The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 327 · The unveiling of the prophets is true

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from Q 11:40, God's order to Noah to carry pairs and his family, the Emir affirms that the unveiling and visions of the prophets and the perfect friends of God are true. Defect enters rarely, through their understanding and judgement, as when a particular is taken as general. Noah took “family” as general (Q 11:45-46); Abraham took the ram shown in his son's form by its outward sense; the Prophet first thought of al-Yamāma or Hajar for the abode of emigration, and it was Medina.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 1052, Damascus 1966, p. 1053 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «قُلْنَا احْمِلْ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلٍّ زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ مِنْهُمْ». الْآيَةَ

   God, exalted is He, said: “We said: Carry in it, of every kind, two, a pair, and your family, except those of them against whom the word has already gone forth” (Q 11:40; cf. 23:27). [Read] the verse [to its end].✦

   ¶ 2788

2. اعْلَمْ أَنَّ كَشْفَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ- عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ- صَحِيحٌ حَقٌّ لَا شَكَّ فِيهِ، وَكَذَا مَرَائِيهِمْ، فَاِنَّ رُؤْيَا النَّبِيِّ وَحْيٌ وَكَذَا كَشْفُ كُمَّلِ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ،

   Know that the unveiling of the prophets, blessings and peace be upon them, is sound and true, with no doubt in it; and likewise their visions, for the dream-vision of a prophet is revelation; and likewise the unveiling of the perfect among the friends of God.✦

   ¶ 2789

3. وَاِنَّمَا يَدْخُلُ الْخَلَلُ أَحْيَاناً نَادِراً فِيمَا كُوشِفُوا بِهِ مِنْ جِهَةِ تَفَقُّهِهِمْ فِيهِ وَحُكْمِهِمْ عَلَيْهِ، كَمَا اِذَا حَكَمُوا عَلَى الْخَاصِّ بِالْعُمُومِ مَثَلاً اَوْ عَلَى الْعَامِّ بِالْخُصُوصِ، لِكَوْنِهِمْ اِنَّمَا كُوشِفُوا بِفَرْدٍ مِنْ أَفْرَادِ الْعَامِّ مَثَلاً،

   Defect enters only at times, rarely, into what was unveiled to them, and it does so by way of their understanding of it and their judgement upon it. This happens, for example, when they judge the particular to be general, or the general to be particular, because what was unveiled to them was only one individual among the individuals of the general, for example.✦

   ¶ 2790

4. كَقِصَّةِ نُوحٍ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ- فَاِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَهُ بِنَجَاةِ أَهْلِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فَحَمَلَ ذَلِكَ هُوَ عَلَى الْعُمُومِ فَقَالَ: «إِنَّ ابْنِي مِنْ أَهْلِي وَإِنَّ وَعْدَكَ الْحَقُّ».

   Take the story of Noah, peace be upon him. God promised him the deliverance of his believing family, and he took this as general and said: “My son is of my family, and Your promise is the truth” (Q 11:45).✦

   ¶ 2791

5. فَقَالَ لَهُ تَعَالَى: اِنَّ أَهْلَكَ الْمَوْعُودَ بِنَجَاتِهِمْ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ خَاصَّةً، وَابْنُكَ هَذَا كَافِرٌ فَلَيْسَ هُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ الْمَوْعُودِ بِنَجَاتِهِمْ: «فَلَا تَسْأَلْنِ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ».

   So He, exalted is He, said to him: Your family whose deliverance was promised are the believers specifically, and this son of yours is an unbeliever, so he is not of your family whose deliverance was promised: “So do not ask Me about that of which you have no knowledge” (Q 11:46).✦

   ¶ 2792

6. فَاِنَّ" كَوْنَ ابْنِكَ مِنْ اَهْلِكَ الْمَوْعُودِ بِنَجَاتِهِمْ غَيْرُ مُرَادٍ لَنَا وَاِنَّمَا مُرَادُنَا بِأَهْلِكَ الْخُصُوصُ، وَهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ، لَا الْعُمُومُ•

   For your son's being of your family whose deliverance was promised is not what We intended. What We intended by “your family” is the specific, namely the believers, not the general.✦

   ¶ 2793

7. وَكَذَا اِبْرَاهِيمُ الْخَلِيلُ– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ– أَرَاهُ اللَّهُ– تَعَالَى– فِي عَالَمِ الْخَيَالِ عَالَمِ الرُّؤْيَا كَبْشاً مُتَصَوِّراً بِصُورَةِ ابْنِهِ، وَأَنَّهُ يَذْبَحُهُ•

   Likewise Abraham, the Intimate Friend, peace be upon him. God, exalted is He, showed him in the world of imagination, the world of dream-vision, a ram taking form in the form of his son, and [showed him] that he was slaughtering him.✦

   ¶ 2794

8. فَفَهِمَ الْمِثَالَ عَلَى ظَاهِرِهِ وَعَزَمَ عَلَى ذَبْحِ ابْنِهِ، حَتَّى أَخْبَرَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّ ذَبْحَ ابْنِكَ غَيْرُ مُرَادٍ، وَاِنَّمَا أَرَيْنَاكَ كَبْشاً فِي صُورَةِ ابْنِكَ، وَهَا هُوَ الْكَبْشُ فَاذْبَحْهُ تَصْدِيقاً لِرُؤْيَاكَ•

   He understood the image according to its outward sense and resolved to slaughter his son, until God, exalted is He, informed him: The slaughter of your son is not what was intended. We only showed you a ram in the form of your son; here is the ram, so slaughter it in confirmation of your vision.✦

   ¶ 2795

9. وَكَذَلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ رُؤْيَا رَسُولِ اللَّهِ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– الْوَارِدَةِ فِي صَحِيحِ الْبُخَارِيِّ فَاِنَّهُ قَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ الْكِرَامِ: «أُرِيتُ دَارَ هِجْرَتِكُمْ مَدِينَةً ذَاتَ نَخْلٍ بَيْنَ لَابَتَيْنِ، وَهُمَا الْحَرَّتَانِ فَذَهَبَ وَهَلِي، أَيْ فِي أَوَّلِ الْوَهْلَةِ، اِلَى اَنَّهَا الْيَمَامَةُ أَوْ هَجَرُ فَاِذَا هِيَ الْمَدِينَةُ يَثْرِبُ•

   Likewise the interpretation of the dream-vision of the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, reported in the Ṣaḥīḥ of al-Bukhārī. He said to his noble Companions: “I was shown the abode of your emigration, a town with date-palms between two lava tracts.” These are the two ḥarras. “My first thought went (that is, at first impression) to its being al-Yamāma or Hajar, and lo, it was Medina, Yathrib.”✦

   ¶ 2796

10. وَنَحْوُ هَذَا•

    And the like of this.✦

    ¶ 2797

11. فَكَشْفُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَكُمَّلِ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ حَقٌّ صِدْقٌ لَا يَدْخُلُكَ فِيهِ شَكٌّ وَلَا رَيْبٌ•

    So the unveiling of the prophets and of the perfect among the friends of God is true and truthful; let no doubt or suspicion about it enter you.✦

    ¶ 2798

12. فَالْوَحْيُ اِلَى نُوحٍ حَقٌّ" وَاِنَّمَا جَاءَ مَا جَاءَ مِنْ فَهْمِهِ الْعُمُومَ وَلَيْسَ بِمُرَادٍ،

    The revelation to Noah is true; what came about came only from his understanding it as general, which was not intended;✦

    ¶ 2799

13. وَكَذَا رُؤْيَا الْخَلِيلِ حَقٌّ" وَاِنَّمَا جَاءَ مِنْ حَمْلِهِ الْمِثَالَ عَلَى ظَاهِرِهِ•

    and likewise the vision of the Intimate Friend is true; [what came about] came only from his taking the image according to its outward sense.✦

    ¶ 2800

14. وَكَذَا رُؤْيَا رَسُولِ اللَّهِ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– حَقٌّ" وَاِنَّمَا جَاءَ مَاجَاءَ مِنْ تَعْيِينِهِ الْمَدِينَتَيْنِ الْمَذْكُورَتَيْنِ•

    And likewise the vision of the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, is true; what came about came only from his specifying the two towns mentioned.✦

    ¶ 2801

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.