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
Mawqif 34 · “The Real is known by uniting opposites”
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 79, Damascus 1966, p. 80, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 88, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 89, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 90 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ» الْآيَةَ
He, exalted is He, said: "So turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque" (Q 2:144), [to the end of] the verse.
اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا وُجُودَ اِلَّا الْوُجُودُ الْوَاحِدُ الْحَقُّ- تَعَالَى- وَالْمُسَمَّى عَالَماً وَمَخْلُوقَاتٍ مَظَاهِرَةٌ، مِنْ أَوَّلِ مَخْلُوقٍ اِلَى آخِرِ مَخْلُوقٍ،
Know that there is no existence except the one existence, the Real, exalted is He. What is called "world" and "created things" are His loci of manifestation, from the first created thing to the last created thing.
فَحَقٌّ بِلَا خَلْقٍ؛ لَايَظْهَرُ، وَخَلْقٌ بِلَا حَقٍّ؛ لَايُوصَفُ بِالْوُجُودِ.
The Real without creation does not become manifest; and creation without the Real is not described by existence.
وَالْوُجُودُ الْحَقُّ وَاحِدٌ لَايَتَعَدَّدُ وَلَا يَتَغَيَّرُ وَلَا يَنْحَصِرُ وَلَا يُحَدُّ وَلَا تُقَيِّدُهُ الْأَكْوَانُ وَالْمَظَاهِرُ•
The real existence is one. It does not become multiple, does not change, is not confined, is not bounded, and is not delimited by the engendered things and the loci of manifestation.
وَمَظَاهِرُهُ مُتَعَدِّدَةٌ مُتَغَيِّرَةٌ مُنْحَصِرَةٌ مُقَيَّدَةٌ•
His loci of manifestation, however, are multiple, changing, confined and delimited.
فَيَظْهَرُ فِي مَظْهَرٍ بِالْعِلْمِ، لِأَنَّهُ حُكْمُ اسْتِعْدَادِ ذَلِكَ الْمَظْهَرِ، فَيُسَمَّى الْمَظْهَرُ عَالِماً•
So He becomes manifest in one locus with knowledge, because that is the ruling of the preparedness of that locus, and the locus is called "knower".
وَيَظْهَرُ فِي مَظْهَرٍ بِالْجَهْلِ، فَيُسَمَّى ذَلِكَ الْمَظْهَرُ جَاهِلاً•
He becomes manifest in another locus with ignorance, and that locus is called "ignorant".
وَيَظْهَرُ فِي مَظْهَرٍ بِالْقَهْرِ، فَيُسَمَّى ذَلِكَ الْمَظْهَرُ قَاهِراً، لِأَنَّهُ حُكْمُ اسْتِعْدَادِ ذَلِكَ الْمَظْهَرِ•
He becomes manifest in another locus with domination, and that locus is called "dominating", because that is the ruling of the preparedness of that locus.
وَيَظْهَرُ فِي مَظْهَرٍ بِالذُّلِّ فَيُسَمَّى ذَلِكَ الْمَظْهَرُ ذَلِيلاً مَقْهُوراً، لِأَنَّهُ حُكْمُ اسْتِعْدَادِ ذَلِكَ الْمَظْهَرِ
He becomes manifest in another locus with abasement, and that locus is called "abased, dominated", because that is the ruling of the preparedness of that locus.
وَيَظْهَرُ فِي مَظْهَرٍ بِالْمَعْبُودِ فَيُسَمَّى مَعْبُوداً، لِأَنَّهُ حُكْمُ اسْتِعْدَادِ ذَلِكَ الْمَظْهَرِ،
He becomes manifest in another locus as the worshipped, and it is called "worshipped", because that is the ruling of the preparedness of that locus.
وَيَظْهَرُ فِي مَظْهَرٍ بِصُورَةِ الْعَابِدِ، فَيُسَمَّى الْمَظْهَرُ عَابِدَ الْكَوْنِ، ذَلِكَ حُكْمُ اسْتِعْدَادِ ذَلِكَ الْمَظْهَرِ،
He becomes manifest in another locus in the form of the worshipper, and the locus is called "worshipper of the cosmos"; that is the ruling of the preparedness of that locus.
وَالْحَقُّ مَاعُرِفَ اِلَّاً بِجَمْعِهِ الْأَضْدَادَ، فَكُلُّ الْمُتَضَادَّاتِ فِي الْعَالَمِ؟ هُوَ جَامِعٌ لَهَا•
The Real is known only through His uniting the opposites. Every opposed thing in the world: He unites them all.
بَلْ هُوَ عَيْنُ الْأَضْدَادِ كُلِّهَا•
Rather, He is the very identity of all the opposites.
وَاِنَّمَا يَظْهَرُ فِي كُلِّ صُورَةٍ بِحُكْمِ اسْتِعْدَادِهَا، وَبِمَا هُوَ مِنْ أَحْوَالِ عَيْنِهَا الثَّابِتَةِ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالْعَدَمِ•
He becomes manifest in each form only according to the ruling of its preparedness, and according to what belongs to the states of its immutable entity in knowledge and non-existence.
وَعَلَيْهِ فَالْحَقُّ ـ تَعَالَى ـ ظَهَرَ فِي الصُّورَةِ الْمُسَمَّاةِ بِالْكَعْبَةِ بِصُورَةِ الْمَعْبُودِيَّةِ، وَهُوَ الْمَعْبُودُ•
Accordingly, the Real, exalted is He, became manifest in the form called "the Kaʿba" in the form of being worshipped, and He is the worshipped.
وَاِنْ وَقَعَتِ الْعِبَادَةُ لِلْكَعْبَةِ فِي الْحِسِّ،
even if, to the senses, the worship falls upon the Kaʿba,
كَمَا أَنَّهُ ظَهَرَ فِي الصُّورَةِ الْمُسَمَّاةِ بِمُحَمَّدٍ بِصِفَةِ الْعَابِدِيَّةِ، وَهُوَ الْعَابِدُ، وَاِنْ ظَهَرَتِ الْعِبَادَةُ مِنَ الصُّورَةِ الْمُحَمَّدِيَّةِ، فِي الْحِسِّ وَالْعَقْلِ•
just as He became manifest in the form called "Muḥammad" with the attribute of being a worshipper, and He is the worshipper, even if the worship appears, to the senses and to the intellect, from the Muḥammadan form.
فَسَمَّى نَفْسَهُ عَابِداً فِي مَظْهَرٍ؟ لِظُهُورِهِ فِيهِ بِصِفَةِ الْعَابِدِ•
So He named Himself "worshipper" in one locus, because He became manifest in it with the attribute of the worshipper,
وَسَمَّى نَفْسَهُ فِي مَظْهَرٍ مَعْبُوداً؟ لِظُهُورِهِ فِيهِ بِصِفَةِ الْمَعْبُودِ،
and He named Himself "worshipped" in another locus, because He became manifest in it with the attribute of the worshipped,
اِذِ الْمُسَمَّى مَخْلُوقاً؟ لَيْسَ هُوَ اِلَّاً أَسْمَاؤُهُ ـ تَعَالَى ـ ظَهَرَتْ بِذَلِكَ الشَّكْلِ، وَتِلْكَ الصُّـورَةِ•
since what is called "created" is nothing but His names, exalted is He, become manifest in that shape and that form.
وَالْأَسْمَاءُ أُمُورٌ عَدَمِيَّةٌ، فَظُهُورُهَا فِي التَّحْقِيقِ• ظُهُورُ ذَاتِهِ السَّارِيَةِ فِي كُلِّ مَخْلُوقٍ مِـنْ غَيْرِ سَرَيَانٍ•
The names are non-existential matters; so their manifestation is, in verified truth, the manifestation of His Essence, which pervades every created thing without pervasion.
وَلَكِنَّ الذَّاتَ بَاطِنَةٌ هُنَا، لِظُهُورِ التَّعَدُّدِ فِي الْأَسْمَاءِ•
But the Essence is hidden here, because multiplicity is manifest in the names.
وَمُقْتَضَى الْوَحْدَةِ بِظُهُورِ الْأَسْمَاءِ، فَهِيَ بَاطِنَةٌ حَالَ ظُهُورِهَا•
And what unity entails is [hidden] by the manifestation of the names; so it is hidden in the very state of its manifestation.
وَقَدْ نُقِلَ عَنِ الشَّيْخِ الْأَكْبَرِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مَظْهَرِيَّةُ الْكَعْبَةِ: أَفْضَلُ مِـنْ مَظْهَرِيَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ،
It has been reported from the Greatest Master that he said: "The Kaʿba's being a locus of manifestation is more excellent than the being a locus of manifestation of Muḥammad, God bless him and grant him peace."
فَاِنْ صَحَّ النَّقْلُ عَنْهُ؟ فَوَجْهُهُ مَاذَكَرْنَاهُ: مِنْ مَظْهَرِيَّةِ الْعَابِدِيَّةِ وَالْمَعْبُودِيَّةِ لَا غَيْرُهُ•
If the report from him is sound, its meaning is what we have stated, namely the being a locus of manifestation of worshipperhood and of worshippedness, and nothing else.
وَلَا يَلْزَمُ مِنْهُ فَضْلُ الْكَعْبَةِ، وَلَا هُوَ مَذْهَبُ الشَّيْخِ وَلَا غَيْرِهِ مِنَ الْعَارِفِينَ•
The superiority of the Kaʿba does not follow from it, nor is that the position of the Master or of any other of the knowers.
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