Manuscript volume 14 · Page 56

متكلم أزلا عالم بما يكون أزلا، ونفى أن يكون الإنسان شيئا مذكورا، مع أنه شيء، ولا بد، لقوله: ﴿إِنَّما قَوْلُنا لِشَيْءٍ إِذا أَرَدْناهُ أَنْ نَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ﴾ [النحل: 40].

فما يؤمر إلا من يسمع، بسمع ثبوتي، أو وجودي، ونفى أن يكون الإنسان مذكورا في حين من الدهر، والدهر هنا الزمان، والحين جزء منه لم يكن فيه الإنسان مذكورا، مع وجوده صورة إنسان.

وجهل من شاهد صورته مراد الله فيه، وما علم له اسم رتبة يذكر به، ولا ما له عند الله من العناية به التي ظهر أثرها عليه، حين أقامه خليفة في أرضه، وما غربه عن موطنه، وهو التراب الذي خلق منه، وموطن ذلته لشهود عبوديته، فإن الأرض ذلول.

فما حجبته الخلافة عن عبودته، وإن كانت أعلى المراتب، فهو فيها بالذات، والملائكة المقربون فيها بالعرض، يقول تعالى: ﴿لَنْ يَسْتَنْكِفَ الْمَسِيحُ﴾، لكونه يحيي الموتى ويخلق ويبرئ ﴿أَنْ يَكُونَ عَبْداً لِلَّهِ﴾، ثم عطف، فقال: ﴿ولا الْمَلائِكَةُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ﴾ [النساء: 172].

وهم العالون عن العالم العنصري المولد، فهم أعلى نشأة، والإنسان أجمع نشأة، فإن فيه الملك وغيره، فله فضيلة الجمع، ولهذا جعله معلم الملائكة، وأسجدهم له، فمساق الآية يؤذن بتقرير النعم عليه.

وإنما وقعت الصعوبة في هٰذا الذكر، كونه نكرة، والنكرة تعم

speaks beginninglessly and beginninglessly knows what will be, while denying that the human being is a mentioned thing, although he must be a thing, according to His saying, “Our saying to a thing, when We will it, is only that We say to it, ‘Be,’ and it is” [16:40].

Only one who hears is commanded, through hearing belonging to fixity or to existence. He denies that the human being was mentioned during a span of duration. Duration here is time, and the span a part of it in which the human being was not mentioned, despite his existence as a human form.

Those witnessing his form did not know God's intention concerning him, nor a name of rank by which to mention him, nor the solicitude he possessed with God whose effect appeared upon him when He established him as vicegerent in His earth. He did not estrange him from his homeland: the soil from which he was created, the place of his abasement through witnessing his servanthood, for the earth is yielding.

Vicegerency did not veil him from his servitude, although it is the highest of ranks. He possesses it essentially, while the angels brought near possess it accidentally. He, exalted is He, says, “The Messiah will not disdain”—despite his reviving the dead, creating, and healing—“to be a servant of God,” then adds, “nor the angels brought near” [4:172].

These are those above the generated elemental world. Their constitution is higher, while the human being's is more comprehensive, for within him is the angel and other things. He has the excellence of comprehensiveness. Hence He made him the angels' teacher and made them prostrate to him. The course of the verse thus indicates the affirmation of blessings upon him.

The difficulty in this mention arises only from its being indefinite, and an indefinite becomes general