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

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Mawqif 329 · Two ways of asking forgiveness
In briefAI
Starting from Q 47:19, “ask forgiveness for your sin, and for the believing men and women”, the Emir says istighfār is seeking ghafr, covering, of two kinds: covering from the sin itself, asked by the perfect, and covering from its punishment, asked by believers generally. For the perfect the sin stays folded in nonexistence. The commons are answered by evil deeds changed into good, or by the “presentation” that covers them from the Gathering. Immunity leaves choice intact, since prophets are commanded and rewarded.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 1055, Damascus 1966, p. 1056, Damascus 1966, p. 1057 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى آمِراً لِرَسُولِهِ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ–: «وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْبِكَ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ».
He (Exalted is He) said, commanding His Messenger (God bless him and give him peace): "And ask forgiveness for your sin, and for the believing men and the believing women" (Q 47:19).
اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الِاسْتِغْفَارَ هُوَ طَلَبُ الْغَفْرِ، وَهُوَ السَّتْرُ
Know that asking forgiveness (istighfār) is seeking forgiving (ghafr), and that is covering (satr).
وَهَذَا السَّتْرُ وَالْغَفْرُ نَوْعَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا: السَّتْرُ عَنِ الذَّنْبِ حَتَّى لَا يَقَعَ فِيهِ، وَهُوَ اسْتِغْفَارُ الْكُمَّلِ مِنْ نَبِيٍّ وَرَسُولٍ وَوَارِثٍ كَامِلٍ•
This covering and forgiving is of two kinds. The first is being covered from the sin, so that one does not fall into it; this is the asking of forgiveness of the perfect ones, whether prophet, messenger or perfect heir.
الثَّانِي السَّتْرُ عَنِ الْعُقُوبَةِ عَلَى الذَّنْبِ، وَهُوَ اسْتِغْفَارُ عَامَّةِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ،
The second is being covered from the punishment for the sin; this is the asking of forgiveness of the generality of believers.
فَاسْتِغْفَارُهُ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ لِذَنْبِهِ غَيْرُ اسْتِغْفَارِهِ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَاِنِ اتَّفَقَا فِي اللَّفْظِ•
So his asking forgiveness (God bless him and give him peace) for his sin is other than his asking forgiveness for the believing men and women, even though the two agree in wording.
وَلِمُرَاعَاةِ الِاشْتِرَاكِ فِي لَفْظِ الِاسْتِغْفَارِ قَالَ: (لِذَنْبِكَ) وَاِلاَّ فَاللَّامُ بِالنِّسْبَةِ لَهُ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ بِمَعْنَى «فِي» أَيِ اسْتَغْفِرْ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَاطْلُبِ الِاسْتِتَارَ عَنْهُ•
It is out of regard for the shared wording of «asking forgiveness» that He said "for your sin" (Q 47:19). Otherwise, the lām, with respect to him (God bless him and give him peace), has the meaning of «fī» (concerning): that is, ask forgiveness from your sin and seek to be veiled from it.
وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ، أَيِ اطْلُبْ لَهُمُ السَّتْرَ عَنِ الْعُقُوبَةِ عَلَى الذَّنْبِ، ثُمَّ اِجَابَةُ اسْتِغْفَارِ الْعَامَّةِ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ•
And ask forgiveness for the believing men and women: that is, seek for them covering from the punishment for the sin. Then, the answering of the commons' asking forgiveness for themselves —
وَاسْتِغْفَارُهُ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ وَكَذَا اسْتِغْفَارُ الْمَلَائِكَةِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِأَحَدِ شَيْئَيْنِ اِمَّا أَنْ يُبَدِّلَ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَهُوَ أَعْلَى السَّتْرِ وَالْغَفْرِ
— and of his asking forgiveness (God bless him and give him peace), and likewise of the angels' asking forgiveness for those who believe, is by one of two things. Either God changes their evil deeds into good deeds, and this is the highest covering and forgiving;
وَاِمَّا أَنْ يَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ بِأَنْ يَسْتُرَهُمْ عَنْ أَهْلِ الْمَحْشَرِ فَلَا يَرَاهُمْ نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ وَلَا مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ،
or He forgives them by covering them from the people of the Gathering, so that no sent prophet and no angel brought near sees them.
ثُمَّ يُقَرِّرُهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ فَلَا يَسَعُهُمْ اِلَّا الْاِقْرَارُ،
Then He makes them acknowledge their sins, and they can do nothing but confess.
فَيَقُولُ قَدْ سَتَرْتُهَا عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَأَنَا أَغْفِرُهَا لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ،
And He says: «I covered them for you in this world, and I forgive them for you today.»
فَيَمُرُّونَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْمَحْشَرِ فَيَقُولُونَ: مَا أَسْعَدَ هَؤُلَاءِ مَا عَصَوُا اللَّهَ قَطُّ•
Then they pass by the people of the Gathering, who say: «How happy these are! They never disobeyed God.»
وَهَذَا مَعْنَى الْعَرْضِ الْوَارِدِ فِي الْحَدِيثِ•
This is the meaning of the «presentation» (al-ʿarḍ) mentioned in the ḥadīth.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ يُحَاسَبُ عَلَى رُؤُوسِ الْمَلَأِ فَاِنَّهُ يُعَذَّبُ، وَلَابُدَّ كَمَا وَرَدَ فِي الصَّحِيحِ: «مَنْ حُوسِبَ عُذِّبَ»•
As for one who is called to account before the heads of the assembly, he is punished, inevitably, as has come in the Ṣaḥīḥ: «Whoever is called to account is punished.»
وَأَمَّا اسْتِغْفَارُ الْكُمَّلِ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَنَبِيٍّ وَوَارِثٍ كَامِلٍ فَاِنَّمَا اسْتِغْفَارُهُمْ هُوَ طَلَبُ الْحَيْلُولَةِ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الذَّنْبِ فَلَا يُلَابِسُهُمْ، وَيَسْتَتِرُونَ عَنْهُ فَيَبْقَى فِي طَيِّ الْعَدَمِ عَنْهُمْ
As for the asking forgiveness of the perfect ones, whether messenger, prophet or perfect heir, their asking forgiveness is only a seeking that something come between them and the sin, so that it does not touch them. They are screened from it, and so it remains folded in non-existence with respect to them.
فَاسْتِغْفَارُ الْكُمَّلِ مِنْ مَعْدُومٍ فِي حَقِّهِمْ وَاسْتِغْفَارُ الْعَامَّةِ مِنْ مَوْجُودٍ يَطْلُبُونَ عَدَمَ الْمُؤَاخَذَةِ بِهِ،
So the asking forgiveness of the perfect ones is from something non-existent in their case, while the asking forgiveness of the commons is from something existent, for which they seek not to be taken to task.
لَا يُقَالُ النَّبِيُّ وَالرَّسُولُ مَعْصُومَانِ، وَالْكُمَّلُ مِنَ الْاَوْلِيَاءِ مَحْفُوظُونَ، فَاسْتِغْفَارُهُمْ طَلَبُ تَحْصِيلِ حَاصِلٍ وَهُوَ مُحَالٌ
It should not be said: «The prophet and the messenger are immune from sin, and the perfect among the saints are preserved; so their asking forgiveness is seeking to obtain what is already obtained, and that is absurd.»
لِأَنَّا نَقُولُ الْعِصْمَةُ وَالْحِفْظُ لَا يَبْلُغَانِ بِالْمَعْصُومِ وَالْمَحْفُوظِ اِلَى حَدِّ الْقَهْرِ وَالْاِلْجَاءِ وَسَلْبِ الِاخْتِيَارِ،
For we say: immunity and preservation do not bring the immune and the preserved to the point of compulsion, constraint and the removal of choice.
فَاِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ وَالرُّسُلَ وَالْأَوْلِيَاءَ مُكَلَّفُونَ مَأْمُورُونَ مَنْهِيُّونَ، وَلَا تَكْلِيفَ اِلاَّ لِمُخْتَارٍ فِي ظَاهِرِ الْأَمْرِ وَبَادِي الرَّأْيِ•
For the prophets, the messengers and the saints are under obligation, commanded and forbidden, and there is no obligation except for one who has choice, in the outward aspect of the matter and at first view.
وَيُثَابُ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ وَالْأَوْلِيَاءُ عَلَى تَرْكِ الْمَنْهِيَّاتِ كَمَا يُثَابُونَ عَلَى فِعْلِ الْمَأْمُورَاتِ،
The prophets and the saints are rewarded for leaving what is forbidden, just as they are rewarded for doing what is commanded.
فَافْهَمْ فَاِنَّهُ نَفِيسٌ فِي بَابِهِ،
So understand, for this is precious of its kind.
وَيَنْبَغِي لِلْوَاحِدِ مِنَّا اِذَا اسْتَغْفَرَ
And it is fitting for any one of us, when he asks forgiveness,
اَنْ يَسْتَحْضِرَ سَتْرَ مَا مَضَى مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ وَالْحَيْلُولَةَ فِيمَا يَأْتِي فَيَفُوزَ بِالْمُتَمَنَّيْنَ اِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ- تَعَالَى-
…that he call to mind the covering of the sins that are past and the interposition in what is to come, and so he wins the things wished for, if God, exalted is He, wills.
وَاللَّهُ الْمُوَفِّقُ الْهَادِي اِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ.
And God is the One who grants success, the Guide to a straight path.

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