الباب الثاني عشر في تجلّي الأفعال
On the Self-Disclosure of the Acts (Tajallī al-Afʿāl)
editorial & collation note
Two-witness collated, staged 2026-06-03. Bāb 12 of the foundational opening band (Tajallī al-Afʿāl, the Self-Disclosure of the [divine] Acts) -- the first of the four 'self-disclosure' chapters (acts / names / attributes / Essence). Witness-2 (ibnalarabi.com id=15) clean of navigation chrome; the trailing site-search widget EXCLUDED (no asterism in this chapter). A phenomenology of the qadar-disclosure: a typology of those who witness divine action, carrying al-Jīlī's strong pro-sharīʿa / anti-antinomian guardrails (§8-9, §16) and his closing critique that the whole station is itself a VEIL from the higher disclosures (§32). Contains a 1-verse (§21) and a 3-verse (§27-29) qaṣīda and a faqīr-dialogue (§30-31). Witness §10 is slightly elliptical (a dangling clause around 'the one who does not witness the flowing'); rendered as-is and noted. A few kāf-as-alif OCR garbles restored. No lossy drop of authorial prose.
تجلّي الحق سبحانه وتعالى في أفعاله عبارةٌ عن مشهدٍ يرى فيه العبد جريانَ القدرة في الأشياء، فيشهده سبحانه وتعالى محرّكَها ومسكّنَها، بنفي الفعل عن العبد وإثباته للحق. والعبد في هذا المشهد مسلوبُ الحول والقوّة والإرادة. والناس في هذا المشهد على أنواع:
The self-disclosure of the Real (glory be to Him, exalted is He) in His acts is an expression for a witnessing in which the servant sees the flowing of [the divine] Power in things, [and] so witnesses Him (glory be to Him, exalted is He) [as] their mover and their stiller -- by the negation of the act from the servant and its affirmation to the Real. And the servant, in this witnessing, is stripped of [all] capacity, strength, and will. And the people, in this witnessing, are of [several] types:
فمنهم من يشهد الحق إرادتَه أولاً، ثم يشهده الفعلَ ثانياً، فيكون العبد في هذا المشهد مسلوبَ الحول والفعل والإرادة، وهو أعلى مشاهد تجليات الأفعال.
Of them is one whom the Real shows His will first, then shows him the act second; so the servant, in this witnessing, is stripped of capacity, act, and will -- and it is the highest of the witnessings of the act-disclosures.
ومنهم من يشهده الحق إرادتَه، ولكن يشهده تصرّفاتِه في المخلوقات وجريانَها تحت سلطان قدرته.
And of them is one whom the Real shows His will, but [also] shows him his [own] dispositions among the creatures, and their flowing under the sovereignty of His power.
ومنهم من يرى الأمر عند صدور الفعل من المخلوق، فيرجع إلى الحق.
And of them is one who sees the matter at the issuing of the act from the creature, [and] so refers [it] to the Real.
ومنهم من يشهده ذلك بعد صدور الفعل من المخلوق؛ لكن صاحب هذا المشهد إذا كان شهوده هذا في غيره، فإنه مُسلَّمٌ له.
And of them is one whom [the Real] shows that after the issuing of the act from the creature; but the possessor of this witnessing -- if this witnessing of his is in another [person], then it is granted to him [/accepted].
وأما إذا كان شهوده هذا في نفسه، فإنه لا يُسلَّم له ذلك إلاَّ فيما وافق ظاهرَ السنة، وإلاَّ فلا يُسلَّم له -- بخلاف من أشهده الحقُّ إرادتَه أولاً، ثم شهد تصرّفَ الحق به قبل صدور الفعل منه وعنده وبعده، فإننا نُسلِّم له مشهده، ونطالبه نحن بظاهر الشريعة.
But if this witnessing of his is in himself, then that is not granted to him except in what conforms to the outward of the Sunna; otherwise it is not granted to him -- unlike the one whom the Real showed His will first, then [who] witnessed the Real's disposing of him, before the act's issuing from him, and at it, and after it: for we grant him his witnessing, and we [ourselves] demand of him the outward of the Sacred Law (al-sharīʿa).
فإن كان صادقاً فهو مخلصٌ فيما بينه وبين الله. وفائدة قولي 'نُسلِّم له مشهده' ولا نُسلِّم للأول الذي يشهد جريان القدرة بعد صدور الفعل -- على أنّا لا نُسلّم لأحدٍ منهما أن يحتجّ بالقدرة فيما يخالف الأمر والنهي، بل يلزمهما حكمُ ظاهر الأمر، فنقيم الحدّ على من ظهر منه ما يوجب الحدّ في حكم الشرع.
So if he is truthful, he is sincere in what is between him and God. And the benefit of my saying 'we grant him his witnessing' and 'we do not grant [it] to the first, who witnesses the flowing of power after the act's issuing' -- [is] granted that we do not grant to either of them that he should adduce [the divine] power [as a proof] in what contradicts the command and the prohibition; rather, the rule of the outward command binds them both, so we establish the legal penalty (al-ḥadd) upon whoever manifests from himself what obligates the penalty in the rule of the Sacred Law.
وذلك لما يلزمنا من حكم الله تعالى. لأنه فعل ما يلزمه من حكم الله -- وهو ما اقتضاه شهودُ المظهر الذي فيه -- فنُجريه على ما اقتضاه ذلك التجلي، وهو أداءُ حقّ الله تعالى عليه؛ وبقي علينا أداءُ حقّ الله تعالى فيما أمرنا به، أن نحدّ من عصاه بالحدّ الذي أقامه الله سبحانه وتعالى في كتابه.
And that is because of what the rule of God (exalted is He) binds us to. Because he did what the rule of God binds him to -- which is what the witnessing of the locus-of-manifestation he is in required -- so we let him run upon what that self-disclosure required, [which] is the discharging of God's right upon him; and there remains upon us the discharging of God's right in what we were commanded -- that we apply the penalty to whoever disobeyed Him, by the penalty that God (glory be to Him, exalted is He) established in His Book.
فكانت فائدة قولي 'نُسلِّم له مشهده' راجعةً إليه فيما بينه وبين نفسه، تقريراً لمشهده. وقولي في الذي لا يشهد جريانَ القدرة... ومنهم من يشهد فعلَ الله به، ويشهد فعلَ نفسه تبعاً لفعل الله تعالى.
So the benefit of my saying 'we grant him his witnessing' returned to him, in what is between him and himself, as a confirmation of his witnessing. And my saying concerning the one who does not witness the flowing of power... And of them is one who witnesses God's act in him, and witnesses his [own] act [as] subordinate to God's act (exalted is He).
فيسمّي نفسه في الطاعة طائعاً، وفي المعصية عاصياً، وهو فيهما مسلوبُ الحول والقوّة والإرادة.
So he names himself, in obedience, 'obedient,' and in disobedience, 'disobedient' -- while he is, in both, stripped of capacity, strength, and will.
ومنهم من لا يشهد فعلَ نفسه، بل يشهد فعلَ الله فقط، فلا يجعل لنفسه فعلاً، فلا يقول في الطاعة إنه مطيع، ولا في المعصية إنه عاصٍ.
And of them is one who does not witness his [own] act, but witnesses only God's act, so he assigns to himself no act -- [and] so he does not say, in obedience, that he is obedient, nor [does he say], in disobedience, that he is disobedient.
ومن جملة ما يقتضيه مشهدهم أن أحدهم يأكل معك ويحلف أنه ما أكل، ويشرب ويحلف أنه ما شرب، ثم يحلف أنه ما حلف -- وهو عند الله برٌّ صدوق. وهي نكتةٌ لا يفهمها إلاَّ من ذاق هذا المشهد ووقع فيه وقوعاً عينياً.
And among what their witnessing requires is that one of them eats with you and swears that he did not eat, and drinks and swears that he did not drink, then swears that he did not swear -- while he is, with God, righteous [and] truthful. And it is a subtle point that none understands except one who has tasted this witnessing and fallen into it concretely.
ومنهم من لا يشهد فعلَ الله إلاَّ بغيره، ولا يشهده لنفسه -- أعني فيما يخصّه.
And of them is one who does not witness God's act except in another, and does not witness it for himself -- I mean, in what concerns him.
ومنهم من لا يشهد فعلَ الله إلاَّ في نفسه، ولا يشهده في غيره. وهذا أعلى من الأول مشهداً.
And of them is one who does not witness God's act except in himself, and does not witness it in another. And this one is higher than the first in witnessing.
ومنهم من يشهد فعلَ الله به في الطاعات، ولا يشهد جريانَ القدرة به في المعاصي. فهو مع الله تعالى من حيث تجلي أفعاله في الطاعات؛ وإنما حجب الله تعالى عنه فعلَه به في المعاصي رحمةً به، لئلا تقع منه المعصية -- وذلك دليلٌ على ضعفه، لأنه لو قوي لشهد فعلَ الله تعالى به في المعاصي كما شهده في الطاعات، ويحفظ عليه ظاهرَ شرعه.
And of them is one who witnesses God's act in him in the obediences, but does not witness the flowing of power in him in the disobediences. So he is with God (exalted is He) by the self-disclosure of His acts in the obediences; and God (exalted is He) only veiled from him His act in him in the disobediences as a mercy to him, lest disobedience occur from him -- and that is evidence of his weakness; because, were he strong, he would witness God's act in him in the disobediences as he witnessed it in the obediences, while keeping the outward of His Law upon himself.
ومنهم من لا يشهد -- أعني لا يتجلى له -- فعلُ الحق به إلاَّ في المعاصي، ابتلاءً له من الحق، فلا يشهده في الطاعات. ومن يكون بهذا الوصف، فهو أحد رجلين:
And of them is one to whom the Real's act in him does not disclose itself except in the disobediences -- as a trial to him from the Real -- so he does not witness it in the obediences. And whoever is of this description is one of two men:
إما رجلٌ حجب الله عنه في الطاعات، لكونه يحبّ أن يكون مطيعاً، ويقدّم الطاعة على غيرها، فاحتجب الله تعالى عنه فيها، وظهر له في المعاصي ليشهد الحقَّ فيها، فيحصل له بذلك الكمال الإلهي. وعلامة هذا أن يعود إلى الطاعات، ولا يدوم على المعصية.
Either a man from whom God veiled [Himself] in the obediences -- because he loves to be obedient, and prefers obedience over other [than it] -- so God (exalted is He) veiled from him in it, and appeared to him in the disobediences, that he might witness the Real in them, and so the divine perfection might be attained for him by that. And the sign of this [man] is that he returns to the obediences, and does not persist upon disobedience.
وإما رجلٌ استُدرج إلى أن تمكّن من المعاصي، فاحتجب الحقُّ عنه، فبقي فيها ودامت عليه -- نعوذ بالله من ذلك.
Or [else] a man who was lured-by-degrees [/given respite] until he became firmly settled in the disobediences, so the Real veiled [Himself] from him, and he remained in them, and [they] persisted upon him -- we seek refuge in God from that.
ومنهم من يشهده فيهما، فتكون تارةً وتارةً:
And of them is one who witnesses Him [/it] in both [obedience and disobedience], so that it is [now] one time and [now] another:
أسيرُ إلى نجدٍ إذا نزلت به ....... وأرحلُ نحو الغورِ إن فيه حلّتِ
I journey to Najd, if she has alighted in it; / and I travel toward al-Ghawr [the lowland], if in it she has settled.
ومنهم من يكون في شهوده لفعل الله تعالى غيرَ ساكنٍ إلى ما يجريه عليه من المعصية، فيبكي ويتضرّع ويحزن ويستغفر الله تعالى ويسأله الحفظ. ومنهم من لا يتضرّع ولا يحزن ولا يسأله الحفظ، ويكون ساكناً تحت جريان القدرة، منصرفاً حيث وجهه، ولا يوجد فيه اضطراب -- وهذا دليلٌ على قوة كشفه في هذا المشهد، وهو أعلى من الأول إن سلم من وساوس نفسه.
And of them is one who, in his witnessing of God's act (exalted is He), is not at rest with what He runs upon him of disobedience; so he weeps, and implores, and grieves, and seeks forgiveness of God (exalted is He), and asks Him for protection. And of them is one who does not implore, nor grieve, nor ask Him for protection, but is at rest under the flowing of power, turned wherever he is turned, [and] no agitation is found in him -- and this is evidence of the strength of his unveiling in this witnessing, and he is higher than the first, IF he is safe from the whisperings of his [own] soul.
ومنهم من يبدّل الله معصيتَه طاعةً، فيشهد جريانَ القدرة في المعاصي وغيرها، ويشهده الله جريانَ المعصية عليه، ويكتبها الله عنده طاعةً، فلا يجري عليه عند الله اسمُ معصية.
And of them is one whose disobedience God changes into obedience: so he witnesses the flowing of power in the disobediences and other [than them], and God shows him the flowing of disobedience upon him, and God writes it down, with Him, [as] obedience -- so the name of 'disobedience' does not run upon him, with God.
ومنهم من تكون نفسُ معصيته طاعةً، لموافقته لإرادة الله تعالى -- ولو أُمر بخلاف ما أُريد منه. فيكون العبد في هذا المشهد عاصياً من جهة الأمر والمخالفة، مطيعاً من جهة الإرادة والموافقة. وذلك أنه أُشهد أولاً، قبل الفعل، إرادةَ الحق منه.
And of them is one the very [act] of whose disobedience is [an] obedience -- by his conforming to the will of God (exalted is He), even though he was commanded contrary to what was willed of him. So the servant, in this witnessing, is disobedient from the side of command-and-contravention, [yet] obedient from the side of will-and-conformity. And that is because he was shown first, before the act, the Real's will of him.
فما أتاه الاسمُ إلاَّ موافقاً لإرادته، وهو مع ذلك ناظرٌ إلى جريان القدرة فيه، وتقليبِ الحق له.
So the [act] came to him only conforming to His will, while he is, with that, looking at the flowing of power in him, and the Real's turning him about.
ومنهم من يُبتلى، فيتجلى الله له فيما يُذمّ حقيقةً وشرعاً، فيشهد تقلّبَ الحق له في الخذلان، فيأتيها وهو يعلم أنه مخذول -- وذلك لما اقتضاه حكمُ مشهده من ظهور الحق له في ذلك الفعل:
And of them is one who is tried, so that God discloses Himself to him in what is blamed -- [both] in reality and in the Sacred Law -- so he witnesses the Real's turning him about in [his] abandonment[-by-God] (al-khidhlān), and comes to it [the blamed act] while knowing that he is [one] abandoned -- and that is because of what the rule of his witnessing required, of the Real's appearing to him in that act:
وقائلةٍ: لا تشتكي الضدَّ من عُلوى ....... وكن صابراً فيها على الصدِّ والبلوى
And a [woman] saying: 'Do not complain of the opposition from ʿUlwā, / and be patient in her, upon the rebuff and the affliction.'
فقلتُ: دعيني، ما دعت لي زينبُ ....... إلى غير خذلاني طريقاً ولا مأوى
So I said: 'Leave me -- Zaynab has called me / to no path or refuge but my [own] abandonment.'
نصيبي منها ما تحقّقتُ قبحَه ....... ومن قُبحِ ما حقّقتُه هذه الشكوى
My portion of her is what I have verified the ugliness of; / and of the ugliness of what I have verified is this [very] complaint.
اجتمع رجلٌ فقيرٌ من أهل الغيب بفقيرٍ كان هذا مشهده، فقال له: يا فقير، لو لزمتَ الأدب مع الله بحفظ الظاهر، وطلبتَ منه السلامة، كان أولى بك في طلب معاملته تعالى. فقال الفقير: قلتُ له: يا سيدي، موافقتي لإرادته -- ولو لبستُ خِلعة الخذلان، أو قُلِّدتُ نِجادَ العصيان -- أولى بالأدب،
A faqīr of the people of the unseen met a faqīr whose witnessing was this [last one], and said to him: 'O faqīr, had you held to the [proper] courtesy (adab) with God, by guarding the outward and seeking from Him safety, it would have been more fitting for you, in seeking His [gracious] dealing.' So the faqīr said: 'I said to him: O my master -- [is] my conformity to His will -- even if I wore the robe of abandonment, or were girded with the sword-belt of disobedience -- more fitting to courtesy,
أم لُبسي لاسم الطاعة، وطلبُ مخالفتي لإرادته -- ولا يكون إلاَّ ما يريد؟ قال: فخلّى سبيلي وانصرف.
or [is] my wearing of the name of obedience, and the seeking of my contravention of His will -- when nothing comes to be but what He wills [-- more fitting]?' He said: so he let me go and departed.
واعلم أن أهل هذا التجلي المذكور، وإن عَظُم مقامُهم وجَلّ مرامُهم، فإنهم محجوبون عن حقيقة الأمر. ولقد فاتهم من الحق أكثرُ مما نالهم. فتجلي الحق في أفعاله حجابٌ عن تجلياته في أسمائه وصفاته. ويكفي هذا القدر.
And know that the people of this mentioned self-disclosure -- even though their station is great and their aim is lofty -- are [yet] veiled from the reality of the matter. And there has escaped them, of the Real, more than what they attained. For the self-disclosure of the Real in His acts is a veil from His self-disclosures in His names and His attributes. And this much suffices.