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
Mawqif 3 · “Glorify with the praise of your Lord”
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 33, Damascus 1966, p. 34, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 46, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 47 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُنْ مِنَ السَّاجِدِينْ، وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ».
God Most High said: "So glorify with the praise of your Lord and be among those who prostrate, and worship your Lord until the certainty comes to you" (Q 15:98–99).
الْخِطَابُ لِلنَّبِيِّ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- وَالْمُرَادُ غَيْرُهُ مِنْ أُمَّتِهِ «اِيَّاكِ أَعْنِي وَاسْمَعِي يَاجَارَةُ»، وَمِثْلُهُ فِي الْقُرْآنِ كَثِيرٌ،
The address is to the Prophet—God bless him and grant him peace—but what is meant is others of his community: "It is you I mean, so listen, O neighbour woman!" And there is much like this in the Qurʾān.
وَهُوَ أَمْرٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ وَرَاءِ الْحِجَابِ، وَفِي الْحَالَةِ الْعَامِّيَّةِ: أَنْ يُسَبِّحَ الْحَقَّ- تَعَالَى- أَيْ يُنَزِّهَهُ بِتَنْزِيهِ الْعُقُولِ، وَيَعْتَقِدَ عَقِيدَةَ الْعُمُومِ «وَأَنْ يَسْجُدَ لَهُ- تَعَالَى- وَيَعْبُدَ رَبَّهُ
It is a command to whoever among the believers is behind the veil and in the common state: that he glorify the Real (exalted is He), that is, declare Him transcendent with the transcendence of the intellects, and hold the creed of the generality, and that he prostrate to Him (exalted is He) and worship his Lord
وَهُوَ الْوَجْهُ، الَّذِي تَعَرَّفَ الْحَقُّ تَعَالَى بِهِ لِلْعَبْدِ،
and that is the face by which the Real, exalted is He, has made Himself known to the servant.
فَاِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَخْلُوقٍ اسْماً مِنْ أَسْمَاءِ الْحَقِّ- تَعَالَى- هُوَ الْوَاسِطَةُ بَيْنَ الْحَقِّ- تَعَالَى- وَالْعَبْدِ،
For every created being has a name among the names of the Real (exalted is He) which is the intermediary between the Real (exalted is He) and the servant.
وَلَا يَعْرِفُ الْعَبْدُ الْحَقَّ- تَعَالَى- اِلاَّ مِنْ طَرِيقِهِ، وَلَا يَعْبُدُ الْعَبْدُ مِنَ الْحَقِّ- تَعَالَى- اِلاَّ ذَلِكَ الِاسْمَ،
The servant knows the Real (exalted is He) only by way of it, and of the Real (exalted is He) the servant worships only that name.
وَلَوْ تَجَلَّى الْحَقُّ- تَعَالَى- لِلْعَبْدِ بِغَيْرِ مُقْتَضَى ذَلِكَ الِاسْمِ مَا عَرَفَهُ، بَلْ يُنْكِرُهُ، وَيَقُولُ لَهُ: لَسْتَ رَبِّي، وَيَتَعَوَّذُ مِنْهُ،
Were the Real (exalted is He) to manifest Himself to the servant otherwise than as that name requires, he would not recognise Him. Rather he would deny Him, say to Him, "You are not my Lord," and seek refuge from Him.
لِأَنَّ الْعَامِّيَّ لَا يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَعْبُدَ الْحَقَّ مُطْلَقاً، وَلَا يَعْرِفُهُ فِي جَمِيعِ تَجَلِّيَاتِهِ،
This is because the commoner is not able to worship the Real absolutely, nor does he know Him in all His self-manifestations.
فَأَمَرَ الْحَقُّ- تَعَالَى- أَنْ يَعْبُدَ رَبَّهُ بِأَنْوَاعِ الْعِبَادَاتِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ، وَالْوَظَائِفِ السُّنِّيَّةِ، وَيَتَقَرَّبَ اِلَيْهِ بِنَوَافِلِ الْخَيْرَاتِ
So the Real (exalted is He) commanded that he worship his Lord with the various acts of worship of the Law and the duties of the Sunna, and that he draw near to Him through supererogatory good works.
وَالْحِكْمَةُ فِي الْأَمْرِ، بِمُلَازَمَةِ التَّسْبِيحِ وَالتَّنْزِيهِ وَالسُّجُودِ وَالْعِبَادَةِ، هُوَ أَنَّهُ رُبَّمَا سَمِعَ الْعَامِّيُّ الْمَحْجُوبُ أَحْوَالَ الْعَارِفِينَ بِاللَّهِ وَكَلَامَهُمْ، وَمَا مَنَّ اللَّهُ- تَعَالَى- عَلَيْهِمْ بِهِ مِنَ الْعُلُومِ الْوَهْبِيَّةِ، وَالْأَسْرَارِ الرَّبَّانِيَّةِ،
The wisdom in the command to persist in glorification, declaring transcendence, prostration and worship is this: the veiled commoner may hear of the states of the knowers of God and their words, and of the bestowed sciences and lordly secrets with which God (exalted is He) has favoured them,
فَيَتَعَلَّقُ بِذَلِكَ عَلَى غَيْرِ وَجْهِهِ، وَطَرِيقِهِ الْمُوصِلِ اِلَيْهِ، وَيَتْرُكُ مَا بِيَدِهِ مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ وَالْوَظَائِفِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ، فَيَهْلِكُ وَيَبْقَى لَا هُوَ بِالْفَايِتِ وَلَا بِالْحَاصِلِ.
and so he attaches himself to that in a way other than its proper manner and the path that leads to it, and abandons the works and duties of the Law he has in hand. Thus he perishes, and is left neither with what has slipped away from him nor with what he has attained.
وَيَتَشَبَّهُ بِهِمْ فِي أَحْوَالِهِمُ الْبَاطِنَةِ الْخَاصَّةِ بِالْكَامِلِينَ، وَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِكَلِمَاتِهِمْ فِي وَحْدَةِ الْوُجُودِ، وَمِثْلِهَا مِنَ الْمَسَائِلِ الْمُتَشَكِّلَةِ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُلُوكِ طَرِيقِهِمْ، عَلَى وَجْهِهِ الْمَعْرُوفِ عِنْدَهُمْ.
He imitates them in their inward states, which belong to the perfect alone, and speaks their words on the oneness of being and similar obscure questions, without travelling their path in the manner known among them.
فَنَصَحَ الْحَقُّ عِبَادَهُ وَأَمَرَهُمْ بِالتَّمَسُّكِ بِمَا عِنْدَهُمْ، وَالْعَمَلِ بِهِ
So the Real counselled His servants and commanded them to hold fast to what they have and to act upon it.
وَالْخَيْرُ يَجُرُّ بَعْضُهُ اِلَى بَعْضِهِ، كَالْغَيْثِ يَكُونُ قَطْرَةً ثُمَّ يَنْهَمِلُ،
Good draws one part of itself to another, like rain that is first a drop and then pours down.
فَاِذَا عَمِلَ الْعَبْدُ عَلَى أَمْرِ الْحَقِّ لَهُ، وَوَاظَبَ عَلَى أَنْوَاعِ النَّوَافِلِ؟ أَحَبَّهُ اللَّهُ، فَاِذَا أَحَبَّهُ كَانَ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ وَلِسَانَهُ وَيَدَهُ وَجَمِيعَ قُوَاهُ.
When the servant acts on the Real's command to him and persists in the various supererogatory works, God loves him. And when He loves him, He is his hearing, his sight, his tongue, his hand and all his faculties.
وَهُوَ الْمُرَادُ بِاِتْيَانِ الْيَقِينِ بِمَعْنَى الْكَشْفِ، وَزَوَالِ الْغِطَا عَنْ حَقِيقَةِ الْأَمْرِ، وَبَاطِنِهِ، وَاَنَّ الْحَقَّ هُوَ قُوَى الْعَبْدِ جَمِيعُهَا،
That is what is meant by the coming of certainty: unveiling, the removal of the covering from the reality of the matter and from its inward side, and that the Real is the servant's faculties, all of them.
وَحِينَئِذٍ، يَعْرِفُ الْعَبْدُ مَنْ هُوَ الْمُسَبِّحُ وَالسَّاجِدُ، وَالْعَابِدُ، وَمَا فَائِدَةُ السُّجُودِ وَالْعِبَادَةِ، وَمَا عِلَّتُهَا الْغَائِيَّةُ، وَاَنَّهُ لَيْسَ الْمَقْصُودُ مِنَ التَّكَالِيفِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ؟ اِلاَّ أَنَّهَا أَسْبَابٌ وَأَدْوِيَةٌ لِرَفْعِ الْحِجَابِ عَنْ وَجْهِ الْأَمْرِ،
Then the servant knows who it is that glorifies, prostrates and worships; what the benefit of prostration and worship is; what its final cause is; and that the purpose of the obligations of the Law is nothing but this, that they are means and remedies for lifting the veil from the face of the matter.
وَبَعْدَ فَتْحِ الْبَابِ، وَرَفْعِ الْحِجَابِ؟ يَزِيدُ الْعَبْدُ تَعْظِيماً لِلْأَوَامِرِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ، وَالْتِزَاماً لَهَا، لِأَنَّهُ مَارَاءٍ كَمَنْ سَمِعَ.
After the door is opened and the veil lifted, the servant grows in reverence for the commands of the Law and in adherence to them, for one who sees is not like one who hears.
وَيَكُونُ اِتْيَانُهُ بِالْعِبَادَاتِ بَعْدَ رَفْعِ الْحِجَابِ عَلَى طَرِيقٍ أَعْلَى وَأَفْضَلَ، وَعَلَى وَجْهٍ أَعْدَلَ وَأَكْمَلَ، لَا مُنَاسَبَةَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ اِتْيَانِ الْعِبَادَاتِ الْأَوَّلِ،
After the lifting of the veil, his performance of acts of worship is in a higher and better way and in a more balanced and more perfect manner, bearing no comparison with the first performance of acts of worship.
وَكُلُّ مَنِ ادَّعَى أَنَّهُ شَمَّ رَائِحَةً مِنْ طَرِيقِ أَهْلِ اللَّهِ- تَعَالَى- وَلَمْ يَزْدَدْ لِلشَّرْعِ تَعْظِيماً، وَلِلسُّنَّةِ اتِّبَاعاً، فَهُوَ مُفْتَرٍ كَذَّابٌ.
Anyone who claims to have caught a scent of the path of the folk of God (exalted is He) and has not grown in reverence for the Law and in following the Sunna is a fabricator and a liar.
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