The Book of Stations
المواقف
Context: Building on the Fuṣūṣ Hūd chapter (Q 11:56) and the distinction between God's disobeyable legislative command and irresistible creative will, the Emir calls every unbeliever 'obedient' in reality. Ibn Taymiyya and many Ashʿarīs and Ḥanbalīs saw the Law erased and predestinarianism; defenders, the Emir included, say the Law's distinction stands at its level and misguidance's ways are 'not straight'.AI
الْمَوْقِفُ
The Mawqif
In briefAI
The Emir reads “Guide us on the straight path” (Q 1:6) as pointing to one known path: God's path, to which Muhammad guides, the path of all the prophets and those favoured. Every other road is one of the “ways” of those under wrath and those astray. In one respect these ways are also God's, because the name Allāh gathers every name, including the Misleader. They are not straight. Hence every unbeliever disobeys the command of the Law yet obeys the command of the Will. Final felicity or wretchedness returns to each being's original governing name.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 310 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 311 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 312 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 301 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 302 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 303 ↗ (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «أهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ».
He, exalted is He, said: “Guide us on the straight path” (Q 1:6).
أَلْ، فِي الصِّرَاطِ لِلْعَهْدِ.
The al- in al-ṣirāṭ is the article of prior reference.
وَالْمَعْهُودُ هُوَ صِرَاطُ اللَّهِ الَّذِي يُهْدِي اِلَيْهِ مُحَمَّدٌ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– وَيَدْعُو اِلَيْهِ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ». صِرَاطِ اللَّهِ،
وَقَالَ: «وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيماً فَاتَّبِعُوهُ».
And He said: “And that this is My path, straight, so follow it” (Q 6:153).
وَقَالَ: «وَإِنَّكَ لَتَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ».
And He said: “And truly you call them to a straight path” (Q 23:73).
وَهُوَ صِرَاطُ رَبِّ هُودٍ– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ– حَيْثُ يَقُولُ: «إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ⁽¹⁾».
And it is the path of the Lord of Hūd—peace be upon him—where he says: “Truly my Lord is on a straight path” (Q 11:56).
وَهُوَ صِرَاطُ رَبِّ جَمِيعِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ- عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ- وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ مِنَ الْمُنْعَمِ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ، كَمَا قَالَ: «فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ⁽²⁾».
And it is the path of the Lord of all the prophets—peace be upon them—and of those who followed them among those who have been favoured, among the righteous, the truthful and the martyrs, as He said: “Those are with the ones whom God has favoured, of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous” (Q 4:69).
وَهَذَا هُوَ الصِّرَاطُ الَّذِي أُمِرْنَا بِطَلَبِ الْهِدَايَةِ اِلَيْهِ فِي كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ،
And this is the path to which we have been commanded to seek guidance in every prayer;
وَأَمَّا مَا عَدَا صِرَاطَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ فَتِلْكَ سُبُلٌ، وَهِيَ سُبُلُ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَالضَّالِّينَ.
as for whatever is other than the path of the prophets and those who followed them, those are ways, and they are the ways of those who have incurred wrath and of those who go astray.
وَلَا يُقَالُ فِيهَا: صِرَاطٌ، وَلِذَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: «غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ⁽³⁾».
And one does not say 'path' of them; that is why He, exalted is He, said: “not of those who have incurred wrath, nor of those who go astray” (Q 1:7).
وَمَا قَالَ:، صِرَاطِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ.
and He did not say: “the path of those who have incurred wrath”.
وَهِيَ مِنْ وَجْهٍ صِرَاطُ اللَّهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ جَمْعِيَّةِ الِاسْمِ اللَّهِ،
In one respect they are the path of God, insofar as the name Allāh is all-comprehensive;
وَلَكِنَّهَا غَيْرُ مُسْتَقِيمَةٍ، اِذْ جَمِيعُ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ، اِنَّمَا مَشْيُهَا عَلَى سُبُلِ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْاِلَهِيَّةِ، وَهِيَ فِي قَبْضَتِهَا كَمَا قَالَ: «مَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَا⁽⁴⁾».
but they are not straight, since all created beings walk only upon the ways of the divine names, and they are in their grip, as He said: “There is no creature but He holds it by its forelock” (Q 11:56).
وَصِرَاطُ اللَّهِ الْمُسْتَقِيمُ هُوَ الَّذِي جَاءَتِ الْكُتُبُ وَالرُّسُلُ- عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ-، آمِرَةً بِاتِّبَاعِهِ وَالْمَشْيِ عَلَيْهِ، وَنَاهِيَةً عَنِ اتِّبَاعِ السُّبُلِ وَالْمَشْيِ عَلَيْهَا، قَالَ: «وَأَنَّ هَـٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيماً فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ⁽⁵⁾».
And the straight path of God is the one which the Books and the Messengers—peace be upon them—came commanding to follow and to walk upon, and forbidding to follow the ways and to walk upon them; He said: “And that this is My path, straight, so follow it, and do not follow the ways, lest they scatter you from His way” (Q 6:153).
ثَبَتَ فِي صَحِيحِ الْبُخَارِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ- رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ- اَنَّهُ قَالَ: «خَطَّ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- يَوْماً خَطّاً، ثُمَّ خَطَّ خُطُوطاً صِغَاراً عَنْ يَمِينِ الْخَطِّ وَشِمَالِهِ فَقَالَ: هَذَا صِرَاطُ اللَّهِ، وَهَذِهِ سُبُلٌ «عَلَى كُلٍّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهَا شَيْطَانٌ يَدْعُو اِلَيْهِ».
Quotes a hadith: not found in the Six Books or the Muwaṭṭaʾ (sunnah.com data, 11 Nov 2026) · grade not yet checked by a person
It is established in the Ṣaḥīḥ of al-Bukhārī, from Ibn Masʿūd—God be pleased with him—that he said: “The Messenger of God—God bless him and give him peace—drew a line for us one day, then drew small lines to the right and the left of the line, and said: ‘This is the path of God, and these are ways, “on each one of which there is a devil calling to it.”’
«غَالِباً» فِي صِرَاطِي ضَمِيرُ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ، وَهُوَ اللَّهُ- تَعَالَى-.
«Mostly»: in ‘My path’ the pronoun is that of the speaker, and He is God, exalted is He.
فَالصِّرَاطُ الْمُسْتَقِيمُ مَظْهَـرُ الِاسْمِ الْجَامِعِ، وَهُوَ اللَّهُ، وَالسُّبُلُ مَظَاهِرُ جُزْئِيَّاتِ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْاِلَهِيَّةِ.
So the straight path is the locus of manifestation of the all-comprehensive Name, which is Allāh, and the ways are the loci of manifestation of the particulars of the divine names.
فَكُلُّ سَبِيلٍ هُوَ سَبِيلُ اللَّهِ ، مِنْ حَيْثُ الْحَقِيقَةِ .
وَاِنْ تَعَدَّدَتْ وَتَكَثَّرَتْ كَثْرَةً لَايُحِيطُ بِهَا اِلاَّ هُوَ - تَعَالَى - ، لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي نَفْسِ الْأَمْرِ اِلاَّ أَسْمَاؤُهُ - تَعَالَى - ، هِيَ الدَّاعِيَةُ لِلْخَلْقِ ، وَهِيَ سُبُلُهُ الْمُضِلَّةُ ، كَمَا قَالَ :
« يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ » .
وَقَالَ حِكَايَةً عَنْ رَسُولِهِ مُوسَى - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - : « إِلاَّ فِتْنَتُكَ تُضِلُّ بِهَا مَنْ تَشَاءُ » .
وَهِيَ مَظَاهِرُ الْمُضِلِّ وَجُزْئِيَّاتِهِ ، كَمَا أَنَّ صِرَاطَ اللَّهِ ، الَّذِي هُوَ الصِّرَاطُ الْمُسْتَقِيمُ ؛ هُوَ مَظْهَرُ أَسْمَائِهِ الْجَمَالِيَّةِ ، اسْمِهِ الْهَادِي ، وَجُزْئِيَّاتِهِ ،
وَالْكُلُّ رَاجِعٌ اِلَى الِاسْمِ « اللَّهِ » ،
وَاِنَّمَا خُصَّ صِرَاطُ الْمُنْعَمِ عَلَيْهِمْ بِتَسْمِيَتِهِ بِصِرَاطِ اللَّهِ ، تَشْرِيفاً لَهُمْ بِالنِّسْبَةِ اِلَى الِاسْمِ الْجَامِعِ ، وَلِأَنَّ غَايَتَهُ الْوُصُولُ اِلَى الرَّحْمَةِ الْمَحْضَةِ ، وَاسْمُهُ الرَّحْمَنُ ، مِثْلُ الِاسْمِ « اللَّهِ » ، مِنْ حَيْثُ أَنَّ كُلّاً مِنْهُمَا لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى ،
وَعَلَى هَذَا ؛ فَكُلُّ كَافِرٍ عَاصِي مُخَالِفٍ مَاشٍ عَلَى غَيْرِ طَرِيقِ اللَّهِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ ، مِنْ حَيْثُ الْأَمْرُ الشَّرْعِيُّ التَّكْلِيفِيُّ الْوَصْفِيُّ ، فَهُوَ مُطِيعٌ مُوَافِقٌ ، مَاشٍ عَلَى صِرَاطِ اللَّهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ الْأَمْرُ الْاِرَادِيُّ .
فَمَا فِي نَفْسِ الْأَمْرِ اِلاَّ مُطِيعٌ غَيْرَ أَنَّ مَنْ كَانَ مَحْتِدُهُ وَرَبُّهُ الْمُتَوَجِّهُ عَلَيْهِ أَوَّلاً مِنْ أَسْمَاءِ الْجَمَالِ وَالْهُدَى ؛ كَانَ خَيِّراً سَعِيداًبِالذَّاتِ، وَاِنْ عَرَضَتْ لَهُ عَوَارِضُ فِي طَرِيقِهِ ضِدَّ السَّعَادَةِ وَالْخَيْرِ .
فَاِنَّهَا تَزُولُ .
وَالنِّهَايَةُ لَا تَكُونُ اِلاَّ عَيْنَ الْبِدَايَةِ ، وَلَابُدَّ ، وَمَا بِالذَّاتِ لَا يَزُولُ ، وَالْعَوَارِضُ أَحْوَالٌ تَحُولُ ، وَالْعَكْسُ بِالْعَكْسِ ،
مَا يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَيْهِ ، وَمَا هُوَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ .
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.