The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 194 · “Few of My servants are truly grateful”

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from Q 34:13, “Work, O family of David, in gratitude; and few of My servants are truly grateful”, the Emir says the family of David means the prophets specifically. The few truly grateful are the more perfect servants of the Essence: prophets, messengers and their perfect heirs, whose every work is gratitude and therefore obligatory. He cites the Prophet standing until his feet swelled, and the sacred ḥadīth on obligatory works. Other perfect knowers may or may not have this presence.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 423, Damascus 1966, p. 424, Damascus 1966, p. 425, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 399, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 400 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُدَ شُكْرًا وَقَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ».

   He, exalted is He, said: “Work, O family of David, in gratitude; and few of My servants are truly grateful” (Q 34:13).✦

   ¶ 3473

2. أَمَرَ تَعَالَى آلَ دَاوُدَ، بِأَنْ تَكُونَ أَعْمَالُهُمْ كُلُّهَا شُكْراً، وَآلُ دَاوُدَ الْمَأْمُورُونَ هُنَا، الْمَقْصُودُ مِنْهُمُ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ خَاصَّةً،

   He, exalted is He, commanded the family of David that all their works be gratitude; and the family of David who are commanded here—those meant among them are the prophets specifically.✦

   ¶ 3474

3. فَهُوَ عَامٌّ أُرِيدَ بِهِ الْخُصُوصُ، كَمَا قَالَ زَكَرِيَّا– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ–: «يَرِثُنِي وَيَرِثُ مِنْ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ».

   So it is a general term by which the particular is meant, just as Zakariyyā—peace be upon him—said: “who will inherit from me and inherit from the family of Jacob” (Q 19:6).✦

   ¶ 3475

4. الْمُرَادُ بِآلِ يَعْقُوبَ: الْأَنْبِيَاءُ خَاصَّةً، لِأَنَّ الْمَطْلُوبَ لِزَكَرِيَّا مِيرَاثُ النُّبُّوَّةِ لَا الْمَالُ:

   What is meant by the family of Jacob is the prophets specifically, because what Zakariyyā sought was the inheritance of prophethood, not wealth:✦

   ¶ 3476

5. «وَقَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ». يَعْنِي وَالْكَثِيرُ غَيْرُ مَشْكُورٍ،

   “And few of My servants are truly grateful” (Q 34:13): meaning, and the many are not ‘thanked’;✦

   ¶ 3477

6. هَذَا فِي عِبَادِ الذَّاتِ، لَا فِي عِبَادِ الْأَسْمَاءِ، فَاِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مُرَادِينَ هُنَا، لِأَنَّ الضَّمِيرَ فِي قَوْلِهِ: عِبَادِيَ؛ ضَمِيرُ الذَّاتِ، الْجَامِعُ لِجَمِيعِ الْمَرَاتِبِ،

   This concerns the servants of the Essence, not the servants of the Names, for these are not meant here, because the pronoun in His words “My servants” is the pronoun of the Essence, which comprises all the ranks;✦

   ¶ 3478

7. فَالْعِبَادُ الْمُضَافُونَ بَيْنَ كَامِلٍ وَأَكْمَلَ، فَالْأَكْمَلُونَ هُمُ الْقَلِيلُ الشَّكُورُ،

   So the servants thus annexed are between perfect and more perfect; and the more perfect are the few who are truly grateful;✦

   ¶ 3479

8. وَلَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ شَكُوراً بِصِيغَةِ الْمُبَالَغَةِ، حَتَّى تَكُونَ أَعْمَالُهُ كُلُّهَا شُكْراً، وَيَصْرِفَ جَمِيعَ مَا أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ لِمَا خُلِقَ لِأَجْلِهِ،

   and the servant is not shakūr, in the intensive form, until all his works are gratitude and he spends everything with which God has favoured him on that for which it was created;✦

   ¶ 3480

9. وَأَمَّا مَنْ كَانَ تَارَةً وَتَارَةً فَلَا.

   As for one who is so at one time and not at another, no.✦

   ¶ 3481

10. وَهَذَا الْقَلِيلُ هُمُ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ وَالرُّسُلُ وَوَرَثَتُهُمُ الْكُمَّلُ– عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ–

    These few are the prophets, the messengers and their perfect heirs—blessing and peace be upon them—✦

    ¶ 3482

11. وَالْكَامِلُونَ هُمُ الْكَثِيرُ، الْقَلِيلُو الشُّكْرِ، وَهُمُ الْعَارِفُونَ الَّذِينَ مَا وَصَلُوا رُتْبَةَ الْأَكْمَلِيَّةِ،

    while the perfect are the many, those of little gratitude; they are the knowers who have not reached the rank of greater perfection.✦

    ¶ 3483

12. فَالْأَكْمَلُ لَا يَقَعُ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ نَافِلَةً، بَلْ جَمِيعُ أَعْمَالِهِ فَرَائِضُ، لِأَنَّهُ اِنَّمَا يَعْمَلُ مَا يَعْمَلُ شُكْراً،

    So no work at all proceeds from the more perfect as supererogatory; rather, all his works are obligatory, because whatever he does he does only as gratitude;✦

    ¶ 3484

13. وَشُكْرُ الْمُنْعِمِ وَاجِبٌ شَرْعاً، عِنْدَ السُّنِّيِّ. وَعَقْلاً عِنْدَ الْمُعْتَزِلِيِّ، وَلَا يَخْلُو اِنْسَانٌ أَيُّ اِنْسَانٍ فِيوَقْتٍ مِنَ الْأَوْقَاتِ، لَيْلاً وَنَهَاراً، مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ أَقَلُّهَا دَوَامُ الْاِمْدَادِ، لِبَقَاءِ الْاِيجَادِ،

    and thanking the Benefactor is obligatory by the Law according to the Sunnī, and by reason according to the Muʿtazilī. No human being whatever is, at any moment, by night or by day, without a blessing, the least of which is the continuance of the supply for the persistence of the bringing-into-existence;✦

    ¶ 3485

14. فَاِنَّ الْوُجُودَ الَّذِي لِلْاِنْسَانِ بِمَثَابَةِ الْجَوْهَرِ، وَالْاِمْدَادَ بِمَثَابَةِ الْعَرَضِ.

    for the existence that belongs to the human being is like the substance, and the supply is like the accident.✦

    ¶ 3486

15. وَلَا بَقَاءَ لِلْجَوْهَرِ بِدُونِ تَجَدُّدِ الْأَعْرَاضِ عَلَيْهِ، فَاِنَّ خُلُوَّ الْجَوْهَرِ عَنِ الْعَرَضِ مُحَالٌ،

    A substance has no persistence without the renewal of accidents upon it, for a substance's being devoid of accident is impossible;✦

    ¶ 3487

16. وَلِهَذَا لَمَّا قَامَ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– حَتَّى تَوَرَّمَتْ قَدَمَاهُ، وَقِيلَ لَهُ: أَتَفْعَلُ هَذَا يَارَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ؟! فَقَالَ: أَفَلَا أَكُونُ عَبْداً شَكُوراً؟!

    For this reason, when he—God bless him and grant him peace—stood until his feet swelled, and it was said to him: “Do you do this, Messenger of God, when God has forgiven you your sins, those past and those to come?!”, he said: “Shall I not then be a truly grateful servant?!”✦

    ¶ 3488

17. فَنَوَافِلُ الْأَكْمَلِينَ صُورَةً وَحُكْماً وَشَرْعاً نَوَافِلُ، وَأَمَّا بِحَسَبِ

    So the supererogatory works of the more perfect are supererogatory in form, in ruling and by the Law; but as regards …✦

    ¶ 3489

18. مَا عِنْدَهُمْ فَهِيَ فَرَائِضُ•

    …what they have; so these are obligatory duties.✦

    ¶ 3490

19. هَذَا حَالُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْوَرَثَةِ الْأَكْمَلِينَ، لِأَنَّهُمْ لَايَعْمَلُونَ الاَّ الْأَفْضَلَ الْأَحْسَنَ،

    This is the state of the prophets and of the most perfect heirs, for they do only what is most excellent and most beautiful,✦

    ¶ 3491

20. وَقَدْ سَمِعُوا قَوْلَهُ تَعَالَى فِي الْحَدِيثِ الْقُدْسِيِّ: «مَا تَقَرَّبَ اِلَيَّ عَبْدِي بِشَيْءٍ أَحَبَّ اِلَيَّ مِنْ أَدَاءِ مَا افْتَرَضْتُهُ عَلَيْهِ»•

    and they have heard His saying, exalted is He, in the sacred ḥadīth: “My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than the performance of what I have made obligatory upon him.”✦

    ¶ 3492

21. وَقَدِ افْتَرَضَ- تَعَالَى- عَلَى عِبَادِهِ الشُّكْرَ،

    And He, exalted is He, has made thankfulness obligatory upon His servants,✦

    ¶ 3493

22. فَهُمْ وَاِنْ كَانَ الْحَقُّ- تَعَالَى- هُوَ الَّذِي يَتَصَرَّفُ بِهِمْ فِي مُشَاهَدَاتِهِمْ، الَّتِي لَاتُحْصَى؟ فَلَا يُغَيِّبُهُمْعَنْ عُبُودِيَّتِهِمْ، الَّتِي بِهَا شَرَفُهُمْ،

    so as for them, even though it is the Real, exalted is He, who disposes of them in their beholdings, which cannot be counted, He does not make them absent from their servanthood, in which their nobility lies.✦

    ¶ 3494

23. وَأَمَّا غَيْرُهُمْ مِنَ الْكَامِلِينَ فَقَدْ يَكُونُ لَهُمْ هَذَا الْحُضُورُ وَالشُّهُودُ، وَقَدْ لَا يَكُونُ، بَلْ يَكُونُ غَيْرُهُ فَافْهَمْ•

    As for others among the perfect, this presence and beholding may be theirs, and it may not; rather, something other than it may be theirs. So understand.✦

    ¶ 3495

Translations, word glosses and term notes are AI-generated (Claude) and marked as such; no published translation is reproduced.Word analysis is automatic (CAMeL Tools), guided by the text's vowelling. How this text was established.