The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 249 · “Perfection is not reserved to men”

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from Q 66:4, addressed to ʿĀʾisha and Ḥafṣa, where God, Gabriel, the righteous and the angels back the Prophet should the two combine against him, the Emir takes this as a sign of their great standing. Its secret is that woman, as woman, is the locus of the rank of receptivity (contingency), without which no trace of the divine Names would appear. Angels and righteous men do not manifest this rank, and the Prophet testified to perfection among women, so perfection is not reserved to men.

   Context: the Emir reads Q 66:4 through his metaphysics, where receptivity is a rank in the cosmos that women are said to show. It is not a legal or social ruling.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 743, Damascus 1966, p. 744 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَإِنْ تَظَاهَرَا عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ مَوْلَاهُ وَجِبْرِيلُ وَصَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ».

   He, exalted is He, said: “And if you two back each other up against him, then God, He is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous among the believers; and the angels, after that, are his backing” (Q 66:4).✦

   ¶ 3262

2. الْخِطَابُ لِعَائِشَةَ وَحَفْصَهَ- رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا-

   The address is to ʿĀʾisha and Ḥafṣa, may God be pleased with them both.✦

   ¶ 3263

3. تَظَاهَرَا تَعَاوَنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-

   “Back each other up” means: help one another against the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace.✦

   ¶ 3264

4. فَاِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ مَوْلَاهُ نَاصِرُهُ وَمُؤَيِّدُهُ،

   “Then God, He is his protector”: his helper and supporter;✦

   ¶ 3265

5. وَجِبْرِيلُ وَصَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ، أَعْوَانٌ عَلَى نُصْرَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-

   “and Gabriel and the righteous among the believers; and the angels, after that, are his backing”: helpers in the support of the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace.✦

   ¶ 3266

6. انْظُرْ وَتَأَمَّلْ أَمْرَ هَاتَيْنِ السَّيِّدَتَيْنِ تَجِدْهُ أَمْراً اِمْراً،

   Look and consider the matter of these two ladies: you will find it a matter most grave,✦

   ¶ 3267

7. وَتَعْلَمْ أَنَّ لَهُمَا الْمَكَانَةَ الْكُبْرَى، حَيْثُ جَعَلَ تَعَالَى نَفْسَهُ فِي مُقَابَلَتِهِمَا نُصْرَةً لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ مَعَ جِبْرِيلَ وَصَالِحِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَجَمِيعِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ جَمِيعِهِمْ ـ

   and you will know that theirs is the greatest standing, since He, exalted is He, set Himself over against the two of them in support of the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, together with Gabriel, the righteous among the believers and all the angels, God bless them all.✦

   ¶ 3268

8. فَهَلْ هَذَا اِلاّ شَيْءٌ يُذْهِلُ الْعُقُولَ، وَلَا يَبْقَي مَعَهُ مَعْقُولٌ؟!

   Is this anything but a thing that stuns the intellects, with which nothing intelligible remains?!✦

   ¶ 3269

9. وَكَمْ مَرَّةً ذَكَرَ سَيِّدُنَا فِي الْفُتُوحَاتِ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ مُسْتَعْظِماً لَهَا؟

   How many times did our master mention this verse in the Futūḥāt, deeming it tremendous?✦

   ¶ 3270

10. وَمَا كَشَفَ سِرَّهَا.

    And he did not unveil its secret.✦

    ¶ 3271

11. وَكَشْفُ هَذَا السِّرِّ، وَاِيضَاحُ هَـذَا الْأَمْرِ، بِطَرِيقِ النَّذْرِ وَالْاِشَـارَةِ، لَا بِالْاِسْهَابِ وَتَفْصِيلِ الْعِبَارَةِ هُوَ أَنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ مِنْ حَيْثُ مَا هِيَ امْرَأَةٌ مَظْهَـرُ مَرْتَبَةِ الِانْفِعَالِ، وَهِيَ مَرْتَبَةُ الْاِمْكَانِ.

    The unveiling of this secret and the clarifying of this matter, by way of brief hint and allusion, not by prolixity and detailed expression, is this: woman, insofar as she is woman, is the locus of manifestation of the rank of receptivity, which is the rank of contingency.✦

    ¶ 3272

12. وَمَرْتَبَةُ الِانْفِعَالِ لَهَا الشَّرَفُ الْبَاذِخُ، وَالْمَجْدُ الرَّاسِخُ.

    And the rank of receptivity has lofty nobility and firmly rooted glory.✦

    ¶ 3273

13. فَاِنَّهُ لَوْلَاهَا، أَيْ لَوْلَا مَرْتَبَةُ الِانْفِعَالِ، وَهِيَ مَرْتَبَةُ الْاِمْكَانِ وَالْقَبُولِ، لِتَأْثِيرِ مَرْتَبَـةِ الْفِعْـلِ، وَهِيَ مَرْتَبَةُ الْأُلُوهَةِ، مَرْتَبَـةُ الْأَسْمَاءِ؟ مَا ظَهَرَ لِأَسْمَاءِ الْأُلُوهَةِ أَثَرٌ، وَلَا عُرِفَ لَهَا خَبَرٌ.

    For were it not for it, that is, were it not for the rank of receptivity, which is the rank of contingency and of receiving the effect of the rank of acting (which is the rank of divinity, the rank of the Names), no trace of the Names of divinity would have become manifest, nor would any report of them have been known.✦

    ¶ 3274

14. اِذْ عِلَّةُ التَّأْثِيرِ وَالْاِيجَادِ مُرَكَّبَةٌ مِنَ الْفَاعِلِ، وَهِيَ مَرْتَبَةُ الْأُلُوهَةِ وَالْوُجُوبِ، وَمِنَ الْقَابِلِ، وَهِيَ مَرْتَبَةُ الْاِمْكَانِ وَالِانْفِعَالِ.

    For the cause of effecting and bringing into existence is composed of the agent, which is the rank of divinity and necessity, and of the receiver, which is the rank of contingency and receptivity.✦

    ¶ 3275

15. فَلِذَا كَانَ الْفَاعِلُ لَايَفْعَلُ فِي الْمُسْتَحِيلِ، فَاِنَّهُ لَايَقْبَلُ التَّأْثِيرَ، وَلَا يَنْفَعِلُ لِفِعْلِ الْفَاعِلِ،

    That is why the agent does not act upon the impossible, for it does not receive effect and is not acted upon by the act of the agent,✦

    ¶ 3276

16. مَعَ مَاحَصَّلَتْهُ هَاتَانِ السَّيِّدَتَانِ مِنَ الْكَمَالِ بِمَظْهَرِيَّتِهِمَا لِمَرْتَبَةِ أَسْمَاءِالْأُلُوهَةِ وَالتَّحَقُّقِ بِهَا.

    this together with the perfection which these two ladies attained through their being loci of manifestation of the rank of the Names of divinity, and through realization of it.✦

    ¶ 3277

17. فَاِنَّ الْكَمَالَ يَكُونُ فِي النِّسَاءِ، كَمَا شَهِدَ بِذَلِكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ

    For perfection is found among women, as the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, testified.✦

    ¶ 3278

18. فَلَيْسَ الْكَمَالُ خَاصّاً بِالرِّجَالِ.

    So perfection is not reserved to men.✦

    ¶ 3279

19. وَالْحَقُّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ أَنْ يُوصَفَ بِالِانْفِعَالِ، اِلاّ عَنْ بُعْدٍ، بِالنَّظَرِ اِلَى قَوْلِهِ: «أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ».

    And the Real, exalted is He, is too majestic and mighty to be described by receptivity, except from afar, in view of His words: “I answer the call of the caller when he calls Me” (Q 2:186).✦

    ¶ 3280

20. وَجِبْرِيلُ وَجَمِيعُ الْمَلَائِكَةِ لَيْسَ لَهُمُ الْجَمْعِيَّـةُ الَّتِي لِلْاِنْسَانِ، وَلَا التَّحَقُّقُ بِمَرْتَبَةِ الْأَسْمَاءِ، وَلَا الْمَظْهَرِيَّةُ لِمَرْتَبَةِ الِانْفِعَالِ.

    Gabriel and all the angels do not have the all-comprehensiveness that belongs to the human being, nor realization of the rank of the Names, nor the being-a-locus-of-manifestation for the rank of being acted upon.✦

    ¶ 3281

21. وَصَـالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ؛ وَاِنْ كَانُـوا يَظْهَرُونَ بِجَمِيعِ مَا اشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ مَرْتَبَةُ الْفِعْلِ، وَهِيَ الْأُلُوهَةُ، فَيَكُونُونَ مَظْهَراً لَهَا، فَلَيْسَ لَهُمْ أَنْ يَكُونُوا مَظْهَراً لِمَرْتَبَةِ الِانْفِعَالِ، الَّتِي لِلنِّسَاءِ التَّحَقُّقُ بِهَا،

    And the righteous among the believers: even though they manifest all that the rank of acting comprises, and that rank is divinity, so that they are a locus of manifestation for it, it is not theirs to be a locus of manifestation for the rank of being acted upon, realization of which belongs to women.✦

    ¶ 3282

22. فَلِهَٰذَا السِّرِّ كَانَتْ لِهَاتَيْنِ السَّيِّدَتَيْنِ الْقُوَّةُ الْعُظْمَى، الَّتِي أَشَارَتْ اِلَيْهَا الْآيَةُ الْكَرِيمَةُ.

    It is for this secret that these two ladies had the supreme strength to which the noble verse alluded.✦

    ¶ 3283

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.