al-Amīr ʿAbd al-Qādir b. Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Jazāʾirī · Kitāb al-Mawāqif fī baʿḍ ishārāt al-Qurʾān ilā al-asrār wa-l-maʿārif
المواقف
The Book of Stations
Mawqif 15 · “He is the First and the Last”
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 51, Damascus 1966, p. 52, Damascus 1966, p. 53, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 62, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 63, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 64 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ⁽³⁾»
He, exalted is He, said: “He is the First and the Last and the Manifest and the Hidden” (Q 57:3).
الْمَحْجُوبُ حَالَ حِجَابِهِ؛ يَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّ لَهُ وُجُوداً مُسْتَقِلّاً مُنْفَصِلاً مِنَ الْوُجُودِ الْحَقِّ، اِمَّا حَادِثاً كَمَا هُوَ مُعْتَقَدُ الْمُتَكَلِّمِينَ، وَاِمَّا قَدِيماً كَمَا هُوَ مُعْتَقَدُ بَعْضِ الْحُكَمَاءِ،
The veiled one, while in his veil, believes that he has an existence independent and separate from the real Existence, either originated, as the theologians believe, or eternal, as some of the philosophers believe;
كَمَا يَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّهُ هُوَ الظَّاهِرُ بِالصُّورَةِ الْمَحْسُوسَةِ الْمَنْسُوبَةِ اِلَيْهِ، الْمُسَمَّاةِ بِزَيْدٍ أَوْ عَمْرٍو،
just as he believes that he is the one manifest in the sensible form ascribed to him, the one named Zayd or ʿAmr;
وَكَمَا يَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّ لَهُ صِفَاتٍ مُغَايِرَةً لِصِفَاتِ الْحَقِّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ مِنْ قُدْرَةٍ وَاِرَادَةٍ وَعِلْمٍ وَنَحْوِهَا،
and as he believes that he has attributes different from the attributes of the Real, exalted is He, such as power, will, knowledge and the like;
كَمَا يَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّ لَهُ أَفْعَالاً صَادِرَةً عَنْهُ، هُوَ فَاعِلُهَا، اِمَّا خَلْقاً أَوِ اكْتِسَاباً.
and as he believes that he has acts issuing from him, of which he is the doer, whether by creation or by acquisition.
وَلَوْ كَانَ الْأَمْرُ هَذَا الزَّعْمَ وَالتَّوَهُّمَ؛ لَمَا بَقِىَ لِلتَّوْحِيدِ أَثَرٌ، وَلَا لِلْأَحَدِيَّةِ خَبَرٌ، وَلَظَهَرَ الشِّرْكُ وَاسْتَقَرَّ.
Were the matter this claim and this fancy, no trace would remain of the profession of unity, nor any tidings of Oneness, and association (shirk) would appear and settle.
فَاِذَا رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ- تَعَالَى- وَأَزَالَ حِجَابَ الْجَهْلِ عَنْ عَيْنِ قَلْبِهِ؛ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ لَا وُجُودَ لِعَيْنِهِ لَا قَدِيماً وَلَا حَادِثاً وَأَنَّهُ بَاقٍ فِي عَدَمِهِ وَاِمْكَانِهِ.
Then, when God, exalted is He, has mercy on him and removes the veil of ignorance from the eye of his heart, he knows that his entity has no existence, neither eternal nor originated, and that he remains in his nonexistence and his possibility.
اِذِ الْمُمْكِنُ مِنْ حَيْثُ هُوَ؛ لَا عَيْنَ لَهُ قَائِمَةٌ، وَاِنَّمَا هُوَ أَمْرٌ مَعْقُولٌ، لِأَنَّهُ بَرْزَخٌ بَيْنَ الْوَاجِبِ، الَّذِي لَايَقْبَلُ الِانْتِفَاءَ.
For the possible thing, as such, has no subsistent entity; it is only something intelligible, because it is an isthmus between the Necessary, which does not admit of negation,
وَبَيْنَ الْمُسْتَحِيلِ، الَّذِي لَايَقْبَلُ الثُّبُوتَ.
and the impossible, which does not admit of being established.
وَكُلُّ بَرْزَخٍ؛ لَا صُورَةَ لَهُ قَائِمَةٌ.
And no isthmus has a subsistent form.
وَلَا يَكُونُ مَحْسُوساً أَبَداً.
Nor is it ever sensible.
وَالصُّورَةُ الْمَحْسُوسَةُ لِهَذَا الْمَحْجُوبِ وَأَمْثَالِهِ؛ لَيْسَتْ لَهُ لِأَنَّهَا لَوْ كَانَتْ لَهُ لَكَانَ هُوَ الظَّاهِرَ.
The sensible form of this veiled one and of those like him is not his, for if it were his, he would be the one manifest.
اِذْ صُورَةُ الشَّيْءِ هِيَ الَّتِي يَكُونُ بِهَا ظُهُورُهُ،
for the form of a thing is that through which its manifestation comes about,
وَلَا ظُهُورَ لِحَقِيقَةِ الْمُمْكِنِ وَعَيْنِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهَا مَعْدُومَةٌ أَزَلاً وَأَبَداً،
and the reality and the entity of the possible thing have no manifestation, because it is nonexistent from beginningless eternity and for endless eternity;
وَاِنَّمَا الْحَقُّ- تَعَالَى- هُوَ الظَّاهِرُ بِأَحْكَامِ اسْتِعْدَادَاتِ الْمُمْكِنَاتِ.
It is only the Real, exalted is He, who is manifest through the properties of the preparednesses of the possible things.
وَالْأَحْكَامُ هِيَ نِسَبٌ وَاعْتِبَارَاتٌ، لَا عَيْنَ لَهَا فِي الْوُجُودِ.
And the properties are relations and considerations that have no entity in existence.
فَكُلُّ ظَاهِرٍ؛ فَهُوَ الْحَقُّ- تَعَالَى- مِنِ اسْمِهِ الظَّاهِرِ بِحُكْمِ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: «هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ»
So everything manifest is the Real, exalted is He, by way of His name the Manifest, by virtue of His saying, exalted is He: “He is the First and the Last and the Manifest and the Hidden” (Q 57:3).
مَحَقَ- تَعَالَى- بِهَذِهِ الْآيَةِ، كَمَا قَالَ الشَّاذِلِيُّ- رَضِىَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ-، الْأَغْيَارَ كُلَّهَا.
By this verse He, exalted is He, effaced all the others, as al-Shādhilī, God be pleased with him, said.
لِأَنَّ كُلَّ مَايَصِحُّ أَنْ يُعْلَمَ وَيُخْبَرَ عَنْهُ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَصِحُّ أَنْ يُعَبَّرَ عَنْهُ بِالشَّيْئِيَّةِ؛ لَايَخْرُجُ عَنْ هَذِهِ الْمَرَاتِبِ الْأَرْبَعِ.
For everything that can rightly be known and reported on, which is what can rightly be designated by thingness, does not go outside these four degrees.
فَلَا أَوَّلَ اِلَّا هُوَ، وَلَا آخِرَ اِلاَّ هُوَ، وَلَا ظَاهِرَ اِلاَّ هُوَ، وَلَا بَاطِنَ اِلاَّ هُوَ.
So there is no first but He, no last but He, no manifest but He, and no hidden but He.
اِذْ مِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ: أَنَّ تَعْرِيفَ الْجُزْأَيْنِ يُفِيدُ الْحَصْرَ .
وَكَذَا صِفَاتُهُ الَّتِي يَعْتَقِدُهَا مُغَايِرَةً لِصِفَاتِ الْحَقِّ - تَعَالَى - لَيْسَتْ كَذَلِكَ ، وَاِنَّمَا هِيَ صِفَاتُ الْحَقِّ ، قَائِمَةٌ بِالْحَقِّ .
لَكِنَّهَا لَمَّا ظَهَرَتْ فِي مَرْتَبَةِ التَّقْيِيدِ؛ تَقَيَّدَتْ آثَارُهَا .
اِذِ الْمُقَيَّدُ لَا تَكُونُ آثَارُهُ اِلاَّ مُقَيَّدَةً.
وَبِقَدْرِ مَا يَنْفَكُّ هَذَا الْمُقَيَّدُ عَنْ أَحْكَامِ التَّقَيُّدِ ؛ تَنْفَكُّ صِفَاتُهُ عَنِ التَّقَيُّدِ .
وَيَظْهَرُ الْاِطْلَاقُ فِي آثَارِهِ اِطْلَاقاً نِسْبِيّاً .
وَأَوَّلُ مَرَاتِبِ الْاِطْلَاقِ النِّسْبِيِّ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى :
« فَاِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ ؛ كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ » الْحَدِيثَ بِطُولِهِ •
وَمُحَالٌ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْحَقُّ – تَعَالَى – سَمْعَ غَيْرِهِ وَبَصَرَهُ وَسَائِرَ قُوَاهُ •
لِأَنَّهُ – تَعَالَى – ذَاتٌ ، وَالذَّاتُ لَاتَقُومُ بِغَيْرِهَا •
وَمُحَالٌ أَنْ تَقُومَ صِفَاتُهُ بِغَيْرِ ذَاتِهِ – تَعَالَى –
فَافْهَمْ اِشَارَةَ الْحَقِّ ، فَاِنَّهُ : السَّامِعُ وَالسَّمْعُ وَالْمَسْمُوعُ وَالْبَصِيرُ وَالْمُبْصَرُ وَالْبَصَرُ ••••
وَكَذَا أَفْعَالُ الْمَحْجُوبِ ، الَّتِي يَعْتَقِدُهَا أَفْعَالَهُ ، لَيْسَتْ كَمَا تَوَهَّمَ ، وَاِنَّمَا هِيَ أَفْعَالُهُ – تَعَالَى – بِلَا وَاسِطَةٍ •
وَلَا لِلْعَبْدِ فِيهَا ، فِي نَفْسِ الْأَمْرِ ، مِنْ حَيْثُ صُورَتُهُ الْعَبْدِيَّةُ ، بِوَجْهٍ وَلَا حَالٍ •
« إِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ وَلَـٰكِنَّهَا تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ » •
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