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

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Mawqif 17 · Water takes the colour of its vessel
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 56, Damascus 1966, p. 57, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 66, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 67, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 68 (archive.org)
سُئِلَ سَيِّدُ الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ الْجُنَيْدُ– رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ– عَنِ الْعَارِفِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ فَقَالَ: «لَوْنُ الْمَاءِ لَوْنُ اِنَائِهِ، وَسَكَتَ.
The master of the two groups, al-Junayd (God be pleased with him), was asked about the knower and knowledge, and he said: “The colour of the water is the colour of its vessel,” and fell silent.
يُرِيدُ أَنَّ الْمَاءَ لَالَوْنَ لَهُ، وَاِنَّمَا يَظْهَرُ مُتَلَوِّناً بِلَوْنِ الْاِنَاءِ.
He means that water has no colour, and only appears coloured with the colour of the vessel.
وَكَذَلِكَ الْحَقُّ– تَعَالَى– لَا صُورَةَ لَهُ، وَاِنَّمَا يَظْهَرُ بِصُورَةِ الْعَارِفِ لَهُ.
Likewise the Real (exalted is He) has no form, and only appears in the form of the one who knows Him.
فَالْعَارِفُ الْكَامِلُ؟ هُوَ الَّذِي تَظْهَرُ فِيهِ صُورَةُ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– عَلَى الْكَمَالِ، لِأَنَّهُ مِرْآةُ الْحَقِّ، يَرَى الْحَقُّ فِيهِ أَسْمَاءَهُ وَأَوْصَافَهُ،
So the perfect knower is the one in whom the form of the Real (exalted is He) appears in full perfection, because he is the mirror of the Real, in which the Real sees His names and His attributes;
فَالْعَارِفُ صُورَةُ الْحَقِّ: أَعْنِي صُورَةَ الْعَارِفِ الْبَاطِنَةَ؟
so the knower is the form of the Real; I mean the inward form of the knower.
فَظَاهِرُ الْعَارِفِ خَلْقٌ.
For the outward of the knower is creation,
وَبَاطِنُهُ حَقٌّ.
and his inward is the Real.
فَصُورَةُ بَاطِنِهِ هِيَ صُورَةُالْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– لِأَنَّهُ مُتَخَلِّقٌ بِأَخْلَاقِهِمُتَحَقِّقٌ بِأَسْمَائِهِ. فَكُلُّ مَنْ رَأَيْنَاهُ تَظْهَرُ مِنْهُ أَخْلَاقُ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– وَأَوْصَافُهُ وَأَسْمَاؤُهُ، عَرَفْنَا أَنَّهُ عَارِفٌ بِاللَّهِ، وَأَنَّ الْمَعْرِفَةَ وَصْفَةٌ.
So the form of his inward is the form of the Real (exalted is He), because he has taken on His character traits and is realized in His names. So everyone we have seen from whom the character traits, attributes and names of the Real (exalted is He) appear, we know to be a knower of God, and that knowledge is his attribute.
فَالْعَارِفُ بِمَثَابَةِ الْاِنَاءِ، وَالْحَقُّ– تَعَالَى– بِمَثَابَةِ الْمَاءِ.
So the knower stands in the place of the vessel, and the Real (exalted is He) in the place of the water.
وَلَمَّا كَانَ الْمَاءُ لَا لَوْنَ لَهُ، وَاِنَّمَا يَتَلَوَّنُ وَيَظْهَرُ بِلَوْنِ الْاِنَاءِ؟ فَكَذَلِكَ الْحَقُّ– تَعَالَى– لَا صُورَةَ لَهُ مَخْصُوصَةً.
And since water has no colour, and only takes on colour and appears with the colour of the vessel, so likewise the Real (exalted is He) has no particular form.
وَاِنَّمَا يَتَصَوَّرُ وَيَظْهَرُ بِصُورَةِ الْعَارِفِ لَهُ.
He only takes on form and appears in the form of the one who knows Him.
فَهُوَ هُوَ، وَكُلُّ صُوَرِ الْعَالَمِ آنِيَةٌ، لِظُهُورِ مَاءِ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– وَلَكِنْ لَيْسَ كَالْاِنْسَانِ، فَاِنَّهُ الْآنِيَةُالْوَحِيدَةُ فِي قَبُولِ هَذَا الظُّهُورِ،
So He is He; and all the forms of the world are vessels for the appearing of the water of the Real (exalted is He), but none is like the human being, for he is the one unique vessel in receiving this appearing.
وَلَيْسَ الْمُرَادُ مِنْ نِسْبَةِ الصُّورَةِ اِلَى الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– اِلَاّ أَسْمَاؤُهُ.
What is meant by ascribing form to the Real (exalted is He) is nothing but His names,
لَا أَنَّ لَهُ شَكْلاً مُصَوَّراً مَحْدُوداً، تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ.
not that He has a shaped, delimited figure; God is exalted above that.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: اِنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ آدَمَ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ.
And in the report: “God created Adam upon His form.”
فَالْعَارِفُ خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ، وَالْخَلِيفَةُ لَابُدَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ ظَاهِراً بِصُورَةِ مُسْتَخْلِفِهِ، وَهِيَ أَسْمَاؤُهُ وَصِفَاتُهُ.
So the knower is the vicegerent of God, and the vicegerent must appear in the form of the one who appointed him, and that form is His names and attributes.
وَاِذَا نَقَصَهُ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الصِّفَاتِ فَقَدْ نَقَصَهُ مِنَ الْخِلَافَةِ بِقَدْرِهَا.
If he lacks any of the attributes, he lacks that much of the vicegerency in proportion.
وَالْعَارِفُونَ مُتَفَاوِتُونَ فِي هَذَا.
The knowers differ in degree in this.
وَالظَّاهِرُ بِالصِّفَاتِ وَالْأَسْمَاءِ عَلَى الْكَمَالِ؛ هُوَ الْخَلِيفَةُالْكَامِلُ وَلَا يَكُونُ اِلَاّ وَاحِداً فِي كُلِّ زَمَانٍ، وَهُوَ الْاِنْسَانُ الْكَامِلُ.
The one who appears with the attributes and names in full perfection is the perfect vicegerent; there is never more than one in each age, and he is the Perfect Human,
وَالْآنِيَةُ الْفَرِيدَةُبِالنِّسْبَةِ لِجَمِيعِ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ.
and the unique vessel with respect to all created things.
فَأَشَارَ الْجُنَيْدُ– رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ– اِلَى أَنَّ الْعَارِفَ لَايُعْرَفُ أَنَّهُ عَارِفٌ. وَأَنَّ الْمَعْرِفَةَ نَعْتُهُ؟ اِلَاّ اِذَا ظَهَرَ مُتَخَلِّقاً مُتَحَقِّقاً بِالْأَسْمَاءِ وَالصِّفَاتِ الْآلَهِيَّةِ.
So al-Junayd (God be pleased with him) indicated that the knower is not known to be a knower, nor that knowledge is his quality, except when he appears having taken on the character of, and being realized in, the divine names and attributes.
أَعْنِي الصِّفَاتِ وَالْأَسْمَاءَ الَّتِي يُمْكِنُ الظُّهُورُ بِهَا فِي دَارِ الدُّنْيَا.
I mean the attributes and names with which it is possible to appear in the abode of this world.
وَأَمَّا صِفَاتُ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ، فَاِنَّ أَدَبَ
As for the attributes of Lordship, the courtesy of …
الْمَوْطِنِ، وَهِيَ الدَّارُ الدُّنْيَا؛ يَقْضِي بِعَدَمِ الظُّهُورِ بِذَلِكَ مِنْ أَجْلِ حُكْمِ الْحَصْرِ وَالْقَيْدِ عَلَى صُورَةِ الْعَارِفِ الظَّاهِرَةِ الْمُسَمَّاةِ عَبْداً لِمُقْتَضَيَاتِهِ الذَّاتِيَّةِ اللَّازِمَةِ لِصُورَتِهِ النَّاقِصَةِ لِئَلَّا يَلْزَمَ التَّنَاقُضُ بَيْنَ حَالِهِ وَمَقَالِهِ•
… domain, which is the abode of this lower world, requires that he not appear with that, because of the rule of confinement and restriction over the outward form of the knower, the form named 'servant', owing to its essential requirements, which are inseparable from his deficient form, so that no contradiction may arise between his state and his speech.
وَذَلِكَ لَيْسَ مِنَ الْكَمَالِ فَكَتْمُهُ لِأَوْصَافِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ هُوَ الْكَمَالُ•
And that is not part of perfection; so his concealing the attributes of lordship is perfection.

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