The commentators side by side

﴿ولمّا كان للخليل هذه المرتبة - التي بها سمّي خليلا - لذلك سنّ القرى. وجعله ابن مسرّة الجبليّ مع ميكائيل ملك الأرزاق ، وبالأرزاق يكون تغذّي المرزوقين ، فإذا تخلَّل الرزق ذات المرزوق - بحيث لا يبقى فيه شيء إلَّا تخلَّله - فإنّ الغذاء يسري في جميع أجزاء المغتذي كلَّها ، وما هناك أجزاء ،فلا بدّ أن يتخلَّل جميع المقامات الإلهية المعبّر عنها بالأسماء ، فتظهر بها ذاته جلّ وعلا﴾

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

قال العبد : لمّا تخلَّل إبراهيم - بكمال مظهريته وسعتها وحيطة فلك قابليته - جميع المقامات الإلهية - التي ظهر بها المسمّى وتخلَّله - وسرى فيها سراية الرزق في أجزاء بدن المرزوق ، فصار غذاء له ، وكذلك الوجود الحق سرى - بأحدية جمع النفس الساري من حضرة جمع الجمع - في حقائق إبراهيم عليه السّلام وصار غذاء له ، ولولا سرايته فيه بالصورة ، لما وجد ، فغذّى إبراهيم عليه السّلام - من حسن مظهريته وكمال قابليته - بأحكام عينه الوجود الواحد الأحد ، وغذّي أيضا بالوجود الحق حقائق عينه التي هي شؤون الحق وصور أنانيّته العينية ، ظهر لذلك في حاله سرّ هذه الحقيقة ، فسنّ القرى للبادي والحاضر ، وغذّى الخلائق من كلّ وارد وصادر ، وواخى الله بينه وبين ميكائيل ، ملك الأرزاق على مذهب ابن مسرّة الجبليّ ، فإنّ حملة العرش ثمانية يوم الفصل والقضاء ، أربعة منهم الملائكة الأربعة : جبرئيل ، وميكائيل ، وإسرافيل ، وعزرائيل ، وقد اختلف فيهم وفي الأنبياء الذين هم معه في حوله ، فجعل ابن مسرّة إبراهيم مع ميكائيل . قال رضي الله عنه

; so it must permeate all the divine stations expressed by the Names, whereby His Essence — Glorified and Exalted — becomes manifest through them.] The servant [i.e., the author] says: When Abraham — through the perfection of his locus-of-manifestation (maẓhariyya) and its vastness, and the encompassing sphere of his receptivity — permeated all the divine stations through which the Named One became manifest and which He permeated, and coursed through them as provision courses through the parts of the body of the one provided for, so that it became nourishment for him — likewise the Real Existence coursed, by the oneness-in-multiplicity of the all-pervading Breath (al-nafas al-sārī) from the Presence of the Gathering of Gatherings (ḥaḍrat jamʿ al-jamʿ), through the realities of Abraham, peace be upon him, and became nourishment for him. Had it not coursed through him formally, he would not have existed. Thus Abraham, peace be upon him — by the excellence of his locus-of-manifestation and the perfection of his receptivity — was nourished by the properties of his entity (ʿayn) with the One, Single Existence; and likewise the realities of his entity, which are the Loci of Divine Self-Disclosure (shuʾūn al-Ḥaqq) and the forms of His entitative I-ness (anāniyya ʿayniyya), were nourished by the Real Existence. Thus the secret of this reality became manifest in his state, so he instituted hospitality for the desert-dweller and the town-dweller alike, and nourished creatures from every arriver and departer, and God made him a brother to Michael, the angel of provisions, according to the doctrine of Ibn Masarra al-Jabalī. For the Bearers of the Throne on the Day of Separation and Judgment are eight; four of them are the four angels: Gabriel, Michael, Isrāfīl, and ʿAzrāʾīl — though there has been disagreement concerning them and concerning the prophets who accompany them in their circuit. Ibn Masarra placed Abraham together with Michael. He — may God be pleased with him — said:

﴿ولما كان للخليل، عليه السلام، هذه المرتبة التي بها سمى خليلا، لذلك سن القرى وجعله ابن مسرة الجبلي مع ميكائيل للأرزاق، وبالأرزاق يكون تغذى المرزوقين. فإذا تخلل الرزق ذات المرزوقين، بحيث لا يبقى فيه شئ إلا تخلله، فإن الغذاء يسرى في جميع أجزاء المغتذى كلها، وما هناك أجزاء. فلا بد أن يتخلل جميع المقامات الإلهية المعبر عنها كلها بالأسماء، فتظهر بها ذاته، جل وعلا.﴾

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

جواب (لما) قوله

sustenance (arzāq); and through sustenance the nourishment of those sustained takes place. So when sustenance permeates the essence of the one sustained, such that nothing in it remains unpermeated by it—for nourishment pervades all the parts of the one nourished, and there [in that reality] are no [separate] parts—then it must necessarily permeate all the divine stations, all of which are expressed through the Names, so that His Essence, majestic and exalted is He, becomes manifest through them.] The apodosis (jawāb) of 'lammā' is his statement:

﴿فتعين عليه﴾

حكم عينك في الأزل وهو الحكم

the judgment of your entity in eternity, and that is the judgment

﴿فتعيّن عليه ما تعيّن عليك وهو حكمك بالأمر منه إليك ومنك إليه غير أنّك تسمّى مكلَّفا ، وما كلَّفك إلَّا بما قلت له : كلَّفنى بحالك وبما أنت عليه ، ولا يسمّى مكلَّفا اسم مفعول ، إذ لا كلفة عليه﴾

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

يعني : أنّ الحكم منك وإن توجّه على الحق أن يكلَّفك بما حكمت ، فإنّه لا يسمّى مكلَّفا اسم مفعول كما أنّك لا تسمّى مكلَّفا اسم فاعل ، لكون الفعل والتأثير والحكم لله بالأصالة فإنّه أحدية جمع حقائق الوجوب والإيجاب والفعل والتأثير والانفعال والتأثّر والقبول لك بالافتقار الأصلي الذاتي ، كما علمت ، فاذكر ، فهكذا أعطت الحقائق ، فإن حكمت وأثّرت وفعلت ، فلأنّك حقيقة من حقائق الجمع الإلهيّ ، فافهم . قال رضي الله عنه : فيحمدني وأحمده %~% ويعبدني وأعبده يعني رضي الله عنه : يحمدني الحقّ على كمال قابليّتي وحسن قبولي لنور وجوده ، وإظهار صورته على ما هي عليها من غير تغيير . وأحمده : أعرّفه بالكمالات التي ظهر بها في ، أو ظهرت بها فيه . ويعبدني ، أي يطيعني لمّا سألته بالإجابة ، كما قال رسول الله - صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم - حين قال له أبو طالب : ما أطوع لك ربّك يا محمّد ! : « وأنت يا عمّ إن أطعته أطاعك ». والعبادة : الطاعة على أحد معانيها ، والعبادة : الجحود أيضا . يقال : عبد حقّه أي جحد ، والعبد يطيع الله في ظهوره بالإلهية والربوبية ، فإذا ظهر في تعيّنه بصورة مخلوق وصفته ، جحده وأنكره . وقال رضي الله عنه : (ففي حال أقرّ به .. وفي الأعيان أجحده .. فيعرفني وأنكره أي هو من حيث هو يعرفني على كلّ حال .) وأمّ « أنكره » أي هو من حيث هو يعرفني على كل حال وأنا أنكره حال ظهوره في صور الأعيان المحدثة. قال رضي الله عنه

from Him to you and from you to Him — except that you are called 'one charged' (mukallaf), while He is not charged with anything except what you said to Him: 'Charge me according to your state and what you are.' He is not called 'charged' in the passive sense, since there is no burden upon Him.] He means: although the judgment proceeds from you and is directed toward the Real, such that He charges you with what you have judged, He is nonetheless not called 'charged' in the passive sense, just as you are not called 'charging' in the active sense — because action, effect, and judgment belong to God by essential priority (bi-l-aṣāla), for He is the oneness comprehending the realities of necessity, obligation, action, and effect, while passivity, being affected, and receptivity belong to you, through essential, original dependency (iftiqār), as you have known — so recall this. Thus the realities have granted [this disposition]: if you judge, exert effect, and act, it is because you are a reality among the realities of the divine all-comprehensiveness (al-jamʿ al-ilāhī). Understand. He (may God be pleased with him) said: 'So He praises me and I praise Him, and He obeys/worships me and I obey/worship Him.' He (may God be pleased with him) means: the Real praises me for the perfection of my receptivity and the excellence of my reception of the light of His existence, and for manifesting His form exactly as it is, without alteration. And 'I praise Him' means: I make known the perfections through which He appeared in me, or through which I appeared in Him. And 'He obeys me' means: He obeys me when I ask Him, by [His] granting response — just as the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, when Abū Ṭālib said to him: 'How obedient your Lord is to you, O Muḥammad!' — [the Prophet replied]: 'And you, O uncle, if you obey Him, He will obey you.' 'ʿibāda' [worship/obedience] means obedience, according to one of its senses; and 'ʿibāda' also means denial/disavowal (juḥūd). It is said: 'ʿabada ḥaqqahu,' meaning he denied [his right]. The servant (ʿabd) obeys God in His manifestation through divinity and lordship; but when He manifests, in the servant's determination (taʿayyun), in the form of a created being and its description, the servant denies and disavows Him. And he (may God be pleased with him) said: 'In one state I acknowledge Him, while in [the state of] entities I deny Him... so he knows me and denies me' — meaning: He, in Himself, knows me in every state. As for 'I deny Him': He, in Himself, knows me in every state, while I deny Him in the state of His manifestation in the forms of originated (muḥdath) entities. He (may God be pleased with him) said:

﴿فتعين عليه ما تعين عليك﴾

أي تعين الحكم منك على الحق، كما تعين عليك ذلك الحكم منه. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

That is, the ruling determined from you upon the Real is as that ruling is determined upon you from Him. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿فتعيّن عليه﴾

أن يظهر بصورة عينك ، وهو

that He manifest in the form of your entity, and that is

﴿فتعين عليه ما تعين عليك﴾

(فالأمر) تارة صادر (منه) اتحادة وإيجابا متوجه (إليك و) تارة صادرة منك بلسان الحال والقول والفعل متوجه (إليه). ولما أثبت المشاركة بين الحق سبحانه وبين العبد أراد أن يبين ما به يمتاز عنه فقال : فكما أنت غذاء له فهو أيضا غذاؤك , كما أنك تحكم عليه فهو أيضا يحكم عليك. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : ( غير أنك تسمى مكلفا و ما كلفك إلا بما قلت له كلفني بحالك و بما أنت عليه. و لا يسمى مكلفا: اسم مفعول. فيحمدني و أحمده %~% و يعبدني و أعبده ففي حال أقر به %~% و في الأعيان أجحده فيعرفني و أنكره %~% و أعرفه فأشهده فأنى بالغنى و أنا %~% أساعده فأسعده؟)

(the command) sometimes proceeds (from Him), by way of unification and necessitation, directed (toward you), and (sometimes) proceeds from you by the tongue of state, speech, and act, directed (toward Him). And since he had established the mutual sharing (mushāraka) between the Real, glory be to Him, and the servant, he wanted to clarify that by which he is distinguished from Him, so he said: just as you are nourishment for Him, so He too is nourishment for you; just as you pass judgment upon Him, so He too passes judgment upon you. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: (Yet you are called 'the one charged' [mukallaf], and He charged you only with what you told Him — charge me according to your state and what you are. And He is not called 'the one charged': a passive participle. So he praises me and I praise him, and he worships me and I worship him; in one state I affirm him, and in the entities I deny him; so he knows me and I deny him, and I know him so I witness him. So whence self-sufficiency, when I am his helper, so I make him prosper?)

﴿فتعين عليه﴾

من الأحكام (ما تعین عليك) في حال ثبوتك

of rulings/judgments (what was incumbent upon you) in the state of your fixity

﴿ما تعين عليك﴾

من حكمه عليك في هذا الوجود الظاهر

from His judgment upon you in this manifest existence

﴿ما تعيّن عليك﴾

أن تتعيّن به عينك من الأحكام

that your entity become determined through it from among the determinations

﴿فالأمر منه إليك … ومنك إليه﴾

أي في الأزل ابتداء ، وفي بعض النسخ : وهو حكمك بالأمر منه إليك ومنك إليه ، فالضمير لما تعين ، أي قولك أوجدنى على هذه الصفة بقل كن كذلك ، فأمرك بما أمرت به ، وهو حكمك عليه بحكمه عليك . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

that is, in eternity, from the beginning; and in some copies: "and it is your judgment, by the command [proceeding] from Him to you and from you to Him," the pronoun referring to "what was determined," that is, your saying "bring me into existence upon this description" through [His word] "Be" is thus; so He commanded you with what you commanded Him, and that is your judgment upon Him through His judgment upon you. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿فالأمر منه إليك ومنك إليه﴾

أي فالأمر والحكم من الحق إليك، وهو فيضان الوجود عليك، ومنك إليه بإعطاء عينك أن يوجدك على ما أنت عليه في الأزل. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

That is, the matter and the ruling are from the Real to you—this being the flowing-forth of existence upon you—and from you to Him, by your entity's granting that He bring you into existence as you are in pre-eternity (azal). The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿فالأمر منه إليك … ومنك إليه … غير أنّك تسمّى مكلَّفا ، وما كلَّفك إلا بما قلت له : « كلَّفني » بحالك ، وبما أنت عليه ولا يسمّى﴾

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

الحقّ ( مكلَّفا - اسم المفعول - ) وذلك لأنّ الذي منه - وهو الوجود - إنّما يقتضي الوحدة والإطلاق ، وذلك يأبى التمييز الذي يستلزم التكليف والذي من عين العبد - أعني الأحكام - إنّما يقتضي التمييز والاختلاف ، وهو ما يترتّب عليه التكليف ضرورة . ثمّ هاهنا نكتة حكميّة لا بدّ من الوقوف عليها : وهي أنّ العبد إذا وصل بميامن رقيقتي التدنّي والتدلَّي إلى مقام قربي النوافل والفرائض ، وفاز من دائرة الحقيقة الجمعيّة الإنسانيّة بقاب قوسيها ، لا بدّ وأن يظهر على منصّات العيان في صور الأعمال والأحوال أثر بحسب ذينك القربين ، فما يتعلَّق بالحقّ من ذلك هو الحمد ، كما أنّ ما يتعلَّق بالعبد هو العبوديّة . فلذلك نظم وقال : فيحمدني و أحمده %~% و يعبدني و أعبده ( فيحمدني ) بأن يظهرني ويعلن كمالاتي بتغذيته وجوده لي . ( وأحمده ) بإظهاري كمالاته ، بأن غذيته بأحكامي وأظهرت وجوده بكماله الأسمائي به ( ويعبدني) - بامتثاله ما قلت له من أمر التكليف وسائر ما يلزم العين من الأحكام -"أو من عبد الطريق اى اعده وجهزه للوظيفته". ( وأعبده ) بالتزامي ذلك التكليف وانقيادي لسائر أحكامه أمرا كان أو نهيا وبالجملة ، سائر الأسماء إنّما يظهر في طيّ تقابل عين العبد للحقّ ، ولكنّ للحقّ السبق في الاتّصاف ، وذلك لأنّ منه الوجود ، وبه يظهر سائر الأسماء - وجوديّا كان أو عدميّا . ومعلوم أنّ الحامد العابد في قوس الوجود من القوسين هو الحقّ ، والمحمود المعبود العبد ، وفي قوس الشهود منهما بالعكس ، فلذلك قال

the Real is not called (mukallaf - the passive participle), and that is because that which comes from Him - namely, existence - only requires unity and absoluteness, and that precludes the distinction which necessitates charging (taklīf); whereas that which comes from the entity of the servant - I mean the determinations - only requires distinction and difference, which necessarily entails charging. Now here there is a wise point that must be grasped: when the servant, through the auspicious conduits of 'descent' (tadannī) and 'coming down' (tadallī), reaches the station of the two proximities of supererogatory and obligatory works, and attains, from the circle of the comprehensive human reality, the 'two bow-lengths' (qāba qawsayhā), there must appear upon the stages of direct witnessing, in the forms of deeds and states, a trace corresponding to those two proximities. What pertains to the Real therein is praise (ḥamd), just as what pertains to the servant is servanthood (ʿubūdiyya). For this reason he versified, saying: 'He praises me and I praise Him, and He worships me and I worship Him' - ('He praises me') by manifesting me and proclaiming my perfections through His nourishing His existence by me. ('And I praise Him') by manifesting His perfections, in that I nourished Him through my determinations and manifested His existence in its nominal perfection through me. ('And he worships me') - by his compliance with what I told him regarding the matter of charging and the rest of what the entity necessarily entails of determinations - 'or from preparing the path, i.e., he prepares and equips it for its function.' ('And I worship him') by my committing to that charge and my submission to the rest of his determinations, whether command or prohibition. In sum, all the other Names only appear within the folding of the mutual correspondence of the servant's entity with the Real, but the Real has precedence in being so described, because from Him comes existence, and through Him the rest of the Names appear - whether existential or privative. And it is known that the Praiser and Worshiper, in the bow of existence (one of the two bows), is the Real, while the Praised and Worshiped is the servant; and in the bow of witnessing, the reverse holds. For this reason he said]

﴿فالأمر منه إليك … ومنك إليه﴾

بالأحكام . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

through the rulings/judgments. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said

﴿غير أنك تسمى مكلفا اسم مفعول ، وما كلفك إلا بما قلت له كلفني بحالك وبما أنت عليه ، ولا يسمى مكلفا اسم مفعول إذ لا كلفة عليه ،كما لا تسمى مكلفا﴾

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

اسم فاعل ، لأن الفعل والحكم والتأثير له بالأصالة ، فإنها من أحكام الوجوب الذاتي ، والانفعال والتأثر والقبول لك بالافتقار الذاتي الأصلي ، فحكمك بما هو من حيث أنك حقيقته لا غيره : قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

an active participle, because action, judgment, and effect belong to Him by essential priority (aṣāla), for these are among the rulings of essential necessity, while passivity, being affected, and receptivity belong to you by original essential need (iftiqār dhātī aṣlī); so your judgment is of what belongs to you insofar as you are its reality, not other than that. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿غير أنك تسمى مكلفا وما كلفك إلا بما قلت له: كلفني - بحالك وبما أنتعليه. ولا يسمى مكلفا، اسم مفعول﴾

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

أي، الفرق بين الحق والعبد في هذا المقامأن العبد يسمى مكلفا والحق لا يسمى مكلفا. وفي الحقيقة ما كلف العبد إلاعينه، فإنه بلسان استعداده يقول للحق: كلفني بأحوالي وبما أنا عليه، ليظهر مافي استعدادي وذاتي. وقوله: (بحالك) متعلق بقوله

That is, the difference between the Real and the servant in this station is that the servant is called 'obligated' while the Real is not called 'obligated.' In reality, nothing obligated the servant except his own entity, for by the tongue of his preparedness he says to the Real: 'Obligate me according to my states and what I am upon,' so that what is in my preparedness and essence may become manifest. And his saying: (by your state) is connected to his saying:

﴿غير أنك تسمى مكلفا﴾

اسم مفعول لتكليفه إياك (و) لكنه

a passive participle due to His charging you (and) yet He

﴿غير أنك تسمی مكلفا وما كلفك … إلا بما قلت له كلفني بحالك وبما أنت عليه﴾

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

أي وما كلفك الحق بحالك وما كلفك بما أنت عليه. إلا بسبب قولك له : كلفني بحالي وبما أنا عليه فكان التكليف من وجهك من وجه فبحالك يتعلق بكلفك . وبما أنت عليه معطوف على بحالك على ما ذهب إليه بعض الشراح والأولى أن يتعلق بحالك . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : بقوله : كلفني (ولا يسمى) الحق

i.e., and the Real only charged you with your state and with what you are, by reason of your saying to Him: 'Charge me with my state and with what I am' - so the charge (taklīf) proceeds from your side, in one respect. So 'with your state' is connected to 'charge you,' and 'with what you are' is conjoined to 'with your state,' according to what some commentators held; but it is more fitting that it be connected to 'with your state.' The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said regarding his statement, 'charge me' - (and He is not called) the Real

﴿وما كلفك﴾

تقدير الكلام: وماكلفك بحالك إلا قولك له : كلفني بما أنا عليه في عيني. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

the construction of the speech being: He obligated you, by your state, only because of your saying to Him: 'Obligate me according to what I am upon in my entity.' The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿ما كلفك إلا بما قلت له كلفني بحالك وبما أنت عليه﴾

يعني ما كلف الحق سبحانه إلا بما قلت له بلسان حالك وبتان ما أنت عليه من الاستعداد كلفني به ، فبالحقيقة ما كلفك إلا نفسك. فالجار والمجرور في قوله : بحالك، وقوله : بما أنت متعلق بالقول لا بالتكليف (ولا يسمى) هو سبحانه

meaning the Real, glory be to Him, charged [you] only with what you told Him by the tongue of your state, and by what you are upon of preparedness (istiʿdād), charge me with it; so in reality none charged you but yourself. The preposition and its object in his saying 'according to your state' and his saying 'and what you are' are attached to the saying, not to the charging. (and He is not called), He, glory be to Him

﴿مكلفا اسم مفعول﴾

بل هذا الاسم مختص بك. شعر: (فيحمدني) بإفاضة الوجود على وإظهاره كمالاتي بها أولا وثانية علي بكلامه حين يثني على عباده على اختلاف درجات ثنائنا وبالنسبة عبادة ثالثا. (وأحمده) بجميع السنتي انفولية والحالية والفعلية . (ويعبدني) ، أي يعطيني فيما أطلب منه بلسان حالي و استعدادي من الوجود وتوابعه (فاعبده) "وهذا لايكون الا عند التلون والتقلب في التجليات" . شكر لعبادته لي " هوالآن يتكلم الآن بلسان الحق مخاطبا نفسه العبد وكل العباد - ظاهره حق وباطنه عبد ". وعبادتي له " هو الآن يتكلم بلسانه كعبد وككل العباد مخاطبا الحق - ظاهره عبد وباطنه حق " ,في الظاهر إقامة حدوده وحقوقه وأوامره ونواهيه . وفي الباطن قبول تجلياته الذائية والأسمائية. وكان إطلاق العبادة على الحق سبحانه وتعالى بناء على المشاكلة وإلا فالشيخ رضي الله عنه كما يعلم من مؤلفاته من الأدباء المتمكنین لا المغلوبين

rather this name is specific to you. Poetry: (so he praises me) through the effusion of existence upon me and the manifestation of my perfections thereby, firstly; and secondly through His speech upon me when He praises His servants, according to the varying degrees of our mutual praise, and relatively this is a third [mode] of praise. (and I praise him) with all my tongues — the verbal, the state-related, and the active. (and he worships me), i.e., he gives me, in what I seek from him by the tongue of my state and my preparedness, of existence and its concomitants (so I worship him) "and this only occurs at the point of transformation and fluctuation among the self-disclosures (tajalliyāt)" — thanks for his worship of me — "he is now speaking with the tongue of the Real, addressing himself as the servant and as every servant — his outward is the Real and his inward is the servant." And my worship of him: "he is now speaking with his own tongue, as a servant and as every servant, addressing the Real — his outward is the servant and his inward is the Real," — outwardly, the establishing of His limits, His rights, His commands and prohibitions; and inwardly, the acceptance of His self-disclosures (tajalliyāt), both essential and name-related. The application of the term 'worship' to the Real, glory be to Him and exalted, is based on correspondence of expression (mushākala); otherwise, the Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, as is known from his writings, is among the firmly-grounded men of letters, not among those overcome [by ecstatic states]

﴿مكلفا اسم مفعول﴾

لعدم القول منه لك بكلفني لأنه موجود بذاته مفيض للوجود عليك لأنه لا يجيء هذا القول إلا من استفاض عن غيره لذلك لا يسمی مكلف بل يسمى مكلفا اسم فاعل . ولما بين المقامين وهما أن يكون الحق ظاهرا أو العبد باطنا وأن يكون العبد ظاهرا والحق باطنا. أدرج نتائج المذكورات مع المعاملات والمجازات بين الحق والعبد في الأبيات تسهيلا للطالبين . قال الشيخ الأكبر رضي الله عنه : شعر: (فيحمدني و أحمده %~% و يعبدني و أعبده ففي حال أقر به %~% و في الأعيان أجحده فيعرفني و أنكره %~% و أعرفه فأشهده فأنى بالغنى و أنا %~% أساعده فأسعده؟ لذاك الحق أوجدني %~% فأعلمه فأوجده بذا جاء الحديث لنا %~% و حقق في مقصده ) قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : (فيحمدني) على إظهاري إياه أسماؤه وصفاته وأحكامه لأن أحكامه تربي بي هذا ناظر إلى أن العبد باطن والحق ظاهر. (واحمده) على إفاضة الوجود على الأن وجودي وجميع أحكامي تربي به مذا ناظر إلى أن العبد ظاهر والحق باطن وكذلك. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : (ويعبدني) فإني مرب لأحكامه فكان مربوبي من حيث ظهور أحكامه بي هذ ناظر إلى أن العبد باطن والحق ظاهر . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : (واعبده) فإني مربوب له من حيث الوجود والأحكام هذا ناظر إلى أن الحق باطن والعبد ظاهر . وليس المراد بعبادة الحق عبادة تكليف شرعي فإنه محال على الله بان المراد بیان وجود معنى الربوبية والعبودية من الطرفين . فلا أساء الأدب في المعنى بل في اللفظ فترك الأدب لضيق العبارة وهو من دأبهم وإلا لزم ترك ما وجب عليه إظهاره في هذا المقام وهو معنى من المعاني المعلومة عن الكشف الإلهي الذي لا يمكن التعبير عنه إلا بهذه العبارة . بل استعمال هذه الألفاظ في هذه المعاني في حق الحق بإذن الله تعالى ونظرهم في الألفاظ إلى معنى اللغة وما يناسبها . فإن بين الربوبية والعبودية مناسبة في المعنى اللغوي وقد أشار إليه في الأبيات الأخرى. العبد رب والرب عبد، هذا إن كان العبد باطنا والرب ظاهرا فجمع العبودية والربوبية. يا ليت شعري من المكلف، من هذا الوجه وقد بينا لك وجه التكليف. "" حديث مسلم عن أنس : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: " لله أشد فرحا بتوبة عبده حين يتوب إليه من أحدكم كان راحلته بأرض فلاة فانفلتت منه وعليها طعامه وشرابه فأيس منها فأتى شجرة فاضطجع في ظلها قد أيس من راحلته فبينما هو كذلك إذ هو بها قائمة عنده فأخذ بخطامه ثم قال من شدة الفرح : اللهم أنت عبدي و أنا ربك أخطأ من شدة الفرح " صحيح مسلم "" قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

because no such statement comes from Him to you as 'He has charged Me,' for He is self-subsistent in His Essence (mawjūd bi-dhātihi), effusing existence upon you — since this statement would only come from one who has received an overflow (istifāḍa) from another. For this reason He is not named 'mukallaf' (one charged — passive participle) but is named 'mukallif' (one who charges — active participle). And when he had made clear the two stations — namely, that the Real be manifest and the servant nonmanifest, and that the servant be manifest and the Real nonmanifest — he incorporated the results of what had been mentioned, together with the mutual dealings and reciprocal exchanges (mujāzāt) between the Real and the servant, into verses, so as to facilitate [understanding] for seekers. The Greatest Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said, in verse: 'He praises Me, and I praise Him; He worships Me, and I worship Him. In a state I affirm Him, Yet in the entities I deny Him. He knows me, yet I deny Him; And I know Him, so I witness Him. How then, being Rich, while I Aid Him, so I bring Him content? For that the Real gave me existence, So I make Him known, and I give Him existence. By this the ḥadīth came to us, And it is verified in its purpose.' The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: '(He praises Me)' — for my manifesting him, [that is,] his Names, His Attributes, and His rulings (aḥkām) — since His rulings are nurtured through me; this pertains to [the case in which] the servant is nonmanifest and the Real manifest. '(And I praise Him)' — for the effusion of existence upon [me], since my existence and all my rulings are nurtured through Him; this pertains to [the case in which] the servant is manifest and the Real nonmanifest. Likewise, the Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: '(and he worships Me)' — for I am the nurturer (murabbī) of His rulings, so that what I nurture is, in respect of the manifestation of His rulings through me — this pertains to [the case in which] the servant is nonmanifest and the Real manifest. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: '(and I worship Him)' — for I am nurtured by Him in respect of existence and the rulings — this pertains to [the case in which] the Real is nonmanifest and the servant manifest. And what is meant by 'the worship of the Real' is not the worship of legal obligation (taklīf sharʿī), for that is impossible of God; rather, what is meant is to manifest the reality of lordship (rubūbiyya) and servanthood (ʿubūdiyya) from both sides. So there is no breach of propriety (adab) in the meaning, but only in the expression; and the lapse of propriety occurs only due to the narrowness of the expression, which is their habitual practice — otherwise it would necessitate abandoning what he was obliged to manifest in this station, this being a meaning among the meanings known through divine unveiling (kashf), which cannot be expressed except by this wording. Rather, the use of these expressions for these meanings with respect to the Real is by God's permission, and their regard in [using] such expressions is to the lexical meaning and what suits it; for between lordship and servanthood there is a correspondence in the lexical sense, as he indicated in other verses: 'The servant is lord, and the lord is servant' — this [applies] if the servant is nonmanifest and the lord manifest, thus combining servanthood and lordship. Would that I knew who, then, is the one charged (al-mukallaf) from this respect! — and we have already explained to you the aspect of the charge (taklīf). A ḥadīth of Muslim, from Anas: The Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, said: 'God is more joyful at the repentance of His servant when he turns to Him than one of you who had his mount in a desert land, and it slipped away from him, with his food and drink upon it, so that he despaired of it; then he came to a tree and lay down in its shade, having despaired of his mount; and while he was thus, behold, it was standing beside him! So he took hold of its halter, then said, out of the intensity of joy: O God, You are my servant and I am Your Lord — he erred, out of the intensity of joy.' [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim]. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿فيحمدني وأحمده %~% ويعبدني وأعبده﴾

أي يحمدني بإظهار كمالاتى وإيجادى على صورته ، وأحمده بإظهار كمالاته وحسن طاعتي إياه ، ويعبدني بتهيئة أسباب بقائى ونمائى ، وإجابتى لما سألته بلسان حالي . كما قال عليه الصلاة والسلام حين قال له أبو طالب :" ما أطوع لك ربك يا محمد " وأنت يا عم "ما أطعته إن أطعته أطاعك " والطاعة من جملة العبادة ، وأعبده بامتثال أوامره وقبول ما كلفه من التخلق بأخلاقه ، والاتصاف بأوصافه . "" من حاشية تعليقات بالى أفندي : (فيحمدني ) لأن أحكامه تربى بي ، هذا ناظر إلى كون العبد باطنا والحق ظاهر ( وأحمده ) لأن وجودي وأحكامى تربى به هذا ، ناظر إلى العبد ظاهر ، والحق باطن ، وكذلك ( فيعبدنى ) فإني سرب ؟ أحكامه ، فكان مربوبى من حيث ظهور أحكامه بي ، ناظر إلى أن العبد باطن والحق ظاهر ( فاعبده ) فإني مربوب له من حيث الوجود والأحكام ، ناظر إلى أن العبد ظاهر والحق باطن ، فلا يمكن أداء هذه المعاني إلا بهذه العبارات لضيق المقام ، ولا يلزم منها ترك الأدب ، وقد أشار إليه بقوله ( العبد رب والرب عبد ) هذا إذا كان العبد باطنا والحق ظاهرا وبالعكس ، يا ليت شعري من المكلف .أهـ بالى "" قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : ( ففي حال أقر به %~% وفي الأعيان أجحده ) أي بالوجود والقول والفعل أقرّ به بلسان الحال والمقال ، فإن الموجودات كلها بوجودها شاهدة بوجوده ، وبتعينها بوحدته وبخواصها بصفاته ، وكل إنسان يقرّبه ، فإذا تجلى في صورة عين من الأعيان يجحده . "" من حاشية تعليقات بالى أفندي

that is, he praises Me by manifesting My perfections and bringing Me into existence in his form, and I praise him by manifesting his perfections and his good obedience to Me; and he worships Me by preparing the causes of my subsistence and growth, and by answering what I asked of him through the tongue of my state - as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said when Abū Ṭālib said to him: "How obedient your Lord is to you, O Muḥammad!" - and you, O uncle, "had you obeyed Him, He would have obeyed you," and obedience is part of worship - and I worship him by complying with his commands and accepting what he charged [Me] with, namely being character­ized by his character traits and qualified by his qualities. From the marginal commentary of Bālī Efendi: ("he praises Me") because His judgments are nourished through me - this looks to the servant being nonmanifest (bāṭin) and the Real being manifest (ẓāhir); ("and I praise him") because my existence and judgments are nourished through Him - this looks to the servant being manifest and the Real being nonmanifest; and likewise ("he worships Me") for I am the locus [?] of His judgments, so I was lordly-owned (marbūb) insofar as His judgments manifest through me - this looks to the servant being nonmanifest and the Real being manifest; ("I worship him") for I am owned by him in respect of existence and judgments - this looks to the servant being manifest and the Real being nonmanifest. These meanings can only be conveyed by these expressions, given the constraint of the context, and no abandonment of proper decorum (adab) is thereby implied. He alluded to this by his saying ("the servant is Lord and the Lord is servant") - this being when the servant is nonmanifest and the Real manifest, and vice versa. Would that I knew who the "charged" one is! - end of Bālī. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: ("In one state I acknowledge Him, and in the entities I deny Him") that is, through existence, speech, and action I acknowledge Him by the tongue of state and of speech, for all existents, through their existence, bear witness to His existence, and through their entification to His oneness, and through their particular properties to His attributes; and every human acknowledges Him - yet when He discloses Himself in the form of one of the entities, he denies Him. From the marginal commentary of Bālī Efendi

﴿فيحمدني وأحمده ويعبدني فأعبده﴾

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

أي، يحمدني بإيجادي على صورته وتكميل نفسي وتجليه لقلبي وتخليصي من سجن الطبيعة وقيد الهوى. وأحمده بلسان الحال بإظهار كمالاته وأحكام صفاته في مرآة عيني، وبحسن القبول لتجلياته، وبلسان القال بتسبيحه وتحميده والثناء عليه. (ويعبدني) بخلقي وإيجادي وإظهاري في مراتب الوجود الروحانية والجسمانية العلوية والسفلية، لأن الإيجاد والإظهار للشئ، من الغيب إلى الشهادة، نوع من الخدمة والعبادة. ""عبد الشيء اعده وهيأه لوظيفة ما . من عبد الطريق "". (فأعبده) (الفاء) للنتيجة. أي، تترتب عبادتي لي على عبادته لي بالإيجاد والإظهار. وعبادتي له في الظاهر هي إقامة حدوده وحقوقه وأوامره ونواهيه، وفي الباطن قبول تجلياته الذاتية والأسمائية وإظهار أحكامها. وإطلاق (العبادة) على الحق وإن كان شنيعا ونوعا من سوء الأدب في الظاهر، لكن أحكام التجليات الإلهية إذا غلب على القلب بحيث يخرجه عن دائرة التكليف وطور العقل، لا يقدر القلب على مراعاة الأدب أصلا، وترك الأدب حينئذ أدب كما قيل، شعر: سقوني وقالوا لا تغن ولو سقو %~% جبال حنين ما سقوني لغنت وأقول، شعر: وآداب أرباب العقول لدى الهوى %~% كآداب أهل السكر عند أولى العقل فلا تعدلن إن قال صب متيم %~% من الوجد شيئا لا يليق بذى الفضل وفي السكر ما يجرى على ألسن الفتى %~% يضاف إلى الراح المزيلة للعقل (ففي حال أقر به %~% وفي الأعيان أجحده) أي حال غلبة مقام الجمع والوحدة وتجلياته على أقر بوجوده تعالى في مقامه الجمعي، وبرؤيتي جميع الأكوان مستهلكة فانية فيه. وإذا نظرت في الأعيان والأكوان واختفاء الحق فيها لإظهاره، أجحده لغلبة الكثرة ورؤية الخلق. إذلا يمكن تعيين موجود من الموجودات في الخارج ممتازا خارجا عنها، حتى يكون ربا معبودا للكل، كما هو شأن المحجوبين من أهل النظر وغيرهم، لأن كل ما هو موجود معين في الخارج، مقيد مشخص، وكل ما هو كذلك، فهو عبد، لأنه محتاج إلى مطلق وما يعينه، والرب هو المطلق الذي لا يتقيد بالإطلاق والتقييد، ويظهر في كل من المراتب الوجودية ويقومها بقيوميته. وهذا الجحد والإقرار بعينه. كما قال الشاعر السهروردي القتيل : رق الزجاج ورقت الخمر %~% فتشابها وتشاكل الأمر فكأنما خمر ولا قدح %~% وكأنما قدح ولا خمر أو أقر به في صور العارفين المكاشفين، وأجحده في صور المطرودين المحجوبين عند تجليه في الأعيان الوجودية، لا المثالية والأخراوية

That is, He praises me by bringing me into existence upon His form, perfecting my self, disclosing Himself to my heart, and liberating me from the prison of nature and the fetter of passion. And I praise Him with the tongue of state (lisān al-ḥāl) by manifesting His perfections and the effects of His attributes in the mirror of my entity (ʿaynī), and by goodly acceptance of His self-disclosures (tajalliyyāt), and with the tongue of speech (lisān al-qāl) by glorifying Him, praising Him, and lauding Him. (And He worships me) by creating me, bringing me into existence, and manifesting me in the levels of existence—spiritual and corporeal, higher and lower—for bringing a thing into existence and manifesting it, from the unseen (ghayb) to the visible (shahāda), is a kind of service and worship. "He prepared (ʿabbada) the thing: he made it ready and equipped it for some function/office—from 'he smoothed (ʿabbada) the road.'" (So I worship Him) — the fāʾ indicates result. That is, my worship of Him follows upon His worship of me through bringing into existence and manifesting. My worship of Him outwardly (ẓāhir) consists in upholding His limits, His rights, His commands and His prohibitions; and inwardly (bāṭin) it consists in accepting His self-disclosures of the Essence (dhāt) and of the Names, and manifesting their effects. The application of the term 'worship' to the Real, though outwardly shocking and a kind of breach of propriety (adab), is nevertheless such that when the effects of the divine self-disclosures overwhelm the heart to the point of removing it from the sphere of obligation (taklīf) and the stage of reason, the heart is simply unable to observe propriety at all—and at that point, abandoning propriety is itself propriety, as has been said in verse: Verse: They gave me to drink and said, 'Do not sing'; yet had they given the mountains of Ḥunayn to drink as they gave me, they would have sung. And I say, in verse: The proprieties of the masters of reason in the presence of passion are, to those possessed of reason, like the proprieties of the intoxicated. So do not blame an infatuated lover if, out of ecstatic rapture (wajd), he utters something unbecoming to a person of merit, for whatever passes upon the tongue of a youth in intoxication is attributed to the wine that removes the reason. '(So in one state I acknowledge Him, and in the entities I deny Him)' — that is, in the state of the overwhelming predominance of the station of unity/gathering (jamʿ) and oneness (waḥda) and its self-disclosures, I acknowledge His existence, exalted is He, in His station of gathering, and through my seeing all the cosmos as consumed and annihilated (fāniya) in Him. But when I look at the entities and the cosmos, and at the Real's concealment within them for the sake of His manifestation, I deny Him, owing to the predominance of multiplicity and the vision of the creation. For it is impossible to designate any single existent among existents, externally, as distinct and separate from them, such that it could be a Lord worshipped by all—as is the case with the veiled ones among the people of rational speculation and others—because everything that is a determinate existent externally is restricted and particularized, and everything of this sort is a servant (ʿabd), since it stands in need of an absolute and of that which determines it; whereas the Lord is the Absolute who is not restricted by either absoluteness or restriction, and who manifests in each of the levels of existence and sustains them through His self-subsistence (qayyūmiyya). And this denial is identical with this very acknowledgment. As the martyred poet al-Suhrawardī said: The glass grew thin and the wine grew subtle, so the two resembled each other and the matter became alike— As though it were wine with no cup, and as though it were a cup with no wine. Or: I acknowledge Him in the forms of the gnostics endowed with unveiling (mukāshafīn), and I deny Him in the forms of those who are repelled and veiled, at the time of His self-disclosure in the existential entities (al-aʿyān al-wujūdiyya)—not the imaginal (mithāliyya) or eschatological (ukhrawiyya) entities.

﴿ففي حال﴾

أي في حال طهور الحق وبطونى ( أقر به وفي الأعيان ) أي في حال ظهورى وبطونه عنى ( أجحده) في الأعيان .أه "" قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

that is, in the state of the Real's manifestation and my nonmanifestation ("I acknowledge Him; and in the entities") that is, in the state of my manifestation and His nonmanifestation relative to me, ("I deny Him") in the entities - end [of Bālī]. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿ففي حال﴾

أي في مشاهد العلوم والأذواق - ( اقرّ به ) لأنّها مواقف حمده وعبوديّته

- that is, in the witnessed loci of the sciences and tastings - ("I confirm it") because these are the stations of His praise and servanthood

﴿ففي حال﴾

أي حال تجليه في المراتب الإلهية (أقر به وفي حال) ، أي حال تجليه في الأعيان الكونية (أجحده) وأنكره لاتصافها بما ينافي المرتبة الإلهية . كان هذا بلسان الإلهية كان هذا بلسان حال المحجوبين وإلا فصاحب الشهود يراه في كل شيء ويقر به . (فيعرفني) في جميع المواطن (وأنكره) النكرة ضد المعرفة , وقد نكرت الرجل بالكسر نكرة ونكورا و أنكرته و استنكرته، كله بمعنى . فقوله : أنكره إما بفتح الكاف من التنكر أو بكسرها من الإنكار بمعناه لا بمعنى الجحود في بعضها، أي لا أعرفه . (و) ویعد ما أنكره (أعرفه) برفع الحجب (فأشهده) شهودا عيانيا في المجالي التفصيلية . (فاني) ، أي من أين يتصف (بالعين) مطلق

i.e., the state of His self-disclosure in the divine ranks (I affirm him; and in one state), i.e., the state of His self-disclosure in the cosmic entities (I deny him) and disavow him, because of their being qualified with what contradicts the divine rank. [If] this were [said] with the tongue of divinity, this would be with the tongue of the state of those veiled; otherwise the possessor of witnessing (shuhūd) sees Him in everything and affirms Him. (so he knows me) in all loci (and I deny/do-not-know him) — nakira is the opposite of maʿrifa (knowledge); one says nakkartu al-rajul with kasra, nakira and nukūr, and ankartuhu and istankartuhu, all with the same meaning. So his saying 'I deny/do-not-know him' is either with fatḥa on the kāf, from tanakkur, or with kasra, from inkār, with the same meaning, not in the sense of jaḥd (disavowal) in some [readings], i.e., I do not know him. (and) after having denied/not-known him (I know him), by the lifting of the veils, (so I witness him) with a visual witnessing in the detailed loci of manifestation (majālī). (so whence) i.e., from where would (the entity/essence) be qualified, absolutely

﴿ففي حال﴾

أي في ظهور الحق وبطوني. (أقر به) أي بالحق

i.e., in the manifestation of the Real and my nonmanifestation. '(I affirm Him)' i.e., [I affirm] the Real.

﴿وفي الأعيان﴾

أي في مجالي عالم الشهادة والعيان ( أجحده ) لأنّها منتهى مراتب قوس محموديّته ومعبوديّته . ( فيعرفني ) في هذا الموطن لأنّه الحامد فيه - ( وأنكره ) ( وأعرفه ) - عند العروج في مراقي قوس الشهود ( فأشهده ) وذلك هو الغاية للحركة الوجوديّة والسير الكمالي . ولا يخفى أنّ العبد هو المساعد للحقّ في استحصال تلك الغاية والممدّ له ، فكيف يصحّ له الغناء ؟ وإليه أشار بقوله فأنّى بالغنا ، وأن %~% أساعده واسعده ) ( لذاك ) المساعدة والإسعاد

- that is, in the manifestations of the world of sensory witnessing and direct perception ("I deny it") because these are the furthest degrees of the bow of His being-praised and being-worshiped. ("So he knows me") in this locus, because He is the Praiser therein - ("and I deny Him") ("and I know Him") - during the ascent through the stages of the bow of witnessing ("so I witness Him") - and that is the goal of the existential movement and the journey toward perfection. It is not hidden that the servant is the one who assists the Real in attaining that goal, and who supports Him in it - so how could he claim self-sufficiency? To this he alluded by his saying "So how could there be self-sufficiency, and" "I assist Him and He makes me happy") ("for that") - the mutual assistance and the granting of happiness

﴿وفي الأعيان﴾

أي في حال ظهوري وبطونه عني. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

i.e., in the state of my manifestation and His nonmanifestation from me. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿فيعرفني وأنكره %~% وأعرفه فأشهده﴾

أي يعرفني في كل الأحوال وأنكره في صور الأكوان الحادثة ، وأعرفه فأشهده جمعا وتفصيلا ، فإن المعرفة والشهود من مقتضى عيني منه ، وذلك من فضله وعطائه. "" من حاشية تعليقات بالى أفندي : (فيعرفني ) في الأعيان ( وأنكره ) فيها لعدم علمي به في الأعيان لظهور الأعيان في مرآة الحق ، فكان هو مختفيا بالأكوان ، فقوله : أنكره ، ناظر إلى قوله أجحده ( وأعرفه ) في حال ظهوره وبطونى ( وأشهده ) أي أقر به في الحال لأن المعرفة تقتضي إلا قرار ، كما أن عدمه يقتضي الإنكار. اهـ بالى . "" قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : (فأنى بالغنى وأن %~% أساعده وأسعده ) أي كيف غناه بجميع الأسماء والصفات عنا ، فإن النسب الأسمائية والألوهية والربوبية والموجدية ، تتوقف على المألوهية والمربوبية وقبول الإيجاد كما مر . وذلك التوقف هو المساعدة والإسعاد وحسن تأتي القابل الإيجاد ، والمظهرية إسعاد للموجد والظاهر في المظهر ، قال تعالى:" إِنْ تَنْصُرُوا الله يَنْصُرْكُمْ " والنصر هو المساعدة والإسعاد في تحقق الربوبية . "" من حاشية تعليقات بالى أفندي

that is, he knows Me in all states yet denies Me in the forms of the contingent cosmic things, and I know him, so I witness him, comprehensively and in detail, for knowledge and witnessing follow from the requirement of my entity from Him, and that is by His bounty and gift (ʿaṭāʾ). From the marginal commentary of Bālī Efendi: ("he knows Me") in the entities, ("yet denies Me") in them, due to his lack of knowledge of Me in the entities, since the entities manifest in the mirror of the Real, so He remains concealed by the cosmic things; thus his statement "denies Me" corresponds to his earlier statement "I deny Him." ("and I know him") in the state of His manifestation and my nonmanifestation, ("and I witness him") that is, I acknowledge him presently, for knowledge necessitates acknowledgment, just as its absence necessitates denial - end of Bālī. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: ("How then can He be free of need, when I assist him and make him felicitous?") that is, how [can one speak of] His being free of need through all the Names and Attributes, apart from us, for the relations of the Names - divinity, lordship, and being-the-bringer-into-existence - are contingent upon the relations of being-the-object-of-divinity, being-owned-in-lordship, and the acceptance of being-brought-into-existence, as was mentioned previously. That contingency is itself the assisting and the making-felicitous and the good readiness of the receptacle for existentiation, and being-the-locus-of-manifestation is a felicitation for the One who brings into existence and manifests within the locus of manifestation. He, the Exalted, said: "If you help God, He will help you" - and help (naṣr) is the assisting and felicitating in the realization of lordship. From the marginal commentary of Bālī Efendi

﴿فيعرفني وأنكره %~% وأعرفه فأشهده﴾

أي الحق يعرفني في جميع المواطن والمقامات، وأنا أعرفه في بعض المواطن وأشهده، وفي بعض المواطن لا أعرفه وأنكره، لأن الحق في مقام هويته و أحديته لا يطلع عليه ولا يعرف حقيقته، ولا يمكن أن يعرف. وفي مقام واحديته يعرف بالصفات والأسماء. وإذا تجلى بصفة (المنعم) يرغب فيه، وفي صفة (المنتقم) يهرب منه. وإذا تجلى بصورة لا توجب التعظيم، ينكر، كما جاء في حديث (التحول) أو يكون قوله

That is, the Real knows me in all stations and standpoints, while I know Him in some stations and witness Him, and in other stations I do not know Him and deny Him—because the Real, in the station of His He-ness (huwiyya) and His oneness (aḥadiyya), cannot be perceived, nor can His reality be known, nor is it possible that He be known. But in the station of His unicity (wāḥidiyya) He is known through the attributes and the names. When He discloses Himself with the attribute of 'the Bestower of Grace,' one desires Him; and with the attribute of 'the Avenger,' one flees from Him. And when He discloses Himself in a form that does not call for veneration, He is denied, as occurs in the ḥadīth of 'transformation' (taḥawwul). Or his statement may be:

﴿اجحده فيعرفني﴾

في الأعيان وأنكره فيها لعدم علمي به في الأعيان الظهور الأعيان في مرآة الحق فكان هو مختفيا بالأكوان. فكان قوله وأنكره ناظر إلى قوله : اجحده (واعرفه) في حال ظهوره و بطوني (فاشهده) أي أقر به في الحال لأن المعرفة تقتضي الإقرار والشهادة كما أن عدم المعرفة تقتضي الإنكار. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

in the entities, and I deny Him therein, due to my lack of knowledge of Him in the entities — [since] the entities appear in the mirror of the Real, so that He remains concealed by the engendered things (akwān); thus his saying 'and I deny Him' corresponds to his saying 'I deny him.' '(And I know Him)' in the state of His manifestation and my nonmanifestation, '(so I witness Him)' i.e., I affirm Him in the state, for knowledge necessitates affirmation and witnessing, just as the absence of knowledge necessitates denial. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿وأعرفه فأشهده﴾

يعني رضي الله عنه : أنا في نفس الأمر أعرفه وأشهده ، لكون المعرفة والشهود من مقتضى حقيقتي منه ، فهو يعطي المعرفة والشهود . قال رضي الله عنه : ( وأنّى بالغنى وأن %~% أساعده وأسعده ؟) يشير رضي الله عنه : إلى توقّف النسب الأسمائية على الأعيان الكونية ، فإنّ الإلهية متوقّفة على العبودية ، فهو - من حيث إنّيّتي العبدانية - يساعده بي ويسعده . كما قال الله تعالى : " إِنْ تَنْصُرُوا الله يَنْصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدامَكُمْ ". والنصر : المساعدة والإسعاد في تحقيق الربوبية والألوهيّة ، وحسن تأتّي القابل في كمال مظهريته لربّه إسعاده له ، فإنّ سعادة الحقائق والنسب الأسمائية أن تظهر آثارها في مظاهرها ، كما قلنا في كتاب « المنازل » لنا :وإذ الحقائق لم تبن آثاره عدّت من الأموات لا الأحياء. قال رضي الله عنه

He (may God be pleased with him) means: I, in the very reality of the matter, know Him and witness Him, since knowledge and witnessing are among the requirements of my reality deriving from Him — for He grants knowledge and witnessing. He (may God be pleased with him) said: 'And how could there be [independent] sufficiency (ghinā), that I should assist Him and bring Him felicity?' He (may God be pleased with him) points to the dependence of the relations of the [divine] names upon the cosmic entities, for divinity (ilāhiyya) is dependent upon servanthood (ʿubūdiyya); so He — in respect of my servant-selfhood — assists [Himself] through me and attains felicity through me. As God Almighty said: 'If you help [the cause of] God, He will help you and make firm your feet.' Help (naṣr) is assistance and the bringing about of felicity in the actualization of lordship and divinity; and the receptacle's proper suitability, in the perfection of its being a locus of manifestation for its Lord, constitutes his bringing felicity to Him. For the felicity of the realities and of the relations of the [divine] names consists in their effects/traces appearing in their loci of manifestation, as we said in our book 'The Stations' (al-Manāzil): 'And when the realities' effects/traces are not manifested, they are counted among the dead, not the living.' He (may God be pleased with him) said:

﴿وأعرفه فأشهده﴾

عن لسان العارف صاحب الشهود. (فأنى بالغنى وأن %~% أساعده وأسعده؟) أي، من أين يكون له الغنى عنا مطلقا، ونحن نساعده في ظهور أسمائه وتجلياته وجميع كمالاته فينا؟ لأن القابل مساعد للفاعل في فعله بقبوله ذلك الفعل، كم قال: (إن تنصروا الله ينصركم). و (النصرة) هي المساعدة. ولتسعده بظهور جماله وجلاله في مرائي ذواتنا ومظاهر أعياننا. ولما كان الإسعاد عند الحقيقة عبارة عن إخراج الكمالات التي في الباطن إلى الظاهر وإظهارها، وكمالات الأسماء وظهوراتها كانت بأعياننا - كما جاء في الصحيح أنه، صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال: "والذي نفسي بيده، لو لم تذنبوا،لذهب الله بكم وجاء بقوم يذنبون، فيستغفرون الله فيغفر لهم". نسب الشيخ رضى الله عنه الإسعاد بنا، وهو إسعاده لنفسه بنفسه من غير اعتبار تعدد وتكثر في الحقيقة

— spoken from the tongue of the gnostic (al-ʿārif), the possessor of witnessing (shuhūd). '(So how could there be self-sufficiency, when I assist Him and bring Him happiness?)' That is, how could He be absolutely self-sufficient without us, when we assist Him in the manifestation of His names, His self-disclosures, and all His perfections within us? For the recipient assists the agent in his act by his acceptance of that act, as He said: 'If you help God, He will help you' (Q. 47:7)—and 'help' (naṣr) is assistance (musāʿada). And [we] make Him happy (nusʿiduhu) through the manifestation of His beauty and majesty in the mirrors of our essences and the loci-of-manifestation of our entities. And since 'making happy' (isʿād), in reality, consists in bringing out the perfections that are latent within into the manifest and disclosing them—and the perfections of the names and their manifestations occur through our entities—as is related in the authentic ḥadīth that he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 'By Him in whose hand is my soul, were you not to sin, God would take you away and bring a people who would sin, then seek God's forgiveness, and He would forgive them.' The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, attributed the 'making happy' to us, whereas it is [in reality] His making Himself happy by Himself, without regard to any multiplicity or plurality in reality.

﴿فأنى بالغنى﴾

عنى من جميع الوجوه ( و ) الحال ( أنا أساعده ) بإظهار كمالاته على حسب استعدادي هذا ، ناظر إلا كون العبد باطنا والحق ظاهر ( وأسعده ) بإظهار وجودي وكمالاتى فيه فيساعدنى ، نظرا إلى أن العبد ظاهر والحق باطن. أهـ بالى. "" قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : ( لذاك الحق وأجدني %~% فأعلمه فأوجده ) أي أوجدنى بالظهور بإيجاده ، وجعله إياي موجودا أو واجدا له ، فأعلمه بمعرفتي إياه ، فأوجده في العلم صورة مطابقة لما هو عليه في العين . "" من حاشية تعليقات بالى أفندي : ( لذاك ) أي لأجل إسعادى إياه

from Me in all respects, (while) the situation (is that I assist him) by manifesting his perfections according to this preparedness (istiʿdād) of mine, considering that the servant is nonmanifest (bāṭin) and the Real is manifest (ẓāhir); (and I grant him felicity) by manifesting My existence and My perfections within him, so he assists Me, considering that the servant is manifest and the Real is nonmanifest. End [of] Bālī['s gloss]. "" The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: ('For that, the Real found me, / so I made Him known, so I brought Him into existence') — that is, He brought me into existence through manifestation by His bringing-into-existence, making me existent or one who finds Him; so I made Him known through my knowledge of Him, and thus I brought Him into existence in knowledge as a form corresponding to what He is in the concrete entity (al-ʿayn). "" From the marginal commentary [ḥāshiya] of Bālī Afandī: ('For that') means for the sake of my granting him felicity

﴿فإني بالغني﴾

غني من جميع الوجوه (و) الحال (انا اساعده) بإظهار أحكامه وكمالاته على حسب استعدادي هذا ناظر إلى أن العبد باطن والحق ظامر. (وأسعده) بإظهار وجودي وكمالاتي فيه هذا ناظر إلى أن العبد ظاهر والحق باطن . (لذلك) أي لأجل إسعادي إياه

— Rich in every respect — '(and,) the state [being that] (I aid Him)' — by manifesting His rulings and perfections according to my preparedness (istiʿdād); this pertains to [the case in which] the servant is nonmanifest and the Real manifest. '(And I make Him content)' — by manifesting my existence and my perfections in Him; this pertains to [the case in which] the servant is manifest and the Real nonmanifest. '(For that)' i.e., on account of my making Him content —

﴿وأنا أساعده وأسعده﴾

أي أنصره وأعينه في ظهور كماله الأسمائي فثبوت ألعين له إنما هو باعتبار الكمال الذاتي لا مطلقا. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

i.e., I aid him and assist him in the manifestation of his perfection of names (kamāl asmāʾī); so the establishment of the entity (ʿayn) for him is only by virtue of essential perfection, not absolutely. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿الحق أوجدني﴾

أثبت الوجود لي نظر إلى أن العبد ظاهر والحق باطن ( فأعلمه ) بهذا الوجود . ( فأوجده ) أثبت هذا الوجود له كما أثبت لي ، نظر إلى أن العبد باطن والحق ظاهر.أهـ. "" قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

— He established existence for me, considering that the servant is manifest and the Real is nonmanifest. (So I made Him known) through this existence. (So I brought Him into existence) — I established this existence for Him just as it was established for me, considering that the servant is nonmanifest and the Real is manifest. End. "" The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said

﴿لذلك الحقّ أوجدني %~% فأعلمه وأوجده﴾

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

يعني : أنّما أوجدني الحق مظهرا له ومظهرا ، فأوجده في العلم صورة مطابقة لما هو عليه في العين . قال رضي الله عنه

He means: the Real brought me into existence as a locus of manifestation for Him and as a manifest [form]; so I bring Him into existence, in knowledge, as a form corresponding to what He is in [external] actuality (al-ʿayn). He (may God be pleased with him) said:

﴿لذاك الحق أوجدني %~% فأعلمه وأوجده﴾

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

و (لذاك) ب (اللام)، وفي بعض النسخ ب (الكاف). ومعناه: كما أساعده وأسعده، كذاك الحق يوجدني ويسعدني. ومعنى الأول: أوجدني الحق لأعرف وإلهيته وربوبيته، كما جاء في الحديث: "كنت كنزا مخفيا %~% ". وقال تعالى: "وما خلقت الجن والإنس إلا ليعبدون". أي، ليعرفون. فذاك إشارة إلى قوله

/bring [me] into existence."] 'li-dhāka' is with the letter lām; in some copies it is with kāf [ka-dhāka]. Its meaning is: just as I assist Him and make Him happy, likewise (ka-dhāka) the Real brings me into existence and makes me happy. The meaning of the first [reading, li-dhāka] is: the Real brought me into existence that I might know His Divinity and His Lordship, as stated in the ḥadīth: 'I was a hidden treasure...' And the Exalted said: 'I did not create the jinn and mankind except that they might worship Me' (Q. 51:56)—that is, that they might know [Me]. So 'that' (dhāka) refers to His statement:

﴿الحقّ أوجدني﴾

بالوجود العيني . فأعلمه و أوجده ) بالوجود العلمي الشهودي في مشهدي السمع والبصر

through entitative existence (al-wujūd al-ʿaynī). ("So I make Him known and bring Him into existence") through cognitive, witnessed existence (al-wujūd al-ʿilmī al-shuhūdī) in my witnessing-locus of hearing and sight

﴿لذاك الحق أوجدني %~% فأعلمه فأوجده بذا جاء الحديث لنا %~% و حقق في مقصده و لما كان للخليل هذه المرتبة التي بها سمي خليلا لذلك سن القرى ، و جعله ابن مسرة مع ميكائيل للأرزاق ، و بالأرزاق يكون تغذي المرزوقين.﴾

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

(كذلك) الإسعاد و المساعدة

realized it in His purpose. And since the Friend (Khalīl) had this rank by which he was called 'Friend,' for that reason he established the practice of hospitality, and Ibn Masarra placed him together with Mīkāʾīl in charge of provisions, and through provisions the nourishment of those provisioned occurs.] (likewise) the making-prosper and the assisting

﴿الحق أوجدني﴾

أي جعلني موجودة وأثبت الوجود لي هذا ناظر إلى أن العبد ظاهر والحق باطن . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : (فأعلمه) بهذا الوجود نفس متكلم من الثلاثي (فأوجده) أي أثبت إنما هذا الوجود له كما أثبت هولي هذا ناظر إلى أن العبد باطن والحق ظاهر وهذا مجازات بين الرب والعبد. (بنا) أي بالذي قلت

i.e., made me existent and affirmed existence for me; this pertains to [the case in which] the servant is manifest and the Real nonmanifest. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: '(so I make Him known)' by this existence — first person, from the trilateral [verb] — '(so I give Him existence)' i.e., I affirm this very existence for Him just as He affirmed it for me; this pertains to [the case in which] the servant is nonmanifest and the Real manifest; and this is [an instance of] the reciprocal exchanges (mujāzāt) between the Lord and the servant. '(By this)' i.e., by what I have said —

﴿بذا جاء الحديث لن %~% وحقق في مقصده﴾

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

جاء في الحديث المروي عنه عليه الصلاة والسلام حكاية عن الله تعالى:"قد مثلونى بين أعينهم". أي أوجدوا مثالي ، رأى أعينهم علما وشهودا ، فمن صح علمه باللَّه وشهوده لله فقد أوجده في علمه ، ومعنى حقق في مقصده تحقق في ذاتي طلبه ، أي مطلبه بوجود مطلوبه . "" من حاشية تعليقات بالى أفندي

— There has come in the ḥadīth related from him, God's blessings and peace be upon him, narrating on behalf of God Almighty: "They have represented Me before their eyes." That is, they brought My likeness into existence — their eyes having perceived [this] through knowledge and witnessing. So whoever's knowledge of God and witnessing of God is sound has indeed brought Him into existence in his knowledge. The meaning of "he verified in his goal" is that his seeking was realized within my Essence — that is, his sought object was realized through the existence of the thing sought. "" From the marginal commentary of Bālī Afandī

﴿بذا جاء الحديث لن %~% وحقّق في مقصده﴾

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

جاء في الحديث الثابت عنه عليه السّلام حكاية عن الله - تعالى - : « قد مثّلوني بين أعينهم » أي أوجدوا مثالي في رأي أعينهم علما وشهودا ، فكلّ من كان في علمه بالله أصحّ تصوّرا للحق ، فقد أوجده في علمه وشهوده . قال رضي الله عنه

There occurs in the ḥadīth established from him (peace be upon him), narrating from God — Exalted — : 'They have indeed represented Me before their eyes,' meaning: they have brought into existence a likeness of Me within the sight of their eyes, through knowledge and witnessing. So whoever has, in his knowledge of God, the most correct conception of the Real has thereby brought Him into existence in his knowledge and witnessing. He (may God be pleased with him) said:

﴿بذا جاء الحديث لن %~% وحقق في مقصده﴾

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

أي، بهذا المعنى جاء الحديث المذكور، وهو (كنت كنزا مخفيا %~% ). وقيل معناه: جاء الحديث لنا فيما قلت، فأعلمه فأوجده. وهو ما نقله رسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم، عن الله: (قد مثلوني بين أعينهم). أي، أوجدوا لي مثالا رأى أعينهم. وهذا كما قال: (أن تعبد الله كأنك تراه %~% ). والأول أنسب للمقام

That is, in this meaning came the aforementioned ḥadīth, namely: 'I was a hidden treasure...' And it has been said that its meaning is: the ḥadīth came to us concerning what I have said, namely 'that I might make Him known, that I might manifest Him.' And this is what the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, transmitted from God: 'They have indeed represented Me before their eyes' — that is, they have made for Me a representation that their eyes beheld. This is like His saying: 'That you worship God as though you see Him...' But the first [interpretation] is more fitting to the context.

﴿بذا جاء الحديث لنا﴾

ورد : " كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به وبصره الذي يبصر به " . وذلك لأنّه أسند الفعلين - اللذين بهما يتحقّق السمع والبصر ، اللذان بهما يتكوّن الحقّ - إلى العبد - فهو فاعله وهذا المشهد الكوني الذي فيه هو مشهده الكمالي ومقصده الغائي . وإليه أشار بقوله

- it has been related: "I was his hearing by which he hears, and his sight by which he sees." This is because the two acts - by which hearing and sight are realized, and by which the Real comes-to-be - are attributed to the servant, so he is their agent; and this is the cosmic witnessing-locus wherein lies His perfective witnessing-locus and ultimate goal. To this he alluded by his saying

﴿جاء الحديث﴾

القدسي المشهور منبه (لنا) على غاية إيجاده إيانا وهو "كنت كنزا مخفيا فأحببت أن أعرف فخلقت الخلق لأعرف" . ذكره العجلوني في كشف الخفاء والسيوطي في الدر المنتثرة و السخاوي في المقاصد الحسنة والزركشي

the well-known sacred ḥadīth (qudsī), alerting (us) to the ultimate purpose of His bringing us into existence, which is: "I was a hidden treasure, so I loved to be known, so I created creation that I might be known." Mentioned by al-ʿAjlūnī in Kashf al-Khafāʾ, al-Suyūṭī in al-Durr al-Muntathira, al-Sakhāwī in al-Maqāṣid al-Ḥasana, and al-Zarkashī

﴿جاء الحديث﴾

الإلهي (النا) فهو قوله فخلقت الخلق لأعرف (وحقق) على البناء للمفعول من التفعيل (في) مشددة متكلم (مقصده) بمعنى المقصود و المطلوب وهو العبادة والمعرفة . ثم رجع إلى بيان أحكام الخليل عليه السلام التي لم يبين فقال

the divine [ḥadīth] '(to us),' namely His saying, 'So I created creation that I might be known.' '(And it is verified)' — passive, from the intensive form — '(in)' — with the doubled first-person suffix — '(its purpose)' meaning the intended object and that which is sought, namely worship and gnosis. Then he returned to explaining the rulings (aḥkām) of al-Khalīl, peace be upon him, which had not yet been explained, and said:

﴿وحقق في مقصده﴾

حقق على بناء المفعول ، والمقصد المقصود إلخ .أهـ. بالى "" في

— "Ḥuqqiqa" (was verified) is in the passive construction, and "al-maqṣad" means "the object sought/intended," etc. End. Bālī. "" In

﴿وحقق في مقصده﴾

أي، يحقق في مقصوده ومطلوبه، وهو العبادة والمعرفة، كما قال: "وما خلقت الجن والإنس إلا ليعبدون." فيجوز أن يكون الكلام من لسان الكمل، إذ بهم تظهر الصفات كلها. و يجوز أن يكون المراد نفسه، لأنه كشف عن أسراره كشفا ما أتى أحد من الأولياء بمثله. وفيه إيماء حينئذ إلى مقام ختميته للولاية المحمدية. وبعد هذا الكشف الكلى لم يبق إلا كشف خاتم الولاية المطلقة، إذ به تتم الدائرة، فتقوم بعده القيامة. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

That is, it is verified in its intent and object, which is worship and knowledge, as He said: 'I did not create the jinn and mankind except that they might worship Me.' It is possible that this speech is from the tongue of the perfected ones (al-kummal), since through them all the attributes become manifest. And it is also possible that he means himself [Ibn ʿArabī], for he disclosed its secrets with a disclosure the like of which no saint had ever brought. In that case there is herein an allusion to his station as the Seal of Muhammadan sainthood (khātam al-walāya al-Muḥammadiyya). And after this universal disclosure (kashf) nothing remains except the disclosure of the Seal of absolute sainthood (khātam al-walāya al-muṭlaqa), for through him the circle is completed, and after him the Resurrection (qiyāma) will arise. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿وحقّق في مقصده﴾

خلَّة إبراهيم عليه السّلام

the intimate friendship (khulla) of Abraham, peace be upon him

﴿وحقق في مقصده﴾

الذي هو هذه الغاية وهي معرفته سبحانه والعلم به

which is this very end, namely knowledge of Him, glory be to Him, and gnosis of Him

﴿ولما كان للخليل عليه السلام هذه المرتبة التي بها سمى خليلا﴾

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

أي لما تخلل إبراهيم عليه السلام ، بسعة استعداده وقابليته جميع الاستعدادات الإلهية ، حتى ظهر به الحق أي بجميع أسمائه ، وخفى إبراهيم عليه السلام فيه ، كالرزق في المرزوق وصار غذاء للحق ، وكذلك تخلل الحق أنية إبراهيم وسرى في جميع حقائقه وقواه ومراتب وجوده ، حتى ظهر إبراهيم به وخفى الحق فيه ، وصار غذاء لإبراهيم. قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

— that is, since Abraham, upon him peace, interpenetrated (takhallala), through the breadth of his preparedness (istiʿdād) and his receptivity, all the divine preparednesses, until the Real manifested through him — that is, through all His Names — while Abraham, upon him peace, became hidden within Him, like sustenance (rizq) within the one sustained, and became nourishment for the Real; and likewise the Real interpenetrated Abraham's selfhood (āniyya) and permeated all his realities, faculties, and levels of his existence, until Abraham became manifest through Him while the Real became hidden within him, and became nourishment for Abraham. "" The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said

﴿ولما كان للخليل هذه المرتبة التي بها سمّي « خليلا » ، لذلك﴾

- وهو تخلَّل الحقّ وجود صورة الخليل في مشاهده ومشاعره ، أو تخلَّل الخليل جميع ما اتّصف به ذاته في مواطن الأسماء ومواقفها -

- that is, the Real's permeating (takhallul) the existence of the form of the Intimate Friend in His witnessing-loci and perceptual faculties, or the Intimate Friend's permeating all that his essence was characterized by, in the loci and stations of the Names -

﴿ولما كان للخليل عليه السلام هذه المرتبة التي بها يسمى إبراهيم خليلا﴾

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

وهي تخلله وحصره جميع ما اتصفت به الذات الإلهية تخلل الرزق ذات المرزوقين بحيث لا يبقى فيها شيء إلا تخلله. (لذلك) ، أي لكونه صاحب تلك المرتبة

which is his permeation (takhallul) and his encompassing of everything with which the divine Essence is qualified, [in the manner of] the permeation of sustenance throughout the essence of those sustained, such that nothing remains in it that it does not permeate. (for that reason), i.e., because he is the possessor of that rank

﴿ولما كان للخليل عليه السلام هذه المرتبة التي بها سمي خليلا﴾

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

وهي التخلل بين طرفي الحق والعبد . قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه : (لذلك) أي لأجل ذلك المرتبة (سن الخليل القرى) أي الضيافة (و) لأجل هذه المرتبة له (جعله ابن مسرة) بتشديد الراء المهملة وهو من كبار أهل الطريقة. (مع میكائیل للأرزاق) أي قال ابن مسرة ميكائيل وإبراهيم للأرزاق أي مؤكلان له

— namely, the interpenetration (takhallul) between the two sides of the Real and the servant — the Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said: '(For that)' i.e., on account of that rank, '(al-Khalīl instituted hospitality [al-qirā])' i.e., the entertaining of guests; '(and)' on account of this rank of his, '(Ibn Masarra made him)' — with doubling of the unpointed rāʾ, he being among the great masters of the [Sufi] path — '(along with Mīkāʾīl, overseers of provisions [arzāq])' i.e., Ibn Masarra said that Mīkāʾīl and Ibrāhīm are [entrusted] with provisions, that is, both are charged with it.

﴿لذلك سن القرى﴾

أي ظهر من تلك الحال عليه وغلبت حتى أثرت فيه في الخارج ، فانتشر سر حقيقته ومقامه على ظاهر حاله فسن القرى وغذى الخلائق من كل باد وحاضر ووارد وصادر ، بحكم حاله ومقامه

— that is, from that state there appeared upon him [an effect] that overwhelmed him until it left its trace upon him outwardly; so the secret of his reality and his station spread over the manifest aspect of his state, and thus he instituted hospitality and fed created beings — every nomad and settled person, every one arriving and departing — by virtue of his state and station

﴿سن القرى﴾

وقوله: (لذلك) متعلق ب (سن.) أي، لما كان للخليل، عليه السلام، مرتبة العرفان وشهود الخلق في الأعيان والتخلل بنور ربه في أسمائه ومظاهره التي هي الأكوان، سن القرى لذلك، وهو إعطاء الرزق للمرزوقين. ولذلك جعله الشيخ المحقق، ابن مسرة الجبلي، رضى الله عنه، مع ميكائيل، عليه السلام، في إيصال الأرزاق. قال الشيخ الأكبر في فتوحاته، في الباب الثالث عشر: (روينا عن عون ابن مسرة الجبلي، من أكبر أهل الطريق علما وحالا وكشفا: العرش المحمول هو الملك، وهو محصور في جسم وروح وغذاء ومرتبة %~% ) فآدم وإسرافيل للصور، وجبرئيل ومحمد للأرواح، و ميكائيل وإبراهيم للأرزاق، ومالك ورضوان للوعد والوعيد. وليس في الملك إلا ما ذكر) %~% "" اعلم أيد الله الولي الحميم أن العرش في لسان العرب يطلق ويراد به الملك يقال ثل عرش الملك إذا دخل في ملكه خلل ويطلق . ويراد به السرير فإذا كان العرش عبارة عن الملك فتكون حملته هم القائمون به . وإذا كان العرش السرير فتكون حملته ما يقوم عليه من القوائم أو من يحمله على كواهلهم . والعدد يدخل في حملة العرش وقد جعل الرسول حكمهم في الدنيا أربعة وفي القيامة ثمانية فتلا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : "ويَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَمانِيَةٌ ". ثم قال وهم اليوم أربعة يعني في يوم الدنيا وقوله يومئذ ثمانية يعني يوم الآخرة العرش محصور في جسم وروح وغذاء ومرتبة روينا عن ابن مسرة الجبلي من أكبر أهل الطريق علما وحالا وكشفا العرش المحمول هو الملك وهو محصور في جسم وروح وغذاء ومرتبة . فآدم وإسرافيل للصور وجبريل ومحمد للأرواح وميكائيل وإبراهيم للأرزاق ومالك ورضوان للوعد والوعيد وليس في الملك إلا ما ذكر . والأغذية التي هي الأرزاق حسية ومعنوية فالذي نذكر في هذا الباب الطريقة الواحدة التي هي بمعنى الملك لما يتعلق به من الفائدة في الطريق وتكون حملته عبارة عن القائمين بتدبيره . فتدبر صورة عنصرية أو صورة نورية . وروحا مدبر الصورة عنصرية . وروحا مدبرا مسخرا الصورة نورية . وغذاء لصورة عنصرية . وغذاء علوم ومعارف لأرواح . ومرتبة حسية من سعادة بدخول الجنة . ومرتبة حسية من شقاوة بدخول جهنم . ومرتبة روحية علمية . فمبنى هذا الباب على أربع مسائل : المسألة الأولى الصورة والمسألة الثانية الروح والمسألة الثالثة الغذاء والمسألة الرابعة المرتبة وهي الغاية . وكل مسألة منها تنقسم قسمين فتكون ثمانية وهم حملة عرش الملك أي إذا ظهرت الثمانية قام الملك وظهر واستوى عليه مليكه. الأجسام النورية والملائكة المهيمون والملائكة الكروبيون المسألة الأولى الصورة وهي تنقسم قسمين : صورة جسمية عنصرية تتضمن صورة جسدية خيالية والقسم الآخر صورة جسمية نورية فلنبتدئ بالجسم النوري : فنقول إن أول جسم خلقه الله أجسام الأرواح الملكية المهيمة في جلال الله ومنهم العقل الأول والنفس الكل وإليها انتهت الأجسام النورية المخلوقة من نور الجلال . وما ثم ملك من هؤلاء الملائكة من وجد بواسطة غيره إلا النفس التي دون العقل وكل ملك خلق بعد هؤلاء فداخلون تحت حكم الطبيعة فهم من جنس أفلاكها التي خلقوا منها وهم عمارها . وكذلك ملائكة العناصر . وآخر صنف من الأملاك الملائكة المخلوقون من أعمال العباد وأنفاسهم . فلنذكر ذلك صنفا صنفا في هذا الباب إن شاء الله تعالى . اعلم أن الله تعالى كان قبل إن يخلق الخلق ولا قبلية زمان وإنما ذلك عبارة للتوصيل تدل على نسبة يحصل بها المقصود في نفس السامع كان جل وتعالى في عماء ما تحته هواء وما فوقه هواء . وهو أول مظهر إلهي ظهر فيه سرى فيه النور الذاتي كما ظهر في قوله "الله نُورُ السَّماواتِ والْأَرْضِ" فلما انصبغ ذلك العماء بالنور فتح فيه صور الملائكة المهيمين الذين هم فوق عالم الأجسام الطبيعية ولا عرش ولا مخلوق تقدمهم . فلما أوجدهم تجلى لهم فصار لهم من ذلك التجلي غيبا كان ذلك الغيب روحا لهم أي لتلك الصور وتجلى لهم في اسمه الجميل فهاموا في جلال جماله فهم لا يفيقون"" فكما يتخلل الرزق ذات المرزوق بحيث لا يبقى شئ فيه إلا تخلله، كذلك لا بد أن يتخلل إبراهيم، عليه السلام، جميع المقامات الإلهية، المعبر عنها ب (الأسماء)، عند كونه غذاء الحق بظهور الأحكام فيه. فإن الغذاء يسرى في جميع أجزاء أعضاء المغتذى. وما هنالك أجزاء، بل أسماء إلهية وصفات ربانية. فالتخلل إنما يقع فيها. فقوله

His saying (li-dhālika, "for that reason") is connected to (sanna, "he instituted"). That is, since the Friend (al-Khalīl), peace be upon him, possessed the rank of gnosis (ʿirfān) and witnessing creation within the entities (aʿyān), and permeation by the light of his Lord within His Names and manifestations (mazāhir), which are the cosmos, he instituted hospitality for that reason, which is the giving of provision (rizq) to those provided for. For this reason the verifying Shaykh, Ibn Masarra al-Jabalī, may God be pleased with him, placed him together with Mīkāʾīl, peace be upon him, in the delivering of provisions. The Greatest Shaykh said in his Futūḥāt, in the thirteenth chapter: "We have related from ʿAwn ibn Masarra al-Jabalī, among the greatest of the people of the Path in knowledge, state, and disclosure (kashf): The Throne that is borne is the Kingdom (al-mulk), and it is confined to a body, a spirit, a sustenance, and a rank — [so] Adam and Isrāfīl are for forms, Jibrīl and Muḥammad are for spirits, Mīkāʾīl and Ibrāhīm are for provisions, and Mālik and Riḍwān are for promise and threat. There is nothing in the Kingdom save what has been mentioned." "Know — may God assist the intimate friend — that the Throne ('arsh) in the language of the Arabs is used and meant [to denote] the Kingdom; one says 'the king's throne was toppled' when disorder enters his kingdom; and it is used and meant [to denote] the seat. So if the Throne is an expression for the Kingdom, then its bearers are those who sustain it; and if the Throne is the seat, then its bearers are what stands upon its legs, or those who carry it upon their shoulders. And number enters into the bearers of the Throne: the Messenger made their number in this world four, and on the Day of Resurrection eight, for the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, recited: 'And the Throne of your Lord will be borne above them, that Day, by eight.' Then he said: 'and today they are four,' meaning in the day of this world, while his saying 'that Day, by eight' means the Day of the Hereafter. The Throne is confined to a body, a spirit, a sustenance, and a rank. We have related from Ibn Masarra al-Jabalī, among the greatest of the people of the Path in knowledge, state, and disclosure: the Throne that is borne is the Kingdom, and it is confined to a body, a spirit, a sustenance, and a rank. Adam and Isrāfīl are for forms, Jibrīl and Muḥammad are for spirits, Mīkāʾīl and Ibrāhīm are for provisions, and Mālik and Riḍwān are for promise and threat; there is nothing in the Kingdom save what has been mentioned. The sustenances which are the provisions are sensory and intelligible. What we mention in this chapter is the single way which carries the meaning of the Kingdom, due to the benefit attached to it on the Path, and its bearers are an expression for those who sustain its governance. So [there is] a form governed, either an elemental form or a luminous form; and a spirit governing an elemental form; and a spirit governing, subjugated, a luminous form; and a sustenance for the elemental form; and a sustenance of sciences and gnoses for spirits; and a sensory rank of felicity through entering the Garden; and a sensory rank of wretchedness through entering the Fire; and a spiritual, gnostic rank. The foundation of this chapter rests on four matters: the first matter is form, the second matter is spirit, the third matter is sustenance, and the fourth matter is rank, which is the end. Each of these matters divides into two parts, making eight, and these are the bearers of the Throne of the Kingdom — that is, when the eight appear, the Kingdom stands, becomes manifest, and its King is established (istawā) upon it: the luminous bodies, the dominating angels (al-muhaymūn), and the cherubic angels (al-karūbiyyūn). The first matter: form, which divides into two parts: an elemental corporeal form, which includes an imaginal bodily form; and the other part, a luminous corporeal form. Let us begin with the luminous body: we say that the first body God created is the bodies of the angelic spirits that are dominated/absorbed (muhaymah) in the Majesty of God, among whom are the First Intellect and the Universal Soul, and with them the luminous bodies created from the light of Majesty come to an end. None of these angels came into existence through the mediation of another, except the Soul which is beneath the Intellect; and every angel created after these falls under the ruling of Nature, being of the genus of its spheres from which they were created, and they are the inhabitants thereof. Likewise the angels of the elements. And the last category of angels are those angels created from the deeds and breaths of servants. Let us mention each category in this chapter, God willing. Know that God, exalted is He, existed before He created creation — and this 'beforeness' is not temporal, but rather an expression used for conveyance, indicating a relation by which the intended meaning is realized in the mind of the hearer — He, majestic and exalted, was in a Cloud (ʿamāʾ) beneath which there was no air and above which there was no air. And it is the first divine manifestation in which the essential Light flowed, as it manifested in His saying, 'God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.' So when that Cloud was dyed with this Light, there opened within it the forms of the dominating angels who are above the world of natural bodies, with no throne or created thing preceding them. When He brought them into existence, He disclosed Himself to them, and from that self-disclosure there arose for them an unseen (ghayb) which became a spirit for them — that is, for those forms — and He disclosed Himself to them in His Name the Beautiful, so they became enraptured in the majesty of His beauty, and they do not recover." Just as provision permeates the very essence of the one provided for, such that nothing in it remains untouched by its permeation, so too must Ibrāhīm, peace be upon him, permeate all the divine stations, expressed as (the Names), when he becomes the sustenance of the Real through the manifestation of [divine] rulings within him. For sustenance flows through all the parts of the limbs of the one sustained. And there are no 'parts' there, but rather divine Names and lordly attributes. So the permeation occurs only within them. Thus his saying

﴿سنّ القرى﴾

بحكم سراية ما تحقّق به ذاته في أوصافه وأفعاله - سراية حكم الأصول في فروعها

by virtue of the pervasion of what his essence was realized by, into his attributes and acts - the pervasion of the ruling of the roots into their branches

﴿سن القري﴾

الذي من لوازمه إيصال الرزق إلى المرزوقين . (وجعله) ، أي الخليل عليه السلام (ابن مسرة الجيلي) وهو كما قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه في الفتوحات من أكبر أهل الطريق علم وحالا وكثيرة، والقرا المذكورون في قوله تعالى: "ويحمل عرش ربك فوقهم يومئذ ثمانية" [الحاقة : 17 ] أربعة منهم الملائكة . واختلف فيهم وفي الأنبياء الذين معهم أيضا، فجعل ابن مسرة إبراهيم (مع میكائیل ملك الأرزاق وبالأرزاق يكون تغذي المرزوقين) عليهما السلام قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

which, among its necessary concomitants, is the conveying of sustenance to those sustained. (and placed him), i.e., the Friend, peace be upon him, (Ibn Masarra al-Jīlī) who, as the Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said in al-Futūḥāt, is among the greatest of the people of the Path in knowledge and state and abundance, and the bearers mentioned in His saying, exalted is He: "and the throne of your Lord above them that Day, eight [will bear it]" [al-Ḥāqqa: 17] — four of them are angels. There is disagreement about them and about the prophets who are also with them, and Ibn Masarra placed Abraham (together with Mīkāʾīl, the angel of provisions, and through provisions the nourishment of those provisioned occurs), peace be upon them both. The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said:

﴿وجعله ابن مسرة … مع ميكائيل﴾

ملك ( للأرزاق ) . وقال : إن الله آخى بينه وبين ميكائيل ، وقد اختلف الباقون في مرافقة الأنبياء الذين مع حمله العرش يوم القيامة ، فإنهم يومئذ ثمانية ، منهم الملائكة الأربعة : جبرائيل ، وميكائيل ، وإسرافيل ، وعزرائيل. "" من حاشية تعليقات بالى أفندي : ولأجل هذه المرتبة ( جعله ابن مسرة ) بتشديد الراء المهملة من كبار أهل الطريقة ، قال : ميكائيل وإبراهيم للأرزاق .اهـ بالى . "" قال الشيخ رضي الله عنه

the angel (of provisions). And he said: God made him a brother to Mīkāʾīl. The rest have differed concerning the companionship of the prophets who will be with the bearers of the Throne on the Day of Resurrection, for they will be eight on that day, among them the four angels: Jibrāʾīl, Mīkāʾīl, Isrāfīl, and ʿIzrāʾīl. "" From the marginal commentary of Bālī Afandī: and on account of this rank, Ibn Masarra — with doubling of the unpointed rāʾ — one of the great masters of the Path, made him [so], saying: Mīkāʾīl and Abraham are [responsible] for provisions. End, Bālī. "" The Shaykh, may God be pleased with him, said

﴿وجعله ابن مسرّة مع ميكائيل للأرزاق﴾

قال الشيخ على قوله تعالى : " وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَمانِيَةٌ " [ 69 / 17 ] : " روينا عن ابن مسرة الجبلي "هو عبد اللَّه بن مسرة الجبلي الصوفي المعتزلي ، ولد بقرطبة عام 269 ، وتوفى سنة 319 " من أكبر أهل الطريق علما وحالا وكشفا : العرش المحمول هو الملك ، وهو محصور في جسم وروح وغذاء ومرتبة فآدم وإسرافيل للصور ، وجبرئيل ومحمّد للأرواح ، وميكائيل وإبراهيم للأرزاق ، ومالك ورضوان للوعد والوعيد ، وليس في الملك إلَّا ما ذكر " . ثمّ إنّ الخليل إذا كان للأرزاق

- the Shaykh said, regarding His saying, Exalted is He: "And the Throne of your Lord will be borne above them that Day by eight" [69:17]: "We have related, from Ibn Masarra al-Jabalī" - he is ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masarra al-Jabalī, the Muʿtazilite Sufi, born in Córdoba in the year 269, and died in the year 319 - "one of the greatest of the people of the Path in knowledge, state, and unveiling: the Throne that is borne is the Dominion (al-mulk), and it is confined to body, spirit, nourishment, and rank. So Adam and Isrāfīl are for forms; Gabriel and Muḥammad are for spirits; Michael and Abraham are for sustenance; and Mālik and Riḍwān are for promise and threat - and there is nothing in the Dominion save what has been mentioned." Now since the Intimate Friend is in charge of sustenance

﴿وبالأرزاق يكون تغذى المرزوقين ، فإذا تخلل الرزق ذات المرزوق بحيث لا يبقى فيه شيء إلا تخلله ،فإن الغذاء يسرى في جميع أجزاء المتغذى كلها﴾

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

هذا التشبيه للخلة بالتغذي كما ذكر ، فإن المتخللين يتخلل كل منهما بجمعية وجوده وأحدية جمعه حقيقة بالآخر ، كالغذاء الساري بحقيقته في جميع أجزاء المتغذى . "" من حاشية تعليقات بالى أفندي

— this is the likening of khulla (intimate friendship) to nourishment as mentioned, for each of the two interpenetrating [things] interpenetrates the other, in reality, through the totality (jamʿiyya) of its existence and the oneness of its all-comprehensiveness (aḥadiyyat jamʿih), like nourishment permeating, in its reality, all the parts of the one nourished. "" From the marginal commentary of Bālī Afandī

﴿وبالأرزاق يكون تغذي المرزوقين - فإذا تخلَّل الرزق ذات المرزوق بحيث لا يبقي فيه شيء إلَّا تخلَّله ، فإنّ الغذاء يسري في جميع أجزاء المغتذي كلَّها - وما هنالك أجزاء فلا بد أن يتخلَّل﴾

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

جواب الشرط : أي إذا تخلَّل الرزق ذات المرزوق ، والخليل للأرزاق : فلا بدّ أن يتخلَّل الخليل

- this is the apodosis of the conditional: that is, if sustenance permeates the essence of the one sustained, and the Intimate Friend is in charge of sustenance, then the Intimate Friend must necessarily permeate

﴿وبالأرزاق يكون تغذي المرزوقين فإذا تخلل الرزق ذات المرزوق بحيث لا يبقى فيه﴾

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

أي في أجزاء المرزوق

i.e., in the parts of the one provided for —