The commentators side by side

﴿ولا ذلة أعظم من ذلة العبيد لأنهم لا تصرف لهم في أنفسهم فهم بحكم ما يريد بهم سيدهم ولا شريك له فيهم . فإنه قال : " عِبادُكَ " فأفرد والمراد بالعذاب إذلالهم ولا أذل منهم لكونهم عبادا ، فذواتهم تقتضي أنهم أذلاء فلا تذلهم فإنك لا تذلهم بأدون مما هم فيه من كونهم عبيد "وإِنْ تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ " أي تسترهم عن إيقاع العذاب الذي يستحقونه بمخالفتهم أي تجعل لهم غفرا تسترهم عن ذلك وتمنعهم منه " فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ " أي المنيع الحمى ، وهذا الاسم إذا أعطاه الحق لمن أعطاه من عباده يسمى الحق بالمعز ، والمعطى له هذا الاسم بالعزيز ، فيكون منبع الحمى عما يريد به المنتقم ، والمعذب من الانتقام والعذاب ، وجاء بالفصل والعماد أيضا تأكيدا للبيان ، ولتكون الآية على مساق واحد في قوله " إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ " وقوله " كُنْتَ أَنْتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ " فجاء أيضا " فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ " ، فكان سؤالا من النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وإلحاحا منه على ربه في المسألة ليلته الكاملة إلى طلوع الفجر يرددها طلبا للإجابة ، فلو سمع الإجابة في أول السؤال ما كرر ، فكان الحق يعرض عليه فصول ما استوجبوا به العذاب عرضا مفصلا فيقول له في كل عرض عرض وعين عين " إِنْ تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبادُكَ وإِنْ تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ " - فلو رأى في ذلك العرض ما يوجب تقديم الحق وإيثار جنابه لدعا عليهم لا لهم، فما عرض عليه إلا ما استحقوا به ما تعطيه هذه الآية من التسليم لله والتعريض لعفوه﴾

Quotes words that differ from our text (wavy underline).

« ما » في ما تعطيه بدل ما استحقوا به العفو مما تعطيه هذه الآية من التسليم لله وتفويض أمرهم إليه ، وحذف مفعول استحقوا لدلالة قوله والتعريض لعفوه عليه . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

abased, so [punishment] would not abase them [further], for indeed You cannot abase them below what they are already in, namely, being servants. "And if You forgive them" (wa-in taghfir lahum) — that is, You conceal them from the infliction of the punishment which they deserve on account of their disobedience, i.e., You grant them a covering that shields them from that and prevents it from befalling them. "Then indeed You are the Mighty (al-ʿazīz)" — that is, the One whose sanctuary is inviolable. This name, when the Real bestows it upon whichever of His servants He bestows it, the Real is named al-Muʿizz (the Bestower of Might), and the one given this name is named al-ʿazīz (the mighty one); thus he becomes the source of sanctuary from what the Avenger and the Punisher intend, that is, from vengeance and chastisement. He also employed the separative pronoun (al-faṣl) and the pivotal pronoun (al-ʿimād) as a further reinforcement of clarity, and so that the verse would follow a single consistent pattern, as in His saying "Indeed You are the Knower of the unseen" and His saying "You were the Watcher over them," so there likewise came "then indeed You are the Mighty, the Wise." This was a petition from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, and an insistence of his upon his Lord in this matter throughout his entire night until the break of dawn, repeating it in seeking a response — for had he heard the answer at the very first asking, he would not have repeated it. Thus the Real was presenting to him, in detailed exposition, the particulars (fuṣūl) of that for which they merited the punishment, presenting them one by one, and he would say regarding each presented instance and each particular, "If You punish them, they are Your servants, and if You forgive them, then indeed You are the Mighty, the Wise." Now had he seen in that presentation anything necessitating that precedence be given to the Real's claim and that His side be preferred, he would have prayed against them rather than for them. But nothing was presented to him except that for which they merited what this verse conveys of submission to God and exposure to His pardon] — the 'mā' in 'mā tuʿṭīhi' (what it conveys) stands as a substitute (badal) for 'mā istaḥaqqū bihi al-ʿafw' (that for which they merited pardon), from what this verse conveys of submission to God and entrusting their affair to Him; and the object of 'istaḥaqqū' (they merited) has been elided, since it is indicated by his saying 'and exposure to His pardon.' The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿ولا ذلَّة أعظم من ذلَّة العبيد ، لأنّهم لا تصرّف لهم في أنفسهم ، فهم بحكم ما يريد بهم سيّدهم ، ولا شريك له فيهم ، فإنّه قال : " عِبادُكَ " فأفرد ، والمراد بالعذاب إذ لا لهم ، ولا أذلّ منهم ، لكونهم عبادا ، فذواتهم تقتضي أنّهم أذلَّاء فلا تذلَّهم ، فإنّك لا تذلَّهم بأدون ما هم فيه من كونهم عبيدا " وَإِنْ تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ " أي تسترهم عن إيقاع العذاب الذي يستحقّونه بمخالفتهم أي تجعل لهم غفرا يسترهم عن ذلك ويمنعهم عنه ، " فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ ، أي المنيع الحمى﴾

Quotes words that differ from our text (wavy underline).

يعني رضي الله عنه : لا يصلون إليك من حيث إنّك ربّ الكلّ على ما يقتضي من حيث ذاتك في نفسك ، فربوبيتك بالنسبة إلى عبدانيتهم بحسبهم وبحسبها ، وعبدانيتهم مقيّدة جزئيّة ، لكونهم كذلك ، فأنّى لهم عبادتك الحقيقية الكلَّية التي تستحقّها لنفسك ؟ وكيف اتّصالهم بربّ الكلّ وإله العالمين - تبارك وتعالى - وهو العزيز الحكيم ؟ ! قال رضي الله عنه

, and none is more abased than they, being servants — their very essences require that they be abased; so do not abase them [further], for You could not abase them by anything lower than what they are already in, namely their being servants. "And if You forgive them" — that is, You cover them from the infliction of the punishment that they deserve through their disobedience — that is, You make for them a covering (ghafr) that shields them from that and prevents it from reaching them — "then indeed You are the Mighty" (fa-innaka anta al-ʿazīz), that is, the One whose sanctuary is inviolable (al-manīʿ al-ḥimā)] — meaning, may God be pleased with him: they cannot reach You inasmuch as You are the Lord of all, according to what is required from the standpoint of Your Essence in Itself. So Your lordship (rubūbiyya), in relation to their servanthood (ʿabdāniyya), is according to them and according to it [their servanthood]; and their servanthood is restricted and partial (muqayyada juzʾiyya), being as they are. How then could they attain Your true, universal worship (ʿibāda ḥaqīqiyya kulliyya), which You deserve for Yourself? And how could they be connected to the Lord of all and the God of the worlds — blessed and exalted is He — who is the Mighty, the Wise? He, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿وَقُضِيَ فذواتهم تقتضي أنهم أذلاء، فلا تذلهم فإنك لا تذلهم بأدون مما هم فيه من كونهم عبيدا. «وإن تغفر لهم» أي تسترهم عن إيقاع العذاب الذي يستحقونه بمخالفتهم أي تجعل لهم غفرا يسترهم عن ذلك ويمنعهم منه. «فإنك أنت العزيز» أي المنيع الحمى. وهذا الاسم إذا أعطاه الحق لمن أعطاه من عباده تسمى الحق بالمعز، والمعطى له هذا الاسم بالعزيز. فيكون منيع الحمى عما يريد به المنتقم والمعذب من الانتقام والعذاب. وجاء بالفصل والعماد أيضا تأكيدا للبيان ولتكون الآية على مساق واحد في قوله «إنك أنت علام الغيوب» وقوله «كنت أنت الرقيب عليهم». ) رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ﴾

Quotes words that differ from our text (wavy underline).

[ الإسراء : 23 ]

than the abasement they are already in by being servants. "And if You forgive them," i.e., You cover them from the infliction of the chastisement which they deserve through their disobedience, i.e., You make for them a covering (ghafr) that shields them from that and prevents them from it. "For You are the Mighty (al-ʿazīz)" i.e., the One whose sanctuary is inviolable. And this name, when the Real bestows it upon whichever of His servants He bestows it, the Real is named "the One who grants might (al-muʿizz)," and the one to whom this name is given [is named] "al-ʿazīz." So he becomes one whose sanctuary is inviolable against what the avenger and the chastiser intend of vengeance and chastisement. And He brought the pronoun-separation (faṣl) and the pronominal support (ʿimād) also for the sake of emphasizing the clarification, and so that the verse would follow one and the same pattern, as in His saying "Indeed You are the Knower of the unseen things" and His saying "You were the Watcher over them.") Your Lord [decreed] that you shall worship none but Him] [al-Isrāʾ: 23]

﴿فقال : " إِنْ تُعَذِّبْهُمْ " بضمير الغائب … هو عين الحجاب الذي هم فيه عن الحقّ ، فذكرهم الله قبل حضورهم ، حتّى إذا حضروا تكون الخميرة﴾

المنضجة لاستعداداتهم المستكملة لهم ، أعني تذكير عيسى إيّاهم عند الله ، فإنّ الوجود الكلامي مرتبة من الوجود يستتبع الشهود ويستلزمه على ما لا يخفى

that ripens their preparednesses (istiʿdādāt), perfecting them for them — I mean Jesus's mentioning of them before God — for verbal existence (al-wujūd al-kalāmī) is a level of existence that entails witnessing and necessitates it, as is not hidden

﴿فقال :إِنْ تُعَذِّبْهُمْ بضمير الغائب وهو﴾

أي ذلك العذاب هو

i.e., that chastisement is

﴿فقال إن تعذبهم بضمير الغائب وهو … عين الحجاب الذي هم﴾

كانوا ( فيه ) أي في ذلك الحجاب الذي

were (in it) that is, in that veil which

﴿عين الحجاب الذي هم فيه … عن الحق﴾

فإن الاحتجاب عنه تعالى حجاب والعذاب الأخروي يكون صورة ذلك الاحتجاب

for being veiled from Him, exalted is He, is a veil, and otherworldly chastisement is the form of that veiling.

﴿عن الحق﴾

أي حصل عن الحق ، فغيب الحق تسترهم فالحق معهم في حجابهم بل الحق عين حجابهم وهم لا يشعرون بذلك

that is, it occurred from the Real, so the Real's unseenness was their covering; thus the Real is with them in their veil — indeed the Real is the very essence of their veil, though they are not aware of that

﴿فذكرهم اللّه﴾

أي جعلهم عيسى عليه السلام مذكورين للّه حاضرين عنده بالوجود الذكري اللفظي

i.e., Jesus, peace be upon him, made them remembered by God, present with Him through the verbal, mentional existence (al-wujūd al-dhikrī al-lafẕī)

﴿فذكرهم اللّه﴾

النبي بتشديد الكاف فتذكر النبي فدعا لهم بضمير الغائب في قوله :" إِنْ تُعَذِّبْهُمْ على كونهم في حجاب في الحياة الدني

the Prophet — with doubling of the kāf [i.e., read "dhakkarahu"], so the Prophet remembered/was reminded and prayed for them with the pronoun of the absent one in his saying: "If You punish them," regarding their being in a veil in the life of this world

﴿قبل حضورهم﴾

العيني بارتفاع حجتهم

through the removal of their argument/proof

﴿قبل حضورهم﴾

بين يديّ اللّه في يوم القيامة . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

before God on the Day of Resurrection. The Shaykh, God be pleased with him, said

﴿حتى إذا حضروا تكون الخميرة قد تحكمت في العجين﴾

أي من حيث أحدية جمع العين

- that is, from the standpoint of the oneness of the union of the entity (aḥadiyyat jamʿ al-ʿayn).

﴿حتى إذا حضروا تكون الخميرة قد تحكَّمت في العجين﴾

يعني : من حيث أحدية جمع العين « فصيّرته مثلها . قال رضي الله عنه

— meaning: from the standpoint of the oneness of the gathering of the entity (aḥadiyyat jamʿ al-ʿayn) — "and made it like itself." He, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿حتى إذا حضروا﴾

أي أشرفوا على الحضور

i.e., were on the verge of presence

﴿حتى إذا حضروا تكون الخميرة قد تحكمت في العجين﴾

( حتى إذا حضروا ) بين يدي الله ، وشاهدوا ما كانوا عليه قبل ذلك من الحجاب ( تكون الخميرة ) هي ما أودع في طينة أبدانهم من استعداد الوصول إلى حضرة الحق ، والعجين طينة أبدانهم فمقتضى العجين الستر والحجاب والخميرة الكشف عن الحق ، فقد تحكم خميرتهم على عجينتهم في الدنيا فتصيرها مثله في الستر ، فإذا قامت قيامتهم انتهى حكم العجين فتحكمت فيه كما تحكم فيها اهـ بالى . ( أي المنيع الحمى ) يعنى أن ذاتك بحسب الاسم العزيز والغفور ويقتضي مظهرا يظهر بهما كمال الظهور ولا أكمل مظهرا ممن جعل لك شريكا ، فإن لم تسترهم من العذاب فائت هذه الحكمة التي يراد وقوعها ، وهو ظهور الحق بكمال الغفارية أي منيع الحمى ، وما حماه إلا عين عبده ( يريد به المنتقم ، والمعذب من الانتقام والعذاب ) فمقتضى هذا الاسم منع العذاب عن العبد المذنب لذلك التجأ في دعائه إليه فأجاب الله دعاءه حفظ عن إضاعة مجاهدته في ليلة كاملة ( تقديم الحق وإيثار جنابه ) من أن الحق يريد القهر والانتقام منهم ( فدعا عليهم لما لهم ) لأن الأنبياء لا يريدون إلا ما يريده الحق ، فلو لم يلاحظ العفو ما بالغ في دعائه ليلة كاملة ، فما نزلت الآية عليه إلا أن يشفع لهم ، ولا يشفع إلا لمن يقبل الشفاعة

("Until, when they are present") before God, and they witness what they were in before that of veiling ("the leaven will have") is what was deposited in the clay of their bodies of preparedness (istiʿdād) for reaching the Presence of the Real, and the dough is the clay of their bodies, so the requirement of the dough is concealment and veiling, while the leaven uncovers the Real. So their leaven took control over their dough in this world and made it like itself in concealment; but when their Resurrection is established, the rule of the dough ends and the leaven takes control over it as it had controlled over it — end of Bālī's comment. ("That is, inviolable in sanctuary") meaning that Your Essence, in respect of the names 'the Mighty' (al-ʿAzīz) and 'the Forgiving' (al-Ghafūr), requires a locus of manifestation through which the perfection of manifestation appears, and there is no more perfect locus of manifestation than one who makes for You a partner. For if You do not shield them from torment, this wisdom which is intended to occur would be missed — namely, the manifestation of the Real with the perfection of forgivingness, that is, inviolable in sanctuary, and none is protected by it except the very essence of His servant. ("He means by it the Avenger, and the one tormented, from vengeance and torment") So the requirement of this name is to prevent torment from the sinning servant; therefore he took refuge in his supplication to Him, and God answered his supplication, preserving him from wasting his striving through an entire night ("giving precedence to the Real and preferring His presence") over the notion that the Real wants to subdue and take vengeance upon them ("so he supplicated against them for what was theirs") because the prophets want only what the Real wants; had he not had regard for pardon, he would not have persisted in his supplication for a whole night. The verse was not revealed to him except that he might intercede for them, and he intercedes only for one who accepts intercession.

Bālī Zāde's gloss, printed inside al-Qāshānī's commentary in the ibnalarabi.com text (line 8742); moved here

﴿تكون الخميرة﴾

وهي على الحضور الذكري

and it is upon the mentional presence

﴿تكون الخميرة﴾

هي خميرة ما أودع في طينه أبدانهم من استعداد الوصول إلى حضرة الحق

it is the leaven of what was deposited in the clay of their bodies of preparedness (istiʿdād) for reaching the Presence of the Real

﴿قد تحكَّمت في العجين﴾

- أي عجين تعيّناتهم المحجوبة في الغيب –

— i.e., the dough of their entifications (taʿayyunāt) veiled in the nonmanifest —

﴿قد تحكمت في العجين﴾

أي عجين استعدادهم

i.e., the dough of their preparedness (istiʿdād)

﴿قد تحكمت في العجين﴾

أي في عجينهم العجين طينة أبدانهم ( فصيرته ) أي صيرت الخميرة العجين في وقت حضورهم ( مثلها ) أي مثل الخميرة في إيصالهم إلى الحق . فمقتضى العجين الستر والحجاب عن الحق والخميرة الكشف عن الحق والوصول إلى الحق فقد يحكم عجينهم على خميرتهم في الحياة الدنيا فصيرها مثله في عدم الإيصال إلى الحق . فإذا قامت قيامتهم انتهى بحكم العجين فتحكمت فيه كما تحكم فيها فصيرته كما صيرها مثله . فقيام النبي عليه السلام بهذه الآية ليلة كاملة وانتهاؤه عند ظهور نور الشمس يدل على أنهم في ستر من الحق في الحياة الدنيا . فهي كلها ليلة كاملة في حقهم لذلك لم يفعل العكس . ولا نهار لهم في الدنيا لعدم ظهور الحق لهم فيها ولعدم شهودهم أنفسهم فيها وهم عند شهودهم أنفسهم وشهودهم الحق في اليوم الآخر . فالحق مذكرهم ما داموا في غيبة موادهم الغيبية فإذا حضروا بين يديّ اللّه في يوم القيامة فالحق مشاهدهم في موادهم الصورية الأخروية مع كونه مشاهدهم في مقامه الجمعي الإلهي أزلا وأبدا فتذكيرهم الحق النبي على هذا الوجه يدل على استحقاقهم المغفرة بدعاء النبي عليه السلام

that is, over their dough — the dough being the clay of their bodies ("and made it") that is, the leaven made the dough, at the time of their presence, ("like itself") that is, like the leaven in bringing them to the Real. So the requirement of the dough is concealment and veiling from the Real, while the leaven is the uncovering of the Real and the attainment of the Real. Their dough may take control over their leaven in the life of this world, making it like itself in failing to attain the Real. But when their Resurrection is established, the rule of the dough ends, and the leaven takes control over it as the dough had controlled over it, making it like itself just as the dough had made it like itself. So the Prophet's persistence, peace be upon him, in this verse for an entire night, and his stopping at the appearance of the sunlight, indicates that they are in veiling from the Real in the life of this world. So the whole of it is, for them, an entire night; hence he did not do the opposite. And they have no day in this world, due to the Real's not manifesting to them in it, and due to their not witnessing themselves in it, whereas they do witness themselves and witness the Real on the Last Day. So the Real reminds them as long as they remain in the absence of their unseen matters; but when they are present before God on the Day of Resurrection, the Real witnesses them in their formal, otherworldly matters, together with His witnessing them in His all-comprehensive divine station eternally and everlastingly. So the Real's reminding of the Prophet in this manner indicates their deserving forgiveness through the Prophet's supplication, peace be upon him.

﴿فصيرته مثلها فإنهم عبادك فأفرد الخطاب للتوحيد الذي كانوا عليه﴾

في الحقيقة وإن كانوا لا يعلمون ذلك ، فإنهم كانوا مشركين في زعمهم ومعتقدهم . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

in reality, even though they themselves did not know that, for they were polytheists (mushrikūn) in their own claim and belief. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿فصيّرته مثلها﴾

في الحضور والشهود ، والذي يدلّ على أنّ حجابهم هو عين كمونهم في الغيب الذاتيّ قوله

in presence and witnessing. And what indicates that their veil is identical with their latency in the essential nonmanifest is his saying

﴿فصيرته مثلها﴾

يعني صير الحضور الذكري استعداداتهم عين الحضور العيني الذي هو مثل الحضور الذكري ، وذلك إنما هو على سبيل المبالغة وإلا لم يصر استعداد عين الحضور كما لا يخفى . ثم إنه رضي اللّه عنه لما بين النكتة في إيراد ضمير الغائب أراد أن يبين النكات المتعلقة فإفراد ضمير الخطاب وذكر العباد فلهذا أعاد قوله

meaning: it made the mentional presence of their preparednesses into the very ocular presence, which is like the mentional presence. And that is only by way of exaggeration/hyperbole, otherwise the preparedness would not become identical with ocular presence, as is evident. Then, since he (may God be pleased with him) explained the subtle point in bringing the pronoun of absence, he wished to explain the subtle points connected to the singling out of the pronoun of address and the mention of "servants," and for this reason he repeated his saying

﴿فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبادُكَ " فأفرد الخطاب ، للتوحيد الذي كانوا عليه﴾

من حيث العين في الحقيقة وإن كانوا مشركين في زعمهم ومعتقدهم وغيرهم من أهل الاعتقاد والتقليد . قال رضي الله عنه

from the standpoint of the entity (al-ʿayn) in reality, even though they were polytheists in their own claim and belief, as were others among the people of belief and imitation (ahl al-iʿtiqād wa-l-taqlīd). He, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿" فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبادُكَ " فأفرد الخطاب للتوحيد الذي كانوا عليه﴾

في تلك الغيبة ، وأشار بانقهارهم وإذلالهم في ذلك الغيب عند تسميته إيّاهم بالعباد

["they are Your servants" — so he made the address singular, for the unity (tawḥīd) upon which they were] in that nonmanifestness, and he indicated their subjugation (inqihār) and abasement (idhlāl) in that nonmanifest by his naming them "servants" (ʿibād)

﴿فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبادُكَ﴾

ثم شرع في بيان نكاته وقال

Then he began explaining its subtle points, saying

﴿فإنهم عبادك فأفرد الخطاب للتوحيد الذي كانوا عليه﴾

في التولد وفي جواب ألست يعني وإن خالفوا أمرك في الظاهر ويعبدون غيرك ويجعلون لك شريكا لكنهم في المعنى يعبدونك لكون فطرتهم الأصلية على التوحيد . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

at the time of their primordial begetting and in the response to "Am I not...?", meaning: even though they outwardly oppose Your command and worship other than You and ascribe to You a partner, yet in meaning they worship You, because their original nature (fiṭra) is upon unity. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿فأفرد الخطاب … للتوحيد الذي كانوا عليه﴾

بحسب أصل الفطرة أو بسبب أن الظاهر بصورة كل معبود إنما هو الحق تعالى كما قال تعالى

according to the original nature (fiṭra), or because that which is manifest in the form of every object of worship is only the Real, exalted is He, as He, exalted is He, said

﴿ولا ذلَّة أعظم من ذلَّة العبيد ، لأنّهم لا تصرّف لهم في أنفسهم﴾

لغلبة قهرمان الأحكام الذاتيّة في الغيب عليهم ( فهم بحكم ما يريد به سيّدهم ، ولا شريك له فيهم ، فإنه قال : قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

due to the predominance of the steward (qahramān) of the essential rulings in the nonmanifest over them (so they are subject to whatever their Master wills regarding them, and He has no partner in them, for He said:) The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said

﴿ولا ذلة أعظم من ذلة العبيد لأنهم لا تصرف لهم في أنفسهم﴾

وعدم تصرفهم في أنفسهم فيما عدا وجوداتهم العينية ظاهرا ، وأما فيها فبناء على أن المتصرف فيهم في الكل هو الحق سبحانه وما يتوهم منه التصرف فهو من مظاهره التي يظهر منها تصرفه

and their lack of disposal over themselves, apart from their ocular existences outwardly—as for their [essences], it is based on the fact that the One who disposes of them in all things is the Real, glory be to Him, and whatever disposal is imagined [to belong] to them is from among His loci of manifestation (maẕāhir) from which His disposal becomes manifest.

﴿ولا ذلة أعظم من ذلة العبيد﴾

وإنما كانوا عبادك

for they were only Your servants

﴿لأنهم لا تصرف لهم في أنفسهم فهم بحكم ما يريد بهم سيدهم ولا شريك له﴾

Quotes words that differ from our text (wavy underline).

أي لسيدهم ( فيهم ) وإنما كان لا شريك للَّه فيهم

that is, for their Master, ("in them"), and indeed God has no partner in them

﴿فهم يحكم ما يريده بهم سيدهم … ولا شريك له فيهم فإنه قال " عبادك " فأفرد﴾

Quotes words that differ from our text (wavy underline).

كاف الخطاب الذي أضاف العباد إليه وذلك يدل على عدم الشركة فيهم

the kāf of address, which attributed the servants to Himself, and that indicates the absence of any partnership regarding them.

﴿فإنه قال … عبادك فأفرد﴾

فلما توجه أن يقال إذا كانوا يحكم ما يريد به سيدهم فلا استحقاق لهم العذاب الموجع من هذا الوجه . قال

for when it suggested itself to be said: if they are subject to the rule of what their Master wills for them, then they do not deserve painful torment from this respect, he said:

﴿والمراد بالعذاب إذلالهم ، ولا أذلّ منهم ، لكونهم عبادا ، فذواتهم تقتضي أنهم أذلَّاء﴾

بما جبلوا عليه من الغيب وكمونهم فيها

by that upon which they were molded from the Unseen (ghayb) and their latency within it.

﴿والمراد بالعذاب إذلالهم ولا أذل منهم لكونهم عبادا﴾

وقد علمت أنه لا ذلة أعظم من ذلة العبيد

and you have already learned that there is no abasement greater than the abasement of servants.

﴿والمراد بالعذاب إذلالهم و … لا أذل منهم لكونهم عبادا فذواتهم تقتضي أنهم أذلاء فلا تذلهم﴾

Quotes words that differ from our text (wavy underline).

فمعنى قوله

so the meaning of His saying:

﴿فذواتهم تقتضي أنهم أذلاء فلا تذلهم فإنك﴾

على تقدير الإذلال

on the supposition of abasement

﴿فلا تذلَّهم ، فإنّك لا تذلَّهم بأدون مما هم فيه من كونهم عبيدا﴾

﴿لا تذلهم بأدون مما هم فيه من كونهم عبيدا أو أن تغفر لهم ، أي تسترهم على إيقاع العذاب الذي يستحقونه بمخالفتهم ، أي تجعل لهم غفرا﴾

Quotes words that differ from our text (wavy underline).

بمعنى الغافر كالعدل بمعنى العادل ، أي ساترا

than the abasement they are already in by being servants, or [if You choose] to forgive them, i.e., to cover them from the infliction of the chastisement which they deserve through their disobedience, i.e., to make for them a covering (ghafr)] in the sense of "the one who covers/forgives" (al-ghāfir), like "al-ʿadl" meaning "the just one" (al-ʿādil), i.e., a shielder

﴿فإنك لا تذلهم بأدون مما هم فيه … من كونهم عبيدا﴾

فلا سبيل إلى إذلالهم لامتناع إذلال الأذلاء وامتناع تعلق قدرتك بالممتنع ولا سبيل إلى العذاب الموجع على الشق الأول من الترديد لعدم استحقاقهم من هذا الوجه . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

so there is no way to abasing them, since it is impossible to abase those who are already abased, and it is impossible for Your power to attach to the impossible; nor is there any way to painful torment on the first branch of the division, due to their not deserving it from this respect. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: