The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 41 · Seeking refuge before reciting

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 90, Damascus 1966, p. 91, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 99, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 100 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ ٱلْقُرْآنَ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَانِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ»

   He, exalted is He, said: "When you recite the Qurʾān, seek refuge in God from Satan the accursed" (Q 16:98).✦

   ¶ 417

2. الْحِكْمَةُ فِي الْأَمْرِ بِالِاسْتِعَاذَةِ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ، عِنْدَ اِرَادَةِ قِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ، وَعَدَمِ الْأَمْرِ بِذَلِكَ عِنْدَ اِرَادَةِ الصَّلَاةِ أَوِ الصَّوْمِ أَوِ الذِّكْرِ، أَوْ غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنْ سَائِرِ الْعِبَادَاتِ؛ هُوَ أَنَّ الْقَصْدَ الْأَوَّلَ بِالْقُرْآنِ، بَيَانُ الْأَحْكَامِ مِنْ حَلَالٍ وَحَرَامٍ وَوُجُوبٍ وَحَظْرٍ، وَذِكْرُ قِصَصِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَأَخْبَارِ الْأُمَمِ الْبَائِدَةِ، وَالْقُرُونِ الْمَاضِيَةِ، مَعَ ذِكْرِ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ وَمَا أُعِدَّ لِأَهْلِهِمَا، مِنَ الْكَرَامَةِ وَالْاِهَانَةِ، وَالْوَعْدِ وَالْوَعِيدِ.

   The wisdom in the command to seek refuge in God from Satan the accursed when one intends to recite the Qurʾān, and in the absence of such a command when one intends prayer, fasting, remembrance or any other of the acts of worship, is this. The primary aim of the Qurʾān is to set out the rulings: what is permitted and forbidden, obligatory and prohibited. It also recounts the stories of the prophets and the reports of the perished nations and past generations. Alongside this it mentions the Garden and the Fire, and what has been prepared for their people of honour and humiliation, of promise and threat.✦

   ¶ 418

3. فَكَأَنَّ قَارِئَهُ لَايَقْصِدُ مِنْهُ غَالِباً، اِلاَّ مَعْرِفَةَ مَا ذُكِرَ.

   So it is as though its reciter, for the most part, seeks from it nothing but knowledge of what has been mentioned.✦

   ¶ 419

4. فَأُمِرَ لِذَلِكَ بِالتَّحْصِينِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ، لِئَلَّا يُضِلَّهُ عَنْ طَرِيقِ الرَّشَادِ، وَيُزِيغَهُ عَنِ الْقَصْدِ، فِيمَا يَقْصِدُ مَعْرِفَتَهُ، عَلَى مُرَادِ اللَّهِ- تَعَالَى-.

   Therefore he was commanded to fortify himself against Satan, lest Satan lead him astray from the path of right guidance and make him swerve from the aim, in what he seeks to know, according to what God, exalted is He, intends.✦

   ¶ 420

5. فَاِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ الْعَزِيزَ- كَمَا قَالَ فِيهِ تَعَالَى- يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيراً وَيَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيراً،

   For of the mighty Qurʾān, as He, exalted is He, said concerning it, "He leads many astray by it, and guides many by it" (Q 2:26),✦

   ¶ 421

6. وَلِهَذَا تَرَى جَمِيعَ الْفِرَقِ الْأِسْلَامِيَّةِ الثَّلَاثِ وَالسَّبْعِينَ؛ تَأْخُذُ أَدِلَّتَهَا وَالْحُجَجَ لِمَذَاهِبِهَا مَعَ تَبَايُنِهَا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ الْعَظِيمِ.

   and that is why you see all the seventy-three Islamic sects, for all their divergence, taking their proofs and the arguments for their doctrines from the mighty Qurʾān.✦

   ¶ 422

7. وَمَا ذَلِكَ؛ اِلَّا لِاِعْجَازِهِ وَخُرُوجِهِ عَنْ طَوْقِ الْبَشَرِ، بِخِلَافِ سَائِرِ الْعِبَادَاتِ.

   And that is only because of its inimitability and its lying beyond human capacity, unlike the other acts of worship.✦

   ¶ 423

8. فَلَيْسَ الْمَقْصُودُ مِنْهَا عِنْدَ التَّلَبُّسِ بِهَا اِذَا كَانَتْ جَارِيَةً عَلَى مُرَادِ اللَّهِ مِنَّافِي أَدَائِهَا اِلاَّ مُجَالَسَةَ الْحَقِّ- تَعَالَى- وَالْخَلْوَةَ بِهِ، مَعَ صَرْفِ النَّظَرِ عَنْ كُلِّ مَخْلُوقٍ، وَلِنِسْيَانِ كُلِّ سِوًي وَالِاشْتِغَالِ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ مَنْ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ، وَالْغَيْبَةِ عَنِ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ، وَالْمُلْكِ وَالْمَلَكُوتِ.

   For what is intended by them while one is engaged in them, when they proceed according to what God intends of us in performing them, is nothing but sitting in the company of the Real, exalted is He, and being alone with Him. This comes together with turning one's gaze away from every created thing, and with the forgetting of everything other than Him and occupying oneself with beholding Him "like whom there is nothing" (Q 42:11). It comes, too, with absence from the Garden and the Fire, and from the visible kingdom and the unseen kingdom.✦

   ¶ 424

9. وَمَنْ كَانَتْ عِبَادَتُهُ عَلَى هَذَا الْوَجْهِ؛ فَمَا لِلشَّيْطَانِ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ فَهِيَ حِصْنُهُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ.

   Whoever's worship is of this kind, Satan has no way over him; it is his fortress against Satan.✦

   ¶ 425

10. فَتَبَيَّنَ مِنْ هَذَا أَنَّ الْمَقْصُودَ الْأَغْلَبَ مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ؛ أَحْكَامُ اللَّهِ- تَعَالَى- وَمَخْلُوقَاتُهُ.

    From this it has become clear that what is chiefly intended in reciting the Qurʾān is God's rulings, exalted is He, and His creatures.✦

    ¶ 426

11. وَالْمَقْصُودُ مِنْ سَائِرِ الْعِبَادَاتِ؛ اللَّهُ عَيْنُهُ،

    And what is intended in the other acts of worship is God Himself,✦

    ¶ 427

12. وَلِهَذَا تَرَى الْعَارِفِينَ بِاللَّهِوَبِطَرِيقِ السُّلُوكِ اِلَيْهِ؛ يَسْلُكُونَ مُرِيدِيهِمْ بِالْأَذْكَارِ وَسَائِرِ نَوَافِلِ الْخَيْرَاتِ.

    and that is why you see those who know God and the path of wayfaring to Him leading their aspirants along by means of the litanies of remembrance and the other supererogatory good works.✦

    ¶ 428

13. وَلَا يَأْمُرُونَهُمْ بِالتِّلَاوَةِ اِلاَّ قَدْرَ الْحَاجَةِ.

    They do not command them to recite, except as much as is needed.✦

    ¶ 429

14. لِأَنَّ تِلَاوَةَ الْقُرْآنِ لِلْمُبْتَدِي الْجَاهِلِ بِاللَّهِ- تَعَالَى- لَاتُجْدِيهِ غَالِباً فِي رَفْعِ حُجُبِهِ، وَالتَّرَقِّي اِلَى الْمَرَاتِبِ الْعَلِيَّةِ.

    For reciting the Qurʾān mostly does not benefit the beginner who is ignorant of God, exalted is He, in lifting his veils and rising to the lofty ranks.✦

    ¶ 430

15. وَالْعَارِفُ الْكَامِلُ يَتْلُوهُ عَلَى طَرِيقٍ، لَايَهْتَدِي اِلَيْهَا غَيْرُهُ، فَيَسْتَخْرِجُ مِنْهُ الْأَسْرَارَ وَالْعُلُومَ وَالْمَعَارِفَ وَالْفَوَائِدَ الَّتِي تَحَارُ الْعُقُولُ فِيهَا.

    But the perfect knower recites it in a way that no one else is guided to, and he draws out of it secrets, sciences, gnoses and benefits at which minds are bewildered.✦

    ¶ 431

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