His words, Exalted is He:

Qāf…

[With this word] God, Exalted is He, made an oath by His strength (quwwa) and omnipotence (qudra). In its outer meaning it refers to the mountain which surrounds this world, which is the first mountain God, Exalted is He, created. Then after it, He created Mount Abū Qubays, which is the mountain which rises above Ṣafā. Beyond this, by a distance of one year’s journey, is a mountain behind which the sun sets, just as He said: until it [the sun] disappeared behind [night’s] veil [38:32]. It has a face like a human face and a heart like the hearts of the angels in gnosis (fi’l-maʿrifa).^{1Sic in both the printed edition and the MSS. On Mount Qāf see above p. 59, n. 29.}

His words:

…By the glorious Qurʾān.

He said:

This means that it is honoured above all other speech.

His words:

As an insight and a reminder for every penitent servant.

He said:

This means: ⸢as a lesson and source of evidence, guiding them to believe in the oneness of their Lord and to show gratitude to Him;⸣^{1Added on the basis of all three MSS: Z515, f. 105 a, F638, f. 49b and F3488, f. 283b.} penitent (munīb), that is, one who devotes his heart purely to God by turning his attention [wholly] to Him,^{2Translating bi’l-tawajjuh ilayhi as in all three MSS: Z515, f. 105a, F638, f. 49b and F3488, f. 283b, instead of bi’l-tawḥīd ilayhi in the published edition.} and by maintaining God’s remembrance (dhikr) in the practice of his obligatory duties (wājibāt).

His words, Exalted is He:

…as did the dwellers at al-Rass…

That is, the well. And al-Ayka [50:14] is a wood. In its inner meaning, the people of Rass are the people of ignorance, and the dwellers in the wood [50:14] are the pursuers of lusts.

His words, Exalted is He:

he does not utter a word but there is beside him a watcher, ready.

He said:

That is, an attendant guardian who is never absent from him. The angels^{1Translating malāʾika in the plural, according to the MSS, whereas the published edition has the singular, malak.} do not know the good and evil that is within a person’s conscience (ḍamīr) save when that person’s heart acquiesces in it [either good or evil]. When there is a resolution [to do] something good, its effect will manifest a beautiful perfume within the breast (ṣadr) and thence from the breast to the bodily members; whereas when there is a resolution to do evil it manifests darkness and a rotten smell. In any event, God knows all of this from [the servant], so he should fear Him in accordance with His words, Surely God has been watchful over you [4:1].

His words, Exalted is He:

And every soul will come accompanied by a driver and a witness.

This means: the recording [angels] (kataba) who were with him in this world will lead him to the gathering place and will testify either for or against him. Then the servant says, ‘Is not what You say the truth? Indeed, You have said: And if you were to enumerate God’s favours you could never number them [14:34]’. And Your Prophet ﷺ said, ‘None of you enters Paradise through his works, but only through His mercy.’^{1Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, ‘Kitāb al-Marḍāʾ’, ‘Kitāb al-Riqāq’; Haythamī, Majmaʿ al-zawāʾid, vol. 10, p. 357.} Then God says, ‘My words are the truth, and my Prophet ﷺ has spoken truly, so therefore proceed to Paradise through My mercy.’

He said:

This is the meaning of His words, Exalted is He: …and for them is forgiveness and a generous provision [8:74].

His words, Exalted is He:

…and your sight on this Day is acute.

That is to say, your heart’s vision (baṣar) will be penetrating (nāfidh), in its witnessing (mushāhada) of all its affairs and conditions [on this Day].

His words, Exalted is He:

The word that comes from Me cannot be changed…

That is, ‘What is within My prior knowledge does not change, so that it would become contrary to My pre-existing knowledge concerning it.’

His words, Exalted is He:

‘…[it is] for everyone who is oft-returning (awwāb), heedful (ḥafīẓ) of God…’ ^{1[It] being the reward of Paradise. On the word awwāb having the sense of ‘repeatedly repenting’, see above Tustarī’s commentary on 17:25.}

He said:

He is the one who turns back with his heart from evil suggestions to tranquil reliance (sukūn) on God, Exalted is He, and is the heedful one (ḥafīẓ), who guards his moments (awqāt) and states (aḥwāl), [while] keeping to His commandments and observing acts of obedience.

Ibn ʿAyniyya said, ‘The one who is oft-returning, heedful of God is the person who does not get up from a gathering until he has asked for God’s forgiveness for it, regardless of whether it was good or bad, due to the imperfection and deficiency that he sees in it.’^{2i.e., his conduct in it. In the Glorious Treasure of Ḥabīb ʿUmar b. Muḥammad b. Sālim (London), p. 37, two similar ḥadīths are cited. The first is related on the authority of Abū Hurayra, according to whom the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If a person sits in company which indulges in idle talk, and before standing says, “Glory be to You, praise be to You. I testify that there is no god but You; I ask Your forgiveness and I repent to you;” he is forgiven for his participation in that company.’ The ḥadīth is recorded as sound by Abū Dāwūd, Nasāʾī, Ibn Ḥibbān and Tirmidhī.}

His words, Exalted is He:

Assuredly there is in that a reminder for him who has a heart (qalb)…

That is, whoever has an intellect (ʿaql) by which he acquires knowledge of the sacred law (ʿilm al-sharʿ).

His words, Exalted is He:

…or gives ear.

That is, he listens to Our reminder while being attentive [lit. present, (ḥāḍir)] and witnessing his Lord, not absent from Him.

Sahl was asked about the intellect (ʿaql) and he said:

Intellect is having good judgement (ḥusn al-naẓar) for yourself of the outcome of your affairs.

But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.