Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi — Qaf 50:1 – Al-Insan 76:8

Qāf! By the splendorous Qur'an! Ibn ʿAṬāÌ said, “God swears an oath by the strength [quwwa] of the heart of His beloved, MuḤammad, inasmuch as he carried the discourse that left no trace in him, because of the elevation of his state.” When someone has a dear friend, in every state he seeks his approval. He always looks at him, he whispers his secrets to him, and he swears his oaths by his spirit and secret core. He speaks of him much, and he watches out for him at home and while traveling, in sleep and in wakefulness. He considers whatever he does beautiful, and he never holds back talk and “Peace!” from him. The generous Lord, the ever-merciful king, showered the realities of these meanings on His beloved, the Seal of the Prophets, so that the world's folk would know that in the Exalted Threshold, no one has the rank, level, and distinction held by that paragon. The engendered beings and existent things are all for his sake, and His love for all is love for him. Your creation and your upraising are as but one soul [31:28]. It has been said that this means, “for one soul,” and what is meant by this soul is MuṣṬafā's essence. In all states, He sought his approval, as He says, “And in the hours of the night glorify, and at the ends of the day, that perhaps thou mayest approve” [20:130]. He sought his approval in the kiblah: “Now We shall turn thee to- ward a kiblah that thou shalt approve” [2:144]. He sought his approval in intercession for the com- munity: “Thy Lord shall bestow upon thee so that thou shalt approve” [93:5]. He swore by his life: 'By thy life' [15:72]. He swore by the strength of his heart: “Qāf! By the splendorous Qur'an!” He swore by the limpidness of his love: “Sād! By the Qur'an possessing the remembrance!” [38:1]. He swore by the place of his feet: “Nay, I swear by this land!” [90:1]. He swore by his face and hair: “By the bright morning! And by the night when still!” [93:1-2]. He never veiled him from His gaze: Surely thou art in Our eyes [52:48]. Who sees thee when thou standest [26:218]. In sleep and wakefulness He kept him protected: And God will protect thee from the people [5:67].

When the two receivers receive, sitting on the right and on the left. It is reported that the two angels entrusted with the servant sit like the servant. The one on the right writes his beautiful deeds, and the one on the left writes his ugly deeds. When the servant sleeps, one stands above his pillow, while the other watches over him from his feet. When the servant walks, one goes before him and ones goes behind, both of them protecting him from blights. It has also been said that the angel of beautiful deeds is changed every day and night, another angel being sent. The wisdom in this is that tomorrow he will have many witnesses for his acts of obedience and beautiful deeds. But the angel of ugly deeds is not changed, so only that angel will know his defects. The equivalent of this in the Qur'an is found in the verse, “O My servants who have been immoderate against yourselves” [39:53]. In saying “who have been immoderate” God sums ev- erything up, keeping the lid on and without going into detail. He says: O Gabriel, you deliver the revelation, for they have been immoderate, but know not in detail what they have done. O MuḤammad, you recite the revelation, for they have been immoderate, but know not what they have done. Generous Lord, merciful King! He did not want Gabriel to know the sins of the ser-vants and the Messenger to recite their acts of disobedience. How could He then allow Satan to drive the servant away from His threshold?

Not a word he utters, but by him is an observer ready. The angel on the right is the angel of bounty, the angel on the left the angel of justice. Just as bounty rules over justice, so also the right-hand angel rules over the left-hand angel. O angel on the right! You be the commander. Write down ten beautiful deeds for every beautiful deed he performs. O angel on the left! You be the follower. Write down nothing except what the angel on the right tells you to write. When the servant commits an act of disobedience, the angel on the right says, “Wait seven days before you write it down. Perhaps he will offer an excuse and repent.” What is all this? It is the result of one decree that God issued in the Beginningless: “My mercy precedes My wrath.” Listen to something even more wonderful: When the servant is disobedient, the command comes, “Pull down the curtain of his faith so that his faith may conceal and overpower his offense and sin.” So many offenses and acts of disobedience come together that they say, “O God, there is much offense, and the curtain of faith does not conceal it.” He says, “If the curtain of his faith does not conceal it, then pull down the curtain of My gen- erosity so that it will be concealed.”

And the agony of death comes with the rightful due. Know, O chevalier, that from the era of Adam until the annihilation of the world, no one is released from death. You also will not escape. “Death is a cup, and everyone will drink it.” How will the passing days that were not loyal to Adam be loyal to you? How will the lifespan that ended for Noah keep you in subsistence? How will the moment of death that attacked Abra- ham let you get away? How will the death that ambushed Solomon be lenient toward you? How will the entrusted angel who demanded MuḤammad's spirit treat you kindly? If you bring to hand the lifespan of Noah, the wealth of Korah, the kingdom of Solomon, and the wisdom of Luqmān, they will be useless at the door of death and will show you no favor. A little less than 7000 years have passed since the Adamites began this journey. They come from the loins to the wombs, and they go from the wombs to the face of the earth, and from the face of the earth to its stomach. The whole world is a graveyard. Beneath it is all remorse, above it all remorse. Lift up your head and ask heaven: “How many dear ones do you have in your stomach?” Ask the lofty palace about its inhabitant whom it saved from the hard and soft of life. He established his kingdom and enslaved the people, then death's messenger threw him on his face. O fooled by wishes! O heedless of the moment of death! O prisoner of greed! O servant of need! How long will you grieve for summer in winter and grieve for winter in summer? You do not think about the work that will come about inescapably and you do not gather the supplies for the road that in verified truth will be walked. You arrange the work of this world and do not provide for death. You poor wretch, your death is right behind you. Remember it! Your home is the grave. Make it flourish! Today you are asleep-wait till you wake up. Today you are drunk-wait till you are sober. You gather the chaff of this world and keep back from what deserves to be done.

Surely in that is a reminder for him who has a heart. If you rub your face in the dust a hundred times and traverse the world on your forehead, so long as your obedience is not the bosom friend of the true center point called the “heart,” all will be inscribed with nothingness. A report has come, “The meditation of an hour is better than the wor- ship of jinn and men.” When the servant comes to the Threshold and begins secret whispering while the heart is still captive to this world's preoccupations, abandonment will be inscribed on that obedience and it will be thrown back in his face. It has been said, “When someone's heart is not present in his prayer, his prayer is not accepted.” When a heart is delivered from the shackles of servanthood to others, that heart is one for the Real. It does not have the color of eye-service toward the people, nor the dust of seeking reputation. Nonetheless, it is in the ship of peril, for the Master of the Shariah has made this allusion: “The sincerely truthful are in great peril.” The purer someone becomes, the closer he is to the Real. The closer he is to the Real, the more he trembles. The proximate angels of the Presence, the attendants of the Threshold of the Self-Sufficient, and the pure ones of the Empire are always in fear, for He says, “And they are ap- prehensive in fear of Him [21:28]. The only ones of His servants who are frightened of God are the knowers [35:28].” MuṣṬafā said, “I hope that the most truthful of you toward God's prophet will be the most fearful of you toward God.” The near ones are bewildered for they know the Sultan's harshness. The vizier is always quivering in his watchfulness toward the sultan, but the stableman has no fear, for the vizier's breast is the storehouse of the sultan's secrets, and breaking the seal of the storehouse is full of peril. Ḥudhayfa Yamān was the possessor of the Messenger's secret. He said, “One day I saw Satan weeping. I said, 'O accursed one! What is this wailing and weeping of yours?' “He said, 'It is because of two things. One is that the Threshold has opened me up to cursing, and the other is that He has shut me off from the hearts of the faithful.

(And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six Days, and naught of weariness touched Us) [50:38]. Al-Hasan and Qatadah said: �The Jews said: �Allah created the creation in six days and rested on the seventh, Saturday�, which they call the Sabbath, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tamimi informed us> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja�far al-Hafiz> Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan> Hannad ibn al-Sari> Abu Bakr ibn �Ayyash> Abu Sa�d al-Baqqal> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who said: �The Jews came to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and asked him about the creation of the heavens and earth. He said to them: �Allah created the earth on Sunday and Monday; He created the mountains [and what they contain of benefits] on Tuesday; He created the trees and water on Wednesday; He created heaven on Thursday; on Friday, He created the stars, sun and moon�. �And what after that, O Muhammad?� the Jews asked. He said: �Then, He established Himself on the Throne�. They said: �You would have answered correctly, if you added: and then He rested�. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was furious. This verse was then revealed (And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six Days, and naught of weariness touched Us. Therefor (O Muhammad) bear with what they say) [50:38-39]�.

By the scatterers scattering. This is an allusion to the dawn winds that carry the moaning of the yearners to the courtyards of exaltedness, then bring the breeze of proximity to the nostrils of the secret cores of the folk of love, letting them find ease from the overpowering force of rapture. I will let the winds guide me to your breeze when their blowing comes from your direction. I will ask them to carry my greetings to you. If they arrive one day, respond to me! When the announcers of the good news of dawn appear, the army of brightness breaks out of its ambush, and the east wind begins to blow love into the world's air, then a dawn wind is sent into the road like a messenger from the Gardens of Eden in order to convey the divine inbreathings to the nostrils of the secret cores of the friends. Exalted is the hour and great the moment when, on the carpet of We are nearer [50:16] in the seclusion of He is with you [57:4], He conveys the wine of “I am the sitting companion of him who remembers Me” to His friends, secret to secret, without the intrusion of others! In the attribute of clemency the caller of exaltedness calls out in the world of being so as to caress the poor: “Who will lend to one who is neither lacking nor wrongdoing?” What wonder if at that moment He says in the heart of the servant, “My servant, fear not, thou art among the secure” [28:31].

Of everything We created a pair. In this verse there is an affirmation of the Lord's solitariness and unity. When God creates newly arrived things and engendered beings, He creates them as pairs, whether linked to each other or opposed to each other. For example: male and female, day and night, light and darkness, heaven and earth, land and sea, sun and moon, jinn and mankind, obedience and disobedience, felicity and wretchedness, guidance and misguidance, exaltation and abasement, power and incapacity, strength and weakness, knowledge and ignorance, life and death. He created the attributes of the creatures in this manner-paired with each other or opposed to each other-so that they would not resemble the attributes of the Creator. Thus His unity and solitariness would become manifest to them, for His exaltation has no abasement, His power no incapacity, His strength no weakness, His knowledge no ignorance, His life no death, His joy no sorrow, His subsistence no annihilation. The uniquely one God is one in Essence and attributes, unique in worthiness. He is incompa- rable with everyone and separate from everything. Nothing is as His likeness [42:11]. No one is like Him and nothing is similar to or resembles Him. Resemblance derives from partnership, and God has no associate or partner. He is without equal and without need. The door of His withholding is shut and the door of His munificence open. He forgives sins and caresses the faulty. He makes His love apparent by caressing servants. He loves His servants, though He has no needs. He brings about love between Himself and the servants without associa- tion or partnership. Thus the servants, no matter what their states-whether wounded by the ar- row of trial or drowned in gentleness and bestowal-should seize hold of His generosity and seek shelter in Him, fleeing to Him from the creatures. This is why He issues the command, “So flee to God!” [51:50].

And an inscribed book. In the tongue of allusion and according to the tasting of the Folk of the Haqiqah, the inscribed book is what He wrote against Himself in the Beginningless Covenant: “My mercy takes precedence over My wrath.” May a thousand dear spirits be sacrificed to that heart-caressing moment when He gave us a place of seclusion without us and opened for us the door of His infinite acts of gentleness! With beginningless solicitude and precedent, endless gentleness He was saying to us, “My mercy takes precedence over My wrath.” O chevalier! Give thanks to the God who, before you asked, gave you something that you would not have reached even if He had left you with yourself and you had thought for a thousand thousand years under your own control. He called you when you were heedless, He taught you when you were ignorant, He created you when you were not a thing remembered [76:1], and He will pour for you from the cup of His kindness in the sitting place of His secret a pure wine [76:21]. All of these are the traces of the precedence of mercy of which He spoke: “My mercy takes precedence over My wrath.” The Pir of the Tariqah said, “O God, You planted the seed of guidance with beginningless solicitude, You watered it with the messages of the prophets, You made it grow with help and success-giving, and You nurtured it with Your own gaze. Now it will be fitting if You do not let the wind of justice blow, if You do not stir up the poisons of severity, and if You help with endless kind favor what You planted with beginningless solicitude.”

By the Inhabited House. The Inhabited House is an allusion to the hearts of the recognizers, inhabited with recognition and love. This is an allusion to the hearts of recognizers that are inhabited with recognition and love of God, hearts that live through His gaze and are happy with His gentleness. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “There are three things within which lie the servant's felicity and through which servanthood's face is bright: the tongue's occupation with remembering the Real, the heart's immersion in loving the Real, and the secret core's filling with the gaze of the Real. First comes the gaze from the Real, thus adorning the heart with love and keeping the tongue in remembrance.” The Pir of the Tariqah said, “O God, Your remembrance is my religion, Your love is my way, and Your gaze is the eye of certainty. This is my last word. O Gentle One, You know that this is so.” A great man said, “A tongue that is busy with His remembrance, a heart that is inhabited by His love, a spirit that is joyful with His gaze-in reality, this is the Inhabited House.” This state has three marks in which is the perfection of servanthood: plentiful deeds, being concealed from the people, and a heart always hurrying to the time of devotion.

The day they are driven with a driving to the fire of hell. This verse demands fear.

Surely the godwary will be in gardens and bliss, rejoicing in what their Lord has given them. These verses demand hope. The Lord of the worlds has them follow one after another so that the servant will constantly travel between hope and fear. Hope and fear are each other's mates. When they come together, the beauty of faith's realities shows its face. Any traveling that is empty of these two meanings will result either in security or in despair, and these two are attributes of the unbelievers. This is because one feels secure from the incapable, and to believe that God is incapable is unbelief. One despairs of the base, and to believe that there is baseness in God is associationism. Also, one must not simply fear punishment, nor must one simply hope and wait for mercy. This will become clear to you with an example: When a lamp has no oil, it gives no light. When it has oil but no fire, it gives no illumination. When there are oil and fire but no wick to sacrifice its being, it is not complete. Thus fear is like fire, hope like oil, faith like a wick, and the heart like a lamp-holder. If there is only fear, this is like a lamp that has no oil. If there is only hope, this is like a lamp that has oil but no fire. When fear and hope come together, the result is a lamp that has both the oil to aid subsistence and the fire to give the material of illumination. Thus faith takes help from both, one for subsistence and one for illumination. The person of faith travels on the road with the escort of illumination and walks with the escort of subsistence.

Surely the godwary will be in gardens and bliss, rejoicing in what their Lord has given them. These verses demand hope. The Lord of the worlds has them follow one after another so that the servant will constantly travel between hope and fear. Hope and fear are each other's mates. When they come together, the beauty of faith's realities shows its face. Any traveling that is empty of these two meanings will result either in security or in despair, and these two are attributes of the unbelievers. This is because one feels secure from the incapable, and to believe that God is incapable is unbelief. One despairs of the base, and to believe that there is baseness in God is associationism. Also, one must not simply fear punishment, nor must one simply hope and wait for mercy. This will become clear to you with an example: When a lamp has no oil, it gives no light. When it has oil but no fire, it gives no illumination. When there are oil and fire but no wick to sacrifice its being, it is not complete. Thus fear is like fire, hope like oil, faith like a wick, and the heart like a lamp-holder. If there is only fear, this is like a lamp that has no oil. If there is only hope, this is like a lamp that has oil but no fire. When fear and hope come together, the result is a lamp that has both the oil to aid subsistence and the fire to give the material of illumination. Thus faith takes help from both, one for subsistence and one for illumination. The person of faith travels on the road with the escort of illumination and walks with the escort of subsistence.

By the star when it fell. Know that in this surah the Real reported about the miʿrāj of that paragon of the world and master of the children of Adam, his journey to heaven, and his return from contemplation and face-to-face vision. Thus by knowing this story his community may give repose to their spirits and increase the light and joy of their hearts. At the beginning of the Surah of Banī IsrāÌīl He mentions the story of his going and, to show its greatness, put His own incomparability before it: “Glory to be Him who took His servant by night” [17:1]. In this surah He explains his return from the Presence and, to declare its eminence, swears by his person: “By the star when it fell! By that bright star, by that full moon, by that lit lamp, when he returned from the presence of face-to-face vision!” His person saw the station of proximity, his heart found the repose of contemplation, his secret core reached the good fortune of union, and he listened to the secrets in the secluded cell of Or closer [53:9] on the carpet of expansiveness. Know that the Master's going to that way station is not strange, but his resting in this way station is wondrous, for the people of the world are in the darkness of distance, but he was in the light of nearness and proximity. When that paragon left Gabriel in his known station [37:164] and passed on, he entrusted the luminous secrets of his outwardness and inwardness to the attraction of the Presence. He dove into the sea of light and the ocean of tremendousness and he traversed the canopy of eminence with the feet of aspiration. Just as a magnet attracts iron to itself, so the spires of the Splendorous Throne attracted that paragon to itself. From the Splendorous Throne he aimed for the presence of two-bows' length [53:9], and in the station of two-bows' length he made himself a resting place on the seat of beauty in the description of perfection while contemplating majesty. The exalted revelation explains these intimations in these words:

Then He drew close, so He came down until he was two-bows' length away, or closer. Among all the creatures in the World of the Realities, none was greater than MuḤammad MuṣṬafā. The root desire of the divine decree in accordance with the beginningless knowledge was to bring about the state of that paragon and make manifest his majesty. The first substance that received a robe from the command Be! and upon which shone the sun of the Real's gentleness was his pure spirit. There was still no Throne or Carpet, no nighttime intrusion or daytime mercy, when God's artisanry brought his spirit from the repository of begin- ningless knowledge to the lodging place of endless splendor. He put it on display in the meadow of approval and the station of contemplation. Whatever came into existence afterwards rode on the coattails of his spirit's existence. Whatever people imagine of familiarity, nearness, clemency, mercy, leadership, and felicity, He sprinkled over his spirit's essence and attributes. Then He placed it inside the frame of Adam the Chosen and made it pass over the degrees of variegation and the trails of stability. Then He sat it down in the seat of messengerhood, commanding it to call the people to the presence of the religion, to bring the lost back to the road, and to invite the travelers to the Threshold. You might say that this paragon was a falcon trained on the hand of bounty, nurtured on the carpet of proximity and nearness, and brought forth from the togetherness of contemplation to the dispersion of invitation so that he could hunt a world and place everyone before the gentleness and severity of the Real. Today he makes everyone his prey with the Shariah, and tomorrow, in the station of intercession, he will entrust them all to the Real. When that paragon stepped into the playing field of invitation and when the exalted ones of the Presence responded, the vanguard of trial showed its face from every corner. From the heaven of creativity the rain of tribulation began to fall. The Eternal Qur'an reports the story of their grief as follows: “We will indeed try you with something of fear and hunger” [2:155]. “You will surely be tried in your possessions and your selves and you will hear much hurt from those who were given the Book before you and from the associaters” [3:186].

Then He drew close, so He came down until he was two-bows' length away, or closer. Among all the creatures in the World of the Realities, none was greater than MuḤammad MuṣṬafā. The root desire of the divine decree in accordance with the beginningless knowledge was to bring about the state of that paragon and make manifest his majesty. The first substance that received a robe from the command Be! and upon which shone the sun of the Real's gentleness was his pure spirit. There was still no Throne or Carpet, no nighttime intrusion or daytime mercy, when God's artisanry brought his spirit from the repository of begin- ningless knowledge to the lodging place of endless splendor. He put it on display in the meadow of approval and the station of contemplation. Whatever came into existence afterwards rode on the coattails of his spirit's existence. Whatever people imagine of familiarity, nearness, clemency, mercy, leadership, and felicity, He sprinkled over his spirit's essence and attributes. Then He placed it inside the frame of Adam the Chosen and made it pass over the degrees of variegation and the trails of stability. Then He sat it down in the seat of messengerhood, commanding it to call the people to the presence of the religion, to bring the lost back to the road, and to invite the travelers to the Threshold. You might say that this paragon was a falcon trained on the hand of bounty, nurtured on the carpet of proximity and nearness, and brought forth from the togetherness of contemplation to the dispersion of invitation so that he could hunt a world and place everyone before the gentleness and severity of the Real. Today he makes everyone his prey with the Shariah, and tomorrow, in the station of intercession, he will entrust them all to the Real. When that paragon stepped into the playing field of invitation and when the exalted ones of the Presence responded, the vanguard of trial showed its face from every corner. From the heaven of creativity the rain of tribulation began to fall. The Eternal Qur'an reports the story of their grief as follows: “We will indeed try you with something of fear and hunger” [2:155]. “You will surely be tried in your possessions and your selves and you will hear much hurt from those who were given the Book before you and from the associaters” [3:186].

He revealed to His servant what He revealed. Even though He said these words with the lid on and left them obscure so as to declare the great- ness of that state and the magnificence of MuṣṬafā's measure, it has been mentioned in some books that a group of the Companions asked MuṣṬafā what this revelation was. MuṣṬafā explained as much as their capacity was able to bear. He said that the Lord of the Worlds complained about his community, saying, “O MuḤammad, in holding to the covenant, I who am the Lord did not create any of the depths of hell for your community. But they, in breaking the covenant, are trying to throw themselves into hell. O MuḤammad, I am the Exalter and the Abaser. He is exalted whom I exalt, and He is abased whom I abase. They are seeking exaltation from elsewhere and they see abasement com- ing from elsewhere. O MuḤammad, I do not ask them today for tomorrow's deeds, but today they seek from Me tomorrow's provision. O MuḤammad, the provision that I have put in their name I will not give to another, but they give the deeds that are My rightful due and fitting for Me to others through eye-service. O MuḤammad, the blessings come from Me and they show gratitude to others. O MuḤammad, nonetheless, I am seeking for pretexts to forgive your community. O MuḤammad, were it not that I love to rebuke them and talk with them, I would not call them to account for anything. O MuḤammad, I did four things with previous communities that I will not do with your community: I took a people into the earth, I changed a people's form, I rained down stones on a people, and I destroyed a people with the flames of fire. Because of your eminence and rank, I will not do any of these with your community. O MuḤammad, I secluded you with Me to show the people who you are and to show you who I am.” When God's Messenger saw all this honoring and exalting from the Exalted Threshold, he said, “Lord God, bestow all of my community on me!” The command came, “O MuḤammad, tonight you came alone. As a favor for your coming to this feast, I bestow upon you a third of that. Tomorrow at the resurrection in the Greatest Gather- ing, I will bestow the rest on you. Then the world's folk will know your level and rank with Me.” And God is the success-giver and helper!

(� He is Best Aware of you (from the time) when He created you from the earth�) [53:32]. Abu Bakr ibn al-Harith informed us> Abu�l-Shaykh al-Hafiz> Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan> Ahmad ibn Sa�d> Ibn Wahb> Abu Lahi�ah> al-Harith ibn Zayd> Thabit ibn al-Harith al-Ansari who said: �The Jews used to say when they lost a young boy: �He is a Tsadoq (Siddiq)�. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, heard of this and commented: �The Jews have lied. No living person that Allah creates in the womb of his mother except that it is either felicitous or damned�. Upon which Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse (� He is Best Aware of you (from the time) when He created you from the earth, and when ye were hidden in the bellies of your mothers�)�.

(Didst thou (O Muhammad) observe him who turned away, And gave a little, then was grudging?) [53:33-34]. Ibn �Abbas, al-Suddi and al-Musayyib ibn Sharik said: �This was revealed about �Uthman ibn �Affan who used to spend his wealth on alms and good causes. His milk brother, �Abd Allah ibn Abi Sarh, said to him: �What is this that you are doing? You have almost nothing left�. �Uthman said: �I have committed sins and mistakes and I seek the pleasure of Allah, glorious and majestic is He, in that which I do; I hope He will pardon me�. �Abd Allah said to him: �Give me your camel with its load and I will bear for you all your sins�. He gave him what he asked for and got people to witness it. He also stopped giving some of the alms he used to give. Allah, glorious and majestic is He, therefore, revealed (Didst thou (O Muhammad) observe him who turned away, And gave a little, then was grudging?) upon which �Uthman returned to what he used to do; he did even better�. Mujahid and Ibn Zayd said: �This was revealed about al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah. The latter had followed the religion of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. But one of the idolaters reviled him for it, saying: �Why did you leave the religion of the elders whom you claimed were in error and are abiding in hellfire?� He said: �I feared Allah�s chastisement�. The man gave him assurances that he will bear in his stead the chastisement of Allah, glorious and majestic is He, in exchange for some of his wealth and on condition that he reverts to his idolatry. Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah gave the man some of what they had agreed but then felt miserly and refused to give him the rest. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed this verse�.

(Didst thou (O Muhammad) observe him who turned away, And gave a little, then was grudging?) [53:33-34]. Ibn �Abbas, al-Suddi and al-Musayyib ibn Sharik said: �This was revealed about �Uthman ibn �Affan who used to spend his wealth on alms and good causes. His milk brother, �Abd Allah ibn Abi Sarh, said to him: �What is this that you are doing? You have almost nothing left�. �Uthman said: �I have committed sins and mistakes and I seek the pleasure of Allah, glorious and majestic is He, in that which I do; I hope He will pardon me�. �Abd Allah said to him: �Give me your camel with its load and I will bear for you all your sins�. He gave him what he asked for and got people to witness it. He also stopped giving some of the alms he used to give. Allah, glorious and majestic is He, therefore, revealed (Didst thou (O Muhammad) observe him who turned away, And gave a little, then was grudging?) upon which �Uthman returned to what he used to do; he did even better�. Mujahid and Ibn Zayd said: �This was revealed about al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah. The latter had followed the religion of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. But one of the idolaters reviled him for it, saying: �Why did you leave the religion of the elders whom you claimed were in error and are abiding in hellfire?� He said: �I feared Allah�s chastisement�. The man gave him assurances that he will bear in his stead the chastisement of Allah, glorious and majestic is He, in exchange for some of his wealth and on condition that he reverts to his idolatry. Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah gave the man some of what they had agreed but then felt miserly and refused to give him the rest. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed this verse�.

(And that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep) [53:43]. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Wa�iz informed us> Abu �Abd Allah al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Thaqafi> �Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl> Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Maqdimi> Dalal bint Abi al-Mudil> al-Sahba�> �A�ishah who said: �One day, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, passed by a group of people who were laughing, so he said: �If you knew what I know, you would cry a lot and laugh very little�. Gabriel, peace be upon him, then came down to him and said: �Allah, exalted is He, says (And that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep)�. So he went back to the group of people and said: �I did not walk even forty steps when Gabriel, peace be upon him, met me and said: Go to those people and say to them that Allah, glorious and majestic is He, says: (And that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep)� �.

(The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain) [54:1]. Abu Hakim �Aqil ibn Muhammad al-Jurjani informed us (through verbal authorisation)> Abu�l-Faraj al-Qadi> Muhammad ibn Jarir> al-Husayn ibn Abi Yahya al-Maqdisi> Yahya ibn Hammad> Abu �Awanah> al-Mughirah> Abu�l-Duha> Masruq> �Abd Allah who said: �The moon was split at the time of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, so the Quraysh said: �This is an act of sorcery from the son of Abu Kabshah; he has cast a spell on you. Ask, therefore, the travellers whether they saw the moon split�. They asked some travellers and they confirmed it. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain. And if they behold a portent they turn away and say: Prolonged illusion) [54:1-2]�.

(Lo! the guilty are in error and madness� Lo! We have created every thing by measure) [54:47-49]. Abu�l-Qasim �Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Sarraj informed us (by dictation)> Abu Muhammad �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Musa al-Ka�bi> Hamdan ibn Salih al-Ashajj> �Abd Allah ibn �Abd al-�Aziz ibn Abi Rawwad> Sufyan al-Thawri> Ziyad ibn Isma�il al-Makhzumi> Muhammad ibn �Abbad ibn Ja�far> Abu Hurayrah who said: �The Quraysh came to dispute the question of Destiny. Allah, exalted is He, therefore revealed (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness� Lo! We have created every thing by measure)�. This was narrated by Muslim from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah> Waki�> Sufyan. By Allah, I bear witness that Abu�l-Harith Muhammad ibn �Abd al-Rahim al-Hafiz informed us in Jurjan; he said: �By Allah, I bear witness that Abu Nu�aym Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Bazzaz informed us; he said: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard �Ali ibn Jandal saying: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard Abu�l-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ubayy in Khurasan say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard �Abd Allah ibn al-Saqr al-Hafiz say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard �Ufayr ibn Ma�dan say: �by Allah, I bear witness that I heard Salim ibn �Amir say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard Abu Umamah al-Bahili say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, say: �This verse was revealed about the deniers of Destiny (al-Qadariyyah): (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness� Lo! We have created every thing by measure). Abu Bakr ibn al-Harith related to us> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Asfahani> Jarir ibn Harun> �Ali al-Tanafisi> �Ubayd Allah ibn Musa> Bahr al-Saqa�> A Shaykh from Quraysh> �Ata� who said: �The bishop of Najran came to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: �O Muhammad, you claim that sins are created by measure and that the seas and heaven are also created by measure. If it is true that the seas and heaven are created by measure, sins nevertheless cannot be�. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �You are Allah�s adversaries!� And then Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness) up to His words (Lo! We have created every thing by measure)�.

(Lo! the guilty are in error and madness� Lo! We have created every thing by measure) [54:47-49]. Abu�l-Qasim �Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Sarraj informed us (by dictation)> Abu Muhammad �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Musa al-Ka�bi> Hamdan ibn Salih al-Ashajj> �Abd Allah ibn �Abd al-�Aziz ibn Abi Rawwad> Sufyan al-Thawri> Ziyad ibn Isma�il al-Makhzumi> Muhammad ibn �Abbad ibn Ja�far> Abu Hurayrah who said: �The Quraysh came to dispute the question of Destiny. Allah, exalted is He, therefore revealed (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness� Lo! We have created every thing by measure)�. This was narrated by Muslim from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah> Waki�> Sufyan. By Allah, I bear witness that Abu�l-Harith Muhammad ibn �Abd al-Rahim al-Hafiz informed us in Jurjan; he said: �By Allah, I bear witness that Abu Nu�aym Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Bazzaz informed us; he said: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard �Ali ibn Jandal saying: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard Abu�l-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ubayy in Khurasan say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard �Abd Allah ibn al-Saqr al-Hafiz say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard �Ufayr ibn Ma�dan say: �by Allah, I bear witness that I heard Salim ibn �Amir say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard Abu Umamah al-Bahili say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, say: �This verse was revealed about the deniers of Destiny (al-Qadariyyah): (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness� Lo! We have created every thing by measure). Abu Bakr ibn al-Harith related to us> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Asfahani> Jarir ibn Harun> �Ali al-Tanafisi> �Ubayd Allah ibn Musa> Bahr al-Saqa�> A Shaykh from Quraysh> �Ata� who said: �The bishop of Najran came to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: �O Muhammad, you claim that sins are created by measure and that the seas and heaven are also created by measure. If it is true that the seas and heaven are created by measure, sins nevertheless cannot be�. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �You are Allah�s adversaries!� And then Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness) up to His words (Lo! We have created every thing by measure)�.

(Lo! the guilty are in error and madness� Lo! We have created every thing by measure) [54:47-49]. Abu�l-Qasim �Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Sarraj informed us (by dictation)> Abu Muhammad �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Musa al-Ka�bi> Hamdan ibn Salih al-Ashajj> �Abd Allah ibn �Abd al-�Aziz ibn Abi Rawwad> Sufyan al-Thawri> Ziyad ibn Isma�il al-Makhzumi> Muhammad ibn �Abbad ibn Ja�far> Abu Hurayrah who said: �The Quraysh came to dispute the question of Destiny. Allah, exalted is He, therefore revealed (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness� Lo! We have created every thing by measure)�. This was narrated by Muslim from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah> Waki�> Sufyan. By Allah, I bear witness that Abu�l-Harith Muhammad ibn �Abd al-Rahim al-Hafiz informed us in Jurjan; he said: �By Allah, I bear witness that Abu Nu�aym Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Bazzaz informed us; he said: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard �Ali ibn Jandal saying: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard Abu�l-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ubayy in Khurasan say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard �Abd Allah ibn al-Saqr al-Hafiz say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard �Ufayr ibn Ma�dan say: �by Allah, I bear witness that I heard Salim ibn �Amir say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard Abu Umamah al-Bahili say: �By Allah, I bear witness that I heard the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, say: �This verse was revealed about the deniers of Destiny (al-Qadariyyah): (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness� Lo! We have created every thing by measure). Abu Bakr ibn al-Harith related to us> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Asfahani> Jarir ibn Harun> �Ali al-Tanafisi> �Ubayd Allah ibn Musa> Bahr al-Saqa�> A Shaykh from Quraysh> �Ata� who said: �The bishop of Najran came to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: �O Muhammad, you claim that sins are created by measure and that the seas and heaven are also created by measure. If it is true that the seas and heaven are created by measure, sins nevertheless cannot be�. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �You are Allah�s adversaries!� And then Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Lo! the guilty are in error and madness) up to His words (Lo! We have created every thing by measure)�.

The All-Merciful-He taught the Qur'an. No one's hand will reach the knocker on the Qur'an's gate simply and easily, unless with the suc- cess-giving and facilitating of the All-Merciful. If anyone could reach this good fortune without the help of the All-Merciful, that would be MuṣṬafā, the Seal of the Prophets. But there is no one among the creatures with the majesty and rank that he had. Concerning him the Real says, “The All-Merciful-He taught the Qur'an,” that is, He taught MuḤammad the Qur'an. As much as teachers strive in teaching, masters instruct, and memorizers keep classes going, all of these are secondary causes, and the teacher in reality is God. Whenever someone comes to be taught, He is the teacher. Whenever someone lights up, He is the light-giver. Whenever someone burns, He is the burner. Whenever something is made, He is the maker. He taught Adam the knowledge of the names: And He taught Adam the names, all of them [2:31]. He taught David chain-mail making: And We taught him the artisanry of garments for you [21:80]. He taught Jesus the science of medicine: And He will teach him the book and the wisdom [3:48]. He taught Khiẓr the science of recognition: We taught him knowledge from Us [18:65]. He taught MuṣṬafā the secrets of the divinity: He taught thee what thou didst not know [4:113]. He taught the folk of the world explication:

The All-Merciful-He taught the Qur'an. No one's hand will reach the knocker on the Qur'an's gate simply and easily, unless with the suc- cess-giving and facilitating of the All-Merciful. If anyone could reach this good fortune without the help of the All-Merciful, that would be MuṣṬafā, the Seal of the Prophets. But there is no one among the creatures with the majesty and rank that he had. Concerning him the Real says, “The All-Merciful-He taught the Qur'an,” that is, He taught MuḤammad the Qur'an. As much as teachers strive in teaching, masters instruct, and memorizers keep classes going, all of these are secondary causes, and the teacher in reality is God. Whenever someone comes to be taught, He is the teacher. Whenever someone lights up, He is the light-giver. Whenever someone burns, He is the burner. Whenever something is made, He is the maker. He taught Adam the knowledge of the names: And He taught Adam the names, all of them [2:31]. He taught David chain-mail making: And We taught him the artisanry of garments for you [21:80]. He taught Jesus the science of medicine: And He will teach him the book and the wisdom [3:48]. He taught Khiẓr the science of recognition: We taught him knowledge from Us [18:65]. He taught MuṣṬafā the secrets of the divinity: He taught thee what thou didst not know [4:113]. He taught the folk of the world explication:

He created man. He taught him the explication. Some people say that He created man means all people generally-faithful and unbeliever, self- purifier and hypocrite, truthful and heretic. Whoever is human is included in this address. They say that He created everyone and taught them all explication. In other words, He gave everyone intellect, understanding, and upbringing so that they would find the road to their own best interests and discern between good and bad. He gave everyone language so that they would know each other's desires-in every region a language; or rather, in every city a language; or rather, in every neighborhood a language. He specified the human individual for this and separated him out from other animals with this specification and bestowal of eminence. It has also been said that He created man means all the faithful of MuḤammad's community. He taught him the explication means the road of the Real, the pure Shariah, the unswerving reli- gion. He taught it to them and showed its road to them: Say: “This is my path. I invite to God” [12:108]. Invite to the path of thy Lord with wisdom! [16:125]. He set this road up in three stations: first, recognition of the outward Shariah; second, recognition of the inward struggle and discipline; third, talk of the heart and its Beloved and the story of the friends. Then He turned this over to three groups and taught the people on the tongues of these three groups: “Ask the ulama, mix with the possessors of wisdom, and sit with the great ones.” Learn the science of the Shariah from the ulama, the science of discipline from the possessors of wisdom, and the science of recognition from the great ones. It has also been said that man in He created man is Adam the Chosen. This is the same man about whom He says, “He created man of dried clay, like pottery” [55:14]. Although in form he is pottery and clay, in conduct he is worthy of the pavilion of proximity and union. Outwardly, he is sculpted from water and clay; inwardly he is the carrier of the ruling power of love. Outwardly he is an extraction of clay [23:12]; inwardly he is the precious stone in the seal-ring of good fortune. “What should be considered is the joining, not the root.

He created man. He taught him the explication. Some people say that He created man means all people generally-faithful and unbeliever, self- purifier and hypocrite, truthful and heretic. Whoever is human is included in this address. They say that He created everyone and taught them all explication. In other words, He gave everyone intellect, understanding, and upbringing so that they would find the road to their own best interests and discern between good and bad. He gave everyone language so that they would know each other's desires-in every region a language; or rather, in every city a language; or rather, in every neighborhood a language. He specified the human individual for this and separated him out from other animals with this specification and bestowal of eminence. It has also been said that He created man means all the faithful of MuḤammad's community. He taught him the explication means the road of the Real, the pure Shariah, the unswerving reli- gion. He taught it to them and showed its road to them: Say: “This is my path. I invite to God” [12:108]. Invite to the path of thy Lord with wisdom! [16:125]. He set this road up in three stations: first, recognition of the outward Shariah; second, recognition of the inward struggle and discipline; third, talk of the heart and its Beloved and the story of the friends. Then He turned this over to three groups and taught the people on the tongues of these three groups: “Ask the ulama, mix with the possessors of wisdom, and sit with the great ones.” Learn the science of the Shariah from the ulama, the science of discipline from the possessors of wisdom, and the science of recognition from the great ones. It has also been said that man in He created man is Adam the Chosen. This is the same man about whom He says, “He created man of dried clay, like pottery” [55:14]. Although in form he is pottery and clay, in conduct he is worthy of the pavilion of proximity and union. Outwardly, he is sculpted from water and clay; inwardly he is the carrier of the ruling power of love. Outwardly he is an extraction of clay [23:12]; inwardly he is the precious stone in the seal-ring of good fortune. “What should be considered is the joining, not the root.

He mixed the two oceans that meet together. From the ocean of the secret core, the pearls of contemplation and face-to-face vision come forth, and from the ocean of the heart the coral of conformity and unveiling. That is His words, “From the two come forth pearls and coral” [55:22]. He prepared both of them in his makeup and kept the barrier of power between them: Between the two is an isthmus they do not overpass [55:20]. The one does not exert strength over the other, nor does the other make this one change. It has also been said that the two oceans here are the hope and fear of the common Muslims, the contraction and expansion of the elect among the faithful, and the awe and intimacy of the prophets and the sincerely truthful. From the ocean of fear and hope come forth the pearls of renunciation and scrupulosity, from the ocean of contraction and expansion come the pearls of poverty and ecstasy, and from the ocean of awe and intimacy the pearl of annihilation shows its face so that they may be at ease with the way stations of subsistence. This is why He says, “From the two come forth pearls and coral.”

All that is upon it undergoes annihilation, and there subsists the face of thy Lord, Pos- sessor of Majesty and Generous Giving. This is the same that He says elsewhere: “What is with you runs out, but what is with God subsists” [16:96]. MuṣṬafā said, “Prefer what subsists over what undergoes annihilation.” This world is the Abode of Delusion, the afterworld the Abode of Joy. This world is the Abode of Annihilation and the afterworld the Abode of Subsistence. The breeze of intelligence does not reach those who choose what undergoes annihilation over the subsistent, who put aside the Abode of Joy and build up the Abode of Delusion. Even if the empire of the world and the empire of Adam's children were beneath your seal ring and the keys to this world's treasures given to you, the outcome of all would be annihilation, so fixing the heart on it would be an error. Listen to these words of wisdom, testaments of the sages, and words of advice of the great: “Being satisfied with words without deeds is the work of the deluded.” “Depending on the resources of others is the vocation of the indigent.” “Delighting in borrowed clothes is the custom of the idle.” “Being happy with others' robes of honor is the conduct of the unintelligent.” “Being disloyal and hoping for loyalty is the act of double-dealers.”

All that is upon it undergoes annihilation, and there subsists the face of thy Lord, Pos- sessor of Majesty and Generous Giving. This is the same that He says elsewhere: “What is with you runs out, but what is with God subsists” [16:96]. MuṣṬafā said, “Prefer what subsists over what undergoes annihilation.” This world is the Abode of Delusion, the afterworld the Abode of Joy. This world is the Abode of Annihilation and the afterworld the Abode of Subsistence. The breeze of intelligence does not reach those who choose what undergoes annihilation over the subsistent, who put aside the Abode of Joy and build up the Abode of Delusion. Even if the empire of the world and the empire of Adam's children were beneath your seal ring and the keys to this world's treasures given to you, the outcome of all would be annihilation, so fixing the heart on it would be an error. Listen to these words of wisdom, testaments of the sages, and words of advice of the great: “Being satisfied with words without deeds is the work of the deluded.” “Depending on the resources of others is the vocation of the indigent.” “Delighting in borrowed clothes is the custom of the idle.” “Being happy with others' robes of honor is the conduct of the unintelligent.” “Being disloyal and hoping for loyalty is the act of double-dealers.”

Whatever is in the heavens and the earth asks of Him. Each day He is upon some task. The faithful are two groups: the worshipers and the recognizers. The asking of each group is in the measure of their aspirations, and the caressing of each is suited to their capacity. The worshipers want everything from Him, the recognizers want Him Himself. AḤmad ibn Abi'l-Ḥawārī saw the Real in a dream. He said, 'O AḤmad, all the people are seek- ing from Me, except Abū Yazīd-he is seeking Me.” I set out for You seeking the heights, and others set out for their livelihood. * Each has a prayer-niche in some direction, but SanāÌī's prayer-niche is Your street. [DS 1004] At this threshold everyone has a station and each has what is suited for him. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “O God, everyone indigent has a portion of Your munificence, everyone in pain has a physician from Your generosity, and all have a portion from the embracing- ness of Your mercy.” Each He keeps in a place and each He dyes in a color. This is why He says, “Each day He is upon some task.” He lifts up one group and puts down others. He puts one at the front of the hall of worth with the attribute of exaltedness, He keeps another at the back with the shoes, in abasement itself. He seats one on the carpet of gentleness, He puts another under the carpet of severity. He pulled Adam the dust-dweller up from the dust of abasement and placed the throne of prosperity on the head of his aspiration, without bias. He pulled down ʿAzāzīl, who was the teacher of the angels, from the celestial world and hung him at the crossroads of the causeless desire from the rack of punishment, without iniquity. To one group He says, “So rejoice!” [9:111], to another group He says, “Die in your rage!” [3:119]. Moses the speaking-companion set off in search of fire. When he left he was a shepherd in a blanket, when he came back he was a prophet, God's speaking-companion. Balaam Beor, who knew the greatest name, went up a mountain as a friend by virtue of form, but came back down as a dog by virtue of attribute and meaning.

(A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time) [56:13-14]. �Urwah ibn Ruwaym said: �When Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a few of those of later time) [56:13-14], �Umar [ibn al-Khattab] wept and said: �O Messenger of Allah, we believed in you and accepted your message and despite this only a few of us will be saved�. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time). The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then summoned �Umar and said: �O �Umar ibn al-Khattab, Allah has revealed something about what you said and made it (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time)�. �Umar exclaimed: �We are pleased with our Lord and believe in our Prophet. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then said: �From Adam to us a multitude of people, and from me to the Day of Judgement a multitude which will only be completed by black herdsmen who say, there is no deity except Allah� �.

(A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time) [56:13-14]. �Urwah ibn Ruwaym said: �When Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a few of those of later time) [56:13-14], �Umar [ibn al-Khattab] wept and said: �O Messenger of Allah, we believed in you and accepted your message and despite this only a few of us will be saved�. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time). The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then summoned �Umar and said: �O �Umar ibn al-Khattab, Allah has revealed something about what you said and made it (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time)�. �Umar exclaimed: �We are pleased with our Lord and believe in our Prophet. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then said: �From Adam to us a multitude of people, and from me to the Day of Judgement a multitude which will only be completed by black herdsmen who say, there is no deity except Allah� �.

As recompense for what they were doing. This is the prize for the deeds of the faithful and the rewards for their acts of obedience and wor- ship. It is the attribute of wage-earners who do the work and want the wage. But God has friends who do not bow their heads to the paradise of His approval, nor do they hunt the maidens, castles, rivers, and trees. They are servants at the house of the Sultan of tawḤīd, the residents of the world of love, the sultans of the realm of recognition, yearning for the wine of nonbeing. The Paradise of Everlastingness presents its adornment and beauty to them, and they dis- close their certainty and recognition to it. Paradise presents its rivers of wine, milk, and honey to them, and they disclose the springs of tawḤīd and the oceans of solitariness to it. Paradise presents its trees full of fruits with their flowers and blossoms to them, and they disclose the green shoots of pain and bewilderment to it. Paradise presents to them the wide-eyed maidens, adorned and trimmed, and they disclose to it the veiled virgins of recognition and the hidden secrets of witnessing. Finally, paradise turns away from them in shame, and they pass on to the seat of truthfulness, at an Omnipotent King [54:55]. They do not open the eyes of their aspira- tion toward anyone.

(Among thornless lote-trees) [56:28]. Abu�l-�Aliyah and al-Dahhak said: �Once, Muslims looked at Wajj, a fertile valley in Ta�if, and admired its lote-trees. They said: �If only we had something like this!� Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse in response�.

(A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time) [56: 39-40]. �Urwah ibn Ruwaym said: �When Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a few of those of later time) [56:13-14], �Umar [ibn al-Khattab] wept and said: �O Messenger of Allah, we believed in you and accepted your message and despite this only a few of us will be saved�. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time). The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then summoned �Umar and said: �O �Umar ibn al-Khattab, Allah has revealed something about what you said and made it (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time)�. �Umar exclaimed: �We are pleased with our Lord and believe in our Prophet. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then said: �From Adam to us a multitude of people, and from me to the Day of Judgement a multitude which will only be completed by black herdsmen who say, there is no deity except Allah� �.

(A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time) [56: 39-40]. �Urwah ibn Ruwaym said: �When Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a few of those of later time) [56:13-14], �Umar [ibn al-Khattab] wept and said: �O Messenger of Allah, we believed in you and accepted your message and despite this only a few of us will be saved�. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time). The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then summoned �Umar and said: �O �Umar ibn al-Khattab, Allah has revealed something about what you said and made it (A multitude of those of old, And a multitude of those of later time)�. �Umar exclaimed: �We are pleased with our Lord and believe in our Prophet. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then said: �From Adam to us a multitude of people, and from me to the Day of Judgement a multitude which will only be completed by black herdsmen who say, there is no deity except Allah� �.

(And make denial thereof your livelihood?) [56:82]. Sa'id ibn Muhammad al-Mu'adhdhin informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Hamdun> Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Hafiz> Hamdan al-Sulami> al-Nadr ibn Muhammad> 'Ikrimah ibn 'Ammar> Abu Zumayl> Ibn 'Abbas who said: �People were once blessed with rain at the time of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and so the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: 'Some people have woken up this morning as grateful people while others have woken up as disbelievers. The former said: This is a blessing sent by Allah, exalted is He, while the latter said: the prediction based on such-and-such a star has been fulfilled'. The following verse was then revealed (Nay, I swear by the places of the stars) [56:75] up to His words (And make denial thereof your livelihood?)�. This is narrated by Muslim from 'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-'Azim from al-Nadr ibn Muhammad. It was also reported that once the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, travelled and after traversing a distance camped at a certain place. People were very thirsty but they had no water to drink. They mentioned this to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and he said: �What if I made a prayer and you were given rain, would you say that we were given rain thanks to such-and-such a star?� They said: �O Messenger of Allah, this is not the time of stars�. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, prayed two units of prayer and made supplications to Allah, glorified and blessed is He. The wind erupted and clouds appeared. Rain then poured down so much so that streams of water run down the valleys. People filled their water containers. But then the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, passed by a man who was using a goblet to ladle water. The man was saying: �We were given rain thanks to such-and-such a star�, and failed to say: �This is the sustenance of Allah, glorified is He�. Allah, glory be to Him, revealed (And make denial thereof your livelihood?). Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-Zahid informed us> Abu 'Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Jizi> al-Hasan ibn Sufyan> Harmalah ibn Yahya and 'Amr ibn Sawwad al-Sarkhi> 'Abd Allah ibn Wahb> Yunus ibn Yazid> Ibn Shihab> 'Ubayd Allah ibn 'Ubayd Allah ibn 'Utbah> Abu Hurayrah who reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �Have you not heard what your Lord has said? He said: 'I have not blessed My slaves with any bounty except that some of them were ungrateful. They say: The stars did this and we were given it thanks to the stars!' � This was narrated by Muslim from Harmalah and 'Amr ibn Sawwad.

Whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies God. The maker of the world and the world's folk, the nurturer of mankind and jinn, the creator of earth and heaven, the wonder-worker of the emplaced and place, reports that everything in heaven and earth, whether wind, fire, water, mountains, seas, sun, moon, stars, trees, and all animate and in- animate things, praise Him for purity, mention His name with honor, and testify to His oneness. This glorification and tawḤīd throw tumult into the Adamic heart and are rejected by intellect, but the religion of the submission accepts them and the Creator of the creatures testifies to their cor- rectness. Whenever success-giving is someone's companion and felicity his helper, he will accept them, unperceived, with spirit and heart and will come forth with reverence, surrender, and attesta- tion. Then tomorrow, he will find his place in the gathering place of the sincerely truthful and the assemblies of the friends on the seat of everlasting exaltedness. Beware, O chevalier! Take care not to give one iota of innovation access to your heart. When you hear something that your intellect does not perceive, suspect only your intellect. Do not take the road of interpretation, because going after interpretation is a tested poison. It is to remove a thorn from the foot with a thorn. A knowing man will not test poison, for that would be to hurry to his own destruction. He will not pull a thorn from his foot with a thorn, for he knows it would only increase the pain. That chevalier said it beautifully: “Seek not the road of tawḤīd with intellect, scratch not the spirit's eye with a thorn. By God, can anyone ever take benefit from God without God? As trainer and leader on the path of the religion- consider none better than the Qur'an and the reports. Only the hand of MuḤammad's heart can undo the locks on the treasury of secrets.” [DS 201-2]

To Him belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. The seven heavens and the seven earths are His kingdom and property. They are kept by His help, penetrated by His will, and driven by His decree. All creatures are incapable, and He is powerful and potent. All are weak, and He is subjugating and strong. All are ignorant, and He is knowing and knowledgeable. The artifacts and determined things are a mark of His power, the beings and newly arrived things are the explication of His wisdom, the existents and the known things are the proof of His existence. Increase does not befall Him, nor does decrease come upon Him. He is the powerful, eternal, knowing, wise, the God of all.

He is the First, the Last, the Outward, and the Inward, and He is knower of everything. He is the First, for He knew the nonbeings, the Last for He knows what He knew, the Outward through what He made, the Inward, hidden from imaginations. He is the First: He was before every created thing, without beginning. He is the Last: He will be after everything, without end. He is the Outward: He stands over everyone, without any one to overpower or prevent. He is the Inward: He knows all hidden things, without veil. He is the First through beginninglessness, the Last through endlessness, the Outward through unity, and the Inward through eternity. He is the First through awesomeness, the Last through mercy, the Outward through proofs, the Inward through blessings. He is the First through be- stowal, the Last through recompense, the Outward through laudation, the Inward through loyalty. He is the First through guidance, the Last through sufficiency, the Outward through rulership, the Inward through kind favor. He is the First of every blessing, the Last of every tribulation, the Outward of every argument, the Inward of every wisdom. In terms of allusion He is saying, “O child of Adam, in relation to you the people of the world are four groups: A group who are useful to you at the beginning of the state and the first of life, and they are parents. A group who are useful to you at the end of life and the weakness of old age, and they are children. Third is the group of friends, brothers, and all the Muslims who are with you outwardly and show tenderness. Fourth is the group of wives and women, who are your inner, inside realm and are useful to you.” The Lord of the Worlds is saying, “Do not rely and depend on these and do not fancy that they themselves are your caretakers and caregivers, for I am the First and the Last. I am suited to be the beginning and end of your work and state. I am the Outward and the Inward. I keep you in My own keeping and I set straight your final ends. I am the First, for I tightly bound the hearts of the passionate with beginningless compacts. I am the Last, for I hunt the spirits of the truthful with My promises.

And He is with you wherever you are. “My servants! My creatures! Wherever you are, I am with you through solicitude, mercy, and kind favor. Wherever in the world there is someone poor, wounded by offenses, helpless in the hand of an adversary, I am his patron. Wherever there is someone with a ruined life, made indigent by the passing days, I am looking after him. Wherever there is someone burnt, struck by grief, I am the happiness of his spirit. Wherever there is someone weeping in shame, his head turned while not having anyone, I am his proof. I am the Lord who is far from the path of retribution. I lift up all those thrown down and fleeing, for I am clement and ever-merciful to the servants.”

Surely God is to you clement, ever-merciful. Part of His clemency and mercy was that the servant was in the concealment of nonexistence and He was taking care of his work with perfect bounty and generosity. The servant was in the conceal- ment of nonexistence and He chose him over the whole world. Part of His mercy is that He gives the servant the success to be on guard against the hidden sorts of associationism and the subtle sorts of eye-service. He said, “I am clement and ever- merciful” so that the disobedient would not despair and would have a strong hope in His bounty and generosity. YaḤyā ibn Muʿādh Rāzī said, “You were gentle to Your friends, so they recognized You. Had you been gentle to Your enemies, they would not have refused You.” You made the jasmine of Your gentleness grow in the garden of the hearts of Your friends such that, by means of Your gentleness and bounty, the Abode of Peace was their place. But, One group reached the spheres, another the pit- alas at Your threats toward a handful of dust! On the heads of one group He placed the crown of generosity:

(Those who spent and fought before the victory are not upon a level (with the rest of you)�) [57:10]. Muhammad ibn Fudayl reported that al-Kalbi related that this verse was revealed about Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be well pleased with him. This is evidenced by the report which was related to us from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abdihi ibn Yahya> Abu'l-Hasan Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Saliti> 'Uthman ibn Sulayman al-Baghdadi> Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim al-Makhzumi> 'Amr ibn Hafs al-Shaybani> al-'Ala' ibn 'Amr> Abu Ishaq al-Fazari> Sufyan al-Thawri> Adam ibn 'Ali> Ibn 'Umar who said: �As the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting with Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, who was wearing a cloak which he gathered round his chest with pins, Gabriel, peace be upon him, came down, conveyed Allah's greetings of peace to him and said: 'O Muhammad, why is Abu Bakr wearing a cloak which he gathers round his chest with pins?' He said: 'O Gabriel, he has spent all his wealth before the conquest [of Mecca]!' He said: 'In that case, convey to him Allah's greetings of peace, glorified and exalted is He, and tell him that your Lord asks you: are you pleased with Me in your state of poverty or are you indignant?' The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, addressed Abu Bakr: 'O Abu Bakr, Gabriel is here to convey the greetings of peace of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and He is asking you: are you pleased with Him in your state of poverty or are you indignant?' Upon hearing this, Abu Bakr wept and said: 'How can I be indignant with my Lord? I am pleased with my Lord! I am pleased with my Lord!' �

Their light running before them, and on their right hands. On another group He placed the brand of deprivation:

And a wall will be set up between them, inside of which is mercy and outside of which is chastisement. Pharaoh's sorcerers dwelt in nothing but unbelief and sin, but it is said that sorcery has no effect unless a man is polluted. When the wind of good fortune blew from the direction of gentleness and generosity, it left neither sorcery nor any sorcerer, neither unbelief nor any unbeliever. In the morning they were busy with the sin of unbelief and denial, and in the evening they were at the side of faith and asking forgiveness. Shaykh Abū Saʿīd Abu'l-Khayr said, “Whoever picks up a burden from the garden of solici- tude will put it down in the playing field of friendship. Whoever sucks milk from the breast of kind favor will be nurtured in the embrace of protection.” [The Master Abū ʿAlī said,] “Whoever is given familiarity in the morning can hope for for- giveness in the evening.”

(Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe to submit to Allah�s reminder�) [57:16]. Al-Kalbi and Muqatil said: �This verse was revealed about the hypocrites, one year after Emigration. This is because one day they asked Salman al-Farisi: �Tell us about what is in the Torah for it contains wonders�, and so this verse was revealed�. Others said that this verse was revealed about the believers. �Abd al-Qahir ibn Tahir informed us> Abu �Amr ibn Matar> Ja�far ibn Muhammad al-Firyabi> Ishaq ibn Rahwayh> �Amr ibn Muhammad al-Qurashi> Khallad ibn Muslim al-Saffar> �Amr ibn Qays al-Mula�i> �Amr ibn Murrah> Mus�ab ibn Sa�d> Sa�d who said: �The Qur�an was revealed to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and he recited it to them for a while. Then they said: �O Messenger of Allah, if only you narrate to us [the events of old]�, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (We narrate unto thee (O Muhammad) the best of narratives in that We have inspired in thee this Qur�an) [12:3]. He recited these to them for a while until they said: �O Messenger of Allah, if only you recite to us statements�. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements�) [39:23]. They were commanded all that through the Qur�an�. Khallad said: �Another narrator added: They also asked him: �O Messenger of Allah, if only you reminded us�. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe to submit to Allah�s reminder�)�.

God has heard the words of her who disputes with thee concerning her husband and complains to God. The weaker someone is, the gentler is the Lord. The lord of lords, the master of all masters, the gentle, generous, and lovingly kind, takes care of the work of the weak in a way that leaves all the strong in wonder. A hundred thousand proximate angels, glorifying and hallowing, were diving in the oceans of bows and prostrations and raising the voices of glorification and hallowing at the Exalted Threshold, but no one talked about them. But that poor, weak woman-the disputer who wept before the Threshold in burning and bewilderment and who complained of her despair-look how the Splendorous Qur'an wrote the inscription of exaltation on the cape of her secret whis- pering: “God has heard the words of her who disputes with thee concerning her husband and complains to God. We have heard her complaint, We have listened to her lamenting and supplicat- ing, and We have made apparent the opening up of the suffering and tightness in which she has remained because of her husband's repudiation of her. We are the Lord who is the good companion of everyone helpless and without a companion, We untie the knots of everyone in bonds, We dispel the sorrows of everyone sorrowful. We hear the voice of the poor, We listen to the whispering of the miserable, We respond to the need of the helpless.” It has come in a report that one day this woman who disputed came to ʿUmar KhaṬṬāb during the days of his caliphate for a business she had with him. She spoke harshly with him. Those who were with him shouted at her, saying, “Do you not know that you must not speak harsh words to the Commander of the Faithful?” ʿUmar said to them, “Be silent! Have respect for this poor woman! She is the woman whose words the Real heard from beyond the seven levels of heaven, and upon whom He placed this caress and generosity: “God has heard the words of her who disputes with thee concerning her husband and complains to God.” O Muslims! Respect the poor and seek proximity to God by taking care of them and giving comfort to them. Although today they are helpless and poor, tomorrow they will be the kings of the Garden of Refuge and the great ones of the Highest Paradise.

(Such of you as put away your wives (by saying they are as their mothers)�) [58:2]. Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Mansuri informed us> 'Ali ibn 'Umar al-Hafiz> Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-Naysaburi> Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath> Muhammad ibn Bakkar> Sa'id ibn Bashir that he asked Qatadah about putting away one's wife declaring her to be as one's mother, and he informed him that Anas ibn Malik said: �Aws ibn al-Samit put away his wife, Khuwaylah bint Tha'labah, declaring her as his mother and the latter went to complain to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. She said: 'He put me away, declaring me to be as his mother, when I grew old and my strength failed'. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed the verse of putting one's wife away, declaring her to be as one's mother. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to Aws: 'You have to free one slave'. He said: 'I cannot afford it!' The Prophet said: 'Then you have to fast two consecutive months'. Aws said: 'If I fail to eat twice a day, my sight suffers'. The Prophet said: 'Then you have to feed sixty needy people'. Aws said: 'I cannot do it unless you help me'. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, helped him with fifteen measures (sa') [of dates] and Allah enabled him to gather what was necessary to feed sixty needy people, and Allah is merciful - they were of the opinion that Aws already had with him fifteen measures, in order to feed sixty needy people�. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hamid al-'Adl informed us> Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Zakariyya> Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Daghuli> Abu'l-Hasan Ahmad ibn Siyar> 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Yahya ibn Yusuf> Abu'l-Asbagh al-Harrani> Muhammad ibn Maslamah> Muhammad ibn Ishaq> Ma'mar ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Hanzalah> Yusuf ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Salam who said: �Khuwaylah bint Tha'labah, the wife of Aws ibn al-Samit, the brother of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit, related to me, saying: 'He [Aws] came in one day and said something to me in an irritated tone. I answered him back and he got angry. He said: 'You are to me as my mother'. He then went out to the gathering place of his people.

(Hast thou not observed those who were forbidden conspiracy�) [58:8]. Ibn 'Abbas and Mujahid said that this verse was revealed about the Jews and the hypocrites. This is because the latter used to talk secretly amongst themselves to the exclusion of the believers and then look at the believers and wink at each other. When the believers saw their secret communications, they said: �We think that they are doing this because they received news about our relatives and brothers who went out in military expeditions. They have been killed, wounded or defeated�. But when these secret conversations continued, they complained to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and he commanded them not to speak in secret to the exclusion of the believers. They did not heed his command and went back to secret conversations among themselves. Allah, exalted is He, therefore revealed this verse. (And when they come unto thee they greet thee with a greeting wherewith Allah greeteth thee not�) [58:8]. Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-Khashshsab informed us> Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn 'Abd Allah al-Asfahani> Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Sarraj> Qutaybah ibn Sa'id> Jarir> al-A'mash> Abu'l-Duha> Masruq> 'A'ishah who said: �Some Jews came to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said 'Al-Sam to you, O Abu'l-Qasim!' And so I replied: 'Al-Sam to you too, and may Allah take you away!' The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: 'Stop, O 'A'ishah! For Allah, exalted is He, does not like indecency nor the uttering of indecent words'. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, did you not hear what they said?' He said: 'Do you not see that I have sent back to them what they said. I said: the same to you'. This verse was revealed about this (And when they come unto thee they greet thee with a greeting wherewith Allah greeteth thee not)�. Abu Sa'id Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Ghazi informed us> Abu 'Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri> Ahmad ibn 'Ali al-Muthanna> Zuhayr ibn Muhammad> Yunus ibn Muhammad> Shayban> Qatadah> Anas who said: �A Jewish man came to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: 'Al-Sam be with you!' The people who were present responded to him with the greetings of peace. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: 'Do you know what this man said?' They said: 'O Prophet of Allah, Allah and His Messenger know best, [but we think he said: al-Salam [peace be with you]'.

(O ye who believe! when it is said unto you, Make room! in assemblies, then make room; Allah will make way for you (hereafter)�) [58:11]. Said Muqatil: �The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was at al-Suffah. The place was not spacious and it was a Friday. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, had the habit of honouring those who had taken part in the Battle of Badr from among the Emigrants and the Helpers. Some of those who had participated in Badr came to the gathering and found that people were already there before them. They stood, therefore, facing toward the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, waiting for people to make room for them. But no one made room for them. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was pained to see this and so he said to those around him who did not take part in Badr: �So-and-so get up, and you get up�, and he moved as many people as the number of those who were standing among the Companions who participated in the Battle of Badr. Those who were asked to vacate their seats were not pleased and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, saw their displeasure on their faces. Then, the hypocrites said to the Muslims: �Did you not claim that your man deals fairly with people? By Allah, he has not been fair with these people. He removed people who wanted to be close to their Prophet from places in which they were already sitting and seated in their stead people who came late!� Allah, exalted is He, therefore revealed this verse�.

O you who have faith, when you whisper with the Messenger, offer charity before you whisper. It is narrated that the Commander of the Faithful ʿAlī said that when this verse came down, he gave one dinar in charity and asked ten questions from God's Messenger. He said, “'O Messenger of God! How should I supplicate God?': How should I call upon God and worship Him?” The Messenger answered, “'With truthfulness and loyalty': Be loyal to the covenant that was made with Him on the Day of Alast and be truthful in your speaking and doing. Have what you show, do what you say, and be whence you call out.” ʿAlī said, “What should I ask for from God?” He answered, “'For safety in this world and the next:' In this world and the next the safety of the heart from the blights of mortal nature and the well-being of the body in the varieties of trial.” ʿAlī said, “'What should I make ready for my salvation?': What should I do so that in the gathering place of the resurrection I may be delivered, secure from the terrors of the resurrection and arrived at the degrees of the Garden?” He answered, “'Eat the permitted and speak with truthfulness': When you eat something, eat the permitted, and when you speak, speak with truthfulness. Do not give the forbidden access to yourself, for the forbidden has a bad outcome. Avoid lying, for anyone who lies will have a bad name in the two worlds.” He said, “'What is the stratagem?': What stratagem should I use so that things will come out as I want?” He answered, “'The stratagem is to abandon stratagems': Let go of stratagems and know that everything is as God wants and that the stratagems and governance of the servant will never over- come God's predetermination.” He said, “'What must I do?': What are the rules that I must discharge?” He answered, “'The command of God and His Messenger': Everything mandatory and oblig- atory commanded by God, and everything set down as Sunnah and recommended by the Mes- senger.” He said, “'What is ease?': What is ease and comfort?” He answered, “'The Garden': Ease is that you settle down in paradise and its blessings and that you stay secure from hell and its punishment.

(O ye who believe! When ye hold conference with the messenger�) [58:12-13]. Muqatil ibn Hayyan said: �This was revealed about the rich. This is because they used to go to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and converse with him at length. In this fashion, they always beat the poor to the assemblies to the extent that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, disliked their prolonged sitting and conference. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, therefore revealed this verse and commanded that alms be given upon each conference with the Prophet. As for those who had straitened means, they did not have anything to give for alms, while those who were well off were niggardly. The Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, found this tough and so a dispensation was revealed�. �Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be well pleased with him, said: �There is one verse in the Book of Allah that no one has applied before me nor is there anyone who has applied it after me. [It is] (O ye who believe! When ye hold conference with the messenger�). I had a piece of gold which I exchanged for silver pieces and whenever I conferred with the Messenger I spent one silver piece in charity until I spent them all. Then the verse was abrogated with another verse (Fear ye to offer alms before your conference?... and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?) [58:13]�.

(Hast thou not seen those who take for friends a folk with whom Allah is wroth?� and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?) [58:14-18]. Al-Suddi and Muqatil said: �This was revealed about �Abd Allah ibn Nabtal, the hypocrite who used to keep the company of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and then report what he heard from him to the Jews. As the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting one day in one of his rooms he said: �Now shall enter on you a man who has the heart of a tyrant and who looks through the eyes of the devil�. At that point �Abd Allah ibn Nabtal who was blue of complexion came in. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: �Why do you, and your friends, insult me?� He swore by Allah that he did not, but the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said that he did. The man went and brought his friends who then swore by Allah that they did not insult him. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed these verses�. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya informed us> Muhammad ibn Ja�far ibn Matar> Ja�far ibn Muhammad al-Firyabi> Abu Ja�far al-Nufayli> Zuhayr ibn Mu�awiyah> Simak ibn Harb> Sa�id ibn Jubayr> Ibn �Abbas who related to him that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting under the shade of one of his rooms with a group of Muslims from whom the shade was slowly receding. He said to them: �A man will come to you and look at you with the eyes of the devil. When he comes do not speak with him!� A man of blue complexion then came. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, called him and addressed him: �Why do you and so-and-so and so-and-so (he named a group of people) insult me?� The man left and brought all those named and they swore by Allah and apologized. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (On the day when Allah will raise them all together, then will they swear unto Him as they (now) swear unto you, and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?). This was narrated by al-Hakim in his Sahih> al-Asamm> Ibn �Affan> �Amr al-�Anqari> Isra�il> Simak.

(Hast thou not seen those who take for friends a folk with whom Allah is wroth?� and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?) [58:14-18]. Al-Suddi and Muqatil said: �This was revealed about �Abd Allah ibn Nabtal, the hypocrite who used to keep the company of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and then report what he heard from him to the Jews. As the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting one day in one of his rooms he said: �Now shall enter on you a man who has the heart of a tyrant and who looks through the eyes of the devil�. At that point �Abd Allah ibn Nabtal who was blue of complexion came in. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: �Why do you, and your friends, insult me?� He swore by Allah that he did not, but the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said that he did. The man went and brought his friends who then swore by Allah that they did not insult him. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed these verses�. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya informed us> Muhammad ibn Ja�far ibn Matar> Ja�far ibn Muhammad al-Firyabi> Abu Ja�far al-Nufayli> Zuhayr ibn Mu�awiyah> Simak ibn Harb> Sa�id ibn Jubayr> Ibn �Abbas who related to him that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting under the shade of one of his rooms with a group of Muslims from whom the shade was slowly receding. He said to them: �A man will come to you and look at you with the eyes of the devil. When he comes do not speak with him!� A man of blue complexion then came. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, called him and addressed him: �Why do you and so-and-so and so-and-so (he named a group of people) insult me?� The man left and brought all those named and they swore by Allah and apologized. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (On the day when Allah will raise them all together, then will they swear unto Him as they (now) swear unto you, and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?). This was narrated by al-Hakim in his Sahih> al-Asamm> Ibn �Affan> �Amr al-�Anqari> Isra�il> Simak.

(Hast thou not seen those who take for friends a folk with whom Allah is wroth?� and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?) [58:14-18]. Al-Suddi and Muqatil said: �This was revealed about �Abd Allah ibn Nabtal, the hypocrite who used to keep the company of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and then report what he heard from him to the Jews. As the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting one day in one of his rooms he said: �Now shall enter on you a man who has the heart of a tyrant and who looks through the eyes of the devil�. At that point �Abd Allah ibn Nabtal who was blue of complexion came in. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: �Why do you, and your friends, insult me?� He swore by Allah that he did not, but the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said that he did. The man went and brought his friends who then swore by Allah that they did not insult him. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed these verses�. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya informed us> Muhammad ibn Ja�far ibn Matar> Ja�far ibn Muhammad al-Firyabi> Abu Ja�far al-Nufayli> Zuhayr ibn Mu�awiyah> Simak ibn Harb> Sa�id ibn Jubayr> Ibn �Abbas who related to him that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting under the shade of one of his rooms with a group of Muslims from whom the shade was slowly receding. He said to them: �A man will come to you and look at you with the eyes of the devil. When he comes do not speak with him!� A man of blue complexion then came. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, called him and addressed him: �Why do you and so-and-so and so-and-so (he named a group of people) insult me?� The man left and brought all those named and they swore by Allah and apologized. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (On the day when Allah will raise them all together, then will they swear unto Him as they (now) swear unto you, and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?). This was narrated by al-Hakim in his Sahih> al-Asamm> Ibn �Affan> �Amr al-�Anqari> Isra�il> Simak.

(Hast thou not seen those who take for friends a folk with whom Allah is wroth?� and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?) [58:14-18]. Al-Suddi and Muqatil said: �This was revealed about �Abd Allah ibn Nabtal, the hypocrite who used to keep the company of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and then report what he heard from him to the Jews. As the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting one day in one of his rooms he said: �Now shall enter on you a man who has the heart of a tyrant and who looks through the eyes of the devil�. At that point �Abd Allah ibn Nabtal who was blue of complexion came in. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: �Why do you, and your friends, insult me?� He swore by Allah that he did not, but the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said that he did. The man went and brought his friends who then swore by Allah that they did not insult him. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed these verses�. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya informed us> Muhammad ibn Ja�far ibn Matar> Ja�far ibn Muhammad al-Firyabi> Abu Ja�far al-Nufayli> Zuhayr ibn Mu�awiyah> Simak ibn Harb> Sa�id ibn Jubayr> Ibn �Abbas who related to him that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting under the shade of one of his rooms with a group of Muslims from whom the shade was slowly receding. He said to them: �A man will come to you and look at you with the eyes of the devil. When he comes do not speak with him!� A man of blue complexion then came. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, called him and addressed him: �Why do you and so-and-so and so-and-so (he named a group of people) insult me?� The man left and brought all those named and they swore by Allah and apologized. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (On the day when Allah will raise them all together, then will they swear unto Him as they (now) swear unto you, and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?). This was narrated by al-Hakim in his Sahih> al-Asamm> Ibn �Affan> �Amr al-�Anqari> Isra�il> Simak.

(Hast thou not seen those who take for friends a folk with whom Allah is wroth?� and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?) [58:14-18]. Al-Suddi and Muqatil said: �This was revealed about �Abd Allah ibn Nabtal, the hypocrite who used to keep the company of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and then report what he heard from him to the Jews. As the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting one day in one of his rooms he said: �Now shall enter on you a man who has the heart of a tyrant and who looks through the eyes of the devil�. At that point �Abd Allah ibn Nabtal who was blue of complexion came in. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: �Why do you, and your friends, insult me?� He swore by Allah that he did not, but the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said that he did. The man went and brought his friends who then swore by Allah that they did not insult him. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed these verses�. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya informed us> Muhammad ibn Ja�far ibn Matar> Ja�far ibn Muhammad al-Firyabi> Abu Ja�far al-Nufayli> Zuhayr ibn Mu�awiyah> Simak ibn Harb> Sa�id ibn Jubayr> Ibn �Abbas who related to him that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was sitting under the shade of one of his rooms with a group of Muslims from whom the shade was slowly receding. He said to them: �A man will come to you and look at you with the eyes of the devil. When he comes do not speak with him!� A man of blue complexion then came. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, called him and addressed him: �Why do you and so-and-so and so-and-so (he named a group of people) insult me?� The man left and brought all those named and they swore by Allah and apologized. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (On the day when Allah will raise them all together, then will they swear unto Him as they (now) swear unto you, and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?). This was narrated by al-Hakim in his Sahih> al-Asamm> Ibn �Affan> �Amr al-�Anqari> Isra�il> Simak.

(Thou wilt not find folk who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His messenger�) [58:22]. Said Ibn Jurayj: �It was related to me that Abu Quhafah insulted the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and as a result Abu Bakr [his son] struck him with such force that he fell to the ground. Abu Bakr mentioned this to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who exclaimed: 'Did you really do it?' Abu Bakr said: 'Yes!' 'In that case do not do it again!' said the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. Abu Bakr said: 'By Allah, if a sword were at my reach I would have killed him!' And so Allah, glorified and exalted is He, revealed this verse�. It is also related that Ibn Mas'ud said: �This verse was revealed about Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah who killed his father 'Abd Allah at the Battle of Uhud�. It was also revealed about Abu Bakr who challenged his own son for a duel at the Battle of Badr. He said: �O Messenger of Allah, let me be among the first group [of martyrs]�. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: �Preserve yourself for us, O Abu Bakr! Do you not know that you are to me like my hearing and sight?� The verse was also revealed about Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr who killed his brother 'Umayr ibn 'Umayr at the Battle of Uhud. And it was also revealed about 'Umar [ibn al-Khattab] who killed his maternal uncle al-'As ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughirah at the Battle of Badr. And it was also revealed about 'Ali, Hamzah and 'Ubaydah who killed 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah, Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah and al-Walid ibn 'Utbah respectively at the Battle of Badr. Hence His words (even though they be their fathers or their sons or their brethren or their clan).

(All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah� Allah is Able to do all things) [59:1-6]. The commentators of the Qur'an said: �This verse was revealed about Banu'l-Nadir. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, moved to Medina, they signed a treaty with him in which they agreed not fight against him or with him and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, consented. Then when the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, defeated the idolaters at Badr, Banu'l-Nadir said: 'By Allah, he is the Prophet whose description we find in the Torah; he will not be defeated'. However, when the Muslims were defeated at Uhud, they broke their pledge and showed enmity toward the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Muslims. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, surrounded them and then they signed a settlement treaty in which it was agreed that they leave Medina�. Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl al-Tajir> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Hafiz> Muhammad ibn Yahya> 'Abd al-Razzaq> Ma'mar> al-Zuhri> Ibn Ka'b ibn Malik> one of the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who related that the unbelievers of Quraysh wrote the following to the Jews after the Battle of Badr: �You are people of armaments and fortresses. Verily, you either fight our man or we shall do this and that, such that nothing will prevent us from the bracelets on your women's anklets�. When their letter reached the Jews, the Banu'l-Nadir were unanimously in favour of treason. They sent to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, saying: �Come with thirty of your men and we will send thirty of our men. Let us meet in a location halfway between you and us so that our men hear you and if they believe in you, we will all believe in you�. However, when they reached a certain location, some Jews said: �How are you going to get to him when he has with him thirty of his Companions who all desire to die before him? Send to him and say: 'How are we going to understand [what you are going to say to us] when there are sixty of us? Come along with three of your Companions and three of our scholars will meet you.

(All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah� Allah is Able to do all things) [59:1-6]. The commentators of the Qur'an said: �This verse was revealed about Banu'l-Nadir. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, moved to Medina, they signed a treaty with him in which they agreed not fight against him or with him and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, consented. Then when the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, defeated the idolaters at Badr, Banu'l-Nadir said: 'By Allah, he is the Prophet whose description we find in the Torah; he will not be defeated'. However, when the Muslims were defeated at Uhud, they broke their pledge and showed enmity toward the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Muslims. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, surrounded them and then they signed a settlement treaty in which it was agreed that they leave Medina�. Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl al-Tajir> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Hafiz> Muhammad ibn Yahya> 'Abd al-Razzaq> Ma'mar> al-Zuhri> Ibn Ka'b ibn Malik> one of the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who related that the unbelievers of Quraysh wrote the following to the Jews after the Battle of Badr: �You are people of armaments and fortresses. Verily, you either fight our man or we shall do this and that, such that nothing will prevent us from the bracelets on your women's anklets�. When their letter reached the Jews, the Banu'l-Nadir were unanimously in favour of treason. They sent to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, saying: �Come with thirty of your men and we will send thirty of our men. Let us meet in a location halfway between you and us so that our men hear you and if they believe in you, we will all believe in you�. However, when they reached a certain location, some Jews said: �How are you going to get to him when he has with him thirty of his Companions who all desire to die before him? Send to him and say: 'How are we going to understand [what you are going to say to us] when there are sixty of us? Come along with three of your Companions and three of our scholars will meet you.

(All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah� Allah is Able to do all things) [59:1-6]. The commentators of the Qur'an said: �This verse was revealed about Banu'l-Nadir. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, moved to Medina, they signed a treaty with him in which they agreed not fight against him or with him and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, consented. Then when the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, defeated the idolaters at Badr, Banu'l-Nadir said: 'By Allah, he is the Prophet whose description we find in the Torah; he will not be defeated'. However, when the Muslims were defeated at Uhud, they broke their pledge and showed enmity toward the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Muslims. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, surrounded them and then they signed a settlement treaty in which it was agreed that they leave Medina�. Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl al-Tajir> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Hafiz> Muhammad ibn Yahya> 'Abd al-Razzaq> Ma'mar> al-Zuhri> Ibn Ka'b ibn Malik> one of the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who related that the unbelievers of Quraysh wrote the following to the Jews after the Battle of Badr: �You are people of armaments and fortresses. Verily, you either fight our man or we shall do this and that, such that nothing will prevent us from the bracelets on your women's anklets�. When their letter reached the Jews, the Banu'l-Nadir were unanimously in favour of treason. They sent to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, saying: �Come with thirty of your men and we will send thirty of our men. Let us meet in a location halfway between you and us so that our men hear you and if they believe in you, we will all believe in you�. However, when they reached a certain location, some Jews said: �How are you going to get to him when he has with him thirty of his Companions who all desire to die before him? Send to him and say: 'How are we going to understand [what you are going to say to us] when there are sixty of us? Come along with three of your Companions and three of our scholars will meet you.

(All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah� Allah is Able to do all things) [59:1-6]. The commentators of the Qur'an said: �This verse was revealed about Banu'l-Nadir. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, moved to Medina, they signed a treaty with him in which they agreed not fight against him or with him and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, consented. Then when the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, defeated the idolaters at Badr, Banu'l-Nadir said: 'By Allah, he is the Prophet whose description we find in the Torah; he will not be defeated'. However, when the Muslims were defeated at Uhud, they broke their pledge and showed enmity toward the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Muslims. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, surrounded them and then they signed a settlement treaty in which it was agreed that they leave Medina�. Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl al-Tajir> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Hafiz> Muhammad ibn Yahya> 'Abd al-Razzaq> Ma'mar> al-Zuhri> Ibn Ka'b ibn Malik> one of the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who related that the unbelievers of Quraysh wrote the following to the Jews after the Battle of Badr: �You are people of armaments and fortresses. Verily, you either fight our man or we shall do this and that, such that nothing will prevent us from the bracelets on your women's anklets�. When their letter reached the Jews, the Banu'l-Nadir were unanimously in favour of treason. They sent to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, saying: �Come with thirty of your men and we will send thirty of our men. Let us meet in a location halfway between you and us so that our men hear you and if they believe in you, we will all believe in you�. However, when they reached a certain location, some Jews said: �How are you going to get to him when he has with him thirty of his Companions who all desire to die before him? Send to him and say: 'How are we going to understand [what you are going to say to us] when there are sixty of us? Come along with three of your Companions and three of our scholars will meet you.

(All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah� Allah is Able to do all things) [59:1-6]. The commentators of the Qur'an said: �This verse was revealed about Banu'l-Nadir. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, moved to Medina, they signed a treaty with him in which they agreed not fight against him or with him and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, consented. Then when the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, defeated the idolaters at Badr, Banu'l-Nadir said: 'By Allah, he is the Prophet whose description we find in the Torah; he will not be defeated'. However, when the Muslims were defeated at Uhud, they broke their pledge and showed enmity toward the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Muslims. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, surrounded them and then they signed a settlement treaty in which it was agreed that they leave Medina�. Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl al-Tajir> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Hafiz> Muhammad ibn Yahya> 'Abd al-Razzaq> Ma'mar> al-Zuhri> Ibn Ka'b ibn Malik> one of the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who related that the unbelievers of Quraysh wrote the following to the Jews after the Battle of Badr: �You are people of armaments and fortresses. Verily, you either fight our man or we shall do this and that, such that nothing will prevent us from the bracelets on your women's anklets�. When their letter reached the Jews, the Banu'l-Nadir were unanimously in favour of treason. They sent to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, saying: �Come with thirty of your men and we will send thirty of our men. Let us meet in a location halfway between you and us so that our men hear you and if they believe in you, we will all believe in you�. However, when they reached a certain location, some Jews said: �How are you going to get to him when he has with him thirty of his Companions who all desire to die before him? Send to him and say: 'How are we going to understand [what you are going to say to us] when there are sixty of us? Come along with three of your Companions and three of our scholars will meet you.

(All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah� Allah is Able to do all things) [59:1-6]. The commentators of the Qur'an said: �This verse was revealed about Banu'l-Nadir. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, moved to Medina, they signed a treaty with him in which they agreed not fight against him or with him and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, consented. Then when the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, defeated the idolaters at Badr, Banu'l-Nadir said: 'By Allah, he is the Prophet whose description we find in the Torah; he will not be defeated'. However, when the Muslims were defeated at Uhud, they broke their pledge and showed enmity toward the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Muslims. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, surrounded them and then they signed a settlement treaty in which it was agreed that they leave Medina�. Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl al-Tajir> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Hafiz> Muhammad ibn Yahya> 'Abd al-Razzaq> Ma'mar> al-Zuhri> Ibn Ka'b ibn Malik> one of the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who related that the unbelievers of Quraysh wrote the following to the Jews after the Battle of Badr: �You are people of armaments and fortresses. Verily, you either fight our man or we shall do this and that, such that nothing will prevent us from the bracelets on your women's anklets�. When their letter reached the Jews, the Banu'l-Nadir were unanimously in favour of treason. They sent to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, saying: �Come with thirty of your men and we will send thirty of our men. Let us meet in a location halfway between you and us so that our men hear you and if they believe in you, we will all believe in you�. However, when they reached a certain location, some Jews said: �How are you going to get to him when he has with him thirty of his Companions who all desire to die before him? Send to him and say: 'How are we going to understand [what you are going to say to us] when there are sixty of us? Come along with three of your Companions and three of our scholars will meet you.

Whatever the Messenger gives you, take; whatever he prohibits you, forgo. The call came from the Real: “Whatever drink comes to you from the auspicious hand of MuḤammad the Arab, the Hashimite prophet, take, for your life lies in that. Read the tablet that he writes, learn servanthood from his character traits, take seeking from his aspiration, put his Sunnah to work, walk behind him in all states. The final goal of the traveling of the servants and the perfection of their states is My love, and My love lies in following the Sunnah and conduct of your prophet. Whoever walks straight in his tracks is in reality My friend. Say: 'If you love God, follow me; God will love you' [3:31].” The faithful Companions came back to being loyal to the beginningless Covenant and kept their feet straight in following MuṣṬafā's Sunnah. They put to work truthfulness in acts, and the Lord of the Worlds praised them for their truthfulness:

Those-they are the truthful. Truthfulness [ṣidq] is the charity [ṣadaqa] of the secret core, the dower [ṣidāq] of the Garden, and the true friend [ṣadīq] of the Real. Make truthfulness your trade, for among the ranks at the resurrection, none are delivered from God's anger but the truthful. [DS 188]

(Those who entered the city and the faith before them�) [59:9]. Ja�far ibn Burqan related that Yazid al-Asamm said: �The Helpers said: �O Messenger of Allah, divide the land into two equal halves between us and the Emigrants�. He said: �No, they will suffice you their livelihood. Instead you will share the fruits of the land with them while keeping the land itself to yourselves�. They said: �We accept�, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Those who entered the city and the faith before them�)�. (� but prefer (the fugitives) above themselves though poverty become their lot�) [59:9]. Sa�id ibn Ahmad ibn Ja�far al-Mu�adhdhin informed us> Abu �Ali al-Faqih> Muhammad ibn Mansur ibn Abi al-Jahm al-Sabi�i> Nasr ibn �Ali al-Jahdami> �Abd Allah ibn Dawud> Fudayl ibn Ghazwan> Abu Hazim> Abu Hurayrah who related that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, entrusted one of the folk of the Platform (al-Suffah) to a man from the Helpers. The latter took the former to his family and asked his wife: �Do we have anything [to feed him]?� She said: �We do not have anything except the children�s food�. He said: �Put them to sleep and then bring me the food. And when you put the food down, turn the lamp off�. She did as her husband requested. The Helper offered what he had to his guest. The following morning he took him back to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �Indeed, the dwellers of the heavens are amazed at what you two have done�. This verse was then revealed (� but prefer (the fugitives) above themselves though poverty become their lot�). This was narrated by Bukhari> Musaddid> �Abd Allah ibn Dawud, and also by Muslim> Abu Kurayb> Waki�, and both Ibn Dawud and Waki� related it from Fudayl ibn Ghazwan. Abu �Abd Allah ibn Ishaq al-Muzakki informed us> Abu�l-Hasan Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah al-Sulayti> Abu�l-�Abbas ibn �Isa ibn Muhammad al-Marwazi> al-Mustajir ibn al-Salt> al-Qasim ibn al-Hakam al-�Urani> �Ubayd Allah ibn al-Walid> Muharib ibn Dithar> �Abd Allah ibn �Umar who said: �One of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was gifted a sheep�s head. The man said [to himself]: �My brother so-and-so is more in need of it than I�, and he sent it to him. This sheep�s head was sent from one person to another � it was handled by seven households � until it returned to the first man who was gifted it in the first place. This verse (� but prefer (the fugitives) above themselves though poverty become their lot�), up to the end, was revealed about this�.

O you who have faith, be wary of God and let every soul consider what it has sent on ahead for tomorrow, and be wary of God. In this one verse He mentions godwariness twice. First is the godwariness of the common people, namely the avoidance of forbidden things. Second is the godwariness of the elect, namely the avoidance of everything other than the Real. It has also been said that the first alludes to the root of godwariness and the second to the perfection of godwariness. No one can pass over the steep road of the resurrection without the perfection of godwariness. One must be detached from all objects of desire, one must seize on not reaching one's desires, and one must consider all sweet drinks as poison. When someone's feet reach this point, he has reached the perfection of godwariness. WāsiṬī said, “When the folk of godwariness act proudly toward the sons of this world, they are making claims in godwariness.” For, if this world had no impact on their hearts, they would not be proud about turning away from it. A great one said, “This world is a shard of pottery seen in a dream. The next world is a pearl found in wakefulness. The man is not someone who is wary of a shard in a dream-the manly man is he who is wary of a pearl found in wakefulness.” In short, know that the steps of the travelers in the road of godwariness are three: The step of the Shariah illuminates the door of the bodily frame. The step of the Tariqah illuminates the door of the heart. The step of the Haqiqah illuminates the door of the spirit. When those who travel in the bodily frame arrive, the hospitality of Surely the godwary will be in the midst of gardens and a river [54:54] will be brought for them. When those who travel in the heart arrive, the hospitality of a seat of truthfulness [54:55] will be brought for them. When those who travel in the spirit arrive, the hospitality of at an Omnipotent King [54:55] will be brought for them.

O you who have faith, take not My enemy and your enemy as friends. “O you who have faith, who have seen the Messenger as truthful, and who have accepted My message with spirit and soul, do not take My enemy and your enemy as your friend. No enemy of yours is greater than the commanding soul. Beware lest you feel secure from it. Always be on guard against it.” MuṣṬafā said, “Your worst enemy is your soul that is between your two sides.” Your worst enemy is the disobedient soul. It always wants that in which is your loss. Anyone who lets the soul have what it wants is planting the seeds of his own remorse. Among the reports from David is this: “O David, be the enemy of your own soul, for no one in the empire contends with Me except it.” The soul [nafs] is dust-dwelling, terrestrial, and dark. It is a treacherous and deceiving enemy. Its root is from “rivalry” [tanāfus], and rivalry is the beginning of rancor, envy, hatred, and enmity. MuṣṬafā was not exaggerating when he said, “We have returned from the lesser struggle to the greater struggle.” He called war against Byzantium the smaller war and war against the soul the greater war. For, you can take Byzantium from the emperor with a small army, but you cannot take the soul from someone with all the friends on the face of the earth. This is because an unbeliever in Byzantium struggles face-to-face and shows impudence and wrath against the warriors and calls them to do improper acts. But the soul does not struggle face-to-face. It shows him affection and kindness and calls him to do honorable acts. This is why the men of religion's road leave aside many of the obedient acts, for they know that those are the decoys of the soul; a hunter catches birds with birds. AḤmad Khiẓrūya Balkhī said, “I had severely put down my soul with various sorts of disci- pline and struggle. One day it became elated by war. I was surprised, because the soul does not become elated by obedience. I asked myself what sort of deception was hidden there. Perhaps it could not put up with hunger, for I was always commanding it to fast. It wanted to travel so as to break its fast while traveling.

(Verily ye have in them a goodly pattern for everyone who looketh to Allah and the Last Day�) [60:6-8]. Allah, exalted is He, says to the believers: �You have in Abraham as well as in the prophets and friends of Allah good role models, regarding their declaration of enmity towards their relatives who were idolaters, which should be emulated�. So when this verse was revealed, the believers declared their relatives who were idolaters to be their enemies. They showed this enmity to them and absolved themselves of all the things that they did or believed in. Allah, exalted is He, knew that this was hard on the believers and so He revealed (It may be that Allah will ordain love between you and those of them with whom ye are at enmity) [60:7]. And He did just that when many of them embraced Islam, thus becoming brothers and friends. Consequently, they mingled with and married from among each other. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, married Umm Habibah, the daughter of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. As a result, Abu Sufyan mellowed a little. When he heard of the news of his daughter's marriage, he said while he was still an idolater: �He is an outstanding person, no harm shall come to him�. Abu Salih Mansur ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Bazzaz informed us> Abu 'Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri> Abu Ya'la> Ibrahim ibn al-Hajjaj> 'Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak> Mus'ab ibn Thabit> 'Ami ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr> his father who said: �Qutaylah bint 'Abd al-'Uzza went to visit her daughter Asma' bint Abi Bakr and took with her gifts: desert lizards, clarified butter and dry cheese. However, Asma' refused to let her in her house and rejected her gifts. 'A'ishah went on behalf of Asma' to ask the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, about this. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion) [60:8]. Asma' then let her mother into her house and accepted her gifts�. This was narrated by al-Hakim Abu 'Abd Allah in his Sahih> Abu'l-'Abbas al-Sayyari> 'Abd Allah al-Ghazal> Ibn Shaqiq> Ibn al-Mubarak.

(Verily ye have in them a goodly pattern for everyone who looketh to Allah and the Last Day�) [60:6-8]. Allah, exalted is He, says to the believers: �You have in Abraham as well as in the prophets and friends of Allah good role models, regarding their declaration of enmity towards their relatives who were idolaters, which should be emulated�. So when this verse was revealed, the believers declared their relatives who were idolaters to be their enemies. They showed this enmity to them and absolved themselves of all the things that they did or believed in. Allah, exalted is He, knew that this was hard on the believers and so He revealed (It may be that Allah will ordain love between you and those of them with whom ye are at enmity) [60:7]. And He did just that when many of them embraced Islam, thus becoming brothers and friends. Consequently, they mingled with and married from among each other. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, married Umm Habibah, the daughter of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. As a result, Abu Sufyan mellowed a little. When he heard of the news of his daughter's marriage, he said while he was still an idolater: �He is an outstanding person, no harm shall come to him�. Abu Salih Mansur ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Bazzaz informed us> Abu 'Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri> Abu Ya'la> Ibrahim ibn al-Hajjaj> 'Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak> Mus'ab ibn Thabit> 'Ami ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr> his father who said: �Qutaylah bint 'Abd al-'Uzza went to visit her daughter Asma' bint Abi Bakr and took with her gifts: desert lizards, clarified butter and dry cheese. However, Asma' refused to let her in her house and rejected her gifts. 'A'ishah went on behalf of Asma' to ask the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, about this. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion) [60:8]. Asma' then let her mother into her house and accepted her gifts�. This was narrated by al-Hakim Abu 'Abd Allah in his Sahih> Abu'l-'Abbas al-Sayyari> 'Abd Allah al-Ghazal> Ibn Shaqiq> Ibn al-Mubarak.

(Verily ye have in them a goodly pattern for everyone who looketh to Allah and the Last Day�) [60:6-8]. Allah, exalted is He, says to the believers: �You have in Abraham as well as in the prophets and friends of Allah good role models, regarding their declaration of enmity towards their relatives who were idolaters, which should be emulated�. So when this verse was revealed, the believers declared their relatives who were idolaters to be their enemies. They showed this enmity to them and absolved themselves of all the things that they did or believed in. Allah, exalted is He, knew that this was hard on the believers and so He revealed (It may be that Allah will ordain love between you and those of them with whom ye are at enmity) [60:7]. And He did just that when many of them embraced Islam, thus becoming brothers and friends. Consequently, they mingled with and married from among each other. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, married Umm Habibah, the daughter of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. As a result, Abu Sufyan mellowed a little. When he heard of the news of his daughter's marriage, he said while he was still an idolater: �He is an outstanding person, no harm shall come to him�. Abu Salih Mansur ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Bazzaz informed us> Abu 'Amr Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hiri> Abu Ya'la> Ibrahim ibn al-Hajjaj> 'Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak> Mus'ab ibn Thabit> 'Ami ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr> his father who said: �Qutaylah bint 'Abd al-'Uzza went to visit her daughter Asma' bint Abi Bakr and took with her gifts: desert lizards, clarified butter and dry cheese. However, Asma' refused to let her in her house and rejected her gifts. 'A'ishah went on behalf of Asma' to ask the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, about this. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion) [60:8]. Asma' then let her mother into her house and accepted her gifts�. This was narrated by al-Hakim Abu 'Abd Allah in his Sahih> Abu'l-'Abbas al-Sayyari> 'Abd Allah al-Ghazal> Ibn Shaqiq> Ibn al-Mubarak.

(O ye who believe! When believing women come unto you as fugitives, examine them. Allah is Best Aware of their faith�) [60:10]. Ibn �Abbas said: �On the year of Hudaybiyyah, the idolaters of Mecca signed a peace treaty with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. This treaty stipulated that whoever of the people of Mecca runs away to him from them should be returned to them, and whoever of his Companions runs away to the people of Mecca will not be returned. They wrote the treaty and sealed it. Just after signing the treaty, Subay�ah bint al-Harith al-Aslamiyyah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, while he was still at al-Hudaybiyyah. Her husband, who was an unbeliever came and said: �O Muhammad, return my wife to me, for you had agreed to return to us whoever runs away to you. The ink of the treaty has not dried yet�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed this verse�. Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Farisi informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Hafiz> Muhammad ibn Yahya> Hasan ibn al-Rabi� ibn al-Khashshab> Ibn Idris> Muhammad ibn Ishaq> al-Zuhri who said: �I entered in on �Urwah ibn al-Zubayr while he was writing a letter to Ibn Hunaydah, the aid of al-Walid ibn �Abd al-Malik, in reply to his question about the words of Allah, exalted is He, (O ye who believe! When believing women come unto you as fugitives, examine them). He wrote to him: �The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, signed a peace treaty with the Quraysh on the day of al-Hudaybiyyah. The treaty stipulated that he should return to them whoever goes to him without the permission of his custodian. When women emigrated [from Mecca to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace,] Allah, exalted is He, refused to turn them back to the idolaters after it has been ascertained that they had migrated for Islam. This examination consisted of giving back their dowers to the idolaters if they are kept back [with the Muslims], provided that the idolaters give back the dowers of the wives of Muslims who stayed back in Mecca�. He said: �That is the judgement of Allah with which He judges between them. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, therefore, kept back women and sent back to the Quraysh the men who had run away from them� �.

(O ye who believe! Be not friendly with a folk with whom Allah is wroth�) [60:13]. This verse was revealed about some poor Muslims who used to inform the Jews of the news of Muslims and keep in touch with them. They got in exchange some of their fruits. And so Allah, glorified and exalted is He, warned them against this.

Everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies God, and He is the Exalted, the Wise. He who desires to make his glorification of Him limpid should make his heart limpid without the traces of his soul, and he who desires his life in the Garden to be limpid should make his religion limpid without the filth of caprice. The world's folk are two groups: The life of one group is with the Real's gentleness and bounty, and their ease is the glorification and remembrance of the Real. The life of the other group is a mark of the Real's justice, and their ease is found in the shares of the soul. Those who are the folk of gentleness and bounty have a heart that is limpid, an aspiration that is high, and a breast that is empty for the divine remembrance. Their tongue is given over to bearing witness, their heart turned over to recognition, their spirit mixed with love, their secret core fled to God, and their own attributes disowned. It has been said that every attribute of selfhood is an attachment, every attach- ment a color, and every color a disgrace in the road of men. He who painted a thousand worlds with color- why would He buy my color and yours, O bankrupt man! The glorification and remembrance of this group come from the pure quarry and reach the pure Lord, accepted and approved by God, as He says: “To Him ascend the goodly words, and He uplifts the wholesome deed” [35:10]. As for those who are the mark of the Real's justice and who live through the shares of the soul, their breast is tainted with appetite, their heart is the quarry of trouble, and their inwardness is dif- ferent from their outwardness. Their names are written in the register of the hypocrites. Their acts are different from their words, just as the Lord of the Worlds says:

O you who have faith, why do you say what you do not do? Concerning the hypocrites to whom these words refer, the Lord of the Worlds says,

Greatly hateful to God is it that you say what you do not do. Very ugly, inappropriate, and hated by God are words that do not bring deeds in conformity, or preaching in which the preacher has no portion of the practice. Do not prohibit the people and then do the like of that! Your disgrace is tremendous when you do so. God revealed to Jesus, “O son of Mary! Counsel yourself. If you take the counsel, counsel the people. Otherwise, have shame before Me.”

(All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah, and He is the Mighty, the Wise) [61:1-4]. Muhammad ibn Ja�far informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Zakariyya> Muhammad ibn �Abd al-Rahman al-Daghuli> Muhammad ibn Yahya> Muhammad ibn Kathir al-San�ani> al-Awza�i> Yahya ibn Abi Kathir> Abu Salamah> �Abd Allah ibn Salam who said: �We sat � a group of Companions of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace � and reminded each other. We said: �If only we knew the most beloved works to Allah, glorified and exalted is He, for we would then perform them�. Allah, exalted is He, therefore, revealed (Lo! Allah loveth them who battle for His cause in ranks, as if they were a solid structure) [61:4] up to the end of the Surah. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, read it to us�. (O ye who believe! Why say ye that which ye do not?) [61:2-4]. The commentators of the Qur�an said: �Some Muslims used to say: �If we knew the most beloved works to Allah, exalted is He, we would spend our wealth and persons in their sake�. And so Allah, exalted is He, directed them to the most beloved works to Him, saying (Lo! Allah loveth them who battle for His cause in ranks, as if they were a solid structure�) But when Muslims were tested at the Battle of Uhud, they retreated, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (O ye who believe! Why say ye that which ye do not?)�.

Everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies God, the King, the Holy, the Exalted, the Wise. He is the King, the Owner, the Owner of the Kingdom, and the King of Kings. The king in reality is He, for His kingship has no removal, His seriousness no levity, His exaltedness no abasement, His decree no rejection. He has no peer, and from Him there is no escape. When the faithful, believing servant comes to know that the owner in reality is He, he will break the tablet of making claims, roll up the carpet of folly, pull his skirt back from the two worlds, surrender possessions and the kingdom to the Absolute Owner, and consider His desire prior to his own desire. He will be ashamed to abase himself before any created thing or to bend his upright neck for the sake of a grain or a mouthful. “He who aims for the ocean has no need for rivulets.” “He who recognizes God will not put up with the abasement of the creatures.” Whoever knows the Real's majesty will not give himself over to creatures' abasing. The hand of his truthful- ness will be held back from the two worlds, the foot of his love will always be in the road, his heart will be in the grasp of the King's exaltation, and his secret core will be the quarry of the secret of the Possessor of Majesty. On his forehead will be the mark of prosperity, in the eye of his certainty the light of taking heed of God's acts, in his nose the fragrance of the garden of union. People have states, pleasures, and names, but he is without states, pleasures, and names. What then has he lost? For tomorrow in the house of the afterworld he will be the nightingale of the garden of At-ness and the falcon of the mystery of unity. Ḥallāj was asked about renunciation. He said, “Putting aside the enjoyment of this world is the soul's renunciation. Putting aside the bliss of the next world is the heart's renunciation. Abandon- ing one's own self in this road is the spirit's renunciation. Those who are renunciants in this world settle down in the abode of approval. Those who are renunciants in paradise settle down in the Palisades of Holiness. As for the group that renounce their own selfhoods, they will be snatched away by a flood in the valley of No god but God. There will be no news of them in this abode and no trace of them in that abode. They will settle down in the Pavilion of Jealousy with access to the dome of the Self-Sufficiency's proximity.”

(But when they spy some merchandise or pastime they break away to it�) [62:11]. Master Abu Tahir al-Ziyadi informed us> Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali ibn Ibrahim> Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Warah> al-Hasan ibn 'Atiyyah> Isra'il> Husayn ibn 'Abd al-Rahman> Abu Sufyan> Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah who said: �The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was standing, delivering a sermon one Friday, when a caravan arrived from Syria. People left the mosque and went out to attend to it; only twelve people remained seated. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, then revealed (But when they spy some merchandise or pastime they break away to it and leave thee standing)�. This was narrated by Bukhari> Hafs ibn 'Umar> Khalid ibn 'Abd Allah> Husayn. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Muzakki informed us> Abu Bakr ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Yahya al-Talhi> Ja'far ibn Ahmad ibn 'Imran al-Shashi> 'Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Yunus> 'Abthar ibn al-Qasim> Husayn> Salim ibn Abi al-Ja'd> Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah: �It was Friday and we were with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, when a caravan transporting food passed by. Except for twelve men, everyone left to attend to it, and so the verse of Friday (Ayat al-Jumu'ah) was revealed�. This was narrated by Muslim> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim> Jarir and also by al-Bukhari in Kitab al-Jumu'ah> Mu'awiyah ibn 'Amr> Za'idah; both Jariri and Ibn Za'idah related it from Husayn. The commentators of the Qur'an said: �The people of Medina were suffering from hunger and a rise in prices. And it happened that Dihyah ibn Khalifah al-Kalbi arrived from a business trip to Syria. His arrival was announced to people by beating a drum while the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was standing, delivering the Friday sermon. People left the mosque such that only twelve people remained inside, including Abu Bakr and 'Umar. This verse was then revealed, and the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: 'By Him in Whose Hand is Muhammad's soul, had you followed each other, such that none of you remained, the valley would have inundated you with fire' �.

When the hypocrites come to thee they say, “We bear witness that thou art indeed the Messenger of God.” On the first day in the era of the Beginningless He sent the diver of power into the ocean of Adam's loins to bring out the night-brightening pearls and the black beads to the shore of existence. There were both faithful and hypocrites, and just as He brought forth the faithful, so also He brought forth the hypocrites. But with His bounty He kept the faithful at the front of the hall of exaltedness on the carpet of gentleness, without bias; and with His justice He kept the hypocrites in the back with the shoes beneath the carpet of severity and abasement, without iniquity. He placed the crown of felicity on the heads of the faithful, and their portion of the Book was this: “So rejoice in your sale you have made to Him” [9:111]. He placed the bonds of abasement and the shackles of deg- radation on the feet of the hypocrites, and their portion of the Book came to be this: “Die in your rage!” [3:119]. This is why the Lord of the Worlds says, “Those-their portion of the Book will reach them” [7:37]. About the faithful He says, “in a seat of truthfulness, at an Omnipotent King” [54:55], and about the hypocrites He says, “in the lowest reach of the Fire” [4:145]. Be as your luck lets you be, I'll be as my lot allows. Tomorrow in the courtyards of the resurrection the hypocrites will ride on the coattails of the faithful and will go with their brightness until they reach the Narrow Path. Then the faithful will go ahead and cross over the bridge with the light of their faith and self-purification. The unbelief and hypocrisy of the hypocrites will seize their skirts so that they remain in darkness and bewilder- ment. They will call out, “Wait for us so that we may borrow some of your light” [57:13]. They will ask for light and brightness from the faithful, but the faithful will respond, “Turn back behind and request a light” [57:13], that is, “'Turn back to the decree of the Beginningless and seek light from the apportioning.' Seek for the light from the decree of the Beginningless, not from us.

(They it is who say: Spend not on behalf of those (who dwell) with Allah's messenger�) [63:7]. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Abdan informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Hafiz> Abu'l-'Abbas Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mahbubi> Sa'id ibn Mas'ud> 'Ubayd Allah ibn Musa> Isra'il> Abu Sa'id al-Azdi> Zayd ibn Arqam who said: �We went out in a military expedition with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and some desert Arabs came along with us. We used to hasten for water but the desert Arabs always preceded us to it. Once a desert Arab got to the water first, he would fill the pond, circle it with stones and place a leather mat on it until his friends would arrive. One man from the Helpers came along wanting to let his camel drink from one such pond, but a desert Arab refused to let him use the pond. The Helper removed one of the stones encircling the water which caused the water to spill. The desert Arab grabbed a piece of wood and struck him on the head, fracturing his skull in the process. The Helper went to 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, the leader of the hypocrites, and informed him of the incident. This Helper was one of the followers of Ibn Ubayy. 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy got very angry and said: 'Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah, until they [i.e. the desert Arabs] disperse'. He also said to his followers: 'When you go back to Medina, let the most powerful drive the weakest out of Medina'. Zayd ibn Arqam said: 'I was riding behind my uncle and I heard what 'Abd Allah said. I told my uncle of what I heard and he informed the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, then summoned 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy. But the latter denied that he ever said what he was accused of and swore that he never said it. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, believed him and disbelieved me. My uncle came to me and said: 'All you have done is that you caused the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, to loath you and the Muslims to give you the lie'.

Everything in the heavens and everything in the earth glorifies Him. His is the kingdom and His is the praise, and He is powerful over everything. The meaning of glorification is to declare holy and incomparable. Declaring holy is that you know that God is incomparable with and hallowed beyond unworthy attributes and the descriptions of newly arrived things; pure of defect, far from imagination, outside of intellect, and hallowed beyond reasoning. He is described but not caused, recognized but not intelligible, apparent but disregarded. His howness is not known, intellect in Him is dismissed, and understanding in Him is bewildered. His being is to be seen, His Essence and attributes to be accepted but not perceived, and His howness to be heard but not known. He is saying, “The seven heavens and the seven earths and everything within them glorify God and praise Him for purity and peerlessness.” From creatures He asks for acceptance and firm fixity, for they do not perceive and know that. Have you not read that God says, “But you do not understand their glorification” [17:44]? You do not perceive the glorification of heaven and earth, water, fire, wind, and earth, mountains and seas, and all animate and inanimate things. He has made faith in it mandatory but He has made the creatures despair of perceiving it. Since you do not perceive the created things with intellect, how will you determine God's Essence and attributes with mere intellect? Accept the outwardness, give over the inwardness, leave it with what God desires, and remember to stay safe. Know also that in twenty attributes, God is incomparable with and pure of twenty attributes. In unity He is pure of associate and partner, in self-sufficiency He is pure of being grasped, in first- ness He is pure of beginning, in lastness He is pure of end, in eternity He is pure of new arrival, in existence He is pure of encompassment, in witnessing He is pure of perception, in self-standing He is pure of change, in power He is pure of weakness, in patience He is pure of incapacity, in withholding He is pure of niggardliness, in vengeance He is pure of rancor, in all-compellingness He is pure of iniquity, in magnificence He is pure of rebellion, in wrath He is pure of annoyance, in artisanry He is pure of need, in guile He is pure of delusion, in shame He is pure of regret, in deception He is pure of contrivance, in wonder He is pure of not knowing, in subsistence He is pure of annihilation.

He it is who created you. Among you are unbelievers and among you are faithful. The work is what He did in the Beginningless, the decree is what He issued in the Beginningless, the robe of honor what He bestowed in the Beginningless. The apportioning was made, not to be increased or decreased. One was washed with the water of solicitude, another fastened by the nail of rejection-a decree without bias, a judgment without iniquity. The name of one was recorded in the ledger of the felicitous and accepted for beginningless bounty, without any cause in the midst. The name of another was recorded in the register of the wretched, the belt of rejection bound to his waist; he was driven from the threshold of acceptance and good fortune, and he has not the gall to say a word. “One group sought Him, and He abandoned them; another group fled from Him, and He grasped them.” One group never rested from the road of seeking night and day, making themselves emaciated and wasted with acts of struggle and discipline, but He placed the hand of rejection on their breasts, for “The seeking is rejected, the path blocked.” Another group became the devotees of idol-temples, prostrating themselves before Lat and Hubal, but the call of exaltedness had been set in place for their sake: “You are Mine, and I am yours.” Ibrāhīm Khawāṣṣ said, “Once I was walking in the desert for the sake of disengagement. I saw an old man sitting there, a hat on his head, and he was weeping in lowliness and misery. I said, 'Hello, who are you?' “He said, 'I am Abū Murra [the Father of Bitterness].' “I said, 'Why are you weeping?' “He said, 'Who is more worthy of weeping than I? For forty thousand years I was serving that threshold, and in the Highest Horizon no one was placed before me. Now look at the divine predetermination and the unseen decree-what days have been brought for me! “'O questioner! How will it be for you after me? I met what was ugly and it made Him happy. I had become conceited in union and over time became secure from His deception. Such has the aversion burnt me that not a speck of what I witnessed remains.

(O ye who believe! Lo! among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefor beware of them. And if ye efface and overlook and forgive, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful) [64:14]. Said Ibn �Abbas: �Some men used to embrace Islam but, upon trying to migrate, were prevented from doing so by their families and children. The latter would plead with them, saying: �We plead with you, by Allah, not to leave your family and clan and depart to Medina where you have no family or wealth�. Some of these men took pity on their family and children and stayed back, thus failing to migrate, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. Ahmad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Shaybani informed us> Abu�l-Fadl Ahmad ibn Isma�il ibn Yahya ibn Hazim> �Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Bujayr> Muhammad ibn �Umar al-Maqdimi> Ash�ath ibn �Abd Allah> Shu�bah> Isma�il ibn Abi Khalid who said: �Some men used to embrace Islam but then faced the rebuke of their families and children, and so this verse was revealed (O ye who believe! Lo! among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefor beware of them�)�. Reporting from Ibn �Abbas, �Ikrimah said: �This refers to those who were prevented by their families from emigrating to Medina. When they finally migrated and saw that people had gained a clear understanding of the religion, they were about to punish those members of their family who prevented them from migrating, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (And if ye efface and overlook and forgive, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful)�.

So be wary of God as much as you are able. In another place, He says, “Be wary of God as is the rightful due of His wariness” [3:102]. One of these verses is the abrogater, the other the abrogated. One alludes to what is necessary by the command, the other alludes to what is necessary by rightful due. What is necessary by the com- mand came and abrogated what is necessary by rightful due. This is because when the Real calls the servants to account, He does so by what the command makes necessary so that He may then pardon their acts. If He were to take them to task for what is necessary by rightful due, then a thousand years of obedience would have the same color as a thousand years of disobedience. If all the prophets, the friends, and the limpid, and all the recognizers and lovers, came together, which of them would have the capacity to undertake His rightful due or to answer to His rightful due? His command is finite, but His rightful due is infinite. This is because the command subsists as long as the prescription of the Law subsists, but the prescription of the Law pertains to this world, which is the abode of prescription. The rightful due subsists through the subsistence of the Essence, and the Essence is infinite. Hence the subsistence of the rightful due is infinite. What is necessary by the command will disappear, but what is necessary by the rightful due will never disappear. This world will pass away, and the turn of the command will pass away along with it. But the turn of the rightful due will never pass away. Today everyone has a mad fervor in his head because he is looking at the command. The prophets and messengers look at their own prophethood and messengerhood, and the angels look at their own obedience and worship. The tawḤīd-voicers, the strugglers, the faithful, and the purifiers look at their own tawḤīd, faith, and self-purification. Tomorrow, when the pavilions of the lordly rightful due are thrown open, the prophets, de- spite the perfection of their state, will speak of their own knowledge of the Subsistent: “We have no knowledge” [5:109]. The angels of the Dominion will strike fire to the monasteries of their obedience, saying, “We have not worshiped You with the rightful due of Your worship.” The rec- ognizers and tawḤīd-voicers will say, “We have not recognized You with the rightful due of Your recognition.” And God knows best what is correct.

O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them for the set period. This explains the ruling on divorce. Although the Shariah permits divorce, God hates it, for it is the cause of separation. MuṣṬafā said, “Among the permitted things most hateful to God is divorce.” He also said, “Take spouses and do not divorce, for the Throne shudders at divorce. Whenever a woman asks her husband for divorce, the ease of the Garden is forbidden to her.” He is saying, “Get married and do not seek divorce, for the Tremendous Throne trembles at divorce and separa- tion. Any woman who seeks divorce from her husband without his having harmed her or made her suffer will never smell the scent of the eight paradises.” Marriage is the cause of joining, and God loves union. Divorce is the cause of parting, and God hates separation. The wall of separation's world is affliction, and the water of separation's ocean is the bloody tears of remorse. The day of separation has no sun and the night of severance no day. If there were any drink more bitter than separation, it would have been placed on that rejected one of the Threshold, Iblis. A bowl was prepared of curses, the drink of severance and separation was poured into it, and it was put in his hand. He drank it all down, not leaving a drop. That was expressed like this: “Upon thee shall be My curse until the Day of Doom” [38:78]. The great ones of the religion have said that two goblets appeared from the Unseen. One was And he was one of the unbelievers [2:34] and the other was He is Ever-Merciful toward the faithful [33:43]. The cup of unbelief was full of the drink of separation and the cup of mercy full of the drink of union. He sent the cup of mercy on the hand of welcome with the escort of bounty to the spirit of MuṣṬafā the Arab. God says, “Surely God's bounty upon thee is magnificent” [4:113]. The cup of unbelief was given by the hand of justice with the description of abasement to Iblis the abandoned. It was said, “I shall surely fill Gehenna with thee and whosoever follows thee, all together” [38:85]. Rābiʿa ʿAdawī said, “Unbelief has the flavor of separation, and faith has the pleasure of union.

(And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him, And will provide for him from (a quarter) whence he hath no expectation) [65:3]. This verse was revealed about 'Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja'i whose son was imprisoned by the idolaters. He went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and complained to him about his poverty, saying: �The enemy has imprisoned my son and his mother is very distressed, what do you advise me to do?� The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: �Be fearful of Allah and be patient. I also command you and your wife to often repeat 'there is no strength or might except by Allah' �. So he went home and said to his wife: �The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, commanded both of us to often repeat 'there is no strength or might except by Allah' �. She said: �How good is that with which he has commanded us!� And they both started saying it straightaway. It happened that the enemy became distracted from their son and the latter led their sheep away and fled. He brought these sheep to his father; they were four thousand heads. This verse was revealed about this incident. 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Abdan informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Nu'aym> Abu'l-Qasim al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Sakuni> 'Ubayd ibn Kathir al-'Amiri> 'Abbad ibn Ya'qub> Yahya ibn Adam> Isra'il> 'Ammar ibn Mu'awiyah> Salim ibn Abi al-Ja'd> Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah who said: �This verse (And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him, And will provide for him from (a quarter) whence he hath no expectation) was revealed about a man from Ashja'. This man was poor but had numerous children. He went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and asked him for help. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, told him: 'Fear Allah and be patient!' The man went back to his companions and when they asked him about what the Prophet had given him, he said: 'He did not give me anything; he simply said: Fear Allah and be patient'. Not long after this, a son of this man, who had been captured by the enemy, brought him sheep. The man went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, to ask him about what he should do with the sheep, and told him the full story. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: 'Keep them, they are yours' �.

(And for such of your women as despair of menstruation�) [65:4]. Said Muqatil: �When the verse (Women who are divorced shall wait, keeping themselves apart�), Kallad ibn al-Nu�man ibn Qays al-Ansari said: �O Messenger of Allah, what is the waiting period of the woman who does not menstruate and the woman who has not menstruated yet? And what is the waiting period of the pregnant woman?� And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. Abu Ishaq al-Muqri� informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Hamdun> Makki ibn �Abdan> Abu�l-Azhar> Asbat ibn Muhammad> Mutarrif> Abu �Uthman �Amr ibn Salim who said: �When the waiting period for divorced and widowed women was mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, Ubayy ibn Ka�b said: �O Messenger of Allah, some women of Medina are saying: there are other women who have not been mentioned!� He asked him: �And who are they?� He said: �Those who are too young [such that they have not started menstruating yet], those who are too old [whose menstruation has stopped] and those who are pregnant�. And so this verse (And for such of your women as despair of menstruation�) was revealed�.

(O Prophet! Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for thee�) [66:1]. Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Tusi informed us> 'Ali ibn 'Umar ibn Mahdi> al-Husayn ibn Isma'il al-Mahamili> 'Abd Allah ibn Shabib> Ishaq ibn Muhammad> 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar> Abu'l-Nadr, the client of 'Umar ibn 'Abd Allah> 'Ali ibn 'Abbas> Ibn 'Abbas> 'Umar who said: �The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, entered the house of Hafsah along with the mother of his son, Mariyah. When Hafsah found him with her [in an intimate moment], she said: 'Why did you bring her in my house? You did this to me, to the exception of all your wives, only because I am too insignificant to you'. He said to her: 'Do not mention this to 'A'ishah; she is forbidden for me [i.e. Mariyah] if I ever touch her'. Hafsah said: 'How could she be forbidden for you when she is your slave girl?' He swore to her that he will not touch her and then said: 'Do not mention this incident to anyone'. But she went ahead and informed 'A'ishah. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, decided not to go to his wives for a month. He stayed away from them twenty nine days when Allah, glorious and exalted is He, revealed (O Prophet! Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for thee, seeking to please thy wives?)�. Abu Ibrahim Isma'il ibn Ibrahim al-Wa'iz informed us> Bishr ibn Ahmad ibn Bishr> Ja'far ibn al-Hasan al-Firyabi> Minjab ibn al-Harith> 'Ali ibn Mushir> Hisham ibn 'Urwah> his father> 'A'ishah who said: �The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, used to like sweet and honey. It was also his habit to go to his wives after finishing the 'Asr prayer. In one occasion he went to Hafsah bint 'Umar and stayed with her more than he usually did. When I found out about this, I enquired about the reason and I was told that a woman from her clan gifted her with a pot of honey which she offered to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. I said to myself: by Allah I will spoil it for him. I said to Sawdah bint Zam'ah: 'When he comes to your apartment and draws closer to you, say: O Messenger of Allah, did you eat Maghafir?' When he says: 'Hafsah fed me some honey', say: 'The bees which produced it must have eaten the 'Urfut'.

(If ye twain turn unto Allah repentant, (ye have cause to do so) for your hearts desired (the ban)�) [66:4]. Abu Mansur al-Mansuri informed us> Abu�l-Hasan al-Daraqutni> al-Husayn ibn Isma�il> �Abd Allah ibn Shabib> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn �Abd al-�Aziz> his father> al-Zuhri> �Ubayd Allah ibn �Abd Allah> Ibn �Abbas who said: �Hafsah found the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, with Umm Ibrahim when it was �A�ishah�s turn. She said to him: �I will definitely inform her!� The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: �She is forbidden for me if I touch her again�. Hafsah went ahead and informed �A�ishah. Allah informed His Messenger of this and he let Hafsah know some of the things she said. She asked him: �Who informed you of this?� He said: �(The Knower, the Aware hath told me) [66:3]�. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, stayed away from his wives for a month and then Allah, glorious and exalted is He, revealed: (If ye twain turn unto Allah repentant, (ye have cause to do so) for your hearts desired (the ban)�)�.

O you who have faith, repent to God with true repentance. “O believers, familiars, and friends, all of you repent! Come back to My threshold! Turn to Me! Though you have done what comes from you, I will do what comes from Me! Nobody accepts the defective except here. Come back! No threshold forgives sins but here. Seek shelter in Me! Come from the unkindly to the Lovingly Kind! Come from the pain of despair to hope! I have no fear of forgiving sins, come back! I am not ashamed to accept the defective, return!” Read the equivalent of this verse in “Be penitent toward your Lord” [39:54]. The station of penitence is higher than the station of repentance. Penitence is the servant's return to his Lord with heart and aspiration, and repentance is the servant's return from disobedience to obedience. What is penitence? Coming from the valley of hypocrisy on the feet of truthfulness to the valley of tranquility, coming from the valley of innovation on the feet of surrender to the valley of the Sunnah, coming from the valley of dispersion on the feet of disentanglement to the valley of togetherness, coming from the valley of making claims on the feet of poverty to the valley of solitariness, coming from the valley of intelligence on the feet of indigence to the Real. What is repentance? An obeyed interceder, tender trustee, and generous deputy effaces the imprint of sin and at his intercession the Real pardons the sinful servant. He cleanses and makes pure the servant's ledger of disobedience and makes the repentant man equal to a man without sin. This is why MuṣṬafā said, “He who repents of sin is like him who has no sin.” He also said, “Surely God is happier at His servant's repentance than a thirsty man who comes upon a spring, a man who has lost his camel and finds it, and a barren woman who gives birth.” He is saying, “The Real is more quickly pleased by the repentance of the repenters than by any other act of obedience. Know that His approval of the repentance of the sinner is like the happiness of a thirsty man in the middle of a dry, waterless desert who suddenly comes across pure water. Or it is like that of a traveler who has lost his goods and mount in the middle of a perilous desert and then, after despairing, he suddenly comes across his mount and his goods.

Blessed is He in whose hand is the kingdom, and He is powerful over everything. The kingdom of the 18,000 worlds is in His hand. The heads of all the headmen are in the grasp of His predetermination, the necks of all the proud wear the collar of His subjection, the forelocks of all the tyrants are acquiescent to the severity of His all-compellingness. It has come in a report, “'I am the King. The hearts and the forelocks of the kings are in My hand, and I make them fluctuate as I will.' I am the king, I am king over all kings. Exalting and abasing the servants is in My hand. The hearts of the world's folk are in My grasp. I turn them any way I want and I drive their secret cores according to My desire. If I want, I call them and make them laugh. If I want, I drive them away and make them weep. “O you who are the world's folk! Do not busy your breasts because of kings and do not attach your hearts to them. Attach your hearts to My religion, trust in My generosity, and turn your face to the threshold of obedience to Me. Serve the religion so that this world may follow you. Serve the King of kings, so that the kings of this world may serve you.” Serve Him so that kings may serve you, be His boy and the sultan will be your servant. The kingdom of human nature is one thing, the kingdom of the heart another, and the kingdom of the spirit still another. Human nature runs the kingdom in this world, the heart runs the kingdom in the next world, and the spirit runs the kingdom in the World of the Haqiqah. The kingdom of human nature is this: Surely the life of this world is but play, diversion, and adornment [57:20]. The kingdom of the heart is this: He loves them, and they love Him [5:54]. The kingdom of the spirit is this: Faces that day will radiant, gazing upon their Lord [75:22-23]. That exalted man of the road said, “Tomorrow when the banner of His magnificence is raised at the resurrection-Whose is the kingdom? [40:16]-with His permission I will open up a door in the corner of my heart and give out some of my pain for Him.

(And keep your opinion secret or proclaim it�) [67:13]. Said Ibn �Abbas: �This was revealed about the idolaters who used to slander the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. Gabriel, peace be upon him, informed him about what they said about him and the things with which they slandered him. Some of them used to say to others: �Lower your voices lest Muhammad�s Allah hears you� �.

Nūn. By the Pen and what they inscribe. Nūn is one of the letters of the alphabet. The alphabet's letters are the roots of words, the connec- tors of phrases, and the separators of verses. All indicate generosity and bounty, some in brief and some in detail. They allude to gentleness, the good news of love, expiation of offenses, and the plundering of the hearts of the friends. They are the foundation of words and the adornment of speakers. Understanding them is the mark of those who conform. They are burdens on the neck of the enemies and thorns in the eyes of the innovators. It is the belief of the faithful that these letters are the speech of the Lord of the world. He is a Lord who has knowledge and power. His knowledge is without reflective thought and His power without tools. His kingship is without end, His solicitude without bribery, His bestowal without obligation. He is a Lord who is the artisan of the universe and the protector of creation, the keeper of enemies and the companion of friends. He is in everyone's eyes through artisanry and settled down in the hearts of His lovers, the hard cash of every hope and enough for every assurance. Though the servant be heavily burdened by offenses, He is clement and forbearing. The Pir of the Tariqah said in his whispered prayers, “O God, no matter how sinful we are, You are forgiving. No matter how ugly our deeds, You are the concealer. O King, You have the treasure of bounty, without equal or help. It is worthy that You pass over our disloyal acts.” Nūn. By the Pen. Nūn is the inkwell, and the Pen is a pen of light. The writer is the Forgiving Lord. He wrote with the Pen in the emerald Tablet, He wrote with the ink of light, He wrote on the notebook of carnelian, He wrote the story and the deeds of the created things. He wrote the heart of the recognizer with the Pen of generosity, He wrote with the ink of bounty, He wrote on the notebook of gentleness, He wrote the attribute and description of the honorable: He wrote faith in their hearts [58:22]. He wrote in the Tablet, and He wrote it all for you.

(And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature) [68:4]. Abu Bakr al-Harithi informed us> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Hayyan> Ahmad ibn Ja�far> ibn Nasr al-Jamal> Jarir ibn Yahya> Husayn ibn �Ulwan al-Kufi> Hisham ibn �Urwah> his father> �A�ishah who said: �No one had a better character than the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. Never did anyone among his Companions, or household, call him except that he said: �I am at your service!� this is why Allah, glorious and majestic is He, revealed (And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature)�.

(And lo! those who disbelieve would fain disconcert thee�) [68:51]. This verse was revealed when the disbelievers wanted to give the evil eye to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. Some people from the Quraysh looked once at him and said: �We have never seen anyone like him or like his proofs�. The Banu Asad were renowned for their evil eye. A fat camel or cow would pass by one of them and, after giving it the evil eye, he would say to his slave-girl: �O girl, take a large basket and a silver coin and bring us some of the meat of this!� The camel or cow would fall dead straight after that and would then be hamstrung. Said al-Kalbi: �There was a man from the Arabs who used to abstain from food for two or three days and then raise part of his tent, upon the passing by of cattle, and say: �There are no grazing camels or sheep today better than these�, and the cattle would not proceed far before some of them would fall dead. The disbelievers requested this man to give the evil eye to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, but Allah, exalted is He, protected His Prophet and revealed this verse�.

The Realizing! What is the Realizing? What is the resurrection? That resurrection is real, and it is what will be. It is true, and it is what will happen. Everyone will reach what is suited for him and will receive the reward for the good and evil in his register. It is said that the resurrection is two, one today and one tomorrow. Today's is death, as has come in the report: “When someone dies, his resurrection arrives.” Whoever is certain of this res- urrection is always terrified and fearful of death. He is always burnt and melted in fear of this res- urrection. He keeps himself busy with the provisions of the road and the makings of that journey. The great ones of the religion have said that the Adamite is one of two: either like a beast held in a stable, or like a bird imprisoned in a cage. The poor wretch who is like a beast fears and trem- bles because of death. He knows that when the beast is taken out of the stable, it will be quickly slaughtered. The chevalier who is like a bird is constantly waiting for death, for the happiness and ease of the bird lies in the breaking of the cage. Thus that chevalier said, “When will I be released from this cage to make a nest in the divine garden?” [DS 371] As for tomorrow's resurrection, that is the resurrection when all the people from the first to the last will be gathered in that plain of awe, as the Exalted Lord says, “And We will muster them such that We leave none of them behind” [18:47]. It is a tremendous day, a difficult work, a limitless harshness. The portico of magnificence will be set up, the scales of justice hung, the narrow path of rightness pulled out, the paradises of beauty adorned, the hell of awesomeness stirred up. This is the day when the curtains will be lifted, the secrets made apparent, the crowns of levity thrown in the dust, the hats of folly taken off. Fancies will be cleared of water and dust, and the rewards of good and evil will be placed next to each other.

The Realizing! What is the Realizing? What is the resurrection? That resurrection is real, and it is what will be. It is true, and it is what will happen. Everyone will reach what is suited for him and will receive the reward for the good and evil in his register. It is said that the resurrection is two, one today and one tomorrow. Today's is death, as has come in the report: “When someone dies, his resurrection arrives.” Whoever is certain of this res- urrection is always terrified and fearful of death. He is always burnt and melted in fear of this res- urrection. He keeps himself busy with the provisions of the road and the makings of that journey. The great ones of the religion have said that the Adamite is one of two: either like a beast held in a stable, or like a bird imprisoned in a cage. The poor wretch who is like a beast fears and trem- bles because of death. He knows that when the beast is taken out of the stable, it will be quickly slaughtered. The chevalier who is like a bird is constantly waiting for death, for the happiness and ease of the bird lies in the breaking of the cage. Thus that chevalier said, “When will I be released from this cage to make a nest in the divine garden?” [DS 371] As for tomorrow's resurrection, that is the resurrection when all the people from the first to the last will be gathered in that plain of awe, as the Exalted Lord says, “And We will muster them such that We leave none of them behind” [18:47]. It is a tremendous day, a difficult work, a limitless harshness. The portico of magnificence will be set up, the scales of justice hung, the narrow path of rightness pulled out, the paradises of beauty adorned, the hell of awesomeness stirred up. This is the day when the curtains will be lifted, the secrets made apparent, the crowns of levity thrown in the dust, the hats of folly taken off. Fancies will be cleared of water and dust, and the rewards of good and evil will be placed next to each other.

(�and that remembering ears (that heard the story) might remember) [69:12]. Abu Bakr al-Tamimi informed us> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja�far> al-Walid ibn Abban> al-�Abbas al-Duri> Bishr ibn Adam> �Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr> Salih ibn Haytham> Buraydah who reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to �Ali: �Allah has commanded me to draw you closer to me and not exclude you and that I teach you so that you understand; and Allah has taken it upon Himself that you understand�, and then this verse was revealed (and that remembering ears (that heard the story) might remember).

(A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall) [70:1]. This verse was revealed about al-Nadr ibn al-Harith when he said [as reported in the Qur�an] (O Allah! if this be indeed the truth from Thee, then rain down stones on us or bring on us some painful doom!) [8:32], and so he prayed against himself and asked for chastisement. He got what he asked for at the Battle of Badr when he was killed in captivity. And the verse (A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall) was revealed about him.

(Doth every man among them hope to enter the Garden of Delight? Nay�) [70:38-39]. The commentators of the Qur�an said: �The idolaters used to gather round the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, to listen to him but did not benefit from him. Instead, they gave him the lie and mocked him. They said: �If these were to enter Paradise, we shall certainly enter it before them, and we will have more wealth therein than they will ever have�. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�.

(Doth every man among them hope to enter the Garden of Delight? Nay�) [70:38-39]. The commentators of the Qur�an said: �The idolaters used to gather round the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, to listen to him but did not benefit from him. Instead, they gave him the lie and mocked him. They said: �If these were to enter Paradise, we shall certainly enter it before them, and we will have more wealth therein than they will ever have�. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�.

What is it with you that you do not hope for God with dignity? And He created you in stages. “What has happened to you that you do not show gratitude for blessings and you do not recognize the rightful due of My nurturing, even though you know from what you were created and how you were created, state by state and stage by stage. First I brought a sperm drop from weak loins into a weak womb. I kept it in that firm settledness [77:21] and fortified place. Look at how I painted it with the pen of power. I turned that drop of water into blood and turned that blood into flesh. Then I brought forth bones and joined them together. When the formed and determined frame was completed, I commanded the subtle spirit to go into the body, like a sultan to a castle or a phoenix to its nest, so that it might give a robe of honor to each bodily part: seeing to the eye, speaking to the tongue, hearing to the ear, taking to the hand, walking to the feet. O servant, I adorned you beautifully, in the most beautiful stature [95:4]. I refined your stature, I created you more beautiful than all the beings, and I sculpted you more lovely than all the existent things.” No idol like your form is sculpted in the country, no cypress with your stature is planted in Kishmar. When your picture is painted before Azar's idol, Azar's painted idol shatters in shame. The wise Enactor, the generous Lord, added to the beauty of form and showed you the marvels of power in your own created disposition. He adorned your heart with tawḤīd, scouring away the rust of denial. What do you say about His wisdom and His mercy? Is it suitable that He burn what He himself adorned and trimmed? No, of course not. When you ponder this state and reflect on the artisanry of the Creator, you will say with the tongue of thanksgiving, “He sculpted me from a drop of sperm, He appointed me to serve Him in His bounty He lifted my head above all creatures- thanks be to God for acting so beautifully toward me!” Having reminded them of all the blessings and generosity of the Real, Noah heard no gratitude. It only increased them in unbelief and denial, so he turned his face away from them and said,

O enwrapped in thy robe, stand at night save for a little. “O prophet made pure! O master most pure! O greatest messenger! O emulated by mortal man! O luminous moon in the tower of majesty! O most manifest pearl in the jewel box of messengerhood! O you whose name is the title of the book of majesty! O you whose decrees are the embroidery on the robe of messengerhood, whose speech is the capital of the religion, whose announcements are the ornament of the Shariah! O arranger of the collar of prophethood! O disseminator of the an- nouncement of messengerhood! O confirmer of the pillars of guidance! O unveiler of the secrets of friendship! O founder of the path of the Shariah! O raiser of the miʿrāj of the Haqiqah! “Stand at night: Get up and do the night prayer. Be awake some of the night, interceding for the community; and sleep some of the night, giving ease to your soul. O master, if you sleep all night, your community will be neglected, and if you stay awake all night, you will suffer, but I do not want your suffering. When you stay awake I will forgive some of the disobedient because of your wakefulness so as to confirm the truth of intercession. While you sleep I will forgive the rest to realize mercy. O master, when you found the robe of My proximity, you found it in sleep. So also at night be in My service. Just as you found the robe at night, so also give thanks for that robe by serving at night.” O chevalier! The servant is shown no greater generosity than when he rises furtively from his warm bed on a dark night and enters into whispered prayer at God's threshold with weeping and pleading, lifting up the story of his own pain to Him. He says in the tongue of need before the Presence of Mystery, “O God, give me access so I may lift up the story of my pain to You. I weep before Your threshold and I am joyful in hope mixed with fear. O God, receive me so that I may turn myself over to You. Gaze at me once so that I may throw the two worlds into the ocean.” My dear, be awake and aware at night, for night is the scented garden of the friends and the springtime of the recognizers. Night is the meadow of the lovers and the light of the truthful. Night is the joy of the yearners and the ease of the spirits of the obedient.

O enwrapped in thy robe, stand at night save for a little. “O prophet made pure! O master most pure! O greatest messenger! O emulated by mortal man! O luminous moon in the tower of majesty! O most manifest pearl in the jewel box of messengerhood! O you whose name is the title of the book of majesty! O you whose decrees are the embroidery on the robe of messengerhood, whose speech is the capital of the religion, whose announcements are the ornament of the Shariah! O arranger of the collar of prophethood! O disseminator of the an- nouncement of messengerhood! O confirmer of the pillars of guidance! O unveiler of the secrets of friendship! O founder of the path of the Shariah! O raiser of the miʿrāj of the Haqiqah! “Stand at night: Get up and do the night prayer. Be awake some of the night, interceding for the community; and sleep some of the night, giving ease to your soul. O master, if you sleep all night, your community will be neglected, and if you stay awake all night, you will suffer, but I do not want your suffering. When you stay awake I will forgive some of the disobedient because of your wakefulness so as to confirm the truth of intercession. While you sleep I will forgive the rest to realize mercy. O master, when you found the robe of My proximity, you found it in sleep. So also at night be in My service. Just as you found the robe at night, so also give thanks for that robe by serving at night.” O chevalier! The servant is shown no greater generosity than when he rises furtively from his warm bed on a dark night and enters into whispered prayer at God's threshold with weeping and pleading, lifting up the story of his own pain to Him. He says in the tongue of need before the Presence of Mystery, “O God, give me access so I may lift up the story of my pain to You. I weep before Your threshold and I am joyful in hope mixed with fear. O God, receive me so that I may turn myself over to You. Gaze at me once so that I may throw the two worlds into the ocean.” My dear, be awake and aware at night, for night is the scented garden of the friends and the springtime of the recognizers. Night is the meadow of the lovers and the light of the truthful. Night is the joy of the yearners and the ease of the spirits of the obedient.

And recite the Qur'an with measured recitation. “O MuḤammad, at night recite the Qur'an in order and with measure. In the night prayer recite the Qur'an aloud so that My friends may nurture their spirits in the playing fields of holiness to the tune of intimacy in the pleasure of listening to My speech and the comfort of My message so that they may perfume and refresh their secret cores. O MuḤammad, say to My friends, 'When you want to whisper secretly with Me, turn your faces to the kiblah of the Shariah and step into the presence of the prayer.” “The praying person is whispering with his Lord.” The prayer is to tell secrets and knock at the door of hope. The prayer is the cause of salvation and whispering with the Friend. The prayer is the utmost limit of struggle and the beginning of contemplation. The prayer is to snatch oneself away from the hand of the soul, to strive in servanthood, and to praise the Friend. Through the prayer friends appear differently from enemies and familiars are separated from strangers. “Be- tween the servant and unbelief stands abandoning the prayer.” The person of faith saying the prayer is like a rosebush. Recognition in him is like the scent, and the prayer is like the roses. Anyone can pick the rose from the bush and tear apart its petals, but no one can reduce its scent and take away its fragrance. In the same way, Satan can whisper in the outward prayer so as to snatch something away from it, but he cannot take away recognition from the inwardness.

And remember the name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him devoutly. Devotion is one of the states of the travelers, those who, in their states of encounter and unveilings, have reached the point that paradise with all its trees and streams does not enter into the beauty of their imagination; hell, with all its fetters and shackles, trembles in fear at the burning in their breasts. The viper of this world's avarice cannot put its fangs into the days of their delight, thorns from the thickets of envy and pride fail to catch in their skirts, dust from the desert of the com- manding soul does not sit on the robe of their submission, smoke from the abyss of caprice never reaches their eyes. They look at people with the eye of heedfulness, they speak with the tongue of tenderness, they become familiar with the heart of mercy. They are kings in attribute and beggars in form, sultans of the road in the garment of the indigent, travelers who have nothing of distance, fliers without the causality of wings and feathers, drunk with the wine of passion, alive with the life of proximity. A group who have cleared away everything other than Us, striking the fire of their hearts' grief into the spheres. Distant from everything outside of Us, they reached the Throne, their tents set up in the dust.

Lord of the east and the west, there is no god but He, so take Him as a trustee. Since you know that He is the God of the world and the world's folk, that He is their keeper, nurturer, work-knower, and guardian, consider Him your trustee and caretaker, for He is more suf- ficient than all caretakers. Come totally outside your rushing and running, your preoccupations, and entrust yourself totally to Him. Turn away from all and lean on His assurance. Lift your heart away from creatures and put aside self-governance. Put all of your self in the hands of His prede- termination so that the road of seeking may become clear to you. He is one Lord, and He wants a servant who is one in aspiration and one in seeking. These words will be not set in place by a man of every door and every place. Be the man whose feet are on the ground and whose aspiration's head is in the Pleiades. * The unique man has no use for middling passion; middling passion is not fit for the unique man. Either passion, or blame, or the road of safety- the arrow of trial has no target but man's spirit.

And be patient with what they say, and keep apart from them beautifully. We indeed know that thy breast is straitened by what they say [15:97]. And be patient with beauti- ful patience [70:5]. So be patient, as the possessors of resoluteness among the messengers were pa- tient [46:35]. Be patient with thy Lord's decree, for surely thou art in Our eyes [52:48]. In several places in the Qur'an that paragon of the world is commanded to have patience, for patience is the antidote to the poison of trial. The mark of the folk of love and friendship is patience. Patience in tribulation is no great work, for it is indeed people's habit. The manly man is he who is patient in blessings and keeps his feet on the road of servanthood. He does not step out- side of the blessings written for himself. Nimrod, Korah, Pharaoh, Haman, and their likes were drowned in the ocean of destruction only as a result of impatience. In blessings the Adamites have ungratefulness and ingratitude. Their feet do not remain in the blessings; rather, they pass beyond their limit and bring forth impudence and exultation. This is why the Exalted Lord says, “No indeed; surely man is rebellious because he sees himself without needs” [96:6-7]. Hence the final end of their work in this world is this: “How many a city We destroyed who exulted in their delightful life” [28:58]; and in the afterworld, what the Lord of the Worlds says in this surah: “Surely with Us there are shackles and hellfire, choking food and a pain- ful chastisement” [73:12-13].

O enwrapped in thy cloak, stand up and warn! “O source of bounteousness, O rising place of beauty, O chosen by the Majestic! O you who have pulled the cloak of mortal nature over your head and covered yourself with the rug of human na- ture. If you want proximity to Me, stand up through Me and drop from yourself everything other than Me. Rise up from yourself and rise up from your own rising up! Flee to the sanctuary of My exaltedness! Lift off the cloak of mortal nature from yourself, remove the rug of human nature from the road of the heart so that the heart may be a vast plain! Let it fly like a bird in the world of desire on the air of seeking until it arrives at the nest of proximity.” A great man was asked, “What is the meaning of proximity?” “If you mean the servant's proximity to the Real, expressing that is easy and alluding to it simple: It is service in seclusion, hidden from the people; the unveiling of the Haqiqah, hidden from the angels; immersion in companionship, hidden from oneself. “If you are talking about the Real's proximity to the servant, that cannot be put into words, nor do expression and allusion have any access to it. It is nothing but what He Himself says: 'Surely I am near [2:186]: Unsought, uncalled, unperceived, I am near. Compared to My closeness, the eye's blackness is distant from the eye's whiteness, for I am nearer than that, and the breath is far from the lips, for I am nearer than that. I am not near to your intellect's preserve, for I am near to My own attributes in the description of My own firstness.'” The Pir of the Tariqah said, “If people were to see the light of proximity in the recognizer, they would all be burned away, and if the recognizer were to see the light of proximity in himself, he would burn away. The knowledge of proximity does not fit into tongue and ear. It is a narrow road, and proximity disdains companionship with the tongue's water and clay. Whenever proxim- ity shows its face, how can the universe and man wait around?” As long as you are with you, what good is this talk to you? For this is the Fountain of Life, the world disowned.

O enwrapped in thy cloak, stand up and warn! “O source of bounteousness, O rising place of beauty, O chosen by the Majestic! O you who have pulled the cloak of mortal nature over your head and covered yourself with the rug of human na- ture. If you want proximity to Me, stand up through Me and drop from yourself everything other than Me. Rise up from yourself and rise up from your own rising up! Flee to the sanctuary of My exaltedness! Lift off the cloak of mortal nature from yourself, remove the rug of human nature from the road of the heart so that the heart may be a vast plain! Let it fly like a bird in the world of desire on the air of seeking until it arrives at the nest of proximity.” A great man was asked, “What is the meaning of proximity?” “If you mean the servant's proximity to the Real, expressing that is easy and alluding to it simple: It is service in seclusion, hidden from the people; the unveiling of the Haqiqah, hidden from the angels; immersion in companionship, hidden from oneself. “If you are talking about the Real's proximity to the servant, that cannot be put into words, nor do expression and allusion have any access to it. It is nothing but what He Himself says: 'Surely I am near [2:186]: Unsought, uncalled, unperceived, I am near. Compared to My closeness, the eye's blackness is distant from the eye's whiteness, for I am nearer than that, and the breath is far from the lips, for I am nearer than that. I am not near to your intellect's preserve, for I am near to My own attributes in the description of My own firstness.'” The Pir of the Tariqah said, “If people were to see the light of proximity in the recognizer, they would all be burned away, and if the recognizer were to see the light of proximity in himself, he would burn away. The knowledge of proximity does not fit into tongue and ear. It is a narrow road, and proximity disdains companionship with the tongue's water and clay. Whenever proxim- ity shows its face, how can the universe and man wait around?” As long as you are with you, what good is this talk to you? For this is the Fountain of Life, the world disowned.

(O thou enveloped in thy cloak�) [74:1-4]. Abu Ishaq Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Muqri� informed us> �Abd al-Malik ibn al-Walid> his father> al-Awza�i> Yahya ibn Abi Kathir> Abu Salamah> Jabir who related that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: �I stayed in Hira� for a month and when my stay came to an end, I came down. As I was in the middle of the valley, I was called. I looked in front and behind me, to my right and to my left, but could not see anyone. I was called once again. I raised my head, and I saw on a throne in midair [i.e. Gabriel peace be upon him]. I said: �Wrap me up, wrap me up!� And they threw water over me. Allah, glorified and majestic is He, then revealed (O thou enveloped in thy cloak, Arise and warn! Thy Lord magnify, Thy raiment purify)�. Narrated by Muslim> Zuhayr ibn Harb> al-Walid ibn Muslim> al-Awza�i.

(O thou enveloped in thy cloak�) [74:1-4]. Abu Ishaq Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Muqri� informed us> �Abd al-Malik ibn al-Walid> his father> al-Awza�i> Yahya ibn Abi Kathir> Abu Salamah> Jabir who related that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: �I stayed in Hira� for a month and when my stay came to an end, I came down. As I was in the middle of the valley, I was called. I looked in front and behind me, to my right and to my left, but could not see anyone. I was called once again. I raised my head, and I saw on a throne in midair [i.e. Gabriel peace be upon him]. I said: �Wrap me up, wrap me up!� And they threw water over me. Allah, glorified and majestic is He, then revealed (O thou enveloped in thy cloak, Arise and warn! Thy Lord magnify, Thy raiment purify)�. Narrated by Muslim> Zuhayr ibn Harb> al-Walid ibn Muslim> al-Awza�i.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

(Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�) [74:11-24]. Abu�l-Qasim al-Hudhami informed us> Muhammad ibn �Abd Allah ibn Nu�aym Muhammad ibn �Ali al-Saghani> Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> Ayyub al-Sikhtiyyani> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, who read the Qur�an to him and it seemed as if his heart softened to it. Abu Jahl heard of this. He went to him and said: �O uncle, your clan want to collect money to give it to you, for you went to Muhammad exposing yourself to his message�. He said: �The Quraysh know well that I am among its wealthiest�. Abu Jahl said: �Then say something about him which will let your people know that you condemn and dislike him�. He said: �But what shall I say? By Allah, there is not a man among you who is more knowledgeable about poetry and its composition than me. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any poetry. By Allah, the speech which he utters is sweet and graceful, fruitful at the top, copious at the bottom; it has the upper hand and nothing has the upper hand over it. But let me think about what I shall say about it. Then he said [as reported by the Qur�an] (This is naught else than magic from of old) [74:24], which he simply learnt from others�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely�), and the other verses which follows it. Mujahid said: �Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was in the habit of visiting the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and Abu Bakr so much so that the Quraysh thought he was going to embrace Islam. Abu Jahl then said to him: �The Quraysh claim that you visit Muhammad and Ibn Abi Quhafah to share food with them�. Al-Walid said to the Quraysh: �You are people of noble lineages and sound minds, but you claim that Muhammad is mad. Have you ever seen him seized by a bout of madness?� They said: �No!� He said: �And you claim that he is a soothsayer; have you ever seen him soothsaying?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a poet; have you ever heard him utter poetry?� They said: �No!� He said: �You claim that he is a liar; have you ever caught him lying?� They said: �No!� The Quraysh said to al-Walid: �What is he, then?� He thought for a while, looked and frowned and then said: �He is nothing but a sorcerer�, hence Allah�s saying (For lo! he did consider; then he planned�) [74:12] up to His saying (This is naught else than magic from of old)�.

No! I swear by the Day of Resurrection. The Lord of the Worlds swears an oath by the Day of Resurrection. That is the day when the pavil- ions of the rightful due of lordhood will be opened, the carpet of majesty and tremendousness spread, and the banner of all-compellingness brought out to the desert of all-subjugatingness. The portico of magnificence will be raised, the scales of justice will be hung, and the harshness of the exalted all-compellingness will make everyone confounded and senseless. The prophets will come in their perfection and put away talk of their knowledge: “We have no knowledge” [5:109]. The angels of the Dominion will come and strike fire to the monasteries of their worship: “We have not worshiped You with the rightful due of Your worship.” The recognizers and tawḤīd-voicers will come and disown their own recognition: “We have not recognized You with the rightful due of Your recognition.” What great remorse-if on that day His bounty does not take your hand! What tremendous affliction-if in that assembly His generosity does not come to your aid! If His solicitude does not take your hand, what good will obedience have done? If He shows the face of His justice, that will be your destruction. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “O God, You know that I do not have these days by myself. I do not light the candle of guidance with my sufficiency. What comes from me? What opens up from my doing? My obedience is through Your success-giving, my service through Your guidance, My repentance through Your kind favor, my gratitude through Your beneficence, my remembrance through Your inspiration. All is You! Who am I? If not for Your bounty, what do I have?”

No! I swear by the blaming soul. Among the words of the commentators is that the blaming soul is the soul of the person of faith which is always in remorse for its own days and blaming itself for its own shortcomings. It strikes fear and dread into itself and looks upon itself with the eyes of disdain and abasement and says, O soul mean in aspiration and deluded, on whatever stone I strike you, you come up false. O you who fell short in the road of seeking the Real at the first step! O you who were cut off in the desert of the Law's prescription despite a thousand steeds! O you who have never seen the tip of the hair of good fortune despite a thousand candles and lamps! O you who fell into the treasury of Tibet but did not catch the scent of musk! O you who dove into the ocean with all the divers with- out finding anything at all but losing your own self! O you who came late and went back early! O you who bought the mirage of delusion in place of the wine of joy and sold your heart and religion for a price! They deemed the life of this world more worthy of love than the next world [16:107]. You'll see when the dust clears away if you're seated on a horse or an ass. * How long making the abode of delusion an abode of joy! How long making the abode of flight an abode of lodging! Wait until the jolt of Seraphiel's trumpet hides your pretty face and shows your ugly character! One swat of the Lion for a world full of carrion-eaters, one blast of the Trumpet for a hundred thousand Pharaoh-natures! [DS 182, 184] A great man was asked, “Where does the road begin?” He said, “Not with you. When you go off to the side, the road begins everywhere.” There is never a day when this call does not come from the World of Infinity: “O you whom We called but you turned away from Us! O you whom We called, morning and night, to the good fortune of companionship, but you pulled your feet back from Our street! It is We whom you can- not avoid.

(Thinketh man that We shall not assemble his bones?) [75:3]. This verse was revealed about �Adiyy ibn Rabi�ah. The latter went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: �Tell me about the Day of Arising, when is it going to be? How is it going to be?� The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, answered his questions. Then �Adiyy said: �If I were to see that Day with my own eyes, I would not accept what you say, O Muhammad, as true nor would I believe in you. Can Allah really assemble these bones?� And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse.

Has an era come upon man when he was not a thing remembered? The commentators say that man here means Adam and that era alludes to the days when he was thrown down for forty years as a body without spirit between Mecca and Taif. Someone may ask what wisdom there was in leaving Adam like that for forty years between Mecca and Taif and in delaying his creation. The answer is that although Adam was made outwardly from clay, with which there is no need for delay, delay is needed with the heart. I am not talking about the delay of power, but rather the delay of greatness. Adam was not like the other created things, which were created with “Be!”, so it comes to be [2:117]. In creation Adam was the root, and the other crea- tures were his followers. He created whatever He created for Adam's sake, and He created Adam for Himself: “You I created solitary for the Solitary.” “In Adam's makeup there must be a heart that recognizes Me, a tongue that praises Me, an eye that sees Me, a hand that takes the cup of union, a foot that walks in My road. If I were to bring him into existence in an instant, I would make My power apparent. By putting many years in the midst, I make apparent his greatness and magnificence. I would rather make the greatness of My friends apparent than show My own power.” What good fortune and generosity the Exalted Threshold placed before Adam! He brought him into the road with a hundred thousand endearments and exaltations, placing the embroidery of Surely God chose Adam [3:33] on the cape of his good fortune. He fixed the prosperous mole of I have blown into him of My spirit [15:29] on the beautiful cheek of his chosenness. He clothed him in the elevated robe of what I created with My two hands [38:75]. He conveyed him to a station where He gave him the wine of love in the row of chosenness on the carpet of witnessing. From the tip of the Pleiades to the end of the earth, He made him the trustee of greatness. He commanded the angels of the Dominion to prostrate themselves before him. Then, despite all this honor done toward him, his greatness, level, and rank had still not appeared.

Surely the pious shall drink of a cup whose mixture is of camphor. In truth tomorrow in paradise the good people and the good men will drink wine from the cup of gentleness, a wine in the color of camphor with the scent of musk, a wine in worthy measure- nothing less than worthy measure, nothing added to it. Less and unworthy are both defects, but paradise is free of defects.

A fountain from which drink the servants of God, making it gush forth with a gushing. This is a spring that flows forth from the region of paradise, and it flows forth at the paradise- dwellers' command. They will make it flow as they want wherever they want, up or down, over the palaces and chambers, over the rugs and carpets, flowing on the silk and brocade [18:31], over- flowing, traveling, and inanimate. No cloth will become wet from it, nor will it pass over anything opaque. Eyes will be open while shut. Camphor will be in the ginger, ginger in the camphor, the latter released from its cold, the former far from its heat, each one kept in equilibrium. It will not be the artifact of creatures, nor will they be kept back from it: a wine without opacity, a drinker without intoxication, a cup-bearer who sees-the wine of intimacy in the cup of holiness in the session of finding on the carpet of witnessing from the hand of the Friend in face-to-face vision itself, without any trouble in the midst. O chevalier, wine is that wine, poured by the hand of the Unseen into the cup of the heart and drunk by the eye of the spirit. The people became drunk with the passing of the cup but I became drunk with the one who passed it. “The wine made a group drunk, but for me it was seeing the cupbearer. Hence they were annihi- lated in that drunkenness, and I subsisted in this drunkenness.” A great man was shown in a dream that Maʿrūf Karkhī was circumambulating the Throne and the Exalted Lord was saying to the angels, “Do you recognize him?” They said they did not. He said, “That is Maʿrūf Karkhī, drunk from Our love. He will not become sober until his eyes fall on Me.” When friendship makes someone drunk, the world is debased before his aspiration. In his friendship nonbeing is made being, and he is made drunk with the wine of union. Wines are two: one is today, the other tomorrow. Today's is the wine of intimacy, tomorrow's the wine of the cup. Today the wine flows from the source of gentleness, tomorrow the pure wine will come from the hand of the All-Merciful:

And feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him) [76:8]. �Ata� reported that Ibn �Abbas said: �It happened that �Ali ibn Abi Talib hired himself one night to water some palm-trees in exchange for some barley. The following morning, he collected his barley and grinded a third of it out of which they made something to eat, called al-Khazirah. When it was cooked, a poor man came begging from them, and so they gave him the food they had prepared. They then prepared a third of the remaining barley and when it was cooked, an orphan came begging from them, and they gave him the food. They then went and prepared what was left of that barley, but when the food was cooked, a prisoner from among the idolaters came to them and they fed him that food and spent the rest of the day without eating anything. This verse was revealed about this incident�.