The Book of Stations
المواقف
Context: An ishārī reading of the Flood, which the Sufis hold stands beside the literal sense; Ibn Taymiyya and Salafis reject it as bāṭinī allegory. «الكافرين» and «النجاة» denote inner states of the soul. That God Himself saves and drowns in the forms of ship and water expresses the oneness of being, which opponents call confusing God with creation.AI
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَقَالَ ارْكَبُوا فِيهَا الْأَيَاتِ».
He, exalted is He, said: “And he said: Embark in it” – and the verses that follow (Q 11:41).
In briefAI
The Emir reads Noah's Flood (Q 11:41-43) as an allegory of the human being. Noah is the intellect, the spirit's vizier, and the ship is the spirit, which unites the Law and the Reality. Noah's son is passion. God is the one who saves through the ship and drowns through the water, appearing in the forms of things. Passion's mountain is a mighty created thing, like the philosopher's ascent through the worlds. Clinging to any created thing saves no one. Salvation belongs only to whoever turns to God alone.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 351 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 352 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 353 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 335 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 336 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 337 ↗ (archive.org)
قَالَ نُوحٌ- الْعَقْلُ الَّذِي هُوَ وَزِيرُ الرُّوحِ، وَمُدَبِّرُ مَمْلَكَتِهِ الْاِنْسَانِيَّةِ، لَمَّا خَافَ هَلَاكَ مَمْلَكَةِ الْخَلِيفَةِ، عِنْدَ مَا فَارَ تَنُّورُ الْهَوَى بِالْاِفْسَادِ، وَاِيقَاعِ الِاخْتِلَافِ فِي الْمَمْلَكَةِ، لِمَنْ أَطَاعَهُ وَاتَّبَعَهُ-: ارْكَبُوا فِيهَا فِي سَفِينَةِ الرُّوحِ الْجَامِعَةِ بَيْنَ الشَّرِيعَةِ وَالْحَقِيقَةِ،
Noah – the intellect, which is the vizier of the spirit and the governor of its human kingdom – feared the ruin of the kingdom of the vicegerent when the oven of passion boiled over with corruption and with the sowing of discord in the kingdom. He then said to those who obeyed and followed him: Embark in it, in the ship of the spirit that unites the Law and the Reality,
فَاِنَّهَا الْمُنْجِيَةُ مِنْ كُلِّ هَلَاكٍ، فَاسْتَمْسِكُوا بِهَا،
for it is the one that saves from every perdition; so hold fast to it.
وَلَيْسَ رُكُوبُهَا اِلاَّ طَاعَتَهَا وَاتِّبَاعَهَا فِيمَا تَدْعُو اِلَيْهِ: «بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ مَجْرَيٰهَا وَمَرْسَاهَا».
And embarking in it is nothing other than obeying it and following it in what it calls to: “In the name of God be its course and its mooring” (Q 11:41).
فَبِدَايَتُهَا مِنَ اللّٰهِ، وَنِهَايَتُهَا اِلَى اللّٰهِ، وَهِيَ فِيمَا بَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ مَعَ اللّٰهِ،
So its beginning is from God, its end is to God, and in what lies between that it is with God.
اِنَّ رَبِّي لَغَفُورٌ كَثِيرُ الِاسْتِتَارِ، يَظْهَرُ فِي مَلَابِسِ الْأَكْوَانِ، فَيُسَمَّى بِأَسْمَائِهَا، وَيُحْكَمُ عَلَيْهِ بِأَحْكَامِهَا،
“Truly my Lord is forgiving” – much given to veiling Himself: He appears in the garments of the engendered things, so He is called by their names and their judgements are passed upon Him,
كَظُهُورِهِ بِصُورَةِ السَّفِينَةِ، فَقِيلَ: اِنَّهَا مُنْجِيَةٌ، وَهُوَ الْمُنْجِي لَا السَّفِينَةُ،
as when He appears in the form of the ship, so that it is said: “It saves”, whereas it is He who saves, not the ship;
كَمَا أَنَّهُ الْمُغْرِقُ الْمُهْلِكُ بِصُورَةِ الْمَاءِ لَا الْمَاءُ،
just as it is He who drowns and destroys in the form of the water, not the water.
فَرَكِبُوهَا وَسَارَتْ: «وَهِيَ تَجْرِي بِهِمْ فِي مَوْجٍ كَالْجِبَالِ».
So they embarked in it and it set off: “And it ran with them amid waves like mountains” (Q 11:42).
هِيَ أَمْوَاجُ الْأَكْوَانِ، تَجْرِي مِنْ كَوْنٍ اِلَى كَوْنٍ، مِنْ عَالَمٍ اِلَى عَالَمٍ، وَمِنْ مَوْطِنٍ اِلَى مَوْطِنٍ.
They are the waves of the engendered things, running from one engendered thing to another, from world to world, and from abode to abode.
وَشَبَّهَ الْأَمْوَاجَ بِالْجِبَالِ لِأَنَّ خُرُوجَ النَّفْسِ وَالْجَوَارِحِ عَنِ الْأَكْوَانِ وَالْمَأْلُوفَاتِ أَثْقَلُ عَلَيْهَا مِنْ حَمْلِ الْجِبَالِ،
He likened the waves to mountains because for the soul and the bodily members, leaving the engendered things and what is familiar is heavier than carrying mountains.
وَنَادَى نُوحٌ الْعَقْلُ ابْنَهُ الْهَوَى، سَمَّاهُ ابْناً شَفَقَةً عَلَيْهِ وَرَحْمَةً،
And Noah, the intellect, called out to his son, passion; he called him “son” out of tenderness and mercy towards him.
وَكَانَ الْهَوَى فِي مَعْزِلٍ عَنِ الرُّوحِ وَالْعَقْلِ، فَاِنَّهُ ضِدُّ الرُّوحِ الْمُنَازِعُ لَهُ الثَّائِرُ لِطَلَبِ أَخْذِ الْمَمْلَكَةِ مِنْ يَدِهِ، الْمُفْسِدُ عَلَيْهِ صَلَاحَ زَوْجِهِ: «ارْكَبْ مَعَنَا وَلَا تَكُنْ مَعَ الْكَافِرِينَ».
Passion was apart from the spirit and the intellect, for it is the opponent of the spirit: it contends with it, rises up seeking to take the kingdom from its hand, and spoils for it the soundness of its spouse: “Embark with us, and do not be with the unbelievers” (Q 11:42).
أَطِعِ الرُّوحَ وَانْقَدْ لَهُ، وَكُنْ مَعَهُ، وَلَا تَكُنْ مَعَ السَّاتِرِينَ الْجَاحِدِينَ، فَضْلَ الرُّوحِ وَشَرَفَهُ وَسَعَادَتَهُ، وَسَعَادَةَ مَنْ كَانَ مَعَهُ،
Obey the spirit and yield to it, be with it, and do not be with those who cover over and deny the excellence of the spirit, its nobility and its felicity, and the felicity of whoever is with it.
قَالَ الْهَوَى: «سَآوِي إِلَىٰ جَبَلٍ يَعْصِمُنِي مِنَ الْمَاءِ».
Passion said: “I will take refuge on a mountain that will protect me from the water” (Q 11:43).
سَأَتَعَلَّقُ بِكَوْنٍ مِنَ الْأَكْوَانِ الْعَظِيمَةِ يُنْجِينِي مِنَ الْهَلَاكِ، وَاَحْصُلُ عَلَى النَّجَاةِ،
I shall cling to one of the mighty engendered things, which will save me from perdition, and I shall attain salvation,
كَمَا يَقُولُ الْفَيْلَسُوفِيُّ: «اسْلُكْ مِنْ عَالَمِ الْعَنَاصِرِ اِلَى عَالَمِ الْعُقُولِ وَالطَّبِيعَةِ، فَذٰلِكَ عِنْدَهُ النَّجَاةُ وَبِهِ يَحْصُلُ السَّعَادَةُ، فَيَرْحَلُ مِنْ كَوْنٍ اِلَى كَوْنٍ، كَحِمَارِ
as the philosopher says: “Proceed from the world of the elements to the world of the intellects and nature – for that, in his view, is salvation, and through it felicity is attained; so he travels from one engendered thing to another, like the donkey of
الرَّحَى، يَدُورُ، وَالَّذِي رَحَلَ اِلَيْهِ هُوَ الَّذِي رَحَلَ عَنْهُ،
the mill, going round; and that to which he travelled is the very thing from which he travelled.
فَقَالَ نُوحُ الْعَقْلِ لِكَمَالِ مَعْرِفَتِهِ وَنُفُوذِ بَصِيرَتِهِ: «لَا عَاصِمَ ٱلْيَوْمَ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ مَنْ رَحِمَ».
So Noah, the intellect, through the perfection of his knowledge and the penetration of his insight, said: "There is no protector today from God's command except for one on whom He has mercy" (Q 11:43).
لَا يُنْجِى مِنْ غَرَقِ الْأَكْوَانِ، وَطُوفَانِ الْأَغْيَارِ، كَوْنٌ مِنَ الْأَكْوَانِ، وَاِنْ عَلَا وَعَظُمَ،
No engendered being among the engendered beings, however high and mighty it may be, saves anyone from drowning in the engendered beings and from the flood of otherness.
فَاِنَّ الْكَوْنَ كُلَّهُ مُمْكِنٌ، فَقِيرٌ عَاجِزٌ، فَلَا يَعْصِمُ كَوْنٌ مِنْ كَوْنٍ:
For the whole of engendered being is contingent, needy and powerless; so no engendered being protects from another engendered being:
وَوَصْفُ الْعَجْزِ عَمَّ الْكَوْنَ طُرّاً فَمُفْتَقِـرٌ بِمُفْتَقِـرٍ يُنَـادِي
The attribute of powerlessness has covered all engendered being entirely, so one in need cries out to one in need.
فَحَدِّقْ أَعْيُنَ الْاِيمَانِ وَانْظُـرْ تَرَى الْأَكْـوَانَ تُوزَنُ بِالنَّفَـادِ
So fix the eyes of faith and look: you will see the engendered beings weighed by their running out.
فَلَا نَجَاةَ لِمَنْ تَعَلَّقَ بِالْغَيْرِ وَالسِّوَى،
So there is no salvation for whoever clings to the other and to what is other than Him,
وَاِنَّمَا تَحْصُلُ النَّجَاةُ وَالسَّعَادَةُ لِمَنْ تَعَلَّقَ بِاللَّهِ– تَعَالَى–، وَانْحَاشَ اِلَيْهِ، وَأَفْرَدَ التَّوَجُّهَ اِلَيْهِ، وَالتَّوَكُّلَ عَلَيْهِ، فَرَحَلَ مِنَ الْأَكْوَانِ اِلَى مُكَوِّنِهَا: «وَحَالَ بَيْنَهُمَا ٱلْمَوْجُ».
Salvation and felicity come only to whoever clings to God, exalted is He, takes refuge with Him, and makes his turning to Him and his trust in Him single, and so travels from the engendered beings to their Engenderer: "And the wave came between them" (Q 11:43).
فَعَرَجَ الرُّوحُ بِمَنْ أَطَاعَهُ وَتَعَلَّقَ بِهِ اِلَى حَضْرَةِ الصِّفَاتِ، وَبُحْبُوحَةِ الذَّاتِ، فَنَجَوْا وَسَعِدُوا سَعَادَةَ الْأَبَدِ،
Then the spirit ascended, with those who obeyed it and clung to it, to the presence of the attributes and the heart of the Essence; so they were saved and attained the felicity of eternity.
وَبَقِيَ الْهَوَى وَمَنْ أَطَاعَهُ فِي شَرَكِ الْعَنَاصِرِ وَأَسْرِ الْأَغْيَارِ: «فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُغْرَقِينَ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُغْرَقِينَ».
And passion, with those who obeyed it, remained in the snare of the elements and the captivity of otherness: "And he was among the drowned. And he was among the drowned" (Q 11:43).
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.