The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 30 · “Do you know who you are?”

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 75, Damascus 1966, p. 76, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 84, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 85 (archive.org)

   ¶40
   ¶ 40⋯

   قَالَ لِي الْحَقُّ تَعَالَى: «تَدْرِي مَنْ أَنْتَ؟ فَقُلْتُ، نَعَمْ•

   The Real, exalted is He, said to me: “Do you know who you are? And I said: Yes.

   ✦AI
   ›About the vowels: added by AI; uncertain words are underlined

   The source of this text, a printed edition or a manuscript, has few or no vowel marks, as is usual for such texts. The vowels shown were added by AI and checked against an independent grammatical analyser; the few words where the two disagree are underlined as uncertain. Choose “Unvowelled” under Aa to read the letters alone.

2. ¶41
   ¶ 41⋯

   أَنَا الْعَدْلُ الظَّاهِرُ بِظُهُورِكَ، وَالظُّلْمَةُ الْمُشْرِقَةُ بِنُورِكَ•

   I am the non-being made manifest by Your manifestation, and the darkness shining with Your light.

   ✦AI
   Translators differ
3. ¶42
   ¶ 42⋯

   فَقَالَ لِي: عَرَفْتَ فَالْزَمْ•

   He said to me: You have known; so hold fast.

   ✦AI
4. ¶43
   ¶ 43⋯

   وَاِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَدَّعِيَ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ•

   And beware of claiming what is not yours.

   ✦AI
5. ¶44
   ¶ 44⋯

   فَاِنَّ الْأَمَانَةَ مُؤَدَّاةٌ، وَالْعَارِيَةَ مَرْدُودَةٌ، وَاسْمَ الْمُمْكِنِ مُنْسَحِبٌعَلَيْكَ أَبَداً، كَمَا هُوَ مُنْسَحِبٌ عَلَيْكَ أَزَلاً•

   For the trust is to be handed back, and the loan is to be returned, and the name “the possible” extends over you for ever, just as it extends over you from beginningless eternity.

   ✦AI
6. ¶45
   ¶ 45⋯

   ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي: أَتَدْرِي مَنْ أَنْتَ؟ فَقُلْتُ: نَعَمْ•

   Then He said to me: Do you know who you are? And I said: Yes.

   ✦AI
7. ¶46
   ¶ 46⋯

   أَنَا الْحَقُّ حَقِيقَةً، وَالْخَلْقُ مَجَازاً، وَطَرِيقَةً أَنَا الْمُمْكِنُ، صُورَةُ الْوَاجِبِ ضَرُورَةً•

   I am the Real in reality, and creation figuratively; and by way of method I am the possible, the form of the Necessary, of necessity.

   ✦AI
   Translators differ
8. ¶47
   ¶ 47⋯

   اِسْمُ الْحَقِّ لِي هُوَ الْأَصْلُ، وَاسْمُ الْخَلْقِ عَلَيَّ الْعَارِيَةُ، وَالْفَصْلُ•

   The name “the Real” for me is the root, and the name “creation” upon me is the loan, and the separation.

   ✦AI
9. ¶48
   ¶ 48⋯

   فَقَالَ لِي: أَعْمِ هَذَا الرَّمْزَ، وَدَعِ الْجِدَارَ يَنْقَضُّ عَـلَى الْكَنْزِ، حَتَّى لَايَسْتَخْرِجَهُ اِلاَّ مَنْ أَتْعَبَ نَفْسَهُ، وَعَايَنَ رَمْسَهُ•

   Then He said to me: Obscure this cipher, and let the wall collapse upon the treasure, so that none extracts it but one who has wearied himself and looked upon his grave.

   ✦AI
10. ¶49
    ¶ 49⋯

    ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي الْحَقُّ– تَعَالَى–: مَا أَنْتَ؟

    Then the Real, exalted is He, said to me: What are you?

    ✦AI
11. ¶50
    ¶ 50⋯

    فَقُلْتُ: اِنَّ لِي حَقِيقَتَيْنِ مِنْ حَيْثِيَّتَيْنِ: أَمَّا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَنْتَ فَأَنَا الْقَدِيمُ الْأَزَلِيُّ الْوَاجِبُالْوُجُودِ الْجَلِيُّ•

    I said: I have two realities from two respects. As regards You, I am the eternal, the beginningless, the necessary of existence, the evident.

    ✦AI
12. ¶51
    ¶ 51⋯

    أَمَّا الْوُجُوبُ؛ فَمِنِ اقْتِضَـاءِ ذَاتِكَ•

    As for the necessity, it is from what Your Essence requires.

    ✦AI
13. ¶52
    ¶ 52⋯

    وَأَمَّا الْقِدَمُ؛ فَمِنْ قِـدَمِ عِلْمِكَ وَصِفَاتِكَ•

    And as for the eternity, it is from the eternity of Your knowledge and Your attributes.

    ✦AI
14. ¶53
    ¶ 53⋯

    وَأَمَّا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَنَا؛ فَاَنَا الْعَدَمُ الَّذِي مَاشَمَّ رَائِحَةَ الْوُجُودِ•

    And as regards myself, I am the non-being that has not smelled the scent of existence,

    ✦AI
15. ¶54
    ¶ 54⋯

    وَالْحَادِثُ الَّذِي فِي حَالِ حُدُوثِهِ مَفْقُودٌ•

    and the originated thing that, in the very state of its origination, is missing.

    ✦AI
16. ¶55
    ¶ 55⋯

    فَمَا كُنْتُ حَاضِراً بِكَ لَكَ؛ فَأَنَا وُجُودٌ•

    So insofar as I am present, through You, to You, I am existence;

    ✦AI
17. ¶56
    ¶ 56⋯

    وَمَا كُنْتُ غَائِباً بِنَفْسِي عَنْكَ؛ فَأَنَا مَفْقُودٌ مَوْجُودٌ•

    and insofar as I am absent, through myself, from You, I am missing and existent.

    ✦AI
18. ¶57
    ¶ 57⋯

    ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي: وَمَنْ أَنَا؟

    Then He said to me: And who am I?

    ✦AI
19. ¶58
    ¶ 58⋯

    فَقُلْتُ: أَنْتَ الْوَاجِبُ الْوُجُودِ بِالذَّاتِ، الْمُنْفَرِدُ بِكَمَالِ الذَّاتِ وَالصِّفَاتِ•

    I said: You are the necessary of existence by Essence, the One alone in the perfection of Essence and attributes.

    ✦AI
20. ¶59
    ¶ 59⋯

    بَلْ تَنَزَّهْتَ عَنْ كَمَالِ الصِّفَاتِ• بِكَمَالِ الذَّاتِ•

    Nay, You are transcendent above the perfection of the attributes, through the perfection of the Essence.

    ✦AI
21. ¶60
    ¶ 60⋯

    فَأَنْتَ الْكَامِلُ فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ، الْمُنَزَّهُ عَنْ كُلِّ مَا يَخْطُرُ بِالْبَالِ•

    So You are the Perfect in every state, the One transcendent above all that occurs to the mind.

    ✦AI
22. ¶61
    ¶ 61⋯

    فَقَالَ: مَا عَرَفْتَنِي!!

    He said: You have not known Me!

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23. ¶62
    ¶ 62⋯

    فَقُلْتُ: مِنْ غَيْرِ خَوْفِ عُقُوقٍ، وَأَنْتَ الْمُشَبَّهُ بِكُلِّ حَادِثٍ مَخْلُوقٍ•

    I said, without fear of undutifulness: And You are the One likened to every originated, created thing.

    ✦AI
    Translators differ
24. ¶63
    ¶ 63⋯

    فَأَنْتَ الرَّبُّ وَالْعَبْدُ، وَالْقُرْبُ وَالْبُعْدُ، وَأَنْتَ الْوَاحِدُالْكَثِيرُ، وَالْجَلِيلُ الْحَقِيرُ، الْغَنِيُّ الْفَقِيرُ، الْعَابِدُ الْمَعْبُودُ، الشَّاهِدُ الْمَشْهُودُ•

    So You are the Lord and the servant, the nearness and the distance; You are the One, the many, the majestic, the lowly, the rich, the poor, the worshipper, the worshipped, the beholder, the beheld.

    ✦AI
25. ¶64
    ¶ 64⋯

    فَأَنْتَ الْجَامِعُ لِلْمُتَضَادَّاتِ وَلِجَمِيعِ أَنْوَاعِ الْمُنَافَاةِ، فَاِنَّكَ الظَّاهِرُ الْبَاطِنُ، الْمُسَافِرُ الْقَاطِنُ، الزَّارِعُ الْحَارِثُ، الْمُسْتَهْزِيءُ الْمَاكِرُ النَّاكِثُ،

    So You are the one who unites opposites and every kind of mutual exclusion; for You are the Manifest, the Hidden, the traveller, the resident, the sower, the tiller, the mocker, the schemer, the breaker of pledges,

    ✦AI
26. ¶65
    ¶ 65⋯

    فَأَنْتَ الْحَقُّ، وَأَنَا الْحَقُّ، وَأَنْتَ الْخَلْقُ، وَأَنَا الْخَلْقُ، وَلَا أَنْتَ حَقٌّ، وَلَا أَنَا حَقٌّ، وَلَا أَنْتَ خَلْقٌ، وَلَا أَنَا خَلْقٌ.

    So You are the Real, and I am the Real; You are creation, and I am creation; and You are not Real, nor am I Real; and You are not creation, nor am I creation.

    ✦AI
27. ¶66
    ¶ 66⋯

    فَقَالَ: حَسْبُكَ.

    Then He said: "Enough for you."

    ✦AI
28. ¶67
    ¶ 67⋯

    عَرَفْتَنِي؟

    You have known Me?

    ✦AI
29. ¶68
    ¶ 68⋯

    فَاسْتُرْنِي عَمَّنْ لايَعْرِفُنِي.

    Then veil Me from whoever does not know Me.

    ✦AI
30. ¶69
    ¶ 69⋯

    فَاِنَّ لِلرُّبُوبِيَّةِ سِرّاً لَوْ ظَهَرَتْ؟ لَبَطَلَتِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةُ.

    For Lordship has a secret which, were it to appear, Lordship would be nullified.

    ✦AI
31. ¶70
    ¶ 70⋯

    وَلِلْعُبُودِيَّةِ سِرّاً لَوْ ظَهَرَتْ؟ لَبَطَلَتِ الْعُبُودِيَّةُ.

    And servanthood has a secret which, were it to appear, servanthood would be nullified.

    ✦AI
32. ¶71
    ¶ 71⋯

    وَأحْمَدْنَا عَلَى أَنْ عَرَّفْنَاكَ بِنَا، فَاِنَّكَ لَا تَعْرِفُنَا بِغَيْرِنَا، اِذْ لَا دَلِيلَ غَيْرُنَا عَلَيْنَا.

    And praise Us for having made you know Us by Us, for you do not know Us by other than Us, since there is no proof pointing to Us other than Us.

    ✦AI

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.