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 163 · “Remember your Lord within yourself”
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 364, Damascus 1966, p. 365, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 346, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 347, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 348 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَاذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ».
He, exalted is He, said: “And remember your Lord within yourself” (Q 7:205).
أَيِ اسْتَشْعِرْ وَتَذَكَّرْ مَعْرِفَةَ رَبِّكَ فِي شُعُورِكَ بِنَفْسِكَ، وَتَذَكُّرٌ لَهَا بِمَعْنَى اعْرِفْ رَبَّكَ فِي ضِمْنِ مَعْرِفَتِكَ نَفْسَكَ.
That is: become aware of, and call to mind, the knowledge of your Lord within your awareness of yourself; and [this is] a remembering of it, meaning: know your Lord within your knowledge of yourself.
فَاِنَّ مَعْرِفَةَ الرَّبِّ وَالنَّفْسِ، كَاللَّازِمِ وَالْمَلْزُومِ، وَأَقَلُّ. كَالظِّلِّ وَالشَّاخِصِ.
For the knowledge of the Lord and [that of] the self are like the necessary concomitant and that which entails it; and less [apart than that]: like the shadow and the figure that casts it.
أَوْ أَقَلُّ كَالصُّورَةِ فِي الْمِرْآةِ وَالْمُتَوَجِّهِ عَلَى الْمِرْآةِ.
Or less [still]: like the image in the mirror and the one turned towards the mirror.
وَاِلَى هَذَا يُشِيرُ خَبَرُ: «مَنْ عَرَفَ نَفْسَهُ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ».
And to this the report points: “Whoever knows himself knows his Lord.”
وَهَذَا الْخَبَرُ– وَاِنْ أَنْكَرَهُ الْحُفَّاظُ وَقَالُوا: اِنَّهُ مِنْ كَلَامِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الرَّازِيِّ– فَقَدْ تَدَاوَلَهُ الْقَوْمُ– رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ– فِي كُتُبِهِمْ، وَبَنَوْا عَلَيْهِ كَثِيراً مِنَ الْحَقَائِقِ
This report, even though the ḥadīth masters rejected it and said that it is from the words of Abū Bakr al-Rāzī, has been passed around by the Folk (God's good pleasure be upon them) in their books, and they built many realities upon it;
فَلَعَلَّهُ صَحَّ عِنْدَهُمْ كَشْفاً، بَلْ قَدْ صَحَّ عِنْدَنَا شُهُوداً وَوُقُوعاً.
so perhaps it was sound for them by unveiling; indeed, it has been sound for us by beholding and by actual occurrence.
وَأَمَّا رِوَايَةً وَوُرُوداً عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– فَلَا،
But as for [its being sound] by transmission and as having come from the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him peace): no.
وَمَعْرِفَةُ الرَّبِّ بِمَعْرِفَةِ النَّفْسِ أَعْلَى وَأَشْرَفُ مِنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ بِالْعَقْلِ وَالْعِلْمِ، وَأَعْلَى مِنْهُمَا؟ مَعْرِفَتُهُ بِالنَّفْسِ مَعَ الشَّرْعِ.
Knowledge of the Lord through knowledge of the self is higher and nobler than knowing Him through the intellect and through learning; and higher than these two is knowing Him through the self together with the Law.
وَمَعْرِفَتُهُ– تَعَالَى– بِالنَّفْسِ هِيَ الَّتِي قَطَعَ الصُّوفِيَّةُ رِقَابَهُمْ فِي طَلَبِهَا وَضَرَبُوا اِلَيْهَا أَكْبَادَ الْاِبِلِ، تَضَرُّعاً وَخُفْيَةً.
And knowing Him, exalted is He, through the self is what the Sufis cut their necks in seeking, and towards which they beat the livers of camels, in humble entreaty and in secret.
اِذَا حَصَلَتْ لَكَ مَعْرِفَةُ رَبِّكَ بِمَعْرِفَةِ نَفْسِكَ، فَعَرَفْتَ مَنْ أَنْتَ وَمَا نِسْبَتُكَ، وَأَنَّكَ الْكَنْزُ الْمُخَبَّأُ تَحْتَ جِدَارِ الْجِسْمِ فَلْتَكُنْ حَالَتُكَ دَائِماً مَعَ هَذِهِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ: التَّضُّرُّعَ وَالْخَوْفَ،
When knowledge of your Lord through knowledge of yourself has come to you, and you have known who you are and what your relation is, and that you are the treasure hidden beneath the wall of the body, then let your state, along with this knowledge, always be humble entreaty and fear;
وَلَاتَقُلْ: عَرَفْتُ وَوَصَلْتُ فَحَسْبُ،
and do not say “I have known and I have arrived” and stop there;
فَاِنَّ الْمَعْرِفَةَ الْحَقِيقِيَّةَ مِنْ لَوَازِمِهَا الْخَوْفُ وَالتَّضُّرُّعُ وَالْاِشْفَاقُ وَالِانْزِعَاجُ.
for true knowledge has among its necessary concomitants fear, humble entreaty, apprehension and disquiet.
فَمَنْ زَادَتْ مَعْرِفَتُهُ زَادَ خَوْفُهُ، كَمَا قَالَ السَّيِّدُ الْكَامِلُ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-: «اَنَا اَعْلَمُكُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَاَشَدُّكُمْ لَهُ خَشْيَةً».
So whoever's knowledge increases, his fear increases, as the perfect master (God bless him and grant him peace) said: “I am the most knowing of you about God and the most intense of you in awe of Him.”
وَوَرَدَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: «اِنَّ الْخَلِيلَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ- كَانَ يَسْمَعُ لِصَدْرِهِ أَزِيزاً كَأَزِيزِ الْمِرْجَلِ عِنْدَ شِدَّةِ الْغَلَيَانِ، مِنَ الْخَوْفِ،
And it has come in a report: “The Intimate Friend (peace be upon him) would hear in his chest a seething like the seething of a cauldron at the height of its boiling, from fear;
وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ الْكِرَامُ يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُمْ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَهُمْ مِنْ خَشْيَتِهِ مُشْفِقُونَ.
and the noble angels “fear their Lord above them” (Q 16:50) “and they, out of awe of Him, are apprehensive” (Q 21:28).
فَهَذِهِ حَالَةُ الرُّسُلِ وَالْأَنْبِيَاءِ، وَكُمَّلِ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ- عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ- كُلَّمَّا أَمَّنَهُمُ ازْدَادَ خَوْفُهُمْ.
This is the state of the messengers and the prophets, and of the perfect among the saints (blessings and peace be upon them): whenever He grants them security, their fear increases.
فَلَا يَأْمَنُ اِلاَّ جَاهِلٌ، أَوْ صَاحِبُ مَعْرِفَةٍ وَهْمِيَّةٍ خَيَالِيَّةٍ، أَوْ صَاحِبُ حَالٍ نَاقِصٍ،
So none feels secure except an ignorant man, or one whose knowledge is illusory and imaginary, or one whose state is deficient.
كَيْفَ؟ وَهُوَ- تَعَالَى- يَقُولُ:
How [could one]? When He, exalted is He, says:
«فَلَا يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ».
“None feels secure from God's devising except the people who are the losers” (Q 7:99).
فَعَّمَ وَمَا خَصَّ:
So He made it general and did not single anyone out:
«وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ».
“and beneath loudness of speech” (Q 7:205).
أَيْ وَفَوْقَ الْاِسْرَارِ.
That is: and above keeping it secret.
فَلْيَكُنْ تَضَرُّعُكَ وَخَوْفُكَ وَسَطاً مِنْ غَيْرِ اِفْرَاطٍ وَلَا تَفْرِيطٍ.
So let your humble entreaty and your fear be in the middle, without excess or deficiency.
فَاِنَّهُ كِلَا طَرَفَيْ قَصْدِ الْأُمُورِ ذَمِيمٌ، فَالْأَفْضَلُ الِاعْتِدَالُ فِي كُلِّ الْأُمُورِ، كَمَا قَالُوا: الْخَوْفُ وَالرَّجَاءُ كَجَنَاحَيْ طَائِرٍ.
For both extremes of the right measure in affairs are blameworthy, so the best thing is moderation in all affairs, as they have said: fear and hope are like the two wings of a bird.
فَمَهْمَا مَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا سَقَطَ الطَّائِرُ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ.
Whenever one of them tilts, the bird falls — “in the mornings and the evenings” (Q 7:205).
فَلْيَكُنْ تَضَرُّعُكَ وَخَوْفُكَ دَائِمَيْنِ مَادُمْتَ مُتَقَلِّباً بَيْنَ الْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ، بِمَعْنَى مَادُمْتَ حَيّاً مُكْتَنَفاً بِالصَّبَاحِ وَالْمَسَاءِ،
So let your entreaty and your fear be constant as long as you go to and fro between the mornings and the evenings, meaning: as long as you are alive, enclosed by morning and evening,
فَاِنَّهُ لَاخَلَاصَ مِنَ التَّكْلِيفِ بِمَا يَجِبُ لِلرُّبُوبِيَّةِ عَلَى الْعُبُودِيَّةِ اِلاَّ بِالْخُرُوجِ مِنَ الْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ،
for there is no release from being charged with what servanthood owes to Lordship except by leaving the mornings and the evenings,
وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ اِلاَّ بِالْمَوْتِ الِاضْطِرَارِيِّ الطَّبِيعِيِّ.
and that is only by compulsory, natural death.
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