlāhu mushāhadata ʿayni al-yaqīni mina al-mawlā, wamani iktasaba mina al-maẓālimi ẓalama, waman ẓalama wallāhu mithlahu waman wallāhu mithlahu tawallā ʿanhu, waman tawallā ʿanhu ʾafsada waman ʾafsada qaṭaʿa mā ʾamara Allāhu bihi ʾan yūṣala, waman qaṭaʿa baʿuda fa-nqaṭaʿa wamani inqaṭaʿa fabaʿuda luʿina waṭurida.

He becomes sufficient for him, meets his needs, places him under His protection, and shelters him. His outward state is then protection from desire, and its summit is direct contemplation of certainty from the Master. Whoever acquires wrongful gains does wrong; whoever does wrong, He places under someone like himself; whoever He places under someone like himself, He turns away from. Whoever He turns away from causes corruption, and whoever causes corruption severs what God commanded to be joined. Whoever severs it becomes distant and cut off; whoever is cut off and becomes distant is cursed and expelled.

وَمَنْ طُرِدَ عَمِيَ وَصَمَّ تَحْتَ الْهَوَى الْمُعْمِي الْمُصِمِّ، وَمَنْ عَمِيَ لَمْ يَشْهَدِ الْبَصِيرَ وَمَنْ صَمَّ لَمْ يَسْمَعْ مِنَ السَّمِيعِ، فَكَيْفَ يَتَدَبَّرُ الْخِطَابَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُقْفَلٌ وَهَمُّهُ عَلَى هَوَاهُ

waman ṭurida ʿamiya waṣamma taḥta al-hawā al-muʿmī al-muṣimmi, waman ʿamiya lam yashhadi al-baṣīra waman ṣamma lam yasmaʿ mina al-samīʿi, fakayfa yatadabbaru al-khiṭāba waqalbuhu muqfalun wahammuhu ʿalā hawāhu

Whoever is expelled becomes blind and deaf beneath desire, which blinds and deafens. Whoever is blind does not witness the All-Seeing; whoever is deaf does not hear from the All-Hearing. How can he reflect upon the address when his heart is locked and his concern is toward his desire,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٣١

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 131

Volume Two, page 131

مُقْبِلٌ؟ وَالْفَتَّاحُ الْعَلِيمُ عَنْهُ مُعْرِضٌ؟ فَهَذَا مِنْ تَوْصِيلِ الْقَوْلِ بِمَطْلَعِ الْمَقُولِ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (نُوَلِّي بَعْضَ الظَّالِمِينَ بَعْضًا بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ) الْأَنْعَامُ: 129، وَمِنْ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (إِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَنْ تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ) مُحَمَّدٌ: 22 الْآيَةُ، فَتَبَيَّنُوا، وَلِلتَّائِبِ حَالٌ مِنْ أَوَّلِ الْمَحَبَّةِ، وَلِلتَّوَّابِ مَقَامٌ مِنْ حَقِيقَةِ الْحُبِّ، وَلِلنَّاسِ فِي التَّوْبَةِ مَقَامَاتٌ حَسَبَ كَوْنِهِمْ فِي الْهَوَى طَبَقَاتٍ.

muqbilun? wa-al-fattāḥu al-ʿalīmu ʿanhu muʿriḍun? fa-hādhā min tawṣīli al-qawli bimaṭlaʿi al-maqūli min qawlihi taʿālā: (nuwallī baʿḍa al-ẓālimīna baʿḍan bimā kānū yaksibūna) al-ʾanʿāmu: 129, wamin qawlihi taʿālā: (ʾin tawallaytum ʾan tufsidū fī al-ʾarḍi) muḥammadun: 22 al-ʾāyatu, fatabayyanū, wali-l-tāʾibi ḥālun min ʾawwali al-maḥabbati, wali-l-tawwābi maqāmun min ḥaqīqati al-ḥubbi, wali-l-nāsi fī al-tawbati maqāmātun ḥasaba kawnihim fī al-hawā ṭabaqātin.

turned toward it, while the All-Knowing Opener turns away from him? This connects our account to the source of what is said in His words, exalted is He: “We place some wrongdoers under others because of what they used to earn” (al-Anʿām 6:129), and in His words, exalted is He, in the verse containing, “If you turn away, to spread corruption in the earth” (Muḥammad 47:22). Understand this clearly. The repentant person has a state at love's beginning; the one continually returning has a station within love's reality. People's stations in repentance correspond to their different levels in desire.

وَهُمْ فِي الْحُبِّ دَرَجَاتٌ نَحْوَ مُشَاهَدَتِهِمْ لِمَحَاسِنِ الصِّفَاتِ، فَتَجَلَّى لِكُلِّ وَجْهٍ بِمَعْنَى حُسْنِ وَجْهِهِ هَذَا فِي الْقُلُوبِ عَنْ مَحَاسِنِ الْإِيمَانِ، وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ عَلَى مَعَانِي مَحَاسِنِ الْوُجُوهِ فِي الْعِيَانِ، فَتَحْكُمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَشِيئَةُ مِنْهُ لَهُمْ بِمَا يُوجِدُهُمْ بِهِ مِنْهُ عَلَى مَعَانِي مَا أَوْجَدَهُمْ مِنْهُ بِهِ الْيَوْمَ، فَسُبْحَانَ مَنْ هَذِهِ قُدْرَتُهُ عَنْ إِرَادَتِهِ، وَسِعَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا.

wahum fī al-ḥubbi darajātun naḥwa mushāhadatihim limaḥāsini al-ṣifāti, fatajallā likulli wajhin bimaʿnā ḥusni wajhihi hādhā fī al-qulūbi ʿan maḥāsini al-ʾīmāni, wafī al-ʾākhirati ʿalā maʿānī maḥāsini al-wujūhi fī al-ʿiyāni, fataḥkumu ʿalayhimu al-mashīʾatu minhu lahum bimā yūjiduhum bihi minhu ʿalā maʿānī mā ʾawjadahum minhu bihi al-yawma, fasubḥāna man hādhihi qudratuhu ʿan ʾirādatihi, wasiʿa kulla shayʾin raḥmatan waʿilman.

Their degrees in love accord with their contemplation of the attributes' beauties. He reveals Himself to each face through a meaning of His Face's beauty: now within hearts through faith's beauties, and in the hereafter through the meanings of beautiful faces in direct vision. His will governs them for their good through what He causes them to find of Him, corresponding to what He has caused them to find of Him today. Glory to Him whose power proceeds in this way from His will! He encompasses everything in mercy and knowledge.

وَيَلْزَمُ كُلَّ عَبْدٍ مِنَ الْمُجَاهَدَةِ عَلَى قَدْرِ مَا اُبْتُلِيَ بِهِ مِنَ الْهَوَى، وَيَثْبُتُ لَهُ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ بِقَدْرِ مَا صَحَّ لَهُ مِنَ التَّوْبَةِ، وَيَسْقُطُ عَنْهُ مِنَ الْمُجَاهَدَةِ بِقُوَّةِ مَا يُكْشَفُ لَهُ مِنَ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ، فَيَحْمِلُ الْإِشْهَادُ عَنْهُ آلَامَ الْجِهَادِ، فَيَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ فِي الْبَلَاءِ مَحْمُولًا، وَيَكُونُ يَقِينُهُ بِالشَّهَادَةِ وَالْيَقِينِ مَوْصُولًا، وَهَذَا مِنْ سَوَابِغِ الْعَوَافِي وَتَمَامٌ مِنَ النَّعْمَاءِ.

wayalzamu kulla ʿabdin mina al-mujāhadati ʿalā qadri mā ubtuliya bihi mina al-hawā, wayathbutu lahu mina al-maḥabbati biqadri mā ṣaḥḥa lahu mina al-tawbati, wayasquṭu ʿanhu mina al-mujāhadati biquwwati mā yukshafu lahu mina al-mushāhadati, fayaḥmilu al-ʾishhādu ʿanhu ʾālāma al-jihādi, fayakūnu al-ʿabdu fī al-balāʾi maḥmūlan, wayakūnu yaqīnuhu bi-al-shahādati wa-al-yaqīni mawṣūlan, wa-hādhā min sawābighi al-ʿawāfī watamāmun mina al-naʿmāʾi.

Each servant must undertake struggle in proportion to the desire with which he has been tried. His share of love is established according to the soundness of his repentance, and struggle falls away from him according to the strength of the contemplation unveiled to him. Being made to witness bears away the pains of struggle, so that the servant is carried through affliction and his certainty is joined to witnessing and certainty. This belongs to abundant preservation and the completion of blessing.

وَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ، وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ جَاءَ الْخَبَرُ فِيهِمْ: إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عِبَادًا ضَنَائِنَ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ، يَغْذُوهُمْ بِرَحْمَتِهِ وَيَجْعَلُهُمْ فِي ظِلِّ عَافِيَتِهِ، يَضَنُّ بِهِمْ عَنِ الْقَتْلِ وَالْبَلَاءِ وَيُحْيِيهِمْ فِي عَافِيَةٍ، وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ فِي عَافِيَةٍ، أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ تَمُرُّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْفِتَنُ كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ وَهُمْ مِنْهَا فِي عَافِيَةٍ.

wa-hāʾulāʾi alladhīna ʾanʿama Allāhu ʿalayhim mina al-nabiyyīna wa-al-ṣiddīqīna wa-al-shuhadāʾi, wahumu alladhīna jāʾa al-khabaru fīhim: ʾinna li-llāhi ʿibādan ḍanāʾina min khalqihi, yaghdhūhum biraḥmatihi wayajʿaluhum fī ẓilli ʿāfiyatihi, yaḍannu bihim ʿani al-qatli wa-al-balāʾi wayuḥyīhim fī ʿāfiyatin, wayudkhiluhumu al-jannata fī ʿāfiyatin, ʾulāʾika alladhīna tamurru ʿalayhimu al-fitanu kaqiṭaʿi al-layli al-muẓlimi wahum minhā fī ʿāfiyatin.

These are the prophets, the utterly truthful, and the witnesses upon whom God has bestowed His favor. Concerning them the report says: “God has servants whom He treasures among His creatures, nourishing them with His mercy and placing them in the shade of His preservation. He cherishes them too greatly to expose them to killing and affliction, gives them life in well-being, and admits them to Paradise in well-being. Trials pass over them like stretches of dark night, while they remain untouched by them.”

فَالْأَفْضَلُ بَعْدَ هَذَا لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مَعْرِفَتُهُ بِعِلْمِ حَالِهِ، وَوُقُوفُهُ عَلَى حَدِّهِ وَلُزُومُ الصِّدْقِ فِي مَقَامِهِ، وَتَرْكُ التَّكَلُّفِ وَالدَّعْوَى فِي جَمِيعِ سُكُونِهِ وَحَرَكَتِهِ، فَإِنَّهُ هَذَا أَبْلَغُ فِيمَا يُرِيدُ، وَأَوْصَلُ فِي طَلَبِ مَا يَرْجُو، فَإِنَّ عِلْمَ الْعُلَمَاءِ لَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ بِنَفْسِهِ شَيْئًا، لَا يُسْأَلُ عَنْ عُلُومِهِمْ كَمَا لَا يُسْأَلُونَ عَنْ عِلْمِهِ، وَهَذَا طَرِيقٌ رَأْسُ مَالِهِ الصِّدْقُ، وَزَادُهُ الصَّبْرُ وَقُوتُهُ التَّقْوَى.

fa-al-ʾafḍalu baʿda hādhā likulli ʿabdin maʿrifatuhu biʿilmi ḥālihi, wawuqūfuhu ʿalā ḥaddihi waluzūmu al-ṣidqi fī maqāmihi, watarku al-takallufi wa-al-daʿwā fī jamīʿi sukūnihi waḥarakatihi, faʾinnahu hādhā ʾablaghu fīmā yurīdu, waʾawṣalu fī ṭalabi mā yarjū, faʾinna ʿilma al-ʿulamāʾi lā yughnī ʿanhu min ʿilmihi binafsihi shayʾan, lā yusʾalu ʿan ʿulūmihim kamā lā yusʾalūna ʿan ʿilmihi, wa-hādhā ṭarīqun raʾsu mālihi al-ṣidqu, wazāduhu al-ṣabru waqūtuhu al-taqwā.

After this, what is best for every servant is to know his own state, remain within its bounds, maintain truthfulness in his station, and abandon affectation and pretension in every movement and stillness. This takes him furthest toward what he wants and best enables him to reach what he hopes for. Scholars' knowledge cannot replace his knowledge of himself. He is not questioned about their learning, just as they are not questioned about his. This path has truthfulness as its capital, patience as its provisions, and God-consciousness as its nourishment.

فَمَنْ عَدِمَ الصِّدْقَ لَمْ يَرْبَحْ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَتَزَوَّدِ الصَّبْرَ انْقَطَعَ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَقْتَتِ التَّقْوَى هَلَكَ، فَذَرَّةٌ مِنْ صِدْقٍ أَنْفَعُ مِنْ مِثْقَالِ عَمَلٍ، وَذَرَّةٌ مِنْ صَبْرٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ مِثْقَالٍ مِنْ عَمَلٍ، وَذَرَّةٌ مِنْ تَقْوَى أَنْفَعُ مِنْ مِثْقَالِ إِيمَانٍ، فَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا، وَيُعْطِي اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْعَبْدَ بِأَدَاءِ الْفَرَائِضِ وَاجْتِنَابِ الْمَحَارِمِ مَقَامًا مِنْ مَقَامَاتِ الْيَقِينِ، يُرْفَعُ بِهِ إِلَى عِلِّيِّينَ.

faman ʿadima al-ṣidqa lam yarbaḥ, waman lam yatazawwadi al-ṣabra inqaṭaʿa, waman lam yaqtati al-taqwā halaka, fadharratun min ṣidqin ʾanfaʿu min mithqāli ʿamalin, wadharratun min ṣabrin khayrun min mithqālin min ʿamalin, wadharratun min taqwā ʾanfaʿu min mithqāli ʾīmānin, faʾinna al-ẓanna lā yughnī mina al-ḥaqqi shayʾan, wayuʿṭī Allāhu taʿālā al-ʿabda biʾadāʾi al-farāʾiḍi wa-jtinābi al-maḥārimi maqāman min maqāmāti al-yaqīni, yurfaʿu bihi ʾilā ʿilliyyīna.

Whoever lacks truthfulness gains no profit; whoever takes no provision of patience is cut off; whoever does not feed upon God-consciousness perishes. An atom of truthfulness is more beneficial than a measure of deeds; an atom of patience is better than a measure of deeds; and an atom of God-consciousness is more beneficial than a measure of faith. Supposition is no substitute for truth. Through fulfilling obligations and avoiding forbidden things, God Most High grants the servant a station of certainty by which he is raised to ʿIlliyyīn.

وَرُبَّمَا أَعْطَاهُ بِهِمَا مِثْلَ ثَوَابِ الْأَبْدَالِ بَعْدَ أَنْ يُرِيدَ بِالْفِعْلِ وَالتَّرْكِ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَحْدَهُ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يُسْلَكْ بِهِ طَرِيقُ الْأَبْدَالِ قَطُّ وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا أَبَدًا، وَمَنْ نَقَلَهُ مَوْلَاهُ بِالْيَقِينِ الَّذِي بِهِ تَوَلَّاهُ لَمْ يَخْفَ عَلَيْهِ التَّنْقِيلُ، لِأَنَّ النَّقْلَ يَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَى التَّنَقُّلِ فِي الْأَحْوَالِ، وَالْمُشَاهَدَةُ تَحْكُمُ عَلَيْهِ بِالْأَفْعَالِ، وَرُبَّمَا بَلَّغَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْعَبْدَ بِحُسْنِ الظَّنِّ بِهِ وَقُوَّةِ الْأَمَلِ وَالطَّمَعِ فِيهِ جَمِيعَ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ، بَعْدَ أَنْ يَكُونَ حَسَنَ الْيَقِينِ.

warubbamā ʾaʿṭāhu bihimā mithla thawābi al-ʾabdāli baʿda ʾan yurīda bi-al-fiʿli wa-al-tarki wajha Allāhi taʿālā waḥdahu, waʾin lam yuslak bihi ṭarīqu al-ʾabdāli qaṭṭu walam yaʿrif minhum ʾaḥadan ʾabadan, waman naqalahu mawlāhu bi-al-yaqīni alladhī bihi tawallāhu lam yakhfa ʿalayhi al-tanqīlu, liʾanna al-naqla yaḍṭarruhu ʾilā al-tanaqquli fī al-ʾaḥwāli, wa-al-mushāhadatu taḥkumu ʿalayhi bi-al-ʾafʿāli, warubbamā ballagha Allāhu taʿālā al-ʿabda biḥusni al-ẓanni bihi waquwwati al-ʾamali wa-al-ṭamaʿi fīhi jamīʿa mā dhakarnāhu, baʿda ʾan yakūna ḥasana al-yaqīni.

Through these two things He may give him a reward like that of the substitutes, provided that in acting and abstaining he seeks only God Most High's Face, even if he has never been led along their path or known any of them. When his Master moves him through the certainty by which He took him into His care, the movement cannot remain hidden from him, because it compels changes of spiritual state and contemplation determines his actions. God Most High may bring the servant to everything we have described through a good opinion of Him and strong hope and expectation in Him, provided his certainty is sound.

وَقَدْ يُعْطِيهِ مَقَامَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ بِخُلُقٍ مِنْ أَخْلَاقِهِ إِذَا خَلَّقَهُ بِهِ، وَرُبَّمَا بَلَّغَهُ مَنَازِلَ الشُّهَدَاءِ بِشَيْءٍ وَاحِدٍ يَتْرُكُهُ

waqad yuʿṭīhi maqāma al-ṣiddīqīna bikhuluqin min ʾakhlāqihi ʾidhā khallaqahu bihi, warubbamā ballaghahu manāzila al-shuhadāʾi bishayʾin wāḥidin yatrukuhu

He may grant him the station of the utterly truthful through one of His qualities when He forms his character with it, or bring him to the dwellings of the witnesses through a single thing he gives up

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٣٢

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 132

Volume Two, page 132

لَهُ، أَوْ شَيْءٍ يُؤْثِرُهُ بِهِ لِأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ، وَأَضَرُّ شَيْءٍ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ قِلَّةُ مَعْرِفَتِهِ بِهِ، فَلَرُبَّمَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ عَلَى تِسْعِ كَبَائِرَ فَيَتْرُكُ الْعَاشِرَةَ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَتَكُونُ تِلْكَ الْخَصْلَةُ ذَرَّةً إِلَى جَنْبِ تِسْعَةِ أَجْبُلٍ، فَيَنْظُرُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ بِوَجْهِهِ لِوَجْهِهِ الَّذِي تَرَكَهُ لَهُ نَظْرَةً، فَتَمْحُو تِلْكَ النَّظْرَةُ الْجِبَالَ التِّسْعَةَ فَتَصِيرُ هَبَاءً مَنْثُورًا.

lahu, ʾaw shayʾin yuʾthiruhu bihi liʾannahu ghafūrun shakūrun, waʾaḍarru shayʾin ʿalā al-ʿabdi qillatu maʿrifatihi bihi, falarubbamā kāna al-ʿabdu ʿalā tisʿi kabāʾira fayatruku al-ʿāshirata liwajhi Allāhi taʿālā, fatakūnu tilka al-khaṣlatu dharratan ʾilā janbi tisʿati ʾajbulin, fayanẓuru Allāhu taʿālā ʾilayhi biwajhihi liwajhihi alladhī tarakahu lahu naẓratan, fatamḥū tilka al-naẓratu al-jibāla al-tisʿata fataṣīru habāʾan manthūran.

for Him, or one thing through which he gives Him preference, for He is forgiving and appreciative. Nothing harms a servant more than knowing Him little. A servant may be committing nine grave sins yet abandon a tenth for God Most High's Face. That trait is an atom beside nine mountains. God Most High then turns His Face toward him with one glance, for the sake of His Face for which he abandoned it, and that glance effaces the nine mountains, making them scattered dust.

وَرُبَّمَا حَسَّنَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَصْفًا وَاحِدًا مِنَ الْعَبْدِ يَصِفُهُ بِهِ فَيُحْبِطُ عَنْهُ مِائَةَ وَصْفٍ قَبِيحٍ يَصِفُهُ النَّاسُ بِهِ، فَتَدَبَّرُوا، فَلَا يَيْأَسْ عَبْدٌ مِنْ فَضْلِ مَوْلَاهُ وَلَا يَقْطَعَنَّ مِنْ حَبْلِهِ رَجَاهُ بَعْدَ إِذْ عَرَفَهُ، فَإِنَّ السَّيِّدَ كَرِيمٌ رَحِيمٌ، وَلَا يَنْقَطِعَنَّ عَبْدٌ عَنْ بَابِهِ وَإِنْ يُقْطَعْ بِخِلَافِهِ وَلَا يَبْعُدَنَّ عَنْ فِنَائِهِ وَإِنْ بَعُدَ بِأَوْصَافِهِ، وَلَا يَسْتَوْحِشْ مِنَ التَّقَرُّبِ إِلَيْهِ بِمَا يُحِبُّ بَعْدَ مَا تَوَحَّشَ تَفَحَّشَ لَدَيْهِ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ.

warubbamā ḥassana Allāhu taʿālā waṣfan wāḥidan mina al-ʿabdi yaṣifuhu bihi fayuḥbiṭu ʿanhu miʾata waṣfin qabīḥin yaṣifuhu al-nāsu bihi, fatadabbarū, falā yayʾas ʿabdun min faḍli mawlāhu walā yaqṭaʿanna min ḥablihi rajāhu baʿda ʾidh ʿarafahu, faʾinna al-sayyida karīmun raḥīmun, walā yanqaṭiʿanna ʿabdun ʿan bābihi waʾin yuqṭaʿ bikhilāfihi walā yabʿudanna ʿan fināʾihi waʾin baʿuda biʾawṣāfihi, walā yastawḥish mina al-taqarrubi ʾilayhi bimā yuḥibbu baʿda mā tawaḥḥasha tafaḥḥasha ladayhi bimā yakrahu.

God Most High may approve a single quality in a servant by which He describes him, thereby canceling a hundred ugly qualities by which people describe him. Reflect on this. No servant should despair of his Master's bounty or sever his hope from His rope after knowing Him, for the Master is generous and merciful. No servant should leave His door even if estranged through disobedience, or keep far from His courtyard even if his qualities have made him distant. He should not feel too alienated to approach Him through what He loves after becoming estranged and behaving shamefully before Him through what He dislikes.

فَهَكَذَا يُحِبُّ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنْ عِبَادِهِ فَتَبَيَّنُوا، وَنَحْوَ هَذَا يُحِبُّ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يَعْرِفُوا فَيَفْعَلُوا بَعْدَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، فَإِنَّ الْمَعْرُوفَ مُفْرِطُ الْكَرَمِ وَاسِعُ الرَّحْمَةِ فَاضِلُ الْفَضْلِ، فَإِنْ أُعْطِيَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ لَمْ يُمْنَعْ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَضُرُّ مَا مُنِعَ، وَإِنْ مُنِعَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ لَمْ يُعْطَ شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يَنْفَعْ مِنْهُ مَا أُعْطِيَ، وَقَدْ تَلْتَبِسُ الْمَحَابُّ فَتَدْخُلُ مَحَبَّةُ النِّعَمِ فِي مَحَبَّةِ الْمُنْعِمِ، وَتَدْخُلُ مَحَبَّةُ النَّفْسِ عَلَى مَحَبَّةِ خَالِقٍ.

fa-hākadhā yuḥibbu Allāhu taʿālā min ʿibādihi fatabayyanū, wanaḥwa hādhā yuḥibbu Allāhu taʿālā minhum ʾan yaʿrifū fayafʿalū baʿda al-maʿrifati, faʾinna al-maʿrūfa mufriṭu al-karami wāsiʿu al-raḥmati fāḍilu al-faḍli, faʾin ʾuʿṭiya al-maʿrifata lam yumnaʿ shayʾan walā yaḍurru mā muniʿa, waʾin muniʿa al-maʿrifata lam yuʿṭa shayʾan walam yanfaʿ minhu mā ʾuʿṭiya, waqad taltabisu al-maḥābbu fatadkhulu maḥabbatu al-niʿami fī maḥabbati al-munʿimi, watadkhulu maḥabbatu al-nafsi ʿalā maḥabbati khāliqin.

Understand clearly: this is what God Most High loves from His servants. God Most High loves them to know such things and then act upon that knowledge. The One known is exceedingly generous, boundless in mercy, and surpassing in bounty. If someone is given knowledge, nothing has been withheld from him, and whatever he lacks cannot harm him. If he is denied knowledge, he has received nothing, and whatever he receives does not benefit him. Forms of love can become confused: love of blessings enters love of the Bestower, and love of self intrudes upon love of the Creator.

وَيَشْتَبِهُ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَ عُمُومِ الْمُحِبِّينَ مِمَّنْ لَمْ يُكْشَفْ لَهُ عَيْنُ الْيَقِينِ، فَيَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مُحِبًّا لِلنِّعَمِ، وَهُوَ يَظُنُّ بِوَهْمِهِ أَنَّهُ مُحِبٌّ لِلْمُنْعِمِ، وَيَكُونُ مُحِبًّا لِنَفْسِهِ وَيَحْسَبُ أَنَّهُ مُحِبٌّ لِمَوْلَاهُ، وَعَلَامَةُ ذَلِكَ سُكُونُهُ إِلَى الْأَشْيَاءِ وَفَرَحُهُ بِالْمَوْجُودَاتِ، وَوُجُودُ رَاحَتِهِ وَلَذَّتِهِ فِي هَوَاهُ، فَرُبَّمَا اخْتَارَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنْ يَكْشِفَ لَهُ حَالَهُ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ، وَرُبَّمَا سَتَرَ عَلَيْهِ حَالَهُ وَلَمْ يَفْضَحْهُ حَتَّى يَلْقَاهُ، فَيُثِيبَهُ ثَوَابَ مِثْلِهِ وَجَزَاءَهُ.

wayashtabihu dhālika ʿinda ʿumūmi al-muḥibbīna mimman lam yukshaf lahu ʿaynu al-yaqīni, fayakūnu al-ʿabdu muḥibban li-l-niʿami, wahuwa yaẓunnu biwahmihi ʾannahu muḥibbun li-l-munʿimi, wayakūnu muḥibban linafsihi wayaḥsabu ʾannahu muḥibbun limawlāhu, waʿalāmatu dhālika sukūnuhu ʾilā al-ʾashyāʾi wafaraḥuhu bi-al-mawjūdāti, wawujūdu rāḥatihi waladhdhatihi fī hawāhu, farubbamā ikhtāra Allāhu taʿālā ʾan yakshifa lahu ḥālahu qabla mawtihi, warubbamā satara ʿalayhi ḥālahu walam yafḍaḥhu ḥattā yalqāhu, fayuthībahu thawāba mithlihi wajazāʾahu.

This confusion affects ordinary lovers to whom direct certainty has not been unveiled. A servant loves blessings while imagining that he loves the Bestower; he loves himself while supposing he loves his Master. Its sign is his resting in things, rejoicing in existing possessions, and finding ease and pleasure in his desire. God Most High may choose to reveal his condition to him before death, or may conceal it and not expose him until he meets Him, then reward him with the recompense appropriate to someone like him.

وَلَيْسَ يَظْهَرُ فُرْقَانُ هَذَا إِلَّا فِي قَلْبِ مُوقِنٍ مُرَادٍ بِنُورٍ ثَاقِبٍ وَعِلْمٍ نَافِذٍ وَيَقِينٍ صَافٍ مِنْ عَيْنِ التَّوْحِيدِ وَشَاهِدِ الْقَيُّومِيَّةِ، لِأَنَّهُ مِنْ بَابِ مُشَاهَدَةِ الصِّفَاتِ الْغَيْبِيَّةِ وَمُشَاهَدَةِ الْأَفْعَالِ الْمَلَكُوتِيَّةِ، وَهُوَ الْفُرْقَانُ الَّذِي وَعَدَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْمُتَّقِينَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقَالَ: (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ فُرْقَانًا) الْأَنْفَالُ: 29، قِيلَ: نُورًا تُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الشُّبُهَاتِ.

walaysa yaẓharu furqānu hādhā ʾillā fī qalbi mūqinin murādin binūrin thāqibin waʿilmin nāfidhin wayaqīnin ṣāfin min ʿayni al-tawḥīdi washāhidi al-qayyūmiyyati, liʾannahu min bābi mushāhadati al-ṣifāti al-ghaybiyyati wamushāhadati al-ʾafʿāli al-malakūtiyyati, wahuwa al-furqānu alladhī waʿadahu Allāhu taʿālā al-muttaqīna mina al-muʾminīna faqāla: (yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū ʾin tattaqū Allāha yajʿal lakum furqānan) al-ʾanfālu: 29, qīla: nūran tufarriqūna bihi bayna al-shubuhāti.

Discernment of this appears only in the heart of one possessing certainty and sought by God, through penetrating light, effective knowledge, and pure certainty arising from the reality of divine oneness and the witness of self-subsistence. It belongs to contemplation of unseen attributes and acts of the spiritual kingdom. This is the discernment God Most High promised God-fearing believers: “Believers, if you fear God, He will grant you discernment” (al-Anfāl 8:29). This is interpreted as a light through which you distinguish amid doubtful matters.

وَهُوَ الْمَخْرَجُ الَّذِي ضَمِنَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لِأَهْلِ التَّقْوَى وَالْمَنْهَجُ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا) الطَّلَاقُ: 2، قِيلَ: مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ ضَاقَ عَلَى النَّاسِ بِهِ، فَتَفْصِيلُ مَعَانِي التَّوْحِيدِ مِنْ شَوَاهِدِ النَّاظِرِينَ أَضْيَقُ الضِّيقِ، وَشَهَادَةُ الْجَمْعِ فِي التَّفْرِقَةِ وَالْبَقَاءِ فِي الْفَنَاءِ أَخْفَى، وَشَرْحٌ غَرِيبٌ عَنِ الْأَسْمَاعِ يُنْكِرُ أَكْثَرَهُ أَكْثَرُ مَنْ سَمِعَهُ، غَيْرَ أَنَّ مَنْ لَهُ نَصِيبٌ مِنْهُ يَشْهَدُ مَا رَمَزْنَاهُ، فَيُكْشَفُ لَهُ بِهِ مَا غَطَّيْنَاهُ.

wahuwa al-makhraju alladhī ḍaminahu Allāhu taʿālā liʾahli al-taqwā wa-al-manhaju fī qawlihi taʿālā: (waman yattaqi Allāha yajʿal lahu makhrajan) al-ṭalāqu: 2, qīla: min kulli ʾamrin ḍāqa ʿalā al-nāsi bihi, fatafṣīlu maʿānī al-tawḥīdi min shawāhidi al-nāẓirīna ʾaḍyaqu al-ḍīqi, washahādatu al-jamʿi fī al-tafriqati wa-al-baqāʾi fī al-fanāʾi ʾakhfā, washarḥun gharībun ʿani al-ʾasmāʿi yunkiru ʾaktharahu ʾaktharu man samiʿahu, ghayra ʾanna man lahu naṣībun minhu yashhadu mā ramaznāhu, fayukshafu lahu bihi mā ghaṭṭaynāhu.

It is the way out and the clear path God Most High guaranteed to the God-fearing in His saying, exalted is He, “Whoever fears God, He will make a way out for him” (al-Ṭalāq 65:2), interpreted as an escape from every matter that constricts people. Unfolding the meanings of divine oneness through the witnesses of those who behold is the narrowest of narrow passages. Witnessing unity within differentiation and subsistence within annihilation is subtler still, an explanation unfamiliar to ears, most of which most listeners reject. Yet anyone possessing a share of it witnesses what we have indicated and thereby has unveiled to him what we concealed.

إِلَّا أَنَّهُ اسْتَوْلَى عَلَى الْقَلْبِ أَحَدُ وَجْهَيْنِ، فَالْخُصُوصُ أَحَبُّوهُ مِنْ طَرِيقِ مُشَاهَدَةِ الصِّفَاتِ، فَحُبُّ هَؤُلَاءِ بِقَلْبٍ وَوَجْدٍ لَا يَتَغَيَّرُ أَبَدًا، وَهُمْ مُثْبَتُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى لِقَاءِ الْحَبِيبِ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ عَبَدُوهُ عَلَى التَّعْظِيمِ وَالْمَحَبَّةِ وَالْإِجْلَالِ وَالْكِبْرِيَاءِ، وَفِي هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ وَالْمَحْبُوبُونَ وَالْخَائِفُونَ وَالْعَامِلُونَ وَالْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ وَالرَّاضُونَ، وَهُوَ الْمَقَامُ الْأَعْلَى وَهُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ عِنْدَهُ فِي الْمُنْتَهَى.

ʾillā ʾannahu istawlā ʿalā al-qalbi ʾaḥadu wajhayni, fa-al-khuṣūṣu ʾaḥabbūhu min ṭarīqi mushāhadati al-ṣifāti, faḥubbu hāʾulāʾi biqalbin wawajdin lā yataghayyaru ʾabadan, wahum muthbatūna fīhi ʾilā liqāʾi al-ḥabībi, wa-hāʾulāʾi ʿabadūhu ʿalā al-taʿẓīmi wa-al-maḥabbati wa-al-ʾijlāli wa-al-kibriyāʾi, wafī hāʾulāʾi al-muqarrabūna wa-al-maḥbūbūna wa-al-khāʾifūna wa-al-ʿāmilūna wa-al-mutawakkilūna wa-al-rāḍūna, wahuwa al-maqāmu al-ʾaʿlā wahumu al-ʾaʿlawna ʿindahu fī al-muntahā.

One of two aspects dominates the heart. The elect love Him through contemplation of the attributes. Their love, rooted in heart and experience, never changes; they are established in it until meeting the Beloved. They worship Him in veneration, love, reverence, and awareness of majesty. Among them are those brought near, the beloved, the fearful, those who act, the trusting, and the content. This is the highest station, and they stand highest with Him at the ultimate end.

وَالْعُمُومُ أَحَبُّوهُ مِنْ طَرِيقِ مَوَاجِيدِ الْأَفْعَالِ، وَهِيَ النِّعَمُ وَالْإِحْسَانُ وَالْأَيَادِي وَالْأَفْضَالُ، وَعَمَّا أَظْهَرَ مِنَ الْعَوَافِي

wa-al-ʿumūmu ʾaḥabbūhu min ṭarīqi mawājīdi al-ʾafʿāli, wahiya al-niʿamu wa-al-ʾiḥsānu wa-al-ʾayādī wa-al-ʾafḍālu, waʿammā ʾaẓhara mina al-ʿawāfī

The generality love Him through experiences of His acts: blessings, beneficence, favors, and bounties, and because of the forms of well-being He has made manifest,

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٣٣

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 133

Volume Two, page 133

وَمِمَّا أَخْبَرَ عَنْهُ بِمَا أَسَرَّ، وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ خَدَمُوهُ شَهْوَةً وَعَادَةً وَحَاجَةً، أَحَبُّوهُ لِمَنَافِعِهِ وَمَرَافِقِهِ وَلِأَجْلِ مَا فِي يَدِهِ مِنْ مُلْكِهِ، وَحُبُّ هَؤُلَاءِ يَتَغَيَّرُ لِانْقِلَابِ الْأَحْكَامِ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ لَمْ يَتَحَقَّقُوا بِالْإِخْلَاصِ وَلَا الزُّهْدِ، وَقَدْ بَقِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ نُفُوسِهِمْ هَوًى، حَجَبَهُمْ ذَلِكَ عَنْ مُخَالَصَتِهِ وَبَعَّدَهُمْ عَنْ مُصَافَاتِهِ، وَهَذِهِ هِيَ أَوْصَافُهُمْ عَائِدَةً لَهُمْ وَعَلَيْهِمْ.

wamimmā ʾakhbara ʿanhu bimā ʾasarra, wahumu alladhīna khadamūhu shahwatan waʿādatan waḥājatan, ʾaḥabbūhu limanāfiʿihi wamarāfiqihi waliʾajli mā fī yadihi min mulkihi, waḥubbu hāʾulāʾi yataghayyaru li-nqilābi al-ʾaḥkāmi, wa-hāʾulāʾi lam yataḥaqqaqū bi-al-ʾikhlāṣi walā al-zuhdi, waqad baqiya ʿalayhim min nufūsihim hawan, ḥajabahum dhālika ʿan mukhālaṣatihi wabaʿʿadahum ʿan muṣāfātihi, wa-hādhihi hiya ʾawṣāfuhum ʿāʾidatan lahum waʿalayhim.

and through what He has reported concerning what He has concealed. These are the ones who serve Him out of desire, habit, and need, loving Him for His benefits and assistance and for what He holds of His dominion. Their love changes when His judgments change. They have not truly realized sincerity or renunciation; some desire of their selves remains, veiling them from pure devotion to Him and distancing them from unclouded intimacy with Him. These are their own qualities returning to them, for them and against them.

فَحُبُّ هَؤُلَاءِ حُوَّلٌ قُلَّبٌ لِأَنَّ الْأَفْعَالَ الَّتِي أَحَبُّوهُ لِأَجْلِهَا تَحُولُ فَيَحُولُونَ، وَتَخْتَلِفُ عَلَيْهِمْ بِالْمَكَارِهِ وَالْمَرَائِرِ فَيَخْتَلِفُونَ، وَفِي هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُرِيدُونَ وَالْعَامِلُونَ وَالرَّاجُونَ وَالطَّامِعُونَ وَالتَّائِبُونَ وَأَصْحَابُ الْيَمِينِ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ.

faḥubbu hāʾulāʾi ḥuwwalun qullabun liʾanna al-ʾafʿāla allatī ʾaḥabbūhu liʾajlihā taḥūlu fayaḥūlūna, watakhtalifu ʿalayhim bi-al-makārihi wa-al-marāʾiri fayakhtalifūna, wafī hāʾulāʾi al-murīdūna wa-al-ʿāmilūna wa-al-rājūna wa-al-ṭāmiʿūna wa-al-tāʾibūna waʾaṣḥābu al-yamīni min hāʾulāʾi.

Their love is changeable and fickle, for the acts that caused them to love Him change, so they change; those acts vary through hardships and bitter experiences, so they vary. Among them are aspirants, those who act, those who hope, those who desire, and those who repent; the people of the right hand belong to them.

وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: كُلُّ مَحَبَّةٍ كَانَتْ عَنْ عِوَضٍ إِذَا زَالَ الْعِوَضُ زَالَتِ الْمَحَبَّةُ، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَرَفَ حَالَهُ فِي مَقَامِهِ، فَاعْتَرَفَ بِنُقْصَانِ مَحَبَّتِهِ وَتَقْصِيرِ شَهَادَتِهِ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ مِنْهَا وَأَنَابَ.

waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: kullu maḥabbatin kānat ʿan ʿiwaḍin ʾidhā zāla al-ʿiwaḍu zālati al-maḥabbatu, faminhum man ʿarafa ḥālahu fī maqāmihi, fa-ʿtarafa binuqṣāni maḥabbatihi wataqṣīri shahādatihi wa-staghfara minhā waʾanāba.

One knower said: “Every love arising from compensation disappears when the compensation disappears.” Some recognize their state within their station, acknowledge their love's deficiency and their witnessing's shortcoming, ask forgiveness for it, and turn back.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ لِنُقْصَانِ مَزِيدِهِ وَضَعْفِ يَقِينِهِ، فَكَانَتْ مَحَبَّتُهُ عَنْ صِفَاتٍ مُتَّصِلَةٍ بِذَاتٍ، وَيُخَافُ عَلَى مِثْلِ هَذَا الِانْقِلَابِ عِنْدَ كَشْفِ الْغِطَاءِ، لِأَنَّهُ فِي اغْتِرَارٍ وَفِتْنَةٍ وَاِلْتِبَاسٍ وَمِحْنَةٍ، وَفِي طَرِيقِ مَكْرٍ وَهَلَكَةٍ، إِلَّا أَنْ تَدَارَكَهُ رَحْمَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ، فَيُوقَفَ فِي حَدِّهِ فِي مَقَامِهِ وَيَرُدَّهُ إِلَى حَالِهِ مِنْ مَكَانِهِ، فَيَتُوبَ مِنْ مَحَبَّتِهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرَ مِنْ شَهَادَتِهِ.

waminhum man laysa ʿalayhi dhālika linuqṣāni mazīdihi waḍaʿfi yaqīnihi, fakānat maḥabbatuhu ʿan ṣifātin muttaṣilatin bidhātin, wayukhāfu ʿalā mithli hādhā al-inqilābi ʿinda kashfi al-ghiṭāʾi, liʾannahu fī ightirārin wafitnatin wa-ltibāsin wamiḥnatin, wafī ṭarīqi makrin wahalakatin, ʾillā ʾan tadārakahu raḥmatun min rabbihi, fayūqafa fī ḥaddihi fī maqāmihi wayaruddahu ʾilā ḥālihi min makānihi, fayatūba min maḥabbatihi wayastaghfira min shahādatihi.

For others this does not apply, because their increase is deficient and their certainty weak; their love arose from attributes connected to an essence. One fears such a reversal for them when the covering is lifted, for they are in delusion, temptation, confusion, and trial, on a path of stratagem and destruction, unless mercy from their Lord overtakes them. Then they are stopped at their proper limit within their station and returned from their position to their actual state, so that they repent of their love and seek forgiveness for their witnessing.

فَحِينَئِذٍ يَرْحَمُهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَيُدْخِلُهُ فِي أَهْلِ الْعَفْوِ، وَيَسْتُرُ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ كَمَا سَتَرَ عَلَيْهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا، فَلَقِيَهُ تَحْتَ السَّتْرِ فِي الدَّارَيْنِ، وَهَذِهِ بَعْضُ مَخَاوِفِ الصَّادِقِينَ مِنَ الْمُحِبِّينَ لِأَنَّهَا مَحَبَّةُ إِظْهَارٍ لَا ظُهُورٍ، فَصَاحِبُهَا فِي تَقَلُّبٍ وَغُرُورٍ، إِلَّا أَنَّ أَهْلَ مَحَبَّةِ الْأَفْعَالِ يَنْقَسِمُونَ قِسْمَيْنِ: مِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَحَبَّهُ لِأَجْلِ أَفْعَالِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشْهَدَهَا مِنْهُ فَيَرَاهُ فِيهَا.

faḥīnaʾidhin yarḥamuhu Allāhu taʿālā fayudkhiluhu fī ʾahli al-ʿafwi, wayasturu ʿalayhi fī al-ʾākhirati kamā satara ʿalayhi fī al-dunyā, falaqiyahu taḥta al-satri fī al-dārayni, wa-hādhihi baʿḍu makhāwifi al-ṣādiqīna mina al-muḥibbīna liʾannahā maḥabbatu ʾiẓhārin lā ẓuhūrin, faṣāḥibuhā fī taqallubin waghurūrin, ʾillā ʾanna ʾahla maḥabbati al-ʾafʿāli yanqasimūna qismayni: minhum man ʾaḥabbahu liʾajli ʾafʿālihi ʾillā ʾan yashhadahā minhu fayarāhu fīhā.

Then God Most High has mercy on him, includes him among those pardoned, and conceals his condition in the hereafter as He concealed it in this world. He meets Him under that covering in both abodes. These are among the fears of truthful lovers, because this is love produced by outward disclosure rather than inward manifestation, leaving its possessor in fluctuation and delusion. Those who love His acts nevertheless divide into two groups. Some love Him for His acts, except that they witness those acts as proceeding from Him and see Him within them.

فَهُوَ يَتَبَصَّرُ لَهُ وَيَتَعَمَّلُ فِي الْمُجَاهَدَةِ وَيَجْتَهِدُ فِي تَنْقِيَةِ مَحَابِّهِ لِبَقَاءِ حَالِهِ، فَهَذَا أَعْلَاهُمَا وَهَذِهِ مَحَبَّةُ عُمُومِ أَهْلِ الْآخِرَةِ الَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ سِوَاهَا، وَلَا يَطْلُبُونَ إِلَّا إِيَّاهَا، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَتَغَيَّرُ عَلَيْهِ الْأَفْعَالُ وَتُخْرِجُهُ مِنَ الِاعْتِيَادِ، وَيُتَابَعُ عَلَيْهِ الْبَلَاءُ وَيَنْقُصُهُ مِنَ الْعَوَافِي فِي الْمَالِ وَالنَّفْسِ، فَيُخْرِجُ صِفَتَهُ وَيَظْهَرُ مِنْ تَسَخُّطِهِ وَتَبَرُّمِهِ بِهِ، فَهَذَا قَدِ افْتَضَحَ بِدَعْوَى الْمَحَبَّةِ وَقَدْ كَشَفَهُ بَعْدَ سَتْرِهِ.

fahuwa yatabaṣṣaru lahu wayataʿammalu fī al-mujāhadati wayajtahidu fī tanqiyati maḥābbihi libaqāʾi ḥālihi, fa-hādhā ʾaʿlāhumā wa-hādhihi maḥabbatu ʿumūmi ʾahli al-ʾākhirati alladhīna lā yashhadūna siwāhā, walā yaṭlubūna ʾillā ʾiyyāhā, waminhum man tataghayyaru ʿalayhi al-ʾafʿālu watukhrijuhu mina al-iʿtiyādi, wayutābaʿu ʿalayhi al-balāʾu wayanquṣuhu mina al-ʿawāfī fī al-māli wa-al-nafsi, fayukhriju ṣifatahu wayaẓharu min tasakhkhuṭihi watabarrumihi bihi, fa-hādhā qadi iftaḍaḥa bidaʿwā al-maḥabbati waqad kashafahu baʿda satrihi.

Such a person seeks insight into Him, labors in spiritual struggle, and strives to purify what he loves so that his state may endure. This is the higher group, the love of ordinary people of the hereafter, who witness and seek nothing else. Others experience a change in His acts that breaks their accustomed pattern; affliction follows affliction, diminishing their well-being in property and person. This brings out their character and reveals their resentment and vexation toward Him. Their claim to love is exposed: He has uncovered them after concealing them.

فَلَمْ يَزِنْ فِي الْمُحِبِّينَ حَبَّةً، وَهَذِهِ مَحَبَّةُ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا الَّذِينَ هُمْ لَهَا يَكْدَحُونَ وَإِيَّاهَا يَطْلُبُونَ. وَقَدْ سُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنِ الْمَحَبَّةِ فَقَالَ: النَّاسُ فِي مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ خَاصٌّ وَعَامٌّ: فَالْعَوَامُّ نَالُوا ذَلِكَ بِمَعْرِفَتِهِمْ فِي دَوَامِ إِحْسَانِهِ وَكَثْرَةِ نِعَمِهِ، فَلَمْ يَتَمَالَكُوا أَنْ أَرْضَوْهُ إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ تَقِلُّ مَحَبَّتُهُمْ وَتَكْثُرُ عَلَى قَدْرِ النِّعَمِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ.

falam yazin fī al-muḥibbīna ḥabbatan, wa-hādhihi maḥabbatu ʾahli al-dunyā alladhīna hum lahā yakdaḥūna waʾiyyāhā yaṭlubūna. waqad suʾila al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʿani al-maḥabbati faqāla: al-nāsu fī maḥabbati Allāhi khāṣṣun waʿāmmun: fa-al-ʿawāmmu nālū dhālika bimaʿrifatihim fī dawāmi ʾiḥsānihi wakathrati niʿamihi, falam yatamālakū ʾan ʾarḍawhu ʾillā ʾannahum taqillu maḥabbatuhum watakthuru ʿalā qadri al-niʿami wa-al-ʾiḥsāni.

They weigh not a grain among the lovers. This is the love of worldly people, who toil for the world and seek it alone. Al-Junayd, may God Most High have mercy on him, was asked about love. He said: “In love for God, people are elect or ordinary. Ordinary people attain it through recognizing His constant beneficence and abundant blessings. They cannot restrain themselves from seeking His pleasure, but their love diminishes or increases according to the measure of blessings and beneficence.”

فَأَمَّا الْخَاصَّةُ فَنَالُوا الْمَحَبَّةَ بِعَظِيمِ الْقَدْرِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ وَالْعِلْمِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ وَالتَّفَرُّدِ بِالْمُلْكِ، فَلَمَّا عَرَفُوا صِفَاتِهِ الْكَامِلَةَ وَأَسْمَاءَهُ الْحُسْنَى، لَمْ يَمْتَنِعُوا أَنْ أَحَبُّوهُ إِذْ اسْتَحَقَّ عِنْدَهُمُ الْمَحَبَّةَ بِذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهُ أَهْلٌ لَهَا، وَلَوْ زَالَ عَنْهُ جَمِيعُ النِّعَمِ، وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَكُونُ مُحِبًّا لِهَوَاهُ أَوْ لِعَدُوِّ اللَّهِ إِبْلِيسَ، وَهُوَ يَدَّعِي لِعَظِيمِ جَهْلِهِ وَطُولِ غِرَّتِهِ الْمَحَبَّةَ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى.

faʾammā al-khāṣṣatu fanālū al-maḥabbata biʿaẓīmi al-qadri wa-al-qudrati wa-al-ʿilmi wa-al-ḥikmati wa-al-tafarrudi bi-al-mulki, falammā ʿarafū ṣifātihi al-kāmilata waʾasmāʾahu al-ḥusnā, lam yamtaniʿū ʾan ʾaḥabbūhu ʾidh istaḥaqqa ʿindahumu al-maḥabbata bi-dhālika liʾannahu ʾahlun lahā, walaw zāla ʿanhu jamīʿu al-niʿami, wamina al-nāsi man yakūnu muḥibban lihawāhu ʾaw liʿaduwwi Allāhi ʾiblīsa, wahuwa yaddaʿī liʿaẓīmi jahlihi waṭūli ghirratihi al-maḥabbata li-llāhi taʿālā.

“The elect attain love through the greatness of His rank, power, knowledge, wisdom, and sole dominion. When they know His perfect attributes and most beautiful names, they cannot refrain from loving Him, since through these He deserves love in their eyes and is worthy of it, even if all blessings leave him.” Some people love their own desire or God's enemy Iblīs, while claiming, through immense ignorance and prolonged delusion, to love God Most High.

قَالَ بَعْضُ عُلَمَائِنَا: عُوتِبَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ لِكُلِّ أَحَدٍ: يَا دُوسْتْ. قَالَ: وَقُلْتُ لَهُ:

qāla baʿḍu ʿulamāʾinā: ʿūtiba ʾabū muḥammadin fī qawlihi likulli ʾaḥadin: yā dūst. qāla: waqultu lahu:

One of our scholars said: “Abū Muḥammad was reproached for addressing everyone as ‘Yā dūst,’ ‘O friend.’ I said to him:

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٣٤

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 134

Volume Two, page 134

قَدْ لَا يَكُونُ حَبِيبًا كَمَا تَقُولُ، فَقَالَ فِي أُذُنِي سِرًّا: لَا يَخْلُو، إِمَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ مُؤْمِنًا أَوْ مُنَافِقًا، فَإِنْ كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا فَهُوَ حَبِيبُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَإِنْ كَانَ مُنَافِقًا فَهُوَ حَبِيبُ إِبْلِيسَ، وَمِنْ مَحَبَّةِ الْهَوَى إِيثَارُ عَاجِلِ حَظِّ النَّفْسِ عَلَى آجِلِ مَا وُعِدَتْ بِهِ وَيُقَدِّمُ مَحَبَّتَهَا عَلَى مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

qad lā yakūnu ḥabīban kamā taqūlu, faqāla fī ʾudhunī sirran: lā yakhlū, ʾimmā ʾan yakūna muʾminan ʾaw munāfiqan, faʾin kāna muʾminan fahuwa ḥabību Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, waʾin kāna munāfiqan fahuwa ḥabību ʾiblīsa, wamin maḥabbati al-hawā ʾīthāru ʿājili ḥaẓẓi al-nafsi ʿalā ʾājili mā wuʿidat bihi wayuqaddimu maḥabbatahā ʿalā maḥabbati Allāhi ʿazza wajalla.

‘He may not be a beloved, as you say.’ He whispered in my ear, ‘He must be either a believer or a hypocrite. If he is a believer, he is God's beloved, mighty and majestic is He. If he is a hypocrite, he is Iblīs's beloved.’” Loving desire includes preferring the self's immediate gratification to the future reward it has been promised and placing love of the self before love of God, mighty and majestic is He.

وَهِيَ مَطْبُوعَةٌ عَلَى مَحَبَّةِ الْهَوَى وَكَرَاهَةِ الْحَقِّ، أَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ فِيمَا تُسِرُّ كَذَّابَةٌ فِيمَا تُظْهِرُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ، قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ تَعَالَى: (وَعَسَى أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ وَعَسَى أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ) الْبَقَرَةُ: 216، فَقَرَنَ مَحَبَّتَهَا بِالشَّرِّ وَقَرَنَ كَرَاهَتَهَا بِالْخَيْرِ، وَالْعَرَبُ تُسَمِّي النَّفْسَ كُذَبَةً أَيْ الَّتِي يَكْثُرُ مِنْهَا الْكَذِبُ.

wahiya maṭbūʿatun ʿalā maḥabbati al-hawā wakarāhati al-ḥaqqi, ʾammāratun bi-al-sūʾi fīmā tusirru kadhdhābatun fīmā tuẓhiru mina al-khayri, qāla Allāhu subḥānahu taʿālā: (waʿasā ʾan takrahū shayʾan wahuwa khayrun lakum waʿasā ʾan tuḥibbū shayʾan wahuwa sharrun lakum) al-baqaratu: 216, faqarana maḥabbatahā bi-al-sharri waqarana karāhatahā bi-al-khayri, wa-al-ʿarabu tusammī al-nafsa kudhabatan ʾay allatī yakthuru minhā al-kadhibu.

The self is naturally inclined to love desire and dislike truth, repeatedly commanding evil in what it conceals and lying in the goodness it displays. God, glorified and exalted is He, said: “You may dislike something that is good for you, and love something that is bad for you” (al-Baqara 2:216). He associated its love with evil and its dislike with good. The Arabs call the self kudhaba, meaning one that lies frequently.

يَصِفُونَهَا بِالْمُبَالَغَةِ فِيهِ عَلَى مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ، أَيْ الَّذِي يَكْثُرُ هَمْزُ النَّاسِ وَلَمْزُهُمْ، وَكَذَلِكَ وَصَفَهَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِالْمُبَالَغَةِ بِالْأَمْرِ بِالسُّوءِ فَقَالَ: أَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ، أَيْ فَعَّالَةٌ، الَّتِي يَكْثُرُ مِنْهَا الْأَمْرُ يَتَكَرَّرُ مَرَّةً بَعْدَ مَرَّةٍ، مِنْ وَصْفِهَا الْفِعْلُ، وَمِنْ مَحَبَّةِ الْعَدُوِّ طَاعَتُهُ وَمُوَافَقَتُهُ لِأَنَّ فِيهَا كَرَاهَةَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَمُخَالَفَتَهُ.

yaṣifūnahā bi-al-mubālaghati fīhi ʿalā maʿnā qawlihi: waylun likulli humazatin lumazatin, ʾay alladhī yakthuru hamzu al-nāsi walamzuhum, wa-kadhālika waṣafahā Allāhu taʿālā bi-al-mubālaghati bi-al-ʾamri bi-al-sūʾi faqāla: ʾammāratun bi-al-sūʾi, ʾay faʿʿālatun, allatī yakthuru minhā al-ʾamru yatakarraru marratan baʿda marratin, min waṣfihā al-fiʿlu, wamin maḥabbati al-ʿaduwwi ṭāʿatuhu wamuwāfaqatuhu liʾanna fīhā karāhata Allāhi taʿālā wamukhālafatahu.

They intensify the quality of lying in their description, as in His saying, “Woe to every habitual slanderer and fault-finder” (al-Humaza 104:1), meaning someone who repeatedly maligns and disparages people. Likewise God Most High intensified the self's commanding evil by describing it as ammāra bi-l-sūʾ, “constantly commanding evil” (Yūsuf 12:53): the intensive pattern faʿʿāla denotes one whose commanding recurs again and again, characterizing it through the act. Loving the enemy includes obeying and agreeing with him, because that entails incurring God Most High's displeasure and opposing Him.

وَهُوَ مَجْبُولٌ عَلَى ضِدِّ مَا يُحِبُّ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى يُحِبُّ ضِدَّ مَا جَعَلَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَذَلِكَ ابْتِلَاءٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لَهُ، وَابْتِلَاءٌ مِنْهُ بِهِ لَنَا، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ قَلِيلَ مَا أَعْطَاكَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ بِهِ وَصِحَّةِ التَّوْحِيدِ لَهُ وَيَسِيرَ مَا قَسَمَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَكَ مِنَ الْإِخْلَاصِ وَالصِّدْقِ وَحُسْنِ الْمُعَامَلَةِ خَيْرٌ لَكَ وَأَنْفَعُ مِنْ كَثِيرِ مَا أَظْهَرَ لَكَ وَعَرَّفَكَ.

wahuwa majbūlun ʿalā ḍiddi mā yuḥibbu Allāhu taʿālā, wa-Allāhu taʿālā yuḥibbu ḍidda mā jaʿalahu ʿalayhi wa-dhālika ibtilāʾun mina Allāhi taʿālā lahu, wa-btilāʾun minhu bihi lanā, wa-ʿlam ʾanna qalīla mā ʾaʿṭāka Allāhu ʿazza wajalla mina al-ʾīmāni bihi waṣiḥḥati al-tawḥīdi lahu wayasīra mā qasama Allāhu taʿālā laka mina al-ʾikhlāṣi wa-al-ṣidqi waḥusni al-muʿāmalati khayrun laka waʾanfaʿu min kathīri mā ʾaẓhara laka waʿarrafaka.

The enemy is disposed toward the opposite of what God Most High loves, while God Most High loves the opposite of what He has disposed him toward. This is God Most High's trial for him, and His trial for us through him. Know that the little God, mighty and majestic is He, has given you of faith in Him and sound affirmation of His oneness, and the small measure God Most High has allotted you of sincerity, truthfulness, and good dealings, are better and more beneficial for you than much of what He has shown and made known to you.

وَإِنَّمَا لَكَ مِمَّا رَأَيْتَهُ مَا طَلَبْتَهُ وَنِلْتَهُ بِيَدِكَ، وَمَا مَلَكْتَهُ وَسُلِّطْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ مُنَازَلَتِكَ، فَأَمَّا مَا لَمْ تَطْلُبْهُ وَلَمْ تَنَلْهُ فَهُوَ لِغَيْرِكَ، لِأَنَّكَ قَدْ تَرَى السَّمَاءَ وَلَا تَنَالُهَا، فَهِيَ أَرْضٌ لِمَنْ سُخِّرَتْ لَهُ، وَتَرَى مَا جُعِلَ لِغَيْرِكَ فَلَا يَنْفَعُكَ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنْكَ، وَهُوَ نَافِعٌ مُغْنٍ لِمَنْ سُلِّطَ عَلَيْهِ فَمَلَكَهُ، وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَتَوَهَّمُ أَنَّ الْإِظْهَارَ هِبَةٌ لَهُ، وَأَنَّ مَا رَآهُ وَعَرَفَهُ مَلَكَهُ وَحَازَهُ وَتَحَقَّقَ بِهِ.

waʾinnamā laka mimmā raʾaytahu mā ṭalabtahu waniltahu biyadika, wamā malaktahu wasulliṭta ʿalayhi min munāzalatika, faʾammā mā lam taṭlubhu walam tanalhu fahuwa lighayrika, liʾannaka qad tarā al-samāʾa walā tanāluhā, fahiya ʾarḍun liman sukhkhirat lahu, watarā mā juʿila lighayrika falā yanfaʿuka walā yughnī ʿanka, wahuwa nāfiʿun mughnin liman sulliṭa ʿalayhi famalakahu, wamina al-nāsi man yatawahhamu ʾanna al-ʾiẓhāra hibatun lahu, waʾanna mā raʾāhu waʿarafahu malakahu waḥāzahu wataḥaqqaqa bihi.

Of what you have seen, yours is only what you have sought and reached with your own hand, what you have possessed and been given mastery over through your spiritual encounters. What you have neither sought nor attained belongs to someone else. You may see the sky without reaching it; it is ground for those to whom it has been subjected. You see things assigned to others that neither benefit nor suffice you, although they benefit and suffice those given mastery over them who possess them. Some imagine that being shown something means it has been given to them, and that whatever they have seen and known they possess, have acquired, and have truly realized.

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ أَلْفَ خَاطِرٍ لَا يَجِيءُ مِنْهَا حَالٌ، وَأَلْفَ حَالٍ يَكُونُ مِنْهَا مَقَامٌ، وَالْمَقَامُ إِنَّمَا هُوَ مَا ثَبَتَ وَدَامَ، فَمَثَلُ الْخَوَاطِرِ فِي مَمَرِّهَا كَالسَّحَابِ فِي سَيْرِهَا، وَقِيلَ فِي الْمَثَلِ: سَحَابَةُ صَيْفٍ عَنْ قَلِيلٍ تَقَشَّعُ، وَمَثَلُ الْأَحْوَالِ فِي حَيْلُولَتِهَا كَمَثَلِ الْأَزْمِنَةِ فِي أَحْوَالِهَا، فِي كُلِّ سَنَةٍ أَرْبَعَةٌ: مَشْتَا وَمَصِيفٌ وَمَرْبَعٌ وَخَرِيفٌ.

wa-ʿlam ʾanna ʾalfa khāṭirin lā yajīʾu minhā ḥālun, waʾalfa ḥālin yakūnu minhā maqāmun, wa-al-maqāmu ʾinnamā huwa mā thabata wadāma, famathalu al-khawāṭiri fī mamarrihā ka-al-saḥābi fī sayrihā, waqīla fī al-mathali: saḥābatu ṣayfin ʿan qalīlin taqashshaʿu, wamathalu al-ʾaḥwāli fī ḥaylūlatihā kamathali al-ʾazminati fī ʾaḥwālihā, fī kulli sanatin ʾarbaʿatun: mashtā wamaṣīfun wamarbaʿun wakharīfun.

Know that a thousand passing thoughts may yield no spiritual state, while a thousand states yield a station. A station is what becomes established and endures. Passing thoughts are like clouds in motion; as the proverb says, “A summer cloud soon disperses.” Spiritual states in their changing are like the seasons in their conditions: every year has four, winter, summer, spring, and autumn.

وَإِنَّمَا الْهِبَةُ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مَا وَقَرَ فِي الْقُلُوبِ مِنَ الْمُشَاهَدَاتِ، وَمَا حَقَّقَتْهُ الْأَعْمَالُ مِنَ الْمُنَازَلَاتِ، فَيُورِثُ ذَلِكَ عِلْمًا خَاصِّيًّا أَوْ خُلُقًا مَرْضِيًّا أَوْ حَالًا سَنِيًّا أَوْ وَصْفًا زَكِيًّا مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الصَّالِحِينَ، وَسِيمَا الْمُتَّقِينَ وَعُلُومِ الْعَارِفِينَ وَمُلَاحَظَاتِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ، وَلَا يَصْلُحُ الْكَلَامُ بِهَذَا الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا لِمَنْ لَهُ مُشَاهَدَتُهُ مِنْهُ، إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ عُلُومِ الْقُدْرَةِ وَالتَّوْحِيدِ أَوْ مُنَازَلَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ مِنْ مَوَارِيثِ الْأَعْمَالِ.

waʾinnamā al-hibatu mina Allāhi taʿālā mā waqara fī al-qulūbi mina al-mushāhadāti, wamā ḥaqqaqathu al-ʾaʿmālu mina al-munāzalāti, fayūrithu dhālika ʿilman khāṣṣiyyan ʾaw khuluqan marḍiyyan ʾaw ḥālan saniyyan ʾaw waṣfan zakiyyan min ʾakhlāqi al-ṣāliḥīna, wasīmā al-muttaqīna waʿulūmi al-ʿārifīna wamulāḥaẓāti al-muqarrabīna, walā yaṣluḥu al-kalāmu bi-hādhā al-ʿilmi ʾillā liman lahu mushāhadatuhu minhu, ʾin kāna min ʿulūmi al-qudrati wa-al-tawḥīdi ʾaw munāzalatun liman kāna lahu min mawārīthi al-ʾaʿmāli.

God Most High's gift is what settles in hearts of contemplations and what deeds verify of spiritual encounters. It produces special knowledge, an approved character, an exalted state, or a pure quality from the character of the righteous, the marks of the God-fearing, the sciences of those who know, and the attentive gazes of those brought near. No one should speak of this knowledge unless he has personally witnessed it, if it concerns power and divine oneness, or experienced an encounter, if it belongs to what is inherited from deeds.

وَعَنْ تَنْقِيلِ الْأَحْوَالِ وَعَنْ زُهْدٍ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَسَعْيٍ فِي طَلَبِ الْأُخْرَى، إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْوَعْظِ وَالنَّدْبِ إِلَى الْفَضْلِ، فَذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ بَعْدَ التَّوْبَةِ وَمَعَ حَالِ الِاسْتِقَامَةِ وَعَنْ كَمَالِ عِلْمِ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ، بَعْدَ مَعْرِفَةٍ بِعِلْمِ الْأُصُولِ وَالسُّنَنِ مِنْ آثَارِ الرَّسُولِ، وَإِلَّا كَانَ مُتَكَلِّفًا وَفِي الدَّعْوَى دَاخِلًا، إِلَّا أَنْ يَحْكِيَ شَيْئًا سَمِعَهُ فَيَكُونَ بِهِ لِقَائِلِهِ مُحَاكِيًا، وَيُضِيفَ حَالَهُ إِلَى

waʿan tanqīli al-ʾaḥwāli waʿan zuhdin fī al-dunyā wasaʿyin fī ṭalabi al-ʾukhrā, ʾin kāna min ʿilmi al-waʿẓi wa-al-nadbi ʾilā al-faḍli, fa-dhālika kulluhu baʿda al-tawbati wamaʿa ḥāli al-istiqāmati waʿan kamāli ʿilmi al-sunnati wa-al-jamāʿati, baʿda maʿrifatin biʿilmi al-ʾuṣūli wa-al-sunani min ʾāthāri al-rasūli, waʾillā kāna mutakallifan wafī al-daʿwā dākhilan, ʾillā ʾan yaḥkiya shayʾan samiʿahu fayakūna bihi liqāʾilihi muḥākiyan, wayuḍīfa ḥālahu ʾilā

Or it must arise from changes of spiritual state, renunciation of this world, and striving for the next, if it concerns exhortation and encouragement toward excellence. All this follows repentance, accompanies steadfastness, and arises from complete knowledge of the Sunna and the community, after learning the foundations and practices transmitted from the Messenger. Otherwise the speaker is affecting what he lacks and entering into pretension, unless he recounts something he has heard, thereby repeating its speaker's words, and attributes the state to

الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ١٣٥

al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 135

Volume Two, page 135

صَاحِبِهِ فَيَكُونَ عَنْهُ رَاوِيًا، فَأَمَّا التَّحَلِّي وَهُوَ اللُّبْسُ الظَّاهِرُ وَالتَّصَنُّعُ الْمُفْتَعَلُ بِالْإِشَارَةِ الْفَارِغَةِ، فَهُوَ مِنْ حِلْيَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَةِ الْهَوَى، وَكَذَلِكَ التَّمَنِّي وَهُوَ مَا يَظُنُّهُ الْعَقْلُ أَوْ تَوَهَّمَتْهُ النَّفْسُ وَقَدَّرَهُ الْوَهْمُ، أَوْ مِنْ وَسْوَسَةِ الْعَدُوِّ الْخَنَّاسِ لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، فَلَيْسَ هَذَا كُلُّهُ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ وَلَا مِنْ عِلْمِ الْيَقِينِ فِي شَيْءٍ، بَلْ هُوَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَخَطَرَاتِهِمْ وَقُرْبِ مَحْضَرِهِمْ.

ṣāḥibihi fayakūna ʿanhu rāwiyan, faʾammā al-taḥallī wahuwa al-lubsu al-ẓāhiru wa-al-taṣannuʿu al-muftaʿalu bi-al-ʾishārati al-fārighati, fahuwa min ḥilyati al-dunyā wazīnati al-hawā, wa-kadhālika al-tamannī wahuwa mā yaẓunnuhu al-ʿaqlu ʾaw tawahhamathu al-nafsu waqaddarahu al-wahmu, ʾaw min waswasati al-ʿaduwwi al-khannāsi laʿanahu Allāhu taʿālā, falaysa hādhā kulluhu mina al-ʾīmāni walā min ʿilmi al-yaqīni fī shayʾin, bal huwa min hamazāti al-shayāṭīni wakhaṭarātihim waqurbi maḥḍarihim.

its possessor, thereby narrating from him. As for adorning oneself with an outward guise and contrived affectation through empty gestures, this belongs to the world's finery and desire's adornment. So does wishful thinking: what reason supposes, the self imagines, or imagination devises, or what comes from the whispering of the retreating enemy, may God Most High curse him. None of this belongs to faith or the knowledge of certainty. It belongs instead to the devils' promptings, their passing suggestions, and the nearness of their presence.

لِأَنَّ هَذَا دَاءُ الْقُلُوبِ مِنْ أَدْوَاءِ الذُّنُوبِ، وَقَدْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ تَطَبَّبَ وَلَمْ يَعْلَمِ الطِّبَّ فَقَتَلَ هُوَ ضَامِنٌ، فَالْمُتَكَلِّمُ لِلنَّاسِ بِقَتْلِهِمْ يَكُونُ قَاتِلًا، وَالْإِظْهَارُ الَّذِي يَقَعُ بِهِ الِاغْتِرَارُ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ أَنْ يُحْصَى، وَالظُّهُورُ الَّذِي يَحِقُّ بِهِ الْحَقِيقَةُ أَعَزُّ مِنْ أَنْ يُرَى، وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى يُظْهِرُ مِنْ خَزَائِنِ مُلْكِهِ مَا شَاءَ عَلَى الْأَلْسِنَةِ وَالْجَوَارِحِ فَهِيَ مِنْ خَزَائِنِ الْأَرْضِ.

liʾanna hādhā dāʾu al-qulūbi min ʾadwāʾi al-dhunūbi, waqad qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man taṭabbaba walam yaʿlami al-ṭibba faqatala huwa ḍāminun, fa-al-mutakallimu li-l-nāsi biqatlihim yakūnu qātilan, wa-al-ʾiẓhāru alladhī yaqaʿu bihi al-ightirāru ʾaktharu min ʾan yuḥṣā, wa-al-ẓuhūru alladhī yaḥiqqu bihi al-ḥaqīqatu ʾaʿazzu min ʾan yurā, wa-Allāhu taʿālā yuẓhiru min khazāʾini mulkihi mā shāʾa ʿalā al-ʾalsinati wa-al-jawāriḥi fahiya min khazāʾini al-ʾarḍi.

For this is a sickness of hearts among the sicknesses caused by sins. God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever practices medicine without knowing medicine and causes a death is liable.” Someone who speaks to people in a way that kills them is a killer. Outward disclosure that leads to delusion is too plentiful to count; manifestation that makes reality true is too rare to be seen. God Most High manifests whatever He wills from the treasuries of His dominion upon tongues and bodily members; these belong to the earth's treasuries.

فِيهَا مِنَ التَّدْبِيرِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ كَمَا فِي مُلْكِ الْأَرْضِ، وَعُلُومُ هَذِهِ الْخَزَائِنِ هِيَ الْعُلُومُ الظَّاهِرَةُ وَهِيَ حُجَجُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي أَرْضِهِ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ، وَيُظْهِرُ مِنْ خَزَائِنِ مَلَكُوتِهِ مَا يُحِبُّ، وَهِيَ الْقُلُوبُ وَالْبَصَائِرُ وَالْكُنُوزُ وَالذَّخَائِرُ، فَهَذِهِ كَخَزَائِنِ الْمَلَكُوتِ وَهِيَ مِنْ خَزَائِنِ السَّمَاءِ وَفِيهَا مِنَ الْقَدَرِ وَالْآيَاتِ كَمَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ، وَعُلُومُ هَذِهِ الْخَزَائِنِ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْيَقِينِ، وَهُوَ الْعِلْمُ الْبَاطِنُ النَّافِعُ يَخُصُّ بِهِ مَنْ يُحِبُّ.

fīhā mina al-tadbīri wa-al-ḥikmati kamā fī mulki al-ʾarḍi, waʿulūmu hādhihi al-khazāʾini hiya al-ʿulūmu al-ẓāhiratu wahiya ḥujaju Allāhi taʿālā fī ʾarḍihi ʿalā ʿibādihi, wayuẓhiru min khazāʾini malakūtihi mā yuḥibbu, wahiya al-qulūbu wa-al-baṣāʾiru wa-al-kunūzu wa-al-dhakhāʾiru, fa-hādhihi kakhazāʾini al-malakūti wahiya min khazāʾini al-samāʾi wafīhā mina al-qadari wa-al-ʾāyāti kamā fī al-samawāti, waʿulūmu hādhihi al-khazāʾini min ʿilmi al-yaqīni, wahuwa al-ʿilmu al-bāṭinu al-nāfiʿu yakhuṣṣu bihi man yuḥibbu.

They contain governance and wisdom as earthly dominion does. The sciences of these treasuries are outward sciences, God Most High's proofs upon His servants in His earth. He manifests what He loves from the treasuries of His spiritual kingdom: hearts, insights, treasures, and reserves. These are like the spiritual kingdom's treasuries and belong to the treasuries of heaven. They contain destiny and signs as the heavens do. Their sciences belong to the knowledge of certainty, the beneficial inward knowledge that He bestows specially upon those He loves.

وَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ، إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ، وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِي حُكْمِهِ أَحَدًا، يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ، وَهَذَا آخِرُ شَرْحِ مَقَامِ الْمَحَبَّةِ وَهُوَ آخِرُ شَرْحِ مَقَامَاتِ الْيَقِينِ التِّسْعَةِ.

wahum ʾawliyāʾuhu al-muqarrabūna, ʾini al-ḥukmu ʾillā li-llāhi, walā yushriku fī ḥukmihi ʾaḥadan, yakhtaṣṣu biraḥmatihi man yashāʾu, walā ḥawla walā quwwata ʾillā bi-Allāhi al-ʿaliyyi al-ʿaẓīmi, wa-hādhā ʾākhiru sharḥi maqāmi al-maḥabbati wahuwa ʾākhiru sharḥi maqāmāti al-yaqīni al-tisʿati.

They are His friends brought near. Judgment belongs to God alone; He gives no one a share in His judgment. He singles out whomever He wills for His mercy. There is no power and no strength except through God, the Most High, the Magnificent. This concludes the explanation of the station of love and the explanation of the nine stations of certainty.