The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 111 · “And he finds God with him”

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 245, Damascus 1966, p. 246, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 243, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 244, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 245 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى:• وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ مَاءً حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَهُ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئاً، وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ فَوَفَّاهُ حِسَابَهُ•

   He, exalted, says: “As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a plain, which the thirsty man supposes to be water, until, when he comes to it, he finds it to be nothing, and finds God with him, and He pays him his account in full” (Q 24:39).✦

   ¶ 1716

2. أَيْ مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَسَتَرُوا عِلْمَهُمْ وَمَعْرِفَتَهُمْ بِرَبِّهِمْ، مَثَلُ أَعْمَالِهِمْ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ،

   That is: the likeness of those who disbelieved and concealed their knowledge and their gnosis of their Lord, the likeness of their deeds, is as a mirage in a plain;✦

   ¶ 1717

3. أَيْ هُمْ وَأَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي التَّمْثِيلِ؛ كَالسَّرَابِ الَّذِي يُدْرِكُهُ الْمُدْرِكُ بِالْقَاعِ، فَيَتَوَهَّمُ بِحَسَبِ اِدْرَاكِهِ أَنَّهُ أَدْرَكَ شَيْئاً، يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ مَاءً، حَتَّى اِذَا جَاءَهُ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئاً،

   that is, they and their deeds, in the similitude, are like the mirage that the perceiver perceives in the lowland, so that, according to his perception, he imagines he has perceived something: “which the thirsty man supposes to be water, until, when he comes to it, he finds it to be nothing” (Q 24:39).✦

   ¶ 1718

4. هَذَا وَجْهُ الشَّبَهِ•

   This is the point of resemblance.✦

   ¶ 1719

5. يَعْنِي أَنَّ الْمُتَعَطِّشَ اِلَى مَاءِ الْحَيَاةِ الْأَبَدِيَّةِ وَالْقُرْبِ مِنَ اللَّهِ— تَعَالَى— اِذَا رَأَى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَرَأَى أَعْمَالَهُمْ فِي اجْتِهَادِهِمْ وَمُلَازَمَتِهِمْ لِلطَّاعَاتِ، وَاِقْبَالِهِمْ عَلَى أَنْوَاعِ الْقُرُبَاتِ وَالْمُسَارَعَةِ اِلَى نَوَافِلِ الْخَيْرَاتِ؛ يَحْسَبُهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ عِنْدَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَهُمْ وُجُودٌ وَأَنَّهُمْ فَاعِلُونَ، تَارِكُونَ، مُتَقَرِّبُونَ وَأَنَّهُمْ يَرْجُونَ بِذَلِكَ حُصُولَ نَفْعٍ، أَوْ دَفْعَ ضَرٍّ، فَيَعْظُمُ ظَمَأُ الْمُتَعَطِّشِ اِلَى مَاءِ الْحَيَاةِ وَالْقُرْبِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ— تَعَالَى—،

   He means that the one thirsting for the water of everlasting life and for nearness to God, exalted, when he sees those who disbelieved, and sees their deeds, their striving and their constancy in acts of obedience, their devotion to the various acts that draw near and their hastening to supererogatory good works, supposes that in their own eyes they have existence, that they are doers, refrainers and seekers of nearness, and that by this they hope to gain some benefit or ward off some harm; and so the thirst of the one thirsting for the water of life and for nearness to the Real, exalted, grows great.✦

   ¶ 1720

6. فَاِذَا وَصَلَ الظَّمْآنُ اِلَى ظَاهِرِ أَحْوَالِهِمْ وَاِلَيْهِمْ، وَتَجَاوَزَ عَنْ مَعْرِفَةِ مَا ظَهَرَ اِلَى مَا بَطَنَ، لَمْ يَجِدْهُمْ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَا فِي أَعْمَالِهِمْ شَيْئاً مُغَايِراً لِلْحَقِّ— تَعَالَى—،

   Then, when the thirsty one reaches the outward aspect of their states, and reaches them, and passes beyond knowing what is manifest to what is hidden, he does not find them, either in themselves or in their deeds, to be anything other than the Real, exalted.✦

   ¶ 1721

7. وَهَكَذَا هُوَ التَّجَلِّي الْاِلَهِيُّ فِي الصُّوَرِ، يَكُونُ بِصُورَةِ حَاجَةِ الْمُتَجَلَّي لَهُ، كَمَا تَجَلَّى لِمُوسَى— عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ— بِالنَّارِ، لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ يَطْلُبُهَا،

   Such is the divine self-disclosure in forms: it takes place in the form of the need of the one to whom the disclosure is made, as He disclosed Himself to Moses, blessings and peace be upon him, in the fire, because he was seeking it.✦

   ¶ 1722

8. فَهَذَا الْمُتَعَطِّشُ اِلَى السَّعَادَةِ الْأَبَدِيَّةِ؛ يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَا عَلَيْهِالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي ظَوَاهِرِهِمْ مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ، هُوَ الْمَاءُ الَّذِي مَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ؛ لَمْ يَظْمَأْ أَبَداً،

   So this one thirsting for everlasting happiness supposes that the deeds those who disbelieved are engaged in, in their outward aspects, are the water of which whoever drinks will never thirst;✦

   ¶ 1723

9. فَلَمَّا وَصَلَهُ؛ لَمْ يَجِدْ مِنْ تِلْكَ الصُّوَرِ الْعَامِلَةِ الْعَابِدَةِ فِي بَادِىءِ الرَّأْيِ، وَلَا مِنَ الصُّوَرِ الْمَفْعُولَةِ الْمُتَعَبَّدِ بِهَا، اِلاَّ اللَّهَ— تَعَالَى— مُتَصَوِّراً بِصُوَرِ الْعَابِدِينَ، وَبِصُوَرِ عِبَادَاتِهِمْ، وَمُتَجَلِّياً بِهَا،

   but when he reached it, he found, among those forms that at first sight are working and worshipping, and among the forms that are done and by which worship is performed, nothing but God, exalted, taking on the forms of the worshippers and the forms of their acts of worship, and disclosing Himself through them.✦

   ¶ 1724

10. فَكَانَ اللَّهُ— تَعَالَى— الْعَابِدَ بِتِلْكَ الصُّوَرِ، وَهِيَ كَالْآلَاتِ، وَهُوَ الْمَعْبُودُ بِهَا•

    So God, exalted, was the worshipper through those forms (and they are like instruments), and He was the one worshipped through them.✦

    ¶ 1725

11. وَهَذَا مَعْنَى وَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ،

    And this is the meaning of “and finds God with him” (Q 24:39).✦

    ¶ 1726

12. أَوْ يَكُونُ الْمَعْنَى: أَنَّ الطَّالِبَ لِمَاءِ الْقُرْبِ مِنْهُ— تَعَالَى— يَتَوَهَّمُهُ بَعِيداً مِنْهُ، كَمَا يَرَى الْعَطْشَانُ السَّرَابَ مِنْ بُعْدٍ، فَيَطْلُبُهُ وَيَلْقَى فِي طَلَبِهِ مَشَقَّةً وَتَعَباً،

    Or the meaning may be that the one seeking the water of nearness to Him, exalted, imagines it to be far from himself, as the thirsty man sees the mirage from afar; so he seeks it, and meets with hardship and toil in seeking it.✦

    ¶ 1727

13. فَاِذَا جَاءَهُ، بِمَعْنَى انْكَشَفَ عَنِ الطَّالِبحِجَابُهُ، وَأُمِيطَ عَنِ الْمَطْلُوبِ نِقَابُهُ؛ وَجَدَ مَطْلُوبَهُ عِنْدَهُ وَمَقْصُودَهُ بَعْدَ مَا فَارَقَهُ مِنْ أَوَّلِ قَدَمٍ كَمَا قِيلَ:

    Then, “when he comes to it” (meaning, when his veil is lifted from the seeker and its covering is removed from the one sought), he finds what he sought, and what he aimed at, with him, after he had parted from it from the very first step; as has been said:✦

    ¶ 1728

14. وَمِنْ عَجَبٍ أَنِّي أَحِنُّ اِلَيْهِــمُ وَأَسْـأَلُ شَـوْقاً عَنْهُمُ وَهُمْ مَعِي

    And it is a wonder that I yearn for them, and ask after them out of longing, while they are with me.✦

    ¶ 1729

15. وَتَبْكِيهِمُ عَيْنِي وَهُمْ فِي سَوَادِهَا وَيَشْكُو النَّوَىقَلْبِيوَهُمْبَيْنَأَضْلُعِي

    And my eye weeps for them, while they are in its black, and my heart complains of separation, while they are between my ribs.✦

    ¶ 1730

16. فَوَفَّاهُ حِسَابَهُ، أَيْ أَعْطَاهُ عَطَاءً تَامّاً فَوْقَ مَا كَانَ يُؤَمِّلُهُ وَيَحْسِبُهُ، وَيُمِدُّهُ مِنَ الْكَرَامَةِ، وَحُسْنِ الْمُقَامَةِ،

    "So He paid him his account in full": that is, He gave him a complete gift, beyond what he had hoped for and reckoned on, and He supplies him with honour and with a goodly abode,✦

    ¶ 1731

17. فَاِنَّهُ— تَعَالَى— عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْـدِهِ بِـهِ، كَمَا أَخْبَرَ— تَعَالَى— بِذَلِكَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ•

    for He, exalted is He, is as His servant thinks of Him, as He, exalted is He, has said of Himself.✦

    ¶ 1732

Translations, word glosses and term notes are AI-generated (Claude) and marked as such; no published translation is reproduced.Word analysis is automatic (CAMeL Tools), guided by the text's vowelling. How this text was established.