The commentators side by side

﴿وولده وهو ما أنتجه لهم نظرهم الفكرى﴾

أي ولما اشتد احتجابهم بالظواهر وتقيدوا بها كانت عقولهم مشوبة بالأوهام لم تتجاوز إلى المعارف المجردة الكلية في التنزيه عن مقتضيات أفكارهم العاديات والقياسيات العرفية المقيدة بالقيود الوهمية والتخييلية ، واحتجبت بالتعينات والتقيدات العقلية المطابقة لمدركاتها الوهمية والتخييلية والحسية في التقيد

that is, once their veiling by outward forms intensified and they became bound to them, their intellects were tainted with conjectures and did not transcend to the disengaged, universal knowledges pertaining to tanzīh, beyond the requisites of their habitual thoughts and customary syllogistic reasonings bound by imaginal and conjectural restrictions; and they were veiled by rational entifications and restrictions corresponding to their conjectural, imaginal, and sensory perceptions in [their] conditionedness

﴿"وولده" وهو ما أنتجه لهم نظرهم الفكري﴾

وقياسهم العقلي في معرفتهم الحق سبحانه تنزيها وتشبيها. (والأمر) ، أي أمر التنزيه والتشبيه في معرفة الحق سبحانه على ما جاء بها الأنبياء عليهم السلام

and their rational syllogistic reasoning (qiyās ʿaqlī) in their knowledge of the Real, glory be to Him, [in terms of] incomparability and similarity. (And the matter)—that is, the matter of incomparability and similarity in knowledge of the Real, glory be to Him, as the prophets, peace be upon them, brought it—

﴿هو ما أنتجه لهم نظرهم الفكري﴾

أي العلوم الحاملة لهم بنظرهم الفكري (والأمر) أي ما دعا إليه نوح عليه السلام

i.e., the sciences that their discursive reflection yielded for them. ["and the matter"] i.e., that to which Noah, peace be upon him, called.

﴿والأمر موقوف علمه على المشاهدة بعيد عن نتائج الفكر﴾

فأنكروا لما دعاهم إليه أشد إنكار واتبعوا معقولهم العادي. فشكا نوح إلى ربه بقوله : " رَبِّ إِنَّهُمْ عَصَوْنِي واتَّبَعُوا من لَمْ يَزِدْه مالُه ووَلَدُه "

matter, knowledge of which depends upon direct witnessing (mushāhada), is far removed from the results of discursive thought] So they denied most vehemently what he called them to, and followed their habitual rational faculty. So Noah complained to his Lord, saying: "My Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children increased him not"

﴿والأمر موقوف علمه على المشاهدة ، بعيد عن نتائج الفكر " إِلَّا خَساراً "﴾

وضياعا لرأس المال ، يعني المقدّمات الحاصلة لهم والقواعد التي يميل إليها قلوبهم ويستنتجون بها العقائد ويستربحون بها الأموال . وإذ كان ذلك في المعارف الإلهيّة مما لا يجدي بطائل ، وطريق النظر فيها منبتّ ما يفيض على السالك فيه بطلّ ولا وابل

and the squandering of capital, meaning the premises they had obtained and the principles toward which their hearts inclined, by which they drew conclusions of belief and profited in wealth. And since this, in matters of divine knowledge, avails nothing, and the path of speculative reasoning therein is severed, nothing flows upon the wayfarer along it, neither drizzle nor downpour.

﴿موقوف علمه على المشاهدة﴾

العيانية والتجليات الذوقية الوجدانية

direct/visual (ʿiyāniyya) and the experiential, tasted self-disclosures (al-tajalliyāt al-dhawqiyya al-wijdāniyya),

﴿موقوف علمه على المشاهدة بعيد عن نتائج الأفكار﴾

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

فهم عصوه واتبعوا إلى نتائج أفكارهم وكانوا محرومين عن حكمة دعوته لعدم علمهم ما أشار إليه نوح عليه السلام ولعدم حصول هذا العلم بنظرهم الفكري قال رضي الله عنه

So they disobeyed him and followed the conclusions of their discursive thought, and were deprived of the wisdom of his call, because they had no knowledge of what Noah, peace be upon him, had indicated, and because such knowledge is not attained through discursive reflection. He, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿بعيد جدا عن نتائج الفكر﴾

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

العقلية والقياسات البرهانية. فلذلك لم تزدهم تلك النتائج

rational, and from demonstrative syllogisms. Hence those results did not increase them

﴿إلا خسارا, فما ربحت تجارتهم﴾

وما كانوا مهتدين

and they were not rightly guided

﴿إلا خسارا﴾

أي، ضياعا لرأس ما لهم من العمر و الاستعداد. وذلك لأن المقام مقام المشاهدة وهو فوق طور العقل، والعقل بفكره ونظره لا يصل إليه. فمن تصرف فيما جاءت الأنبياء به بعقله أو اعتقد أن الحكماء والعقلاء غير محتاجين إليهم، فقد خسر خسرانا مبينا. وذلك لأن المقام مقام المشاهدة وهو فوق طور العقل، والعقل بفكره ونظره لا يصل إليه. فمن تصرف فيما جاءت الأنبياء به بعقله أو اعتقد أن الحكماء والعقلاء غير محتاجين إليهم، فقد خسر خسرانا مبينا

that is, a squandering of the very capital of their lifespan and preparedness (istiʿdād). This is because the station is the station of direct witnessing (mushāhada), which is above the plane of the intellect, and the intellect, with its discursive thought and speculation, cannot attain to it. So whoever handles by his own intellect what the prophets brought, or believes that the wise and the rational have no need of them, has indeed suffered manifest loss. This is because the station is the station of direct witnessing, which is above the plane of the intellect, and the intellect, with its discursive thought and speculation, cannot attain to it. So whoever handles by his own intellect what the prophets brought, or believes that the wise and the rational have no need of them, has indeed suffered manifest loss.

﴿"إلا خسارا" … "فما ربحت تجارتهم" [البقرة: 16]﴾

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

التي كان رأس مالهم فيها العمر والاستعداد وما حصلوا به النتائج الفكرية

]—[a commerce] in which their capital was [their] lifetime and preparedness (istiʿdād), and that by which they obtained their discursive results,

﴿إلا خسارا﴾

إلا ضياعا من عمرهم لصرفهم بما لا ينبغي لما أن في زعمهم. أن نظرهم الفكري وصل إلى الحق وصرفوا عمرهم في ذلك وما عرفوا أن حكمة دعوته لا بحصل بذلك وما عرفوا زوال ما في أيديهم من الملك الذي يتعلق به نظر هم الفكري

i.e., nothing but a squandering of their lifetimes, spending them on what was not fitting, since in their reckoning their discursive reflection had reached the Real; they spent their lives in that, not knowing that the wisdom of his call could not be attained thereby, nor did they know of the passing-away of what was in their hands of dominion (mulk), to which their discursive reflection was attached.

﴿"فما ربحت تجارتهم" فزال عنهم ما كان في أيديهم مما كانوا يتخيلون أنه ملكلهم﴾

أي ، ما حصل لهم في هذه التجارة إلا ضياع العمر والاستعداد. فإنهم أفنوا رأس ما لهم فيما لا يمكن حصوله لهم، فزال عنهم ما كان في أيديهم من الاستعداد والآلات التي يمكن بها أن يعبدوا الحق ويتبعوا الأنبياء ليحصل لهم الكشف عن حقيقة الأمر. وكانوا يتخيلون أن ذلك ملك لهم، وما عرفوا أنه مستعار عندهم وملك للحق وسيرجع إليه. وأزال عنهم علم ما كان في نفس الأمر، لأنهم يتخيلون أنهم أدركوا الحقائق على ما هي عليه في نفس الأمر بعقولهم الضعيفة ونظرهم الفكرية، وحسبوا إنهم ملكوها وليس الأمر كذلك، فزال عنهم وفات علم الحقيقة

That is, all they gained from this trade was the loss of their lifetime and their preparedness (istiʿdād). For they had spent their capital on what could not be attained by them, so there vanished from them what had been in their hands of preparedness and the instruments by which they could have worshipped the Real and followed the prophets, so that unveiling (kashf) of the reality of the matter might come to them. They had imagined that this was their own possession, not knowing that it was on loan to them and was the possession of the Real, to whom it would return. And it removed from them the knowledge of what was so in the reality of the matter, for they imagined that they had grasped the realities as they are in themselves through their weak intellects and speculative reflection, and reckoned that they had come to possess them - but the matter is not so; so there vanished from them, and was lost to them, the knowledge of the reality.

﴿فما ربحت تجارتهم﴾

وإذ تزلزلت تلك القواعد ، لأنّ مسلكهم ذلك مثار الشبه والشكوك التي بها يضطرب القواعد ويزول عن مستقرّه

since those principles were shaken, for that path of theirs is the source from which doubts and uncertainties arise, by which the principles are disturbed and removed from their foundation.

﴿فما ربحت تجارتهم﴾

وما كانوا مهتدين بما يدعوهم نوح عليه السلام إليه

and they were not guided by that to which Noah, peace be upon him, called them.

﴿فزال عنهم ما كان في أيديهم مما كانوا يتخيلون أنه ملك لهم﴾

وهو ما حصلوا بأفكارهم من معقولهم وما حسبوا النجاة فيه من الإله الاعتقادى وما توهموا أنه يمنحهم لأن الأمر كما قال موقوف علمه على المشاهدة بعيد عن نتائج الفكر . ولا يزيد الفكر فيه إلا احتجابا بصورة معتقدهم

namely, what they had attained through their thoughts by way of their rational faculty, and what they had reckoned to be salvation in the believed-in deity (al-ilāh al-iʿtiqādī), and what they had imagined it would grant them — for the matter, as he said, is one whose knowledge depends upon witnessing, far removed from the results of discursive thought; and discursive thought only increases veiling therein through the form of their belief

﴿(البقرة: 16) فزال عنهم ما كان في أيديهم مما كانوا يتخيلون أنه ملك لهم، وهو في المحمديين﴾

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

وأنفقوا مما جعلكم مستخلفين فيه" (الحديد: 7) وفي نوح "ألا تتخذوا من دوني من دوني وكيلا

'and spend of that in which He has made you stewards/successors' (al-Ḥadīd: 7). And in [the case of] Noah: 'that you should not take, besides Me, besides Me, any guardian' —

﴿فزال عنهم ما كان في أيديهم ممّا كانوا يتخيّلون أنّه ملك لهم﴾

وهذا أيضا مما يدلّ على أنّ العقائد صور أنفس المعتقدين ، فهي عند ترقّيها بمدارج الكمال تتحوّل صورتها ، فلا بدّ من زوال تلك العقيدة التي هي صورتها أولا . هذا ما في الكلمة النوحيّة والنوحيين من هذه الحكمة

— and this too is among what indicates that beliefs are the forms of the selves of the believers; so when they ascend through the degrees of perfection, their form changes, and it is necessary that the belief which was its first form should pass away. This is what pertains, in the Noahic Word and among the Noahic ones (al-Nūḥiyyīn), to this wisdom.

﴿فزال عنهم ما كان في أيديهم مما كانوا يتخيلون أنه ملك لهم﴾

من رأس مالهم الذي هو العمر والاستعداد و مما حصلوا به من النتائج الفكرية به. أما زوال رأس المال فلأنهم أضعوها في تحصل ما لا طائل تحته ، وأما زوال م قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

—namely their capital, which is [their] lifetime and preparedness, and what they had obtained thereby of discursive results. As for the loss of the capital, it is because they squandered it in acquiring that which is of no benefit; and as for the loss of what... The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿فزال عنهم … ما كان في أيديهم مما كانوا يتخيلون أنه ملك لهم﴾

وما سبب تخيلهم إلا عدم علمهم ما أشار إليه نوح عليه السلام في دعوته من المفهوم الثاني وقصرهم بمقتضى عقولهم على المفهوم الأول وتصرفهم بنظرهم الفكري ولم يعتبروا بنظر الاعتبار . وكانوا بعيدا عن طريق المشاهدة بذلك فإياك أن تقتصر كلام الله تعالى وكلام الرسول على المفهوم الأول فإن الأمر ما كان على طريق المشاهدة لا على طريق النظر ألا ترى قوم نوح عليه السلام كيف كان حالهم لصرفهم ما جاء نبيهم على المفهوم الأول بمقتضى عقولهم. فلا يعرفون أن ما في أيديهم ليس بملك لهم لاتباعهم نظرهم فضلوا عن طريق الهدى وهو طريق المشاهدة. (وهو) أي ما كان في أيديهم من الملك ليس بملك لهم حقيقة بل هو ملك لله وهم مستخلفون فيه ولم ينكشف لهم حقيقة الأمر ويدل على ذلك ما جاء

The cause of their imagining this was nothing but their ignorance of what Noah, peace be upon him, had indicated in his call — namely, the second meaning (al-mafhūm al-thānī) — and their restriction, by the dictate of their intellects, to the first meaning (al-mafhūm al-awwal), and their exercising disposal by their discursive reflection without heeding inferential consideration (al-naẓar al-iʿtibārī). They were thus far removed from the path of direct witnessing (mushāhada). Beware, then, of restricting the discourse of God Most High and the discourse of the Messenger to the first meaning, for the matter proceeds by the path of witnessing, not by the path of [discursive] reflection. Do you not see how it was with the people of Noah, peace be upon him, on account of their construing what their prophet brought according to the first meaning, by the dictate of their intellects? They did not know that what was in their hands was not truly their own possession, because they followed their [discursive] reflection, and so they strayed from the path of guidance, which is the path of witnessing. ["And it"] i.e., the dominion (mulk) that was in their hands was not truly theirs, but rather belongs to God, and they were vicegerents (mustakhlafūn) therein, though the reality of the matter was not unveiled to them. What follows indicates this:

﴿وهو في المحمديين﴾

الضمير راجع إلى ما كانوا يتخيلون أنه ملك لهم ، أي ما تخيلوا أنه ملك لهم ثابت في المحمديين ، لقوله تعالى في حقهم

in the Muḥammadans] the pronoun refers back to what they had imagined to be their possession — that is, what they imagined to be their possession is [truly] established in the Muḥammadans, according to His saying, exalted is He, concerning them:

﴿وهو في المحمديين﴾

أي، ما كان في أيديهم من الملك هو ملك الله كما جاءفي حق المحمديين، أو علم الحقيقة وانكشافها على ما هي عليه لله، كما جاء فيحق المحمديين

with regard to the Muhammadans] That is, what had been in their hands of possession is [in reality] God's possession, as has come with regard to the Muhammadans; or [what vanished was] the knowledge of the reality and its unveiling as it truly is for God, as has come with regard to the Muhammadans.

﴿وهو في المحمّديين " وَأَنْفِقُوا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُمْ مُسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيه " [ 57 / 7 ]﴾

قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

: 'And spend of that in which He has made you successors (mustakhlafīn)' (57:7)] The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿في المحمديين﴾

أي في حق هذه الأمة

i.e., concerning this community.

﴿وأَنْفِقُوا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُمْ مُسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيه﴾

أمرهم بالإنفاق ليرجع بسبب إنفاقهم ما منه إليه ، ولما استخلفهم استأثر بالملك وجعلهم خلفاء فيه لأن الملك للمستخلف لا للمستخلف

He commanded them to spend so that, by means of their spending, what came from Him might return to Him; and since He made them vicegerents, He reserved possession (mulk) exclusively to Himself and made them vicegerents therein — for possession belongs to the one who appoints the vicegerent (al-mustakhlif), not to the one appointed as vicegerent (al-mustakhlaf)

﴿وَأَنْفِقُوا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُمْ مُسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيه ِ﴾

أي من المال الذي ملت بكم إليّ فيه من حيث أعلم ، وملتم أنتم إليه في بفكركم ، فميلوا إلي فيه بها بالاتفاق على الأنفاق . قال رضي الله عنه

— that is, of the wealth through which I inclined you toward Me, from where I know, and toward which you inclined by your own discursive thought — so incline toward Me therein, in agreement, upon spending. He, God be pleased with him, said

﴿"وأنفقوا مما جعلكم مستخلفين فيه".﴾

فأثبت الملك لنفسه، وجعل المحمديين خلفاء عليه، وأمر بالإنفاق والتصرف تصرف الخلفاء في ملك المستخلف

So He affirmed possession for Himself, and made the Muhammadans successors (khulafāʾ) over it, and commanded expenditure and disposal - the disposal of successors in the possession of the one who appointed them successors.

﴿«و أنفقوا مما جعلكم مستخلفين فيه»، و في نوح «ألا تتخذوا من دوني وكيلا» فأثبت الملك لهم و الوكالة لله فيهم. فهم مستخلفون فيه. فالملك لله وهو وكيلهم، فالملك لهم وذلك ملك الاستخلاف. وبهذا كان الحق تعالى مالك الملك كما قال الترمذي رحمه الله.﴾

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

حصلوا به فلأنه لما ظهر الأمر على ما هو عليه في نفسه انقلب علمهم جهلا، وإنما قال : يتخيلون أنه ملك ، لأن الملك كله في الحقيقة إنما هو لله سبحانه وليس لغيره إلا على سبيل التوهم والتخيل الغير المطابق للواقع. ولما انجر الكلام إلى ذكر الملك وإثباته أراد أن يشير إلى تفاوت حال المحمديين والنوحيين فيه فقال : (وهو) ، أي الملك وإثباته جاء (في) شأن (المحمديين) ما يفهم من قوله تعالى

which they had obtained thereby—for when the matter became manifest as it truly is in itself, their [seeming] knowledge turned into ignorance. And he said "they imagined it to be possession" only because all possession, in reality, belongs solely to God, glory be to Him, and to none other, except by way of supposition and imagination not corresponding to reality. And since the discourse led on to the mention of possession and its affirmation, he wished to indicate the difference between the state of the Muhammadans and that of the Noahides regarding it, so he said: (And it)—that is, possession and its affirmation—comes (regarding) the affair (of the Muhammadans) [in] what is understood from His saying, exalted is He:

﴿وأنفقوا مما جعلكم … مستخلفين فيه﴾

فأثبت الملك لنفسه والوكالة لهم لكونهم عالمين الأمر على ما هو عليه في نفسه فأنزل الله كلامه في حقهم على الحقيقة (وفي نوح عليه السلام :" ألا تتخذوا من دوني وكيلا" [الإسراء: 2] فأثبت الملك لهم والوكالة الله فيه) أي في الملك فأخرج الله كلامه في حقهم على تخيلهم لا على الحقيقة فلما مكروا الله مكر الله معهم. والمحمديون لما عرفوا بالكشف صدقهم الله وما مكر معهم في أن ما في أيديهم من الآلات البدنية والأولاد والأموال ليس ملك لهم (فهم مستخلفون فيه) أي فيما في أيديهم

Here He affirms possession (al-mulk) for Himself and vicarious agency (al-wakāla) for them, since they know the matter as it truly is in itself; so God sent down His discourse concerning them according to the reality. [Whereas concerning Noah, peace be upon him: "Do not take besides Me any agent (wakīl)" (Q 17:2), He affirmed possession for them and vicarious agency for God] i.e., in respect of the dominion (mulk). So God's discourse concerning them came according to their [mistaken] imagining, not according to the reality; and when they schemed, God schemed with them (makara). But the Muhammadans, when they knew through unveiling, God confirmed them as truthful and did not scheme against them, in that what is in their hands of bodily instruments, children, and wealth is not truly theirs. ["so they are vicegerents therein"] i.e., in what is in their hands.

﴿وفي نوح﴾

أَلَّا تَتَّخِذُوا من دُونِي وَكِيلًا " ، فأثبت الملك لهم والوكالة لله فيه ، فهم مستخلفون فيهم ، فالملك لله ، وهو وكيلهم ، فالملك لهم وذلك ملك الاستخلاف » . قال العبد : شهود أهل الجحود يقتضي إثبات الملك لهم حقيقة ، وشاهد الحال يقضي بذلك لهم بمقتضى مشهودهم ومعهودهم ، وفي الحقيقة هم لله ، فهم مستخلفون من الله في أنفسهم بحسب ظنونهم ، إذ هو الظاهر بهم وفيهم ، فغلب عليهم الحال ، وتاهوا في تيه الضلال ، من حجابيّات ظنونهم ونيّاتهم وظلمات إنيّاتهم ، فحجبوا عن الحقّ المالك لهم وما في ملكتهم بتمليكه ، وهو مليكهم ومليك الممالك ومالك الملك والملكوت . وله المالكيّة والملكيّة بالحقيقة على الإطلاق والاستحقاق ، ولم يعلموا أنّهم في مالكيّتهم لأملاكهم وفي أنفسهم مستخلفون ، وكذلك في أموالهم وولدهم ، وأنّ ذلك بتمليك الحقّ لهم من كونه عينهم لا من حيث أنفسهم عندهم من حجابيّاتهم ، ولو فهموا ذلك من دعاة الجمع في عالم الفرق والصدع ، وأنّ الملك والملك للمليك المقتدر الذي له الملك والملكوت بالأصالة ، ولهم من حيث إنّه فيهم أعيانهم بالتمليك والإيالة والإنالة ، على ما تقتضيه حقيقة أحدية جمع اللاهوت من الاستخلاف والأدلة . وأن لا بقاء لهم ولما في أيديهم إلَّا منه وبه ، ولما كان الكلّ بالأصالة ، وأنّ البقاء لله وحده ، ولا شيء بعده ، لكان الحق لهم في هذا الشهود ملك الملك ، فلم يزل ملكهم إلى الأبد ، ومتّعهم الله به في أعيانهم وبنيهم وأموالهم وأوطانهم إلى حين وأمد . والله على ما يشاء قدير . قال رضي الله عنه : « وبهذا كان الحقّ ملك الملك » . قال العبد : لمّا تحقّقنا أنّ ما بنا من نعمة فمن الله ، تحقّق أنّ الوجود الذي هو أفضل النعم وأشرف النسب والقسم من الله ، والوجود الحقّ هو المتعيّن في جميع صور النعماء والآلاء والأيادي ، وفي صور الملاذّ والملاهي ، في الصورة الثبوتية الأمرية والسلبية في المناهي ، وأنّ التعيّنات لا تبقى زمانين إلى أقصى ما أقصى به لا يتناهى . وأنّ الوجود الحقّ يتبدّل ويتبذّل مع الآنات ملابس تعيّن وظهور وتنوّع بحلي ، وتحلّ وسفور في ستور من سرّ الخلق الجديد الذي هم منه في لبس ملابس من جميع الأمور فكما أنّ حقائق الأشياء مع قطع النظر عن الوجود المتعيّن بها وفيها نسب راجعة إلى العدم ، كذلك الوجود الحقّ يقتضي لحقيقته التجلَّى والظهور والتعيّن بصورة النور في المظاهر والمجالي . على التواتر والتوالي ، من غير فتور إلى الأبد من أزل وقدم ، فلو كان مشهود العباد هو الحقّ الذي هو قوامهم وقيامهم ، وهو الحيّ القيّوم فيهم وقيّامهم ، فرأوا الملك والمال والولد والنعم لله حقيقة لا لهم دونه ، فإنّهم بل « هو » عدم صرف والعدم لا يملك ، فالملك لله فيهم بالأصالة بلا شريك ، ولهم فيه لا بالحقيقة بل بالتمليك ، وأنّ المرجوع في كل ذلك إلى الله . " أَلا إِلَى الله تَصِيرُ الأُمُورُ و " هُوَ قائِمٌ عَلى كُلِّ نَفْسٍ بِما كَسَبَتْ " وهو المليك المالك للملك والملكوت ، لكان الحقّ في تجلَّيه لهم بحسب ظنونهم فكان لهم مالا وملكا أبديّا وملكا سرمديّا وهم ملكه ، فهو ملك ملكهم ، إذا زال عنهم ما بأيديهم من مالهم وملكهم ممّا تخيّلوا أنّه لهم بالأصالة من كفرهم وشركهم فحجبوا في عين الكشف ، وسكروا بالوصف ،قبل الشرب والرشف. قال أبو يزيد البسطاميّ سلام الله عليه في مناجاته إيّاه ومحاضرته لمولاه وقد تجلَّي له المليك المقتدر : « ملكي أعظم من ملك ، لكونك لي وأنا لك ، فأنا ملكك وأنت ملكي ، وأنت العظيم الأعظم وملكي أنت ، فأنت أعظم من ملكك وهو أنا » ، فافهم . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : « كما قال الترمذيّ » . يعني رضي الله عنه الشيخ الكامل ، الإمام الفاضل ، قدوة الطائفة العالية ، أستاد الطريقة ، وبرهان الحقيقة ، محمّد بن عليّ الترمذيّ الحكيم المؤذّن ، وذلك أنّه ذكر من جملة ما أجمل في مسائله عن الخاتم المحمدي ، خاتم الولاية الخاصّة المحمدية قبل ولادة هذا الخاتم بمائتي سنة ، ثم لمّا ولد وبلغ ، أجابه فيها رضي الله عنه فقال : « مالك الملك » وقد ورد علينا وارد في هذا المقام حالا شهوديّ . شعر : يا منتهى السؤل أنت القصد والغرض %~% لي فيك عن كلّ شيء فاتني عوض مالي سواك ومالي في هواك سوى %~% سوء الظنون سواء في السوي عرض الأبيات بطولها . قال رضي الله عنه : " وَمَكَرُوا مَكْراً كُبَّاراً

'That you should not take besides Me any guardian (wakīl)' — thus He affirmed the dominion (mulk) for them and the guardianship (wakāla) for God therein; so they are made vicegerents (mustakhlafūn) over them, while the dominion belongs to God, and He is their guardian (wakīl); thus the dominion is theirs, and that is the dominion of vicegerency (mulk al-istikhlāf). The servant [i.e. the author] says: The witnessing of the people of denial (jaḥūd) requires the affirmation of dominion for them in reality, and the witness of their state (ḥāl) determines this for them according to what they witness and are accustomed to, while in reality they belong to God; thus they are made vicegerents by God over themselves according to their suppositions, since He is the manifest (ẓāhir) through them and in them. So the state overcame them, and they wandered in the wandering of error, from the veiling-effects of their suppositions and intentions and the darknesses of their egoities (inniyyāt), so they were veiled from the Real, the Owner (mālik) of them and of what is in their possession (milk) through His granting of ownership (tamlīk), while He is their sovereign (malīk) and the sovereign of sovereignties, the Owner of dominion (mulk) and the kingdom (malakūt). To Him belong ownership (mālikiyya) and sovereignty (malikiyya) in reality, absolutely and by right, but they did not know that in their ownership of their possessions, and in themselves, they are vicegerents — and likewise in their wealth and children — and that this is through the Real's granting them ownership inasmuch as He is their very entity (ʿayn), not from the standpoint of themselves as they suppose owing to their veiling-effects. Had they understood this from the callers to gathering (jamʿ) within the world of separation (farq) and division (ṣadʿ) — namely that dominion and sovereignty belong to the All-Powerful Sovereign (al-malīk al-muqtadir), to whom belong the dominion and the kingdom by original right, and belong to them only insofar as He is, in them, their very entities, through His granting of ownership, governance (iyāla), and bestowal (ināla), according to what is required by the reality of the unity of the gathering of the Godhead (lāhūt), by way of vicegerency and proofs — and that there is no subsistence for them nor for what is in their hands except from Him and through Him; and since the whole belongs to Him by original right, and subsistence (baqāʾ) belongs to God alone, and there is nothing after Him — then the Real would be, for them in this witnessing, the Sovereign of sovereignty (malik al-mulk), so their dominion would never cease, and God would grant them enjoyment of it in their persons, their children, their wealth, and their homelands until a time and a term. And God has power over what He wills. He said, may God be pleased with him: 'And by this the Real became the Sovereign of sovereignty (malik al-mulk).' The servant says: When we verified that whatever blessing (niʿma) is with us is from God, it was verified that existence (wujūd) — which is the most excellent of blessings and the noblest of relations (nisba) and portions — is from God, and that the Real Existence is that which is entified (mutaʿayyin) in all the forms of blessings, favors, and bounties, and in the forms of pleasures and diversions, in the affirmative form pertaining to command and the negative form pertaining to prohibitions; and that the entifications (taʿayyunāt) do not persist for two moments, to the furthest extent — by which it does not reach a limit. And the Real Existence changes and expends itself, with the instants, [donning] garments of entification, manifestation, and diversification through adornment, and unveiling and disclosure within veils, from the mystery of the ever-renewed creation (al-khalq al-jadīd), from which they are clothed in garments of every kind. For just as the realities of things, apart from the existence entified by and in them, are relations (nisab) reverting to nonexistence, likewise the Real Existence requires, for its reality, self-disclosure (tajallī), manifestation, and entification in the form of light within the loci of manifestation and theaters of disclosure, in continuous succession, without cessation, forever, from pre-eternity and everlasting past. For if the object witnessed by the servants were the Real, who is their subsistence and their standing, He being the Living, the Self-Subsisting (al-ḥayy al-qayyūm) within them and their Sustainer, they would see dominion, wealth, offspring, and blessings as belonging to God in reality, not to them apart from Him — for they, rather 'He,' are pure nonexistence, and nonexistence does not own. So the dominion belongs to God, in them, by original right, without partner, and belongs to them not in reality but through His granting of ownership (tamlīk); and the return in all of this is to God: 'Indeed, to God do all matters return,' and 'He is the Maintainer of every soul in respect of what it has earned.' And He is the Sovereign, the Owner of dominion and the kingdom. Then the Real, in His self-disclosure to them according to their suppositions, would be for them wealth and eternal dominion and everlasting sovereignty, while they are His possession (milk), for He is the sovereign of their dominion — when there ceases from them what is in their hands of their wealth and dominion, which they imagined belonged to them by original right, owing to their disbelief and associationism. Thus they were veiled within the very unveiling, and intoxicated by description before the drinking and the sipping. Abū Yazīd al-Basṭāmī, peace of God be upon him, said in his intimate discourse (munājāt) with Him and his converse with his Master, when the All-Powerful Sovereign disclosed Himself to him: 'My sovereignty is greater than a sovereign, since You are mine and I am Yours; so I am Your possession and You are my possession, and You are the Great, the Greatest, and my possession is You; so You are greater than Your possession, which is I.' So understand. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: 'As al-Tirmidhī said' — meaning, may God be pleased with him, the Perfect Shaykh, the excellent Imam, the exemplar of the exalted community, the master of the Path, the proof of the Reality, Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Tirmidhī al-Ḥakīm al-Muʾadhdhin. For among what he summarized in his Questions concerning the Muḥammadan Seal (al-khātam al-Muḥammadī) — the Seal of the special Muḥammadan sainthood (walāya) — he posed this two hundred years before the birth of that Seal; then, when he [the Seal] was born and reached maturity, he answered him therein, may God be pleased with him, saying: 'the Owner of dominion (mālik al-mulk).' And there has come upon us in this station an incoming [inspiration] (wārid), a state of witnessing. Verse: 'O utmost of my request, You are the aim and the purpose; in You, for me, is compensation for all else that has escaped me. I have naught but You, and in my love for You I have naught but ill suppositions, alike in straightforward exposition' — the verses in their entirety. He said, may God be pleased with him: 'And they schemed a mighty scheme (makkū makkan kubbāran).'

﴿وفي نوح: "ألا تتخذوا من دوني وكيلا". فأثبت الملك لهم والوكالة لله فيه﴾

أي، وجاء في حق نوح وقومه

That is, it has come with regard to Noah and his people.

﴿وفي نوح: " أَلَّا تَتَّخِذُوا من دُونِي وَكِيلًا " [ 17 / 2 ] ، فأثبت الملك لهم﴾

في الحكمة النوحيّة

in the Noahic wisdom.

﴿ألا تتخذوا من دوني وكيلا﴾

ذرية من حملنا مع نوح

O progeny of those We carried with Noah

﴿ألا تتخذوا﴾

فكن وكيله . بقوله : "وأنفقوا" وكان وكيلنا بقوله

So be His agent (wakīl) — by His word: "and spend" — and He was our agent, by His word:

﴿آية 2 الإسراء. فأثبت الملك لهم والوكالة الله فيهم. فهم مستخلفون فيه. فالملك لله وهو وكيلهم، فالملك لهم وذلك ملك الاستخلاف. وبهذا كان الحق تعالی مالك الملك كما قال الترمذي، رحمه الله تعالی.﴾

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

مكروا مكرا كبارا

the dominion belongs to them, and that is the dominion of stewardship (mulk al-istikhlāf). It is on this basis that the Real, exalted, is 'the Owner of dominion' (mālik al-mulk), as al-Tirmidhī said, may God have mercy on him.] 'They plotted a great plot' —

﴿وأثبت الملك لهم والوكالة لله فيه﴾

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

فإن الملك إنما يكون للموكل لا للوكيل ، فلم يجعلهم خلفاء متصرفين وجعلهم مالكين . لأنه تعالى هو الظاهر في صورة أعيانهم وما ملكت أيمانهم ، فالكل مالكون بتمليكه إياهم لا بأنفسهم ، ولكن لا يشعرون ، فما استحقوا الخلافة لأنهم لا يعرفون قدر الملك ، واستحقها المحمديون لمكان عرفانهم ( فهم ) أي المحمديون ( مستخلفين فيهم ) في أنفسهم أي في قوم نوح وفي الأمم كلهم لأنهم من جملة الملك

for possession belongs properly to the one who appoints the guardian (al-muwakkil), not to the guardian (al-wakīl); so He did not make them vicegerents who dispose [of possession] but made them [actual] possessors — for He, exalted is He, is the manifest [reality] in the form of their entities and of what their right hands possess; thus all are possessors through His granting them possession, not through themselves, though they are unaware of this. Hence they did not merit vicegerency (khilāfa), since they do not know the true measure of possession, whereas the Muḥammadans merited it by virtue of their gnosis. (So they) — that is, the Muḥammadans — (are made vicegerents over them) in themselves, that is, over the people of Noah and over all communities, since they [too] belong to the totality of possession

﴿والوكالة لله فيه﴾

وأمّا في المحمّديين ( فهم المستخلفون فيهم ) أي في أنفسهم وفي جميع الممالك

As for the Muhammadans, (they are the ones made successors in them), that is, in themselves and in all dominions.

﴿فهم مستخلفون فيهم، فالملك لله﴾

أي، فالمحمديون مستخلفون،بفتح اللام، في أنفسهم وفي كل ما لهم من الكمالات. وإذا كان كذلك، فالملك لله وحده

— that is, the Muḥammadans are made vicegerents (mustakhlafūn, with fatḥa on the lām) over themselves and over all the perfections that are theirs. And this being so, dominion belongs to God alone.

﴿فالملك لله وهو وكيلهم﴾

لأن الوكالة الثابتة في النوحيين ثابتة في حقهم ، لقوله : " لا إِله إِلَّا هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْه وَكِيلًا " - وقالوا – " حَسْبُنَا الله ونِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ " وإذا كان الله وكيلهم فالملك لهم وهو عين الملك الذي قال فيه

for the guardianship established for the Noahic ones is [likewise] established with respect to them, according to His saying: "There is no god but He, so take Him as Guardian," and they said: "God is sufficient for us, and excellent is the Guardian." And since God is their Guardian, possession belongs to them, and this is precisely the possession concerning which he said:

﴿فالملك لله﴾

(وهو) في النوحيّين

— (whereas he), among the Noahic ones —

﴿فالملك لله … وهو وكيلهم فالملك لهم﴾

أي الحق وكيل المحمديين والملك حينئذ لهم لأنهم لما جاء في حقهم "وأنفقوا". فقد أثبت التصرف لهم في ملك الحق، ولما أخبر الله بهم عن معاملته مع قوم نوح عليه السلام بقوله: ألا تتخذوا وكيلا دعاهم إلى طريق المشاهدة . وفي حق المحمديين معناه : استخلفوني فيما كنتم مستخلفين فيه و اتركوا تصرفكم في ملكي من الإنفاق وغيره . وأثبتوا إلى التصرف كما أثبت لكم . بقولنا: وأنفقوا فإن ذواتكم وصفاتكم وأفعالكم كلها في الحقيقة وأنتم مستخلفون فيها فهو مالك الملك كلها . وهو عزل الوكيل فكانت هذه الآية مكر في قوم نوح عليه السلام وأمرا في حقنا إلى الفناء في الله فجاء المستخلف في حقنا صريحا بفتح اللام وضمنا بكسر اللام فنحن جعلنا الحق مستخلفة بفتح اللام بأمر الله تعالى بإثبات الملك كله لله في ضمن قوله تعالى

i.e., the Real is the agent of the Muhammadans, and dominion in that case belongs to them, because when it was said concerning them "and spend," this affirmed for them the disposal (taṣarruf) in the dominion of the Real. And when God informed of His dealing with the people of Noah, peace be upon him, by His saying "do not take an agent," He called them to the path of witnessing (mushāhada). As for the Muhammadans, its meaning is: "Make Me vicegerent over that in which you were made vicegerents, and relinquish your own disposal in My dominion — whether by spending or otherwise — and affirm [instead] disposal as I have affirmed for you," by Our saying: "and spend" — for your essences, your attributes, and all your acts are, in reality, [His], and you are made vicegerents therein, He being the Possessor of the entire dominion (mālik al-mulk kullihi). This is the dismissal of the agent. So this verse was a scheme (makr) with regard to the people of Noah, but a command with regard to us, unto extinction (fanāʾ) in God. Thus "the vicegerent" (al-mustakhlaf), with regard to us, came explicitly with the fatḥa on the lām, and implicitly with the kasra on the lām; so We made the Real mustakhlaf (with fatḥa on the lām), by the command of God Most High, in affirming that the entire dominion belongs to God, within His saying, Most High:

﴿وهو وكيلهم فالملك لهم، وذلك ملك الاستخلاف﴾

أي، الحق وكيل قوم نوح، كما قال فيهم

That is, the Real is the guardian of the people of Noah, as He said regarding them

﴿وكيلهم ، فالملك لهم ، وذلك ملك الاستخلاف﴾

فإنّه ليس للعبد أن يملك بالاستحقاق قطعا . ملك الملك قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : (وبهذا) أي بما ظهر من هذه الحكمة وهو أنّ أحوال العقائد التي هي أملاك أصحابها النوحيين الخاسرين في التصرّف فيها ، وهي بالنسبة إلى أصحابها المحمّديين ممالك مستخلفين فيها ومنفقين منها كلَّها حقّ . كما سيجيء تحقيقه ففي هذه الصورة. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

— for it is by no means for the servant to possess by [inherent] entitlement. [The Possessor of Possession] The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: (And by this) — that is, by what has become manifest from this wisdom, namely that the states of the beliefs which are the possessions of their Noahic possessors, who are losers in disposing of them, are — relative to their Muhammadan possessors — dominions in which they have been made successors and from which they spend, all of it being Real (ḥaqq). As will be verified [below], in this form. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿وذلك ملك الاستخلاف﴾

وهو في المحمديين. فهم فيه مستخلفون فيهم. قال رضي الله عنه

which is [found] in the Muḥammadans; they are thus made vicegerents over them therein. He, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿وبهذا كان الحق مالك الملك ، كما قال الترمذي﴾

وهو إشارة إلى ما ذكر الشيخ العارف محمد بن على الحكيم الترمذي من جملة سؤالاته لأنه التي سأل عنها الخاتم للولاية قبل ولادة الشيخ العارف محيى الدين بما يأتى سنة وهو قوله ما ملك الملك ، وإلى هذا المعنى أشار الشيخ العارف أبو يزيد البسطامي قدس الله روحه في مناجاته . وقد تجلى له الملك الحق المبين فقال : ملكى أعظم من ملكك لكونك لي وأنا لك ، فأنا ملكك وأنت ملكى ، وأنت العظيم الأعظم وملكى أنت فأنت أعظم من ملكك وهو أنا . قوله رضي الله عنه

This is an allusion to what the gnostic Shaykh Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī mentioned among his set of questions — for it is [one of the questions] which the Seal of Sainthood (khātam al-walāya) asked about before the birth of the gnostic Shaykh Muḥyī al-Dīn, concerning what would come [to pass] the following year, namely his statement: "What is the possession of possession (mā mulk al-mulk)?" To this same meaning the gnostic Shaykh Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī, may God sanctify his spirit, alluded in his intimate discourse (munājāt); for the true, manifest Sovereign disclosed Himself to him, and he said: "My kingdom is greater than Your kingdom, since You are mine and I am Yours; so I am Your possession and You are my possession; and You are the Greatest, the Most Sovereign, and my possession is You — so You are greater than Your possession, which is I." He, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿كان الحق﴾

سبحانه (ملك الملك) بكسر الميم فيهم

glory be to Him, (was/is) (Mālik al-Mulk / the Owner of possession), with kasra on the mīm, over them.

﴿كان الحقّ ملك الملك ، كما قال الترمذي﴾

في أسئلته ، وقد أجاب الشيخ عنه في الفتوحات "المكية " . فإنّ الحكيم محمّد بن علي الترمذي قد سأل الخاتم للولاية عن أسئلته ، وكان قبل الشيخ بأربعمائة سنة تقريبا ، وصرّح بأنّ الخاتم هو الذي يجيب عنها ،ومن جملتها : « كم مجالس ملك الملك» ؟ فأجابه أوّلا بأنّه على عدد الحقائق الملكيّة والناريّة والإنسانيّة واستحقاقاتها الداعية لإجابة الحقّ فيما سأله منه . ثمّ بسطه بما معناه : إنّ الكلام هاهنا مسبوق بمعرفة ملك الملك ، وذلك موقوف على معرفة الملك ، وهو الذي يقضي فيه مالكه بما شاء فلا يمنع عنه . . . فالمأمور هو الذي يقال له الملك ، والآمر هو المالك . . . سواء كان المأمور دونه أو مثله أو أعلى . . . فإنّ قول العبد : « اهدنا » أمر منه ، وإن سمّي دعاء . فإذا فهمت هذا وعلمت أنّ المأمور قد امتثل أمر آمره ، فأجابه فيما سأل منه ، أو اعترف بأنّه يجيبه إذا دعاه لما يدعوه إليه . إذا كان المدعوّ أعلى منه فقد صيّر نفسه - هذا الأعلى - ملكا لهذا الدون ، وهذا الدون هو تحت حكم هذا الأعلى وقدرته وأمره ، فهو ملكه بلا شكّ ، وقد قرّرنا أنّ الدون الذي هو بهذه المثابة - قد يأمر سيّده ، فيجيب السيّد لأمره ، فيصير بتلك الإجابة ملكا له . وإن كان عن اختيار منه فيصحّ أن يقال في السيّد : « إنّه ملك الملك » لأنّه أجاب أمر عبده ، وعبده ملك له ، والمأمور هو الملك ، فالسيّد عند الإجابة ملك الملك . فعلم وجه التفاوت بين الكلمتين في هذه الحكمة . معنى المكر في الدعوتين ومن جملة تلك الحكم ما قال تعالى حكاية عن قوم نوح

in his questions, and the Shaykh answered concerning it in al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya. For the sage Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Tirmidhī had asked the Seal of Sainthood (khātam al-walāya) his questions — he lived approximately four hundred years before the Shaykh — and he declared explicitly that the Seal is the one who would answer them. Among these [questions] was: 'How many are the sessions of the Possessor of Possession (malik al-mulk)?' He answered him, first, that they correspond in number to the sovereign, fiery, and human realities and their entitlements which call for the Real's response to what was asked of Him. Then he elaborated upon it, to this effect: the discourse here is preceded by knowledge of 'the possessor of possession,' and that depends upon knowledge of 'possession' (al-mulk), which is that wherein its possessor decrees as he wills, without being prevented. ... The one commanded is that which is called 'the possession' (al-mulk), and the one commanding is 'the possessor' (al-mālik) ... whether the one commanded be beneath him, or his equal, or above him ... For the servant's saying, 'Guide us,' is a command from him, even though it be called a supplication. Once you understand this, and know that the one commanded has complied with the command of the one commanding him, and has answered him in what he asked of him — or has acknowledged that he will answer him when he calls him to what he calls him to — [then consider:] if the one called upon is higher than [the caller], he — this higher one — has made himself a possession for this lower one, and this lower one is under the ruling, power, and command of this higher one, so he is indeed his possession without doubt. And we have established that the lower one, who is in this position, may sometimes command his master, and the master responds to his command, thereby becoming, through that response, a possession belonging to him. And if this be by his own free choice, then it is valid to say of the master: 'he is the possessor of the possession (malik al-mulk),' because he answered the command of his servant, and his servant is a possession belonging to him, and the one commanded is 'the possession' — so the master, at the moment of responding, is the possessor of the possession. Thus the aspect of difference between the two words in this wisdom becomes known. [The Meaning of Deception (Makr) in the Two Callings] And among these wise sayings is what the Exalted said, recounting concerning the people of Noah:

﴿كان الحق مالك الملك كما قال الترمذي﴾

إذ الموكل ماله التصرف في الوكيل بجعله وكيلا فكان الحق مالكة لملكه في اصطلاح أهل الله في ملك الاستخلاف. (ومكروا) أي قوم نوح عليه السلام بنوح

since it belongs to the principal (al-muwakkil) to dispose over the agent by appointing him as agent; so the Real was the Possessor of His own dominion, in the terminology of the people of God (ahl Allāh), within "the dominion of vicegerency." ["And they schemed"] i.e., the people of Noah, peace be upon him, [schemed] against Noah

﴿كما قال الترمذي﴾

إشارة إلى ما سأل الشيخ الكامل المكمل، محمد بن على الترمذي، قدس الله روحه، أسئلة لا يجيب عنها إلا أكابر الأولياء أوقطب الوقت. ومن جملتها: (ما ملك الملك؟) ولما ولد وبلغ الشيخ رضي الله عنه أجاب عنها. وفي كتاب الفتوحات، في المجلد الثاني، مذكورة مع أجوبتها

refers to what the perfected and perfecting Shaykh, Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Tirmidhī, may God sanctify his spirit, asked - questions which none but the greatest of the saints (awliyāʾ), or the Pole (quṭb) of the age, could answer. Among them was: "What is Owner of Ownership?" And when he [Ibn ʿArabī] was born and reached [maturity], the Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, answered them. And in the book al-Futūḥāt, in the second volume, they are mentioned along with their answers.

﴿كما قال﴾

الشيخ أبو عبد الله محمد بن علي الحكيم (الترمذي) قدس الله تعالی سره في جملة سؤالاته التي سأل عنها الخاتم للولاية المحمدية قبل ولادة الشيخ المصنف رضي الله عنه بقرون كثيرة. فأجاب عنها الشيخ رضي الله عنه حيث اطلع عليها، ويمكن أن يقال معنى قوله : وبهذا، أي بإثبات الملك لكل واحد من الحق والعبد، كان الحق سبحانه مالك الملك، فإن العبد أيضا قد يمتك الحق تعالی بل العبد المحض لا يملك إلا إياه . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه في الباب التاسع والأربعين وأربعمائة من الفتوحات : اعلم أنه لا يملك المملوك إلا سيذه، ولهذا يسمى الترمذي الحكيم الحق سبحانه ملك قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

Shaykh Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Ḥakīm (al-Tirmidhī) — may God sanctify his precious secret — said among the totality of his questions which he asked the Seal of Muḥammadan sainthood (walāya) many centuries before the birth of the Shaykh-author, may God be pleased with him. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, answered them when he came upon them. It may be said that the meaning of his statement 'and by this' — i.e., by affirming ownership (mulk) for each of the Real and the servant — is that the Real, glory be to Him, is the Owner of ownership (mālik al-mulk), for the servant too may possess the Real, Most High; indeed the pure servant possesses nothing but Him. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said in the four hundred and forty-ninth chapter of al-Futūḥāt: Know that the possessed possesses nothing but his master, and for this reason al-Tirmidhī al-Ḥakīm named the Real, glory be to Him, King (malik). The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: