🕋 تفسير سورة آل عمران
(Aal-E-Imran) • المصدر: EN-TAFSIR-AL-TUSTARI
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ الم
📘 Alif, Lām, Mīm.! God! There is no god except Him, the Living, the Eternal Sustainer.He [Sahl] said:It [Allāh] is God�s Greatest Name, which is written across the sky in green light from East to West.
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا ۚ وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنْتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنْتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِنَ النَّارِ فَأَنْقَذَكُمْ مِنْهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
📘 And hold fast, all together to the rope of God and be not divided among yourselves�He said:That is, �Adhere to your pact (ʿahd) with Him, which is that of professing His oneness (tawḥīd), just as He has said, Exalted is He, Or has he made a covenant with the Compassionate One? [19:78], meaning [a covenant of] professing His oneness. Hold fast to that which He has assigned to you, in terms of carrying out his obligations (farḍ) and the Sunna of His Prophet.� Likewise is the meaning of His words, Save a rope from God [3:112], meaning a covenant from God and His religion. He called it a rope because whoever holds fast to it reaches that in which he put his faith. His words:
يَوْمَ تَبْيَضُّ وُجُوهٌ وَتَسْوَدُّ وُجُوهٌ ۚ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ اسْوَدَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ أَكَفَرْتُمْ بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
📘 On the Day when some faces are whitened�This means, the faces of the believers will become white through the light of their faith; �and some faces are blackened�, namely, the [faces] of the disbelievers, due to the darkness of their disbelief.He was asked about His words, Abasement and wretchedness were cast upon them [2:61]. He replied:The purpose of these bodies is in the �deposits� (waḍāʾiʿ) that God has placed within them, by which He puts His creatures to the test. Among [these deposits] is one from which the obedient(ṭāʾiʿūn) should draw admonitory lessons, namely, disbelief (kufr). [On the other hand], there are those which are proof against the heedless (ghāfilūn), namely, gnosis (maʿrifa) and affirmation (taṣdīq) through speech and actions, just as He has said, And He appointed darknessesand light [6:1]. The inner meaning of this verse is that light is knowledge (ʿilm) and darkness is ignorance (jahl), in accordance with His words, And he whom God has not granted any light has no light [24:40], that is, the heart [of such a person] has not [the light] by which to perceive faith in God. The light of faith is one of the greatest blessings (minan) of God, Mighty and Majestic is He, and tokens of His generosity (karāmāt). The second [blessing] is the �good word� which is referred to in His words, Exalted is He, Come now to a word that is agreed upon between us and you [3:64]. The third [great blessing] is obedience (iṭāʿa) that the bodily members carry out purely for God�s sake, as when the prayers are maintained and obligatory alms (zakāt) are paid [in a spirit of] satisfaction (qunūʿ) and contentment (riḍā). Thus, [in this latter verse] He summoned them to the best speech, and the most excellent actions. If it had not been for faith in God and the Qurʾān, which is the knowledge of God, and which contains a call [for people] to affirm His lordship and to serve Him in fear, then the prophets, upon whom be blessings and peace, would not have known who among the people had responded to them.His words:
وَلِيُمَحِّصَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَمْحَقَ الْكَافِرِينَ
📘 And that God may prove the believers�This means their being purified (takhlīṣ) from the blemishes of sins, just as they devoted themselves purely to Him (akhlaṣū lahu) in deed, which was [their] striving (jihād) in the way of God; �and efface the disbelievers. This means the destruction of the disbelievers through the affliction brought on by their sins.His words:
۞ قُلْ أَؤُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْ ذَٰلِكُمْ ۚ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَأَزْوَاجٌ مُطَهَّرَةٌ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ
📘 �with spouses pure�That is, purified from the defilements that they were subject to in this world, such as menstruationand the like. Do you not note His words, And their Lord will give to them a pure drink to drink [76:21], which means that He will purify them from the remaining blemishes of the world?His words:
وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُمْ بِإِذْنِهِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ وَعَصَيْتُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا أَرَاكُمْ مَا تُحِبُّونَ ۚ مِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ الدُّنْيَا وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ الْآخِرَةَ ۚ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ ۖ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنْكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
📘 �Yet now He has pardoned you�This refers to the defeated army on the Day of Uḥud, when He did not eradicate them all. And God is bounteous to the believers, by His pardoning them and accepting their repentance.His words:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا مِنْكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا ۖ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ
📘 Truly, those of you who turned back the day the two hosts met, truly, it was Satan who caused them to slip, because of some of what they had earned�[Sahl] was asked about the meaning of that earning (kasb). He said:It was the complacency that they felt because of their great numbers on the day of Ḥunayn and the glory they had gained on the Day of Badr. This was due to Satan coming to associatewith them, after [he saw] the acquiescence (musākana) of their hearts, and their regard for themselves, because of the complacency (iʿjāb) that their own lower selves had seduced them into. So God lifted His protection (ʿiṣma) from them as a punishment. Indeed, when the Prophet heard his Companions say on the Day of Ḥunayn, �We shall not be overcome by so few�, he warned them, �Do not wish to encounter the enemy, rather ask for safety (ʿāfiya) from God, Exalted is He�, from dependency on your own devising (tadbīr) in any situation, and from [being unaware of your] neediness (dūn al-iftiqār) for God, Mighty and Majestic is He.See how when David asked his Lord to join him with the ranks of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, He replied, �You are not on that level, O David.� He asked, �Why is that O Lord?�, to which God replied, �Because I tested them and they showed patience. Furthermore, they did not know the world and the world did not know them. But you have known the world and it has known you, and you adopted it as your kin.� David said, �Show me one from among your servants who, if You tested him, would show patience.� Then God, Mighty and Majestic is He, said, �I�m going to test you.� Thus he [David] became the first to request affliction (balāʾ), ⸢and the one who exposed himself to⸣ testing (imtiḥān) from God, Exalted is He. That is to say, this was [of course] in accordance with God�s prior knowledge in the veiled unseen, which is solely known to Him. Then Iblīs came to him in the form of a pigeon and the story took place involving Uriah b. Ḥanān. God did not protect [David] from desire, intent or action. However, He protectedJoseph from action, though He did not protect him from desire and intent. His words:
فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
📘 It was by the mercy of God that you [Muḥammad] were lenient with them�This means, �Due to an act of sympathy (ʿaṭf ) from God you dealt gently with them�, And if you had been harsh, with [your] tongue, and fierce of heart, they would have dispersed from about you, that is, �They would have separated themselves from you�. So pardon them, that is, �Overlook their faults�, and ask forgiveness for them, for their defeat on the Day of Uḥud. Consult them in the matter, that is, �Do not distance them from yourself because of their disobedience, but accommodate them through your graciousness (faḍl), for it is through Us that you pardon, through Us that you seek forgiveness, and to Us that you turn for guidance�. Then, when you are resolved, that is, �If you wish to carry something out after consultation�, put your trust in God�, that is, �Rely on God notwithstanding that [consultation], consign all your affairs to Him, and depend on Him without regard for anyone else.� He [the Prophet] did not leave this world before God, Exalted is He, had disclosed to his heart realms of knowledge which were between him and God, Exalted is He, without any intermediary, due to his love of pondering and reflection, in reverent awareness (iʿtibār) of the omnipotence of his Lord, so that he attained an increase from God most High, just as He was commanded in the words of God, Exalted is He, But say: �My Lord! Increase me in knowledge� [20:114]. Furthermore, he enjoined this upon his nation (umma), as is related from the Prophet in his words, �Consult those who are mindful of God (muttaqūn), who have preferred the Hereafter over this world, and who give you priority over themselves in your affairs.� And he also said, �Consult the righteous scholars, and when you have made your resolve to carry something out, put your trust in God.�He [Sahl] said [in this regard]:Fraternise with brothers among the people who are mindful of God, and let the person whom you consult be one of those who fear God, Exalted is He. Let your word not be broken. And never be hostile to anyone until you know the states of his conduct with God, Exalted is He.
إِنْ يَنْصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَنْصُرُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ ۗ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
📘 If God helps you, then no one can overcome you; but if He forsakes you, then who is there who can help you after Him?...He said:To be forsaken (khidhlān) means to be utterly abandoned (ghāyat al-tark). As for abandonment itself (tark), that is for the sinner who recognises his sin. Being forsaken (khidhlān), however, is for the one who sins while believing that he is doing something good. This is God�s punishment to the one who is forsaken, for He upholds him in sin, having the knowledge both of his sin and of his subsequent procrastination of repentance. Do you not see how Iblīs, when he refused [to obey], and persisted in that refusal was forsaken by God due to His prior knowledge about him? This is because He willed from him that which was in accordance with His knowledge; He did not will from him that which was in accordance with His command. However Adam , because he was not forsaken in his abandonment, confessed to his sin after committing it and returned to his Lord, Majestic and Mighty is He, and his repentance was accepted.His words, Exalted is He:
الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
📘 �God is sufficient for us; an excellent guardian is He.That is, He is the best guarantor of our provisions, and the best Lord. This is as in His words, Exalted is He, Do not take any guardian beside Me [17:2], that is, [do not take any] Lord [beside Me].His words:
شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ ۚ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
📘 God bears witness�He [Sahl] said:That is, God knows and makes clear (bayyana) �that there is no god but He. He is witness to Himself by Himself; and this is particular to His essence. He called to witness those of His creatures whom He called to witness before their creation, according to His knowledge. Consequently, the people possessed of His gnosis (maʿrifa) are made aware that He had full knowledge of everything that will be before it was actually brought into existence. Hence, [God�s] oneness (tawḥīd) is independent of existentiated beings (dūn al-akwān), just as God was a witness to Himself by Himself before the existence of creation.ʿAbd al-Wāḥid said:I was with Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānī when he saw a porter carrying wood. I asked him, �Do you have a Lord?� to which he replied, �Is the likes of me questioned about his Lord?� So I said to him, �If you have a Creator as you claim, why do you work with wood?� Then the man indicated to the sky, and lo and behold, the wood became gold! We were both amazed by him on account of this. Then he said, �O God! I have no need for this�, so the gold turned back to wood just as it was before. So we said to him, �What led you to do this?�, to which he replied, �I am [God�s] slave, so I carry this in order that I should not forget who I am.� His words:
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَتُبَيِّنُنَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَكْتُمُونَهُ فَنَبَذُوهُ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ وَاشْتَرَوْا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۖ فَبِئْسَ مَا يَشْتَرُونَ
📘 �But they rejected it behind their backs� That is, they did not act by the Book, and purchased with it some miserable gain, that is, they bought in exchange for the everlasting Hereafter, the goods of this transitory world.His words, Exalted is He:
الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
📘 Those who remember God, standing, sitting, and [reclining] on their sides�He [Sahl] said:Whoever wishes to memorise the Qurʾān should complete three whole readings following the conditions stated in this verse: a reading completed while standing in prayer, a reading completed while sitting and studying it, and a reading completed while reclining on one�s side. Then, he will not forget [it], God willing, Mighty and Majestic is He. Moreover, whoever occupies himself with seeking knowledge with the full awareness of God, and with the recitationof the Qurʾān, the remembrance (dhikr) of God, Mighty and Majestic is He, adherence to the Sunna, and avoidance of all frivolity (lahw), will not be afflicted by disease or sickness. Furthermore, whoever obeys God with knowledge and sincere intention (nīya) will not lose his mind [lit. intellect, ʿaql].The Prophet said, �Whoever obeys God, Mighty and Majestic is He, has truly remembered Him, but whoever disobeys Him has truly forgotten Him.� His words:
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
📘 Alif, Lām, Mīm.! God! There is no god except Him, the Living, the Eternal Sustainer.He [Sahl] said:It [Allāh] is God�s Greatest Name, which is written across the sky in green light from East to West.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
📘 O you who believe, be patient, and vie in patience; be steadfast and fear God that you may prosper.He said:Faith has four pillars. The first is trust (tawakkul) in God, the second is complete submission (istislām) to His commands, the third is being content and satisfied (riḍā) with what He has preordained (qaḍāʾihi), and the fourth is gratitude (shukr) for His blessings along with mindfulnessof Him (taqwā).A Section on FaithCertainty (yaqīn) is the heart of faith, patience (ṣabr) is the backbone of faith, and sincerity (ikhlāṣ) is the perfection of faith, for through sincerity the servant reaches true affirmation (taṣdīq). Furthermore,through true affirmation he attains realisation (taḥqīq), and through realisation he reaches God (al-Ḥaqq). Sincerity is the fruit of certainty, for certainty is witnessing (mushāhada) in the innermostsecret (sirr). Moreover, whoever does not experience witnessing in [his] innermost secret in the presence of his Lord ⸢and does not behold Him⸣, has not made his actions sincere. But God knows best.Sahl was asked about His words:
قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَنْزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
📘 Say: �O God! Master of the Kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will�That is, the [kingdom (mulk) of] gnosis, the profession of divine oneness (tawḥīd), the codes of law of Your religion of Islam, and a praiseworthy end. [All] this [depends on] God�s taking care of the servant, and not relinquishing him to [reliance on] himself.His words:
لَا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَنْ تَتَّقُوا مِنْهُمْ تُقَاةً ۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ ۗ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ
📘 �God warns you to beware of Him�He said:That is, [beware of] His justice (ʿadl), because the Fire is His justice for the one that disobeys Him, and the Garden is His favour (faḍl) to the one who obeys Him. Have you not taken note of the words of the Prophet �O You, whose bounty alone is hoped for, and whose justice alone is feared!�?His words:
إِذْ قَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ عِمْرَانَ رَبِّ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِي بَطْنِي مُحَرَّرًا فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
📘 When the wife of ʿImrān said: �O Lord, I have consecrated what is in my womb solely to You�� That is, I have freed [what is in my womb], and emancipated it from enslavement to the world, from following its whim[s] and the desires (murādāt) of its lower self. I have committed it as a servant of the worshippers at the Temple of Jerusalem, and have dedicated it purely to God, Exalted is He.His words:
فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ وَأَنْبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا وَكَفَّلَهَا زَكَرِيَّا ۖ كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا الْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ عِنْدَهَا رِزْقًا ۖ قَالَ يَا مَرْيَمُ أَنَّىٰ لَكِ هَٰذَا ۖ قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْزُقُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
📘 Her Lord accepted her [the infant Mary] graciously�That is, ⸢with [His] good pleasure (riḍā).⸣ And he said:The Highest King took her into His special care, away from the shackles of the lower self and the world. And He made her grow in goodness, through righteous action, accompanied by the remembrance of God, Exalted is He, while all her bodily members were [engaged] in the service of God, and her heart was full of the knowledge of Him, Mighty and Majestic is He.
مِنْ قَبْلُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَأَنْزَلَ الْفُرْقَانَ ۗ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انْتِقَامٍ
📘 �and He revealed the criterion�That is, the Qurʾān, wherein is the way out of all doubt and error.
يَا مَرْيَمُ اقْنُتِي لِرَبِّكِ وَاسْجُدِي وَارْكَعِي مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ
📘 O Mary, be obedient to Your Lord�That is, �Pray to God and worship Him alone with sincerity. Bow in submission before Him, in supplication and humble entreaty.�His words:
قَالَتْ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ ۖ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ اللَّهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ
📘 ��Even so. God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it only: �Be� and it is.� He [Sahl] said:When there is something in His pre-eternal knowledge that He wishes to bring to light, He says to it �Be� and it is. It has been said [in these lines of poetry]:He decreed, before creating the creation, all that He would create: Created beings, none of whose affairs are hidden from Him, [nor]Their desires, [nor their] intimate secrets, [nor] that which their hearts enclose. And [He decreed] what was [in] their minds prior to their desire.His words:
فَمَنْ حَاجَّكَ فِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمْ وَأَنْفُسَنَا وَأَنْفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَلْ لَعْنَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْكَاذِبِينَ
📘 �then let us humbly pray (nabtahil)That is, �Let us invoke [God�s] curse, one upon the other.� The one who beseeches (mubtahil) is the supplicant (dāʿī), and the [act of] beseeching (ibtihāl) is supplication (duʿāʾ). The one who glorifies (musabbiḥ) is the one who remembers (dhākir), and this is not written down by the recording angels, for it is a witnessing of the One remembered in a remembrance that is through the One remembered. This is the meaning of His saying, �I keep company with the one who remembers Me, and when and wherever My servant seeks me out he will find Me.� His words:
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْا إِلَىٰ كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلَّا نَعْبُدَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ وَلَا نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ ۚ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَقُولُوا اشْهَدُوا بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ
📘 Say: �O People of the Scripture! Come to a word agreed upon (kalimatin sawāʾin) between us and you: that we worship none but God��That is, �[Let us] seek a just [agreement] (ṭamʿin ʿadlin) between us and you.� This is because they affirmed that their Creator and the Creator of the heavens and the earth was God, Exalted is He, and [agreed]: �Let us declare His oneness and not worship anyone except Him.�The basis of worship is the profession of God�s oneness (tawḥīd) along with living according to what is lawful, while avoiding the harm [of others] (kaff al-adhā). Furthermore, a person cannotaccomplish living by what is lawful without abandoning the harm of others, and likewise he does not abandon causing harm save through living by what is lawful. If you know how to abide by what is lawful, how to abandon causing harm, and the [correct] intention (nīya) behind actions, as well as you know the Fātiḥa [Sūrat al-Fātiḥa], then your faith will become pure, as will your hearts and bodily members. Indeed, these are the fundamentals.He continued:Muḥammad b. Sawwār related from al-Thawrī that he said, �The degree of importance within the servant of [the reality] of �There is no god save God� is as water to the world. God has said, And We produced from water every living thing [21:30].� Thus, whoever is not benefited by his belief that �There is no god save God� and his adherence to the Sunna of the Messenger of God , is as a dead person.Sahl added:Truly I know a man among the friends of God, Exalted is He, who passed by a man who had been crucified (maṣlūb) with his head fixed in a direction away from the qibla. He said to him, �Where is that tongue with which you used to pronounce with all honesty: �There is no god save God?�� Then he added, �Oh God grant me his sins!�Through God�s Power [his head] was then turned towards the qibla.His words:
هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ ۖ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ۗ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ
📘 �As for those in whose hearts is deviation, they follow the allegorical part, desiring sedition�That is, disbelief; �and desiring its interpretation, refers to its interpretation according to the desire of their lower selves. �But no one knows its interpretation except God.Ibn ʿAbbās y said:God sent down the Qurʾān according to four ways of reading (aḥruf): the lawful (ḥalāl) and the unlawful (ḥarām), ignorance of which nobody is excused; the interpretation (tafsīr) according to which the Arabs have interpreted it; the interpretation according to which scholars (ʿulamāʾ) have interpreted it; and the ambiguous (mutashābih), which none but God, Exalted is He, knows, and whoever claims knowledge of it other than God, Mighty and Majestic is He, is lying. His words:�And those who are firmly rooted in knowledge (rāsikhūna fī�l-ʿilm)�[Sahl] said:It was reported from ʿAlī that he stated, �[Those rooted in knowledge] are the ones whom knowledge has protected from plunging [into the interpretation of the Qurʾān] according to some whim (hawā) or with set arguments (ḥujaj maḍrūba) without [awareness of] the unseen [mysteries] (ghuyūb).� [This is] due to God�s guidance of them, and His disclosing to them His unseen secrets from within the treasure chests of knowledge. Thus they said, We believe in the Book; all of it is from our Lord [3:7]. So God, Exalted is He, acknowledged them [in this verse], and made them among the people of profound and far-reaching knowledge, as an increase granted to them from Him. Just as God has said, Exalted is He, But say: �O my Lord! Advance me in knowledge [20:114]�.Sahl also said:God, Blessed and Exalted is He, showed those who are firmly rooted in knowledge to be exceptionalbecause of their saying all of it is from our Lord [3:7], by which they mean, the abrogating and the abrogated, the clear and the ambiguous. They are the ones who reveal three [ways of] knowing (ʿulūm), since those who know (ʿulamāʾ) may be [designated in] three [ways], namely: those [whose knowledge derives from] the divine lordliness (rabbāniyyūn), those [whose knowledge derives from] the divine light (nurāniyyūn); and those [whose knowledge derives from] the divine essence� (dhātiyyūn). [Those firmly rooted in knowledge reveal] in addition four [other kinds] of knowledge: revelation (waḥy), theophany (tajallī), knowledge directly bestowed by God (ʿindī) and knowledge from the divine presence (ladunnī), just as God has said, to whom We had given mercy from Us and We had taught him knowledge from Us [18:65], [and when He said], Yet none remembers but the people of inner substance [2:269], that is, none reflects save the people of understanding (fahm) and intellect (ʿuqūl), who say:
وَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ آمِنُوا بِالَّذِي أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَجْهَ النَّهَارِ وَاكْفُرُوا آخِرَهُ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
📘 �at the outset (wajh) of the day�That is, at the beginning (awwal) of the day.His words:
وَلَا تُؤْمِنُوا إِلَّا لِمَنْ تَبِعَ دِينَكُمْ قُلْ إِنَّ الْهُدَىٰ هُدَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُؤْتَىٰ أَحَدٌ مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيتُمْ أَوْ يُحَاجُّوكُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمْ ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
📘 And He is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.This means, He gives in abundance (kathīr al-ʿiṭāʾ). He is able, through His pre-eternal omnipotence (qudra), to give all that He is asked for. Furthermore He encompasses everything, as He has said [in the words of Abraham]: �My Lord encompasses everything in His knowledge [6:80]�.He [Sahl] was asked about His words:
مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُ اللَّهُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحُكْمَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ ثُمَّ يَقُولَ لِلنَّاسِ كُونُوا عِبَادًا لِي مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلَٰكِنْ كُونُوا رَبَّانِيِّينَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تُعَلِّمُونَ الْكِتَابَ وَبِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَدْرُسُونَ
📘 �Rather [he should say], �Be masters (rabbāniyyūn) by virtue of what you know of the Book and in what you study, He related:Muḥammad b. Sawwār said, �The person [whose knowledge derives from the] divine lordliness (rabbānī) is the one who does not choose anyone over his Lord, and it [the name] is derived from the word rubūbiyya�. Sahl continued:People whose knowledge derives from the divine lordliness (rabbāniyūn) are those who are elevated in the degree of [their] knowledge by virtue of [that] knowledge, just as Muḥammad b. Ḥanafiyya said on the death of ʿAbd Allāh Ibn ʿAbbās y, �Indeed, today one whose knowledge derived from the divine lordliness (rabbānī) in this community (umma) has died. Furthermore, he [the rabbānī] is associated with the Lord (rabb) because he is knowledgeable through His knowledge, just as He said, She asked, �Who told you this?� He said, �I was told by the All-Knowing, the Aware� [66:3]. He [the Prophet] related it to prophethood (nubuwwa), because of that which God had taught him, Mighty and Majestic is He. Thus, anyone who informs you of something which conforms to the Book and the Sunna, is �an informant� (munbiʾ). Those possessed of knowledge are of three kinds: there is the one whose knowledge derives from the divine lordliness (rabbānī), the one whose knowledge derives from the divine light (nūrānī), and the one whose knowledge derives from the divine essence (dhātī), [who has] no intermediary between him and God most High; within him is a �subsisting� (baqiyya) of God, Mighty and Majestic is He. [On the other hand], ʿUmar b. Wāṣil said: those whose knowledge derives from the divine lordliness (rabbāniyyūn) are the collectivity of scholars. This resembles a saying of ʿAlī , �People are of three kinds: the knower whose knowledge derives from the divine lordliness (ʿālim rabbānī), the person acquiring knowledge (mutaʿallim) on the path to salvation, and the commoners and riff-raff, who follow every charlatan. His words:
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ
📘 Our Lord, do not cause our hearts to deviate after You have guided us�That is, �Do not let our hearts turn away from faith after You have guided us with guidance from Yourself�; �But grant us mercy from You, ⸢that is, stability (thabāt)⸣ �You are the One who bestows, upon those who return to You in a state of neediness, entreaty and lowliness.Then Sahl said:The only stratagem (ḥīla) that the servant has is to establish the practice throughout his life of saying, �My Lord! Protect me! Protect me! Keep me safe! Keep me safe! Help me! Help me!� God, Exalted is He, has said, As He brought you into being, so shall you return [7:29].Every person who affirms God�s oneness should know for a certainty that not everyone who loves God (Ḥaqq) is loved by Him, for Iblīs encountered Him with the ⸢outward sign⸣ of love and said, �Shall I prostrate before one whom You have created from clay [17:61], when You are God, and it is not permissible to worship other than You?� Consequently God cursed him. Therefore, not all those who try to draw close to God are accepted by Him. Nor does God accept the obedience (ṭāʿa) of all who obey Him. Truly He perceives what is in the conscience (ḍamīr) [of all His creatures]. Thus, no one can feel secure that God will not deal with him in the same way that He dealt with Iblīs. God cursed him with the lights of His protection (bi-anwār ʿiṣmatihi) such that he was always in reality under His curse, but God veiled him from what had been foreordained [for him] from Him, up until the time when He punished him by bringing it to realisation through him. Thus, the servant can do nothing except continually [implore] help (ghawth) from God. Indeed the Messenger said, �O You who make the steadfast firm, make me firm with Your firmness (thabāt)! O You whose oneness is unchanging, for there is no god except You, Glorified are You! Truly I have been among the wrongdoers.� He wouldalso say: �O Lord and Protector (walī) of Islam and its people, make me firm in Islam until I encounter You!� [Sahl] said [on this matter], �The place of faith in God, Exalted is He, is the heart and the place of Islam is the breast, and it is subject to increase and decrease.� His words:
وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
📘 If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him�He [Sahl] said:Islam means the committing of one�s affairs [to God] (tafwīḍ) as in His words: Do not die except as Muslims [3:102], by which He means �as ones who have committed their affairs [to Him].� The same is implied by His words: The Religion before God is Islam [3:19].He was asked about His words:
لَنْ تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنْفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ ۚ وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ
📘 You will not attain mindfulness of God until you expend of that which you love...That is, he said:It means, �You will not attain full mindfulness of God until you go to war with your lower selves and expend some of what you love.� Furthermore, there is no spending (infāq) like consuming (infāq) the lower self by opposing it, and by seeking the good pleasure of God, Mighty and Majestic is He.Then he related a story of Jesus :Once he passed by three people whose bodies were emaciated and faces pale. He asked them, �What has brought you to this state I see you in?� They said, �The fear (khawf) of our Creator and wariness (ḥadhr) of punishment for our disobedience.� He responded, �God made it incumbent upon Himself to grant safety to the one who fears [Him].� Then he moved on until he came to three other people who were even more emaciated. He asked them, �What has brought you to this state I see you in?� They answered, �The yearning (shawq) for our Lord.� He replied, �God made it incumbent upon Himself to grant you what you wish for.� Then he moved on until he came to three people who were even more emaciated, whose faces were like full moons. He asked, �What has brought you to this state I see you in?� They replied: �Love (ḥubb).� He said, �You are the people of proximity [with God] (muqarrabūn)�, and he said it thrice. Thus, whoever loves God, Exalted is He, is one of the people of proximity [with God], for if anyone loves something they hasten towards it.So the first level is the rank of the repentant (tawwābūn); the second is that of the people of longing (mushtāqūn), and then the servant reaches the third rank which is that of love. Do you not see how they gave their all for the sake of the One who possesses all, turned their backs on all, and faced the direction of the One who possesses all?[Concerning] His words:
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِلْعَالَمِينَ
📘 The first House established for the people was that at Bakka, a blessed place�[He said]:That is, �The first house which was set down for men was the House of God, Mighty and Majestic is He, in Mecca.� This is the outward meaning [of the verse]. However inwardly it implies the Messenger. The one who believes in him [the Messenger] is the one in whose heart God has made firm the profession of His oneness (tawḥīd). His words:
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