الخاتمة في المحبّة

Epilogue on Love

5.1

وقد فتح الله تعالى علينا عند ختم هذا الكتاب بحقائق لدنّيّة في المحبّة الاختصاصيّة نظمًا ونثرًا لابأس بإثباتها هنا خاتمة لهذا التأليف ومن الله نستمدّ وهو{حَسْبُنَا وَنِعْمَ ٱلْوَكِيلُ}.

At the conclusion of this book, God the Exalted inspired us with mystical truths, in both poetry and prose, regarding this very special love. They are appropriately placed here as an epilogue to this work. We ask God’s help, and He «suffices us and is the best trustee»!²²²

5.2

اعلَمْ رحمك الله أنّ المحبّة سرّ الله الأعظم وهي نتيجة الاصطفاء و ثمرة التخصيص ووسيلة القرب ومعراج الوصل ومحض الفضل وصرف الجود وحقيقة الكرم وسرّ السرّ ولطيفة الأمر بحر لا ساحل له جوهر لا قيمة له نور لا ظلمة معه سرّ لا يدرك كنهه معنى لا يعقل وصفه {ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَٱللهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ}.

Know, may God show you mercy, that love is God’s most wondrous secret. It is the result of being chosen, the effect of designation, the means to proximity, and the ascension to union. Love is pure grace, pure generosity, and true munificence. It is the secret of the inner heart and the subtlety of the divine command. It is an ocean without a shore, a jewel without a price, and a light without darkness. Love is a secret whose essence cannot be fathomed and a subtle meaning whose description cannot be grasped. «That is the grace of God, which He gives to whom He wills, and God possesses wondrous grace!»²²³

5.3

وصفة المحبّة نار لا تخمد ووهج لا يطفئ ودمع لا يرقأ وسقام لا يداوى وداء لا يبرأ ونحول لا ينقص ووجد لا يبلى وشوق لا يُسلى وغرام لا يبيد وشوق لا يحيد وقلق متزايد ونفس متصاعد وذهول يتضاعف وهيام يترادف.

The quality of love is a fire that does not go out, a blaze that never dies. It is never-ending tears, an untreatable illness, an incurable disease. It is constant wasting away and incessant grief, a desire without solace, a never-ending passion, a persistent longing. As a result, restlessness builds up, breathing grows faster, confusion multiplies, and burning love increases.

5.4

ونهاية المحبّة استغراق كلّي يمحو المحبّ ويفنى وجوده الظلّي بمدد إلِيّ تسوقه العناية لأهل الولاية بحقائق الجذبات الأحديّة ولطائف النفحات الصمديّة. لا يبقى من الغير أثر ولا للسوى خبر. يشير ذلك إلى تلاشي ظلال الوجود بإشراق شمس الشهود فحينئذ يتلو لسان الجلال في حضرة الكمال {فَذَلِكُمُ ٱللهُ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلْحَقُّ فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ ٱلْحَقِّ إِلَّا ٱلضَّلاَلُ}.

The end result of love is total absorption, effacing the lover as his shadowy existence passes away with promised grace. Divine providence sends him forth to those worthy of saintly sovereignty, with the realities of the attractions of oneness and the subtleties of eternity’s breaths. No trace or word remains of anything else, indicating that the shadow of existence has disappeared in the rising sun of the witness to oneness. Then the tongue of glory recites in the presence of perfection, «Such is God, your true Lord, and after the True Reality, there is only being lost!»²²⁴

5.5

وينظم لسان الحال في الحال [مجزوء الوافر]:

تَلاشِي ٱلعَبدِ صِدْقُ ٱلحُبّْ	فَنَاءً عَنْهُ مَع كَونَينْ
فَلا أَثَرٌ لِرَسْمِ سِوَى	ولا عينٌ تُرى مِنْ غَينْ
وَأَحْيَا بٱلتَّجَلّي مَنْ	فَنَى فيه وَزَالَ ٱلبَينْ
فَأَصْبَحَ بِٱلوَفَا مِنْهُ	قَرِيرَ ٱلقَلْبِ وَٱلعَيْنَينْ

The following was composed by the very tongue of this mystical state:²²⁵

The worshipper vanished in true love,

gone from himself and all the worlds.

So there wasn’t a jot of difference

to mark one off from another.²²⁶

Then with an epiphany, He revived one

He had effaced in Him, as difference disappeared,

And so with this promised gift,

He pleased the eyes and heart.

5.6

إذا أراد الله تعالى موالاة عبد من عبيده بعث له توقيع {يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ} مع خلعة {رَضِيَ ٱللهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُواْ عَنْهُ} ونادى منادي الأمان بالامتنان {ألآ إِنَّ أوْلِيَاءَ ٱللهِ لاخَوْفٌ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاهُمْ يَحزَنُونَ} وزعق شاويش التعريف بتخصيصهم الشريف {أُوْلٰئِكَ حِزْبُ ٱللهِ أَلاَ إِنَّ حِزْبَ ٱللهِ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ}. كما أشرنا إليه نظمًا [الطويل]:

هُمُ ٱلقَوْمُ أَهْلُ ٱللهِ قَدْ خَلَعَ ٱلوَفا	عَلَيهِمْ لِباسَ ٱلعِزِّ بَيْنَ عِبادِهِ
وَصَرَّفَهُمْ في خَلْقِهِ مِنْهُ رَحْمَةً	يُمِدُّونَ مَن شاؤوا بِفَيْضِ ودادِهِ

When God the Exalted wants to befriend one of His worshippers, He sends him the royal decree: «He loves them, so they love Him,»²²⁷ together with the robe of honor: «God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him.»²²⁸ Then the herald of protection will announce the bestowal of benefits: «Truly, they are the friends of God; they have no fear, nor will they grieve»²²⁹; and the sergeant-at-arms will sound off their honored designation: «They are the party of God! Will not the party of God be the successful ones?»²³⁰ We have referred to this in verse, as follows:

They are the folk, God’s people.

He bestowed loyalty upon them

as a robe of honor among His servants.

In His creation, He granted them His mercy

that they might help those they choose

with His overflowing love.

5.7

المحبّة تبعث المحبّ على بذل المحصول و تشهد المنّة بحصول القبول. المحبّة آخذة بمجامع القلوب خاطفة وجود المحبّ في المحبوب. المحبّة لا تقنع من المحبّ بدون بذل الجملة. وحقيقتها سرّ يجذب السرّ ويملك القلب ويخلب اللبّ ويخطف الكون ويمحو الوجود ويُفني الكلّ. العبارة عنها معدومة والإشارة إليها مفقودة. خرس النطق وعجز الفكر وضلّ العقل وتاه الفهم.كما قيل: وكلّ من أطنب في وصفها أصبح منسوبًا إلى الغيّ.

Love leads the lover to sacrifice all gain and confirms the gift of divine favor. Love is a seizure in many hearts, carrying away the lover’s existence into the beloved. Love is not satisfied with the lover without his total sacrifice. Love’s reality is a secret that attracts the inner heart and rules it; it captivates reason and seizes existence. It effaces being and annihilates everything. To define it is impossible, and allusion misses the mark; words fail and thought is frail; reason errs, and understanding is perplexed. It has been said that anyone who tries again and again to describe love will only end in failure.

5.8

أسرار المحبّين مشارق التجلّي وأرواحهم مطالع قمر التدلّي قلوبهم موارد الفيض الفضليّ عقولهم بحار الاستعداد الكلّيّ بصائرهم مرايا الكشف الخفيّ صدورهم مصاحف وحي التلقّي ألسنتهم أقلام توقيع القدر الأزليّ أسماعهم رواة الخطاب القدميّ. شغلهم ودّه مثواهم عنده حركتهم فعله سكونهم أمره حالهم قربه نظرهم كشفه رؤيتهم حضرته. مددهم مدامه نظرهم كؤوسه حضرتهم حانه بِرّهم معروفه وجودهم جوده إظهارهم رحمته معانيهم صفاته حقيقتهم ذاته. بدايتهم منه نهايتهم إليه شغفهم به اعتمادهم عليه ذكرهم له كلامهم عنه فناؤهم فيه بقاؤهم به أضافهم إليه.

The epiphany’s sun rises in the inner hearts of the lovers, while the moon of nearness ascends in their spirits. Their hearts are flowing streams of grace; their minds are oceans filled with spiritual potential; their inner vision mirrors hidden revelation; their breasts contain volumes of inspired learning; their tongues are pens recording the eternal decree, and their ears ring with the pre-eternal message. Their concern is His love; their abode is with Him; their movement is His action; their silence is His command; their condition is to be near Him; their vision is His revelation, and their sight is His presence. Their support is His wine; their vision is His cups; their presence with the divine is their tavern, and their piety is His mark of friendship. Their existence is His gift; their manifestation is His mercy; their inner meanings are His attributes, and their reality is His essence. Their beginning is from Him, and their ending is with Him. They are madly in love with Him and dependent on Him. Their recollection of Him is their speech about Him. Their annihilation is in Him, and their abiding is with Him as He honors them.

5.9

فقال {يٰعِبَادِ} أمنهم فقال {لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمُ} أدام سرورهم فقال {وَلاَ أَنتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ} لوّح للكافّة ببعض مذخوره لهم. فقال {فَلاَ تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أُخْفِيَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَآءً بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ} فهّم ممّا أبهَمَ بلطائف يُطَافُ عَلَيْهِمْ بِكَأْسٍ مِّن مَّعِينٍ ✧ بَيْضَآءَ لَذَّةٍ لِّلشَّارِبِينَ ✧ لاَ فِيهَا غَوْلٌ وَلاَ هُمْ عَنْهَا يُنزَفُونَ. كأس يُوصف بالصفاء شراب يُعرف بوفاء حان يُسمّى دائرة الاصطفاء ساق باق أحديّ الذات صمديّ الصفات ديموميّ البقاء قدوسيّ الوصف وحدانيّ الجمال سلطانيّ الجلال صمدانيّ الكمال. يُحيي بحُمَيّاه أموات ندمائه يُنْعش بالمجلى عشّاق مُحَيّاه فالغير بوصف الفقد في حضرة رؤياه والحقّ هو الموجود والله هو الله.

God’s saying «O My people»²³¹ is their protection; His saying «You will have no fear»²³² makes their joy permanent, and His saying «and you will not grieve»²³³ undoubtedly alludes to some of what He holds in store for them. For He has said, «No one knows what joy lies hidden for them for what they have done.»²³⁴ This makes clear that He has hidden away fine things: «A cup is passed round to them, filled from a flowing stream, pure, delicious to its drinkers, causing neither grogginess nor intoxication.»²³⁵ The cup is described as clear, and the drink is known for realization, while the place for drinking is the circle of divine selection, where the Cupbearer abides, of one essence, with everlasting attributes, abiding forever, most holy, of singular beauty, sovereign power, and eternal perfection. With His heady wine, He revives His lifeless companions, and with His countenance, He enlivens the lovers of His face.²³⁶ All else is lacking in the presence of seeing Him, for the True Reality is present, and God is God!

5.10

شراب المحبّة لا يصحو منه مخمور ولا يُغْتمّ به مسرور. شربه نعيم بسطه مقيم هنأه دائم. فرحه ملازم. صفوه موصوف عَرْفُه معروف مزاجه منادمة صرفه معاينة. كما أشرنا نظمًا [الطويل]:

شَرَابٌ تَعَالَى أَنْ يُحَاطَ بِوَصْفِهِ	بِكَشْفِ بَيَانٍ أَوْ بِرَمْزِ مَقَالِ
يَدُورُ بِهِ كَأْسَينِ في حَضْرَةِ ٱلوَفا	بِعِزِّ جَلالٍ أَوْ بِلُطْفِ جَمَالِ
عَلَى سَادَةٍ في سَاقِيَ ٱلقَوْمِ قَدْ فَنُوا	فَعَاشُوا بِهِ عَيْشًا بِغَيرِ زَوَالِ
فَهُمْ عِنْدَهُ في جَنَّةِ ٱلقَرْبِ دَائِمًا	لَهُم مَا أَرَادُوا مِنْ نَعِيمِ وِصَالِ

One intoxicated by the drink of love can never recover. Its delight never turns to sorrow, for drinking it is felicity, and its exhilaration lasts for eternity. Its bliss is permanent, its joy abiding. Its clarity is widely described, and its bouquet is widely recognized; its mixed form is friendship; its pure form is true vision. We have alluded to this in verse, as follows:

An exalted drink beyond description

of an eloquent report

or symbolic speech.

He sends it round in the presence of realization

in two cups:

the power of glory and beauty’s benevolence,

To the masters who disappeared

in the folk’s Cupbearer

to live again with Him in a life without end.

So they are always with Him there

in the garden of proximity

where they have what they desire of union’s bliss.

5.11

إذا أراد الله سبحانه وتعالى وصول عبد إلى حقيقة المحبّة أخذ بزمام العزم وجذبه بمنّة الإكرام حتّى يأتي به بحر المحبّة. فيغطّه بيد الاصطفاء في لجّة العناية من ذلك البحر غطّتَينِ: جلاليّة تُفنيه عن وجوده وجماليّة تُبقيه بودوده. فهنالك يتحقّق بموجوده ويبلغ أقصى مقصوده. كما أشرنا إليه نظمًا [الطويل]:

أَرَى ٱلحُبَّ بَحْرًا مَا لَهُ قَطُّ سَاحِلٌ	فَإِنْ كُنْتَ مِن أَهْلِ ٱلمَحَبَّةِ فٱقْتَحِمْ
وَدُونَكَهُ حَتَّى تَصِيرَ بِلُجَّةٍ	غَرِيقًا فَلا كَوْنٌ لِكَوْنٍ بِهِ عَدِمْ
هُنَالِكَ يَحْظَى بِٱلبَقاءِ فتًى فَنِي	وَيَظْفِرُ بِٱلمَقْصُودِ مَن كَانَ قَدْ حُرِمْ
وَيَحْيى حَيَاةَ ٱلقَلْبِ في جَنَّةِ ٱلوَفَا	حَيَاةً بِهَا مَن فَازَ بِٱللهِ قَدْ نَعِمْ
وَيُصْبِحُ عَنْهُ كُلُّ هَمٍّ بِمَعْزِلٍ	بِمَا مِن تَوَالي ٱلبَسْطِ وَٱلفَرْحِ قَدْ قَدِمْ
فَيَا حَبَّذَاهَا عِيْشَةً أَبَدِيَّةً	يُغَبَّطُ عَبْدٌ في ٱلوُصُولِ بِهَا غَنِمْ
فَذَلِكَ عَبْدٌ في نَعِيمِ ٱقْتِرَابِهِ	مُقِيمٌ وَمِنْ نَارِ ٱلتَّبَاعُدِ قَدْ سَلِمْ
مَقَامٌ فَلا يَنْزِلْهُ إِلَّا مُخَصَّصٌ	حَبيبٌ وَلا يَحْظَى بِهِ غَيْرُ مَنْ رَحِمْ
فَأَنْقَذَهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ وَوُجُودِهِ	وَأَشْهَدَهُ ٱلحُسْنَ ٱلبَدِيعَ كَمَا عَلِمْ
وَصَرَّفَهُ في ٱلكَوْنِ عَنْهُ بِأَمْرِهِ	وَأَوْدَعَهُ سِرًّا مِنَ ٱلغَيْرِ قَدْ كُتِمْ
وَأَنْشِدْ مَنْ يَبْغِي ٱلوُصُولَ لِبَحْرِهِ	إِذَا كُنْتَ مِن أَهْلِ ٱلمَحَبَّةِ فٱقْتَحِمْ

When God, the Glorious and Exalted, desires to unite a worshipper to true love, He takes hold of the reigns of firm resolve and leads him with the grace of kindness until He brings him to the ocean of love. Then, with the hand of divine selection, He casts him into the depths of providence within that sea, immersing him twice. The powerful immersion annihilates his existence, whereas the beautiful immersion preserves him in His love. The worshipper thereby realizes his existence and attains his farthest goal. We have alluded to this in verse:

I see love,

an ocean without a shore;

if you are love’s worthy one, dive in!

Stay there

until you drown in its depths,

for there is no existence without love.

There a brave one who disappears

attains eternal life and wins the prize

that he was once denied.

He lives the heart’s life

in the garden of delight,

a life of bliss for one who won God.

All of his cares fall away

in perpetual joy and happiness

here to stay.

How lovely is eternal life!

The worshipper who wins it

is fortunate, indeed.

For the servant is in bliss

forever near Him,

safe from separation’s fire.

This station is attained

only by the chosen lover;

only one He has blessed will win it.

For He has saved him from himself and existence

and revealed to him rare loveliness

as he came to know.

With His command, He entrusts him

to act on His behalf in all the world,

giving him the secret hidden from others.

So seek out him

who has come to His sea.

If you are love’s worthy one, dive in!

5.12

قلب المحبّ محلّ النظر فإذا أهّله لقبول مدد الوفاء نفى عنه وضر الغير وأَزال منه وحشة السوى وملأه بنور المحبّة وكشف له عن حقيقة الذات وكان له سمعًا وبصرًا فبه يسمع خطابه ويشهد جماله. فلا له بكونه علم ولا من نفسه خبر ولا من الغير بقيّة ولا من السوى أثر. كما أشرنا إليه نظمًا [الطويل]:

جَلاهُ تَجَلِّيهِ فَأَصْبَحَ ناظِرًا	يُشَاهِدُ مَعْنَى حُسْنِهِ وَيُعَايِنُ
فَلا لُطْفَ إِلَّا مَن صَفَا مِنْهُ ظَاهِرٌ	وَلا سِرَّ إِلَّا مَن وَفَا مِنْهُ بَاطِنُ

The lover’s heart is the place of vision. If God makes it worthy to receive the gift of realization, He removes from it the filth of otherness, sweeping away from it the desolation of difference. Then He fills the heart with the light of love and reveals to it the true essence. He is his ear and his eye, so by Him, he hears and sees; he hears His address, and he beholds His beauty.²³⁷ So he has no sign of the world or news of himself, as nothing remains of otherness, nor any trace of difference. We have alluded to this in verse:

His epiphany appeared to him,

so he became an eye to see and behold

the subtle sense of His loveliness.

Yet grace appears only to one pure without,

while the secret is found

only with one true within.

5.13

الحبّ حلية لا يتحلّى بها من تعلّقت بالغير همّتُه فكيف يدّعيها من وهب للغير جملته؟ ما ذاق طعم الهوى متشبّثًا بالسوى. بقدر نسيانك لنفسك تذكر وبمقدار محبّتك تحبّ. وشَاهِدْ صحّة ما إليه أشرتُ حديث: من تقرّب منّي شبرًا تقرّبتُ منه ذراعًا ومن تقرّب منّي ذراعًا تقرّبتُ منه باعًا وإن أتاني يمشي أتيتُه هرولة. وقد نصحنا بما أشرنا إليه نظمًا [المجتثّ]:

اِحْذَرْ تُحِبُّ سِوَى مَن	إِلَيهِ أَمْرُكَ كُلَّه
فَأَنْتَ مِنهُ إِلَيهِ	فَكُنْ بِهِ يا أَخِي لَه
وٱجْهَدْ بِأَنَّ ولاهُ	يَكُونُ لِلقَلْبِ شُغْلَه
وَلا تُصَعِّرْ خَدًّا	لِلغَيرِ مِنكَ تُذِلَّه
وَلا تَمِلْ لِسِوَاءٍ	بِٱلقَلْبِ مِنكَ تُعِلَّه
وَلا تُشَاهِدْ غَيرًا	بِعَينِهِ فَتُضِلَّه
وَلا تُصِخْ مِنْهُ سَمْعًا	إِلَى ٱلمَلامِ ومُلَّه
وَإِنْ أَتاكَ عَذُولًا	فَٱغْلُظْ عَلَيهِ وَقُلْ لَه
لا أَنْثَنِي عَنْ وَلا مَنْ	وُجُودُ مِثْلِيَ فَضْلَه
فَٱلغَيرُ لاشٍ وَحُبِّي	حَقٌّ عَلائِي مَحَلَّه

Love is an adornment that does not appear on one whose ambition hangs on others. For how could one lay claim to it while he gives himself completely to others? He will never taste the flavor of passion while clinging to someone other than God. Rather, as much as you can forget yourself, you will recollect God, and to the extent of your love, you will love. Observe how sound is the divine saying to which I referred earlier:²³⁸

One who draws near to Me by a hand span, I will draw near to him by an arm’s length, and he who draws near to Me by an arm’s length, I will draw near to him by the span of open arms. If he walks toward Me, I will run to him.

We give good advice with our allusions in the following verses:

Beware of loving anyone save Him

who owns your entire affair.

For you are from Him, returning to Him;

so, my brother, be with Him and for Him.

Strive hard to make devotion to Him

the heart’s affair.

Don’t turn away to another

and so debase Him.

Don’t tend toward others

and fill your heart with them.

Don’t look to another with the heart’s eye,

and so lead it astray.

Don’t turn your ear from Him

to listen to the blamer—avoid him!

But if he comes blaming you,

come down hard on him and say:

“I’ll never renounce Him

who blessed one like me with being.

All others are nothing, for my love

is the True Reality who raised my rank high!”

5.14

يا مدّعي الحبّ أين نحولك وذبولك؟ أين غرامك وذهولك؟ أين اشتياقك وحنينك؟ أين توقانك و أنينك؟ أين وجدك وزفراتك؟ أين حرقتك وصباباتك؟ أين خروجك عنك؟ أين فرارك منك؟ أين فناؤك في محبوبك؟ أين محوك في مطلوبك؟ أما علمتَ أنّ المدّعي يحتاج إلى البرهان على ما يدّعي فمن البراهين أنْ لا يسكن لك قلق ولا تطفئ منك حرق ولاترقأ لك دمعة ولا تبقى فيك نجعة ولا تبقى مِنك بقيّة ولا من وجودك شظيّة. فإذا تحقّقتَ بهذه الأوصاف الغرر ولم يبق لك بوجود الغير علم ولا من السوى أثر صحّتْ لك دعوى المحبّة.كما أشرنا إليه نظمًا [البسيط]:

يَحْتَاجُ مَنْ يَدَّعِي حُبًّا لِمَولاهُ	يَأتِي بِبُرْهَانِ تَصْحِيحٍ لِدَعْوَاهُ
فَمِن بَرَاهِينِهِ شَوْقٌ يُلازِمُهُ	وَصَبْوَةٌ وَحَنِينٌ عِنْدَ ذِكْرَاهُ
وَمَدْمَعٌ لَيْسَ يُرْقِي مِنْ مَحَاجِرِهِ	وَسُهْدُ جَفْنٍ كَرَاهُ قَدْ تَجَافَاهُ
وَرِقَّةٌ وَذُبوُلٌ وَٱحْتِرَاقُ حَشَا	وَطَيْشُ لُبٍّ وَذِكْرٌ لَيْسَ يَنْسَاهُ
وَغَيبَةٌ وَذُهُولٌ في تَقَلْقُلِهِ	وَجِدُّ وَجْدٍ بِفَرْطِ ٱلحُبِّ أَضْنَاهُ
وَبَذْلُ جُمْلَتِهِ مَعْ غَضِّ مُقْلَتِهِ	عَنْ كُلِّ حَظٍّ بِدُنْيَاهُ وَعُقْبَاهُ
وَٱلزُهْدُ فِيمَا سِوَى ٱلمَحْبُوبِ مُتَّصِفًا	بِصِدْقِ إِيثَارِ مَا يَرْضَاهُ مَولاهُ
هٰذي شَوَاهِدُ صِدْقِ ٱلادِّعَاءِ بِها	أَعْنِي مَحَبَّةَ مَنْ مَولاهُ يَرْضَاهُ
وَمَنْ تَجَلَّى بِهَا أَضْحَتْ نِهَايَتُهُ	مِنَ ٱلمَحَبَّةِ أَنْ تَفْنَى بَقَايَاهُ
حَتَّى إِذا تَمَّ مِنْهُ ٱلمَحْوُ لاحَ لَهُ	وَجْهُ ٱلحَبِيبِ وَأَحْيَاهُ مُحَيَّاهُ
وَعَاشَ بِٱللهِ عَيشًا لا ٱنتِهَاءَ لَهُ	مُنَعَّمًا بِٱجْتِلا أَنْوَارِ مَجْلاهُ
مُخَلَّدًا بِجِنَانِ ٱلقُرْبِ مُرْتَوِيًا	بِأَكْؤُسِ ٱلوَصْلِ مِنْ صَافي حُمَيَّاهُ
مُمَتِّعًا بٱتِصَالٍ في إِدَامَتِهِ	دَامَ ٱلنَّعِيمُ بِنَجْوَاهُ وَرُؤيَاهُ
يَا حَبَّذَاهَا كُؤُوسًا أَنْشَأَتْ طَرَبًا	يُهْدِي ٱلسُّرُورَ إلى سَكْرَى نُدَامَاهُ
فَهُمْ سُكَارَى بِأَقْدَاحِ ٱلمَحَبَّةِ في	حَانِ ٱلوَفَاءِ بِمَا قَدْ شَا كَمَا شَا هُو
نَصِيبُهُمْ هُوَ مِنْهُ يَا سَعَادَتَهُمْ	إِذْ كَانَ حَظُّهُمُ مَنْ لَيسَ إِلَّا هُو

You, love’s pretender, where are your wasting away and your anguish? Where are your burning passion and your dismay? Where are your longing and your yearning? Where are your craving and your groaning? Where are your grief and your sighing? Where are your agony and your ardent love? Where is your taking leave of yourself? Where is your fleeing from yourself? Where is your annihilation in your beloved? Where is your effacement in the one you seek? Don’t you know that one who claims to love requires clear proof for his claim? Clear proofs include always being restless with anxiety, unceasing anguish, flowing tears, and loss of appetite. No remnant remains of you, not even a splinter of your existence. If you prove to have these outstanding traits without any sign or trace of love for another, then your claim to love is true, as we have expressed in the following verses:

One who claims to love his Master

must bring proof to prove his claim true.

Among these proofs is longing without end,

and desire and yearning when He is recalled.

Tear ducts are never dry around dewy eyes,

while sleepless lids cruelly lash his slumber.

One grows thin, lips are parched, one burns within;

the mind is unsteady, never forgetting thought of Him.

One is dazed and confused with anxiety,

worn out by love’s torment and grief.

He gives himself away, caring nothing

for any share in this world or the next.

He abstains from everything save the Beloved,

truly choosing what his Master prefers for him.

This is evidence that love’s claim is true,

and I mean the love of one content with his Master.

He reveals his love when he ends in love,

as all that is left of him disappears,

Until, his effacement complete, the Beloved’s face

appears to him, and that visage renews his life.

He lives with God, a joyful life without end,

absorbed in the light of His shining face,

Forever, in the gardens of proximity,

quenched by union’s cups with a pure heady wine,

Enjoying union forever, forever in bliss,

gazing at Him in love-talk.

How wondrous are cups giving rise to pleasure

bringing joy to His companions’ intoxication.

They are drunk on cups of love

in the tavern of realization as He pleases.

O masters, their portion is from Him,

for their share is no one save Him!

5.15

المحبّة فضل الله. لا بوسيلة يبذل العبد فيها جهده ولا بحيلة يوصله إليها كدّه ولا بعمل صالح يُتْقِنُه ولابعلم راجح يُحْسنه ولا بسبب قويّ يستند إليه ولا بنسب عليّ يعول عليه. أنّى؟ وهي محض الفضل و صرف الجود يختصّ بها من يشاء من عباده. تغفر الذنب وتستر العيب وتعزّ الذليل وترفع الوضيع وتصل المحروم وتوصل المنقطع يعني محبّة الله للعبد. وأمّا محبّة العبد لله فهي سرّ يأخذ العبد بكلّه وجذبه بجملته حتّى يوصله إلى ربّه ويُجلسه بحضرته ويُفنيه عن أنانيّته الفانية فيُبقيه مفنيه بهويّته.

Love is God’s grace. The worshipper cannot attain it by means of great effort, nor by a clever stratagem that he took great pains to devise, nor by means of a good deed that he has perfected, nor by weighty knowledge that he has mastered, nor due to some power on which he relies, nor any exalted lineage that he may have. How could this be? Love is, after all, pure grace, pure generosity. God chooses whichever worshipper He pleases for it. This love forgives sins, covers faults, exalts the humble, raises the fallen, returns one from exile, and reunites one who was cut off. Such is God’s love for his worshipper. As for the worshipper’s love for God, it is a secret that seizes him completely and draws all of him, until it rejoins him to his Lord and seats him in His presence; it causes him to pass away from his ephemeral self, and this passing leads him to abide in His essence.

5.16

ومعنى محبّة الله للعبد اختصاص العبد بهذا السرّ الذي إليه أشرنا وعليه نبّهنا من الأخذ بالجذبات المحبوبيّة والفنوات المحويّة حتّى يصير العبد بلا أنانيّة في ظهور شمس الحقيقة الأحديّة فهذا حقيقة التحقيق في حقيقة المحبّة. وما عدا هذه المحبّة فهي محبّة منوطة بالعلل والأعراض صادرة عن شهود تواتر النعم ودفع النقم.

The subtle meaning of God’s love for the worshipper is the selection of the worshipper for this secret—which we have noted and to which we have referred—by seizing him with the Beloved’s attractions and effacing annihilations until the worshipper is without a sense of self in the light of the sun of true oneness. This is the true realization of true love. Anything less than this love is a love dependent on causes and contingencies derived from attention to the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.

5.17

وما أحسن قول القطب الجليل سيّدي محمّد بن أبي الوفاء قدّس الله سرّه [الكامل]:

قَدْ كُنْتُ أَحْسِبُ أَنَّ وَصْلَكَ يُشْتَرَى	بِكَرَائِمِ ٱلأمْوَالِ وَٱلأشْبَاحِ
وَظَنَنْتُ جَهْلًا أَنَّ حُبَّكَ هَيِّنٌ	تَفْنَى عَلَيه نَفَائِسُ ٱلأرْوَاحِ
حَتَّى رَأَيْتُكَ تَجْتَبِي وَتَخُصُّ مَنْ	أَحْبَبْتَهُ بِنَفَائِسِ ٱلأمْنَاحِ
فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّكَ لا تُنالُ بِحِيلَةٍ	فَلَوَيْتُ رَأْسِي تَحْتَ طَيِّ جَنَاحِي

How lovely is the statement by the illustrious spiritual axis, the master, Muḥammad ibn Abī l-Wafāʾ, may God sanctify his heart:

I had reckoned that union with you

could be bought

with expensive goods and slaves.

Yet foolishly I thought

your love was not worth

the waste of precious souls.

But then I saw you choose

and bestow wondrous gifts

on the one you loved,

And then I knew you could not be had

by any clever deal,

so I hung my head in shame.

5.18

حضرة القرب فردوس المحبّين ومدام الوصال رحيقهم ودوام الشهود نعيمهم فهم في روضة العيان يُحْبِرُون وبثمرات الخطاب يتفكّهون. رفضوا الدنيا وأعرضوا عن الأخرى فما كان لهم مأوى إِلَّا في العند الأعلى من القرب الأوفى. {أُوْلٰئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمُ ٱللهُ وَأُوْلٰئِكَ هُمْ أُوْلُواْ ٱلأَلْبَابِ}. وصلهم الله بصلة {يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ} في مقام {رَّضِيَ ٱللهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُواْ عَنْهُ} على بساط {أَلاۤ إِنَّ أَوْلِيَآءَ ٱللهِ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ} وحيّاهم بتحيّة {سَلاَمٌ قَوْلاً مِّن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ} وحبّاهم {مَا تَشْتَهِيهِ ٱلأَنْفُسُ وَتَلَذُّ ٱلأَعْيُنُ} وخصّصهم بعنديّة {صِدْقٍ عِندَ مَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ} ومتّعهم بنعيم {وَسَقَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَاباً طَهُوراً} وخلّدهم في جنّات الشهود {لَهُم مَّا يَشَآءُونَ فِيهَا وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيدٌ}. هذا واللهِ هو الشرف الذي انتهت إليه غايات المعالي والجود الذي تعلّقت به نهايات الأماني. {ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَٱللهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ}.

The close presence to God is the lovers’ paradise; union’s wine is their nectar, and the perpetual beatific vision is their bliss. They are delighted in the garden of the beatific vision, enjoying the fruits of the divine address.²³⁹ They renounced this world and turned away from the world to come; they had no place of refuge save the exalted nearness of perfect proximity to God. «They are those whom God has guided, and they are those with insight.»²⁴⁰ God established a relationship with them with «He loves them, and they love Him,»²⁴¹ at the place of «God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him,»²⁴² on the carpet of «Truly, they are the friends of God; they have no fear nor will they grieve.»²⁴³ God greeted them with the greeting: «“Peace,” a word from a merciful Lord,»²⁴⁴ and He gave them «what souls desire and eyes find sweet.»²⁴⁵ He chose them for nearness «in truth to a mighty King,»²⁴⁶ and granted them bliss as «their Lord quenched them with a pure drink.»²⁴⁷ He made them immortal in the garden of the beatific vision «where they will have what they desire, and We have still more!»²⁴⁸ This, by God, is the honor attained by the highest aims and the gift received by the greatest aspirations. «That is the grace of God, which He gives to whom He will, and God possesses wondrous grace!»²⁴⁹

5.19

وفي معنى ذلك لا بأس بإيراد ما فتح علينا نظمًا وهو ما تراها [الخفيف]:

نَظَرَ ٱللهُ بِٱصْطِفَاهُ لِقَوْمٍ	فَتَعَالَوا عَنِ ٱلحُظُوظِ ٱلدَّنِيَّة
عَبَدُوهُ مَحَبَّةً وَوَلاءً	وَتَخَلَّوا عَنْهُمْ بِأَصْدَقِ نِيَّة
بَذَلُوا أَنْفُسًا وَأَفْنَوا وُجُودًا	في هَوَاهُ وَلَمْ يُبَقَّوا بَقِيَّة
فَحَنَا مِنَّةً عَلَيهِمْ بِعَطْفٍ	وَ تَجَلَّى عَلَيهِمُ بٱلهُوِيَّة
فَحَيُوا بِٱجْتِلاءِ ذَاكَ ٱلمُحَيَّا	مُذْ تَجَلِّي حَيَاتِهِ ٱلأبَدِيَّة
فَهَمُوا١ عِنْدَهُ بِجَنَّةِ وَصْلٍ	يَتَعَاطَونَ أَكْؤُسًا نَظَرِيَّة
مُلِئَتْ بِٱلوَفَا بِصِرْفِ مُدَامٍ	مِنْ شُهُودِ ٱلحَقِيقَةِ ٱلأحَدِيَّة
شَرِبُوها فَيَا لَهَا مِنْ كُؤوسٍ	صَافِيَاتٍ وَبِٱلهَنَاء مَرِيَّة
مَنَحَتْهُمْ مَسَرَّةً لَيْسَ تَفْنَى	بِصَفَا عَيْشَةِ ٱلوِصالِ ٱلهَنِيَّة
فَهُمُومُ ٱلوُهُومِ وَلَّتْ كَمَا قَدْ	حَصَلَ ٱلأمْنُ مِنْ غِطَا ٱلغَيْرِيَّة
يَا هَنِيئًا لَهُمْ وَبُشْرَى وَطُوبَى	بِبُلُوغِ ٱلمُرَادِ وَٱلأُمْنِيَّة
مِنْ وِصَالٍ مَا بَعْدَهُ اِنفِصَالٌ	وَشُهُودٍ مَا بَعْدَهُ حُجُبِيَّة
لَيْسَ وَٱللهِ بَعْدَ هٰذَا مَرَامٌ	لا وَلا مَقْصَدٌ لِرُوْحٍ زَكِيَّة
سَعِدُوا سَعْدَهُمْ٢بِوَصْلِ حَبِيبٍ	اِصْطَفَاهُمْ عَلَى جَمِيع ٱلبَرِيَّة
مُذْ حَبَاهُمْ بِحُبِّهِ وَوَفَاهُمْ	بِوَفَاهُ في ٱلحَضْرَةِ ٱلقُدُسِيّة
خُصِّصُوا مِنْهُ بِٱلخِلافَةِ عَنْهُ	وَأُقِيمُوا في ٱلرُّتْبَةِ ٱلمَدَدِيَّة
فَجَمِيعُ ٱلأَكْوَانِ تَحْتَ لِوَاهُمْ	أَمْرُهُمْ نَافِذٌ بِها بِٱلمَشِيَّة
وَهُمُ أَهْلُهُ بِما مُنِحُوهُ	وَٱلبَرَايَا سِوَاهُمُ أَجْنَبِيَّة
ظَهَرُوا بِٱلوُجُودِ مَظْهَرَ جُودٍ	وَتَبَدَّوا لِكُلِّ ذِي أَهْلِيَّة
فَهُمُ في ٱلوَرَى شُمُوسُ ٱصْطِفَاءٍ	جَحَدَتْهَا ذَوي ٱلعُيُونِ ٱلعَمِيَّة
وَهُمُ سَادَةٌ وُصِلْتُ إلَيهِمْ	وَٱنْفَرَدْنَا بِٱلوُصْلَةِ ٱلأحَدِيَّة
وَشَرِبْنَا ٱلمُدَامَ لا بِكُؤوسٍ	بَلْ بِأَدْنَانِ حَانَةٍ أَلِيَّة
وَٱرْتَوَينَا بِهِ إلَى أَنْ سَكِرْنَا	أَزَلاً سَكْرَةً بِهِ أَبَدِيَّة
فَتَرَانَا عَلَى ٱلمُدَامِ سُكَارَى	ظَاهِرٌ صَحْوُنَا لِتُخْفَى ٱلقَضِيَّة
وَمُدِيرُ ٱلمُدَامِ فَضْلًا عَلَينَا	أَحْمَدُ ٱلمَجْدِ مُصْطَفَى ٱلصَّفوِيّة
مَدَدُ ٱللهِ رَحْمَةُ ٱللهِ فِينَا	أَشْرَفُ ٱلخَلْقِ خَيْرُ خَيْرِ ٱلبَرِيَّة
خَيْرُ عَبْدٍ أَوْحَى إلَيهِ كِتَابًا	وَحَبَا بِٱلخَصِيصَةِ ٱلنَّبَوِيَّة
عَيْنُ أَعْيَانِنَا وَجُودُ مُنَانَا	سِرُّ أَسْرَارِ رُتْبَةٍ غَوْثِيَّة
صَلَوَاتُ ٱلحَبِيبِ تَتْرَى عَلَيهِ	وَسَلامٌ مُضَاعَفٌ وَتَحِيَّة
وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبٍ وَأَهْلٍ	مَنْ لَنَا نِسْبَةٌ إلَيهِمْ سَنِيَّة
مَا تَوَالَى دَوْرُ ٱلكُؤوسِ عَلَينَا	وَتَرَوَّتْ مِنَّا قُلُوبٌ ظَمِيَّة
وَتَجَلَّى حَبِيبُنَا وَشَهِدْنَا	في ٱلتَّجَلِّي ٱلحَقِيقَةَ ٱلأَحَدِيَّة

١ في الأصل: فَهَمُّوا.

٢ في الأصل: سعدهم سعدوا.

Regarding this topic, it is appropriate that we cite our verse inspired by God, as follows:

God looked with favor on a folk,

so they stayed away

from worldly fortunes.

In love and devotion, they worshipped Him;

they surrendered themselves

with the best intention.

They gave themselves up to Him in love

and passed away from existence

with nothing left behind.

Then with kindness and compassion,

He turned to them

and revealed to them His essence,

And they lived again

gazing at that living face

as His eternal life appeared.

They grazed near Him²⁵⁰

in the garden of union,

and drank from contemplation’s cups

Filled as promised

with a pure wine

from the vision of true oneness.

Oh how they drank it,

cups of pure wine

bringing good cheer.

It gave them

never-ending happiness

in a tranquil life of pleasant union

Where fears and doubts fled away

as protection arrived

against the veil of difference.

So here’s to good health,

glad tidings, and blessings

for reaching the wish and the goal:

A union without separation,

and a vision

never to be concealed!

After this, by God, there is no desire,

no, nor aim

for a pure spirit.

So they were pleased with their good fortune:

union with the Lover

who chose them above all others,

As He gave them His love

and fulfilled His promise

in the holy presence.

They were chosen by Him

as His vice-regents

and raised in rank to help others.

So under their banner stands

all existence where their command

is carried out at once.

They are His people

due to His grace upon them,

while all others are but strangers.

They appeared in existence

bearing largesse

to all the worthy ones.

So among humanity,

they are chosen suns,

whom only the blind deny.

They are the masters!

I was joined to them

and we stood alone in oneness,

And drank the wine, not from cups,

but from jars, in the tavern

where the oath was sworn.²⁵¹

We drank it until we were drunk

in pre-eternity where drunkenness

lasts forever.

So you see us drunk on wine,

though appearing sober

to disguise the affair.

And gracing us by passing round wine

is the most praised noble one,

Muḥammad, chosen from the best,

The grace of God, His mercy for us,

the noblest of creation,

the best of humanity’s best,

The best of servants,

to whom He revealed the Book

and gave the special gift of prophecy.

He is the light of our eyes,

who grants our desires,

the secret of secrets of those who give aid.

May the Beloved’s blessings,

ample peace, and cheer

flow over him

And his progeny, companions, and family

for they are a folk to whom

we have a sublime connection,

As long as the cups

come round to us

and quench our thirsty hearts,

As long as our Beloved reveals Himself,

and we behold in this epiphany

true oneness!

5.20

وبتمام هذه القصيدة تمّ الكتاب بعون الملك الوهّاب. والحمد لله كما ينبغي أنْ يحمد وصلواته وسلامه على السيّد الكامل الممجّد أشرف العالمين محمّد وعلى آله وصحبه سلّم تسليمًا و كرّم تكريمًا وعظّم تعظيمًا. وأَستَودِعُ الله تعالى ديني ونفسي وولدي وأهلي وأحبّائي في الله وجميع ما أنعم به عليّ وعليهم في الدين والدنيا والآخرة. وأسأله المغفرة لي ولوالديّ ولجميع المسلمين والمسلمات بمنّه وكرمه إِنّه أرحم الراحمين. وأتوجّهُ إليه بأشرف الوجهاء لديه وسيلتنا العظمى محمّد المصطفى صلّى الله عليه وسلّم أنْ يديم عليّ وعلى ولدي وأحبّائي فيه نعمة المدد منه والأخذ عنه والمشاهدة له والمؤانسة به والحضور لديه والجمع عليه في عافية بلا محنة مصحوبة به. في كلّ حال إِنّه جواد كريم رؤوف رحيم.^١

١ في الأصل: كان الفراغ من كتابة هذا الكتاب في أوائل جمادى الأولى سنة أربع وسبعين وألف من الهجرة النبويّة على يد الفقير عبد الرحيم بن عليّ الشهير نسبه بابن مكسب غفر الله له ولوالديه ولجميع المسلمين. آمين.

The end of this poem marks the end of this book, all with the support of the Giver of Gifts, the Sovereign. Praise God as He deserves, and may His prayers and peace be upon the perfect and glorious master, the noblest in all the worlds, Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions. May He grant them salvation, honor, and glory! I entrust to God the Exalted my faith, my self, my children, my husband, those dear to me in God, and all that He has bestowed on me and them, in religion and in this world and the next. I ask Him to pardon me, my parents, and all Muslim men and women, with His grace and generosity, for He is the most merciful! I turn my face toward God seeking the intercession of the most noble of His nobles, our most wondrous means to God, Muḥammad, the chosen one, may God bless and cherish him, that He might always grant me, my children, and the ones I hold dear in Him, the favor of seeking His aid and succor, and the beatific vision of Him in intimacy with Him in His presence, in total union with Him, without any affliction accompanying it whatsoever. He is always magnanimous and generous, kind and merciful!²⁵²