The Book of Stations

1. Mawqif 91 · “And Our command is but one”

   Context: the station ends with a report of a vision of God in human form; many scholars of the outward rejected the report, and the Sufi masters accepted it.

   See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 193, Damascus 1966, p. 194, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 194, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 195 (archive.org)

   قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَمَا أَمْرُنَا إِلاَّ وَاحِدَةٌ».

   He, exalted is He, said: “And Our command is but one” (Q 54:50).✦

   ¶ 1881

2. أَمْرُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى؛ هُوَ كَلِمَتُهُ الْكُلِّيَّةُ، وَهُوَ الصُّورَةُ الرَّحْمَانِيَّةُ الَّتِي اسْتَوَى بِهَا عَلَى الْعَرْشِ،

   The command of God, exalted is He, is His universal Word, and it is the All-Merciful form by which He settled upon the Throne;✦

   ¶ 1882

3. فَهِيَ فِي الْعَرْشِ وَاحِدَةٌ كَمَا قَالَ: «وَمَا أَمْرُنَا إِلاَّ وَاحِدَةٌ».

   so in the Throne it is one, as He said: “And Our command is but one” (Q 54:50).✦

   ¶ 1883

4. يَعْنِي كَلِمَةً وَاحِدَةً، جَامِعَةً لِجَمِيعِ الْحُرُوفِ وَالْكَلِمَاتِ، لِأَنَّهَا السَّارِيَةُ فِي كُلِّ حَرْفٍ وَكَلِمَةٍ•

   He means one Word, comprising all letters and words, because it is what pervades every letter and word.✦

   ¶ 1884

5. ثُمَّ لَمَّا تَنَزَّلَتْ هَذِهِ الْكَلِمَةُ اِلَى الْكُرْسِيِّ؛ صَارَتْ كَلِمَتَيْنِ، بِمَعْنَى ذَاتِ صِفَتَيْنِ مُتَقَابِلَتَيْنِ مُزْدَوِجَتَيْنِ،

   Then, when this Word descended to the Footstool, it became two words, in the sense of [a Word] possessing two attributes that face each other and are paired,✦

   ¶ 1885

6. وَهُمَـا الْمَكْنِيُّ عَنْهَـا بِالْقَدَمَيْنِ، أَعْنِي الصِّفَتَيْنِ الْمُتَقَابِلَتَيْنِ: حَقٌّ وَخَلْقٌ، خَبَرٌ وَحُكْمٌ،

   and these two are what is alluded to as “the two feet”, I mean the two attributes facing each other: the Real and creation, report and ruling;✦

   ¶ 1886

7. وَظَهَرَتِ الزَّوْجِيَّةُ، بَعْدَ أَنْ كَانَتِ الْكَلِمَةُ وَاحِدَةً فِي الْعَرْشِ، اِذِ الْكُرْسِيُّ زَوْجٌ لِلْعَرْشِ،

   and pairedness appeared, after the Word had been one in the Throne, since the Footstool is the pair of the Throne;✦

   ¶ 1887

8. وَمِنَ الْكُرْسِيِّ؛ ظَهَرَ التَّعَدُّدُ وَالْمُقَابَلَةُ فِي كُلِّ الْأَشْيَاءِ، حَتَّى فِي الْأَسْمَاءِ الْاِلٰهِيَّةِ، قَابِضٌ وَبَاسِطٌ، وَمُعْطِي وَمَانِعٌ، وَمُحْيِي وَمُمِيتٌ••• وَالْمُسَمَّى وَاحِدٌ،

   and from the Footstool multiplicity and opposition appeared in all things, even in the divine names: Gripper and Spreader, Giver and Withholder, Life-giver and Death-giver ... while the Named is one,✦

   ¶ 1888

9. كَمَا كَانَ حَسَنٌ وَقَبِيحٌ، وَطَاعَةٌ وَمَعْصِيَةٌ، وَخَيْرٌ وَشَرٌّ، وَصِحَّةٌ وَفَسَادٌ، وَحَقٌّ وَبَاطِلٌ•

   just as there came to be beautiful and ugly, obedience and disobedience, good and evil, soundness and corruption, truth and falsehood.✦

   ¶ 1889

10. وَقِيلَ: الْكُرْسِيُّ لَيْسَ اِلاَّ شَيْءٌ وَاحِدٌ كُلُّهُ حَقٌّ، وَحَسَنٌ وَخَيْرٌ•

    And it has been said: the Footstool is nothing but one thing, all of it true, beautiful and good.✦

    ¶ 1890

11. فَأَصْلُ الْقَدَمَيْنِ؛ عِبَارَةٌ عَنِ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْمُتَضَادَّةِ الْمَخْصُوصَةِ بِالذَّاتِ•

    So the root of the two feet is an expression for the mutually opposed names that belong specifically to the Essence.✦

    ¶ 1891

12. وَأَسْمَاءُ الذَّاتِ الْمُتَضَادَّاتُ؛ لَهَا آثَارٌ فِي الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ.

    And the opposed names of the Essence have traces in created things.✦

    ¶ 1892

13. فَقَدْ يُرَادُ بِالْقَدَمَيْنِ: هُمَا مَعاً، الصِّفَاتُ الذَّاتِيَّةُ الْمُتَضَادَّةُ وَآثَارُهَا.

    Thus by the two feet may be meant both together: the opposed essential attributes and their traces.✦

    ¶ 1893

14. وَقَدْ تُخَصُّ الْمُتَضَادَّاتُ، مِنْ أَسْمَاءِ الْأَفْعَالِ، لِأَنَّ الصِّفَاتِ الذَّاتِيَّةَ فَوْقَ أَسْمَاءِ الْأَفْعَالِ.

    And sometimes the opposed ones among the names of the acts are specifically meant, because the essential attributes are above the names of the acts.✦

    ¶ 1894

15. وَقَدْ وَرَدَ فِي خَبَرٍ، رَدَّهُ عُلَمَاءُ الظَّاهِرِ وَرَسَمُوهُ بِالْوَضْعِ، حَيْثُ أَنَّهُمْ مَا وَجَدُوا لَهُ تَأْوِيلاً حَتَّى تَقْبَلَهُ عُقُولُهُمْ، وَقَبِلَهُ السَّادَةُ الْعَارِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَهُوَ: «رَأَيْتُ رَبِّي فِي صُورَةِ شَابٍّ أَمْرَدَ لَهُ وَفْرَةٌ، وَعَلَى وَجْهِهِ فَرَاشٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ، وَفِي رِجْلَيْهِ نَعْلَانِ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ» الْحَدِيثَ.

    And it has come in a report, which the scholars of the outward rejected and branded as fabricated, since they found no interpretation for it by which their minds might accept it, while the masters, the knowers of God, accepted it, namely: “I saw my Lord in the form of a beardless youth with hair to the ear-lobes; on His face were moths of gold, and on His feet two sandals of gold”, to the end of the ḥadīth.✦

    ¶ 1895

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