Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:120

It is said: This is a new beginning based on a question arising from the preceding discourse, as if it were said: "Who possesses that in order to give it to them?" So it was said: {To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens...}, meaning He is the Owner and the One capable of giving. The remoteness of this interpretation is not hidden. In the choice of the particle mā (whatever), which is specialized for non-rational beings, over man (who), despite the assumption that it encompasses everything, there is—as it is said—a consideration for the root, and an indication of the equality of the two groups (Christians and their idols) in the impossibility of [the group of] Lordship, just as they are equal in the realization of [the state of] being subjects. If, however, it is restricted to non-rational beings—as indicated by the report of Ibn al-Ziba‘ri, may Allah be pleased with him—it serves to alert [people] to their inferiority in the rank of Divinity. Furthermore, the dominance of non-rational beings over rational ones, contrary to what is known, contains an implicit belittling of their status.

{And He is over everything}—from among all things—{capable}—that is, possessing an abundance of power. Al-Ghazali interpreted it as the meaning by which a thing is brought into existence, rendered capable through the determination of will and knowledge, and occurring in accordance with them. He interpreted the one described by this [attribute] absolutely as the One who invents every existing thing with an invention that is unique to Him, independent of the assistance of any other, and that is none other than Allah the Almighty, the Subduer. The prepositional phrase is connected to the predicate, and the fronting is for the sake of observing the rhyme (the end of the verse). It is not hidden what the mention of the majesty of Allah, His might, His subdual, and His exaltedness at the end of this Surah contains in terms of a beautiful conclusion. Abu Ubaid narrated from Abi al-Zahrawiyah that Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote at the end of Al-Ma'idah: {And to Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.}

{Allah has made the Ka'bah, the Sacred House}—for them, it is the Station of Gathering (Hadrat al-Jam‘) which is forbidden to others. It is also said: It is the heart of the believer. It is also said: It is the specific Ka'bah, not considering it as four walls and a roof, but as the manifestation of the Majesty of Allah. They have mentioned that He, Glory be to Him, manifests from it to the eyes of the knowers, as indicated by His saying—High is His status—according to what is in the Torah: "Allah the Almighty came from Sinai, shone forth from Seir, and appeared from Paran," standing for the people from their true death through what they obtain by means of that.

{The Sacred Month} is the time of arrival, or observing the heart, or the attainment of that manifestation in which it is forbidden for the attributes of the soul to appear, or to turn toward the requirements of the natural faculties, or the like.

{The Hady (Sacrificial animals)} is the soul slaughtered by the annihilation of the Station of Gathering, or the divine emanations that reach the heart, or the favors the servant obtains at that time of manifestation.

{The garlands} are the noble soul that is submissive, or they are a type of gift the servant obtains from his Lord that leads him by force to abandon everything else.

{That is so that you may know}—by what you obtain—{that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth, and that Allah is All-Knowing of everything}, meaning He knows the realities of things in both the worlds of the Unseen and the Witnessed, and His knowledge encompasses everything.

{Say: "Not equal are the evil"}—of souls, deeds, morals, and wealth—{and the good of them, even if the abundance of the evil pleases you}—because of its harmony with the soul—for the former is a cause for nearness, not the latter.

{O you who have believed}—with demonstrative faith—{do not ask}—the masters of manifest faith—{about unseen things} and realities that are not known except through unveiling, {if they are shown to you, they will distress you}—they will destroy you due to your insufficiency in knowing them, and this would be a cause for your denial. Allah the Almighty is jealous, and He becomes angry for His allies just as the lion becomes angry for its pride. In this, as it is said, is a warning to the beginners against asking the perfect ones too much about the secrets of the Unseen, and a guidance for them to accompany [them] with submission. {And if you ask about them}—when the Quran is revealed, which brings together the apparent and the hidden, and contains what you asked about—{they will be shown to you} by means of it.

{Allah has not made [the institutions of] a Bahirah—and it is the soul whose ear has been split to listen to acts of disobedience—nor a Sa'ibah—and it is the soul unleashed, wandering in the gardens of desires—nor a Wasilah—and it is the soul that has linked its ropes of hopes together and thus procrastinated repentance and preparation for the Hereafter—nor a Ham—and it is the one who busied himself for a time with obedience but the door of arrival was not opened for him, so the Devil whispered to him, saying: "What you have done is sufficient for you, and there is nothing beyond what you are in, so give your soul rest," so he protected his soul from bearing the hardships of spiritual struggles.}

An-Naysaburi narrated from Shaykh Najm al-Din, known as "al-Bidayah," that the Bahirah is an allusion to the Haydariyah and Qalandariyah sects who pierce their ears and put iron rings in them and abandon the Sharia. The Sa'ibah is an allusion to those who roam the earth, stripping away excuses without the bridle of the Sharia and the restraint of the Path, claiming they are the people of Reality. The Wasilah is an allusion to the people of license who connect with strangers by way of brotherhood and union, and reject the companionship of relatives for the sake of tribalism and stubbornness. The Ham is an allusion to the one deceived by Allah the Almighty, who thinks he has reached the station of Reality, so violating the Sharia does not harm him.

{And when it is said to them, "Come to what Allah has revealed"}—of the rulings—{and to the Messenger}—to follow him—{they say, "Sufficient for us is that upon which we found our fathers"}—from the actions they lived by and died upon. {Even if their fathers knew nothing}—of the Sharia and the Path—{and were not guided}—to the Reality.

{O you who have believed, upon you are yourselves}—so busy yourselves with purifying them—{it will not harm you who has gone astray}—from what you are upon, so he denies you—{if you have been guided}—and purified yourselves. The harm of that is only upon himself.

{O you who have believed, testimony between you}—the two verses—nothing has appeared to the servant herein that is suitable for expression. An-Naysaburi mentioned in his application [of this verse] to the inner states of the soul that which I have seen that omitting it is better: {The Day Allah will gather the messengers}—which is the Day of Great Resurrection—{and say to them, "What was the response you received?"}—when you called the creation—{they will say, "We have no knowledge}—of that—{Indeed, it is You who is the Knower of the Unseen,"} so You know the answer to what we were asked. This is—as it is said—when the might of Majesty accumulates, and the cloak of Pride and the wrapper of Greatness appear. For this reason, they were bewildered, lost, astonished, and annihilated. Allah the Almighty has manifestations upon the people of His nearness and the possessors of His love; He annihilates them at one time through Majesty, and preserves them for a while through Beauty; He addresses them once with gentleness, and deals with them another time with subdual. And everything the Beloved does is beloved.

Some of the people of interpretation said: Allah the Almighty gathers the messengers in the Eye of Absolute Gathering or the Eye of the Gathering of the Essence, and asks them: "Did you attain knowledge of the ranks of the creation in their perfections when you called them to Me?" So they negate the knowledge from themselves and affirm it for Allah the Almighty, due to the requirement of the station of annihilation.

{When Allah will say, "O Jesus, son of Mary, remember}—for the loved ones and the seekers—{My favor upon you and upon your mother"}—so that their longing for Me may increase—{and be grateful for that, so that I may increase you from what I have, for My treasuries are filled with what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and has not crossed the heart of a human. {When I supported you with the Pure Spirit}—and it is the Spirit that shone from the dawn of Eternity, and it is his pure soul. It is also said: The meaning is, I supported you with Gabriel, as he taught you the customs of servitude. {You spoke to the people in the cradle}—that is, the cradle of the body or the known cradle. The meaning is, you spoke to them as a child, declaring the transcendence of Allah the Almighty and affirming your servitude to Him—{and in maturity}—meaning in your state of adulthood. The intention is that your state did not differ between childhood and adulthood; rather, your declaring the transcendence of your Lord continued, and you did not turn back on your heels. {And when I taught you the Book}—and it is the book of realities and knowledges—{and the Wisdom}—and it is the wisdom of conduct in Allah the Almighty by acquiring morals, states, stations, isolation (tajrid), and singularity (tafrid)—{and the Torah}—meaning the apparent sciences and the rulings related to actions and the states of the soul and its attributes through training—{or by shaping from clay}—and it is pure preparedness or the known clay—{a form like a bird}—that is, the form of the bird of the heart flying to the Presence of Sanctity, or the well-known bird—{and you breathed into it from the spirit that is apparent in you, and it became a bird}—a soul abstracted, flying with the wing of purity and love—{or a bird in reality, by My permission}—as you became a manifestation for Me—{and you healed the blind}—that is, the one veiled from the light of Truth—{and the leper}—that is, he whose heart was corrupted by the love of the world and the dominance of desire—{by My permission, and when you brought forth the dead}—the disease of ignorance—{from the graves of nature by My permission. And when I restrained the Children of Israel}—and they are the soul-faculties or those veiled from the light of the manifestations of the Attributes—{from you}—so their plotting did not harm you in anything, as you came to them with clear signs, and they are the clear proofs or the dominant spiritual faculties. {And when I inspired}—by way of revelation—{to the disciples}—and they are those who purified their souls with the water of beneficial knowledge and cleaned the garments of their hearts from the filth of the natural dispositions—{that "Believe in Me"}—a true faith through the unification of the Attributes—{and in My Messenger}—by observing the rights of the manifestations of those attributes in detail.

Some masters mentioned that revelation is of two types: specific and general. The specific is that which is without an intermediary, and the general is that which is by way of an intermediary, such as the Angel, the Spirit, the Heart, the Intellect, the Secret, and the movement of the innate nature (fitrah). The saints have a share of this type. Specific revelation has degrees: revelation of the Action and revelation of the Essence. Revelation of the Essence is in the station of unification when witnessing Greatness and Pride, and revelation of the Action is in the station of passion and love, and there are the abodes of intimacy and expansion.

{When the disciples said, "O Jesus, son of Mary, can your Lord"}—that is, the One who trains you and emanates upon you that which has perfected you—{send down to us a table spread}—meaning a Sharia containing types of sciences, wisdoms, knowledges, and rulings—{from the heaven}—that is, from the direction of the heaven of the spirits. He said: "Fear Allah,"—that is, make Him, Glory be to Him, a protection for you in what issues from you of actions and morals—{if you are believers}—and do not ask for a renewed Sharia. They said: "We want to eat from it," by acting upon it, "and our hearts will be reassured," for knowledge is food, "and we will know that you have been truthful to us in reporting about your Lord and about yourself, and we will be among those who witness it," so we may know the absent ones and call them to it. Allah said: "I will send it down to you, but whoever disbelieves afterward}—from among you and remains veiled from that religion after—{the sending down, I will punish him with a punishment I have not punished anyone among the worlds."} That is by being veiled from Me, because of the existence of preparedness, the clarity of the path, and the radiance of the proof; and punishment with knowledge is more severe than punishment with ignorance.

His saying—Exalted be He—{And when Allah will say, "O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people..."} until the end, the speech of the Grand Shaykh—may his secret be sanctified—and the speech of Shaykh Abd al-Karim al-Jili regarding this is famous and spread upon the tongues of the sincere and the deniers among us, and Allah the Almighty knows best His intention. We ask Allah the Almighty to send down upon us tables of His generosity and not cut off from us the habits of His favors, and to be gentle with us in the beginning and the end, by the sanctity of our Prophet—the best of prayers and the most perfect of peace.