The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 251 · “Judgement belongs to none but God”

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from verses saying judgement belongs to God alone (Q 6:57, 12:40, 12:67 among them), the Emir argues that only one with encompassing knowledge can truly judge. He rejects the outward scholars' view that reason and custom also judge; their agreement with the truth is coincidence. A visionary event showed him that people err about causes: the remedy that heals Zayd kills ʿAmr. Causes are to be affirmed where God affirms them, with His face beheld in them.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 759, Damascus 1966, p. 760, Damascus 1966, p. 761 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى لِمُحَمَّدٍ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ–: «قُلْ.... إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلاَّ لِلَّهِ⁽³⁾».

   God Most High said to Muhammad (God bless him and grant him peace): “Say … judgement belongs to none but God” (Q 6:57).✦

   ¶ 3284

2. وَقَالَ نُوحٌ– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ– مُخَاطِباًلَهُ تَعَالَى: «وَأَنْتَ أَحْكَمُ الْحَاكِمِينَ⁽⁴⁾».

   And Noah (peace be upon him) said, addressing Him, Most High: “and You are the best of judges” (Q 11:45).✦

   ¶ 3285

3. وَقَالَ فِيمَا حَكَاهُ عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ–: «إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلاَّ لِلَّهِ».

   And He said, in what He related of Jacob (peace be upon him): “Judgement belongs to none… judgement belongs to none but God” (Q 12:67).✦

   ¶ 3286

4. وَقَالَ فِيمَا قَصَّهُ عَنْ يُوسُفَ– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ–: «إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلاَّ لِلَّهِ».

   And He said, in what He narrated of Joseph (peace be upon him): “Judgement belongs to none but God” (Q 12:40).✦

   ¶ 3287

5. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: «أَلَا لَهُ الْحُكْمُ».

   And He, Most High, said: “Truly, His is the judgement” (Q 6:62).✦

   ¶ 3288

6. وَقَـالَ: «لاَ مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكْمِهِ».

   And He said: “There is none to reverse His judgement” (Q 13:41).✦

   ¶ 3289

7. وَقَـالَ: «فَالْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ».

   And He said: “So the judgement belongs to God” (Q 40:12).✦

   ¶ 3290

8. اِلَى غَيْرِ هَذَا.

   And so on, besides this.✦

   ¶ 3291

9. وَالْحُكْمُ اِثْبَاتُ أَمْرٍ لِأَمْرٍ، وَنَفْيُ أَمْـرٍ عَنْ أَمْرٍ.

   Judgement is the affirming of one thing of another, and the denying of one thing of another.✦

   ¶ 3292

10. وَهَذِهِ الْآيَاتُ وَأَمْثَالُهَا دَلَّتْ نَصّاً عَلَى انْفِرَادِ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– بِالْحُكْمِ، وَأَنَّهُ لَا حُكْمَ لِغَيْرِهِ أَصْلاً، لِأَنَّهَا كُلُّهَا تُفِيدُ الْحَصْرَ، خِلَافَ مَا يَقُولُهُ عُلَمَاءُ الرُّسُـومِ، اَنَّ الْحَاكِمَ قَـدْ يَكُونُ الْحَقَّ– تَعَالَى–، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الْعَقْلَ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الْعَادَةَ.

    These verses and their like indicate explicitly that the Real, Most High, is alone in judgement, and that there is no judgement at all belonging to anything other than Him, since all of them convey restriction. This is contrary to what the scholars of outward forms say, that the judge may be the Real, Most High, or may be reason, or may be custom.✦

    ¶ 3293

11. فَاِثْبَاتُهُمُ الْحُكْمَ لِلْعَقْلِ وَالْعَادَةِ خِلَافُ النَّصِّ.

    So their affirming of judgement for reason and custom is contrary to the text.✦

    ¶ 3294

12. فَاِنْ وَافَقَ حُكْمُ الْعَقْلِ وَالْعَادَةِ الصَّوَابَ؟ فَذَلِكَ اتِّفَاقِيٌّ، لَا حُكْمٌ بِعِلْمٍ، بَلْ لَا يُسَمَّى حُكْماً،

    And if the judgement of reason and custom agrees with what is correct? That is coincidental, not a judgement by knowledge; indeed it is not even called a judgement,✦

    ¶ 3295

13. اِذِ الْحَاكِمُ اِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ عَالِماً بِمَا حَكَمَ كَانَ حُكْمُهُ بَاطِلاً،

    since when a judge does not know what he judges, his judgement is void.✦

    ¶ 3296

14. فَالْحَاكِمُ الْحَقُّ هُوَ الْعَالِمُ بِالْمَحْكُومِ بِهِ وَالْمَحْكُومِ عَلَيْهِ، جُمْلَةً وَتَفْصِيلاً عِلْماً اِحَاطِيّاً مِنْ جَمِيعِ الْوُجُوهِ وَالِاعْتِبَارَاتِ ظَاهِراً وَبَاطِناً، بِدَايَةً وَنِهَايَةً، أَصْلاً وَفَرْعاً.

    So the true judge is the one who knows what is judged and that of which it is judged, in sum and in detail, with an encompassing knowledge from every aspect and consideration, outwardly and inwardly, at beginning and end, in root and branch.✦

    ¶ 3297

15. وَلَيْسَ هَذَا اِلاَّ لِلْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– فَلَا حُكْمَ اِلاَّ لَهُ– تَعَالَى–،

    And this belongs only to the Real, Most High; so there is no judgement except His, Most High.✦

    ¶ 3298

16. قِيلَ لِي فِي الْوَاقِعَةِ: النَّاسُ غَالِطُونَ فِي أَحْكَامِهِمْ فِي الْأَسْبَابِ،

    It was said to me in a visionary event: people are mistaken in their judgements concerning causes,✦

    ¶ 3299

17. فَاِنَّهُمْ يَحْكُمُونَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ سَبَباً لِحُصُولِ زَيْدٍ مَثَلاً، عَلَى مَطْلُوبٍ مَا يَكُونُ سَبَباً لِحُصُولِ عَمْرٍو عَلَى ذَلِكَ الْمَطْلُوبِ،

    for they judge of what was a cause for Zayd, say, attaining some object of desire, that it will be a cause for ʿAmr attaining that same object;✦

    ¶ 3300

18. فَغَلِطُوا فِي الْحُكْمِ عَلَى أَنَّ مَا كَانَ سَبَباً لِهَذَا يَكُونُ سَبَباً لِهَذَا،

    so they erred in judging that what was a cause for this one will be a cause for that one,✦

    ¶ 3301

19. كَمَا غَلِطُوا فِي التَّعَلُّقِ بِالْأَسْبَابِ، عَلَى أَنَّهَا تُؤَثِّرُ بِصُوَرِهَا الْمَحْسُوسَةِ،

    just as they erred in attaching themselves to causes in the belief that they produce effects by their sensible forms,✦

    ¶ 3302

20. وَيَقُولُونَ هَذَا سَبَبٌ قَوِيٌّ، وَهَذَا سَبَبٌ ضَعِيفٌ، وَيَتَخَيَّلُونَ أَنَّ الْمُسَبَّبَاتِ مَا وُجِدَتْ اِلاَّ بِهَا، مِنْ حَيْثُ صُوَرُهَا.

    and they say “this is a strong cause” and “this is a weak cause”, and imagine that the effects came into existence only through them, as regards their forms.✦

    ¶ 3303

21. وَهَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي أَضَلَّ الْخَلْقَ عَنْ طَرِيقِ الْهُدَى وَالْعِلْمِ بِحَجْبِهِمْ عَنِ الْوَجْهِ الْخَاصِّ الَّذِي لَهُ تَعَالَى، فِي كُلِّ كَائِنٍ.

    This is what has led creatures astray from the path of guidance and knowledge, by veiling them from the specific face that belongs to Him, Most High, in every existent thing.✦

    ¶ 3304

22. فَالْأَسْبَابُ وَالْعَادَاتُ ، صُوَرٌ لَهُ تَعَالَى وَحَجَبَةٌ ، وَهُوَ الْفَاعِلُ بِهَا مَا يَشَاءُ وَمَا يُسَمُّونَهُ سَبَباً قَدْ لَا يَكُونُ سَبَباً ،
    ¶ 3305

23. وَرُبَّمَا كَانَ سَبَباً لِضِدَّ الْمَقْصُودِ مِنْهُ ، اِذَا نُسِبَ مَا هُوَ سَبَبٌ لِذَاتِهِ ، وَاِنَّمَا يَكُونُ سَبَباً بِجَعْلِ الْحَقِّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ لَهُ ، وَخَلْقِ السَّبَبِيَّةِ فِيهِ .
    ¶ 3306

24. وَالْمُشَاهَدَةُ قَاضِيَةٌ بِهَذَا .
    ¶ 3307

25. فَاِنَّا نَرَى شَخْصَيْنِ مُتَّفِقَيْنِ فِي السِّنِّ وَالطَّبِيعَةِ وَالْبَلَدِ وَالْمَعِيشَةِ وَالصَّنْعَةِ يَمْرَضَانِ بِمَرَضٍ وَاحِدٍ ، فَيَحْكُمُ الطَّبِيبُ بِأَنَّ دَوَاءَهُمَا وَاحِدٌ ، لِاتِّفَاقِهِمَا فِي الْأُمُورِ الْمُؤَثِّرَةِ فِي الطَّبِيعَةِ ،
    ¶ 3308

26. فَيَسْقِيهِمَا الدَّوَاءَ ، فَيَصِحُّ زَيْدٌ وَيَمُوتُ عَمْرٌو ،
    ¶ 3309

27. فَهَلْ هَذَا اِلاَّ أَنَّ اللَّهَ ـ تَعَالَى ـ جَعَلَ السَّبَبِيَّةَ فِي هَذَا الدَّوَاءِ لِزَيْدٍ ، وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ فِيهِ السَّبَبِيَّةَ لِعَمْرٍو ؟!
    ¶ 3310

28. فَأَثْبِتِ الْأَسْبَابَ ، يَا أَخِي ، حَيْثُ أَثْبَتَهَا الْحَقُّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ امْتِثَالاً لِلْأَمْرِ وَاتِّبَاعاً لِلْحِكْمَةِ ، وَلَا تَعْتَمِدْ عَلَيْهَا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَنَّهَا اَغْيَارٌ لِلْحَقِّ تَعَالَى .
    ¶ 3311

29. وَشَاهِدْ وَجْهَ الْحَقِّ فِيهَا ، فَلَا بُدَّ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ وُجُوداً وَالْغَيْبَةُ عَنْهَا شُهُودُهُ .
    ¶ 3312

30. فَاِذَا سَمِعْتَ أَوْ رَأَيْتَ مَنْ يَقُولُ بِالْاَسْبَابِ مِنَ الْكَامِلِينَ فَذَلِكَ مِنْ جِهَةِ وُجُودِ عَيْنِهَا أَوْ يَقُولُ بِدَفْعِهَا فَذَلِكَ مِنْ جِهَةِ تَأْثِيرِهَا ، مِنْ حَيْثُ صُوَرُهَا .
    ¶ 3313

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.