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

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Mawqif 273 · Joseph: “And he had an urge towards her”
Context: in the story of Joseph and the official’s wife (Q 12:24), the Emir argues that Joseph’s urge was compassion, not desire, and that prophets are protected from sin; what he says of love for women belongs to that argument.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 818, Damascus 1966, p. 819, Damascus 1966, p. 820 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ وَهَمَّ بِهَا لَوْلَا أَن رَّأَىٰ بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ السُّوءَ وَالْفَحْشَاءَ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُخْلَصِينَ».
God Most High said: “And she certainly had an urge towards him, and he had an urge towards her, had he not seen the proof of his Lord. Thus it was, that We might turn evil and indecency away from him; he is truly one of Our servants made sincere” (Q 12:24).
الْهَمُّ ثَانِي الْحَرَكَاتِ النَّفْسِيَّةِ الْخَمْسَةِ الَّتِي تَتَقَدَّمُ الْفِعْلَ، وَهِيَ: الْخَاطِرُ، وَيُقَالُ نَقْرُ الْخَاطِرِ، وَيُقَالُ الْهَاجِسُ، وَيُقَالُ السَّبَبُ الْأَوَّلُ.
The urge is the second of the five movements of the soul that precede the act. They are: the passing thought, which is also called “the tapping of the passing thought”, also called “the first stirring”, and also called “the first cause”.
ثُمَّ الْهَمُّ، ثُمَّ الْعَزْمُ، ثُمَّ الْقَصْدُ، ثُمَّ النِّيَّةُ تُقَارِنُ الْفِعْلَ الظَّاهِرَ
Then the urge, then the resolve, then the aim, then the intention, which accompanies the outward act.
وَالْهَمُّ يُعْطِي الْحَيْرَةَ فِي الْأَمْرِ الْفِعْلِ وَالتَّرْكِ، وَلَا يَكُونُ اِلاَّ فِي الْمَعَانِي لَايَكُونُ فِي الْأَعْيَانِ،
The urge brings perplexity about the matter, between doing it and leaving it. It exists only in inner meanings; it does not exist in concrete things.
وَفِي ذِكْرِ هَمِّهَـا بِهِ وَهَمِّهِ بِهَا؟ بَيَانُ مَا كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ مِـنْ شِدَّةِ الطَّلَبِ وَالتَّوَصُّلِ اِلَى مَقْصُودِهَا بِأَيِّ وَجْهٍ كَانَ.
In the mention of her urge towards him and his urge towards her there is a statement of the state she was in: the intensity of her seeking and of her striving to reach her goal by any means at all.
وَمَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ هُوَ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ـ مِـنَ الْعِفَّةِ، مَعَ رَحْمَتِهِ بِهَا، لِمَا أَصَابَهَا مِنَ الْعِشْقِ،
It is also a statement of the state he, peace be upon him, was in: chastity, together with his compassion for her because of the passion that had struck her.
وَمَا بَيَّنَ تَعَـالَى مَا هَمَّتْ بِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ مَعْلُومٌ مِـنْ قَوْلِـهِ: «وَرَاوَدَتْهُ»
The Most High did not make clear what she had an urge towards, because it is known from His words: “And she tried to seduce him” (Q 12:23).
وَلَا مَا هَمَّ بِهِ هُوَ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ـ لِأَنَّهُ مَعْلُومٌ مِنْ قَوْلِـهِ: «قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ، فَأَمَّا هَمَّهَا بِـهِ»، أَيْ بِشَـــأْنِهِ، فَهُوَ فِيمَا يُوصِلُهَـا اِلَى مَطْلُوبِهَا مِنْهُ بِأَيِّ وَجْهٍ كَانَ،
Nor did He make clear what he, peace be upon him, had an urge towards, because it is known from His words: “He said: God forbid!” (Q 12:23). As for her urge towards him, that is, towards his affair, it concerned whatever would bring her to what she sought from him, by any means at all,
وَأَنَّهَا أَوَّلاً دَعَتْهُ اِلَى مَا دَعَتْهُ اِلَيْهِ بِعِزَّةِ السِّيَادَةِ وَقَهْرِ الْمِلْكِيَّةِ، فَقَالَتْ لَـهُ آمِرَةً: «هَيْتَ لَكَ»، أَيْ بَـادِرْ وَقَـرِّبْ.
At first she called him to what she called him to with the might of mastery and the compulsion of ownership, saying to him in command: “Come here, you!” (Q 12:23), that is, hasten and draw near.
فَلَمَّا أَجَابَهَا بِقَوْلِهِ: «مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ». انْكَسَرَتْ حِدَّتُهَا وَفَتَرَتْ شِدَّتُهَا،
When he answered her with his words, “God forbid! The wrongdoers do not prosper” (Q 12:23), her sharpness broke and her vehemence slackened.
وَعَلِمَتْ أَنَّ السَّطْوَةَ وَالْقَهْرَ لَايُجْدِيَانِ نَفْعاً وَلَا يَشْعَبَانِ لَهَا صَدْعاً، فَهَمَّتْ بِهِ، بِأَنْ تُلْقِيَ نَفْسَهَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، وَتَتَطَارَحَ عَلَى رِجْلَيْهِ، وَتُظْهِرَ ذِلَّتَهَا، وَتُفَارِقَ عِزَّتَهَا،
She knew that force and compulsion would bring her no benefit and would mend no crack for her. So she had an urge towards him: to throw herself before him, to fling herself at his feet, to show her abasement and to part with her might.
وَأَمَّا هَمُّهُ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ـ بِهَا؟ فَهُوَ أَنْ يُظْهِرَ لَهُ رَحْمَتَهُ بِهَا وَشَفَقَتَهُ عَلَيْهَـا، وَأَنَّهُ يُحِبُّهَا حُبّاً اِلَٰهِيّاً رُوحَانِيّـاً أَسْمَائِيّاً،
As for his urge, peace be upon him, towards her, it was to show it his compassion for her and his tenderness towards her, and that he loved her with a love that was divine, spiritual and of the Names,
حَيْثُ أَنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ مِنْ حَيْثُ هِيَ مَظْهَرُ مَرْتَبَةِ الِانْفِعَالِ، الَّتِي بِهَا ظَهَرَتْ مَرْتَبَةُ الْفِعْلِ، وَالْكَامِلُ مَظْهَرُ مَرْتَبَةِ الْفِعْلِ، مَرْتَبَـةِ الْأَسْمَاءِ.
This is because woman, as such, is the locus of manifestation of the level of being acted upon, through which the level of acting became manifest, while the perfect man is the locus of manifestation of the level of acting, the level of the Names.
وَالْأَسْمَاءُ أَشَدُّ حُبّاً لِمَرْتَبَةِ الِانْفِعَالِ مِـنْ مَحَبَّةِ مَرْتَبَةِ الِانْفِعَالِ لِلْأَسْمَاءِ،
And the Names love the level of being acted upon more intensely than the level of being acted upon loves the Names.
وَمِـنْ هَذَا الْمَشْهَدِ حُبِّبَ اِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ وَاِلَى كُلِّ كَامِلٍ مِـنْ نَبِيٍّ وَوَلِيٍّ النِّسَـاءُ،
From this place of beholding, women were made beloved to the Messenger of God, God bless him and give him peace, and to every perfect one, whether prophet or friend of God.
فَلَا تَجِدُ كَامِلاً اِلاَّ وَهُوَ يُحِبُّ النِّسَاءَ لِهَذَا الشُّهُودِ ،
فَأَظْهَرَ الْحَقُّ تَعَالَى لِيُوسُفَ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ـ فِي سِرِّهِ بُرْهَانَ حِكْمَتِهِ ، أَنْ لَا يَقُولَ مَا هَمَّ بِهِ وَلَا يُظْهِرَهُ لَهَا فَاِنَّهَا جَاهِلَةٌ عَاشِقَةٌ ،
وَالْعِشْقُ يُخْرِجُ صَاحِبَهُ عَنْ مِيزَانِ الْعَقْلِ حَتَّى قِيلَ .
وَلَا
خَيْرَ فِي حُبٍّ يُدَبِّرُ بِالْعَقْلِ ، وَاَنَّ اِظْهَارَ مَا هَمَّتْ بِهِ لَهَا ، يَزِيدُهَا طَمَعاً وَتَكَالُباً وَيُقَوِّي رَجَاهَا فِي نَيْلِ مَقْصُودِهَا
كَذَٰلِكَ ، أَيْ كَمَا ابْتَلَيْنَاهُ بِهَا وَوَجَدْنَاهُ صَابِراً عَلَى الْأَمْرِ وَالنَّهْيِ ، نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ ؛ أَرَيْنَاهُ بُرْهَانَ حِكْمَتِنَا بِتَرْكِ مَا هَمَّ بِهِ ، لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ السُّوءَ •
فَمَا هَمَّ بِسُوءٍ ، فَاِنَّ الْهَمَّ بِالسُّوءِ مِنَ السُّوءِ •
وَقَدْ صَرَفَهُ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ ، لِأَنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ تَعَالَى الْمُضَافِينَ اِلَيْهِ اِضَافَةَ تَخْصِيصٍ ، وَتَشْرِيفٍ الْمُخْلَصِينَ الْمُسْتَخْلَصِينَ لِلنُّبُوَّةِ وَالْأَمَانَةِ وَحَمْلِ الْوَحْيِ الْجِبْرَائِيلِيِّ الِاخْتِصَاصِيِّ ،
فَاعْرِفْ يَا أَخِي مَقَامَ النُّبُوَّةِ الْأَسْمَي ، وَأَثْبِتْ لَهُ كُلَّ كَمَالٍ ، وَنَزِّهْهُ عَنْ كُلِّ مَا يَجْلِبُ عَيْباً وَوَصْماً ،
وَاعْرِفِ الْحَقَّ تَعْرِفْ أَهْلَهُ ، فَلَا تُقَلِّدْ فِي هَذَا وَأَمْثَالِهِ أَحَداً مِنْ كَذَبَةِ الْمُؤَرِّخِينَ وَجَهَلَةِ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ •

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