6. Al-An'aam

Say: 'Shall we call upon, instead of God: that is, shall we worship that which in reality has no power or existence to profit or cause hurt, and so be turned back, to idolatrous association, after God has guided usḍ, with true guidance to the affirmation of [His] Oneness - Like one whom, the devils of estimation and imagination have carried off in the pursuit of the earth of the soul, bewildered, not knowing in which direction to walk or what to do, without a path or a purpose; he has companions, escorts in the way of reflection and practical and considerative reason, who call him to guidance, saying: �Come to us, for this is the path [of guidance]!�, but he does not hear because the auditory channels of his heart are sealed [shut] with caprice. Say: 'Truly, the guidance of God, which is the path of the affirmation of Oneness, is [the true] guidance, and nothing else; and we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the Worlds, so that we might be willingly led to the attribute of lordship by the effacing of our attributes in the One disclosing Himself in that [attribute of lordship] and submitting It to Him,

He it is Who created, the heavens of the spirits and the earth of the body, upholding justice, which is the exigency of His essence. And the day He says, 'Be', and it is, that is, the moment of timeless time which is the pre-eternity of the pre-eternal manifestation of things in the pre-eternity of His essence, which is the absolute beginninglessness of pre-eternity, being when His eternal will became attached to the manifestation [of that will] in the entifications of His essence, expressed in His statement 'Be': this is after the beginninglessness of pre-eternities, considered rationally, but not in the sense that these [entifications] are posterior to that beginninglessness, rather in terms of the hierarchy of rational consideration of His essence, exalted be He. For entifications are posterior to the absolute pure Ipseity by virtue of reason and in reality: the manifestation of these [entifications] through [His] will referred to by His words 'Be and it is' without any interval or posteriority, is expressed by [the form] 'and it is', because in pre-eternity it was not but then came to be. His words are the truth: that is, at that moment especially the timelessness of His will, which entailed the existence of originated things in the way that they were, fixed in their state and immutable, also entailed that these be in the most excellent way possible in terms of organisation and hierarchy and in the most equitable way in terms of configuration and composition; the day when the Trumpet is blown, the moment of His blowing into the Trumpet, namely, [the moment of] giving life to the forms of engendered things (mukawwanāt) by effusing their spirits upon them, there is no kingdom other than His, for in themselves these [things] are dead, having neither existence nor life, let alone any ownership (mālikiyya). He is the Knower of the Unseen, that is, the realities of the world of spirits, which constitute His dominion (malakūt), and the visible, that is, the forms of the world of bodies, which constitute His kingdom (mulk). He is the Wise, who has brought these into existence and placed them within a hierarchy in accordance with His wisdom, effusing upon each form the spirit that befits it; the Aware, who knows their innermost aspects and outward ones, their specific qualities and their acts.

And when Abraham said to his father, that is, remind of the moment of Abraham's wayfaring along the path of the affirmation of Oneness when We gave him insight and guidance and apprised him of the idolatry of his people and their veiledness by the manifestation of the world of the kingdom from the realities of the world of the dominion and His lordship, exalted be He, of [all] things through His names, believing [instead] in the effective power of celestial bodies and engendered beings, distracted thereby from the Engenderer Himself, which is why he [Abraham] censures them for that, saying to their leader and their most senior one, his father: 'Do you take idols as godsḍ, believing in their efficacyḍ I see you and your people in manifest error', [error] that is manifest and can be known sensorially.

So also We were showing Abraham the dominion of the heavens and the earth, that he might be one of those with certainty. When night darkened over him, he saw a star. He said, “This is my Lord.” When it set he said, “I love not those that set.”... Then when he saw the sun rising, he said, “This is my Lord, this is greater.” When it set he said, “O my people, I am quit of what you associate. Surely I have turned my face toward Him who originated the heavens and the earth, unswerving, and I am not of the associaters.” First He showed him the dominion of heaven and earth so that he would derive evidence of the exis- tence of the Artisan by way of inference. He looked at the stars and said, “This is my Lord,” that is, “evidence of my Lord, for my Lord has no beginning or end, but this has set.” He said, “I love not those that set.” At last the beauty of the Haqiqah showed its face to him. By means of inference and proofs he went back to witnessing and face-to-face vision. He turned away from everything and said, “Surely they are an enemy to me, save the Lord of the Worlds” [26:77]. He said to Gabriel, “As for turning toward you, no.” First he was like a knower, then he became like a recognizer. WāsiṬī said, “The world's creatures are going to Him, but the recognizers are coming from Him.” He also said, “If someone says, 'I recognized God through the evidence,' ask him how he recognized the evidence.'” True, at the beginning there is no escape from evidence, as was the beginning of Abraham's path. All that evidence came into Abraham's path-the star, the moon, the sun. When he reached each piece of evidence, he would cling to it and say, “This is my Lord.” When he passed beyond the degrees of the evidence, he saw the beauty of tawḤīd with the eye of face-to-face vision. He said, “O my people, I am quit of what you associate,” that is, I am quit of inference from the crea- tures to the Creator, for there is no evidence for Him save Himself. This is the same as that great one of the religion said: “I recognized God through God, and I recognized that which is beneath God through God's light.

So also We were showing Abraham the dominion of the heavens and the earth, that he might be one of those with certainty. When night darkened over him, he saw a star. He said, “This is my Lord.” When it set he said, “I love not those that set.”... Then when he saw the sun rising, he said, “This is my Lord, this is greater.” When it set he said, “O my people, I am quit of what you associate. Surely I have turned my face toward Him who originated the heavens and the earth, unswerving, and I am not of the associaters.” First He showed him the dominion of heaven and earth so that he would derive evidence of the exis- tence of the Artisan by way of inference. He looked at the stars and said, “This is my Lord,” that is, “evidence of my Lord, for my Lord has no beginning or end, but this has set.” He said, “I love not those that set.” At last the beauty of the Haqiqah showed its face to him. By means of inference and proofs he went back to witnessing and face-to-face vision. He turned away from everything and said, “Surely they are an enemy to me, save the Lord of the Worlds” [26:77]. He said to Gabriel, “As for turning toward you, no.” First he was like a knower, then he became like a recognizer. WāsiṬī said, “The world's creatures are going to Him, but the recognizers are coming from Him.” He also said, “If someone says, 'I recognized God through the evidence,' ask him how he recognized the evidence.'” True, at the beginning there is no escape from evidence, as was the beginning of Abraham's path. All that evidence came into Abraham's path-the star, the moon, the sun. When he reached each piece of evidence, he would cling to it and say, “This is my Lord.” When he passed beyond the degrees of the evidence, he saw the beauty of tawḤīd with the eye of face-to-face vision. He said, “O my people, I am quit of what you associate,” that is, I am quit of inference from the crea- tures to the Creator, for there is no evidence for Him save Himself. This is the same as that great one of the religion said: “I recognized God through God, and I recognized that which is beneath God through God's light.

So also We were showing Abraham the dominion of the heavens and the earth, that he might be one of those with certainty. When night darkened over him, he saw a star. He said, “This is my Lord.” When it set he said, “I love not those that set.”... Then when he saw the sun rising, he said, “This is my Lord, this is greater.” When it set he said, “O my people, I am quit of what you associate. Surely I have turned my face toward Him who originated the heavens and the earth, unswerving, and I am not of the associaters.” First He showed him the dominion of heaven and earth so that he would derive evidence of the exis- tence of the Artisan by way of inference. He looked at the stars and said, “This is my Lord,” that is, “evidence of my Lord, for my Lord has no beginning or end, but this has set.” He said, “I love not those that set.” At last the beauty of the Haqiqah showed its face to him. By means of inference and proofs he went back to witnessing and face-to-face vision. He turned away from everything and said, “Surely they are an enemy to me, save the Lord of the Worlds” [26:77]. He said to Gabriel, “As for turning toward you, no.” First he was like a knower, then he became like a recognizer. WāsiṬī said, “The world's creatures are going to Him, but the recognizers are coming from Him.” He also said, “If someone says, 'I recognized God through the evidence,' ask him how he recognized the evidence.'” True, at the beginning there is no escape from evidence, as was the beginning of Abraham's path. All that evidence came into Abraham's path-the star, the moon, the sun. When he reached each piece of evidence, he would cling to it and say, “This is my Lord.” When he passed beyond the degrees of the evidence, he saw the beauty of tawḤīd with the eye of face-to-face vision. He said, “O my people, I am quit of what you associate,” that is, I am quit of inference from the crea- tures to the Creator, for there is no evidence for Him save Himself. This is the same as that great one of the religion said: “I recognized God through God, and I recognized that which is beneath God through God's light.

So also We were showing Abraham the dominion of the heavens and the earth, that he might be one of those with certainty. When night darkened over him, he saw a star. He said, “This is my Lord.” When it set he said, “I love not those that set.”... Then when he saw the sun rising, he said, “This is my Lord, this is greater.” When it set he said, “O my people, I am quit of what you associate. Surely I have turned my face toward Him who originated the heavens and the earth, unswerving, and I am not of the associaters.” First He showed him the dominion of heaven and earth so that he would derive evidence of the exis- tence of the Artisan by way of inference. He looked at the stars and said, “This is my Lord,” that is, “evidence of my Lord, for my Lord has no beginning or end, but this has set.” He said, “I love not those that set.” At last the beauty of the Haqiqah showed its face to him. By means of inference and proofs he went back to witnessing and face-to-face vision. He turned away from everything and said, “Surely they are an enemy to me, save the Lord of the Worlds” [26:77]. He said to Gabriel, “As for turning toward you, no.” First he was like a knower, then he became like a recognizer. WāsiṬī said, “The world's creatures are going to Him, but the recognizers are coming from Him.” He also said, “If someone says, 'I recognized God through the evidence,' ask him how he recognized the evidence.'” True, at the beginning there is no escape from evidence, as was the beginning of Abraham's path. All that evidence came into Abraham's path-the star, the moon, the sun. When he reached each piece of evidence, he would cling to it and say, “This is my Lord.” When he passed beyond the degrees of the evidence, he saw the beauty of tawḤīd with the eye of face-to-face vision. He said, “O my people, I am quit of what you associate,” that is, I am quit of inference from the crea- tures to the Creator, for there is no evidence for Him save Himself. This is the same as that great one of the religion said: “I recognized God through God, and I recognized that which is beneath God through God's light.

So also We were showing Abraham the dominion of the heavens and the earth, that he might be one of those with certainty. When night darkened over him, he saw a star. He said, “This is my Lord.” When it set he said, “I love not those that set.”... Then when he saw the sun rising, he said, “This is my Lord, this is greater.” When it set he said, “O my people, I am quit of what you associate. Surely I have turned my face toward Him who originated the heavens and the earth, unswerving, and I am not of the associaters.” First He showed him the dominion of heaven and earth so that he would derive evidence of the exis- tence of the Artisan by way of inference. He looked at the stars and said, “This is my Lord,” that is, “evidence of my Lord, for my Lord has no beginning or end, but this has set.” He said, “I love not those that set.” At last the beauty of the Haqiqah showed its face to him. By means of inference and proofs he went back to witnessing and face-to-face vision. He turned away from everything and said, “Surely they are an enemy to me, save the Lord of the Worlds” [26:77]. He said to Gabriel, “As for turning toward you, no.” First he was like a knower, then he became like a recognizer. WāsiṬī said, “The world's creatures are going to Him, but the recognizers are coming from Him.” He also said, “If someone says, 'I recognized God through the evidence,' ask him how he recognized the evidence.'” True, at the beginning there is no escape from evidence, as was the beginning of Abraham's path. All that evidence came into Abraham's path-the star, the moon, the sun. When he reached each piece of evidence, he would cling to it and say, “This is my Lord.” When he passed beyond the degrees of the evidence, he saw the beauty of tawḤīd with the eye of face-to-face vision. He said, “O my people, I am quit of what you associate,” that is, I am quit of inference from the crea- tures to the Creator, for there is no evidence for Him save Himself. This is the same as that great one of the religion said: “I recognized God through God, and I recognized that which is beneath God through God's light.

But his people disputed with him, over [his] denial of the effective power of celestial bodies and engendered beings and [over] shunning the worship of all that is besides God. He said, 'Do you dispute with me concerning God when He has guided me, to the affirmation of His Onenessḍ I, shall, have no fear of what you associate with Him, and [what] you claim of its effective power, ever, except, at the moment, that my Lord should will something, to befall me from its part in the way of some mishap or harm, but that would be from Him [in reality] and with His knowledge, not from it. My Lord encompasses all things through His knowledge, knowing my state and wherein lies my welfare: if in His knowledge He should deem it better for me to suffer harm from its part, He will do so; will you not remember, and thus distinguish between what is incapable and one who is Powerfulḍ