The commentators side by side

﴿(ص: 75) فجعل العلو للملائكة. فلو كان لكونهم ملائكة لدخل الملائكة كلهم في هذا العلو، فلما لم يعم، مع اشتراكهم في حد الملائكة، عرفنا أن هذا على المكانة عند الله تعالى . وكذلك الخلفاء من الناس لو كان علوهم بالخلافة علوا ذاتيا الكان لكل إنسان، فلما لم يعم عرفنا أن ذلك العلو للمكانة. ومن أسمائه الحسنى العلي على من وما ثم إلا هو؟ فهو العلي لذاته. أو عن ماذا وما هو إلا هو؟ فعلوه لنفسه. وهو من حيث الوجود عين الموجودات. فالمسمى محدثات هي العلية لذاتها فليست إلا هو. فهو العلي لا علو إضافة، لأن الأعيان التي لها العدم الثابتة فيه ما شمت رائحة من الوجود، فهي على حالها مع تعداد الصور في الموجودات. والعين واحدة من المجموع في المجموع، فوجود الكثرة في الأسماء، وهي النسب، وهي أمور علمية. وليس إلا العين الذي هو الذات، فهو العلی لنفسه لا بالإضافة، فما في العالم من هذه الحيثية على إضافة لكن الوجوه الوجودية متفاضلة، فعلو الإضافة موجود في العين الواحدة من حيث الوجوه الكثيرة. لذلك نقول فيه هو لا هو، أنت لا أنت. قال : الخراز وهو وجه من وجوه الحق ولسان من ألسنته ينطق عن نفسه: بأن الله تعالى لا يعرف إلا بجمعه بين الأضداد في الحكم عليه بها. فهو الأول والآخر والظاهر والباطن، فهو عين ما ظهر، وهو عين ما بطن في حال ظهوره. وما ثم من يراه غيره، وما ثم من يبطن عنه، فهو ظاهر لنفسه باطن عنه. وهو المسمى أبا سعيد الخراز وغير ذلك من أسماء المحدثات فيقول الباطن: لا، إذا قال الظاهر: أنا، ويقول الظاهر: لا، إذا قال الباطن: أنا. وهذا في كل ضد، والمتكلم واحد وهو عين السامع. يقول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم:﴾

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

وما حدثت به أنفسها

(Ṣād: 75) - thus He made loftiness [belong] to the angels. If it were due to their being angels, all angels would be included in this loftiness. Since it did not apply universally, despite their sharing in the definition of angels, we know that this is [loftiness] of rank with God, exalted is He. Likewise the vicegerents (khulafāʾ) among humans - if their loftiness through vicegerency were an essential loftiness, it would belong to every human being; but since it does not apply universally, we know that this loftiness is of rank. Among His beautiful names is "the Most High" (al-ʿAlī) - above whom, and what is there besides Him? So He is the Most High by His essence. Or above what, when there is nothing but Him? So His loftiness is for Himself. He, in respect of existence, is identical with the existents. So the things named "contingent things" (muḥdathāt) are, in their very essence, the loftiest things, for they are nothing but Him. So He is the Most High, not with a relational loftiness, because the entities (aʿyān) which have fixed nonexistence within Him have never caught a whiff of existence; they remain in their [original] state despite the multiplication of forms among existents. The entity (ʿayn) is one amid the multiplicity within the multiplicity, so the existence of multiplicity is in the names, which are relations (nisab), and these are cognitive/epistemic matters. There is nothing but the entity which is the Essence (al-dhāt); so He is the Most High for Himself, not relationally - for nothing in the world, from this standpoint, exists by relation; however, the existential aspects (wujūh) differ in degree, so relational loftiness exists within the single entity by virtue of its many aspects. That is why we say of Him: "He, not He," "You, not You." He [al-Kharrāz] said - and he is one of the faces of the Real and a tongue among His tongues, speaking of/from himself - that God, exalted is He, is not known except by His combining opposites in the judgment made about Him. For He is the First and the Last, the Manifest (al-ẓāhir) and the Nonmanifest (al-bāṭin); He is identical with what is manifest, and He is identical with what is nonmanifest in the state of its manifestation. There is none other who sees Him, and there is none other from whom He is hidden; so He is manifest to Himself, hidden from Himself. And He is the one named Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz, and other names of contingent things. So the Nonmanifest says "No" when the Manifest says "I," and the Manifest says "No" when the Nonmanifest says "I." This applies to every opposite pair, while the speaker is one and is identical with the hearer. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says: "and what their souls whispered to themselves"

﴿وقال في الملائكة «أستكبرت أم كنت من العالين» فجعل العلو للملائكة. فلو كان لكونهم ملائكة لدخل الملائكة كلهم في هذا العلو. فلما لم يعم، مع اشتراكهم في حد الملائكة، عرفنا أن هذا علو المكانة عند الله. وكذلك الخلفاء من الناس لو كان علوهم بالخلافة علوا ذاتيا لكان لكل إنسان. فلما لم يعم عرفنا أن ذلك العلو للمكانة. ومن أسمائه الحسنى العلي. على من وما ثم إلا هو؟ فهو العلي لذاته. أو عن ما ذا و ما هو إلا هو؟ فعلوه لنفسه. و هو من حيث الوجود عين الموجودات. فالمسمى محدثات هي العلية لذاته﴾

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

قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : (ولما قال تعالى) في حق إدريس عليه السلام

of the angels. Now if this were because of their being angels, all the angels would be included in this highness. Since it was not general, despite their sharing in the definition of 'angels,' we know that this is the highness of standing in God's sight. Likewise the vicegerents (khulafāʾ) among humankind - if their highness through vicegerency (khilāfa) were essential highness, it would belong to every human being. Since it was not general, we know that this highness is one of standing. And among His beautiful names is 'the Most High' (al-ʿAlī). High above whom, when there is nothing but Him? So He is High by His own essence. Or high above what, when there is nothing but Him? So His highness is for Himself. And He, in respect of existence, is identical with existent things. So what are named 'created things' are high by His own essence.] The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: (And when He, Most High, said) concerning Enoch, peace be upon him:

﴿فما كان علوه لذاته، فهو العلى بعلو المكان والمكانة، فالعلو لهما﴾

أي،فليس علو الإنسان الكامل من كونه أعلى الموجودات علوا ذاتيا، فهو على بعلوالمكان والمكانة لا لذاته، فالعلو للمكان والمكانة لا له. وعلو هما أيضا إنما هو منتجليه لهما باسمه (العلى) . فالعلو الذاتي لا يكون إلا لله. ويجوز أن يكون (ما) بمعنى الذي، ويكون المراد تشبيه الحق بما نزهه عنه،وهو كونه عليا بعلو المكان والمكانة. ويعضده قوله: (فعلو المكان كـ

That is, the elevation of the Perfect Human, in being the highest of existent things, is not an essential elevation; rather he is elevated by the elevation of place and station, not by his essence, so the elevation belongs to place and station, not to him. Their own elevation, in turn, is only from His self-disclosure (tajallī) to them by His name "the Most High" (al-ʿAlī). Essential elevation belongs to none but God. It is also possible that "mā" ["that which"] carries the sense of "alladhī" ["who/which"], so that the meaning intended would be an assimilation of the Real (tashbīh) to that which He had been declared incomparable (tanzīh) from—namely, His being elevated by the elevation of place and station. This is supported by his saying: 'So elevation of place is like

﴿فما كان علوّه لذاته فهو العلي بعلوّ المكان والمكانة ، فالعلوّ لهما﴾

بالذات ، لا للإنسان ، ولا لشيء غيرهما فإنّ الأسماء الإلهيّة أيضا لا علوّ لها إلَّا بهما . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

essentially, not to the human, nor to anything else besides them, for even the divine Names have no highness except through these two. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿فما كان علوه لذاته﴾

وهو الله تعالى وحده لا يشترك فيه معه غيره

namely God, Exalted, alone, with no partner sharing it with Him

﴿فهو العلي بعلو المكان﴾

أي كما أنه ينسب إليه العلم الذاتي من غير إضافة وتبعية إلى شيء كذلك ينسب إليه تبعية المكان (والمكانة) فيقال وهو العلي بعلو المكان والمكانة . كما يقال هو العلي بعلوه الذاتي و معنی علوه بعلو المكان والمكانة كونه تعالی تابعا إليهما في إظهار هذا الاسم فيهما ليكونا دليلين على علم الذاتي . فعلو المكان دليل على علوه الذاتي من حيث الظاهر فنستدل به بأنه ما كان عليا في الظاهر إلا وهو أثر من علوه الذاتي . فهو علي بالذات على كل ظاهر وعلو المرتبة دليل على أنه لا علي في الباطن من المراتب إلا وهو على بعلوه . فالعلو للممكنات اختصاص من الله تعالى يعطي الله لمن يشاء لإظهار كمالات هذا الاسم منه لا من مقتضيات الطبيعة

meaning that just as essential elevation is ascribed to Him without reference or subordination to anything else, so too the subordination of place (and standing) is ascribed to Him. Thus it is said: He is the Most High by elevation of place and standing, just as it is said: He is the Most High by His essential elevation. And the meaning of His elevation by elevation of place and standing is His, Exalted, being subordinate to them in manifesting this Name through them, so that both may serve as proofs of the essential elevation. For elevation of place is proof of His essential elevation from the aspect of the manifest, so we infer from it that nothing is elevated in the manifest realm except as a trace of His essential elevation—so He is essentially Most High over every manifest thing. And elevation of rank is proof that nothing is elevated in the nonmanifest realm among the ranks except that it is elevated by His elevation. So elevation for contingent things is a special gift from God, Exalted, which God grants to whomever He wills, in order to manifest the perfections of this Name from Himself, not from the requirements of nature

﴿فالعلو لهما﴾

من حيث الظهور وإن كان الله بحسب الذات ومعنى اتباع الحق في العلو إلى المكان والمكانة توجهه إليهما في إظهار هذا الاسم . فبهذا المعنى يجوز أن ينسب إليه العلو المكاني وإليه أشار بقوله فما كان علوه لذاته فهو العلي بعلو المكان . ولم يقل فهو العلي بالمكان لأن فيه إثبات الجلوس تعالی عن ذلك فلا يتعالى عن علو المكان بل يتعالی عن نفس المكان . وأشار إليه فيما سبق بقوله وهو يتعالى عن المكان ولم يقل يتعالي عن علو المكان

from the aspect of manifestation, even though God, with respect to Essence, [is beyond that]. And the meaning of the Real's following elevation to place and standing is His turning toward both in manifesting this Name. In this sense it is permissible to ascribe locative elevation to Him, and this is what he indicated by saying: 'As for that whose elevation is not for its own Essence, it is the Most High by elevation of place.' He did not say 'it is the Most High by place,' because that would entail affirming [literal] sitting for Him, Exalted above that. So He is not exalted above elevation of place, but He is exalted above place itself. He indicated this earlier by saying 'and He is exalted above place,' not saying 'He is exalted above elevation of place'

﴿فعلو المكان – كـ " الرَّحْمنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوى " وهو أعلى الأماكن ، وعلو المكانة " كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَه " وإليه يرجع الأمر كله " أَإِله مَعَ الله "﴾

يعنى أن أعلى الأماكن علوه المكاني ، إنما كان بتجلى اسمه الرحمن له وهو معنى استوائه عليه ، وأما اختصاص علو المكانة به ففي قوله

being the highest of places; and height of rank is as in "everything is perishing except His Face" (Q 28:88), "and to Him all affairs return," "is there a god with God?" (Q 27:60-64)] - meaning that the highest of places' height is only through the self-disclosure (tajallī) of His name "the All-Merciful" (al-Raḥmān) upon it, which is the meaning of His "settling" (istiwāʾ) upon it. As for the specification of height of rank to Him, that is in His saying:

﴿فعلوّ المكان ك " الرَّحْمنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوى " [ 20 / 5 ] ، وهو أعلى الأماكن﴾

فإنّه ليس بين أسماء الحقّ أعلى وأشمل إحاطة من « الرحمن » فإذا كان العرش مستواه يكون هو أعلى الموجودات ضرورة

, and it is the highest of places] for among the Names of the Real there is none higher or more comprehensive in encompassment than "the All-Merciful" (al-Raḥmān); so since the Throne is His seat of settlement, He is necessarily the highest of existents

﴿فعلو المكان﴾

بالنسبة إلى الحق سبحانه

with respect to the Real, glory be to Him

﴿فعلو المكان﴾

للحق ثابت بالنص الإلهي. كـ

belongs to the Real, established by divine text, such as

﴿الرحمن على العرش استوى﴾

وهو أعلى الأماكن. وروحانية إدريس في فلك الشمس. كما أشار إليه قوله: (ورفعناه مكانا عليا) ، وحديث المعراج عينه

which is the highest of places. And the spirituality of Enoch is in the sphere of the Sun, as indicated by His saying: "And We raised him to a high place" (Q. 19:57), and the very ḥadīth of the Ascension (miʿrāj) [indicates this].

﴿الرحمن على العرش استوى﴾

(طه: 5) . فالعرش هو شطر حقيقة ذاته و هو، أعني الشطر، جانب باطنه فإنه مجموع الأسماء، فتجلى الرحمن فيه فهو بحقائق ما في الرحمن، من الأسماء المودعة في الكامل. قال تعالى: "قل ادعوا الله أو ادعوا الرحمن أيا ما تدعوا فله الأسماء الحسنى" (الإسراء:110) فالاستواء العرشي. فيه قال رضي الله عنه: والعرش هو أعلى الأماكن يعني به ما فوق الكرسي لأنه يريد صورة ظاهر العرش وهو منطوى في حقيقة الكامل لأنه أحاط بالأفلاك كلها وكذلك هو المخبر عنها بأكمل مما تخبر هي به عن نفسها بلسان الحال وهو يخبر عنها بالمقال. وأما قوله في علو المكانة

(Ṭāhā: 5). The Throne is half of the reality of His Essence—I mean by 'half,' the inward aspect of it—for it is the totality of the Names. So the All-Merciful disclosed Himself in it, and he is characterized by the realities of what is in 'the All-Merciful' from among the Names deposited in the Perfect One. God Most High said: 'Say: Call upon Allāh or call upon the All-Merciful; whichever you call upon, to Him belong the most beautiful Names' (al-Isrāʾ: 110). So the establishment upon the Throne—regarding it he, may God be pleased with him, said: the Throne is the highest of places, meaning by it what is above the Footstool (al-Kursī), for he intends thereby the form of the outward Throne, which is enfolded within the reality of the Perfect One, since he encompasses all the celestial spheres. Likewise, he is the one who reports of them more completely than they report of themselves by the tongue of state, while he reports of them through speech. As for his saying regarding elevation of rank

﴿الرَّحْمنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوى﴾

[ 20 / 5 ] - فإذا لم يكن في الوجود أحد يعلو عليه الحقّ بالمكان ، لا يمكن أن يكون علوّه بالإضافة . فإنّ كلّ ما فيه هو الحقّ

[20:5] — so since there is in existence no one over whom the Real is high by place, His highness cannot be relational. For everything in existence is the Real,

﴿كـ " الرحمن"﴾

أي ما يفهم من قوله تعالى الرحمن

i.e., what is understood from His saying, Most High, 'the All-Merciful'

﴿الرحمن على العرش استوى﴾

أي أظهر علوه الذاتي بجعل هذا المكان تحت تصرفه وقدرته (وهو) أي العرش

[Qur'an 20:5], i.e., He manifested His essential elevation by placing this place under His disposal and power, (and it) i.e., the Throne

﴿"على العرش أستوى"﴾

[طه: 5]. (وهو) أي العرش

[Ṭā Hā: 5]. (And it) i.e., the Throne

﴿وهو أعلى الأماكن . وعلوّ المكانة﴾

كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَه ُ" و

'Everything is perishing except His Face,' and

﴿(طه: 5) وهو أعلى الأماكن. وعلى المكانة﴾

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

كل شيء هالك إلا وجهه" (القصص: 88), "و إليه يرجع الأمر كله" (هود: 123)، "أإله مع الله

(Ṭāhā: 5), which is the highest of places. And loftiness of rank [is like His saying]: "Everything will perish except His Face" (al-Qaṣaṣ: 88), "and to Him the whole matter returns" (Hūd: 123), "Is there a god besides God?"

﴿أعلى الأماكن﴾

لا مكان فوقه فأعلويته باعتبار الجهة فلا ينافي أعلوية فلك الشمس باعتبار المرتبة كما سبق. والحق سبحانه مستوى عليه بظهوره بالاسم الرحمن لا بمعنى التمكين فيه فإنه من خواص الأجسام. فلا يناقض ما سبق من قول المصنف : وهو يتعالی عن المكان لا عن المكانة فإن تعاليه عن التمكن في المكان لا ينافي استواءه عليه بظهوره فيه ببعض الأسماء. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

the highest of places - there is no place above it, so its being highest is with respect to direction (jiha), which does not contradict the being-highest of the sphere of the sun with respect to rank, as previously [mentioned]. And the Real, glory be to Him, is seated upon it through His manifestation (ẓuhūr) by the name 'the All-Merciful,' not in the sense of being spatially located (tamkīn) within it, for that is among the properties of bodies. So this does not contradict what the author said previously: 'He transcends place but not standing' - for His transcendence above being spatially situated in place does not negate His being seated upon it through His manifestation within it by some of the [divine] names. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿أعلى الأماكن﴾

لأنه ليس فوقه مكان . فكان علو العرش بعلو المكان وعلو فلك الشمس بعلو المكانة فهو العلي بعلو هذا المكان الأعلى مع أنه العلى بالعلو الذاتي

because there is no place above it. So the elevation of the Throne is by elevation of place, while the elevation of the sphere of the Sun is by elevation of standing. So He is the Most High by the elevation of this highest place, even while He is the Most High by essential elevation

﴿وعلوّ المكانة : " كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَه ُ "﴾

[ 28 / 88 ] وهو طرف جامعيّته وظهوره ، فللوجه رتبة العلوّ في الظهور

[28:88], and this is the extremity of His comprehensiveness and manifestation, for the Face has the rank of highness in manifestation (ẓuhūr)

﴿وعلو المكانة﴾

أيضا بالنسبة إليه تعالی ما يفهم من قوله تعالى

also with respect to Him, Most High, is what is understood from His saying, Most High:

﴿وعلو المكانة﴾

ثابت لله أيضا بالنص وهو كقوله تعالى

is also established for God by the text, as in His saying, Exalted

﴿كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَه﴾

أي حقيقته التي بها وجد ما وجد وهو الوجود الحق المطلق ، فكل شيء في حد ذاته فان وهو الباقي بذاته والكل يرجع إليه بالفناء فيه ، وليس معه شيء فلا وجود لغيره فلا علو فلا وجه إلا واحد متعال بذاته ، ثم إنه نفى العلو عن كل متعين بخصوصه. قال رضي الله عنه : ( ولما قال تعالى :" ورَفَعْناه مَكاناً عَلِيًّا " فجعل عليا نعتا للمكان " وإِذْ قالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلائِكَةِ إِنِّي جاعِلٌ في الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً " فهذا علو المكانة . وقال في الملائكة :" أَسْتَكْبَرْتَ أَمْ كُنْتَ من الْعالِينَ " فجعل العلو للملائكة فلو كان لكونهم ملائكة لدخل الملائكة كلهم في هذا العلو ، فلما لم يعم مع اشتراكهم في حد الملائكة عرفنا أن هذا علو المكانة عند الله ، وكذلك الخلفاء من الناس لو كان علوهم بالخلافة علوا ذاتيا لكان لكل إنسان ، فلما لم يعم عرفنا أن ذلك العلو للمكانة ) . إنما بين أن علو المكانة ليس لكل إنسان من حيث إنه إنسان ولا للملك من حيث إنه ملك ، وإلا لكان كل إنسان وكل ملك عاليا ، ولم يبين أن علو المكان كذلك . لأنه لما علم أن العلو لم يكن للإشراف ذاتيا علم أنه لم يكن للأخس ذاتيا ، وللاكتفاء بما ذكر من كونه مستفادا من تجلى اسمه الرحمن ، لا لكونه مكانا ولمثل ما ذكر من الدليلين ، ولذلك حذف جواب لما . وهو قولنا : عرفنا أن العلو له لا لكونه ذاتيا بل لكونه مجلى اسمه الرحمن ، وتقيد علو المكانة بقوله : من عند الله ، معناه علو القرب والزلفى من الله ، وهو علو المنزلة والرتبة لا علو الذات. وقيل العالون الملائكة المهيمون لم يؤمروا بالسجود لهيمانهم في الحق وغيبوبتهم عن غيره فلم يعرفوا ما سوى الله من آدم وغيره ولا أنفسهم . فهم في خطاب الملائكة بالسجود كالمجانين في خطاب الأناسى مستثنون عنهم. قال رضي الله عنه

i.e., His reality by which whatever exists came to exist, and that is the Real Absolute Existence. For everything, in itself, is passing away, while He is the Enduring One by His Essence, and all things return to Him through passing away in Him. Nothing exists alongside Him, so there is no existence for other-than-Him, hence no transcendence (ʿuluww), hence no "face" except the One, Transcendent by His Essence. Then he negated transcendence from every determinate entity (mutaʿayyin) in its particularity. He said, may God be pleased with him: (And when He, exalted, said: "And We raised him to a lofty place" [Q 19:57], He made "lofty" a description of "place." And "And when your Lord said to the angels: I am placing upon the earth a vicegerent" [Q 2:30] — this is the transcendence of station. And He said of the angels: "Were you arrogant, or were you among the exalted ones (ʿālīn)?" [Q 38:75], making exaltation [a quality] of the angels. Now, if this were due to their being angels, all angels would be included in this exaltation. Since it did not apply universally despite their sharing in the definition of angelhood, we know that this is the transcendence of station with God. Likewise human vicegerents: if their exaltation through vicegerency were an essential exaltation, it would belong to every human being. Since it did not apply universally, we know that this exaltation is one of station.) He merely clarified that the transcendence of station does not belong to every human qua human, nor to every angel qua angel — otherwise every human and every angel would be transcendent. He did not clarify that spatial transcendence is likewise [non-essential], because once it was known that transcendence was not essentially due to nobility, it was known that it was not essentially due to baseness either. And it suffices with what was mentioned — namely, that it is derived from the self-disclosure of His name the All-Merciful (al-Raḥmān), not from being a "place" — and with the two proofs mentioned, for which reason the apodosis of "when" (lammā) was elided. That is, our statement: we knew that transcendence belongs to Him not because it is essential but because it is the locus of manifestation of His name the All-Merciful. And the qualification of the transcendence of station by His saying "from God" means the transcendence of proximity and nearness to God — the transcendence of rank and degree, not transcendence of essence. And it is said: the "exalted ones" (al-ʿālūn) are the angels absorbed [in God] (al-muhayyamūn), who were not commanded to prostrate because of their absorption in the Real and their unawareness of anything other than Him — they knew nothing besides God, neither Adam nor anything else, nor even themselves. So in the address to the angels to prostrate, they are like madmen excluded from the address directed to [sane] humans. He, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿كل شئ هالك إلا وجهه … إليه يرجع الأمر كله﴾

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

(أإله مع الله.) أي ، فما يقتضى نسبة العلو المكاني إليه، هو قوله

(Is there a god with God?) That is, what necessitates attributing spatial loftiness (ʿuluww makānī) to Him is His saying

﴿كل شيء هالك إلا وجهه﴾

(القصص: 88) فمعناه أنه تعالى يريد أن كل شيء هالك أي معدوم إلا وجهه أزلا وأبدا وهذه مكانة لا تليق إلا به. وهو بعينه معنی

(al-Qaṣaṣ: 88)—its meaning is that He Most High intends that everything is perishing, i.e., nonexistent, except His Face, eternally and perpetually. This is a rank befitting none but Him. And it is itself identical in meaning with

﴿"كل شيء هالك إلا وجهه "﴾

[القصص: 88] . وقوله تعالى

[al-Qaṣaṣ: 88]. And His saying, Most High:

﴿كل شيء هالك إلا وجهه﴾

[القصص: ۸۸] . لأن ملاك كل شيء وبقاء ذاته تعالی مرتبة ليس فوقها مرتبة . وكذلك قوله تعالی

[Qur'an 28:88]—because the possessor of everything and the subsistence of His Essence, Exalted, is a rank above which there is no rank. Likewise His saying, Exalted

﴿إِلَيْه ِ يُرْجَعُ الأَمْرُ كُلُّه ُ﴾

و" أَإِله ٌ مَعَ الله ". يعني رضي الله عنه : أنّ علوّ المكانة الخصيص بالله تعالى من حيث رجوع الأمر كلية ، ففني من لم يكن فيمن كان ، ولم يكن معه شيء ، وبقي من لم يزل ، وهو وجه كلّ شيء ، أي حقيقته ، فتحقّقت الحقائق بالحق ، فلا حقيقة ولا تحقّق إلَّا له "أَإِله ٌ مَعَ الله " و" لا إِله َ إِلَّا هُوَ ". فلو كان اثنان أو أكثر في الوجود ، لم يتحقّق هذا العلوّ لله تعالى وهو له تعالى ثابت متحقّق ، فلا حقيقة ، إلَّا حقيقته ، تعالى أن يكون معه غيره في الوجود . قال رضي الله عنه : « ولمّا قال الله تعالى : "وَرَفَعْناه ُ مَكاناً عَلِيًّا " فجعل « عليّا » نعتا للمكان"

and 'Is there a god with God?'" He means, may God be pleased with him: that the highness of station proper to God, exalted is He, is in respect of the total return of the matter [to Him]. So he who was not [truly] perished in Him who [truly] was, and nothing remained together with Him, and there remained He who never ceases to be, and He is the Face of everything, that is, its [true] reality. Thus realities were realized/verified through the Real, so there is no reality and no verification except for Him: "Is there a god with God?" and "There is no god but He." For if there were two or more in existence, this highness would not be realized for God, exalted is He - yet it is, for Him, exalted is He, established and verified: so there is no reality but His reality, exalted is He above having another besides Him in existence. He, may God be pleased with him, said: "And when God, exalted is He, said: 'And We raised him to a high place,' making 'high' a qualifier for 'place,'"

﴿وإليه يرجع الأمر كله﴾

(هود: 123) أي حقيقته، إليها ترجع الحقائق كلها، فهو وحده وهو بعينه معنى قوله: "أإله مع الله" (النمل: 60) أي ليس مع الله سواه أزلا وأبدا كما أجمع عليه أهل الفناء في التوحيد . لأن وجود سواه ألوهية م، فهذه الصفات كلها صفات شطر من حقيقة مرتبة الكامل والكلام في هذا المجال يكون شفاها لضيق هذا المكتوب عن بسط الكلام فيه وأين مقام من قيل فيه

(Hūd: 123), i.e., His reality—to it all realities return. He alone, and this is itself identical in meaning with His saying: 'Is there a god with Allāh?' (al-Naml: 60), i.e., there is nothing with Allāh other than Him, eternally and perpetually, as agreed upon by the people of annihilation in Unity (ahl al-fanāʾ fī al-tawḥīd), since the existence of other than Him would be divinity. All these attributes, then, are attributes of half the reality of the rank of the Perfect One, and discourse in this domain must be oral, since this writing is too confined for elaborating upon it. And how far is the station of one about whom it was said

﴿" وَإِلَيْه ِ يُرْجَعُ الأَمْرُ كُلُّه ُ "﴾

[ 11 / 123 ] وهو طرف غيبه وبطونه ، فإنّ الهويّة المطلقة لها رتبة العلوّ في الوجود . (" أَإِله ٌ مَعَ الله ") [ 27 / 60 ] ، وهو الجامع بين الطرفين ظهورا ووجودا . فعلم من هذا أنّ لعلوّ المكانة حضرات ثلاثا ، وعلم أيضا وجه ذاتية العلوّ للمكان والمكانة . وأمّا أنّه لغيرهما بالتبعيّة . فمن قوله : ( ولمّا قال تعالى : " وَرَفَعْناه ُ مَكاناً عَلِيًّا " [ 19 / 57 ] ، فجعل « عليّا » نعتا للمكان ) لا لإدريس ، علم أنّ رفعته بتبعيّة المكان ، هذا في علوّ المكان . وأمّا علوّ المكانة ، فمن قوله تعالى

[11:123], and this is the extremity of His nonmanifestation (ghayb) and inwardness (buṭūn), for the Absolute Identity (al-huwiyya al-muṭlaqa) has the rank of highness in existence. ("Is there a god with God?") [27:60], which combines both extremities — manifestation and existence. From this it is known that highness of rank has three presences, and it is also known the aspect of the essentiality of highness for place and for rank. As for its belonging to other than these two by subordination — this is from His saying: (When He, exalted be He, said: "And We raised him to a high place" [19:57], He made "high" (ʿaliyyan) a description of the place), not of Enoch — it is known that his elevation was by subordination to the place; this concerns the highness of place. As for the highness of rank, it is from His saying, exalted be He:

﴿وإليه يرجع الأمر كله﴾

[هود: 123]. وقوله تعالى: ("أإله مع الله") أن البقاء هلاك الأشياء وكونه مرجع الأمور كلها و منفردا بالإلهية مرتبة عليه ومكانة رفيعة. ولما فرغ من ذكر ما يدل على نسبة العلوین إليه تعالی شرع في ذكر ما يدل على نسبتهما إلى الخلق وغير الأسلوب . قال الشيخ الأكبر رضي الله عنه

[Hūd: 123]. And His saying, Most High, ('Is there a god with God?') [indicates] that permanence/subsistence (al-baqāʾ) [belongs to Him amid] the perishing of all things, and that His being the return-point (marjiʿ) of all affairs and His being solely possessed of divinity is a high rank and an exalted standing. And having finished mentioning what indicates the ascription of the two highnesses to Him, Most High, he began to mention what indicates their ascription to creation, in a different manner. The Greatest Master, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿وإليه يرجع الأمر كله﴾

[هود: 123]. إذ رجوع الأمر كله إليه مرتبة عظيمة وكذلك "أإله مع الله " [النمل: 60] . إذ الانفراد بالألوهية مرتبة رفيعة ليس فوقها مرتبة , وكما أن علو المكان ثابت لله بالنصوص . كذلك في حق المخلوق ثابت بالنصوص فشرع في بيان ذلك بقوله: (ولما قال تعالى "ورفعناه مكانا عليا" [مريم :57 ] ) . على ما هو غيره من الأمكنة

[Qur'an 11:123]. For the return of all affairs to Him is a tremendous rank. Likewise "Is there a god with God?" [Qur'an 27:60]. For exclusive possession of divinity is an elevated rank above which there is no rank. And just as elevation of place is established for God by the texts, likewise with respect to the created being it is established by the texts. So he began to explain this by saying: (And when He, Exalted, said, 'and We raised him to a lofty place' [Qur'an 19:57])—above what other than it is among places

﴿(النمل: 60). ولما قال الله تعالى:﴾

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ورفعناه مكانا عليا

(al-Naml: 60). And when God, exalted is He, said: "And We raised him to a lofty place"

﴿مَكاناً عَلِيًّا﴾

وفي كونهم أعلين بسبب معية الله ليس لهما بالذات فلا علو لمقيد أصلا إلا بالحق الذي له مطلق العلو الذاتي. ومن ثم قال رضي الله عنه

- and in their being "the uppermost" (al-aʿlawn) by virtue of God's companionship - does not belong to them [place and rank] by their own essence. So there is no height whatsoever for any delimited thing, except through the Real, to Whom belongs absolute essential height. Hence he, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿(مريم: 57) فجعل عليا نعتا للمكان.﴾

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وإذ قال ربك للملائكة إني جاعل في الأرض خليفة

(Maryam: 57) - thus He made "lofty" a descriptor of place. [And consider His saying:] "And when your Lord said to the angels: Indeed I am placing a vicegerent on the earth"

﴿"ورفعناه مكانا عليا نعتا للمكان"﴾

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[مريم: 57}.فهذا على المكان. ولما قال تعالى

[Maryam: 57]. This then is highness of place. And when He, Most High, said:

﴿فجعل عليا نعتا للمكان﴾

عرفنا منه أن العلم ليس له ذاتية لأنه لا يعم مع إشراك الأماكن في حذ المكان علمنا أن علوه لمرتبة عند الله تعالى لا لمكانية المكان . وإلا لكان لكل مكان, فعلو فلك الشمس لمرتبة هي قطبية للأفلاك لمرتبة القطبية أصالة وللمكان تبعا. وجواب لما قولنا عرفنا أو علمنا حذف للعلم به

We know from this that knowledge does not have an essential reality (dhātiyya) because it does not apply universally despite the places being shared in the definition of place. We know that its elevation is for a rank with God Most High, not for the placeness of the place. Otherwise it would belong to every place. So the elevation of the sphere of the sun is for a rank which is a pivotal (quṭbiyya) relation for the spheres - for the rank of pivotal-ness essentially, and for the place accidentally. And the answer to our saying 'we knew' or 'we learned' is the elision of the knowledge of it.

﴿وَإِذْ قالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلائِكَةِ إِنِّي جاعِلٌ في الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً﴾

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فهذا علوّ المكانة . يعني رضي الله عنه العلوّ الخصيص بالإنسان الكامل وهو علوّ المرتبة الجمعية الكمالية . قال رضي الله عنه : « وقال في الملائكة

- this is the highness of station." He means, may God be pleased with him, the highness proper to the perfect human, which is the highness of the all-comprehensive, perfecting rank. He, may God be pleased with him, said: "And He said regarding the angels,

﴿وإذ قال ربك للملائكة إني جاعل في الأرض خليفة﴾

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فهذا علو المكانة. وقال في الملائكة

This is the loftiness of station. And He said regarding the angels

﴿" وَإِذْ قالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلائِكَةِ إِنِّي جاعِلٌ في الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً " [ 2 / 30 ] ، فهذا علوّ المكانة﴾

المضاف إلى الإنسان فإنّه يدلّ على أنّ من الإنسان من له هذا العلوّ

— this is the highness of rank] that is related to the human being, for it indicates that among humans there is one who possesses this highness

﴿وإذ قال ربك للملائكة إني جاعل في الأرض خليفة" [البقرة: 30] فهذا﴾

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أي العلو المفهوم من الخلافة

- this is] i.e., the highness understood from vicegerency (khilāfa)

﴿"وإذ قال ربك للملائكة إني جاعل في الأرض خليفة"﴾

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[البقرة : 30]. فهذا علو بالمكانة) . لأن الخليفة علي "يعلو" على من استخلف عليه فكان علوه لكونه خليفة لا لكونه إنسانا

[Al-Baqara: 30]. So this is elevation by rank (makāna). Because the vicegerent is elevated (yaʿlū) over the one he is made vicegerent over, so his elevation was due to his being a vicegerent, not due to his being a human being.

﴿إني جاعل في الأرض خليفة﴾

(البقرة: 30) ممن قيل فيه : "ورفعناه مكانا عليا" (مريم: 57) ثم أنه نسب العلو للمكان لا إليه، أعني إدريس، عليه السلام. و كذلك قوله تعالى

(al-Baqara: 30) from one about whom it was said: 'And We raised him to an elevated place' (Maryam: 57)? Then he attributed the elevation to the place, not to him—I mean to Idrīs, peace be upon him. Likewise His saying, Most High

﴿(البقرة: 30).فهذا على المكانة. وقال في الملائكة :﴾

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أستكبرت أم كنت من العالين

(al-Baqara: 30) - this is [loftiness] of rank. And He said concerning the angels: "Were you arrogant, or were you among the exalted ones (al-ʿālīn)?"

﴿علو المكانة، وقال تعالى في حق الملائكة﴾

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حين خاطب إبليس بقوله

when He addressed Iblīs, saying:

﴿وقال في الملائكة : " أَسْتَكْبَرْتَ أَمْ كُنْتَ من الْعالِينَ "﴾

[ 38 / 75 ] ، فإنّه يدلّ على أنّ من الملائكة من له العلوّ مكانة

[38:75], for it indicates that among the angels there is one who possesses highness of rank

﴿وقال في الملائكة :"أستكبرت أم كنت من العالین"﴾

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(ص:70] . فجعل العلو للملائكة فعلمنا منه أن العلو لهم لا لكونهم ملائكة , فعلمنا منه أن العلو لهم لا لكونهم ملائكة

[Ṣād: 70]. So He made elevation for the angels, so we knew from this that elevation belongs to them not because they are angels; so we knew from this that elevation belongs to them not because they are angels.

﴿أَسْتَكْبَرْتَ أَمْ كُنْتَ من الْعالِينَ﴾

فجعل العلوّ للملائكة ، فلو كان لكونهم ملائكة ، لدخلت الملائكة كلَّهم في هذا العلوّ ، فلمّا لم يعمّ مع اشتراكهم في حدّ الملائكة عرفنا أنّ هذا علوّ المكانة عند الله . وكذلك الخلفاء من الناس لو كان علوّهم بالخلافة علوّا ذاتيا ، لكان لكل إنسان ، فلمّا لم يعمّ ، عرفنا أنّ ذلك العلوّ للمكانة " . يعني رضي الله عنه : أنّ علوّ الكمّل والملائكة العالين من حيث المكانة ، إذ لو كان العلوّ لهم بالذات ، لاشترك كلّ إنسان في ذلك ، بل ذلك الإنسان موصوف بالخلافة الحقيقية الكمالية لا غير وذلك علوّ مرتبيّ. وكذلك الملائكة العالون مع اشتراكهم في العلوّ المكاني الذي لملائكة الرحمن معهم من حيث كونهم في المكان العرشي ، فلهم علوّ المكانة من حيث لم يؤمروا بالسجود ، فهم أعلون من أن يؤمروا بالسجود ، لهيمانهم في الحق ، وغيبوبتهم عن غيره ، وفنائهم فيه عنه وعمّا يسمّى سوى الحق . فهم لا يعرفون أنفسهم ولا يعرفون أنّ الله خلق آدم . قال رضي الله عنه

He thus made highness proper to the angels. Had it been theirs by virtue of being angels, then all angels would have entered into this highness; but since it was not general, despite their sharing in the definition of angelhood, we know that this is the highness of station with God. Likewise human vicegerents (khulafāʾ): had their highness through vicegerency been essential highness, it would have belonged to every human being; but since it was not general, we know that this highness pertains to station." He means, may God be pleased with him, that the highness of the perfected ones and of the exalted angels is in respect of station. For had the highness been theirs essentially, every human being would have shared in it; rather, that particular human being is qualified with true, perfecting vicegerency alone, and that is a hierarchical highness (ʿuluww martabī). Likewise the exalted angels, despite sharing with the angels of the All-Merciful in the spatial highness that belongs to them by being in the place of the Throne, possess the highness of station in that they were not commanded to prostrate - they are too exalted to be commanded to prostrate, owing to their rapture in the Real (hayamān), their absence from other than Him, and their annihilation in Him from Him and from whatever is called other than the Real. They do not know themselves, nor do they know that God created Adam. He, may God be pleased with him, said

﴿أستكبرت أم كنت من العالمين﴾

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

فجعل العلو للملائكة. فلو كان لكونهم ملائكة، لدخل الملائكة كلهم في هذا العلو، فلما لم يعم مع اشتراكهم في حد الملائكة، عرفنا أن هذا علو المكانة عند الله، وكذلك الخلفاء من الناس لو كان علو هم بالخلافة). أي، لو كان العلو الحاصل لهم بالخلافة

making loftiness [a trait] for the angels. Now if it were due to their being angels, then all angels would be included in this loftiness; but since it did not apply universally despite their sharing in the definition of 'angel,' we know that this is a loftiness of station with God. Likewise the vicegerents (khulafāʾ) among humankind — if their loftiness were due to vicegerency

﴿أم كنت من العالین﴾

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

(ص: 75) فلذلك لم يسجد لآدم ومع علو مكانة العالين فعلو الكمل من المحمديين أعلى. قوله: ومن أسمائه الحسنى العلي ثم قال العلي على من وما ثم إلا هو. فإذن هذه الموجودات علية بالذات، هكذا أشار وهو يستر هذا النفس في بعض الأوقات ويصرح به في بعضها. قال: فهو العلي لذاته وصفات المدح تورد لمجرد المدح لا للفرق بين المشتر کين كعادة الصفات وهذه من جملتها. وما بعده ظاهر إلى قوله: فما شمت رائحة من الوجود، فهي على حالها وهذا الذي ذكره، رضي الله عنه، ههنا أعلى مما ذكر في الحكمة الآدمية . وباقيه واضح إلى قوله: هو أنت لا أنت. وباقيه ظاهر إلى قوله: يعلمه كل إنسان من نفسه، أي يعلم كل أحد أن الإنسان قد يحدث نفسه. وقوله: فاختلطت الأمور، يعني الإلهية والكونية. وقوله: وظهرت الأعداد بالواحد في المراتب، يعني أنك لو عددت دنانير مثلا فكلها ذهب والواحد منها هو حقيقة كل واحد منها في الذهبية والمراتب کثرت الواحد. ألا ترى أن الإثنين هي واحد وواحد ، والثلاثة هي واحد وواحد وواحد ، فهو الواحد يتكرر إلى غير نهاية فإذا اتحد المعدود في الحقيقة فلا أثر لتعدد المراتب فقد بان معنى قوله، رضي الله عنه: فظهرت الأعداد بالواحد في المراتب. واعلم أن ما ذكره ، رضي الله عنه، من هنا إلى آخر هذه الحكمة ينضبط بأن الحق تعالى هو الوجود، وتعيناته، التي منشؤها عن قوة وجوده هي عدمية والعدمية لا تكثر الواحد الحق الذي تسميتنا له واحدا بها هو مجاز. وكلامه واضح بنفسه ولكن فيه موضع واحد يجب أن أقول فيه بعض القول وهو أن قوله: إنه الجامع لجميع الكمالات ، فإن ظاهر کلامه، رضي الله عنه، يقتضي أن لها جميعا وکلا، وهذا عند من يرى أن العالم عبارة عما حده محدب العرش وهو ظاهره وحده الآخر مركز الأرض" وهي نقطة متوهمة في وسطها. وما يلحق ذلك مما يرى ومما لا يرى فلا شك أن هذا له كل وجميع وإن تفصل بالجزئيات في المستقبل إلى غير نهاية. وأما عند من فتح له الفتح الثاني ، فالعوالم بالنوع لا تتناهي فضلا عن العوالم بالشخص والكرات غير متناهية وليست بعضها في بعض بل بعض أشخاصها متناهية وبعضها غير متناهية أو ليست كذلك فكل واحد منها غير الآخر ولا شيء منها مغاير للحق تعالى على ما ذكره الشيخ، رضي الله عنه، واعلم أن جميع ما أذكره لا ينسب إليه شيء منه وإنما أقوله شرحا لما فهمته من كلام الشيخ، رضي الله عنه

(Ṣād: 75). For that reason he did not prostrate to Adam. And despite the elevation of rank of the exalted ones (al-ʿālīn), the elevation of the Perfect Ones among the Muḥammadans is higher. His words: 'and among His most beautiful Names is al-ʿAlī (the Most High)'—then he said: al-ʿAlī is above whom, when there is nothing but Him? Therefore these existents are elevated in themselves (ʿaliyya bi-l-dhāt); thus he indicated, concealing this breath at some times and declaring it openly at others. He said: He is the Most High for His own Essence, and attributes of praise are adduced merely for praise, not to distinguish between things that share a common attribute, as is customary with attributes—and this is among them. What follows is clear up to his saying: 'so it did not perceive a scent from existence,' for it remains as it is. What he, may God be pleased with him, mentioned here is loftier than what he mentioned in the Adamic Wisdom (al-Ḥikma al-Ādamiyya). The rest is clear up to his saying: 'He is you, not you.' The rest is clear up to his saying: 'every human knows it from himself,' i.e., everyone knows that a human being may bring himself into being. And his saying: 'so matters became intermixed'—meaning the divine and the cosmic matters. And his saying: 'and numbers appeared through the One in the ranks'—meaning that if, for example, you were to count coins, they are all gold, and the 'one' among them is the reality of each one of them in respect of goldness, while in the ranks the one is multiplied. Do you not see that two is one and one, and three is one and one and one? So it is the one repeating without end. When the counted thing is united in reality, then the multiplicity of ranks has no effect; thus the meaning of his saying, may God be pleased with him, 'so numbers appeared through the One in the ranks,' has become clear. Know that what he, may God be pleased with him, mentioned from here to the end of this Wisdom is governed by the principle that the Real, Most High, is Existence, while His determinations (taʿayyunāt)—whose origin lies in the potency of His existence—are privative (ʿadamiyya); and the privative does not multiply the true One, such that our calling Him 'one' by virtue of it is merely a figure of speech (majāz). His discourse is clear in itself, but there is one point on which I must say something: his statement that He is the comprehensive gatherer (al-jāmiʿ) of all perfections. For the apparent sense of his words, may God be pleased with him, requires that all and every perfection belong to Him—and this is according to the view of one who holds that the cosmos is what is bounded by the convex surface of the Throne, which is its outward boundary, and whose other boundary is the center of the earth, which is an imagined point at its middle, together with what pertains to that, whether visible or invisible. There is no doubt that such a one possesses 'all' and 'every,' even if it be elaborated into particulars unendingly in the future. But according to one to whom the Second Opening (al-fatḥ al-thānī) has been granted, the worlds by species are unlimited, let alone the worlds by individual instance, and the spheres are unlimited; nor are some of them within others—rather some of their individual instances are finite and some are infinite, or are not so; so each one of them is other than the next, yet none of them is other than the Real, Most High, according to what the Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, mentioned. And know that nothing I mention here is to be attributed to him; I say it only as an exposition of what I have understood from the Shaykh's words, may God be pleased with him.

﴿"أستكبرت أم كنت من العالين" [ص: 75] فجعل العلو للملائكة﴾

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

أي لبعضهم حيث عبر عنهم بالعالين وهم المهيمون الذين لا يكون لهم شعور بوجود آدم ولم يؤمر بالسجود

- thus He made highness [a property] of the angels] i.e., of some of them, in that He described them as 'the exalted ones' (al-ʿālīn), who are the entranced ones (al-mahyūmūn) who have no awareness of Adam's existence and were not commanded to prostrate

﴿فجعل العلوّ للملائكة ، فلو كان لكونهم ملائكة لدخل الملائكة كلَّهم في هذا العلوّ﴾

ضرورة أنّ مقتضى الذات مشترك في سائر الأفراد . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

— it being necessary that whatever is required by the essence (dhāt) is shared among all individuals of that kind. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿فلو كان﴾

جعل العلو لهم

the making of highness [a property] of them

﴿فلو كان لكونهم ملائكة لدخل الملائكة كلهم في هذا العلو﴾

ولم يعمهم هذا العلو. (فلما لم يعم مع اشتراكهم في حد الملائكة عرفنا أن هذا على المكانة عند الله وكذلك الخلفاء من الناس . لا يكون علوهم الحاصل بالخلافة ذاتية لأنه لو كان علوهم الحاصل لهم (بالخلافة علوا ذاتية) لطبيعتهم (لكان) ذلك العلو حاصل

but this elevation did not apply universally to them. (So since it did not apply universally despite their sharing in the definition of angels, we knew that this is by rank with God. And likewise the vicegerents among humankind - their elevation attained through vicegerency is not essential, for if their elevation attained (through vicegerency were an essential elevation) belonging to their nature, (then) that elevation would be attained

﴿لكونهم ملائكة لدخل الملائكة﴾

العالون وغير العالين

- both the exalted (al-ʿālīn) and the non-exalted

﴿كلهم في هذا العلو فلما لم يعم﴾

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

الدخول في هذا العلم الملائكة كلهم

the inclusion in this [matter of] highness did not extend to all the angels