Sermon 163: Praise be to Allah, Creator of people…

Attributes of Allah

الْحَمْدُ لله خَالِقِ الْعِبَادِ،

Praise be to Allah, Creator of people;

وَسَاطِحِ الْمِهَادِ،

He has spread the earth.

وَمُسِيلِ الْوِهَادِ،

He makes streams to flow

وَمُخْصِبِ النِّجَادِ،

and vegetation to grow on high lands.

لَيْسَ لاِوَّلِيَّتِهِ ابْتِدَاءٌ،

His primality has no beginning,

وَلاَ لاِزَلِيَّتِهِ انْقِضَاءٌ،

nor has His eternity any end.

هُوَ الاَوَّلُ لَمْ يَزَلْ،

He is the First and from ever.

وَالْبَاقي بِلا أَجَل،

He is the everlasting without limit.

خَرَّتْ لَهُ الْجِبَاهُ،

Foreheads bow before Him

وَوَحَّدَتْهُ الشِّفَاهُ،

and lips declare His Oneness.

حَدَّ الاْشْيَاءَ عِنْدَ خَلْقِهِ

He determined the limits of things at the time of His creating them,

لَهَا إبَانَةً لَهُ مِنْ شَبَهِهَا،

keeping Himself away from any likeness.

لاَ تُقَدِّرُهُ الاْوْهامُ بِالْحُدُودِ وَالحَرَكَاتِ،

Imagination cannot surmise Him within the limits of movements

وَلاَ بِالْجَوَارِحِ وَالاْدَوَاتِ،

limbs or senses.

لاَ يُقَالُ لَهُ:«مَتَى»؟

It cannot be said about Him: "whence";

وَلاَ يُضْرَبُ لَهُ أَمَدٌ «بِحَتَّى»،

and no time limit can be attributed to Him by saying "till".

الظَّاهِرُ لاَ يُقالُ: «مِمَّ»؟

He is apparent, but it cannot be said "from what".

وَالْبَاطِنُ لاَ يُقَالُ: «فِيمَ»؟،

He is hidden, but it cannot be said "in what".

لاَ شَبَحٌ فَيُتَقَصَّى،

He is not a body which can die,

وَلاَ مَحْجُوبٌ فَيُحْوَى،

nor is He veiled so as to be enclosed therein.

لَمْ يَقْرُبْ مِنَ الاْشْيَاءِ بِالْتِصَاق،

He is not near to things by way of touch,

وَلَمْ يَبْعُدْ عَنْهَا بِافْتِرَاق،

nor is He remote from them by way of separation.

وَلاَ يَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ شُخُوصُ لَحْظَة،

The gazing of people's eyes is not hidden from Him,

وَلاَ كُرُورُلَفْظَة،

nor the repetition of words,

وَلاَ ازْدِلاَفُ رَبْوَة،

nor the glimpse of hillocks,

وَلاَ انْبِسَاطُ خُطْوَة فِي لَيْل دَاج،

nor the tread of a footstep in the dark night or in the deep gloom,

وَلاَ غَسَق سَاج،

where the shining moon casts its light

يَتَفَيَّأُ عَلَيْهِ الْقَمَرُ الْمُنِيرُ،

and the effulgent sun comes in its wake,

وَتَعْقُبُهُ الشَّمْسُ ذَاتُ النُّورِ فِي الْكُرُورِ وَالاْفُولِ،

through its setting and appearing again and again

وَتَقْلِيبِ الاْزْمِنَةِ وَالدُّهُورِ،

with the rotation of time and periods,

مِنْ إِقْبَالِ لَيْل مُقْبِل،

by the approach of the advancing night

وَإِدْبَارِ نَهَار مُدْبِر،

or the passing away of the running day.

قَبْلَ كُلِّ غَايَة وَمُدَّة،

He precedes every extremity and limit,

وَكُلِّ إِحْصَاء وَعِدَة،

and every counting and numbering.

تَعَالَى عَمَّا يَنْحَلُهُ الْمحَدِّدُونَ

He is far above what those whose regard is limited attribute to Him,

مِنْ صِفَاتِ الاْقْدَارِ وَنِهَايَاتِ الاْقْطَارِ،

such as the qualities of measure, having extremities,

وَتَأَثُّلِ الْمَسَاكِنِ،

living in house

وَتَمَكُّنِ الاْمَاكِنِ;

and dwelling in abodes,

فَالْحَدُّ لِخَلْقِهِ مَضْرُوبٌ،

because limits are meant for creation

وَإِلَى غَيْرهِ مَنْسُوبٌ.

and are attributable only to other than Allah.

ابتداع المخلوقين

Allah, the Originator from naught

لَمْ يَخْلُقِ الاْشْيَاءَ مِنْ أُصُول أَزَلِيَّة،

He did not create things from eternal matter

وَلاَ مِنْ أَوَائِلَ أَبَدِيَّة،

nor after ever-existing examples,

بَلْ خَلَقَ مَا خَلَقَ فَأَقَامَ حَدَّهُ،

but He created whatever He created and then He fixed limits thereto,

وَصَوَّرَ مَا صَوَّرَ فَأَحْسَنَ صُورَتَهُ،

and He shaped whatever He shaped and gave the best shape thereto.

لَيْسَ لِشَيْء مِنْهُ امْتِنَاعٌ،

Nothing can disobey Him,

وَلاَ لَهُ بِطَاعَةِ شَيْء انْتِفَاعٌ،

but the obedience of something is of no benefit to Him.

عِلْمُهُ بِالاْمْوَاتِ الْمَاضِينَ

His knowledge about those who died in the past is

كَعِلْمِهِ بِالاْحْيَاءِ الْبَاقِينَ،

the same as His knowledge about the remaining survivors,

وَعِلْمُهُ بِمَا فِي السماوَاتِ الْعُلَى

and His knowledge about whatever there is in the high skies is

كَعِلْمِهِ بِمَا فِي الاْرَضِينَ السُّفْلَى.

like His knowledge of whatever there is in the low earth.

أَيُّهَا الْـمَخْلُوقُ السَّوِيُّ،

O creature who has been equitably created

وَالْمُنْشَأُ الْمَرْعِىُّ،

and who has been nurtured and looked after

فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الاْرْحَامِ،

in the darkness of wombs

وَمُضَاعَفَاتِ الاْسْتَارِ،

with multiple curtains.

 بُدِئْتَ )مِنْ سُلاَلَة مِنْ طِين(،

You were originated from the essence of clay (Qur'an, 23:12)

وَوُضِعْتَ )فِي قَرَار مَكِين * إِلَى قَدَر مَعْلُوم)

and placed in a still place for a known length (Qur'an, 77:21-22)

وَأَجَل مَقْسُوم،

and an ordained time.

تَمُورُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّكَ جَنِيناً لاَ تُحِيرُ دُعَاءً،

You used to move in the womb of your mother as an embryo,

وَلاَ تَسْمَعُ نِدَاءً،

neither responding to a call nor hearing any voice.

ثُمَّ أُخْرِجْتَ مِنْ مَقَرِّكَ إِلَى دَار لَمْ تَشْهَدْهَا،

Then you were taken out from your place of stay to a place you had not seen,

وَلَمْ تَعْرِفْ سُبُلَ مَنَافِعِهَا;

and you were not acquainted with the means of acquiring its benefits.

فَمَنْ هَدَاكَ لاِجْتِرَارِ الْغِذَاءِ مِنْ ثَدْيِ أُمِّكَ؟

Who guided you to eke out your sustenance from the udder of your mother?

وَعَرَّفَكَ عِنْدَ الْحَاجَةِ مَوَاضِعَ طَلَبِكَ وَإِرَادَتِكَ؟!

And, when you were in need, who apprised you of the location of what you required or aimed at?

هَيْهَاتَ،

Alas!

إِنَّ مَنْ يَعْجِزُ عَنْ صِفَاتِ ذِي الْهَيْئَةِ وَالاْدَوَاتِ

Certainly he who is unable to understand the qualities of a being with shape and limbs

فَهُوَ عَنْ صِفَاتِ خَالِقِهِ أَعْجَزُ،

is the more unable to understand the qualities of the Creator

وَمِنْ تَنَاوُلِهِ بِحُدُودِ الْمخْلُوقِينَ أَبْعَدُ!

and the more remote from appreciating Him through the limitations of creatures!

 

Alternative Sources for Sermon 163:  Abu Nu’aym, Hilyah, I, 72; al-Wasiti, ‘Uyun al-hikam, see al-Majlisi, Bihar, vol.77, p.306; al-Zamakhshari, Rabi’, I, bab al-mala'ikah.