The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 221 · “To God all matters come home”

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from Q 42:53 and similar verses, that all matters return to God, the Emir says this return takes place after the Resurrection, which follows the passing away of created things. Death is either compulsory and general, or voluntary and particular, as in “Die before you die”. One who dies voluntarily sees all matters return to a single matter, a single existence, and so sees God by God. The raised one sees the many as one and the one as many.

   Context: “voluntary death” here means dying to the self before bodily death, as the Sufis use the phrase. It has nothing to do with harming oneself.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 489, Damascus 1966, p. 490, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 454, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 455 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «أَلاَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَصِيرُ الْأُمُورُ».

   God Most High has said: “Truly, to God all matters come home.” (Q 42:53)✦

   ¶ 3771

2. وَقَالَ: «وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُ الْأَمْرُ كُلُّهُ».

   And He has said: “And to Him the whole matter is returned.” (Q 11:123)✦

   ¶ 3772

3. وَقَالَ: وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ».

   And He has said: “And to Him you will be returned.” (Q 2:245, and elsewhere)✦

   ¶ 3773

4. وَقَالَ: «إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ».

   And He has said: “To Him is your return.” (Q 10:4)✦

   ¶ 3774

5. وَنَحْوَ هَذَا.

   And the like of this.✦

   ¶ 3775

6. اعْلَمْ أَنَّ مَصِيرَ الْأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا اِلَى اللَّهِ، وَرُجُوعَهَا اِلَيْهِ، وَرُجُوعَ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ اِلَيْهِ تَعَالَى اِنَّمَا يَكُونُ بَعْدَ الْقِيَامَةِ.

   Know that the coming of all matters to God, their return to Him, and the return of created things to Him, Most High, takes place only after the Resurrection.✦

   ¶ 3776

7. وَالْقِيَامَةُ اِنَّمَا تَكُونُ بَعْدَ فَنَاءِ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ،

   And the Resurrection takes place only after the passing away of created things;✦

   ¶ 3777

8. وَمَنْ مَاتَ فَقَدْ قَامَتْ قِيَامَتُهُ عَلَى لِسَانِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-

   and whoever has died, his Resurrection has taken place, as stated on the tongue of the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him peace).✦

   ¶ 3778

9. وَالْمَوْتُ مَوْتَانِ: مَوْتٌ اضْطِرَارِيٌّ عَامٌّ، وَمَوْتٌ اخْتِيَارِيٌّ خَاصٌّ، وَهُوَ الْمَأْمُورُ بِهِ: «مُوتُوا قَبْلَ اَنْ تَمُوتُوا». عَلَى لِسَانِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-

   Death is of two kinds: a compulsory death that is general, and a voluntary death that is particular, and it is this that is commanded: “Die before you die”, on the tongue of the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him peace).✦

   ¶ 3779

10. فَمَنْ مَاتَ اخْتِيَاراً؛ فَقَدْ قَامَتْ قِيَامَتُهُ وَصَارَتِ الْاُمُورُ عِنْدَهُ اِلَى اللَّهِ، فَرَجَعَتْ أَمْراً وَاحِداً وَرَجَعَ اِلَى اللَّهِ؛ فَرَأَى اللَّهَ بِاللَّهِ.

    So whoever dies voluntarily, his Resurrection has taken place and in his sight all matters have come to God; they have returned to being a single matter, and he has returned to God, and so he has seen God by God.✦

    ¶ 3780

11. «اِنَّكُمْ لَنْ تَرَوْا رَبَّكُمْ حَتَّى تَمُوتُوا». عَلَى لِسَانِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- خَرَّجَهُ الطَّبَرَانِيُّ،

    “You will not see your Lord until you die”, on the tongue of the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him peace); al-Ṭabarānī transmitted it.✦

    ¶ 3781

12. وَذَلِكَ لِفَنَاءِ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ، فِي شُهُودِ هَذَا الْمَيِّتِ الْمَبْعُوثِ.

    That is because of the passing away of created things in the beholding of this dead man who has been raised.✦

    ¶ 3782

13. فَمَا بَقِيَ عِنْدَهُ اِلاَّ أَمْرٌ وَاحِدٌ، أَيْ وُجُودٌ وَاحِدٌ،

    So nothing remained in his sight but a single matter, that is, a single existence.✦

    ¶ 3783

14. وَمَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ يَكُونُ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ لِلْعُمُومِ اِلاَّ وَفِي هَذِهِ الدَّارِ نَمُوذَجٌ مِنْهُ لِلْخُصُوصِ، قَلَّ أَوْ جَلَّ،

    There is nothing that happens to people in general after death without there being, in this abode, a model of it for the elect, be it small or great.✦

    ¶ 3784

15. وَصَيْرُورَةُ الْأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا اِلَى اللَّهِ- تَعَالَى-، اِذَا اعْتُبِرَتْ مِنْ جِهَةِ صُوَرِهَا اِنَّمَا يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ حُكْماً لَا عَيْناً،

    As for the coming of all matters to God Most High: when it is considered from the side of their forms, that is only in ruling, not in entity.✦

    ¶ 3785

16. فَيَرَى مَنْ مَاتَ وَقَامَتْ قِيَامَتُهُ الْكَثِيرَ وَاحِداً لِوَحْدَتِهِ الْحَقِيقِيَّةِ، وَالْوَاحِدَ كَثِيراً لِكَثْرَتِهِ النِّسْبِيَّةِ الِاعْتِبَارِيَّةِ،

    So the one who has died and whose Resurrection has taken place sees the many as one, because of its real oneness, and the one as many, because of its relative, notional multiplicity.✦

    ¶ 3786

17. وَالْأَعْيَانُ الَّتِي هِيَ الْجَوَاهِرُ لَاتَنْعَدِمُ أَبَداً، وَالْخَلْقُ الْجَدِيدُ دَائِماً دُنْيَا وَآخِرَةً، اِنَّمَا هُوَ فِي الصُّوَرِ، الَّتِي هِيَ أَعْرَاضٌ،

    The entities, which are the substances, never cease to exist; the new creation, perpetually, in this world and the next, is only in the forms, which are accidents;✦

    ¶ 3787

18. وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ سِوَى الْوُجُودِ الَّذِي هُوَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ؛ فَهُوَ عَرَضٌ.

    And everything other than existence, which is God's matter, is an accident.✦

    ¶ 3788

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.