The Meccan Revelations

Manuscript volume 14 · Page 44

Konya manuscript

Open Arabic sourceOpen English translation

Arabic

إن الحلال حلال ما وثقت به

و ليس مال حرام مثل مشتبه‏

اعلم أيدك الله أن هاتين الصفتين مجبول عليهما الإنسان بما هو إنسان، وكل ما هو الإنسان مجبول عليه، فمن المحال زواله، فهو مقام لا حال، فإنه ثابت، ويتطرق إليه الذم من جهة متعلقة، إذا كان مذموما شرعا وعقلا ويتطرق إليه الحمد من جهة متعلقه إذا كان محمودا شرعا وعقلا. قال تعالى: ﴿ولَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النَّاسِ عَلى حَياةٍ﴾ [البقرة: 96]، وقال ص: «زادك الله حرصا ولا تعد»، فالآية موجهة لطرفي الحمد والذم، لو لا الضمير الذي في قوله: ولَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ، فإنه يعود على قوم مذمومين، وقرينة الحال تدل على أن مساقه الحرص فيها على الذم، تكذيبا لهم فيما ادعوه من أن الدار الآخرة خالصة لهم من دون الناس.

فمن نظر في الحرص هنا الدلالة على كذبهم، كان محمودا فيهم، لأنه دليل إلهي على كذبهم، فهو من جانب الحق فيهم عليهم حجة لله ﴿ولله الْحُجَّةُ الْبالِغَةُ﴾، والمذموم هو المذموم من كل وجه، من حيث ما هو فيهم، لا، من حيث دلالته عليهم، وكان متعلقة ما يفنى وتكذيب الصادق كان مذموما.

وأما في الخبر الذي أوردناه، فهو محمود، لأنه حرص على أداء عبادة مفروضة.

(حرص الوارث على مصالح الأمة)

ثم إنه مع هٰذا فإنهما

English

The lawful is lawful when you are sure of it,

and forbidden wealth is not like doubtful wealth.

Know—may God strengthen you—that these two attributes are innate in the human being insofar as he is human. What is innate in the human being cannot possibly cease. It is therefore a station, not a state, since it is enduring. Blame attaches to it through its object when that object is blameworthy in revealed Law and reason, and praise through its object when praiseworthy in revealed Law and reason. He, exalted is He, said, “You will find them the most avid of people for life” [al-Baqara 2:96]. He, God bless him and grant him peace, said, “May God increase your avidity, but do not repeat it.” The verse could be directed toward both praise and blame, were it not for the pronoun in “You will find them,” which refers to censured people. The circumstance indicates that its avidity is mentioned by way of blame, refuting their claim that the abode of the Hereafter belongs exclusively to them rather than to other people.

Whoever considers this avidity as an indication of their falsehood finds it praiseworthy within them, since it is a divine indication of their falsehood. From the Real’s side it is God’s argument against them: “To God belongs the conclusive argument.” The blameworthy is blameworthy in every respect insofar as it is within them, not insofar as it indicates something about them. Its object being what perishes and contradicting the truthful one, it was blameworthy.

In the report we cited, however, it is praiseworthy, for it is avidity to perform an obligatory act of worship.

(The Heir’s Avidity for the Community’s Welfare)

Moreover, they are

Notes

Translator’s note TN4106-1: The same avidity is judged differently as a disposition within those censured and as an indication exposing their false claim. Its praiseworthy use in the cited report concerns performing obligatory worship.

Manuscript imageManuscript volume 14 · Page 44

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 14 · Page 44 — https://www.futmak.com/english/konya/pages.php?id=4106&text=both