The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 214 · “That you should be wretched”

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from Q 20:1-3, that the Qurʾān was not sent down so that the Prophet should be wretched, the Emir gives two readings. In the first, coming down from the presence of the Qurʾān (gathering) to the Furqān (multiplicity) clouds his heart, answered by forgiveness-seeking. In the second, the Furqān's demand to fulfil the right of lordship makes him toil. The Qurʾān is a reminder for the spirit of what it knew before, and the most perfect state is the balance of the two beholdings, the station of the messengers.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 477, Damascus 1966, p. 478, Damascus 1966, p. 479, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 444, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 445, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 446 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «طه، مَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقَى، إِلاَّ تَذْكِرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَى»،

   He, exalted is He, said: “Ṭā Hā. We did not send down the Qurʾān upon you that you should be wretched, but only as a reminder for whoever fears” (Q 20:1–3),✦

   ¶ 3587

2. هَذَا نِدَاءٌ مِنَ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– لِحَبِيبِهِ مُحَمَّدٍ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– وَاِشْفَاقٌ عَلَيْهِ وَاِخْبَارٌ لَهُ، وَبِشَارَةٌ بِأَنَّهُ تَعَالَى مَاأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنَ، أَيْ مَا تَجَلَّى عَلَيْهِ وَكَشَفَ لَهُ، وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنَ اِنْـزَالَ كَشْفٍ، وَهِيَ حَضْرَةُ الْجَمْعِ وَالْوَحْدَةِ الْمُطْلَقَةِ لِيَشْقَى،

   This is a call from the Real, exalted is He, to His beloved Muḥammad (God bless him and grant him peace), and a tenderness towards him, and a telling to him, and glad tidings that He, exalted is He, did not send down the Qurʾān upon him — that is, did not disclose Himself to him and unveil to him, and send down the Qurʾān upon him with a sending-down of unveiling, and that is the presence of gathering and of absolute oneness — so that he should be wretched.✦

   ¶ 3588

3. كَانَ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– اِذَا نَزَلَ مِنْ شَهَادَةِ حَضْرَةِ الْقُرْآنِ، وَالْجَمْعِ اِلَى حَضْرَةِ الْفُرْقَانِ وَالتَّعَدُّدِ؛ رَأَى أَنَّ ذَلِكَ الشُّهُودَ، أَعْنِي شُهُودَ الْقُرْآنِ، نَقْصٌ فِي مَقَامِهِ، وَهُوَ مَقَامُ رِسَالَتِهِ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– فَحَلَّ بِوَاسِطَتِهِ قَادِحٌ فِي كَمَالِ عُبُودِيَّتِهِ،

   Whenever he (God bless him and grant him peace) came down from witnessing the presence of the Qurʾān and of gathering to the presence of the Furqān and of multiplicity, he saw that that beholding — I mean the beholding of the Qurʾān — was a deficiency in his station, which is the station of his messengerhood (God bless him and grant him peace), so that by means of it a flaw befell the perfection of his servanthood,✦

   ¶ 3589

4. فَكَانَ يُحِبُّ سَتْرَ ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ–

   and so he loved that this be veiled from him (God bless him and grant him peace).✦

   ¶ 3590

5. وَهُوَ مَعْنَى مَا وَرَدَ فِي صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ وَغَيْرِهِ: «اِنَّهُ لَيُغَانُ عَلَى قَلْبِي فَاَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ فِي الْيَوْمِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ»•

   And this is the meaning of what is reported in the Ṣaḥīḥ of Muslim and elsewhere: “There is a clouding over my heart, so I ask God's forgiveness a hundred times in the day.”✦

   ¶ 3591

6. فَهُوَ غَيْنُ أَنْوَارٍ، كَمَا قَالَ الْعَارِفُ، لَا غَيْنُ أَغْيَارٍ،

   So it is a clouding of lights, as the knower said, not a clouding of others,✦

   ¶ 3592

7. فَأَخْبَرَهُ الْحَقُّ– تَعَالَى–: أَنَّهُ لَايَشْقَي بِهَذَا، بِمَعْنَى أَنَّهُ لَايَنْقُصُهُ شَيْئاً مِنْ مَقَامِ رِسَالَتِهِ وَمَرْتَبَةِ وَسَاطَتِهِ، وَخِدْمَتِهِ وَعُبُودِيَّتِهِ•

   Then the Real, exalted is He, told him that he does not become wretched through this, in the sense that it does not diminish him in anything of the station of his messengerhood and the rank of his intermediacy, and of his service and his servanthood.✦

   ¶ 3593

8. وَجْهٌ آخَرُ: خَاطَبَهُ تَعَالَى بِهَذَا، حَيْثُ كَانَ الْغَالِبُ عَلَى ظَاهِرِهِ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– شُهُودَ الْفُرْقَانِ، وَهُوَ مَقَامُ الرِّسَالَةِ،

   Another interpretation: He, exalted is He, addressed him with this because what prevailed over his outward being (God bless him and grant him peace) was the beholding of the Furqān, and that is the station of messengerhood;✦

   ¶ 3594

9. فَكَانَ يَتْعَبُ وَيَشْقَى بِغَلَبَةِ هَذَا الشُّهُودِ، فَاِنَّهُ يَقْتَضِي مِنَ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ الْوَفَاءَ بِحَقِّ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ وَالْوَفَاءُ بِمَا تَقْتَضِيهِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةُ مِنَ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ عَلَى الْكَمَالِ مُحَالٌ، حَتَّى مِنَ الرُّسُلِ– عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ–

   and he would toil and be wretched under the dominance of this beholding, for it requires of servanthood the fulfilment of the right of lordship, and fulfilling to perfection what lordship requires of servanthood is impossible, even on the part of the messengers (blessings and peace upon them).✦

   ¶ 3595

10. فَلِذَلِكَ كَانَ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– يَقُومُ حَتَّى تَوَرَّمَتْ قَدَمَاهُ، وَجَاعَ حَتَّى شَدَّ الْحَجَرَ عَلَى بَطْنِهِ: «إِلاَّ تَذْكِرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَى».

    For that reason he (God bless him and grant him peace) would stand until his feet swelled, and went hungry until he bound a stone upon his belly: “but only as a reminder for whoever fears” (Q 20:3).✦

    ¶ 3596

11. أَيْ مَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ، أَوْ عَلَى غَيْرِكَ نُزُولَ كَشْفٍ• وَهِيَ حَضْرَةُ الْجَمْعِ؛ اِلاَّ تَذْكِرَةً لِرُوحِكَ، بِمَا تَقَدَّمَ لَهَا مِنَ الْعِلْمِ وَالْكَشْفِ،

    That is: We did not send down the Qurʾān upon you, or upon anyone other than you, as a descent of unveiling — and it is the presence of gathering — except as a reminder for your spirit of the knowledge and unveiling that had gone before for it,✦

    ¶ 3597

12. ثُمَّ نَسِيَتْ تِلْكَ الْحَضْرَةَ بِنُزُولِهَا اِلَى حَضْرَةِ الْفُرْقَانِ، فَغَلَبَتْ خَشْيَتُهَا عَلَى أَمْنِهَا وَضِيقُهَا عَلَى سَعَتِهَا

    then it forgot that presence through its descent to the presence of the Furqān, and its fear prevailed over its security, and its constriction over its expanse;✦

    ¶ 3598

13. اِذْ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ حَضْرَةِ الْقُرْآنِ يَخِفُّ الْحَرَجُ، وَيَحْصُلُ الْفَرَجُ، وَالرَّاحَةُ وَالسَّعَةُ طَبْعاً بَاطِناً، وَاِنْ أَعْطَى شُهُودُ الْفُرْقَانِ ضِدَّ ذَلِكَ ظَاهِرً شَرْعاً،

    for through the beholding of the presence of the Qurʾān the strain is lightened and relief comes about, and ease and expanse, by nature, inwardly, even if the beholding of the Furqān gives the opposite of that outwardly, by the Law;✦

    ¶ 3599

14. فَاِنَّ حَضْرَةَ الْقُرْآنِ حَضْرَةُ الذَّاتِ، وَهِيَ ظُلْمَةٌ مَحْضَةٌ لَا نُورَ فِيهَا أَصْلاً•

    for the presence of the Qurʾān is the presence of the Essence, and it is pure darkness in which there is no light at all.✦

    ¶ 3600

15. وَالْأَكْمَلُ اعْتِدَالُ الشُّهُودَيْنِ، وَهُوَ الْمُرَادُ بِالْخِطَابِ بِهَذِهِ الْآيَةِ وَنَحْوِهَا، وَهُوَ مَقَامُ الرُّسُلِ وَالْوَرَثَةِ الْكُمَّلِ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ اَجْمَعِينَ–

    The most perfect is the balance of the two beholdings, and that is what is meant by the address in this verse and its like, and it is the station of the messengers and of the perfect heirs (God bless them all).✦

    ¶ 3601

16. وَمَنْ لَمْ تَغْلِبْ عَلَيْهِ الْخَشْيَةُ لَا يَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنُ، وَلَا تَتَجَلَّى لَهُ تِلْكَ الْحَضْرَةُ، فَلَا يَكُونُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الشُّهُودِ وَالْعِيَانِ،

    Whoever is not overcome by fear, the Qurʾān does not come down upon him, nor does that presence disclose itself to him, and so he is not among the people of beholding and direct seeing;✦

    ¶ 3602

17. فَمَقَامُ الرِّسَالَةِ اِنَّمَا هُوَ مِنْ حَضْرَةِ الْفُرْقَانِ، رَبٌّ وَعَبْدٌ، عَابِدٌ وَمَعْبُودٌ،

    for the station of messengerhood is only from the presence of the Furqān: a lord and a servant, a worshipper and a worshipped.✦

    ¶ 3603

18. قَالَ تَعَالَى:

    He, exalted is He, said:✦

    ¶ 3604

19. «تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِي نَزَّلَ ٱلْفُرْقَانَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيراً⁽¹⁾».

    “Blessed is He who sent down the Furqān upon His servant, that he might be a warner to the worlds” (Q 25:1).✦

    ¶ 3605

20. فَعَلَّلَ تَعَالَى نُزُولَ الْفُرْقَانِ بِالنِّذَارَةِ، وَهِيَ مَقَامُ الرِّسَالَةِ•

    So He, exalted is He, gave warning as the reason for the sending down of the Furqān, and warning is the station of messengership.✦

    ¶ 3606

21. وَحَضْرَةُالْقُرْآنِ هِيَ شُهُودُ «كَانَ اللَّهُ وَلَا شَيْءَ مَعَهُ، وَهُوَ الْآنَ «عَلَى مَا عَلَيْهِ كَانَ»

    And the Presence of the Qurʾān is the beholding of “God was, and there was nothing with Him, and He is now as He was.”✦

    ¶ 3607

22. وَقَوْلِهِ: «إِنَّا كُلُّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَاهُ بِقَدَرٍ⁽²⁾». عَلَى قِرَاءَةِ رَفْعِ «كُلُّ»•

    and of His saying: “Indeed We are every thing; We created it by measure” (Q 54:49), according to the reading with «kull» in the nominative.✦

    ¶ 3608

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