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 299 · “Read your book!”
In briefAI
Starting from Q 17:13-14, “Read your book! Your own self suffices today as a reckoner against you”, the Emir says the lot fastened to each person is his share from the essential self-disclosure, through which the immutable entities and their preparednesses came to be in the Knowledge. The book brought out is that entity, unveiled in its non-existence, since God knew and decreed only according to what He beheld. The reply to anyone who objects that knowledge preceded is “Did I know you except as you are?”
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 977, Damascus 1966, p. 978, Damascus 1966, p. 979 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَكُلَّ إِنسَانٍ أَلْزَمْنَاهُ طَائِرَهُ فِي عُنُقِهِ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَاهُ مَنشُورًا، اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَى بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا».
He, exalted is He, said: "And every human being, We have fastened his lot [lit. his bird] to his neck, and We shall bring out for him on the Day of Resurrection a book which he will meet spread open: 'Read your book! Your own self suffices today as a reckoner against you'" (Q 17:13–14).
صَدْرُ الْآيَةِ عَامٌّ فِي السُّعَدَاءِ وَالْأَشْقِيَاءِ.
The opening of the verse is general, covering both the felicitous and the wretched.
وَعَجُزُهَا خَاصٌّ بِبَيَانِ أَحْوَالِ الْأَشْقِيَاءِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ.
Its close is restricted to setting out the states of the wretched on the Day of Resurrection.
فَاِنَّ السَّعِيدَ لَايُقَالُ لَهُ: «كَفَى بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا».
For it is not said to the felicitous one: "Your own self suffices today as a reckoner against you" (Q 17:14).
أَخْبَرَ تَعَالَى: أَنَّهُ أَلْزَمَ كُلَّ اِنْسَانٍ طَائِرَةً، أَيْ حَظَّهُ وَنَصِيبَهُ.
He, exalted is He, informs us that He has fastened to every human being his lot, that is, his share and his portion.
بِمَعْنَى جَعَلَهُ لَزِيماً لَهُ مُلَازَمَةَ الْعُنُقِ، لِمَا يُجْعَلُ فِيهِ.
That is, He made it cling to him as the neck clings to whatever is placed on it.
فَمَا يَجْرِي عَلَى الْاِنْسَانِ، مِمَّا يَظْهَرُ مِنْهُ فِي أَطْوَارِ وُجُودَاتِهِ وَتَقَلُّبَاتِ أَحْوَالِهِ اِلَاّ طَائِرُهُ وَحَظُّهُ وَقِسْمَتُهُ مِنَ التَّجَلِّي الذَّاتِيِّ الْأَقْدَسِ، الَّذِي حَصَلَتْ بِهِ الْأَعْيَانُ الثَّابِتَةُ، وَاسْتِعْدَادَاتُهَـا الْكُلِّيَّـةُ فِي الْعِلْمِ؛
So nothing befalls the human being, of what appears from him in the phases of his existences and the turnings of his states, except his lot, his share and his portion from the most holy essential self-disclosure, through which the immutable entities and their universal preparednesses came to be in the Knowledge.
يُقَالُ طَارَ لَهُ كَذَا، بِمَعْنَى صَارَ نَصِيبَهُ فِي الْقِسْمَةِ.
One says «ṭāra lahu such-and-such», meaning: it became his portion in the allotment.
وَفِي صَحِيحِ الْبُخَارِيِّ، عَنْ أُمِّ الْعَلَاءِ: «طَارَ لَنَا عُثْمَانُ ابْنُ مَظْعُونٍ فِي الْقِسْمَةِ، حِينَ اقْتَرَعَتِ الْأَنْصَارُ عَلَى سُكْنَى الْمُهَاجِرِينَ»
In the Ṣaḥīḥ of al-Bukhārī, from Umm al-ʿAlāʾ: "ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn fell to our lot in the allotment, when the Helpers drew lots over the lodging of the Emigrants."
فَفِي الْآيَةِ مَجَازٌ فِي ذِكْرِ الطَّائِرِ، وَمَجَازٌ فِي ذِكْرِ الْكِتَابِ الْمَنْشُورِ.
So in the verse there is a figurative usage in the mention of the bird, and a figurative usage in the mention of the book spread open.
وَهَذَا الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي يُخْرَجُ؛ مَا هُوَ الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي تَكْتُبُهُ الْحَفَظَةُ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْعَبْدِ فِي الدُّنْيَا دَائِماً وَيَلْقَاهُ الْاِنْسَانُ مَنْشُوراً.
This book which is brought out is not the book that the guardian angels continually write of the servant's deeds in this world, and which the human being meets spread open.
وَاِنَّمَا هُوَ الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي ذَكَرَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- فِي قَوْلِهِ: «اِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فِيمَا يَبْدُو لِلنَّاسِ. حَتَّى مَا يَبْقَى بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ اِلَاّ شِبْرٌ أَوْ ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ...».
Rather, it is the book that the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him peace) mentioned in his saying: "A man works the work of the people of the Garden, as far as appears to people, until nothing remains between him and the Garden but a span or a cubit; then the book overtakes him . . ."
الْحَدِيثُ بِطُولِهِ، أَخْرَجَهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ فِي الصَّحِيحِ.
The ḥadīth in full: al-Bukhārī transmitted it in the Ṣaḥīḥ.
فَلَا يَقْضِي اللَّهُ قَضَاءً اِلَاّ بِمَا سَبَقَ الْكِتَابُ أَنْ يَقْضِيَ بِهِ.
So God decrees no decree except what the book has already laid down that He shall decree.
وَمَا كَتَبَ اِلَاّ مَا عَلِمَ.
And He wrote only what He knew.
وَلَا عَلِمَ اِلَاّ مَا شَهِدَ مِنْ صُوَرِ الْمَعْلُومَاتِ، عَلَى مَا هِيَ عَلَيْهِ فِي أَنْفُسِهَا.
And He knew only what He beheld of the forms of the objects of knowledge, as they are in themselves.
مَا تَغَيَّرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَا يَتَغَيَّرُ، فَشَهِدَهَا فِي عَدَمِهَا.
Both what of them changes and what does not change; and He beheld them in their non-existence.
وَلَا يُوجِدُهَا؛ اِلَاّ كَمَا هِيَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ عَدَمِهَا.
And He does not bring them into existence except as they are in their non-existence.
فَاِخْرَاجُ الْكِتَابِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لِلْاِنْسَانِ؛ هُوَ الْكَشْفُ لَهُ عَنْ عَيْنِهِ الثَّابِتَةِ فِي الْعَدَمِ، وَمَا هِيَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الِاسْتِعْدَادِ، لِمَا حَكَمَ عَلَيْهِ الْحَقُّ بِهِ، وَأَعْطَاهُ أِيَّاهُ، فِي سَائِرِ تَقَلُّبَاتِهِ فِي أَطْوَارِهِ، وَهُوَ طَائِرُهُ الَّذِي أَلْزَمَهُ اِيَّاهُ فِي الْوُجُودِ الْخَارِجِيِّ.
So the bringing out of the book for the human being on the Day of Resurrection is the unveiling to him of his immutable entity in non-existence, and of the preparedness it has for what the Real decreed for him and gave him in all his turnings through his phases; and that is his lot which He fastened to him in external existence.
وَيُقَالُ لَهُ : اقْرَأْ كِتَابَ نَفْسِكَ وَاسْتِعْدَادِكَ لِمَا حَكَمْنَا بِهِ عَلَيْكَ وَظَهَرَ مِنْكَ فِي دَارِ التَّكْلِيفِ ، فَيَجِدُ نَفْسَهُ كِتَاباً مَنْشُوراً لَايُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً ؛ اِلَاّ أَحْصَاهَا .
فَحِينَئِذٍ يَقُولُ الْحَقُّ لِلْاِنْسَانِ :
« كَفَى بِنَفْسِكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيباً » .
أَيْ مُحَاسِباً لَكَ ، وَاَنَّكَ مَا ظَلَمَكَ الْحَقُّ بِشَيْءٍ حَكَمَ بِهِ عَلَيْكَ .
فَهَذَا الْكِتَابُ يُخَلِّي الْمَحْكُومَ عَلَيْهِ ، يَطْلُبُ مِنَ الْحَاكِمِ أَنْ يَحْكُمَ بِهِ ،وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ الَّذِي أَمَرَ اللَّهُ رَسُولَهُ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنْ يَقُولَ : رَبِّ احْكُمْ بِالْحَقِّ .
وَبِهِ قَامَتِ الْحُجَّةُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى مَنْ يَقُولُ : يَارَبِّ عِلْمُكَ سَبَقَ فِي أَنْ أَكُونَ عَلَى مَا أَنَا عَلَيْهِ فَلِمَ تُؤَاخِذُنِي ؟!
فَيَقُولُ لَهُ الْحَقُّ : هَلْ عَلِمْتُكَ ؛ اِلاَّ بِمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ ؟!
فَاِنِّي مَا حَكَمْتُ عَلَيْكَ اِلاَّ بِكَ .
فَأَنْتَ الَّذِي جَعَلْتَنِي أَحْكُمُ عَلَيْكَ بِمَا حَكَمْتُ .
وَلَوْ كُنْتَ عَلَى غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ ؛ لَعَلِمْتُكَ عَلَى مَا تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ .
فَكِتَابُ كُلِّ اِنْسَانٍ نَفْسُهُ ، وَهُوَ عَيْنُهُ الثَّابِتَةُ ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَظْهَرُ بِهِ وَعَلَيْهِ فِي الْوُجُودِ .
وَهُوَ سَبْقُ الْكِتَابِ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ ، فَلَا يَخَفِ الْاِنْسَانُ اِلاَّ نَفْسَهُ ، فَاِنَّهُ مَا سَبَقَ الْعِلْمُ ؛ اِلاَّ بِمَا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الصُّورَةِ الَّتِي ظَهَرَ عَلَيْهَا •
وَلِهَذِهِ الْاِشَارَةِ بِقَوْلِهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِيمَا يَرْوِيهِ عَنْ رَبِّهِ : « مَنْ وَجَدَ خَيْراً فَلْيَحْمَدِ اللَّهَ • وَمَنْ وَجَدَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا يَلُومَنَّ اِلَّا نَفْسَهُ » أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ فِي صَحِيحِهِ ، فَافْهَمْ •
وَمَنْ تَتَبَّعَ اَلْفَاظَ الْآيَةِ وَتَأَمَّلَهَا ؟ عَلِمَ عُلُوَّ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ الَّذِي ذَكَرْنَاهُ ، وَهُوَ اِشَارَةٌ لَاتَفْسِيرٌ •
« وَمَا كَانَ عَطَآءُ رَبِّكَ مَحْظُوراً » .

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