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 343 · “So remind, if the reminder profits”
In briefAI
Starting from Q 87:9-11, “So remind, if the reminder profits”, the Emir says reminding is for one who knew and forgot. At the covenant of Q 7:172, “Am I not your Lord?”, one party said “Yes” willingly and one under compulsion. Messengers come by primary intention for the first party, who recollect; the second are reminded only incidentally, so that no argument remains against God. The call is universal (Q 10:25), yet He wills guidance only for the one the reminder benefits.
Context: the Emir reads the covenant of “Am I not your Lord?” (Q 7:172) as dividing souls by how they answered, and ties this to who takes the reminder to heart. It is his reading of the verse, and it names no one.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 1104, Damascus 1966, p. 1105 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «فَذَكِّرْ إِنْ نَفَعَتِ الذِّكْرَى، سَيَذَّكَّرُ مَنْ يَخْشَى، وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا الْأَشْقَى⁽¹⁾».
He, exalted is He, said: "So remind, if the reminder profits; he who fears will be reminded, and the most wretched will shun it" (Q 87:9–11).
الذِّكْرَى اسْمٌ مِنَ التَّذَكُّرِ كَمَا هِيَ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: «وَإِمَّا يُنْسِيَنَّكَ الشَّيْطَانُ فَلَا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَى⁽²⁾».
Dhikrā is a noun derived from tadhakkur (recollection), as it is in His saying, exalted is He: "And if Satan makes you forget, then do not sit, after the reminder," (Q 6:68)
أَيْ بَعْدَ التَّذَكُّرِ: «مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ⁽²⁾».
that is, after recollection, "with the wrongdoing people" (Q 6:68).
وَقَوْلِهِ: «أَنْ تَضِلَّ إِحْدَاهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ إِحْدَاهُمَا الْأُخْرَى⁽³⁾».
And His saying: "that if one of the two errs, the one may remind the other" (Q 2:282).
وَقَدْ تَكُونُ الذِّكْرَى مَصْدَراً، وَلَمْ يَجِيءْ مَصْدَرٌ عَلَى فِعْلَى غَيْرُ هَذَا،
Dhikrā may also be a verbal noun, and no verbal noun has come on the pattern fiʿlā other than this one;
وَالتَّذْكِيرُ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَاّ لِمَنْ عَلِمَ شَيْئاً وَنَسِيَهُ أَوْ غَفَلَ عَنْهُ،
and reminding is only for one who knew something and forgot it or became heedless of it.
وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ تَعَالَى أَخَذَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ أَرْوَاحاً مُتَجَسِّدَةً فِي أَجْسَادٍ بَرْزَخِيَّةٍ نُورِيَّةٍ وَقَالَ لَهُمْ: «أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ⁽⁴⁾».
That is because He, exalted is He, took from the children of Adam, from their loins, their offspring, as spirits embodied in luminous bodies of the isthmus, and said to them: "Am I not your Lord?" (Q 7:172).
فَافْتَرَقُوا فِرْقَتَيْنِ حِينَئِذٍ فِرْقَةٌ قَالَتْ بَلَى طَوْعاً بِفَرَحٍ وَسُرُورٍ، وَفِرْقَةٌ قَالَتْ بَلَى قَهْراً وَقَسْراً حَيْثُ كَانَتْ مَأْخُوذَةً مَقْبُوضاً عَلَيْهَا.
Then they split into two parties: a party that said "Yes" willingly, with joy and gladness, and a party that said "Yes" under compulsion and constraint, since it was seized and held fast.
فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّـرِينَ وَمُذَكِّرِينَ لِلْفِرْقَةِ الْأُولَى الَّتِي أَجَابَتْ طَوْعاً، وَهُمُ الْمَقْصُودُونَ بِالذَّاتِ بِالتَّذْكِيرِ، فَنَفَعَتْهُمُ الذِّكْرَى، فَتَذَكَّرُوا الْعَهْدَ الْقَدِيمَ الَّذِي أُخِذَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِالْاِقْرَارِ بِالرُّبُوبِيَّةِ وَالْمُلْكِ لَمَّا ذَكَّرَتْهُمُ الرُّسُلُ•
So God sent the prophets as bearers of good news and as reminders to the first party, the one that answered willingly. They are the ones intended in essence by the reminding, and so the reminder profited them, and they recollected the ancient covenant that was taken from them, the acknowledgement of lordship and kingship, when the messengers reminded them.
وَأَمَّا التَّوْحِيدُ فَهُوَ الْفِطْرَةُ الَّتِي فَطَرَ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا،
As for the affirmation of oneness, it is the primordial nature upon which God created people,
وَمُنْذِرِينَ لِلْفِرْقَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ، فِرْقَةِ الْأَشْقِيَاءِ، وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ أَجَابُوا كَرْهاً فَلَمْ تَنْفَعْهُمُ الذِّكْرَى فَلَمْ يَتَذَكَّرُوا وَاِنْ ذُكِّرُوا
and as warners to the second party, the party of the wretched, who are those who answered unwillingly; so the reminder did not profit them, and they did not recollect even though they were reminded.
وَاِنَّمَا عَمَّتْهُمُ الرُّسُلُ بِالذِّكْرَى لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ،
The messengers included them in the reminder only so that "people should have no argument against God after the messengers" (Q 4:165).
فَاِرْسَالُ الرُّسُلِ ـ عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ ـ بِالْقَصْدِ الْأَوَّلِ اِنَّمَا هُوَ لِلْفِرْقَةِ الْأُولَى السَّعِيدَةِ لِيُبَيِّنُوا لَهُمُ الطَّرِيقَ الَّتِي يَسْلُكُونَ عَلَيْهَا اِلَى رَبِّهِمُ الَّذِي أَقَرُّوا بِرُبُوبِيَّتِهِ أَزَلاً•
So the sending of the messengers, blessing and peace be upon them, is, by the primary intention, only for the first, felicitous party, so that they may make clear to them the path they travel to their Lord, whose lordship they acknowledged in pre-eternity.
وَأَمَّا الْفِرْقَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ فَاِنَّمَا تَذْكِيرُهَا بِالتَّبَعِ وَالْعَرَضِ لِتَقُومَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْحُجَّةُّ لَا غَيْرُ ـ
As for the second party, its being reminded is only by consequence and accident, so that the argument may be established against them, nothing more.
فَأَمَرَ تَعَالَى رَسُولَهُ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ بِالتَّذْكِيرِ اِنْ نَفَعَتْ وَاِنْ لَمْ تَنْفَعْ، عَلَى حَدِّ قَوْلِ سَرَابِيلَ تَقِيكُمُ الْحَرَّ أَيْ وَالْبَرْدَ، اِذِ الْوَاوُ قَدْ تُحْذَفُ مَعَ مَعْطُوفِهَا،
So He, exalted is He, commanded His Messenger, God bless him and give him peace, to remind whether it profits or does not profit. This follows the manner of the saying "garments that protect you from the heat" (Q 16:81), that is, and from the cold, since the "and" may be dropped together with what it joins.
وَلَا يَصِحُّ أَنْ تَكُونَ شَرْطِيَّةً، لِاَنَّهُ ـ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ـ مَا خَصَّ بِالذِّكْرَى سَعِيداً دُونَ شَقِيٍّ،
It cannot be conditional, because he, God bless him and give him peace, did not single out a felicitous person for the reminder to the exclusion of a wretched one.
ثُمَّ أَخْبَرَ تَعَالَى أَنَّ الذِّكْرَى وَاِنْ عَمَّتِ السَّعِيدَ وَالشَّقِيَّ فَلَا يَذَّكَّرُ اِلَا ّ مَنْ يَخْشَى اللَّهَ ـ تَعَالَى ـ وَيَتَّقِيهِ ،
وَلَيْسَ اِلَّا الْمُؤْمِنَ الَّذِي قَالَ بَلَى طَوْعاً ظَاهِراً وَبَاطِناً •
وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ قَالُوا كَرْهاً وَقَهْراً لَا بَاطِناً بَلْ ظَاهِراً فَقَطْ حَيْثُ كَانُوا مَأْخُوذِينَ مَقْبُوضاً عَلَيْهِمْ كَالْمُنَافِقِينَ ، وَمِنْ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ كَانَ النِّفَاقُ ، فَاِنَّهُمْ أَظْهَرُوا خِلَافَ مَا فِي بَوَاطِنِهِمْ ، فَهُمُ الْأَشْقَى الَّذِي يَتَجَنَّبُهَا ،
أَيْ يَتَجَنَّبُ الذِّكْرَى يُوَلِّيهَا جَنْبَهُ كَمَا هِيَ حَالَةُ الْمُعْرِضِ عَنِ الشَّيْءِ وَلَا يُقْبِلُ عَلَيْهَا بِوَجْهِهِ فَلَا يَتَذَكَّرُ •
وَقَدْ حَذَّرَهُمُ اللَّهُ ـ تَعَالَى ـ هَذَا يَوْمَ أَخْذِ الْعَهْدِ وَالْمِيثَاقِ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ : أَنْ تَقُولُوا اِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَٰذَا غَافِلِينَ ، أَوْ تَقُولُوا اِنَّمَا أَشْرَكَ آبَاؤُنَا مِنْ قَبْلُ ،
أَيْ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ تَقُولُوا اِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَٰذَا غَافِلِينَ ، أَوْ تَقُولُوا اِنَّمَا أَشْرَكَ آبَاؤُنَا مِنْ قَبْلُ، وَلَا يُقْبَلُ لَكُمْ حِينَئِذٍ هَذَا الْعُذْرُ •
فَفِي الْآيَةِ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى اَنَّ أَخْذَ الْمِيثَاقِ كَانَ بِالْاِقْرَارِ بِالرُّبُوبِيَّةِ وَالْمُلْكِ وَالتَّوْحِيدِ ، لَا عَلَى الْاِقْرَارِ بِالرُّبُوبِيَّةِ فَقَطْ •
وَيُؤَيِّدُاَنَّ أَنْ هُنَا غَيْرُ شَرْطِيَّةٍ ، وَعُمُومَ الذِّكْرَى نَفَعَتْ أَوْ لَمْ تَنْفَعْ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى :
« وَاللَّهُ يَدْعُو إِلَىٰ دَارِ السَّلَامِ » .
يَدْعُو الْجَمِيعَ السُّعَدَاءَ وَالْاَشْقِيَاءَ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ اِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ •
وَلَا يَشَاءُ اِلَّا هِدَايَةَ مَنْ تَنْفَعُهُ الذِّكْرَى ،
وَأَمَّا مَنْ يَتَجَنَّبُ الذِّكْرَى فَلَا يَشَاءُ هِدَايَتَهُ وَاِنْ عَمَّتِ الدَّعْوَى •

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.

Occasional news of a new text or a new layer. If there is a text you would like to read here, say so below.

Hear when new texts are published