The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 220 · “It is indeed better for those who are patient”

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from Q 16:126, “it is indeed better for those who are patient”, the Emir reads a consolation: God Himself is recompense and replacement for what suits natures. The soul's natural pain cannot be warded off, so the great ones weep and groan, yet spiritual pain can be warded off and they rejoice inwardly. The Huwa in “lahuwa” is the unseen Reality and no ordinary pronoun, and “better” implies no real sharing between existence and illusion. Whoever finds God has lost nothing.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 488, Damascus 1966, p. 489, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 453, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 454 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَلَئِنْ صَبَرْتُمْ لَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لِلصَّابِرِينَ» الْآيَةَ.

   He, exalted is He, said: «And if you are patient, it is indeed better for those who are patient» (Q 16:126), the verse.✦

   ¶ 2963

2. تَسْلِيَةٌ مِنَ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– لِعِبَادِهِ الصَّابِرِينَ عَلَى مَا أَصَابَهُمْ، بِأَنَّهُ هُوَ عِوَضٌ وَخَلَفٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا فَقَدُوهُ، مِمَّا يُلَائِمُ طِبَاعَهُمْ، اِذِ الصَّبْرُ حَبْسُ النَّفْسِ عَلَى مَا تَكْرَهُ•

   A consolation from the Real, exalted is He, to His servants who are patient in what has befallen them: that He Himself is a recompense and a replacement for them for what they have lost of what suits their natures. For patience is holding the soul fast in the face of what it dislikes.✦

   ¶ 2964

3. وَلَا تَكْرَهُ النُّفُوسُ اِلاَّ مَا لَايُلَائِمُهَا حَاضِراً، وَلَوْ عَلِمَتْ أَنَّهُ خَيْرٌ لَهَا فِي الْآجِلِ•

   Souls dislike only what does not suit them at present, even if they knew that it is good for them in what is deferred.✦

   ¶ 2965

4. فَلَابُدَّ لِلنُّفُوسِ مِنَ التَّأَلُّمِ النَّفْسَانِيِّ الطَّبِيعِيِّ، وَلَا تَقْدِرُ عَلَى دَفْعِهِ اِلاَّ اِذَا طَرَقَهَا حَالٌ غَالِبٌ قَاهِرٌ يُغْنِيهَا عَمَّا بِهِ تَتَأَلَّمُ، كَمَا يُغْنِيهَا عَمَّا بِـهِ تَتَلَذَّذُ،

   So souls cannot escape the natural pain of the soul, and they cannot ward it off unless a state comes upon them, overwhelming and compelling, that frees them from what pains them, just as it frees them from what gives them pleasure.✦

   ¶ 2966

5. وَلِكَوْنِ التَّأَلُّمِ النَّفْسَانِيِّ الطَّبِيعِيِّ لَايَقْدِرُ الْاِنْسَانُ عَـلَى دَفْعِـهِ، بَكَتِ الْأَكَابِرُ وَتَأَوَّهَتْ، وَأَنَّتْ وَاسْتَغَاثَتْ، وَسَـأَلَتْ رَفْعَ الْآلَامِ، بِخِلَافِ التَّـأَلُّمِ الرُّوحَانِيِّ فَاِنَّ الْاِنْسَانَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى دَفْعِهِ،

   And because a human being cannot ward off the natural pain of the soul, the great ones wept and sighed, groaned and cried for help, and asked for their pains to be lifted. Spiritual pain is otherwise, for a human being can ward it off.✦

   ¶ 2967

6. وَلِهَـذَا تَرَى الْأَكَابِـرَ مُبْتَهِجَـةً فِي بَوَاطِنِهَا، مَسْرُورَةً رَاضِيَةً وَاثِقَةً بِحُسْنِ اخْتِيَارِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لَهَا، مُطْمَئِنَّةً عِنْدَ نُزُولِ الْآلَامِ وَالْمُوجِعَاتِ بِهَا،

   That is why you see the great ones rejoicing in their inner selves: glad, content, trusting in God's good choice for them, at peace when pains and afflictions descend upon them.✦

   ¶ 2968

7. وَلَيْسَ هُنَاكَ شَيْءٌ غَيْرُ مُلَائِمٍ بِالذَّاتِ، وَلَا شَرٌّ بِالذَّاتِ، وَاِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ بِالنِّسْبَةِ اِلَى الْقَوَابِلِ وَالِاسْتِعْدَادَاتِ الْجِسْمَانِيَّةِ،

   There is nothing there that is unsuitable in itself, nor any evil in itself. That holds only relative to the receptacles and the bodily preparednesses.✦

   ¶ 2969

8. وَأَمَّا الْحَقَائِقُ الْغَيْبِيَّةُ؛ فَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ نَزَلَ بِهَا، فَهُوَ مُلَائِمٌ لَهَا، بَلْ لَايَنْزِلُ بِهَا غَيْرُ مَا هِيَ طَالِبَةٌ لَهُ بِلِسَانِ حَالِهَا،

   As for the unseen realities, everything that descends upon them suits them. Indeed, nothing descends upon them except what they ask for by the tongue of their state.✦

   ¶ 2970

9. فَأَخْبَرَ– تَعَالَى– الصَّابِرِينَ عَلَى فَقْدِ الْمُلَائِمِ كَالصِّحَّةِ وَالْغَنَـاءِ، وَالْعِزِّ وَالْأَمْنِ، وَالْمَالِ وَالْوَلَدِ، اَنَّهُ هُوَ– تَعَالَى– خَيْرٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا فَقَدُوهُ، اِذَا عَرَفُوا أَنَّهُ هُوَ تَعَالَى وُجُودُهُمُ الْمُلَازِمُ وَبُدُّهُمُ اللَّازِمُ، وَمَا فَقَدُوهُ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ الْمُلَائِمَةِ اِنَّمَا هُوَ أُمُورٌ وَهْمِيَّةٌ خَيَالِيَّةٌ،

   So He, exalted is He, told those who are patient in losing what suits them, such as health and wealth, honour and safety, possessions and children, that He, exalted is He, is better for them than what they have lost. This holds once they know that He, exalted is He, is their existence that never leaves them and their inescapable necessity, and that the suitable things they have lost are nothing but illusory, imaginary matters.✦

   ¶ 2971

10. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: «لَهُوَ»، وَالْهُوَ؛ هُوَ الْحَقِيقَـةُ الَّذِي لَايُدْرَي وَلَا يُعْرَفُ، وَلَا يُسَمَّى وَلَا يُوصَفُ، وَهُوَ غَيْبُ كُلِّ شَهَادَةٍ، وَحَقِيقَةُ كُلِّ حَقٍّ، لَايَزُولُ وَلَا يَحُولُ، وَلَا يَذْهَبُ وَلَا يَتَغَيَّرُ،

    He, exalted is He, said «lahuwa», and the Huwa is the Reality, which is not grasped and not known, not named and not described. He is the unseen of everything witnessed and the reality of every real thing. He does not pass away or shift, does not depart or change.✦

    ¶ 2972

11. فَلَيْسَ الْمُرَادُ بِالْهُوَ ضَمِيرَ الْغَايِبِ الْمُقَابِلَ لِلْمُتَكَلِّمِ وَالْمُخَاطَبِ،

    So what is meant by the Huwa is not the third-person pronoun, set against the speaker and the one addressed.✦

    ¶ 2973

12. وَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى، «لَأَنَا»، لِأَنَّ «الْأَنَا» مُتَعَيِّنٌ بِالْحُضُورِ، وَكُلُّ مُتَعَيِّنٍ مُتَقَيِّدٌ مِنْ حَيْثُ ذَلِكَ التَّعَيُّنِ،

    He, exalted is He, did not say «la-anā» ("indeed I"), because «the I» is determined by presence, and everything determined is limited insofar as it is so determined.✦

    ¶ 2974

13. وَ «خَيْرٌ» أَصْلُهُ أَخْيَرُ، فَهُوَ يَدُلُّ عَلَى الْمُشَارَكَةِ وَالْمُفَاضَلَةِ، وَلَا مُشَارَكَةَ وَلَا مُفَاضَلَةَ،

    And «khayr» ("better") is originally «akhyar», so it implies sharing and preference. Yet there is neither sharing nor preference.✦

    ¶ 2975

14. وَلَكِنَّهُ تَعَالَى يُخَاطِبُ عِبَادَهُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، وَيُمَاشِيهِمْ عَلَى النَّهْجِ الْمَأْلُوفِ،

    But He, exalted is He, addresses His servants in the familiar manner and walks alongside them on the accustomed path.✦

    ¶ 2976

15. وَاِلاَّ فَأَيُّ مُشَارَكَةٍ بَيْنَ الْوُجُودِ وَالْعَدَمِ، وَأَيُّ مُفَاضَلَةٍ بَيْنَ الْحَقِيقَةِ وَالْوَهْمِ،

    Otherwise, what sharing is there between existence and nonexistence, and what preference between the Reality and illusion?✦

    ¶ 2977

16. فَمَنْ وَجَدَ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَفْقِدْ شَيْئاً، وَمَنْ فَقَدَ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَجِدْ شَيْئاً،

    Whoever finds God has lost nothing, and whoever loses God has found nothing.✦

    ¶ 2978

17. وَفِي الْمُنَاجَاةِ الْعَطَائِيَّةِ: «مَاذَا وَجَدَ مَنْ فَقَدَكَ؟ وَمَا الَّذِي فَقَدَ مَنْ وَجَدَكَ»؟!

    And in the intimate prayer of Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allāh: «What has he found who has lost You? And what has he lost who has found You?»✦

    ¶ 2979

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.