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 168 · “That is God’s bounty”
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 375, Damascus 1966, p. 376, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 356, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 357 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا».
God Most High has said: “If, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you and asked God's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found God Ever-Relenting, Compassionate” (Q 4:64).
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ اِذْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِارْتِكَابِ الْمَنْهِيَّاتِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ، وَتَرْكِ الْمَأْمُورِيَّاتِ الْآلَهِيَّةِ، جَاءُوكَ،
“If, when they wronged themselves” by committing the things forbidden by the Law and abandoning the divine commandments, “they had come to you”,
أَيْ جَاءُوا اِلَى طَرِيقَتِكَ وَسُنَنِكَ حَيًّا كُنْتَ أَوْ مَيْتاً، عَازِمِينَ عَلَى تَرْكِ مَا كَانُوا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمُخَالَفَاتِ، تَائِبِينَ، مَجِيءَ انْقِيَادٍ وَاتِّبَاعٍ لَكَ، فِي الْأَقْوَالِ وَالْأَفْعَالِ وَالْأَحْوَالِ؛
that is, had come to your way and your practices, whether you are alive or dead, resolved to abandon the transgressions they had been in, repenting, a coming of submission to you and following of you in words, deeds and states;
فَاَثْمَرَ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ كَشْفاً عَنْ بَصَائِرِهِمْ، فَنَظَرُوا الْأَشْيَاءَ كَمَا هِيَ، وَعَرَفُوا الْحَقَائِقَ عَلَى مَا هِيَ عَلَيْهِ،
and this would have yielded for them an unveiling of their inner sight, so that they saw things as they are and knew the realities as they truly are;
فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ اِذْ حَصَلُوا عَلَى هَذَا الْكَشْفِ، فَقَدِ اسْتَتَرُوا بِاللَّهِ، أَيْ صَارَ غَفْراً لَهُمْ، وَالْغَفْرُ السَّتْرُ،
then they would have sought God's forgiveness, once they had attained this unveiling: for then they have veiled themselves with God, that is, He became a covering for them, ghafr being covering;
وَتَبَدَّلَتْ نِسْبَتُهَا اِلَيْهِمْ بِنِسْبَتِهَا اِلَيْهِ- تَعَالَى-، كَمَا هُوَ الْأَمْرُ فِي الْوَاقِعِ،
and the ascription of them [the transgressions] to them was exchanged for their ascription to Him, Most High, as the matter is in fact,
لِأَنَّهُمْ عَرَفُوا أَنَّ مَا كَانَ مِنْهُمْ اِنَّمَا هُوَ مُقْتَضَى اسْتِعْدَادَاتِهِمْ، وَاسْتِعْدَادَاتُهُمْ اِنَّمَا هِيَ صُوَرُ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْاِلَهِيَّةِ، وَالْأَسْمَاءُ الْاِلَهِيَّةُ اِنَّمَا هِيَ صُوَرُ الذَّاتِ الْعَلِيَّةِ،
because they knew that what had come from them is only what their preparednesses required; and their preparednesses are only forms of the divine Names, and the divine Names are only forms of the exalted Essence;
فَسُتِرُوا وَاسْتَغْفَرُوا بِالذَّاتِ، فَدَخَلُوا كَمَا تَدْخُلُ تَحْتَ الشُّخُوصِ الظِّلَالَاتُ،
So they were veiled and sought veiling through the Essence, and they entered in, just as shadows enter beneath persons,
حَيْثُ رَجَعَ الِاقْتِضَاءُ وَالْفِعْلُ لِلذَّاتِ، فَلَيْسَ الْقَضَاءُ وَالْحُكْمُ اِلاّ مَا اقْتَضَتْهُ لِذَاتِهَا الذَّاتُ، وَحَكَمَتْ بِهِ.
since requirement and act return to the Essence; for decree and judgement are nothing but what the Essence required by Its very self, and judged.
«وَٱسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ».
“And the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them” (Q 4:64).
حَيّاً وَمَيْتاً، طَلَبَ السَّتْرَ لَهُمْ بِالْوُصُولِ اِلَى هَذِهِ الدَّرَجَةِ الْعُلْيَا، وَذَلِكَ بِاِمْدَادِهِ وَاِرْشَادِهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- حَيّاً وَمَيْتاً
alive and dead: he asked covering for them by their reaching this highest degree, and that is through his aid and guidance, God bless him and give him peace, alive and dead,
لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّاباً كَثِيرَ الرُّجُوعِ مِنَ الْغَضَبِ اِلَى الرِّضَى، وَمِنَ النِّقْمَةِ اِلَى الرَّحْمَةِ،
they would have found God Ever-Relenting, often returning from wrath to good pleasure and from vengeance to mercy;
فَيَنْسَخُ مَا شَاءَ بِمَا شَاءَ، وَيَمْحُو مَا يَشَاءُ وَيُثْبِتُ مَا يَشَاءُ،
so He abrogates what He wills by what He wills, and blots out what He wills and establishes what He wills;
فَيُسَمِّى مَا كَانَ سَمَّاهُ مَعْصِيَةً شَرْعِيَّةً؛ طَاعَةً اِرَادِيَّةً أَمْرِيَّةً،
and He names what He had named a disobedience in the Law an obedience in respect of the Will and the Command;
وَيُبَدِّلُ السَّيِّئَةَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ: «أُولَٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ».
and He exchanges the evil deed for the good deed: “Those, God will change their evil deeds into good deeds” (Q 25:70).
وَسَبَبُ هَذَا هُوَ الْحُصُولُ عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْنَا، فَاِنَّ الْوَاصِلَ اِلَى تِلْكَ الْمَرْتَبَةِ لَا يَشْقَى،
The cause of this is attaining what we have mentioned, for whoever arrives at that rank is not wretched;
وَالتَّبْدِيلُ اِنَّمَا يَقَعُ عَلَى الصُّورَةِ وَالْحُكْمِ، فَالسَّيِّئَةُ الْكَبِيرَةُ تُبَدَّلُ حَسَنَةً كَبِيرَةً، وَالسَّيِّئَةُ الصَّغِيرَةُ تُبَدَّلُ حَسَنَةً صَغِيرَةً،
and the exchange falls only on the form and the ruling: a great evil deed is exchanged for a great good deed, and a small evil deed is exchanged for a small good deed;
وَقَدْ وَرَدَ فِي الْخَبَرِ، أَنَّ صَاحِبَ هَذَا الْمَقَامِ يَقُولُ:
and it has come in the report that the one in this station says:
«يَارَبِّ اِنَّ لِي سَيِّئَاتٍ، مَالِي لَا اَرَاهَا هَاهُنَا»:
“O Lord, I have evil deeds: why do I not see them here?”:
«ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ».
“That is God’s bounty; He gives it to whom He wills, and God is the possessor of immense bounty” (Q 57:21).
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