Surat TA HA 20:114

Tycho crater on the moon

وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا

"The incapacity to perceive Him is true perception" said the Noble Companion Abu Bakr Al Siddiq while in the abode of Perplexity مقام الحيرة

"العجز عن درك الادراك إدراك"

"Say My Lord increase me in Knowledge"!
Were you to know Him, he would not be Hu
Were He not to know you, you would not be you
By His knowledge He gave you being
With your limitations you worship Him.

Hu is Hu to Himself not to you
You are you to yourself and to Hu 
You are attached to Him, He is not attached to you.

The absolute circle is linked to the point
The absolute point is not linked to the circle
The point of the circle is linked to the circle 
similarly,
The absolute Essence is not linked to you.
The Divinity of the Essence is linked to the Divine
As the point is linked to the circle. 

"Ibn Arabi Al Futuhat al Makkiah"

Source: Sharh al Fusus li Ibn Arabi, Sheikh Mahmoud Mahmoud alGhurab

Khawatem Surat al Baqara (2): 285-286

Man praying in Aleppo Grand Mosque in Syria

285. The messenger believes in that which has been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers - We make no distinction between any of His messengers - and they say: We hear, and we obey. (Grant us) Your forgiveness, our Lord. Unto You is the journeying.


Tafseer Al-Alusi: 
The messenger believes:
 Al Zajāj stated: After Allah the Exalted delineated in this Surah of the glorious rank and clear evidence the regulations/duties (Fard) regarding Salāt, Zakāt, divorce, menstruation, marital separation (Ila'), Jihad, stories of the Prophets (AS), the Din and Usury (Ribā), he closes the Sura by elevating the rank of the Prophet and his followers and stressing and detailing all that had been mentioned earlier.
Here Allah the Exalted testifies to those who were addressed in the text of the Sura perfection of belief and good obedience and attests that those attributes are indeed theirs.
Also Allah refers to the Prophet in the indirect address form (the messenger) although he has been referred to elsewhere in the form of direct address (Khitāb), for the rule is that the truth of a testimony intended to last to the end of time is that the one testified to is to be only indirectly addressed.
Here Allah-SubhānaHu- does not mention the details of the believers' attainment of their goals which will be referred to in the invocations that are to follow (in the next Aya/verse); this fact is to be taken as an indication that this attainment is a certainty without need to be elaborated on, in view of what has been detailed previously in the Sura and the address to the Messenger as the bearer of the Message without mentioning his noble name in order to elevate his rank (as messenger) and to introduce the subject matters that are to follow.
Al-Hakem and Al-Bayhaqi have reported through Anas who stated:"When the Aya was descended upon the Prophet (saws): "the messenger believed in that which.." the Prophet stated:" And right was he to believe".


 in that which has been revealed unto him from his Lord ...
in the obligation/rulings mentioned in this Sura and in others- meaning his belief in them in details.
Allah- the Exalted- generalizes here (in the word "Bimā= that which") to glorify the station of the Prophet and to stress the idea that the belief of the Prophet is based on the details as revealed to him as well as his comprehension of all that has been revealed to him, with all that this comprehension entails that cannot be grasped nor attained by the intellects no matter how lofty.
"in that which" there is no necessity to detail the knowledge, it is sufficient to mention it.
The exaltation of the station of the Prophet is apparent also in the special grammatical construction wherein the words" to him" are made to precede the words "from his Lord", in addition to the use of the personal pronoun (referred to the prophet attached) to the word Lord (Rab-i-hi) denoting the relationship of Sovereignty (Rububia).


All of the above, to demonstrate the glorification of the value of the Prophet and to refer to his elevated station.


2:286: “Allah does not task a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it has earned, and against it (only) that which it has deserved. Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as You did lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us, You, our Protector,  so give us victory over the disbelieving folk“. 


Allah does not task a soul beyond its scope.
Scope- What a person's ability allows or what is easy for him to follow from what has been proscribed. This scope is more limited than the full extent of his abilities. This means that the Law of Allah the Exalted (Sunnatullah) decrees that He does not burden a soul more than it can bear rather less than that in the various duties from Salāt (Obligatory Daily Prayers) to Fasting…


...For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved.
This is a sentence stated in order to motivate/encourage the adherence to the proscribed duties and to warn against their negligence.  The imposition of a charge/Task (Taklif) on each Self/Soul coupled with the previous elaboration on the gifts of lightening and easing the burden reveals yet an additional benefit which is received by the Self/Soul itself and by no other- consequently every negligence leads to loss/harm that affects the same Self/Soul and no other. This exclusivity of the benefits of an action for the doer is one of the strongest motivational factors that encourage the Self/Soul to seek to obtain the benefits; likewise, the restriction of harm due to negligence, to the doer, is one of the strongest warnings against its pursuit.
Grammatically we note the use of the word Iktisab (earned) in reference to the Bad Actions while the word Kasb (earned) is used for the good actions.
"Iktisab" is formulated along the Ifti'aal template with denotes an increase in intensity of the basic form (Kasb); this is to point to the fact that the bad is desired by the Self which is attracted to it and is more active in pursuing it. The use of this grammatical formulation shows the way in which the Selves/Souls have been fashioned.  


...Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark (make a mistake)! 
This is the beginning of the invocations after the secret of the imposition of Charges/Tasks has been elucidated.
It is related in Al-Bahr through Al-Hassan: “this is the way it has been decreed” meaning: “Say the following in your invocation”, it is then a teaching from Allah the Exalted to his worshipers in how to say the invocations and how to ask from Hu (IT)-an act of supreme generosity and infinite goodness (Ihsān), He teaches them the asking in order to give them and guides them to ask in order to bring them closer to Hu (ITself).


It has been said in this matter:  


-Had You not wished me to obtain what I desire and aspire to of Your bounty, You would not have taught me how to ask.


-Condemnation is punishment. It has been said that, Allah the Exalted condemns the sinner by punishing him; while the sinner insists on requesting a pardon from His Sustainer for he cannot find any Other to release him from his torture, the sinner clings to Allah out of fear. This is clearly a faulty interpretation.


-The scholars are of different opinions as to the meaning of forgetting and missing the mark/making a mistake.
One opinion is that forgetting means negligence and making a mistake means disobedience as the disobediences are referred to usually with the word “wrong” which is the opposite of the word “right” even if the doer does wrong on purpose. It is as if it is being said: Our Sustainer do not punish us for leaving the duties and committing disobediences.
A second opinion is that both forgetting and missing the mark/making a mistake that lead to excesses and lack of consciousness (Ighfāl) rarely occur without being preceded by lack/inadequacy so that the meaning is : forgive us this lack/inadequacy. 


...Our Lord! Lay not on us (such) a burden 
Meaning a heavy burden (Isr) that imprisons/traps its subject in his place. This refers difficult tasks/duties. It has also been said that the word Isr refers to the sin for which there is no repentance and the meaning of the verse is : do not let us incur sins for which there is no repentance.


…such a burden as thou didst lay on those before us!  
Meaning the difficult tasks/duties placed on those who preceded us like Banu Israel (Children of Israel) in matters of punishment and repentance for murder or details of purification of clothes etc.


...Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! 
A request to be spared from the punishments that are not bearable after having asked to be spared what leads to those punishments. 
It may also be a request to be spared the imposition of Tasks/Duties (taklif) that the human abilities are unable to fulfill, this last proposition would be an indication that imposition (taklif) may include things that are unbearable otherwise there would not be such a request.  


...Pardon us
Wipe away the traces of our sins by dropping/easing the punishment.


...Absolve us 
By covering the negative and revealing the good.


…and have mercy on us
Be compassionate with us.


It has also been said that: (Pardon us) is one of the Acts, (Absolve us) is one of the Words  (Have mercy on us) is the heaviness of the scale. It has also been said that: (Pardon us) in the throes of death  (Absolve us) in the darkness of the grave  (Have mercy on us) on Judgment Day.


Ibn Hayan sees a correspondence between the last 3 sentences and the 3 that preceded them. 
(Condemn us not ) is said by Allah The Sublime (Pardon us) is a response from the worshiper.
(Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden) is in the voice of Allah The Sublime while (Absolve us) is the response of the worshiper 
(Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear!) is stated by Allah The Sublime while the response of the worshiper is (Have mercy on us) .


For Pardon is the result of lack of condemnation and Absolution is the result of non-imposition of burden as Mercy is the result of non-imposition of what cannot be borne. Contemplate then the beauty of this arrangement!


...Thou, our Protector
Our Owner and Master or the Patron of our affairs. 


…so give us victory over the disbelieving folk“. 
Meaning the enemies who are fighting our religion or all disbelievers in general. The causal proposition (so) comes to show that since He is their Master, it is to Hu (IT) that they turn in the invocation to overcome their enemies.


Virtues of the last verses of Surat al Baqara (2) 
Al-Alusi:
1. The six Imams have transmitted this Hadith:
Related through Ibn Masood that the Prophet stated:” Whosoever recites the last 2 verses of Sura al-Baqara in one night needs to do nothing more”
2. Al-Tabarani transmitted with good documentation through Shaddad Ibn Aws that the Prophet said:” Allah, The Sublime, wrote a book two thousand years before He created the heavens and earth. He sent down two of this book’s verses to conclude Sura al-Baqara. If they are read in a house on 3 successive nights no Satan will approach the house.”
3. Ibn Adi transmitted through Ibn Masood al-Insari that the Prophet stated: “ Allah, The Sublime, sent 2 verses from the treasures of Paradise that the Rahman has written with His own hands 2 thousand years before he created creation. Whosoever reads them after the last ‘Ashā (early evening prayer) does not need to do Qiyām (Late night standing prayers) that night”.
4. Al-Hakem and Al-Bayhaqi transmitted through Abi Dhar that the Prophet stated: “ Allah, The Sublime, concluded Sura al-Baqara with two verses that He gave me from His treasure that lays beneath the Throne. Learn them and teach them to your wives and children for they are prayers, Qur’an and invocations”.   
5. Mussaddad documented based on the report of Omar and the Darami reported based on the report of Ali that both said: “ No one sane would go to sleep until he read those verses at the end of Sura al-Baqara”.

Yunus Emre on the Qur'an

Yunus Emre:        

Whoever does not know the Qur'an
is as if he were never born.

(Y 508)




cited in AnneMarie Schimmel
"Mystical Dimensions of Islam"

Surat al Baqara 2:155 "Trials and Patience" "Sabr"

 وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ ٱلأَمَوَالِ وَٱلأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّابِرِينَ 

Surat-al-Baqara 2:155
"And most certainly shall We try you by means of fear, and hunger, and loss of worldly goods, of selves and of [labour's] fruits. But give glad tidings unto those who are patient in adversity "

From the Tafseer al Kabir of Imam Razi

This verse is related to the verse of the same Surat 2: 45 "And seek support with patience and the prayers" meaning seek support as we will be testing you.

1. Earlier in verse 2: 152, Allah swt states " And be grateful unto Me, and deny Me not." Added to " If you show yourself grateful, we will increase our [gifts to you]".  He informed thus that obedience to the proscribed rules leads to blessings. He revealed that the following of those rules involves tests, which require patience. Those tests function as follows:  He gives gifts and demands gratitude and sends trials and commands patience, in order for a human being to reach the rank of Gratitude and Patience together. The Prophet (saaws) stated: " Faith is 2 halves, one half patience and the other half gratitude".

2 . How can we attribute the acts of trials and tribulations of creation to Allah swt?

Earlier in the same Surat Allah swt states 2: 124: "And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands "; the wisdom of using this verse as an introduction to the present one is so that the believers become familiar with the notion of trials and so that their terror decreases. This also serves to inform them that they will be tried without any doubt so that whoever among the believers is a hypocrite will move away from the new revelation for fear of trial. Exclusive Devotion to Allah (Ikhlas) and turning to the door of Allah (swt) during a state of trial and difficulties is a greater proof of sincerity than Ikhlas when life opens its door to the believer. 

3. Know then that all that you may encounter in life of what you may like or dislike can be divided into 1) what exists now 2) what existed in the past 3) and what will exist in the future. If what went on in the past goes through your mind we call that memory or remembrance, and if it is present, we call it taste or Wajd (also used to denote states of rapture), the latter is so named because it is a state that you find in your self (WJD root= Found) , and if you think of something in the future and your thinking overcomes your heart, we call it expectation. If the expected is disliked, it causes a pain in the heart named fear and anxiety while if the expected is beloved it causes repose, so that repose is hope while fear is the pain of the heart awaiting what it is disliked by it.

4. Hunger from famine, loss of belongings and of selves, of family members; and loss of fruits refers to the death of children according to Imam al-Shafei.

"But give glad tidings unto those who are patient in adversity "

Know then that Patience under those circumstances is a duty as He knows that all of those trials and hardships occur in justice and wisdom; as for those who are not settled in their faith, those are the ones described in Surat al-Hajj  22 :11  "There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see! "

Difficulties that are due to the injustice of others must not be borne with, guarding against them or fighting those injustices is allowed, even commanded.

Imam al Ghazali stated: "Know then that Patience is a quality of human beings not expected in angels or in animals; the former because of their perfection, the latter because of their imperfection. The animals are preys to their instinctual desires, which are not opposed by an intellect, so that one could not observe in them a steadfast opposition between the force of the intellect and the desire, a state which is what we call Patience (Sabr). As for the angels, they are dedicated to the longing for the Divine Presence and the enjoyment of the station of Nearness from the Presence (Qurb); they are not prey to instinctual desires, which require the opposition of other forces. 
As for man, in his young age he is as an animal, with desires for food, then for play, etc.. sexuality surfaces eventually, at this stage he still lacks the strength of Patience completely. With maturity, one sees the emergence of the force of the intellect calling to him to move away from the bare instinctual needs and to seek the other spiritual pleasures. It is this action of opposition that is called Patience. 
Know also that there are two types of patience: the physical, which includes privations and tolerance for hard work and pain, and the psychological which entails holding back from the Nafs (worldly self) the various elements of instinctual and characterological desires; all those types of situations have been described under the rubric: patience, by Allah swt as he stated: 
Surat al-baqara 2: 177:….. "and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God." 
 
Al-Qaffal stated: " Patience does not imply that one does not feel the pain of what is disliked and it does not preclude the hatred of it, for that is not possible. It is rather that, patience is forcing the Nafs (the worldly self) not to show terror, by holding back sorrow and its manifestations even if profuse tears or change of color should appear”. The Prophet stated: " Patience is at the first impact"after which most people will show signs and traces of their sorrow and sadness which are expected.

Allah swt mentioned patience in more than 70 verses of the Qur'an and praised it as a virtue, some of the verses are:

32: 24 "And We appointed, from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our command, so long as they persevered with patience"
28: 54 "These shall be given their wage twice over for that they patiently endured"
7:137" The fair promise of thy Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because they had patience and constancy"
39:10 "God will recompense the deeds of those who have exercised patience without keeping an account". 
 

Allah swt has promised those who are patient that He will be with them:
8: 46 "Exercise patience; God is with those who have patience".
 

He also promised them what he did not promise anyone else:
2 :157 "They are those on whom (Descend) blessings from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance."

And among the best Ahadith on the subject in addition to what has been mentioned above, the Prophet (saaws) stated: " The best of what humans have been endowed with are certainty of belief and patience; whosoever has been given a generous proportion of them should not worry about what he may have missed of night prayers or days of fasting."

He also stated: " Faith is Patience" similar to his saying: "Al-Hajj is Arafat".

From all of the above we can deduce that:
1.  Trials are NOT punishment, as Allah swt has promised them to the believers including the companions of the Prophet.
2.  When those trials are received with patience, they result in great advancement in the Path towards Allah swt.
3.  All trials are from Allah swt despite what the people of dualism might say in attributing illnesses and problems to other than Allah and the astrologers who attribute them to the stars.

Surat al Hajj (22) 1-8 : "Quake and Resurrection"

Space station over the Ionian Sea

From the Tafsir of Kashani attributed to Ibn Arabi

 22:1 “O people guard against your Lord”: guard against His punishment by divesting your self from its material covers and its human attributes

“Quake”: the commotion that occurs to the earth of the body at the moment of the small personal resurrection [al qiyamat al saghira)

22: 2 “On the day you see it every female that nurses” [the adjective Murdi3a used to refer to a nursing female] "will utterly forget her nursling" refers to the powers nourishing and nursing physical organs 

 “And every female heavy with a load” [adjectival sentence used to refer to a pregnant female]: refers to either 1) forces protective of the perceptive abilities such as imagination, illusions, memory and intellect which will depose their load of what has been perceived due to the intoxication, stunning, confusion and utter stupor or 2) each of the forces supportive of the organs of the body -which act to carry those organs, move them and allow them independence- weakens or 3) each organ lets go of the power that resides within it and, all that has been perfected in it can be let go off as it decays and drops, or 4) each Self carrying forms and attributes- either praiseworthy or despicable- is forced to display them or to show them off as patent from their innermost depth to their outward surface (Buruz)

22:6 “…and you see the earth barren and lifeless, but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred, it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).”

“….and you see the earth barren and lifeless” The earth of the self is lifeless due to ignorance and the lack of the plants of virtues and perfections.

“but when We pour down rain on it” the water of Knowledge [pouring down] from the heaven of the Spirit

“it is stirred” with true life

“it swells” by ascending in the stations and ranks

“and puts forth every kind of beautiful growth” of perfections and virtues which ornament the self

22:7 “That is because Allah is the (Haqq) Truth and because He gives life to the dead and because He has power over all things”

It is because Allah is the Haqq, the unchanging, immovable, permanent; and what is other than Him is changing and doomed to annihilation

22:8 “ and the Hour is coming no doubt in it AND no doubt about it, and He will raise up those who are in the graves”

He revives those who are dead of the death of ignorance (jahl) through divine emanation/effusion (faydd)

“He will raise up those who are in the graves” those who are dead of ignorance will be raised from the graves of the bodies, to be installed in the position of the Heart and be returned to the (fitra) the foundational design, and the life of Knowledge

Surat al-Hajj (22) verses 1-2 "Sukr: Intoxication"

 يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ ٱلسَّاعَةِ شَيْءٌ عَظِيمٌ 
"O people! guard against your Lord; surely the Quake/Convulsion of the Hour is an awe-inspiring matter ."


From the commentary of Ruzbehan Baqli
Allah (swt) sends out a warning call to those who have forgotten the Covenant established in past eternity (Azal) [ Am I not your Lord ?] and to those who have forgotten the face-to-face encounter in future eternity (Abad). He states:" What will your position be, O you heedless ones, when, in the wilderness of Resurrection Day, the Majesty of my Grandeur (Adhamat) appears from the veils of the Unseen?. Guard off [in this life] against the torments of separation from Me [in the next life], in order that you may reach the Majesty of Reunion with Me. For the Universes and all that is created will be convulsed upon the appearance of the Lights of My Nobility ( Kibrya') and the Sovereingty (Sultan) of My ravishing Beauty (Baha')."


For the truth of Taqwa (God reverencing-consciousness) is to exit with the help of Allah from all that is less than Allah. Some have stated that Taqwa is "when nothing immerses you other than your Master",  and that is Freedom; whoever is seeking after the reward is not a Mutttaqui (one whose quality is Taqwa).


 وَتَرَى ٱلنَّاسَ سُكَارَىٰ وَمَا هُم بِسُكَارَىٰ
"And you will see people as intoxicated/drunken while they are not intoxicated/drunken"


Allah (swt) describes those who witness the attacks of His Grandeur and Nobility in various states of Confusion and loss due to Mad Lost Love (Hayaman), drunkenness (Sukr) and excitement (Hayajan). They are driven to Mad Nostalgic Love (walah) at the sight of the Grandeur and the Majesty of Awesome Beauty (Hayba) and are lost in the valleys of the Lights of Nobility and Sovereignty.


Some He made drunk as those who drink intoxicants, others like those drunk with love- and how vast the difference between those two types and those who are drunk on heedlessness and again  those drunk in Union. The enemies are drunk with the drunkenness of those Overpowered ( Qahryiat), and the friends are drunk from the sight of the ravishing marvels of the Acts. The Murid (Seekers) are drunk with the brightness of the Lights and the Lovers are drunk with the Unveiling of the Secrets, while the ones who are longing (Mushtaqun) are drunk on the gleaming appearance of the Attributes.

Imam Jaafar stated:" They became drunk on what they witnessed of the spread of Grandeur of Immense Power and the billowing folds of Nobility until the Prophets had no refuge but to say:" Nafsi, Nafsi ( I, myself) "


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4wGJTj8EJ0&feature=related

Surat Al-Ahqaf 46:13. Like watching for the Crescent Moon

{ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَقَامُواْ فَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ }

"for, behold, all who say, “Our Sustainer is God”, and thereafter stand firm - no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve"


Ruzbehan Baqli states that the people of God (al Qawm, the sufis) See God with the heart, the intellect and the soul and Say : "Our Lord is God"! in the same way people who are looking out for the crescent moon see it, and applaud happily, laughing, and crying out: "We see it!" for when they see the Divine truth they recognize Him; they love Him and drink from the oceans of His Connectedness, Beauty and Magnificence deriving strength from the Lights of pre-time (azal) and post-time (abad) [where God alone is in Existence]. They become established (istiqamah) in what God wants from them and no longer suffer the fears of being veiled or the sadness of (self)-blame.  
Ibn Taher said: "They became established in seeing no other than Him, bestower of gifts, and did not thank anyone other than Him nor rely on other than Him in whatever state (hal) they might have found themselves in". 
Imam Jaafar al Sadeq stated: "They become established in God with the movements of their Hearts".


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2dIwCe_jg4&feature=related

Surat al Baqara 2: 55-56, Ibn Arabi/ one kind of Death

{ وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَٰمُوسَىٰ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ نَرَى ٱللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ ٱلصَّٰعِقَةُ وَأَنْتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ } * { ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَٰكُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ } 

And mention when you said: "O Moses! We will never believe thee until we see God publicly". So the thunderbolt took you while you look on. But We raised you again after you had been as dead, so that you might have cause to be grateful.

Ibn Arabi: You told Musa: "You would not succeed in guiding us to Real faith, until we reach the abode of Witnessing and Seeing". So, you were taken by the thunderbolt and lightening of Death, that is the annihilation of the self (Fana’) in the Manifestation of the Divine Essence, while you were observing / witnessing It. We then raised you back with Real life in the state of Subsistence (Baqa’) that follows Annihilation (Fana’), in order that you may be thankful for the gift of the realization of Unicity (Tawheed) and that of arriving after having walked the path In Allah.

-----------------

The Real is God (al-Haqq), only what comes close to Him has Reality, hence Real faith and Real life.

Tawheed (a verb noun (masdar)) is best translated as realizing Unicity and not Unicity alone.

** English Qur'an translations of Laleh Bakhtiar and Muhammad Asad

Imam Qushayri : Of invocations

دعاء العامة بالأقوال، ودعاء الزهاد بالأفعال، ودعاء العارفين بالأحوال.

The invocations of the common people are through words; the invocation of those who have given up their attachemnt to this life are through their actions; the invocation of the Knowers are through the states of their hearts.

Qushayri.

May my yearning to You turn from state (Hal) to station (Maqam) and abode (Manzel).

Surat al Saffat 41:44

وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَّقَالُوا لَوْلَا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاء وَالَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى أُوْلَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِن مَّكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ

"Had We made it a Qur'an in indistinct and inexpressive language, these (faultfinders) would have surely said, `Why has not (the subject matter of) its verses been made clear in exposition?' What! can indistinct and inexpressive language and an eloquently clear language (be one and the same thing). Say, `It is a wonderful guidance and healing to those who believe.' But (as to those) who do not believe there is deafness in their ears and this (Qur'an) is obscure to them (with regard to its truth). And they are (as if to say) being called to from a place afar.
Ayatullah Hajj Muhammad Hussein al Husseini al Teharani
The Qur'an can be studied in many ways, its grammatical structure, its scientific findings, its poetry...one can gather such knowledge as one can using one's senses and intellect and still be as far from the true Knowledge that is in the Qur'an as the heavens are from earth. In order to see the Face of Allah reflected in each of the verses of the Qur'an, one has to abandon all earthly intentions..... 
What is other than Allah is a veil; the complete knowledge of Allah is predicated upon the dissolution of veils, as has been versed by Qays bin Mallouh al 'Amiri who spoke thus of his longing for Layla Al Amiriayat:

تَمَنَّيْتُ مِنْ لَيْلَي‌ عَلَی‌ البُعْدِ نَظْرَةً         لِيُطْفَي‌ جَويً بَيْنَ الحَشا وَالاَضالِعِ

 فَقالَتْ نِسَاءُ الحَي‌ّ تَطْمَعُ أنْ         تَرَي‌ بِعَيْنَيْكَ لَيْلَي‌ مُتْ بِداءِ المَطامِعِ

 وَكَيْفَ تَرَي‌ لَيْلَي‌ بِعَيْنٍ تَرَي‌         بِها سِواها وَما طَهَّرْتَها بِالمَدامِعِ

 وَتَلْتَذُّ مِنْها بِالحَديثِ وَقَدْ جَرَي‌             حَديثُ سِـواها في‌ خُروقِ المَسـامِعِ

I have hoped for a look at Layla from a distance.
A look to put out the fires raging between my inners and my ribs.

The area women deride,

“If you desire to see Layla with your own eyes, 
you will succumb to this illness of desire.

For how can you see Layla with an eye that sees others,

an eye that you have not purified with flowing tears?

And how can you delight in her talk

when the talk of others has passed through the inlets of your ears?"

----------------------- 

It is not possible for the one who has found companionship in other than Allah, one who has harbored goals other than Allah, and intentions other than His praise- one who has desires from this lower life (al-Dunya)- it is not possible for such a person to meet Allah and be honored by His Sight.


Adapted from : Kitab Maarifat Allah-.Volume 1, Section 5
http://www.maarefislam.org/doreholomvamaarefislam/bookscontent/allahshenasi-arabic/allah1/allah1.5.htm

Surat Maryam 19: 49-50- A Truthful Tongue

Origin of the Salat Ibrahimiat

 فَلَمَّا ٱعْتَزَلَهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَكُلاًّ جَعَلْنَا نَبِيّاً} * { وَوَهَبْنَا لَهْم مِّن رَّحْمَتِنَا وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ عَلِيّاً   

Literal translations of the verses
verse 49
So when he separated/isolated himself from them, and what they call from other than God, We granted for him Issac , and Jacob and each/all, We made a prophet.

The exegete Ibn 'Ajiba and others understand the ordering of words in this verse to mean that Ibrahim's isolation, (seclusion ('Izla)) was rewarded by the great gift of the Prophecy to two of his children and point to the great benefits of seclusion in attracting divine favors ( for Zacchariyah as well as for and Maryam)

verse 50
And We granted for them from Our mercy, and We made for them (a) TRUTHFUL high, mighty/dignified TONGUE/language/speech.

The statement " a truthful tongue" (lisana sidqin) occurs in ONE other place in the Qur'an : in the dua'a of Ibrahim in Surat al Shuaara ( 26) 26:84 "Grant me a TRUTHFUL TONGUE among the latest (generations).....

The addition of the word "Truth to Tongue" in this way is interpreted by exegetes like Imam Razi, Haqqi, Ibn 'Ajiba, Ibn 'Arabi etc.... to mean that Ibrahim and his descendants will be praised in all subsequent
generations and are deserving of this praise and reference is made to the Salat Ibrahimiat which we perform before each Tasleem in Salat.....
So that millions of Muslims performing the daily prayers and praising Ibrahim are following the Will of Allah ( swt) and fulfilling the promise made to Ibrahim......

This is an interesting detail for me, as I was not sure of the origin of this Salat; it will make it feel so much more meaningful to send blessings on the Prophet Muhamad ( saaws) and his family and on Prophet Ibrahim and his family....knowing this du'a and this promise .

May Allah swt bless both Prophets and their families until the ends of times. Ameen.

Surat al Tawba 9:6 The Speech of Allah

 وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ٱسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلاَمَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُ ذٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لاَّ يَعْلَمُونَ 

"Should one of those who associate others with Allah ask for refuge with you, then do give him refuge until he hears the Speech of Allah, then help him reach a safe place for they are people who have no Knowledge"
Notes before reading:
The Sufis consider all those who have not reached the degree of true knowledge of Haqq (Truth) to be"those who associate others with Allah". The titles: Fuqara’, Qawm. People of special knowledge refer to the Sufis. 
Ibn Arabi

 Give him refuge until he “hears” the Speech of Allah.

 The people of the Qur’an are the people of Allah and they are His close entourage; they are His representatives in the function of giving praise to Him. Their praise does not spring from their own self or from an existential choice nor does it arise from within them; what we hear of their words of praise is nothing but His words wherein He praises Himself, a Divine, pure and sacred praise free from the traces of the creation.

Ibn Ajiba

 O you Knower ! Should one of the Muslims, who have not entered into the countries of realities ( Haqa'iq, pl. of Haqiqat), ask to remain by your side and to listen to some of the sciences of the people of Allah and their secrets, then give him refuge.... it may be that this is the means decreed for him to enter among the people of Allah. The Fuqara’ should not push the non-initiated away, they should treat them gently and make them listen to what is suitable for their state; for the general Muslims have no knowledge of what has been given to those of special knowledge...

In addition, our own Shaykh said : "The people of special knowledge should not enter the country of the people of general knowledge without being accompanied by one of the latter otherwise the community would reject them ...Similarly the people of general knowledge should not enter the country of the people of special knowledge without the company of those who know or they will be rejected”

Surat al Anbya'a (51-57) : Ibrahim the Spirit

Old Image of the Station of Ibrahim near the Kaaba

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَآ إِبْرَاهِيمَ رُشْدَهُ مِن قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا بِهِ عَالِمِينَ } * { إِذْ قَالَ لأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا هَـٰذِهِ ٱلتَّمَاثِيلُ ٱلَّتِيۤ أَنتُمْ لَهَا عَاكِفُونَ } * { قَالُواْ وَجَدْنَآ آبَآءَنَا لَهَا عَابِدِينَ } * { قَالَ لَقَدْ كُنتُمْ أَنتُمْ وَآبَآؤُكُمْ فِي ضَلاَلٍ مُّبِينٍ } * { قَالُوۤاْ أَجِئْتَنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ أَمْ أَنتَ مِنَ ٱللاَّعِبِينَ } * { قَالَ بَل رَّبُّكُمْ رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلأَرْضِ ٱلَّذِي فطَرَهُنَّ وَأَنَاْ عَلَىٰ ذٰلِكُمْ مِّنَ ٱلشَّاهِدِينَ } * { وَتَٱللَّهِ لأَكِيدَنَّ أَصْنَامَكُمْ بَعْدَ أَن تُوَلُّواْ مُدْبِرِينَ }

And we bestowed upon Ibrahim His guidance before and of him We were fully knowledgeable. As he said to his father, what are those idols that you are continuously offering devotion to. He (the father) said, we found our fathers (already) worshiping them. He ( Ibrahim) said, you all and your fathers are gravely and obviously lost. He ( the father)said : Have you come to us with Truth or are you playing games. He said: far from it, your Sustainer is the Sustainer of the heavens and earth who split them asunder and I am one of those who witness this. By Allah, I shall plot against you idols when your backs are turned.

Notes before reading: For Ibn Arabi, Ibrahim is the Spirit; his father the primordial Nafs; his people are the celestial expressive selves, [the prototypes existing in the universe of potentialities]...The interaction of Ibrahim and his people is the external manifestation of the dynamics of the soul, the heart and the intellect between being guided and going astray.

The adverb [before] is one of the key words in this verse, opening up for Ibn Arabi and the other Sufi commentators vistas on occurrences in the Azal (eternity before time) and the realities of the verse.

I included at the end of the text brief explanations of concepts that may help with a deepening understanding of the commentary. I say deepening because no other commentary has ever given me the clear vision that what I am offered is not a fixed doctrine but a vessel to travel with through the verse towards the Truth (al Haqq)

Ibn Arabi states in his commentary on the verses:

"And We have bestowed upon Ibrahim" :Ibrahim is the Spirit, the guidance special to him, which only befits those like him. This guidance is towards the Unicity of the Essence (Tawheed Dhati) and the station (Maqam) of the witnessing (Mushahada) and friendship ( Khilla....[ thus Ibrahim al Khalil]). We bestowed on the Spirit this guidance “before”: meaning before we bestowed it on the ranks of the heart and the intellect preceding them in honor and loftiness.

“And of Him we had full knowledge” for no one else but Us knew of his accomplishment and his virtue in the elevation of his position.

He said to his father “who is the primordial Nafs” and to the other celestial selves (the potentialities):” What are those statues?” meaning: what are those intellectual images which are nothing but etchings made on the intellect by products of thoughts and by the nature of existent things (that the intellect comes in contact with, or apprehends)?

“Those to which you are devoted” meaning that you are diligent in representing and in placing in constraining images (Suwar pl: of Surat) [ an act which limits and chains thoughts and vision leading to loss of depth and the ability to voyage to the Unseen solely through the intellect]*

The above was said by the Spirit (Ibrahim) after it left the Station of the Sacred Spirit and protruded through the luminous veils into the space of the Unicity of the Essence, as Ibrahim peace be upon him said :

“I am free from what you associate”- I have directed my Face without deviation ( Haneef) towards He who has burst apart the heavens and the earth (Surat al Anaam see 6: 78-79.)

It is from this station that he said to Jibril peace upon him: “from you No”! **
“We found our fathers” which are nothing but ( 3ilall pl. of 3illa) the secondary effects of the previous universes on the Selves (Nafs) and are all from the people of Jabaroot ***

“In a state of worship of the idols” in that they internalized them within their own essence and became unable to be distracted from them.

“Obviously gone astray” in a veil of light from the Haqq, unable to reach the source/eye/ center of the Essence. Instead, they stand in devotion at the limit of the Attributes unable to be guided to the truth of Oneness (AHhadiyat) and to drown themselves in the ocean of Hu-ness.

(Ibrahim’s people said) “Have you come to us with the Haqq ?” meaning: Is the Haqq speaking to us through you or is it your Nafs ? In which case, your words are nothing but a game that has no reality.

“It is rather your Sustainer’ who is coming to you and speaking to you-He who sustains you by bringing you onto existence, establishing you, bringing you to life, denuding you (from all other than Him), informing you and teaching you...the Sustainer of everything that Has brought you to life.

“And of that “I” – to you- am among the Witnesses”: the Speaker here is al Haqq, the Sustainer. This witnessing is that of the Sustainership and of Creation.

“I will plot against your idols”, I will wipe the images of things, the prototypes ( al A3Yan)**** of the existing things that you have devoted yourselves to bringing about, maintaining and taking care of, then persisted in finding proofs for their reality and truth. You ignored the Eye of the essence of Oneness and instead hurried towards the multiplicity of the Attributes.

References

* see Surah (constraint)

http://www.untiredwithloving.org/surat_constraint.html

** Hadith transmitted by Abu Hurayra detailing the experience of Ibrahim as he was being burned on the stakes, was increasingly drowned in witnessing the truth of Unicity, the archangel Jibril approaches him ans asks if he needs help, Ibrahim responds with the famous :" From you, No!" 
 أما إليك فلا Amma ilayka fala included in the collections of al Daylami and Ibn al Najjar

*** The Universe of the Jabaroot is the third level of the Universe descending from the Divine presence, it consists of the Throne and the Divine Emanations ( FuyuDd Ilahyiat)- (upcoming post)

**** Al A3Yan al Thabita : The fixed prototypes occupy a key position in the thought of Ibn Arabi. They are the restricted potentialities( archetypes) upon which the Divine Attributes take effect allowing for the possibility of the emergence of a creation that is able to perfect itself in order to return to the Divine (also an upcoming post) 

-----------------------------
May Allah swt sanctify the Sirr of Ibn Arabi for this marvel of Knowledge which he shared. It is now that I understand the significance of the Station of Ibrahim so close to the Kaaba; closer than the Station of Ibrahim is only the Hijr ( the place of burial of Hagar, the woman slave who also truly never relied on anyone but God).

I cannot pretend that I got everything Ibn Arabi wanted to say but I pray that I have here something that is of use for us the voyagers. May Allah swt bless us all from Knowledge from Him.

Surat al-Hashr 59:19

Tree of forgetfulness

{ وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَٱلَّذِينَ نَسُواْ ٱللَّهَ فَأَنسَاهُمْ أَنفُسَهُمْ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَاسِقُونَ }

"Be not as those who forgot Allah, and so He caused them to forget their Selves; those -- they are the ungodly."


Sheikh al-'Arifeen Sahl al-Tustari (QAS) ( d.283 H) stated:
" The slave is for Allah ( li-llah) and Allah is for His slave.
Nothing is closer to Allah than the heart of the faithful; if an-"other" comes into it, he ( refers to the "other" or to the heart itself) becomes a veil.
Whosoever looks at Allah with his heart becomes distant from all else; and whosoever seeks His agreement and pleasure pleases Him with his toleration/forbearance ( Hilm); whosoever submits (aSLaMa) his heart to Allah finds that his limbs become free from evil ( (SaLiMat) and that they also stand true...."Their hearts have witnessed as much as they have guarded of their limbs"**.
Attend to your hearts....we are created, and our Creator is with us. Do not become slack in your striving, for Allah is your Witness wherever you are; so lay your needs with Him and die at his door and say: " We are ignorant and the One who know us ( 'Alemuna) is with us; we are weak and the One who strengthens us (Muqawwina) is with us; we are powerless and our All-able ( Qadir) is with us"....it is thus that whoever attends to his heart finds that the air, the water running on the surface of the earth, the earth itself and the heaven are all alike to him."
------------------------------------
** This can be understood in 2 ways: 1) We can deduce from someone's actions how close he is to Allah in his heart 2) The preservation of the limbs from unacceptable actions increases the closeness of the hearts to Allah.
----------------------------------
Source : Translated from the biography in Arabic of "Sheikh al-Areefin al-Imam al-Tustari" - by Dr.Mahmood Jeerat Allah-
Photo credit by Theilr

Rumi : from al Majalis al Sab'at

Even if there is, in this universe, some sign, for the man of realization,

as there is, for each divine symbol, an interpreter in the mind.

And even if there is, some path for the bird to travel the desert, to reach that universe,

although there is, in the feathers and the wings of each bird, an obvious predicament.

However, it is still not permitted for just anyone to enter the Souq of Love,

otherwise, there would be thousands of caravans under its every cobblestone

from Majlis One

From al Majalis al Sab'at " The seven sittings"- 

 translated from the Arabic translation of Dr. Issa Ali al 'Akoob

Niffari : A secret sharing ( Munajat)

The Divine Attributes Al-Aleem (The All-Knowing) and Al-Qadeer (The All-Powerful) occur together in 3 verses of the Qur'an only:

Surat al Nahl 16:70

It is Allah who creates you and takes your souls at death; and of you there are some who are sent back to a feeble age, so that they know nothing after having known (much): for Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

 وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰ أَرْذَلِ ٱلْعُمُرِ لِكَيْ لاَ يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْئاً إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ 

Surat Fatir 35:44

 Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the End of those before them,- though they were superior to them in strength? Nor is Allah to be frustrated by anything whatever in the heavens or on earth: for He is All-Knowing. All-Powerful.

أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ فِي ٱلأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَكَانُوۤاْ أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُعْجِزَهُ مِن شَيْءٍ فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَلاَ فِي ٱلأَرْضِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَلِيماً قَدِيراً

Surat al Shura 42:50

Or He bestows both males and females, and He leaves barren whom He will: for He is All-Knowing, All Powerful.

 أَوْ يُزَوِّجُهُمْ ذُكْرَاناً وَإِنَاثاً وَيَجْعَلُ مَن يَشَآءُ عَقِيماً إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ 

Niffari : A secret sharing
My God,
The references of every thing return to its meaning and its meaning has perceived the powerlessness of that thing. For the truth of every thing is ignorance for that thing: the thing is unable to know its own truth; and the meaning of every thing is mightier than its knowledge, which thus cannot perceive its meaning.


My God,
You are at the origin of every thing, You return it to what You will so that it becomes as You wish it to be; You execute on it what You wish and it becomes as You wish it. Its owner cannot protect it for he does not own it beyond You its Owner; nor does anyone own it beyond You so that You would be prevented access to it.


My God,
When each thing is powerless to know its own self, and powerless to perceive what harms it and what benefits it, how much more powerless is it to have knowledge of You and even more powerless to perceive any thing without You.


Source: The Book of The Speech and the Silence ( Kitab al NuTtq wal Ssamt)