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 42 · Sulaymān and “if God wills”
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 92, Damascus 1966, p. 93, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 100, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 101 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَانَ وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَى كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَداً ثُمَّ أَنَابَ، قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَهَبْ لِي مُلْكاً لَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِي، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ».
He, exalted is He, said: "And We certainly tried Sulaymān, and We cast upon his throne a body; then he turned back. He said: My Lord, forgive, and grant me a kingdom that befits no one after me; truly You are the Bestower" (Q 38:34–35).
كَانَ سُلَيْمَانُ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ- قَالَ: لَأَطُوفَنَّ اللَّيْلَةَ عَلَى مِابَةِ امْرَأَةٍ، تَحْمِلُ كُلُّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ بِفَارِسٍ، يُجَاهِدُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ.
Sulaymān, peace be upon him, had said: "Tonight I shall go round to a hundred women, each of whom will conceive a horseman who will strive in the path of God."
فَقَالَ لَهُ صَاحِبُهُ: قُلْ اِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ.
His companion said to him: "Say: if God wills."
فَلَمْ يَقُلْ اِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ، فَلَمْ تَحْمِلْ مِنْهُنَّ اِلاَّ وَاحِدَةٌ، جَاءَتْ بِشِقِّ اِنْسَانٍ!!
But he did not say "if God wills", and none of them conceived except one, who brought forth half of a human being!!
الْحَدِيثُ أَخْرَجَهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ فِي صَحِيحِهِ.
The ḥadīth was transmitted by al-Bukhārī in his Ṣaḥīḥ.
وَالْمُرَادُ بِصَاحِبِهِ؟ الْمَلَكُ.
What is meant by his companion is the angel.
وَتَرْكُهُ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ- قَوْلَ اِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ كَانَ نِسْيَاناً.
His omitting, peace be upon him, to say "if God wills" was forgetfulness.
وَبَعْدَ مَا صَدَرَ مِنْهُ هَذَا، وَكَانَ مَا كَانَ كَشَفَ اللَّهُ عَنْ عَيْنِهِ الثَّابِتَةِ؟ فَرَأَى اَنَّهُ سَيَحْصُلُ لَهُ مُلْكٌ، زِيَادَةً عَلَى مَا كَانَ لَهُ مِنَ الْمُلْكِ.
After this had come from him, and what happened had happened, God unveiled his immutable entity to him, and he saw that a kingdom would come to him in addition to the kingdom he already had,
وَأَنَّهُ لَايَحْصُلُ لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ مِثْلُهُ، بِشَرْطِ سُؤَالِهِ لِذَلِكَ.
and that no one after him would obtain the like of it, on condition that he ask for that.
فَأَنَابَ وَرَجَعَ عَنْ مُرَادِهِ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ مِنْ تَمَنِّي مَالَا عِلْمَ لَهُ بِحُصُولِهِ، وَاِنْ كَانَ تَمَنِّيَ خَيْرٍ.
So he turned back, withdrew from what he had intended, and asked forgiveness for wishing for something he had no knowledge would come about, even though it was a wish for good.
وَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنْ يَهَبَ لَهُ مُلْكاً لَايَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ، لَا حَسَداً لِغَيْرِهِ، وَلَا رَغْبَةً فِي الْمُلْكِ، وَلَا تَحْجِيراً عَلَى اللَّهِ- تَعَالَى-
And he called upon his Lord to grant him a kingdom that befits no one after him, not out of envy of others, nor out of desire for kingship, nor to restrict God, exalted is He;
وَلَكِنَّ الْمَقَامَ أَوِ الْكَشْفَ اقْتَضَى هَذَا السُّؤَالَ،
rather, the station, or the unveiling, required this request,
فَاِنَّ الْحَقَّ- تَعَالَى- يَعْلَمُ الْأَشْيَاءَ عَلَى مَاهِيَ عَلَيْهِ، حَيْثُ كَانَ الْعِلْمُ تَابِعاً لِلْمَعْلُومِ.
for the Real, exalted is He, knows things as they are, since knowledge follows the known.
فَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُمْكِنَاتِ يَحْصُلُ بِشَرْطٍ أَوْ سَبَبٍ أَوْ شُرُوطٍ أَوْ أَسْبَابٍ؟ يَعْلَمُهُ- تَعَالَى- بِشَرْطِهِ أَوْ سَبَبِهِ.
Whatever among possible things comes about through a condition or a cause, or conditions or causes, He, exalted is He, knows it with its condition or cause.
وَمَا كَانَ يَحْصُلُ لَا عَنْ شَرْطٍ وَلَا سَبَبٍ؟ يَعْلَمُهُ كَذَلِكَ.
And whatever comes about from no condition and no cause, He knows it thus.
فَاسْتِغْفَارُهُ- عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ- مَا كَانَ عَنْ ذَنْبٍ، وَاِنَّمَا كَانَ مِنْ تَمَنِّيهِ وَرَغْبَتِهِ فِيمَا لَا عِلْمَ لَهُ بِحُصُولِهِ، وَتَرْكِهِ اِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَا غَيْرُ.
So his asking forgiveness, blessing and peace be upon him, was not for a sin; it was only for his wishing and desiring what he had no knowledge would come about, and his omitting "if God wills", nothing else.
وَهَذَا لَا يُوجِبُ اسْتِغْفَاراً فِي حَقِّ غَيْرِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، وَلَكِنَّ مَقَامَ النُّبُـوَّةِ الْأَسْمَى؛ اقْتَضَى الِاسْتِغْفَارَ مِنْ مِثْـلِ هَـذَا•
This does not require asking forgiveness in the case of those other than prophets; but the most exalted station of prophethood required asking forgiveness for the like of this.
فَحَسَنَاتُ الْأَبْرَارِ سَيِّئَاتُ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ•
For the good deeds of the pious are the evil deeds of those brought near.
وَسَمَّى الْحَقُّ– تَعَالَى– وِلَادَةَ شِقِّ الْاِنْسَانِ لِسُلَيْمَانَ– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ– فِتْنَةً لَهُ، حَيْثُ كَانَ الْأَمْرُ ضِدَّ رَغْبَتِهِ وَخِلَافَ أُمْنِيَّتِهِ•
The Real, exalted is He, called the birth of the half human being to Sulaymān, peace be upon him, a trial for him, since the matter went against his desire and contrary to his wish.
فَاِنَّهُ تَمَنَّى مِائَةَ فَارِسٍ تُجَاهِدُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ•
For he had wished for a hundred horsemen to strive in the path of God.
فَكَانَ الْجَسَدُ الَّذِي أَلْقَاهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى كُرْسِيِّ سُلَيْمَانَ؛ هُوَ شِقُّ الْاِنْسَانِ الَّذِي وُلِدَ لَهُ•
So the body that God cast upon Sulaymān's throne was the half human being that was born to him.
وَعَبَّرَ– تَعَالَى– عَنْ وِلَادَةِ الشِّقِّ؛ بِاِلْقَائِهِ عَلَى الْكُرْسِيِّ، حَيْثُ كَانَ ذَلِكَ بِسَبَبِ سُلَيْمَانَ– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ–
He, exalted is He, expressed the birth of the half as His casting it upon the throne, since that came about because of Sulaymān, peace be upon him.
وَقَرَنَ الْحَقُّ– تَعَالَى– قِصَّةَ فِتْنَةِ سُلَيْمَانَ مَعَ قِصَّةِ سُؤَالِهِ مُلْكاً لَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ، حَيْثُ كَانَتِ الْقِصَّةُ الثَّانِيَـةُ كَالتَّسْلِيَةِ لَهُ– عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ–
The Real, exalted is He, joined the story of Sulaymān's trial with the story of his asking for a kingdom that befits no one after him, since the second story was like a consolation for him, peace be upon him.
وَلَا يَخْفَى عَنْ أَرْبَابِ الْبَلَاغَةِ، الْعَارِفِينَ بِرَشَاقَةِ الْكَلَامِ، وَرِقَّةِ الْمَعَانِي مَا فِي هَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظِ مِنَ الْمُنَاسَبَةِ•
Nor is the fittingness in these words hidden from the masters of eloquence, who know the elegance of speech and the subtlety of meanings.
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