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 97 · “What has your Lord sent down?” “Good”
Context: the Emir holds that what befalls a person, unbelief and affliction included, follows from that person’s own reality as God knows it: a classical Sufi position on decree, not an excuse for wrongdoing.
See the print: Damascus 1966, p. 209, Damascus 1966, p. 210, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 208, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 209, Cairo, vol. 1, PDF p. 210 (archive.org)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: «وَقِيلَ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا: مَاذَا أَنْزَلَ رَبُّكُمْ؟ قَالُوا: خَيْراً».
He, exalted is He, said: "And it was said to those who were God-fearing: 'What has your Lord sent down?' They said: 'Good'" (Q 16:30).
أَيْ سُئِلَ الَّذِينَ جَعَلُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وِقَايَةً لِرَبِّهِمْ مِنْ نِسْبَةِ الشَّرِّ وَالْقُبْحِ اِلَيْهِ، وَهُمُ الْعَارِفُونَ بِرَبِّهِمْ: مَاذَا أَنْزَلَ رَبُّكُمْ؟
That is: those who made themselves a shield for their Lord against evil and ugliness being ascribed to Him, and they are the knowers of their Lord, were asked: 'What has your Lord sent down?'
أَيْ مَا فَعَلَ فِيكُمْ وَفِي سَائِرِ مَخْلُوقَاتِهِ؟
That is: what has He done in you and in all the rest of His creatures?
وَكُلُّ وَاقِعٍ؛ فَهُوَ نَازِلٌ مِنْ حَضْرَةِ الْجَمْعِ، الَّتِي هِيَ حَضْرَةٌ مِنْ حَضَرَاتِهِ تَعَالَى كَمَا قَالَ: «وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ عِنْدَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلاَّ بِقَدَرٍ مَعْلُومٍ».
Every event is something sent down from the Presence of Union, which is one of the Presences of Him, exalted is He, as He said: "There is not a thing but that its treasuries are with Us, and We send it down only in a known measure" (Q 15:21).
قَالُوا: خَيْراً: أَيْ فَعَلَ وَأَنْزَلَ خَيْراً، اِذْ كُلُّ وَاقِعٍ مِمَّا صَوَّرْتَهُ شَرّاً أَوْ خَيْراً، وَنَفْعاً أَوْ ضَيْراً، فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ عَلَى الْحَقِيقَةِ، وَذَلِكَ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ شَتَّى،
"They said: 'Good'": that is, He did and sent down good. For every event, whatever you picture it to be, evil or good, benefit or harm, is good in reality, and that is so in various respects.
فَمَا ظَاهِرُهُ شَرٌّ كَالْكُفْرِ وَالْبَلَايَا وَالْمِحَنِ، فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لِمَنْ نَزَلَ بِهِ، وَاِنْ كَانَ شَرّاً بِحَسَبِ ظَاهِرِهِ وَبِحَسَبِ غَيْرِ النَّازِلِ بِهِ،
So whatever is outwardly evil, such as unbelief, afflictions and trials, is good for the one upon whom it descends, even if it is evil in its outward aspect and in respect of someone other than the one it befalls,
اِذِ الْوَاقِعُ النَّازِلُ بِكُلِّ اِنْسَانٍ؛ هُوَ مُقْتَضَى حَقِيقَتِهِ الَّتِي بِهَا؛ هُوَ هُوَ،
since the event that descends upon each human being is what is required by his reality, by which he is himself,
وَهُوَ طَالِبٌ لِذَلِكَ النَّازِلِ بِهِ، بِلِسَانِ اسْتِعْدَادِهِ، الَّذِي هُوَ أَفْصَحُ مِنْ لِسَانِ مَقَالِهِ، وَلَوْ نَزَلَ بِهِ ضِدُّ ذَلِكَ لَرَدَّهُ وَتَأَذَّى بِهِ وَمَا قَبِلَهُ.
and he asks for what descends upon him with the tongue of his preparedness, which is more eloquent than the tongue of his speech. Were the opposite of that to descend upon him, he would reject it, be pained by it, and not accept it.
فَالِاسْتِعْدَادُ؛ هُوَ الْأَصْلُ وَالْأَسْبَابُ الْخَارِجِيَّةُ تَابِعَةٌ لَهُ.
So preparedness is the root, and external causes follow from it.
وَهُوَ أَزَلِيٌّ قَدِيمٌ غَيْرُ مَجْعُولٍ، فَالنَّازِلُ بِكُلِّ اِنْسَانٍ؛ هُوَ مِنْ لَوَازِمِ عَيْنِهِ الثَّابِتَةِ،
It is beginningless, eternal, not made. So what descends upon each human being is among the necessary concomitants of his immutable entity,
وَتَأْثِيرُ الْقُدْرَةِ تَابِعٌ لِلْاِرَادَةِ، وَالْاِرَادَةُ تَابِعَةٌ لِلْعِلْمِ، وَصِفَاتُ الْحَقِّ غَيْرُ دَاخِلَةٍ تَحْتَ الزَّمَانِ، وَلَكِنْ هَكَذَا هُوَ الْأَمْرُ،
The effect of the Power follows the Will, and the Will follows Knowledge. The attributes of the Real do not fall under time, yet this is how the matter stands,
وَالْعِلْمُ تَابِعٌ لِلْمَعْلُومِ تَبَعِيَّةَ رُتْبَةٍ، لَا تَبَعِيَّةَ زَمَانٍ، بِمَعْنَى أَنَّ تَسْمِيَتَهُ عِلْماً اقْتَضَتْ تَبَعِيَّتَهُ لِلْمَعْلُومِ،
and Knowledge follows the object known by a following of rank, not a following of time. This means that its being called knowledge required that it follow the object known,
أَعْنِي مَادَامَ الْمَعْلُومُ فِي حَضْرَةِ الْعِلْمِ، الَّذِي هُوَ عَيْنُ الذَّاتِ، مِنْ كُلِّ وَجْهٍ وَاعْتِبَارٍ؛ لَمْ يُوصَفْ بِالْوُجُودِ الْخَارِجِيِّ،
I mean, so long as the object known is in the Presence of Knowledge, which is the very Essence in every respect and consideration, and has not been qualified by external existence.
وَأَمَّا بَعْدَ الْوُجُودِ الْخَارِجِيِّ، وَتَعَلُّقِ الْعِلْمِ، الَّذِي يُعَبِّرُ الْقَوْمُ عَنْهُ بِظَاهِرِ الْعِلْمِ؛ كَانَ الْمَعْلُومُ حِينَئِذٍ تَابِعاً لِلْعِلْمِ،
But after external existence and the attachment of knowledge, which the Folk call 'the outward of knowledge', the object known then follows knowledge,
اِذِ الْوُجُودُ الْخَارِجِيُّ ظِلٌّ وَحِكَايَةٌ لِهَذَا الْعِلْمِ، الَّذِي يُسَمَّى بِظَاهِرِ الْعِلْمِ، كَمَا أَنَّ الْعِلْمَ الذَّاتِيَّ حِكَايَـةٌ لِلْمَعْلُومِ وَهُوَ مَعْنَى تَبَعِيَّتِهِ،
since external existence is a shadow and an image of this knowledge which is called 'the outward of knowledge', just as essential knowledge is an image of the object known, and that is the meaning of its following [the object known],
وَالْمَعْـلُومُ هُوَ ذَلِكَ الَّذِي لَا يَتَبَدَّلُ وَلَا يَتَغَيَّرُ وَلَا يَنْقَلِبُ، اِذْ لَوْ تَغَيَّرَ لَكَانَ جَهْلاً تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ،
The object known is that which does not alter, change or turn about. For were it to change, it would be ignorance, and God is exalted above that,
فَالنَّازِلُ بِكُلِّ اِنْسَانٍ لَازِمُهُ وَحَقِيقَتُهُ وَلَيْسَ الْوَاقِعُ النَّازِلُ بِشَيْءٍ زَائِدٍ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ خَارِجٍ عَنْهُ ،
فَالظَّاهِرُ عَيْنُ الْبَاطِنِ ، وَالْغَيْبُ عَيْنُ الشَّهَادَةِ ، لَا يَكُونُ هُنَا مَا لَيْسَ هُنَاكَ ، وَكُلُّ مَا هُنَالِكَ يَكُونُ هُنَا ،
وَلَا يَقُولُ شَيْءٌ يَارَبِّ لِمَ جَعَلْتَنِي أَنَا ؟ فَهَلَّا جَعَلْتَنِي غَيْرِي؟!
فَاِنَّهُ غَيْرُ مَعْقُولٍ وَبِهَذَا كَانَتِ الْحُجَّةُ الْبَالِغَةُ لَهُ تَعَالَى عَلَى مَخْلُوقَاتِهِ ،
وَلَوْلَا هَذَا ؟ مَا كَانَتْ لَهُ الْحُجَّةُ ،
وَاِلَيْهِ يُشِيرُ حَدِيثُ :
« كُلٌّ مُيَسَّرٌ لِمَا خُلِقَ لَهُ » .
وَحَدِيثُ : « اِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ اَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ، فِيمَا يَبْدُو لِلنَّاسِ ، حَتَّى لَا يَبْقَى بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ اِلاَّ شِبْرٌ اَوْ ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ» الْحَدِيثَ بِطُولِهِ.
فَلَيْسَ فِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ اِلاَّ الِاسْتِعْدَادُ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ الْمَعْلُومُ.
وَعَمَلُ الْمُسْتَعِدُّ لِلنَّارِ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ، وَالْعَكْسُ هُوَ اسْتِعْدَادٌ جُزْئِيٌّ لِذَلِكَ الْعَمَلِ ،
فَلَا ثَمَرَةَ لَهُ كَاسْتِعْدَادِ الْاِنْسَانِ لِطَلَبِ شَيْءٍ بِالدُّعَاءِ ، أَوْ بِالسَّعْيِ فِيهِ ، وَلَا اسْتِعْدَادَ لَهُ لِقَبُولِ الْمَطْلُوبِ ، بِحَيْثُ لَوْ أُعْطِيَهُ لَرَدَّهُ وَكَرِهَهُ أَخِيراً ،
وَحَدِيثُ : « اعْمَلُوا وَلَا تَتَكَلَّمُوا » .
هُوَ كَسَائِرِ الْحِكَمِ الْمُودَعَةِ فِي الْاَسْبَابِ ، فَقَدْ يُوَافِقُ ذَلِكَ الِاسْتِعْدَادَ ، وَقَدْ لَا .
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