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 160 · Abraham’s dream: “So look, what do you see?”
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 359, Damascus 1966, p. 360, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 342, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 343 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى، حَاكِياً قَوْلَ اِبْرَاهِيمَ لِابْنِهِ– عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ–: «إِنِّي أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى».
He, exalted is He, said, relating the words of Abraham to his son (peace be upon them both): “I see in sleep that I am slaughtering you; so look, what do you see?” (Q 37:102)
هَذَا تَعْلِيمٌ مِنْ اِبْرَاهِيمَ لِابْنِهِ– عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ– وَتَسْلِيَةٌ لَهُ لِمَا أَرَادَ بِهِ مِنَ الذَّبْحِ، وَاِرْشَادٌ لَهُ أَنْ لَا يَيْأَسَ مِنَ الْفَرَجِ، بِأَنَّ هَذَا الْمَوْطِنَ الدُّنْيَوِيَّ لَيْسَ هُوَ مَوْطِنَ الِانْتِبَاهِ الْحَقِيقِيِّ.
This is a teaching from Abraham to his son (peace be upon them both), a consolation to him for the slaughter he intended for him, and a guidance to him not to despair of relief: namely, that this worldly site is not the site of true awakening,
وَلَا هُوَ مَوْطِنَ رُؤْيَةِ الْحَقَائِقِ عَلَى الْوَجْهِ الْاَكْمَلِ وَعَلَى مَا هِيَ عَلَيْهِ، وَاِنَّمَا مَوْطِنُ الِانْتِبَاهِ وَرُؤْيَةِ الْحَقَائِقِ عَلَى مَا هِيَ عَلَيْهِ؛ الدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ.
nor is it the site of seeing the realities in the most complete way and as they are; the site of awakening and of seeing the realities as they are is only the Last Abode.
وَاَنَّ مَا تَرَاهُ مِنْ صُوَرِ هَذَا الْعَالَمِ خَيَالٌ، لِأَنَّكَ فِي مَقَامِ: «النَّاسُ نِيَامٌ فَاِذَا مَاتُوا انْتَبَهُوا».
And that what you see of the forms of this world is imagination, for you are in the station of: “People are asleep, and when they die they awaken.”
فَكَمَا أَنَّ الَّذِي رَأَيْتُهُ أَنَا فِي الرُّؤْيَا خَيَالٌ لَهُ تَعْبِيرٌ، أَيْ عُبُورٌ مِنْ ظَاهِرِهِ اِلَى بَاطِنِهِ؛ فَكَذَلِكَ مَا تَرَاهُ أَنْتَ خَيَالٌ لَهُ تَعْبِيرٌ، عُبُورٌ مِنْ ظَاهِرِهِ اِلَى بَاطِنِهِ،
For just as what I saw in the dream is imagination that has an interpretation, that is, a crossing from its outward to its inward, so too what you see is imagination that has an interpretation, a crossing from its outward to its inward.
فَكُلُّنَا رَأَى خَيَالاً فِي مَنَامٍ، غَيْرَ أَنَّنِي أَنَا رَأَيْتُ مَا رَأَيْتُ فِي الْخَيَالِ الْمُتَّصِلِ، وَأَنْتَ تَرَى مَا تَرَى فِي الْخَيَالِ الْمُنْفَصِلِ، وَحَقِيقَةُ الْخَيَالِ وَاحِدَةٌ.
So each of us has seen imagination in sleep, except that I saw what I saw in conjoined imagination, while you see what you see in disjoined imagination; and the reality of imagination is one.
كُلُّ هَذَا مِنْ اِبْرَاهِيمَ لِيُزَهِّدَ ابْنَهُ– عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ– فِي حُبِّ الْحَيَاةِ،
All this is from Abraham, to make his son (peace be upon them both) renounce the love of life.
وَكَانَ الْخَلِيلُ– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ– عَالِماً بِأَنَّ الرُّؤْيَا لَهَا تَعْبِيرٌ غَالِباً.
And the Friend (peace be upon him) knew that a dream usually has an interpretation.
وَلَكِنْ لَمَّا كَانَتْ رُؤْيَاهُ فِيهَا الْأَمْرُ بِذَبْحِ الْوَلَدِ؛ تَأَدَّبَ وَفَوَّضَ تَعْبِيرَ رُؤْيَاهُ اِلَى مَوْلَاهُ
But since his dream contained the command to slaughter the son, he observed courtesy and entrusted the interpretation of his dream to his Master
وَقَالَ: اِنْ كَانَ لِرُؤْيَايَ تَعْبِيرٌ. فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَى بِهِ وَاِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهَا تَعْبِيرٌ فَأَنَا مُنْفِذُ أَمْرِ رَبِّي.
and said: “If my dream has an interpretation, God is more entitled to it; and if it has no interpretation, then I am the executor of my Lord's command.”
فَجَمَعَ أَسْبَابَ اِنْفَاذِ الْأَمْرِ.
So he gathered the means of carrying out the command.
وَمَا بَقِيَ اِلَّا الْفِعْلُ فَعَبَّرَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ رُؤْيَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ.
Nothing remained but the act, and his Lord interpreted his dream for him with a mighty sacrifice.
وَبِذَلِكَ مَدَحَهُ اللَّهُ بِقَوْلِهِ: «وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّى».
And for that God praised him with His words: “and Abraham, who fulfilled” (Q 53:37).
أَيْ عَمَدَ اِلَى ذَبْحِ وَلَدِهِ وَقِطْعَةِ كَبِدِهِ لِرُؤْيَا رَآهَا،
That is, he set about slaughtering his son, the piece of his liver, for a dream he had seen.
قَرَّتْ عَيْنُ أُمِّ اِبْرَاهِيمَ، كَمَا قَالَ الْأَعْرَابِيُّ لَمَّا سَمِعَ: «وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلاً⁽¹⁾».
Glad is the eye of Abraham's mother!, as the Bedouin said when he heard: “And God took Abraham as a friend” (Q 4:125).
فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى فَاِنَّكَ لَا تَرَى اِلاَّ حَقَّاً ظَاهِراً، بِشَهَادَةِ قَوْلِهِ: «هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ⁽²⁾»
So look, what do you see? For you see nothing but the Real, manifest, by the testimony of His words: “He is the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward, and He knows every thing” (Q 57:3).
أَيْ لَا غَيْرَهُ.
That is, not other than Him.
فَاِنْ رَأَيْتَ غَيْرَهُ فَهُـوَ خَيَالٌ زَائِلٌ، وَوَهْمٌ بَاطِلٌ،
If you see other than Him, it is a passing imagining and a vain illusion;
فَاتَّهِمْ نَفْسَكَ، وَحَدِّقْ بَصَرَكَ،
so suspect yourself, and fix your gaze sharply;
فَاِنَّ الْمُمْكِنَاتِ اِمَّا حَقَائِقُ، وَهِيَ الْأَعْيَانُ الثَّابِتَةُ فِي الْعِلْمِ لَا تُوجَدُ اِلاَّ خَارِجاً،
for contingent things are either realities, and these are the fixed entities in knowledge, which are not found except outside,
وَأَمَّا أَعْرَاضٌ لَا تَبْقَى زَمَانَيْنِ.
or accidents, which do not endure for two moments.
فَهِيَ تَمُرُّ كَمَرِّ السَّحَابِ،
So they pass as the clouds pass,
فَمَا تَرَى اِلاَّ حَقّاً ظَاهِراً مُتَلَبِّساً بِخَيَالٍ سَاتِرٍ،
and you see nothing but the Real, manifest, clothed in a veiling imagination,
وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ الْأَسْمَاءَ الْاِلَهِيَّةَ تَظْهَرُ مُتَلَبِّسَةً بِأَحْكَامِ الِاسْتِعْدَادَاتِ، أَعْنِي حَقَائِقَ الْمُمْكِنَاتِ، وَهِيَ لَاتَظْهَرُ أَبَداً،
and that is because the divine names appear clothed in the properties of the preparednesses, I mean the realities of the contingents, and these never appear;
وَاِنَّمَا تَظْهَرُ الْأَسْمَاءُ بِظُهُورِ الذَّاتِ مُتَحَجِّبَةً بِالْأَسْمَاءِ، وَالْأَسْمَاءُ مُتَحَجِّبَةٌ بِأَحْكَـامِ الْمُمْكِنَاتِ،
the names appear only through the appearing of the Essence, veiled by the names, while the names are veiled by the properties of the contingents.
فَالْمَحْجُوبُ لَايَرَى اِلاَّ أَحْكَامَ الْمُمْكِنَاتِ،
So the veiled one sees nothing but the properties of the contingents;
وَالَّذِي أَعْلَى مِنْهُ يَخْرِقُ حِجَابَ الْمُمْكِنَاتِ، وَيَصِلُ اِلَى الصِّفَاتِ.
the one higher than he pierces the veil of the contingents and reaches the attributes.
وَالْأَعْلَى الْمُحَقِّقُ يَخْرِقُ حِجَابَ الْمُمْكِنَاتِ وَالصِّفَاتِ، وَيَصِلُ اِلَى الذَّاتِ
And the highest, the realizer, pierces the veil of the contingents and of the attributes, and reaches the Essence.
فَيُسَمَّى الْحَقُّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ نَفْسُهُ: الظَّاهِرَ الْبَاطِنَ، بِهَذَا
So the Real, exalted is He, Himself is named "the Manifest, the Hidden" on this account:
فَهُوَ الظَّاهِرُ، لِأَنَّ الْأَسْمَاءَ نِسَبٌ، فَهِيَ اَعْدَامٌ.
He is the Manifest, because the names are relations, and so they are nonexistences.
وَاِنَّمَا الْمُقَوِّمُ لَهَا الذَّاتُ، فَالظَّـاهِرُ الذَّاتُ، وَالْبَاطِنُ الْأَسْـمَاءُ،
What gives them subsistence is only the Essence; so the Manifest is the Essence, and the Hidden is the names;
وَهُوَ الْبَاطِنُ؟ لِأَنَّ الْأَحَدِيَّةَ الذَّاتِيَّـةَ لَا تُجَامِعُ الْكَثْرَةَ الْأَسْمَائِيَّةَ، فَالْبَاطِنُ الذَّاتُ وَالظَّاهِرُ الْأَسْمَاءُ.
and He is the Hidden, because the essential Oneness does not coexist with the multiplicity of the names; so the Hidden is the Essence and the Manifest is the names.
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