The Meccan Revelations

Manuscript volume 8 · Page 67

Konya manuscript

Open Arabic sourceOpen English translation

Arabic

من مخلوق آخر إليه.

فالعارفون مثل الأنبياء والرسل والكمل من العلماء بالله لا يخطر لهم ذٰلك لمعرفتهم بحقائق الأمور وما ربط الله به العالم وما يستحقه جلاله مما ينبغي أن يفرد به ولا يشارك فيه، فنصب الأسباب وأوقف الأمور بعضها على بعض.

(تبادل الصلاة وانفراد الله بالمنة)

وقد قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم للأنصار عندما ذكر أن الله قد هداهم به قال: «لو شئتم أن تقولوا لقلتم: وجدناك طريدا فأويناك، وضعيفا فنصرناك». الحديث فذكر ما كان منهم في حقه.

وكان الله قادرا على نصره من غير سبب، ولكن فعل ما تقتضيه الحكمة لما جبل عليه من خلقه الله على صورته فقال لرسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ﴿وصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ صَلاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَهُمْ﴾ [التوبة: ١٠٣] فهٰذا فخر ويد ومنة يتعرض فيها علة ومرض لكن عصم الله نبيه من ذٰلك؛ فجعله سبحانه في مقابلة هذه العلة دواء كما هي أيضا دواء لما هو لها دواء فقال تعالى: ﴿يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ﴾ [الأحزاب: ٥٦].

فإن افتخرنا بالصلاة عليه على طريق المنة، وجدناه قد صلى علينا حين أمر بذٰلك.

وإن تصور في الجواز العقلي أن يمتن بصلاته علينا، منعته من ذٰلك صلاتنا عليه أن يذكر هٰذا مع كونه السيد الأعظم ولكن لم يترك له سبحانه المنة على خلقه ليكون هو سبحانه المنعم الممتن على عباده

English

from another creature bows its head.

Knowers such as the prophets, messengers, and those complete in knowledge of God never entertain this thought. They know the realities of things, how God has bound the world together, and what His majesty deserves to possess exclusively without a partner. He has established causes and made things depend on one another.

(Mutual Blessing and God’s Exclusive Bestowal of Favor)

When the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, mentioned to the Helpers that God had guided them through him, he said, “Had you wished to say it, you could have said, ‘We found you driven out and gave you shelter, and weak and supported you,’” and so on in the hadith. He mentioned what they had done for him.

God could have supported him without a cause, but He did what wisdom requires in view of the constitution of the one He created in His image. He told His Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, “Bless them, for your blessing is a reassurance to them” [al-Tawbah 9:103]. This is a distinction, a benefit, and a favor in which an ailment might arise, but God protected His Prophet from it. Glory be to Him, He set a remedy against this ailment, just as each is also a remedy for the other’s ailment. God Most High said, “You who believe, bless him” [al-Ahzab 33:56].

If we boast of blessing him as a favor conferred, we find that he has already blessed us when commanded to do so.

If it were conceived as a rational possibility that he might claim a favor over us for blessing us, our blessing upon him would keep him from mentioning it, though he is the greatest master. Yet He, glory be to Him, left him no claim of favor over His creatures, so that He alone, glory be to Him, should be the benefactor who bestows favor upon His servants

Notes

Translator’s note TN2279-1: The mutual exchange prevents either side from claiming an unreciprocated favor. The author attributes the arrangement of the exchange, and thus the ultimate favor, to God.

Manuscript imageManuscript volume 8 · Page 67

Arabic and English are linked by the same Konya page ID. Page alignment is approximate; consult the manuscript image for verification.

Cairo source reference

Ibn al-Arabi, The Meccan Revelations — Manuscript volume 8 · Page 67 — https://www.futmak.com/english/konya/pages.php?id=2279&text=both