Manuscript volume 14 · Page 188

من الله كمال مرتبتهما في التقسيم العقلي، فأوجدهما منة، لظهور الكمال الوجودي والعلمي، هٰذا أصله منة منه، فأعرض عن هٰذا، ونسب وجود العالم لمحبته أن يعرف حتى لا يشم منه كمال الوجود والعلم رائحة المنة، أيضا، كما ذكر في القرآن، سواء.

وإذا كان الحق قد نزل مع عباده في مكارم الأخلاق التي هي الفتوة إلى هٰذا الحد، فالعبد أولى بهذه الصفة أن يتخلق بها، فالفتوة على الحقيقة إظهار الآلاء والمنن، وستر المنة والامتنان، كما قال: ﴿لا تُبْطِلُوا صَدَقاتِكُمْ بِالْمَنِّ والْأَذى﴾ [البقرة: 264]، تخلقا إلهيا، فإنه سبحانه تصدق علينا بالوجود والمعرفة به، وما من علينا بذٰلك.

وأما قوله: ﴿بَلِ الله يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾، معناه أنه لو من لكان المن لله، لما منوا عليه ص بالإسلام، قال الله تعالى: ﴿يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا﴾ [الحجرات: 17]، قال الله لمحمد ص: ﴿قُلْ لا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلامَكُمْ﴾.

ثم آثر محمدا ص على نفسه سبحانه، حتى لا يجعل له نعتا فيما أجرى عليه لسان ذم، فقال له قل لهم: ﴿بَلِ الله يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَداكُمْ لِلْإِيمانِ﴾.

ولو شاء لقال بل أنا أمن عليكم إن هداكم الله بي للإيمان الذي رزقكم بتوحيده وأسعدكم به،

God for the perfection of their rank in rational division. He brought them into existence as a favor, for existential and cognitive perfection to appear. This originates as a favor from Him, yet He turned away from mentioning it and ascribed the world’s existence to His loving to be known, so that the perfection of existence and knowledge would sense no trace of reminding it of favor, exactly as mentioned in the Qurʾan.

When the Real descends with His servants to this extent in noble character traits, spiritual chivalry, the servant has a greater claim to assume this character. Spiritual chivalry is in truth manifesting blessings and favors while concealing the assertion and reminder of favor. As He said, “Do not invalidate your charities through reminders of favor and injury” [al-Baqarah 2:264], assuming a divine character, for He, glory be to Him, gave us existence and knowledge of Him in charity without reminding us of this favor.

As for His saying, “Rather, God bestows favor upon you,” it means that, were favor to be asserted, that assertion would belong to God. When they asserted favor toward him, may God bless him and grant him peace, through Islam, God said, “They count their embracing Islam as a favor to you” [al-Hujurat 49:17]. God said to Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, “Say: Do not count your Islam as a favor to me.”

Then He preferred Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, over Himself, glory be to Him, so as not to give him a description toward which He had directed the tongue of blame. He told him to say to them, “Rather, God bestows favor upon you by guiding you to faith.”

Had He willed, He could have said, “Rather, I count it a favor toward you that God guided you through me to the faith He granted you in His oneness, making you felicitous through it,”