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 49 · “If you love God, follow me”
Context: “he is He” and the Prophet as the place where the Real appears belong to the school of Ibn ʿArabī and to a vision the Emir reports. They speak of manifestation; they do not say that a man is God.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 102, Damascus 1966, p. 103, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 109, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 110, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 111 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ».
God Most High said: “Say: If you love God, follow me, and God will love you” (Q 3:31).
مَحَبَّةُ اللَّهِ- تَعَالَى- مِنْ حَيْثُ الذَّاتُ الْغَنِيَّةُ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ، الَّتِي لَا تَطْلُبُ الْعَالَمَ وَلَا يَطْلُبُهَا؛ مُحَالٌ.
Love of God Most High with respect to the Essence, which is independent of the worlds, which does not seek the world and which the world does not seek, is impossible.
لِأَنَّ الْمَحَبَّةَ لَا تَكُونُ اِلاَّ لِمُنَاسَبَةٍ، وَلَا مُنَاسَبَةَ بَيْنَ الْخَلْقِ وَالذَّاتِ الْبَحْتِ، وَلَا ارْتِبَاطَ بِوَجْهٍ وَلَا حَالٍ.
For love comes about only through an affinity, and there is no affinity between creation and the pure Essence, nor any connection in any respect or state.
فَعُلِمَ بِهَذَا؛ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَا يُحِبُّ الذَّاتَ مِنْ حَيْثُ هِيَ هِيَ؛ لِاَنَّ مَا لَايُسَمَّى وَلَا يُوصَفُ وَلَا يُعْلَمُ؛ لَايُحَبُّ، وَالذَّاتُ تُشْهَدُ وَلَا تُعْلَمُ.
It is known from this that the servant does not love the Essence inasmuch as It is Itself; for what is not named, not described and not known is not loved, and the Essence is beheld and not known.
وَمَرْتَبَةُ الصِّفَاتِ تُعْلَمُ وَلَا تُشْهَدُ، فَمَرْتَبَةُ الصِّفَاتِ، وَحَضْرَةُ النِّسَبِ وَالْاِضَافَاتِ، هِيَ الْمَحْبُوبَةُ لِجَمِيعِ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ.
The level of the attributes is known and not beheld; so the level of the attributes, and the presence of relations and correlations, is what is loved by all created beings.
فَمَا أَحَبَّ مُحِبٌّ اِلاَّ حَضْرَةَ الْجَمَالِ، وَنُعُوتَ الْأَفْضَالِ، كَالْاِنْعَامِ وَالْاِفْضَالِ، وَالرَّحْمَةِ وَالْغُفْرَانِ، وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ.
No lover has loved anything but the presence of beauty and the qualities of bounties, such as bestowing blessing and bestowing bounty, mercy and forgiveness, and the like.
وَعِنْدَ التَّحْقِيقِ؛ مَا أَحَبَّ مُحِبٌّ اِلاَّ آثَارَ صِفَاتِ الْجَمَالِ.
And upon verification, no lover has loved anything but the traces of the attributes of beauty.
بَلْ مَا أَحَبَّ اِلاَّ نَفْسَهُ.
Rather, he has loved none but himself.
وَمِنْ هُنَا قَالَ مُحَقِّقُو الْعَارِفِينَ؛ لَايَكُونُ أُنْسٌ بِالذَّاتِ الْعَلِيَّةِ أَبَداً، لِعَدَمِ الْمُنَاسَبَةِ وَالْمُجَانَسَةِ، وَاِنَّمَا يَكُونُ الْأُنْسُ بِبَعْضِ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْجَمَالِيَّةِ،
Hence the verifiers among the knowers said: there is never intimacy with the exalted Essence, because of the absence of affinity and kinship; intimacy is only with some of the names of beauty;
وَقَدْ اَشَارَ- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- اِلَى أَنَّ الذَّاتَ الْبَحْتَ الْغَيْبَ الْمُطْلَقَ؛ لَا تَتَعَلَّقُ بِهَا مَحَبَّةُ أَحَدٍ، بِقَوْلِهِ: «اَحِبُّوا اللَّهَ لِمَا يَغْذُوكُمْ بِهِ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ».
And he (God bless him and grant him peace) indicated that the pure Essence, the absolute Unseen, is not the object of anyone's love, by his saying: “Love God for the blessing with which He nourishes you.”
رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَالْحَاكِمُ، فَأَرْشَدَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ- اِلَى أَنَّ مَحَبَّةَ اللَّهِ- تَعَالَى- لَاتَكُونُ اِلاَّ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ، وَهُوَ كَوْنُهُ مُنْعِماً رَحِيماً سَتَّاراً اِلَى نَحْوِ ذَلِكَ.
Al-Tirmidhī and al-Ḥākim related it. So he (peace be upon him) pointed out that love of God Most High occurs only from this aspect, namely His being Bestower of blessing, Merciful, Veiler of faults, and so forth.
وَهِيَ مَرْتَبَةُ الصِّفَاتِ.
And this is the level of the attributes.
وَفِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: «فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ» وَفِي قَوْلِهِ: «إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ». اِشَارَةٌ اِلَى أَنَّ مُتَعَلَّقَ مَحَبَّةِ الْعَبِيدِ. اِنَّمَا هِيَ مَرْتَبَةُ الْأُلُوهِيَّةِ لَا غَيْرُ كَمَا قُلْنَا•
And in His word, Most High: “God will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him” (Q 5:54), and in His word: “If you love God” (Q 3:31), there is an indication that the object to which the servants' love attaches is the level of Divinity and nothing else, as we have said.
وَعَلَيْهِ فَالْحِكَايَةُ الْمَشْهُورَةُ بَيْنَ الْقَوْمِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازِ– رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ– أَنَّهُ اجْتَمَعَ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– فَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، شَغَلَتْنِي مَحَبَّةُ اللَّهِ عَنْ مَحَبَّتِكَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ– صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ– «يَا مُبَارَكُ، مَحَبَّةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ مَحَبَّتِي».
Accordingly, the story well known among the Folk, from Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz (God be pleased with him): that he met the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him peace) and said to him: “O Messenger of God, love of God has kept me from love of you,” and he (God bless him and grant him peace) said to him: “O blessed one, love of God is love of me.”
يَا مُبَارَكُ ؟ مَعْنَاهُ يَا مُغَفَّلُ•
يُرِيدُ شَغَلَتْنِي مَحَبَّةُ الْمَظْهَرِ الرُّوحِيِّ الْعُلْوِيِّ،عَنْ مَحَبَّةِ الْمَظْهَرِ الْجِسْمِيِّ الْأَرْضِيِّ•
فَأَجَابَهُ – عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ – بِأَنَّ الظَّاهِرَ فِي الْمَظْهَرَيْنِ ؟ وَاحِدٌ لَاتَعَدُّدَ فِيهِ وَلَا تَغَايُرَ •
فَالْمَحْبُوبُ فِي الْمَظْهَرَيْنِ وَاحِدٌ •
وَلَا يَضُرُّكَ تَغَايُرُ الْمَظَاهِرِ وَتَعَدُّدُهَا حَيْثُ كَانَ الظَّاهِرُ الْمَحْبُوبُ فِيهَا وَاحِدٌ لَايَتَجَزَّأُ وَلَا يَتَبَعَّضُ •
اِذِ الْمَظَاهِرُ كُلُّهَا اَعْدَامٌ ، وَالْعَدَمُ لَا يُحِبُّهُ عَارِفٌ ، وَلَا يَشْتَغِلُ بَالُهُ بِهِ عَاقِلٌ •
فَمَنْ أَحَبَّ الظَّاهِرَ فِي الْمَظْهَرِ الرُّوحِيِّ ؟ فَقَدْ أَحَبَّ الظَّاهِرَ فِي الْمَظْهَرِ الْجِسْمِيِّ •
وَلَيْسَ الظَّاهِرُ فِي جَمِيعِ الْمَظَاهِرِ الْعُلْوِيَّةِ وَالسُّفْلِيَّةِ ؟ اِلاَّ الصُّورَةَ الرَّحْمَانِيَّةَ ، الْمُسَمَّاةَ بِالْحَقِيقَةِ الْمُحَمَّدِيَّةِ •
وَكُلُّ مَا قِيلَ فِيهِ أَرْوَاحٌ وَأَجْسَادٌ وَمِثَالٌ وَخَيَالٌ ؟ لَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِشَيْءٍ ثَابِتٍ •
وَاِنَّمَا هِيَ تَقَادِيرُ وَتَصَاوِيرُ ، قَدَّرَهَا الْحَقُّ لِظُهُورِ صُورَتِهِ ، وَلَا وُجُودَ لَهَا ، لَا قَدِيمٌ وَلَا حَدِيثٌ •
وَاِنَّمَا الْوُجُودُ لِلْحَقِّ – تَعَالَى – وَحْدَهُ كَمَا قِيلَ :
مَرَاتِبٌ بِالْوُجُودِ صَارَتْ حَقَائِقَ الْغَيْبِ وَالْعِيَانِ
وَلَيْسَ غَيْرُ الْوُجُودِ فِيهَا بِظَاهِرٍ وَالْجَمِيعُ فَانِ
كَأَنَّهُ – عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ – قَالَ لِأَبِي سَعِيدٍ الشَّيْءُ الَّذِي قُلْتَ أَنَّهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ، وَأَنَّكَ مَشْغُولٌ عَنْ مَحَبَّتِهِ ؟ لَيْسَ هُوَ بِشَيْءٍ مُغَايِرٍ لِلَّهِ – تَعَالَى – الَّذِي قُلْتَ :شَغَلَتْكَ مَحَبَّتُهُ •
بَلْ هُوَ هُوَ ، فَالرَّسُولُ – عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ – مَرْتَبَةُ ظُهُورِ الْحَقِّ – تَعَالَى – •
وَهَذِهِ الْمَرْتَبَةُ ؟ وَاسِطَةٌ لِجَمِيعِ الظُّهُورَاتِ ، وَمِنْهَا تَفَرَّعَتْ،فَهِيَ يَنْبُوعُهَا وَهَيُولَاهَا•
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