The Book of Stations
المواقف
Context: The 'hidden treasure' report has no chain, rejected by Ibn Taymiyya and al-Zarkashī, accepted by Ibn ʿArabī through unveiling; the supererogatory-works ḥadīth (al-Bukhārī) is sound. The Emir reads 'I am his hearing' as God's He-ness being the servant's faculties; Ashʿarīs and Ḥanbalīs read divine help. His claim that God's general love reaches unbelievers follows Ibn ʿArabī.AI
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ».
He (exalted is He) said: “He loves them and they love Him” (Q 5:54).
In briefAI
The Emir divides God's love for creatures. One love comes before creation: the Essence's inclination to be manifest through the names, the 'hidden treasure' that loved to be known. That love is the first cause of the world, and it reaches every creature. Each creature knows God as far as its preparedness allows. Angels may increase in knowledge, animals and inanimate things are fixed, and man's knowledge is ever renewed. The love after creation has two grades. One is for the elect: a love under the veil, which sees distance and bears fruit only in the next world. The other is for the elect of the elect: the love of the ḥadīth of supererogatory works, in which it is unveiled that God's He-ness is the reality of the servant's faculties, and whose fruit appears in this world. The verses saying God does not love the wrongdoers or unbelievers deny only the special love, never the first.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 228 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 229 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 230 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 226 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 227 ↗ (archive.org)
اعْلَمْ: أَنَّ مَحَبَّةَ الْحَقِّ- تَعَالَى- لِمَخْلُوقَاتِهِ عَلَى أَنْوَاعٍ، نَوْعٌ قَبْلَ خَلْقِهِمْ، وَنَوْعٌ بَعْدَ خَلْقِهِمْ، وَهِيَ عَلَى نَوْعَيْنِ، نَوْعٌ لِلْخَاصَّةِ، وَنَوْعٌ لِخَاصَّةِ الْخَاصَّةِ،
Know that the love of the Real (exalted is He) for His creatures is of several kinds: a kind before their creation and a kind after their creation; and it is of two kinds: a kind for the elect and a kind for the elect of the elect.
أَمَّا النَّوْعُ الْأَوَّلُ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ؛ فَهُوَ عَامٌّ فِي جَمِيعِ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ عَلَى اخْتِلَافِ أَجْنَاسِهَا وَأَنْوَاعِهَا وَأَشْخَاصِهَا،
As for the first kind of love, it is general across all creatures, in all the diversity of their genera, species and individuals.
وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ فِي الْخَبَرِ الْمَشْهُورِ عِنْدَ الْقَوْمِ: «كُنْتُ كَنْزاً مَخْفِيّاً، فَاَحْبَبْتُ اَنْ اُعْرَفَ؛ فَخَلَقْتُ خَلْقاً وَتَعَرَّفْتُ اِلَيْهِمْ فَعَرَفُونِي بِي».
Quotes a hadith: a divine saying, not found in the Six Books or the Muwaṭṭaʾ (sunnah.com data, 11 Nov 2026) · grade not yet checked by a person
This is His saying in the report well known among the folk: “I was a hidden treasure, and I loved to be known; so I created a creation and made Myself known to them, and they knew Me through Me.”
وَهَذِهِ الْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ السَّبَبُ الْأَوَّلُ لِوُجُودِ الْعَالَمِ،
This love is the first cause of the existence of the world.
قَالَ: «وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُونِ».
He said: “I did not create the jinn and humankind except that they should worship Me” (Q 51:56).
أَيْ لِيَعْرِفُونِ،
that is, that they should know Me.
وَهَذِهِ الْمَحَبَّةُ الْمَذْكُورَةُ؛ هِيَ الْمَيْلُ اِلَى الظُّهُورِ بِالْأَسْمَاءِ وَالصِّفَاتِ، وَهُوَ ذَاتِيٌّ مَا تَخَلَّلَهُ اسْمٌ وَلَا صِفَةٌ، اِذْ لَاظُهُورَ لِلْأَسْمَاءِ فِي هَذَا الِاعْتِبَارِ.
This love just mentioned is the inclination to become manifest through the names and the attributes; and it is essential, not interspersed by any name or attribute, since the names have no manifestation in this respect.
ثُمَّ سَرَى هَذَا الْمَيْلُ وَمَحَبَّةُ الظُّهُورِ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْآلَهِيَّةِ فَطَلَبَتِ الظُّهُورَ بِظُهُورِ آثَارِهَا،
Then this inclination and love of manifestation flowed through all the divine names, and they sought manifestation through the manifestation of their effects.
وَقَدْ كَانَتْ مُسْتَجِنَّةً فِي الذَّاتِ، مُسْتَهْلَكَةً فِي الْأَحَدِيَّةِ،
They had been hidden within the Essence, consumed in the Unity.
ثُمَّ لَمَّا خَلَقَهُمْ عَرَفُوهُ كَمَا أَرَادَ، لِأَنَّ خِلَافَ الْاِرَادَةِ مُحَالٌ،
Then, when He created them, they knew Him as He willed, because what is contrary to the will is impossible.
وَعَرَفَهُ كُلُّ نَوْعٍ مِنَ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ، عَلَى قَدْرِ مَا أَعْطَاهُمْ مِنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ، مَا اسْتَعَدُّوا لَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ،
And every kind of creature knew Him in the measure of the knowledge of Him that He gave them: that for which they were prepared of it.
فَأَمَّا الْمَلَائِكَةُ فَكُلُّ مَلَكٍ نَوْعٌ بِانْفِرَادِهِ، لَهُ مَقَامٌ وَمَرْتَبَهٌ كَسَائِرِ أَنْوَاعِ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ وَمَرَاتِبِهَا، لَا يَنْزِلُ عَنْهَا وَلَا يَتَعَدَّاهَا.
As for the angels, each angel is a species on its own, having a station and a rank, like all the other species of creatures and their ranks; it neither descends from it nor goes beyond it.
وَلَهُمْ قَبُولُ زِيَادَةِ الْعِلْمِ بِاللَّهِ- تَعَالَى-.
And they are receptive to an increase in knowledge of God (exalted is He).
فَاِنَّهَا- لَا شَكَّ- قَدِ ازْدَادَتْ عِلْماً بِمَا عَلَّمَهُمْ آدَمُ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ- مِنَ الْأَسْمَاءِ كَمَا أَخْبَرَنَا- تَعَالَى- بِذَلِكَ فِي كِتَابِهِ،
For they, without doubt, increased in knowledge through the names that Adam (peace be upon him) taught them, as He (exalted is He) informed us of this in His Book.
وَأَمَّا الْجَمَادُ وَالْحَيَوَانُ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْاِنْسَانِ فَمَعْرِفَتُهُمْ فِطْرِيَّةٌ لَا تَزِيدُ وَلَا تَنْقُصُ،
As for inanimate things and animals other than man, their knowledge is innate; it neither increases nor decreases.
فَكُلٌّ لَهُ مَقَامٌ مَعْلُومٌ لَايَتَعَدَّاهُ فِي الْمَعْرِفَةِ،
Each has a known station which it does not go beyond in knowledge.
وَأَمَّا الْاِنْسَانُ فَلَهُ مَعْرِفَةٌ فِطْرِيَّةٌ مُتَجَدِّدَةٌ،
As for man, he has an innate knowledge that is ever renewed.
وَتَجَدُّدُهَا اِنَّمَا هُوَ بِالنِّسْبَةِ لِظَاهِرِهِ، أَعْنِي نَفْسَهُ وَعَقْلَهُ،
Its renewal is only with respect to his outward side, I mean his soul and his intellect.
وَاِلاَّ فَالْعُلُومُ كُلُّهَا مَرْكُوزَةٌ فِي حَقِيقَةٍ، تَظْهَرُ آناً بَعْدَ آنٍ بِاِرَادَتِهِ- تَعَالَى-،
Otherwise, all the sciences are implanted in a reality, appearing moment after moment by His will (exalted is He).
لِأَنَّ الْحَقِيقَةَ الْاِنْسَانِيَّةَ مَوْجُودَةٌ فِي الْجَمِيعِ، وَكُلُّ اِنْسَانٍ، بِمَا هُوَ اِنْسَانٌ، قَابِلٌ لِرُتْبَةِ الْاِنْسَانِ الْكَامِلِ،
For the human reality is present in all, and every human being, insofar as he is human, is receptive to the rank of the Perfect Man.
وَلَكِنَّهُمْ مُتَفَاوِتُونَ فِي ظُهُورَ آثَارِ الْاِنْسَانِيَّةِ.
But they differ in degree in the manifestation of the effects of humanity.
وَأَمَّا النَّوْعُ الْأَوَّلُ مِنْ نَوْعَيِ الْمَحَبَّةِ الْخَاصَّةِ فَهِيَ مَحَبَّتُهُ - تَعَالَى - لِبَعْضِ خَوَاصِّ عِبَادِهِ ، كَقَوْلِهِ : « إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ⁽¹⁾ » الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ ، الصَّابِرِينَ ، الشَّاكِرِينَ ، الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ ، « الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفّاً⁽²⁾ » .
اِلَى غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْوَاعِ الْمَحْبُوبِينَ الَّذِينَ اتَّصَفُوا بِصِفَاتٍ خَاصَّةٍ ، أَوْجَبَتْ لَهُمْ مَحَبَّةً خَاصَّةً مِنَ الْحَقِّ - تَعَالَى - ، وَلَكِنَّهَا مَحَبَّةٌ عَلَى الْحِجَابِ وَشُهُودِ الْبُعْدِ .
وَهَذِهِ الْمَحَبَّةُ هِيَ الْمَنْفِيَّةُ عَنْ أَقْوَامٍ مَخْصُوصِينَ كَقَوْلِهِ : « لاَ يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ⁽³⁾ » ، « لاَ يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ⁽⁴⁾ » . اِلاَّ الْمَحَبَّةَ الْأُولَى .
أَمَّا النَّوْعُ الثَّانِي مِنْ نَوْعَيِ الْمَحَبَّةِ الْخَاصَّةِ ؛ فَهِيَ الْمَحَبَّةُ الْمُشَارُ اِلَيْهَا بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : « لَايَزَالُ الْعَبْدُ يَتَقَرَّبُ اِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ ، فَاِذَا اَحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ ، وَبَصَرَهُ ... » الْحَدِيثَ بِطُولِهِ .
Quotes a hadith: al-Bukhārī 6502 (a divine saying), in other words · in a Ṣaḥīḥ, no separate grade · sunnah.com ↗
أَيْ كُشِفَ لَهُ أَنَّ هُوِيَّةَ الْحَقِّ - تَعَالَى - هِيَ حَقِيقَةُ قُوَاهُ الظَّاهِرَةِ وَالْبَاطِنَةِ ،
وَهَذَا النَّوْعُ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ عَلَى كَشْفِ مَنِ الْمَحْبُوبُ ، وَثَمَرَتُهُ ظَاهِرَةٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا ، لِأَجْلِ مَا يَحْصُلُ لَهُ مِنَ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ وَالرُّؤْيَةِ ، عَلَى التَّخَيُّلِ • أَوْ فِي الْأَشْيَاءِ وَاِدْرَارِ الْعُلُومِ الذَّوْقِيَّةِ بِأَنْوَاعِ التُّحَفِ •
وَأَمَّا النَّوْعُ الَّذِي قَبْلَ هَذَا مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ ؟ فَهُوَ عَلَى الْحِجَابِ ، بِاعْتِبَارِ شُهُودِ صَاحِبِهِ لِلْغَيْرِيَّةِ وَالِاثْنَيْنِيَّةِ ، وَلَا تَظْهَرُ ثَمَرَةٌ اِلا َّ فِي الْآخِرَةِ •
وَلِذَا قَالَ فِي الْحِكَمِ الْعَطَائِيَّةِ : « خَرَجَ الْعُبَّادُ وَالزُّهَّادُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَقُلُوبُهُمْ مَشْحُونَةٌ بِالْأَغْيَارِ » •
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