This sūra is called the opening (fātiḥa)^{1The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 1a and Y101, fol. 2a: hādhihi al-sūra tusammī fātiḥat al-kitāb.} of the Book. In initiating the [divine] address and the Book to the lovers with [this sūra], there is the most sublime happiness and the noblest good because it is the cause of communion (sabab al-wiṣāl)^{2In the Basyūnī edition there is a blank that has been completed with the phrase sabab al-wiṣāl found in MSS K117, fol. 1a and Y101, fol. 2a.} and lays the groundwork for the state (taʾsīs al-ḥāl).^{3Taʾsīs al-ḥāl has been added from MSS K117, fol. 1a and Y101, fol. 2a.} Regarding its meaning it is said:

I will ransom you even

with all the days of my life,

a ransom of days in which

I came to know you.^{4This verse, which is incomplete in the Basyūnī edition, could not be located in Muṣṭafā’s Takhrīj. The blank in the Basyūnī edition has been completed with the words “in which I came to know you” (ʿaraftuka fīhā) found in MSS K117, fol. 1a and Y101, fol. 2a.}

And it is said:

May God bless my having become

acquainted with you.

Without that there would have been

no place for passion in my heart.^{5Muṣṭafā states that this verse is attributed to Abū Tammām. He also traces it to Shiblī in al-Sulamī’s Ṭabaqāt al-ṣūfīyya (Muṣṭafā, no. 11, p. 47).}

The Messenger of God ﷺ^{6Rasūl Allāh has been added from MSS K117, fol. 1a and Y101, fol. 2a.} was not expecting what occurred and nothing like it had crossed his mind. When Gabriel عليه السلام appeared to him, he began to flee. His preference would have been to distance himself from this affair.^{7The affair of receiving revelation from the angel Gabriel.} He sought refuge at the house of Khadīja,^{8The Prophet’s wife.} saying, “Cover me, cover me. Wrap me up, wrap me up.” He used to practice devotions at Ḥirāʾ and seclude himself there for days. The affair came on suddenly, an unexpected and surprising event, just as it is said:^{9There are several blanks and minor discrepancies between the Basyūnī text and the two manuscripts consulted here. The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 1a and Y101, fol. 2a for this paragraph.}

Her passion came to me

before I knew passion.

It found my heart empty

and took up residence.^{10Muṣṭafā states that this verse is attributed to the Dīwān of Majnūn Laylā (Muṣṭafā, no. 1, p. 111).}

[The Prophet] ﷺ was content to have it said of him that he was an employee of Khadīja’s, but the Real سبحانه وتعالى insisted that he be the chief of those who come first and last, for He said, Yā Sīn. By the Qurʾān full of wisdom [36:1]. Its meaning is Yā sayyid.^{11The letters yā sīn are sometimes said to be abbreviations for “O sayyid,” a way of addressing the Prophet Muḥammad that acknowledges his pre-eminent rank and qualities.} [God] raised him to the most honored of ranks, even if he did not aspire to it with the slightest hope. The way (sunna) of God most high is to place His secrets only with one whose worthiness has been falsely underestimated. This is why they were astonished about [Muḥammad’s] situation. They said, “How can He prefer the orphan of Abū Ṭālib among created beings?” But truly [Muḥammad] ﷺ had already been chosen by Him سبحانه وتعالى in preference to all others of his kind.^{12The translation for this entire paragraph follows the text in MSS K117, fol. 1a and Y101, fol. 2b.}

This one, even if

he were to appear in rags^{13Basyūnī has a blank between hadhā and aṭmār, which has been filled in here from MSS K117, fol. 1a and Y101, fol. 2b: hadhā wa-in aṣbaḥa fī aṭmār.}

and was in want

of riches,

is the one

I prefer to praise

over my brother,

my neighbor,

and the possessor of dirhams

and dinars,

and the one with

much authority.^{14Muṣṭafā notes the differences between these lines and the lines quoted in Tazyīn al-aswāq and another collection of poetry. He does not give the name of the poet but explains the story behind the verses. The story relates to a young man who came before the Caliph Muʿāwiya and told him that his wife was taken from him by her father and given to a much richer man who worked as an administrator for the caliph. Upon hearing the story, Muʿāwiya ordered his administrator to divorce the woman. He then asked her to choose which man she wanted for her husband. She chose the much poorer man and recited these verses. (Muṣṭafā, no. 5, p. 58).}

Before his prophecy [Muḥammad] ﷺ was considered by the people to have a praiseworthy character, a beautiful and commendable reputation, and he was considered trustworthy (amīn) by everyone. They used to call him Muḥammad al-Amīn. But when these circumstances [of revelation] occurred, they changed his name, distorted how he was described, and disparaged his reputation. One person would say he was a magician, another would say a soothsayer, another would say a liar, and another a poet:^{15The translation for this paragraph again follows MSS K117, fol. 1a and Y101, fol. 2b.}

They spread in the clan

the ugliest story for us.

They had been peace for us

but they became for us war.^{16Muṣṭafā states that he was unable to trace these verses to any other source (Muṣṭafā, no. 8, p. 27).}

Talk of love,^{17The translation follows the phrase ḥadīth al-maḥabba from MSS K117, fol. 1b and Y101, fol. 2b instead of the phrase ṣifat al-muḥibb found in the Basyūnī edition.} then, is never spared from censure. Yet as it is said:

I find blame in passion

for you sweet.

Out of love of hearing you mentioned,

let them blame me.^{18Muṣṭafā states that the verse is attributed to Abū l-Shīṣ, and gives numerous books in which it is cited. He also attributes it to ʿAlī b. ʿAbdallāh al-Jaʿfarī b. Abī Ṭālib (Muṣṭafā, no. 1, p. 103). Al-Qushayrī cites the verse again in his commentary on Qurʾān 3:37.}

What harm was there to him from their ugly speech, when the Real سبحانه وتعالى has said, And verily We know that your breast is [at times] oppressed by what they say. So glorify the praise of your Lord [15:97–8]. That is to say, “Listen to what is said about you [and respond] with beautiful praise for Us.”

This sūra is also called the mother (umm) of the Book. The mother of something is its source, and the leader (imām)^{19The words umm and imām come from the same root: a-m-m.} of anything is the one who is given precedence (muqaddam). Because this sūra includes something on the matter of servanthood (ʿubūdiyya) [as well as] praise of God in the beauty of His Lordship (rubūbiyya), its perfection is from the excellent qualities without which obligations are not sound. [The Prophet] ﷺ related from [God] سبحانه وتعالى, “I have divided the prayer in halves between Me and My servant,”^{20In his reprinting of the Basyūnī edition of al-Qushayrī’s Laṭāʾif al-ishārāt, ʿAbd al-Laṭīf Ḥasan ʿAbd al-Raḥmān provides additional information on most of the ḥadīths al-Qushayrī cites. He notes that this ḥadīth can be found in al-Tirmidhī and others (see ʿAbd al-Raḥmān’s edition for the full details).} and this refers to the recitation of this sūra. So it became the mother of the Book and a source for the subtleties of special gifts (laṭāʾif al-karāmāt), the wonders of being drawn near, and [the] obligation [of being a servant].

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The bāʾ in bismillāh [“in the name of God”] is a grammatical particle of implication.^{1That is, the particle indicates an implied meaning, which al-Qushayrī explains in what follows.} That is to say “by means of God” (bi-Llāh), new things become manifest and by means of Him created things exist. There is nothing from any newly created thing (ḥādith makhlūq) or sequence of events (ḥāṣil mansūq); or from any perceived thing (ʿayn) or trace left by a thing (athar), etc.; or anything else from rocks or clay, grass or trees,^{2Qurʾān 55:6 uses these two words, saying and the grass and trees prostrate.} any impression left on the ground (rasm) or ruins left standing (ṭalal),^{3For the use of classical Arabic nasīb terms such as rasm and ṭalal by al-Qushayrī and other Sufis, see Sells, Early Islamic Mysticism, 56–74 and 338n43. Note the mixing of terms from different types of discourse (that is, the Qurʾān, poetry, and theology) in this paragraph. Al-Qushayrī uses these types of discourse throughout his commentary, but does not usually combine them in a single sentence, as he does here.} or any determination (ḥukm) or causes (ʿilal) [of things or events], that has existence (wujūd) except by means of the Real. The Real is its sovereign. Its beginning is from the Real and its return is to the Real. Through Him the one who declares the unity [of God] finds (bihi wajada man waḥḥada) and through Him the rejecter abandons faith (wa-bihi jahada man alḥada). Through Him the one who acknowledges comes to know (bihi ʿarafa man iʿtarafa), and through Him the one who commits [harmful acts] remains behind (wa-bihi takhallafa man iqtarafa).

He said, “In the name of God” rather than “In God.” According to some people, this is a way of seeking blessing through the mention of His name. According to others, it is because of the difference between this [wording] and oaths. According to scholars, it is because the name (ism) is the thing that is named (musammā). In the view of the people of deep knowledge (ahl al-ʿirfān), [the wording is such] in order to seek the purification of hearts from attachments (li-istiṣfāʾ al-qulūb min al-ʿalāʾiq) and the liberation of the innermost selves from obstacles (li-istikhlāṣ al-asrār ʿan al-ʿawāʾiq) so that the word “God” may enter into a clean heart (qalb munaqqā) and purified innermost self (sirr muṣaffa).

Upon the mention of this verse, some people are reminded by the [letter] bāʾ of His beneficence (birr) with His friends, and by the [letter] sīn of His secret (sirr) with his chosen ones, and by the [letter] mīm of His grace (minna) to the people of [His] friendship (ahl al-walāya). They know that by His beneficence, they come to know His secret, and by His grace to them they preserve His command, and by Him سبحانه وتعالى they recognize His measure.^{4Unlike those who measured not God with His true measure (Qurʾān 6:91, 22:74, 39:67).}

Other people, upon hearing “In the name of God,” are reminded by the [letter] bāʾ of the immunity (barāʾa) of God سبحانه وتعالى from every evil, and by the [letter] sīn of His soundness (salāma) from any defect, and by the [letter] mīm of His magnificence (majd) in the exaltedness of His description.

Others are reminded by the [letter] bāʾ of His splendor (baḥāʾ), and by the [letter] sīn of His radiance (sanāʾ), and by the [letter] mīm of His dominion (mulk).

Because God  سبحانه وتعالى has repeated the verse In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful in every sūra and it has been established that it is part of them, we intend to mention new and non-repetitive remarks concerning the allusions of this phrase in [the commentary for] each sūra. Because of this we will not^{5The negative particle lām is missing in the Basyūnī edition but has been added on the basis of MSS K117, fol. 1b and Y101, fol. 3a.} examine the words exhaustively here. Through Him there is confidence.

Praise be to God

The real meaning of praise (ḥamd) is extolling the One who is praiseworthy (maḥmūd) by mentioning His sublime attributes and beautiful acts. The [letter] lām here [from the particle al in al-ḥamdu li-Llāh] indicates an all-comprehensive category,^{1The particle al corresponds to the definite article “the” in English.} since all praiseworthy acts are God’s سبحانه, either by attribution (waṣf) or creation (khalq). Praise belongs to Him because of the manifestation of His sovereign power, and gratitude belongs to Him because of the abundance of His goodness.^{2Throughout this passage, al-Qushayrī uses rhyming patterns to great rhetorical effect, as in these two sentences: lahu al-ḥamdu li-ẓuhūri sulṭānihi wa-lahu al-shukru li-wufūri iḥsānihi.} Praise belongs to God because of what He is due from His sublimity and His beauty, and gratitude belongs to God because of the plentitude of His favors and the preciousness of His gifts. The praise for Him سبحانه which is from Him is from the attributes of His speech and word,^{3The translation follows the words kalām and qawl found in MSS K117, fol. 1b and Y101, fol. 3a. The Basyūnī edition has the words “perfection” (kamāl) and “power” (ḥawl).} and the praise of Him which is from His creation is by virtue of His favors and His might. His sublimity and His beauty are His due because of the attributes of grandeur. They are His entitlement because of [His] qualities of exaltedness and loftiness. Eternal existence belongs to Him. Noble generosity belongs to Him.^{4Al-Qushayrī presents the attributes of God in rhyming pairs, as in these two sentences: lahu al-wujūdu al-qadīm wa-lahu al-jūdu al-karīm.} Unique permanence belongs to Him, as do everlasting being, eternal remaining, endless splendor, and perpetual praise.^{5MSS K117, fol. 1b and Y101, fol. 3a include additional divine attributes here: “everlasting loftiness, knowledge, will, judgment, sovereignty, power, life, names, and attributes.”} Hearing and seeing belong to Him, as do divine decree and measure, speech, might and power, mercy and generosity, entity (ʿayn) and existence (wujūd), the beautiful face (al-wajhu dhū l-jamāl) and the sublime measure (al-qadru dhū l-jalāl).^{6The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 1b and Y101, fol. 3a, from “entity” (ʿayn) to the end of the sentence, since this version more faithfully reflects al-Qushayrī’s rhyming patterns.} He is the One, most high. His grandeur is His garment, His loftiness is His brilliance, His magnificence is His exaltedness, His being is His essence, His eternity without beginning is His everlasting eternity, His timelessness is His endless eternity, His truth is His self,^{7The translation follows the word “self” (nafs) found in MSS K117, fol. 1b and Y101, fol. 3a. The Basyūnī edition has the word “certainty” (yaqīn).} and His permanence is His entity. His perpetuity is His remaining, His decree is His measure, His sublimity is His beauty, His prohibition is His command, His wrath is His mercy, and His desire is His will. He is the King by His invincibility (jabarūt) and the One in His dominion (malakūt). God the blessed and glorified! Glory be to Him, how weighty is His affair!

The Real سبحانه وتعالى knows the intensity of the spiritual desire (irāda) of His friends to praise and extol Him and their inability to perform the praise due to Him in accordance with His exaltedness and radiance. Therefore He informed them that He has praised Himself in the opening of His address in His words, Praise be to God, and they are revived after being lowly and experience life after being dead, and their innermost selves take on the perfection of strength [through God]. For they have heard the praise of the Real about the Real in the speech of the Real. They explain the symbol as a matter of finding resemblances and say:

A moon is attributable to her face

because of her face [itself].

Kohl is attributable to her eyes

because of her eyes [themselves].^{8Muṣṭafā attributes these lines to the poet al-Rashīd (Muṣṭafā, no. 1, p. 92).}

When the Prophet, the speaker to the first and the last, the master of those who use language skillfully, and the leader of those who are eloquent, heard [God’s] praise of Himself and His laudation of His Truth, he knew that what is most appropriate in this situation is to hold one’s tongue. So he said, “There is no way to enumerate the praise due to You, You are as You have praised Yourself.”^{9ʿAbd al-Raḥmān gives Ibn Ḥanbal and others as a source for this ḥadīth.}

If her words

had reached David’s ears,

he would not have sung

his melodies.^{10Muṣṭafā states that he was unable to trace this verse to any other source (Muṣṭafā, no. 12, p. 47).}

Suʿād sang

with her voice and

the melodies of David

became mute in embarrassment.^{11These lines could not be located in Muṣṭafā. The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 2a and Y101, fol. 3b with the word “became mute” (takhārasat) over Basyūnī’s “were left helpless” (takhādharat).}

The classes of those who give praise are different because of the disparity in their states. One group praises Him based on what they have obtained of the favors and kindnesses He grants through His helping and defending, removing and granting. What they understand concerning His goodness to them is no more than what they acknowledge of His favors to them. [God] (may His mention be exalted) said: And if you were to count God’s grace, you could never reckon it [14:34 and 16:18]. Another group praises Him based on what He has made to appear^{12The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 2a and Y101, fol. 3b with the verb alāḥa rather than Basyūnī’s lāḥa.} to their hearts (qulūb) from the wonders of His kindnesses, and the hidden things His beneficence has placed in the inner secrets of their hearts (sarāʾir), and what He has unveiled to their innermost selves (asrār) from the secret of His unseen, and what He has singled out for their spirits (arwāḥ) from the unexpected intuitions of His glories. Other people praise Him upon witnessing what is unveiled to them through Him regarding the attributes of eternity. After observing [His] exaltedness and nobleness, they no longer pay any attention to allotments or favors. There is a difference between those who praise Him for His exalted sublimity and those who give thanks to Him for the existence of His gifts, just as the one who spoke for them said:

It was not poverty that drove us away

from the land of kinsfolk.

We were just happy

to come to see you.^{13Muṣṭafā says the verse is mentioned in Risālat Badīʿ al-Zamān al-Hamadhānī and attributed there to Abū Naṣr al-Mīkālī. He also provides two other versions from other sources (Muṣṭafā, no. 7, p. 44).}

Other people praise Him, annihilated in the expressions of praise that have caused them to speak. They speak through the realities of declaring His unity, realities that have eradicated their innermost selves. They speak of Him through Him and allude to Him through Him. The decrees flow over them,^{14The translation follows the conjugation of the verb tajrī from MS K117, fol. 2a rather than yujrī as found in the Basyūnī edition.} turning them this way and that. Their outward condition is protected by the attribute of separation, while their innermost selves are seized by the force of the gathering of the gathering (jamʿ al-jamʿ).^{15Al-Qushayrī discusses the term “gathering” (jamʿ) in relation to “separation” (farq) in the sections on “Gathering and separation” (al-Jamʿ wa-l-farq) and “The gathering of the gathering” (al-Jamʿ wa-l-jamʿ), Risāla, 1:207–210.} As they say,

The explanation of the explanation of the Real,

You are its explanation

Every meaning of the unseen,

You are its mouthpiece.^{16Muṣṭafā notes a similar but more succinct version of this verse in the Dīwān of al-Ḥallāj (Muṣṭafā, no. 29, p. 118).}

Lord of all worlds

The Lord (rabb) is the Sayyid^{17The word sayyid means one whose rank, authority, and qualities are far above others.} and the worlds are all created things. What is being specified in the plural term “worlds” includes rational beings and inanimate things since He is the Master (mālik) of [all] perceived things (aʿyān).^{18MSS K117, fol. 2a and Y101, fol. 3a have the word “everything other than Him” (aghyār) here rather than aʿyān.} He forms them and brings into existence the outward markings and dwellings that characterize them.

His name Lord (rabb) also indicates the cultivation (tarbiya) of created beings, since he is the caretaker (murabbī) of the souls of the worshipers (nufūs al-ʿābidīn) through the giving of support (taʾyīd), the caretaker of the hearts of seekers (qulūb al-ṭālibīn) by giving direction (tasdīd), and the caretaker of the spirits of those with deeper knowledge (arwāḥ al-ʿārifīn) by the affirmation of unity (tawḥīd). He is the caretaker of the bodily forms (ashbāḥ) by the finding (wujūd) of blessings, and the caretaker of the spirits (arwāḥ) by the witnessing (shuhūd) of generosity.

The name Lord (rabb) also indicates His improvement (iṣlāḥ) of the affairs of His servants. It is said, “I tanned or seasoned (rabaytu) the hide.”^{19The translation follows the word al-adīm in MS K117, fol. 2b and Y101, fol. 3b rather than al-ʿadīm in the Basyūnī edition.} So He is the one who seasons the affairs of the ascetics (umūr al-zāhidīn) in the beauty of his care (riʿāya), and He is the one who seasons the affairs of the worshipers (umūr al-ʿābidīn) in the goodness of His sufficiency (kifāya), and He is the one who seasons the affairs of the ecstatics (umūr al-wājidīn) in His eternal solicitude (ʿināya). He improves the affairs of some and they are enriched by His gifts. He improves the affairs of others and they long to meet Him. He improves a third group and they are rightly directed toward meeting Him. The one who spoke for them said:

As long as the stars of your glory

are fortunate

I do not care whether

people live or perish.^{20This verse could not be located in Muṣṭafā.}

The Compassionate, the Merciful

Both names are derived from [the word] mercy (raḥma). Mercy is an eternal attribute and it is the [divine] desire for blessing (irādat al-niʿma). According to the [scholarly] experts (ahl al-taḥqīq), these are two nouns denoting intensification with no distinction between the two [in terms of the recipients of the mercy].

[Others have] said the Compassionate (al-raḥmān) is the more emphatic and more complete in expressiveness. Nothing other than the Real سبحانه is called raḥmān without restriction, whereas the Merciful (al-raḥīm) can be used to describe others. By means of His mercy the servant comes to know that He is the Compassionate. If not for His mercy no one would know that He is the Compassionate. Whether mercy is the desire for blessing or the blessing itself, as some would have it, the blessings themselves are varied and their degrees are different, for one blessing is a blessing for bodily forms and outward circumstances (al-ashbāḥ wa-l-ẓawāhir) and the other blessing is a blessing for spirits and inner secrets of the heart (al-arwāḥ wa-l-sarāʾir).

In the system of those who distinguish between the two, the compassionate (raḥmān) is a specific term with a general meaning, while the merciful (raḥīm) is a general term with a specific meaning.^{1The view referred to here is that the word raḥmān refers only to God and His mercy to all beings, while raḥīm is an attribute that can also be used to describe human beings. When used in relation to God, it refers to His specific mercy to believers.} As the Compassionate He provides comfort for all people in the circumstances of their external lives (ẓawāhir), whereas the Merciful grants success to the believers for the life found in the inner secrets of their hearts (sarāʾir). He is the Compassionate by that which He gives in comfort (rawwaḥa) and the Merciful by that which He gives in glimmers (lawwaḥa).^{2By the verb lawwaḥa here, al-Qushayrī is referring to the “glimmers” (lawāʾiḥ) he discusses in the section on “Glimmers, gleams of the rising, and flashes” (al-Lawāʾiḥ wa-l-ṭawāliʿ wa-l-lawāmiʿ); these are “rays from the suns of deeper forms of knowledge” (Risāla, 1:228–230).} Giving comfort (tarwīḥ) is through acts of beneficence (mabārr) and the giving of glimmers (talwīḥ) is through lights (anwār). [He is] the Compassionate through the unveiling of His manifestation (tajallī) and the Merciful through the kindness of His being a friend and protector (tawallī). [He is] the Compassionate through what He gives in faith (īmān) and the Merciful through what He confers in deep knowledge (ʿirfān). Or [He is] the Compassionate through what He grants in deeper knowledge (ʿirfān) and the Merciful through what He undertakes in forgiveness (ghufrān). Or [He is] the Compassionate through what He gives in blessing in forgiveness (ghufrān) and the Merciful through what He bestows in good pleasure (riḍwān). Or [He is] the Compassionate through what He honors in good pleasure (riḍwān)^{3The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 2b and Y101, fol. 4a: bal al-raḥmān bi-mā yukrimu min al-riḍwān.} and the Merciful through what He gives in blessing in vision and eyewitnessing (ʿiyān). Or [He is] the Compassionate through the success He gives and the Merciful through what has been realized. Granting success (tawfīq) is for transactions and behaviors (muʿāmalāt) while realization (taḥqīq) is for intimate communications (muwāṣalāt). The transactions and behaviors are for those who seek (qāṣidūn) and the intimate communications are for those who find (wājidūn). [He is] the Compassionate through what He bestows as a favor for them and the Merciful through what He deflects from them, for the bestowal of favors (ṣanʿ) is beautiful caretaking (riʿāya) while defending (dafʿ) is the best solicitude (ʿināya).

Master of the Day of Judgment

The master (mālik) is the one who has sovereignty (mulk). The sovereignty of the Real سبحانه وتعالى is His power over creating (ibdāʿ). King (malik) is a more intensive form than master (mālik)^{1The word in this Qurʾānic verse is read either as mālik or malik.}—He سبحانه is both King and Master and sovereignty is His. Just as there is no god but He, there is none with the power to create except Him. He is alone in His divinity and singular in His sovereignty. He rules the souls of His worshipers (nufūs al-ʿābidīn) for He has granted agency to them (ṣarrafahā) in His service. He rules the hearts of those with deeper knowledge (qulūb al-ʿārifīn) for He honors them (sharrafahā) with knowledge of Him. He rules the souls of the seekers (nufūs al-qāṣidīn) for He holds them in his thrall (tayyamahā). He rules the hearts of the ecstatics (qulūb al-wājidīn) for He bewilders them (hayyamahā). He rules the bodily forms (ashbāḥ) of those who worship Him and He is kind to them with his gifts and favors. He rules the spirits (arwāḥ) of those whom He loves^{2Basyūnī has a footnote saying there was something obscure after this, which may have been and they love Him, a reference to Qurʾān 5:54. MSS K117, fol. 2b and Y101, fol. 4a end with “whom He loves.”} and He unveils the attribute of His majesty to them and the quality of His beauty. He holds the reins of the masters who profess [His] unity: He turns them about wherever He wills as He wills and He grants them success wherever He wills as He wills. He does not entrust them to themselves for even a moment. He does not transfer power to them in their affair for even the shortest period of time. He is for them in place of themselves and He has annihilated them from themselves to Him.

His beneficence rules the hearts of the worshipers and they desire His gifts. His authority rules the hearts of those who declare unity and they are content with His abiding. He teaches the masters who profess [His] unity that He is their Master (mālik) and their own choosing (ikhtiyār) drops away from them. They come to know that the servant has no ownership. The one who has no ownership has no power of decision (ḥukm) and the one who has no power of decision has no free choice. For them there is no turning away (iʿrāḍ) from obedience to Him, no resistance (iʿtirāḍ) to His decision, no working against (muʿāraḍa) His choosing, and no move to (taʿarruḍ)^{3In this sentence al-Qushayrī is playing with different verbal nouns that derive from the same root ʿa-r-ḍ.} oppose Him.

The Day of Judgment is the day of recompense and resurrection, the day of reckoning and gathering. The Real سبحانه وتعالى repays each as He wishes, and on the day of reckoning there are those who are accepted by His favor and not for their acts, and those who are rejected by His decision and not for their sins.^{4This is the first of many passages in al-Qushayrī’s commentary that reflect his Ashʿarī views on predetermination.} For the enemies, He settles the accounts and then punishes them. For the friends, He chides them in a mild way and then draws them close:

A people who,

when they vanquished us,

were generous

in letting us go.^{5Muṣṭafā states that he was unable to trace these lines to another source (Muṣṭafā, no. 2, p. 111).}

You [alone] we worship, and You [alone] we ask for help

Its meaning is “we worship You and we ask for help through You,” but beginning with the mention of the object of worship is better than beginning with the mention of the servant’s attribute,^{1The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 2b and Y101, fol. 4b: ṣifat al-ʿabd.} which is his worship and seeking help.^{2Al-Qushayrī is commenting on the fact that the pronoun “You” is placed before the verb, iyyāka naʿbudu wa-iyyāka nastaʿīn rather than naʿbuduka wa-nastaʿīnuka.} This is a more eloquent wording and more pleasing to the ears. Worship is bringing the utmost humility in harmony (muwāfaqa) with the command, standing wherever the law stands, and asking for help in seeking the assistance of the Real.

Worship (ʿibāda) refers to the exertion of effort and strength, while asking for help (istiʿāna) indicates the search to attract power and grace. So in worship the honor of the servant becomes manifest and in asking for help kindness comes to the servant. In worship he finds his honor and in asking for help he is granted security from harm. The outward aspect of worship is humbling oneself (tadhallul) but its inward truth is becoming powerful (taʿazzuz) and beautiful (tajammul):

When necks are brought low (dhallalat)

in being brought near,

between us, their glory (ʿizz)

is in their humility (dhull).^{3Muṣṭafā attributes these lines to Abū Isḥāq al-Ṣābī (Muṣṭafā, no. 34, p. 99).}

Its meaning is:

As soon as you caused me

to submit to dhāl and lām,^{4The letters in the word dhull.}

you met me

in ʿayn and zāʾ.^{5The letters in the word ʿizz. Muṣṭafā provides what he refers to as the correct version of this verse from al-Qushayrī’s Sharḥ asmāʾ Allāh al-ḥusnā (Muṣṭafā, no. 1, p. 122).}

Worship is the promenade of the seekers (qāṣidūn), the recreation of the aspirants (murīdūn), the meadow of intimacy for the lovers (muḥibbūn), and the pasture of delight for those with deeper knowledge (ʿārifūn). Their eyes are cooled by [worship], their hearts find joy in it, and their spirits have rest from it. [The Prophet] ﷺ alluded to this in saying, “Give us rest, O Bilāl.”^{6Bilāl was appointed the caller to prayer (muʾadhdhin) by the Prophet Muḥammad. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān mentions the Qurʾān commentaries of al-Ṭabarānī and Ibn Kathīr among other sources for this ḥadīth.} One created being said about another created being:

O people, my blood revenge

belongs to my Asmāʾ.

Anyone near and far

knows it.^{7The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 3a and Y101, fol. 4b: yaʿrifuhu al-ḥāḍir wa-l-nāʾī.}

Do not call upon me

except by “O servant of her”

For that is the most truthful

of my names.^{8Muṣṭafā states that these verses are mentioned in al-Qushayrī’s Kitāb al-mirāj without attribution. Slightly different versions appear in two other works cited by Muṣṭafā, attributed to Abū ʿAbdallāh al-Maghribī l-Zāhid in one (Muṣṭafā, no. 1, p. 22). Similar lines can be found in al-Qushayrī’s Risāla, only there the woman’s name is Zahrāʾ (Risāla, 2:431).}

To ask for help is to alight in the environs of His generosity, to put your burden down in the courtyard of His munificence, and to submit your burden to the hand of His rule.^{9The translation in this sentence follows the text found in MSS K117, fol. 3a and Y101, fol. 4b, which better reflects al-Qushayrī’s style and use of metaphor.} So you seek Him full of hope, take long strides toward Him, hope in Him with powerful anticipation, have faith in His eternal generosity, trust in what has already been chosen (ikhtiyār sābiq), and cling to the strong rope of His liberality.

Guide us to the straight path

Guidance (hidāya) is direction (irshād), and its basic meaning is to influence someone’s inclinations. The one who is guided is one who is aware of the Real سبحانه and prefers His good pleasure and has faith in Him. The command in this verse is elided, for the meaning is “Say: Guide us.” The believers are already being rightly guided in the present moment, so the meaning is to petition for ongoing and ever increasing [guidance]. The straight path is the true path upon which are the people who declare God’s oneness. The meaning of guide us is “cause us to incline to You,” “take us as Yours,” “be our guide (dalīl) to You,”^{1The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 3a and Y101, fol. 4b in ʿalayka over ʿalaynā as found in the Basyūnī edition.} “facilitate our way to You,” “arouse our aspiration for You,”^{2The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 3a and Y101, fol. 4b in laka over lanā as found in the Basyūnī edition.} and “bring our concerns together through You.”

“Prevent our innermost selves from witnessing all others (aghyār). Show in our hearts the rising of lights (anwār). Keep our seeking of You from the blemish of traces or effects (āthār).^{3In other words, “keep us from looking to the traces or effects (āthār) of divine action in the world rather than to the Originator of these actions, the Real سبحانه وتعالى.”} And cause us to rise from the waystations of studying and reasoning to gather (jamʿ) [together] on the plains of nearness and communion.”

“Take away our comfort with simulacra (amthāl) and outward appearances (ashkāl) through the intimate kindnesses and secrets you share with us [as we] find communion and witness the sublime and beautiful.”

“Direct us to the Real so that we will not put our trust in the intermediaries of [our] deeds, and so that the dust of vain opinions and suppositions will not fall upon the intent to profess divine unity.”

Guide us to the straight path, that is, “Remove from us the darkness of our states so that we may be illuminated by the lights of Your holiness from the shadows of our own seeking. And lift from us the shadow of our effort so that we may gain insight by the stars of Your liberality and find You through You.”

“Guide us to the straight path so that no associate from Satan’s insinuations and whisperings, and no friend from the inclinations and murmurings of the lower selves become our companions. Let not any stay in the familiar territories of blind following (taqlīd) keep us from the communion [of lovers]. Do not let reliance on routine instruction come between us and insight. Do not let any harm from drunkenness or indulgence seduce us, nor any conjecture or habit, laziness or weak desire, or coveting of wealth or increase.”

The straight path is that to which the Book and the sunna are a guide (dalīl), and there is no authority for innovation concerning it and no other way (sabīl) to it. The straight path possesses a soundness to which the guideposts of divine unity (dalāʾil al-tawḥīd) bear witness and the testimonies of realization (shawāhid al-taḥqīq) pay heed. The straight path is that upon which the pious forefathers (salaf) of the community tread and of its rightness the guideposts of admonition speak. The straight path is that which separates the traveler (sālik) from his worldly fortunes and concerns (ḥuẓūẓ) and the seeker (qāṣid) from his rights (ḥuqūq). The straight path is that which brings its traveler to the courtyard of unity. It calls its follower to witness the trace and effect of solicitude and liberality (jūd) so that he will not think it the result of [his own] endeavor (majhūd).

the path of those whom You have favored

It means “the way (ṭarīq) of those whom You have favored with guidance to the straight path”—these are the friends (awliyāʾ) and chosen ones (aṣfiyāʾ). It is said that it is “the way of those whom You have annihilated from themselves and raised up through You for You. They do not stop along the way and the secrets of the divine ruse (makr) do not keep them from You.” It is said that it is “the path of those whom You have favored with upholding Your rights (ḥuqūq) without detours seeking to attract their worldly portions (ḥuẓūẓ).”

It is said that it is “the path of those whom You have purified from their [human] traces (āthār) so that they reach You through You.”

It is said that it is “the path of those whom You have favored to the point that they are wary of^{1The translation follows the word taḥarrasū found in MSS K117, fol. 3b and Y101, fol. 5a rather than the word taḥarrarū found in the Basyūnī edition.} the tricks of Satan, the errors of the lower selves, and the imaginings of opinions and conjectures about arriving before the mortal human traces (āthār al-bashariyya) are extinguished.”

It is said that it is “the path of those whom You have favored with reflective thought (naẓar), [those who] seek help through You, declare themselves free of power and strength, witness the felicity that has already been determined for them, and have knowledge through the affirmation of Your unity of that which will come to pass, [thus] causing happiness and harm.”

It is said that it is “the path of those whom You have favored with being mindful of refined behavior (adab)^{2The term “refined behavior” is discussed in the “Section on refined behavior” (Bāb al-adab) in al-Qushayrī’s Risāla, 2:558–564.} at the times of service,^{3That is, at the times of obligations such as prayer or fasting.} and [with] being filled with the quality of awe (hayba).”^{4The term “awe” is discussed in “Awe and intimacy” (al-Hayba wa-l-uns) in al-Qushayrī’s Risāla, 1:199–200.}

It is said that it is “the path of those whom You have favored by causing them to be mindful of the refined behaviors (ādāb) and precepts (aḥkām) of the law, [even while they are] under the sway of the unexpected intuitions of realities (bawādih al-ḥaqāʾiq),^{5Al-Qushayrī uses the term bawādih in both positive and negative ways. In this paragraph, the word is used to describe unexpected intuitions of realities. Three paragraphs later he uses it to describe unexpected unpleasant events. See the section “Unexpected raids and onslaughts” (al-Bawādih wa-l-hujūm), Risāla, 1:231.} so that they do not go beyond the limit of knowledge (ʿilm) and do not violate any of the precepts of the law (sharīʿa).”

It is said that it is “the path of those whom You have favored so that the suns of what they have come to know will not extinguish the lights of their scrupulousness (waraʿ)^{6See the “Section on scrupulousness” (Bāb al-waraʿ) in al-Qushayrī’s Risāla, 1:284–291.} and they will not neglect any one of the precepts of servanthood (ʿubūdiyya)^{7See the “Section on servanthood” (ʿUbūdiyya) in al-Qushayrī’s Risāla, 2:428–432.} at the time of the manifestation of the authority of reality (sulṭān al-ḥaqīqa).”^{8The translation of the last part of this sentence follows MS Y101, fol. 5a, which is the same as MS K117, fol. 3b except for the word “precepts.” Al-Qushayrī uses the phrase “authority of reality” (sulṭān al-ḥaqīqa) to distinguish ephemeral power from true and lasting power. The use of the word sulṭān, with its connotations of absolute political power, emphasizes the fact that worldly power and authority is only an illusion.}

not [the path] of those against whom there is wrath, nor of those who are astray

Those against whom there is wrath are those hit by the blows of abandonment (hawājim al-khidhlān) and overtaken by the afflictions of deprivation (maṣāʿib al-ḥirmān). They suffer the punishment of rejection (saṭwat al-radd) and are overwhelmed by the unexpected raids of repulsion (bawādih al-ṣadd) and banishment.

It is said that they are those afflicted by the ignominy of abasement (hawān) and the calamity of loss (khusrān) [because they] have occupied themselves in the present moment in seeking worldly things. In truth it is a deception (makr)^{9Basyūnī has “misery” (shaqāʾ), but in parentheses, so he seems to have been guessing. The translation follows MSS K117, fol. 3b and Y101, fol. 5b here with the word makr.} for they suppose that they are [standing] on something [58:18],^{10I am thankful to Joseph Lumbard for pointing out to me that the phrase al-Qushayrī uses here is quoted from Qurʾān 58:18.} but the Real has a secret regarding their misery.

It is said that they are those who, for a time, were delighted by the fragrances of drawing near, but then the Real سبحانه exposed the remoteness of their situation.^{11The translation follows the word naʾy found in MS K117, fol. 3b rather than the word bāb in Basyūnī’s edition.} In them, the communion [of lovers] was exchanged for distance. They craved nearness but did not find the object of their desires. Those are the ones whose striving was in vain and whose thinking went wrong.

It is said: not [the path] of those against whom there is wrath in [their] forgetting [His] granting of success and shutting their eyes to [His] support, nor of those who have gone astray from witnessing the [divine] choice already made (sābiq al-ikhtiyār) and the flow of changing events and decrees (al-taṣārīf wa-l-aqdār).

It is said: not [the path] of those against whom there is wrath in their neglecting the refined behaviors of service and their carelessness in performing the obligations of obedience.

It is said: not [the path] of those against whom there is wrath [refers to] those who have been cut off in the deserts of absence. Anxieties have scattered them in the torrents of ways of conjecture.

The servant says “Amen” (āmīn) when reciting this sūra and this is recommended practice (sunna). Its meaning is “O Lord, I act. Do You respond.” It is as if, in saying this, one calls out for God to grant success for [their] actions (al-tawfīq li-l-ʿamāl) and the realization of [their] hopes (al-taḥqīq li-l-āmāl). His feet are planted on the plains of need. He whispers to the presence of munificence with the tongue of supplication and implores the presence of generosity by absolving himself of power, energy, strength, and ability. And indeed the most powerful instrument for the one in need is to hang on, seeking assistance without stopping, so that he will be proven true through the sincerity of his crying for help.