al-Amīr ʿAbd al-Qādir b. Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Jazāʾirī · Kitāb al-Mawāqif fī baʿḍ ishārāt al-Qurʾān ilā al-asrār wa-l-maʿārif
المواقف
The Book of Stations
Mawqif 217 · “So pray to your Lord and sacrifice”
In briefAI
Starting from Q 108:1-3, al-Kawthar, the Emir reads the sūra as glad tidings at both ends, with the command to pray and sacrifice between them as thanks. “Pray” means to catch up with the Lord through realising His names, and “sacrifice” means to press ahead with lofty aspiration. The “He” in “he is the cut-off” is the unseen Reality pervading every existent, so the hater is a locus of majesty with no affinity to the Prophet. The reports of bewitchment are passing accidents showing his human form.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 482, Damascus 1966, p. 483, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 448, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 449 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ ٱلْكَوْثَرَ، فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَٱنْحَرْ، إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلْأَبْتَرُ».
He, exalted is He, said: “Truly We have given you al-Kawthar; so pray to your Lord and sacrifice; truly the one who hates you, he is the cut-off” (Q 108:1–3).
صَدْرُ هَذِهِ السُّورَةِ بِشَارَةٌ، وَآخِرُهَا بِشَارَةٌ، وَأَكَّدَ الْحَقُّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ فِيهَا تَبْشِيرَهُ وَاِخْبَارَهُ،
The opening of this sūra is glad tidings and its end is glad tidings, and the Real, exalted is He, has emphasised in it His giving of glad tidings and His informing;
وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا أَمْرٌ بِشُكْرِ هَاتَيْنِ الْبِشَارَتَيْنِ، وَالنِّعْمَتَيْنِ الْجَسِيمَتَيْنِ، وَبَيَّنَ كَيْفِيَّةَ شُكْرِهِمَا، فَقَالَ لَهُ: «فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ»،
and what lies between them is a command to give thanks for these two glad tidings, the two immense graces, and He made clear how they are to be thanked, saying to him: “So pray to your Lord” (Q 108:2),
أَيْ كُنْ مُصَلِّياً لِرَبِّكَ لَاحِقاً بِهِ لُحُوقاً مَعْنَوِيّاً وَقَرِيباً مِنْهُ، كَذَلِكَ
that is: be a muṣallī to your Lord, catching up with Him with a spiritual catching-up, and near to Him likewise.
وَلَيْسَ اللَّحَاقُ بِهِ تَعَالَى وَالْقُرْبُ مِنْهُ اِلَّا بِالتَّحْقِيقِ بِأَسْمَائِهِ وَصِفَاتِهِ، بَعْدَ التَّخَلُّقِ وَالتَّعَلُّقِ بِهَا، وَالْاِعْرَاضِ عَنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ،
And catching up with Him, exalted is He, and nearness to Him are only through realisation of His names and attributes, after taking on their character and attaching oneself to them, and turning away from everything;
فَاِنَّ الْمُصَلِّيَ لَايَنْظُرُ اِلَّا اِلَى السَّابِقِ، وَلَا هِمَّةَ لَهُ اِلَّا فِي اللَّحَاقِ بِهِ.
For the muṣallī looks only to the one ahead, and has no aspiration except to catch up with him.
«وَٱنْحَرْ» شَاحِحْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَتَقَدَّمْ عَلَى غَيْرِكَ بِعَزْمٍ قَوِيٍّ وَهِمَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ، وَنَافِسْ كُلَّ مُنَافِسٍ.
“And sacrifice” (Q 108:2): contend for that, and press ahead of others with strong resolve and lofty aspiration, and vie with every rival.
وَصَدْرُهَا بِشَارَةٌ بِاِعْطَاءِ الْخَيْرِ الْكَثِيرِ، وَمِنْهُ الْكَوْثَرُ، نَهْرُ الْجَنَّةِ الْمَعْرُوفُ.
Its opening is glad tidings of the granting of abundant good, part of which is al-Kawthar, the well-known river of Paradise.
وَعَجُزُهَا بِشَارَةٌ بِدَفْعِ كُلِّ شَرٍّ جَلِيلٍ وَحَقِيرٍ، وَالتَّأْمِينِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَخُوفٍ،
and its end is glad tidings of the warding off of every evil, great and small, and of being made safe from everything feared;
يَقُولُ تَعَالَى لِحَبِيبِهِ مُحَمَّدٍ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ اِنَّ الْمُسَمَّى كَافِراً بِكَ، وَمُنَافِقاً مَعَكَ، وَشَانِئاً لَكَ، كُلُّهُ هُوَ.
He, exalted is He, is saying to His beloved Muhammad, God bless him and grant him peace: the one who is called an unbeliever in you, a hypocrite with you, and one who hates you, all of him is He.
وَالْهُوَ عِبَارَةٌ عَنِ الْحَقِيقَةِ الْغَيْبِيَّةِ السَّارِيَةِ فِي كُلِّ مَوْجُودٍ، مِنْ حَيْثُ أَنَّ الْمَوْجُودَاتِ كُلَّهَا مَظَاهِرُ أَسْمَاءِ مَرْتَبَةِ تِلْكَ الْحَقِيقَةِ، وَهِيَ الْأُلُوهِيَّةُ.
The “He” is an expression for the unseen Reality pervading every existent, inasmuch as all existents are loci of manifestation of the names of the rank of that Reality, which is Divinity.
فَمَا كَانَ مِنْ مَظَاهِرِ تِلْكَ الْأَسْمَاءِ مَظْهَرَ جَمَالٍ وَخَيْرٍ؛ فَهُوَ مُحِبٌّ لَكَ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ
Whatever among the loci of manifestation of those names is a locus of beauty and good loves you, God bless him and grant him peace;
وَمَا كَانَ مِنْهَا مَظْهَرَ جَلَالٍ وَشَقَاوَةٍ فَهُوَ شَانِىءٌ لَكَ مِنْ حَيْثُ الْمَظْهَرِيَّةُ، لِعَدَمِ الْمُجَانَسَةِ لَكَ وَالْمُنَاسَبَةِ.
and whatever of them is a locus of majesty and wretchedness hates you in respect of its being a locus, because it has no kinship and no affinity with you.
وَلَكِنَّهُ أَبْتَرُ بِالنِّسْبَةِ اِلَيْكَ، بِمَعْنَى أَنَّهُ لَا أَثَرَ لَهُ فِيكَ، وَلَا لَهُ قُدْرَةٌ عَلَى أِيصَالِ الضُّرِّ اِلَيْكَ،
But he is cut off in relation to you, meaning that he has no effect on you and no power to bring harm to you.
وَمَا وَرَدَ مِنْ أَنَّهُ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- سُحِرَ.
As for what has been transmitted, that he, God bless him and grant him peace, was bewitched,
وَكَانَ يُخَيَّلُ اِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ فَعَلَ الشَّيْءَ وَمَا فَعَلَهُ،
and that it was made to seem to him that he had done a thing when he had not done it,
وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ يَعْتَرِضُهُ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- بِشُعْلَةِ نَارٍ،
and that the Devil would confront him, God bless him and grant him peace, with a flame of fire,
وَكَانَ يَشُدُّ عَلَيْهِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ لِيَقْطَعَ صَلَاتَهُ عَلَيْهِ.... وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ، مِمَّا فِي الْأَخْبَارِ الصَّحِيحَةِ؛
and that he would assail him during the prayer to break off his prayer for him... and the like, among what is in the sound reports:
فَاِنَّمَا هِيَ عَوَارِضُ زَائِلَةٌ، غَيْرُ قَادِحَةٍ فِي الْبِشَارَةِ بِالتَّأْمِينِ،
these are only passing accidents that do not impair the glad tidings of safety;
وَحِكْمَةُ عُرُوضِ هَذِهِ الْعَوَارِضِ وَأَمْثَالِهَا بَيَانُ أَنَّهُ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- مِنْ حَيْثُ صُورَتُهُ الْعُنْصُرِيَّةُ الْبَشَرِيَّةُ مِنْ جُمْلَةِ الْبَشَرِ.
and the wisdom of the occurrence of these accidents and their like is to make clear that he, God bless him and grant him peace, in respect of his elemental human form, is one of mankind.
وَلَكِنَّهُ تَعَالَى أَكْرَمَهُ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ مَكْرُوهٍ عَصَمَهُ، كَمَا أَنَّهُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَخْلُوقٍ أَمَّنَهُ.
But He, exalted is He, honoured him and protected him from every hateful thing, just as He made him safe from every creature.
فَلَفْظَةُ «هُوَ» عَلَى حَسَبِ هَذِهِ الْاِشَارَةِ خَبَرٌ، لَا ضَمِيرُ فَصْلٍ، وَالْأَبْتَرُ نَعْتٌ لَهُ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْجِهَةِ فَقَطْ.
So the word “huwa”, according to this allusion, is a predicate, not a separating pronoun, and “al-abtar” is an attribute of him from this standpoint only.
وَاِنَّ الثَّانِيَةَ لَيْسَتْ لِتَأْكِيدِ الْأِخْبَارِ بِأَنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ، فَاِنَّ هَذَا مَعْلُومٌ عِنْدَهُ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- لَايَعْتَرِيهِ تَرَدُّدٌ فِيهِ وَلَا اِنْكَارٌ لَهُ.
And the second “inna” is not for emphasising the information that your hater is He, for this is known to him, God bless him and grant him peace; no hesitation about it or denial of it befalls him.
وَاِنَّمَا هِيَ لِتَأْكِيدِ الْمُبَشَّرِ بِهِ، وَهُوَ أَنَّ شَانِيَهُ لَا أَثَرَ لَهُ فِيهِ، وَلَا يَصِلُ اِلَيْهِ مِنْهُ شَرٌّ كَمَا يَصِلُ اِلَى غَيْرِهِ.
It is only for emphasising what is announced as glad tidings, namely that his hater has no effect on him, and no evil reaches him from him as it reaches others.
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