The Book of Stations
المواقف
Context: The Emir uses the Akbarian thesis that God's knowledge follows the fixed entities and His will His knowledge, so belief or unbelief is what each entity asks. Al-Qāshānī and al-Qayṣarī see divine justice vindicated; Ibn Taymiyya and many Ashʿarīs and Māturīdīs see God determined and sin excused, as in his claim that an elect knower may say 'I did it by God's will'.AI
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «سَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَشْرَكْنَا وَلاَ آبَاؤُنَا وَلاَ حَرَّمْنَا مِن شَيْءٍ» الْآيَاتِ.
The Most High has said: “Those who associate partners [with God] will say: ‘Had God willed, we would not have associated [partners with Him], nor would our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything’” (Q 6:148), and the verses [that follow].
In briefAI
The Emir reads Q 6:148, where the associators plead that God willed their shirk. Their words are true, since nothing happens except by His will, but they draw a false conclusion: that whatever God wills He loves. God's will follows His knowledge, and His knowledge follows what the servants' fixed entities require, unbelief included. Only an elect servant to whom God unveils this could rightly plead His will. The associators acted on conjecture, so the conclusive argument is God's: He judged them only by what they themselves asked for.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 531 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 532 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 533 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 488 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 489 ↗, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 490 ↗ (archive.org)
هَذَا كَلَامُ حَقٍّ أُرِيدَ بِهِ بَاطِلٌ، أَيْ لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ عَدَمَ اِشْرَاكِنَا مَا أَشْرَكْنَاهُ وَلَوْ شَاءَ عَدَمَ تَحْرِيمِ شَيْءٍ مِمَّا حَرَّمْنَاهُ مَا فَعَلْنَا، فَاِنَّهُ لَايَقَعُ مِنَّا اِلَّا مَا يَشَاءُ.
This is a true word by which something false is intended; that is: had God willed that we not associate, we would not have associated it, and had He willed that nothing of what we have forbidden be forbidden, we would not have done so, for nothing occurs from us except what He wills.
وَهَذَا حَقٌّ.
And this is true.
وَوَجْهُ اِرَادَتِهِمُ الْبَاطِلَ بِهَذَا الْحَقِّ أَنَّهُمْ جَعَلُوا كُلَّ مَا شَاءَهُ الْحَقُّ بِعِبَادِهِ هُوَ مَرْضِيٌّ لَهُ، مَحْبُوبٌ لَدَيْهِ، وَهَذَا بَاطِلٌ،
The way in which they intended falsehood by this truth is that they made everything the Real wills for His servants something pleasing to Him and loved by Him; and this is false,
فَاِنَّ الْحَقَّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ يَشَاءُ بِعِبَادِهِ مَا عَلِمَهُ مِنْهُمْ أَزَلاً، وَالَّذِي عَلِمَهُ مِنْهُمْ أَزَلاً؟ هُوَ مَا تَقْتَضِيهِ حَقَائِقُهُمْ وَيَطْلُبُونَهُ بِاسْتِعْدَادِهِمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ وَشَرٍّ، وَتَوْحِيدٍ وَكُفْرٍ،
for the Real (exalted is He) wills for His servants what He knew of them from all eternity, and what He knew of them from all eternity is what their realities require and what they ask for by their preparedness, of good and evil, of the affirmation of oneness and of unbelief.
فَمَشِيئَتُهُ تَابِعَةٌ لِعِلْمِهِ، وَعِلْمُهُ تَابِعٌ لِمَعْلُومِهِ، وَمَعْلُومُهُ مِنْهُ مُهْتَدٍ وَضَالٌّ، وَمُوَحِّدٌ وَمُشْرِكٌ، وَشَقِيٌّ وَسَعِيدٌ، وَصَادِقٌ وَكَاذِبٌ،
So His will follows His knowledge, His knowledge follows what it knows, and of what it knows there are the rightly guided and the astray, the one who affirms oneness and the one who associates, the wretched and the felicitous, the truthful and the liar;
فَاِنَّ مَخْلُوقَاتِهِ ـ تَعَالَى ـ مَظَاهِرُ أَسْمَائِهِ، وَأَسْمَاؤُهُ مِنْهَا مَا يَقْتَضِي الْجَمَالَ وَالرَّحْمَةَ وَهُوَ حَظُّ أَهْلِ السَّعَادَةِ، أَصْحَابِ الْقَبْضَةِ الْيُمْنَى، وَمِنْهَا مَا يَقْتَضِي الْجَلَالَ وَالْقَهْرَ وَهُوَ حَظُّ أَهْلِ الشَّقَاوَةِ أَهْلِ الْقَبْضَةِ الشُّؤْمَى،
for His creatures (exalted is He) are the loci of manifestation of His names; among His names are those that require beauty and mercy, and that is the portion of the people of felicity, the people of the right-hand grasp; and among them are those that require majesty and overpowering, and that is the portion of the people of wretchedness, the people of the left-hand grasp.
فَمَشِيئَتُهُ تَعَالَى لِأَمْرٍ لَيْسَتْ عُنْوَاناً عَلَى مَحَبَّتِهِ لَهُ وَرِضَاهُ بِهِ، فَاِنَّهُ لَايَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ، وَقَدْ شَاءَ كُفْرَ كَثِيرِينَ مِنْهُمْ،
So His willing a thing (exalted is He) is not a sign of His loving it and being pleased with it, for He is not pleased with unbelief for His servants, and yet He has willed the unbelief of many of them;
وَاِنَّمَا الْمَشِيئَةُ عُنْوَانٌ عَلَى أَنَّهُ سَبَقَ عِلْمُهُ أَزَلاً بِمَا يَشَاؤُهُ أَبَداً،
the will is only a sign that His knowledge of what He wills for ever went before it from all eternity.
فَلَوْ كَانَ كُلُّ مَا يَشَاؤُهُ بِعِبَادِهِ خَيْراً لَلَزِمَ أَنْ يَكُونَ اِرْسَالُ الرُّسُلِ وَتَشْرِيعُ الشَّرَائِعِ عَبَثاً، فَاِنَّهَا جَاءَتْ بِالْأَمْرِ وَالنَّهْيِ وَبَيَانِ قَبْضَةِ الْيَمِينِ وَقَبْضَةِ الشِّمَالِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: «فَمِنْهُمْ شَقِيٌّ وَسَعِيدٌ».
Were everything He wills for His servants good, it would follow that sending the messengers and laying down the revealed laws were pointless, for they came with command and prohibition and with making clear the grasp of the right hand and the grasp of the left, as the Most High has said: “Among them are the wretched and the felicitous” (Q 11:105).
وَهَـذَا الَّذِي حَكَاهُ الْحَقُّ– تَعَالَى– عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَاَنَّ كُلَّ مَا يَشَاؤُهُ اللَّهُ– تَعَالَى– بِعِبَادِهِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ. عَقْدٌ ثَالِثٌ،
This which the Real (exalted is He) has related of the associators, namely that everything God (exalted is He) wills for His servants is good, is a third creed,
فَاِنَّ عَقِيدَةَ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ: أَنَّهُ تَعَالَى يَشَاءُ بِعِبَادِهِ الْخَيْرَ وَالشَّرَّ، وَعَقِيدَةَ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ: أَنَّهُ– تَعَالَى– لَايَشَاءُ بِعِبَادِهِ اِلَّا الْخَيْرَ، وَمَشِيئَةُ الشُّرُورِ هِيَ مِنَ الْعِبَادِ، لَا مِنَ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى–،
for the creed of the people of the Sunna is that He (exalted is He) wills for His servants good and evil, and the creed of the Muʿtazila is that He (exalted is He) wills for His servants nothing but good, and the willing of evils is from the servants, not from the Real (exalted is He).
فَلَوْ كَشَفَ اللَّهُ– تَعَالَى– لِعَبْدٍ مِنْ خَوَاصِّ عَبِيدِهِ، عَنْ سَابِقِ عِلْمِهِ مِنْهُ، وَعَمَّا تَقْتَضِيهِ عَيْنُهُ الثَّابِتَةُ لَصَحَّ لَهُ، وَقُبِلَ مِنْهُ أَنْ يَقُولَ فَعَلْتُ مَا فَعَلْتُ بِمَشِيئَةِ اللَّهِ وَأَمْرِهِ الْاِرَادِيِّ، الَّذِي هُوَ أَعَمُّ مِنَ الْمَحْبُوبِ وَالْمَكْرُوهِ لَهُ تَعَالَى،
So if God (exalted is He) were to unveil to a servant from among the elect of His servants His prior knowledge of him and what his immutable entity requires, it would be valid for him, and it would be accepted from him, to say: I did what I did by the will of God and His volitional command, which is more general than what is loved by Him (exalted is He) and what is hateful to Him,
لِهَذَا قَالَ :
« قُلْ هَلْ عِندَكُمْ مِنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَا » .
أَيْ هَلْ عِنْدَكُمْ عِلْمٌ بِمَا تَقْتَضِيهِ اسْتِعْدَادَاتُكُمْ وَكَشْفٌ عَنْ اَعْيَانِكُمُ الثَّابِتَـةِ فَبَيِّنُوهُ لَنَا ، وَاَنَّكُمْ مَا أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَحَرَّمْتُمْ مَا حَرَّمْتُمْ وَفَعَلْتُمْ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ ؟ اِلَّا بَعْدَ اَنْ كَشَفَ الْحَقُّ – تَعَالَى – لَكُمْ عَنْ مَشِيئَتِهِ بِكُمْ ، التَّابِعَةِ لِعِلْمِهِ ،
وَهَذَا هُوَ الْعِلْمُ الْمُتَعَلِّقُ بِسِرِّ الْقَدَرِ الَّذِي هُوَ سَبَبُ الْأَسْبَابِ وَعِلَّةُ الْعِلَلِ ،
وَحَيْثُ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَقْدُهُمْ مِنْ هَذَا الْقَبِيلِ ؟ فَمَا فَعَلُوا مَا فَعَلُوا اِلَّا بِالظَّنِّ .
وَلِهَذَا قَالَ : « إِنـ تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلاَّ الظَّنَّ » .
أَيْ مَا أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَحَرَّمْتُمْ مَاحَرَّمْتُمْ اِلَّا بِالظَّنِّ .
وَالظَّنُّ اَكْذَبُ الْحَدِيثِ .
Quotes a hadith: al-Bukhārī 5143, part of it · in a Ṣaḥīḥ, no separate grade · sunnah.com ↗
فَاِنَّهُ خَطَرَاتٌ نَفْسَانِيَّةٌ يُوحِيهَا الشَّيْطَانُ اِلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِ ،
وَحَيْثُ كَانَ الْأَمْرُ كَمَا أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ فَلَا حُجَّةَ لَهُمْ بِمَشِيئَةِ اللَّهِ – تَعَالَى – اِشْرَاكَهُمْ ، وَافْتِرَاهُمْ عَلَيْهِ بِتَحْرِيمِ مَا حَرَّمُوا ، بَلْ لَهُ تَعَالَى الْحُجَّةُ عَلَيْهِمْ .
وَلِهَذَا قَالَ : « قُلْ فَلِلَّهِ الْحُجَّةُ الْبَالِغَةُ » .
عَلَيْكُمْ فِيشِرْكِكُمْ وَجَمِيعِ أَفْعَالِكُمُ الْمُخَالِفَةِ لِأَمْرِهِ وَنَهْيِهِ–تَعَالَى–
فَاِنَّهُ –تَعَالَى– مَا شَاءَ بِكُمْ اِلَّا مَا طَلَبَتْهُ أَعْيَانُكُمُ الثَّابِتَةُ بِأَلْسِنَةِ حَالِهَا ،
وَهُوَ تَعَالَى الْجَوَادُ الْمُطْلَقُ ، فَلَا يَرُدُّ سُؤَالَ الِاسْتِعْدَادَاتِ ، وَهِيَ الِاقْتِضَاءَاتُ الْأَسْمَائِيَّةُ وَالْوُجُوهُ الْخَاصَّةُ الَّتِي هِيَ حَقَائِقُ أُوَلُ لِحَقَائِقِ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ ،
فَمَا حَكَمَ عَلَيْكُمْ اِلاَّ بِكُمْ وَمِنْكُمْ .
بَلْ أَنْتُمُ الْحَاكِمُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ .
فَاِنَّ الْحَاكِمَ مَحْكُومٌ عَلَيْهِ،أَنْ يَحْكُمَ فِي الْقَضِيَّةِ بِمَا تَقْتَضِيهِ ذَاتُ الْقَضِيَّةِ .
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.