The Meccan Revelations

Manuscript volume 14 · Page 50

Konya manuscript

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Arabic

والناظر الثاني، هو أن يقول: ما خلق الله الأشياء من أجل الأشياء، وإنما خلقها ليسبحه كل جنس من الممكنات، بما يليق به من صلاة وتسبيح، لتسري عظمته في جميع الأكوان وأجناس الممكنات، وأنواعها، وأشخاصها، فقال: ﴿كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلاتَهُ وتَسْبِيحَهُ﴾ [النور: 41]، وقال: ﴿وإِنْ من شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ﴾ [الإسراء: 44].

فالكل له تعالى ملك، وإذا كان الأمر على هٰذا، ولم يخلق على الصورة الإلهية سوانا، ووصف نفسه بالغيب عن الأشياء، وأسدل الحجب بينها وبين أن تُدركه، فهو يدركها، ولا تدركه، لأنها لا تعرفه.

فأقام الإنسان خليفة، وهو الوكيل، فقال: ﴿وأَنْفِقُوا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُمْ مُسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيهِ﴾ [الحديد: 7]، فحد لنا في الوكالة أمورا لا نتعداها، فما هي وكالة مطلقة، مثل ما وكلناه نحن، فحد حدودا لنا، إن تعديناها تعدينا حدود الله: ﴿ومن يَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ الله فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ﴾ [الطلاق: 1].

(الجمع بين النظرين)

وعلى النظر الأول جاء القرآن كله، فإنه ما قال إلا: ﴿توكلوا﴾ [يونس: 84]، وقال: ﴿يحب المتوكلين﴾ [آل عمران: 159]، فرجح النظر الأول، وهو أن نتخذه وكيلا في المصلحة لنا، لا في الأشياء، فنجمع بين النظرين، وهي حالة ثالثة شهدناها، وما رأيناها لأحد من طريقتنا.

فقلنا إنه خلق الأشياء له لا لنا و﴿أعطى كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ﴾ [طه: 50]، ومن خلقنا افتقارنا إلى ما يكون به صلاحنا، حيث كنا من دنيا وآخرة، ولا نعلم طريقا إلى المصلحة، لأنه ما خلق الأشياء من أجلنا، فوكلناه

English

The second observer says: God did not create things for the sake of things, but so that every kind of possible thing might glorify Him through its appropriate prayer and glorification, and His magnificence might pervade all created beings and the kinds, species, and individuals of possible things. He says, “Each knows its prayer and glorification” [24:41], and “There is no thing but glorifies Him with praise” [17:44].

All therefore belong to Him, exalted is He. Since this is so, and He created none but us upon the divine Form, described Himself as unseen to things, and drew veils between them and perceiving Him, He perceives them while they do not perceive Him, for they do not know Him.

He appointed the human being as vicegerent, the agent, saying, “Spend from that over which He has made you successors” [57:7]. In this agency He set matters we must not exceed: it is not unrestricted agency like that with which we appoint Him. He set limits for us, and if we exceed them we exceed God's limits: “Whoever exceeds God's limits has wronged himself” [65:1].

(Combining the Two Considerations)

The whole Qurʾan comes according to the first consideration, for He says only “Trust” [10:84], and “He loves those who trust” [3:159]. He thus gives precedence to the first consideration: taking Him as agent concerning our welfare, rather than concerning the things. We thereby combine both considerations in a third state that we have witnessed, but have not seen in anyone of our path.

We say that He created things for Himself rather than for us, and “gave each thing its creation” [20:50]. Part of our creation is our need for what brings us welfare, wherever we are, in this world or the Hereafter. We know no path to welfare, since He did not create things for our sake. We therefore appoint Him as agent

Notes

Translator’s note TN4112-1: The first consideration gives God unrestricted agency over what benefits the servant; the second makes the servant God's agent under prescribed limits. The author's third state combines them by delegating welfare rather than ownership of the things themselves.

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Cairo source reference

Ibn al-Arabi, The Meccan Revelations — Manuscript volume 14 · Page 50 — https://www.futmak.com/english/konya/pages.php?id=4112&text=both