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 310 · “Prayer forbids indecency”
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 1016, Damascus 1966, p. 1017 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ⁽¹⁾».
He, exalted is He, said: "Truly the prayer forbids indecency and the disreputable, and the remembrance of God is greater" (Q 29:45).
فِي هَٰذِهِ الْآيَةِ ثَلَاثُ بَشَائِرَ لِلْمُصَلِّينَ:
In this verse there are three glad tidings for those who pray:
الْأُولَى؛ أَنَّهَـا تَنْهَي فَاعِلَهَا عَنِ [?] الْفَحْشَاءِ، وَهُوَ كُلُّ مَا نَهَى الشَّارِعُ عَنْهُ، وَعَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ، وَهُوَ مَا لَا يُعْرَفُ فِي [?] شَرِيعَةٍ وَلَا سُنَّةٍ قَوْلاً أَوْ فِعْلاً، وَالْمَعْرُوفُ ضِدُّهُ.
The first: that it forbids the one who performs it indecency, which is everything the Lawgiver has forbidden, and the disreputable, which is whatever, in word or deed, is not recognised in any law or sunna; the reputable is its opposite.
وَذَٰلِكَ أَنَّ لَهَا تَحْرِيماً وَهُوَ [?] التَّكْبِيرَةُ الْأُولَى. وَتَحْلِيلاً وَهُوَ السَّلَامُ.
That is because it has a consecration, which is the first "God is greatest", and a release, which is the salutation of peace.
وَهِيَ فِيمَا بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ: مُشْتَمِلَةٌ عَلَى تِلَاوَةٍ [?] وَرُكُوعٍ وَسُجُودٍ وَتَسْبِيحٍ وَتَكْبِيرٍ وَتَحْمِيدٍ.
And between these it contains recitation, bowing, prostration, glorification, magnification and praise.
وَاجْتَمَعَ فِيهَا الْمُشَاهَدَةُ وَالْمُنَاجَاةُ فَمَا. [?] فِيهَا مَحَلٌّ لِلِاشْتِغَالِ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ ظَاهِراً وَبَاطِناً.
In it beholding and intimate converse come together, so there is no room in it for being occupied with indecency and the disreputable, outwardly or inwardly.
وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ فِيهَا، [?] وَهُوَ الْقُرْآنُ؛ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ جَمِيعِ مَا اشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ.
And the remembrance of God in it, which is the Qurʾān, is greater than everything else it contains.
فَكَمَا يُقَالُ: كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَكَلَامُ اللَّهِ [?]؛ يُقَالُ ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ.
For just as one says "the Book of God" and "the Speech of God", one says "the Remembrance of God".
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ⁽²⁾».
He, exalted is He, said: "It is We who have sent down the Remembrance" (Q 15:9).
وَقَالَ: «وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي⁽³⁾».
And He said: "Whoever turns away from My Remembrance" (Q 20:124).
وَقَالَ: «وَمَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ ذِكْرٍ مِنَ الرَّحْمٰنِ⁽⁴⁾».
And He said: "No remembrance comes to them from the All-Merciful" (Q 26:5).
وَقَالَ: «مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ ذِكْرٍ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ⁽⁵⁾».
And He said: "No remembrance comes to them from their Lord" (Q 21:2).
وَاِنَّمَا كَانَ ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ، وَهُوَ كَلَامُهُ، أَكْبَرَ، لِأَنَّ كَلَامَهُ عَيْنُ ذَاتِهِ، وَلَا أَكْبَرَ مِنْهُ تَعَالَى.
The remembrance of God, which is His Speech, is greater only because His Speech is His very Essence, and there is nothing greater than He, exalted is He.
الْبِشَارَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ: أَنَّ عَاقِبَةَ الْمُصَلِّي لَا تَكُونُ اِلَّا خَيْراً، وَلَا يَمُوتُ اِلَّا عَلَى تَوْبَةٍ، وَلَوْ كَانَ عَلَى سَبِيلٍ مَكْرُوهٍ، تَنْهَاهُ صَلَاتُهُ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ.
The second glad tidings: that the outcome of the one who prays can only be good, and he dies only in a state of repentance, even if he was on a reprehensible path; his prayer forbids him indecency and the disreputable.
فَفِي الصَّحِيحِ: أَنَّ فَتًى مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ، كَانَ يَحْضُرُ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- وَلَايَدَعُ شَيْئاً مِنَ الْفَوَاحِشِ اِلاَّ رَكِبَهُ.
For in the Ṣaḥīḥ it is reported that a young man of the Anṣār used to attend the five prayers with the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him peace), yet left no indecency undone.
فَوَصَلَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- فَقَالَ: سَتَنْهَاهُ صَلَاتُهُ.
Word of this reached the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him peace), and he said: "His prayer will forbid him."
فَكَانَ كَمَا قَالَ. تَابَ وَحَسُنَتْ تَوْبَتُهُ.
And it was as he said: he repented, and his repentance was good.
الْبِشَارَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ: وَهِيَ «أَكْبَرُ» ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ- تَعَالَى- عَبْدَهُ.
The third glad tidings, which is the "greater": God's (exalted is He) remembering His servant.
وَالْاِقْبَالُ عَلَيْهِ مَعَ الرِّضَى.
And His turning towards him with good pleasure.
فَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ هُنَا مِنْ اِضَافَةِ الْمَصْدَرِ اِلَى فَاعِلِهِ.
So "the remembrance of God" here is the annexation of the verbal noun to its agent.
بَيَّنَ ذَٰلِكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- فِيمَا يَرْوِيهِ عَنْ رَبِّهِ، كَمَا وَرَدَ فِي الصَّحِيحِ:
The Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him peace) made this clear in what he relates from his Lord, as has come in the Ṣaḥīḥ:
«قَسَمْتُ الصَّلَاةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ.
“I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves.
فَنِصْفُهَا لِعَبْدِي، وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ.
So half of it is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.
يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ؛ فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ: حَمِدَنِي عَبْدِي.
The servant says: “Praise belongs to God, Lord of the worlds” (Q 1:2); and God says: “My servant has praised Me.”
يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ: الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ. فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ: أَثْنَى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي.
The servant says: “the All-Merciful, the Compassionate” (Q 1:3). And God says: “My servant has extolled Me.”
يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ: مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ، فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ: مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي.
The servant says: “Master of the Day of Judgement” (Q 1:4), and God says: “My servant has glorified Me.”
وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ «فَوَّضَ اِلَيَّ عَبْدِي».
In one transmission: “My servant has committed himself to Me.”
يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ: اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَاِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ. فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ: هَذَا لِعَبْدِي، وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ.
The servant says: “You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help” (Q 1:5). And God says: “This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.”
وَالْعَبْدُ وَاِنْ كَانَ الْحَقُّ- تَعَالَى- لِسَانَهُ الَّذِي يَنْطِقُ بِهِ، كَمَا أَخْبَرَ؛ فَالْحَقُّ يُجِيبُهُ بِغَيْرِ هَذَا اللِّسَانِ الْقَائِلِ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ اِلَخْ.
As for the servant: even though the Real, exalted is He, is his tongue with which he speaks, as He has told us, the Real answers him with something other than this tongue that says “Praise belongs to God…” and the rest.
وَاِنَّمَا يُجِيبُهُ تَعَالَى بِهُوِيَّتِهِ مُجَرَّدَةً عَنِ الْاِضَافَةِ، اِلَى الْعَبْدِ، فِي حَالِ اِضَافَتِهَا اِلَيْهِ.
Rather, He, exalted is He, answers him with His ipseity, stripped of attribution to the servant, in the very state of its being attributed to him.

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