The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 202 · “A light-giving lamp”

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from Q 33:46, “a light-giving lamp”, said of the Prophet, the Emir notes the word can mean that the lamp gives light or that it makes other lamps give light. As many lamps lit from one lamp were contained in it in potency, so the Muhammadan Reality, the first locus of manifestation, lights every lamp: prophet, saint, angel, sun, moon, star. They are other than it in determination and its very self in reality, like one man in different garments.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 439, Damascus 1966, p. 440, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 412, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 413 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى فِي تَعْدِيدِ صِفَاتِ السَّيِّدِ الْكَامِلِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-: «وَسِرَاجاً مُنِيراً».

   He, exalted is He, said, in enumerating the attributes of the perfect master (God bless him and grant him peace): "and a light-giving lamp" (Q 33:46).✦

   ¶ 3573

2. اعْلَمْ: أَنَّ الْاِنَارَةَ لَازِمَةٌ لِلسِّرَاجِ•

   Know that giving light is inseparable from the lamp.✦

   ¶ 3574

3. وَكَمَا يَصِحُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُنِيراً صِفَةً كَاشِفَةً يَصِحُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ بِمَعْنَى جَعْلِ النَّيِّرِ مُنِيراً، فَاِنَّهُ وَرَدَ مُتَعَدِّياً وَلَازِماً،

   Just as it is valid for "light-giving" to be a disclosing attribute, it is valid for it to mean making the luminous thing light-giving, for the verb occurs both transitively and intransitively;✦

   ¶ 3575

4. فَهُوَ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- السِّرَاجُ الْمُنِيرُ لِكُلِّ سِرَاجٍ، أَيْ يَجْعَلُهُ سِرَاجاً مُنِيراً،

   so he (God bless him and grant him peace) is the lamp that lights every lamp, that is, he makes it a light-giving lamp;✦

   ¶ 3576

5. وَكَمَا أَنَّ السِّرَاجَ الْمَحْسُوسَ، اِذَا أُسْرِجَتْ مِنْهُ سُرُجٌ كَثِيرَةٌ، فَلَاشَكَّ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ السِّرَاجَ الْوَاحِدَ كَانَ مُتَضَمِّناً لِتِلْكَ السُّرُجِ الْكَثِيرَةِ كُلِّهَا،

   And just as, with a lamp of the senses, when many lamps are lit from it, there is no doubt that that one lamp contained all those many lamps,✦

   ¶ 3577

6. فَكَانَتْ فِيهِ بِالْقُوَّةِ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَتْ اِلَى الْحِسِّ، وَانْفَصَلَتْ عَنْهُ فِي الْوَهْمِ،

   so that they were in it in potency, then came out into the senses and separated from it in estimation,✦

   ¶ 3578

7. فَهِيَ هُوَ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ وَالْعِلْمِ، وَهِيَ غَيْرُهُ فِي الْوَهْمِ وَالْحُكْمِ؛

   they are it in reality and in knowledge, and they are other than it in estimation and in judgement;✦

   ¶ 3579

8. فَكَذَا الْحَقِيقَةُ الْمُحَمَّدِيَّةُ هِيَ الْمُنِيرَةُ لِكُلِّ سِرَاجٍ مُنِيرٍ حِسّاً وَمَعْنًى، مِنْ نَبِيٍّ وَوَلِيٍّ، وَمَلَكٍ وَشَمْسٍ، وَقَمَرٍ وَنَجْمٍ•

   so likewise the Muhammadan Reality is what lights every light-giving lamp, in sense and in meaning: prophet and saint, angel and sun, moon and star.✦

   ¶ 3580

9. فَاِنَّهَا الْمَظْهَرُ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْحَقِيقَةُ الْكُلِّيَّةُ الْجَامِعَةُ،

   For it is the first locus of manifestation and the universal, all-comprehending reality,✦

   ¶ 3581

10. وَالسُّرُجُ الْمُنِيرَةُ كُلُّهَا فِيهَا بِالْقُوَّةِ وَتَظْهَرُ بِالْفِعْلِ آناً بَعْدَ آنٍ،

    and all the light-giving lamps are in it in potency and become manifest in act, moment after moment;✦

    ¶ 3582

11. أَعْنِي تَظْهَرُ هِيَ مُتَعَيِّنَةً بِتَعَيُّنٍ خَاصٍّ، مُتَمَيِّزَةً بِتَمَيُّزٍ•

    I mean, it itself becomes manifest, determined by a particular determination and distinguished by a distinction.✦

    ¶ 3583

12. فَالسُّرُجُ الْمُنِيرَةُ غَيْرُهَا بِحَسَبِ التَّعَيُّنِ وَالتَّمَيُّزِ الِاعْتِيَادِيَّيْنِ، وَهِيَ عَيْنُهَا، بِحَسَبِ الْحَقِيقَةِ وَالْعَيْنِ،

    So the light-giving lamps are other than it with respect to the customary determination and distinction, and they are its very self with respect to reality and essence,✦

    ¶ 3584

13. كَالرَّجُلِ الْوَاحِدِ بَرَزَ فِي الْمَلَابِسِ الْمُتَعَدِّدَةِ الْمُخْتَلِفَةِ،

    like a single man who appears in many different garments:✦

    ¶ 3585

14. فَهُوَ هُوَ مِنْ حَيْثُ الْحَقِيقَةُ فِي كُلِّ لِبْسَةٍ، وَهُوَ غَيْرُهُ بِحَسَبِ اخْتِلَافِ الْمَلَابِسِ وَتَعَدُّدِهَا•

    he is himself, as regards reality, in every garment, and he is other than himself as regards the difference and multiplicity of the garments.✦

    ¶ 3586

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.