Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:87

(Then when He removes the distress from you, behold! A party of you associates others with their Lord) by attributing that to other than Him, the Exalted, while seeing it as coming from them. (So they may deny what We have given them) of blessings by being heedless of the Bestower. (So enjoy yourselves, for you will come to know) the evil consequence of that, or you will come to know—by the manifestation of Oneness—that nothing besides Him, the Exalted, has any effect on anything.

(And they assign to what they do not know)—thus they believe in it with the ignorance they hold, which is [the idol]—(a portion of what We have provided them), saying: "He gave me such and such; had He not given me this, it would have been such and such."

(And indeed, for you in grazing livestock is a lesson. We give you drink from what is in their bellies—from between excretion and blood—pure milk, palatable to the drinkers.) The allusion here, according to what is in Asrar al-Qur'an, is to what the spirits drink from that which arises in the purified intellects, between the soul and the heart, from the crystalline water of the ocean of witnessing. Therein are the stations of reflection for those who reflect.

The allusion in His saying: (And from the fruits of the palm trees and the grapevines, you take from them an intoxicant and a good provision) is—according to the same source—to that which the spirits and the innermost secrets (asrar) take from the fruits of the palm trees of hearts and the grapevines of intellects: the wine of love and intimacy that carries them to the Presence of Holiness. If they were to sprinkle some of it on the soil of a dead person's grave, the spirit would return to it, and the body would be revived.

(And your Lord inspired to the bee)—it is said: the "bee" of the spirits—(that "Take for yourself among the mountains")—i.e., the mountains of the lights of the Essence—(houses)—dwellings to reside in—(and among the trees)—i.e., from the trees of the Attributes—(and from what they construct)—the lights of the thrones of the Acts. (Then eat from all the fruits)—i.e., from the fruits of those Attribute-based trees, the light of the splendor of the Essential lights, and the blossoms of the Act-based lights—(and follow the ways of your Lord)—which are the deserts of His Holiness, the Exalted, and the wildernesses of His Majesty—(laid down)—submissive to what you have been commanded. (There emerges from their bellies a drink)—which is the drink of knowledge of Him, the Exalted, by the eternity of His Majesty, the Might of His permanence, and the Sanctity of His Essence—(varying in colors)—by the variation of the fruits—(in which is healing for the people)—for every patient of love, every invalid of affinity, and every stung person of longing.

It is also said that the allusion of the "bee" refers to those who are in the initial stages of the path (suluk) from among the people of readiness. Hence, the Greatest Shaykh, may his secret be sanctified, said concerning our master Ibn al-Farid, may his secret be sanctified, when asked about him: "A bee buzzing around the sanctuary." Allah, the Exalted, first commanded them to take dwellings from the religious doctrines—which are like mountains in firmness and stability—from the lawful acts of worship—which are like trees in their spreading—and from the praiseworthy dealings—which are like structures in their height. Then, to follow His paths, the Exalted, which lead to Him, the Glorified, through purifying the inner self, contemplation, reflection, and the like, while being submissive and humble, not self-admiring. In this is an indication that the path is only valid after correcting one's beliefs and knowing the religious rulings, so that the traveler may be upon insight in his affair; otherwise, he is like one who rides in the darkness and strikes blindly. Once he travels in that manner, he attains the desired goal, the springs of wisdom gush forth from his heart, and what his heart casts forth becomes like honey—a healing from the illnesses of desires and the diseases of the soul, especially the disease of lethargy and laziness in worship, which is the phlegmatic illness.

Abu Bakr al-Warraq said: "When the bee followed the command and walked the paths of its Lord as it was commanded, its saliva was made a healing for the people. Likewise, when the believer follows the command, guards the secret, and turns to his Lord, the Almighty and Majestic, his vision, his speech, and his companionship are made a healing for the creation. Whoever looks at him receives a lesson, whoever hears his speech is admonished, and whoever sits with him finds happiness."

In the verse is an indication that the Exalted may entrust a precious thing to a lowly person. For He, the Exalted, deposited honey—one of the most delicious and sweet of tastes—in the bee, which is one of the lowest and weakest of animals. Thus, one should not be restricted by appearances nor veiled by forms. In the Hadith: "Many a disheveled, dust-covered person, clothed in two rags, if he were to swear by Allah, the Exalted, He would fulfill it for him." And from the leader of the believers, Ali, may Allah honor his countenance: "Do not look at who said it, but look at what was said."

(And Allah has favored some of you over others in provision.) It is said that the allusion here is to the disparity in the provisions of those traveling the path (salikin). The provision of some is acts of obedience, others have stations, others have states, others have unveilings, others have witnessings, others have knowledge, others have love, and others have Oneness, and so on. It is said that the provision of the bodies is servitude, the provision of the spirits is the vision of the lights of Lordship, the provision of the intellects is contemplation, the provision of the hearts is remembrance, and the provision of the innermost secrets is the truths of the unseen sciences unveiled to them in the gatherings of nearness and the witnessing of the unseen.

(So do not attribute likenesses to Allah) because of His holiness, the Exalted, above perceptions, allusions, and expressions, and His transcendence, the Glorified, above the grasp of creation; for the creation perceives only creation. That is why Ali, may Allah honor his countenance, said: "Instruments only define themselves, and apparatuses point to their likes." Therefore, Allah, the Exalted, is not known except by Allah, the Almighty and Majestic. He gave the reason for the prohibition by His saying: (Indeed, Allah knows and you do not know.)

(Allah presents an example: a slave under the ownership of another)—loving someone other than Allah, the Exalted; and there is no doubt that the lover is a captive in the hands of the beloved, unable to do anything because he is bound by the shackles of love. (And one to whom We have provided from Us a good provision)—so We made him a lover of Ours, turning his heart toward Us, detached from all else, and We gave him knowledge from Us—(and he spends from it secretly)—which is from the inner blessings—(and publicly)—which is from the outer blessings.

(And Allah presents an example: two men. One of them is dumb)—he has no readiness for speech; he is the example of the polytheist—(he is unable to do anything)—due to his lack of ability and the inadequacy of his power, owing to the deficiency inherent in his readiness—(and he is a burden on his master)—due to his natural inability to acquire his needs—(wherever he directs him, he brings no good)—due to his lack of readiness and his natural wickedness; thus he is only suited for evil, which is non-existence. (Is he equal to one who commands justice?)—who is the monotheist, established by Allah, the Exalted, annihilated from all else. Justice, as it is said, is the shadow of Oneness in the world of plurality—(and he is on a straight path)—the path of the Mighty, the Praiseworthy, upon which are His chosen ones, the people of remaining after annihilation, extended over the fire of nature for the people of Truth, who pass over it like a flashing lightning.

(And to Allah belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth)—the knowledge of the ranks of the Unseen, or what has been hidden from their reality, or what is concealed within them of the affair of the Great Resurrection. (And the command of the Hour)—i.e., the Great Resurrection in relation to worldly matters—(is not but as the glance of the eye, or even nearer.) This is based on analogy; otherwise, it has been said that the command of the Hour is not temporal. And that which is such, he who perceives it perceives it not in time. (Indeed, Allah is over all things competent)—and among that is the affair of the Hour.

(And Allah extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing...) The verse says in Asrar al-Qur'an: He informed us, the Exalted, that He extracted them from the wombs of destinies, the wombs of non-existence, and the loins of will in the state of ignorance, not knowing anything of the rulings of Lordship, the matters of servitude, or the descriptions of eternity. So He clothed them with hearings from the light of His hearing, and dressed them with sights from the light of His sight, and deposited in their hearts the sciences of His Unseen, that they might be grateful. This is evident that what is meant by "hearts" (af'idah) is the hearts (qulub).

Some of the spiritual masters we have encountered mentioned in his book Al-Fawa'id and his commentary upon it that the perceptions of man are: The "Chest" (sadr), which refers to the imagination and the Universal Soul, which is the locus of images—whether universal or particular; it is the locus of knowledge that corresponds to ignorance. The "Heart" (qalb), which is the locus of meanings and certainty through wise relations; it corresponds to doubt and suspicion. The "Inner Heart" (fu'ad), which is the locus of divine knowledges, stripped of all images, relations, positions, allusions, directions, and times; it corresponds to denial. This is the highest of perceptions and the light of Allah, the Exalted, alluded to by His saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: "Beware of the intuition (firasa) of the believer, for he looks with the light of Allah." It is existence because it is the higher direction of man—namely, his face—from the perspective of his Lord, and by it Allah, the Exalted, is known. In man, it is like a king in a city, and the heart is like his minister.

He also has discussion regarding the "Mother" and the "Father" other than what was mentioned, namely that the "Father" is used for the "Matter" and the "Mother" for the "Form." He claimed that the saying of the truthful one (As-Sadiq), may Allah be pleased with him: "Allah, the Exalted, created the believers from His light and dyed them in His mercy; so the believer is the brother of the believer through his father and mother: his father is light and his mother is mercy," is an allusion to this. And that what the predecessors and the sages agreed upon—that the father is the form and the mother is the matter, and that when the form mates with the matter, the thing is born from them—is based on their assumption that resurrection and creation in the womb of matter is far from the perspective of correspondence, up to the end of what he said. So understand this, and beware of deviating from the straight path.

(Do they not see the birds controlled in the atmosphere of the sky?) There is an indication here of the subjugation of the birds of the spiritual and psychic powers—from reflection and the theoretical and practical intellect, indeed from imagination and fancy—in the expanse of the world of spirits. (None holds them)—without attachment to matter or reliance upon a heavy body—(except Allah), the Almighty and Majestic.

(And Allah has made for you, from what He has created, shades...)—which is that under which one finds shade from the heat of the fire of need. Water is a shade for the thirsty, food is a shade for the hungry, and everything that fulfills a person's need is a shade for him. In the report: "The Sultan is the shade of Allah on earth, to whom every oppressed person seeks refuge." It is said: The shades are the saints, through whom the disciples find shade from the intensity of the heat of separation, and in whom they seek refuge from the oppression of tyranny. The saying of the Exalted, (And He has made for you, from the mountains, shelters), is sometimes interpreted in this manner; how similar are the saints to mountains!

(And He made for you garments to protect you from the heat)—there is an indication here to what has been made for the gnostics: garments of the spirit of intimacy, so they are not burned by the fires of Holiness. And the Exalted, His Majesty be glorified, alluded by saying: (and garments to protect you from your violence)—to what He has bestowed of knowledge and love, to repel thereby the plots of the devils and the souls.

(Thus does He complete His favor upon you that you might submit)—comply with His command, the Exalted, in servitude and humble yourselves to the Might of Lordship. Ibn 'Ata said: "The completion of the favor is finding tranquility in the Bestower." Hamdun said: "Its completion in the world is knowledge, and in the Hereafter it is vision." Abu Muhammad al-Hariri said: "Its completion is the heart's being free from hidden shirk, and the soul's safety from show (riya') and seeking reputation (sum'ah)."

(They recognize the favor of Allah)—which is the guidance of the Prophet or his very existence by the power of natural disposition—(then they deny it)—due to their stubbornness and the dominance of the qualities of their souls—(and most of them are the disbelievers)—by the testimony of their own natures to its reality.

(And [mention] the day when We will raise from every nation a witness; then it will not be permitted to those who disbelieved)—to offer excuses for failing to respond to his call, for they have no excuse—(nor will they be asked to repent)—because the word has been justified against them according to their readiness. We ask Allah, the Exalted, for pardon and safety.

(And they offered to Allah on that day the submission.) It is said: This is in the second station, when the veils of their dark souls weaken and their thick curtains grow thin. As for the first station—when the qualities of vices are strong and the soul's stubbornness in wickedness is intense—they do not submit, as indicated by His saying: (The day Allah will resurrect them all, and they will swear to Him as they swear to you.) It is also said that those who submit are some, and those who swear are others. So understand, and Allah, the Exalted, knows best.