On Annihilation and Subsistence

باب الفناء والبقاء

بَابُ الْفَنَاءِ وَالْبَقَاءِ — Chapter on fanāʾ (annihilation [of the self in God]) and baqāʾ (subsistence [through God])

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: وَمَا رَمَيْتَ اِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ رَمٰى ۔

(al-Anfāl 8:17)

Vocabulary: wa mā ramayta — and you did not throw, whether an arrow, or a stone, or dust; idh ramayta — when you threw; wa lākinna'llāha ramā — rather, God threw.

Translation: Allah Most High says: And when you (shoot arrows) at them, [when] you throw pebbles, you are not (shooting arrows) at them, you are not throwing the pebbles; rather in reality Allah Himself is shooting arrows at them (throwing the pebbles) (that is, whatever you are doing, you are doing by Allah's command, so it will be regarded as Allah's act).

قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: لَآ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ ۭ اِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيْرُ ۔

(al-Muʾmin 40:3)

Vocabulary: lā ilāha illā huwa — there is no true object of worship besides Him. The truth is that everything is for God; before Him alone do they bow the neck of submission; but the ignorant think of God as confined within stones. ilayhi'l-maṣīr — the end of everyone is towards Him alone; one is to appear again in His court. This chain of need (iḥtiyāj) goes on and ends at God alone.

Translation: Allah Most High says: There is no object of worship besides Him; the end of everyone is up to Him.

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يُبَايِعُوْنَكَ اِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُوْنَ اللّٰهَ ۭ يَدُ اللّٰهِ فَوْقَ اَيْدِيْهِمْ ۔

(al-Fatḥ 48:10)

Vocabulary: inna'lladhīna — without doubt those people who; yubāyiʿūnaka — make the pledge of allegiance (bayʿa) at your hand; innamā yubāyiʿūna'llāh — they are making the pledge at the hand of Allah Himself; yadu'llāhi fawqa aydīhim — upon their hands is the hand of God.

Translation: Allah Most High says: Without doubt those people who make the pledge of allegiance at your hand are making the pledge at the hand of Allah Himself. The hand of God Himself is upon their hands.

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: وَاَنَّ اِلٰى رَبِّكَ الْمُنْتَهٰى ۔

(al-Najm 53:42)

Vocabulary: wa anna ilā rabbika — and that towards your Lord; al-muntahā — is the end; one reaches His court; everyone has to give account; as one does, so one pays.

Translation: Allah Most High says: And that everyone is to reach up to your Lord.

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: اِلَى اللّٰهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ ۔

(Hūd 11:4)

Vocabulary: ila'llāhi marjiʿukum — towards God is your return and your final resort; you have to go to His court; towards Allah alone is your returning.

Translation: Allah Most High says: You have to return to the court of Allah.

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: اَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلّٰهِ جَمِيْعًا ۔

(al-Baqara 2:165)

Vocabulary: anna'l-quwwata li'llāhi jamīʿan — that all strength belongs to Allah alone; no one can save anyone from God's punishment.

Translation: Allah Most High says: Without doubt strength belongs to Allah alone (annihilation of the essence — fanāʾ-i dhāt).

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: مَا شَاۤءَ اللّٰهُ ۙ لَا قُوَّةَ اِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ ۔

(al-Kahf 18:39)

Vocabulary: mā shāʾa'llāh — whatever God wills, comes to be; lā quwwata illā bi'llāh — there is no power except through Allah; if anyone has any strength, it is from Him alone.

Translation: Allah Most High says: Whatever God wills, He does; if anyone has any power, it is from Him. [reading uncertain]

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: إِنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْبَصِيْرُ

(al-Muʾmin [Ghāfir] 40:20) [reading uncertain]

Vocabulary: inna'llāha huwa'l-samīʿu'l-baṣīr — indeed Allah hears everything and sees everything.

Translation: Allah Most High says: Indeed Allah is All-Hearing and All-Seeing (He hears and He sees).

وَعَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيٰمَةِ: يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ مَرِضْتُ فَلَمْ تَعُدْنِيْ فَيَقُوْلُ يَا رَبِّ كَيْفَ أَعُوْدُكَ وَأَنْتَ رَبُّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ؟ قَالَ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ عَبْدِيْ فُلَانًا مَرِضَ فَلَمْ تَعُدْهُ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّكَ لَوْ عُدْتَهُ لَوَجَدْتَنِيْ عِنْدَهُ؟ يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ اسْتَطْعَمْتُكَ فَلَمْ تُطْعِمْنِيْ قَالَ يَا رَبِّ كَيْفَ أُطْعِمُكَ وَأَنْتَ رَبُّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ؟ قَالَ إِنَّ عَبْدِيْ فُلَانًا اسْتَطْعَمَكَ فَلَمْ تُطْعِمْهُ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّكَ لَوْ أَطْعَمْتَهُ لَوَجَدْتَ ذٰلِكَ عِنْدِيْ؟ يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ اسْتَسْقَيْتُكَ فَلَمْ تَسْقِنِيْ قَالَ يَا رَبِّ كَيْفَ أَسْقِيْكَ وَأَنْتَ رَبُّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ؟ فَيَقُوْلُ إِنَّ عَبْدِيْ فُلَانًا اسْتَسْقَاكَ فَلَمْ تَسْقِهِ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّكَ لَوْ سَقَيْتَهُ لَوَجَدْتَ ذٰلِكَ عِنْدِيْ.

[reading uncertain]

(Reported by Muslim; from al-Taysīr.) [reading uncertain]

Vocabulary: mariḍtu fa-lam taʿudnī — I was ill and you did not visit me [in my illness]; kayfa aʿūduka — how could I visit you [in illness]?; istaṭʿamtuka — I asked you for food; istasqaytuka — I asked you for water; la-wajadta dhālika ʿindī — you would have found it with Me.

Translation: Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will say on the Day of Resurrection: "O son of Adam! I fell ill and you did not visit Me." He will submit: "O my Lord! How could I visit You, when You are the Lord of all the worlds?" He will say: "Did you not know that My servant so-and-so fell ill and you did not visit him? Did you not know that if you had visited him, you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam! I asked you for food and you did not feed Me." He will submit: "O my Lord! How could I feed You, when You are the Sustainer of all the worlds?" He will say: "My servant so-and-so asked you for food and you did not feed him. Did you not know that if you had fed him, you would have found it with Me? O son of Adam! I asked you for water and you did not give Me water to drink." He will submit: "O my Lord! How could I give You water to drink, when You are the Lord of all the worlds?" Then He will say: "My servant so-and-so asked you for water and you did not give him to drink. Listen! Had you given him water to drink, you would have found it with Me."

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَصْدَقُ كَلِمَةٍ قَالَهَا الشَّاعِرُ كَلِمَةُ لَبِيْدٍ (أَلَا كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مَا خَلَا اللّٰهَ بَاطِلٌ).

(Agreed upon [al-Bukhārī and Muslim]; Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ.)

Vocabulary: aṣdaqu kalimatin — the truest word; mā khalā'llāh — leaving God aside, apart from God.

Translation: Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said that the truest word ever spoken by a poet is the saying of Labīd: "Beware! Everything apart from God is perishable [is vain]."