seen the removal of the Patient, and His mercy precedes His anger.
(Patience, the Cessation of Harm, and All-Embracing Mercy)
The wisdom in this world’s passing away is the lifting of harm from God, for it occurs only within it. Rejoice, God’s servants, in mercy’s encompassing, breadth, and extension to every creature other than God, even if after a time. With the removal of this world, harm ceases from everyone harmed. When harm ceases, patience ceases. Harm is among the causes of punishment, and harm has ceased. Mercy and the lifting of anger must therefore follow. Mercy must encompass everyone through God’s bounty, God willing. This is our expectation of God.
God, who is truthful, says, “I am according to My servant’s opinion of Me, so let him think well of Me.” He reported and commanded, without restricting this concerning the one holding an opinion or concerning another.
For this reason what brings pains is called ʿadhāb, glad tidings from God to His servants that, when mercy encompasses you, you must come to find sweet what pains you, even while in the Fire. One chilled finds the fire’s heat sweet, and one overheated the bitter cold’s coolness. For this reason Hell combines fire and bitter cold, because temperaments differ. What pains a particular temperament brings bliss to another, opposite temperament. Wisdom is not rendered idle. God leaves Hell’s bitter cold for the overheated and its fire for the chilled, so that they enjoy bliss within Hell. Their temperament is such that
Notes
Translator’s note TN4139-1: The author connects ʿadhāb, punishment or torment, with finding sweetness in what formerly pained. His expectation of mercy includes continued existence in Hell with altered suitability of heat and bitter cold to the recipients’ temperaments, rather than silently changing it to departure from Hell.
