The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 199 · A contraction in the early turning

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 434, Damascus 1966, p. 435, Damascus 1966, p. 436, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 407, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 408, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 409 (archive.org)

   حَصَلَ لِي أَيَّامَ التَّوَجُّهِ قَبْضٌ وَاسْتِبْعَادٌ لِلطَّرِيقِ، لِجَهْلِي بِنَفْسِي، وَاعْتِقَادِي الْبُعْدَ مِنْ رَبِّي٠

   In the days of my turning [to God] there came over me a contraction and a sense that the Way was far off, because of my ignorance of my self and my belief that I was far from my Lord.✦

   ¶ 655

2. فَنَبَّهَنِي الْحَقُّ- تَعَالَى- مِنْ نَفْسِي، وَأَلْقَى عَلَيَّ قَوْلَهُ: «وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ».

   Then the Real, exalted is He, roused me out of my self and cast upon me His words: “And the angels glorify with the praise of their Lord” (Q 42:5).✦

   ¶ 656

3. وَقَوْلَهُ: «لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَٰوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ».

   And His words: “His are the most beautiful names; whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him” (Q 59:24).✦

   ¶ 657

4. وَقَوْلَهُ: «وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا، وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ».

   And His words: “To God belong the most beautiful names, so call on Him by them, and leave those who deviate concerning His names” (Q 7:180).✦

   ¶ 658

5. وَقَوْلَهُ: «هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَالنَّهَارَ مُبْصِراً».

   And His words: “It is He who made for you the night, that you may rest in it, and the day giving sight” (Q 10:67).✦

   ¶ 659

6. أَخْبَرَنِي تَعَالَى فِي الْآيَتَيْنِ الْأُولَتَيْنِ اَنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ- مَعَ كَثْرَتِهِمُ الَّتِي لَايُحْصِيهَا اِلاَّ خَالِقُهُمْ- يُسَبِّحُونَهُ وَيَذْكُرُونَهُ،

   In the first two verses He, exalted is He, told me that the angels, with their multitude that none but their Creator can count, glorify Him and remember Him;✦

   ¶ 660

7. فَلَا تَتَوَهَّمْ أَنَّكَ تَذْكُرُهُ وَحْدَكَ فَتَدَلَّلَ بِعِبَادَتِكَ وَذِكْرِكَ، فَتُرِيدَ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ بِكَ مَا تُرِيدُ، لَا مَا يُرِيدُهُ، وَفِي الْوَقْتِ الَّذِي يُرِيدُ، لَا فِي الْوَقْتِ الَّذِي تُرِيدُ،

   so do not imagine that you alone remember Him, and so presume upon Him on account of your worship and your remembrance, wanting Him to do with you what you want, not what He wants, and at the time He wants, not at the time you want.✦

   ¶ 661

8. فَاعْرِفْ قَدْرَكَ وَتَأَدَّبْ، فَاِنَّ الْعَبْدَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَلِيقُ بِالْعُبُودِيَّةِ، وَالرَّبُّ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَلِيقُ بِالرُّبُوبِيَّةِ،

   So know your measure and keep to courtesy, for the servant does what befits servanthood, and the Lord does what befits lordship.✦

   ¶ 662

9. وَأَخْبَرَنِي فِي الْآيَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ، اَنَّ لِلَّهِ أَسْمَاءً كَثِيرَةً لَايُحْصِيهَا اِلاَّ هُوَ، أَسْمَاءَ تَنْزِيهٍ وَتَشْبِيهٍ، وَأَسْمَاءَ ذَاتٍ، وَأَسْمَاءَ صِفَاتٍ، وَأَسْمَاءَ أَفْعَالٍ، وَكُلُّهَا حُسْنَى،

   And in the third verse He told me that God has many names that none but He can count: names of incomparability and of similarity, names of the Essence, names of attributes and names of acts, and all of them are most beautiful.✦

   ¶ 663

10. فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا، أَيْ أعْرِفُوهُ فِي كُلِّ اسْمٍ تَجَلَّى لَكُمْ بِهِ، وَادْعُوهُ، لِأَنَّهُ الْمُتَجَلِّي بِأَسْمَائِهِ، وَهِيَ مَرَاتِبُ ظُهُورَاتِهِ وَتَجَلِّيَاتِهِ، وَمِنْ جُمْلَتِهَا اسْمُهُ الْقَابِضُ،

    “So call on Him by them”, that is, know Him in every name by which He has disclosed Himself to you, and call on Him, for He is the One who discloses Himself through His names; and these are the levels of His manifestations and self-disclosures, and among them is His name the Contractor (al-Qābiḍ).✦

    ¶ 664

11. فَهُوَ- تَعَالَى- يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَعَرَّفَ لِعِبَادِهِ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ فَيَعْرِفُونَهُ فِي كُلِّ اسْمٍ تَجَلَّى بِهِ، عَلَى أَيِّ عَبْدٍ شَاءَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ،

    For He, exalted is He, wants to make Himself known to His servants in His names, so that they know Him in every name in which He discloses Himself to whichever of His servants He wills.✦

    ¶ 665

12. فَمَنْ عَرَفَ الْحَقَّ- تَعَالَى- فِي بَعْضِ تَجَلِّيَاتِهِ، فِي أَسْمَائِهِ دُونَ بَعْضٍ؟ فَمَا عَرَفَهُ فِي مَرْتَبَةِ اِطْلَاقِهِ، وَاِنَّمَا عَرَفَهُ مُقَيَّداً تَعَالَى عَنِ التَّقَيُّدِ: «وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ».

    So whoever knows the Real, exalted is He, in some of His self-disclosures, in some of His names and not others, has not known Him at the level of His absoluteness; he has known Him only as delimited, and He is exalted above delimitation. “And leave those who deviate concerning His names” (Q 7:180).✦

    ¶ 666

13. اُتْرُكُوا وَبَاعِدُوا الَّذِينَ يَمِيلُونَ اِلَى بَعْضِ أَسْمَائِهِ دُونَ بَعْضٍ كَالْمُنَزِّهَهِ، فَاِنَّ مَيْلَهُمْ اِلَى التَّنْزِيهِ فَقَطْ، وَكَالْمُشَبِّهَةِ فَاِنَّ مَيْلَهُمْ اِلَى التَّشْبِيهِ فَقَطْ،

    Leave and keep away from those who incline to some of His names and not others: like those who affirm incomparability, for their inclination is to incomparability alone, and like those who affirm similarity, for their inclination is to similarity alone.✦

    ¶ 667

14. فَكُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا اِنَّمَا يَعْرِفُ الْحَقَّ فِيمَا مَالَ اِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَسْمَاءِ تَنْزِيهٍ أَوْ أَسْمَاءِ تَشْبِيهٍ، وَيَجْهَلُهُ اِذَا تَجَلَّى فِي غَيْرِ مَا مَالَ اِلَيْهِ.

    Each of the two knows the Real only in what he inclines to, names of incomparability or names of similarity, and is ignorant of Him when He discloses Himself in something other than what he inclines to.✦

    ¶ 668

15. وَكِلَاهُمَا جَاهِلٌ بِهِ تَعَالَى، مُعَطِّلٌ لِغَيْرِ مَا مَالَ اِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَسْمَاءِ،

    Both are ignorant of Him, exalted is He, and divest Him of the names other than those they incline to.✦

    ¶ 669

16. وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا أُمَّةٌ وَهُمُ الرُّسُلُ - عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ - فَكُلُّ رَسُولٍ أُمَّةٌ ، لِأَنَّ حَقِيقَةَ كُلِّ رَسُولٍ مَجْمُوعُ أُمَّتِهِ التَّابِعِينَ لَهُ ،
    ¶ 670

17. يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ هُمْ وَوَرَثَتُهُمْ ، بِمَعْنَى يَدْعُونَ النَّاسَ وَيَهْدُونَهُمْ اِلَى شُهُودِ الْحَقِّ - تَعَالَى - فِي جَمِيعِ أَسْمَائِهِ ، فَاِنَّهَا مَظَاهِرُ ذَاتِهِ، سَوَاءٌ كَانَتْ أَسْمَاءَ تَنْزِيهٍ أَوْ أَسْمَاءَ تَشْبِيهٍ ،فَلَايَجْهَلُونَهُ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنْ ظُهُورَاتِهِ مَعَ اعْتِقَادِ :
    ¶ 671

18. « لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ » .
    ¶ 672

19. وَهُوَ - تَعَالَى - قَدْ عَرَّفَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الظَّاهِرُ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْاَسْمَاءِ وَآثَارِهَا ، فَلَا يَجْهَلُونَهُ فِي شَيْءٍ أَبَداً ،
    ¶ 673

20. وَأَخْبَرَ تَعَالَى فِي الْآيَةِ الرَّابِعَةِ ، أَنَّ الْقَبْضَ وَالْبَسْطَ بِمَثَابَةِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ ،
    ¶ 674

21. فَالْقَبْضُ شَبِيهٌ بِاللَّيْلِ لِمَا فِيهِ مِنَ الِانْكِمَاشِ وَالِانْقِبَاضِ وَسُكُونِ النَّفْسِ بِالْقَهْرِ ، الَّذِي نَزَلَ عَلَيْهَا وَتَحَقُّقِهَا بِعَجْزِهَا عَنْ دَفْعِ مَا نَزَلَ بِهَا ،
    ¶ 675

22. فَهِيَ لَا تَمْرَحُ وَلَا تَدَّعِى وَلَا تَسْتَرْسِلُ فِي الْأَمَانِيِّ وَالطَّلَبِ ،
    ¶ 676

23. فَلَاحَظَّ لِلنَّفْسِ فِي الْقَبْضِ أَصْلاً ،
    ¶ 677

24. فَلِهَذَا كَانَ الْاِنْسَانُ وَقْتَ الْقَبْضِ أَقْرَبَ اِلَى السَّلَامَةِ وَتَوْفِيَةِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ حَقَّهَا ، وَالْأَدَبِ مَعَهَا مِنْهُ فِي وَقْتِ الْبَسْطِ ،
    ¶ 678

25. وَأَمَّا الْبَسْطُ فَهُوَ شَبِيهٌ بِالنَّهَارِ ، لِمَا فِيهِ مِنْ نَشَاطِ النَّفْسِ وَتَسْرِيحِهَا بِعَدَمِ حُصُولِ قَاهِرٍ لَهَا بِوَاسْتِرْسَالِهَا فِي الْأَمَانِيِّ وَالدَّعَاوَى الْبَاطِلَةِ ،
    ¶ 679

26. وَلِهَذَا كَانَ وَقْتُ الْبَسْطِ أَقْرَبَ اِلَى الْعَطَبِ مِنْ وَقْتِ الْقَبْضِ ،
    ¶ 680

27. قَالَ بَعْضُ السَّادَةِ : «لَا يَقُومُ بِحَقِّ الْأَدَبِ فِي الْبَسْطِ اِلَاّ الْقَلِيلُ».
    ¶ 681

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.