The Meccan Revelations

Manuscript volume 14 · Page 37

Konya manuscript

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Arabic

كله إن استطاع من هو من أهل طريق الله التعريض لا التصريح، حتى يفهم عنه ما يريد، إذا علم إن في ذٰلك منفعة دينية، فليفعل، فهو أولى، ويحصل الغرض، ويكون اللسان قد وفى ما تعين عليه، من غير فحش في المنطق، وهٰذا كله ما دام يسمى مؤمنا.

وأما إن كان هٰذا الشخص في مقام من كان الحق سمعه وبصره ولسانه، فحاله غير حال المؤمن، مع أنه من أهل الايمان.

(دواء العامة والدواء الملكي)

واعلم أن الله تعالى ما خلق داء إلا وخلق له دواء، والأدوية على نوعين: دواء العامة، وهو الذي يقدر عليه كل أحد، والدواء الآخر دواء ملكي، وهو الذي لا يقدر عليه إلا الملوك والأغنياء، لنفاسته وغلو ثمنه، فلا يقدر عليه إلا المتمكن من المال والسلطان، وهكذا قسم الأدوية أهل الطب، وصادفوا الحق في ذٰلك.

فأما الدواء العام النافع الداخل تحت قدرة كل أحد، من غني، وفقير، وسوقة، وملوك من داء جميع الذنوب والمعاصي، فهو التوبة، وإرضاء الخصوم من شروطها، مما يقدر عليه من ذٰلك، وعينه عليه الشارع، إذا كان ذٰلك الداء مما ينبغي أن يرضى فيه الخصوم، وإذا كان مما لا ينبغي، فيتوب، ولا يرضى خصمه، فإنه إن أرضاه

English

this, if someone on God’s path can speak indirectly rather than explicitly, making his intention understood when he knows there is religious benefit, let him do so. This is preferable and achieves the purpose. The tongue has fulfilled what was required of it without foulness in speech. All this applies as long as he is called a believer.

If this person occupies the station of one whose hearing, sight, and tongue the Real is, his state differs from the believer’s state, although he belongs to the people of faith.

(Common Medicine and Royal Medicine)

Know that God, exalted is He, creates no disease without creating a medicine for it. Medicines have two kinds: common medicine, accessible to everyone, and royal medicine, accessible only to kings and the wealthy because of its preciousness and high price. Only those possessing wealth and power can obtain it. This is how physicians divide medicines, and they have hit upon the truth in this.

The beneficial common medicine within everyone’s power—rich and poor, ordinary subjects and kings—for the disease of all sins and disobediences is repentance. Among its conditions is satisfying those with claims against one, to the extent one can and the Lawgiver requires, if that disease is among those for which the claimants ought to be satisfied. If it is among those for which they ought not to be satisfied, he repents without satisfying his adversary, for if he satisfies him,

Notes

Translator’s note TN4099-1: The medical division prepares the distinction between repentance accessible to all and the special protection described through the Real’s becoming the servant’s faculties. Satisfaction of claimants is itself qualified: the author excludes cases where doing so would produce a graver prohibition.

Manuscript imageManuscript volume 14 · Page 37

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Cairo source reference

Ibn al-Arabi, The Meccan Revelations — Manuscript volume 14 · Page 37 — https://www.futmak.com/english/konya/pages.php?id=4099&text=both