Manuscript volume 28 · Page 137

التي كانوا بها أحياء هي حياة الحق، لا بل هي الحق عينه.

كما ورد في الصحيح: «كنت سمعه وبصره»، وغير ذٰلك، فمن جملة ذٰلك أنه حياته.

فعند ما أبصروا ذٰلك ﴿قالُوا ما ذا قالَ رَبُّكُمْ﴾ [سبإ: ٢٣]، وما قال حياة ربكم، ولهٰذا قلنا: بل هو عين الحق.

﴿قالُوا الْحَقَّ﴾، لما تبين لهم أنه الحق ﴿وهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ﴾ [سبإ: ٢٣]، عن الحلول والمحل، ولكن نسب وإضافات وشهود حقائق.

فبالوجه الذي يقول فيه إنه سمع العبد به بعينه يقول إنه حياة العبد، وعلمه وجميع صفاته وقواه، وهي نسب، لا أعيان، فهو الحي العالم السميع، إلى غير ذٰلك.

فالعين واحدة، وليس إلا ما ظهر فهو عين ما ظهر، فالعبد المتحقق بالحق ينكشف له، فيتبين أنه الحق ﴿أَلا إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُحِيطٌ﴾ [فصلت: ٥٤].

فالحياة التي كان يدّعي فيها، قبل دخوله إلى حضرة الحق، لم تبق عليه في هٰذا الشهود أصلا، وضد الحياة الموت.

(اشتباه الحضرة ومعنى موت الصاحب)

فإن اشتبهت عليه الحضرة، وتخيل أنه دخل حضرة الحق، وما زالت عنه حياته أنها له، كما تخيل صاف في عرش إبليس على البحر، أنه العرش الذي استوى عليه الرحمن تعالى وجل.

فقال له رسول الله ص: «ذٰلك عرش إبليس».

كذٰلك صاحب هٰذا الشهود، إذا رأى أن حياته باقية عليه منسوبة إليه، فإن الحق قد مات في حقه^[49]، وهو يدعي صحبة الحق.

فالحق يعزيه في موت صاحبه، فإنه عنه في هٰذا الشهود

through which they were alive is the life of the Real—indeed, rather, it is the Real Himself.

Thus it is related in the sound report, ‘I am his hearing and his sight,’ and other things. Among these is His being his life.

When they perceive this, ﴿they say, “What did your Lord say?”﴾ [Sabaʾ 34:23]. He did not say, ‘Your Lord's life.’ For this reason we said: rather, He is the Real Himself.

﴿They say, “The truth”﴾, when it becomes clear to them that it is the Real: ﴿And He is the Most High, the Great﴾ [Sabaʾ 34:23], exalted above indwelling and locus. There are only relations, attributions, and the witnessing of realities.

In the very respect in which He says that He is the servant's hearing, He says that He is the servant's life, knowledge, and all his attributes and faculties. These are relations, not entities. He is thus the Living, the Knowing, the Hearing, and so on.

The entity is one, and there is only what has appeared: He is identical to what has appeared. It is unveiled to the servant realized in the Real, and it becomes clear that it is the Real: ﴿Truly, He encompasses every thing﴾ [Fuṣṣilat 41:54].

The life to which he laid claim before entering the Presence of the Real does not remain his at all within this witnessing. The opposite of life is death.

(Mistaking the Presence and the Meaning of the Companion's Death)

If he mistakes the Presence, imagining that he has entered the Presence of the Real, while his life has not ceased to be his own, it is as Ṣāf imagined that Iblīs's throne upon the sea was the Throne upon which the All-Merciful, exalted and majestic, established Himself.

The Messenger of God, God's blessings and peace be upon him, said to him, ‘That is Iblīs's throne.’

Likewise, when the possessor of this witnessing sees that his life remains his, attributed to him, the Real has died in his regard^[49], while he claims companionship with the Real.

The Real consoles him over his companion's death, for in this witnessing he is a stranger to him,