al-Amīr ʿAbd al-Qādir b. Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Jazāʾirī · Kitāb al-Mawāqif fī baʿḍ ishārāt al-Qurʾān ilā al-asrār wa-l-maʿārif

المواقف

The Book of Stations

About this text

Mawqif 272 · “And ask forgiveness for your sin”
In briefAI
Starting from “And ask forgiveness for your sin” (Q 47:19), the Emir answers how protected prophets can seek forgiveness: they ask for ghafr, being screened from sin, and protection leaves their choice intact, since they are commanded and rewarded. He gives three kinds of seeking: the elect of the elect, the elect, who ask covering so that exposure and reckoning are removed (the “presentation” told to ʿĀʾisha), and the common people, who ask to be covered from punishment.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 817, Damascus 1966, p. 818 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى آمِراً لِلرَّسُولِ مُحَمَّدٍ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ: «وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْبِكَ».
God Most High said, commanding the Messenger Muhammad (God bless him and grant him peace): "And ask forgiveness for your sin" (Q 47:19; the same words also at Q 40:55).
وَقَالَ: «وَٱسْتَغْفِرْهُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّاباً».
And He said: "And ask His forgiveness; He is ever accepting of repentance" (Q 110:3).
اِلَى غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ.
And other verses besides.
لَايُقَالُ الرُّسُلُ ـ عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ ـ مَعْصُومُونَ مِنَ الْمَعَاصِي، فَكَيْفَ أُمِرُوا بِالِاسْتِغْفَارِ؟!
It is not to be said: "The messengers (blessings and peace be upon them) are protected from acts of disobedience, so how were they commanded to seek forgiveness?!"
لِأَنَّا نَقُولُ: اسْتِغْفَارُ الْاَنْبِيَاءِ لَيْسَ هُوَ مِنْ مُقَارَفَةِ الذُّنُوبِ وَالْمُخَالَفَاتِ كَغَيْرِهِمْ،
For we say: the prophets' seeking of forgiveness does not come from committing sins and transgressions, as it does with others;
وَاِنَّمَا اسْتِغْفَارُهُمْ: بِمَعْنَى طَلَبِ الْغَفْرِ، وَهُوَ السَّتْرُ عَنِ الْمُخَالَفَاتِ، وَالْحَيْلُولَةُ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَهَا فَلَا يُلَابِسُونَهَا.
rather, their seeking of forgiveness means asking for ghafr, which is being screened from transgressions and kept apart from them, so that they do not become involved in them.
لَايُقَالُ فِي هَذَا طَلَبُ تَحْصِيلِ الْحَاصِلِ، وَهُوَ مُحَالٌ
Nor is it to be said: "In this there is a seeking to obtain what is already obtained, and that is absurd,"
لِأَنَّا نَقُولُ: الْعِصْمَةُ لِلْأَنْبِيَاءِ لَيْسَتْ بَالِغَةً مَبْلَغَ الْقَسْرِ وَالْاِلْجَاءِ، فَيَكُونُونَ مُضْطَرِّينَ مَسْلُوبِينَ الِاخْتِيَارَ وَالْكَسْبَ،
for we say: the prophets' protection does not reach the degree of coercion and compulsion, such that they would be constrained, stripped of choice and acquisition;
فَاِنَّهُمْ مُكَلَّفُونَ مَنْهِيُّونَ مَأْمُورُونَ، مُثَابُونَ عَلَى امْتِثَالِ الْأَوَامِرِ وَاجْتِنَابِ النَّهْيِ، وَلَايُكَلَّفُ وَيُثَابُ اِلَّا فَاعِلٌ مُخْتَارٌ،
for they are under obligation, forbidden and commanded, and rewarded for complying with the commands and avoiding what is forbidden; and none is placed under obligation and rewarded except an agent who chooses.
وَاِنَّمَا أَمَرَهُمْ بِالِاسْتِغْفَارِ، بِالْمَعْنَى الَّذِي ذَكَرْنَاهُ، وَهُوَ اسْتِغْفَارُ خَاصَّةِ الْخَاصَّةِ، الْمُشَارُ اِلَيْهِ فِي دُعَاءِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ بِقَوْلِهِمْ: «وَقِهِمُ السَّيِّئَاتِ».
He commanded them to seek forgiveness only in the sense we have mentioned, and this is the seeking of forgiveness of the elect of the elect, which is alluded to in the prayer of the angels when they say: "And protect them from evil deeds" (Q 40:9).
وَالثَّانِي: اسْتِغْفَارُ الْخَاصَّةِ، وَهُوَ طَلَبُ الْغَفْرِ وَالسَّتْرِ بِمَعْنَى عَدَمِ الْفَضِيحَةِ.
The second is the seeking of forgiveness of the elect: it is asking for ghafr and covering in the sense of not being exposed.
وَاِذَا انْتَفَتِ الْفَضِيحَةُ بِالذَّنْبِ؟ انْتَفَتِ الْمُؤَاخَذَةُ بِهِ لَا مَحَالَةَ.
And when exposure for the sin is removed, being taken to task for it is removed, without doubt.
وَهَذَا النَّوْعُ هُوَ الْمُشَارُ اِلَيْهِ فِي تَفْسِيرِ الْعَرْضِ، الْوَارِدِ فِي الصَّحِيحِ،
This kind is the one alluded to in the explanation of the "presentation" (al-ʿarḍ) that is transmitted in the Ṣaḥīḥ:
وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- قَالَ يَوْماً: «مَنْ حُوسِبَ عُذِّبَ»
namely, that one day he (God bless him and grant him peace) said: "Whoever is called to account is punished."
فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ- رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا- وَكَانَتْ مَا سَمِعَتْ شَيْئاً اِلاّ رَاجَعَتْهُ حَتَّى تَفْهَمَهُ: «يَارَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَوَلَيْسَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ: «فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَاباً يَسِيراً، وَيَنْقَلِبُ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُوراً».
ʿĀʾisha (God be pleased with her), who never heard anything without going back over it with him until she understood it, said: "O Messenger of God, does God not say: 'He will be called to account with an easy reckoning, and will return to his people joyful' (Q 84:8–9)?"
فَقَالَ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-: «يَاعَائِشُ، ذَلِكَ الْعَرْضُ، وَاِلاّ فَمَنْ نُوقِشَ الْحِسَابَ يَهْلِكْ».
He (God bless him and grant him peace) said: "O ʿĀʾish, that is the presentation; otherwise, whoever has the reckoning examined closely perishes."
وَصِفَةُ الْعَرْضِ هُوَ أَنْ يَضَعَ الْحَقُّ- تَعَالَى- كَنَفَهُ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِ، فَلَا يَرَاهُ نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ وَلَا مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ، فَيُقَرِّرُهُ اللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِ، فَلَا يَسَعُهُ اِلاّ الْاِقْرَارُ،
The manner of the presentation is that the Real (exalted is He) places His shelter (kanaf) over His believing servant, so that no prophet sent and no angel brought near sees him; then God makes him acknowledge his sins, and there is nothing open to him but to acknowledge;
فَيَقُولُ لَهُ: قَدْ سَتَرْتُهَا عَلَيْكَ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَأَنَا أَغْفِرُهَا لَكَ الْيَوْمَ وَيُؤْمَرُ بِهِ اِلَى الْجَنَّةِ،
then He says to him: "I covered them for you in the world, and I forgive them for you today"; and the order is given for him to be taken to the Garden;
فَيَمُرُّ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْمَحْشَرِ فَيَقُولُونَ: مَا أَسْعَدَ هَذَا!! لَمْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ قَطُّ.
He passes by the people of the Gathering, and they say: "How happy this one is! He never once disobeyed God."
وَالنَّوْعُ الثَّالِثُ: اسْتِغْفَارُ الْعَامَّةِ، وَهُوَ طَلَبُ السَّتْرِ عَنِ الْعُقُوبَةِ وَالْمُؤَاخَذَةِ بِالذُّنُوبِ، لَايُبَالُونَ بِالْفَضِيحَةِ بَيْنَ الْخَلَائِقِ.
The third kind is the asking of forgiveness of the common people. It is the request to be covered from punishment and from being taken to account for sins; they do not care about being disgraced among the creatures.
وَبَعْدَ كِتَابَةِ هَذَا الْمَوْقِفِ؛ أُلْقِيَ عَلَيَّ فِي الْوَاقِعَةِ: «كُلُوا مِن رِزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَرَبٌّ غَفُورٌ»
After the writing of this stopping-place, there was cast upon me in the inner event: “Eat of the provision of your Lord and give thanks to Him: a good land and a forgiving Lord” (Q 34:15).

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