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 171 · “In gardens and a river”
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 378, Damascus 1966, p. 379, Damascus 1966, p. 380, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 359, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 360, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 361 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «إِنَّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَنَهَرٍ⁽⁹⁾»
He, exalted is He, said: “Truly those who guard themselves are in gardens and a river” (Q 54:54).
التَّقْوَى جِنْسٌ تَحْتَهُ أَنْوَاعٌ وَأَصْنَافٌ،
Guarding (taqwā) is a genus with kinds and classes under it,
وَالْمُتَّقُونَ هُنَا هُمُ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا حَقِيقَةَ التَّقْوَى، فَـ «أَلْ» فِي الْمُتَّقِينَ لِلْكَمَالِ،
and “those who guard themselves” here are those who guarded themselves with the reality of guarding: the “al-” in al-muttaqīn is for perfection.
جَعَلُوا وُجُودَهُ ـ تَعَالَى ـ سِتْراً لَهُمْ، مَزَّقُوا حُجُبَ الْأَكْوَانِ وَالْأَسْمَاءِ وَالْمَرَاتِبِ، اِلَى أَنْ وَصَلُوا اِلَى عَيْنِ حَقِيقَتِهِمْ،
They made His existence, exalted is He, a veil for themselves; they tore apart the veils of the engendered things, the Names and the levels, until they reached the very essence of their own reality,
فَكَانُوا مُتَّقِينَ بِهَا، وَكَانَتْ لَهُمْ مِجَنّاً مِنْ دُونِ كُلِّ مُتَّقًى.
so they guarded themselves by it, and it was a shield for them rather than any other thing guarded by.
فِي جَنَّاتٍ، سُتُورٌ غَابُوا مِنْ وَرَائِهَا، فَكَانَتْ دُونَهُمْ، وَهِيَ أَسْتَارُ الْأَكْوَانِ وَالْأَسْمَاءِ،
“In gardens”: veils behind which they are hidden, so that the veils stand in front of them; and these are the veils of the engendered things and the Names.
فَهُمُ الْعَرَائِسُ الْمُخَدَّرَاتُ، ضَنَائِنُ اللَّهِ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ، لَايَرَاهُمْ اِلَاّ مَحْرَمٌ مِنْ حَيْثُ ظَوَاهِرُهُمْ.
They are the brides kept behind the curtain, God's treasured ones among His creatures; none sees them, as to their outward aspects, except one close of kin.
وَأَمَّا مِنْ حَيْثُ بَوَاطِنُهُمْ فَلَا يَرَاهُمْ اِلَاّ اللَّهُ،
As for their inward aspects, none sees them but God,
فَاِنَّهُمْ لَايُبْدُونَ مِنْ زِينَتِهِمْ، الَّتِي هِيَ الْخُصُوصِيَّاتُ الْآلَهِيَّةُ، وَالْكَرَامَاتُ الْعِلْمِيَّةُ الْعِرْفَانِيَّةُ اِلَاّ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا،
for they do not display of their adornment (which is the divine special graces and the miracles of knowledge and gnosis) except what appears of it,
وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ دَعَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ اِلَى دُخُولِ جَنّتِهِ، وَهِيَ ذَاتُهُ، لِسَابِقِ عِنَايَتِهِ بِقَوْلِهِ الْقَدِيمِ: «يَا أَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ، ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَرْضِيَّةً، فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي وَأَدْخُلِي جَنَّتِي».
They are those whom their Lord called to enter His Garden, which is His Essence, out of His prior solicitude, by His eternal Word: “O soul at peace, return to your Lord, well-pleased and well-pleasing; then enter among My servants, and enter My Garden” (Q 89:27–30).
«وَنَهَرٍ» سَعَةٌ وَاِطْلَاقٌ وَفَضَاءٌ لَا حَدَّ وَلَا قَيْدَ وَلَا حَصْرَ،
“And a river”: amplitude, unboundedness and open space, without limit, without restriction, without confinement;
مَا حَدَّدَتْهُمْ حُدُودُ الْأَكْوَانِ، وَلَا قَيَّدَتْهُمْ قُيُودُ الْأَسْمَاءِ وَالصِّفَاتِ، وَلَا حَصَرَتْهُمُ الْمَرَاتِبُ،
the bounds of the engendered things did not bound them, the bonds of the Names and Attributes did not bind them, and the levels did not confine them;
جَاوَزُوا الْقَضَاءَ وَالْقَدَرَ، فَلَمْ يَكُونُوا تَحْتَ حُكْمِهِ، بَلِ الْقَضَاءُ وَالْقَدَرُ تَحْتَ حُكْمِهِمْ.
they went beyond the decree and the measuring-out, so they were not under its rule; rather, the decree and the measuring-out are under their rule.
(فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ) الْاِضَافَةُ بَيَانِيَّةٌ فِي الْمَقْعَدِ الَّذِي هُوَ الصِّدْقُ، بِمَعْنَى الْحَقِّ الثَّابِتِ،
“In a seat of truth” (Q 54:55): the construct is explicative, the seat which is the truth, in the sense of the firmly established real,
وَهِيَ كِنَايَةٌ عَنِ الْقُرْبِ الَّذِي لَايُتَصَوَّرُ قُرْبٌ بَعْدَهُ، كَقَوْلِهِ زَيْدٌ مِنِّي مَقْعَدَ الْمُقَابَلَةِ.
and it is a metonymy for the nearness beyond which no nearness can be conceived, as in the saying: “Zayd is to me at the seat of facing.”
وَكُلُّ قُرْبٍ قَبْلَهُ فَلَيْسَ بِمَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ، أَيْ لَيْسَ بِمَحَلِّ الْحَقِّ الثَّابِتِ، اِذْ يَجُوزُ الِانْتِقَالُ عَنْهُ؛ اِلَاّ هَذَا،
Every nearness short of it is not a seat of truth, that is, not the place of the firmly established real, since moving away from it is possible; all except this one,
فَاِنَّهُ مَحَلُّ قُعُودٍ وَثُبُوتٍ لَا حَرَكَةَ مِنْهُ، فَاِنَّهُ الْغَايَةُ الْقُصْوَى لِلطَّالِبِينَ،
for it is a place of sitting and fixity from which there is no movement, since it is the furthest goal of the seekers,
وَهُوَ الْمَوْطِنُ الْأَعْلَى مَحَلُّ الْحَقَائِقِ، حَيْثُ لَا مَوْطِنَ وَلَا مَحَلَّ، بَلْ شَيْءٌ وَاحِدٌ لَا مُغَايَرَةَ وَلَا مُمَايَزَةَ،
and it is the highest abode, the place of the realities, where there is neither abode nor place, but one single thing, with no otherness and no mutual distinction.
فَمَنْ وَصَلَ اِلَى هَذَا فَقَدْ وَصَلَ مَقْعَدَ الصِّدْقِ: «عِنْدَ مَلِيكٍ مُقْتَدِرٍ»
So whoever has reached this has reached the seat of truth: “with an all-powerful King” (Q 54:55).
وَالْعِنْدِيَّةُ فِي حَقِّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ مَجَازٌ، بَلْ لَهُمُ الْعَيْنِيَّةُ لَا الْعِنْدِيَّةُ، آهِ آهِ، وَلَوْلَا لِجَامُ الشَّرْعِ قُلْتُ مَا لَمْ يُقَلْ.
"Being-with" is, in the case of these foremost ones, a figure of speech; rather, theirs is identity, not being-with. Ah, ah! Were it not for the bridle of the Law, I would have said what has not been said.
وَلَٰكِنْ لِجَامُ الشَّرْعِ أَحْكَمُ حِكْمَةً
لِذَاكَ تَرَانِي حَائِماً وَمُمَّوِّهاً
بِأَيَّةِ لَفْظَةٍ تُنَاسِبُ حِكْمَتِي ،
وَمَنْ لَمْ يَصِلْ اِلَى هَٰذَا ، الَّذِي نَقُولُ عَنْهُ بِنَفْسِهِ، فَمِنَ الْمُحَالِ أَنْ يُوصِلَهُ اِلَيْهِ غَيْرُهُ ،
فَاِنَّ الْمُخْبِرَ ـ وَلَوْ بَالَغَ فِي الْاِيضَاحِ وَالْبَيَانِ غَايَةَ مَا يُمْكِنُ ـ لَا يَزِيدُ السَّامِعَ الْجَاهِلَ رَأْساً اِلَّاً حَيْرَةً وَاِبْهَاماً ،
لِأَنَّ الْأَلْفَاظَ وُضِعَتْ لِلْمَعَانِي الْمُتَوَاضَعِ عَلَيْهَا بَيْنَ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ وَالْمُخَاطَبِ .
فَيَتَكَلَّمُ الْمُتَكَلِّمُ بِمَا فِي نَفْسِهِ ؛ فَيَعْرِفُهُ مُخَاطَبُهُ ،
وَالْمَعَانِي لَيْسَتْ بِمَحْصُورَةٍ ، بِخِلَافِ الْأَلْفَاظِ ؛ فَاِنَّهَا مَحْصُورَةٌ مُتَنَاهِيَةٌ فِي كُلِّ لُغَةٍ ،
فَاِذَا كَانَ الْمَعْنَى ، مِمَّا لَمْ يُوضَعْ لَهُ لَفْظٌ يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ؛ فَيَحْتَاجُ الْمُتَكَلِّمُ فِي اِفْهَامِ مُخَاطَبِهِ مَا فِي نَفْسِهِ ؛ اِلَى أَنْ يَنْظُرَ فِي الْأَلْفَاظِ الْمَعْرُوفَةِ لِلْمُخَاطَبِ ، مَا يُقَارِبُ أَوْ يُنَاسِبُ بِالْمَجَازِ أَوِ الِاسْتِعَارَةِ أَوِ الْكِنَايَةِ أَوْ نَحْوِ ذَٰلِكَ ، فَيُعَبِّرَ لَهُ بِهِ عَنْ مُرَادِهِ .
وَرُبَّمَّا يَكُونُ الْمُخَاطَبُ لَا يَلْتَفِتُ ذِهْنُهُ اِلَى ذَٰلِكَ الْمَعْنَى الْمُرَادِ الْمُعَبَّرِ عَنْهُ بِالْمَجَازِ وَنَحْوِهِ ، أَوْ يَكُونُ لِذَٰلِكَ الْمَعْنَى ، لَفْظٌ عِنْدَ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ ، وَلَٰكِنَّ الْمُخَاطَبَ لَا عِلْمَ لَهُ بِذَٰلِكَ ، فَيَكُونُ مِثْلَ الْعَرَبِيِّ مَعَ الْعَجَمِيِّ ،
فَيَبْقَى ذَٰلِكَ الْمَعْنَى كَنْزاً مُطَلْسَماً أَوْ كَنْزاً ضَاعَ مِفْتَاحُهُ ، وَالْبَابُ مَرْدُومٌ .
وَلَٰكِنْ فِي الْأَخْبَارِ فَوَائِدُ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ .
فَلَرُبَّمَا يَكُونُ السَّالِكُ قَارَبَ الْوُصُولَ اِلَيْهِ فَيَشَمُّ رَائِحَتَهُ ، بِسَبَبِ مَا وَصَلَهُ مِنَ الْخَبَرِ ، فَيَجِدُّ فِي الطَّلَبِ .
وَرُبَّمَّا وَصَلَهُ فَيَتَيَقَّنُ أَنَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي كَانَ سَمِعَ خَبَرَهُ .
وَرُبَّمَّا أَفَادَ الْاِخْبَارُ السَّامِعَ تَشَوُّقاً ، فَانْبَعَثَتْ هِمَّتُهُ .
فَاِنَّ النُّفُوسَ مَجْبُولَةٌ عَلَى حُبِّ التَّشَبُّهِ بِأَهْلِ الْكَمَالِ ، فِيمَا كَانَ كَمَالاً عِنْدَهَا .
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