with command and prohibition, performing what he is commanded and refraining from what he is forbidden, upholding the prescribed ruling upon him.
(Preserving and Annihilating According to the State)
Among trust's mysteries is leaving trust. Leaving trust preserves others, while trust negates others. Most of the people hold that what negates is higher than what preserves. For us, our master Abū al-Suʿūd ibn al-Shibl, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Hawwārī at Tanas in the Maghrib, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ghazzāl at al-Mariyya in al-Andalus, Abū ʿImrān Mūsā ibn ʿImrān al-Mīrtalī at Ishbīliyya, and others, what is higher annihilates what ought to be annihilated and preserves what ought to be preserved, in the appropriate state and time. ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlī in Baghdad maintained this too.
God, exalted is He, annihilates and preserves. He says, “What is with you runs out”—so do not rely upon it—“and what is with God endures” [16:96], so rely upon God for its endurance. He thus annihilates and preserves. Annihilation was Abū Madyan's state during his imamate. I do not know whether he moved from it afterward, for he left the imamate an hour or two before he died. The uncertainty is mine, because of the time elapsed.
The possessor of leaving trust has no claim and is not questioned, for it is a nonexistent matter. It thus follows the original condition in His saying, “Has there come upon the human being a span of duration when he was not a thing mentioned?” [76:1]. This means his nonexistence in his entity, for he was mentioned to God, exalted is He. Duration, al-Dahr, is one of God's names,
Notes
Translator’s note TN4116-1: The author contrasts merely negating others with annihilating and preserving as appropriate to state and time. He expressly leaves uncertain whether Abū Madyan moved beyond the state described, and whether his withdrawal from the imamate preceded death by one or two hours. The personal and place names follow the supplied forms.
