The Book of Stations
المواقف
Context: In Ibn ʿArabī's frame the fixed entities made the covenant and each name requires loci, so names of forgiving and covering are 'shown mercy' by manifesting in faults. Ibn Taymiyya's line rejected names needing loci and sin as al-Ghaffār's field. The blessed saying 'Be!' echoes a report Ibn ʿArabī cites that lacks a chain in the ḥadīth collections.AI
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ» اِلَى قَوْلِهِ: «مِنْ غَفُورٍ رَحِيمٍ»
God, exalted is He, says: “Those who have said, ‘Our Lord is God,’ and then gone straight, the angels descend upon them” up to His words: “from One All-Forgiving, All-Merciful” (Q 41:30–32).
In briefAI
The Emir comments on Q 41:30–32. Acknowledging God's lordship already contains acknowledging His divinity, since the Lord who sets right is the one who holds benefit and harm. This acknowledgment is the primordial covenant (Q 7:172). Those who stayed firm on it in this world believed in the messengers and receive the angels' glad tidings. The perfect receive the angels in this world, ordinary believers at death or in the hereafter. In the Garden the natural soul receives sensory pleasures and the rational soul receives pleasures of meaning. The attributes the blessed falsely claimed in this world (might, will, power, the creative “Be!”) are unveiled as God's, yet made real in them. This is the generosity of a Lord who is ghafūr and raḥīm, whose mercy reaches even His names.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 1070 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 1071 ↗, Damascus 1966, p. 1072 ↗ (archive.org)
هَذِهِ بُشْرَى مِنَ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– وَاِخْبَارٌ بِأَنَّ الْمُقِرِّينَ بِرُبُوبِيَّةِ اللَّهِ– تَعَالَى– لَهُمْ مَا فِي الْآيَةِ،
This is glad tidings from the Real, exalted is He, and a report that those who acknowledge the lordship of God, exalted is He, have what is in the verse;
وَفِي ضِمْنِ ذَلِكَ الْاِقْرَارُ بِأُلُوهِيَّتِهِ– تَعَالَى– فَاِنَّ مِنْ مَعَانِي الرَّبِّ الْخَمْسَةِ الْمُصْلِحَ،
and contained within that is the acknowledgment of His divinity, exalted is He, for among the five meanings of “lord” is “the one who sets right”;
وَالْمُصْلِحُ هُوَ الَّذِي يَجْلِبُ النَّفْعَ وَيَدْفَعُ الضُّرَّ وَبِيَدِهِ ذَلِكَ، وَهَذَا هُوَ حَقِيقَةُ الْاِلَهِ، فَقَدْ تَضَمَّنَ الْاِقْرَارَ بِالْأُلُوهِيَّةِ فَافْهَمْ•
And the one who sets right is he who brings benefit and wards off harm, and in whose hand that lies; and this is the very reality of a god. So it has included the acknowledgment of divinity; understand, then.
وَقَوْلُهُمْ: هَذَا كَانَ يَوْمَ أَخْذِ الْمِيثَاقِ حِينَ قَالَ لَهُمْ: «أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ»
And their saying [“Our Lord is God”]: this was on the day the covenant was taken, when He said to them: “Am I not your Lord?” They said: “Yes indeed” (Q 7:172).
وَهُمْ أَعْيَانٌ ثَابِتَةٌ تَجَسَّدُوا ثُمَّ رَجَعُوا اِلَى ثُبُوتِهِمْ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا عَلَى ذَلِكَ الْاِقْرَارِ عِنْدَ اِيجَادِهِمْ وَخُرُوجِهِمْ اِلَى مَوْطِنِ الدُّنْيَا مَوْطِنِ التَّكْلِيفِ،
They were then fixed entities who took on bodies, then returned to their fixity, then went straight upon that acknowledgment when they were brought into existence and came out into the abode of this world, the abode of legal obligation;
فَآمَنُوا بِرُسُلِ اللَّهِ– عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ– وَاتَّبَعُوهُمْ وَبِمَا أَقَرَّ بِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ،
so they believed in the messengers of God, upon them be blessing and peace, and followed them, and [believed] in what he acknowledged as from God;
وَأَمَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَقِمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ الْاِقْرَارِ فَمَا آمَنَ بِرُسُلِ اللَّهِ– عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ– فَهُوَ خَارِجٌ،
As for whoever did not go straight upon that acknowledgment, and so did not believe in the messengers of God, upon them be blessing and peace, he is outside;
وَأَمَّا مَنْ لَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِالرُّسُلِ فَهُوَ خَارِجٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْبُشْرَى،
and as for whoever does not believe in the messengers, he is outside these glad tidings.
تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ فِي الدُّنْيَا اِنْ كَانُوا مِنَ الْكُمَّلِ خَاصَّةِ الْخَاصَّةِ وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ أَوْ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ اِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ عَامَّةِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ،
The angels descend upon them in this world if they are among the perfect ones, the elite of the elite, and in the hereafter or at death if they are among the generality of believers.
تَقُولُ لَهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ فِي ذَلِكَ التَّنَزُّلِ، أَنْ لَاتَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَاَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ،
In that descent the angels say to them: “Do not fear and do not grieve, and rejoice in the Garden which you were promised”;
نَحْنُ اَوْلِيَاؤُكُمْ وَأَنْصَارُكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا بِاِلْهَامِكُمُ الْخَيْرَ وَالطَّاعَاتِ عَلَى قُرَنَائِكُمُ الَّذِينَ يُوَسْوِسُونَ لَكُمْ بِالْمُخَالَفَاتِ، وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ لِمُرَافَقَتِكُمْ تَأْنِيساً وَخِدْمَةً لَكُمْ فِيمَا تَطْلُبُونَ،
“We are your friends” and helpers “in the life of this world”, by inspiring you with good and acts of obedience against your companions who whisper transgressions to you, “and in the hereafter”, by accompanying you, as company and as service to you in whatever you seek;
وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا أَيِ الْجَنَّةِ مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنْفُسُكُمُ الطَّبِيعِيَّةُ الْحَيَوَانِيَّةُ مِنَ الْمَنْكَحِ وَالْمَلْبَسِ وَالْمَرْكَبِ وَالْمَسْكَنِ وَالْمَأْكَلِ وَالْمَشْرَبِ،
“And you will have therein”, that is, in the Garden, “whatever your souls desire”, your natural, animal souls, in the way of marriage, clothing, mounts, dwelling, food and drink;
فَاِنَّ شَهْوَةَ النَّفْسِ الطَّبِيعِيَّةِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ أَعْظَمُ مِنْهَا هِيَ فِي الدُّنْيَا
for the desire of the natural soul in the hereafter is greater than it is in this world.
وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ، مَا تَقَدَّمَ هُوَ حَظُّ النَّفْسِ الطَّبِيعِيَّةِ، وَهَذَا حَظُّ النَّفْسِ النَّاطِقَةِ
“And you will have therein whatever you ask for” (Q 41:31): what came before is the share of the natural soul, and this is the share of the rational soul;
فَاِنَّ اللَّذَّاتِ الْحِسِّيَّةَ حَظُّ النَّفْسِ الطَّبِيعِيَّةِ، وَاللَّذَّاتِ الْمَعْنَوِيَّةَ حَظُّ النَّفْسِ النَّاطِقَةِ.
for sensory pleasures are the share of the natural soul, and pleasures of meaning are the share of the rational soul.
قَرَأَ نَافِعٌ «تَدَّعُونَ» بِتَشْدِيدِ الدَّالِ مِنَ الدَّعْوَى،
Nāfiʿ read “taddaʿūn”, with a doubled dāl, from daʿwā, “claim”;
أَيْ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَدَّعُونَ لِاَنْفُسِكُمْ فِي الدَّارِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْعِزَّةِ وَالْكِبْرِيَاءِ وَالْعَظَمَةِ وَكَمَالِ الْعِلْمِ وَنُفُوذِ الْاِرَادَةِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ وَامْتِثَالِ أَمْرِكُمْ وَجَمِيعِ الصِّفَاتِ الْكَمَالِيَّةِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تَدَّعُونَهَا لَكُمْ دَعْوَى بَاطِلَةً فِي الدَّارِ الدُّنْيَا ،
فَاِنَّهَا دَارُ الْحِجَابِ ، وَالدَّعَاوَى الْبَاطِلَةِ .
وَالْآخِرَةُ دَارُ الْكَشْفِ وَرَفْعِ الْحُجُبِ .
فَتَنْكَشِفُ الْعِزَّةُ لِمَنْ هِيَ وَبِمَنْ هِيَ ، وَكَذَلِكَ الْكِبْرِيَاءُ وَجَمِيعُ الصِّفَاتِ اِنَّمَا يَظْهَرُ حُكْمُهَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ فِي السُّعَدَاءِ ،
فَاِنَّ اِرَادَتَهُمْ نَافِذَةٌ وَقُدْرَتَهُمْ غَيْرُ قَاصِرَةٍ فَلَا يَعْجِزُونَ عَنْ شَيْءٍ وَلَا يُرِيدُونَ شَيْئاً اِلَّا حَضَرَ ،
وَكَلَامُهُمْ وَأَمْرُهُمْ نَافِذٌ فَلَا يَقُولُونَ لِشَيْءٍ كُنْ اِلاّ كَانَ .
وَكَذَلِكَ عِلْمُهُمْ ، فَاِنَّهُمْ فِي الدَّارِ الدُّنْيَا لَا يُشَاهِدُونَ مَعْلُومَهُمْ ، وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ يُشَاهِدُونَهُ ،
فَاِنَّ الْآخِرَةَ مَحَلُّ ظُهُورِ حَقَائِقِ الْأَشْيَاءِ حَتَّى الْأَعْيَانُ الثَّابِتَةُ تَظْهَرُ فِيهَا ،
وَكُلُّ هَذَا كَالْمُنْزَلِ ، وَهُوَ مَا يُقَدَّمُ لِلْوَارِدِ عِنْدَ نُزُولِهِ ،
فَهُوَ يَسِيرٌ بِالنِّسْبَةِ اِلَى مَا يُكْرَمُونَ بِهِ كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى لَهُمْ :
« اُحِلُّ عَلَيْكُمْ رِضْوَانِي فَلَا اَسْخَطُ عَلَيْكُمْ اَبَداً » .
Quotes a hadith: al-Tirmidhī 2555 (a divine saying), part of it · graded Aḥmad Shākir: sahih; al-Albānī: sahih; Bashshār ʿAwwād Maʿrūf: sahih; Zubayr ʿAlī Zaʾī: sahih - agreed upon (hadith-api open data) (grades ↗) · sunnah.com ↗
قَالَ تَعَالَى : « وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ »
وَقَالَ : « يُبَشِّرُهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنْهُ وَرِضْوَانٍ » .
وَكَذَا دَعْوَتُهُ - سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - اِيَّاهُمْ اِلَى رُؤْيَتِهِ يَوْمَ الزَّوْرِ الْأَعْظَمِ فِي الْكَثِيبِ الْأَبْيَضِ •
كُلُّ هَذَا صَادِرٌ مِنْ رَبٍّ غَفُورٍ كَثِيرِ الْغَفْرِ وَالسَّتْرِ ، بِصِيغَةِ الْمُبَالَغَةِ ،
فَاِنَّهُمْ مَا عَاقَبَهُمْ عَلَى دَعَاوِيهِمُ الْبَاطِلَةِ فِي الدُّنْيَا ، بَلْ حَقَّقَهَا لَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَزَادَهُمْ عَلَيْهَا ،
رَحِيمٍ وَسِعَتْ رَحْمَتُهُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ، حَتَّى اَسْمَاؤُهُ فَاِنَّهُ رَحِمَهَا بِاِذْنِهِ لَهَا فِي اِظْهَارِ آثَارِهَا وَمَا تَقْتَضِيهِ حَقَائِقُهَا وَمَعَانِيهَا ،
فَرَحِمَ الِاسْمَ الْغَفَّارَ وَالسَّتَّارَ بِاِظْهَارِ حَقِيقَتِهِ فِي الْجَلِيلِ وَالْحَقِيرِ فَافْهَمْ •
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.