The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 359 · “They have not esteemed God truly”

   In brief✦AI

   Starting from Q 6:91, “They have not esteemed God with the esteem that is His due”, the Emir says no contingent being, even the First Intellect, can magnify Him so, since magnifying is proportioned to knowledge and the bounded cannot know the Absolute. Every kind in the world glorifies Him, yet each is in a veil: the pure declarer of transcendence, the pure likener, the one who combines them. God Himself says this (Q 20:110; 3:28). Knowledge has no end (Q 20:114), so one holds to faith and the Lawgiver.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 1275, Damascus 1966, p. 1276 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ».

   He, Most High, has said: “They have not esteemed God with the esteem that is His due” (Q 6:91; 22:74; 39:67).✦

   ¶ 2825

2. أَيْ مَا عَظَّمُوهُ حَقَّ تَعْظِيمِهِ كَمَا تَسْتَحِقُّهُ ذَاتُهُ وَيَنْبَغِي لِجَلَالِهِ، وَمَا يَكُونُ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ.

   That is: they have not magnified Him with the magnifying that is His due, as His Essence deserves and as befits His majesty; nor is that possible for them.✦

   ¶ 2826

3. وَلَيْسَ فِي وُسْعِ الْمُمْكِنِ حُصُولُ ذَلِكَ وَلَا يَقْتَضِيهِ اسْتِعْدَادُهُ.

   It is not within the capacity of the contingent for that to come about, nor does its preparedness require it.✦

   ¶ 2827

4. فَضَمِيرُ الْجَمْعِ فِي (قَدَرُوا) يَشْمَلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ جَمِيعاً وَالْأَرْوَاحَ الْمُهَيَّمَةَ، فَمَنْ دُونَهُمْ وَالْجِنَّ وَالْأِنْسَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَنَبِيٍّ وَوَلِيٍّ.

   So the plural pronoun in (qadarū, “they esteemed”) includes all the angels and the enraptured spirits, and those below them, and the jinn and humankind, whether messenger, prophet or friend of God;✦

   ¶ 2828

5. بَلْ كُلَّ مُمْكِنٍ حَتَّى الْعَقْلَ الْأَوَّلَ رُوحَ الْقُدُسِ الَّذِي هُوَ أَوَّلُ مُبْدَعٍ وَأَقْرَبُ مُقَرَّبٍ.

   indeed every contingent being, even the First Intellect, the Holy Spirit, who is the first being originated and the nearest of those brought near.✦

   ¶ 2829

6. لِاَنَّ تَعْظِيمَ الْمُعَظِّمِ (اسْمُ فَاعِلٍ) وَهُوَ الَّذِي قَامَتْ بِهِ الْعَظَمَةُ عَلَى قَدْرِ مَعْرِفَتِهِ بِالْمُعَظَّمِ (اسْمُ مَفْعُولٍ)

   For the magnifying of the magnifier (active participle), that is, the one in whom the greatness subsists, is in proportion to his knowledge of the magnified (passive participle).✦

   ¶ 2830

7. وَمَا أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ عَرَفَ اللَّهَ حَقَّ مَعْرِفَتِهِ كَمَا يَعْرِفُ تَعَالَى نَفْسَهُ، لَا أَصْحَابُ الْمَعَارِفِ الَّتِي اَنْتَجَتْهَا الْعُقُولُ، وَلَا أَصْحَابُ الْمَعَارِفِ الَّتِي اَنْتَجَتْهَا التَّجَلِّيَاتُ

   And none of the created beings has known God with the knowledge that is His due, as He, Most High, knows Himself: neither the holders of the knowledges that intellects have produced, nor the holders of the knowledges that self-disclosures have produced.✦

   ¶ 2831

8. وَأَنَّى لِلْمُقَيَّدِ بِمَعْرِفَتِهِ الْمُطْلَقَ عَنِ الْاِضَافَةِ وَالتَّقَيُّدِ.

   And how should the bounded one, by his knowing, have the Absolute, which is free of relation and of being bounded?✦

   ¶ 2832

9. يَقُولُ: اَعْلَمُ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ بِاللَّهِ، سُبْحَانَكَ مَا عَرَفْنَاكَ حَقَّ مَعْرِفَتِكَ، لَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ، أَنْتَ كَمَا اَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ. لَا اَبْلُغُ مَا فِيكَ

   The most knowing of creatures concerning God says: “Glory be to You! We have not known You with the knowledge due to You. I cannot count praise of You; You are as You have praised Yourself. I do not reach what is in You.”✦

   ¶ 2833

10. وَجَمِيعُ أَنْوَاعِ الْعَالَمِ مُسَبِّحَةٌ لَهُ تَعَالَى وَمُنَزِّهَةٌ لَهُ عَنِ اعْتِقَادِهِ غَيْرُهَا فِيهِ.

    All the kinds of the world glorify Him, Most High, and declare Him free of what others than they believe of Him.✦

    ¶ 2834

11. وَالَّذِي يُثْبِتُهُ الْوَاحِدُ هُوَ عَيْنُ مَا يُنَزِّهُهُ عِنْدَ الْآخَرِ.

    What the one affirms is the very thing of which He is declared free in the view of the other.✦

    ¶ 2835

12. اِذِ الْكُلُّ فِي حِجَابٍ، وَلَوْ بَلَغَ مَا بَلَغَ، فَالْمُنَزِّهُ الصِّرْفُ فِي حِجَابٍ وَالْمُشَبِّهُ الصِّرْفُ فِي حِجَابٍ، وَالْجَامِعُ بَيْنَهُمَا فِي حِجَابٍ.

    For all are in a veil, however far each may reach: the pure declarer of transcendence is in a veil, the pure likener is in a veil, and the one who combines the two is in a veil;✦

    ¶ 2836

13. كَمَا أَنَّ مَنْ أَطْلَقَهُ فِي حِجَابٍ وَمَنْ قَيَّدَهُ فِي حِجَابٍ وَمَنْ نَفَاهُمَا فِي حِجَابٍ.

    just as whoever declares Him absolute is in a veil, whoever binds Him is in a veil, and whoever negates both is in a veil.✦

    ¶ 2837

14. وَكُلُّ حَاكِمٍ عَلَيْهِ بِحُكْمٍ فَهُوَ فِي حِجَابٍ بِحَسَبِ مَرْتَبَتِهِ وَمَنْزِلَتِهِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ_ تَعَالَى_

    Everyone who passes any judgement on Him is in a veil, according to his rank and standing with God, Most High.✦

    ¶ 2838

15. وَالْحُجُبُ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ بِاخْتِلَافِ الْمَحْجُوبِينَ.

    The veils differ as the veiled differ.✦

    ¶ 2839

16. لَايُقَالُ وَهَذَا الَّذِي قُلْتَهُ حُكْمٌ أَيْضاً

    It is not to be said: “And this which you have said is also a judgement,”✦

    ¶ 2840

17. لِأَنَّا نَقُولُ مَا نَحْنُ قُلْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِنَا، وَهُوَ الَّذِي قَالَ هَذَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: «وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِهِ عِلْمًا».

    for we say: it is not we who have said it of ourselves; it is He who said this of Himself, in His words: “and they do not encompass Him in knowledge” (Q 20:110).✦

    ¶ 2841

18. وَقَوْلُهُ: «وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ».

    And His words: “and God warns you of Himself” (Q 3:28; 3:30).✦

    ¶ 2842

19. فَأَرَاحَنَا مِنْ طَلَبِ مَا يَسْتَحِيلُ الْوُصُولُ اِلَيْهِ

    So He has relieved us of seeking what is impossible to reach,✦

    ¶ 2843

20. وَقَالَتْهُ رُسُلُهُ ـ عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ ـ فَالْعَـالَمُ كُلُّهُ حَمْقَى فِي ذَاتِ اللَّهِ، وَاِنَّ الْمَلَأَ الْأَعْـلَى لَيَطْلُبُونَهُ،

    and His messengers, upon them be blessings and peace, have said it: so the whole world are fools concerning the Essence of God, and the Highest Assembly do seek Him,✦

    ¶ 2844

21. وَكُلُّ طَالِبٍ فَاقِدٌ لِمَا يَطْلُبُهُ مِنْ وَجْهِ طَلَبِهِ.

    And every seeker lacks what he seeks, in the respect in which he seeks it.✦

    ¶ 2845

22. فَالطَّلَبُ مِنَ الطَّالِبِينَ لَايَتَنَاهَى، وَالْعِلْمُ بِاللَّهِ لَايَتَنَاهَى، وَلَا يُعْلَمُ تَعَالَى، وَاِنَّمَا يُعْلَمُ مَا مِنْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ آثَارِ اَسْمَائِهِ، لَا هُوَ تَعَالَى

    So the seeking of the seekers has no end, and knowledge of God has no end; He, Most High, is not known; only what is from Him is known, in respect of the traces of His names, not He, Most High.✦

    ¶ 2846

23. وَلِهَذَا، قِيلَ لِمَنْ اُعْطِيَ عِلْمَ الْاَوَّلِينَ وَالْآخِرِينَ:

    For this reason it was said to the one who was given the knowledge of the first and the last:✦

    ¶ 2847

24. «وَقُلْ رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْماً».

    “And say: ‘My Lord, increase me in knowledge’” (Q 20:114).✦

    ¶ 2848

25. فَهُوَ يَقُولُ ذَلِكَ فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ وَمَقَامٍ وَمَرْتَبَةٍ دُنْيَا وَبَرْزَخاً وَاَخِرَةً لَا اِلَى نِهَايَةٍ أَوْ غَايَةٍ،

    So he says this in every state, station and rank, in this world, in the isthmus and in the hereafter, without end or limit;✦

    ¶ 2849

26. وَحَيْثُ كَانَ هَذَا فَاللَّازِمُ عَلَيْنَا لُزُومُ طَرِيقَةِ الْاِيمَانِ وَالْعَمَلِ بِمَا فُرِضَ عَلَيْنَا وَمُتَابَعَةُ الشَّارِعِ،

    and since this is so, what is incumbent on us is to hold to the path of faith and of acting on what has been imposed on us, and to follow the Lawgiver.✦

    ¶ 2850

27. فَمَا قَالَ قُلْنَا مُتَابَعَةً وَتَرْجَمَةً، اِذْ هُوَ الْقَائِلُ،

    What he said, we say, by way of following and of interpreting, since he is the speaker;✦

    ¶ 2851

28. وَمَا سَكَتَ عَنْهُ سَكَتْنَا مَعَ اِقَامَةِ الشَّرَائِعِ وَاِجْرَاءِ الْحُدُودِ وَانْتِظَارِ الْمَوْتِ وَالسَّلَامُ.

    and what he was silent about, we are silent about, while upholding the laws, carrying out the prescribed penalties, and awaiting death. And peace.✦

    ¶ 2852

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