The Meccan Revelations

«The essence of what is included in this work comes from what God inspired in me while I was fulfilling my circumambulations of His Temple [the Ka‘ba, bayt Allah], or while I was contemplating it while seated in its holy precincts.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el origen del libro en el pasaje inicial de las Futuhat (I 10) que Morris traduce dentro de su introducción: lo inspirado por Dios durante las circunvalaciones del Templo o contemplándolo sentado en el recinto sagrado; el volumen II vierte el mismo pasaje con otras palabras

«We said: From time to time it occurred to me that I should place at the very beginning of this book a chapter concerning (theological) creeds, supported by definitive arguments and salient proofs. But then I realized that that would distract the person who is properly prepared and seeking an increase (in spiritual knowledge), who is receptive to the fragrant breadis of (divine) Bounty through the secrets of being.» — Ibn al-Arabi explica, en el pasaje de su Introducción a las Futuhat que Morris traduce, por qué desechó abrir el libro con un capítulo de credos probados: distraería a quien viene preparado y receptivo; la capa de texto imprime *breadis* por *breaths*

«For if the properly prepared person persists in dbikr (‘remembering’ God) and spiritual retreat, emptying the place (of the heart) from thinking, and sitting like a poor beggar who has notliing at the doorstep of their Lord—then God will bestow upon them and give them some of that knowing of Him, of those divine secrets and supernal understandings, which Fie granted to His servant al-Khadir.» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona el don del conocimiento divino a una práctica: persistir en el dhikr y el retiro, vaciar el corazón del pensamiento y sentarse como un mendigo a la puerta del Señor; la capa de texto imprime *dbikr* y *notliing*

«For He said (of al-Khadir): a servant among Our servants to whom We have brought Mercy from Us and to whom We have given Knowledge from what is with Us» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya esa promesa en el versículo sobre al-Khadir, sura 18, aya 65, que cita dentro de su Introducción

«And He said: So be mindful of God, and God will teach you [2:282]; and Ifyou are aware of God, He will give you a Criterion (of spiritual discernment); and He zvill give you a light by which you will walk» — Ibn al-Arabi encadena dos citas coránicas —sura 2, aya 282, y sura 57, aya 28— para cerrar el argumento: de la conciencia de Dios vienen la enseñanza, el criterio de discernimiento y la luz

«AbuYazid (al-Bastami) said:‘You all took your knowledge like a dead person (receiving it) from another dead person. But we took our knowing from the Living One who never dies» — Ibn al-Arabi cita el dicho de Abu Yazid al-Bastami que opone el saber recibido de muerto a muerto al saber tomado del Viviente que nunca muere, y le adosa la referencia coránica 25:58

«So the person with concentrated spiritual intention (himma) during their retreat with God may realize through Him—how exalted are His gifts and how prodigious His grace!— (forms of spiritual) knowing that are concealed from ever)7 theologian on the face of the earth» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que quien está en retiro con intención concentrada —*himma*— puede realizar formas de conocimiento ocultas a todo teólogo de la tierra

«Next I shall follow it, God willing, with the creed...in which I’ve alluded to the sources of the (theological) proofs for this religious community I’ve named it ‘The Treatise Concerning What is Well-Known Among the Beliefs of the People of External Forms (ahi al-rusum)/ Then I shall follow that with the creed of the elite among the people of God, the ‘verifiers’ (muhaqqiqun) among the people of the path of God, the people of (spiritual) unveiling and finding. ... And that completes the Introduction to this book.» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera los credos de su Introducción y nombra al último destinatario: la élite de la gente de Dios, los verificadores —*muhaqqiqun*— entre la gente del camino de Dios, la gente del desvelamiento y el hallazgo

«But as for presenting the credo of the quintessence (of the spiritual elite), I have not given it in detail in any one place, because of the profundities it contains. Instead I have given it scattered throughout the chapters of this book, exhaustively and clearly explained—but in different places, as we’ve mentioned. So those on whom God has bestowed the understanding of these things will recognize them and distinguish them from other matters. For this is the True Knowing and the Veridical Saying, and there is no goal beyond It. 'The blind and the truly seeing are alike" in Its regard:2' It brings together things most far and most near, and conjoins the most high and most low» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que el credo de la quintaesencia no está reunido en un solo lugar sino disperso por los capítulos del libro, y que solo lo reconocerá quien haya recibido su comprensión

«Now this was the credo of the elite among the people of God. But as for the credo of the quintessence of the elite concerning God, that is a matter beyond this one, which we have scattered throughout this book because most intellects, being veiled by their thoughts, fall short of perceiving it due to their lack of spiritual purification. The Introduction to this book is finished. God speaks the Truth, and He guides on the right Way.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la Introducción dando la razón de esa dispersión: la mayoría de los intelectos, velados por sus pensamientos, no alcanzan a percibir el credo de la quintaesencia por falta de purificación espiritual

«The “origin of creation” is the Dust (al-haba’)2. The “first existent within it” is the Muhammadan Reality pertaining to the AJ1-Merciful (al-baqiqa al-muhammadiyya al-rahmaniyya), [a Reality] which is not restricted by position, since it is not spatially confined» — Ibn al-Arabi responde a la primera pregunta del capítulo 6: el origen de la creación es el Polvo, y el primer existente en él la Realidad Muhammadí perteneciente al Todomisericordioso, no restringida por posición

«from what did [creation] come into existence?” From the Known Reality which is described neither by existence nor nonexistence. “Within what did it come into existence?” Within the Dust.“In what likeness did it come into existence?”The form (sura) known within God’s Self (nafs al-haqq). “Why did it come into existence?” To make manifest the divine real» — Ibn al-Arabi encadena las respuestas del capítulo 6: de la Realidad Conocida que no se describe por existencia ni inexistencia, dentro del Polvo, según la forma conocida en el Sí mismo de Dios, y para manifestar las realidades divinas

«“What is its goal?” Deliverance from mixture (mazja), so that each world (‘(Ham) may know its share (bazz) from its Producer (munsbi). So its goal is to make manifest its own realities.» — Ibn al-Arabi da el fin de la creación: la liberación de la mezcla, para que cada mundo conozca su parte de su Productor y manifieste sus propias realidades

«The “true knowledge of the spheres of the Greater World”—which is everything other than man (ma 'add al-insan) in the technical terminology of the [Sufi] Community (istilah aljamd'a)—“and of the Smaller World,” i.e., man, has to do with the spirit, cause, and occasion of the world.The world’s “spheres” are its stations (inaqdmatf its movements (barakat),and the differentiation of its strata (tafsil tabaqatibi).This is everything contained in the present chapter.» — Ibn al-Arabi define Mundo Mayor y Mundo Menor con la terminología técnica de la comunidad sufí —todo lo que no es el hombre, y el hombre— y llama esferas del mundo a sus estaciones, movimientos y estratos

«Just as man is small by way of his body, so he is paltry by way of his temporal origination (buduth). But his theomorphism» — Ibn al-Arabi contrapone la pequeñez del hombre por su cuerpo y su origen temporal a su teomorfismo, que declara un hecho

«Know that man’s most perfect plane (nash’a) is in this world (al-dunya). As for the next world (al-dkbiraf the state of each person of the two groups6 will be one half, though not his knowledge, since each group has knowledge of the opposite state. For [in this world] man is nothing if not faithful and infidel at once: felicity and wretchedness, bliss and chastisement, blissful and chastised. Hence knowledge (ma*rifa) in this world is more complete (atammf while theophany (tajalli)1 in the next world is more elevated» — Ibn al-Arabi sostiene que el plano más perfecto del hombre está en este mundo, porque aquí es fiel e infiel a la vez, y de ahí deriva que el conocimiento sea más completo aquí y la teofanía más elevada allá

«So understand, and open this lock! For those who understand, we have composed an intimation; though its words are repulsive and loathsome, its meaning is marvelous.» — Ibn al-Arabi anuncia el poema que sigue advirtiendo del contraste entre sus palabras, que llama repulsivas, y su sentido

«The spirit of the Great Existence is this small existence. If not for him, He would not say,“I am the Great, the Powerful» — el poema del capítulo 6 abre identificando el espíritu de la Gran Existencia con esta existencia pequeña, sin la cual no cabría el nombre divino

«Let not my temporal origination veil you, nor my annihilation and resurrection. For I—if you regard me closely—am the All-Encompassing, the Great. In my essence I belong to the Eternal, though I am manifest in the newly arisen.» — el poema sigue pidiendo que ni el origen temporal ni la aniquilación velen a quien mira de cerca, y afirma pertenecer por esencia al Eterno aunque se manifieste en lo recién surgido

«As for knowledge of the Essence’s reality (baqiqat aidbat), that is prohibited. It cannot be known through logical proof (dalil) or rational demonstration (burhan ‘aqli), nor can definition» — Ibn al-Arabi declara prohibido el conocimiento de la realidad de la Esencia: no se alcanza por prueba lógica ni por demostración racional, ni la definición la abarca; capítulo 6

«For He—glory be to Him—is not similar to anything, nor is anything similar to Him. So how should he who is similar to things know Him to whom nothing is similar and Who is similar to nothing?» — Ibn al-Arabi da la razón en forma de pregunta: cómo habría de conocer el semejante a las cosas a Aquel a quien nada se asemeja; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón

«So your knowledge of Him is only that “ Nothing is like ///m” (Qur’an 42:10) and “God warns you of His Self (Qur’an 3:27).11 Moreover, the Law (al-sbar) has prohibited meditation upon the Essence of God.» — Ibn al-Arabi reduce el conocimiento de Dios a las dos citas coránicas —suras 42 y 3— y añade que la Ley misma prohíbe meditar sobre la Esencia

«Know that the objects of knowledge (al-ma‘lumat) are four. [The first is] God, who is described by Nondelimited Being (al-wujud al-mutlaq), for He is neither the effect (ma'lul) nor the cause (ilia) of anything. On the contrary, He exists through His very Essence.» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera cuatro objetos de conocimiento y describe el primero, Dios, por el Ser no delimitado: ni efecto ni causa de nada, existente por su propia Esencia

«No objects of knowledge—whether eternal or temporally originated—are known until this reality is known, but this reality does not exist until those things described by it exist.» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la doble dependencia de la Realidad Universal: nada se conoce hasta conocerla, y ella no existe hasta que existen las cosas descritas por ella; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«But in every existent it maintains its own reality, for it does not accept division (tajazzi), since it has neither whole nor part. It cannot be known disengaged from form (mujarracla 'an al-sura) through logical proof or demonstration.» — Ibn al-Arabi niega que esa realidad admita división —no tiene todo ni parte— y que pueda conocerse desprendida de la forma por prueba o demostración

«In short, the world has come into existence by means of God (bi wasatat al-haqq) from this reality; but it is not an existent, such that God might have brought us into existence from an eternal existent and we should be established as eternal.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la consecuencia: el mundo viene de esa realidad por mediación de Dios, pero ella no es un existente, y por eso no somos eternos

«You should also know that this reality is not qualified by precedence (taqaddum) in relation to the world, nor the world with subsequence (ta’akbkbur) in relation to this reality. Rather, it is the root (asl) of all existents, the root of substance» — Ibn al-Arabi niega precedencia y subsecuencia entre esa realidad y el mundo, y la declara raíz de todos los existentes y raíz de la sustancia

«The third object of knowledge is the entire world: the angels, the spheres and the worlds they contain, and the air and the earth and everything of the world contained by these two. This is the Greater Kingdom» — Ibn al-Arabi da el tercer objeto: el mundo entero, ángeles, esferas, aire y tierra, al que llama Reino Mayor

«The fourth object of knowledge is man, the vicegerent whom God placed within this world, which is subdued under his subjection (taskhir). God says, 'And He has subjected to you what is in the heavens and what is in the earth, all together, from Him» — Ibn al-Arabi da el cuarto objeto: el hombre como vicegerente puesto en el mundo que le está sometido, apoyado en la sura 45

«He who knows these [four] objects of knowledge has no other object of knowledge to seek, for among them is that of whom we only know the existence—i.e., God—and whose Acts and Attributes are known through various kinds of likenesses (mitbal)\ among them is that which is only known through likeness, such as knowledge of the Universal Reality, and among them is that which is known in these two manners as well as through quiddity (mahiyya) and quality (kayfiyya), and these are the world and man.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que quien conoce esos cuatro objetos no tiene otro que buscar, y distingue lo que se conoce solo por existencia, lo que solo por semejanza y lo que además por quididad y cualidad

«When God brings the world into existence, no Attribute that He did not possess comes to be ascribed to Him. On the contrary, before His creation He is described and named in Himself by the Names by which His creatures call Him.» — Ibn al-Arabi niega que al crear el mundo Dios reciba atributo nuevo: ya antes se nombra a sí mismo con los Nombres con que sus criaturas lo llaman

«So when He desired the existence of the world and when He originated it in accordance with His Knowledge of it within His Knowledge of Himself, there arose from that sacred Desire (al-iradat al-muqaddasa)—through one kind of theophany of Incomparability directed toward the Universal Reality—a reality called the Dust.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el surgimiento del Polvo desde el Deseo sagrado, por una teofanía de Incomparabilidad dirigida a la Realidad Universal

«It can be compared to the plaster that a builder throws down in order to mold within it whatever shapes and forms he desires; it is the first existent» — Ibn al-Arabi compara el Polvo con el yeso que el albañil echa para moldear en él las formas que quiere

«Within the Dust nothing is nearer to the Light in reception than the Reality of Muhammad, which is called the Intellect. So he is the lord of the world in its entirety and the first thing to become man» — Ibn al-Arabi pone a la Realidad de Muhammad, llamada el Intelecto, como lo más cercano a la Luz dentro del Polvo y señor del mundo entero; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Hence his existence derives from the Divine Light, the Dust, and the Universal Reality, while his entity (‘ayn) comes into existence within the Dust; then the entity of the world stems from his theophany. The nearest of mankind to him is ‘Ali ibn AbiTalib and the inmost consciousnesses (asrar) of die prophets.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de esa Realidad la entidad del mundo y nombra como los más cercanos a ella a Ali ibn Abi Talib y a las consciencias íntimas de los profetas; la capa de texto imprime *die* por *the*

«Then God manifested Himself in theophany through His Light to that Dust, which is called by the People of Reflection (ashab al-afkar)2x “Universal Hyle” (al-hayuld al-kull)\ within the Dust was the entire world in potentiality (quwwa) and readiness (salabiyya). Each thing in the Dust received from His Light in accordance with its own preparedness (isti'dad) and potentiality, just as the corners of a room receive the light of a lamp and, to the degree of their proximity to that light, increase in brightness and reception» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la teofanía sobre el Polvo, al que los Gentes de la Reflexión llaman Hyle Universal, y mide lo que cada cosa recibe por su propia preparación, como los rincones de un cuarto reciben la lámpara

«As for the likeness in which the world—the whole of it without differentiation—came into existence, that is the Knowledge subsistent in God’s Self (al-ilm al-qcTim bi nafs al-haqq). For He knows us through His Knowledge of Himself and brings us into existence in accordance with His Knowledge of us, so we are upon the shape entified (al-shakl al-mu‘ayyan) in His Knowledge. If this were not the case, this shape would have been assumed by chance (bi hukm al-ittifdq), not by intention» — Ibn al-Arabi da por semejanza de la creación el Conocimiento subsistente en el Sí mismo de Dios, y niega que la forma pueda venir por azar

«Here by jinn is meant everything hidden,24 including the angels and other things. God said in respect of the heavens and the earth, “‘Come willingly or unwillingly! They said, ‘We come willingly’XQxrt^ 41:11). In the same way He said, “[We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains], but they refused to carry it” (Qur’an 33:72). That was because it was an “offer.” If it had been a command, they would have obeyed and carried it, since disobedience from them is inconceivable» — Ibn al-Arabi lee *jinn* como todo lo oculto, ángeles incluidos, y distingue el ofrecimiento del mandato apoyándose en las suras 41 y 33

«As for our questions, “Why did [creation] come into existence?” and “What is its goal?” [the answer is as follows]: God says, “I did not create jinn and men except to serve Me"(Qur’an 51:56). Thus He made explicit why He brought us—and likewise the entire world—into existence, while He singled out us and the jinn for mention.» — Ibn al-Arabi responde al porqué de la creación con la sura 51: no creó a los genios y a los hombres sino para servirle; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«The People of Reflection, those who occupy themselves with speculation (nazar) and proofs restricted to the senses and to necessary and self-evident matters, maintain that the person for whom [a command] is prescribed must be intelligent so as to understand what is addressed to him, and they are correct. Such is the situation in our view also: The whole world is intelligent, living, and speaking25—in respect of the unveiling that breaks the customary views (kharq al-‘ada) of people; that is, in respect of the knowledge that we attain in this way. But the People of Reflection say, “This is an inanimate object (jamad)\ it has no intelligence.» — Ibn al-Arabi opone su posición a la de los Gentes de la Reflexión: para él el mundo entero es inteligente, viviente y hablante por el desvelamiento que rompe la costumbre, mientras ellos se detienen en lo que da la vista

«It is qualified neither by existence nor nonexistence, temporal origination nor eternity (al-qidam) .Ihis reality is eternal when the Eternal is described by it, but temporally originated when the temporally originated is described by it.» — Ibn al-Arabi define el segundo objeto de conocimiento, la Realidad Universal que pertenece a Dios y al mundo: ni existencia ni inexistencia, eterna o temporalmente originada según quién se describa por ella; el tramo empieza tras la llamada de nota que el troceo pega al cuerpo; capítulo 6

«If you want a likeness of this reality in order to understand it better, look upon the quality of being wood in a timber, a chair, an inkwell, a pulpit, and a coffin; or upon such tilings as rectangularity of shape, for example, in everything that is a rectangle, like a room, a cof» — Ibn al-Arabi ofrece dos semejanzas para entender la Realidad Universal: la calidad de madera en el maderamen, la silla, el tintero, el púlpito y el ataúd, y la rectangularidad en todo lo que es rectángulo; la capa de texto imprime *tilings* por *things* y el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón

«It is the same way with colors— [e.g.,] the whiteness of cloth, pearls, paper, flour, and fat.The whiteness understood from the cloth, without being characterized as being a piece of whiteness within the cloth—but rather, as the reality of whiteness—becomes manifest in the cloth just as it becomes manifest in paper. The same holds true for knowledge, power, will, hearing, and sight, and for each and every thing.» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende la semejanza al color: la blancura de la tela, la perla, el papel, la harina y la grasa se manifiesta en cada una sin ser una porción de blancura, y lo mismo vale para el conocimiento, el poder, la voluntad, el oído y la vista

«God made the world, in the present world, a mixture: He mixed the two handfuls into dough, then He differentiated individuals from it. Hence something of the one entered into the other— from each handful into its sister—and the situation became con» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la creación como mezcla de dos puñados amasados juntos y luego diferenciados en individuos; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón; capítulo 6

«The goal in all this is deliverance (takhlis) from this mixture and the separation of the two handfuls, so that each may be isolated in its own world, just as God says: “[And the infidels will be mustered into Gehenna], that God may separate the corrupt from the good, and place the corrupt one upon another, and so heap them up altogether, and put them in Gehenna» — Ibn al-Arabi da por fin de la mezcla la liberación y la separación de los dos puñados, apoyándose en la sura 8

«So He brought the world into existence to make manifest the authority (sultan) of the Names, since power without an object, generosity without bestowal, a provider without one provided for, a helper without someone helped, and a possessor of compassion without an object of compassion would be realities whose effects are nullified» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva la existencia del mundo de la necesidad de manifestar la autoridad de los Nombres: sin objeto, poder, generosidad y compasión quedarían sin efecto

«This comes to us from unveiling, not from a deduction (istinbat) based upon considering what is demanded by the outward meaning of a hadith, nor from anything else.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara la procedencia de lo que acaba de decir: desvelamiento, no deducción a partir del sentido externo de un hadiz

«The worlds are four: the highest world, which is the world of subsistence (al-baqa’)\ then the world of transmutation (al-istibdla), which is the world of annihilation (al-fand), then the world of inhabitation (al-tci'mir), which is the world of subsistence and annihilation; then the world of relations (al-nisab). These worlds are in two locations (mawtinayn): in the Greater World, which is everything outside man, and the Smaller World, which is man.» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera los cuatro mundos —subsistencia, transmutación, habitación y relaciones— y los sitúa en dos lugares, el Mundo Mayor y el hombre

«And these two [handfuls] are two realities that go back to Attributes that God possesses in His Essence.This is why we say that the People of the Fire see Him as Chastiser and the People of the Garden as Bliss-giver.» — Ibn al-Arabi remonta los dos puñados a Atributos que Dios posee en su Esencia, y de ahí que la Gente del Fuego lo vea como Castigador y la del Jardín como Dador de bienaventuranza

«This is a noble mystery; perhaps you will come to understand it in the next abode during contemplation, God willing. But the Verifiers have already attained to it in this abode.» — Ibn al-Arabi aplaza ese misterio a la contemplación de la otra morada y acota que los Verificadores ya lo han alcanzado en esta

«As for our words in this chapter, “The knowledge of the spheres of the Greater World and the Smaller, i.e., man,” I mean by these spheres the realms ('awalim) of the world’s universal things, its kinds (ajnas), and its commanders (umara), those who exercise effects in other than themselves. I made these spheres correspond; the one is a transcription» — Ibn al-Arabi explica qué llama esferas —los reinos de las cosas universales del mundo, sus géneros y sus comandantes— y declara que hizo corresponder unas con otras como transcripción

«As for the World of Transmutation, some of it is the sphere (kura) of ether, whose spirit is heat and dryness; it is the sphere of fire. Its equivalent [in man] is yellow bile (al-safra), whose spirit is the digestive faculty (al-quwwat al-hadima). Of it is air, whose spirit is heat and wetness; its equivalent is blood, whose spirit is the attractive (jadbiba) faculty. Of it is water, whose spirit is cold and wetness; its equivalent is phlegm, whose spirit is the expulsive (dafi'a) faculty. Of it is earth (al-turdb), whose spirit is cold and dryness; its equivalent is black bile (al-sawdd), whose spirit is the retentive (masika) faculty.» — Ibn al-Arabi hace corresponder los cuatro elementos con los cuatro humores y sus facultades: fuego y bilis amarilla, aire y sangre, agua y flema, tierra y bilis negra

«As for the earth (al-ard), it has seven strata: black, brown, red, yellow, white, blue, and green.The equivalents of these seven in man are in his body: skin, fat, flesh, veins, nerves, muscles, and bones.» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera los siete estratos de la tierra por color y los hace corresponder con piel, grasa, carne, venas, nervios, músculos y huesos

«Then location (ayn), whose equivalent is that the neck is the place of the head,and the leg the place of die thigh. Then time (zaman), whose equivalent is “I moved my head when I put my hand into motion.” Then relation (idafa), whose equivalent is “This is my lather, so I am his son.” Then position (wad). whose equivalent is my language and accent. Then activity (anyafal), whose equivalent is “I ate.” Then passivity (anyanfa ‘il), whose equivalent is “I became sati» — Ibn al-Arabi recorre las categorías —lugar, tiempo, relación, posición, actividad, pasividad— dando para cada una su equivalente en el hombre; la capa de texto imprime *die* por *the* y *lather* por *father*

«The equivalent of this is that human faculty which receives forms related to blameworthy (niadbmfan) and praiseworthy (inahmud) meanings: this one is clever, so he is an elephant; that one is stupid, so he is a donkey; this one is brave, so he is a lion; that one is timid, so he is a cockroach. “And God speaks the trudi and guides on the way» — Ibn al-Arabi hace corresponder los animales con cualidades humanas —elefante y listeza, asno y necedad, león y valor, cucaracha y timidez— y cierra con la sura 33; la capa de texto imprime *trudi* por *truth*

«As for the Highest World, that is the Muhammadan Reality, whose sphere is Life. Its equivalent (nazir) in man is the subtle reality (al-latifa), the holy spirit (al-rub al-qudsi). Included within this world is the All-Encompassing Throne (al-arsh al-muhit). whose equivalent in man is the body. Of this world is the Footstool (alkursi), whose equivalent in man is the soul.» — Ibn al-Arabi abre la correspondencia del Mundo Más Alto: la Realidad Muhammadí cuya esfera es la Vida, con la realidad sutil y el espíritu santo en el hombre, el Trono con el cuerpo y el Escabel con el alma; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota que el troceo pega al cuerpo

«Of it are the angels, whose equivalents in man are the spirits and faculties within him. Of it are Saturn and its sphere, whose equivalent in man are the cognitive faculty» — Ibn al-Arabi sigue la correspondencia con los ángeles y las facultades, y con Saturno y la facultad cognitiva

«Of it are Jupiter and its sphere, whose equivalents are the faculty of memory (al-quwwat al-dbakira) and the back of the brain. Of it are Mars and its sphere, whose equivalents are the intellective faculty (al-quwwat al-‘aqila) and the crown of the head. Of it are the sun and its sphere, whose equivalents are the reflective faculty» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte los primeros astros: Júpiter y la memoria con la parte posterior del cerebro, Marte y la facultad intelectiva con la coronilla, el sol y la reflexiva con el centro del cerebro

«Then Venus and its sphere, whose equivalents are the estimative faculty (al-quwwat al-wabmiyya) and the animal spirit; then Mercury and its sphere, whose equivalents are the imaginal faculty (al-quwwat al-kbaydliyya) and the front of the brain; then the moon and its sphere, whose equivalents are the sensory faculty (al-quwwat al-bissiyya) and the organs (al-jawarib) that possess sensation.These then are the strata (tabaqcit) of the Highest World and their equivalents in man.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la serie: Venus y la facultad estimativa con el espíritu animal, Mercurio y la imaginativa con la parte frontal del cerebro, la luna y la sensorial con los órganos del sentido

«The Crown of the King is the sign of the king, while the “crowning” (tatwij)5A of the royal document is the sultan’s signature upon it.» — Ibn al-Arabi responde a la pregunta 108 de Tirmidhi: la corona es el signo del rey y el coronamiento del documento real es la firma del sultán; capítulo 73

«In conclusion, since he is the locus of theophany (inajla) for the Divine Names, it is correct to say that he is for this writing like a crown, since he is the noblest adornment through which it is adorned. Through the “crowning” the effects of a king’s commands become manifest in the kingdom; in the same way, through the Perfect Man the Divine Judgment (alhukin al-ilabt) concerning reward and punishment in the world becomes manifest. Through him the order (al-nizam [i.e., of the universe]) is established and overthrown; in him God decrees, determines, and judges.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la respuesta: por ser lugar de teofanía de los Nombres, el Hombre Perfecto es corona de esa escritura, y por él se establece y se derriba el orden del universo

«The“face”of a thing is its essence (dbdt) and reality (baqiqa). So the “Glories of the Face” are Lights pertaining to the Essence (anwdr dhatiyya)\ between us and them are the veils (hujub)—the Divine Names. That is why He says, “Everything is perishing except His Face”(Qur’an 28:88), in one of the interpretations of this “face.”» — Ibn al-Arabi responde a la pregunta 115: el rostro de una cosa es su esencia, las Glorias del Rostro son Luces de la Esencia y los velos entre ellas y nosotros son los Nombres Divinos, con la sura 28 por apoyo

«Generally speaking, these Glories are the lights of the profession of God’s Incomparability7 (anwar al-tanzih), which is the negation (salb) from Him of everything that is not worthy of Him, i.e., all properties pertaining to nonexistence (ahkam ‘adamiyya), since in reality it is nonexistence that is unworthy of the Essence.» — Ibn al-Arabi define esas Glorias como luces de la profesión de Incomparabilidad, que niega de Dios lo que no le conviene, es decir lo que pertenece a la inexistencia

«Here bewilderment (hayrd) sets in, since He is Being Itself, so He is not declared incomparable with any ontological thing (amr wujudi). For this reason the Divine Names are relations45—if you understand—relations that have been occasioned (ibdath) by the entities of the possible things because of the states that the tilings have acquired (iktisab) from the Essence, since every state (hal) pronounces a Name which it denotes in respect to itself, either by negation (salb) or affirmation (ithbat) or by both together.» — Ibn al-Arabi sitúa aquí el desconcierto —porque Dios es el Ser mismo y no cabe declararlo incomparable con nada ontológico— y de ahí hace de los Nombres relaciones ocasionadas por las entidades de las cosas posibles; la capa de texto imprime *tilings*

«For if the Divine Names were to be taken away, the veils would be lifted; and if the veils—which are the Names—were to be lifted, the Unity (ahadiyya) of the Essence would become manifest. Because of Its Unity, no entity would remain qualified by existence. Hence Unity' would erase the existence of the entities of the possible things, and they would cease being described by existence, since they only become qualified by existence through the Names.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva la consecuencia: levantados los velos que son los Nombres, la Unidad de la Esencia borraría la existencia de las entidades posibles

«Hence the entities of the possible things gain no knowledge of God except in respect of the Names, whether by intellect or unveiling.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que las entidades posibles no conocen a Dios sino por los Nombres, ni por intelecto ni por desvelamiento

«The beauty of His Making (sun) permeates His creation, while the world is His loci of manifestation (mazahir). So the love of the different parts of the world for each other derives from God’s love for Himself.This is because love is an attribute of the existent thing (al-mawjud), and there is nothing in existence except God.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva el amor entre las partes del mundo del amor de Dios por sí mismo, porque el amor es atributo de lo existente y nada existe salvo Dios

«Majesty (jalal) and Beauty (jamal) are intrinsic Attributes of God in His own Self and in His Making, while awe (baybaf which is an effect of Beauty, and intimacy (uns), which is an effect of Majesty, are two attributes of created things, not of the Creator» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue Majestad y Belleza como atributos intrínsecos de Dios del temor reverente y la intimidad, que son atributos de lo creado

«Hence there is no lover and no beloved except God, so there is nothing in existence except the Divine Presence (al-badrat al-ilabiyya), which is His Essence, His Attributes, and His Acts.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra que no hay amante ni amado sino Dios, y que nada existe salvo la Presencia Divina: su Esencia, sus Atributos y sus Actos

«Those who know God come to know concerning Him through His Knowledge of His own Essence that which intellects cannot know in respect of their own sound reflections.This is the knowledge about which the Tribe55 says that it lies beyond the stage of the intellect» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica a los conocedores de Dios un saber que los intelectos no alcanzan por su propia reflexión, y lo nombra con la fórmula de la Tribu: más allá del estadio del intelecto

«God says concerning His servant Khidr, “We taught him a knowledge from us” (Qur’an 18:64); and He says, “[He created man] and taught him the explanation” (Quf an 55:4); so He attributed the teaching to Himself, not to reflection (al-fikr). Hence we know that there is a station beyond reflection that bestows upon the servant knowledge of various things.» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya esa estación más allá de la reflexión en las suras 18 y 55, donde Dios se atribuye a sí mismo la enseñanza

«The Prophet said, “There is a knowledge that has the guise of the Hidden [hay’at al-maknun]; none knows it but those who have knowledge of God. When they speak of it, none denies it but those who are deluded about God”51 Such is the situation, yet this is a knowledge that can be spoken about. So what do you think about their knowledge that cannot be spoken about? For not every knowledge can be expressed. These kinds of knowledge [that cannot be expressed] are all sciences of Tastings» — Ibn al-Arabi cita el hadiz del conocimiento con figura de lo Oculto y acota que hay saberes que ni siquiera pueden decirse: las ciencias de los Gustos

«So there is none more knowledgeable than the intellect, and none more ignorant, for the intellect never ceases acquiring (mustafid). Hence it is the knowing one whose knowledge is not known and the ignorant one whose ignorance has no end.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra con la paradoja del intelecto: el más sabio y el más ignorante, porque nunca deja de adquirir

«Existence is “an inscribed writing, witnessed by those» — Ibn al-Arabi lee la existencia como escritura inscrita con la sura 83; el tramo se corta en el reemitido del marcador de plana en el corte de chunk

«The “crowning” of this writing can only take place through him who gathers together all realities, which are the mark (‘alama) of Him who gave him existence. Hence, the Perfect Man—who denotes his Lord by his very essence in an a priori manner (min awival al-badiha)—and only the Perfect Man, is the Crown of the King.» — Ibn al-Arabi hace del Hombre Perfecto la corona de esa escritura por reunir todas las realidades, que son la marca de quien le dio existencia

«The Divine Perfection (al-kamcll al-ilahi) does not become manifest except in composite things (al-murakkab), since they comprise the noncomposite things (al-basit), while the noncomposite do not comp» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que la Perfección Divina solo se manifiesta en lo compuesto, porque lo compuesto comprende lo simple y no al revés; el tramo se corta a media palabra y antes de la llamada de nota

«So the Perfect Man is the “first” in intention, the “last” in actuality, the “manifest” through the letter, and the “non» — Ibn al-Arabi da los cuatro nombres del Hombre Perfecto tomados de la sura 57: primero en intención, último en acto, manifiesto por la letra y no manifiesto en sentido; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«No other creature possesses that, and this explains why he was singled out for the knowledge of all the Names and the All-Comprehensive Words» — Ibn al-Arabi declara exclusivo del Hombre Perfecto el conocimiento de todos los Nombres y de las Palabras Omnicomprensivas; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«There is no level (martaba) of creature above man except that of the angels, and they were his students when he taught them the Names» — Ibn al-Arabi sitúa a los ángeles como único nivel por encima del hombre y a la vez como sus alumnos cuando les enseñó los Nombres; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«This does not mean that he is better (kbayr) than the angels, but it does mean that his plane (nasb’a) is more perfect (akmal) than theirs.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la comparación: no dice que el hombre sea mejor que los ángeles, sino que su plano es más perfecto

«One kind is totally lights; these are the Names that denote ontological things. Another kind is totally darkness (zulam)\ these are the Names that denote Incomparability» — Ibn al-Arabi divide los Nombres en los que son toda luz, que denotan cosas ontológicas, y los que son toda tiniebla, que denotan Incomparabilidad

«The Prophet said, “God has seventy"—or “seventy thousand"—“veils of light and darkness; were they to be removed, the Glories of His Face would incinerate everything perceived by the creatures» — Ibn al-Arabi cita el hadiz de los setenta o setenta mil velos de luz y tiniebla cuya remoción incineraría todo lo que perciben los ojos de las criaturas

«Answer: Yrom His theophany in His Name the Beautiful. The Prophet said, “God is beautiful and He loves beauty"; this is an established hadith» — Ibn al-Arabi responde a la pregunta 118 remitiendo a la teofanía en el Nombre el Bello y al hadiz de que Dios es bello y ama la belleza; la capa de texto imprime *Yrom* por *From* y el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«So He described Himself as loving beauty, and He loves the world/0 so there is no thing more beautiful than the world. And He is beautiful, while beauty is intrinsically lovable; hence all the world loves God.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva que nada sea más bello que el mundo y que todo el mundo ame a Dios, porque la belleza es intrínsecamente amable; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón

«Know that the entire affair (al-amr) is God (al-haqq) and creation (al-khalq). It is Sheer Being (al-wujud al-mahd) without beginning and end, sheer possibility (al-imkan al-mahd) without beginning and end, and sheer nonexistence (al- ‘adam al-mahd) without beginning and end. Sheer Being never receives (qabul) nonexistence for all eternity, sheer nonexistence never receives existence for all eternity, and sheer possibility receives existence for a reason (sabab) and nonexistence for a reason for all eternity. Sheer Being is God (Allah), nothing else; sheer nonexistence is that whose existence is impossible (almuhcll al-wujud), nothing else; and sheer possibility is the world, nothing else.» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte lo real en tres: Ser Puro que nunca recibe inexistencia, inexistencia pura que nunca recibe existencia y posibilidad pura que recibe una y otra por causa; y los identifica con Dios, lo imposible y el mundo; capítulo 198

«So the world is both carrier (hamil) and carried (mahmul).Ks carrier, it is form (sura), body (jism), and active (fa‘il)\ as carried it is meaning (ma'na), spirit (rub), and passive (munfa» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte el mundo en portador y portado: forma, cuerpo y activo por un lado, sentido, espíritu y pasivo por el otro; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«There is no form sensory (mahsus), imaginal (khayali), or spiritual (ma'nawt)*0 that is not shaped (taswiya) and balanced (ta‘dil)6x by God in a manner appropriate to it and to its station and its state; and this takes place before composition (tarkib), i.e., its combination (ijtima) with what it carries.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que toda forma, sensorial, imaginal o espiritual, es conformada y equilibrada por Dios según su estación y su estado, antes de la composición

«So when the Lord shapes it as He desires through word, hand, two hands, or hands62—and there is nothing more than these four, since existence stands upon quaternity (tarbi'Jr—and He balances it, which is to give it the readiness (tabayyu) and preparedness (isti'dad) for composition and carrying (haml), it is delivered over to the All-Merciful.» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera los cuatro modos de conformación —palabra, mano, dos manos, manos— y funda el número en que la existencia se sostiene sobre la cuaternidad

«If the form is engendered from a spiritual (ma'nawt) movement, an active faculty, and an attentiveness (tawajjub) of the Breath, it is called Universal Body,Throne, Footstool, and sphere— the sphere of the constellations (burj) and the sphere of the mansions (manazil). The All-Merciful turns the attentiveness of His Breath toward these forms; those of them that receive ignition are called stars and are like the pupils (badaq) in a man’s face; those which do not receive ignition are called spheres.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la forma engendrada de un movimiento espiritual y compara las estrellas con las pupilas en el rostro de un hombre

«If the form is intellective Caqliyya), it arises inherently (inbi'dib dbati) from a disengaged intellect (‘aql mujarrad) and seeks through its preparedness that which the attentiveness of the All-Merciful will make it carry through His Breath when the Lord shapes it. That of it which ignites is called a light of knowledge (nur ‘ilm), that which moves but does not ignite is called a work Carnal), and the essence that carries these two faculties68 is called a soul (nafs).» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue en la forma intelectiva la luz del conocimiento, la obra y el alma que porta las dos facultades

«If the form is divine, it must be either all-comprehensive (jami'a), i.e., the form of man, or not all-comprehensive, i.e., the form of the Intellect. So when the Lord shapes the intellective form with His Command or gives form (taswir) to the human form with His two hands, the All-Merciful turns His attentiveness toward the two through His Breath and breathes into them a spirit from His Command.» — Ibn al-Arabi divide la forma divina en omnicomprensiva, que es la del hombre, y no omnicomprensiva, que es la del Intelecto

«As for the form of the Intellect, through that breathing it is made to carry all the knowledge (‘ulum) of engendered existence until the Day of Resurrection. He makes it the root of the existence of the world and bestows upon it primacy (awwaliyya) in possible existence» — Ibn al-Arabi hace del Intelecto el portador de todo el conocimiento de la existencia engendrada hasta la Resurrección y la raíz de la existencia del mundo

«Through the Breath the whole world is breathed (mutanaffas), the Breath making it manifest. The Breath is nonmanifest (batin) in God and manifest (zahir) in creation. So the nonmanifest of God is the manifest of creation, and the nonmanifest of creation is the manifest of God.» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia el quiasmo del Aliento: lo no manifiesto de Dios es lo manifiesto de la creación y lo no manifiesto de la creación es lo manifiesto de Dios

«So God belongs to Sheer Being and creation to sheer possibility. When something of the world becomes nonexistent and its form disappears, it pertains to the side of nonexistence; when something subsists and cannot become nonexistent, it pertains to the side of existence.» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte Dios y creación entre Ser Puro y posibilidad pura, y decide el lado de cada cosa por si su forma desaparece o subsiste

«These two affairs (amran [i.e., existence and nonexistence]) continue to display their properties in the world forever. Hence creation is renewed at every breath,72 in this world and the next. The Breath of the All-Merciful is forever turning its attentiveness, and nature is forever undergoing generation as the forms of tills Breath, so that the Divine Command may never be rendered ineffectual, since ineffectuality» — Ibn al-Arabi declara la renovación de la creación a cada aliento, en este mundo y en el otro, para que el Mandato Divino nunca quede sin efecto; la capa de texto imprime *tills* por *this*

«Of everything that we have mentioned, that which is adjacent (ma waliya) to Sheer Being is light and spirit; and of everything that we have mentioned, that which is adjacent to sheer nonexistence is darkness and body. Through the combined totality (al-majnuT) a form is engendered.» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte lo adyacente al Ser Puro —luz y espíritu— y lo adyacente a la inexistencia pura —tiniebla y cuerpo—, y hace nacer la forma de la totalidad de ambos; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Know that this reliance (Ttimad) cannot be possessed by someone who has not received his knowledge by a divine instruc» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona el apoyo en el mundo a haber recibido el conocimiento por instrucción divina; el tramo se corta a media palabra; capítulo 198, sección 46

«We refer to the “world” (al-‘alam) by this word only to show that it has been made a “mark” (‘alama). It has been established that Being is God Himself (‘ayn al-baqq) and that the constant variation (tanawwu) in the forms manifested within it is a mark of the properties of the immutable entities of the possible things (a‘yan al-mumkinat al-tbabita). It follows that those forms that are manifest through their properties within God Himself—like writing manifested on a parchment—are named the “world.”» — Ibn al-Arabi explica el nombre del mundo por la palabra marca, y describe las formas manifiestas en Dios como escritura sobre un pergamino

«Though the forms display variation, they have no effect upon the Self (al-ayn) manifest within them, just as substance (jawbar) does not cease being substance because of the states and accidents that become manifest through it; for what becomes manifest is the property of the hidden meaning (al-ma‘na al-mabtun) that has no existence save through the property in the eye of the beholder (ft ‘ayn nazir). So its properties are neither existent nor nonexistent, even though they are immutable.» — Ibn al-Arabi niega que la variación de las formas afecte al Sí mismo manifiesto en ellas, como los accidentes no quitan a la sustancia su ser sustancia

«So the perfect one among the Folk of Allah undergoes variation because of the variation of the “tasks,” for God does not become manifest in existence except in the form of the tasks. The reliance of this person is a divine reliance; in other words, he is qualified by it through God’s attribute of acting as a receptacle for the tasks through which the world becomes manifest.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe al perfecto entre la Gente de Allah como quien varía con la variación de las tareas divinas y sirve de receptáculo de ellas

«He who relies upon the world in this respect has relied upon something sound and unchanging. In reality, only it can be relied upon in this respect, for God is “each day upon some task” (Qur’an 55:29),75 so one does not know what this task is. One cannot rely upon something that is not known in itself.» — Ibn al-Arabi funda el apoyo en el mundo en que solo él es marca constante, ya que la tarea divina de cada día, según la sura 55, no se conoce

«If the form is passive toward a celestial (falaki) movement, it is called a pillar (rukn), of which there are four levels» — Ibn al-Arabi llama pilar a la forma pasiva ante un movimiento celeste y le da cuatro niveles; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«The passivity of these pillars produces a shaped and balanced form called heaven (sama1), which has seven strata (tabaqat). So the All-Merciful turns His Breath toward these forms and they come alive through a life not perceived by the senses, though not denied by faith (iman) or the soul; hence they do not receive ignition.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe cómo el Todomisericordioso vuelve su Aliento hacia los cielos y estos viven con una vida que los sentidos no perciben y la fe no niega

«Each place (mawdi) within the heavens that accepts ignition is called a star (najm). So the stars become manifest and their spheres come into movement through them. Hence [heaven] is like the animals in that of it which ignites, and like the plants in that of it which moves.» — Ibn al-Arabi llama estrella a cada lugar del cielo que acepta ignición, y compara al cielo con los animales en lo que arde y con las plantas en lo que se mueve

«I see the ladder of the Names, rising and falling, through it blowing a wind from south and north. I wonder—how to reach safety? For blindness is the brother of guidance and affairs are not separate.» — el poema del capítulo 558 abre con la escalera de los Nombres y declara la ceguera hermana de la guía; capítulo 558

«So our entities are His Names, they are nothing other, for in His own Self he decrees and differentiates affairs.» — el poema cierra identificando nuestras entidades con los Nombres de Dios, que en su propio Sí mismo decreta y diferencia los asuntos

«God says, “To God belong the Most Beautiful Names” (Qur’an 7:180). These are none other than the Divine Presences (alhadarat al-ildhiyya) that are sought and entified by the properties of t» — Ibn al-Arabi identifica los Nombres Más Bellos de la sura 7 con las Presencias Divinas; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«The Acts derive from the Attributes. No doubt the Acts are Names, but some of the Names He ascribes (itlaq) to Himself, while others He does not ascribe, though they have come in words [indicating] Acts, such as, “[They deceived] and God deceived» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva los Actos de los Atributos y distingue los Nombres que Dios se adscribe de los que no, aunque hayan venido en palabras de Acto

«As for prohibition (tahjir) and lack of it in the ascription [of Names] to Him, that depends on God. Hence, if He has restricted Himself to certain words in ascription, we also restrict ourselves, since we only name Him by what He has named Himself. Those Names which are forbidden, we forbid, out of courtesy (adab) toward God» — Ibn al-Arabi pone la regla de la nominación: solo se nombra a Dios con lo que Él se ha nombrado, y lo prohibido se prohíbe por cortesía

«Hence in this chapter we will mention, Presence by Presence, the Divine Presences that God has alluded to as the Most Beautiful Names. We will restrict ourselves to one hundred Presences. Then we will follow that with sections, each of which will refer back to this chapter. Among the Presences is» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el plan del capítulo: recorrer Presencia por Presencia las Presencias Divinas aludidas como Nombres Más Bellos, limitándose a cien

«He alone possesses a Name not shared by any other: that is the speaker’s word, “Allah.” This is the Presence that comprehends (jami) all Presences. Hence no worshipper of God worships anything but this Presence.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el Nombre Allah no compartido y su Presencia comprensiva de todas, de modo que ningún adorador adora otra cosa

«You should know that since the power (quwwa) of the Name Allah contains, according to the original coinage (al-wad‘ alawwal), every Divine Name, or rather, every Name having an effect (athar) within engendered existence, it takes, on behalf of what it names, the place of every Name of God» — Ibn al-Arabi funda en la acuñación original la capacidad del Nombre Allah de ocupar el lugar de todo otro Nombre

«So when someone says, “Oh Allah," look at the state which incited him to make this call and consider which Divine Name is specifically connected to that state. That specific Name (al-ism al-kbass) is what the caller is calling with his words, “Oh Allah.”» — Ibn al-Arabi indica cómo leer una invocación: mirar el estado que incitó a llamar y ver qué Nombre específico está conectado con él; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«As for the fact that the Name Allah includes the Names of Incomparability, the source for this is near at hand: though every Divine Name is the same in respect of denoting the Essence of God, nevertheless, since every Name other than Allah while denoting the Essence of God also denotes—because of its derivation (isbtiqaq) [from a specific root having a specific meaning)—a meaning of negation (salb) or affirmation (ithbdt), it cannot be as strong as this Name in the unity of its denotation» — Ibn al-Arabi explica por qué ningún otro Nombre iguala a Allah: todos denotan además, por su derivación, un sentido de negación o afirmación

«It is true that in the Qur’an God says to the Prophet, commanding him, “Say.‘Call upon Allah or call upon the All-Merciful; whichever you call upon, to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names’” (Qur’an 17:110), but the pronoun “Him” refers back to Him who is called upon, since He who is originally named, outside of derivation, is but One Self» — Ibn al-Arabi resuelve la objeción tomada de la sura 17 señalando que el pronombre remite a quien es llamado, que fuera de derivación es un solo Sí mismo

«We do not have any pure proper name for the Essence except the Name Allah, since the Name Allah denotes the Essence by exact congruence (bi hukm mutabaqa), in the same way that proper names denote the objects they name.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que Allah es el único nombre propio puro de la Esencia, porque la denota por congruencia exacta como los nombres propios a lo que nombran

«So this Presence contains all the Presences. He who knows Allah knows all tilings. But he does not know Allah who does not know one thing, whatever named possible tiling it might be, since the property of one of these tilings is the property of them all in denoting knowledge of God» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la reciprocidad: quien conoce a Allah conoce todas las cosas, y quien no conoce una cosa no conoce a Allah; la capa de texto imprime *tilings* y *tiling*

«Then when you receive unveiling (kasbf) in respect to works set down in the Law (al-amal al-mashru), you will see that you did not know Him except through Him.The denotation (dalil) is identical to what is denoted through that denotation and denoter.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara lo que el desvelamiento muestra sobre las obras prescritas: que no se lo conoció sino por Él, y que el indicio es idéntico a lo indicado

«Though this Presence comprehends all realities, the states which pertain to it most specifically are bewilderment (hayra), worship (‘ibada), and the profession of Incomparability (tanzih). As for Incomparability, which is the fact that He stands high above similarity (tasbabbub) with His creatures, it leads to bewilderment in Him and also to worship.» — Ibn al-Arabi nombra los tres estados propios de esa Presencia —desconcierto, adoración y profesión de Incomparabilidad— y deriva los dos primeros del tercero

«God gave us the power of reflection (quwwat al-fikr) so that we might speculate (nazar)ss> upon what we know of ourselves and of Him. The property of this power demands that there be no likeness (mumatbala) between us and Him in any respect, except specifically our dependence (istinad) upon Him for the bestowal of existence upon our entities.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara para qué se nos dio la facultad de reflexión y a qué conclusión obliga: ninguna semejanza con Dios salvo nuestra dependencia de Él para recibir existencia

«The most that the profession of Incomparability gives is the affirmation of relations (nisab) that He possesses toward us, because of what the concomitants of our entities’ existence demands.These relations are called Attributes.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota el alcance de la profesión de Incomparabilidad: afirma relaciones que Dios tiene hacia nosotros, y a esas relaciones se las llama Atributos

«If I say that they are not He, that they have no existence, and that they are only relations, while relations are nonexistent things (umur ‘adamiyya), then we would have given nonexistence an effect within existence, while the relations are multiple because of the multiplicity of the properties bestowed by the entities of the possible things.» — Ibn al-Arabi recorre la segunda salida del dilema y muestra su costo: haber dado a la inexistencia un efecto dentro de la existencia

«Since the intellect is incapable of reaching knowledge of any of these matters, we return to the Law (al-sbar), but we only accept it through the intellect. The Law is a branch (far) of a root (asl) that we know through the Lawgiver (sbari). But through which attribute has the existence of the Law reached us, when we are incapable of knowing the root? So we are even more incapable of [knowing] and affirming the branch.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara incapaz al intelecto y vuelve a la Ley, pero acota la circularidad: la Ley es rama de una raíz que no se conoce

«There are Names which denote the affirmation of the entities of the Attributes, though the Essence of God does not allow that numbers should subsist (qiyam al-'adad)?' These are the Names that make known (i‘ta’) the entities of the affirmative Attributes of the Essence (a‘yan al-sifat al-thubutiyyat al-dhcltiyya), such as the Knower, the Powerful, the Willing, the Hearing, the Seeing, the Living, the Responder, and the Thankful» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera los Nombres que dan las entidades de los Atributos afirmativos de la Esencia; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón

«the Names that make known descriptions (nu'ut)™ so that nothing is understood from their ascription except relations (nisab) and correlations (idafat), like the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Nonmanifest; and the Names that make known Acts, such as Creator, Provider, Author, Shaper» — Ibn al-Arabi completa la clasificación con los Nombres que dan descripciones, entendidas solo como relaciones —Primero y Último, Manifiesto y No manifiesto—, y los que dan Actos

«then if this position is correct and known, what is the proof (dalil) that can have led us to it? If it is not correct, how can we know that it is not correct?» — Ibn al-Arabi la lleva al absurdo: si esa posición es correcta, con qué prueba se llegó a ella, y si no lo es, cómo saberlo; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón

«If we say that nothing has any reality, that things are illu» — Ibn al-Arabi abre la tercera salida del dilema: decir que nada tiene realidad y que las cosas son ilusiones; el tramo se corta a media palabra en el reemitido del marcador de plana

«and that no one can trust any of them, whether [they are known] by way of sense perception or rational reflection—then if this position is correct and known, what is the proof (dalil) that can have led us to it? If it is not correct, how can we know that it is not correct?» — Ibn al-Arabi lleva al absurdo esa posición: si es correcta y sabida, qué prueba llevó a ella, y si no lo es, cómo saberlo; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque viene cortado por el límite de chunk

«As for worship: In respect of its being directed at the Essence it is nothing but the possible thing’s poverty (iftiqar) toward Him who gives preponderance (al-murajjib [i.e., to existence over nonexistence]). I mean by worship only prescription (taklif)\ no one can have prescriptions made for him unless he has power over the acts that are prescribed for him and over the prohibited things from which he must hold himself back.» — Ibn al-Arabi define la adoración como la pobreza de lo posible ante quien da preponderancia, y aclara que por adoración entiende prescripción: solo se prescribe a quien tiene poder sobre lo prescrito; capítulo 558

«In one respect, we negate acts from created things and give them back to Him who has made the prescriptions; but a thing cannot prescribe for itself, so there must be a locus that receives the address (kbitab) for it to be correct. In another respect we affirm acts for created things because of what the wisdom in prescription demands. But negation stands opposed to affirmation, so this view throws us into bewilderment, as did the profession of Incomparability.» — Ibn al-Arabi muestra la contradicción entre negar y afirmar actos a lo creado, y declara que la vista arroja al desconcierto igual que la profesión de Incomparabilidad

«When one of them was faced in his inmost consciousness. (sirr) with all these conflicting properties, he used to say, “Oh bewilderment! Oh confusion! Oh conflagration that cannot be fathomed!” This property does not belong to any Presence but the Presence of the Name Allah.» — Ibn al-Arabi cita el grito de uno de ellos ante las propiedades en conflicto y declara esa propiedad exclusiva de la Presencia del Nombre Allah

«So rational speculation leads to bewilderment and theophany leads to bewilderment. There is nothing but a bewildered one. There is nothing exercising properties but bewilderment. There is nothing but Allah.» — Ibn al-Arabi hace converger especulación racional y teofanía en el mismo desconcierto y cierra el capítulo con la identidad entre desconcierto y Allah

«Know—may God support us!—that God has a viceregent (khalifa) who will come forth when the earth has become filled with injustice and oppression, and will then fill it with justice and equity. Even if there were only one day left for this world, God would lengthen it so that he [i.e., the Mahdi] could rule» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la venida del vicegerente que llenará de justicia la tierra colmada de injusticia, y declara que Dios alargaría el último día del mundo para que gobernase; capítulo 366

«He will wipe out injustice and its people and uphold Religion (al-Dtn), and he will breathe the spirit back into Islam. He will reinvigorate Islam after its degradation and bring it back to life after its death.» — Ibn al-Arabi atribuye al Mahdi devolver el espíritu al islam y revivirlo tras su degradación

«He will manifest Religion as it [really] is in Itself, the Religion by which the Messenger of God would judge and rule if he were there. He will eliminate the different schools [of religious law] so that only the Pure Religion» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que el Mahdi manifestará la Religión tal como es en sí y eliminará las escuelas de derecho hasta que quede solo la Religión Pura de la sura 39

«and his enemies will be those who follow blindly the (ulamd>, the people of ijtihad? because they will see the Mahdi judging differently from the way followed by their imams [i.e., the historical founders of the schools of Islamic law]. So they will only accept the Mahdi’s authority grudgingly and against their will, because of their fear of his sword» — Ibn al-Arabi nombra a los enemigos del Mahdi: quienes siguen ciegamente a los ulemas y a la gente del *ijtihad*, porque lo verán juzgar de otro modo que sus imames

«God will appoint as His ministers a group [of spiritual men] whom He has kept hidden for him in the secret recesses of His Unseen [i.e., the spiritual world]. God has acquainted [these Helpers], through unveiling and immediate witnessing, with the [Divine] Realities and the contents of God’s Command concerning His servants.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe a los Ayudantes como un grupo que Dios mantuvo oculto y al que dio a conocer, por desvelamiento y testimonio inmediato, las Realidades y el contenido del Mandato divino

«So the Mahdi makes his decisions and judgments on the basis of consultation with them, since they are the true Knowers, who really know what is There» — Ibn al-Arabi subordina las decisiones del Mahdi a la consulta con sus Ayudantes, por ser ellos los verdaderos Conocedores

«As for the Mahdi himself, he has a sword [in the service of the] Truth and a [divinely inspired] political policy (siyasa), [since] he knows from God the exact extent of what is required by his rank and station; for he is a rightly guided Viceregent [of God], one who understands the language of animals, whose justice extends to both men and jinn.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe al Mahdi con espada y política inspirada, conocedor del alcance de su rango, que entiende la lengua de los animales y cuya justicia llega a hombres y genios

«These Helpers are from the nonArab peoples; none of them is Arab, although they speak only Arabic. And they have a guardian, not of their kind, who never disobeys God at all» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que los Ayudantes no son árabes aunque solo hablan árabe, y les da un guardián de otra especie que nunca desobedece a Dios; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón

«But as for the Seal of Muhammadan Sainthood, of all the creatures he is the one who knows God best: there is no one in his own time nor after his time who better knows God and the details of His Judgment (mawaqV al-hukm minhu).'6 For he and the Qur'an are brothers,17 just as the Mahdi and the sword are brothers.» — Ibn al-Arabi pone al Sello de la Santidad Muhammadí por encima en conocimiento de Dios y lo hace hermano del Corán, como el Mahdi lo es de la espada

«You should know that I am uncertain about the length of this Mahdi's rule, because as far as this world is concerned I have not sought God’s verification of that, nor have I asked Him to specify that or any other temporal happening among the engendered realities [of this world]—except for whatever God happens to teach me spontaneously, without my seeking it.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara no saber cuánto durará el gobierno del Mahdi y por qué: no pidió a Dios verificación de nada temporal, salvo lo que Él enseñe espontáneamente

«So his Helpers are the guides (al-hudat), while he is the rightly guided one (al-mahdi). And this is the extent of what the Mahdi attains of the knowledge of God, with the aid of his Helpers.» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue a los Ayudantes, que son los guías, del Mahdi, que es el bien guiado, y acota hasta dónde llega con su ayuda su conocimiento de Dios

«Now since the rightly guided Imam (Mahdi)'5 knows this [i.e., the victorious divine support flowing from the sincerity of perfect» — Ibn al-Arabi parte de que el Imam bien guiado conoce el apoyo divino que sigue a la sinceridad de la fe perfecta; el tramo se corta en el reemitido del marcador de plana, en el corte de chunk

«he acts accordingly and is the most truly sincere of the people of his time. So his Helpers are the guides (al-hudat), while he is the rightly guided one (al-mahdi). And this is the extent of what the Mahdi attains of the knowledge of God, with the aid of his Helpers.» — Ibn al-Arabi hace del Mahdi el más sincero de su tiempo, llama guías a sus Ayudantes y bien guiado a él, y acota hasta dónde llega con su ayuda su conocimiento de Dios; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque viene cortado por el límite de chunk

«For I am afraid that during the time when I am asking God to inform me about some engendered or temporal thing I will miss out on some portion of my awareness of Him. So instead I have surrendered my affair to God in His kingdom (mulk, i.e., in this world), letting Him do with me as He pleases.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la razón de su abstención: preguntar por lo temporal le haría perder parte de su conciencia de Dios, así que entrega su asunto a Dios en su reino

«But I was ashamed to do that, and afraid that [my lower, bodily] nature would rob me [of my knowledge of God] if I were to associate with them while they were in that state.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara su vergüenza ante esa búsqueda y su temor de que la naturaleza corporal lo robara de su conocimiento de Dios si se juntaba con ellos en ese estado

«Now I do know what [spiritual qualities] are needed by the Mahdi’s Helper. So if there is only one Helper, then everything he needs is united in that one person, and if they are more than one, then there are not more than nine of them, since that was the limit of the uncertainty the Messenger of God expressed in his saying concerning the rule of the Mahdi, that it was “for five, seven, or nine years» — Ibn al-Arabi limita en nueve el número de Ayudantes, y funda el límite en la incertidumbre del Mensajero sobre la duración del gobierno del Mahdi

«And the totality of what he needs to have performed for him by his Helpers are nine things; there is not a tenth, nor can they be any fewer» — Ibn al-Arabi fija en nueve las cosas que los Ayudantes han de realizar para el Mahdi, sin décima ni menos

«So when I asked [God] that question [about the apparent conflict between the divine Unity and the multiplicity of theophanies in our experience], He showed me my ignorance and said to me:‘Are you not content that you are like Me» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere la respuesta que recibió al preguntar por el conflicto entre la Unidad divina y la multiplicidad de las teofanías: que se le mostró su ignorancia y se le preguntó si no le basta ser como Él

«since the Mahdi is God’s Argument for the people of his time, and that (i.e., his function as hujja) is part of the rank of the prophets and participates in that rank» — Ibn al-Arabi funda la oración del Mahdi en su condición de Argumento de Dios para su tiempo, función que participa del rango de los profetas

«God said: “[Say: 'This is my path:] I pray to God with inward vision, I and whoever follows me"’(Qur’an 12:108). [God] reported that [to us] through His Prophet, and the Mahdi is among “those who follow him,” because the Prophet does not err in his praying to God, nor does the person who follows him,27 since he follows the trace of» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya en la sura 12 que el Mahdi esté entre los que siguen al Profeta y que por eso no yerre al orar

«This is the [inner state of] immunity from error ('isma) in praying to God, and it is attained by many of the saints, or indeed by all of them.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara la inmunidad de error en la oración alcanzada por muchos santos, o por todos

«Among the attributes of this “penetrating vision” are that the person possessing it sees the luminous and fiery spirits [i.e., the angels and the jinn] without those spirits themselves wanting to appear or take on a form [for that person]» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la visión penetrante: ver los espíritus luminosos y de fuego sin que ellos quieran aparecer ni tomar forma

«And as for His saying “or from behind a veil” that is a divine address delivered to the [person’s] hearing and not to the heart, so that the person to whom it is delivered perceives it and then understands from that what was intended by the One Who caused him to hear it.» — Ibn al-Arabi glosa el segundo modo del discurso divino: una alocución dirigida al oído y no al corazón, que el receptor percibe y entiende

«Sometimes that happens through the forms of theophany, in which case that [particular] divine form addresses the person, and that form itself is the veil. Then [the person having this condition of spiritual insight] understands from that divine address the knowledge of what it indicates, and he knows that [this theophanic form] is a veil and that the Speaker [i.e., God] is behind that veil.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la alocución por formas de teofanía: la forma misma es el velo, y quien la recibe sabe que el Hablante está detrás

«Of course, not everyone who perceives a form of the divine theophany realizes that that form is God. For the person possessing this state [of spiritual insight] is only distinguished from other men by the fact that he recognizes that that form, although it is a “veil,” is itself precisely God’s theophany for him.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que no todo el que percibe una forma teofánica reconoce que es Dios, y en eso distingue a quien tiene el estado

«And as for His saying, “or He sends a messenger” that is [the divine address] He sends down with an angel or that is brought to us by the mortal human messenger when either sort of messenger conveys “God’s Speech” in this particular way» — Ibn al-Arabi glosa el tercer modo: el envío por un ángel o por el mensajero humano que transmite el Habla de Dios

«But if either sort of messenger [simply] conveys or gives expression to knowledge that he found [already] in his soul [and not as a distinct message given him by God], then that is not Divine Speech» — Ibn al-Arabi acota el límite: si el mensajero expresa un conocimiento hallado en su alma y no un mensaje dado por Dios, eso no es Habla Divina

«For the Book is a messenger, and it is also the veil over the Speaker [i.e., God], so that it causes you to understand what It brought. But that [i.e., the divinely revealed nature of the Book] would not be so if the messenger wrote on the basis of his own knowledge: it is only the case if the messenger wrote on the basis of a [divine] report (hadith) addressed to him in those very words he writes down, and when it is not like that then it is not [divine] speech.» — Ibn al-Arabi hace del Libro mensajero y velo a la vez, y condiciona su carácter revelado a que el mensajero escriba lo que se le dirige en esas mismas palabras

«since [in such cases] the translator is the one who creates the forms of the spoken or written letters he brings into existence, while the spirit of those forms is God’s Speech and nothing else.» — Ibn al-Arabi define al traductor inspirado: crea las formas de las letras, y el espíritu de esas formas es el Habla de Dios

«If he sees that there is the right equilibrium between the person and the post, without any excess or deficiency, then he gives him that authority, and if the person is overqualified there is no harm in that. But if the person is inadequate to the position he does not entrust him with that authority, because he lacks the knowledge that would qualify him for that rank, so that he would inevitably commit injustice.» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona la entrega de autoridad al equilibrio entre la persona y el cargo, y funda la injusticia en la falta del conocimiento que califica para el rango

«For this [inner ignorance of the true reality of the Sharia] is the root of all injustice in the holders of authority, since we hold it to be impossible that someone could [truly] know [a particular divine command] and then deviate from the judgment [required by] his knowledge all at once.This is something that is considered possible by those learned in the external forms,45 although we ourselves consider that this “possible” thing never actually occurs in reality; it is indeed a difficult question.» — Ibn al-Arabi pone esa ignorancia en la raíz de toda injusticia de los que mandan, y declara imposible conocer un mandato y desviarse a la vez, contra lo que tienen por posible los sabios de las formas externas

«Because in our view [true spiritual] knowledge necessarily and inevitably implies action [in accordance with it], and if it does not do so, then it is not really knowledge, even if it appears in the [outward] form of knowledge» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la regla de su posición: el conocimiento implica el acto, y si no lo implica no es conocimiento aunque tenga su forma

«The person possessing this knowledge looks at the soul of the person whom he wants to place in a position of authority and weighs the appropriateness of that person for that rank.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el procedimiento: mirar el alma de quien va a recibir autoridad y pesar su adecuación al rango

«As for “mercy in anger,” that is only in the divinely prescribed penalties (al-hudud al-mashru‘a) and punishment, since in everything else [i.e., in merely human affairs] there is anger without any mercy at all.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la quinta tarea: la misericordia en la ira solo cabe en las penas prescritas, porque en lo demás hay ira sin misericordia alguna

«For if a human being gets angry of his own accord, his anger does not contain mercy in any respect; but if he becomes angry for God’s sake [i.e., in fulfilling the divine commandments], then his anger is God’s Anger and God’s Anger is never free from being mixed with divine Mercy» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue la ira propia, sin misericordia, de la ira por Dios, que es Ira de Dios y nunca está libre de mezcla con la Misericordia

«Therefore this Mahdi does not become angry except for God’s sake, so that his anger does not go beyond [what is required in] upholding God’s limits that He has prescribed; this is just the opposite of the [ordinary] person who becomes angry because of his own desires for [something happening] contrary to his own personal aims. And likewise the person who becomes angry [only] for God’s sake can only be just and equitable, not tyrannical and unjust.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva que la ira del Mahdi no pase del límite prescrito, al revés del que se enoja por sus propios deseos, y que quien se enoja por Dios solo pueda ser justo

«Now a sign of whoever [rightfully] lays claim to this spiritual station is that if he becomes angry for God’s sake while acting in judgment and upholding the [divinely prescribed] penalty against the person with whom he is angry, then his anger disappears once he has finished fulfilling [that religious duty] — [to the extent that] sometimes he may even go up to the [condemned] person and embrace him and be friendly with him, saying to him “Praise be to God Who has purified you!» — Ibn al-Arabi da la señal de quien posee esa estación: cumplida la pena, la ira desaparece, y a veces abraza al condenado y le da la enhorabuena por haber quedado purificado

«For first of all He tests [mankind] with regard to the obligations He has imposed on them [i.e., according to the first half of the same verse: “And surely We test you until We know those ofyou who make every effort and are patient...”]', and if they have acted [in accordance with the divine commands], then their actions are tested as to whether they have acted for the sake of the Truth (al-Haqq) or instead for some other end.» — Ibn al-Arabi lee la sura 47 en dos tiempos: primero se prueba el cumplimiento de las obligaciones y luego se prueba si la acción se hizo por la Verdad o por otro fin

«For the people of inner unveiling hold this [i.e., the judgment of each soul’s innermost being, the sarira] to be God's Scale [of Justice].Therefore the judge,50 whenever he is carrying out the [divine] penalties, must not forget to examine his own soul in order to guard against the feelings of vengeance and aggression that happen to souls [in such situations]» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica a la gente del desvelamiento interior la lectura de la sura 86 como Balanza de Dios, y de ahí saca el deber del juez de examinar su propia alma contra la venganza

«So you must know that God has not appointed anyone but the judge to carry out the penalty against [the guilty person]. Therefore no one [else] should be angry with the person who transgresses God» — Ibn al-Arabi restringe al juez la ejecución de la pena y niega que nadie más deba airarse con el transgresor

«For if [the Messenger] were only communicating [the divine Message]52 and not judging, then he would not carry out the [divine] Anger against those who reject his call. That matter [i.e., their response, insofar as he is simply a Messenger] does not involve him at all, and he is not respon» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue al Mensajero que comunica del Mensajero que juzga, y descarga al primero de la respuesta de quienes rechazan su llamada; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«So [the Prophet] communicated, and God caused whomever He wished to listen (Qur’an 8:23, etc.) and caused whomever He wished to be deaf (Qur’an 47:23), and they—that is, the prophets—are the most self-restrained of men» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya en las suras 8 y 47 que sea Dios quien hace oír o ensordece, y declara a los profetas los más contenidos de los hombres

«Therefore if the Messenger acted as judge (hakim), that was [only because] he was made specifically responsible for the judgment that God had specified for him in that case. And this is a sublime knowledge required by everyone on earth who has authority over [this] world» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que el Mensajero juzgó solo donde se le hizo responsable del juicio, y declara sublime ese conocimiento para todo el que tenga autoridad

«As for “the forms of [spiritual] sustenance (arzdq) needed by the ruler,”55 this [requires] that he know the kinds of worlds, which are only two—i.e., by “world” I mean the worlds in which this Imam’s influence (hukm) is effective, which are the world of [physical] forms and the world of the souls56 governing those forms with regard to their physical movements and activities.» — Ibn al-Arabi limita a dos los mundos sobre los que el Imam influye: el de las formas físicas y el de las almas que las gobiernan

«But as for the luminous world [of the angelic spirits],58 they are beyond this mortal human world’s having any authority over them, for each individual among them has a known station» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el mundo luminoso fuera del alcance de este mundo mortal, con la sura 37 por apoyo: cada uno tiene su estación conocida

«As for the “travelers” among the angels, their station is known (Qur’an 37:163), since they are constantly traveling around seeking the sessions of dbikr™ So “when they find the people of dbikr”— who are the people of the Qur'an, those who are [truly] recalling the Qur’an"—they do not give precedence to anyone from the sessions of dbikr of those who are recalling [something] other than the Qur’an. But if they do not find people recalling the Qur’an and they do find people recalling God—not just reciting—then they come to sit with them and “they call out to each other:‘Come quickly to what you all desire!’” because that [remembrance of God] is their suste» — Ibn al-Arabi describe a los ángeles viajeros que buscan las sesiones de dhikr, y su preferencia por quienes recuerdan el Corán; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Now since the Imam knows that, he always keeps a group of people reciting the Signs6' of God throughout the night» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de eso la práctica del Imam: mantener siempre un grupo recitando los Signos de Dios, con la sura 3 por apoyo

«And we ourselves, when we were in Fez in the lands of the Maghreb, used to follow this practice, thanks to the agreement of companions favored by God, who listened to us and readily followed our counsel.» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere en primera persona la práctica que llevó en Fez con los compañeros que lo escuchaban

«But when we no longer had them [with us] we thereby lost this pure [spiritual] work, which is the noblest and most sublime of the forms of [spiritual] sustenance. So when we no longer had [companions] like those men, we began to take up the diffusion of knowledge,63 because of those [angelic] spirits whose food is [spiritual] knowledge.» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta el cambio de oficio al perder a esos compañeros: pasó a difundir el conocimiento por los espíritus cuyo alimento es el saber

«And we saw that there was not a single thing we set forth that did not spring from this Source that is sought by this spiritual kind [of angels], which is the Qur’an. Hence everything about which we speak, both in my [teaching] sessions and in my writings, comes only from the presence of the Qur’an and Its treasures.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que nada de lo que expone, en sesión o por escrito, procede de otra fuente que la presencia del Corán y sus tesoros

«For when it is the True One Who speaks to His servant in his innermost being after all the intermediaries have been lifted away66—then the understanding is immediate and inseparable from His speaking to you, so that the [divine] speaking itself is identical with your understanding of it. The understanding does not follow after it—and if it does come after it, then that is not God’s speaking.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el habla divina sin intermediarios: la comprensión es inmediata e inseparable del hablar, y si viene después no es habla de Dios

«Thus whoever does not find this [immediate spiritual understanding within himself] does not have [true] knowledge of God’s speaking to His servants. And if God should speak to him through the veil of a form—whether with the tongue of a prophet or whoever else in the world He may wish—then the understanding of that [divine] speech may accompany it or it may come later.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que quien no encuentra esa comprensión inmediata no conoce el habla de Dios, y que tras el velo de una forma la comprensión puede acompañarla o llegar después

«that is the knowledge of what each rank [of judge or administrator of the religious law] rightfully requires [in order to» — Ibn al-Arabi define la cuarta tarea de los Ayudantes como el conocimiento de lo que cada rango de juez o administrador de la ley religiosa requiere de suyo; el tramo empieza en minúscula tras la llamada de nota y se corta en el reemitido del marcador de plana, en el corte de chunk; capítulo 366

«As for the “knowledge of the interpenetration of things”..., 0 that [reality] inwardly penetrates and informs all the practical and intellectual crafts/1 Therefore if the Imam knows this, he will not be bothered by doubt and uncertainty in his judgments.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la séptima tarea: el conocimiento de la interpenetración de las cosas, que informa por dentro todas las artes prácticas e intelectuales y libra al Imam de la duda; capítulo 366

«But as for those who judge in accordance with the divine inspiration (ivaby) that [God] has sent down, those to whom [that inspiration] has been delivered (ahi al-ilqa’)5 among the [prophetic] Messengers and those like them [i.e., the saints], they did not depart from [their inner awareness of] this interpenetration [of spiritual and material being]. Thus God made them the receptacle (of revelation) for that part of His judgment concerning His servants which he delivered to them» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que Mensajeros y santos no se apartaron de esa conciencia y que Dios los hizo receptáculo de la parte de su juicio que les entregó

«Therefore every judgment [or command: bukrn] concerning the world that is made manifest through a [divine] Messenger is the outcome of a “spiritual marriage”;74 this [essential spiritual inspiration underlying the judgment] is not in the textual indications and not in those who judge on the basis of analogy» — Ibn al-Arabi llama matrimonio espiritual a todo juicio manifestado por un Mensajero, y lo niega de las indicaciones textuales y del juicio por analogía

«However the Mahdi does not know this—I mean the knowledge acquired by analogy—in order to pass judgment according to it, but only so that he can avoid it!» — Ibn al-Arabi acota el saber analógico del Mahdi: lo conoce para evitarlo, no para juzgar por él

«For the Mahdi only judges according to what the angel delivers to him from what is with God (Qur’an 2:89, etc.), [the inspiration] God has sent him in order to guide him rightly. So that is the true Muhammadan Shar,1(>—the one such that Muhammad, if he were alive [on earth] and that particular case were presented to him, would pass judgment on it in exactly the same way as this Imam.» — Ibn al-Arabi define la Ley Muhammadí verdadera por una prueba contrafactual: aquello que Muhammad, vivo y ante el mismo caso, juzgaría idénticamente; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«is a follower [of the Prophet], not one who is followed [i.e., not a Messenger with a new revealed Law], and that he is [divinely] protected from error (ma'sum)1^—since the only [possible] meaning of someone’s being protected from error is that they do not make mistakes.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara al Mahdi seguidor y no seguido, y define la inmunidad de error como no equivocarse; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque viene cortado de la plana anterior

«Now the Prophet does exist and is to be found [here and now] with the People of Unveiling, and therefore they only take their [inspired understanding of the appropriate divine] judgment from him.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara presente al Profeta para la Gente del Desvelamiento, que por eso toman de él su juicio

«This is the reason why the truthful and sincere faqir'9 doesn‘t depend on any [legal] school: he is with the Messenger [i.e., Muhammad] alone, whom he directly witnesses, just as the Messenger is with the divine inspiration (wahy) that is sent down to him.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de ahí que el faquir sincero no dependa de escuela jurídica alguna, sino que esté con el Mensajero a quien atestigua

«But those adhering to knowledge of the external forms [of religious tradition]80 do not have this [spiritual] rank, because of their having devoted themselves to their love for [prominent social] position, the domination of others, [furthering] their precedence over God’s servants81 and [insuring that] the common people need them.» — Ibn al-Arabi niega ese rango a los sabios de las formas externas y da la causa: su amor a la posición, la dominación y la precedencia sobre los siervos de Dios

«As for those of them who cunningly hide themselves in [the guise of] Religion (al-din)—those who hunch their shoulders and look at people furtively, with a pretense of humility; who move their lips as though in dbikr?5 so that the person looking at them will know they are performing dbikr; who speak obscurely and in an affected manner—they are dominated by the weaknesses of the carnal self» — Ibn al-Arabi describe a los que se esconden en la religión: hombros encogidos, mirada furtiva, labios que se mueven como en dhikr para ser vistos, habla oscura y afectada; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Thus when the Mahdi comes forth [to establish justice in the world] he has no open enemy (Qur’an 2:188, etc.) except for the jurists in particular. For then they will no longer have any power of domination and will not be distinguished from the mass of common people, and they will only keep a slight knowledge of [the divine] commandment, since the differences concerning the commandments will be eliminated in this world because of the exis» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que el Mahdi no tendrá enemigo declarado salvo los juristas, que perderán su poder de dominación; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«However, if the Mahdi did not have the sword [of worldly authority] in his hand, then the jurists would all deliver legal opinions [demanding] that he be killed. But instead [as stated in the hadith] “God will bring him forth with the sword and noble character” and they will be greedy [for his support] and fearful, so that they will [outwardly] accept his judgment without having any faith in it» — Ibn al-Arabi sostiene que sin la espada los juristas dictaminarían su muerte, y que con ella aceptarán su juicio sin creer en él

«For in fact it has been reported to us that the followers of these two schools in the lands of the non-Arabs [i.e., Iran and Transoxiana] are constantly fighting one another and that a great many people of both groups have died—that [they go to such extremes that] they even break the fast during the month of Ramadan in order to be stronger for their battles.» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere como noticia recibida que hanafíes y shafiíes de tierras no árabes pelean entre sí hasta romper el ayuno de Ramadán para tener más fuerza

«In fact what they [really] believe about him if he makes a judgment involving them that is contrary to their school, is that he has gone astray with regard to that judgment» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna lo que los juristas creerán del Mahdi cuando juzgue contra su escuela: que se extravió en ese juicio

«And as for the person who claims to be divinely informed about the judgments prescribed by the Shar\ for [these jurists] such a person is a madman whose imagination has gone wild, and they would pay no attention to him.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna cómo tratan esos juristas a quien dice estar divinamente informado: por loco de imaginación desbocada

«Now as for “striving to one’s utmost and going to any length to satisfy the needs of mankind” that is especially incumbent upon the Imam in particular, even more than [it is] for the rest of the people. For God only gave him precedence over His [other] creatures and appointed him as their Imam so that he could strive to achieve what is beneficial for them.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la octava tarea, el esfuerzo extremo por las necesidades de los hombres, y funda en ella la precedencia del Imam sobre las demás criaturas

«Now the activities of all of the just Imams are only for the sake of others, not for their own sake. Hence if you see a ruler busying himself with something other than his subjects and their needs, then you should know that his [high] rank has cut him off from this activity [of true leadership], so that there is no [real] difference between him and the mass of common people» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que los Imames justos obran solo por otros, y da por señal de que un gobernante dejó de serlo el ocuparse de otra cosa que sus súbditos

«As for “possessing the knowledge of the Unseen (film al-gbayb) that he requires for [rightly governing] this engendered world in particular during a particular period of time,” this is the ninth matter which the Imam requires for his leadership, and there are no [others] besides these.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la novena y última tarea: el conocimiento de lo Oculto que el Imam requiere para gobernar en un tiempo determinado

«But this Imam, because of this matter [i.e., his inspired foreknowledge of events], is well-informed by God (al-Haqq) concerning those affairs which He wishes to bring into temporal being before they actually occur in [external] existence. For he is informed about that affair on the “day” before it occurs.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara al Imam informado por Dios de los asuntos que vendrán, un día antes de que ocurran

«So if that affair contains something beneficial for his subjects he thanks God and remains silent about it. But if it contains a punishment [in the form of] the sending down of some widespread affliction or one aimed at certain specific persons, then he implores God on their behalf,intercedes [with Him] and begs [Him]. So God, in His Mercy and Bounty, averts that affliction from them [before it actually happens] and answers [the Mahdi’s] prayer and petition.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe qué hace el Imam con esa noticia: callar y agradecer si es bien, e interceder si es castigo, con lo que Dios aparta la aflicción

«For this [precise inner awareness of the interpenetration of spiritual and manifest reality] is the Scale [of divine justice] in the world, both in sensible things and in the inner spiritual meanings» — Ibn al-Arabi llama Balanza de la justicia divina en el mundo a esa conciencia de la interpenetración, tanto en lo sensible como en los sentidos interiores; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón

«For God will teach him [by inspiration] that this is the Muhammadan Sbar’ and will therefore forbid him [to follow judgments arrived at by] analogical reasoning, despite the existence of the textual i» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de la enseñanza divina la prohibición del razonamiento analógico al Mahdi, pese a las indicaciones textuales; el tramo se corta a media palabra y antes de la llamada de nota

«Then he returned to his companions and told them about the water, and all the people rushed off toward that place in order to drink from it. But God turned their sight away from it so that they were not capable of [attaining] it. And this is what resulted for him from his striving for the sake of others.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el relato: los demás corrieron a beber y Dios les apartó la vista, y ese fue el fruto del esfuerzo de al-Khadir por otros

«commander of the army sent him to explore for water for them, since they were in need of water.» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el relato de al-Khadir enviado por su comandante a buscar agua para el ejército; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque el sujeto queda del otro lado del corte de chunk; capítulo 366

«That was how he fell into the Fountain of Life and drank from it, so that he has remained living up until now, for he was not aware [before setting out on his search] of that Life through which God distinguishes the person who drinks of that Water» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta que al-Khadir cayó así en la Fuente de la Vida y bebió de ella sin saber de antemano qué era, y por eso sigue vivo

«This is why God (first of all) informs him about [each event] before it occurs to his fellows in actual existence. Then after that God informs him, with regard to those “affairs,” about the [particular] events that will occur to [specific] individuals and specifies for him those individuals with all their outward particularities, so that if he should see those individuals [in the material world] he would not doubt that they were exactly the one he saw» — Ibn al-Arabi ordena los tres tiempos de la información que el Imam recibe: el suceso, los individuos con sus particularidades externas y luego el juicio; capítulo 366

«Thus if God does not show [the Mahdi] the judgment regarding certain events and he does not experience any inner unveiling [of that divine judgment], then God’s aim was to include those events [or “cases”] in the judgment of what is [religiously] permissible,98 so that he knows from the absence of any [divine] specification [of a particular judgment] that this is the judgment of the divinely prescribed Law (shar‘) concerning that event.» — Ibn al-Arabi lee el silencio divino como dato: la ausencia de especificación es el juicio de lo permitido

«So what do you suppose [is the validity] of the “reason” that the jurist extracts [from an action or saying of the Prophet] all by himself and through his own reasoning, without its having been mentioned by the divinely prescribed Law in any specific textual stipulation concerning that?» — Ibn al-Arabi lleva la objeción a la razón que el jurista extrae por sí mismo, sin estipulación textual alguna

«Indeed this is one arbitrary judgment on top of another judgment concerning a “divine law” (shar) of which God is unaware» — Ibn al-Arabi califica esa operación de juicio arbitrario sobre juicio arbitrario acerca de una ley divina de la que Dios no sabe, apoyándose en la sura 52

«So this is what prevents the Mahdi from speaking on the basis of [this sort of factitious] analogy"’5 concerning the Religion of God— all the more so because he also knows that the intention of the Prophet was to lighten the burden of [religious] obligation (taklif) on his community.» — Ibn al-Arabi añade la segunda razón de que el Mahdi no use analogía: el Profeta quiso aligerar la carga de la obligación religiosa

«That was why the Prophet used to say, “Leave me alone fi.e., without requesting any further religious precepts] so long as I leave you alone,”'™ and why he used to dislike being questioned about religion, out of fear of [unnecessarily] increasing the [divine] commandments» — Ibn al-Arabi cita el dicho profético que pide no ser interrogado y explica el disgusto del Profeta ante las preguntas de religión por temor a aumentar los mandamientos

«And every [judgment] of which God informs him through inner unveiling and [an inspired] “notification” (ta‘rif) is the judgment of the [eternal] Muhammadan sbar‘107 concerning that matter.» — Ibn al-Arabi identifica todo juicio comunicado por desvelamiento y notificación con la ley muhammadí eterna sobre ese asunto

«Therefore the Mahdi is a mercy, just as God’s Messenger was a mercy, (as) God said: “And We only sent you as a mercy to the worlds» — Ibn al-Arabi declara misericordia al Mahdi como lo fue el Mensajero, con la sura 21 por apoyo

«Now these nine things are not combined all together for any Imam among the leaders of Religion and the viceregents of God and His Prophet until the Day of the Rising, except for this Rightly guided Imam» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la lista declarando que las nueve cosas no se reúnen en ningún otro Imam hasta el Día de la Resurrección

«This knowledge is called the “knowledge of blissful repose” (‘Um al-raha), because it is the knowledge of the People of the Garden [of Paradise] in particular. So whenever God reveals this knowledge to one of the people of this world [already] in this world,112 that person has received in advance the blissful repose of eternity» — Ibn al-Arabi nombra ese saber conocimiento del reposo dichoso, propio de la Gente del Jardín, y declara que quien lo recibe aquí anticipa el reposo de la eternidad

«Therefore these people [i.e., those who “see tilings as they really are”] do not consider ugly any of God’s Acts except for what God [calls or makes] ugly and that is up to Him [to decide], not to them, since if they did not consider ugly what God has called so they would be disputing with God» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la consecuencia: esos no tienen por feo ningún Acto de Dios salvo lo que Dios llama feo, porque lo contrario sería disputar con Dios; la capa de texto imprime *tilings* por *things*

«This stage also includes knowledge of what God has placed in the world as [an object for] marvel and the “marvelous” [as men usually understand it] is only what breaks with the habitual [course of things].118 But for those who comprehend things from the divine perspective, every thing in this “habitual” course is itself an object of marvel, whereas the “people of habits” only wonder at what departs from that habitual course.» — Ibn al-Arabi invierte el uso corriente de lo maravilloso: para quien comprende desde la perspectiva divina lo habitual mismo es maravilla, y solo la gente de los hábitos se asombra de lo que rompe la costumbre

«And in this stage there is a kind of knowledge among the things known [only] by inner unveiling. This is that the person experiencing this “unveiling” knows that every person or group, however large or small, inevitably has with them one of the men of the Unseen119 whenever they are speaking.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna un saber que solo da el desvelamiento: que todo grupo, por pequeño que sea, tiene con él a uno de los hombres del Oculto cuando habla

«Then that individual [among the men of the Unseen] spreads reports about those persons in the rest of the world so that people discover those things in their own souls, [for example] when a group is gathered together in [spiritual] retreat or when a man says something to himself that [presumably] only God knows. Then that man or that group [who have discovered these reports in this mysterious fashion] go out and tell people about it so that [soon] people are all talking about it.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe cómo esos hombres del Oculto difunden lo dicho en retiro o para sí, hasta que la gente lo halla en su propia alma y lo repite

«So if he has actually witnessed [as a direct inspiration from God] that about which they are arguing, then in that event it is incumbent on him to argue about it using that which is better (Qur’an 29:46)12 —provided that he has been specifically ordered to do so by a divine command. But if he does not have a divine command to do so, then the choice is up to him.» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona la disputa a un mandato divino explícito, con la sura 29 por apoyo, y deja libre la elección si no lo hay

«But if he despairs of his listeners’ ever accepting what he has to say, then he should shut up and not argue. For if he should argue [with no real hope of affecting his listeners], then he is [really] striving to bring about their perdition with God.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra con el deber de callar cuando no hay esperanza de persuadir, porque discutir entonces sería buscar la perdición del oyente

«And finally God informs him about the divinely prescribed judgment appropriate for that event, the [same standard of] judgment which God prescribed for His Prophet Muhammad to apply in judging that ev» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la serie de informaciones con el juicio prescrito, que es el mismo que Dios prescribió al Profeta para ese caso; el tramo se corta a media palabra y antes de la llamada de nota

«Thus he is divinely protected (ma‘sum) from personal opinion (ra’y) and analogy (qiyds) in Religion. For [the use of] analogy [to extend the law beyond God’s explicit commandments] by whoever is not a prophet amounts to passing judgment on God concerning the Religion of God (Qur’an 3:83, etc.)99 on the b» — Ibn al-Arabi declara al Mahdi protegido de la opinión personal y de la analogía, y objeta que usar analogía sin ser profeta equivale a juzgar sobre Dios acerca de la Religión de Dios, con la sura 3 por apoyo; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón

«This is because analogy [involves] extending a [hypothetical] “reason” [underlying a particular judgment to all other “analogous” cases].100 But what makes you know?—perhaps (Qur’an 8O:3)101 God does not want to extend that reason; for if He had wanted to do that He would have clearly stated it through the voice of His Messenger and would have ordered this extension» — Ibn al-Arabi desmenuza la objeción: la analogía extiende una razón hipotética, y si Dios hubiera querido extenderla lo habría dicho por boca de su Mensajero

«In this [spiritual stage] there is a knowledge which removes the burden of anguish from the soul of the person who knows it» — Ibn al-Arabi abre la lista de saberes de esa estación con el que quita al alma la carga de la angustia; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«For when one looks at what is ordinarily the case with [men’s] souls, the way that all the things happening to them cause them such anguish and distress, [it is enough] to make a person want to kill himself111 because of what he sees.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el contraste: lo que de ordinario ocurre a las almas y la angustia que basta para querer matarse

«And in this stage is the knowledge that what God made manifest to [men’s] vision in the bodies [of all things in this world] is an adornment for those bodies; [the knowledge] of why it is that some of what is manifest seems ugly to a particular person when he regards it as ugly; and [the knowledge] of which eye it is that a person sees with when he sees the whole world as beautiful» — Ibn al-Arabi describe los tres saberes encadenados: que lo manifiesto en los cuerpos es adorno, por qué a alguien le parece feo, y con qué ojo se ve bello el mundo entero; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Now this knowledge is one of the most beautiful [or “best”] and most beneficial forms of knowledge about the world, and it [corresponds to] what some of the theologians say about this, that “there is no Actor but God, and all of His Acts are beauti» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta ese saber entre los más bellos y útiles sobre el mundo y lo acerca a lo que dicen algunos teólogos: no hay más Agente que Dios y todos sus Actos son bellos; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«And this stage includes the knowledge of what sort of arguing [concerning the practice and principles of religion] is praiseworthy and what sort is to be condemned» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el saber sobre la disputa, distinguiendo la loable de la censurable; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Someone who has [truly] surrendered [to God] among those who depend on God123 should not argue except concerning what he has had confirmed and realized [through God] by way of inner unveiling (kashf), not on the basis of [his own] thinking and inquiry.» — Ibn al-Arabi pone la regla de la disputa: solo se argumenta sobre lo confirmado y realizado por desvelamiento, no sobre lo pensado e indagado; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Now these [ontological] realms, although they are [quite] numerous, come down to six: the first is the realm of Am I not your Lord?’6 (Qur’an 7:172), and we have already become separated from it; the second is the realm of the ‘lower world’ (al-dunyd) in which we are right now; the third is the realm of the barzakh (Qur’an 23:100) to which we go after the lesser and greater deaths» — Ibn al-Arabi reduce a seis los ámbitos ontológicos y nombra los tres primeros: el del pacto primordial de la sura 7, el mundo de aquí y el barzakh; pasaje de la Risalat al-Anwar citado por James W. Morris

«the fourth is the realm of the Raising [of the dead] on the ‘Earth of the Awakening’ (Qur’an 79:14) and ‘the return to the Original State’ (Qur’an 79:10)8; the fifth is the realm of the Garden [of Paradise] and the Fire [of Hell]9; and the sixth is the realm of the Dune [of the ‘Visit’ and beatific vision of God], outside the Garden.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la serie con el Levantamiento en la Tierra del Despertar, el Jardín y el Fuego, y la Duna de la visita y la visión beatífica fuera del Jardín

«I do not know any period at the close of which the universe as a whole comes to an end» — Ibn al-Arabi pone en boca de Idris, en el relato de la ascensión del capítulo 367, la negativa a fijar un período al cabo del cual acabe el universo

«the abode of Being is one: it does not become ‘nearer’ [dunya] except through you» — Ibn al-Arabi hace decir a Idris que la morada del Ser es una y que solo por el hombre se vuelve este mundo y se distingue el otro

«As for when the spirits are separated from these material supports [of their physical bodies], one group of our fellows say that the spirits become completely separate from these materials and return to their Source, just as the sun’s rays [that happen to be] reflected by a polished mirror return to the sun [i.e., do not disappear] if the mirror becomes tarnished.» — Ibn al-Arabi expone la posición de un grupo de sus compañeros: los espíritus se separan por completo y vuelven a su Fuente, como los rayos reflejados en un espejo que se empaña; capítulo 302

«One group of them said that the spirits were not [individually] distinguishable after their separation from their bodies, any more than the water in jars along the banks of a river can be distinguished from the water of the river once those jars have broken and their water has returned to the river. So (men’s) bodies are [like] those containers, and the river water that filled them is like [their] spirits in relation to the Universal Spirit.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la primera variante: los espíritus dejan de distinguirse, como el agua de los cántaros rotos vuelta al río

«its do acquire good or bad dispositions through their proximity to the body, so that they continue to be distinguished by those dispositions when they are separated from their bodies. It is as though those jars contained tilings that changed that water from its [original] condition with regard to its color, taste or smell, so that when it is removed from those jars it still retains in itself the color, taste or smell it acquired: similarly God preserves those acquired dispositions in the spirits. And in this respect this group were in agreement with some of the philosophers.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la segunda variante: los espíritus conservan las disposiciones adquiridas, como el agua que retiene color, sabor u olor; el tramo empieza a media palabra por el corte de chunk y la capa de texto imprime *tilings*

«Another group said that the governing spirits never cease governing in this world,31 so when they are transferred to the intermediate world (barzakh) they continue to govern bodies in that world—and these are [like] the form in which a person sees himself in dreams. Hence death is also like that, and this is what is symbolized by the “Trumpet» — Ibn al-Arabi da la tercera variante: los espíritus siguen gobernando cuerpos en el barzakh, como la forma en que uno se ve en sueños

«This is the extent of the disagreement among our fellows concerning the spirits after their separation [from the physical body]. As for the different views concerning this matter of those who are not our fellows, they are numerous—but our purpose is not to mention [all] the sayings of those who are not on our path.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el censo del desacuerdo entre sus compañeros y declara que no recoge las opiniones de quienes no están en su camino

«Know, my brother—may God guide and protect you with His mercy—that the Garden which is attained by those who are among its people in the other world is [already] visible to you today with respect to its place, though not its form. So you are in the Garden, transformed, in whatever state you happen to be, but you don’t know you are in it, because you are veiled from it by the form in which it manifests itself to you!» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el Jardín ya visible hoy en cuanto al lugar aunque no en cuanto a la forma, y de ahí que uno esté en él sin saberlo, velado por la forma en que se le manifiesta

«Thus die people of God have eyes with which they see, ears with which they hear, hearts with which diey understand, and tongues with which they speak, and all of them are different from the form of these [ordinary] eyes and ears and hearts and tongues. So it is with those eyes that they witness, widi those ears that they listen, with those hearts that they understand, and with those tongues that they speak—and their words hit the mark.» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica a la gente de Dios ojos, oídos, corazones y lenguas distintos de los ordinarios, y con ellos atestiguan, escuchan, entienden y hablan; la capa de texto imprime *die*, *diey* y *widi*

«For it is not the eyes that are blind to the Truth and unable to grasp It, but the hearts that are in their breasts (Qur’an 22:46).They are deaf, dumb, blind, so they do not take their understanding (Qur’an 2:171) from God,flrttf so they do not return» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya esa doctrina en las suras 22 y 2: no son los ojos los ciegos sino los corazones dentro de los pechos

«Now the people of unveiling, who perceive what is unseen by ordinary men, do see that place: if it is the Garden [of paradise], then they see a green meadow; or if it is Gehenna, then they see it according to the traits of its bitter cold, burning winds, and the other tilings God has prepared in it» — Ibn al-Arabi describe lo que ve la gente del desvelamiento en ese lugar: pradera verde si es el Jardín, o el frío amargo y los vientos ardientes si es Gehena; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota y la capa de texto imprime *tilings*

«And most of the people of unveiling see this at the beginning of the path.» — Ibn al-Arabi sitúa esa visión al principio del camino para la mayoría de la gente del desvelamiento

«But the person whose vision has not been unveiled by God, who remains blinded by his veil, cannot perceive that» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que quien sigue cegado por su velo no puede percibir ese lugar; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«He is like a blind man in a park: he is not at all absent from it, yet he does not see it. But die fact that he does not see it does not imply diat he is not in it; on the contrary, he really is in it.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la comparación del ciego en un parque: no está ausente de él, no lo ve, y no verlo no implica no estar; la capa de texto imprime *die* y *diat* por *the* y *that*

«Do you not notice, for example, that when God protects persons of scrupulous piety from eating something [that is not outwardly] illicit, one of the signs warning them that that food is illicit is that in their vision it changes into die form of something [clearly] forbidden, such as blood or pork, for example, so that they find it impossible to eat it» — Ibn al-Arabi aduce el caso de los escrupulosos a quienes el alimento ilícito se les cambia en la visión en forma de sangre o cerdo; la capa de texto imprime *die* por *the*

«The voluntary return to God is something for which the servant is most thankful. God said: “The whole affair is returned to Him” (Qur’an 11:123). So since you know that, return to Him willingly and you will not be returned to Him by compulsion. For there is no escaping your return to Him, and you will surely have to meet Him, either willingly or against your will.» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el capítulo 351 poniendo el retorno voluntario como aquello por lo que el siervo más agradece, y declara inevitable el encuentro, de grado o por fuerza, con la sura 11 por apoyo

«Whoever loves to meet God, God loves to meet him;and whoever is averse to meeting God, God is averse to meeting him» — Ibn al-Arabi cita el hadiz que hace recíproco el deseo del encuentro con Dios

«Now since we knew that our meeting with God can only be through death,6 and because we knew the inner meaning of death, we sought to bring it about sooner, in the life of this world. Hence we died, in the very Source of our life, ' to all of our concerns and activities and desires, so that when death overcame us in the midst of that Life which never passes from us—inasmuch as we are that [Life] with which our selves and our limbs and every part of us glorifies and praises [God]*15—we met God and He met us.» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta en primera persona la muerte voluntaria: al saber el sentido interior de la muerte, murieron ya en esta vida a sus asuntos y deseos, y así se encontraron con Dios

«Tims when there comes what is commonly known as death, and the veil of this body is removed from us (Qur’an 50:22), our state will not change and our certainty will not be any greater than what we already experience now.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que la muerte común no cambiará su estado ni aumentará su certeza; la capa de texto imprime *Tims* por *Thus*

«For we tasted no death but the first death, which we died during our life in this world, because our Lord protected us from the torment of hell as a bounty from your Lord; that is the Supreme Achievement» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya en la sura 44 que solo hayan gustado la primera muerte, la muerta en vida, y que el Señor los haya librado del tormento

«Even if the veil were removed, I would not be any more certain» — Ibn al-Arabi cita el dicho de Ali sobre la certeza que el levantamiento del velo no aumentaría

«So the person who returns to God in this way is among the blessed, and he does not even feel the inevitable, compulsory return [of physical] death, because it only comes to him when he is already there with God.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara bienaventurado a quien retorna así, y dice que ni siente el retorno forzoso de la muerte porque ya está con Dios

«The most that what is [ordinarily] known as death can mean for him is that his soul, which is with God, is kept from governing this body that it used to govern, so that the soul remains with God, in its same condition, while that body reverts to its origin, the dust from which it was formed» — Ibn al-Arabi acota qué significa entonces la muerte: el alma deja de gobernar el cuerpo y permanece con Dios en el mismo estado, mientras el cuerpo vuelve al polvo

«For it was a house whose occupant has traveled away; then the King established that person with Him in a firm position (Qur’an 54:55) until the Day they are raised» — Ibn al-Arabi compara el cuerpo con una casa cuyo ocupante partió, y sitúa a la persona en posición firme con el Rey hasta el Día del Levantamiento

«For there he sees a realm created without any [fixed] pattern, a realm that provides him in its outward manifestation what the realm of this world provides in its inner [psychic and spiritual] dimension (batin) and its imagination fkbayal). So this is the way he freely controls the outward dimension (zabir) of the realm of the other world.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el otro mundo como un ámbito sin patrón fijo, donde lo que aquí es interior e imaginativo se manifiesta hacia fuera

«He enjoys all that he possesses in a single instant. Nothing that belongs to him, whether his wives or other things, is ever separated from him, nor is he ever separated from them; he is among them [simply] through his being desired, and they are in him through their being desired» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el goce simultáneo de todo lo que le pertenece, sin separación en ningún sentido

«For the other world is an abode of swift reaction, without any delay, [where external appearances constantly change] just as is the case with passing thoughts (khawatir) in the inner dimension of the realm of this world.» — Ibn al-Arabi llama al otro mundo morada de reacción veloz, sin demora, como los pensamientos pasajeros en el interior de este

«Except that for man the planes are reversed in the other world, so that his inward dimension permanently maintains a single form—just as his outward dimension does here— while the forms of his outward dimension undergo rapid transformations like those of his inner dimension here. [God] said: “...by what a reversal they will be transformed!” (Qur’an 26:227), yet when we have undergone our transformation, nothing will have been added to the way we were.» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la inversión de los planos en el otro mundo —interior fijo y exterior en transformación rápida— con la sura 26 por apoyo, y acota que la transformación no añadirá nada

«The final outcome of the affair (al-amr) is the return from the many to the One, for both the man of faith and the polytheist» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia el desenlace del asunto como retorno de lo múltiple a lo Uno, y lo extiende al creyente y al politeísta por igual; capítulo 369

«For everyone who is taken [by physical death] is in [a state of spiritual] “unveiling” at the moment he is taken, so that at that point he inclines toward God (al-Haqq) and toward faith in Him and [the true awareness of] divine Unity.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que todo el que es tomado por la muerte está en desvelamiento en ese instante y se inclina entonces hacia Dios; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Hence the person who attains this certainty before being brought into the presence [of God at the time of physical “death”] is absolutely sure of his felicity and his conjunction with [that con» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue a quien alcanza esa certeza antes de ser llevado a la presencia: queda seguro de su felicidad; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Likewise he who witnesses his self witnesses his Lord, and thereby moves from the “certainty of knowledge” to the “certainty of seeing.”» — Ibn al-Arabi marca el paso de la certeza del conocimiento a la certeza de la visión

«Therefore whoever truly knows God in this way has truly known and understood the wisdom [underlying] the formation (takwin) of the pearl in its shell from fresh sweet [water] in salty bitter [water] (Qur’an 25:53)6*: the shell is its body and its saltiness is its [physical] nature. So the influence of nature predominates in its shell, but the salt is [also] its whiteness—and that is like the Light which is revealed through it» — Ibn al-Arabi lee el símbolo de la perla en su concha, formada de agua dulce en agua salada según la sura 25: la concha es el cuerpo, la sal su naturaleza, y la blancura de la sal es la Luz que se revela por ella

«The answers to them can only be truly known by someone who knows them by immediate experiencing (dhawq) and inspiration, not through discursive thinking or on [purely] rational bases;...they can only be attained through a divine Theophany (tajalli ilahi) in the Presence of the Unseen [spiritual world], through one of the [divine] Self-manifestations (mazahir)... whether bodily...or spiritual» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que esas respuestas solo se conocen por gusto inmediato e inspiración, nunca por pensamiento discursivo, y solo se alcanzan por una teofanía en la Presencia de lo Oculto

«The answer is that the Hour [of Resurrection] is called an “hour” (sa‘a) because it “hastens” toward us (tas‘a)(* by passing through these moments of time and breaths,69 not by traversing distances.» — Ibn al-Arabi funda el nombre de la Hora en que se apresura hacia nosotros pasando por los instantes y los alientos, no recorriendo distancias; capítulo 73, pregunta 62

«So “when someone dies” his Hour has reached him and “his Resurrection has already begun,”70 until the Day of the Greater Hour (al-sa'at al-kubra), which is related to the [continually recreated] “Hours” of the breaths as the year is related to the totality of its days particularized by the seasons with their differing quali» — Ibn al-Arabi relaciona la Hora Mayor con las Horas de los alientos como el año con la totalidad de sus días; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«So the affair of the Hour and its role (sba’n) in the world is closer than the twinkling of an eye (Qur’an 16:77). For its arrival is itself identical with its judgment, its judgment is the same as its execution in the one who is judged, its execution is the same as its coming to pass, and its coming to pass is precisely the peopling of the two Abodes/2 a group in the Garden and a group in the Flame» — Ibn al-Arabi encadena la llegada de la Hora con su juicio, su ejecución y su cumplimiento, que es el poblamiento de las dos Moradas, con las suras 16 y 42 por apoyo

«Now no one is truly aware of this “nearness” but the person who is aware of God’s power [as manifested] in the existence (wujud) of the Imagination (al-kbayal) in the natural world, who is aware of the vast extent of the matters that are found, in a single breath or blink of the eye, by someone who knows [God’s power manifested in] the Imagination» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona la conciencia de esa cercanía al conocimiento del poder de Dios en la existencia de la Imaginación en el mundo natural

«so that he is truly aware of this nearness and the “folding up” of years into the smallest instant of the time of the life of this world.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el efecto: percibir el plegamiento de años en el instante más pequeño del tiempo de este mundo

«He had married, lived with the woman for six years and had had several children—I forget the exact number—with her there. Then he was returned to himself [i.e., in his ordinary consciousness], while he was still standing in the water, so he finished his ablutions, got out of the water and put on his clothes, went off to the baker’s oven, picked up his bread, came back to his house and told his family about what he had seen during that visionary incident.» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta la visión de Jawhari: seis años de matrimonio e hijos en Bagdad, y el retorno a sí mismo de pie en el agua

«However, after several months had passed, the woman [from Baghdad] with whom he had seen himself married during that experience came [to Jawhari’s town in Egypt] and asked directions to his house. So when she met him, he recognized her and the children, and he did not deny that they were his. And when she was asked, “When did you get married?” she replied,“Six years ago, and these are his children with me.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el relato con la llegada de la mujer y los hijos a Egipto, reconocidos por Jawhari

«Thus what happened in the Imagination emerged [concretely] in sense-perception. This is one of the six topics [mentioned by] Dhu al-Nun al-Misri76 which [ordinary] intellects consider to be impossible.» — Ibn al-Arabi saca la conclusión —lo ocurrido en la Imaginación emergió en la percepción sensible— y lo cuenta entre los seis temas de Dhu al-Nun al-Misri que los intelectos tienen por imposibles

«Thus God singled out His saints by bestowing [special spiritual] powers with [unique] properties like these,78 powers that are only denied by someone who is ignorant of the [unimaginable] power and ability that is appropriate to the divine Proximity.» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica a los santos poderes de propiedades así, negados solo por quien ignora el poder que corresponde a la Proximidad divina

«When the people of the Garden [of Paradise] enter it they settle down in it according to the excellence of their actions. After that, during the period [corresponding to] the Day of Reunion82 among the days of this world, they are called [to prayer] and they visit their Lord: He shows them His Throne, and He manifests Himself to them in one of the meadows of the Garden.» — Ibn al-Arabi cita el hadiz de la Duna o del Mercado del Paraíso: los del Jardín se asientan según la excelencia de sus actos y en el Día de la Reunión visitan a su Señor, que se les manifiesta en una pradera

«Yes indeed! Do you have any doubt about [your] seeing the sun and the moon when it is full?...Likewise you will not have any doubt about your seeing your Lord, and there will not remain a single man in that gathering but that God is present with him so intimately» — Ibn al-Arabi cita la respuesta del Profeta a Abu Hurayra sobre la visión de Dios, comparada con la del sol y la luna llena

«Know that these bodies are the coffins of the spirits and what beclouds them; they are what veil them so that they do not witness [the spiritual world] and are not witnessed» — Ibn al-Arabi llama ataúdes de los espíritus a los cuerpos y dice que son lo que los vela para no atestiguar ni ser atestiguados; capítulo 369

«Therefore since they have inner vision, when they become oblivious to witnessing the bodies then they witness the One Who gives them Being in the very act of witnessing themselves» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de la visión interior que, al olvidarse del cuerpo, el espíritu atestigüe a Quien le da el ser en el acto mismo de atestiguarse; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Now if you should ask “But what is the story of Jawhari?,” we may say that he mentioned that he left his house [one day] with some dough to take to the baker» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el relato de Jawhari, que salió de su casa con la masa para el horno estando en impureza ritual

«he came to the bank of the Nile to do his ablutions, and there, while he was standing in the water, he saw himself, in the way a dreamer sees things, as though he were in» — Ibn al-Arabi sigue el relato: de pie en el agua del Nilo, Jawhari se vio a sí mismo como quien sueña; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«So the spirits do not see, nor are they seen, except through being parted from these [bodily]» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que los espíritus ni ven ni son vistos salvo apartándose de esas tumbas corporales; el tramo se corta en el reemitido del marcador de plana, en el corte de chunk

«So such a person receives three theophanies, with three [different] “eyes,” at the same instant. And similarly with the condition of the person [whose belief is based] solely on intellectual inquiry, or the person [who follows] only immediate unveiling, or the person [who accepts] only imitation» — Ibn al-Arabi declara tres teofanías con tres ojos en un mismo instante para quien reúne las tres vías, y una sola para quien sigue solo una

«But the two levels who are not prophets [with a Sharia] or [prophetic] followers are the close friends of God (Qur’an 10:62-64),92 who are not governed by any [particular spiritual] station (Qur’an 33:12).93 They are distinguished from all of [the ordinary believers below them] by their integral relationship to their Lord.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe a los amigos cercanos de Dios, que no se rigen por ninguna estación particular y se distinguen por su relación íntegra con su Señor, con la sura 10 por apoyo

«However, the people of intellectual reasoning (nazar) among them are in a rank lower than the people of immediate unveiling (kashff because in their vision the veil of their thinking95 stands between them and God (al-Haqq [the Truly Real]). Whenever they want to lift that veil they are not able to do so.» — Ibn al-Arabi ordena por rango a la gente del razonamiento intelectual por debajo de la del desvelamiento, porque el velo de su pensamiento se interpone y no pueden levantarlo; la capa de texto pega la llamada de nota en *kashff* y *thinking95*

«And likewise the followers of the prophets [i.e., by way of outward imitation (taqlid)], however much they may desire to raise the veils of the prophets from themselves so that they can see God without that intermediary (ivasita), are still unable to do so.» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende la misma incapacidad a los seguidores por imitación, que no alcanzan a ver a Dios sin la mediación del profeta; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Therefore absolutely pure and flawless [spiritual] vision belongs in particular only to the Messengers (rusul) among the prophets, those who bring the divinely prescribed Paths (shara’i)?6 and to the people of imme» — Ibn al-Arabi reserva la visión pura y sin falla a los Mensajeros y a la gente del desvelamiento inmediato; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«But as for those true men9/ who concur with the belief held by each individual with regard to [their inner awareness of] what led him to that belief, taught it to him and confirmed him in it, on the Day of the Visit such people see their Lord with the eye of every belief» — Ibn al-Arabi describe a los hombres verdaderos que concuerdan con la creencia de cada individuo y ven a su Señor con el ojo de toda creencia

«So when [one of these “true men"] has realized in himself the particular aspect of that profession which gives it its validity for the person holding it and because of which that person professes it with regard to what he believes, so that [the true Knower] does not deny or reject it, [only] then will he reap the fruit of that profession on the Day of the Visit, whatever that credo» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona el fruto de esa concordancia a haber realizado en sí el aspecto que da validez a la profesión ajena, sin negarla ni rechazarla

«So when they [i.e., most of the ordinary believers in the other Gardens of Paradise] return from the Visit, everyone of them who holds a [particular] belief imagines that [the saint, or true “friend of God’’] belongs to their [group alone] because he sees that the [saint’s] form of his belief during the Visit is like his own form [of belief].» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el efecto en el Día de la Visita: cada grupo cree que el amigo de Dios es de los suyos, porque ve en él la forma de su propia creencia

«So the person who is like this [i.e., who realizes the underlying truth in every individual’s inner form of belief] is beloved by all the groups—and it was [already] that way in this world!» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la consecuencia: quien reconoce la verdad en la forma de creencia de cada cual es amado por todos los grupos, y ya lo era en este mundo

«give the Divinity (al-ulubiya) its rightful due, so that you may be among those who treat their Lord equitably in their knowledge of Him. For God is far too exalted (Qur’an 6:100, etc.) to be bound by any sort of delimitation or to be restricted to one form to the exclusion of [all] others.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la respuesta pidiendo dar a la Divinidad lo suyo, porque Dios está demasiado alto para quedar ligado a una delimitación o a una sola forma

«In this way you may come to know for yourself the universality of the felicity of all God’s creation and the vast extent of that Mercy wbicb encompasses every thing» — Ibn al-Arabi liga ese reconocimiento a conocer la universalidad de la felicidad de la creación y la extensión de la Misericordia, con la sura 40 por apoyo

«The answer [is that] the shares of ordinary people in their contemplation of Him are according to the extent of what they have understood of what they have [outwardly and formally] taken over and imitated110 from the learned, according to their different ranks» — Ibn al-Arabi mide la parte de la gente común en la contemplación por lo que entendieron de lo que tomaron por imitación de los sabios; capítulo 73, pregunta 71

«For the natural dispositions113 are different and of various ranks, depending on what God has placed in them; they are divisions [of psychic and intellectual types] whose source is in the constitution (mizaj) on which God mounted [their spirits].114 That is the cause of the differences of outlook among the learned in their thoughts about intellectual matters» — Ibn al-Arabi remonta esas diferencias a las disposiciones naturales y a la constitución sobre la que Dios montó los espíritus, y de ahí la divergencia entre los sabios

«Thus the share [of ordinary people] in the pleasure of contemplating [God] is their share in what has been presented to them in images (tukhuyyilat lahum), because the shares of the common people are imaginal and they are not able to transcend material [forms] in [their perception of] the spiritual realities (al-ma'ani) in all those things which they enjoy in this world, the intermediate world and the other world.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara imaginal la parte de la gente común, incapaz de trascender las formas materiales en los tres mundos

«Indeed, very few of the learned can even conceive of the total transcendence (tajrid) of material [forms]. This is why most of the Sharia came according to the understanding of ordinary people, although it also brings allusions intended for the elect, such as His saying: “There is nothing like Him”(Qur’an 42:11), and “May your Lord be glorified, the Lord of Might, beyond [all] that they describe» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de ahí que la mayor parte de la sharía venga según el entendimiento de la gente común, con alusiones para los elegidos como las suras 42 y 37

«Now the full explanation of this matter is that the vision [of God] on the Day of the Visit is according to [men’s] beliefs in this world. Thus the person who believes concerning his Lord what was given to him by intellectual reflection (nazar), and by immediate “unveiling” (kashf), and by imitating (taqlid) his Messenger (rasiil) sees his Lord in the form of the aspect of each belief he held concerning Him» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona la visión de Dios en el Día de la Visita a las creencias de este mundo: cada quien lo ve en la forma del aspecto de la creencia que sostuvo; capítulo 73, pregunta 67

«except that in his [outward] imitation of his prophet he sees his Lord in the form of his prophet, with regard to what that Messenger taught him from what was» — Ibn al-Arabi acota el caso de la imitación: quien imita a su profeta ve a su Señor en la forma del profeta; el tramo se corta donde la plana intercala el texto del aparato, que en el troceo cae a media frase

«Now the principle underlying the validity of what we have just mentioned is that each person who looks at» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el principio que valida lo anterior: cada quien mira a Dios bajo el influjo de uno de los Nombres; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«so that that Name is what manifests Itself to him in theophany and gives him that [particular] belief by Its appearing to him, without his being aware of this. And the relations of all of the divine Names to the Truly Real (al-Haqq) are sound, so therefore his vision [of God] in every belief is sound, despite their differences, and there is not the slightest error in it.» — Ibn al-Arabi completa el principio: el Nombre se manifiesta sin que el creyente lo sepa, y como todas las relaciones de los Nombres son sanas, toda visión lo es

«Thus the gaze of [every] person who looks never leaves God, nor is it even possible for it to do so» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que la mirada de quien mira nunca deja a Dios ni le es posible dejarlo; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«It is only that most people are veiled from the Truly Real by the Truly Real, because of the [omnipresent] clarity of the Truly Real.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la razón de que la mayoría esté velada: los vela lo Verdadero mismo, por su claridad omnipresente; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«And in the “market of Paradise”117 is the knowledge of that to which we have alluded» — Ibn al-Arabi remite al mercado del Paraíso el conocimiento de lo que ahí ha aludido

«s share in [the vision of] his Lord is according to the extent of his knowledge and the extent» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el bloque midiendo la parte de cada uno en la visión de su Señor por la extensión de su conocimiento; el tramo empieza tras el corte de renglón que parte *individual* y se corta en el reemitido del marcador de plana, en el corte de chunk; capítulo 73, pregunta 71

«The highest station with God is that God should preserve in His servant the contemplation of his servanthood, whether or not He should have clothed him in one of the robes of Lordship» — Ibn al-Arabi define la estación más alta como que Dios conserve en su siervo la contemplación de su servidumbre, lleve o no vestidura de Señorío; citado por William C. Chittick

«Utter servanthood, untainted by any lordship whatsoever, can belong only to the Perfect Man, while Lordship totally untainted by servitude can only belong to God. So here the Perfect Man is in the form of God in respect of his incomparability and his being too holy (taqdis) for any taints (shawb) in his reality. Hence he is the absolute divine vassal (al-ma'luh al-mutlaq), while God is the Absolute Divinity» — Ibn al-Arabi reserva la servidumbre sin mancha al Hombre Perfecto y el Señorío sin mancha a Dios; citado por Chittick

«The Perfect Man stands apart from the nonperfect only through a single subtle meaning (raqiqa), and that is that his servanthood is not stained by any lordship whatsoever» — Ibn al-Arabi reduce la diferencia entre el Hombre Perfecto y el no perfecto a un solo sentido sutil: que su servidumbre no está manchada de señorío alguno

«“Servanthood” (‘ubudiyya) is [grammatically] an ascription (nasab) to “servitude” “servitude” is pure, without ascription, neither to God nor to itself, since it does not accept ascription. Hence the word does not have the suffix iyy.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva gramaticalmente la diferencia: la servidumbre pura no acepta adscripción y por eso su palabra no lleva el sufijo; capítulo 130

«The lowest of the low (adhall al-adhilla) is that which is ascribed to something low which boasts (iftikbar) over it. Hence it is said about the earth,“the very lowly” (dbalul; Qur’an 67:15) in a word form [i.e.J&TM] that indicates exaggeration in lowliness; for the lowly walk upon it, so it is more tremendous in its lowliness than they.» — Ibn al-Arabi define lo más bajo por lo que se le ensoberbece encima, y pone por ejemplo la tierra, sobre la que caminan los bajos

«The station of servanthood is a station of lowliness and poverty (iftiqar)\ it is not a divine attribute» — Ibn al-Arabi declara la servidumbre estación de bajeza y pobreza y niega que sea atributo divino

«AbuYazid al-Bistami5 found no cause (sabab) by which he could gain proximity (taqarrub) to God, since he saw that the Divinity (al uluhiyya) entered into every attribute by which proximity was gained. When he found himself incapable he said, “Oh Lord, by what shall I gain proximity to Thee?” God said to him in the way that He has customarily addressed His friends “Gain proximity to Me through that which I do not possess: Lowliness and poverty» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere el hallazgo de Abu Yazid al-Bistami: ningún atributo servía para la proximidad porque la Divinidad entraba en todos, y la respuesta fue acercarse por lo que Dios no posee, bajeza y pobreza

«No one has realized (tahaqquq) this station to its perfection like the Messenger of God, for he was an utter servant (‘abd mahd) who renounced (zabid) those states which would have removed him from the level of servanthood.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que nadie realizó esa estación como el Mensajero, siervo absoluto que renunció a los estados que lo sacaran de la servidumbre

«The meaning of “servant” (‘abd) is “lowly” (dhaltl). It is said, “earth made into a servant” (ard mu'abbad), i.e., “made lowly” (mudhallal). God says, “I created jinn and men only to serve Afe”(Qur’an 51:56).6 He said this only concerning these two kinds, since none claimed divinity, none believed divinity was in other than God and none was proud (takabbur) over God’s creatures except these two kinds. Hence God mentioned them specif» — Ibn al-Arabi da el sentido de siervo por bajo, y explica con la sura 51 por qué solo genios y hombres son mencionados: solo ellos reclamaron divinidad y se ensoberbecieron; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Ibn ‘Abbas7 said, “The meaning of the words ‘to serve Me’ is ‘to know Me.’ ” So he did not explain (tafsir) [this verse] in terms of what is given by the reality of the word’s denotation (dalala). Its explanation can only be: “to be lowly toward Me”; but none is lowly toward Him unless he knows Him» — Ibn al-Arabi objeta la lectura de Ibn Abbas, que explica servirme por conocerme, y sostiene que la explicación solo puede ser abajarse ante Él, aunque nadie se abaja sin conocerlo

«The relationship of the servant with God in the state of servanthood is like that of a shadow with the person [who throws it] before a lamp: the closer he moves toward the lamp, the greater is the shadow; there is no proximity to God except through that which is more specifically (akbass) your attribute, not His. The more the person moves away from the lamp, the smaller the shadow becomes» — Ibn al-Arabi compara la relación del siervo con Dios con la sombra ante una lámpara: cuanto más se acerca, mayor es la sombra

«there is no proximity to God except through that which is more specifically (akbass) your attribute, not His.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota el sentido de la comparación: no hay proximidad sino por lo que es más propiamente atributo tuyo, no suyo

«I am ascribed to myself, for I know that our ascription to God is defective. That He should be a cause Cilla) for creation is problematic, unknown because of the elevation of His rank. He is the Independent absolutely: He has no poverty—this the All-Merciful has revealed. That which I have said the Qur’an explains» — el poema del capítulo 130 declara defectuosa la adscripción a Dios, problemática la causalidad divina y absoluta la independencia de Dios; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«God gives witness that he was a servant of Him both in respect of His He-ness and His All-Comprehensive Name» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que Dios atestigua la servidumbre del Mensajero tanto por su Él-idad como por su Nombre Omnicomprensivo; el tramo se corta a media palabra y antes de la llamada de nota

«He says concerning His Name, “When the servant ofAllah stood calling on "(Qur’an 72:19); and He says concerning His He-ness, “Glory be to Him who carried His servant by night” (Qur’an 17:1). So He carried him by night as a servant.» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya esa doble atestación en las suras 72 y 17, y subraya que fue llevado de noche en cuanto siervo

«When he was commanded to instruct concerning his station on the Day of Resurrection, he qualified that, for he said,“I am the lord of the children of Adam, without boasting,» — Ibn al-Arabi trae el dicho del Profeta sobre ser señor de los hijos de Adán sin jactancia; el tramo se corta a media palabra y antes de la lectura variante que el impreso discute

«In other words,“I do not aim to boast before you about my lordship; on the contrary, 1 wish to instruct you as good news to you, since you are commanded to follow me.» — Ibn al-Arabi glosa el dicho como instrucción y buena nueva para quienes están mandados a seguirlo, no como alarde

«No one can abandon servanthood unless he sees that the entities of the possible things remain in their original state of nonexistence and that they are the loci of manifestation for God, who is Manifest within them.» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona el abandono de la servidumbre a ver que las entidades posibles siguen en su inexistencia original y son lugares de manifestación de Dios; capítulo 131

«So none has existence but God, and none has effects (athar) but the entities; by their very essences they impart to the existence of the Manifest that through which limitations (al-budud) occur within the entity of every manifest thing.» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte existencia y efectos: la existencia es solo de Dios, los efectos son de las entidades, que imponen los límites

«If you trace your origin to an effect to which you belong—you belong to God, not creation, so consider yourself rebuked!» — el poema del capítulo 131 devuelve al lector a Dios y no a la creación como origen del efecto al que pertenece

«We are loci of manifestation, and the Worshipped One is He who makes us manifest; the engendered existent’s locus of manifestation is his very entity—so take heed!» — el poema declara a los hombres lugares de manifestación y hace de la entidad del existente engendrado su propio lugar de manifestación

«But I do not worship Him except through His form, for He is the God within whom man is concealed.» — el poema acota el modo del culto: solo por su forma, porque es el Dios dentro del cual el hombre está oculto

«When I reached number and the countable things at the beginning of this chapter in this copy, I slept, and I saw the Messenger of God in a dream, while I was seated before him. Someone had asked me,“What is the smallest plural number?”! had answered, “According to the jurists [atfuqahd’] it is two, but according to the grammarians [al-nahwiyin] it is three.” The Prophet said, “Both these and those are mistaken.” I said to him,“Oh Messenger» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta el sueño en que el Mensajero declaró errados a juristas y gramáticos sobre el menor número plural

«He replied, “Numbers are even and odd. God says, ‘By the even and the odd!’ [Qur’an 89:2]; though both are numbers, He distinguished between them.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la respuesta del Profeta en el sueño: los números son pares e impares, y Dios los distinguió, con la sura 89 por apoyo

«Then he took out five dirhams with his blessed hand and threw them down on the mat upon which we were seated. Throwing two in one place and three in another he said to me,“He who is asked this question should say to the questioner,‘Of which number do you speak? Of the number called “even”? Or of the number called “odd”?”’Then he placed his hand upon the two dirhams and said, “This is the least plural of the even numbers.” He placed his hand on the three and said,“This is the least plural of the odd numbers. In this manner should he who is asked this question answer. This is how it is with us.» — Ibn al-Arabi relata la demostración con los cinco dírhams: dos por un lado y tres por otro, el menor plural de los pares y el de los impares

«I awoke and wrote down my dream in this chapter just as I had seen it when I awoke. But I have not mentioned many questions between me and him that pertain to matters unrelated to this chapter. I was in extreme joy and happiness from seeing him, and I found in my mind once I awoke the correctness of the prohibition of the single cycle prayer,24 for he spoke in this manner. I have never seen a teacher better than he.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara haber escrito el sueño tal como lo vio, con alegría extrema, y haber hallado al despertar la corrección de una prohibición ritual

«This is what is called “Allah.” Though He is the existence manifest in whatever forms are possessed by the loci of manifestation, He is not of their kind, for He is Necessary Being in His Essence, while they are necessary nonexistence (wajibat al- ‘adam) in their essences eternally» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que Dios es la existencia manifiesta en las formas de los lugares de manifestación sin ser de su especie, porque es Ser Necesario y ellos inexistencia necesaria

«They possess properties in that which clothes itself within them, just as ornaments possess properties in him who adorns himself with them.» — Ibn al-Arabi compara las propiedades de los posibles con las de los adornos sobre quien se engalana

«God says, “They are infidels who say, ‘God is the third of three’"(Qur’an 5:77), but he is not an infidel who says that God is the fourth of three. This is because, if He were the third of three or the fourth of four, as is conspired by those who speak such words, He would be of the same kind (jins) as the possible things. But He—high exalted is He—is not of the same kind as the possible things, so it cannot be said concerning Him that He is one of them, since He is One eternally for every manyness and group, without becoming one of their kind. Hence He is the fourth of three» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue, con la sura 5, entre decir que Dios es el tercero de tres y decir que es el cuarto de tres: lo primero lo haría de la misma especie que los posibles

«But He—high exalted is He—is not of the same kind as the possible things, so it cannot be said concerning Him that He is one of them, since He is One eternally for every manyness and group, without becoming one of their kind. Hence He is the fourth of three, so He is One; the fifth of four, so He is One; and so on indefinitely.» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la fórmula: cuarto de tres, quinto de cuatro y así indefinidamente, y en todos los casos Uno

«The property of number and the power of its permeation (sarayari), even though it possesses no existence, led to God’s saying, “Three men conspire not secretly together, but He is the fourth of them, neither five men, but He is the sixth of them, neither fewer than that,” i.e., two, which confirms our vision mentioned above, “neither more, but He is with them, wherever they may be» — Ibn al-Arabi remonta a la sura 58 la permeación del número, que no tiene existencia y sin embargo rige los niveles

«There is also the saying of the Prophet, “God possesses ninety-nine Names, one hundred less one”26', this shows the property of number.» — Ibn al-Arabi aduce el hadiz de los noventa y nueve Nombres, ciento menos uno, como muestra de la propiedad del número

«So number bestows properties by its very essence (hakim li dhatihi) upon countable tilings, though it has no existence; and the loci of manifestation bestow properties upon the forms of the Manifest and upon the manyness of these forms within the Reality of the One (‘ayn al-wclhid), though they have no existence.» — Ibn al-Arabi equipara el modo en que el número da propiedades a lo contable y los lugares de manifestación a las formas del Manifiesto: ninguno de los dos existe; la capa de texto imprime *tilings*

«There is no existent but God, while the possible things remain in the state of nonexistence. Now this “acquired existence” (al-wujud al-mustafad) either must be existent, while being neither God nor the possible thing, or it must consist of the Being of God. But if something is superadded (za’id), then it is neither God nor the entities of the possible things. So there remains only that this existence be existent; hence it is described by itself, and this is God, since it has been proven that there is no existence from eternity without beginning except that of God, since He is the Necessary Being in Himself. So it is established that there is no existent through itself but God.» — Ibn al-Arabi razona la existencia adquirida hasta concluir que no hay existente por sí mismo salvo Dios

«Hence the entities of the possible things receive the Being of God through their realities, since there is no other Being. This is indicated by His words, “We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them save through the Truth” (Qur’an 15:85), which is Sheer Being» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que las entidades posibles reciben el Ser de Dios por sus realidades, apoyándose en la sura 15

«In our view there is no issue (mas’ala) in theology (al-ilm al'ilahi) more obscure than this. For everyone (al-jama‘a) maintains that the possible things acquire (istifada) nothing from God but existence.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara esa cuestión la más oscura de la teología y consigna la posición común: que los posibles no adquieren de Dios sino la existencia

«In spite of all this, the clear formulation of tliis issue is exceedingly difficult, since verbal expression (al-'ib&ra) is inadequate for it, nor does conceptualization (tasawwur) capture it, since it quickly escapes and its properties are contradictory.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara inadecuada la expresión verbal y esquiva la conceptualización para esa cuestión; la capa de texto imprime *tliis* por *this*

«For [this issue] is like His words, “You did not throw”so He negated, “when you threw” so He affirmed, “but God threw” (Qur’an 8:17), so He negated the engendered existence (kawn) of Muhammad and affirmed Himself as identical to Muhammad, giving to him the Name Allah.» — Ibn al-Arabi ilustra la cuestión con la sura 8, donde se niega y se afirma el lanzar de Muhammad a la vez

«As for him who does not attain to their degree, he maintains that servanthood cannot be abandoned inwardly, because of the existence of poverty (al-iftiqdr)^ which no temporally originated thing (muhdath) denies from himself. His poverty will necessarily lower him, and this lowliness (dhilla) is identical with ser» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna la posición de quien no llega a ese grado: la servidumbre no puede abandonarse por dentro, porque la pobreza del originado lo abaja; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«As for man’s abandonment of servanthood through knowledge, that takes place as follows: When you look at the servant in respect of his self-control (tasarruj), not in respect of his being a possible thing, and when you ascribe to him the name of servanthood in this respect, then it is possible for him to abandon servanthood through knowledge—in respect of self-control, not in respect of his possibility.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota en qué respecto cabe abandonar la servidumbre por conocimiento: en el del autocontrol, no en el de la posibilidad; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«ties of number permeate and are established within the countable tilings (al-ma‘duddt), which are nothing but the forms of the existents, whatever they may be.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe cómo las propiedades del número permean lo contable, que no son sino las formas de los existentes; el tramo empieza a media palabra por el corte de renglón y la capa de texto imprime *tilings* por *things*; capítulo 131

«As for the servanthood of possibility, they concur that there is such a thing and that its abandonment is inconceivable, for it belongs to the very essence of the possible thing.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna el acuerdo sobre la servidumbre de la posibilidad: existe y su abandono es inconcebible, porque pertenece a la esencia misma de lo posible; capítulo 131

«Now acts (al-afal) are God’s creation, so He is the commander and the commanded. So where is true selfcontrol, through which the servant is called either a servant upholding the commands of his master or one who contends with him, thus being qualified as a runaway» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de que los actos sean creación de Dios la pregunta por dónde queda el verdadero autocontrol del siervo

«Some of our companions take into account in the abandonment of servanthood God’s being the faculties and organs of the servant,33 for in this state he is absent from servanthood, but this is the abandonment of a state, not of a reality.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna la posición de algunos de sus compañeros y la acota: eso es abandono de un estado, no de una realidad

«[They maintain] that the possible thing possesses acts and that God has entrusted (jtafwid) His servants with the performance of certain possible acts. Hence He prescribed the performance of these acts, since He said, "Perform tbe prayer and pay tbe alms” (Qur’an 22:78), "Fulfill tbe Pilgrimage and tbe Visitation unto God” (Qur’an 2:192), "Struggle for God” (Qur’an 22:77), and so forth.» — Ibn al-Arabi expone la posición contraria, que atribuye actos a lo posible y la apoya en los mandatos coránicos de orar, peregrinar y esforzarse

«This is a chapter of danger. The servant of self-will has run away from his Master’s kingdom, but he cannot go outside of it, so he wanders aimlessly.» — el poema del capítulo 140 declara peligroso el capítulo y pinta al siervo de voluntad propia huido dentro del reino del que no puede salir

«The free man is he who owns all engendered things and is not owned by any property or position. Were he to resist engendered existence, he would nullify his root in his Master’s kingdom.» — el poema define al hombre libre como dueño de todo lo engendrado y no poseído por propiedad ni posición

«Know—God give you success—that freedom is a station of the Essence (maqam dhati), not of the Divinity (ildhi)*G It cannot be delivered over to the servant absolutely, since he is God’s servant through a servanthood that does not accept eman» — Ibn al-Arabi declara la libertad estación de la Esencia y no de la Divinidad, y por eso no entregable al siervo en absoluto; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«We have considered freedom impossible for God (al-haqq) in respect of His being a divinity (ilah) because of His relationship (irtibat) to divinity’s vassal (ma’luh), a relationship corresponding to that of the lord to the existence of the servant, the owner to the property, and the king to the kingdom.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara imposible la libertad para Dios en cuanto divinidad, por su relación con el vasallo, como la del señor al siervo o el rey al reino

«So there can be no freedom with correlation, while Lordship (rububiyya) and Divinity are correlations.» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la regla: no hay libertad donde hay correlación, y Señorío y Divinidad son correlaciones

«So when the servant desires the realization (tahaqquq) of this station—for it is one of realization, not of the assumption of traits (takhalluq)59—and he considers that this can only come about through the disappearance of the poverty (iftiqar) that accompanies him because of his possibility,40 and he also sees that the Divine Jealousy (al-gbayrat al-ilabiyya) demands that none be qualified by existence except God—because of the claims (dciwa) existence entails—he knows through these considerations that the ascription of existence to the possible thing is impossible, since Jealousy is a limitation that prevents it.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el camino del siervo a esa estación: ver que la Celosía divina exige que solo Dios sea calificado por existencia, y de ahí lo imposible de atribuir existencia a lo posible

«Hence he looks at his own entity and sees that it is nonexistent, possessing no existence, and that nonexistence is its intrinsic attribute (wasf nafsi). So no thought of existence occurs to him, poverty disappears, and he remains free in the state of possessing nonexistence, like the freedom of the Essence in Its Being.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el movimiento: al verse inexistente desaparece la pobreza y queda libre en el estado de poseer inexistencia, como la Esencia en su Ser

«But since there is no correspondence (mundsaba) or correlation between God and creation (al-kbalq)—on the contrary, He is “Independent of tbe worlds" (Qur’an 3:92), and this belongs to no existent essence except the Essence of God—no engendered existent is related to Him, no eye perceives Him» — Ibn al-Arabi niega correspondencia y correlación entre Dios y la creación, con la sura 3 por apoyo

«Then the servant desires to know what corresponds to the Divine Names that belong to the Essence within the essence of the nonexistent possible thing. He sees that the entity of every possible thing possesses a preparedness (isti'dad)42 not possessed by any other, in order that the entities may become distinct» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el paso siguiente: ver que cada entidad posible tiene una preparación propia que la distingue

«It is said that this is a Throne, this an Intellect, this a Pen, a Tablet, a Footstool, a celestial sphere, an angel, fire, air, water, earth, an inanimate tiling, a plant, an animal, and a man, in all kinds and species. Then tills Reality permeates the individuals and it is said that this is Zayd,‘Amr, this horse, this stone, this tree.» — Ibn al-Arabi despliega la serie de esos nombres originados, del Trono y el Intelecto a Zayd, Amr, el caballo, la piedra y el árbol; la capa de texto imprime *tiling* y *tills*

«Hence when the possible thing clings to its own entity, it is free, with no servanthood; but when it clings to its preparedness, it is a poor servant. So we possess no station in nondelimited freedom (al-burriyyat al-mutlaqa) in what we have mentioned. So do not allow yourself to maintain anything but this.» — Ibn al-Arabi resuelve: aferrada a su entidad, la cosa posible es libre; aferrada a su preparación, es sierva pobre, y por eso no hay estación de libertad no delimitada

«He who does not contemplate this station will never know the sense of God’s words, “God is independent of tbe worlds'’ (Qur’an 3:92), which mean that He is independent of denotation (al-dalala» — Ibn al-Arabi lee la independencia divina de la sura 3 como independencia de la denotación: si Dios hubiera creado el mundo para que lo denotara, no sería independiente de él

«For He is more manifest and apparent than that His denotation should be sought from something else or that He could be delimited by an “other”» — Ibn al-Arabi da la razón: Dios es más manifiesto que para que su denotación se busque en otra cosa o quede delimitado por un otro

«If he has knowledge of the true situation, he knows that God is with that phenomenon (sabab) that calls him, and that he is poor toward it because he has the preparedness for poverty toward it, so he is poor in his very reality» — Ibn al-Arabi describe lo que sabe el conocedor ante lo que lo reclama: que Dios está con ese fenómeno y que su pobreza le viene de su propia preparación

«Then he will look at the bestower of that toward which he has need in this phenomenon and he will see it as the Divine Name. So he is only poor toward God in respect of His Name, and he is only poor through his own self from the effect of his preparedness. Hence he knows what poverty is, who it is that is poor, and toward whom he is poor. That is why the Prophet was commanded to say, “My Lord, increase me in knowledge» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el análisis de la pobreza —hacia qué Nombre, por qué y de quién— y lo liga al mandato coránico de pedir aumento de conocimiento; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Thus have I sufficiently apprised you of freedom and its mysteries, things that you will not find in other books, the writings of anyone else.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara haber expuesto la libertad y sus misterios con cosas que no se hallan en otros libros

«As for the tongue of the generality (al-‘umum) of the Sufis (al-qawm), “freedom” belongs to him who is not enslaved by any engendered existent, only by God. Hence he is free from everything other than God. So freedom is a verified servanthood of God; its possessor is not the servant of anything but God, who created him to serve Him.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna el uso común de los sufíes para libertad y lo convierte en servidumbre verificada: libre de todo salvo de Dios; capítulos 140-141

«Hence he fulfills that for which he was created, and it is said concerning him, “How excellent a servant—indeed he is constantly returning" (Qur’an 38:44), i.e., constantly coming back to the servanthood for which he was created—since he was created in need of everything in existence. There is nothing in existence that does not call to him in the tongue of his poverty: “I am that toward which you are poor, so return to me.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra con la sura 38 y con la voz de todo lo existente llamando al hombre en la lengua de su pobreza

«So the servant gives the preparednesses of the possible things a status corresponding to that of the Names of God, while the existence of» — Ibn al-Arabi hace corresponder las preparaciones de los posibles con los Nombres de Dios; el tramo se corta donde la plana intercala otro bloque de texto, que en el troceo cae a media frase; capítulos 140-141

«the possible entities belongs to God. So when He becomes manifest to Himself in the entity of a possible thing through one of the Divine Names, the preparedness of the entity bestows upon Him a temporally originated Name (ism baditb) by which He is then called.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que la existencia de las entidades posibles es de Dios, y que al manifestarse en una de ellas la preparación de la entidad le confiere un Nombre temporalmente originado

«How should he who never becomes separate from his needs be free while his needs are seeking him? Hence he is poor toward all things: poverty is his doctrine, poverty his earnings» — el poema del capítulo 141 niega la libertad a quien no se separa de sus necesidades y hace de la pobreza su doctrina y su ganancia

«None is free in engendered existence, for He seeks us from every direction—and from every direction we seek Him.» — el poema cierra negando la libertad en la existencia engendrada, porque la busca es recíproca desde toda dirección

«Know—God give you success—that the abandonment of freedom is pure and utter servitude; the possessor of this station is enslaved by phenomena (asbab), for he has attained to the realization of the knowledge of the wisdom (hikma) in their establishment (wad‘)?* So he is lowly before their authority.» — Ibn al-Arabi define el abandono de la libertad como servidumbre pura, esclavizada a los fenómenos por haber realizado la sabiduría de su establecimiento; capítulo 141

«The possessor of this station is like the earth: both the pious and the wicked tread upon it, and it bestows its benefits on both the man of faith and the infidel.» — Ibn al-Arabi compara a quien posee esa estación con la tierra, que pisan el piadoso y el malvado y que da sus bienes a creyente e infiel; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«So every engendered thing has a right upon him: he is slave to that right. He is not free—so be knowledgeable and aware of him, like him who has attained realization. Be not like him who rejects the command of his Master once he enters creation. God is Lord and you are His servant. So be a servant! This has priority.» — el poema del capítulo 141 declara al hombre esclavo del derecho de cada cosa engendrada y ordena ser siervo, porque eso tiene prioridad

«God placed him in charge of it and made him a vicegerent within it; it is not within his power to take care of its rights (huquq) unless phenomena enable him to do so. So he must humble himself in acquiring phenomena so that he can fulfill God’s right upon him directed toward his mount.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de la vicegerencia sobre la montura la obligación de humillarse adquiriendo fenómenos para cumplir el derecho de Dios

«For God says to him, “Thy self (nafs) has a right upon thee, thy eye ((ayn) has a right upon thee, and thy guest (zawr) has a right upon thee.”49 How can a person faced with rights possess freedom?» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera los derechos que el hadiz reconoce al yo, al ojo y al huésped, y pregunta cómo puede ser libre quien tiene derechos enfrente

«So the only thing that brought them out was He who delivered a verdict in favor of that thing—i.e., hunger—which faced them with a right. Hunger is a thing of nonexistence (amr ‘adami). So if an existent is acted upon by a nonexistent thing, what should be its state in face of an existent thing?» — Ibn al-Arabi razona desde ahí: el hambre es cosa de inexistencia, y si un inexistente actúa sobre un existente, qué será ante un existente

«Moreover, people such as these mentioned here have been seen to possess freedom. But because of this tasting (dbawq) they came out to seek the fulfillment of the rights their selves had upon them. Hence hunger enslaved them.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que a esos se los tenía por libres, y que aun así salieron a cumplir el derecho de sus almas: el hambre los esclavizó

«If they had not come out but remained in their places, they would have been under the coercion (qabr) of patience (sabr) and everything that it demands.» — Ibn al-Arabi señala la alternativa: quedarse habría sido quedar bajo la coerción de la paciencia y de todo lo que exige

«So the ultimate ascription of excellence (fadl) to them is that they came out, as we said, seeking to fulfill the rights of their selves through striving (sa‘y) for them, since they had the ability to do this. There is nothing higher than this, for if they had sat back while possessing the ability, they would have been described by wrongdoing (zulm) and ignorance of the divine decree» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica la excelencia a que salieran, y declara que sentarse pudiendo obrar los habría descrito con injusticia e ignorancia del decreto divino

«How can we conceive of freedom in someone whose attributes are such [as the above] in both this world and the next? In this world, such is the actual situation and a person cannot deny it.» — Ibn al-Arabi pregunta cómo concebir libertad en quien tiene tales atributos en este mundo y en el otro

«He may refuse it and disclaim it for himself, but if he does not depend and rely upon phenomena, the most he can do is rely upon God in employing them, so he is then a defective servant (‘abd ma 'ltd), since this is a specific attentiveness» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que ni apoyándose en Dios en vez de en los fenómenos se sale: queda un siervo defectuoso, porque eso mismo es una atención específica

«When the knower (al-Arif) discerns this for himself, he knows that “freedom” is the talk of the ego (haditb nafs) and an accidental state with no permanence in sobriety (sabw).'Then [he knows] that the abandonment of freedom is a divine attribute» — Ibn al-Arabi concluye que la libertad es habla del ego y estado accidental sin permanencia en la sobriedad, y que su abandono sí es atributo divino

«Thus have I apprised you of the mysteries of this station. If you cling to them, you will know your self and you will know your Lord, and you will not go beyond your own measure.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el capítulo prometiendo que aferrarse a esos misterios da conocerse a sí mismo y conocer al Señor sin pasar de la propia medida

«Though freedom has degrees among God’s servants, God considers the notfree (ghayr al-abrar) as greater in degree and more perfect in description.The root is with them: a Protector who protects them in the abandonment of freedom and in enslavement to that which Wisdom demands.» — Ibn al-Arabi invierte el orden esperado: Dios tiene por mayores en grado a los no libres, porque la raíz está con ellos

«An unruly utterance is the soul’s claim through nature because of a remnant of the effects of self-will within it. This is when the unruly words are true, have not been commanded, and are spoken by a master of understanding.» — el poema del capítulo 195 define la locución desordenada como pretensión del alma por naturaleza, con un resto de voluntad propia

«Know—God confirm you—that an “unruly utterance” is a justified claim (da'iva bi'l-haqq) which expresses the speaker’s position with God bestowed upon him by God but which [is made] without a divine command and by way of boasting» — Ibn al-Arabi define la locución desordenada como pretensión justificada sobre la propia posición con Dios, hecha sin mandato divino y a modo de jactancia; capítulo 195

«If the speaker is commanded to utter the claim, then he expresses through it a communication (ta'rif) by divine command without intending any boast.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota el caso contrario: mandado a decirlo, el hablante comunica por mandato divino y sin jactancia

«Unruly utterances are the slips (zalla) of the Verifiers (al-muhaqqiqun) when they are not commanded to speak the words as the Prophet was.» — Ibn al-Arabi llama desliz de los Verificadores a esas locuciones cuando no hay mandato de pronunciarlas

«The words of Jesus were similar. He began with servanthood, which corresponds to the Prophet’s words, “without boasting.” In order to exonerate his mother and because he knew through the light of prophecy within his own preparedness that he would certainly be called the son of God, he said to his people, “Zo, I am God» — Ibn al-Arabi compara el caso de Jesús: empezó por la servidumbre, y declaró ser siervo de Dios para exonerar a su madre y porque sabía que lo llamarían hijo de Dios; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«So he is the servant of his self as long as it demands its right from him, the servant of his eye as long as it demands its right from him, and the servant of his guest as long as he demands his right from him. Divine blessings demand that he give thanks to Him who blessed him with them, and religious prescriptions (taklif) are in effect.» — Ibn al-Arabi despliega la serie de servidumbres —del yo, del ojo, del huésped— y añade el deber de gratitud por las bendiciones y la vigencia de las prescripciones; capítulo 141

«Compulsion (idtirar) is unavoidable; if he desires to repel it, it cannot be repelled. Praise and laudation exercise effects upon him, so he says, “Praise belongs to God, the Benefactor, the Bestower.” Blame, harshness, and annoyance master him, so he says, "Praise belongs to God in every state.”51 So his praise changes with the change in states; were the states to change with the change in praise, he would be free of them.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara inevitable la compulsión y hace cambiar la alabanza con los estados, y no al revés

«The Messenger of God said to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq,5“ “What has brought you out?” He answered, “Oh Messenger of God» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el hadiz del hambre que sacó de casa al Profeta y a Abu Bakr; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«The Messenger of God said,“I too have been brought out by hunger." So he went with those Companions who were with him to the house of al-Haytham ibn Abi al-Tihan, who sacrificed for them and fed them.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el hadiz con la llegada a la casa de al-Haytham ibn Abi al-Tihan, que sacrificó para ellos

«Jesus meant by "enjoining prayer and alms” (Qur’an 19:32) worship (al-‘ibada).63 These words denote these [specific] works (al-‘amal), but they denote worship even more, since they are in no need of explanation because they are worship.» — Ibn al-Arabi lee la orden de orar y dar limosna como denotación de la adoración más que de las obras concretas, porque no necesitan explicación; capítulo 195

«Since the meaning is worship, this shows that Jesus will continue to live wherever he is. Even if he departs from the body (haykal) through death, life will accompany him, since it is his intrinsic attribute» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de ahí que Jesús siga viviendo dondequiera, y que la vida lo acompañe aun fuera del cuerpo por ser atributo intrínseco suyo

«A “word” is a collection of letters—the science of letters will come in the chapter on the Breath.» — Ibn al-Arabi define palabra como colección de letras y remite la ciencia de las letras al capítulo sobre el Aliento; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Then Jesus mentioned that he is dutiful to his mother (Qur’an 19:33), i.e., he does good (muhsin) toward her; the first of his good-doing was that he exonerated her from what was being ascribed to her while he was in a state where his listeners could not doubt that his communication was true.» — Ibn al-Arabi lee el deber filial de Jesús, con la sura 19, como exoneración de su madre hecha en un estado donde no cabía dudar de su comunicación

«Then he completed his words by saying, "He did not make me mighty” (Qur’an 19:33), for mightiness (jabarut), which is tremendousness (‘azama), contradicts servanthood, which was spelled out by his words that he is God’s servant. By “might” he means: I do not exercise mightiness over the community' to which I have been sent with the Book, prayer, and alms. I am only delivering a message from God, nothing else.» — Ibn al-Arabi glosa el no haberlo hecho poderoso: la potencia contradice la servidumbre, y Jesús solo entrega un mensaje

«I am not their guardian» — Ibn al-Arabi encadena las suras 5 y 88 para negar a Jesús la función de guardián y dejarle solo la entrega del mensaje

«God’s word is “reminder”, and someone can only remind a person who is in a forgetful state. If this were not the case, he would be a teacher (mu'allim), not a reminder.» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue recordador de maestro: solo se recuerda a quien está en estado de olvido

«This shows that he is only reminding them of the state of their acknowledgment of God’s Lordship over them when He took Adam’s progeny from his reins at the First Covenant» — Ibn al-Arabi identifica el objeto de ese recuerdo con el reconocimiento del Señorío en el Primer Pacto de la sura 7

«Then Jesus said, “And safety (salam [i.e.,“peace”]) be upon me, the day I was born” (Qur’an 19:34), when I spoke to you about the fact that I am God's servant, and thus was safe from the attribution of my existence to fornication or marriage» — Ibn al-Arabi glosa la paz de Jesús el día de su nacimiento como seguridad frente a atribuir su existencia a fornicación o matrimonio

«This refers to the words of the Children of Israel, “We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Maty” (Qur’an 4:156). God declared them liars with His words, “They did not slay him, neither crucified him, but it seemed so to them”(Qur’an 4:156). So Jesus said to them that safety was upon him on the day that he died, safe from being slain.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna la negativa coránica de la sura 4 al degüello y la crucifixión de Jesús, y la liga a la paz del día de su muerte

«Then he mentioned that safety is upon him on the day that he is raised up alive (Qur’an 19:34), i.e., at the resurrection, which is the abode of safety for those who are free of every evil, like the prophets and other people of grace (‘inaya). So Jesus possesses safety in all these places. Nor is there a third abode; there is only life in this world and life in the next, and between the two death.» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende esa seguridad al día de la resurrección y niega una tercera morada: solo hay vida aquí, vida allá y la muerte en medio

«All these [words of Jesus], if they had not derived from the Divine Command, would have been unruly utterances on the part of their speaker, for they are words that show his degree with God by way of boasting of it before his equals and likes. But far be it from the Folk of Allah6 7 to distinguish themselves from their likes or to boast!» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que esas palabras habrían sido locuciones desordenadas sin el Mandato divino, y niega que la Gente de Allah se distinga de sus semejantes o se jacte

«they never issue from a Verifier, for he has no object of contemplation but his Lord, and he does not boast before his Lord, nor does he make claims. On the contrary, he clings to his own servanthood, ready for the commands that come to him.» — Ibn al-Arabi niega esas locuciones del Verificador, que no contempla sino a su Señor y se aferra a su servidumbre, pronto al mandato; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«So if he makes an unruly utterance, he has been veiled from that for which he has been created and is ignorant of himself and his Lord.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que quien profiere una locución así quedó velado de aquello para lo que fue creado

«Everyone who makes an unruly utterance does so out of forgetfulness (ghafla). We have never seen nor heard of a saint (wall) from whom an unruly utterance has issued because of the frivolity of the self while he was a saint of God, except that he demonstrated his poverty, became abased, and returned to his original state, so that the vainglory which assailed him disappeared.» — Ibn al-Arabi remonta toda locución desordenada al olvido, y declara no haber visto santo en quien no siguiera el abajamiento y el retorno; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Such is the situation of unruly utterances if they are justified, when they are still blameworthy. So what if they should issue from a liar (kadhib)l If it is asked: How can he be a liar in an unruly utterance if he displays acts and effects? We reply: How excellent a question!» — Ibn al-Arabi plantea el caso del mentiroso que produce efectos y se aplaude la pregunta

«As for the answer: The Folk of Allah, if they are Folk of Allah, produce effects only through veracious [spiritual] states (al-hal al-sadiq). They name this [effect, when expressed verbally],an unruly utterance if it is not connected to a divine command that commands it, as is realized in the case of the prophets.» — Ibn al-Arabi responde que la Gente de Allah solo produce efectos por estados veraces, y llama locución desordenada al dicho no ligado a un mandato

«But there are people who know the specific properties of the [Divine] Names (kbawass al-asma’), through which they display marvelous effects and correct influences. But a person like tills never says,“This takes place through some Names that I know.” He makes it appear to those present that it derives from the strength of his state, his position with God, and true sanctity, but he is a liar in all that.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe a quienes obran por las propiedades específicas de los Nombres y lo ocultan, haciendo creer que su efecto viene de su estado y su santidad

«So unruly utterances are true words that issue from the frivolity of a self that still possesses the remnants of nature (al-tab).® They testify that their possessor is distant from God in that state.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el capítulo: son palabras verdaderas salidas de la frivolidad de un yo con restos de naturaleza, y testifican la lejanía de Dios de quien las dice; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Withdrawal is to choose the retreat and to turn away from everything that distracts from God in seeking theophany..., which is the unseen lights that are unveiled to hearts» — Ibn al-Arabi liga retirada y teofanía: elegir el retiro y apartarse de todo lo que distrae de Dios en busca de las luces no vistas que se desvelan a los corazones; citado por Chittick

«to empty the heart from thoughts connected to the various parts of engendered existence and actualized through directing the senses toward sensory objects.» — Ibn al-Arabi da el propósito del retiro: vaciar el corazón de los pensamientos ligados a las partes de la existencia engendrada; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Then these forms act as a barrier between the person and the Divine Level. Hence he [the spiritual traveler] inclines toward retreats and toward invocations [adhkar] in praise of Him “in whose hand is the Dominion” (Qur'an 36:83).Then, when the soul becomes purified and the veil of nature that stands between him and the World of the Dominion [‘alam al-malakut] is lifted, all the sciences imprinted within the forms of the World of the Dominion come to be reflected in the mirror of the soul» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el mecanismo: las formas del tesoro de la imaginación se interponen, el viajero se inclina al retiro y a las invocaciones, y levantado el velo las ciencias del Dominio se reflejan en el espejo del alma; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Know that for the Tribe “withdrawal” is to choose the retreat and to turn away (i‘rad) from everything that distracts from God. But for us withdrawal takes place in relation to acquired existence (al-wujud al-mustafad), since the creed (al-i‘tiqdd) holds this to be so; and in reality (ft nafs al-amr) there is none but True Being» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue el uso de la Tribu para *retirada* del suyo: para él la retirada se da respecto de la existencia adquirida, porque en realidad no hay sino Ser Verdadero; capítulo 205

«That which is described as having acquired existence remains with its root (‘ala aslih)\ It does not pass from its possible existence (imkan). Its property [of nonexistence] remains while its entity is immutable.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que lo llamado existencia adquirida permanece en su raíz, sin salir de su posibilidad ni perder su propiedad de inexistencia

«How should there be “withdrawal”? For there is no one in engendered existence save Him—and He it is whom we worship in engendered existence.» — Ibn al-Arabi objeta la noción misma de retirada: no hay en la existencia engendrada sino Él, y es a Él a quien se adora en ella

«So if you possess an eye and true knowledge, contemplate Him in all things and in the fact that things fail to find Him. What appears to be the acquisition of existence by the things is in fact God disclosing Himself to us under the guise of His name the “Manifest” (al-zahir), though His Self-disclosure is colored by the properties and effects of the things.» — Ibn al-Arabi propone contemplar a Dios en todas las cosas y en que las cosas no lo hallen, y lee la aparente adquisición de existencia como autodesvelamiento bajo el Nombre el Manifiesto

«Thus it is impossible to “withdraw” from acquired existence, since none has been acquired; the spiritual traveler must withdraw from bis ignorance of the true situation.» — Ibn al-Arabi corrige el objeto de la retirada: no cabe retirarse de la existencia adquirida, porque no la hay, sino de la propia ignorancia de la situación

«He is identical Cayn) to all things in manifestation (zubur), but not identical to them in their essences (dbawat)—Glory be to Him and high exalted is He [above that]! No, He is He, and the things are the tilings.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la identidad: Dios es idéntico a todas las cosas en la manifestación pero no en sus esencias; la capa de texto imprime *tilings* por *things*

«But when you see the properties of certain loci of manifestation in the Manifest, you imagine that their entities have become qualified by “acquired existence.”» — Ibn al-Arabi explica el origen de la ilusión: ver en el Manifiesto las propiedades de los lugares de manifestación

«Then, when we came to know that among the possible entities there are people who are in this manner ignorant of the situation, it became incumbent upon us—though we remain immutable in our state of nonexistence—to teach the real situation to those of our fellow humans who do not know it. This is all the more so since we are qualified (ittisaj) as being a locus of manifestation, and we have been given the power through this relation (nisba) to teach him who does not know.» — Ibn al-Arabi funda su propio oficio de enseñar en ser, aun inmutable en la inexistencia, un lugar de manifestación con poder para hacerlo

«Among the things I have taught him is that by being a locus of manifestation he does not acquire existence. So he “withdrew” from this belief, not from acquired existence, since there is none.» — Ibn al-Arabi resume lo enseñado: el lugar de manifestación no adquiere existencia, y por eso la retirada es de esa creencia y no de una existencia adquirida

«If you ask: Who then is ignorant of this, that you should teach him about it? For only that which is existent can be given knowledge.We reply:Your question is answered by your own creed, since you have faith that He said to the thing, “Be!”15 He only addresses and commands that which hears, yet you hold that it has no existence when it is addressed; so that which has no existence is able to hear.» — Ibn al-Arabi resuelve la objeción con la propia creencia del objetor: si Dios dice a la cosa que sea, lo inexistente oye

«Hence it is He who teaches the thing what it does not know, and it comes to know it; in the state of its nonexistence it receives teaching» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva que la cosa reciba enseñanza en estado de inexistencia

«God is Witness (shahid) and Witnessed (mashbud). For it is not proper that He should swear by that which is not He, since that by which He swears must possess tremendousness (‘azama). Hence He did not swear by anything that is not He.» — Ibn al-Arabi razona que Dios solo jura por sí mismo, porque aquello por lo que se jura ha de tener tremendez

«Among the things by which He has sworn, are [those things mentioned in the verse], “By a Witness and a Witnessed” (Qur’an 85:3). So He is the Witness and the Witnessed, and He is that which acquires existence; or rather, He is the Existent» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya en la sura 85 que Dios sea Testigo y Atestiguado a la vez, y lo declara el Existente

«Those People of Wayfaring (ahi al-suluk) without knowledge of this, not knowing who is the Manifest and the Witnessed and who is the world, have chosen retreat (khalwa) in order to be isolated (infirAd) with God. Since the manyness (kathra) witnessed in existence veils them from God, they have inclined to withdrawal» — Ibn al-Arabi describe a los caminantes sin ese conocimiento: eligen el retiro para aislarse con Dios porque la multiplicidad los vela; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«In their retreat they must witness forms; in it they do not withdraw from the walls, door, roof, and furnishings which make up the retreat room, nor from carpet and curtain, food and drink. So the person in retreat is not able to withdraw from forms.» — Ibn al-Arabi objeta que el retiro aísle de las formas: en él siguen los muros, la puerta, el techo, el mobiliario, la alfombra, la comida y la bebida

«There only remains that he has fled (barb) from the comprehensible speech (al-kalam alniafbum) that arises from forms, not from Acts (al-afal [i.e., created tilings]). If there were animals with him, he would still be in retreat and would not be distracted from his purpose unless he feared being harmed by them; in a similar way [he would be distracted from his purpose] if the walls were leaning, for he would fear that they might fall on him. Hence he sought out withdrawal only because of the words that people speak.» — Ibn al-Arabi fija lo único de que huye el retirado: el habla comprensible que sale de las formas, no los Actos

«But if he were to understand the words that people speak in the mode (wajh) in which God places them within them, his knowledge would increase through something that he had not known.» — Ibn al-Arabi ofrece la alternativa: entender lo que la gente dice en el modo en que Dios lo pone en ellos aumentaría su conocimiento

«For him whom God has given understanding, retreat (khalwa) and society (jalwa) are the same. Rather, it may be that society is more complete for a person and greater in benefit, since through it at every instant he increases in sciences about God that he did not possess.» — Ibn al-Arabi iguala retiro y sociedad para quien recibió comprensión, y llega a poner la sociedad por más completa y provechosa

«Know that gathering for one of the Tribe is the allusion of him who alludes to God without creation.» — Ibn al-Arabi define la reunión según la Tribu: la alusión de quien alude a Dios sin la creación; capítulo 222

«Abu ‘Ali Daqqaq79 said,“Gathering is what is negated from you.” A tribe of them said, “Gathering is the Act of God through you which He truly lets you contemplate.» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge dos definiciones ajenas de la reunión, la de Abu Ali Daqqaq y la de un grupo que la pone en el Acto de Dios por ti

«One of them said, “Gathering is the affirmation of creatures subsisting through God, while gathering of gathering is annihilation (fana’) from the contemplation of anything but God.» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la definición que opone reunión y reunión de la reunión como afirmación de las criaturas subsistentes por Dios y aniquilación de toda contemplación ajena

«One of them said,“Gathering is the contemplation of others (alagbyar) through God, while gathering of gathering is total absorption (al-istihlclk) and the annihilation of the sensation (ihsas) of everything other than God in the overpowering waves of Reality» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge otra que hace de la reunión de la reunión absorción total y aniquilación de la sensación de todo lo que no es Dios

«Gathering of gathering is that you gather in Him what belongs to Him and what belongs to you, and you return all of it to Him. “To Him will be returned the whole affair» — Ibn al-Arabi define la reunión de la reunión como devolverlo todo a Dios, con la sura 11 por apoyo; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Hence everything that people say imparts knowledge of God to the knowers. That is why one of the charismatic gifts (karamat) of the Wholesome (al-salihun) is that God allows them to hear the speech of things» — Ibn al-Arabi hace de todo lo que la gente dice una vía de conocimiento de Dios para los conocedores, y liga a eso el don de oír el habla de las cosas; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«If this not did impart knowledge to them, it would not be a gift (ikram) from God to them.» — Ibn al-Arabi razona el don por contraposición: si no impartiera conocimiento, no sería don de Dios; la capa de texto invierte el orden en *If this not did*

«Thus have I mentioned some of the sayings that have reached us concerning gathering and gathering of gathering» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el censo de dichos ajenos sobre la reunión y la reunión de la reunión; capítulo 222

«In our own view, gathering is that you gather in Him His Attributes and Names that you have attributed to yourself» — Ibn al-Arabi abre su propia definición de reunión: devolver a Dios los Atributos y Nombres suyos que te habías atribuido; el tramo se corta en el reemitido del marcador de plana, en el corte de chunk; capítulo 222

«So there is nothing in engendered existence but His Names and Attributes, though the creatures have claimed some of them for themselves and God has gone along with their claim (da'wd)?5 So He addresses them according to what they claim. Some of them claim Names that are specific to Him in common usage (al-'urf). Others have claimed that as well as attributes which have come in the Law and which, according to the exoteric authorities (‘ulamd’ al-rusiim), are only worthy of temporally originated tilings» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que en la existencia engendrada no hay sino los Nombres y Atributos de Dios, y consigna que las criaturas han reclamado algunos para sí y que Dios ha seguido su reclamo; capítulo 222

«As for our own path, we do not claim any of that whatsoever. However, we let it be known that the Names are the property of the effects of the preparedness of the entities of the possible things within Him. This is a hidden mystery, known only by him who knows that God is identical with Being (‘ayn al-wujud) and that the entities of the possible tilings remain in their state: nothing of them changes in their entities.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara su propio camino frente a ese reclamo, y da por misterio oculto que Dios sea idéntico al Ser y que las entidades posibles no cambien

«God says, “There is nothing like Him” (Qur’an 42:11) in many senses (wujuh)\ He already knows how every exegete (muta’awwil) will interpret this verse.w>The highest of these senses is: There is nothing in existence that resembles God or is a likeness of God, since Being/existence87 is nothing but God Himself (‘ayn al-haqq). So there is nothing in existence other than He that might be His likeness (rnithl) or opposite (khilaf). This is inconceivable.» — Ibn al-Arabi da el sentido más alto de la sura 42: nada en la existencia se asemeja a Dios porque la existencia no es sino Dios mismo

«For the person of sound intelligence, the expression “gathering” is sufficient, since it is a word that announces manyness (kathra) and distinction (tamyiz) among many entities. Hence, in respect of distinction, gathering is the same as dispersion (tafriqa), though dispersion is not the same as gathering, except in the case of the dispersion of similar individuals (ashkbas al-amthal), which is both gathering and dispersion together and the definition and reality of which is the gathering of similar things.» — Ibn al-Arabi analiza el término reunión como anuncio de multiplicidad y distinción, e iguala reunión y dispersión en cuanto a la distinción, sin reciprocidad; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Take for example “humanity” (al-insaniyya). The individuals of this kind are qualified by dispersion, since Zayd is not ‘Amr, even though both are human beings.» — Ibn al-Arabi ilustra con la humanidad: los individuos están calificados por dispersión, porque Zayd no es Amr aunque los dos sean hombres; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«If you say,“Here we have an observed manyness,” we will reply: Manyness is the relations (nisab) of the properties of the preparednesses of the possible things within God Himself, who is Being. Now relations are not entities or things (asbya’)-, they are matters of nonexistence (umur ‘adamiyya) in respect to the reali» — Ibn al-Arabi reduce la multiplicidad observada a relaciones de las propiedades de las preparaciones dentro de Dios, y declara que las relaciones no son entidades sino asuntos de inexistencia; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«So, since there is nothing in existence but He, nothing is like Him, because nothing is there.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el argumento: nada hay que se le asemeje porque nada hay

«So in reality, as we have explained, gathering is that you gather within Him existence, since He is existence itself, and that you gather within the entities of the possible things the properties of number and dispersion that become manifest, since these are their very preparednesses.» — Ibn al-Arabi reformula la reunión: reunir en Dios la existencia, porque Él es la existencia, y en las entidades posibles las propiedades del número y la dispersión

«Once you have come to know this, you have come to know the meaning of gathering, of gathering of gathering, and of the existence of manyness. You have attached things to their roots, distinguished among the realities, and given everything its own property, just as God “gave everything its own cre» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el fruto de ese conocimiento: haber atado las cosas a sus raíces y dado a cada una su propiedad, con la sura 20 por apoyo; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«As for the saying, “Gathering is God without creation.” that is what we maintain, i.e., that God is identical with Being/ existence. However, the speaker did not turn his attention to what the preparednesses of the entities of the possible things bestow upon the Being of God, so that It becomes qualified by that by which It becomes qualified.» — Ibn al-Arabi suscribe la definición ajena y le pone su límite: el que la dijo no atendió a lo que las preparaciones de los posibles confieren al Ser de Dios

«As for the allusions of the Tribe which we quoted, they all had their own aims, which I will mention, God willing, along with their knowledge of our own position, or the knowledge of the great ones among them.» — Ibn al-Arabi anuncia que interpretará las alusiones de la Tribu según los fines de cada cual

«As for the saying of al-Daqqaq on gathering, that it is “what is negated from you”, his station demands that he mean the negation of that concerning which you make claims, while it belongs to Him, as, for example, assuming the traits (takballuq) of the Most Beautiful Names or attributing acts to yourself while they belong to Him.This [explanation] is given by al-Daqqaq’s state (bal), not his words; if someone else had said them, he might have meant by “what is negated from you” existence itself, for that is what is negated from you since God is existence itself.» — Ibn al-Arabi interpreta a al-Daqqaq por su estado y no por sus palabras, y acota que en boca de otro la misma frase podría significar la existencia misma

«As for the next saying—“Gathering is the Act of God through you which He truly lets you contemplate”—it means that you are the locus (tnabalF) for the accomplishment (jarayan) of His Acts, though in reality the situation is the reverse; in fact He is described by the property of the effects of the preparednesses of the possible entities within Him.» — Ibn al-Arabi corrige la segunda definición: en realidad la situación es la inversa, y Dios queda descrito por el efecto de las preparaciones de las entidades posibles

«If we knew who is the author of this saying, we would judge it by his state, as we judged al-Daqqaq through our knowledge of his station and state.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el criterio de interpretación: juzgar el dicho por el estado de quien lo dice, como hizo con al-Daqqaq

«As for the saying of him who said, “Gathering is the contemplation of true knowledge,” you should know that true knowledge (ma'rifa) of God demands that the servant possess a sound relationship (nisba) with works Carnal), a relationship affirmed by God—hence He prescribed (taklif) works for him—and that God possesses a relationship with works that is affirmed by God for Himself.» — Ibn al-Arabi analiza la tercera definición desde la relación doble con las obras: la del siervo, por la que se le prescriben, y la que Dios afirma para sí; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«God laid down in the Law that the servant should say in his works, “From Thee alone we seek help” (Qur’an 1:5).The messengers of God are more knowledgeable of Him than all other creatures; Moses, to whom God spoke directly,91 said to his people, “Seek help from God and be patient» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya esa relación doble en la sura 1 y en las palabras de Moisés a su pueblo de la sura 7

«Words are a work, and the servant seeks help from God in his work. So it is correct to say that the work is shared (musb&raka). Thus have I gathered God and the servant together in the work, and this is the meaning of gathering.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra: la obra es compartida, y en eso consiste reunir a Dios y al siervo en la obra

«I have already explained that the entity of the servant is a locus of manifestation (mazbar), that the Manifest is God Himself ('ayn al-baqq), and that God is identical with the attribute of the servant. Through the attribute the work comes into existence, while the Manifest is the Worker. So the work belongs only and specifically to God.» — Ibn al-Arabi recapitula: el siervo es lugar de manifestación, el Manifiesto es Dios, y por eso la obra pertenece solo a Dios

«When we explained what we just mentioned, we also explained that the entity of the servant possesses a specific preparedness which exercises an effect upon the Manifest. It is this which gives rise to the diversity of forms within the Manifest, which is God Himself.» — Ibn al-Arabi añade el otro lado: la preparación específica del siervo ejerce un efecto sobre el Manifiesto y de ahí la diversidad de las formas

«So the speech of the Manifest is the tongue of the entity of the possible thing; or rather, it is the speech of the possible thing in the tongue of the Manifest.» — Ibn al-Arabi invierte dos veces la atribución del habla, del Manifiesto a la cosa posible y de la cosa posible al Manifiesto

«This is our position (madhhab) on gathering. If the possessor of the saying on gathering means that it is the “contemplation of true knowledge,” and if he knows the meaning of the contemplation of true knowledge, then he maintains what we said. For we have only been speaking of the contemplation of true knowledge, not of the station of the speaker; this saying has senses below that which we have maintained in explaining it, since we have explained it in its most complete and most perfect sense, which describes the entire affair as it is in itself.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara esa su posición sobre la reunión, expuesta en su sentido más completo, y acota que el dicho admite sentidos menores

«All the sayings that we mentioned and related at the beginning of this chapter go back to what we have explained and upheld. “And God speaks the truth and guides on the way» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el capítulo reduciendo todos los dichos citados a lo explicado, con la sura 33 por remate

«For the entities of the possible things have not acquired (istifada) anything but existence, and existence is nothing but God Himself, since it is impossible for it to be a superadded thing (amr zcl’id) that is not God, as is shown by clear proofs» — Ibn al-Arabi niega que lo adquirido por las entidades posibles sea cosa añadida a Dios: la existencia no es sino Dios mismo; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota; capítulo 222

«So nothing becomes manifest in existence through existence except God, since existence/Being is God, and He is One. So there is nothing that is His likeness, since there cannot be two diverse or similar Beings.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva que nada se manifieste por la existencia sino Dios, que es Uno, y que por eso nada pueda ser su semejanza

«Hence true knowledge demands that you should gather works in their Worker, because of the claims that take place as the result of the views of those speculative thinkers (asbab al-nazar) who maintain that acts are attributed to the servant exclusively and those who maintain that they are attributed to God exclusively» — Ibn al-Arabi funda la reunión de las obras en su Obrador en el desacuerdo de los especulativos, unos que atribuyen los actos solo al siervo y otros solo a Dios; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«But the truth is between the two tribes, i.e., between the two opinions.» — Ibn al-Arabi sitúa la verdad entre las dos tribus, es decir entre las dos opiniones

«Know that on the night that I wrote down this chapter I had a dream which filled me with joy. I awoke and composed a verse that I had previously worked on in my mind. It is a verse of boasting (fakhr).’ Every age has one person through whom it soars.’ For the rest of the age, I am that one.» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta el sueño de la noche en que escribió el capítulo y el verso de jactancia que compuso al despertar; capítulo 311

«One day ‘Utbat al-Ghulam was seen strutting like a haughty and conceited man." Someone said,“‘Utba, what is this haughtiness you show? Nothing like this was known from you before today.” He replied, “A person like me has a right to be haughty. How should I not be? For He has become my master, and I His servant.» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere la respuesta de Utbat al-Ghulam a quien le reprochó su altivez: que Dios se hizo su dueño y él su siervo

«This is because to my knowledge there is no one today who has realized (tahaqquq) the station of servanthood (‘ubudiyya) more than I, though there may be my equal (mithli). For I have reached the utmost limit (ghaya) of servanthood, since I am the pure and utter servant who knows no taste of lordship» — Ibn al-Arabi declara en primera persona no conocer hoy a nadie que haya realizado más que él la estación de la servidumbre, aunque admite que pueda haber su igual

«Know that in every time there must be an outstanding person in each level (martaba)—even among artisans—and in each science film). Were any time to be studied, the situation would be found to be as we say.» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la regla de que en cada tiempo hay un destacado en cada nivel y en cada ciencia, artesanos incluidos; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«“Servanthood” is one of the levels, and Allah has bestowed it upon me as a gift (hiba). I did not reach it through works Carnal), but through a divine designation (ikhtisas ilahi). I ask God to keep me firmly fixed within it and not to separate me from it until I meet Him in it.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara la servidumbre don recibido por designación divina y no alcanzado por obras, y pide permanecer fijo en ella

«Know that this waystation is that of Arisings through Designation (al-nawashi' al-ikhtisasiyya)\ these consist of the beginning and outset of every station and state.» — Ibn al-Arabi define la estación de camino del capítulo: los surgimientos por designación, que son el comienzo de toda estación y estado

«If this were the return (i‘ada) of our spirits to our bodies in this specific constitution which we know in the plane100 of this world, it would not be correct for Him to say, “within that which you do not know” For He has said, “You haue known the first plane, so why will you not remember?» — Ibn al-Arabi objeta que el surgimiento sea el retorno de los espíritus a estos mismos cuerpos, apoyándose en la sura 56

«If someone objects that then there is no point to His words, "You will return” we will reply:He is addressing human spirits.They will return to the governance of bodies (tadbir al-ajsam) in the next world, as they had governed them in this world in the constitution (mizaj) according to which this plane was created.» — Ibn al-Arabi responde a la objeción: el retorno se dirige a los espíritus humanos, que volverán a gobernar cuerpos en el otro mundo

«Though He has the power to return their constitution, He does not will to do so. Therefore He suspended (ta‘liq) His Will in that, since He says, “[Then He makes man to die, and buries him], then if He willed, He would raise him”(Q\rt2& 80:22), i.e., the constitution which man possessed. If it were exactly the same thing, He would have said,“[Then when He wills], He raises him.» — Ibn al-Arabi lee la suspensión de la Voluntad en la sura 80 como prueba de que la constitución no será la misma

«Let us return to the science of the waystation that we want to explain, the science around which it revolves. We say:The world is two worlds and the presence (hadra) two presences, even though a third presence is born between the two from their combination (majmiT).The one presence is the Presence of the Unseen (al-ghayb)\ it has a world called the World of the Unseen. The second presence is the Presence of Sense Perception (al-biss) and of the Visible (al-shahada)', its world is called the World of the Visible.» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte lo real en dos presencias, la del Oculto y la de la percepción sensible, con un tercer nacido de su combinación

«That which perceives (mudrik) this world is sight (basar). while that which perceives the World of the Unseen is insight (basira)» — Ibn al-Arabi asigna a cada mundo su facultad: la vista al visible, la visión interior al Oculto

«What is born from the combination of these two presences is a presence and a world. The presence is the Presence of Imagination, the world the World of Imagination.» — Ibn al-Arabi nombra el tercero: la Presencia de la Imaginación y el Mundo de la Imaginación

«Imagination is the manifestation of meanings (ma'ani) in sensory frames (qawalib bissiyya), such as knowledge in the form of milk, firmness in religion in the form of a fetter, Islam in the form of a pillar, faith in the form of a handle» — Ibn al-Arabi define la imaginación como manifestación de los sentidos en moldes sensibles, y da los ejemplos del conocimiento como leche, la firmeza como grillete, el islam como pilar y la fe como asidero

«This is why the Presence of Imagination is the vastest of presences: it combines the two worlds, the World of the Unseen and the World of the Visible. For the Presence of the Unseen does not embrace the World of the Visible, since no empty space (khala) remains in the former101; and the same goes for the Presence of the Visible. Hence you know that the Presence of Imagination is the vastest, without doubt.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara la Presencia de la Imaginación la más vasta porque combina los dos mundos, que no se abarcan entre sí

«You yourself have seen in your sense perception, and in what your plane gives to you, meanings and spiritual beings (ruhaniyyun) appearing in images (tamathtbul) and imaginal forms (takhayyut) within sensory bodies in your vision (nazar), such that if an effect occurs within the imaginal form (mutasawwar), the imaginalized meaning receives the effect in itself.» — Ibn al-Arabi apela a la experiencia del lector: sentidos y seres espirituales que aparecen en imágenes, y el efecto que la forma imaginal recibe en sí

«And there is no doubt that you are more entitled (ahaqq) to the Presence of Imagination than are meanings and spiritual beings, for within you is the imaginal faculty (al-quwivat al-mutakbayyila), which is one of the faculties which God gave you when He brought you into existence.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara al hombre más acreedor de la Presencia de la Imaginación que los sentidos y los espíritus, por tener facultad imaginativa

«So you are more entitled to possess (mulk) and control (tasarruf) imagination than is meaning, since meaning does not have a faculty of imagination; nor do the spiritual beings of the Supreme Assembly (al-mala’ al-a‘la) possess in their plane an imaginal faculty, though they can assume distinct identities (tamayyuz) in the imaginal presence through appearing in imaginal forms and imaginalization. So you are worthier of appearing in imaginal forms and of imaginalization than they, since you possess this presence in your own reality.» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende la comparación a la Asamblea Suprema, que puede aparecer en formas imaginales pero no tiene facultad imaginativa en su plano

«The common people (al-‘amma) do not know imagination or enter into it, except when they dream and their sensory faculties (al-quiva al-bassasa) return into it.The elite (al-kbawciss) see it in wakefulness through their power of realizing it.» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue a la gente común, que solo entra en la imaginación al soñar, de la élite, que la ve despierta

«especially since in his own plane he possesses an entrance (clukhul) into the World of the Unseen through his spirit, which is his nonmanifest (batin)\ and he possesses an entrance into the World of the Visible through his body, which is his manifest» — Ibn al-Arabi funda esa capacidad en la doble entrada del hombre: por su espíritu al Mundo del Oculto y por su cuerpo al Visible

«But the spiritual being is not like that; it does not possess an entrance into the World of the Visible except through appearing in imaginal form within the World of Imagination; so sense perception perceives it in imagination as an imaginalized form in sleep or wakefulness.» — Ibn al-Arabi niega esa doble entrada al ser espiritual, que solo llega al Visible por forma imaginal

«If man assumes a distinct identity within the World of the Unseen, this is proper to him, since he assumes a distinct identity in reality—not imaginally—through his spirit, which sense perception does not perceive and which belongs to the World of the Unseen. If he desires to spiritualize (tarawbun) his body and become manifest within it in the World of the Unseen, he has something to help him, i.e., the spirit connected to his body’s governance. So he is nearer to imaginalization within the World of the Unseen than the spiritual being is to imaginalization within a form of the World of the Visible.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara propia del hombre la identidad distinta en el Mundo del Oculto por su espíritu, no por imaginación

«However, this station is to be earned and acquired, as in the case of Qadib al-Ban,107 for he possessed this station. Hence there is something within the power of man that is not within the power of [the inhabitants of] the World of the Unseen.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que esa estación se gana y se adquiere, y cita a Qadib al-Ban como quien la poseía

«For it is within man’s power in respect of his spirit to appear in the World of the Visible in an imaginal form other than his own form. Thus man becomes manifest as he wishes, in any of the forms of the children of Adam like himself, or in the forms of animals, plants, or minerals.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el poder: aparecer en el Mundo Visible en forma imaginal distinta de la propia, humana, animal, vegetal o mineral

«The shaykh smiled and said, ‘Oh Hamid, I honored you. Without doubt it was not the eunuch who honored you. I saw that you were full of anxiety for me because of my illness and I wanted to ease your mind. So I commanded you to go to him, but I was afraid that he would insult you and reject you as he does with the people.Then you would have returned broken. So I disengaged myself (tajarrud) from my bodily frame (haykal) and appeared before you in his form through imaginalization.I honored you and treated you with respect and did what you saw until you left. Here is your medicine, which I will not use.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la anécdota con la confesión del maestro: se desprendió de su armazón corporal y apareció ante su compañero en la forma del eunuco, por imaginalización; capítulo 311

«Stories like this about the masters (al-rijal) abound. It is similar to the science of simiya’™ but it is not simiya’. The difference between us in tliis station and the science of simiya> is that, when you eat something through simiya’, you eat it, but you do not feel full.» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue esa estación de la ciencia de la *simiya*: comer por simiya no sacia

«That which you take to yourself when you take it through this science only occurs in your own vision (nazar) .Then when you look for it, you do not find it.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la segunda diferencia: lo tomado por esa ciencia solo ocurre en la propia visión y luego no se halla

«The practitioner of tliis science shows you that you have entered a bath, but when you return to yourself, you do not see any reality to it [what he had shown you]. On the contrary, what you see by way of simiya’like what a dreamer sees; when he awakens, he finds nothing of what he had seen.» — Ibn al-Arabi compara el efecto de la simiya con el del sueño, que al despertar no deja nada; la capa de texto imprime *tliis* por *this*

«The practitioner of szwzj'<T possesses an authority (sultan) and control (tahakkum) over your imagination through the specific properties of the Names (kbatuass al-asma’), or letters (hurttf), or qalfatirat.1™ For sznzzjw' is of a number of kinds, the crudest (akthaf) being qalfatirat» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica al practicante de la simiya autoridad y control sobre la imaginación por las propiedades específicas de los Nombres, las letras o los *qalfatirat*; la capa de texto corrompe el término árabe

«turns it toward his imagination, so that he sees what a dreamer sees, though he is awake.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el efecto más sutil de la simiya: arrebatar la vista del mundo sensible hacia la imaginación, de modo que el despierto vea como un durmiente

«But the station which we mentioned is not like this. For if you eat, you become full, and if you receive something in this station like gold or clothing or whatever, it stays with you in its state without changing.» — Ibn al-Arabi contrapone su estación a la simiya: aquí se come y se sacia, y lo recibido permanece sin cambiar

«We have found this station within ourselves. We experienced it through tasting (dbawq) with the spiritual reality (rfibaniyya) of Jesus at the beginning of our wayfaring» — Ibn al-Arabi declara en primera persona haber hallado esa estación y haberla experimentado por gusto con la realidad espiritual de Jesús al comienzo de su camino

«It explains the Prophet’s answer when he forbade fasting through the night during Ramadan and it was said to him, “But you fast through the night”: 7 do not have a condition (hay’a) like yours; for I am put up for tbe night while there is with me a Feeder who feeds me and a Cupbearer who gives me to drinkf or, according to another version, “My Lord feeds me and gives me to drink» — Ibn al-Arabi lee con esa estación el hadiz en que el Profeta declara tener consigo un Alimentador y un Copero

«In the group of people whom he was addressing at the time no one possessed this station, but he did not say,“I do not have a condition like [all] people.” So when he ate, he became full and continued in his customary strength; since the eating took place in the Presence of Imagination and not that of Sense Perception, he could fast through the night.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la formulación del hadiz y explica que el comer ocurrió en la Presencia de la Imaginación y no en la del sentido

«We saw that Gabriel became manifest within sense perception as a man who is known, such as his manifestation in the form of Dihya, and at another time as a man who is unknown. But it has not reached us that he becomes manifest in the World of the Unseen among the angels in the form of another angel. So Gabriel does not become manifest among the angels in the World of the Unseen in the form of Michael or Seraphiel» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna una negativa: no le ha llegado noticia de que Gabriel se manifieste entre los ángeles en la forma de otro ángel; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«And we saw that human beings possess the power of assuming imaginal forms, so that a person becomes manifest among men in the form of another person, other than his own form.» — Ibn al-Arabi opone a esa negativa la capacidad humana de aparecer entre los hombres en la forma de otro

«In other words, this shaped and balanced plane is a receptacle for all forms, so God makes it appear in whatever form He wills, since He has told us that this plane has been given receptivity toward any form. Similar are His words, “Then we made man arise as another creation” (Qur’an 23:13) after completing the shaping of his outwardly manifest form; so He appointed for him another one of the forms which he had the potentiality and composition to receive.» — Ibn al-Arabi lee las suras 82 y 23 como declaración de que el plano humano es receptáculo de toda forma

«When man comes to know through divine unveiling (al-kashf al-ilahi) that his root and reality is such that it receives forms, he should take pains to acquire something through which he can reach true knowledge (ma'rifa) of the situation.» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona el ejercicio de ese poder a conocer por desvelamiento divino que la raíz propia recibe formas

«Here the difference between us and [the inhabitants of] the World of the Unseen is that when man becomes spiritualized and manifest to spiritual beings in the World of the Unseen, they recognize that he is a body that has become spiritualized. But when people in the World of the Visible see an embodied spirit, they do not know that it is a spirit that has first become embodied (tajassud), so they do not recognize it as such.» — Ibn al-Arabi marca la asimetría: los seres del Oculto reconocen al cuerpo espiritualizado, y los del Visible no reconocen al espíritu encarnado

«This is like what the Prophet said when the Faithful Spirit [Gabriel] came before him in the form of a man with intensely white clothing and intensely black hair. The narrator [of the hadith]117 says, “No one among us knew him. [He came forward] until he sat before the Messenger of God and he touched his knees to his knees and placed his hands upon his thighs.» — Ibn al-Arabi aduce el hadiz de Gabriel llegado en forma de hombre de ropa muy blanca y cabello muy negro, a quien nadie reconoció

«Then he mentioned the hadith of his questioning the Prophet about submission (islarn), faith (imdn), and virtue (ihsan) and about the hour and its signs (sburut) .When he had finished his questioning, he stood up and left. When he had disappeared, the Prophet said to his companions,“Do you know who the man was?”; and in another version,“Bring the man back to me”; he requested, but they could not find him.Then he said, “That was Gabriel. He came to teach the people their religion» — Ibn al-Arabi completa el hadiz: las preguntas sobre sumisión, fe y virtud, y la identificación del visitante como Gabriel

«Some people differentiate the spiritual being when it becomes embodied in the outside world (min kharij) from men or whatever kind of form in which it becomes manifest. But not everyone recognizes this. They also distinguish between an embodied, supra-formal, spiritual form [in the outside world] and an imaginal form from within (min dakhil) through various signs (‘alamdt) which they know. 1 have come to know and realize these signs, since I differentiate the spirit when it becomes embodied in the outside or inside world from a true corporeal form. But the common people do not differentiate that.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara en primera persona conocer y realizar las señales que distinguen al espíritu encarnado de una forma corpórea verdadera

«All the angels recognize man when he undergoes spiritualization and becomes manifest among them in the form of one of them or in an alien form whose like they have not seen. So they are greater than the common people among humans in this» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la superioridad de los ángeles sobre la gente común en ese reconocimiento, y anuncia lo que a ellos les falta; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Know that in theology (al-ilm al-ilahi), the root of the situation that I have been discussing is the divine theophany (al-tajalli al-ilabi), from which this matter becomes manifest in the Worlds of the Unseen and the Visible. The reason for this is that the form of the world in its totality (jumla), of man in his transcription (nuskba)™ and of the angel in its power (quwwa) is the station of theophany in diverse forms.» — Ibn al-Arabi remonta el asunto a la teofanía divina, y pone la forma del mundo, la del hombre y la del ángel como estación de teofanía en formas diversas; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«No one truly knows the reality of these forms within which transmutation (tahawivul)'2' takes place except him who possesses the station of transmutation within any form he wishes, even if he does not make this station manifest.» — Ibn al-Arabi reserva el conocimiento de esas formas a quien posee la estación de la transmutación, la manifieste o no

«This station does not belong to anyone except the pure and utter servant, whose station of servanthood does not allow him to gain similarity (tashabbuh)'22 with a single Attribute of his Master.» — Ibn al-Arabi restringe esa estación al siervo puro, cuya servidumbre no le permite ganar similitud con un solo Atributo de su Señor

«It even happens that as a result of his strength in the realization of servanthood he reaches the point where he is annihilated, oblivious, and destroyed from the knowledge of the power he possesses to undergo transmutation in forms; he does not know that from himself, since he has turned it over to the station of his Master, who describes Himself as possessing it.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el extremo: el siervo queda aniquilado y olvidado del poder de transmutación que posee, por haberlo devuelto a la estación de su Señor

«If it were not for the divine root and the fact that God possesses this [transmutation] and owns it in His very Self, this reality would not become engendered in the world, since it is impossible for there to be something in the world which cannot be traced back (istinad) to a divine reality in the very form it possesses. If this were possible, there would be something in existence outside the Knowledge of God.» — Ibn al-Arabi funda esa realidad en una raíz divina, porque nada puede haber en el mundo que no se remonte a una realidad divina en la forma misma que tiene; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«If you knew, brave youth, who you are, you would know who He is, since none knows God except him who knows himself.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra con la condición del conocimiento de Dios: conocerse a sí mismo

«lovers (muhibbun) on this path called on a shaykh,and the shaykh spoke to him about love. Some of those present saw that the man had entered the room. Because of the strength of the lover’s realization, the words of that shaykh about love made him keep on melting within himself on the sensory level until he was reduced to a puddle of water in front of the shaykh. Some of those present went into the room and asked where the lover had gone, since they had not seen him leave. The shaykh said, “This water is the lover who was before me.” They saw a small amount of water on the mat in front of the shaykh. So look how he returned to the root from which he was created!» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere el caso del amante que, oyendo al maestro hablar del amor, se derritió hasta quedar convertido en un charco de agua ante él; capítulo 311

«Know that in this path man is given a power whereby he becomes manifest in this plane in the same way that he becomes manifest in the plane of the next world, where he becomes manifest in any form he wishes» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que en esta vía se da al hombre el poder de manifestarse en este plano como se manifestará en el del otro mundo, en cualquier forma que quiera; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«For this [power] lies within the root of the [human] this-worldly form, but not everyone reaches knowledge of this root» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que ese poder está en la raíz de la forma humana de este mundo, aunque no todos llegan a conocer esa raíz; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«through His Knowledge of Himself, and His Self is His Knowledge. We are in His Knowledge like forms in a cloud of dust» — Ibn al-Arabi identifica el Conocimiento de Dios con su Sí mismo y compara a los seres con formas en una nube de polvo; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque el troceo reemite el marcador de plana en el corte de chunk; capítulo 311

«Then He will transmute Himself into the form which they saw the first time and will say,‘I am your Lord.’They will answer,‘Indeed, Thou art our Lord.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el capítulo 311 con el remate del hadiz de la teofanía: Dios se transmuta en la forma que vieron la primera vez y entonces lo reconocen

«It is reported in the Sahib [of Muslim] that the Messenger of God said, “God is beautiful and He loves beauty”'* It is He who made the world and brought it into existence upon His own form. So the whole world is beautiful in the extreme; there is no ugliness in it.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva del hadiz de que Dios es bello y ama la belleza que el mundo entero, hecho sobre su forma, sea bello en extremo y sin fealdad; capítulo 372

«If He were to bring into existence what He brings into existence ad infinitum, it would be like what He has already brought into existence, since the Divine Comeliness and Beauty will have possessed it and become manifest through it.» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende la belleza a toda creación futura, porque la Hermosura y la Belleza divinas la habrán poseído y manifestado

«For, as He says, “He gave everything its creation,” i.e., its beauty; if it were to lack anything, it would descend from the degree of the per fection of its creation and be ugly» — Ibn al-Arabi lee la sura 20 como fundamento: si a algo le faltara algo, descendería del grado de perfección de su creación y sería feo

«The whole world’s beauty is inherent (dhati)\ its comeliness is identical to itself (‘ayn nafsih), since its Maker made it so. That is why the knowers become enraptured by it and the verifiers (al-mutabaqqiqun) realize love for it.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara inherente la belleza del mundo e idéntica a él mismo, y de ahí el arrobamiento de los conocedores y el amor de los verificadores

«The only reason God multiplied the signs in the world and in ourselves151—-for we are part of the world—was so that we might turn our gaze (nazar)152 toward it with remembrance, reflection, intelligence, faith, knowledge, hearing, sight, understanding, and mind.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la razón de la multiplicación de los signos en el mundo y en nosotros: que dirijamos la mirada con recuerdo, reflexión, inteligencia, fe y conocimiento

«For it is He who is revealed in theophany in every face, sought in every sign, gazed upon by every eye, worshipped in every object of worship (ma'bucl)^5 and pursued in the unseen and the visible.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara a Dios revelado en todo rostro, buscado en todo signo y adorado en todo objeto de adoración

«Not a single one of His creatures can fail to find Him in its primordial and original nature (bi fitratibi wa jibillatibi). So the whole world prays to Him, prostrates itself before Him, and glorifies His praise136; tongues speak of Him, hearts are enraptured by love for Him, minds are bewildered in Him.» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende ese hallazgo a toda criatura en su naturaleza primordial, y hace orar, prosternarse y glorificar al mundo entero

«The knowers try to separate (fast) Him from the world, but they are unable to do so; they try to make Him identical with the world (‘ayn al-alam), but that does not become verified for them, so they remain impotent.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna el doble fracaso de los conocedores: no pueden separar a Dios del mundo ni identificarlo con él

«Their understandings become wearied and their intellects bewildered.Their tongues speak about Him in contradictory expressions. At one time they say “He,” at another,“Not He,”and at still another,“He/not He» — Ibn al-Arabi registra las tres expresiones contradictorias en que desemboca ese desconcierto: Él, no Él, y Él y no Él

«No foot of theirs reaches a firm foundation in Him; no clear path to Him appears for them, since they see Him as identical to the sign and the path. This contemplation stands between them and seeking the end of the path; for paths are traversed to their ends, while the Goal is with them—He is the Kind Companion (rafiq). There is no wayfarer and no way upon which to fare.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el efecto de ver a Dios idéntico al signo y al camino: no hay caminante ni camino que recorrer, porque la Meta está con ellos

«Allusions disappear: they are nothing but He. Expressions perish: they are only of Him. The knower cannot be rebuked for that part of the world which enraptures him and those waymarks which he presumes.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que alusiones y expresiones desaparecen en Él, y absuelve al conocedor de reproche por lo que del mundo lo arroba; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Were not the situation as we mentioned it, no prophet or messenger would have loved wife or child, nor would any have preferred one thing over another.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de esa doctrina el amor de los profetas por esposa e hijo y toda preferencia, que remite a la desigualdad relativa de los signos

«Hence no messenger or saint exercised free disposal (tasarruf) except in Him. “But most people do not fcnou/'(Qur’an 7:187), and that is because there are among people those in whose ears is a heaviness (Qur’an 6:25), “upon whose eyes is a covering” (Qur'an 45:23), upon whose heart is a lock (Qur’an 47:24), in whose reflection is bewilderment, in whose knowledge is doubt, and in whose hearing is deafness.» — Ibn al-Arabi niega disposición libre fuera de Dios y enumera, con cuatro suras, las trabas de quienes no saben

«Who are Layla, Lubna? Who are Hind, Bathna? Who are Qays, Bishr? Are they all not He? I am obsessed with love for Him for His engendered existence is mine. All creatures are my beloved, so where, where is He who enraptures me? He who searches my words will find therein a clear explication.» — el poema del capítulo 372 recorre los nombres de los amantes célebres y declara a todas las criaturas su amada, preguntando dónde está el que lo arroba

«As for those who cling to accidental beauty and accidental love (al-hubb aParadi), that is only a vanishing shadow, an accident on display, and a falling wall, in contrast with what there is for those who have knowledge of God.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota lo que toca a quienes se aferran a la belleza accidental: sombra que se va, accidente en exhibición y muro que cae

«In the view of the man of God's knowledge, the shadow has prostrated itself before God, the accident has had the preparedness to exist, and the wall does not lean except in worship in order to make manifest what lies beneath it» — Ibn al-Arabi lee esas mismas tres cosas al revés para el conocedor: la sombra se prosterna, el accidente tuvo preparación y el muro se inclina en adoración

«So glory be to Him who lays down decrees, sets up signs, and manifests the beauty of denotations (dalalat). Among the most beautiful in entity and the most perfect in engendered existence is the World of Imagination (‘alam al-khayal), through which “God strikes similitudes» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta al Mundo de la Imaginación entre lo más bello y perfecto de la existencia engendrada, y por él Dios acuña similitudes

«Do you not see how dreams (ru’ya)—through the eye of which imagination is perceived—see what will come to be before it exists, what has been, and what there is at the time? Which presence other than the Presence of Imagination possesses such all» — Ibn al-Arabi arguye por los sueños la amplitud de la Presencia de la Imaginación, que ve lo que será antes de existir, lo que fue y lo que hay

«Everyone who falls in love with something only falls in love with it after actualizing it in his imagination, setting up an image (mithal) for it in his imaginal faculty (wahm),M and making his beloved coincide (tatbiq) with his image.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que nadie se enamora sino tras actualizar lo amado en su imaginación y hacerlo coincidir con la imagen que formó

«If this were not the situation, then once the person separated from his connection to his beloved in terms of sight or hearing or other sense faculty, he would also separate from his connection to her person. But we do not find this to be the case.» — Ibn al-Arabi argumenta la tesis por contraposición: si no fuera así, cortada la vista o el oído se cortaría el vínculo con la persona amada

«And that is why we have said concerning it in some of our explanations of it that it is God’s mirror» — Ibn al-Arabi llama al mundo espejo de Dios; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota; capítulo 372

«So the knowers see nothing in it but God’s form. He is beautiful, and beauty is inherently lovable.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de ese espejo que los conocedores no vean en el mundo sino la forma de Dios, y que por ser bello sea amable de suyo

«He created us only to worship and know Him.15*1 Hence He turned us over to nothing but gazing upon the world, for He made it identical with the signs and denotations» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el fin de la creación y de ahí que Dios nos entregara solo a la mirada del mundo, hecho idéntico a los signos; el tramo se corta donde la plana intercala otro bloque de texto

«But, by God, in the knower’s view all of this is nothing but excess proximity» — Ibn al-Arabi invierte el sentido de esas trabas: para el conocedor todo eso es exceso de proximidad; el tramo se corta antes de la cita coránica, donde el escaneo mete un guillemet que rompería las comillas

«How can whispering compare with inspiration (ilhamfl How can the name “man” compare with the Name the “Knower”?» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el pasaje con dos preguntas retóricas que oponen susurro a inspiración y el nombre hombre al Nombre el Conocedor

«This shows that the beloved exists with the lover in the image of a form (‘ala mithal sura) and that he has» — Ibn al-Arabi concluye que la amada existe con el amante en la imagen de una forma; el tramo se corta en el reemitido del marcador de plana, en el corte de chunk; capítulo 372

«brought her forth in his imagination. Hence he clings to contemplating his beloved, his ecstasy (wajd) doubles, and his love continues to increase.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el efecto de esa producción imaginal: el amante se aferra a contemplar a su amada, su éxtasis se dobla y su amor sigue creciendo

«The love of the lover intensifies only toward his own making (san'a) and act (ft'I), for he himself has made the form with which he has fallen in love in his imagination. So he loves nothing but that which goes back to himself; he attaches himself (ta'alluq) to himself, and he praises his own act.» — Ibn al-Arabi concluye que el amante solo ama su propia hechura y su propio acto, y que se ata a sí mismo; capítulo 372

«He who knows this knows God’s love for His servants and that His love for them is more intense than their love for Him. Or rather, they do not love Him for Himself ('aynan) but for His beneficence (ibsan), since His beneficence is what they witness.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el amor de Dios por sus siervos más intenso que el de ellos por Él, y acota que ellos lo aman por su beneficencia, que es lo que atestiguan

«That is why the Lawgiver (al-shari')xi(> placed Him in the servant’s qibla,XA1 made the heart of His servant encompass Him,148 and made Him like him or like some of his parts as a result of proximity to Him.» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera lo que el Legislador dispuso para eso: ponerlo en la alquibla del siervo, hacer que el corazón lo abarque y hacerlo semejante a él

«As for those who profess His Incomparability (al-munazziba), they are bewildered in blindness, striking out in it haphazardly. They find no shadow in its darkness, nor [do they find] the profession of Similarity which proofs (al-dalil) deny to them.There is no faith whose light might outbalance the light of the proofs and within which they might include the proofs. So those who profess Incomparability remain forever grasping at nothing, nor do they actualize anything.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe a quienes profesan solo la Incomparabilidad: desconcertados a ciegas, sin sombra y sin la profesión de Similitud que las pruebas les niegan

«They are the People of Severance (ahi al-batt), since their aspiration is dispersed and the imaginal faculty (wahin) is far from them. From the perfection of the true knowledge of existence they lack the property of imaginal faculties, which exercise no property except in those Men who are the Perfect (al-kummal min al-rijal)» — Ibn al-Arabi los llama Gente de la Separación y les adjudica la carencia de la facultad imaginal, que solo ejerce propiedad en los Hombres Perfectos

«That is why the religions (al-shara’i) have brought concerning God that which proofs show to be impossible» — Ibn al-Arabi explica por qué las religiones traen de Dios lo que las pruebas declaran imposible

«same way the light of the sun dominates over the light of the other heavenly bodies (kaivakib)\it does not take away their lights, it only includes them in its own light, so that the whole world is illuminated by the light of the sun and the light of the heavenly bodies, but people see nothing but the light of the sun, not the light of all.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la semejanza del sol y los astros: la luz mayor no quita las menores, las incluye, y solo se ve la del sol; el tramo empieza a media frase por la intercalación de la plana

«In the same way, when the light of the faith of one of the perfect among the Folk of Allah includes the light of his intellect, he concurs (taswib) with the view of those who profess Incomparability, since it does not go beyond that which their lights unveiled for them. He also concurs with the view of those who profess Similarity, since their view does not go beyond the outward of what the light of their faith gives to them through the similitudes that God has struck for them. So the perfect one knows Him through intellect and faith, thus gaining possession of the degree of perfection.» — Ibn al-Arabi aplica la semejanza al perfecto: concuerda con quienes profesan Incomparabilidad y con quienes profesan Similitud, y así conoce a Dios por intelecto y por fe

«In the same way imagination gains possession of the degree of sense perception (hiss) and meaning (ma'na). Hence it makes the sensory thing subtle (taltif) and the meaning gross (takthif), thus possessing complete power.» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica a la imaginación el grado del sentido y del sentido interior a la vez: sutiliza lo sensible y engruesa el sentido

«That is why Jacob said to his son, “Relate not thy vision to thy brothers, lest they scheme against tbee”(Qur’an 12:5). He knew what they knew concerning the interpretation of the images God had shown Joseph in bis vision. For what he saw and what was shown to him in images was nothing but his brothers and his parents. So imagination had brought forth the forms of his brothers as stars and the forms of his parents as the sun and the moon» — Ibn al-Arabi lee el sueño de José con la sura 12: la imaginación sacó a sus hermanos como estrellas y a sus padres como el sol y la luna

«So look at this passage (naqla) from the world of lowness to the world of the spheres and from the darkness of this bodily frame to the light of the stars! Imagination made the gross subtle, then it applied itself to the level of priority (taqaddum), high station, and disengaged (mujarrad) meanings. It clothed them in the form of sensory prostration, thus making their subtlety gross; but all the while the vision was one.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el doble movimiento de la imaginación en ese sueño, de lo bajo a las esferas y de los sentidos desprendidos a la forma de la prosternación, en una sola visión

«In the same way, God placed the level of the Perfect Man midway between God's being seated upon His Throne and His being located within his heart, which encompasses Him.» — Ibn al-Arabi sitúa al Hombre Perfecto a medio camino entre el Trono y el corazón que abarca a Dios

«So he looks upon Him in his heart and sees that He is the Central Point of the Circle (nuqtat al-da’ira)\ and he looks upon Him seated upon His Throne and sees that He is the Circumference» — Ibn al-Arabi da la figura: Dios es el Punto Central del Círculo mirado en el corazón y la Circunferencia mirado en el Trono

«No line becomes manifest from the Center without coming to an end at the Circumference, and no line becomes manifest on the inner side of the Circumference without coming to an end at the Center. These lines are nothing but the world, for “He is the Circumference of all things" (Qur’an 51:54), all are His handful,153 and “To Him the whole affair shall be returned» — Ibn al-Arabi identifica las líneas entre centro y circunferencia con el mundo, con las suras 51 y 11 por apoyo

«So nothing goes outside of Him, nor is there anything outside of the Circumference, since everything enters within His Compass (ibata). Rather, everything arises from Him and ends up in Him, appears from Him and returns to Him.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la figura: nada queda fuera de la Circunferencia, y todo surge de Él y acaba en Él

«So His Circumference is His Names, while His Center is His Essence. That is why He is the One/Number (al-wahid al- ‘adad) and the One/Many» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte la figura entre los Nombres y la Esencia, y de ahí los dos títulos: el Uno-Número y el Uno-Múltiple

«No eye looks upon Him except the eye of man ('ayn al-insan), and were it not for the man of the eye (insan al-‘ayn [i.e., the pupil]), the eye of man would not gaze. So man looks through man, and God becomes manifest through God.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el capítulo con el juego entre el ojo del hombre y el hombre del ojo, la pupila: el hombre mira por el hombre y Dios se manifiesta por Dios

«those people who have inherited from Muhammad some of the religious laws [shard’i'J and spiritual states [ahwal] that pertain exclusively to him and which were not found in any religion [shar‘] that preceded him, nor in any messenger that came before him» — Ibn al-Arabi define a los Polos Muhammadíes por lo que heredan: leyes y estados exclusivos de Muhammad, no hallados en religión ni mensajero anterior

«So he is related to that messenger, even though he is a member of this community. Hence he is called ‘Musaw? if he has inherited from Moses, ‘Isawi’ if from Jesus, or ‘Ibrahim? if from Abraham» — Ibn al-Arabi da los nombres del heredero según el mensajero del que hereda: musawi, isawi, ibrahimi

«I will only mention among the Muhammadan Poles everyone around whom revolve the affairs of a group of people in a specific clime or aspect, like the Substitutes [abdal] in the seven climes...; or like the Poles of the towns, since each town [qarya] must have a saint of God through which God preserves it, whether it is a believing or unbelieving town...The same thing goes for the possessors of stations. Hence the ascetics [zubbad] must have a pole, around whom asceticism revolves in the people of his time; and so on with trust, love, knowledge, and the rest of the stations and states» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera los Polos que sí tratará: los Sustitutos de los siete climas, los de las ciudades y los de cada estación, incluidos los ascetas

«Know that the hijjir is the invocation [dhikr] to which the servant clings [mulazama], whatever that invocation may be. Each invocation produces a result produced by no other invocation. But when man presents the divine invocations to his own soul, it only receives from them that which his preparedness [isti'dad] allows. The first opening [fath] he is given in the invocation is his reception of it.Then he never ceases applying [muwazaba] himself to it with each breath. No breath leaves him in wakefulness or sleep except in invocation, because of his devotion [istihtar] to it. As long as the invoker’s state is not like this, he is not the owner of a hijjir» — Ibn al-Arabi define el *hijjir* como la invocación a la que el siervo se aferra, recibida según la preparación de cada alma y sostenida en cada aliento; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«He who loves Him for Himself only loves an image that he has formed and imagined in himself; such people are none but those who profess Similarity (al-musbabbiha) in particular» — Ibn al-Arabi sostiene que quien lo ama por sí mismo ama una imagen que formó e imaginó en sí, y que esos son justamente los que profesan la Similitud; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota; capítulo 372

«But if a lover did not profess Similarity, he would not love Him; if not for imagining (takbayyul), he would not attach himself to Him.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la consecuencia: sin profesar Similitud no habría amor, y sin imaginar no habría apego

«The “Void” is that which is postulated between the Center and the Circumference» — Ibn al-Arabi define el Vacío como lo postulado entre el Centro y la Circunferencia; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«It fills Camara) the world with its entity and engendered existence. Within it become manifest transmutations (istibalat), from Center to Circumference and from Circumference to Center.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que ese Vacío llena el mundo con su entidad y en él se manifiestan las transmutaciones en los dos sentidos

«The hijjir of the greatest Poles is the name Allah (IV 78.8), which explains why the supreme Pole forever pertains to this name and is called “Abd Allah» — Ibn al-Arabi da el nombre Allah por invocación de los mayores Polos y de ahí el título del Polo supremo; citado por Chittick

«The Poles of the towns, the aspects, and the climes and the shaykhs of different groups have many different kinds of hijjir» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la variedad de invocaciones de los demás Polos, los de las ciudades, los aspectos y los climas

«Just as He who loves you gave you your creation, so also you should give Him that for which you were created.» — el poema del capítulo 470 pide devolver a quien te ama aquello para lo que fuiste creado

«God is Being, while the things are the forms of Being. So the entire affair (al-amr) is interconnected (irtibat) in the same way that matter is interconnected with form.» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la tesis del capítulo: Dios es el Ser y las cosas son sus formas, interconectadas como materia y forma

«Without doubt worship, in the language in which the Qur’an was sent down, is lowliness (dhilla)» — Ibn al-Arabi fija el sentido de adoración en la lengua de la revelación: bajeza

«When a thing grows up out of an interconnection between two things such that neither of the two can yield that thing without the one’s interconnection with the other, then we know that each of the two interconnected things belongs to the love (hubb) that arises in each through the manifestation of the third tiling and that each of the two seeks the other. Hence there must be seeking (talab) in each of them; it is not proper that there be the actual (al-hasil). So the two things must be qualified as lacking that thing whose existence is desired, and seeking can only be a kind of lowliness» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de la interconexión que cada término busque al otro, y que toda búsqueda sea una forma de bajeza

«Your Lord has said, ‘Call upon Me and I will answer you’"(Qur’an 40:60). Hence He seeks calling from His servants, while the servants seek an answer from Him. So everything is seeker and sought.» — Ibn al-Arabi lee la sura 40 como reciprocidad: Dios busca la llamada y los siervos la respuesta, de modo que todo es buscador y buscado

«But proofs are established that temporally originated tilings (al-bawaditb) cannot subsist in God. So He cannot assume every seeking in Himself, for seeking by a temporally originated thing is itself temporally originated. So it is impossible for such a seeking to subsist in Him.» — Ibn al-Arabi acota el límite: lo temporalmente originado no puede subsistir en Dios, y por eso la búsqueda no puede estar en Él; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«So there cannot be existence (wujud) except from two roots (aslf. One root is power (iqtidar), which is linked to the side of God; the second is reception (qabul), which is linked to the side of the possible thing. Neither of the two roots is independent (istiqldl) in existence or in the bestowing of existence» — Ibn al-Arabi reduce la existencia a dos raíces, el poder del lado de Dios y la recepción del lado de lo posible, y niega independencia a cualquiera de las dos

«However, that thing does not say concerning itself that it bestowed existence upon itself. Rather, it says that God bestowed existence upon it, while the true situation is as we have mentioned. Hence the possible thing is not equitable (inscif) toward itself, but in this manner it prefers (tthdr) its Lord.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna que la cosa posible no se atribuye la existencia, y lee esa inequidad consigo misma como preferencia por su Señor

«Then, when God comes to know that it has preferred its Lord over itself by attributing the bestowal of existence to Him, He bestows upon it manifestation in His form as a reward. Hence there is none more perfect than the world, since there is none more perfect than God161; and existence is not perfected except through the manifestation of the temporally originated thing.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la recompensa de esa preferencia: manifestarse en su forma, y de ahí que nada sea más perfecto que el mundo

«Since this is the situation in terms of conditionality (taivaqqnf) and lack of independence on both sides, God called attention to it with His words, “I have divided the canonical prayer into two halves between Myself and My servant, so one half belongs to Me and one half to My servant.» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya esa condicionalidad recíproca en el hadiz que parte la oración canónica entre Dios y el siervo

«At that the possible thing becomes lowly in itself in actuality (bi’I fi'l). Then there occurs from it that for which God created it [i.e., worship], and there disappears from it the mightiness» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el efecto en la cosa posible: se abaja en acto, se cumple aquello para lo que fue creada y desaparece la altivez de poseer la preparación para recibir; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Since God created the creatures to worship Him, He clothed them in that Attribute of His through which He sought them, and through it they worship Him, for it is not correct that they should worship Him through themselves in respect of [their] independence (istiqlal). That is why the Law tells them to say “Thee alone we worship”and then “And from Thee alone we seek help" (Qur’an 1:4), for there is no independence in worship.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que Dios vistió a las criaturas del Atributo por el que las busca, y lee la sura 1 como negación de independencia en la adoración

«So it instructs them to seek help in worshipping Him, just as their reception was a help to the Divine Power in creation. If there were not this interconnection, there could be neither worship nor bestowal of existence.» — Ibn al-Arabi equipara la ayuda pedida en la adoración con la recepción que ayudó al Poder divino en la creación

«While I was recording this question a divine flash (bariqa ildhiyya) flashed for me and in it I saw whatever sciences God willed.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna en primera persona el destello divino que le sobrevino mientras registraba la cuestión

«In a similar way the Prophet struck a stone that had been uncovered in the Trench with a pickax, and when he struck it there flashed forth a flash through which he saw that which God would conquer for his community. He even saw the palaces of Basra like the tusks of an elephant. He saw those things in three strikes, in each of which a flash appeared to him under a specific aspect.» — Ibn al-Arabi compara su destello con los tres del Profeta al golpear la piedra de la Trinchera, en los que vio lo que Dios conquistaría

«In it and through it I saw that although God becomes manifest in the forms of the possible things and is qualified by Independence (gbinqf this does not exclude Him from a lack of independence (istiqlal) in respect to the existence of the temporally originated thing, since there must be reception on its p» — Ibn al-Arabi dice lo que vio en ese destello: que la Independencia no excluye una falta de independencia respecto de la existencia de lo originado, porque hace falta recepción; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«In the same way God has in the things a nonmanifest wisdom known only to Him and those to whom He gives knowledge of it.Therefore He said [in the verse mentioned in the title] “jinn” i.e., that which is hidden,168 “and mankind,”i.e., that which is manifest so that it is known in its essence in respect of its manifestation, "except to worship Me/thereby affirming the cause for creation» — Ibn al-Arabi lee genios y hombres del versículo como lo oculto y lo manifiesto, y ve en la partícula final la afirmación de la causa de la creación; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«But worship is inherent to the created tiling; there is no need for it to be prescribed, since the Creator is necessarily identical with every form the created thing worships, even though form is poor toward (iftiqar) [and in need of] matter. If this were not the case, the worship of the created thing would not be inherent.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara inherente la adoración a lo creado, sin necesidad de prescripción, porque el Creador es idéntico a toda forma que lo creado adore; la capa de texto imprime *tiling* por *thing*

«When we limit ourselves to what is called Allah in common language (‘urf), the created thing worships other than God, for we see that most of the world’s inhabitants are only poor toward phenomenal causes» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que, tomado Allah en el uso común, la cosa creada adora otra cosa, porque la mayoría solo es pobre hacia las causas fenoménicas

«God says, "Thy Lord has decreed that you shall not worship any but Him” (Qur’an 17:23), and His decree cannot be repulsed» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el capítulo con la sura 17 y declara irrepelible ese decreto; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota; capítulo 470

«We know that the result of the invocation (dhikr) [mentioned in the title of this chapter] will be the contemplation of this verse, without doubt.» — Ibn al-Arabi anuncia el fruto de la invocación del capítulo: la contemplación de ese versículo

«Since God is Jealous lest something else be mentioned along with Him, He manifested Himself in theophany to the world in the form of the temporally originated things» — Ibn al-Arabi explica la teofanía en las formas de lo temporalmente originado por la Celosía divina; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«The world’s inhabitants come to know Him in them; this is His notification to them that He is “Independent of the worlds» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que el mundo lo conoce en esas formas y que eso mismo notifica su Independencia, con la sura 3 por apoyo

«The lam of cause167 is inherent to both sides; it is what the Law calls a “wisdom” (hikma) or an “occasion” (sabab). For God is the Wise, and in each thing He has a manifest wisdom» — Ibn al-Arabi declara inherente a ambos lados la partícula de causa, que la Ley llama sabiduría u ocasión, porque Dios es el Sabio y en cada cosa tiene una sabiduría manifiesta

«of Unveiling and Finding know what that wisdom is in all things» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica a la Gente del Desvelamiento y el Hallazgo el conocimiento de esa sabiduría en todas las cosas; el tramo empieza tras el corte de renglón que parte *People*

«He never mentioned the poverty of a created thing toward other than Allah, nor did He decree that other than Allah be worshipped. Therefore He must be identical (‘ayn) with all things, that is, identical with everything toward which there is poverty and which is worshipped.» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva de las suras 17 y 35 que Dios sea idéntico a todo aquello hacia lo que hay pobreza y que es adorado; capítulo 470

«In the same way He is identical with the worshipper in the case of every worshipper; for He said, “I am bis bearing”' 0 when He addresses him with prescriptions and instruction (ta'rif). So the servant does not hear His words except through His hearing. And so it is with all of his faculties, through which alone he is able to be a worshipper of God.» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende la identidad al adorador, apoyándose en el hadiz en que Dios dice ser su oído

«Hence nothing becomes manifest in the worshipper and the worshipped except His He-ness (huwiyya). Therefore the wisdom, occasion, and cause are nothing but He, while the result and that which is occasioned are nothing but He. So He alone worships and is wor» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el círculo: solo su Él-idad se manifiesta en adorador y adorado, y solo Él adora y es adorado; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«The Prophet said in his address when he was praising his Lord, “For we [exist] only through Him and for Him.” So He addresses and He listens. This is a situation (amr) that cannot be refuted, for He is identical with the situation.» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya esa conclusión en el dicho profético de que solo existimos por Él y para Él

«Not known are the creatures except through Him, not knoiun is He except through them.» — el poema del capítulo 470 enuncia el doble conocimiento: las criaturas solo se conocen por Él y Él solo por ellas

«However, preference (fadl) among people takes place through that which some of them contemplate and others declare forbidden. So the knower knows about other than himself what the other does not know about himself, i.e., concerning what the other is in himself. Hence relative preference (tafadul)' 71 becomes manifest. But in spite of this manifestation, the created thing does not cease having God as its he-ness, by reason of the relative preference of the Divine Names, which are the Attributes; and they are not other than He.» — Ibn al-Arabi explica la preferencia relativa entre personas por lo que unos contemplan y otros declaran prohibido, sin que lo creado deje de tener a Dios por su Él-idad

«So the entire affair is one, though expressions of it are diverse. So He is the knower, knowledge, and the object of knowledge; He is the denotation, the denoter (dall), and that which is denoted.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara uno el asunto entero pese a la diversidad de expresiones, e identifica conocedor, conocimiento y objeto de conocimiento

«Here we have the words of the theologian (mutakallim), “It is not other than He,” but nothing more.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna hasta dónde llega la fórmula del teólogo: no es otro que Él, y nada más

«But the theologian is not able to affirm that it is He without a knowledge describing Him thus. So he says, “It is not other than He,” since he is bewildered. He speaks in accordance with what his understanding gives him, so he says that God’s Attribute is not He, nor is it other than He.» — Ibn al-Arabi explica el desconcierto del teólogo, que no puede afirmar la identidad sin un conocimiento que lo describa así

«But when we say something like these words, we do not say them within the limits of the theologian. For he necessarily conceives of the superadded thing, but we do not hold that there is something superadded. Hence the theologian has nothing more to offer than him who says, "God is poo^’xli except in the beauty of the expression. And we seek refuge in God lest we be among the ignorant.» — Ibn al-Arabi deslinda su fórmula de la del teólogo: él no sostiene que haya cosa sobreañadida, y por eso la del teólogo no ofrece más que la del que dice que Dios es pobre

«These are some of the results of this constant invocation.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el capítulo 470 declarando que eso es parte de los resultados de esa invocación constante

«Concerning the Inner Knowledge of the Stage [manzil] of the Fifth Tawakkul, Which None of the People of Realization [muhaqqiqin] Has Discovered, Because of the Rarity of Those Apt to Receive It and the Inadequacy of [Men’s] Understandings to Grasp It.» — Ibn al-Arabi da el título completo del capítulo 367, que declara la estación no descubierta por ninguno de la Gente de la Realización por lo raro de quienes pueden recibirla

«Hence God does not move a servant from place to place in order that [the servant] might see Him, but rather “so that He might cause him to see of His Signs” (Qur’an 41:53, etc.)34 those that were unseen by him.» — Ibn al-Arabi niega que Dios mueva al siervo para que lo vea a Él, y declara el fin del viaje: hacerle ver sus Signos, con la sura 41 por apoyo

«And similarly, when God moves [any] servant through his [inner spiritual] states in order also to cause him to see His Signs, He moves him through His states.» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende el mismo fin al movimiento del siervo por sus estados interiores

«I only made him journey by night in order that he see the Signs, not [to bring him] to Me: because no place can hold Me and the relation of all places to Me is the same. For I am such that [only] ‘the heart of My servant, the man of true faith, encompasses Me,’37 so how could he be ‘made to journey to Me’ while I am 'with him wherever he is» — Ibn al-Arabi pone en boca de Dios la negativa a que el viaje sea hacia Él: ningún lugar lo contiene, solo el corazón del siervo creyente lo abarca

«Then [Muhammad] saw himself among the different individuals belonging to the blessed, at Adam’s right hand, and he gave thanks to God. And through that he came to know how it is that man can be in two places [at the same time] while remaining precisely himself and not anyone else: this was for him like the visible [physical] form and the [reflected] forms visible in the mirror and [other] reflected images.» — Ibn al-Arabi lee el verse a sí mismo entre los bienaventurados como clave de cómo un hombre puede estar en dos lugares sin dejar de ser él mismo, por semejanza con la forma y su reflejo en el espejo

«Then He ordered [Muhammad] to enter; so he entered [the divine Presence], and there he saw exactly what he had known and nothing else: the form of his belief did not change.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna que el Profeta, entrado en la Presencia, vio exactamente lo que ya conocía y nada más: la forma de su creencia no cambió

«Now [Muhammad] had thirty-four times in which [God] made him journey at night, and only one of them was a nocturnal journey in his [physical] body, while the others were with his spirit, through a vision which he saw.» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta treinta y cuatro viajes nocturnos del Profeta y declara que solo uno fue corporal

«As for the saints, they have spiritual journeys in the intermediate world during which they directly witness spiritual realities (ma'ani) embodied in forms that have become sensible for the imagination; these [sensible images] convey knowledge of the spiritual realities contained within those forms.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe los viajes de los santos en el mundo intermedio: atestiguan realidades espirituales encarnadas en formas sensibles para la imaginación; capítulo 367

«For what distinguished God’s Messenger from all the others [among the saints] was that his body was made to journey, so that he passed through the heavens and spheres in a way perceptible by the senses and traversed real, sensible distances.» — Ibn al-Arabi marca la diferencia del Mensajero: su cuerpo fue hecho viajar y atravesó distancias sensibles reales

«But all of that from die heavens [also belongs] to his heirs,49 [only] in its spiritual reality (ma‘na), not its sensible form.» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica lo mismo a sus herederos en realidad espiritual y no en forma sensible; la capa de texto imprime *die* por *the*

«So as for what is above the heavens,50 let us mention what God made me directly witness in particular of the journey of the People of God. For their journeys are different [in form] because they are embodied spiritual realities, unlike the sensible journey [of the Prophet].» — Ibn al-Arabi anuncia lo que atestiguó del viaje de la Gente de Dios y acota que sus viajes difieren por ser realidades espirituales encarnadas

«Thus the ascensions (ma'drij) of the saints are the ascensions of [their] spirits and the vision of [their] hearts, [the vision] of forms in the intermediate world and of embodied spiritual realities.» — Ibn al-Arabi define las ascensiones de los santos como ascensiones de sus espíritus y visión de sus corazones

«Therefore whenever God wishes to journey with the spirits of whomever He wishes among the heirs of His messengers and His saints, so that He might cause them to see His Signs (Qur’an 17:1)—for this is a journey to increase [their] knowledge and open the eye of [their] understanding—the modalities of their journey are different [for different individuals]» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el fin de ese viaje —aumentar el conocimiento y abrir el ojo del entendimiento— y acota que sus modalidades difieren por persona

«and among them are those whom He causes to journey in Him. Now this journey [in God] involves the “dissolving” of their composite nature.» — Ibn al-Arabi nombra una modalidad, el viaje en Dios, que implica la disolución de la naturaleza compuesta del viajero

«God said “Were is nothing like His likeness [and He is the AllHearing, the All-Seeing]” (Qur’an 42: ll),27 so He described Himself with a description that necessarily belongs only to Him, which is His saying: “And He is with you wherever you are» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el capítulo 367 con dos versículos: el que niega toda semejanza y el que declara a Dios con nosotros dondequiera que estemos; la capa de texto imprime *Were* por *There* y pega *AllHearing*

«Thus He is with us wherever we are, in the state of His “descending to the heaven of this world during the last third of the night, ”29 in the state of His being mounted upon the Wrone (Qur’an 5:20, etc.),30 in the state of His being in the “Cloud,”31 in the state of His being upon the earth and in heaven (Qur’an 43’84, etc.),32 in the state of His being closer to man than his jugular vein (Qur’an 5O.16)33—and all of these are qualifications with which only He can be described.» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera los estados en que Dios está con nosotros —descendiendo al cielo del mundo, sobre el Trono, en la Nube, en la tierra y el cielo, más cerca que la vena yugular— y los declara descripciones solo suyas; la capa de texto imprime *Wrone* por *Throne*

«Through this journey God [first of all] acquaints them with what corresponds to them in each worl» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la primera fase del viaje en Dios: conocer lo que en cada mundo corresponde al viajero; el tramo se corta a media palabra; capítulo 367

«But he still has the awareness of what remains with him, until eventually he remains [alone] with the divine Mystery which is the “particular individual aspect”55 extending from God to Him.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el despojamiento sucesivo hasta quedar solo con el Misterio divino, el aspecto individual particular que va de Dios a él

«So when he alone remains [without any of those other attachments to the world], then God removes from him the barrier of the veil56 and he remains with God, just as everything else in him remained with [the world] corresponding to it. Hence throughout this journey the servant remains God and not-God.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que entonces Dios le quita la barrera del velo, y que a lo largo del viaje el siervo sigue siendo Dios y no-Dios

«So when the servant has become aware of what we have just explained, so that he knows that he is not [created] according to the form of the world, but only according to the form of God (al-Haqq), then God makes him journey through His Names, in order to cause him to see His Signs (Qur’an 17:1) within him.» — Ibn al-Arabi fija la condición del viaje por los Nombres: saber que uno no fue hecho según la forma del mundo sino según la forma de Dios

«Thus [the servant] comes to know that He is what is designated by every divine Name—whether or not that Name is one of those described as “beautiful.”» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que el viajero llega a saber que Dios es lo designado por todo Nombre divino, se lo llame bello o no

«Thus when God makes the saint (al-wali) travel through His most beautiful Names to the other Names and [ultimately] all the divine Names, he comes to know the transformations of his states and the states of the whole world.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el viaje del santo por los Nombres y su fruto: conocer las transformaciones de sus estados y las del mundo entero

«So there is no Name that God has applied to Himself that He has not also applied to us: through [His Names] we undergo the transformations in our states, and with them we are transformed [by God]» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la reciprocidad: no hay Nombre que Dios se aplique que no nos aplique también, y por ellos nos transformamos

«Now when [the spiritual traveler] has completed his share of the journey through the Names and has come to know the Signs which the Names of God gave him during that journey, then he returns and “reintegrates “his self with a composition different from that initial composite nature,68 because of the knowledge he has gained which he did not have when he was “dissolved” [in the ascending phase of that journey].69 Thus he continues to pass through the different sorts of worlds, taking from each world that [aspect of himself] which he had left there and reintegrating it in his self, and he continues to appear in each successive stage [of being] until he arrives back on earth.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el descenso: el viajero reintegra en sí, mundo por mundo, lo que había dejado en cada uno, con una composición distinta de la inicial

«So “he awakens among his people” [like the Prophet], and no one knows what happened to occur to him in his innermost being (sirr) until he speaks [of his journey].» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el regreso: nadie sabe lo ocurrido en su interior hasta que él habla

«But then they hear him speaking a language different from the one they are used to recognizing as his; and if one of them says to him “What is this?” he replies that “God made me journey by night and then caused me to see whatever Signs of His He wanted [me to see] ” So those who are listening say to him:“You were not gone from us, so you were lying in what you claimed about that.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna la reacción de los oyentes ante el lenguaje nuevo del viajero: que mentía, porque no se ausentó de ellos

«And the jurist (faqih) among them says: “This fellow is laying claim to prophethood (nubuwwa), or his intellect has become deranged» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna la reacción del jurista: que el viajero pretende profecía o que perdió el juicio

«Therefore whoever God may cause to see something of these Signs in the way we have just mentioned should mention [only] what he has seen, but he should not mention the way. For then people will have credence in him and will look into what he says, since they will only deny what he says if he makes a claim about the way» — Ibn al-Arabi da la regla de prudencia: decir lo visto y callar el modo, porque lo que niegan es el modo

«Now you should know that [in reality] there is no difference with regard to this journey between ordinary people'3 and the person [distinguished by] this way and this characteristic. That is because [this spiritual journey] is in order to see the [divine] Signs, and the transformations of the states of ordinary people are [likewise] all Signs: they are in those Signs, but “they do not notice» — Ibn al-Arabi iguala a la gente común con el viajero en cuanto al viaje mismo: las transformaciones de sus estados son también Signos, pero no los advierten

«Hence this sort [of traveler] is only distinguished from the rest of [his fellow] creatures, those who are veiled (Qur’an 83:15), by what God has inspired in his innermost being75 either through his thinking and inquiry with his intellect, or through his preparation, by polishing the mirror of his soul, for the unveiling of these Signs to him by way of inner unveiling and immediate witnessing, direct experience and ecstatic “finding.”» — Ibn al-Arabi fija la única diferencia del viajero: lo que Dios le inspiró en su interior, por pensamiento e indagación o por pulir el espejo del alma; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«For all of the [ordinary] people—and I do not exclude a single one of them—are “making up likenesses for God”;77 they have always agreed and cooperated in that, so not one of them criticizes another for doing it.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que toda la gente común acuña semejanzas para Dios, de común acuerdo y sin que nadie se lo reproche

«for the likeness is precisely What is symbolized, with respect to that which connects them, but it is different insofar as it is a likeness. So the saint “does not make up likenesses for God”; instead, he truly knows what God symbolized with those likenesses» — Ibn al-Arabi acota la doble relación de la semejanza con lo simbolizado y concluye que el santo no acuña semejanzas sino que conoce lo que Dios simbolizó con ellas

«So when God wished to “journey with me to cause me to see [some] of His Signs” in His Names among my names83—and that was the portion of our inheritance from the [Prophet’s] nocturnal journey—He removed me from my place and ascended with me on the Buraq of my contingency.» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el relato en primera persona de su propia ascensión, montado en el Buraq de su contingencia; capítulo 367

«So I passed through into the first heaven:86 nothing remained with me of my bodily nature87 that I [needed to] depend on or to which I [had to] pay attention.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara haber pasado al primer cielo sin que le quedara nada de su naturaleza corporal de que depender

«Therefore I and my children are [all] in the Right Hand of the Truly Real (al-Haqq), while every tiling in the world other than us is in the other divine Hand.» — Ibn al-Arabi pone en boca de Adán que él y sus hijos están en la Mano Derecha de lo Verdadero y todo lo demás en la otra; la capa de texto imprime *tiling* por *thing*

«If [God’s] Anger were to continue [forever], then the suffering [of the damned] would continue. But it is happiness that continues forever, although the dwellings are different, because God places in each abode [of Paradise and Gehenna] that which comprises the enjoyment of the people of that abode, which is why both abodes must necessarily be ‘filled up’» — Ibn al-Arabi hace decir a Adán que lo que continúa para siempre es la felicidad, aunque las moradas difieran, porque en cada una Dios pone el goce de sus gentes

«So when these ‘limits’ [and the punishments flowing from them] have come to an end, then the [divine] authority795 comes back to the universal Mercy with regard to every» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el argumento de Adán: agotados los límites, la autoridad vuelve a la Misericordia universal; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Thus my father Adam granted me the benefit of this knowledge when I was unaware of it, and that was divine good tidings for me in the life of tills world, in anticipation» — Ibn al-Arabi declara ese saber don de su padre Adán y buena nueva divina recibida en esta vida; la capa de texto imprime *tills* por *this*

«Thus ordinary people [when they object to those who speak of this spiritual voyage] are denying precisely That within Which they are and through Which they subsist. So if [the traveler] did not mention the way in which he obtained the inner knowledge of these things, no one would deny or dispute him.» — Ibn al-Arabi señala la paradoja: al objetar, la gente común niega justamente Aquello en lo que está y por lo que subsiste, y acota que si el viajero callara el modo nadie lo disputaría; capítulo 367

«Hence the creatures are entirely submerged in [God’s] Mercy, and the authority of the [other divine] Names [only] continues in their intrinsic opposition, but not in us. So you should know that, for it is a rare and subtle knowledge that [most people] do not realize.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara a las criaturas enteramente sumergidas en la Misericordia y la autoridad de los demás Nombres continuada en su oposición intrínseca y no en nosotros; capítulo 367

«Instead, ordinary people are blind to it: there is no one among them who, if you were to ask him “Are you content to have applied to yourself [the influence] of those Names that give you pain?” would not reply “No!” and have the influence of that painful Name applied to someone else in his stead.» — Ibn al-Arabi ilustra esa ceguera con la respuesta que daría cualquiera si se le preguntara si acepta para sí los Nombres que causan dolor

«But such a person is among the most ignorant of people concerning the creatures—and he is even more ignorant of the Truly Real!» — Ibn al-Arabi juzga a quien así responde el más ignorante sobre las criaturas y más aún sobre lo Verdadero

«But God extends His Mercy to [all] His servants wherever they are, since Being in its entirety is Mercy» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el pasaje declarando que el Ser entero es Misericordia

«It has reached me concerning you that you are a proponent of miracles.”113 Then he said: “Were it not for miracles, I would not have been ‘raised up to a lofty place» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere el diálogo con Idris sobre los milagros y la respuesta que este da con la sura 19

«Where is your [spiritual] rank in relation to your place [at the center of the universe]?” And he said: “The outer is a sign of the inner.» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la respuesta de Idris sobre la relación entre su rango espiritual y su lugar en el centro del universo

«I have heard it said that you only asked tawbicf'( of your people,and nothing else [i.e.,no separate revealed Law]” He said:“And they did not [even] do [that]. Now I was a prophet (nabi.see Qur’an 19:56) calling them to the word [i.e.,the outward profession] of tawhid, not to tawhid [itself]—for no one has ever denied tawhid» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna la distinción que Idris traza entre llamar a la palabra de la unicidad y llamar a la unicidad misma, que nadie ha negado nunca

«But the differences [of opinion] concerning the Truly Real and the things said concerning Him118 have become quite numerous.” He said:“It [can] only be like that, since the matter is [perceived differently] according to the constitution [of each individual].» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la explicación de Idris para la diversidad de opiniones sobre lo Verdadero: cada quien lo percibe según su constitución

«The matter is as we [prophets] were told—and [at the same time] it is as whatever is said by whoever says [his own inner belief] concerning Him, since ‘God is in accordance with the saying of everyone who speaks [of Him].’123 So that is why we only called the common people to the word [i.e., the verbal profession] of tawbid, not to [the reality of] tawhicl» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la respuesta doble de Idris: el asunto es como se les dijo y a la vez como lo dice cada quien, porque Dios está según el decir de quien habla

«He told the truth. I am a prophet of God [Qur’an 19:56], and I do not know any period at the close of which the universe as a whole stops.» — Ibn al-Arabi hace a Idris confirmar esa respuesta y declarar que no conoce período alguno al cabo del cual se detenga el universo entero

«However, [I do know] that He never ceases creating [the universe] in its entirety; that [the whole of reality] never ceases to be ‘nearer’ and ‘further’;125 and that the ‘appointed times’™apply to the [particular] created things—through the completion of [their] periods [of existence]—and not to the [process of] creation [as a whole],since creation is continually renewed ‘with the breaths’» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la doctrina de Idris sobre la creación continuamente renovada con los alientos, y los plazos fijados que valen para las cosas y no para la creación

«Thus we know [only] what He has caused us to know—And they do not comprehend anything of His Knowledge except for what He wishes» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el parlamento de Idris con la sura 2 sobre el límite del conocimiento concedido

«The existence ofAdam is among the conditions for the Hour.» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la respuesta de Idris que cuenta la existencia de Adán entre las condiciones de la Hora

«The abode of Being is one: the abode does not become ‘nearer’ (dunya) except through you,150 and the ‘other world’ (al-akhira) is not distinguished from it except through you! But with regard to bodies [i.e., as opposed to man’s inherent spiritual finality and progressive movement of‘return’ to his Source], the matter131 is only engendered states (akwdn), transformations and coming and going [of endless material forms]; it has not ceased, and it never will.» — Ibn al-Arabi hace decir a Idris que la morada del Ser es una y que solo por el hombre se llama este mundo y se distingue el otro

«Next I alighted to stay with Aaron, and [there] I found Yahya, who had already reached him before me. So I said to [Yahya] :“I didn’t see you on my path: is there some other path there?” And he replied: “Each person has a path, that no one else but he travels.” I said: “Then where are they, these [different] paths?” Then he answered: “They come to be through the traveling itself.» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere el intercambio con Yahya sobre los caminos: cada quien tiene el suyo, que nadie más recorre, y los caminos se hacen al andar

«They spoke sincerely [about their experience]. However, they did not have any more than what was given them by their immediate experience (dhawq). But look and see— did what disappeared from them [in that state actually] disappear from the world?» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la respuesta de Aarón: hablaron con sinceridad, pero no tuvieron más que lo que su experiencia les dio; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Then they were lacking in the knowledge of the way things are, to the extent of what they missed, since the world was nonexistent for them. So they were lacking the True Reality (al-Haqq) to the extent of that [aspect] of the world which was veiled from them.» — Ibn al-Arabi hace a Aarón invertir el juicio: les faltaba conocimiento en la medida en que el mundo se les había vuelto inexistente

«Because the whole world is precisely the Selfmanifestation (tajalli) of the Truly Real, for whoever really knows the Truly Real. So where are you going? It is only a reminder to the worlds (Qur’an 81:26-27) of the way things are!» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el parlamento de Aarón: el mundo entero es la automanifestación de lo Verdadero para quien de veras lo conoce; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Perfection is nothing but its [or ‘His’]'" existence, So whoever misses it is not the perfect one» — el verso que cierra la sección hace de la perfección la existencia misma, de modo que quien la pierde no es el perfecto

«This is a lesson for you that your soul does not follow the same course in something where it has no direct experience (dhaivq) as the person who undergoes that experience» — Ibn al-Arabi saca del encuentro con José una lección sobre la experiencia directa; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota; capítulo 367

«No, by God, if what happened to him happened to you, you would say what he said, because the stronger state [of direct experience] controls the weaker one» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la lección: quien pasara por lo mismo diría lo mismo, porque el estado más fuerte domina al más débil

«No one who revives the dead revives them except to the extent of what he has inherited from me;103 so such a person does not occupy my station in regard to that [life-giving power], just as I do not have the station of the one [i.e., Gabriel] who granted me [the power of] reviving the dead» — Ibn al-Arabi pone en boca de Jesús el límite de la herencia: quien revive muertos lo hace en la medida de lo heredado de él, sin ocupar su estación

«That is because we did not say [what we taught concerning God] on the basis of reasoning (nazarf, we only said it» — Ibn al-Arabi hace decir a Idris que los profetas no hablan por razonamiento; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«on the basis of a common direct relationship [with God].121 So whoever knows the realities knows that [the fact that] all of the prophets agree in saying the same thing about God is equivalent to those who follow reasoning [all] saying the same thing.» — Ibn al-Arabi completa la respuesta de Idris: hablan por una relación directa común, y su acuerdo equivale al de quienes siguen el razonamiento; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque viene cortado de la plana anterior

«Once,in a visionary experience (waqi'a) I had, I saw an individual circumambulating [the Ka‘ba], who told me that he was among my ancestors and gave me his name» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere la visión del antepasado que circunvalaba la Kaaba y le dio su nombre; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Then I asked him about the time of his death, and he told me it was 40,000 years [earlier]. So I proceeded to ask him about Adam, because of what had been established in our chronology concerning his period [i.e., that it was much more recent]. Then he said to me: ‘Which Adam are you asking about? About the most recent Adam?» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta el resto: el antepasado dijo haber muerto cuarenta mil años antes y le preguntó de qué Adán hablaba

«Error is a relative matter, while what is right is the [unchanging] principle. So whoever truly knows God and the world, knows that what is right is the ever-present Principle, which never ceases [to be], and he knows that error [occurs] through the opposition of the two points of view» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la doctrina de Idris sobre el error como asunto relativo frente a lo recto como Principio siempre presente; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«But since the opposition [of the two per spectives] is inevitable, then error is also inevitable. So whoever maintains [the real existence of] error [also] maintains [the prior existence and reality of] what is right; and whoever maintains the [ultimate] non-existence of error speaks what is right (Qur’an 78:38)135 and posits error [as deriving] from what is right» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra esa doctrina: inevitable la oposición, inevitable el error, y quien afirma el error afirma antes lo recto

«O Aaron, some people among the true Knowers have claimed that the existence [of the external world] disappeared with regard to them, so that they see nothing but God» — Ibn al-Arabi plantea a Aarón la objeción sobre los conocedores para quienes el mundo externo desaparece hasta no ver sino a Dios

«Nor is there any doubt that they [really] are in that [spiritual] rank,159 as opposed to those like you. Now God has informed us that you said to your brother [Moses] when he was angry [with you for having allowed the Israelites to worship the golden calf]: ‘...so do not cause [our] enemies to gloat over me!' (Qur’an 7:151).’10Thus you posited their having a certain power [over you in the external world], and this condition is different from the condition of those true Knowers [who experience the ‘disappearance’ of the external world» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que no duda del rango de esos conocedores y que su condición difiere de la de Aarón

«And it was just like that: when I asked Him for the vision [of God], He answered me, so that "I fell down stunned’ (Qur’an 7:143).Then I saw Him in my» — Ibn al-Arabi hace decir a Moisés que al pedir la visión fue respondido y cayó fulminado, y que lo vio en ese estado, con la sura 7 por apoyo; capítulo 367

«So I did not see God until I had died. It was then that I "awakened,’ so that I knew Who I saw. And it was because of that that I said "I have return» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la doctrina de Moisés: no vio a Dios hasta haber muerto, y al despertar supo a Quién había visto

«Therefore when I ‘awoke’ I was no longer veiled, and my vision [of God] went on accompanying me throughout all eternity.» — Ibn al-Arabi hace a Moisés declarar que tras el despertar quedó sin velo y la visión lo acompañó por toda la eternidad

«Nothing resists Elis Self-manifestation; therefore the particular condition (hal) necessarily changes [according to the ‘locus’ of each theophany]. Hence for the mountain being ‘crushed flat’ was like Moses’ being ‘stunned’: God says 'Moses' (Qur’an 7:144), and [He] Who crushed it stunned me.» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la respuesta de Moisés sobre las dos teofanías: nada resiste la automanifestación, y el ser triturado del monte equivale a su propio quedar fulminado; la capa de texto imprime *Elis* por *His*

«God has taken charge of teaching me, so I [only] know about Him to the extent of what He bestows on me.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara ante Moisés que Dios se encargó de enseñarle y que solo conoce en la medida de lo que le concede

«With what did you hear‘God’s Speech’?”165 He said: “With my hearing.” I said:“And what is your‘hearing’?” He said: “He [is]» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge el intercambio sobre el oír el Habla de Dios: con el oído, y el oído es Él

«By an immediate personal experience [dhawq] in that regard, which can only be known by the person who actually experiences it.” I said: “So those who possess such immediate experiences are like that?” “Yes,” he said, “and [their] experiences are according to [their spiritual] ranks.» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la respuesta final de Moisés: lo que lo distingue es una experiencia personal inmediata, y esas experiencias van según los rangos

«Then I saw the Inhabited House (Qur’an 52:4),169 and suddenly there was my Heart—and there were the angels who “enter It every day» — Ibn al-Arabi identifica la Casa Habitada de la sura 52 con su propio Corazón, al que entran cada día los ángeles

«The Truly Real manifests Himself to [the Heart], which [alone] encompasses Him,1'1 in “seventy thousand veils of light and darkness.”1/2Thus He manifests Himself to the Heart of His servant through those (veils)—for “if He were” to manifest Himself without them, “the radiant splendors of His Face would burn up” the creaturely part173 of that servant.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la teofanía al Corazón por setenta mil velos de luz y tiniebla, sin los cuales los esplendores del Rostro quemarían la parte creatural del siervo

«As for the four rivers [flowing from its roots, as described in the hadith],179 they are the four kinds of divine knowledge “granted as a gift” [to man], which we mentioned in a part (juz') we called “the levels of the forms of knowledge given freely [by God].» — Ibn al-Arabi identifica los cuatro ríos del hadiz con las cuatro clases de conocimiento divino dado como don

«O my God, the Signs ayat are scattered!” But then ‘He sent down upon me’183 at this moment [His] Saying: “Say:‘We have faith in God and in what He sent down upon Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes [of Israel], and in what was brought to Moses andJesus and the prophetsfrom their Lord; we do not separate anyone among them, and we are sur» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere su exclamación ante los Signos dispersos y el versículo de la sura 3 que le fue enviado en respuesta; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Thus He gave me all the Signs in this Sign,181 clarified the matter (i.e., of the eternal Reality of the “Qur'an”) for me,185 and made this Sign for me the key to all knowledge.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que en ese Signo se le dieron todos los Signos y que se le hizo llave de todo conocimiento

«Henceforth I knew that I am the totality of those [prophets] who were mentioned to me [in this verse]. Through this [inspiration] I received the good tidings that I had [been granted] the “Muhammadan station,”186 that I was among the heirs of Muhammad’s comprehensiveness.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara haber sabido entonces que es la totalidad de los profetas nombrados y haber recibido la estación Muhammadí

«Therefore [Muhammad’s] mission is universal, because of the general nature of his six aspects:190 from whatever direction you come, you will find only the Light of Muhammad191 overflowing upon you; no one takes [spiritual knowledge] except from It, and no [divine] messenger has informed [man] except for [what he has taken] from It.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara universal la misión de Muhammad y sostiene que de cualquier dirección solo se halla su Luz, de la que todos toman

«Now when that happened to me I exclaimed:“Enough, enough!193 My [bodily] elements are filled up, and my place cannot contain me!” and through that [inspiration] God removed from me my contingent dimension.» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere su exclamación de basta y la retirada de su dimensión contingente

«Thus I attained in this nocturnal journey the inner realities (ma'ant) of all the Names, and I saw them all returning to One Subject195 and One Entity:196 that Subject was what I witnessed, 197 and that Entity was my Being. For my voyage was only in myself and only pointed to myself, and through this I came to know that I was a pure "servant,” without a trace of lordship in me at all.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el relato de la ascensión: todos los Nombres retornaban a un solo Sujeto y una sola Entidad, que era su propio Ser, y el viaje solo fue en sí mismo; las cifras son llamadas de nota del impreso

«this is a benefit of knowledge [reached through] direct experience (dhazvq)™5 for there is a [spiritual] condition that can only be perceived through immediate contact.» — Ibn al-Arabi pone en boca de Moisés que eso es un beneficio del conocimiento por experiencia directa, porque hay una condición que solo se percibe por contacto inmediato; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«I was seeing Him [all along], and yet I didn’t use to know that it was Him! But when my» — Ibn al-Arabi da la distinción que Moisés reclama: lo veía desde siempre sin saber que era Él; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«Yes, those are ‘the ones who are veiled’ from the knowledge that what [they see] is God» — Ibn al-Arabi hace a Moisés precisar de qué están velados: del conocimiento de que lo que ven es Dios; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«But what if you yourself had to meet a person with whom you were not personally acquainted, whom you were looking for [simply] by name and because you needed him? You could meet him and exchange greetings with him, along with the whole group of those you encountered, without discovering his identity: then you would have seen him and yet not have seen him, so you would continue looking for him while he was right where you could see him!» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la comparación de Moisés: encontrar sin reconocer a quien se busca por su nombre y seguir buscándolo teniéndolo a la vista

«Hence one cannot rely on anything but knowledge. That is why we [Knowers of God] have said that Knowledge is His very Essence, since if Knowledge were not His very Essence, what was relied on [i.e., our knowledge] would be other than God—for nothing can be relied on but knowledge.» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra el argumento de Moisés identificando el Conocimiento con la Esencia divina, porque solo cabe apoyarse en el conocimiento; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«That is just how He acts with the Knowers of God, so take [your spiritual knowledge] from Him, not from the world» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge el consejo de Moisés: tomar el conocimiento de Dios y no del mundo; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«For He only sent us to call you all to Him, not to call you to us.» — Ibn al-Arabi hace a Moisés declarar el encargo de los profetas: llamar hacia Dios y no hacia sí mismos

«So when I had left [the Temple], I came to the Lotus-Tree of the Limit (Qur’an 53:14),175 and I halted amongst its lowest and its loftiest branches» — Ibn al-Arabi describe su llegada al Loto del Límite de la sura 53 y su detención entre sus ramas más bajas y más altas; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Now it was enveloped (Qur’an 53:16) in the lights of [good] actions, and in the shelter of its branches were singing the birds of the spirits of those who perform [those] actions,1'7 since it is in the form of Man.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el Loto envuelto en las luces de las acciones, con los pájaros de los espíritus cantando a la sombra de sus ramas, y lo declara en forma de Hombre

«Next I saw before me the cushions of the Litters (Qur’an 55:77) of the [true] Knowers» — Ibn al-Arabi describe los cojines de las literas de los Conocedores que vio ante sí, con la sura 55 por apoyo; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Then I “was enveloped by the [divine] lights” until all of me became Light, and a robe of honor was bestowed upon me182 the likes of which I had never seen.» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el envolvimiento por las luces hasta volverse todo él Luz, y la vestidura de honor que recibió

«I saw Him, then I knew Who I saw» — Ibn al-Arabi completa la respuesta de Moisés: vista su morada cambiada y visto Él, supo a Quién veía; el tramo empieza a media frase porque el corte de chunk parte el enunciado; capítulo 367

«I saw in it the knowledge of the Return... and that [man] carries this world with him when he is transferred [to the next world]» — Ibn al-Arabi abre la lista de lo visto en la Estación Muhammadí con el conocimiento del Retorno y con que el hombre lleve consigo este mundo al ser trasladado; capítulo 367

«I saw in it the knowledge of the interpenetration and [indissoluble] “circularity’’ (dawr: of God and Man), which is that God (al- Haqq) can only be in [external] reality (fl al-fi‘l) through the form of the creature (al-khalq), and that the creature can only be there [in reality] through the form of God. So this circularity...is what actually exists (al-waqi) and is the way things are» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la circularidad entre Dios y el hombre: Dios solo está en acto por la forma de la criatura y la criatura solo por la forma de Dios

«Each community (umma) has a messenger...and there is nothing among what exists that is not [part of] a certain community... So the divine message (risala) extends to absolutely all communities, both great and small!» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende el mensaje divino a absolutamente todas las comunidades, grandes y pequeñas

«I saw in it the universality of the divine Gift [of Mercy and Pardon] ... [as] He said concerning the prodigal sinners: "...Do not despair of God’s Mercy; surely God forgives the sins altogether, surely He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya la universalidad del Don divino en la sura 39, que manda no desesperar de la Misericordia

«So nothing could be clearer than this explicit divine declaration concerning the return of [all] the servants to» — Ibn al-Arabi lee esa declaración como la más clara sobre el retorno de todos los siervos a la Misericordia

«I saw in it the knowledge that it is God who is worshipped in every object of worship, behind the veil of [the particular] form.» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna entre esos saberes que es Dios el adorado en todo objeto de adoración, tras el velo de la forma

«I saw in it the knowledge that this world is a token (‘unwan) of the other world and a symbolization (darb mithal) of it, and that the status (hukm) of what is in this world is more complete and more perfect in the other world.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara este mundo señal y símbolo del otro, y el estatuto de lo que aquí hay más completo allá

«But the Manifest does not trace its origin to servanthood, for there is nothing lower than the latter, and that which traces its origin to something must be lower in level than that thing. But the Manifest only traces its origin to that thing to which it is ascribed, since the effect (athar) given to the Manifest by the entity of the locus of manifestation is nothing other than the Manifest; “There is no goal beyond God» — Ibn al-Arabi niega que el Manifiesto remonte su origen a la servidumbre, porque nada hay más bajo que ella

«Jesus also announced with the past tense that God gave him the Book and enjoined him to pray and give alms as long as he is in the world of [religious] prescription (taklif) and Law-giving (tashrt‘), a point expressed by his words, “so long as I remained alive”(Qur’an 19:32). This obviously means, for those who are his listeners, his living under prescription.» — Ibn al-Arabi lee la sura 19 como declaración de que Jesús vive mientras dure la prescripción y la legislación; capítulo 195

«He meant: I am not the son of any man, and my mother is pure, a virgin. Nor am I the son of God; just as He does not accept a consort, He does not accept a son. Rather, I am God’s servant like you.» — Ibn al-Arabi glosa las palabras de Jesús como triple negación: no es hijo de hombre, su madre es virgen y no es hijo de Dios, sino siervo como los demás

«So the prophets are commanded in everything that becomes manifest through and from them, i.e., in the true claims that denote their position of proximity [with God] and their distinction from their equals and likes because of their exemplary rank with God.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que los profetas están mandados en todo lo que por ellos se manifiesta, incluidas las pretensiones verdaderas que denotan su proximidad; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«I was the companion of a master (rajul) who possessed this station, though I was not aware of it. I asked to be his companion from Baghdad to Mosul in a caravan of pilgrims returning from the bajj. He told me, ‘If you are determined to come, do not take the initiative with me in any food or drink, but wait until I ask you for it.’ I promised him that. He was an old man, so he rode in one half of a baudab, while I walked close behind him so that he would not be faced with a need for me.» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere en boca de Hamid el acompañamiento del maestro de Bagdad a Mosul y la condición que este le puso: no adelantarse nunca con comida ni bebida; capítulo 311

«Then he became ill and weak with diarrhea.This was very difficult for me. But he did not take any medicine that would stop it and allow him to rest. I said to him,‘Master, let me go to this man who is the guide of the Sinjar road and take from the dispensary a costive medicine.’ He looked at me as if I were something disagreeable and said,‘Keep to your promise!’ and did not answer me.» — Ibn al-Arabi sigue el relato: la enfermedad del maestro, la oferta de ir por medicina y la orden de atenerse a la promesa

«I came to him, and he had not known me before that, nor was I in a state or an attire that would demand that he attach importance to me. So I walked to him, fearing that he would reject me or drive me away because he was so busy. I stood before him among the people.When his eyes fell on me, he stood up for me and made me sit down. He greeted me with joy, delight, and cheerfulness and asked me what I needed. I told him about the state of the shaykh and his illness. He asked his assistant to bring the medicine in the best form possible.» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta la acogida inesperada del guía del camino de Sinyar, que se puso de pie, lo sentó y mandó traer la medicina

«As for the station of servitude, you will not know the sciences that you actualize through it, for within it you annihilate ascription to Him and to engendered existence» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que en la estación de la servidumbre no se conocen las ciencias que por ella se actualizan, porque en ella se aniquila la adscripción a Dios y a la existencia engendrada; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota; capítulo 131

«This is an extremely rare station, for the Tribe cannot allow that engendered existence should subsist in its possibility without ascription» — Ibn al-Arabi llama rarísima a esa estación porque la Tribu no admite que la existencia engendrada subsista en su posibilidad sin adscripción; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«in the locus of manifestation (mazhar), the Manifest (al-zahir) is described by the attribute of the servant,18 for the Manifest becomes colored by the reality of the locus of manifestation, whatever this may be.» — Ibn al-Arabi da la señal de esa estación: el Manifiesto queda descrito por el atributo del siervo y coloreado por la realidad del lugar de manifestación

«As God is my witness, I swear that I have not written a single letter of this book other than by the effect ofdivine dictation (imla’ ilahi), ofa lordly projection (ilqa rabbani), of spiritual inspiration (nafath ruhani) in my innermost hearth I say nothing, I utter no judgment that does not come out of an inspiration from the Divine Spirit in my heart» — Ibn al-Arabi jura no haber escrito una sola letra del libro que no venga de dictado divino, proyección señorial e inspiración espiritual en su corazón

«Neither this book your are now holding nor my other works is composed in the same fashion as ordinary books, and I do not write them according to the method usually used by authors» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende esa declaración a toda su obra y niega escribir según el método habitual de los autores; la capa de texto imprime *your* por *you*

«I did not choose this order ofexposition ofmy own accord; ifit had been determined rationally, this chapter would not be placed here» — Ibn al-Arabi declara no haber elegido el orden de exposición y que un orden racional habría puesto ese capítulo en otro sitio

«It is the ignorant individual who says that the saint (al-wali) is he who has spiritual states. God sometimes confers a hal upon those He loves, and sometimes upon those He does not love. But He confers knowledge only upon those He loves» — Ibn al-Arabi niega que el santo sea quien tiene estados espirituales, porque Dios los confiere también a quienes no ama, y reserva el conocimiento a los amados

«In the perfect individual, every time his station rises, his hal falls» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la relación inversa entre estación y estado en el individuo perfecto

«traveling through the maqamat does not consist in leaving one maqam behind [in order to reach the next one], but rather in obtaining something that is higher than it, without leaving the station you have already been in. It consists in "going toward, ’ not leaving behind» — Ibn al-Arabi define el tránsito por las estaciones como ir hacia y no salir de: se obtiene algo más alto sin dejar la estación en que se estaba

«No one praises God but God Himself» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia en su comentario a la Fatiha, en el capítulo 5 de las Futuhat, que nadie alaba a Dios sino Dios mismo

«of manifestation of True Being (al-wujud al-haqq); for they do not acquire being they just function as places of theophany. He Who manifests Himself in these places ofmanifestation (al-zahir fi hadhihi I-mazahir) is True Being and he alone is named by the names of the possibles and characterized by their attributes.» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que los posibles no adquieren ser sino que funcionan como lugares de teofanía, y que solo el Ser Verdadero es nombrado por sus nombres; el tramo empieza a media frase por el corte de plana

«For each servant there is a corresponding Name that is his lord; it is a body, and this Name is its heart» — Ibn al-Arabi hace corresponder a cada siervo un Nombre que es su señor, y describe al siervo como cuerpo y al Nombre como su corazón; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«IfHe addresses His servant, it is He who is both the listener and what is heard; if [the servant] does what He commands, it is He Who is both obeyer and obeyed» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia el doble papel divino en la alocución y en la obediencia: es a la vez el que oye y lo oído, el que obedece y el obedecido

«May it please Heaven that I know who is subject to legal obligations (al-mukallaf)! Ifyou say it is the servant, the servant is without life. Ifyou say it is the Lord, then whence does the obligation upon Him come?» — Ibn al-Arabi plantea en el dístico la pregunta por quién está sujeto a la obligación legal, y cierra las dos salidas: el siervo no tiene vida y al Señor no le viene obligación de donde

«The universal man is the Qur» — Ibn al-Arabi declara en el Kitab al-israr que el hombre universal es el Corán

«When he gives himself exclusively to retreat and invocation, when he empties himself of all thought and sits indigent, devoid of everything at his Lord» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona la iluminación con conocimiento sobrenatural a entregarse al retiro y la invocación, vaciarse de todo pensamiento y sentarse indigente a la puerta del Señor

«While doing the ritual circumambulation, I said to myself: How could I walk Around that luhich is incapable ofperceiving my secret, Around a pile ofstones that does not understand my movement?» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge en verso la objeción que se hizo a sí mismo circunvalando: cómo caminar alrededor de un montón de piedras incapaz de percibir su secreto

«Contemplate the House: for sanctified hearts, its light shines openly They look at it through God, without a veil, and its august and sublime secret appears.» — el epígrafe en verso del volumen II manda contemplar la Casa: para los corazones santificados su luz brilla y aparece su secreto sublime

«Examine the details of my constitution and the ordering of my form» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la orden del joven héroe: examinar los detalles de su constitución y el orden de su forma

«Now raise my veils and read what the inscriptions within me contain! And what you look carefully at in me, place it in your book andpreach it to those you love» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la segunda orden: levantar los velos del joven héroe, leer sus inscripciones y poner en el libro lo que ahí se mire

«raised his veils and looked at what was written in him. A light within him made the hidden knowledge he contains and envelopes within his being appear to me, and the first line I read, the first secret ofthis line I learned, is precisely what I am now going to transcribe in this second chapter» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta que levantó esos velos y que la primera línea leída es lo que transcribe en el segundo capítulo

«is not to be sought there, nor is it to be sought in any particular place in the work: it is “scattered throughout the chapters ofthis book» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que el credo de la élite de la élite no está en ningún lugar particular de la obra sino disperso por sus capítulos

«For us, even the minerals love God... they constitute a com» — Ibn al-Arabi declara en el Ruh al-quds que aun los minerales aman a Dios y que constituyen una comunidad entre otras; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Early in our spiritual life, we heard the stones glorifying God and invoking His name» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere haber oído, al principio de su vida espiritual, a las piedras glorificar a Dios e invocar su nombre

«To every reality [in this world] there is a corresponding Name that is specific to it, and that is its Lord» — Ibn al-Arabi hace corresponder a cada realidad un Nombre propio que es su Señor

«like the pole supporting the tent, to be the pillar ofthe dome ofthe heavens. "When the pillar disappears, the universe collapses» — Ibn al-Arabi compara al hombre creado vertical con el poste que sostiene la tienda, y declara que al desaparecer el poste el universo se derrumba

«The spirit from whom I received what I have placed in this book taught me that Muddwi l-Kulum one day gathered his companions together in a village and announced to them that he was going to leave this world» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere lo que el espíritu le enseñó: que Mudawi l-Kulum reunió a sus compañeros para anunciarles que dejaría este mundo

«If you are among those who “leave” [as opposed to those who remain in bewildered contemplation of the Divine Presence] and reach the highest degree, then He manifests Himselfthrough His Essence in your outer form» — Ibn al-Arabi describe lo que ocurre a quien retorna hacia el mundo tras alcanzar el grado más alto: Dios se manifiesta por su Esencia en su forma exterior

«Know, and may God assist you, that this chapter deals with those servants of God that are called the malamiyya, that is, the spiritual men who possess the very highest degree ofwalaya. There is nothing above them but the degree of [lawbringing] Prophecy» — Ibn al-Arabi define a los *malamiyya* como los hombres espirituales del grado más alto de santidad, con nada por encima salvo la Profecía legisladora

«the ftiqaha’ have made narrow that which Allah had made wide» — Ibn al-Arabi reprocha a los juristas haber estrechado lo que Dios hizo ancho

«There is nothing in existence and nothing to originate existence but God” (fa-la mawjud wa la mujid ilia Llah)180; “He is Being, and what there is in the universe is nothing other than His form» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia en el primer poema de la *khutba* que no hay en la existencia ni origen de existencia sino Dios, y que lo que hay en el universo no es sino su forma; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«both existence and that which exists are nothing other than God Himself» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia que la existencia y lo existente no son otra cosa que Dios mismo

«If we look at something, it is He we are looking at. If we hear something, it is He we are hearing» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia que mirar algo es mirarlo a Él y oír algo es oírlo a Él

«O you who seek the path leading to the secret Turn back, for it is in you that the entire secret is found» — el verso que cierra la introducción manda al buscador volverse sobre sí, porque en él está el secreto entero

«Six is the most perfect of numbers”(akmal al-ldAd» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el seis el más perfecto de los números

«We are not saying that ijtihad is what the men of exoteric sciences claim it is. For us, ijtihad is the effort that allows that inner disposition (isti‘dad al-batin) to be reached through which one becomes capable of receiving the particular inspiration (hadha 1-tanazzul al-khass) that no prophet or messenger was able to receive during his time ofprophecy» — Ibn al-Arabi define el esfuerzo de interpretación a su manera: el que permite alcanzar la disposición interior capaz de recibir la inspiración particular

«that upon which the Law is silent is left no more to chance than zuhat it says. Ifeach word of the sharia means something, then the absence of a word also has meaning, and man, if he is not to transgress against the word of God, is not to fill God» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que el silencio de la Ley no es más azaroso que su palabra, y que el hombre no ha de llenar los silencios de Dios

«Know that there is unanimity regarding three entities upon which legal prescriptions are based: the Book, the sunna mutawdtira?^ and consensus (ijmA). The experts are not in complete agreement regarding reasoning by analogy (qiyds): some claim that it constitutes proof (dalil) and is one of the foundations for legal prescriptions, while others maintain—and» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna el acuerdo sobre los tres fundamentos de las prescripciones legales —el Libro, la sunna transmitida en masa y el consenso— y el desacuerdo sobre la analogía; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«this is my position—that it should be avoided. God said: “Fear God and He will teach you” (Q. 2:282). He also said: “If you fear God, He will give you discernment (furq&nanj' (Q. 8:29); “Fear God and believe in His Messenger so that He might give you two measures of His Mercy, that He might give you a light to help you walk, and pardon you” (Q. 57:28). Similarly, He said in regard to His servant Khadir: “We have given him a mercy coming from Us, and We have given him knowledge from Us» — Ibn al-Arabi declara su posición contra la analogía y encadena cuatro versículos sobre el temor de Dios que trae enseñanza, discernimiento, luz y perdón

«This is how God transmits the knowledge He in His mercy grants to His servant. Fearing God is work Carnal) that is prescribed for us and whose status relates to one of the [scriptural] references, or all of them, regardless of how it is imposed upon us» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la vía de transmisión del conocimiento y declara el temor de Dios una obra prescrita

«Junayd said: “This knowledge of ours is related to the Book and the Sunna» — Ibn al-Arabi cita a Junayd para ligar el conocimiento propio al Libro y a la Sunna

«There are differences of opinion regarding reasoning by analogy and its use in argumentation (dalil) or as a source of fact. Indeed, from a certain point of view, it is intellectually justifiable, and in certain cases, using it seems preferable to rejecting it, while in other cases, the opposite is true» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna el desacuerdo sobre la analogía y acota que a veces conviene usarla y a veces rechazarla

«Whatever the case, qiyas does not constitute a decisive argument in and of itself. The same is true for an account that comes from a single source (khabar al-fihdat)\ there is agreement that it should be accepted, even though it does not in itself confer certain knowledge» — Ibn al-Arabi niega que la analogía sea argumento decisivo por sí misma, y dice lo mismo del relato de fuente única

«Even though I am opposed to it for my own personal use, I do accept its use by others to make decisions on legal questions if their effort at interpretation (ijtihdd) has led to affirming its validity [as a legal source]. It matters little whether the individual is right or wrong [in his effort of interpretation]: the Lawgiver has in fact validated the mujtahids judgment (even if he is in error), and has rewarded him» — Ibn al-Arabi separa su uso personal del ajeno: acepta que otros usen la analogía si su esfuerzo de interpretación la validó, y acota que el Legislador premia al esforzado aunque yerre

«But if, in his attempt to legitimize qiyfa, he has not supported his opinion with any proof from the Book, the sunna, ijm&\ or all three at the same time, it is not licit for him to make a ruling based on qiyf» — Ibn al-Arabi pone el límite: sin prueba tomada del Libro, la sunna o el consenso, no es lícito dictaminar por analogía

«such information, after all, is allowable only because of the good opinion we have of those who reported the information; but we do not consider it as providing certain knowledge regarding God, since the Law forbids this, and all we can say is “I think...” or “in my opinion it is true that» — Ibn al-Arabi acota el valor del relato de fuente única: se admite por la buena opinión sobre quien lo transmite, y no da conocimiento cierto sobre Dios

«It is speculative thought that allows their firm establishment. Thus, Divine Law relies on it, and asks the faithful to use it: reasoning by analogy is a form of speculative thought» — Ibn al-Arabi funda la Ley en el pensamiento especulativo y hace de la analogía una forma suya

«Do you believe that God (al-Haqq) would authorize its use in such issues and in such fundamental principles, and forbid its use in practical matters (masala fariyya) about which we find no mention in the Holy Book, in the Sunna, or in ijm» — Ibn al-Arabi argumenta a fortiori: no cabe que Dios autorice el pensamiento especulativo en los principios y lo prohíba en lo práctico no previsto

«It is our firm opinion that it necessarily has a legal status of divine origin, and that, when the other roads have been closed, there is no other way out than to return to this principle, that is, to speculative thought» — Ibn al-Arabi declara de origen divino el estatuto legal del pensamiento especulativo y lo hace salida obligada cuando los demás caminos se cierran

«When it becomes a necessity, and when we find no decisive scriptural support, we thus seek to define the status of things that the Law does not speak of, basing our thinking on the status of things about which it does s» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el procedimiento: definir el estatuto de lo que la Ley calla por el de aquello de lo que habla; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«When two verses or two authentic traditions contradict one another—but it is still possible to set them side by side and use them together—we should not refuse to use them» — Ibn al-Arabi abre las reglas de conflicto: si dos textos contradictorios pueden usarse juntos, no hay que rehusarlo

«If it is not possible to use them together because one of them contains an exclusion (istithnA), we should choose the one in which the exclusion is found. If one of them contains an addition (ziycida), it should be adopted and used» — Ibn al-Arabi da las dos reglas siguientes: prevalece el texto con exclusión y el texto con adición

«When neither of these is present, and the two verses are totally contradictory, then the date (ta’rikh) [of the revelation of each] should be checked, and the more recent of the two should be used» — Ibn al-Arabi pone la fecha como criterio cuando la contradicción es total: prevalece el más reciente

«And finally, if the date is unknown or difficult to ascertain, then we should take the one that is most apt to remove hardship in the matter of religion (raf’ al-haraj ft I-din) and apply it, for this point of view is confirmed by the verse: “ There is no hardship (haraj) weighing upon you in religion (Q. 22:78), and Allah’s religion is easy. “And God wishes for you what is easy, not what is difficult» — Ibn al-Arabi da el último criterio: elegir lo que quita dificultad en religión, con las suras 22 y 2 por apoyo

«If the two contradictory texts are equivalent in this regard, neither should be abandoned, but you should choose to follow whichever one you wish» — Ibn al-Arabi deja libre la elección cuando los dos textos son equivalentes en ese respecto

«source are contradictory, and the date is unknown, the verse should be chosen and the tradition abandoned, since the former is certain while the latter is only a presumption» — Ibn al-Arabi resuelve el conflicto entre versículo y tradición de fuente única a favor del versículo, porque uno es cierto y la otra presunción; el tramo empieza a media frase

«If the tradition in question is one that is reported by a number of authorities (khabar mutaw&tir), and thus is as certain as the verse, but their chronological relationship is unknown and it is impossible to reconcile them, the rule is that either of the two may be chosen freely. However, if there is a lessening of hardship (raf al-haraj) in one of the texts, that is the one that should be preferred» — Ibn al-Arabi iguala en certeza el versículo y la tradición transmitida en masa, y devuelve la preferencia al texto que aligera la dificultad

«Whenever two traditions or two verses contradict one another, or when a verse and an authentic tradition stand in contradiction—whether the tradition is reported by a number of authorities or by only one—but one of the two contains an added detail (ziytida) in the matter of legal prescriptions, this detail should be kept in mind and followed» — Ibn al-Arabi da la regla del detalle añadido: la tradición que lo contiene inclina la balanza

«The individual who follows one of the juridical schools in legal matters—but who hears a weak (da if) hadith attributed to Gods Messenger that contradicts the opinion of one of the imams [the founders of the legal schools] or one of the Companions—should give preference to the weak hadith and reject the opinion in question, if he is not aware of any convincing (dalil) argument for it» — Ibn al-Arabi manda preferir el hadiz débil a la opinión de un imam o de un Compañero cuando no hay argumento convincente para esta

«In summary, it is not licit to reject a verse or an authentic tradition in favor of the opinion of one of the Companions or one of the Imams; he who does so commits a blatant error, and places himself outside God’s religion» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la regla: rechazar un versículo o una tradición auténtica por la opinión de un Compañero o de un imam es error manifiesto que pone fuera de la religión

«I do not define abrogation (naskh) as it is generally defined. For me, abrogation means that the period of time during which, in God’s wisdom, a certain legal statute was supposed to be observed has come to an end» — Ibn al-Arabi define la abrogación a su manera: el fin del período en que, por sabiduría divina, un estatuto legal debía observarse

«When this period is over, there is nothing wrong with another measure in the Qur’an or the Sunna of the Prophet replacing it as law. If this is what is referred to as “abrogation,” I am among those who affirm its existence» — Ibn al-Arabi acepta la abrogación entendida así y se cuenta entre quienes afirman su existencia

«Actually, the purpose of the Sunna is to clarify [that which is not clear], since the Prophet was commanded to explain to people what had been revealed [in the Qur’an] and, in so doing, to speak from what God had shown him, and not from what his own ego» — Ibn al-Arabi da el fin de la Sunna: aclarar lo revelado, hablando el Profeta de lo que Dios le mostró y no de lo que le mostraba su propio yo

«A tradition might also be abrogated by a verse from the Qur’an, or by another tradition. When we are in the presence of an explicit legal measure (nass) announced in a verse or a tradition, it is not permissible to refrain from following it until such point that the existence or the absence of another contrary measure is verified: the latter arriving measure should immediately be put into practice» — Ibn al-Arabi extiende la abrogación de la tradición por un versículo o por otra tradición, y manda seguir la medida explícita hasta verificar si hay otra contraria; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«When a verse or tradition contains a word that is not common in language (lisAn), the principle is to accept it with its meaning in the language of the Arabs. If the Lawgiver used the word in a sense different from what it might normally have in everyday language, like, for example, the words salAfl (prayer), w^r(ablution), hajj (pilgrimage), or zakAt (legal alms),39 the meaning to be taken is the one the Lawgiver explained and established» — Ibn al-Arabi pone la regla del léxico: se toma el sentido de la lengua de los árabes, salvo donde el Legislador estableció otro, como en oración, ablución, peregrinación y limosna

«Consensus” (ijmd) refers solely to the common thinking of the Companions after [the death of] God’s Prophet. What takes place after their time is not a consensus upon which decisions regarding legal ques» — Ibn al-Arabi restringe el consenso al parecer común de los Compañeros y niega valor legal a lo posterior; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Consensus exists when it is known that a problem was submitted to each of the Companions and that each handed down a judgment on the issue that was in line with the pronouncements of the others, to the point where each had dealt with the question, and each offered the [same] opinion on the issue. If it is reported that even one of the Companions had a different opinion on the matter, there is no consensus» — Ibn al-Arabi define la condición del consenso: que a cada Compañero se le sometiera el problema y todos coincidieran, y que baste una opinión distinta para que no lo haya

«It is not permissible to interpret divine will on the basis of personal opinion (ray), by which I mean a point of view expressed in the absence of proof or reasoning from the Book, or the Sunna, or one based on ijm» — Ibn al-Arabi prohíbe interpretar la voluntad divina por opinión personal, entendida como parecer sin prueba del Libro, la Sunna o el consenso; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«The original status (hukm aI-asI) [of things] is the absence of legal obligation (7/2 takltf)^ Indeed, God created everything on earth for us, and the person who attempts to impose a limitation (tahjir) upon us is obliged to provide proof» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia el estatuto original de las cosas: la ausencia de obligación legal, y pone la carga de la prueba en quien quiera limitar

«So I do not practice qiyfa, and I recognize absolutely no authority in its use» — Ibn al-Arabi declara no practicar la analogía ni reconocerle autoridad alguna en su propio uso

«Imitation of the deeds and gestures (afdl) of the Prophet is not an obligation (wujub)—if it were, it would amount to the heaviest of burdens—except when it comes to an act that we are specifically prescribed to perform in order to obey God, in which case the act is obligatory» — Ibn al-Arabi niega que imitar los actos del Profeta sea obligación general, salvo donde se prescribe expresamente un acto de obediencia

«The Prophet was a man subject to emotions, as are all men; he could feel satisfaction and anger, just like anyone else. We are only expected to imitate him in actions and deeds when he [expressly] commanded us to do so» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que el Profeta era hombre sujeto a emociones y que solo se espera imitarlo donde lo mandó expresamente

«He must thus seek out Men of Memory (ahi al-dhikr) and question them in the manner we have described. It is the duty of every Muslim not to question individuals other than either these ahial-dhikr, meaning the men of the Qur’an—God said: “ It is, indeed, We Who revealed dhikr (...)” (Q. 15:9)—or the men of hadith» — Ibn al-Arabi manda buscar a los Hombres del Recuerdo, los del Corán y los del hadiz, y prohíbe consultar a otros

«No juridical sanction applies to involuntary transgressions (al-khatd’) or forgetfulness (nisydn), except in those specific cases where the Qur’an or the Sunna stipulate that there is one, and where such sanctions apply to cases like the prayer of the forgetful person (saldt al-ndsi) or involuntary homicide» — Ibn al-Arabi exime de sanción jurídica la transgresión involuntaria y el olvido, salvo en los casos que el Corán o la Sunna estipulan

«Personal interpretation always has the same legal status, whether it pertains to interpreting fundamental principles (al-usul) or to are applied The moment God gave man sonal interpretation in practical matters—He did so for the benefit of the mujtahid, and He only states what is true—all effort in personal interpretation [in both domains: usulznd furil\ was founded in law» — Ibn al-Arabi iguala el estatuto legal de la interpretación personal en los principios y en las aplicaciones

«The mujtahidv&iQ does not succeed in discovering what has been prescribed by God or His Messenger in regard to a given question commits an involuntary error (al-khatft) [according to a hadith] and he will consequently receive only one reward» — Ibn al-Arabi acota el caso del que yerra en su esfuerzo de interpretación: comete error involuntario y recibe una sola recompensa; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«If the mujtahid later learns of a prescription from God or His Messenger on this issue—with information different from what he was originally thinking—and if he also learns that this prescription came chronologically later than the one upon which he based his reasoning (dalilj he must give up his earlier position, and it would be illicit to hold to it» — Ibn al-Arabi obliga a abandonar la posición anterior si aparece una prescripción posterior distinta

«Know, my close friend, that, regarding this issue, it was reported to us by ‘Abd Allah b. Abbas that a man who had slandered him came to request that the act be rendered licit. “O Ibn ‘Abbas,” he said, “I have slandered you; make it licit for me.” Ibn ‘Abbas replied: “May God keep me from making licit that which He has forbidden! In truth, God has forbidden attacking the honor of Muslims. I will thus not make it licit. May God forgive you, however» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere la respuesta de Ibn Abbas a quien le pidió declarar lícita la calumnia contra él: que no hará lícito lo que Dios prohibió

«There is no Lawgiver other than God—may He be exalted! God told His Prophet: “[We revealed the Book with Truth to you] so that you mightjudge among men according to what God has you see (Q. 4:105). He did not say: “according to what you see» — Ibn al-Arabi niega otro Legislador que Dios y apoya la distinción en la sura 4: juzgar según lo que Dios te hace ver, no según lo que tú ves

«Know that God gave Satan power over the imagination. When Satan observes in a faqih an inclination' toward some passion that God condemns, he suggests an unusual interpretation that allows him to see a bad action as good and makes the discovery of an accommodating solution much easier» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el poder de Satán sobre la imaginación: al ver en un jurista inclinación a una pasión, le sugiere una interpretación insólita que le hace ver buena la acción mala

«Once Satan has paved the way for him, he works to get what his passion dictates in any way he can consider legal, and he continues to do so until he owns or has subjugated every object of his desire» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el paso siguiente: el jurista busca legalizar lo que su pasión dicta hasta someter todo objeto de su deseo

«He rejects the Prophets hadith, saying: “If this hadith were authentic...”—or, when the hadith is clearly authentic: “If there were not another hadith that contradicted or abrogated this one—Imam al-Shaffi would have kept this solution [but since he did not do so, there is no reason to take the authentic hadith into account» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna las fórmulas con que se descarta un hadiz auténtico invocando lo que el imam de la escuela habría decidido

«They claim that the hadith and its use are a source of error, and that what is imperative is blindly following the imams’ opinions and their example in the judgments they hand down. When these judgments happen to contradict traditions of prophetic origin (al-akhbar al-nabawiyya), they follow the former and leave the akhbtir, the Book, and the Sunna aside» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna la posición que hace del hadiz fuente de error y del seguimiento ciego de los imames lo imperativo

«If it happens that a hadith is in contradiction to my words, hurl my words against the wall and choose the hadith, because my teachings» — Ibn al-Arabi cita a al-Shafii mandando arrojar sus palabras contra el muro y elegir el hadiz, porque su escuela es el hadiz

«It is formally forbidden for anyone who utters a fatwa based on my sayings to do so without knowing what I used as proof» — Ibn al-Arabi cita a Abu Hanifa prohibiendo dictaminar por sus dichos sin conocer la prueba en que se fundó

«By God, I am, like you, convinced that all this is blameworthy! However, Master, there is not a single blameworthy thing that is not the result of a decision handed down by a jurist (faqih) and written by his very hand, which I have in my possession, authorizing it. May God’s damnation be upon them» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere lo que el rey al-Zahir Ghazi le dijo: que todo lo reprobable de su reino está autorizado por un dictamen escrito de puño de un jurista

«handed down a fatwa according to which it is not prescribed for me to fast during the month of Ramadan specifically, only to fast for some month during the year; it was up to me to chose the month of the year I wanted» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna el dictamen que el rey le refiere: que no está prescrito ayunar en Ramadán sino en cualquier mes del año a elección

«And then the Sultan said: “In my heart I denounced him severely, but I did not let him know, because he was So-and-So» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la confesión del sultán: denunció al jurista en su corazón sin decírselo, por ser quien era

«If this individual were truly acting with equity, belonging to Shaffis school would, for him, consist in abandoning ShafTis words in favor of the hadith whenever the former contradict the latter» — Ibn al-Arabi saca la consecuencia: pertenecer con equidad a la escuela de al-Shafii sería abandonar sus palabras por el hadiz cuando se contradigan

«Now that I have clarified my thoughts, learn that when a man is free of all desire, when he despises his individual nature and gives preference to his Lord, God (al-Haqq) replaces the form (sura) of his individual nature with a form of divine guidance—truth proceeding from a Truth (haqqan min "mdi haqqin)—to the point where he steps forward clothed in light» — Ibn al-Arabi describe lo que ocurre a quien se libra del deseo y prefiere a su Señor: Dios sustituye la forma de su naturaleza individual por una forma de guía divina

«and this form is the Law (al-shana) of His Prophet, the message of His Messenger. Where his true happiness lies is thus inspired within him by His Lord» — Ibn al-Arabi identifica esa forma con la Ley del Profeta y hace que por ella se le inspire dónde está su felicidad

«Among [the spiritual] men [who enjoy this charism] there are some who see this image as looking like the Prophet, and others who see it in the guise of their own state» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue a quienes ven esa imagen con la apariencia del Profeta de quienes la ven bajo la de su propio estado

«If the Law shows itself to one being in the guise of the Prophet, all he needs to do to understand it is accept what the image teaches him. In fact, the devil never appears as a prophet» — Ibn al-Arabi da el criterio de seguridad de esa visión: basta aceptar lo que la imagen enseña, porque el demonio nunca aparece como profeta

«God created the will in the soul so that it might want what God wants it to do or not to do without transgressing the limits set by the Lawgiver» — Ibn al-Arabi da el fin con que Dios creó la voluntad en el alma: querer lo que Dios quiere sin transgredir los límites del Legislador

«The will occasionally happens to experience an intense desire for something with no thought to the legal rules concerning performing or abstaining from the act in question, to the point that, even if the legal prescription and the action performed happen to coincide, being faithful to the Law is not the first priority. This is just a case of a fortuitous coincidence with what the Lawgiver commanded» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el caso en que la coincidencia entre deseo y ley es fortuita y la fidelidad a la Ley no es lo primero

«So God will not praise this individual unless he asked himself, prior to satisfying his desire, if it was praiseworthy in the eyes of the Law, and if he performed the action only after a muftis response was that the Lawgiver judged that in this matter there was permission (ibtiha), recommendation (nadb), or obligation (wujub), and only then did he act» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona la alabanza divina a que el sujeto pregunte antes por el estatuto legal y obre solo tras la respuesta

«At this point, it is a legal judgment that coincides with personal desire, and the interested party will be rewarded for submitting to it, in contrast to the first case, where passion and desire coincide equally with what is praiseworthy according to the Law and in view of coming closer to God: he who acts thus is doomed to perdition» — Ibn al-Arabi contrapone los dos casos: el juicio legal que coincide con el deseo trae recompensa, y la coincidencia sin juicio previo lleva a la perdición

«tioner knows that the person he is going to ask uses ray and qiyds, he should avoid the person and ask the man of hadith» — Ibn al-Arabi manda al consultante evitar a quien usa opinión personal y analogía y preguntar al hombre del hadiz; el tramo empieza a media palabra

«is identical to essential reality. ” ‘It is identical on the inside to what it is on the outside» — Ibn al-Arabi identifica la Ley revelada con la realidad esencial y niega que sea cáscara que haya que romper

«Perfect souls are souls that affirm the Oneness of God, and believe (al' nufus al-muwahhida al-mumina). Now affirmation of God’s Oneness (al-tawhid) and faith (al-im&n) keep pain and punishment (‘adh&b) from afflicting the soul» — Ibn al-Arabi define las almas perfectas por la afirmación de la Unicidad y la fe, que apartan del alma el dolor y el castigo

«God has removed punishment from those who proclaim Divine Oneness, and who believe. And even if they enter the fire, God only has this take place so that His Word is fulfilled, and so that the difference is established between those who have committed evil acts (al-sayyicit) and those who have per» — Ibn al-Arabi declara quitado el castigo a quienes proclaman la Unicidad y creen, y da por fin del fuego que se establezca la diferencia entre obras; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«We have already shown that there are two Mercies belonging to God: a universal mercy (rahma 'cimma) and a specific mercy» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue dos Misericordias divinas, la universal y la específica, y adjudica la segunda a la comunidad de Muhammad

«The angels, the prophets (nabiyyun) and the believers (mu’minun) have interceded, but the intercession of the Most Merciful of the mercifid (Arham al-rahimin)69 still remains» — Ibn al-Arabi cita el dicho divino que enumera las intercesiones y deja para el final la del Más Misericordioso de los misericordiosos

«Nothing comes into existence (takwin) without inclination (mayl) [...]72 and God gave existence to the universe only by having one possibility prevail (taijih) over another» — Ibn al-Arabi funda la existencia en la inclinación y declara que Dios dio ser al universo haciendo prevalecer una posibilidad sobre otra

«we do so in order to refute what some individuals maintain, trying to base their opinions on a spiritual unveiling (kashf) and claiming that the divine scale excludes His Justice coming out victorious over His Grace, or His Grace coming out ahead of His Justice» — Ibn al-Arabi objeta a quienes se apoyan en un desvelamiento para sostener que la balanza divina excluye la victoria de la Justicia sobre la Gracia o al revés

«He sees naught but God in all things, he speaks naught but through Him, he looks only at Him, and is unaware of anything other than Him» — Ibn al-Arabi describe al hombre de la Vía Profética: no ve sino a Dios en todas las cosas, no habla sino por Él y no repara en nada más

«Know also that God, in the sense that He distinguishes Himself from His creation, is an isthmus (barzakh) between the degrees of paradise (darajdt) and the degrees of hell (darakdt). Indeed, He has described Himself as having two hands (Cor. 5:64). Now what is between the two hands is an isthmus relative to them» — Ibn al-Arabi hace de Dios un istmo entre los grados del paraíso y los del infierno, apoyándose en las dos manos de la sura 5

«For Him, high and low (Heaven and Hell) are one and the same thing, for He is with His servants wherever they may be (a reference to Q. 57:4), in the higher degrees and in the lower degrees, in the fashion that is appropriate for His Majesty» — Ibn al-Arabi iguala para Dios lo alto y lo bajo, porque está con sus siervos dondequiera que estén

«One of these degrees is the degree of pardon (al-maghfira), which is, itself, subdivided into two other degrees: one being the veil that keeps sinners from the punishment that their sin calls for, and the other, the veil of impeccability fisma) that saves them from the very occurrence of sin» — Ibn al-Arabi subdivide el grado del perdón en dos velos: el que libra del castigo merecido y el de la impecabilidad, que libra de que el pecado ocurra

«But when the person asked offers his opinion, he must specify if it is based on ray, on qiyds, or on hadith» — Ibn al-Arabi exige que el consultado declare si su parecer se funda en opinión personal, en analogía o en hadiz

«This happens because, when the angels as a whole intercede [with God], these nineteen do not do so. Their intercession will come last, at the moment that Mercy becomes t» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el último tramo de la intercesión: los diecinueve ángeles del castigo no interceden con los demás y su intercesión llega al final; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«For the one whom God has informed that he belongs to this group (tii’ifa), that constitutes good news (bushrd) coming from Him for life on this earth. God said: “Here is good news for those who believe and fear God, for both this life and the life to come. And the Words ofAllah do not change» — Ibn al-Arabi declara buena nueva para esta vida el que Dios informe a alguien de pertenecer a ese grupo, con la sura 10 por apoyo

«I saw a beggar ask someone for alms, saying: “By the Face of God,” or “by the reverence that you have for Him, give me something» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el relato del mendigo que pide limosna por el Rostro de Dios

«He is trying to find his price and value in God’s eyes. Every time he takes out a large piece, his whole being replies: ‘I am not worth that much to God» — Ibn al-Arabi recoge la lectura del siervo piadoso Mudawwir: quien busca la moneda más pequeña está buscando su precio y su valor a los ojos de Dios

«And yet God made Jealousy (al-ghayra^ one of His attributes, and He knows that most of His servants are ready to give their most precious belongings to satisfy the desires of their souls and to reach their goals. But most of them, when they give for God, limit themselves to offering a piece of dry bread, a coin, an article of used clothing, or other things of the kind; this is the most fre» — Ibn al-Arabi contrapone lo que los siervos dan por satisfacer sus deseos con lo que dan por Dios: un pan seco, una moneda, una prenda usada; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«The creatures profess a number of belief on the subject ofGod! And I profess all that they believe» — Ibn al-Arabi declara en un verso célebre que profesa todo lo que las criaturas creen sobre Dios

«My servant has committed a sin. He knows that he has a Lord who pardons sin and removes it. Do as you wish. I have already forgiven you» — Cyrille Chodkiewicz cita el hadiz santo del Mishkat al-anwar en que Dios declara perdonado de antemano al siervo que sabe tener un Señor que perdona

«The letters that are spoken are nothing other than the Names; here we are dealing with the properties of Names» — Ibn al-Arabi identifica las letras pronunciadas con los Nombres y remite a las propiedades de los Nombres

«With written letters it is not necessarily a question of names, and the practitioners of this science are not in agreement on whether any single letter is, or is not, endowed with an operative virtue» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna el desacuerdo entre practicantes sobre si una letra escrita aislada tiene virtud operativa

«I have known some who have maintained that this was impossible. Having had occasion to discuss the issue with them, I have showed them what truth their opinion contained, and what in it was false, as well as what weaknesses there were in their arguments... (and likewise, for those who held the opposite view). I then stated to both sides: experience what you have knowledge of, keeping in mind what I have just told you. And they did so. They verified what we showed them, and were pleased with it» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere cómo mostró a cada bando lo verdadero y lo falso de su opinión y los mandó experimentar

«If I had not vowed never to provoke an effect (athar) via a letter, what marvels they would have seen» — Ibn al-Arabi declara su voto de no producir jamás un efecto por medio de una letra, y lo que habrían visto de no ser por él; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«for the book is the junction of one idea with another (damm ama'nd ild manti), and ideas cannot be joined to ideas if they are not put down in letters and words» — Ibn al-Arabi define el libro como junción de una idea con otra, que no cabe sin ponerlas en letras y palabras

«Whenever one of the letters from the Book appears to you, the letter will become a source of inspiration and understanding to the extent of your proximity and your presence in Him, although other interpretations are still possible for you» — Gril cita a Abu Said al-Kharraz: la letra se vuelve fuente de inspiración y comprensión en la medida de la proximidad y la presencia en Él

«When you hear His words: “Alif - Lam - Mim...,” knowledge related to the alif\s manifested to your understanding—knowledge different from that which is related to the Idm. One kind of understanding is different from another, depending on the strength of ones love, the purity of ones dhikr» — Gril completa la cita de al-Kharraz: a cada letra corresponde un conocimiento distinto, según la fuerza del amor y la pureza del dhikr

«Do you not see that all His attributes come back to AllAh, and Alldh to Huwax^x\ Huwa thus encompasses all Names and Attributes» — Gril cita el texto donde todos los atributos remiten a Allah y Allah al pronombre Él, que abarca Nombres y Atributos

«He is the Supreme Light, the Unraisable Veil, the Extra, Mystery, Possibility (imkdn), the “Mother of the Book” and the Principle» — el pasaje citado enumera los nombres de ese pronombre: Luz Suprema, Velo no levantable, Misterio, Posibilidad, Madre del Libro y Principio

«In uttering the word kun, He detaches them from His mystery. Their separation takes place either via the spoken word (qawl), or via an action (fill). Those things that are said (maquldt) are spiritual realities, and the effects of His actions» — al proferir el imperativo de la existencia, Dios separa las cosas de su misterio por la palabra o por la acción: lo dicho son realidades espirituales y lo hecho son cuerpos; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«He said to me: My knowledge is beyond the Letter. He to whom I have given the plenitude of presence, knowledge, and contemplation, has himself become the Letter through the spiritual meaning of his being (bi-ma'naioiyyati-hi), while still remaining the companion of the Letter through the psychic nature of his being (bi-nafidhiyyati-hi), and that is the prison of believers» — Gril cita a al-Niffari: el conocimiento divino está más allá de la Letra, y quien recibe la plenitud se vuelve él mismo la Letra por el sentido de su ser

«Know—and may God be of assistance to us—that absolute, nonconditioned Existence includes Him who imposes the Law (al-mukallif) or True Being (al-Haqq) and those upon whom the Law is imposed (almukallafiin) or the universe» — Ibn al-Arabi abre el capítulo 2 repartiendo la Existencia absoluta entre Quien impone la Ley y aquellos sobre quienes se impone; capítulo 2, sección I, parte I

«Just as the letters all encompass reality, it is our goal to begin from these letters and to differentiate among them in a specifically precise, verified fashion that, when they become aware of it, is in no way different for men who have been blessed with unveiling» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el propósito de partir de las letras y diferenciarlas de modo verificado, igual para todos los que reciben desvelamiento

«When the simple elements were revealed to us, we found that the letters divide up into four different degrees» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna lo que le fue revelado sobre los elementos simples: que las letras se reparten en cuatro grados

«The nature of the alif coax be heat, humidity, dryness, or frigidity; it is hot with what is hot, humid with what is humid, cold with what is cold, and dry with what is dry, depending on the worlds that it stands next to» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la naturaleza camaleónica del *alif*, que toma la cualidad del mundo junto al que se halla

«The septenary degree, with its letters zdy, alif and lAm, corresponds to the divine presence that imposes the Law. The octenary degree, with its letters nun, sad, and ddd, represents in the world of Letters that which is specific to Man. The nonary degree and its letters, *ayn, ghayn, sin, and shin, is specific to the jinn. The tenth degree, which is hierarchically the second and contains the rest of the letters, is specific to the Angels» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte los cuatro grados de letras entre la Presencia divina, el hombre, los genios y los ángeles

«This bond is also the receptivity (qabtil) by which quality is attached to the qualifier, and to whoever is qualified by it. Science is thus connected both to him who is knowledgeable in the science, and to the thing known; will, to the individual who, with his will, wants, and to the object that is wanted» — Ibn al-Arabi define el vínculo como la receptividad por la que la cualidad se une al cualificador y a lo cualificado, y lo ilustra con la ciencia y la voluntad

«The Human Presence, like the Divine Presence, has three of these letters specific to it. However, even though these two presences do coincide in number, the letters in this case are nun, scld, and dad. The Human Presence is thus different from the Divine Presence in the material makeup of its let» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que las dos Presencias coinciden en número de letras y difieren en su materia; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Indeed, servitude cannot be associated with lordship, because of realities by virtue of which lordship is god (ildh)', by the same token, by virtue of his own realities, the servant is destined t» — Ibn al-Arabi funda esa diferencia en que la servidumbre no puede asociarse al señorío; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«there are marvels that can be heard only by one who has firmly girded his loins with the loincloth of unreserved admission (taslim) and has so realized within himself the spirit of death that he is incapable of conceiving of the slightest disputation or superfluous (tatallu) curiosity» — Ibn al-Arabi condiciona el oír las maravillas del trazo del *nun* a haberse ceñido con la aceptación sin reservas y realizado en sí el espíritu de la muerte

«Let us suppose that the alifarises from its reclined position; it will stick itself above the nun, and then the letter lAm will appear. Half of the nun represents a ztty, keeping the existence of the alif(and thus of the lani) in mind, the nun from this point of view signifies “human eternity” (al-azal al-insAni), just as alif, zdy, and lAm already expressed divine et» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la génesis geométrica: erguido el *alif* sobre el *nun* aparece el *lam*, y la mitad del *nun* da un *zay*, con lo que el *nun* significa la eternidad humana; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«From each of the essential realities of the nine divine spheres, subtle bonds (raqiqa, pl. raqfi’iq) extend out toward the nine human spheres, and from these, subtle bonds reciprocally go back toward the divine spheres. Wherever these bonds meet, the angel itself is the meeting point, and it is there that the angel comes into existence» — Ibn al-Arabi describe los vínculos sutiles que van de las nueve esferas divinas a las nueve humanas, y sitúa al ángel en el punto donde se encuentran

«If it bows with its whole being toward one of the sets of nine spheres, the other side attracts it. It thus comes and goes (yataraddadu) from one to the other» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el ir y venir del ángel entre los dos conjuntos de esferas

«Know that there are marvels in the mixing of these principles. Heat and cold, being opposites, do not mix, and thus cannot produce anything of themselves» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la regla de la mezcla: los opuestos no se mezclan y por eso nada producen de suyo

«Composition would not be able to take place from more than four principles (usul), since the number four includes the fundamental numbers: three plus four make seven, and two more make nine, plus one makes ten. Choose any number to compose. No other numeral offers this peculiarity, just as there is no perfect number other than six» — Ibn al-Arabi funda en cuatro el número de los principios y declara al seis el único número perfecto, por dividirse en mitad, tercios y sextos

«Thus heat and dryness mixed with one another, producing fire; heat and humidity produced air; cold and wetness resulted in water; and cold and dryness became earth» — Ibn al-Arabi da la génesis de los cuatro elementos por combinación de las cualidades

«See how air is formed from heat and humidity; it is the vital breath (nafas)m that animates sensate life; through its blowing it moves all things, water, the earth, and fire; things move through its movement, since it is life and movement, the effect of life» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el aire como aliento vital que anima la vida sensible y mueve todas las cosas

«All the letters come from the essential reality of alif, however. It is their sphere, for both spirit and sense perception» — Ibn al-Arabi remonta todas las letras a la realidad esencial del *alif*, que declara su esfera para el espíritu y para el sentido

«I have no knowledge about that, since I studied physic» — Ibn al-Arabi declara no tener conocimiento de esa cuestión; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«knows that the cause of the universe is the essential realities of the Divine Presence: the most beautiful Names and the sublime attributes, each according to its own specific reality» — Ibn al-Arabi declara causa del universo las realidades esenciales de la Presencia Divina: los Nombres Más Bellos y los atributos sublimes

«So the elementary spheres (basd’il) that those who rely primarily on their intellects (al-uqald) restrict themselves to considering realities are divided into four degrees. We thus have the letters of the divine coming forth from the seven spheres; those of Man, coming from the eight; those of the Angel, from the nine, and those of the Jinn of fire, from the ten» — Ibn al-Arabi consigna la división en cuatro grados a que se atienen quienes se fían del intelecto: siete esferas para lo divino, ocho para el hombre, nueve para el ángel y diez para los genios

«The aim of this book is to reveal—like lights of understanding and dazzling references—a few of the secrets of existence» — Ibn al-Arabi declara el fin de su libro: revelar algunos secretos de la existencia como luces de entendimiento y referencias deslumbrantes

«If we overtly addressed the mysteries of these letters and what their essential realities imply, our hand would quickly fatigue, the nib of our pen would grow dull, and our ink would go dry» — Ibn al-Arabi declara imposible tratar abiertamente esos misterios: la mano se cansaría, la pluma se embotaría y la tinta se secaría

«This knowledge belongs to the words God spoke: “If the sea were made ofink..." or “ Were every tree that is in the earth (made into) pens and the sea [to supply it with ink], with seven more seas to increase it, the words ofAllah would not come to an end» — Ibn al-Arabi apoya esa inagotabilidad en las suras 18 y 31 sobre el mar hecho tinta y los árboles hechos plumas

«But the inspirations (mawdrid) that have come from the Divine Truthmay He be—flow unceasingly into the servants heart» — Ibn al-Arabi contrapone a la reflexión las inspiraciones que fluyen sin cesar de la Verdad divina al corazón del siervo

«Know—may God give us Help—that letters are a community whose members receive the word of God and are bound by the Law (mukhdtabun wa mukallifiln). They have messengers just as we have» — Ibn al-Arabi declara a las letras una comunidad que recibe la palabra de Dios y está obligada por la Ley, y con mensajeros como los nuestros; capítulo 2, sección I, parte II

«As such, they have names that only those on our path who have received the gift of unveiling know. The world of Letters is endowed with the purest of languages and the clearest of eloquence» — Ibn al-Arabi reserva el conocimiento de los nombres de las letras a quienes en su camino recibieron el desvelamiento, y declara purísima la lengua del mundo de las Letras

«If it would not overly extend this chapter, we would have described the “mansions” and the realities that each sphere contains» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que no describe las mansiones ni las realidades de cada esfera para no alargar el capítulo

«The rest of the letters—of which there are eighteen [...]185 belong to the angels» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica a los ángeles las dieciocho letras restantes

«We have already stated that human presence is comparable to the Divine Presence, or rather that the two are identical, since both entail three degrees: the Realm of the senses, the angelic, or spiritual Realm, and the world of the Almighty (mulk, malakut, jabarut). Each of these degrees entails three others,186 which gives a total of nine. Then, if the three from the world of the senses are multiplied by six, the sum of the letters in the divine and human presences, or the six specific days during which the three letters from the divine realm brought the three from the world of the creatures into existence, what we obtain is eighteen, or the existence of the Angel» — Ibn al-Arabi deriva el dieciocho de multiplicar los tres grados del mundo sensible por los seis días, suma de las letras de las dos presencias

«We have thus told you230 what you, yourself, should put into practice in the matter of the world of letters; it will help you reach the stage where the world is unveiled, where you can discover its realities, and comprehend the meaning of the divine word: “And there is not a single thing that does not glorify Him with praise, but you do not understand their song ofglory» — Ibn al-Arabi declara lo que el lector debe poner en práctica sobre el mundo de las letras, y lo liga a la sura 17 sobre el canto de gloria que las cosas entonan sin que lo entendamos

«If the song of glory that beings sing were the very fact of their state (tasbih hdl) alone, as some speculative thinkers maintain, what then would be the importance» — Ibn al-Arabi objeta a los especulativos que reducen ese canto al estado de los seres: entonces no tendría sentido el que no lo entendamos

«I may add a few observations on the following verses, even though they are not part of this chapter. I did so after receiving, as usual, a command from my Lord. I do not speak until I have been authorized to do so, and, similarly, I will stop when a stopping point is given to me» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que añade observaciones por mandato de su Señor y que no habla ni se detiene sin autorización

«Both this work, and others, are unlike the books of other authors, and the procedure we are following cannot be compared to the procedures oth» — Ibn al-Arabi deslinda su obra de la de otros autores y su procedimiento del de ellos; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Authors are free to make choices, even if their choices are forced or determined by the knowledge they are imparting. In his work, an author expresses what part of his thought he chooses to express, or what his subject matter entails, or what the question with which he is dealing requires, until such point as he has done what he has set out to do» — Ibn al-Arabi describe la libertad del autor corriente, que expresa lo que elige o lo que su materia exige

«That is not the way it is in our works: these are devoted, diligent hearts, both poor and devoid of knowledge, on the threshold of the Divine Presence studying what the opening in the door allows to be seen» — Ibn al-Arabi describe lo suyo: corazones diligentes, pobres y desprovistos de conocimiento, en el umbral de la Presencia Divina, mirando lo que la puerta entreabierta deja ver

«Know that only those who can grasp intelligible forms (ahi al-suwar al-ma'qfda) know the reality of the beginnings of the suras, in the unknown sense» — Ibn al-Arabi reserva el conocimiento de las letras iniciales de las suras a quienes aprehenden formas inteligibles

«God—blessed and exalted may He be—had twenty-nine suras begin with these isolated letters, a number that represents the perfection of form: “And We have ordained stages for the moon» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta veintinueve suras abiertas por letras aisladas y ve en ese número la perfección de la forma, con la sura 36 por apoyo

«In the Alif-Ldm-Mim of al-Baqara, the alifis an allusive (ishdrafW reference to the knowledge of unity, and the mim, to the imperishable kingdom; the Idm between them is a mediator, to ensure connection between the two» — Ibn al-Arabi lee las tres letras que abren la sura 2 como unidad, reino imperecedero y mediador entre ambos

«The alifthus descended to the point where the line begins, from the station of Unity to that of the the origination of creatures; it was a descent of sanctification and transcendence, not of similarity and resemblance» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el descenso del *alif* desde la estación de la Unidad a la del origen de las criaturas y lo declara descenso de santificación y trascendencia

«thus became an enveloping (muhit) sphere unto itself; the individual who completes the cycle knows the Essence, the Attributes, the Acts, and their objects» — Ibn al-Arabi hace de esas tres letras una esfera envolvente cuyo recorrido da el conocimiento de la Esencia, los Atributos y los Actos

«The alifs transcendence, which keeps it from receiving vowels, is an indication that the Divine Attributes can only be grasped by Acts» — Ibn al-Arabi lee en que el *alif* no reciba vocales el signo de que los Atributos divinos solo se aprehenden por los Actos

«The idea of relationship (idafa) cannot be grasped without two beings playing a part in it» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que la relación no se aprehende sin dos seres que participen en ella

«Its elongation is the secret of the request for substantial support (sirr al-istimdadf7X that entailed the attributes coming into existence in the receptacle of the letters. So there is no elongation without liaison» — Ibn al-Arabi lee la prolongación de la vocal como secreto de la petición de apoyo sustancial y declara que no hay prolongación sin enlace

«In order to come into existence, this letter needed the quality of Universal Mercy272 and, therefore received “the movement of opening” (harakat al-fath), meaning the vowel a (al-fatha). When the a had received it, it was asked to express its gratitude. When the a asked how, the reply was» — Ibn al-Arabi hace depender la venida a la existencia de esa letra de la cualidad de la Misericordia Universal y del movimiento de apertura

«God created Adam in the image of the All Merciful» — Ibn al-Arabi cita el hadiz que hace a Adán imagen del Todomisericordioso

«Oh you who seek to attain the being of Truth Return toward your essence. The Truth is in you; hold to it» — el verso manda al buscador volver a su esencia, porque la Verdad está en él

«The difference between these two letters and the a lifts actually due to the fact that they can lose this station by being vocalized by one of the three vowels or quiescents, while alif is never vocalized and, as a semi-vowel of elongation, is never preceded except by the vowel a» — Ibn al-Arabi marca la diferencia: las dos semivocales pueden vocalizarse y el *alif* nunca

«What the alif stands for is eternal, while wdw and y&\ whether they are vocalized or not, enter into existence (htidith). If such is the case, any written or uttered alif wdw, or yi’is nothing more than a sign» — Ibn al-Arabi declara eterno lo que el *alif* representa y venidas a la existencia las otras dos, de modo que toda letra escrita o proferida es solo un signo

«The demonstrative (ishAraf^ refers to an existing being, even though it is marked with elongation; this happens because it denotes the Book, the separate being, the place of distinction» — Ibn al-Arabi explica por qué el demostrativo lleva prolongación: denota el Libro, el ser separado, el lugar de la distinción

«The allusive indication (ishara) is a calljrom afar» — Ibn al-Arabi cita a la Gente de Dios: la indicación alusiva es una llamada desde lejos

«belongs to the intermediate world (al-'Alam al-wasat), and is thus the place of the attribute, since it is through the attribute that the contingent differentiates itself from the eternal» — Ibn al-Arabi sitúa esa letra en el mundo intermedio y la hace lugar del atributo, porque por el atributo lo contingente se diferencia de lo eterno

«The moment that one is no longer in something, the thing no longer is, and conversely. Such is tawhid, if you truly realize what its meaning is. “And It is with you wherever you are» — Ibn al-Arabi enuncia la reciprocidad de la unicidad y la apoya en la sura 57

«Sad is a noble letter and the sad in sad is even more veracious» — el verso que abre la tercera parte declara noble la letra *sad* y más verídica la de la sura homónima

«Know that even though I was of the opinion that the secret of this “dry”301 sad could be perceived only during sleep, this is only because I, myself, received it in a dream, as a gift from God. It is for this reason that I judged that God nevertheless does give such gifts to us during our sleep, but also when we are awake» — Ibn al-Arabi cuenta que creyó que el secreto de esa letra solo se percibía en sueños porque así lo recibió, y que juzga que Dios da esos dones también en vigilia

«When the time came for me to compose this passage, one of my companions read a passage about the secrets of letters back to me so that I could correct errors made by copying too quickly. When he reached slid, I told the companions about its importance to me, that sleep was not necessary to receive the secret, but that is how I had received it. I described my state to them, and the group then dispersed» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere la escena de corrección del pasaje con sus compañeros y lo que les contó sobre el modo en que recibió el secreto

«The next day, a Saturday, we had our usual meeting in the Sacred Mosque, facing the Yemenite corner of the Most-Venerated Ka‘ba. One participant in our meetings was the Meccan resident (mujctwir), the shaykh and faqih Abu Yahya Abu Bakr b. Abi ‘Abdallah al-Hashimi al-Tuwaytmi al-Tarabulusi—may God have mercy on him» — Ibn al-Arabi sitúa la reunión del día siguiente en la Mezquita Sagrada, ante el rincón yemení de la Kaaba, y nombra al participante que traía la visión

«I felt a moment of joy about this vision (mubashshira) in which I had played a part, and for the supine position I was in, because that is the sleeping position of the prophets—may peace be upon them. It was the state of the person at rest, free of both occupations and preoccupations, ready to receive, face to face, whatever news might come from heaven» — Ibn al-Arabi explica su alegría por la visión ajena en que había tomado parte y por la postura supina, que es la de los profetas al dormir

«It is indeed a noble, magnificent letter. In pronouncing it, God was giving His promise through the station of “totalizing Words,” the place of Muhammadan contemplation in its nobility, in the language of worship» — Ibn al-Arabi declara noble y magnífica esa letra y sitúa su pronunciación en la estación de las Palabras totalizantes; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«This sura contains marvellous signs regarding both the attributes of the prophets—may peace be upon them— and the imperceptible secrets of the entire universe. In the vision itself, there are as many secrets as there are in the sura» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica a esa sura signos maravillosos sobre los atributos de los profetas y los secretos del universo, y otros tantos a la visión misma

«The one with the greater spiritual energy necessarily takes the initiative for the act in the eyes of “those who have experienced the reality of things” (mubaqqiqun). This is the lot of the Sufi and the station he does not know how to get beyond» — Ibn al-Arabi distingue el punto hasta donde llega el sufí del que alcanza el verificador en la lectura del enlace de las dos letras

«If he nevertheless does manage to move himself into the station of the mubaqqiqun, he will certainly reach a level of higher knowledge» — Ibn al-Arabi acota que quien pasa a la estación de los verificadores llega a un conocimiento superior

«Do you not see the liim bend its downstroke so that it can envelop the trunk of the alif, for fear that it might escape» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el trazo del *lam* doblándose para envolver el tronco del *alif*, por miedo de que escape

«Every being should have an attribute attached to it by which it faces a similar or opposite attribute in the Divine Presence» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que a todo ser corresponde un atributo por el que enfrenta otro similar u opuesto en la Presencia Divina

«The prophets and their heirs, rhe guardians of prophetic knowledge (al-waratha al-hafaza), are those who come to these places out of mercy for the universe» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que los profetas y sus herederos vuelven a las orillas por misericordia con el universo

«They dove, or rather they were led, down to the bottom of the ocean. They dove for eternity. They shall never return» — Ibn al-Arabi describe a los que se detienen: bajaron al fondo del océano y no vuelven

«When Sahl asked him if the heart prostrates itself, his reply was “Forever» — Ibn al-Arabi refiere la respuesta del maestro de Sahl al-Tustari a la pregunta por la prosternación del corazón

«Know that after it is untied, after the abrogation of its form, after the showing of its secrets, and even after the disappearance of its name and the way it is drawn out, the Z^w-zz/z^reappears on the level (hadra) of genus, of specification, of determination, and of magnification» — Ibn al-Arabi describe el reaparecer del enlace de las dos letras en el nivel del género, la especificación, la determinación y la magnificación

«these two letters signify genus, since mentioning alifand. lam is tantamount to mentioning the universe as a whole, and Him Who gives it its being» — Ibn al-Arabi hace de esas dos letras el género, porque mencionarlas equivale a mencionar el universo entero y a Quien le da el ser

«There are six vowels among the consonant-letters. It was through them that God brought words—which are like them—into existence. They are “elevation” (raf), “establishment” (nasb), and “lowering” (khafd)-. vowels for the declined letters. They are “opening” (fath), “contraction” (damm), and “retirement” (kasr): vowels for the stable letters» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera las seis vocales y las reparte entre letras declinables y letras estables; capítulo 2, sección II

«The foundations of language are “suppression” (hadhf) and thus death or “rest” (sukun), following the movement of vowels. Such is the state of the worlds: so take note of this strange life on a dead earth» — Ibn al-Arabi pone la supresión y el reposo como fundamentos del lenguaje y lee en ello el estado de los mundos: una vida extraña sobre tierra muerta; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Then we were of the opinion that it was useless to mix the world of vowels in with the world of consonant letters before putting the letters into order and adding them to one another to form one of the elements of language» — Ibn al-Arabi explica por qué no mezcló el mundo de las vocales con el de las consonantes antes de ordenar estas en una palabra

«Their order (intizdm) corresponds to Gods words regarding our creation: “ When I have shaped him and blown a breath ofMy spirit into him» — Ibn al-Arabi hace corresponder el orden de las letras con las palabras coránicas sobre la creación del hombre y el soplo del espíritu

«It was on behalf of God that Muhammad projected—pronounced—the words of the entire universe, with no exception whatsoever. From the universe, by himself, he projected the spirits of the angels and most of the higher world; other beings were projected upon his order, and came into existence through intermediaries» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica a Muhammad, por cuenta de Dios, la proyección de las palabras del universo entero

«The totality of beings thus comes back to him who received the “totalizing Words» — Ibn al-Arabi hace volver la totalidad de los seres a quien recibió las Palabras totalizantes

«Dive into the sea of the incomparable Qur’an if you have tremendous ability to hold your breath. Otherwise, limit yourself to studying the books of those who write commentaries on its outer meaning» — Ibn al-Arabi manda sumergirse en el mar del Corán solo a quien tenga aliento para ello, y remitirse si no a los comentarios del sentido externo; el tramo se corta donde la plana intercala otro bloque de texto

«No one can reach the knowledge of the deep reality of absolute divinity (kunh al-ulilha) and it is in no way appropriate that it be perceived» — Ibn al-Arabi declara inalcanzable e impropia de percepción la realidad profunda de la divinidad absoluta

«The entire universe, from the first of the beings to the last is conditioned; one conditions the other, one adores the other; their knowledge goes from them to them; their very realities, springing forth from themselves by virtue of the imperceptible divine secret, return to them» — Ibn al-Arabi declara condicionado el universo entero, con los seres condicionándose y adorándose unos a otros

«Know that the spheres of the vowels are the same as the spheres of the consonants that support them in pronunciation and writing; one needs only to look in order to verify this» — Ibn al-Arabi iguala las esferas de las vocales con las de las consonantes que las soportan

«Since zue are the grandeur of God before His Face and the veil contemplates the Veiled, God confirms that zue zuill see Him» — Ibn al-Arabi concluye del hadiz del manto que veremos a Dios, porque somos su grandeza ante su Rostro y el velo contempla al Velado; la capa de texto imprime *zue* por *we*

«The cloak has an outer side and an inner side. It sees God with its inner side... and supports him who claims that it will be possible to see God, while with its outer face, it does not see Him, and supports the Mutazilite (who denies the possibility ofsuch vision» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte las dos posiciones sobre la visión de Dios entre las dos caras del manto, la interior y la exterior

«He who gathers together all the stations has no station left» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que quien reúne todas las estaciones ya no tiene ninguna

«Clearly, whoever breaks this bond is doing so without knowing what it entails, since the bond is not truly broken and, it might be added, still remains. It remains for the individual who knows of such matters; it is broken for the individual who does not know» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que el vínculo no se rompe de veras: sigue para quien sabe de esas cosas y se rompe para quien no

«But the return to God of things that have been the objects of mistaken claims does not mean that God is different from what He was before, where they are concerned. He has in no way changed, regardless of whether these claims try to associate themselves with Him or whether everything returns to Him» — Ibn al-Arabi niega que el retorno cambie a Dios en nada respecto de lo que era

«A state imposes its law; we are under the authority ofstates» — el verso declara que el estado impone su ley y que estamos bajo la autoridad de los estados

«Know that the only one liberated from the stations is the heir to Muhammad —may peace be upon him— he to whom God has given the totalizing words (jawcLmi al-kalim)^ the knowledge of all the names, and the knowledge of the first and the last» — Ibn al-Arabi reserva la liberación de las estaciones al heredero de Muhammad, a quien Dios dio las Palabras totalizantes y el conocimiento de los nombres

«From whom would we be different if the entire universe is in Muhammad’s—may peace be upon him—heir? He is thus liberated from the law (hukm) that the stations were exercising upon him, and it is now he who is exercising his law over them, according to what he has been entrusted with by spiritual states, since he is the most learned, the most wise» — Ibn al-Arabi declara al heredero liberado de la ley que las estaciones ejercían sobre él y hecho él quien la ejerce sobre ellas

«In the universe there is nothing but God and man. Our condition is to be meditated upon, ifonly you fully understood it» — el poema declara que en el universo no hay sino Dios y el hombre, y llama a meditar la propia condición

«Even if He has not given them entrance into the abode of the blessed, God, in His all-encompassing mercy, will not doom them to an eternity of damnation» — el poema niega que Dios condene a eternidad de perdición, por su misericordia que todo lo abarca

«In this station, the human being joins the supreme Pleroma, and those who should be gratified by it are blessed by divine election» — Ibn al-Arabi declara que en esa estación el hombre se une al Pleroma supremo y que quienes la reciben son bendecidos por elección divina

«He can work toward his goal, but not to obtain what emanates from God, once he has arrived» — Ibn al-Arabi acota el límite del esfuerzo: cabe trabajar hacia la meta, no obtener lo que emana de Dios

«This knowledge is one of the four stations, which are knowledge of divine writing, knowledge of union and separation, knowledge of the light, and the “knowledge that emanates from God” (or: from within God» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera los cuatro conocimientos: la escritura divina, la unión y la separación, la luz y el conocimiento que emana de Dios

«It is the totality of the Divine Names that manifest the stations, and it is according to them that the judge administers the law (yahkumu lhtikim), and there is no judge but God» — Ibn al-Arabi adjudica a la totalidad de los Nombres la manifestación de las estaciones y declara que no hay juez sino Dios; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«the shari'a is the white road (al-mahajja al-baydA*), the road of the blessed and the way of beatitude (tariq al-sa'dda). He who follows this road is saved, and he who abandons it is lost» — Ibn al-Arabi llama a la shari'a el camino blanco y dice que quien lo sigue se salva y quien lo deja se pierde

«These are the many reasons why you will be rewarded, in spite of your disobedience (ma'siyya), since you are guilty from only one point of view: that of committing an act that was only a desire of the soul» — Ibn al-Arabi enumera por qué el desobediente puede aun así ser recompensado, culpable solo por un lado

«God places the believer under shelter in the sense that He takes his place, and rejects what Satan wants him to do. Thus, God pushes a Satanic promise away from His believing servant with a divine promise. No one can resist Him and no one can be victorious over Him» — Ibn al-Arabi describe a Dios poniendo al creyente a cubierto y rechazando lo que Satán quiere de él

«Satan’s goal is not sin itself. His actual goal is getting the servant accustomed to his power. He tempts him until he can order him to attribute associates to God, so that he can lead him to eternal unhappiness» — Ibn al-Arabi dice que el fin de Satán no es el pecado sino habituar al siervo a su poder hasta la asociación

«knowledge of the constitution of the human being and of what happens to his bodily elements after his death» — Ibn al-Arabi incluye entre las ciencias del capítulo la constitución del ser humano y la suerte de sus elementos tras la muerte

«For the gnostics (al-drifun bi-LlAh), the most modest gift is large, and the largest is immense; they give to God both the most precious and the basest of what they have in them. They belong to God in their totality, and everything that is theirs belongs to Him, since the slave and what he owns belong to his master» — Ibn al-Arabi dice que para los gnósticos el don más modesto es grande y que ellos y lo suyo pertenecen por entero a Dios

«When they give, it is by the hand of God, and they also see the hand that receives as the hand of God» — Ibn al-Arabi dice que el gnóstico ve la mano que da y la que recibe como mano de Dios

«The world that is like the worlds we know, where we cannot tell whether they come out of our world or enter into it: alif, as well as wfrw and ycl\ which are weak letters» — Ibn al-Arabi reparte las letras por mundos y asigna alif, waw y ya al mundo indiscernible; el OCR devuelve los incisos de la lista desordenados

«The disappearance ofany signs ofthe servantfor all eternity (fans’ rasm al-abd azalan) or the sea of etemity-without-anteriority» — Ibn al-Arabi hace de las letras aisladas signos de la desaparición de toda huella del siervo; el OCR pega *ofany*, *ofthe* y *servantfor* y escribe *etemity* por *eternity*

«The two letters do not get confused to the point of becoming a single essence, but each is differentiated from the other by its essence» — Ibn al-Arabi dice que alif y lam no se confunden en una sola esencia aunque el signo anuncie lo señalado

«You contemplate only the knowledge that remains within you (al- ‘ilm al-qd’im bi-ka),™ even if that knowledge should be in perfect correspondence with its object. Your knowledge remains in you and is your object of contemplation and worship» — Ibn al-Arabi dice que solo se contempla el conocimiento que queda en uno, y que ese conocimiento es el objeto de contemplación y adoración

«The upper sphere, despite its subtle nature, is the first degree of “thickness” (kathdfa) and the last of subtlety, in contrast to the world of our breaths» — Ibn al-Arabi sitúa la esfera superior como primer grado de espesor y último de sutileza frente al mundo de los alientos

«Proximity is a divine quality and an unknown station whose effects even the elite among the messengers—upon them be peace—have managed to deny, despite the need they have of this station and the guarantee of integrity fW/?Z^and election God has made to those who have reached it» — Ibn al-Arabi llama a la proximidad cualidad divina y estación desconocida que aun la élite de los mensajeros ha llegado a negar

«But this stop42 is my homeland, and soon I no longer felt loneli» — Ibn al-Arabi declara esa estación su patria y explica que todo ser añora la tierra de su nacimiento; el tramo se corta en el corte de línea de *loneliness*

«I resumed my travels in this state of solitude and isolation, for familiarity comes only with ones peers» — Ibn al-Arabi dice que siguió viaje en soledad porque la familiaridad solo se da entre pares

«It is called the Station of Proximity; experience it fully» — al-Sulami nombra la estación en el relato de Ibn al-Arabi; el nombre se lo da en visión, no en libro

«So he who wishes to acquire knowledge of God through His creatures, let him keep the orders of things set by His Wisdom, and put forward what God has put forward, and put last what God has put last» — Ibn al-Arabi manda guardar el orden que la Sabiduría puso en las cosas, adelantando lo que Dios adelantó

«The secret of Abu Bakr, the Confirmer of the Truth, comes from this station: the secret that was placed in him, and whose strength was mani» — Ibn al-Arabi hace venir de esta estación el secreto depositado en Abu Bakr; el tramo se corta en el corte de línea de *manifested*

«What the individual he follows denies, he denies; what he admits, he admits. He is such as he is, but he can also hold another station that does not govern this state» — Ibn al-Arabi describe al seguidor que niega y admite lo que niega y admite aquel a quien sigue

«I was amazed by his words, and took the overland route. Never have I experienced a trip of the sort, by God! The Lord provided me with more goodness than I ever could have wished» — Ibn al-Arabi cierra la anécdota del peregrino que siguió el consejo del judío y tomó la ruta por tierra

«Note: This edition, the first of two volumes, incorporates all English text and translations from the original 1988 bi-lingual, French-English edition, Les Illuminations des la Mecque, published by Sindbad (Paris), and edited by Michel Chodkiewicz. The original (French) introduction by Mr. Chodkiewicz has been replaced with a new one by James W Morris for this edition.» — la nota de la página de derechos declara el reparto de los dos volúmenes y advierte que la introducción francesa de Chodkiewicz fue sustituida por una nueva de James W. Morris para esta edición

«Text and translation copyright ©1988 by William C. Chittick and James W. Morris Revised edition: Introduction copyright ©2002 by James W. Morris Copyright ©1988 by the Rothko Chapel (edition: Sindbad, Paris) Copyright ©2002,2005 by Pir Press» — la cadena de derechos que imprime el volumen I: texto y traducción de 1988 a nombre de Chittick y Morris, introducción revisada de 2002 a nombre de Morris, la Rothko Chapel por la edición de Sindbad y Pir Press por esta

«ISBN 1-879708-16-7 Pir Press 227 West Broadway New York, New York 10013» — el ISBN y el pie editorial que imprime la página de derechos del volumen I; el volumen II imprime otro ISBN

«Anyone who has ever attempted to study that immense and utterly unique work—which would require perhaps fifty volumes of this scale to translate in its entirety—will recognize the daunting challenges of selection, translation and adequate explanation actually involved.» — Morris mide la desproporción entre la obra y cualquier traducción: cincuenta volúmenes de esta escala harían falta para verterla entera

«Fortunately, Mr. Chodkiewicz was quickly able to assemble an international team of scholars to begin work in late 1984, and thanks to the financial support of the Rothko Chapel (and Mme. D. De Menil), as well as the tireless editorial work of our colleague Dr. Martine Gillet, the resulting volume (of some 653 pages), entitled Les Illuminations de La Mecque, was published in Paris by Sindbad» — Morris fecha el arranque del equipo en 1984 y nombra a quienes lo sostuvieron: la Rothko Chapel, madame D. De Menil y la editora Martine Gillet

«The impetus that this project gave to the further study and communication of Ibn ‘Arabi’s works, and especially the Futubat, went far beyond the publication itself.» — Morris sostiene que el efecto del proyecto sobre el estudio de las Futuhat excedió a la publicación misma

«As a result, the years since the first appearance of our translations have seen an ongoing worldwide transformation—in the Islamic world at least as much as in Western academic and spiritual circles—in the understanding and appreciation of the nature and wider significance of Ibn ‘Arabi’s writings.» — Morris describe lo ocurrido desde la primera aparición de las traducciones y acota que el cambio se dio tanto en el mundo islámico como en los círculos académicos y espirituales de Occidente

«Unfortunately, the French edition—whose size, cost and foreign publication made access difficult in the English-speaking world from the beginning—soon became entirely inaccessible due to problems at the original publishers.» — Morris da las causas de que la edición francesa quedara inaccesible: tamaño, costo, publicación extranjera y problemas en la editorial

«Thus we are all immensely grateful to Pir Publications, to its editors, Ann Everds, Sixtina Friedrich and Matthew Brown, to Margot Abel, the copyeditor of this edition, and to the others who contribute to the existence of the press, for their far-sighted initiative in undertaking to publish separately in this first volume the English-language translations that formed more than two-thirds of the original Sindbad edition.» — Morris nombra uno a uno a los responsables de Pir Publications y declara que este primer volumen recoge más de dos tercios de la edición de Sindbad

«Pir Publications has promised a forthcoming English volume that would include translations of both the original French chapters and Professor Chodkiewicz’s original long Introduction to the key themes and opening chapters of the Futubat.» — Morris anuncia desde el volumen I lo que será el volumen II: los capítulos franceses y la introducción larga de Chodkiewicz

«In particular, we have chosen passages that are long enough, in most cases, to give readers some taste of the inseparable connection between Ibn ‘Arabi’s utterly unique style and forms of writing and the process and purposes of realization for which they were designed.» — Morris declara el criterio de selección: pasajes largos, para que el lector perciba el vínculo entre el estilo de Ibn al-Arabi y el proceso de realización al que están destinados

«However, every reader should pay attention to one absolutely essential point: the notes to these translations—as indeed to any accurate and intelligible translation of Ibn ‘Arabi—are an integral and indispensable part of the translation.» — Morris advierte que las notas no son accesorias sino parte integrante e indispensable de cualquier traducción fiel de Ibn al-Arabi

«First, he constantly uses what might otherwise be taken as “normal” Arabic terms, particularly ones drawn from the Islamic scriptural background of the Qur’an and hadith (traditions related from the Prophet), in specifically technical, personal senses (often profoundly based in the etymological roots of the underlying Arabic) that were already unfamiliar, and sometimes intentionally provocative, even to his original readers.» — Morris da la primera razón de la abundancia de notas: Ibn al-Arabi usa términos árabes corrientes, muchos del Corán y del hadiz, en sentidos técnicos y personales que ya extrañaban a sus lectores

«To take one recurrent and fundamental example, in most of his writing, the expression Muhammadan carries the profound meaning of “spiritually universal” or “spiritually all-inclusive.”» — Morris da el ejemplo mayor de ese uso técnico: *Muhammadan* significa en casi toda su obra espiritualmente universal

«Second, Ibn ‘Arabi—whether in his poetry or prose—constantly plays with the multiple, often very different meanings and registers of key Arabic terms (especially from the Qur’an), which in his writings are normally closer in their polyvalence to musical chords or the symbols of the I Ching than to the prosaic “equivalents” of any possible English translation.» — Morris describe la polisemia de los términos clave como más cercana a un acorde musical o a los símbolos del I Ching que a un equivalente inglés

«That semantic reality is what explains the translators’ frequent interpolation of transliterations of the underlying Arabic terms, useful at least to those with some familiarity with Sufi and Qur’anic Arabic terminology.» — Morris explica por eso la interpolación frecuente de transliteraciones árabes en la traducción

«Third, Ibn ‘Arabi’s usual procedure throughout The Meccan Revelations is to shift constantly between multiple registers and references to the terminology, structures and intellectual assumptions of a host of fields of traditional learning that are often unfamiliar to most modern readers.» — Morris da la tercera razón: el desplazamiento constante entre registros y campos de saber tradicional ajenos al lector moderno

«And at the very least, explanatory notes are essential in such cases to help readers begin to reconstruct the experience of what it would be like to read through the Futuhat from the very beginning.» — Morris declara para qué sirven las notas cuando no alcanzan a más: reconstruir lo que sería leer las Futuhat desde el principio

«guiding intention behind this project, as it was originally conceived by Michel Chodkiewicz (the foremost French student of Ibn ‘Arabi, a professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes, and then head of the major French publishing house Editions du Seuil), was to provide, in a bilingual edition, the first representative overview of Ibn» — Morris atribuye a Michel Chodkiewicz la concepción del proyecto y lo describe por su cargo, y declara el propósito: una primera panorámica representativa en edición bilingüe; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque el renglón anterior queda cortado por la capitular

«Finally, The Meccan Revelations are replete with allusive cross-references to other writings or discussions of related topics elsewhere in the same book, which are absolutely indispensable to understanding the particular passage, symbol or allusion in ques» — Morris da la cuarta razón de las notas: las referencias cruzadas internas son indispensables para entender cada pasaje; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el corte de renglón

«In either of these key cases, modern-day presuppositions (shared by Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike) are likely to suggest diametrically opposite meanings to readers who have not studied the corresponding notes of explanation or otherwise assimilated Ibn ‘Arabi’s technical terminology.» — Morris advierte que las presuposiciones modernas, compartidas por lectores musulmanes y no musulmanes, sugieren sentidos opuestos a quien no haya estudiado las notas

«Eventually he settled for a time in Konya (in present-day Turkey) and then in Damascus, where he died on November 9, 1240/638. His place of burial there has been a famous pilgrimage site since Ottoman times.» — Morris fecha la muerte en Damasco el 9 de noviembre de 1240/638 y señala que la tumba es sitio de peregrinación desde época otomana

«he rigorously lived up to his own ideal of the hidden, “solitary” Friends of God (the afrad or malamiya') as the highest of the spiritual ranks,“invisible” in their outward conformity to the normative practices of the revelation and the ethical and social obligations common to all—carefully avoiding the public, visible “spiritual gifts” (karamat) popularly associated with many shaykhs and the then-nascent forms of institutionalized Sufism.» — Morris sostiene que Ibn al-Arabi vivió conforme a su propio ideal de los amigos de Dios ocultos y solitarios —los afrad o malamiya—, evitando los dones visibles y las formas entonces nacientes de sufismo institucionalizado

«Ibn ‘Arabi seems to have been best known in his own day as a religious scholar and student of hadith, an impression that could only have been encouraged by his phenomenally prolific literary output of hundreds of works, of which the Futuhdt was apparently by far the longest and most comprehensive.» — Morris señala que en su propio tiempo se lo conocía sobre todo como estudioso religioso y de hadiz, y da las Futuhat por la más larga y comprensiva de sus obras

«Even Ibn ‘Arabi’s most skeptical biographers have been compelled to note the remarkable way subsequent history has come to confirm his self-conception of his destined role as the “Seal of Muhammadan Sainthood”» — Morris consigna que aun los biógrafos más escépticos han tenido que notar cómo la historia posterior vino a confirmar la autoconcepción de Ibn al-Arabi como Sello de la Santidad Muhammadí

«was born in present-day Murcia, in Andalusia, in 1165/560; was raised in the great cultural centers of Islamic Spain, where his extraordinary' spiritual gifts were already apparent by his adolescence; traveled and encountered innumerable spiritual teachers and ‘Friends of God” throughout Spain and North Africa in his youth» — Morris sitúa el nacimiento de Ibn al-Arabi en Murcia en 1165/560, su crianza en los centros culturales de la España islámica y sus encuentros con maestros y amigos de Dios por España y el norte de África; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque el sujeto queda en la plana anterior

«At the time of his death, Ibn ‘Arabi himself was virtually unknown, in any wider public sense, in that Mongol/Crusader period when Islamic public authority almost vanished for some decades from all but a handful of Arab cities (and permanently from most of his native Andalusia).» — Morris consigna que Ibn al-Arabi era prácticamente desconocido en sentido público al morir, en el período mongol y cruzado en que la autoridad islámica casi desapareció de las ciudades árabes y de al-Ándalus

«Moreover, all of his “books” discussed here existed only in a handful of manuscript copies, left behind in the Maghreb or restricted to the assiduous students and future transmitters of his teachings during his final years in Damascus.» — Morris añade la otra razón del desconocimiento: los libros existían en unas pocas copias manuscritas, dejadas en el Magreb o restringidas a los discípulos de Damasco

«Yet within a few centuries, through one of those mysterious developments so familiar to the historian of religions, his writings—foremost among them the Bezels of Wisdom (Fusus al-Hikam) and these Meccan Revelations—had come to constitute the constantly cited source of inspiration, and justification (and, as a result, a frequent polemic target) for that vast movement of religious, cultural, social, and literary creativity that brought into being the institutions and masterworks of the Islamic humanities.» — Morris traza la vuelta de la fortuna: en unos siglos los Fusus y las Futuhat pasan a ser fuente citada de inspiración y justificación —y blanco polémico— de la creatividad que levantó las humanidades islámicas; el tramo empieza a media palabra por el corte de renglón

«It was through those creative developments, in a wide gamut of languages, cultures and new institutions, that Islam became a true world religion, with its new cultural and political centers stretching from Southern and Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa across to Central Asia, India and Southeast Asia.» — Morris adjudica a esos desarrollos que el islam se hiciera religión mundial, con centros del sur y el este de Europa al África subsahariana, Asia Central, la India y el sureste asiático

«Even his later honorific title, “the greatest Master” (al-Shaykh al-Akbar), does not really begin to suggest the full extent of those influences.» — Morris acota que ni el título de *al-Shaykh al-Akbar* alcanza a medir el alcance de esas influencias

«A second, equally mysterious stage in Ibn ‘Arabi’s ongoing influence has been the ways his writings and concepts have served, over the past century, to inspire contemporary intellectuals and students of religion and spirituality outside traditionally Islamic cultures.» — Morris nombra una segunda etapa de la influencia: la que llega a intelectuales de fuera de las culturas tradicionalmente islámicas

«The inspirations that gave rise to The Meccan Revelations—as its title suggests10—took place in the course of Ibn ‘Arabi’s first pil» — Morris data las inspiraciones que dieron lugar a la obra en la primera peregrinación de 1202/598, como sugiere el título; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón

«However, the actual composition of his first complete version of this immense work, composed during a time of constant travels and the simultaneous production of dozens of other works, lasted until 1231/629.» — Morris fecha la primera versión completa en 1231/629, compuesta entre viajes constantes y decenas de obras simultáneas

«And a few years later, in 1233/632, Ibn ‘Arabi began a revision and expansion of the text, which he finished in 1238/636, shortly before his death; the complete autograph manuscript of that final version, preserved by his famous disciple Qunawi, survives.» — Morris fecha la revisión y ampliación entre 1233/632 y 1238/636 y declara que sobrevive el manuscrito autógrafo de esa versión final, conservado por Qunawi

«Despite the multitude of his later learned and artistic followers and interpreters, no one has really attempted any sort of detailed imitation of that distinctive Arabic literary style, which remains as unique, in its own way, as the equally inimitable Qur’aninspired structures of Rumi and Hafez.» — Morris sostiene que nadie ha intentado imitar en detalle ese estilo árabe, y lo pone junto a las estructuras inimitables de Rumi y Hafez; el guion de fin de renglón se pierde al unir y el programa devuelve *Qur’aninspired*, por *Qur’an-inspired*, y así se conserva

«If the experience and practice of centuries of assiduous and admiring readers lends a certain external “authority” to Ibn ‘Arabi’s assertions in this domain, this does not at all mean that his books closely resemble each other.» — Morris acota la autoridad que dan siglos de lectores: no implica que los libros se parezcan entre sí

«In particular, readers approaching the Meccan Revelations after having studied Ibn ‘Arabi’s Bezels of Wisdom (Fusus al-Hikam) and the many traditions of later Islamic (and more recent Western) commentary on them, as we once did, will immediately feel that they are discovering a new continent.» — Morris describe el efecto de llegar a las Futuhat tras los Fusus: la sensación de descubrir un continente nuevo

«The essential guiding ideas are of course the same, but here they are expressed with a constant careful, vivid and enthralling attention to the “living” phenomenology and experiential roots—including, above all, a constant reference to the words and practices of Islamic revelation—underlying the typically ontological and metaphysical formulae of the Fusus tradition.» — Morris acota la diferencia entre las dos obras: las mismas ideas rectoras, pero aquí con atención a la fenomenología viva y a las raíces experienciales bajo las fórmulas ontológicas del Fusus

«Indeed, the single most useful contribution of these (and other) translations from the Futuhat may be precisely to undermine and call into question—in a particularly constructive and indispensable fashion—many of the notional “doctrines,” slogans and ostensible teachings so often connected with the name of Ibn ‘Arabi.» — Morris declara cuál puede ser el aporte mayor de estas traducciones: poner en cuestión las doctrinas y consignas que suelen asociarse al nombre de Ibn al-Arabi

«Whether in later Islamic polemical contexts or Western scholarship, those stereotypes usually reflect the profound influence of his very short and complex later work, the Bezels of Wisdom (Fusus al-Hikain),x4 the study and interpretation of which has over the centuries both inspired and sometimes antagonized many Islamic philosophic and theological traditions.» — Morris adjudica esos estereotipos a la influencia del Fusus, obra breve y compleja cuya interpretación inspiró y a veces enemistó a tradiciones filosóficas y teológicas islámicas

«The inevitable result of such primarily intellectual (or heresiographical) efforts at “summarizing” Ibn ‘Arabi—where he is somehow identified uniquely with a few paradoxical formulae supposedly drawn from the Fusus—is quite similar to what has happened repeatedly over several millenia, in Hellenistic and later Western thought, with attempts to summarize Plato’s ostensible “teachings.”» — Morris compara el resumen intelectual de Ibn al-Arabi con lo ocurrido durante milenios al resumir las supuestas enseñanzas de Platón

«In order to appreciate this guiding intention of all of Ibn ‘Arabi’s writing—which he summarizes or alludes to again and again in a few outwardly simple stories and formulae (usually famous “divine sayings”) drawn from the canonical Sunni collections of hadith15— one has only to keep in mind what we might call a few “working assumptions.”» — Morris propone tener presentes unas suposiciones de trabajo para apreciar la intención rectora de toda la escritura de Ibn al-Arabi

«These are not the same as beliefs or teachings that one has to agree with in order to understand and appreciate what is being said.» — Morris acota qué NO son esas suposiciones: no son creencias ni enseñanzas con las que haya que estar de acuerdo para entender

«They are on the order of “orientations,” or existential possibilities, that each reader needs to be aware of in order to begin to make the indispensable connections between the Shaykh’s symbolic language and the universal, experiential realities (themselves in no way dependent on any particular set of beliefs or historicalcultural programming) to which those symbols correspond.» — Morris las define como orientaciones o posibilidades existenciales que permiten ligar el lenguaje simbólico del Shaykh con realidades experienciales universales; el guion de fin de renglón se pierde al unir y el programa devuelve *historicalcultural*, por *historical-cultural*, y así se conserva

«Indeed, the necessary effort to rediscover the essential inner connections between those “revealed” symbolic languages and their real existential counterparts is often far more difficult for readers deeply imbued with culturally conditioned, inadequate conceptions of the reference points of those symbols.» — Morris señala que el esfuerzo es más difícil para quien trae concepciones culturalmente condicionadas de los puntos de referencia de esos símbolos

«Needless to say, this effect presupposes a particular kind of focused, meditative study that resembles prayer or meditation more than what “reading” usually suggests today» — Morris sostiene que el efecto buscado supone un estudio meditativo más cercano a la oración que a lo que hoy se llama leer

«What counts, at every stage, is each reader’s active intention and willingness to seek and perceive the inner connection between Ibn ‘Arabi’s words and his or her own corresponding experience and realization.» — Morris pone el peso en la intención activa del lector y en su disposición a buscar la conexión entre las palabras y su propia realización

«The actual practice of spiritual intelligence, in all its equally essential stages and facets, is beautifully summarized in the remarkable Arabic word tabqiq, expressing the same process in more dynamic, existential terms: at once the active seeking of what is truly real (that Reality, al-baqq, which is the truly divine), the inner process of “realization,” and the wider, ongoing ethical and social process of “actualizing” those ethical imperatives19 that can only be truly and creatively, responsibly grasped in the light of that same spiritual intelligence.» — Morris despliega los tres sentidos que reúne *tahqiq*: la búsqueda activa de lo realmente real, el proceso interior de realización y la actualización ética y social de sus imperativos

«The profusion and initial unfamiliarity of these symbolic languages for most modern readers is a serious obstacle to both the translation and the understanding of Ibn ‘Arabi’s work, especially since most accessible Western writing on Ibn ‘Arabi, until quite recently, has focused on the abstract ontological language and insights associated with his later Bezels of Wisdom.» — Morris señala el obstáculo mayor para traducir y entender la obra, y añade que la escritura occidental accesible se había centrado en el lenguaje ontológico abstracto del Fusus

«What makes this volume of selections from The Meccan Revelations still the best available introduction to Ibn ‘Arabi’s work is precisely the fact that most selections here are intentionally taken from passages that are directly connected with “the language of the soul” and its familiar, immediately apparent realm of experience and transformation: i.e., the Sufi language of spiritual states, stations and inspirations; and the rich spiritual symbolism of Islamic eschatology (as diat was developed through earlier centuries of Sufi writers and mystics).» — Morris declara por qué este volumen sigue siendo la mejor introducción disponible: los pasajes están tomados del lenguaje del alma, los estados y estaciones sufíes y el simbolismo escatológico; la capa de texto imprime *diat* por *that*

«But unprepared readers, with rare exceptions, should find the readings here (together with their notes) far more accessible than many other translations of Ibn ‘Arabi’s works.» — Morris acota que el lector no preparado debería encontrar estas lecturas, con sus notas, más accesibles que otras traducciones de Ibn al-Arabi

«Ibn ‘Arabi then goes on to explain more carefully the essential differences between that inspired spiritual‘‘knowing’’ (‘ilm, in the Qur’anic sense) and the theoretical “knowledge” of the theologians, scientists, etc., which is acquired and supported by intellectual argument.» — Morris resume la distinción que Ibn al-Arabi traza acto seguido entre el saber inspirado y el conocimiento teórico de teólogos y científicos, adquirido y sostenido por argumento

«Having done so, he then offers (in his final version of the FutuhaT) three successive “creeds,” which in fact suggest three different potential audiences who will find these Meccan Revelations either incomprehensible, not really needed, or of only limited utility.» — Morris lee los tres credos sucesivos de la versión final como tres audiencias posibles, para las que el libro resultará incomprensible, innecesario o de utilidad limitada

«In particular, these remarks help explain why anyone who approaches the Futuhat (as it was actually written, of course, and not through extracts and short selections) without the necessary aptitudes and proper motivating intention will very quickly set it down.» — Morris deriva de esos credos por qué quien llega a las Futuhat sin la aptitud y la intención debidas la deja pronto

«For he then goes on to add two essential allusions to the underlying structure and deeper intentions of the work—essential“keys” given to his ideal audience, as it were—which have never ceased to fascinate his serious interpreters» — Morris presenta esos dos pasajes finales como llaves dadas a la audiencia ideal sobre la estructura y las intenciones profundas de la obra

«There is every indication that the architectonic structure and detailed outline of the 560 chapters of The Meccan Revelations, which is given in full detail (sixty-two pages in the new critical edition) in the elaborate Table of Contents (fihris) that precedes Ibn ‘Arabi’s Introduction, dates from the initial inspiration of this book during the author’s first hajj in 1202/598.» — Morris data la estructura de los 560 capítulos y su índice detallado en la inspiración inicial del primer hajj de 1202/598

«In reading the following selections—and indeed the many other short passages from the Futuhat that are gradually becoming available in Western languages—it is clearly important to have a general idea of the overall structure and the location of particular chapters within it, since each of the six main sections normally has its own distinctive type of writing and organizing substructures, with chapters of radically varying length (some are a few pages long, while others would take several volumes to translate into English).» — Morris declara necesario conocer la estructura general, porque cada una de las seis secciones tiene su tipo de escritura y capítulos de longitud muy desigual

«In particular, even a quick glance over the names of the sections should make it clear how central the forms, stages and wider process of spiritual “realization/verification” (tabqiq) actually are to the contents and intentions of this work.» — Morris sostiene que basta mirar los nombres de las secciones para ver cuán central es el proceso de realización y verificación, *tahqiq*, en el contenido y las intenciones de la obra

«This opening section contains chapters of very different lengths introducing, often in abbreviated and initially mysterious form, all the major themes found throughout the rest of the book.» — Morris describe la primera sección de las Futuhat, capítulos 1 a 73, como la que introduce en forma abreviada y misteriosa todos los temas mayores del libro

«For example, the first thirteen chapters develop in a variety of symbolic languages (especially through the symbolic meanings and scriptural correspondences of the letters of the Arabic alphabet) the cosmological “map" of creation and its mirroring in the noetic reality of the “Complete Human Being"» — Morris señala que los trece primeros capítulos despliegan el mapa cosmológico de la creación y su reflejo en el Ser Humano Completo, sobre todo por las correspondencias de las letras del alfabeto árabe; el tramo empieza a media palabra por el corte de renglón

«Chapters 59-65 (and scattered earlier passages) introduce the scriptural symbols of eschatology in a way that clearly highlights their role as a detailed symbolic map of the process of spiritual realization,31 while chapters 66-72—one of the most fascinating and potentially valuable sections of the entire Al-Futubat—offer what is almost certainly the most detailed and exacting phenomenology of spiritual experience in the Islamic tradition, presented in terms of an irenic reconciliation of contrasting legal interpretations of the basic ritual practices of Islam» — Morris lee los capítulos 59 a 65 como mapa simbólico del proceso de realización, y da los capítulos 66 a 72 por la fenomenología más detallada de la experiencia espiritual en la tradición islámica

«And the lengthy chapter 73 (numerous parts of which are translated in this volume) includes both an elaborate discussion of the types of spiritually realized “saints” (awliycT) and Ibn ‘Arabi’s famous responses to Hakim Tirmidhi’s marvelous “spiritual questionnaire,” or inventory of symbolic expressions that can only be understood by purely spiritual inspiration.» — Morris describe el capítulo 73 como el que reúne la discusión de los tipos de santos realizados y las respuestas de Ibn al-Arabi al cuestionario espiritual de Hakim Tirmidhi

«The eighty chapters of this section take up the classical Sufi distinctions of these passing spiritual states, but typically with an approach—well illustrated in the selections translated here—quite distinctive to Ibn ‘Arabi. As in much of the Futuhat and his other writings, what he tries to do here can appear as a sort “ontological commentary” on the vast earlier literature and practical traditions of Sufi spiritual commentary, which he usually assumes to be quite familiar to his readers.» — Morris describe la sección de los estados espirituales como un comentario ontológico a la literatura sufí anterior, que Ibn al-Arabi supone conocida por sus lectores

«Ibn ‘Arabi turns his attention here to the very different “interactions” between each soul and its Source, framed in terms of the spiritual “stations” (maqam) that traditionally constitute the essential stages of the spiritual path of realization.» — Morris sitúa el objeto de la sección de los modos de acción: las interacciones entre el alma y su Fuente, dichas en términos de las estaciones del camino

«Indeed, the whole section can be seen as centered around Ibn ‘Arabi’s most characteristic spiritual ideal of ‘ubudiyya\ the necessity of becoming a “pure servant” whose will has become entirely identified with God’s, in an active life of spontaneous, purely voluntary divine service.» — Morris pone en el centro de esa sección el ideal de la *ubudiyya*: hacerse siervo puro cuya voluntad se identifica enteramente con la de Dios

«The familiar Sufi term for the spiritual pilgrim’s “waystation” (manzil: taken from pre-Islamic Arabic poetry) here has a very specific and uniquely “Akbarian” meaning: "The place in which God descends to you, or where you descend upon Him» — Morris da el sentido propio que *manzil* tiene en Ibn al-Arabi, citándolo: el lugar en que Dios desciende hacia ti o en que tú desciendes sobre Él

«The 114 dense and often lengthy chapters of this section correspond, in inverse order, to the inner meanings of each Sura of the Qur’an, and each manzil is explicitly (albeit mysteriously) related as well to one or more of the spiritual “Realities” of Muhammad, Jesus and Moses.» — Morris describe la correspondencia inversa de los 114 capítulos de la sección con las suras del Corán y su vínculo con las Realidades de Muhammad, Jesús y Moisés

«Without exaggeration, an adequate explanation and translation of many of these individual chapters would require a small book.» — Morris mide la dificultad: explicar y traducir adecuadamente muchos de esos capítulos exigiría un libro pequeño cada uno; el tramo empieza a media palabra por el corte de renglón

«Apart from the final three chapters of The Meccan Revelations, most of the ninety-nine chapters34 in this vast section (itself a quarter of the entire Al-Futuhdt) are devoted to Ibn ‘Arabi’s personal identification3^ of a long series of spiritual “Poles” (here in the wider sense of the emblematic “chief” of a particular spiritual type, station or mode of realization) and the profound inner spiritual realization of a particular spiritual “motto” (hijjir. often familiar Qur’anic verses, divine Names or other traditional formulas of dbikr and invocation) that becomes fully “illuminated” for those participating in that spiritual station.» — Morris describe la sección de las estaciones: identificación de una serie de Polos y realización interior de un *hijjir*, lema o fórmula de dhikr que se ilumina para quien participa de esa estación

«Thus chapter 558 (partly translated in this anthology) is an immense discussion of the influences and underlying realities of each of the ninety-nine divine Names. Chapter 559 is devoted to an enigmatic summary of the divine “secrets” concealed in each of the preceding chapters.» — Morris describe los dos primeros de los tres capítulos de recapitulación: el 558 sobre las influencias y realidades de los noventa y nueve Nombres, y el 559 sobre los secretos ocultos en los capítulos previos

«And the vast concluding chapter of “spiritual advice,” frequently copied and reprinted as a separate volume, brings together a host of selections of practical ethical and spiritual advice, drawn from scriptural sources, earlier prophets, Companions and saints, and other (not specifically religious) ethical writers.» — Morris describe el capítulo final de consejo espiritual, copiado a menudo como volumen aparte, con material de la escritura, los profetas, los Compañeros, los santos y autores éticos no religiosos

«In the larger context of the classical schemas of spiritual“journeys,”it is also an eloquent reminder of Ibn ‘Arabi’s characteristic insistence that the final, unending journey, for the fully realized soul, is always the “Return”: “from and with God, to the creatures.» — Morris subraya la insistencia de Ibn al-Arabi en que el viaje final del alma realizada es siempre el Retorno, desde Dios y con Dios, hacia las criaturas

«It is an elaborate reminder of the ultimate finality and responsibilities of spiritual realization, which are never far from Ibn ‘Arabi’s sight and intention.» — Morris cierra leyendo ese Retorno como recordatorio de la finalidad y las responsabilidades últimas de la realización espiritual

«However, readers at home in Spanish will now find a number of important recent translations by Pablo Beneito, Victor Palleja and others, a happy sign of increasing interest in this native son who (like his near-contemporary Moses de Leon) must surely be counted among the enduring contributors to world civilization and religious understanding.» — Morris consigna las traducciones recientes al español de Pablo Beneito y Víctor Pallejá y pone a Ibn al-Arabi, junto a su casi contemporáneo Moisés de León, entre los contribuyentes duraderos a la civilización mundial

«For Ibn ‘Arabi’s own vivid depiction of his earliest Spanish and North African teachers, companions and friends on the Sufi path, R. Austin’s Sufis of Andalusia (London, Allen & Unwin, 1971) remains an indispensable and endlessly fascinating source.» — Morris remite a *Sufis of Andalusia* de R. Austin como fuente indispensable para la descripción que el propio Ibn al-Arabi hace de sus primeros maestros y compañeros en la vía sufí

«On a more widely accessible level, M. Sells’s Stations of Desire: Love Elegies From Ibn Arabi... (Jerusalem, Ibis, 2000) should now replace R. Nicholson’s frequently cited versions (The Tarjuman al-Ashzvaq:A Collection of Mystical Odes) as a superb introduction to the central poetic dimension of Ibn ‘Arabi’s work, which is of course quite evident in the “keynote” poems that introduce virtually every chapter of The Meccan Revelations.» — Morris propone sustituir las versiones de Nicholson por las de Sells como introducción a la dimensión poética, presente en los poemas que abren casi cada capítulo de la obra

«The even more recent translations of Ibn ‘Arabi’s prayers by S. Hirtenstein and P. Beneito, The Seven Days of the Heart (Oxford, Anqa, 2001) suggest something of the profound spiritual and devotional practice underlying and always assumed in Ibn ‘Arabi’s writings; the translators’ introduction is especially helpful in that regard.» — Morris señala que las traducciones de las plegarias de Ibn al-Arabi por Hirtenstein y Beneito dejan ver la práctica devocional que sus escritos suponen siempre

«A more demanding, but absolutely fundamental and groundbreaking work on Ibn ‘Arabi’s understanding of “Sainthood” (walaya)—^ study that has become indispensable for understanding the spiritual and conceptual underpinnings of this central feature of popular Islamic devotion and piety in every corner of the Islamic world, even today—is M. Chodkiewicz’s The Seal of the Saints: Prophethood and Sainthood in the doctrine of Ibn Arabi» — Morris da la obra de Michel Chodkiewicz sobre la santidad —*walaya*— por indispensable para entender los fundamentos de esa pieza central de la devoción popular islámica; el guion de fin de renglón se pierde al unir y el programa devuelve *groundbreaking*, por *ground-breaking*, y así se conserva

«Indeed the level of scholarly understanding and worldwide interest in the Futuhat has approached the point where the possibility of a serious, collective effort to begin to translate at least the opening Fast (more than a quarter of the entire work) is now being seriously considered. Such a task should be realizable within the next decades.» — Morris declara que ya se considera seriamente un esfuerzo colectivo para traducir al menos el primer *fasl*, más de un cuarto de la obra, y lo da por realizable en las próximas décadas

«This worldwide collective effort to rediscover the profound influences of Ibn ‘Arabi and his teachings on central dimensions of Islamic culture from West Africa to China and Indonesia is not just an academic project of historical archeology: those involved, in each country and region concerned, are well aware of the contemporary and future significance of Ibn ‘Arabi’s understanding of the roots of Islamic spirituality and tradition for any lasting effort of renewal and revivification within a global civilization.» — Morris acota que el esfuerzo por redescubrir las influencias de Ibn al-Arabi no es arqueología histórica: quienes lo hacen ven su significación contemporánea para cualquier renovación dentro de una civilización global

«Both are the mature, richly evocative and moving fruits of an intensely personal, life-long reflection on the central issues and perspectives of all of Ibn ‘Arabi’s accessible writings, with visions and emphases that are radically different, yet ultimate» — Morris describe los dos clásicos que recomienda al final como frutos de una reflexión personal de toda una vida, con visiones radicalmente distintas; el tramo se corta a media palabra por el renglón

«The first is Henry Corbin’s Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi','6 the second is Michel Chodkiewicz’s An Ocean Without Shore: Ibn Arabi, the Book and the Law» — Morris nombra los dos libros: la *Imaginación creadora* de Henry Corbin y *An Ocean Without Shore* de Michel Chodkiewicz; la capa de texto arrastra basura de escaneo tras el título de Corbin

«One could readily apply to both of these remarkable works what Ibn ‘Arabi says of The Meccan Revelations and his ideal readers in his Introduction, quoted above: the “preparedness” such works require is not simply, or even essentially, academic.» — Morris aplica a esos dos libros lo que Ibn al-Arabi dice de sus lectores ideales, y acota que la preparación que exigen no es esencialmente académica

«np bis is the first major chapter of the Futuhat to deal in sum1 mary fashion with Ibn al-Arabi’s overall cosmological per» — Chittick presenta el capítulo 6 como el primero de las Futuhat que trata en forma sumaria la perspectiva cosmológica de Ibn al-Arabi; la capitular se pierde y el troceo imprime *np bis* por *This*; el guion de fin de renglón se pierde al unir y el programa devuelve *sum1 mary*, por *summary* con la llamada de nota 1 pegada, y así se conserva

«In the first half of the chapter Ibn al-Arabi classifies everything that can be known into four broad categories or “objects of knowledge,” thus outlining the contents of his own teachings.Then he turns to an exposition of the structure of the world, the third “object of knowledge,” by answering each of the questions posed» — Chittick describe el método del capítulo: clasificar todo lo cognoscible en cuatro objetos de conocimiento y luego exponer la estructura del mundo respondiendo a las preguntas del título

«In the beginning section, “A Concise Exposition,” a number of terms are mentioned which are explained later on in the text and hence are not footnoted at the first occurrence.» — Chittick advierte que en la exposición sumaria aparecen términos que se explican más adelante y que por eso no llevan nota en su primera aparición

«translation of T. Burckhardt’s original French version of a few key selected chapters of the Fusus, The Wisdom of the Prophets (Oxford, Beshara, 1975) is considerably more approachable than R. Austin’s complete translation, Ibn al Arabi: The Bezels of Wisdom (New York, Paulist Press, 1980)—which has long, helpful prefaces to each chapter.» — Morris compara para el principiante la versión de Burckhardt de unos capítulos del Fusus con la traducción completa de R. Austin, y acota que esta última trae prefacios útiles por capítulo; el tramo empieza a media frase porque el troceo reemite el marcador de plana en el corte de chunk

«This chapter, one of the longest in the Futuhat, comprises 138 pages at the beginning of volume IL In the first 38 pages Ibn al-Arabi enumerates and describes the various kinds of saints. Then he turns to answering the 157 (155, according to his own count) questions posed more than 300years earlier by al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi in the work Khatm al-awliya’ (“The Seal of the Saints') in order to illustrate the kinds of sciences known only to the saints and unapproachable by means of the speculative and rational powers of the mind.» — Chittick describe el capítulo 73: 138 páginas, con 38 de tipología de los santos y luego las respuestas a las 157 preguntas que al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi había planteado más de trescientos años antes

«The three questions translated here are typical in style and content, though the answers are particularly significant in throiving light on three of Ibn al-Arabi’s basic themes: the Perfect Man, the Divine Names, and the nature of the theophany that is the world.» — Chittick declara por qué eligió esas tres preguntas: iluminan el Hombre Perfecto, los Nombres Divinos y la naturaleza de la teofanía que es el mundo

«Question 115, on the Glories of the Face, divides the Names into two fundamental kinds, those that relate to God’s Similarity (tashbih) with the creatures, and those that relate to His Incomparability (tanzih). The contrast between these two types of Names, or kinds of relationship which God possesses ivith creation, is one of the key topics in Ibn al-Arabi’s writings.» — Chittick presenta la división de los Nombres entre los de la Similitud y los de la Incomparabilidad como uno de los temas clave de la obra

«It might best be summed up in the expression “He/not He” (liuwa la huwa), or simply tyes and no,” which is the basic answer to most questions asked about the world’s status in relation to God. In other terms, the world always remains in an ambiguous situation, half way between Being and nothingness. If in respect to Being one thing can be said about it, in respect to nothingness the opposite can be said.» — Chittick resume esa ambigüedad en la fórmula *huwa la huwa*, *Él y no Él*, y sitúa al mundo a medio camino entre el Ser y la nada; la capa de texto imprime *liuwa* y *tyes*

«The perception of this ambiguity is one source of the ‘bewilderment” (hayra) which Ibn al-Arabi considers one of the highest of spiritual stations» — Chittick deriva de esa ambigüedad el desconcierto —*hayra*— que Ibn al-Arabi cuenta entre las más altas estaciones espirituales

«Human beings were created in the form of the Divine Name Allah, the Name that comprehends within itself the realities of all other Names. But in most people, these Names remain as virtualities, or some Names are actualized to a certain degree but not others. Only those human beings» — Chittick resume la doctrina del Hombre Perfecto: los seres humanos fueron creados en la forma del Nombre Allah, que comprende las realidades de todos los demás, pero en la mayoría esos Nombres quedan en virtualidad; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«who have attained to perfection have actualized all God’s Names in tbeir fullness. Hence every Perfect Man is the outward form (sura or zahir) of an inner meaning (ma‘na or batin) that is Allah Himself» — Chittick cierra: solo quienes alcanzan la perfección actualizan todos los Nombres, y por eso cada Hombre Perfecto es la forma externa de un sentido interior que es Allah mismo; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque viene cortado de la plana anterior

«This chapter, entitled “On the True Knowledge of the Breath (al-nafas)” and covering eighty-one pages, is one of the longer chapters of the Futuhat It deals mostly with cosmology, i.e., the engendering of the universe through the Breath of the All-Merciful, and includes detailed accounts of the influence of twenty-eight specific Divine Names on the world. Why it should have been included in Section 3, ivhich is dedicated to the“states” (ahwal), is not particularly clear.» — Chittick describe el capítulo 198, de ochenta y una páginas sobre el engendramiento del universo por el Aliento del Todomisericordioso, y declara no ver claro por qué está en la sección de los estados

«Section 11 summarizes in a manner that is unusually free of digressions Ibn al-Arabi’s cosmological scheme, beginning with the distinction between Absolute Being and absolute nonexistence. The world of possible existence, which lies between these two in the ambiguous situation of being neither the one nor the other, is full of dualities which point to the domination of either Being or nonexistence, depending on the situation.» — Chittick presenta la sección 11 como el resumen menos digresivo del esquema cosmológico, que arranca de la distinción entre Ser Absoluto e inexistencia absoluta

«Central to the passage is the idea of,preparedness,,(Ss^^(X), according to which each thing shares in existence to the measure of its capacity. Differences in preparedness account for the different degrees, levels, and worlds manifested within existence.» — Chittick pone en el centro del pasaje la preparación, según la cual cada cosa participa de la existencia en la medida de su capacidad

«Section 46 discusses the immutable reality of the world and its multiplicity, a reality that makes it necessary to rely upon the world. Here again Ibn al-Arabi points out the ambiguous situation of all created things, an ambiguity that is demanded by the fact that God is both Incomparable and Similar.» — Chittick presenta la sección 46 sobre la realidad inmutable del mundo y su multiplicidad, y remite la ambigüedad de lo creado a que Dios sea a la vez Incomparable y Similar

«Since God is Incomparable with the world, it cannot denote Him, so it can only denote that in Him which allows for His Similarity, i.e., the meanings that are fixed forever in Him and are known as the Divine Names and the immutable entities (al-a‘yan al-thabita). These in turn become manifest within the world in respect to a given individual in succession, a fact which demands the constant transformation of the world its “new creation” at each instant.» — Chittick deriva de esa incomparabilidad que el mundo solo pueda denotar los Nombres y las entidades inmutables, y de ahí la transformación constante del mundo, su nueva creación a cada instante

«The complete title of this chapter is: “On the True Knowledge of the Most Beautiful Names (al-asma’ al-husncT) Possessed by the Lord of Might (rabb al-‘izza) and on Those Which May and May Not be Literally (Jafzari) Ascribed to Him.” It is one of the Futuhat’s longest chapters, covering 131 pages ancl divided into 101 subsections, including an introduction, one section for each of the ninety-nine Most Beautiful Names, and a conclusion called “The Presence of Presences, Comprehending the Most Beautiful Names” In effect this chapter is a major book on the Divine Names, far longer than, for example, al-Ghazali’s Al-Maqsad al-asna or Fakhr al-Din al-Razi’s Lawami» — Chittick da el título completo del capítulo 558 y lo mide en 131 páginas y 101 subsecciones, una por cada uno de los noventa y nueve Nombres, y lo declara mayor que los tratados de al-Ghazali y de Fakhr al-Din al-Razi sobre la misma materia

«In the translated subsection he returns to a discussion of the Oneness of Being by showing that all things in the universe come under the sway of this all-comprehensive Name; he then classifies in a theological manner the various kinds of names that it embraces. Finally he turns to the proper and true human response to this name: bewilderment, worship, and the profes» — Chittick anuncia lo que la subsección traducida despliega y nombra las tres respuestas humanas propias de ese Nombre: desconcierto, adoración y profesión de Incomparabilidad; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«In the introduction Ibn al-Arabi provides a succinct explanation of the “Oneness of Being,” employing theological language: the Divine Presence—that is, the sphere of existence dominated by the Name “Allah”—embraces the Essence, the Attributes, and the Acts or creatures.» — Chittick resume la Unicidad del Ser expuesta en la introducción del capítulo 558: la Presencia Divina dominada por el Nombre Allah abarca la Esencia, los Atributos y los Actos; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«The primary focus of this chapter is the distinctive set of spiritual qualities and capacities marking a particular spiritual stage (manzil)—characteristics ivhich Ibn Arabi finds symbolized in the various hadith concerning the eschatological role of the Mahdi and his “Helpers” or “Ministers”2 but which he insists are already realized by those saints (awliya’) who have attained this degree of spiritual realization, who have already reached the “end of time.”» — Morris declara el foco del capítulo 366: las cualidades de una estación espiritual que Ibn al-Arabi ve simbolizadas en los hadices del Mahdi y sus Ayudantes pero ya realizadas en los santos que llegaron al fin del tiempo

«Especially striking, in regard to this latter point, are the Shaykh's recurren t, sometimes pointed allusions to the distance separating the historical, limited conception of the Sharia* shared by many of the ‘ulama'in the popular sense of that term (i.e., the Islamic jurists and theologians) and the deeper, more challenging perennial reality of its demands and presuppositions as understood by the awliya', whom Ibn Arabi consistently regards as the true “knowers” and “authorities” (wulat) of the Community.» — Morris subraya las alusiones de Ibn al-Arabi a la distancia entre la concepción histórica de la sharía que comparten muchos ulemas y la realidad perenne que los santos entienden

«The tivo principal, complementary aspects of Ibn Arabi's treatment of this stage and its associated functions are clearly relevant to the spiritual life of every individual.» — Morris declara que los dos aspectos complementarios del tratamiento de esa estación atañen a la vida espiritual de cualquiera; la capa de texto imprime *tivo* por *two* y el tramo se corta antes de la llamada de nota

«The treatment of these questions in this chapter is often subtle and highly allusive, no doubt partly because of the potentially controversial nature of Ibn Arabi's broader understanding—largely only implicit in this chapter—of the relations between the inspiration and spiritual authority underlying the “judgments” of the Prophet, saints, and the mass ofjurists and theologians “learned in the external forms”» — Morris atribuye la sutileza y la alusividad del capítulo a lo controvertible de la posición de Ibn al-Arabi sobre la inspiración y la autoridad del Profeta, los santos y los juristas

«/Is a result, it provides a remarkable illustration of bis typical methods of esoteric writing, in which each reader’s perceptions of the apparent content, aims and unifying structure of the work will necessarily differ radically according to his own particular intentions and sensitivities.» — Morris lee el capítulo como ilustración del método de escritura esotérica en que cada lector percibe contenido y estructura distintos según su intención; la capa de texto imprime */Is* por *As* y *bis* por *his*

«The first is the question of divine “communication” (in all its manifestations, but with special» — Morris nombra el primer aspecto complementario, la comunicación divina en todas sus manifestaciones; el tramo se corta antes del encabezado del capítulo, que el troceo mete a media frase

«Ibn Arabi concludes this section by recapitulating, in a beautiful poetic “dialogue with God"too long to translate in its entirety here, his discovery of one of the central spiritual insights of his work: the paradoxical fact that this continual transformation of the Heart (fully perceived only by the true Knowers) is itself the perpetually renewed theophany of the noetic “Realities; in no way contradicting the transcendent Unity of the divine Essence.» — Morris resume el diálogo poético con que cierra la sección, y lee en él que la transformación continua del Corazón es la teofanía perpetuamente renovada de las Realidades, sin contradecir la Unidad de la Esencia

«Ibn Arabi proceeds to illustrate this phenomenon with the story (III 334.2-8) of a personal acquaintance zvho frequented the same masters of hadith in the city of Ceuta, a highly respected and unusually modest religious judge (qadi) who was famous for his rare charismatic ability» — Morris presenta el caso del cadí de Ceuta con que Ibn al-Arabi ilustra el punto: un juez respetado y modesto, célebre por su carisma para pacificar

«In fact, be concludes, the moral and spiritual factors involved in each case are so complex that the responsibility of judgment—in the ultimate, all-inclusive sense of that term—can only belong to God or those rare individuals divinely “appointed” for this role.» — Morris resume la conclusión: la complejidad moral de cada caso hace que la responsabilidad última del juicio solo pueda ser de Dios o de los raros designados para ello; la capa de texto imprime *be* por *he*

«Ibn Arabi goes on to discuss at some length the importance for the Mahdi as for any wise ruler—to appoint judges and authorities who not only have the right [formal] knowledge of the appropriate provisions of the religious law, but in whom that» — Morris resume el desarrollo siguiente: la importancia, para el Mahdi como para cualquier gobernante sabio, de nombrar jueces con el conocimiento formal debido; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana

«knowledge also fully controls their own personal prejudices, that they will always act according to their knowledge.» — Morris completa la condición: que ese conocimiento controle también los prejuicios personales, de modo que actúen siempre conforme a él; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque viene cortado de la plana anterior

«In the meanwhile, Ibn Arabi advises, we should act “according to the divine commandment which the divinely prescribed law (shar) has conveyed to us,” while abstaining from judgment in all other cases.» — Morris consigna el consejo de Ibn al-Arabi mientras tanto: obrar según el mandamiento que la ley prescrita transmitió y abstenerse de juzgar en lo demás

«with regard to “the sensible forms of divine sustenance” concerns his unique, divinely inspired ability (resembling that of the Prophet) to decide what material goods of this world should rightfully “belong” to each believer, since individuals can only be at best the temporary “owners” (or more properly speaking, “custodians”) of those earthly goods.» — Morris resume la segunda mitad de la sexta tarea: la capacidad inspirada del Imam para decidir qué bienes materiales corresponden a cada creyente, que solo puede ser custodio temporal; el tramo empieza tras el doble asterisco que el escaneo mete en el título

«In the intervening passage <111 336.16-25) Ibn Arabi illustrates tbe essential theme of this section—that it is above all by striving for tbe welfare of others, in tbe midst of tbe responsibilities of “ordinary” life, and not in seeking to obtain what one imagines to be special powers or experiences for oneself that the individ ual is most likely to reach the highest spiritual stages —zvith the Qur’anic account (28:29ff.) of Moses’ having unintentionally discovered God, without consciously looking for Him, precisely in the theophanic form of the burning bush he was seeking in order to warm his family.» — Morris resume el pasaje intercalado: se alcanzan las estaciones más altas sirviendo a otros en la vida ordinaria y no buscando poderes propios, y lo ilustra con Moisés hallando a Dios en la zarza que buscaba para calentar a su familia; la capa de texto imprime *tbe* por *the* y *zvith* por *with*

«Each of the 114 chapters concerning the spiritual “stages” (fasl al-manazil, chapters 270-383) concludes zvith a long list of the forms of spiritual knowledge or awareness “belonging” to that stage, usually described in a series of cryptic expressions that may relate symbolically to the corresponding Sura of the Qur» — Morris describe el cierre de cada uno de los 114 capítulos de las estaciones: una lista larga de formas de conocimiento propias de esa estación, en expresiones crípticas ligadas a su sura

«And quite apart from those internal connections, the immediacy of the first three descriptions in particular—whose poignant contrast between our ordinary ways of perceiving the world and the touchstone of certain rarer moments of epiphany may find an echo in each reader's experience—should suggest something of the deeper practical relevance of Ibn Arabi's spiritual insights here.» — Morris destaca las tres primeras descripciones por el contraste entre el modo ordinario de percibir el mundo y ciertos momentos raros de epifanía

«Ibn Arabigoes on, in a long excursus (338.35-339.19) to cite two personal experiences illustrating this phenomenon.» — Morris anuncia el excurso con las dos experiencias personales que Ibn al-Arabi aduce; la capa de texto pega *Arabigoes*

«Then Ibn Arabi began describing this otherwise invisible stranger—who continued to sit there beside them—to his friend, who confirmed the exactitude of his description of the Persian master.» — Morris cuenta el desenlace del segundo caso: Ibn al-Arabi describió al desconocido invisible y su amigo confirmó la exactitud del retrato del maestro persa

«But the role of those “last” or ultimate things, especially in the Qur'an, is so fundamental and all-pervasive that even the most apparently mundane aspects of this worldly life are always viewed from within that eschatological perspective, in the light of man's Source and ultimate spiritual destiny: the eschaton (al-akhira), is presented not simply as some other, “later” series of “events,” but rather as the ever-present divine framework and context at once Source and destination of man's life in this “nearer” or “lower” world» — Morris describe el escatón no como una serie posterior de sucesos sino como el marco divino siempre presente, fuente y destino de la vida en este mundo

«For that life, truly perceived, is nothing else but man's “return” to a full and aivakened awareness of his primordial reality: thus “true faith in God and the Last Day”are repeatedly mentioned as the two essential and inextricable aspects of man's awareness of this comprehensive reality that already defines and constitutes each individual» — Morris lee esta vida como el retorno del hombre a la conciencia despierta de su realidad primordial, y por eso la fe en Dios y en el Último Día se mencionan juntas

«The extent to which this comprehensive, metaphysically determinate eschatological perspective is also shared by Ibn Arabi, whose understanding of this aspect of the Qur’anic message of course builds on many generations of earlier Sufi (and other, less mystical) interpreters) is perhaps most clearly revealed in the following key passage from one of his most accessible short treatises, the Risalat al-Anwar, ‘ in which the Shaykh outlines the fundamental “realms of being” or spiritual and ontological “homelands” (mawatin) that together constitute the total field of being and experience of the Perfect Man» — Morris presenta el pasaje de la Risalat al-Anwar en que Ibn al-Arabi enumera los ámbitos de ser que constituyen el campo total de la experiencia del Hombre Perfecto

«Thus these last four “eschatological” realms, for Ibn Arabi, in fact constitute by far the greater part of manifest reality and potential experience.» — Morris mide el peso de esos ámbitos: los cuatro últimos constituyen con mucho la mayor parte de la realidad manifiesta y de la experiencia posible

«And for him, their full spiritual apprehension—not as a theory or system of concepts, but through the profound inner “realization” of their living presence accomplished by those rare saints (and prophets) who have followed the spiritual path through to its end—is no doubt the most essential part of any true, comprehensive understanding of the nature of God and man.» — Morris acota que la aprehensión de esos ámbitos no es teoría ni sistema de conceptos sino realización interior alcanzada por raros santos y profetas; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Because the adequate translation and commentary of those few chapters alone would require a good-sized book,12 we have limited ourselves here to a representative selection of several shorter passages that do bring out quite clearly some of the essential themes and interpretive principles that appear and are applied in virtually all of Ibn Arabi's discussions of eschatological questions.» — Morris declara el criterio de la selección: traducir esos capítulos enteros pediría un libro, y por eso se eligieron pasajes cortos con los temas y principios de interpretación

«Now there are three equally fundamental aspects or “levels” of Ibn Arabi's understanding of the scriptural symbols of Islamic eschatology (both from the Qur'an and hadith): 1. the “literal”scriptural expressions and descriptions of those realities; 2. the “microcosmic” of their immediate experiential realization by each individual, whether in the initiatic “voluntary return,” the “lesser death!'or in the “obligatory return”shared by all men; and 3- the more com» — Morris enumera los tres niveles de la lectura escatológica de Ibn al-Arabi: el literal escritural, el microcósmico de la realización individual y el macrocósmico; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«But although these three basic interpretive dimensions can be described or analyzed separately—and indeed must be, for modern readers who are likely to be equally unacquainted with each of these perspectives—it is also true that in Ibn Arabi's own thought they are ultimately inseparable aspects of a single unified vision, corresponding to the essential unity of the Reality in ques» — Morris acota que los tres niveles se describen por separado solo para el lector moderno, porque en el pensamiento de Ibn al-Arabi son aspectos inseparables de una sola visión; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«For Ibn Arabi, the literal terms of the Qur'an (or hadith) precisely are the fullest, most appropriate possible expression of the spiritual realities or intentions in question)5 As a result, his typical procedure of scriptural interpretation almost always assumes the closest possible attention to the exact Arabic language and precise context of the verse in question—to such a degree that (as can be seen throughout this anthology) extensive background commentary is usually required to elucidate those specific linguistic and contextual elements in each interpretation.» — Morris declara que para Ibn al-Arabi los términos literales del Corán son la expresión más plena de las realidades espirituales, y de ahí la atención extrema al árabe y al contexto

«A frequent consequence of this characteristic spiritual perspective is that it brings out the fundamental “eschatological” meaning and import of many Qur’anic verses and incidents that would not ordinarily be seen in that light, at least in the popular imagination» — Morris señala un efecto de esa perspectiva: deja ver el sentido escatológico de versículos e incidentes que la imaginación popular no leería así

«The second essential aspect of Ibn Arabi’s approach to Islamic eschatology, and one in which he of course builds on the insights and experience of many generations of earlier Sufis and Islamic thinkers, is his reliance on the personal realization of these “eschatological”dimensions of reality by the saints and “people of unveiling”already in this life.» — Morris nombra el segundo aspecto: la realización personal de lo escatológico por los santos y la gente del desvelamiento ya en esta vida

«This microcosmic “lesser death”(and concomitant spiritual rebirth) or “voluntary return”is, at the very least, a powerful prefiguration and confirmation of that “Lesser Resurrection” (al-qiyamat al-sughra) which otherwise begins with each person’s physical, “obligatory” death.» — Morris define la muerte menor voluntaria como prefiguración y confirmación de la Resurrección Menor que de otro modo empieza con la muerte física

«The third—and probably the most mysterious and complex— governing dimension of Ibn Arabi’s understanding of Islamic eschatology is its “macrocosmic” integration within the larger schema of his cosmological and metaphysical conceptions.» — Morris nombra el tercer nivel: la integración macrocósmica de la escatología en la cosmología y la metafísica de Ibn al-Arabi

«Since his spiritual cosmology is itself likewise closely based on both the scriptural indications of Qur’an and hadith and a corresponding experiential realization, but in this case expressed in terms of the accepted astronomical and cosmological theories of his day, it is often especially difficult for the modern reader to tell, in any given context, ivhich one» — Morris acota la dificultad del lector moderno ante esa cosmología, expresada en las teorías astronómicas de su día; la capa de texto imprime *ivhich* por *which*

«To begin with, it must be stressed that Ibn Arabi's distinctive “spiritual literalism" in his understanding of the language of the Qur'an and hadith—whether with regard to eschatology or any other subject—is something quite different from those widespread (and often largely “fictional") popular narrative and interpretive assumptions that underlie what are commonly taken to be the “literal" meanings of these verses» — Morris distingue el literalismo espiritual de Ibn al-Arabi de los supuestos narrativos populares que pasan por sentido literal de esos versículos

«best be seen as a single vast commentary on the spiritual dimensions of the Qur'an and baditb, nowhere is this more obviously the case than in bis treatment of the elaborate eschatological symbolism to be found throughout those scriptures» — Morris completa: un solo comentario vasto a las dimensiones espirituales del Corán y el hadiz, y en ningún sitio tanto como en el simbolismo escatológico; el tramo empieza en minúscula porque viene cortado y la capa de texto imprime *bis* por *his*

«T f all of Ibn ‘Arabi's writing (and the Futuhat in particular) can» — Morris abre la introducción a la Resurrección Menor y Mayor refiriéndose a toda la escritura de Ibn al-Arabi y a las Futuhat en particular; la capitular se pierde y el troceo imprime *T f all* por *If all*

«In the selections translated below, for example, this interpretive problem is posed most frequently by Ibn Arabi's recurring contrast between the “Lesser Resurrection” of the individual (following immediately upon either his physical death or spiritual rebirth), which is the primary subject of those passages, and what he variously calls without any further clarification here the “Greater” Resurrection, Gathering, Hour, Reviewing, Visit» — Morris señala el problema interpretativo recurrente: el contraste entre la Resurrección Menor del individuo y lo que Ibn al-Arabi llama sin aclarar más la Mayor, la Reunión, la Hora, la Revista o la Visita

«Now in the popular, “exoteric” understanding of these Qur’anic symbols, such expressions would present no real problem: the “Lesser Resurrection” would be the period each individual spends in the “tomb” (or the barzakh, etc.) until the Day (and “Hour”) of the “Greateif universal Resurrection tvhen all men are brought together before God in judgment.» — Morris expone la lectura exotérica corriente, que no vería problema: el tiempo en la tumba hasta el Día de la Resurrección universal

«But elsewhere—most notably in his encounters with Adam and Idris during the autobiographical spiritual Ascension described in chapter 367 (sections IV-B and TV-E of our translation here)—Ibn Arabi indirectly suggests another, rather different way of conceiving this relationship.» — Morris apunta a los encuentros con Adán e Idris del capítulo 367 como el sitio donde Ibn al-Arabi sugiere otro modo de concebir esa relación

«Ibn Arabi’s relative reluctance to more openly evoke those possibilities (or realities) could be interpreted in several ways: as a realistic avowal of man’s ignorance and uncertainty concerning such ultimate things; as a prudent concession to more orthodox opinion; or as the intentional concealment of those “divine secrets,” surpassing ordinary understanding and therefore reserved for the “quintessence of the elite,” which he mentions so pointedly at the very beginning of the Futuhat.» — Morris propone tres lecturas de la reticencia de Ibn al-Arabi a desplegar esas posibilidades: confesión de ignorancia, concesión prudente a la ortodoxia u ocultamiento deliberado de los secretos divinos

«In any case, Ibn Arabi clearly indicates to his more discerning readers that any satisfactory “answer” to these further questions, any lasting resolution of this truly ultimate uncertainty, is not to be found on the plane of concepts (nor, a fortiori, in an attitude of blind acceptance of traditional beliefs), but rather in that rare condition of inner openness and constant spiritual attention and practical effort which (as he describes it in selection V below) is the distinguishing mark of the true “Knowers of God,”those who have already “visited the graves”» — Morris declara dónde NO se halla la respuesta según Ibn al-Arabi —en el plano de los conceptos ni en la aceptación ciega— y dónde sí: en la apertura interior y la atención espiritual constante de los Conocedores

«That insistent openness to spiritual experience (in each soul’s ongoing inner dialogue with belief and the forms of revelation), so beautifully illustrated in each of the passages translated below, is one of the most characteristic features of Ibn Arabi’s writing more generally—and a trait which at the same time strikingly distinguishes his work from that of so many of his commentators and predecessors» — Morris cuenta esa apertura entre los rasgos más característicos de la escritura de Ibn al-Arabi y lo distingue por ella de comentaristas y predecesores

«The first half of chapter 302 is concerned with the proper understanding of the metaphysical relations of the worlds of ghayb and shahada.the “visible” world must be understood in its true condition as the manifestation of the “unseen,”governed by its spiritual forms and continuously “returning” to its creative Source in the spiritual realm.» — Chittick y Morris describen la primera mitad del capítulo 302 sobre las relaciones de los mundos del ghayb y la shahada: lo visible como manifestación de lo no visto, que retorna sin cesar a su Fuente

«There Ibn Arabi strongly denies that men’s individual spiritual forms are determined by their physical “constitution” (mizaj); instead, “the spirits are distinguished by their (own individual) forms” before they are joined with their bodies» — Morris consigna la negativa de Ibn al-Arabi a que la forma espiritual venga determinada por la constitución física: los espíritus se distinguen por sus propias formas antes de unirse a los cuerpos

«Nowhere is that distinctive approach more openly and personally stated than in the following (partially autobiographical) brief remarks from chapter 351.» — Morris presenta el capítulo 351 como el sitio donde ese enfoque se enuncia de forma más abierta y personal

«Few passages in Ibn Arabi's writing more richly and succinctly illustrate bis characteristic combination of scriptural interpretation, metaphysical penetration, and subtle allusion to the fruits and pathways of spiritual realization than this short section from chapter 369, which evokes in a few lines the most central insights and principles of his thought and their indispensable practical foundations.» — Morris presenta la sección del capítulo 369 como la que mejor reúne interpretación escritural, penetración metafísica y alusión a los frutos de la realización; la capa de texto imprime *bis* por *his*

«The “tombs”in this case are man’s ordinary, unenlightened existence in this world, and the “death” that primarily interests Ibn Arabi here (as in the preceding selections) is the “lesser Resurrection” (al-qiyamat al-sughra), the transformed awareness and immediate vision (ru’ya) of the true reality of the Self (summed up here in the famous hadith, “He who knows his self knows bis Lord") and its undying Life that is the constant center of his rhetoric and reflection.» — Morris fija el sentido de las tumbas en ese pasaje —la existencia ordinaria no iluminada— y el de la muerte que interesa a Ibn al-Arabi: la Resurrección menor, la visión inmediata de la realidad del Sí mismo; el tramo se corta a media palabra

«Instead—and this point is one of the most crucial and distinctive features of Ibn Arabi's spiritual perspective, throughout all his work—it is precisely the mystic's “return” to those bodily “graves” (and the concomitant awareness that our passage through this world is indeed only a “visit”) that completes his spiritual knowledge and certainty, while at the same time fully revealing man's unique position and responsibility (amana), as God’s “deputy” with regard to all the realms of being.» — Morris subraya lo distintivo de esa perspectiva: el retorno del místico a las tumbas corporales completa su conocimiento y deja ver la posición y la responsabilidad del hombre como delegado de Dios

«Nowhere is that comprehensive vision of man's destiny and true stature more succinctly and strikingly stated than at the end of this section, in his transformed interpretation of the familiar gnostic symbol of the “pearl” of the soul.» — Morris señala el final de la sección, con la interpretación transformada del símbolo gnóstico de la perla del alma, como el enunciado más conciso de esa visión

«Chapter 73 of the Futuhat, the conclusion of the opening fasl al-ma’arif (chapters 1-73) and one of the longest chapters of the entire work, begins ivith a detailed and highly important discussion of the different ranks and types of "saints” (awliya’) in the spiritual hierarchy QI 1-39) and concludes (II 39-139) with Ibn Arabi's responses to 155 "spiritual questions” originally posed by the influential Sufi thinker al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi» — Morris sitúa el capítulo 73 al cierre del primer *fasl* y describe sus dos partes: los rangos y tipos de santos y las respuestas a las 155 preguntas de al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi

«The first of these insights—in response to a question concerning the “Hour” of Resurrection—suggests his deeper understanding of the relations between the “microcosmic” Lesser Resurrection (al-Qiyamat al-Sughra) and the “macrocosmic” Greater Resurrection; the problematic role of “time” in these interpretations has already been evoked several times in our introduction and the preceding selections.» — Morris presenta el primer punto de la pregunta 62: la relación entre la Resurrección Menor microcósmica y la Mayor macrocósmica

«The second critical point is his allusion—illustrated here in the form of an intriguing anecdote—to the central role of the “eye of Imagination” (‘ayn al-khayal) in the realization of the “events” of the other world and indeed in man’s spiritual life much more generally; again these insights are developed in greater detail in the earlier chapter 63 on the barzakh, or imaginal realm of being, which is also the “site” of man’s Lesser Resurrection.» — Morris presenta el segundo punto: el papel central del ojo de la Imaginación en la realización de los sucesos del otro mundo, desarrollado en el capítulo 63 sobre el barzakh

«One of the central features of Ibn Arabi's understanding of the eschatological symbols in the Qur'an and hadith, in which he generally follows the approach of earlier Sufis, is his consistent distinction between, on the one hand, those “Gardens" (and levels of the “Fire" or Gehenna) corresponding to the recompense (or punishment and purification) of men's actions in this world and, on the other hand, certain symbols—especially in a number of hadith concerning the “vision of God" (yxVyat Allah)— that he takes to refer to men's different degrees of spiritual realization or inner “knowledge" of God» — Morris describe la distinción constante de Ibn al-Arabi entre los Jardines que recompensan las acciones y los símbolos que remiten a grados de realización y conocimiento de Dios

«Tirmidhi's questions, as Ibn Arabi explains at the beginning of bis response (II 39-40), tvere designed as a sort of "test”to separate the frwe Ver//zer$Xmuhaqqiqun)/rom the many pretenders to such wisdom who exist in every age» — Morris declara el propósito que Ibn al-Arabi atribuye a las preguntas: una prueba para separar a los verdaderos verificadores de los muchos pretendientes de cada época; la capa de texto imprime *bis* por *his* y *tvere* por *were*

«This badith stands behind Ibn Arabi's contrasting discussions of the highest rank of the “true knowers ofGod’”(n\-\\\Mm' bi-llah) in the following passage and throughout his writings.» — Morris remite a ese hadiz de las transformaciones el tratamiento del rango más alto de los verdaderos conocedores de Dios; la capa de texto imprime *badith* por *hadith*

«There, in his initial response to Tirmidhi’s question, he distinguishes four main ranks: 1. the small number of “Messengers” (rusul) who have brought the publicly revealed divine paths {the shara’i1); 2. the “prophets [who received other, personal] revealed paths” (anbiya’ al-shara’i‘)89; 3the “prophets who are followers [of a particular Messenger/" (al-anbiya’al-atba‘); and 4. the saints, including both a) those who are likewise “followers” of particular prophets or Messengers (al-awliya’ al-atba‘) and b) those who have lived in periods or places without direct contact with the revealed religious paths» — Morris enumera los cuatro rangos que Ibn al-Arabi distingue al responder: Mensajeros, profetas con vía propia, profetas seguidores y santos, con sus dos clases; el guion de fin de renglón se pierde al unir y el programa devuelve *3the*, por la llamada de nota 3 pegada a *the*, y así se conserva

«In briefly evoking the divine “vision” of the mass of ordinary believers (the ‘amma),106 Ibn ‘Arabi alludes here to four fundamental themes or principles of his religious and metaphysical thought that constantly recur throughout the Futuhat» — Morris anuncia los cuatro temas que Ibn al-Arabi alude al tratar la visión de los creyentes comunes