The commentators side by side

اعلم ان قول الشيخ لماضل فى ليل يروى تارة لماضل بالضاد من الضلال الذى هو خلاف الهدى وتارة لماظل بالظاء المشالة والمعنى على الرواية الاولى أثبت وأمكن وأجزل وأما الرواية الثانية فالمعنى عليها لا يخلو من تكلف فالمعنى على الرواية الاولى اذا خضبت على البناء المجهول من كاس تلك المدامة كف لامس والخضاب هنا عبارة عن الشعاع الذى نشأ عن اشراق نور المدامة ويقع على كف اللامس فانه لا يضل والحال أن فى يده نجما بل هو ي هتدى بالنجم وبالنجم هم يهتدون والمعنى على الرواية الثانية لما استمر فى ليل بل يصير ليله نهارا فتكون ظل من اخوات كان وتكون حينئذ مستعملة فى ضد معناها الاصلى اذ هو فى الاصل لاستمرار بياض النهار فتكون مستعملة بمعنى البقاء فى الليل أى لا يبقى لامس كاسها فى ليل بل يعود الى النهار فان قلت كيف تقول لا يبقى فى ليل بل يعود الى النهار وفى يده نجم والنجم يكون بالليل لابالنها رقلت المرادمن عوده الى النهار الاضاءة التى هى من اوصاف النهار لا النهار الذى يقابل الليل والرواية الاولى هى الصحيحة والفاظها فصيحة

Know that the Shaykh's words lamā ḍalla fī laylin are sometimes transmitted as ḍalla, with ḍād, from ḍalāl (going astray), which is the opposite of guidance, and sometimes as ẓalla, with the ẓāʾ mushāla. The meaning on the first reading is firmer, sounder and weightier; as for the second reading, the meaning on it is not free of strain. The meaning on the first reading: if a toucher's palm were dyed (khuḍibat, in the passive form) from the cup of that wine (the dyeing here stands for the ray that arises from the shining of the wine's light and falls on the toucher's palm), he would not go astray while there is a star in his hand; rather he is guided by the star: "and by the star they are guided" (Q 16:16). The meaning on the second reading: he would not continue in night; rather his night would become day. Ẓalla is then one of the sisters of kāna, and in that case it is used in the opposite of its original meaning, since originally it is for the continuance of the whiteness of day; so it is used in the sense of remaining in the night, i.e. the one who touches its cup does not remain in night but returns to day. If you say: how can you say he does not remain in night but returns to day, while there is a star in his hand, and the star is at night, not by day? I say: what is meant by his returning to day is the illumination that is one of the attributes of day, not the day that is the counterpart of night. The first reading is the correct one, and its words are eloquent.

﴿كف لامس﴾

الاشارة بكف اللامس عن يد المريد الصادق فى ارادة الله تعالى اذا وضعها فى بد الانسان الكامل المرشد المحمدى الجامع وقت المبايعة والمعاهدة كما ورد فى الحديث قال صلى الله عليه وسلم فى بيع الملامسة أن يقول اذا لمست ثوبك او لمست ثوبى فقد وجب البيع بيننا بكذا وهو بيع النفس لله تعالى اللابس بالتجلى والتأثير ثوب الصورة الانسانية الكاملة وهى صورة الشيخ المرشد فاذا وضع المريد الصادق يده فى يد الشيخ الكامل المرشد الى الله تعالى عن الذوق والوجدان فقد لبس المريد ثوب المراد وقد وجب البيع ولزم وتم وقد اشترى الحق تعالى نفس المريد فلا رجوع له عن بيعه شرعا قال تعالى ان الله اشترى من المؤمنين انفسهم أى من المصدقين بالشيخ المرشد والتخضيب كناية عن اتصال المدد الربانى بالمريد الصادق الفانى وقوله لماضل فى ليل أى فى كون من الاكوان

The allusion by the toucher's palm is to the hand of the murīd (aspirant) who is sincere in his desire for God Most High, when he places it in the hand of the perfect human being, the Muḥammadan, all-comprehensive murshid (guide), at the time of the pledge and the covenant; as has come in the ḥadīth: he (God bless him and grant him peace) said concerning the sale by touching (bayʿ al-mulāmasa) that one says: "If I touch your garment or you touch my garment, the sale between us is binding for such-and-such." This is the sale of the soul to God Most High, who wears, by tajallī (self-disclosure) and influence, the garment of the perfect human form, which is the form of the guiding shaykh. So when the sincere murīd places his hand in the hand of the perfect shaykh who guides to God Most High, out of dhawq (taste) and wijdān (inner finding), the murīd has put on the garment of the murād (the one desired), and the sale has become binding, obligatory and complete, and the Real Most High has bought the murīd's soul, so there is no going back on his sale for him according to the Law. He Most High said: "God has bought from the believers their souls" (Q 9:111), i.e. from those who believe in the guiding shaykh. The dyeing is an allusion to the connection of the lordly madad (succor) with the sincere murīd who has passed away (fānī). His words "he would not go astray in night": i.e. in any of the akwān (engendered beings).

﴿وفى يده النجم﴾

أى الكوكب المضىء كناية عن المدد الذى حصل له من لمس يد الشيخ الكامل واتصاله به بالربط المعنوى القلبى الحاصل له بالمبايعة والمعاهدة قال تعالى وبالنجم هم يهتدون وفى الحديث أصحابى كالنجوم بايهم اقتديتم اهتديتم والصحبة المعنوية القلبية باقية فى الورثة المحمديين الى يوم القيامة اه

I.e. the shining star, an allusion to the madad (succor) that comes to him from touching the hand of the perfect shaykh and his connection with him through the inner, heartfelt bond that comes to him by the pledge and the covenant. He Most High said: "and by the star they are guided" (Q 16:16); and in the ḥadīth: "My Companions are like the stars; whichever of them you follow, you will be guided." The inner, heartfelt companionship remains in the Muḥammadan heirs until the Day of Resurrection.