The Book of Stations
المواقف
Context: The mawqif rests on Ibn ʿArabī's 'particular face' and his reading of Q 17:23 that whatever is worshipped, God is worshipped. Al-Qāshānī and al-Qayṣarī read this as about existence, leaving the Law's condemnation of idolaters, who confine God to one form. Ibn Taymiyya and al-Biqāʿī say it erases tawḥīd and shirk, and that disclaiming ḥulūl and ittiḥād does not answer this.AI
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ»
He, exalted is He, said: “So turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque” (Q 2:144).
In briefAI
The Emir reads the verse changing the qibla as a command to turn the servant's particular face, his secret, which is God's own face in him. Whoever looks with his body or spirit alone sees only bodies or subtle beings, which are veils. Whoever looks with that face sees God's faces in all things, for only God sees and knows God. On Q 17:23, God is the one worshipped in every object of worship. The knower sees the Real as both actor and object in prayer, charity, recitation and sight. The Emir explicitly rejects indwelling and union.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 334 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 335 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 336 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 321 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 322 ↗ (archive.org)
أَيْ وَجِّهْ وَجْهَكَ الْخَاصَّ بِكَ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي قَالَ ـ تَعَالَى ـ فِيهِ: «وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ»
That is: turn your face that is particular to you, and it is that of which He, exalted is He, said: “And the face of your Lord remains” (Q 55:27).
وَهُوَ سِرُّكَ الَّذِي قَامَتْ بِهِ رُوحُكَ، كَمَا قَامَ جَسَدُكَ بِرُوحِكَ،
It is your secret, through which your spirit subsists, just as your body subsists through your spirit;
فَاِنَّهُ هُوَ الْمُرَادُ مِنَ الْاِنْسَانِ الْمَقْصُودُ بِالْأَمْرِ، فَاِنَّ اللَّهَ لَايَنْظُرُ اِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَاِنَّمَا يَنْظُرُ اِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ،
Quotes a hadith: Muslim 2564b, in other words · in a Ṣaḥīḥ, no separate grade · sunnah.com ↗
for it is what is meant of the human being, what is aimed at by the command; for God does not look at your forms, He looks only at your hearts;
وَهُوَ وُجُوهُ الْحَقِّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ الَّتِي لَكُمْ، وَمَنْسُوبَةٌ اِلَيْكُمْ، وَهِيَ الَّتِي وَسِعَتِ الْحَقَّ مِنْكُمْ، وَمَا وَسِعَتْهُ الْأَرْضُ وَلَا السَّمَوَاتُ،
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
and it is the faces of the Real, exalted is He, that are yours and are ascribed to you; they are what in you has contained the Real, whereas neither the earth nor the heavens contained Him;
فَمَا أَمَرَنَا الْحَقُّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ أَنْ نَسْتَقْبِلَ اِلَّا بِهَذِهِ الْوُجُوهِ•
So the Real, exalted is He, has commanded us to turn towards the qibla only with these faces.
وَلَا تَنْظُرُ وَلَا نَسْمَعُ اِلَّا بِهَا•
And you do not look, and we do not hear, except by them.
فَمَنْ تَوَجَّهَ بِجِسْمِهِ الظَّاهِرِ مُجَرَّداً مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ فَمَا تَوَجَّهَ،
Whoever turns with his outward body, stripped of this face, has not turned;
وَمَنْ نَظَرَ بِبَصَرِهِ مُجَرَّداً عَنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ فَمَا أَبْصَرَ، كَمَا قَالَ: «وَتَرَاهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ وَهُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ»
and whoever looks with his sight, stripped of this face, has not seen, as He said: “And you see them looking at you, while they do not see” (Q 7:198).
وَمَا ذَلِكَ اِلَّا أَنَّ نَظَرَهُمْ كَانَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ، لَا بِوُجُوهِهِمُ الْخَاصَّةِ وَأَسْرَارِهِمْ،
and that is only because their looking was with their eyesight, not with their particular faces and their secrets;
وَمَنْ تَسَمَّعَ بِسَمْعِهِ مُجَرَّداً عَنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ فَمَا سَمِعَ، كَمَا قَالَ: «وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لاَ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا»
and whoever listens with his hearing, stripped of this face, has not heard, as He said: “And they have ears with which they do not hear” (Q 7:179).
وَمَنْ تَوَجَّهَ بِقَلْبِهِ اللَّحْمَةِ الصَّنَوْبَرِيَّةِ فَمَا فَقِهَ وَلَا عَقَلَ، كَمَا قَالَ: «لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لاَ يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا»
And whoever turns with his heart, the pine-cone-shaped lump of flesh, has neither understood nor grasped, as He said: “They have hearts with which they do not understand” (Q 7:179).
فَمَنْ نَظَرَ بِعَيْنِهِ الْمُقَيَّدَةِ لَا يَرَى اِلَاّ الْأَشْيَاءَ الْمُقَيَّدَةَ، وَهِيَ الْأَجْسَامُ وَالْأَلْوَانُ وَالسُّطُوحُ.
Whoever looks with his restricted eye sees only restricted things, namely bodies, colours and surfaces.
وَمَنْ نَظَرَ بِعَيْنِ رُوحِهِ الْبَاطِنَةِ. رَأَى الْأَشْيَاءَ الْبَاطِنَةَ مِنَ الْأَرْوَاحِ وَعَالَمِ الْمِثَالِ الْمُطْلَقِ وَالْجِنِّ، وَكُلُّهَا أَكْوَانٌ وَحُجُبٌ.
Whoever looks with the inward eye of his spirit sees inward things: spirits, the world of the absolute image, and the jinn; and all of these are engendered beings and veils.
وَمَنْ نَظَرَ بِوَجْهِهِ ـ وَهُوَ سِرُّهُ ـ رَأَى وُجُوهَ الْحَقِّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ الَّتِي لَهُ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَاِنَّهُ لَايَرَى اللَّهَ اِلَاّ اللَّهُ.
And whoever looks with his face, which is his secret, sees the faces of the Real, exalted is He, that are His in every thing; for none sees God but God.
وَلَا يَعْرِفُ اللَّهَ اِلَاّ اللَّهُ.
And none knows God but God.
وَهَذِهِ الْأَعْيُنُ الثَّلَاثَةُ هِيَ عَيْنٌ وَاحِدَةٌ، اخْتَلَفَتْ بِاخْتِلَافِ مُدْرَكَاتِهَا،
These three eyes are one single eye, differing according to the difference of the things it perceives.
يَالَلْحَيْرَةِ وَيَالَلْعَجَبِ!!
O the bewilderment! O the wonder!
لَايُفَرِّقُ النَّاظِرُ بَيْنَ نَظَرِهِ بِجِسْمِهِ وَرُوحِهِ وَسِرِّهِ، وَهُوَ وَجْهُهُ الْخَاصُّ؟ اِلَاّ بِمُدْرَكَاتِهِ.
The one who looks does not distinguish between his looking with his body, with his spirit and with his secret, which is his particular face, except by the things he perceives.
وَلِهَذَا الْوَجْهِ قَالَ تَعَالَى: «يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ مَرِضْتُ فَلَمْ تَعُدْنِي، وَجُعْتُ فَلَمْ تُطْعِمْنِي، وَظَمِئْتُ فَلَمْ تَسْقِنِي».
Quotes a hadith: Muslim 2569 (a divine saying), in other words · in a Ṣaḥīḥ, no separate grade · sunnah.com ↗
It is on account of this face that He, exalted is He, said: “Son of Adam, I was ill and you did not visit Me; I was hungry and you did not feed Me; I was thirsty and you did not give Me to drink.”
وَلِهَذَا الْوَجْهِ قَالَ ـ تَعَالَى ـ « كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ » اِلَى آخِرِ الْقُوَى .
Quotes a hadith: al-Bukhārī 6502 (a divine saying), part of it · in a Ṣaḥīḥ, no separate grade · sunnah.com ↗
وَلِهَذَا الْوَجْهِ قَالَ :
« وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُوا إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ »
فَاِنَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي عُبِدَ فِي كُلِّ مَخْلُوقٍ ، عُبِدَ فِي نَارٍ ، وَشَمْسٍ ، وَنَجْمٍ ، وَحَيَوَانٍ ، وَجِنٍّ ، وَمَلَكٍ ... اِلَخْ .
فَمُلَاحَظَةُ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ؛ لَازِمَةٌ فِي كُلِّ عِبَادَةٍ وَعَادَةٍ ،
فَاِذَا تَوَجَّهَ اِلَى الْقِبْلَةِ لِلصَّلَاةِ يَرَى أَنَّ الْمُتَوَجِّهَ حَقٌّ ، وَالْمُتَوَجَّهَ اِلَيْهِ حَقٌّ .
وَاِذَا تَصَدَّقَ يَرَى أَنَّ الْمُعْطِيَ حَقٌّ ، وَالْمُعْطَى حَقٌّ ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى : « أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَأْخُذُ الصَّدَقَاتِ »
وَفِي الصَّحِيحِ أَنَّ الصَّدَقَةَ أَوَّلَ مَا تَقَعُ فِي يَدِ الرَّحْمَنِ .
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
وَاِذَا تَلَا الْقُرْآنَ رَأَى أَنَّ الْمُتَكَلِّمَ حَقٌّ ، وَالْمُتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ حَقٌّ ،
وَاِذَا اسْتَمَعَ الْقُرْآنَ رَأَى أَنَّ الْكَلَامَ حَقٌّ وَالسَّامِعَ حَقٌّ ،
وَاِذَا نَظَرَ اِلَى شَيْءٍ رَأَى أَنَّ النَّاظِرَ حَقٌّ وَالْمَنْظُورَ اِلَيْهِ حَقٌّ ، فَاِنَّهُ يَرَى اللَّهَ بِاللَّهِ ،
وَاحْذَرْ اَنْ تَعْتَقِدَ حُلُولاً أَوِ اتِّحَاداً أَوْ سَرَيَاناً أَوْ تَوَلُّداً ، - تَعَالَى - اللَّهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ ،
وَأَنَا بَرِيءٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ •
وَاِنَّمَا هُوَ كَمَا قَالَ الشَّيْخُ الْأَكْبَرُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - : تَرَكْنَـا الْبِحَـارَ الزَّاخِرَاتِ وَرَاءَنَا ... فَمِنْ أَيْنَ تَدْرِي النَّاسُ أَيْنَ تَوَجَّهْنَا !؟
وَقَوْلُهُ : « الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ ، هُوَ وَاِنْ وَرَدَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْمَحْسُوسِ؛ فَيُؤْخَذُ مِنْهُ أَنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ هُوَ الْحَضْرَةُ الْجَامِعَةُ لِأَسْمَاءٍ ، حَضْرَةُ الْأُلُوهِيَّةِ ،
فَهِيَ مَحَلُّ السُّجُودِ ، سُجُودِ الْقُلُوبِ لَا سُجُودِ الْأَجْسَامِ ،
قِيلَ لِبَعْضِهِمْ : أَيَسْجُدُ الْقَلْبُ؟ قَالَ: وَلَا يَرْفَعُ أَبَداً
( الْحَرَامُ ) عَنْ أَنْ يَدْخُلَهُ قَلْبٌ لَمْ يَتَجَرَّدْ مِنْ مُحِيطِ النَّفْسِ وَمُحِيطِ الْأَكْوَانِ،
وَحَيْثُمَا كُنْتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ ، أَيْ حَيْثُمَا كُنْتُمْ فِي عَادَاتِكُمْ وَعِبَادَاتِكُمْ ؛ شَاهِدُوهُ فِي كُلِّ مَأْكُولٍ وَمَشْرُوبٍ وَمَنْكُوحٍ ،
وَعَلَى أَنَّهُ الشَّاهِدُ وَالْمَشْهُودُ ، كَمَا قَالَ : أَقْسَمَ بِالشَّاهِدِ وَالْمَشْهُودِ ، وَمَا أَقْسَمَ اِلاَّ بِنَفْسِهِ لَا بِغَيْرِهِ •
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.
Commentary and talks · 1 study
Teachers and scholars on this mawqif, by other people and not AI. Talks open on YouTube at the moment the speaker reaches it; studies are cited and linked, never quoted. Which passage a talk treats was matched by AI against our Arabic and checked by AI. Links checked 2026-10-31.
open to read (OpenEdition) · main: 19, 197, 149, 73; discussed in the body: 7, 13, 18, 19, 149, 158, 197; the rest cited in notes. Read in full, 31 Oct 2026