The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 47 · “Except that they should worship Me”

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 100, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 107, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 108 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْأْنْسَ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُونِ»

   God Most High said: “I did not create the jinn and humankind except that they should worship Me” (Q 51:56).✦

   ¶ 2248

2. الْحِكْمَةُ فِي تَكْلِيفِ الْعِبَادِ بِالتَّكَالِيفِ الشَّاقَّةِ، وَاِلْزَامِهِمْ بِالْأَوَامِرِ وَالنَّوَاهِي، وَالتَّحْجِيرِ عَلَيْهِمْ؛ هُوَ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ، وَاِنْ كَانَ يُسَمَّى مُمْكِناً لِنِسْبَةٍ مَجَازِيَّةٍ أَوْرَثَتْهُ هَذَا الِاسْمَ؛ فَلَهُ نِسْبَةٌ حَقِيقِيَّةٌ اِلَى الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ.

   The wisdom in charging the servants with burdensome obligations, binding them to commands and prohibitions, and placing restrictions upon them is this: the servant, even though he is called “contingent” by virtue of a figurative relation that has bequeathed him this name, has a real relation to Lordship.✦

   ¶ 2249

3. وَالْحَقُّ– تَعَالَى– أَرَادَ بِظُهُورِهِ فِي الْمُسَمَّى خَلْقاً وَعَبْداً؛ أَنْ يَرَى جَمِيعَ أَسْمَائِهِ فِيهِمْ.

   And the Real, exalted is He, willed, through His manifestation in what is named “creation” and “servant”, to see all His names in them.✦

   ¶ 2250

4. وَأَنْ يَعْرِفُوهُ وَيَعْبُدُوهُ.

   And that they should know Him and worship Him.✦

   ¶ 2251

5. فَلَوْ تَرَكَهُمْ مُطْلَقِينَ؛ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَلَا نَهَاهُمْ وَلَا حَجَرَ عَلَيْهِمْ، لَمَا ظَهَرَتْ فِيهِمْ جَمِيعُ أَسْمَائِهِ، وَلَتَعَلَّقُوا بِمَا فِيهِمْ مِنَ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ، وَنَسُوا اِمْكَانَهُمْ،

   Had He left them unrestricted, not commanding them, not forbidding them, not restricting them, not all His names would have become manifest in them, and they would have clung to the Lordship that is in them and forgotten their contingency;✦

   ¶ 2252

6. وَمَا جَعَلَ الْحَقُّ– تَعَالَى– لَهُمْ عَيْنَيْنِ ظَاهِرَةً وَبَاطِنَةً اِلاَّ لِيَنْظُرُوا بِالْعَيْنِ الْبَاطِنَةِ نِسْبَتَهُمُ الْبَاطِنَةَ، وَبِالْعَيْنِ الظَّاهِرَةِ نِسْبَتَهُمُ الظَّاهِرَةَ، الْاِمْكَانِيَّةَ.

   and the Real, exalted is He, gave them two eyes, an outward and an inward, only so that with the inward eye they might look upon their inward relation, and with the outward eye upon their outward relation, the contingent one.✦

   ¶ 2253

7. فَمَهْمَا غَفَلُوا عَنْ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنَ النِّسْبَتَيْنِ هَلَكُوا.

   Whenever they are heedless of either of the two relations, they perish.✦

   ¶ 2254

8. وَحَيْثُ كَانَتِ النِّسْبَةُ الْبَاطِنَةُ الَّتِي هِيَ الرُّبُوبِيَّةُ غَالِبَةً وَحَاكِمَةً؛ جَاءَتِ الْأَوَامِرُ الْآلِيَّةُ. وَالنَّوَاهِي وَالتَّكَالِيفُ الْقَهْرِيَّةُ مُلَازِمَةً لَهُمْ، مَادَامُوا فِي هَذِهِالدَّارِ الَّتِي هِيَ دَارُ الْغَفْلَةِ وَالنِّسْيَانِ وَالْحِجَابِ حَتَّى يَبْقَوْا وَاقِفِينَ عِنْدَ مَا خُلِقُوا لِأَجْلِهِ، مُلْتَزِمِينَ لِآدَابِ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ.

   And since the inward relation, which is Lordship, is dominant and governing, the instrumental commands, together with the prohibitions and compelling obligations, came binding upon them for as long as they remain in this abode, which is the abode of heedlessness, forgetfulness and the veil, so that they may stay halted at that for whose sake they were created, holding fast to the courtesies of servanthood.✦

   ¶ 2255

9. وَلَا يَتَعَلَّقُوا بِمَا فِيهِمْ مِنَ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ، حَيْثُ كَانَ مُرَادُ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– مِنْهُمْ؛ اِظْهَارَ نِسْبَةِ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ وَالْغَيْرِيَّةِ فِي هَذِهِ الدَّارِ.

   And so that they do not cling to the Lordship that is in them, since what the Real, exalted is He, intends from them in this abode is the manifesting of the relation of servanthood and otherness.✦

   ¶ 2256

10. فَاِذَا انْقَلَبُوا اِلَى الدَّارِ الَّتِي مُرَادُ الْحَقِّ– تَعَالَى– مِنْهُمْ فِيهَا اِظْهَارُ نِسْبَةِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ؛ أَزَالَ عَنْهُمُ الْحَجْرَ، وَحَطَّ التَّكَالِيفَ، وَجَعَلَهُمْ يَقُولُونَ لِلشَّيْءِ: كُنْ؛ فَيَكُونُ، وَأَحَلَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رِضْوَانَهُ؛ فَأَمِنُوا سَخَطَهُ،

    Then, when they pass over to the abode in which what the Real, exalted is He, intends from them is the manifesting of the relation of Lordship, He removes the restriction from them, lifts the obligations, and makes them say to a thing “Be!” and it is; and He makes His good pleasure descend upon them, so that they are secure from His wrath;✦

    ¶ 2257

11. وَلَا لَذَّةَ أَحْلَى وَأَعْظَمُ مِنْ لَذَّةِ الْأَمْنِ،

    and there is no delight sweeter or greater than the delight of security.✦

    ¶ 2258

12. وَلِحِكَمٍ أُخْرَى، مِنْهَا مَا لَايَجُوزُ اِيدَاعُهُ بُطُونَ الْأَوْرَاقِ.

    And for other wisdoms, among them some that may not be entrusted to the inside of the pages.✦

    ¶ 2259

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.