Manuscript volume 29 · Page 4

إلا شبر فيسبق عليه الكتاب فيعمل بعمل أهل النار فيدخل النار».

وكذٰلك قال في أهل الجنة ثم قال: «وإنما الأعمال بالخواتيم»، وهي على حكم السوابق. فلا يقضي الله قضاء إلا بما سبق الكتاب به أن يقضي؛ فعلمه في الأشياء عين قوله في تكوينه فما يبدل القول لديه؛ فلا حكم لخالق ولا مخلوق إلا بما سبق به الكتاب الإلهي.

ولذا قال: ﴿وما أَنَا بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ﴾ [ق: ٢٩]، فما نجري عليهم إلا ما سبق به العلم، ولا أحكم فيهم إلا بما سبق به. فهٰذا موقف السواء الذي يوقف فيه العبد.

إذا كان علم الحق في الحق يحكم

ففي خلقه أحرى فَلا يتحكم

و ليس بمختار إذا كان هكذا

فكل إلى سبق الكتاب مسلم

فما الخوف إلا من كتاب تقدمت

له سور فينا وآي وأنجم

فلو كان مختارا أمناه أنه

رءوف رحيم بالعباد وأرحم

و أخبر في البشرى برحمته التي

يكون لها السبق الكريم المقدم

but a span; then the Book takes precedence over him, and he performs the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters the Fire.’

He said the same concerning the people of the Garden. Then he said, ‘Deeds are only according to their endings,’ and these are under the ruling of what preceded. God therefore decrees no decree except what the Book has previously established that He should decree. His knowledge concerning things is identical to His utterance in His bringing into being, and the word is not changed with Him. Neither Creator nor creature has any ruling except according to what the divine Book has previously established.

For this reason He said, ﴿And I am not unjust to the servants﴾ [Qāf 50:29]. We bring upon them only what knowledge has previously established, and I judge them only according to what it has previously established. This is the standing place of Equality in which the servant is made to stand.

If the Real's knowledge rules over the Real,

Then all the more over His creation: let him not presume to rule.

He is not possessed of choice if the matter is thus;

Each is surrendered to the Book's precedence.

Fear is only of a Book whose

Suras, verses, and stars concerning us have preceded.

If He possessed choice, His being

Kind, merciful, and most merciful to the servants would give us safety.

In glad tidings He told of His mercy, which

Possesses the noble precedence given priority