The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 196 · “God has power over every thing”

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from Q 2:20, “God has power over every thing”, the Emir reads “thing” as what is willed. Power follows will, will follows knowledge, and knowledge follows the known, in a rational order. The impossible is not receptive to being acted upon, so asking whether God has power over it is an unsound question; the sound one is whether He wills it, which would be futility. A second reading, with ʿAlī Wafā, takes “thing” as most general and cites verses with “if” that do come to pass.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 428, Damascus 1966, p. 429, Damascus 1966, p. 430, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 403, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 404 (archive.org)

   قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ».

   God, exalted is He, said: "Truly God has power over every thing" (Q 2:20).✦

   ¶ 3084

2. شَيْءٌ بِمَعْنَى مَشْيُوءٍ، مُرَادٌ فَعْلٌ بِمَعْنَى مَفْعُولٍ،

   "Thing" (shayʾ) has the sense of mashyūʾ, "what is willed", that is, intended: a faʿl-form with the sense of a mafʿūl,✦

   ¶ 3085

3. فَهُوَ تَعَالَى يَقْدِرُ عَلَى كُلِّ مَا يُرِيدُ فِعْلَهُ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: «فَعَّالٌ لِمَا يُرِيدُ».

   so He, exalted is He, has power over everything He wills to do, as He, exalted is He, said: "Doer of what He wills" (Q 85:16).✦

   ¶ 3086

4. وَقَالَ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ».

   And He said: "Truly God does what He wills" (Q 22:14).✦

   ¶ 3087

5. وَلَا يُرِيدُ اِلاَّ مَا يَعْلَمُ قَبُولَهُ وَانْفِعَالَهُ،

   And He wills only what He knows to be receptive and capable of being acted upon,✦

   ¶ 3088

6. وَيَعْلَمُ الْمَعْلُومَ عَلَى مَا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ فِي حَقِيقَتِهِ، مِنَ الْقَبُولِ وَعَدَمِهِ،

   and He knows the known thing as it is in its reality, as to receptivity or its absence;✦

   ¶ 3089

7. وَالْمُحَالُ غَيْرُ قَابِلٍ لِلِانْفِعَالِ.

   and the impossible is not receptive to being acted upon.✦

   ¶ 3090

8. وَعَلَيْهِ فَقَوْلُ الْقَائِلِ: هَلْ يَقْدِرُ اللَّهُ- تَعَالَى- عَلَى الْمُحَالِ؟ سُؤَالٌ فَاسِدٌ،

   Accordingly, someone's saying "Does God, exalted is He, have power over the impossible?" is an unsound question;✦

   ¶ 3091

9. وَاِنْ كَانَ وَلَابُدَّ فَلْيَقُلْ: هَلْ يُرِيدُ الْحَقُّ- تَعَالَى- فِعْلَ الْمُحَالِ، أَوْ لَا؟

   and if it must be asked at all, let him say: "Does the Real, exalted is He, will to do the impossible, or not?"✦

   ¶ 3092

10. فَحِينَئِذٍ فَالْعُقَلَاءُ مُجْمِعُونَ عَلَى أَنَّ الْحَقَّ- تَعَالَى- حَكِيمٌ.

    Then the rational are agreed that the Real, exalted is He, is wise.✦

    ¶ 3093

11. وَاِرَادَةُ فِعْلِ مَا لَا يَقْبَلُ الْفِعْلَ، فَلَا يَنْفَعِلُ عَبَثٌ.

    And to will to do what does not admit of being done, and so is not acted upon, is futility.✦

    ¶ 3094

12. تَعَالَى الْحَقُّ الْحَكِيمُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ.

    The Real, the Wise, is exalted above that.✦

    ¶ 3095

13. فَاِنَّ تَعَلُّقَ الْقُدْرَةِ بِالْمَقْدُورِ؟ مُتَأَخِّرٌ بِالذَّاتِ، عَنْ تَعَلُّقِ الْاِرَادَةِ بِهِ،

    For the connection of power with its object is posterior in essence to the connection of the will with it,✦

    ¶ 3096

14. كَمَا أَنَّ تَعَلُّقَ الْاِرَادَةِ بِالْمُرَادِ الْمَشْيُوءِ؟ مُتَأَخِّرٌ بِالذَّاتِ عَنْ تَعَلُّقِ الْعِلْمِ بِهِ،

    just as the connection of the will with the thing intended and willed is posterior in essence to the connection of knowledge with it,✦

    ¶ 3097

15. كَمَا أَنَّ تَعَلُّقَ الْعِلْمِ بِهِ مُتَـأَخِّرٌ بِالذَّاتِ عَنْـهُ، اِذِ الْعِلْمُ تَابِـعٌ لِلْمَعْلُومِ.

    just as the connection of knowledge with it is posterior in essence to it, since knowledge follows the known.✦

    ¶ 3098

16. فَهَذِهِ التَّعَلُّقَاتُ مُتَرَتِّبَةٌ تَرَتُّباً ذَاتِيّاً عَقْلِيّاً لَا زَمَانِيّاً، لِأَنَّ صِفَاتِ الْحَقِّ- تَعَالَى- لَا تَدْخُلُ تَحْتَ الزَّمَـانِ.

    So these connections are ordered by an essential, rational order, not a temporal one, because the attributes of the Real, exalted is He, do not fall under time.✦

    ¶ 3099

17. فَلَوْ أَرَادَ فِعْلَ مَا لَايَدْخُلُ تَحْتَ قُدْرَتِـهِ كَانَ جَاهِلاً عَابِثاً ظَاهِرَ الْعَجْزِ، تَعَالَى الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ الْقَادِرُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ،

    If He willed to do what does not fall under His power, He would be ignorant, acting in futility, manifestly incapable; the Knowing, the Wise, the Powerful is exalted above that.✦

    ¶ 3100

18. وَلَوْ فَعَلَ مَا لَا يُرِيدُ كَانَ مَجْبُوراً مَقْهُوراً، تَعَالَى الْفَاعِلُ الْمُخْتَارُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ.

    And if He did what He does not will, He would be compelled and overpowered; the Doer who chooses is exalted above that.✦

    ¶ 3101

19. لِسَانٌ آخَرُ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ».

    Another tongue: "Truly God has power over every thing" (Q 2:20).✦

    ¶ 3102

20. الشَّيْءُ مَا يَصِحُّ أَنْ يُعْلَمَ وَيُخْبَرَ عَنْهُ فَهُوَ أَعَمُّ الْعَامِّ وَأَنْكَرُ النَّكِرَاتِ، كَمَا هُوَ عِنْدَ أَرْبَابِ اللِّسَانِ.

    "Thing" is whatever can rightly be known and spoken of, so it is the most general of generals and the most indefinite of indefinites, as it is with the masters of the language.✦

    ¶ 3103

21. فَلَا يَسْتَحِيلُ عَلَيْـهِ- تَعَالَى- فِعْـلُ شَيْءٍ مِـنَ الْمُسْتَحِيلَاتِ الْعَقْلِيَّةِ وَالْعَادِيَّةِ.

    So it is not impossible for Him, exalted is He, to do any thing among the things that are impossible to reason and to custom.✦

    ¶ 3104

22. قَالَ الْقُطْبُ عَلِيٌّ وَفَا- رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ-: «اِسْتَقْرَأَ أَهْلُ الِاسْتِقْرَاءِ الْكِتَابِيِّ فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا فِي الْكِتَابِ الْمُحَمَّدِيِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ «لَوْ» مَقْرُونَةً بِالْاِرَادَةِ أَوِ الْاِشَاءَةِ الرَّبَّانِيَّةِ أَوِ الْآلِهِيَّةِأَوِ الْبُرْهَانِيَّةِ؟ اِلاَّ وَجَوَابُهَا وَاقِعٌ لَامَحَالَةَ»

    The Pole ʿAlī Wafā, may God be pleased with him, said: "Those versed in induction from the Book surveyed it, and they did not find in the Muḥammadan Book that He said 'if' (law) coupled with the lordly, divine or demonstrative willing or wishing without its apodosis inevitably taking place."✦

    ¶ 3105

23. كَقَوْلِهِ لَوْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ وَلَداً لَاصْطَفَى مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ،

    as in His words: "Had God willed to take a son, He would have chosen whatever He wills from what He creates" (Q 39:4),✦

    ¶ 3106

24. فَهَذِهِ وِلَادَةٌ مَعْنَوِيَّةٌ حَكِيمِيَّةٌ وَاقِعَةٌ،

    so this is a begetting in meaning, belonging to wisdom, and it does take place,✦

    ¶ 3107

25. وَكَقَوْلِهِ:

    and as in His words:✦

    ¶ 3108

26. «لَوْ أَرَدْنَا أَنْ نَتَّخِذَ لَهْواً لَاتَّخَذْنَاهُ مِن لَدُنَّا»...

    “If We had wished to take a pastime, We would have taken it from Our own presence” (Q 21:17) . . .✦

    ¶ 3109

27. أَيْ عَلَى وَجْهٍ حَكِيمٍ.

    That is, in a wise manner.✦

    ¶ 3110

28. وَهُوَ وَاقِعٌ، كَالضَّحِكِ وَالْبَشْبَشَةِ وَكَقَوْلِهِ: «وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَشْرَكُوا».

    And it does occur, as with the laughter and the joyful welcome; and as in His saying: “Had God willed, they would not have associated others with Him” (Q 6:107).✦

    ¶ 3111

29. وَذَلِكَ وَاقِعٌ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ: «وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُ».

    And that does occur in the Reality: “Had your Lord willed, they would not have done it” (Q 6:112).✦

    ¶ 3112

30. وَهُوَ كَذَلِكَ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ.

    And it is so in the Reality.✦

    ¶ 3113

31. وَكَقَوْلِهِ: «وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَجَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ مَلَائِكَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ».

    And as in His saying: “Had We willed, We would have made from among you angels on the earth” (Q 43:60).✦

    ¶ 3114

32. وَهُوَ وَاقِعٌ لَا مَحَالَةَ، عِنْدَ عَوْدِ الْأَمْرِ اِلَى بِدَايَتِهِ ا هـ.

    And it will occur without fail, when the matter returns to its beginning. End of quotation.✦

    ¶ 3115

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.