The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 306 · “My mercy has preceded My wrath”

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from the ḥadīth where Adam is told to bring out the Fire's contingent, nine hundred and ninety-nine of every thousand, the Emir answers how this fits with mercy's precedence. The many on the left show the Real's perfection, since with respect to the Name the Outward His manifestation is most complete in what is most remote from the spiritual presence. The mercy that precedes wrath is the believers' mercy hereafter; the mercy of bringing into existence precedes everything, wrath included, which comes only from what a person does.

   Context: the station takes up a ḥadīth that most of Adam’s descendants are destined for the Fire, and asks how this fits with God’s mercy preceding His wrath. It is the Emir’s reflection on that ḥadīth.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 991, Damascus 1966, p. 992 (archive.org)

   وَرَدَ فِي صَحِيحِ الْبُخَارِيِّ، أَنَّهُ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ قَالَ: «يَقُولُ اللَّهُ لِآدَمَ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ـ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ: يَا آدَمُ اَخْرِجْ بَعْثَ النَّارِ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِكَ، فَيَقُولُ يَارَبِّ وَمَا بَعْثُ النَّارِ؟ فَيَقُولُ: مِنْ كُلِّ اَلْفٍ تِسْعَمِايَةٍ وَتِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ» الْحَدِيثَ بِطُولِهِ.

   It is reported in the Ṣaḥīḥ of al-Bukhārī that he (God bless him and grant him peace) said: “God will say to Adam (peace be upon him) on the Day of Resurrection: ‘O Adam, bring out the contingent of the Fire from your offspring.’ He will say: ‘My Lord, and what is the contingent of the Fire?’ He will say: ‘From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine’”: the ḥadīth in its full length.✦

   ¶ 3821

2. وَقَدْ سَأَلَ بَعْضُ الْاِخْوَانِ قَائِلاً: هَلْ يُمْكِنُ الْوُقُوفُ عَلَى سِرِّ تَفَاوُتِالْقَبْضَتَيْنِ الَّذِي هُوَ عُشْرُ عُشْرِ عُشْرِ الْأُخْرَى، مَعَ سَبْقِ الرَّحْمَةِ؟!

   One of the brethren asked, saying: Is it possible to come to know the secret of the disparity between the two handfuls, the one being a tenth of a tenth of a tenth of the other, given that mercy has precedence?✦

   ¶ 3822

3. فَأَجَبْتُ: اِنَّ سِرِّ تَفَاوُتِ الْقَبْضَتَيْنِ، قَبْضَةِ الْيَمِينِ وَقَبْضَةِ الشِّمَالِ فِي الْقِلَّةِ وَالْكَثْرَةِ. فَاِنَّ قَبْضَةَ الْيَمِينِ عُشْرُ عُشْرِ عُشْرِ قَبْضَةِ الشِّمَالِ، هُوَ ظُهُورُ كَمَالَاتِ الْحَقِّ- تَعَالَى-

   I answered: the secret of the disparity between the two handfuls, the handful of the right and the handful of the left, in fewness and abundance (for the handful of the right is a tenth of a tenth of a tenth of the handful of the left), is the manifestation of the perfections of the Real, exalted is He.✦

   ¶ 3823

4. فَاِنَّ كَثْرَةَ وُجُودِ النَّقْصِ فِي الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ؛ هُوَ دَلِيلُ كَثْرَةِ كَمَالِ خَالِقِهَا.

   For the abundance of deficiency existing in created things is the proof of the abundance of the perfection of their Creator.✦

   ¶ 3824

5. فَاِنَّ ظُهُورَاتِ الْحَقِّ- تَعَالَى- مِنْ حَيْثُ أَسْمَاؤُهُ فِي النَّاقِصِ؛ أَكْمَلُ مِنْ ظُهُورَاتِهِ فِي الْكَامِلِ.

   For the manifestations of the Real, exalted is He, with respect to His names, in what is deficient are more complete than His manifestations in what is perfect.✦

   ¶ 3825

6. فَظُهُورُ الْحَقِّ- تَعَالَى- فِي أَجْهَلِ النَّاسِ وَأَعْظَمِهِمُ انْقِيَاداً لِلْأُمُورِ الطَّبِيعِيَّةِ وَالْحَيَوَانِيَّةِ وَتِبَاعاً لِلْهَوَى أَتَمُّ مِنْ ظُهُورِهِ تَعَالَى فِي أَعْلَمِ النَّاسِ وَأَشَدِّهِمُ اتِّبَاعاً لِلْأَمْرِ الشَّرْعِيِّ وَالنَّهْيِ، وَأَعْظَمِهِمْ تَحَقُّقاً بِالْأُمُورِ الرُّوحَانِيَّةِ، بِالنِّسْبَةِ اِلَى الِاسْمِ الظَّاهِرِ.

   So the manifestation of the Real, exalted is He, in the most ignorant of people, the greatest of them in submission to natural and animal things and in following desire, is more complete than His manifestation, exalted is He, in the most knowing of people, the most intense of them in following the command and prohibition of the Law, and the greatest of them in realization of spiritual things, with respect to the Name the Outward.✦

   ¶ 3826

7. فَظُهُورُ الْحَقِّ- تَعَالَى- فِيمَا هُوَ أَبْعَدُ مِنَ الْحَضْرَةِ الرُّوحَانِيَّةِ؛ أَتَمُّ ظُهُورٍ.

   So the manifestation of the Real, exalted is He, in what is more remote from the spiritual presence is the most complete manifestation.✦

   ¶ 3827

8. وَلَا أَبْعَدَ مِنْ أَهْلِ قَبْضَةِ الشِّمَالِ، فَهَذَا السِّرُّ الْمُقْتَضِي لِكَثْرَةِ أَهْلِ قَبْضَةِ الشِّمَالِ، فَافْهَمْ.

   And none is more remote than the people of the handful of the left; this, then, is the secret that requires the great number of the people of the handful of the left, so understand.✦

   ¶ 3828

9. وَأَمَّا سَبْقُ الرَّحْمَةِ؛ فَاعْلَمْ اَنَّ الرَّحْمَةَ ذَاتِيَّةٌ وَصِفَاتِيَّةٌ.

   As for the precedence of mercy, know that mercy is essential and attributive.✦

   ¶ 3829

10. وَكُلٌّ مِنْهُمَا عَامٌّ وَخَاصٌّ.

    And each of them is general and particular.✦

    ¶ 3830

11. فَالرَّحْمَةُ الَّتِي سَبَقَتِ الْغَضَبَ هِيَ الرَّحْمَةُ الصِّفَاتِيَّةُ الْخَاصَّةُ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فِي الدَّارِ الْآخِرَةِ.

    The mercy that has preceded wrath is the attributive mercy particular to the believers, in the Last Abode.✦

    ¶ 3831

12. وَهِيَ رَحْمَةٌ خَالِصَةٌ مِنْ كُلِّ كَدَرٍ، غَيْرُ مَشُوبَةٍ بِأَقَلِّ ضَرَرٍ.

    It is a mercy pure of every turbidity, unmixed with the least harm.✦

    ¶ 3832

13. وَأَمَّا الرَّحْمَةُ الذَّاتِيَّةُ الْعَامَّةُ؛ فَهِيَ رَحْمَةُ الْاِيجَادِ الْعَامَّةُ، الْمُتَعَلِّقَةُ بِكُلِّ مُمْكِنٍ.

    As for the general essential mercy, it is the general mercy of bringing into existence, bearing on every possible thing.✦

    ¶ 3833

14. فَرَحْمَةُ الْاِيجَادِ سَابِقَةُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ: الْغَضَبِ وَغَيْرِهِ.

    So the mercy of bringing into existence precedes everything, wrath and other things.✦

    ¶ 3834

15. فَاِنَّ الْغَضَبَ عَلَى الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِ اِنَّمَا يَكُونُ بِمَا يَكُونُ مِنْهُ.

    For wrath against the one at whom there is wrath comes about only by reason of what comes from him.✦

    ¶ 3835

16. فَلِهَذَا هِيَ رَحْمَةُ الْاِيجَادِ، هِيَ سَابِقَةُ الْغَضَبِ.

    For this reason it is the mercy of bringing into existence: that is what precedes wrath.✦

    ¶ 3836

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