The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 245 · “Turn your faces”: the face of each thing

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from Q 2:144, “turn your faces towards it”, the Emir reads the command as turning the inward face to the Presence that gathers all Presences, the Presence of union, wherever one stands in separation. The face of each thing is its very self, what remains when everything perishes (Q 28:88). He lists verses and reports on submitting the face, and takes the common prayers “whiten” and “blacken your face” to mean the governing face, whose subjects are clean or defiled.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 557, Damascus 1966, p. 558, Damascus 1966, p. 559, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 511, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 512, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 513 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنْتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ».

   He, exalted is He, said: “So turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque; and wherever you are, turn your faces towards it” (Q 2:144).✦

   ¶ 2980

2. أَمْرٌ مِنَ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– لِرَسُولِهِ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– وَلِكُلِّ مَنْ تَبِعَهُ بِتَوْلِيَةِ وُجُوهِهِمُ الْبَاطِنَةِ تِلْقَاءَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ الْبَاطِنِيِّ.

   It is a command from the Real, exalted is He, to His Messenger, God bless him and give him peace, and to everyone who follows him, to turn their inward faces towards the inward Sacred Mosque.✦

   ¶ 2981

3. وَالْمَسْجِدُ الْحَرَامُ هُنَا اِشَارَةً لَا تَفْسِيراً، كِنَايَةٌ عَنِ الْحَضْرَةِ الْجَامِعَةِ لِجَمِيعِ الْحَضَرَاتِ، وَهِيَ حَضْرَةُ الْجَمْعِ وَالْوُجُودِ.

   The Sacred Mosque here (by way of allusion, not exegesis) stands for the Presence that gathers all the Presences, which is the Presence of union and of existence.✦

   ¶ 2982

4. فَكَمَا أَمَرَهُمْ– تَعَالَى– بِتَوْلِيَةِ وُجُوهِهِمُ الْجِسْمَانِيَّةِ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ الْجِسْمَانِيِّ؛ أَمَرَهُمْ بِتَوْلِيَةِ وُجُوهِهِمُ الْمَعْنَوِيَّةِ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ الْمَعْنَوِيِّ،

   Just as He, exalted is He, commanded them to turn their bodily faces towards the bodily Sacred Mosque, so He commanded them to turn their spiritual faces towards the spiritual Sacred Mosque,✦

   ¶ 2983

5. حَيْثُ مَا كُنْتُمْ، أَيْ فِي أَيِّ مَرْتَبَةٍ كُنْتُمْ مِنْ مَرَاتِبِ الْفَرْقِ، فَلْتَكُنْ وُجُوهُكُمُ الْمَعْنَوِيَّةُ مُتَوَجِّهَةً لِمَرْتَبَةِ الْجَمْعِ،

   “wherever you are”: that is, in whatever level of the levels of separation you may be, let your spiritual faces be turned towards the level of union,✦

   ¶ 2984

6. فَاِنَّ الْجَمْعَ حَقِيقَةٌ، وَالْفَرْقَ حِكْمَةٌ،

   for union is Reality, and separation is wisdom,✦

   ¶ 2985

7. وَوَجْهُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَيْنُهُ، وَحَقِيقَتُهُ الَّتِي هُـوَ بِهَا هُوَ،

   and the face of each thing is its very self, its reality by which it is what it is,✦

   ¶ 2986

8. وَهَـذَا الْوَجْهُ هُوَ لِكُلِّ مَخْلُوقٍ مِنَ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– وَهِيَ الْوُجُوهُ الَّتِي عَنَتْ لِلْحَيِّ الْقَيُّومِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: «وَعَنَتِ الْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَيِّ الْقَيُّومِ».

   and this face belongs to every created thing from the Real, exalted is He; these are the faces that are humbled before the Living, the Self-Subsisting, in His words: “And faces are humbled before the Living, the Self-Subsisting” (Q 20:111).✦

   ¶ 2987

9. وَهَذَا الْوَجْـهُ هُوَ الَّذِي كَانَ أَصْحَابُ الصُّفَّةِ– رِضْـوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِـمْ– يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ، يُرِيـدُونَ مَعْرِفَتَهُ•

   This face is that for which the People of the Bench, God's good pleasure be upon them, called upon their Lord morning and evening, desiring to know it.✦

   ¶ 2988

10. وَهَـذَا الْوَجْهُ هُوَ الْبَاقِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، اِذَا هَلَكَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ

    This face is what remains of each thing when everything perishes.✦

    ¶ 2989

11. قَالَ تَعَالَى: «كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلاَّ وَجْهَهُ».

    He, exalted is He, said: “Everything is perishing except His face” (Q 28:88).✦

    ¶ 2990

12. وَقَالَ: «وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ».

    And He said: “And the face of your Lord remains” (Q 55:27).✦

    ¶ 2991

13. فَهُوَ مَقْصُودُ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ•

    So it is what the Real, exalted is He, intends in things.✦

    ¶ 2992

14. فَلَا يُفْتَقَدُ مَا غَابَ، اِذَا حَضَرَ وَلَا يُعْبَأُ بِمَا حَضَرَ اِذَا غَابَ هُوَ،

    What is absent is not missed when the face is present, and no heed is paid to what is present when it is absent,✦

    ¶ 2993

15. فَظَاهِرُ الْأَمْرِ يَقْتَضِي أَنَّ ثَمَّ مُوَلِّيً وَمُتَوَلّىً مُطَاوِعً وَلَيْسَ اِلاَّ وَاحِداً هُوَ الْمُوَلَّى وَالْمُتَوَلِّي•

    The outward sense of the command implies that there is one who turns and one turned who complies, yet there is only One, who is both the one turned and the one who turns.✦

    ¶ 2994

16. وَلِشِدَّةِ اعْتِنَاءِ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– بِهَذَا الْوَجْهِ كَرَّرَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ ذِكْرَهُ وَكَذَا فِي السُّنَّةِ

    Because of the Real's intense concern, exalted is He, with this face, He repeated mention of it in the Qurʾān, and likewise in the Sunna.✦

    ¶ 2995

17. قَالَ: «وَأَقِيمُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ».

    He said: “And set your faces upright” (Q 7:29).✦

    ¶ 2996

18. وَقَالَ: «بَلَىٰ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ».

    And He said: “Yes indeed, whoever submits his face to God” (Q 2:112).✦

    ¶ 2997

19. وَقَالَ: «وَمَنْ يُسْلِمْ وَجْهَهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ».

    And He said: “And whoever submits his face to God” (Q 31:22).✦

    ¶ 2998

20. وَقَالَ: «وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِيناً مِمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلّٰهِ⁽¹⁾».

    And He said: “And who is better in religion than one who submits his face to God” (Q 4:125).✦

    ¶ 2999

21. وَقَالَ حِكَايَةً عَنِ الْخَلِيلِ– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ–: «إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَٰوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ⁽²⁾».

    And He said, relating the words of the Friend, peace be upon him: “I have turned my face to Him who originated the heavens and the earth” (Q 6:79).✦

    ¶ 3000

22. وَفِي الصَّحِيحِ: اَنَّهُ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– كَانَ يَقُولُ عِنْدَ النَّوْمِ: «اللَّهُمَّ وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِي اِلَيْكَ».

    In the Ṣaḥīḥ it is reported that he (God bless him and grant him peace) used to say on going to sleep: “O God, I have turned my face towards You.”✦

    ¶ 3001

23. وَفِي الصَّحِيحِ فِي دُعَاءِ التَّوَجُّهِ : « وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِي » .
    ¶ 3002

24. وَنَحْوُ هَـذَا .
    ¶ 3003

25. وَالْعَامَّةُ لَهُـمْ شُعُورٌ بِهَذَا الْوَجْـهِ وَلَا يَعْلَمُونَ مَا هُوَ ؟!
    ¶ 3004

26. وَهَذَا مِـنْ بَقَايَا عِلْمِ الْخَاصَّةِ فِي أَلْسِنَةِ الْعَامَّةِ ، فَاِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ لِمَنْ يَدْعُونَ لَهُ : بَيَّضَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَكَ ، أَبْيَضَ كَانَ أَوْ أَسْوَدَ !!
    ¶ 3005

27. وَيَقُولُونَ لِمَنْ يَدْعُونَ عَلَيْهِ : سَوَّدَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَكَ كَذَلِكَ ، فَلَيْسَ الْمُرَادُ بِهَذَا الدُّعَاءِ اِلَاّ الْوَجْهَ الْمَذْكُورَ ، لَا الْعُضْوَ الْمَعْرُوفَ .
    ¶ 3006

28. وَاِلَيْهِ يُشِيرُ قَوْلُهُ : « يَوْمَ تَبْيَضُّ وُجُوهٌ وَتَسْوَدُّ وُجُوهٌ⁽³⁾ » .
    ¶ 3007

29. فَاِنَّ مِـنَ الْوُجُوهِ الْحَاكِمَةِ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْمَمَالِكِ الْاِنْسَانِيَّةِ الْمُتَوَلِّيَةِ عَلَى رُعَاتِهَا مَنْ تَأْتِي رَعِيَّتُهُ وَمَمْلَكَتُهُ دَنِسَةًقَذِرَةً سَوْدَاءَ بِأَقْذَارِ الْمُخَالَفَاتِوَأَنْوَاعِ الشِّرْكِوَالْمَعَاصِي، فَهَذَا هُوَ سَوَادُ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ عِنْدَ مَنْ وَلَاّهُ وَجَعَلَهُ حَاكِماً ،
    ¶ 3008

30. وَمِـنَ الْوُجُوهِ مَنْهُوَ بِالْعَكْسِ وَهَذَا هُوَ بَيَاضُ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ، عِنْدَ مَنْ وَلَاّهُ .
    ¶ 3009

31. وَهُوَ الِاسْمُ الْجَامِعُ كَمُحَاسَبَةِ الْعُمَّالِ وَعَرْضِ رَعَايَاهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلِكِ سَوَاءً بِسَوَاءٍ
    ¶ 3010

32. يَشِيرُ اِلَى هَذَا قَوْلُهُ : « تَعْرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ النَّعِيمِ⁽⁴⁾ » .
    ¶ 3011

33. أَيْ تَعْرِفُ مِنْ مَعْرِفَتِكَ وُجُوهَهُمُ الْحَاكِمَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ سُعَدَاءُ أَهْلُ نَعِيمٍ
    ¶ 3012

34. فَاِنَّ مَنْ عَرَفَ الْحَاكِمَ عَرَفَ حَالَ رَعِيَّتِهِ وَمَمْلَكَتِهِ الْحَاكِمِ عَلَيْهَا خَيْراً أَوْ شَرّاً .
    ¶ 3013

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.