The Bezels of Wisdom

«In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Praise be to God Who has sent down the [revelations] of Wisdom upon the hearts of the logoi in a unique and direct way from the Station of Eternity, even though the sects and communities may vary because of the variety of the nations» — el prefacio del Fusus abre con la basmala y atribuye la bajada de la Sabiduría a los corazones de los logoi desde la Estación de la Eternidad, aunque varíen sectas y comunidades.

«I said, "All obedience is due to God and His Apostle; it shall be as we are commanded» — la respuesta del prefacio a esa orden.

«I asked of God that, both in this matter and in all conditions, He might number me among those of His servants over whom Satan has no authority» — el prefacio pide quedar entre los siervos sobre los que Satán no tiene autoridad.

«Also that, in all my hand may write, in all my tongue may utter, and in all my heart may conceal, He might favor me with His deposition and spiritual inspiration for my mind and His protective support, that I may be a transmitter and not a composer» — el pasaje donde el prefacio fija la posición del autor: transmisor y no compositor.

«so that those of the Folk who read it may be sure that it comes from the Station of Sanctification» — el prefacio nombra a sus lectores como la Gente y garantiza la procedencia del libro.

«I hope that the Reality, having heard my supplication, will heed my call, for I have not set forth here anything except what was set before me, nor have I written in this book aught but what was revealed to me» — el prefacio niega haber puesto nada que no le fuera presentado o revelado.

«Nor yet am I a prophet or an apostle, but merely an heir preparing for the Hereafter» — el prefacio niega para sí las dos funciones que el libro describe, profeta y apóstol, y se declara heredero.

«It is from God, so hear! And to God do you return! When you hear what I bring, learn» — el prefacio pasa a verso y ordena oír y aprender.

«Then with understanding see the details in the whole And also see them as part of the whole. Then give it to those Who seek it, and stint not. This is the Mercy that Encompasses you; so extend it» — el verso del prefacio manda ver el detalle en el todo y el todo en el detalle, y extender la Misericordia que abarca.

«From God I hope to be of those who are aided and accept aid, of those bound by the pure Law of Muhammad, who accept to be bound and by it bind. May He gather us with Him as He has made us to be of His community» — cierre del prefacio: la esperanza de quedar entre los ligados por la Ley pura de Muhammad.

«May God bless and protect him who provides the aspirations from the treasuries of bounty and munificience, Muhammad and his family» — cierra la doxología del prefacio sobre Muhammad y su familia; el impreso escribe *munificience* y parte la palabra al final del renglón.

«Muhammad and his family. I saw the Apostle of God in a visitation granted to me during the latter part of the month of Muharram in the year 627, in the city of Damascus» — el prefacio fecha la visita del Apóstol en la última parte de Muharram del año 627, en Damasco; la introducción del traductor reimprime este mismo pasaje en la plana 37, así que el ancla se alarga hasta la frase anterior para quedarse en el cuerpo.

«He had in his hand a book and he said to me, "This is the book of the Bezels of Wisdom; take it and bring it to men that they might benefit from it» — en el prefacio, el Apóstol entrega el libro y ordena llevarlo a los hombres, y de ahí sale el título; la plana 37 reimprime el pasaje con *bezels* en minúscula, y el ancla se fija por esa diferencia.

«of this book, even as the Apostle had laid down, without any addition or subtraction» — el prefacio declara haber publicado el libro tal como el Apóstol lo dispuso; la introducción del traductor imprime en la plana 37 *just as* donde el cuerpo imprime *even as*, y la divergencia se consigna sin armonizar.

«The Reality wanted to see the essences of His Most Beautiful Names or, to put it another way, to see His own Essence, in an all-inclusive object encompassing the whole [divine] Command, which, qualified by existence, would reveal to Him His own mystery» — arranque del capítulo I, la palabra de Adán: la Realidad quiso ver las esencias de sus Nombres Hermosísimos en un objeto que todo lo abarca.

«For the seeing of a thing, itself by itself, is not the same as its seeing itself in another, as it were in a mirror» — el capítulo I distingue el verse a sí mismo por sí mismo del verse en otro, como en un espejo.

«The Reality gave existence to the whole Cosmos [at first] as an undifferentiated thing without anything of the spirit in it, so that it was like an unpolished mirror» — el capítulo I describe el Cosmos primero como cosa indiferenciada sin espíritu, a modo de espejo sin pulir; los corchetes son del traductor.

«It is in the nature of the divine determination that He does not set out a location except to receive a divine spirit, which is also called [in the Qur'an] the breathing into him» — el capítulo I remite al soplo coránico; la nota al pie da la sura XXI:91.

«There is only that which is receptive and the receptive has been only from the most Holy Superabundance [of the Reality], for all power to act [all initiative] is from Him, in the beginning and at the end. All command derives from Him, 2 even as it begins with Him» — el capítulo I atribuye toda iniciativa y todo mandato a la Realidad; la nota remite al Corán II:210.

«Thus the [divine] Command required [by its very nature] the reflective characteristic of the mirror of the Cosmos, and Adam was the very principle of reflection for that mirror and the spirit of that form» — el capítulo I hace de Adán el principio mismo de reflexión del espejo del Cosmos.

«while the angels were only certain faculties of that form which was the form of the Cosmos, called in the terminology of the Folk, the Great Man» — el capítulo I reduce los ángeles a facultades de la forma del Cosmos, llamada por la Gente el Gran Hombre.

«Each of these [cosmic] faculties or powers is veiled [from knowing the whole] by its own self [being limited by its relative individuality], so that it cannot know anything that excels it» — el capítulo I declara velada a cada facultad por su propia individualidad.

«This [knowledge] cannot be arrived at by the intellect by means of any rational thought process, for this kind of perception comes only by a divine disclosure from which is ascertained the origin of the forms of the Cosmos receiving the spirits» — el capítulo I niega que a ese conocimiento se llegue por proceso racional: viene por develamiento divino.

«The [above-mentioned] formation is called Man and Vice-Regent [of God]. As for the first term, it stems from the universality of his formation and the fact that he embraces all the realities» — el capítulo I nombra esa formación Hombre y Vicerregente, y funda el primer término en la universalidad de su forma.

«For the Reality, he is as the pupil is for the eye through which the act of seeing takes place. Thus he is called insan [meaning both man and pupil], for it is by him that the Reality looks on His creation and bestows the Mercy [of existence] on them» — el capítulo I juega con la palabra árabe que dice a la vez hombre y pupila: por él la Realidad mira su creación.

«He is Man, the transient [in his form], the eternal [in his essence]; he is the perpetual, the everlasting, the [at once] discriminating and unifying Word» — el capítulo I reúne en el hombre lo transitorio y lo eterno, y lo llama Palabra que discrimina y unifica.

«It is by his existence that the Cosmos subsists and he is, in relation to the Cosmos, as the seal is to the ring, the seal being that place whereon is engraved the token with which the King seals his treasure» — el capítulo I compara al hombre con el sello del anillo con que el Rey sella su tesoro.

«So he is called the Vice-Regent, for by him God preserves His creation, as the seal preserves the king's treasure. So long as the king's seal is on it no one dares to open it except by his permission, the seal being [as it were] a regent in charge of the kingdom» — el capítulo I explica el título de Vicerregente por la función del sello sobre el tesoro.

«The latter is nothing other than the coming into operation of the undifferentiated form's [innate] disposition to receive the inexhaustible overflowing of Self-revelation, which has always been and will ever be» — el capítulo I define ese soplo como entrada en operación de la disposición innata a recibir el desbordamiento de la Autorrevelación.

«Even so is the Cosmos preserved so long as the Perfect Man remains in it. Do you not see that when he shall cease to be present in it and when the seal [on the treasury] of the lower world is broken» — el capítulo I ata la duración del Cosmos a la presencia del Hombre Perfecto y al sello del tesoro.

«thereof becoming reunited with every other part, [after which] the whole will be transferred to the Final Abode where the Perfect Man will be the seal forever» — el capítulo I lleva el sello hasta la Morada Final, donde el Hombre Perfecto lo será para siempre.

«All the Names constituting the Divine Image are manifest in the human formation so that this information enjoys a degree by which it encompasses and integrates all existence» — el capítulo I hace de la formación humana el lugar donde se manifiestan todos los Nombres.

«For the angels did not grasp the meaning of the formation of God's Regent nor did they understand the essential servitude demanded by the Plane of Reality. For none knows anything of the Reality save that which is itself implicit in the Essence» — el capítulo I explica por qué los ángeles protestaron: no captaron la formación del Regente ni la servidumbre esencial.

«The angels do not enjoy the comprehensiveness of Adam and comprehend only those Divine Names peculiar to them, by which they glorify and sanctify the Reality, nor are they aware that God has Names of which they know nothing and by which they cannot glorify Him, nor are they able to sanctify Him with the [complete] sanctification of Adam» — el capítulo I limita a los ángeles a los Nombres que les son propios.

«Will You put in it one who will work mischief in it» — el capítulo I cita la objeción coránica de los ángeles sobre Adán; la nota al pie da la sura II:30.

«meaning [his] rebellion, which is precisely what they themselves evince, for what they say of Adam applies equally to their own attitude toward the Reality» — el capítulo I vuelve la objeción contra quien la hace: lo que dicen de Adán vale para ellos.

«If they indeed knew their own [essential] selves they would know [their limitation], and if that were so, they would have been spared [their mistaken utterance» — el capítulo I ata el error de los ángeles al desconocimiento de sí mismos.

«Indeed, how can we make claims concerning something the reality of which we have not experienced and concerning which we have no knowledge, without exposing ourselves to ridicule» — el capítulo I pregunta cómo reclamar lo que no se ha experimentado.

«Know that the universals, even though they have no tangible individual existence in themselves, vet are conceived of and known in the mind; this is certain. They are always unmanifest as regards individual existence, while imposing their effects on all such existence» — el capítulo I define los universales: sin existencia individual y sin embargo eficaces sobre toda existencia.

«They are manifest as being individual beings and they are unmanifest as being [purely] intelligible» — el capítulo I reparte manifiesto y no manifiesto entre lo individual y lo inteligible.

«Thus, concerning the Reality, we say that He has life and knowledge and also that He is Living and Knowing. This we also say of Man and the angels» — el capítulo I aplica vida y conocimiento a la Realidad, al Hombre y a los ángeles; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Concerning the knowledge of the Reality we say that it is eternal, whereas of man's knowledge we say that it is contingent» — el capítulo I distingue el conocimiento eterno del contingente por el sujeto que lo aplica.

«even as knowledge determines one who applies it as being a knower, so also does the one thus described determine knowledge as being contingent in the case of the contingent [knower], and eternal in the case of the Eternal One, both determining and determined» — el capítulo I describe la determinación recíproca entre el conocimiento y el que conoce.

«They are essentially present in each thing they qualify, as humanity is present in every human being, while not being particularized or divided according to the number of individual beings [in which they are manifested], remaining [purely] intelligible» — el capítulo I sostiene que el universal está entero en cada cosa que califica, sin dividirse.

«It is established that the originated is [completely] dependent on that which brings it about, for its possibility. Its existence is [entirely] derived from something other than itself, the connection in this case being one of dependence» — el capítulo I fija la dependencia de lo originado respecto de lo que lo produce.

«It is therefore necessary that that which is the support [of originated existence] should be essentially and necessarily by itself, self-sufficient and independent of any other. This it is that bestows existence from its own essential Being on dependent existence, in this way becoming related to it» — el capítulo I exige que el soporte de la existencia originada sea autosuficiente.

«it follows that the originated should conform to all the Names and attributes of the cause [origin], except that of Self-sufficient Being, which does not belong to originated existence, since what necessary being it has derives [entirely] from other than itself» — el capítulo I extiende a lo originado todos los Nombres salvo el del Ser autosuficiente.

«God draws our attention to what is originated as an aid to knowledge of Him and says [in the Qur'an] that He will show forth His signs in it» — el capítulo I remite al versículo de los signos; la nota da la sura XLI:53.

«Thus He suggests that knowledge of Him is inferred in knowledge of ourselves. Whenever we ascribe any quality to Him, we are ourselves [representative of] that quality, except it be the quality of His Self-sufficient Being» — el capítulo I deriva el conocimiento de Dios del conocimiento de uno mismo; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«It is for this reason that the divine revelations come to us through the mouths of the Interpreters [the prophets], for He describes Himself to us through us. If we witness Him we witness ourselves, and when He sees us He looks on Himself» — el capítulo I explica por qué la revelación llega por boca de los Intérpretes.

«This [factor] is our dependence on Him for existence, which, in our case, derives entirely from Him because we are originated while He is free of all dependence whatsoever» — el capítulo I nombra el único factor que distingue: la dependencia.

«Thus is He rightly called the One without beginning, the Ancient of Days, contradicting all priority in the sense of existence starting from nonexistence. For, although He is the First, no temporal priority may be attributed of Him» — el capítulo I niega prioridad temporal al llamarlo el Primero.

«His Finality is essentially [implicit] in His Priority as is His Priority essentially [implicit] in His Finality» — el capítulo I anuda el Primero y el Último uno dentro del otro.

«He brought the Cosmos into being as constituting an unseen realm and a sensory realm, so that we might perceive the Inner through our unseen and the Outer through our sensory aspect» — el capítulo I reparte lo Interior y lo Exterior entre los dos reinos y los dos modos de percibir.

«He has also attributed of Himself pleasure and wrath, having created the Cosmos as [expressing] both fear and hope, fear of His wrath and hope for His pleasure» — el capítulo I liga el placer y la ira divinos al temor y la esperanza del Cosmos.

«He has expressed this polarity of qualities [in the Qur'an] as being His Hands devoted to the creation of the Perfect Man who integrates in himself all Cosmic realities and their individual [manifestations]» — el capítulo I lee las dos Manos coránicas como la polaridad que hace al Hombre Perfecto; la nota da la sura XXXVIII:75.

«The Cosmos is the sensory realm [both subtle and gross] and the Vicegerent is unseen. For this reason the Ruler [God] is veiled, since the Reality has described Himself as being hidden in veils of darkness, which are the natural forms, and by veils of light, which are the subtle spirits» — el capítulo I describe los velos de oscuridad y de luz que cubren al Gobernante.

«For the Cosmos does not perceive the Reality as He perceives Himself, nor can it ever not be veiled, knowing itself to be distinct from its Creator and dependent on Him» — el capítulo I declara al Cosmos incapaz de dejar de estar velado.

«What prevents you from prostrating to one whom I have created with my two hands» — el capítulo I cita la pregunta que Dios dirige a Lucifer.

«What prevents Lucifer is the very fact that he [man] unites [in himself] the two modes, the [originated] Cosmos and the [originating and original] Reality, which are His two hands» — el capítulo I responde: lo que se lo impide es que el hombre reúne los dos modos.

«As for Lucifer, he is only a part of the Cosmos and has no share in this Synthesis, by virtue of which Adam is the Regent» — el capítulo I niega a Lucifer parte en la Síntesis.

«His outer form He composed of the cosmic realities and forms, while his inner form He composed to match His Own form» — el capítulo I reparte la forma externa y la interna del Hombre Perfecto.

«I am his hearing and his sight," 7 and not, "I am his eye and his ear," in order to show the distinction between the two forms [the imperceptible and the perceptible» — el capítulo I cita la Tradición Sagrada y explica por qué dice oído y vista y no ojo y oreja; la nota remite a Bujari.

«Were it not that the Reality permeates all beings as form [in His qualitative form], and were it not for the intelligible realities, no [essential] determination would be manifest in individual beings. Thus, the dependence of the Cosmos on the Reality for its existence is an essential factor» — el capítulo I hace de la dependencia del Cosmos un factor esencial.

«All is dependent [upon another], naught is independent, This is the pure truth, we speak it out plainly. If I mention One, Self-sufficient, Independent, You will know to Whom I refer. All is bound up with all, there is no escaping This bond, so consider carefully what I say» — los versos que cierran el capítulo I sobre la dependencia universal.

«You are now acquainted with the Wisdom involved in the corporeal formation of Adam, his outer form, as you have become acquainted with the spiritual formation of Adam, his inner form, namely, that he is the Reality [as regards the latter] and that he is creature [as regards the former]. You have also learned to know his rank as the all-synthesizing [form] by which he merits the [divine] Regency» — el capítulo I recapitula las dos formaciones de Adán, la corporal y la espiritual; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Adam is that single soul, that single spiritual essence from which humankind was created, as He says, Men, fear your Lord Who created you from a single soul and created from it its mate, so that from them both there issued forth many men and women» — el capítulo I identifica a Adán con el alma única del versículo coránico; la nota da la sura IV:1.

«His saying Fear your Lord means "Make your outer [transient] selves a protection for your Lord [your inner essential reality], and make your inner [reality], which is your Lord, a protection for your outer selves." All creation [amr] involves censure [negation] and praise [affirmation], so be His protection as regards censure [as being relative beings] and make Him your protection as regards praise [as being identified with the Adamic reality], so that you are of those who act properly and are possessed of knowledge» — el capítulo I lee el temor del Señor como hacer de cada forma protección de la otra.

«The seal of each Wisdom is the Word assigned to it. I have restricted myself in what I have written concerning the [divine manifestations of] Wisdom in this book to what is confirmed in that» — el cierre del capítulo I fija la relación entre cada Sabiduría y su Palabra, y restringe lo escrito a lo confirmado por el Libro Celestial; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«I have transcribed faithfully according as was vouchsafed to me. Even had I wished to add to it I would not have been able to do so, since the plane [from which it came] would prevent anything of the kind. God it is Who grants success and He is Sole Lord» — cierre del capítulo I: la transcripción fiel y la imposibilidad de añadir nada.

«God expounds the whole affair to us so that we might bear it in mind and learn from it the proper attitude toward» — el capítulo I saca la lección del episodio de los ángeles: aprender de él la actitud debida.

«When God revealed to me, in my innermost center, what He had deposited in our great progenitor» — el capítulo I declara que lo escrito sale de lo que le fue revelado sobre el gran progenitor; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«which he dictated to me, not all I was given, since no book could contain all of it, nor yet the Cosmos as now existing» — el capítulo I declara que solo se registró lo dictado, porque ningún libro contendría todo lo dado.

«Know that the [divine] gifts and favors manifest in the realm of determined being, whether through His servants or not, are divided into two kinds, gifts of the Essence and gifts of the Names, just as there are those gifts [bestowed in answer] to a specific request and those [given in answer] to a general request. There are those gifts also that are bestowed without any request, whether they derive from the Essence or the Names» — el capítulo II, la palabra de Set, divide los dones divinos en los de la Esencia y los de los Nombres, y según haya petición o no.

«An example of a request for something specific is one who says, "O Lord, grant to me such and such," specifying something to the exclusion of anything else» — el capítulo II ejemplifica la petición específica.

«The first kind is urged to make a request by a natural eagerness, for, Man was created hasty» — el capítulo II da la primera clase de peticionario y la funda en el versículo sobre la premura del hombre; la nota da la sura XXI:37.

«while the second kind is moved to make the request because he knows that there are certain things with God that cannot, in accordance with the divine Prescience, be obtained except by asking for them» — el capítulo II da la segunda clase: quien pide porque sabe que hay cosas que solo se obtienen pidiendo.

«nor can he know his own eternally determined predisposition to receive, for to be, at each instant, aware of one's [eternal] predisposition is one of the most difficult kinds of knowledge» — el capítulo II declara el conocimiento de la propia predisposición como el más difícil.

«There are also those who ask, not because of any natural impulse, nor yet through knowledge of the possibilities, but simply to conform with God's command, Call upon Me and I will answer you» — el capítulo II da la tercera clase: quien pide solo por conformarse al mandato; la nota da la sura XL:60.

«Such a one is eminently a servant, for in such a supplication there is no trace of self-interest, the concern being directed solely to conformity with the behest of his Master» — el capítulo II declara siervo por excelencia a quien pide sin interés propio.

«Job and others were sorely tried, but they did not ask that their affliction from God be lifted from them. At a later time their state necessitated their making such a request and God answered them» — el capítulo II pone a Job como ejemplo de quien no pidió que se le levantara la aflicción hasta que su estado lo exigió.

«The speed or tardiness in granting what is requested depends entirely on the measure appointed for it with God» — el capítulo II hace depender la prontitud de la respuesta de la medida fijada.

«not the principle of divine response, which is always, "I am here," so consider well» — el capítulo II distingue la concesión de lo pedido de la respuesta divina, que es siempre presente; la nota da la sura II:186.

«for in the case of any [divine] action [gift] there must be a request [a recipient], whether it be expressed in words or is inherent in the state or predisposition» — el capítulo II sostiene que toda dádiva supone petición, aunque sea la del estado.

«The servant is not aware of his predisposition, but only of the spiritual state, which he knows as that which impels him, since knowledge of the predisposition is the most hidden» — el capítulo II reitera que lo más oculto es la propia predisposición.

«They have made themselves ever ready to receive whatever comes from Him and have withdrawn completely from their separative selves and their aims» — el capítulo II describe a quienes no piden: dispuestos a recibir y retirados de su yo separativo.

«They know that the Reality will bestow on them only that which their latent essences contribute to Him [as being what He knows Himself to be» — el capítulo II hace contribuir las esencias latentes a lo que la Realidad conoce de sí.

«Of the Folk there are none higher or more intuitive than this kind [who do not ask], for they have grasped the mystery of the divine Premeasure» — el capítulo II coloca a esos en lo más alto de la Gente; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra al final de la plana.

«This group is itself divided into two parts: those who possess this knowledge in a general way and those who have a detailed knowledge, the latter [knowledge] being more elevated and complete» — el capítulo II subdivide ese grupo entre conocimiento general y detallado.

«it is not possible for a creature, when God shows to him the states of his essence, on which the created form will be cast, to look on it as the Reality looks on the latent essences in their state of nonbeing, since they are formless attributions of the Essence» — el capítulo II marca el límite: la criatura no mira las esencias latentes como las mira la Realidad.

«until we know [which ofyou strive], 12 which bears a very exact meaning, quite other than that imagined by those who have no direct experience» — el capítulo II lee el versículo del *hasta que sepamos* contra la lectura de quienes no tienen experiencia directa; el impreso pega dos palabras dentro del corchete.

«As for favors or gifts of the first kind, they can result only from a divine Self-revelation, which occurs only in a form conforming to the essential predisposition of the recipient of such a revelation» — el capítulo II hace depender el don de la Esencia de una autorrevelación ajustada a la predisposición del receptor.

«Thus, the recipient sees nothing other than his own form in the mirror of the Reality. He does not see the Reality Itself, which is not possible, although he knows that he may see only his [true] form in It» — el capítulo II fija el límite de la visión: se ve la propia forma en el espejo de la Realidad, no la Realidad.

«The analogy of a mirror is the closest and most faithful one for a vision of a divine Self-revelation» — el capítulo II declara el espejo la analogía más fiel de la autorrevelación.

«Try, when you look at yourself in a mirror, to see the mirror itself, and you will find that you cannot do so. So much is this the case that some have concluded that the image perceived is situated between the mirror and the eye of the beholder» — el capítulo II propone la prueba de intentar ver el espejo mismo; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«The matter is [in fact] as we have concluded, and we have dealt with it also in The Meccan Revelations» — el capítulo II remite a las Revelaciones de La Meca para el mismo asunto; la nota da tomo y página.

«In your seeing your true self, He is your mirror and you are His mirror in which He sees His Names and their determinations, which are nothing other than Himself» — el capítulo II invierte el espejo: cada uno es espejo del otro.

«Some of us there are who profess ignorance as part of their knowledge, maintaining [with Abu Bakr] that TTo realise that one cannot know [God] is to know» — el capítulo II atribuye a Abu Bakr, entre corchetes del traductor, la sentencia de que saber que no se puede conocer es conocer; el impreso duplica la comilla de apertura.

«This is the highest knowledge of God, possessed only by the Seal of Apostles and the Seal of Saints» — el capítulo II reserva ese conocimiento a los dos Sellos; la nota remite a al-Tirmidhi.

«This is because the office of apostle and prophet [by prophet I mean the bringer of Sacred Law] comes to an end, while Sainthood never ceases» — el capítulo II funda la jerarquía en que la profecía termina y la santidad no.

«since he is, in one sense, below the apostle and, in another sense, higher» — el capítulo II formula la doble posición del Sello de los Santos sin resolverla.

«as when 'Umar's judgment was the better one in respect of the prisoners taken at Badr, as also in the matter of the pollination of palms» — el capítulo II apoya el punto en dos episodios de la propia comunidad.

«It is not necessary for one who is perfect to be superior in everything and at every level, since men of the Spirit have regard only to precedence in the degrees of the knowledge of God» — el capítulo II acota qué significa ser perfecto: no superioridad en todo.

«The Prophet likened the office of prophet to a wall of bricks, complete except for one brick. He himself was the missing brick» — el capítulo II recoge el símil profético del muro al que falta un ladrillo.

«However, while the Prophet saw the lack of one brick, the Seal of Saints perceived that two bricks were missing. The bricks of the wall were of silver and gold. Since he saw himself as filling the gap, it is the Seal of Saints who is the two bricks and who completes the wall» — el capítulo II añade que el Sello de los Santos vio faltar dos ladrillos y se vio a sí mismo llenando el hueco.

«The reason for his seeing two bricks is that, outwardly, he follows the Law of the Seal of Apostles, represented by the silver brick. This is his outer aspect and the rules that he adheres to in it. Inwardly, however, he receives directly from God what he appears [outwardly] to follow, because he perceives the divine Command as it is [in its essence], represented by the golden brick» — el capítulo II explica los dos ladrillos, de plata y de oro, por el doble aspecto externo e interno.

«Every prophet, from Adam until the last of the prophets, derives what he has from the Seal of Prophets, even though he comes last in his temporal, physical manifestation, for in his [essential] reality he has always existed» — el capítulo II hace derivar a todo profeta del Sello de los Profetas, anterior en realidad esencial.

«I was a prophet when Adam was between the water and the clay," 18 while other prophets became such only when they were sent forth [on their missions]» — el capítulo II cita el dicho profético sobre Adán entre el agua y el barro; la nota remite a Bujari.

«As for the Seal of Saints, he is the Saint, the Heir, the one whose [knowledge] derives from the Source, the one who beholds all levels [of Being]» — el capítulo II define al Sello de los Santos como Santo, Heredero y testigo de todos los niveles.

«It is in this state that he precedes even the Divine Names, since the Merciful does not intercede with the Avenger, in the case of those sorely tried, until intercession has been made» — el capítulo II coloca la intercesión por delante de los Nombres divinos.

«As for favors deriving from the Names of God, they are of two kinds: a pure mercy, such as a good pleasure in the world that leaves no taint on the Day of Resurrection, which is bestowed by [God] the Merciful, or a mixed mercy, such as an evil-tasting medicine that brings relief, which is a gift of God in His Divinity, although in His Divinity He always bestows His gifts through the medium of one of the holders of the Names» — el capítulo II divide los dones de los Nombres en misericordia pura y mezclada, con el símil de la medicina amarga.

«He may give in His Name the Forgiver, in which He considers the situation or state as it is at the time. If punishment is merited, He will [under this Name] protect the servant from it, and if no punishment is merited, He protects from a state that would incur punishment» — el capítulo II describe el don bajo el Nombre del Perdonador y de ahí la inmunidad de los santos.

«The Names of God are infinite because they are known by all that derives from them which is infinite, even though they derive [ultimately] from a [known] number of sources, which are the matrices or abodes of the Names» — el capítulo II declara infinitos los Nombres y les asigna matrices.

«This distinguishing reality is the essence of the Name [the Name itself], not that which it may have in common» — el capítulo II funda la distinción de cada Nombre en su realidad propia.

«Such was the knowledge possessed by Seth and it is his spirit that moves every other spirit expressing this kind of truth, except the spirit of the Seal, for his spiritual constituent comes directly from God and not from any other spirit» — el capítulo II atribuye a Set ese conocimiento y exceptúa al Sello, cuyo constituyente viene directo de Dios.

«He at once knows and does not know, taking on himself the attribution of opposites, as does the Source Itself, as being at once the Majestic and the Beautiful, the Manifest and the Unmanifest, the First and the Last, this [coincidentia oppositorum] being his own essence. He knows and does not know, he is aware and he is not aware, he perceives and yet does not per» — el capítulo II atribuye al Sello la coincidencia de opuestos: sabe y no sabe; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«It is because of this knowledge that Seth is so named, his name meaning "Gift of God» — el capítulo II explica el nombre de Set como don de Dios.

«God bestowed him on Adam, as his first unconditional gift, bestowing him as coming from Adam himself, since the son is the inner reality of the father, issuing from him and to him returning» — el capítulo II hace del hijo la realidad interior del padre.

«There is nothing in anyone from God [as other], and there is nothing in anyone but what comes from his own self, however various the forms» — el capítulo II niega que el don venga de otro: viene del propio sí mismo de cada uno.

«Should you meet one who possesses such knowledge you may have complete confidence in him, for he is a rare gem among the elite of the Folk» — el capítulo II llama gema rara a quien posee ese conocimiento.

«In this way something big appears small in a small mirror, long in a long mirror, and moving in a moving mirror» — el capítulo II describe cómo el plano del espejo altera la imagen.

«Whoever has knowledge of his [eternal] predisposition knows what [divine gifts] he will receive, although not every one who knows what he will receive knows also his predisposition except after he has received, even though he may know it in a general way» — el capítulo II ata el conocimiento del don al de la predisposición.

«Certain theorists of weak intellect, having agreed that God does what He wills, go on to state things about God that contradict Wisdom and the truth. They go so far as to deny contingency as also self-sufficient and relative essential being» — el capítulo II objeta a ciertos teóricos que niegan la contingencia.

«It will be in the line of Seth that the last true Man will be born, bearing his mysteries [of divine Wisdom], nor will such be born after him. He will be the Seal of Offspring» — el capítulo II cierra con la predicción del último Hombre verdadero, Sello de la Descendencia.

«He will be born in the land of China and will speak the language of that land. Sterility will then overcome the men and women of this land and, although there will be much consorting, there will be no bringing forth of children [as true men]» — el capítulo II sitúa ese nacimiento en China y anuncia la esterilidad posterior.

«the others will remain living like beasts with no sense of right and wrong, given over to the law of the [lower] nature, devoid of intellect and Sacred Law. The Last Hour will overtake them» — cierre del capítulo II: los que queden vivirán como bestias hasta la Última Hora.

«There are others from among us, however, who know, but who do not say such things, their knowl» — el capítulo II opone a esos el silencio de los que saben; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra al final de la plana.

«Sometimes God bestows a gift on His servant in His Name the Merciful, in which case the gift will be free of all that is contrary to» — el capítulo II describe el don bajo el Nombre del Misericordioso; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«the servant's nature at the time, or of anything that might fail him» — continuación: ese don queda libre de todo lo contrario a la naturaleza del siervo.

«Sometimes God gives in His Name the Encompassing, so that the effect is universal, while at other times He gives in His Name the Wise, to serve the best interests of His servant» — el capítulo II sigue el reparto por Nombres: el Omniabarcante y el Sabio.

«The cause of that is the mutual distinction of the Names, there being no repetition on the Plane of Divinity with all its extensiveness. This is the indisputable truth» — el capítulo II niega repetición alguna en el Plano de la Divinidad.

«If you have understood my allusions you have attained to the most beneficial knowledge» — cierre del pasaje: el capítulo II remite al lector a sus propias alusiones.

«from the same source as the angel who reveals it to the Apostle» — el capítulo II hace derivar el conocimiento del Sello de la misma fuente que el ángel que revela al Apóstol; la frase arranca al final de la plana 86 y el troceo mete en medio las notas al pie y el folio.

«For those who [truly] know the divine Realities, the doctrine of transcendence imposes a restriction and a limitation [on the Reality], for he who asserts that God is [purely] transcendent is either a fool or a rogue, even if he be a professed believer» — arranque del capítulo III, la palabra de Noé: la trascendencia sola impone restricción y límite a la Realidad.

«For, if he maintains that God is [purely] transcendent and excludes all other considerations, he acts mischievously and misrepresents the Reality and all the apostles, albeit unwittingly. He imagines that he has hit on the truth, while he has [completely] missed the mark, being like those who believe in part and deny in part» — el capítulo III acusa de tergiversar la Realidad a quien excluye todo lo demás; la nota da la sura IV:150.

«It is known that when the Scriptures speak of the Reality they speak in a way that yields to the generality of men the immediately apparent meaning. The elite, on the other hand, understand all the meanings inherent in that utterance, in whatever terms it is expressed» — el capítulo III reparte dos lecturas de la Escritura: la aparente para la generalidad y la plena para la élite.

«The truth is that the Reality is manifest in every created being and in every concept, while He is [at the same time] hidden from all understanding, except for one who holds that the Cosmos is His form and His identity» — el capítulo III afirma a la vez la manifestación en todo lo creado y la ocultación a todo entendimiento.

«This is the Name, the Manifest, while He is also unmanifested Spirit, the Unmanifest. In this sense He is, in relation to the manifested forms of the Cosmos, the Spirit that determines those forms» — el capítulo III nombra los dos Nombres, el Manifiesto y el No Manifiesto.

«Thus, a [true] definition of the Reality is impossible» — el capítulo III declara imposible una definición de la Realidad, por infinitas las formas del Cosmos.

«It is similar in the case of one who professes the comparability of God without taking into consideration His incomparability, so that he also restricts and limits Him and therefore does not know Him» — el capítulo III aplica el mismo reparo a quien sostiene solo la comparabilidad.

«He, however, who unites in his knowledge of God both transcendence and immanence in a comprehensive way, it not being possible to know such a thing in detail, owing to the infinitude of Cosmic forms, knows Him in a general way, but not in a detailed way, as he may know himself generally but not in detail» — el capítulo III concede conocimiento general, no detallado, a quien reúne los dos modos; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Who [truly] knows himself knows his Lord," 22 linking together knowledge of God and knowledge of the self» — el capítulo III cita el dicho profético; la nota del traductor declara no haber podido rastrear esa tradición.

«We will show them our signs on the horizons, meaning the world outside you, and in yourselves, self, here, meaning your inner essence, till it becomes clear to them that He is the Reality» — el capítulo III cita el versículo de los signos en los horizontes y en las almas; la nota da la sura XL:53.

«You are in relation to Him as your physical body is to you. He is in relation to you as the spirit governing your physical form» — el capítulo III invierte la relación cuerpo-espíritu entre el hombre y la Realidad.

«for the form that remains when the governing spirit is no longer present may no longer be called a man, but only a form resembling a man, there being no real difference between it and the shape of wood or stone» — el capítulo III niega el nombre de hombre a la forma sin espíritu.

«the Reality never withdraws from the forms of the Cosmos in any fundamental sense, since the Cosmos, in its reality, is [necessarily] implicit in the definition of the Divinity, not merely figuratively as with a man when living in the body» — el capítulo III marca la diferencia: la Realidad no se retira nunca de las formas del Cosmos.

«If you insist only on His transcendence, you restrict Him, And if you insist only on His immanence you limit Him. If you maintain both aspects you are right, An Imam and a master in the spiritual sciences» — los versos del capítulo III que enuncian la regla de mantener los dos aspectos.

«Whoso would say He is two things is a polytheist, While the one who isolates Him tries to regulate Him. Beware of comparing Him if you profess duality, And, if unity, beware of making Him transcendent. You are not He and you are He and You see Him in the essences of things both boundless and limited» — sigue el verso: ni duplicar ni aislar, y el lector es y no es Él.

«There is naught like unto Him, asserting His transcendence, and He says, He is the Hearing, the Seeing, 25 implying comparison. On the other hand, there are implicit in the first quotation comparison [albeit negative] and duality [in the word "like"], and in the second quotation transcendence and isolation are implicit» — el capítulo III muestra que cada uno de los dos versículos lleva dentro el modo contrario; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Had Noah combined the two aspects in summoning his people, they would have responded to his call» — el capítulo III sostiene que Noé habría sido escuchado de haber reunido los dos modos.

«He states that his people turned a deaf ear to his summons only because they knew [innately] the proper way for them [maintaining God's immanence in many forms] to respond to his summons [made from the standpoint of unity and transcendence» — el capítulo III explica la sordera del pueblo por su conocimiento innato del modo debido; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«It is for this reason that the Qur'an [the union of the two aspects] was vouchsafed to Muhammad and this Community, which is the best granted to mankind» — el capítulo III atribuye a esa unión de aspectos la primacía de la comunidad de Muhammad.

«Noah summoned his people by night, in that he appealed to their intellects and spirits, which are unseen, and by day, 30 in that he appealed to the [evidence of] their external senses» — el capítulo III reparte la noche y el día de la sura entre el intelecto y los sentidos.

«This is an [external] form of shielding to which he had summoned them, although they responded literally by their actions and not in humble surrender [to God's shielding]» — el capítulo III lee los dedos en los oídos y la ropa como obediencia literal y no rendición.

«Because of this Muhammad said that he had been granted [knowledge of God] integrating all His aspects» — el capítulo III atribuye a Muhammad el conocimiento que integra todos los aspectos.

«but by night during the day [an inner summons implicit in the outer one], and by day during the night [the outer truth being implicit in the in» — el capítulo III describe el modo de convocar de Muhammad, cada modo dentro del otro; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Whoever imagines that he sees the Reality Himself has no gnosis; he has gnosis who knows that it is his own essential self he sees. Thus are the Folk divided into those who know and those who do not know» — el capítulo III fija el criterio de la gnosis: ver que lo que se ve es el propio sí mismo esencial.

«Have you not taken a trustee other than Me?41 By this He confirms that, in their case, the power was theirs, God being trustee for them, while, in the case of the heirs of Muhammad, they are God's regents in His kingdom, God being both Possessor and Trustee» — el capítulo III contrasta la condición del pueblo de Noé con la de los herederos de Muhammad como regentes.

«meaning that summoning to God [in one mode] is [in a sense] a deception played on the one summoned, since God is no more nonexistent in the first mode [that of the one summoned] than in the second» — el capítulo III llama engaño a convocar a Dios en un solo modo.

«The heir of Muhammad knows that the summons to God is not a summons to His Ipseity [Essence], but to Him in respect of His Names» — el capítulo III precisa a qué se convoca: no a la Ipseidad sino a los Nombres.

«If they had abandoned them they would have become ignorant of the Reality, to the extent that they deserted them, for in every object of worship there is a reflection of the Reality, whether it be recognized or not» — el capítulo III sostiene que en todo objeto de culto hay reflejo de la Realidad.

«The one who knows, knows Who is worshiped and in what form He is manifest to be worshiped. He also knows that the distinction and multiplicity [of forms] are merely like parts of a sensible form or the powers of a spiritual image. Indeed, in every object of worship it is [in truth] God Who is worshiped» — el capítulo III reduce la multiplicidad de formas a partes de una forma sensible.

«The ignorant man imagines the object to be invested with divinity and, were it not for such a notion, neither the stone nor anything similar would be an object of worship» — el capítulo III describe el error del ignorante, que inviste de divinidad al objeto; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«The man endowed with knowledge does not imagine thus, but knows that the object of worship is the vehicle of divine manifestation, worthy of reverence, while not restricting himself [to that particular object]» — el capítulo III describe al que sabe: reverencia el vehículo sin quedarse en él.

«They have caused confusion to many, 51 meaning that they have caused them to become perplexed in the face of the [apparent] multiplicity of the One in respect of His aspects and attributions» — el capítulo III lee la confusión del versículo como perplejidad ante la multiplicidad del Uno.

«It only increases the oppressors [in confusion], 52 meaning those who oppress themselves [by self-denial], who inherit the Book [of unitary knowledge]. These are the first of the three [categories] [described by God elsewhere], since He places the self-oppressor before the moderate one and the doer ofgood works» — el capítulo III invierte el sentido del versículo: los opresores son los que se oprimen a sí mismos y heredan el Libro; el impreso pega dos palabras.

«My Lord increase my perplexity concerning You» — el capítulo III pone en boca de los herederos de Muhammad la súplica de más perplejidad; la nota del traductor declara no haber podido rastrear el dicho.

«He who experiences this perplexity is ceaselessly centered on the Pole [God], while he who follows the "long" path [to a distant God] is always turning aside from the [Supreme] Goal to search after that which is [eternally] within him, running after imagination as his goal» — el capítulo III opone al perplejo centrado en el Polo el que sigue el camino largo hacia un Dios lejano.

«going beyond themselves so that they drowned in the seas of the knowledge of God, which is what is meant by perplexity» — el capítulo III lee el ahogarse del versículo como inmersión en los mares del conocimiento de Dios.

«since their helpers are [in essence] nothing other than God and they are annihilated in Him forever» — el capítulo III niega otros auxiliadores y afirma la aniquilación en Dios.

«He did not say, "O my God," because [God as] the Lord is fixed, whereas the Divinity is manifold according to [the variety] of His Names and every day He is engaged in some matter» — el capítulo III explica por qué Noé invoca al Señor y no a Dios: el Señor es fijo y la Divinidad múltiple.

«meaning that they will perplex them and cause them to depart from their servanthood to [assert] the mysteries of Lordship in themselves, so that they will consider themselves as Lords after being servants» — el capítulo III lee el versículo sobre confundir a los siervos como paso de la servidumbre a los misterios del Señorío.

«that is one who makes manifest what is hidden, and one who denies, 11 that is one who conceals what is manifest after its manifestation» — el capítulo III reparte los dos términos del versículo entre el que descubre y el que encubre.

«so that the beholder will be perplexed, not knowing what the discloser intends by his action nor the concealer by his, though they are [in truth] the same» — el capítulo III deja al espectador perplejo entre los dos, que son el mismo.

«And do not increase the oppressors, those in darkness who belong to the Unseen, concealed behind dark veils, except in destruction, 74" that is, in annihilation [in God]» — el capítulo III lee la destrucción del versículo como aniquilación en Dios.

«They have consciousness of themselves because their contemplation of the face of the Reality absorbs them to the exclusion of their [separative] selves» — el capítulo III describe la absorción que excluye el yo separativo.

«for all praise returns to Him Who is both the Praiser and the Praised» — el capítulo III cierra el punto: toda alabanza vuelve a quien es a la vez el que alaba y el alabado.

«Those who know God understand the allusion Noah makes in respect of [what he knows to be the real state of] his people in that, by blaming them he praises them, since he knows the reason for their not responding [positively] to his summons» — el capítulo III lee el reproche de Noé como alabanza encubierta.

«The whole truth is a conjunction [al-qur'an [qarana] as the whole revelation] and not a discrimination» — el capítulo III opone conjunción y discriminación jugando con las dos raíces árabes; la nota del traductor declara la derivación forzada.

«And whoever enters my house, that is, into my heart, believing, that is, confirming the divine communications» — el capítulo III lee la casa del versículo como el corazón.

«bered the verse, All perishes save His face, 75 the destruction 76 in the above verse meaning this "perishing» — el capítulo III equipara la destrucción del versículo de Noé con el perecer de todo salvo su faz; el mismo versículo vuelve a citarse más adelante en el libro y el ancla se alarga por eso.

«Whoever wishes to gain access to the Noah mysteries must ascend to the Sphere of the Sun. These matters are also dealt with in our book, The Mosul Revelations» — cierre del capítulo III: el acceso a esos misterios pide ascender a la Esfera del Sol, y remite a las Revelaciones de Mosul; la nota del traductor dice que la obra sigue sin publicarse.

«All things are the "tongues" of the Reality, giving expression to» — el capítulo III hace de todas las cosas lenguas de la Realidad; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«I derived, namely, the Intellect and Nature» — el capítulo III lee los padres del versículo como el Intelecto y la Naturaleza; el troceo reemite la marca de plana justo antes de esta frase.

«And the believers, both men, meaning the intellects, and women, the souls» — el capítulo III lee los creyentes y las creyentes como los intelectos y las almas.

«Elevation may be attributed in two ways, either with respect to position [created being] or to degree [of essential reality]» — arranque del capítulo IV, la palabra de Enoc: la elevación se atribuye por posición o por grado.

«The most elevated [cosmic] position is that point round which the Spheres revolve, which is the Sphere of the Sun where the spiritual form of Enoch resides» — el capítulo IV coloca la forma espiritual de Enoc en la Esfera del Sol, eje de las demás.

«As for degree, it belongs to the heirs of Muhammad. God says, You are the elevated ones and God is with you 19 in this elevation, since, although He is far above all position, He is not so in respect of degree» — el capítulo IV asigna el grado a los herederos de Muhammad; la nota da la sura XLVII:35.

«for action seeks position while knowledge seeks degree. God unites the two kinds of elevation for us, elevation of position through action and of degree through knowledge» — el capítulo IV reparte acción y conocimiento entre posición y grado.

«Man, namely, the Perfect Man, is the most elevated of existing beings, but his elevation depends on an elevation of position or degree, not deriving it from himself» — el capítulo IV declara al Hombre Perfecto el más elevado y a la vez le niega elevación propia.

«The Elevated is one of God's Beautiful Names; but above whom or what, since only He exists? More elevated than whom or what, since only He is and He is Elevated in Himself» — el capítulo IV se plantea la objeción: sobre quién se eleva el Elevado si solo Él existe.

«Thus, in a certain sense, relative beings are elevated in themselves, since [in truth] they are none other than He and His elevation is absolute and not relative» — el capítulo IV resuelve que los seres relativos se elevan en sí mismos por no ser otros que Él.

«This is because the [eternal] essences are immutable unmanifest, knowing nothing of manifested existence, and they remain in that state, despite all the multiplicity of manifested forms» — el capítulo IV mantiene inmutables y no manifiestas las esencias eternas.

«Multiplicity exists only in respect of the divine Names, which are themselves purely relationships and thus not manifest [in themselves]» — el capítulo IV reduce la multiplicidad a los Nombres, que son relaciones.

«Thus, in a certain sense, it may be said that He is not He and you are not you» — la fórmula del capítulo IV para esa relación.

«God cannot be known except as uniting the opposites," in determining them through them» — el capítulo IV cita a al-Kharraz, a quien llama lengua de la Realidad; la nota del traductor lo fecha en 899.

«Thus, only He sees Him and only He is hidden from Him, for He is manifest to Himself and hidden from Himself» — el capítulo IV cierra el juego de Manifiesto y No Manifiesto sobre un solo sujeto.

«The Unmanifest says "No" when the Manifest says "I [am]" and the Manifest says "No" when the Unmanifest says "[Only] I [am]." This is the nature of opposition, but the speaker and listener [in both cases] are One, the Unique» — el capítulo IV pone el sí y el no en boca de los dos Nombres y los reduce a un solo hablante.

«The Essence is Unique while the determinations are various. This situation is well known, since every man knows this of himself, being the form of the Reality» — el capítulo IV funda la fórmula en que cada hombre lo sabe de sí mismo.

«Thus the one makes number possible, and number deploys the one» — el capítulo IV enuncia la reciprocidad entre el uno y el número.

«Each unit is a reality in itself, like nine or ten down to the lowest [two] or upward ad infinitum, although none of them are comprehensive, each of them being a [particular] collection of ones» — el capítulo IV hace de cada número una colección de unos.

«Inherent in all this are the twenty groups [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 1,000], according to a particular construction» — el capítulo IV enumera los veinte grupos numéricos; los corchetes con las cifras son del traductor.

«namely, that to deny them is to affirm them, will know that the transcendent Reality is [at the same time] the relative creature, even though the creature be distinct from the Creator» — el capítulo IV traslada el argumento del número a la relación entre lo trascendente y la criatura.

«The Reality is at once the created Creator and the creating creature. All this is One Essence, at once Unique and Many, so consider what it is you see» — la fórmula del capítulo IV: Creador creado y criatura creadora.

«Father, do as you are commanded,™for the son is the essence of the father. Abraham saw only his own self to be sacrificed» — el capítulo IV lee el sacrificio de Abraham como sacrificio de sí mismo, por ser el hijo la esencia del padre; la nota da la sura XXXVII:102.

«so that that which had appeared in human form appeared as a ram, whereas it had appeared in the form of a son or, more precisely, in a form distinguishing father and son, since the son is [in reality] the essence of the father» — el capítulo IV lee el carnero del rescate como la misma aparición bajo otra forma.

«He created from it [Adams soul] its mate, 92 so that Adam's consort was nothing other than his [essential] self. From him came forth both mate and child, for the [Creative] Command is one in multiplicity» — el capítulo IV hace de la consorte de Adán su propio sí mismo; la nota da la sura IV:1.

«We observe that Nature suffers no loss in displaying [her forms] nor yet any increase in reassimilating them. What is manifest is She Herself, just as She is not what is manifest from the standpoint of formal distinction» — el capítulo IV niega pérdida o ganancia a la Naturaleza al desplegar y reabsorber sus formas.

«The natural order may thus be regarded [at once] as [many] forms reflected in a single mirror or as a single form reflected in many mirrors» — el capítulo IV ofrece las dos lecturas del orden natural, y las deja lado a lado.

«In one sense the Reality is creature, so consider, In another He is not, so reflect. Who grasps my saying, his perception will not dim, Nor may one grasp it save he be endowed with perception. Whether you assert unity or distinction, the Self is Unique. As also the Many that are and yet are not» — los versos del capítulo IV sobre la Realidad que es y no es criatura.

«He Who is Elevated in Himself enjoys that [complete] perfection in which all realities and relationships, determined or undetermined, are immersed, since none of the attributes can possibly apply to other than He. This means all realities and relationships, whether they be, in the eyes of convention, reason or law, praiseworthy or otherwise» — el capítulo IV extiende la perfección a todas las relaciones, loables o no.

«If the form be a [synthetic] form [the Perfect Man], it embraces [essentially] the essential perfection, since it is identical with the [universal] location in which it is manifest. The [all-embracing] totality inherent in the Name "God" is implicit in that form, which is at once not He and not other than He» — el capítulo IV aplica al Hombre Perfecto la totalidad implícita en el Nombre Dios.

«Every Divine Name is invested with all the Names» — el capítulo IV cita a Abu al-Qasim b. Qissi y su *The Shedding of the Sandals*; la nota dice que el propio autor escribió un comentario a esa obra.

«This is because every Name implies the Essence as well as the particular aspect it enshrines. Therefore, insofar as it implies the Essence Itself, it partakes of all the Names, whereas, as evincing the particular aspect [of the Essence] it is distinct and unique [relatively]. In this latter sense it is differentiated from every other Name, such as Lord, Creator, Fashioner, and so on. In the former sense the Name is [essentially] the one Named, but other than He as representing some particular aspect» — el capítulo IV explica por qué cada Nombre lleva dentro todos los demás.

«If you have understood the elevation I have discussed, you will know that it is elevation neither of position nor of degree. As regards the latter, it is peculiar to persons in power, as sultans, governors, ministers, judges, and every holder of office, be they worthy of it or not» — el capítulo IV separa la elevación del cargo de la elevación en sí.

«The higher Spheres are those of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Mansions, the Constellations, the Throne, and the Seat. The lower Spheres are those of Venus, Mercury, the Moon, Ether, Air, Water, and Earth» — el capítulo IV enumera las siete esferas altas y las siete bajas en torno a la solar.

«These locational determinants seem to diversify Him, but it is He Who absorbs every determinant, He Himself being determined only by His Own Self-manifestation. There is naught but He» — el capítulo IV cierra el punto negando que los determinantes diversifiquen de veras.

«When the holder of office ceases to hold it, his elevation ceases also. This is not the case with a man of true knowledge» — cierre del capítulo IV: la elevación del cargo cesa con el cargo.

«It is none other than He who bears the name Abu Sa'Id al-Kharraz and all the other names given to relative beings» — el capítulo IV atribuye a la Realidad misma el nombre del maestro que acaba de citar.

«Self-sufficient elevation is not of this kind. It is quite possible for» — el capítulo IV separa la elevación autosuficiente de la del cargo; el tramo se corta al final de la plana, donde el troceo intercala la nota al pie.

«the most knowledgeable of men to be under the control of the most ignorant who happens to hold a powerful office. The elevation of the latter is entirely relative to the office he holds, while the former is elevated in himself» — continuación: el más sabio puede quedar bajo el mando del más ignorante que ocupe un cargo.

«Abraham was called the Intimate [khaltl] [of God] because he had embraced [takhallala] and penetrated all the Attributes of the Divine Essence» — arranque del capítulo V, la palabra de Abraham: el título se explica por haber penetrado los Atributos de la Esencia.

«I have penetrated the course of the spirit within me, And thus was the Intimate [of God] so called» — el verso que el capítulo V cita para la misma explicación.

«Either approach is valid, since every determination has an appropriate assignation beyond which it does not pass» — el capítulo V declara válidas las dos lecturas.

«Do you not understand that the Reality is manifest through the attributes of relative beings, when He has informed us of that Himself, even through attributes of deficiency and blame» — el capítulo V afirma la manifestación de la Realidad incluso por atributos de deficiencia.

«The words Praise belongs to God94 mean that every instance of praise, as respecting the one who praises or the one praised, reverts to Him» — el capítulo V hace volver a Él toda alabanza, del que alaba y del alabado; la nota da la sura I:1.

«Know that whenever something permeates another it is assumed into the other. That which permeates, the agent, is disguised by that which is permeated, the object of permeation. Thus, the object in this case is the manifest, while the agent is the unmanifest, the hidden [reality]. The latter is as nourishment for the former, even as a piece of wool swells and expands because of the water that permeates it» — el capítulo V explica la penetración con el símil de la lana empapada.

«If, on the other hand, the Reality is considered as being the Manifest and the creature as being hidden within Him, the creature will assume all the Names of the Reality, His hearing, sight, all His relationships [modes], and His knowledge» — el capítulo V invierte los papeles de Manifiesto y Oculto entre Realidad y criatura; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«If, however, the creature is considered the manifest and the Reality the Unmanifest within him, then the Reality is in the hearing of the creature, as also in his sight, hand, foot, and all his faculties, as declared in the [well-known] Holy Tradition of the Prophet» — el capítulo V da la inversión contraria y remite a la Tradición Santa del oído y la vista.

«The Essence, as being beyond all these relationships, is not a divinity. Since all these relationships originate in our eternally unmanifested essences, it is we [in our eternal latency] who make Him a divinity by being that through which He knows Himself as Divine» — el capítulo V niega divinidad a la Esencia tomada fuera de toda relación; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Thus, He is not known [as "God"] until we are known» — la consecuencia que el capítulo V saca de lo anterior.

«It is true that a primordial eternal essence can be known, but it cannot be known as a divinity unless knowledge of that to which it can be related is assumed, for it is the dependent who confirm the independence of the Independent» — el capítulo V concede lo que sí puede conocerse y marca el límite.

«that the Cosmos [of created beings] is nothing more than His Self-revelation [to Himself] in the forms [determined] by their eternally unmanifest essences, which could not possibly exist without Him» — el capítulo V reduce el Cosmos a autorrevelación en las formas de las esencias no manifiestas.

«A final spiritual intuition will show you our forms manifest in Him, so that some of us are manifest to others in the Reality, know each other, and distinguish each other in Him» — el capítulo V describe la última intuición: reconocerse unos a otros dentro de la Realidad.

«There are those of us who have spiritual knowledge of this mutual recognition in the Reality, while others have not experienced the plane on which this occurs. I seek refuge in God lest I be of the ignorant» — el capítulo V separa a quienes han experimentado ese plano de quienes no, y pide refugio contra la ignorancia.

«it is we who determine ourselves through ourselves, which is the meaning of the words God's is the conclusive argument» — el capítulo V devuelve al hombre la determinación de sí mismo; la nota da la sura VI:149.

«For they see that it is not the Reality that has done with them what is claimed, and they see that what was done with them came from themselves, for His knowledge of them is according to what they are themselves [in their eternal essences» — el capítulo V anula la queja contra Dios: lo hecho viene de las propias esencias.

«it is not granted to everyone by God that his spiritual sight should be opened to perceive his essential reality [in its latency], for there are those who know and those who do not know» — el capítulo V reparte a los que ven su realidad esencial y a los que no.

«Knowledge has no effect on the object of knowledge, while what is known has an effect on knowledge, bestowing on it of itself what it is» — el capítulo V invierte la dirección del efecto entre el conocimiento y lo conocido.

«The [scriptural] Revelations were formulated in accordance with what those addressed laid down [as regards the eternal measure of response eternally latent in their essences] and according to reason, which formulation does not [necessarily] conform to what [direct] spiritual intuition reveals. Thus, although believers are many, gnostics endowed with spiritual intuition are few» — el capítulo V distingue la formulación de la revelación de lo que muestra la intuición directa.

«There are none of us but have a known station, 102 which is what you are in your eternal latency and in accordance with which you are manifest in existence, if, in truth, your reality includes the possibility of being manifested» — el capítulo V lee la estación conocida del versículo como la latencia eterna; la nota da la sura XXXVII:164.

«Therefore praise none other than yourself and blame none other than yourself. Praise is due to the Reality only as pouring forth existence, which only He may do, not you» — el capítulo V manda alabar y culpar solo a uno mismo, y reserva a la Realidad el verter existencia.

«You are His nourishment as bestowing the contents of His Self-Knowledge, while He is yours as bestowing existence, what is assigned to you being assigned also to Him» — el capítulo V invierte el alimento: cada uno nutre el Conocimiento y es nutrido de existencia; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«However, you are called the one who is charged, but He charges you only in accordance with what your essential unmanifest reality bids Him. He is not so called, since He is not the object» — el capítulo V explica por qué el encargo recae en la criatura y no en la Realidad.

«He praises me and I praise Him, He worships me and I worship Him. In my state of existence I confirm Him, As unmanifest essence I deny Him» — los versos del capítulo V que Austin señala en la introducción como herejía aparente.

«He knows me, while I know naught of Him, I also know Him and perceive Him. Where then is His Self-sufficiency, Since I help Him and grant Him Bliss» — sigue el verso, que pregunta por la autosuficiencia de quien recibe ayuda.

«It was because Abraham attained to this rank by which he was called the Intimate [of God] that hospitality became a [sacred] act» — el capítulo V liga la hospitalidad sagrada al rango alcanzado por Abraham.

«Food penetrates to the essence of the one fed, permeating every part. So also with God, although in His case there are no parts but only Divine Stations or Names through which His Essence is manifest» — el capítulo V aplica el símil del alimento y acota que en Dios no hay partes sino Estaciones o Nombres.

«We are His as has been shown, As also we belong to ourselves. He has no other becoming except mine, We are His and we are through ourselves» — los versos finales del capítulo V sobre la doble pertenencia.

«I have two aspects, He and I, But He is not I in my I. In me. is His theater of manifestation^ And we are for Him as vessels» — cierre del capítulo V: el hombre como teatro de manifestación y vaso; el impreso deja un punto suelto y un acento circunflejo de la capa de texto dentro del verso.

«or Abraham was so called because the Reality permeated his form» — la segunda lectura: la Realidad permeó su forma. El capítulo no arbitra entre las dos.

«for He wills only that which is» — continuación: solo quiere lo que es.

«Ibn Masarrah put him with Michael [the Archangel] as a source of provision, provisions being the food of those provided» — el capítulo V cita a Ibn Masarrah; la nota del traductor lo fecha en 931.

«In the same way, color permeates that which is colored, providing [it be understood] that the accident in relation to its substance is» — el capítulo V da la primera de las dos lecturas del título, con el símil del color que permea lo coloreado; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«Abu Hamid al-Ghazall, have asserted that God can be known without any reference to the created Cosmos, but this is mistaken» — el capítulo V objeta a al-Ghazali que Dios pueda conocerse sin referencia al Cosmos; el desacuerdo se consigna sin armonizar y el nombre va tal cual lo imprime la capa de texto.

«If it be asked what is the point of His saying, Had He wished He would have guided you all, 10 ° we reply that the Had He in Had He wished» — el capítulo V se plantea la objeción del versículo sobre la guía universal; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«conveys the denial of a suggestion regarding the impossible» — continuación: la prótasis niega una sugerencia sobre lo imposible.

«The ransom of a prophet is a beast slaughtered as a sacrificial offering, But how can the bleating of a ram compare with the speech of Man» — arranque del capítulo VI, la palabra de Isaac: los versos preguntan cómo el balido de un carnero se compara con la palabra del Hombre.

«Would that I knew how a mere ram came to be a substitute for the Vice-Regent of the Merciful» — sigue el verso del capítulo VI sobre el carnero como sustituto del Vicerregente.

«No creation is higher than the stone, and after it the plant, In a certain sense and according to certain measures. After the plant comes sentient being, all know their Creator by a direct knowledge» — el verso del capítulo VI ordena piedra, planta y ser sintiente, y atribuye a este último conocimiento directo del Creador.

«As for the one called Adam, he is bound by intelligence, thought, and the garland of faith» — el verso del capítulo VI ata a Adán a la inteligencia, el pensamiento y la fe.

«Concerning this said Sahl, a gnostic like ourselves, 104 Because we and they are at the degree of spiritual vision» — el capítulo VI nombra a Sahl como gnóstico de la misma condición; la nota del traductor lo fecha en 283 de la hégira.

«Do not consider words contrary to ours, nor sow seed in blind soil. For they are the deaf, the dumb of whom the sinless one spoke in the text of the Qur'an» — cierre de los versos del capítulo VI, con la referencia a los sordos y mudos del Corán.

«Know, may God strengthen us and you, that Abraham the Intimate said to his son, / saw in sleep that I was killing you for sacrifice» — el capítulo VI entra en el sueño de Abraham; la nota da la sura XXXVII:102, y el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«The state of sleep is the plane of the Imagination and Abraham did not interpret [what he saw], for it was a ram that appeared in the form of Abraham's son in the dream, while Abraham believed what he saw» — el capítulo VI sitúa el sueño en el plano de la Imaginación y señala que Abraham no interpretó.

«So his Lord rescued his son from Abraham's misapprehension by the Great Sacrifice [of the ram], which was the true expression of his vision with God, of which Abraham was unaware» — el capítulo VI llama malentendido a la lectura literal del sueño y hace del carnero la expresión verdadera de la visión.

«I was right in some cases and mistaken in others» — el capítulo VI cita al Apóstol sobre sus propias interpretaciones de visiones ante Abu Bakr.

«God says to Abraham, calling him Abraham, you believed what you saw, 106 and He does not say, "You were right concerning what you saw," namely [in seeing] your son, because he did not interpret what he saw, but took it at its face value, although visions require interpretation» — el capítulo VI distingue creer lo visto de acertar en lo visto; la nota da la sura XXXVII:105.

«Interpretation means to pass from the form of what one sees to something beyond it» — la definición que el capítulo VI da de la interpretación.

«Had he been true to the vision he would have killed his son, for he believed that it was his son he saw, although with God it was nothing other than the Great Sacrifice in the form of his son» — el capítulo VI saca la consecuencia del malentendido.

«The senses formulated the sacrifice and the Imagination produced the form of Abraham's son. Had it been a ram he saw in the Imagination he would have interpreted it as his son or as something else» — el capítulo VI reparte el papel de los sentidos y la Imaginación en el sueño.

«Abraham knew that the perspective of the Imagination required interpretation, but was heedless [on this occasion] and did not deal with the perspective in the proper way. Thus, he believed the vision as he saw it» — el capítulo VI declara el descuido de Abraham en aquella ocasión.

«Whoever sees me in sleep has seen me in waking, for the Devil cannot take my form upon himself» — el capítulo VI cita el dicho profético sobre el sueño; la nota remite a Muslim.

«Accordingly TaqI b. Mukhallad saw him [in sleep] and the Prophet was giving him milk to drink. He believed the vision superficially, and made himself vomit [to prove its truth]. Had he penetrated to the meaning of his vision, the milk would have been [what it represented] knowledge, but God denied him much knowledge because he had drunk it as milk» — el capítulo VI narra el caso de Taqi b. Mukhallad, que tomó la leche al pie de la letra y perdió el conocimiento que significaba.

«I drank of it until I was completely satiated, and the rest I gave to 'Umar» — el capítulo VI contrapone el sueño de la leche del propio Profeta; la nota remite a Hanbal.

«What is your interpretation, O Apostle of God?" He said, "Knowledge," nor did he simply take it as milk according to the form he saw, because of his knowledge of the perspective of vision and the necessity to interpret [what is seen]» — el capítulo VI da la interpretación del Profeta, conocimiento, frente a la lectura literal.

«It is well known that the form of the Prophet perceived by the senses is buried in Madinah and that the spiritual form and subtle essence have never been seen by anyone of anyone, nor yet his own, as is the case with every spirit» — el capítulo VI distingue la forma sensible enterrada en Medina de la forma espiritual.

«The spirit of the Prophet appears to one in the form of his body when he died, albeit unaffected by decay; indeed, it is Muhammad appearing as spirit in a corporeal form resembling the buried body, which form Satan is unable to assume, as a protection from God for the recipient of the vision» — el capítulo VI explica cómo aparece ese espíritu y por qué Satán no puede tomar esa forma.

«we know, in respect of any vision we may have of the Reality in a form unaccept» — el capítulo VI da la regla para la visión que la razón no acepta; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra al final de la plana.

«If, however, reason does not reject it, we accept it as we see it, even as we shall see the Reality in the Hereafter» — el capítulo VI cierra la regla con la visión de la Realidad en el Más Allá.

«In every abode [of being, becoming] the Unique, the Merciful has forms, whether hidden or manifest. If you say, "This is the Reality," you have spoken the truth, if "something other," you are interpreting» — los versos del capítulo VI sobre las formas del Único en cada morada; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«When He manifests Himself to the sight, reason rushes to bring proof against it [Him]. He is accepted as manifested on the intellectual plane as also in the imagination, but direct vision sees true» — sigue el verso: la razón corre a objetar lo que la visión directa ve verdadero.

«If the Throne and all that surrounds it, multiplied a hundred million times, were to be in one of the many corners of the Heart of the gnostic, he would not be aware of it» — el capítulo VI cita a Abu Yazid al-Bistami sobre la capacidad del Corazón del gnóstico; la nota del traductor lo fecha en 874 y recuerda que sus dichos ofendían al establecimiento religioso.

«I say, however, that, were limitless existence, if its limit could be imagined, together with the essence that brought it into existence, to be put into one of the corners of the Heart of the gnostic, he would have no consciousness of it» — el capítulo VI sube la apuesta sobre el dicho de al-Bistami.

«O He Who creates things in Himself, You comprise all You create. Though You create beings without limit within Yourself, You are both the Restricted and the All-Encompassing» — los versos del capítulo VI sobre lo Restringido y lo que todo lo abarca.

«Every man creates by his fancy in the Imaginative faculty that which has existence nowhere else, this being a common facility» — el capítulo VI concede a todo hombre una creación imaginativa sin existencia fuera de ella.

«The gnostic, however, by his Concentration, creates that which has existence beyond the origin of the Concentration, indeed, the Concentration continues to maintain its existence, which depletes it in no way at all» — el capítulo VI distingue la creación por Concentración del gnóstico, que persiste; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Should the attention of the gnostic be deflected from the maintenance of what he has created, it will cease to exist, unless the gnostic commands all planes [of existence], in which case such deflection does not arise, since [at all times] he is present on some plane or another» — el capítulo VI ata la persistencia de lo creado a la atención del gnóstico.

«Thus, I have expounded here a mystery that the Folk have always guarded from exposition, because it would seem to contradict their claim to be one with the Reality» — el capítulo VI declara estar exponiendo un misterio que la Gente guardaba; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«the gnostic may say, "I am the Reality," 114 but his maintenance of that thing cannot be compared to the maintenance exercised by the Reality» — el capítulo VI permite la fórmula de al-Hallaj y a la vez la acota; la nota del traductor recuerda que ese dicho le costó la ejecución.

«This whole question, as I have been told, has never previously been committed to writing, either by me or any other, until now. It is indeed unique and without precedent» — el capítulo VI declara inédito este punto.

«Only he will truly know what we have said whose essential self is a united totality [qur'an]. For one who fears God, He will make a discrimination for him, 116 and he is as we have mentioned in discussing the distinction between servant and Lord. This discrimination is the loftiest discrimination» — el capítulo VI reserva la comprensión a quien sea una totalidad unida, y vuelve al juego de las dos raíces árabes.

«At the time the servant is a Lord, without a doubt, At the time the servant is a servant, most certainly. If servant, he encompasses the Reality, If Lord, he is in a lowly state» — los versos finales del capítulo VI sobre el siervo y el Señor.

«As servant he perceives the essential self And hopes range widely from him. As Lord he sees all creation, both lower and higher, Making demands on him. In himself he is quite unable to answer their demands, And for this reason you may see gnostics weeping» — sigue el verso: el que se ve como Señor recibe demandas que no puede atender, y de ahí el llanto de los gnósticos.

«So be the servant of a Lord, not Lord of a servant, Lest you fall into Hell Fire» — cierre del capítulo VI: el aviso que Austin cita en su introducción.

«The formal Self-revelation [of the Reality] on the plane of the Imagination requires an additional knowledge by which to apprehend what God intends by a particular form» — el capítulo VI exige un conocimiento añadido para leer la forma de la autorrevelación.

«Thus, whoever sees him in this way accepts from him all he commands or forbids and all he says, as he would accept his precepts in this world» — el capítulo VI manda aceptar lo que se oye en esa visión como en vida; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«If, on the other hand, he gives him something, its [form] is a matter for interpretation» — continuación: lo que en la visión se entrega sí pide interpretación.

«It is established that the Heart encompasses the Reality, but though it be filled» — el capítulo VI declara que el Corazón abarca la Realidad; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«it thirsts on, as Abu Yazid has said» — continuación: lleno y con sed, según el dicho citado.

«The Reality is never unattentive, while the servant is always inattentive to something or other» — el capítulo VI marca la diferencia entre la atención de la Realidad y la del siervo.

«Know that that which is termed "God" is One through the Essence and All through the Names. Each created being is related to God only as being its particular Lord, since its relationship to [God] as the All is impossible» — arranque del capítulo VII, la palabra de Ismael: Uno por la Esencia y Todo por los Nombres; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«As regards the divine Unity, there is no place in it for one as being one of many, nor does it admit of any differentiation or distinction. His Unity integrates all in potentiality» — el capítulo VII niega a la Unidad divina toda diferenciación.

«Blessed is the one with whom his Lord is pleased, indeed, there is none but is pleasing in the sight of his Lord, since it is by him that the Lord maintains his Lordship so that he is pleasing in the sight of his Lord and is blessed» — el capítulo VII generaliza la complacencia del Señor a todo ser, por ser el ser quien sostiene el Señorío.

«In Lordship is a mystery, that mystery being you, which means every being, and were it to cease, the Lordship would cease» — el capítulo VII cita a Sahl sobre el misterio del Señorío; la nota del traductor remite a Corbin y a Afifi.

«Here he uses the words "were it to," which imply impossibility, since it will not cease, nor yet the Lordship, since the being exists only by its Lord. The being always exists and the Lordship never ceases» — el capítulo VII acota el dicho de Sahl: la condición es imposible.

«One who is pleasing is loved so that all the loved one does is also loved, indeed, all is pleasing, since the individual being itself does not act, but its Lord in it» — el capítulo VII niega acción propia al ser individual.

«Ishmael was well pleasing to his Lord because he had come to know what we have mentioned, just as every created being is well pleasing» — el capítulo VII explica por qué Ismael es agradable a su Señor.

«It does not follow, however, that because a created being is well pleasing to his Lord he is equally so to the Lord of some other servant, since he has his Lordship from a source embracing many, not onlv one. Thus, from the totality [of divine aspects] each being is assigned one particularly suited to it to be its Lord» — el capítulo VII acota: la complacencia de un Señor no vale para el Señor de otro siervo.

«For this reason the Folk are barred from a divine Self-revelation of His Unity» — el capítulo VII niega a la Gente la autorrevelación de la Unidad.

«Were you to look on Him through you, His Unity would vanish in your being you» — el capítulo VII muestra cómo la mirada propia disuelve la Unidad.

«by positing yourself in the pronoun "you look" you are positing something other than what is looked on, thus establishing a relation between two things, the observer and the thing observed, thereby nullifying the Unity [which admits of no other], although [in reality] only He sees Himself alone through Himself» — el capítulo VII desarma el pronombre: poner un yo es poner dos términos.

«It is said, to every tranquil soul, Return to your Lord, that is to its own Lord, the one who summoned it, which it knows apart from all the others, pleased and well pleasing» — el capítulo VII lee el versículo del alma tranquila como vuelta al Señor propio; la nota da la sura LXXXIX:28.

«The servants mentioned here are those who know their Lord, Most High, reserving themselves to Him and not to any other, despite the [essential] Unity [of all Being]» — el capítulo VII define a esos siervos como los que se reservan a su Señor.

«My Paradise is none other than you, for it is you who hide Me with your [individual] self» — el capítulo VII lee el Paraíso del versículo como cobertura, y juega con la raíz árabe que significa ocultar.

«When you enter into His Paradise you enter into yourself. Then you will know yourself with a gnosis other than that by which you knew your Lord by knowing yourself» — el capítulo VII hace de esa entrada un segundo conocimiento de sí.

«Thus, you will be possessed of two kinds of gnosis, first knowing Him as knowing yourself, second, knowing Him through you as Him, not as you» — el capítulo VII distingue las dos gnosis resultantes.

«You are servant and you are Lord, For One for Whom and in Whom you are servant, You are Lord and you are servant, For One Who reminds of the covenant in His address» — los versos del capítulo VII sobre la doble condición.

«Thus the two planes [servants and Lords] are contrasted like similars that are [in a sense] opposed, since no two similar things can unite, otherwise there would be no distinction» — el capítulo VII contrapone los dos planos como similares opuestos.

«In existence there is no similarity or dissimilarity, for there is but One Reality, and a thing is not the opposite of itself» — el capítulo VII niega semejanza y desemejanza en la existencia.

«Naught save the Reality remains, no being, There is no arriving and no being afar, Spiritual vision confirms this, for I Have not seen aught but Him, when I looked» — los versos del capítulo VII sobre lo que la visión espiritual confirma.

«This is further demonstrated to us by the fact that some beings are ignorant of what I [for example] know, for there are surely distinctions between servants, as also between Lords» — el capítulo VII apoya la distinción en la desigualdad de conocimiento entre los seres.

«The Name the Strengthener is not understood in the same way as the Name the Abaser, and so on. However, from the standpoint of the Unity, every Name evinces both the Essence and its own» — el capítulo VII opone dos Nombres para mostrar que la distinción es real; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«Thus the Strengthener is the Abaser in respect of the named One, whereas the Strengthener is not the Abaser in respect of its own [relative] reality, the signification being different in both of them» — el capítulo VII resuelve la oposición por el lado del Nombrado y la mantiene por el lado de cada Nombre.

«Do not look upon the Reality, lest you abstract Him from creation. Do not look upon creation, lest you invest it with what is not the Reality» — los versos del capítulo VII que prohíben las dos miradas unilaterales.

«Do not pass away and do not subsist, nor yet annihilate or sustain. Thus revelation will not be granted you in respect of another» — el capítulo VII prohíbe las cuatro posiciones extremas.

«Praise is not occasioned by His being true to His threat but by His being true to His promise [of Paradise]. Indeed the Plane of Divinity demands praise praised by Itself [the Essence]. Thus, It is praised through faithfulness to the promise [of Paradise] and not to the threat [of Hell], indeed, through His refraining from His threat» — el capítulo VII funda la alabanza en el cumplimiento de la promesa y no en el de la amenaza.

«Do not think that God will fail in His promise to His Apostles. 123 He does not say "His threat," but says further, elsewhere, We overlook their wrongdoings, 124 despite His threat in this regard» — el capítulo VII apoya el punto en que el texto habla de promesa y no de amenaza; las notas dan las suras XIV:47 y XLVI:16.

«Only He Who is true to His promise subsists, Nor does His threat have any true being» — los versos del capítulo VII que niegan ser a la amenaza.

«It is called an 'adhab because of its sweet taste, 126 Like a skin that preserves what is inside» — cierre del capítulo VII: el juego con la raíz árabe que dice a la vez tormento y dulzura, declarado en la nota del traductor.

«Religion is of two kinds, the religion of God and those whom God has taught His religion and those whom they have taught and, second, the religion of created beings, which God acknowledges» — arranque del capítulo VIII, la palabra de Jacob: las dos clases de religión.

«The religion of God is that chosen by Him and set by Him at a level far above the religion of creation» — el capítulo VIII coloca la religión de Dios por encima de la de la creación.

«Abraham enjoined it upon his sons, as did Jacob his son [saying], "0 my son, God has chosen for you the religion, so die not save as submitting yourselves to Him» — el capítulo VIII cita el encargo de Abraham y de Jacob a sus hijos; la nota da la sura II:132.

«Religion [in this verse] has the definite article, namely, it is a known and established religion» — el capítulo VIII argumenta desde el artículo definido del versículo.

«The religion with God is Islam [submission], 128 which means following and obeying [Him], religion meaning your yielding to and submitting [to Him]» — el capítulo VIII define la religión como sumisión; la nota da la sura III:19.

«It is the servant who establishes the practice of the religion and God Who determines its nature, for [your] submission is your action and the religion is from your act, since your being blessed may be only through that which derives from you yourself» — el capítulo VIII reparte los papeles: el siervo practica, Dios determina la naturaleza de la religión.

«so that only in relation to His effects is He called a divinity and only in relation to your effects are you called blessed» — el capítulo VIII vuelve a la reciprocidad entre la divinidad y la bienaventuranza.

«All religion is for God, from you not Him, except as being your Origin» — la fórmula del capítulo VIII sobre la procedencia de la religión.

«Monasticism was introduced by them for the first time, 129 which [incorporates] the revelations of Wisdom that were not brought by the Apostle as [generally] known in bringing [the Message] to the people from God in the customary fashion» — el capítulo VIII lee el versículo sobre el monacato como revelación de Sabiduría no traída por el Apóstol; la nota del traductor explica el sentido de *Sabiduría* en el Corán.

«Since the Wisdom and good apparent in it are in harmony with the divine determination respecting the purpose of revealed Scripture, it is in God's sight as that which He laid down [in His Dispensation], although He did not prescribe it for them» — el capítulo VIII admite el monacato como si Dios lo hubiera dispuesto, aunque no lo prescribió.

«Thus, since God has, unknown to them, opened the door of His providence and Mercy to their hearts, He causes them to extol what they have established, apart from the more familiar way brought by the Prophet and recognized by divine revelation, seeking [by it] the pleasure of God» — el capítulo VIII atribuye a la providencia divina esa institución ajena a la vía profética.

«Thus, it is the [essential] state that affects [the decision]. In this way religion [may be regarded as] a matter of requital and recompense for what pleases and what does not please» — el capítulo VIII hace del estado esencial lo que decide la recompensa.

«Thus religion is a form of recompense, for the religion is Islam, which means submission, so that one submits to what pleases and to what does not please, which [involves] recompense» — el capítulo VIII cierra el aspecto externo: la religión como forma de retribución.

«As for its inner and secret aspect, it is a [divine] Self-revelation in the mirror of the existence of the Reality. For the contingent beings receive from the Reality only as they themselves in their [essential] states dictate; they have a form for every state, the forms varying according to the variation of their states, as the Self-revelation [of the Reality] differs according to the state» — el capítulo VIII abre el aspecto interno: autorrevelación en el espejo de la existencia de la Realidad.

«A deeper truth in this matter is that the contingent beings are, in the final analysis, nonexistent, since the only [true] existence is the existence of the Reality in the forms of the states in which the contingent beings are in themselves and in their [eternally latent] essences» — el capítulo VIII declara inexistentes en último análisis a los seres contingentes.

«So you should know [that it is none other than the Reality] Who undergoes pleasure and pain and that [it is the divine Self-revelation] that is the result of every state, which is called consequence and penalty» — el capítulo VIII atribuye a la Realidad misma el placer y el dolor.

«In this sense the religion might be called or interpreted as a custom ['adah\ since there befalls [the servant] only that which his own state demands and necessitates» — el capítulo VIII propone leer la religión como costumbre, por la raíz árabe; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«This is a question kept unexplained by those who know it as is proper, not because they are ignorant of it but because it is an aspect of the mystery of Premeasurement which governs created being» — el capítulo VIII declara por qué los que saben callan sobre este punto.

«Know that just as it may be said that the doctor is the servant of Nature, so might it also be said that the apostles and heirs are the servants of the divine Command in general and, at the same time, serving the states of contingent beings» — el capítulo VIII introduce el símil del médico servidor de la Naturaleza.

«Nature has established in the body of the patient a particular complex of conditions by which he is called sick. Were the doctor to assist her [in that particular manifestation] he would serve only to increase the sickness. Thus, he restrains her only in order to restore health [to his patient]» — el capítulo VIII explica cómo el médico sirve a la Naturaleza restringiéndola.

«Thus, the doctor is not [fully] the servant of Nature, being her servant only in the sense that he would be quite unable to cure the sick man and change his condition except by means of Nature» — el capítulo VIII acota el símil: el médico no es servidor pleno de la Naturaleza.

«The effect of the Command on the servant is as the Will of the Reality determines, which is itself determined by His Knowledge, which is determined in turn by that which the object of His Knowledge bestows of itself, which is not manifest except in its image [form]» — el capítulo VIII encadena Mandato, Voluntad, Conocimiento y objeto conocido.

«Thus the apostle and the heir are servants of the divine Command through the Will, but are not servants of the Will, opposing it [the Will] with it [the Command] in order to secure the blessedness of the one charged to obey it» — el capítulo VIII hace del apóstol servidor del Mandato y no de la Voluntad; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«The apostle, as also the heir, is a doctor of souls completely obedient to the Command of God» — el capítulo VIII cierra el símil: el apóstol como médico de almas.

«Considering both the Command of God and His Will, it may be seen that what is commanded may be contrary to His Will, since only what He wills takes place, which is the reason for the Command» — el capítulo VIII admite que lo mandado puede ir contra lo querido.

«However, a command [divine] requires obedience. The one commanded either obeys willingly or opposes the command. As for the former, no more need be said; as for the latter, the opposition by which he is governed demands of God one of two courses, either indulgence and forgiveness, or censure» — el capítulo VIII reparte las dos salidas de la desobediencia.

«Thus also, only he bestows good on himself and only he evil, being his own benefactor and chastiser. Therefore, let him not blame any but himself, nor praise any but himself» — el capítulo VIII devuelve al siervo el bien y el mal que recibe.

«However, custom is an intelligible reality and a certain resemblance exists between the forms. For example, we know that Zaid is the same as 'Arnr in respect to their humanity, although [in this instance] humanity does not occur twice for, if so, it would be a multiple thing and» — el capítulo VIII distingue la humanidad única de la individualidad múltiple con el ejemplo de Zaid y 'Amr; el impreso corrompe el segundo nombre en *'Arnr* y el troceo reemite la marca de plana a media frase.

«On the surface Zaid would appear to be a replica of 'Arnr, but a true assessment shows this not to be true, there being from one standpoint no repetition, while from another there is [a certain] repetition» — el capítulo VIII concede y niega a la vez la repetición, sin armonizar los dos puntos de vista.

«The Chapter Hud lA2 and its kind caused me great anxiety, because of their oft-repeated saying, Be upright as you have been commanded» — el capítulo VIII cita la ansiedad del Profeta ante el mandato de ser recto; la nota del traductor declara no haber podido rastrear la tradición.

«None knows what the Will wills until what it has willed takes place, except one receive a spiritual intuition from God enabling one to perceive the essences of» — el capítulo VIII marca el límite del conocimiento de la Voluntad; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«He says, / know not what He will do with me or you, 144 thus speaking openly of the veil» — cierre del capítulo VIII: el versículo del velo; la nota da la sura XLVI:9. El impreso abre la cita con una barra en vez de comilla.

«They have their pleasure in a delight, Other than Heaven's delight, but they are One [in Him], The difference between the two being apparent in his Self» — sigue el verso del capítulo VII: aun en la morada de la aflicción hay un deleite propio, distinto del del Cielo, y los dos son Uno en Él; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«The light of this luminous Wisdom extends over the plane of the Imagination, which is the first principle of revelation according to the people of Providence» — arranque del capítulo IX, la palabra de José: la Imaginación como primer principio de la revelación.

«Revelation began with the Apostle of God as the Yerdicial Vision, which was [as clear] as the breaking of dawn every time he saw it, there being no obscurity» — el capítulo IX cita a 'Aisha sobre el comienzo de la revelación; la capa de texto corrompe el término en *Yerdicial* y la nota remite a Bujari.

«'Aishah's knowledge went no further than this. She added that he had been in this state for a period of six months after which the Angel [Gabriel] came to him» — el capítulo IX acota el alcance de ese testimonio.

«Men sleep and when they died they shall awake," 146 all that is seen in sleep being of a similar nature, although the conditions are different» — el capítulo IX cita el dicho profético sobre el dormir de los hombres; la nota del traductor declara no haber podido rastrear la tradición, muy citada por autores sufíes.

«She stated a period of six months, whereas [in truth] his whole earthly life was after this fashion, [earthly existence] being a dream» — el capítulo IX extiende el estado de visión a toda la vida terrena, que llama sueño dentro de un sueño; el impreso parte y espacia las palabras del cierre.

«That means that something that of itself has a certain form appears in another form, so that the interpreter proceeds from the form seen by the dreamer to the form of the thing in itself, if he is successful, as for example the appearance of knowledge in the form of milk» — el capítulo IX define la interpretación como paso de una forma a otra, con el ejemplo de la leche y el conocimiento.

«When the Apostle used to receive a revelation he was withdrawn from all usual sensations, covered with a cloak, and [in all but his body] absent from all present. When the revelation ceased he was restored [to the sensory world]. What he perceived [in this state] he perceived only in the plane of the Imagination, except that he was not considered to be sleeping» — el capítulo IX describe el estado en que se recibía la revelación.

«In the same way the appearance of the Angel to him as a man was also from the plane of the Imagination, since he [Gabriel] is not a man but an angel who took on himself human form» — el capítulo IX sitúa en la Imaginación la aparición humana del Ángel.

«It is Gabriel who has come to teach you your religion"; he had also said, "Return the man's greeting," calling him a man because of the form in which he appeared to them» — el capítulo IX recoge los dos dichos, hombre y Gabriel, y los da por correctos los dos.

«I saw eleven stars and the sun and moon prostrating before me. 148 He saw his brothers in the form of stars and saw his father and aunt as the sun and the moon» — el capítulo IX cita el sueño de José y reparte las figuras; la nota da la sura XII:4.

«Thus, since they had no knowledge of what Joseph saw, Joseph's perception [of what he saw] took place through his own imaginative faculty» — el capítulo IX atribuye la visión a la facultad imaginativa del propio José.

«My son, do not relate your vision to your brothers, lest they conspire against you. 149 Then he goes on to absolve his sons of conspiracy and to lay it at Satan's door, who is the very essence of conspiracy, saying, Surely Satan is Man s certain foe» — el capítulo IX cita la advertencia de Jacob y el traslado de la conjura a Satán; las notas dan la sura XII:5.

«This is the original meaning ofmy vision, which my Lord has made true, 151 that is, He has made it manifest to the senses, being previously in a form from the Imagination» — el capítulo IX lee el cumplimiento del sueño como manifestación a los sentidos; el impreso pega dos palabras.

«since he [in relation to what the Prophet said] is in the position of one who dreams that he has waked from a dream and proceeds to interpret it. Such a one does not know that he is still asleep and dreaming, but when he does wake, he says, "I saw such and such, which, dreaming that I had waked, I interpreted» — el capítulo IX coloca a José como quien sueña que ha despertado e interpreta dentro del sueño.

«It could not be other than sensible, since the Imagination deals only in what is sensible. Consider also how lofty is the knowledge of Muhammad's heirs» — el capítulo IX marca el límite de la Imaginación y eleva el conocimiento de los herederos de Muhammad.

«Know that what is "other than the Reality," which is called the Cosmos, is, in relation to the Reality, as a shadow is to that which casts the shadow, for it is the shadow of God» — el capítulo IX enuncia la imagen central: el Cosmos como sombra de Dios.

«The thing on which this divine shadow, called the Cosmos, appears is the [eternally latent] essences of contingent beings. The shadow is spread out over them, and the [identity of] the shadow is known to the extent that the Being of the [original] Essence is extended upon it» — el capítulo IX coloca esa sombra sobre las esencias latentes de los seres contingentes; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«It is by His Name, the Light that it is perceived. This shadow extends over the essences of contingent beings in the form of the unknown Unseen» — el capítulo IX atribuye la percepción de la sombra al Nombre la Luz.

«Have you not observed that shadows tend to be black, which indicates their imperceptibility [as regards content] by reason of the remote relationship between them and their origins» — el capítulo IX explica la negrura de las sombras por la lejanía respecto de su origen.

«Do you not also observe that mountains distant from the observer appear to be black, while being in themselves other than the color seen? The cause is only the distance. The same is the case with the blueness of the sky, which is also the effect of distance on the senses» — el capítulo IX apoya el punto en las montañas lejanas y el azul del cielo; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«In the same way the essences of contingent beings are not luminous, being nonexistent, albeit latent. They may not be described as existing because existence is light» — el capítulo IX niega luz a las esencias contingentes por ser inexistentes.

«For example, the evidence is that the sun is 160 times the size of the Earth, while, to the eye, it is no larger than a shield. This is also the effect of distance» — el capítulo IX da la cifra del tamaño del sol respecto de la Tierra tal como la imprime la traducción.

«Insofar as He has a shadow, He is known, but insofar as the form of the one casting the shadow is not perceived in the shadow, the Reality is not known. For this reason we say that the Reality is known to us in one sense and unknown in another» — el capítulo IX reparte lo conocido y lo desconocido de la Realidad por la imagen de la sombra.

«Then We take it back to Ourselves easily, 156 only because it is His shadow, since from Him it is manifest and to Him the whole manifestation returns, for the shadow is none other than He» — el capítulo IX lee el retorno de la sombra como retorno de toda manifestación.

«With reference to the Identity of the Reality, it is Its Being, whereas, with reference to the variety of its forms, it is the essences of contingent beings» — el capítulo IX reparte los dos modos de mirar la misma sombra.

«If what we say is true, the Cosmos is but a fantasy without any real existence, which is another meaning of the Imagination. That is to say, you imagine that it [the Cosmos] is something separate and self-sufficient, outside the Reality, while in truth it is not so» — el capítulo IX llama fantasía al Cosmos tomado como separado y autosuficiente.

«Therefore know [truly] your own self [essence], who you are, what is your identity and what your relationship with the Reality. Consider well in what way you are real and in what way [part of] the Cosmos, as being separate, other, and so on. It is in this respect that the sages are better than one another; so heed and learn» — el capítulo IX manda al lector medir en qué sentido es real y en qué sentido es Cosmos.

«for, if you were to say the light is green because of the green glass, you would be right as viewing the situation through your senses, and if you were to say that it is not green, indeed it is colorless, by deduction, you would also be right as viewing the situation through sound intellectual reasoning» — el capítulo IX da por buenas las dos respuestas sobre el color de la luz, y no arbitra.

«Thus, he of us who has realized in himself the Reality manifests the form of the Reality to a greater extent than he who has not» — el capítulo IX gradúa la manifestación de la Realidad según lo realizado en cada quien.

«Despite this, the shadow [the individual] still exists essentially, for the pronoun used [in the words of the Tradition] "his hearing," refers to him [as shadow] particularly, since other servants are not of this attainment» — el capítulo IX conserva al individuo como sombra pese a la Tradición del oído y la vista.

«If things are as we have decided, know that you are an imagination, as is all that you regard as other than yourself an imagination. All [relative] existence is an imagination within an imagination, the only Reality being God, as Self and the Essence, not in respect of His Names» — el capítulo IX generaliza: toda existencia relativa es imaginación dentro de imaginación.

«This is because the Names have two connotations: The first connotation is God Himself Who is what is named, the second that by which one Name is distinguished from another» — el capítulo IX desdobla la connotación de cada Nombre.

«Glory be to Him Who Alone is evidence of Himself Alone, and Who is Self-subsisting. There is naught in Being but is implicit in the divine Unity, and there is naught in the Imagination but is implicit in [Cosmic] multiplicity» — el capítulo IX reparte la Unidad y la multiplicidad entre el Ser y la Imaginación.

«Say: He God is One, 158 in His [Unique] Self; God the Eternal Refuge, in respect of our dependence on Him; He begets not, in His Identity or in relation to us; nor is He begotten, as for the preceding verse» — el capítulo IX glosa versículo por versículo la sura de la Sinceridad; la nota del traductor identifica el capítulo CXII.

«God's Unity, in respect of the divine Names that require our existence, is a unity of many, while in respect of His complete independence of the Names and us, it is unity of Essence, for both of which the Name the One is used» — el capítulo IX distingue la unidad de muchos de la unidad de Esencia; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«God created shadows lying prostrate to right and left only as clues for you in knowing yourself and Him, that you might know who you are, your relationship with Him, and His with you, and so that you might understand how or according to which divine truth all that is other than God is described as being completely dependent on Him, as being [also] mutually interdependent» — el capítulo IX hace de las sombras del versículo claves para conocerse uno y conocerlo a Él.

«Without any doubt, the Cosmos is fundamentally dependent on causes, the greatest of which enjoys the causality of the Reality. 1 he divine causality on which the Cosmos depends is the Divine Names, which are every Name on which the Cosmos depends, whether on [a Name manifested in] a cosmos or the divine Essence. Whichever it be, it is [essentially] God, no other» — el capítulo IX reduce las causas del Cosmos a los Nombres divinos.

«Therefore, our [true] names are God's Names, since all depends on Him. At the same time our essential selves are His shadow. He is at once our identity and not our identity. We have paved the way for you, so consider» — cierre del capítulo IX: identidad y no identidad a la vez.

«Have you not seen how your Lord extends the shade; ifHe so willed He» — el capítulo IX cita el versículo de la sombra extendida; el troceo reemite la marca de plana dentro de la frase y el impreso pega dos palabras.

«would make it stay, 154 that is, it would be in Him potentially, which is to say that the Reality does not reveal Himself to the contingent beings before He manifests His shadow, the shadow being [as yet] as those beings that have not been manifested in existence» — continuación: la sombra retenida sería la de los seres aún no manifestados.

«The Reality is, in relation to a particular shadow, small or large, pure or purer, as light in relation to the glass that separates it from the beholder» — el capítulo IX cambia de imagen: la luz y el vidrio de color; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«Whoever holds to multiplicity is [involved] with the Cosmos, the divine Names [in their distinctions], and the» — el capítulo IX describe a quien se queda en la multiplicidad; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«cosmic names. Whoever holds to the Unity is with the Reality in His Essence as Self-sufficient beyond all worlds» — continuación: quien se atiene a la Unidad está con la Realidad en su Esencia.

«We, for our part, beget and are begotten, we depend on Him and we compete one with another. However, the Unique One transcends all these attributes, having no need of them or of us» — el capítulo IX opone lo que vale del hombre a lo que no vale del Único.

«to whom the light has the color of the glass» — continuación: la luz toma el color del vidrio; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«light itself has no [particular] color. This is the relationship between your reality and your Lord» — cierre de la imagen: la luz en sí no tiene color, y así es la relación entre cada quien y su Señor.

«The Straight Path of God is not hidden, But manifest universally» — arranque del capítulo X, la palabra de Hud: el Camino Recto no está oculto.

«He is essentially in all things great or small, Ignorant of truth or aware. Thus does His Mercy embrace all things, Be they mean or mighty» — sigue el verso del capítulo X sobre la Misericordia que abarca todo.

«No living being is there but He will seize it by its forelock. Surely my Lord is on a straight path» — el capítulo X cita el versículo del ser tomado por el copete; la nota da la sura XI:56.

«All things walk on the Straight Path of their Lord and, in this sense, they do not incur the divine Wrath nor are they astray. This is because the divine Wrath, like error, is an accidental [nonessential], all things stemming ultimately from the Mercy, which embraces all things and which has precedence» — el capítulo X declara accidental la Ira y precedente la Misericordia.

«All that is other than the Reality is a being walking [dabbah] [on the Path], since each has a spirit and none proceeds [on the Path] by itself but by another [God]. It proceeds [along the path] following, according to a [certain] determination, Him Who is on the Path» — el capítulo X hace de todo lo otro un caminante movido por otro.

«It would not be a path but for the procession along it» — la fórmula del capítulo X sobre el camino y el caminar.

«If the creature submits to you, It is [in truth] the Reality Who submits. And if the Reality submits to you, The created may not follow Him in that. Therefore realize what we say, For all I say is true» — los versos del capítulo X sobre quién se somete a quién.

«There is no created being But is endowed with speech [expression]. Nor is there aught created, seen by the eye, But is essentially the Reality. Indeed, He is hidden therein, Its forms being merely containers» — sigue el verso del capítulo X: toda forma es continente de la Realidad oculta.

«Know that the divine and gnostic sciences possessed by the Folk vary according to the variety of spiritual capacities, although they all stem [ultimately] from one source» — el capítulo X hace variar las ciencias de la Gente según la capacidad y las remite a una sola fuente.

«I am his hearing by which he hears and his sight by which he perceives, his hand with which he takes and his foot by which he moves along» — el capítulo X cita la Tradición Santa de los miembros; la nota remite a Bujari.

«He states that He is, in His Identity, the limbs themselves that are the servant himself, even though the Identity is One and the limbs many» — el capítulo X lee la Tradición como identidad con los miembros mismos.

«even as water, although a single reality, varies in taste according to its location, some being sweet and pleasant, some being salty and brackish. In spite of this it remains unalterably water in all conditions, with all the varieties of taste» — el capítulo X ilustra la variedad con el agua que cambia de sabor según el lugar.

«For the way, which is the [Straight] Path, is there to be traveled along and walked on, which is not accomplished except by the feet» — el capítulo X ata el conocimiento de los pies al recorrido del Camino.

«He draws them along by their forelocks, while the wind drives them [from behind] to Hell, [the driver] being none other than their own desires and inclinations, and Hell the distance they imagined [to be between them and the Reality» — el capítulo X lee el Infierno como la distancia imaginada.

«Since it is He [their Lord] Who drives them to this abode, they [in truth] attain nearness [to Him], all distance and notion of Hell ceasing for them» — el capítulo X convierte el destierro en cercanía.

«nor does He grant them this pleasurable station as a freely given gift, since it is they themselves who adopt it according as their essential realities have merited eternally by their deeds [thus determined]» — el capítulo X niega que esa estación sea don gratuito: la merecen sus esencias.

«No proximity is closer than that His Identity should be the very limbs and faculties of the servant, which are the servant himself» — el capítulo X formula la proximidad máxima.

«For the servant is an attested reality in an illusory creation» — la fórmula del capítulo X sobre el siervo atestiguado en una creación ilusoria.

«For the believers and men of spiritual vision it is the creation that is surmised and the Reality that is seen and perceived, while in the case of those not in these two categories, it is the Reality Who is surmised and the creation that is seen and perceived by the senses» — el capítulo X invierte lo conjeturado y lo visto según quién mire.

«Men may be divided into two groups. The first travel a way they know and whose destination they know, which is their Straight Path. The second group travel a way they do not know and of whose destination they are unaware, which is equally the Straight Path» — el capítulo X reparte a los hombres en dos grupos y declara Camino Recto también el del segundo.

«He who knows that the Reality is the way knows the truth, for it in none other than He that you progress and travel, since there is naught to be known save He, since He is Being Itself and therefore also the traveler himself. Further, there is no Knower save He; so who are you» — el capítulo X identifica el camino con la Realidad y con el caminante.

«Have you not considered 'Ad, the people of Hud, how they said, This is a cloud come to rain upon us, 169 thinking well of God Who is present in what His servant thinks of Him» — el capítulo X toma el episodio de 'Ad y la nube; la nota da la sura XLVI:24.

«making the wind [rlh] an indication of what it contained by way of respite [rahah], since by it He delivered them from the darkness of their bodies, the roughness of their paths, and their [spiritual] blackness» — el capítulo X juega con las dos raíces árabes para leer el viento como alivio.

«In this wind there was an ladhab [punishment or sweetness], that is something they would delight in when they experienced it, even though it caused them pain by separating them from what was [previously] familiar to them» — el capítulo X vuelve al doble sentido de la raíz: castigo y dulzura.

«God, Most High, has described Himself as Jealous [that aught should exist but Himself], and it is because of this that He "forbade excesses» — el capítulo X lee los celos divinos como prohibición de que algo exista fuera de Él.

«He conceals it by otherness, which is you [as being not He]» — la fórmula del capítulo X sobre la alteridad como ocultamiento.

«Then Muhammad, who integrates the whole, completes the tidings in transmitting to us the Tradition in which it is said that the Reality is [essentially] the hearing [of the servant, the gnostic], the sight, the hand, the foot and the tongue, indeed, all the senses» — el capítulo X completa el versículo con la Tradición de los sentidos.

«For there are those who would conceal them [God's signs], even though they themselves possess knowledge of them, out of envy, rivalry, and injustice» — el capítulo X explica por qué se ocultan los signos aun sabiéndolos.

«The first limitation [to which He subjects Himself] is "The Dark Cloud having no air above or beneath it." 177 The Reality was in it before He created His creation» — el capítulo X enumera las autolimitaciones y abre con la Nube Oscura; la nota remite a las Futuhat.

«Thus, He is limited by the limitation of every limited thing, each limitation being a limitation of the Reality» — el capítulo X reparte la limitación de cada cosa a la Realidad.

«In preserving all things, He is preserving His Form, lest aught assume a form other than His Form, which is not possible. He is the observer in the observer and the observed in the observed; the Cosmos is His Form and He is the governing Spirit of the Cosmos, which is the Great Man» — el capítulo X hace del Cosmos la Forma y del Gran Hombre el macrocosmos.

«He is all Becoming and He is the One by Whose Becoming I become, therefore I say He feeds On my being, so we are modeled in His Image. As also, from a certain aspect, I seek refuge in Him from Him» — los versos del capítulo X sobre el alimentarse mutuo y el refugio en Él contra Él.

«This day have I reduced your relationship and raised My connection," that is, I have taken away your relationship to yourselves and have returned you to your [proper] relationship with Me» — el capítulo X pone en boca de la Realidad el cambio de relación.

«Where are the righteous? They are those who take God as their protection, He being their manifest form, as being the inner reality of their manifested forms. Such a one is the mightiest and strongest of men in the eyes of all men» — el capítulo X define al justo como quien toma a Dios por protección.

«The righteous one is also he who makes himself a protection for God, as being His form, since the Identity of God is, in essence, the faculties of the servant. He makes what is termed the servant a protection for what is called the Reality, though perceiving [the truth, namely that both are one], so that the knower is clearly distinguished from the ignorant» — el capítulo X invierte la protección y hace del siervo protección de Dios.

«But for the [principle of] limitation [in defining the Reality], the apostles would not have taught that the Reality transforms Himself in cosmic forms nor would they have described Him [at the same time] as abstracting Himself from all forms» — el capítulo X ata la enseñanza de los apóstoles al principio de limitación.

«He who sees the Reality from His standpoint, in Him by Him is a gnostic. He who sees the Reality from His standpoint, in Him, but with himself as the seer, is not a gnostic. He who does not see the Reality in this way, but expects to see Him by himself, is ignorant» — el capítulo X gradúa tres maneras de ver, y solo la primera es gnosis.

«One who believes [in the ordinary way] believes only in a deity he has created in himself, since a deity in "beliefs" is a [mental] construction. They see [in what they believe] only themselves [as relative beings] and their own constructions within themselves» — el capítulo X llama construcción mental al dios de las creencias.

«So, beware lest you restrict yourself to a particular tenet [concerning the Reality] and so deny any other tenet [equally reflecting Him], for you would forfeit much good, indeed you would forfeit the true knowledge of what is [the Reality]» — el capítulo X advierte contra encerrarse en una sola doctrina.

«Therefore, be completely and utterly receptive to all doctrinal forms, for God, Most High, is too All-embracing and Great to be confined within one creed rather than another, for He has said, Wheresoever you turn, there is the face ofGod, 1S5 without mentioning any particular direction» — el capítulo X manda receptividad a toda forma doctrinal y funda el mandato en el versículo de la faz de Dios.

«However, do not tell yourself that He is in that direction only, but rather maintain both your [particular] attitude [of worship] in facing the Sacred Mosque and your [more universal] attitude [of knowledge] to the impossibility of confining His face to that particular direction, it being merely one of many points toward which men turn» — el capítulo X mantiene a la vez la orientación ritual y la imposibilidad de confinar la faz.

«God has made it clear that He is in every direction turned to, each of which represents a particular doctrinal perspective regarding Him. All are [in some sense] right [in their approach]; everyone who is right receives his reward, everyone who receives his reward is blessed, and everyone who is blessed is well pleasing [to his Lord], even though he may be damned for a time in the Final Abode» — el capítulo X declara acertada toda dirección y bienaventurado a todo el que la toma.

«Thus, there are those servants of God who are afflicted with sufferings in the afterlife in a place called Hell. Despite this, those who possess knowledge and have spiritual insight into what really is do not deny that they will enjoy their own delight in that place, whether by a relief from the pain they suffer, which will be their delight, or [perhaps] a separate delight similar to that enjoyed by the people of Paradise; but God knows best» — cierre del capítulo X: el deleite propio de los que sufren en el Infierno, con la reserva final.

«witness the essential realities of His apostles [on whom be peace] and prophets of humanity from Adam to Muhammad [peace and blessings be on all of them] at an assembly in Cordova in the year 586, 173 none addressed me from among them save Hud, who informed me of the reason for their gathering together. I saw him as a stout man, fair of form, subtle of converse, a gnostic, a discloser of the realities» — continuación: la asamblea de Córdoba del año 586, donde solo Hud le habló, con su retrato; la nota remite a *Sufis of Andalusia*.

«Even the verse There is none like unto Him 179 constitutes a limitation if we regard the kaf as simply emphatic, since one who is distinguished from what is limited is himself limited because he is not that thing; to deny all [possibility of] limitation is itself a limitation, the Absolute being [in a sense] limited by His Own Absoluteness» — el capítulo X extiende la limitación hasta la negación misma de límite.

«It was because of the bursting fullness [of the essential realities in the undifferentiated Essence] that He breathed forth» — el capítulo X liga el Aliento del Misericordioso a la plenitud que revienta.

«He relates the Breath to the Merciful, because by it He had mercy [assented] on the demand of the divine Modes for the creation of the forms of the Cosmos, which are the manifest Reality, He being the Manifest» — el capítulo X explica por qué el Aliento se dice del Misericordioso.

«If, then, God is a protection for the servant, from one aspect, and the servant for God in another, you may say of Being what you will; either that it is the creation or that it is the Reality, or that it is at once the creation and the Reality. It might also be said that there is neither creation nor the Reality, as one might admit to perplexity in the matter, since by assigning degrees the difficulties appear» — el capítulo X deja abiertas las cuatro respuestas sobre el Ser, perplejidad incluida.

«In general, most men have, perforce, an individual concept [belief] of their Lord, which they ascribe to Him and in which they seek Him. So long as the Reality is presented to them according to it they recognize Him and affirm Him, whereas if presented in any other form, they deny Him, flee from Him and treat Him improperly, while at the same time imagining that they are acting toward Him fittingly» — el capítulo X describe cómo se rechaza a Dios cuando no se presenta según la creencia propia.

«Know that when the Reality revealed to me and caused me to» — el capítulo X abre el relato de la asamblea de los profetas; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«the Last is the Manifest and the First is the Unmanifest. Thus, He knows all things, 1 * 2 as knowing Himself» — continuación: el Último es el Manifiesto y el Primero el No Manifiesto, y por eso conoce todas las cosas al conocerse; la nota da la sura VI:101.

«Among His signs are the riding beasts, Because of the variety of the paths» — arranque del capítulo XI, la palabra de Salih: los versos de las cabalgaduras y los caminos.

«Some follow the true course, While others traverse trackless wastes. The former are possessed of true vision, The latter have missed the way. To both there come from God Revelations of inner realities from every side» — sigue el verso del capítulo XI: a unos y a otros les llegan revelaciones de las realidades interiores.

«Know, may God prosper you, that the [Creative] Command is essentially based on unevenness in which triplicity is implicit, since three is the first of the uneven numbers» — el capítulo XI funda el Mandato Creativo en lo impar y en el tres; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«It is from this divine plane that the Cosmos is created; He says, When We wish a thing, We only say to it, "fl!f, " and it is, 187 there being the Essence, the Will, and the Word» — el capítulo XI reparte Esencia, Voluntad y Palabra; la nota da la sura XVI:40.

«This [principle] of unevenness constitutes its thingness, its "hearing," and its obeying of its Creator's command to come into being» — el capítulo XI da la triplicidad del lado de la criatura.

«Its latent essence in its state of nonexistence corresponds to the Essence of its Creator, its "hearing" [receptivity] to the Will of its Creator, and its compliance with the Creative Command to His saying [Word] Be» — el capítulo XI empareja las dos triplicidades término a término.

«In truth, it was none other than the thing itself that brought itself into being from nonexistence when the Command was given» — el capítulo XI atribuye a la cosa misma su venida al ser.

«Thus, bringing or coming into being is based on a triplicity, or rather a bipolar triplicity, one being of the Reality, the other of the creature» — el capítulo XI nombra la triplicidad bipolar.

«However, one of the terms is present in both premises, to link the two together, so that there are [really] three parts because of the repetition of one term in both premises» — el capítulo XI explica por qué los cuatro términos del silogismo son en realidad tres.

«For example, if we wished to prove that the Cosmos is caused, we would say, "Every originated thing has a cause," in which we have the two terms "originated" and "cause." In the second premise we would say, "The Cosmos is originated," the term "originated" being repeated in both premises. The third term is therefore "Cosmos," the conclusion being that the Cosmos has a cause» — el capítulo XI arma el silogismo de ejemplo sobre la causa del Cosmos.

«On the first of the three days the faces of the people changed color to yellow, on the second to red, and on the third to black. On the completion of the third day, [their essential] natures were ready to receive the manifestation of wickedness within them, which manifestation is called destruction» — el capítulo XI describe los tres colores de los tres días.

«The yellowing of the faces of the damned corresponds to the shining of the faces of the blessed, as in His saying, Faces on that day will be shining, 190 [stemming] from [the word] unveiled, which means manifested. In this way the yellowness of their faces on the first day signals the manifestation of damnation in the people of Salih» — el capítulo XI empareja el amarillo de los condenados con el resplandor de los bienaventurados.

«Corresponding to the redness is what He says concerning the blessed, laughing, 191 since laughter is a cause of redness in the face, being, in the case of the blessed, a rosiness of the cheeks. Corresponding to the blackening of the skins of the damned is what He says [of the blessed] that they are joyful, l92 being the effect of joy on their complexions, as the blackness in the case of the damned» — el capítulo XI empareja el rojo con la risa y el negro con la alegría.

«Thus He uses the term tidings [bushra] 193 for both parties [the blessed and the damned]; that is, He tells them things that affect their complexions, causing them to change to a color other than the one they had before» — el capítulo XI juega con la raíz árabe que dice a la vez albricia y piel; la nota del traductor lo declara.

«In truth, they themselves affect themselves even as they themselves come into being of themselves [in obedience to the divine Command]. Gods is the final argument» — el capítulo XI devuelve el efecto a los propios sujetos; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Your two hands cast the dye and your own mouth breathed the breath [of your life]." God speaks true and guides aright» — cierre del capítulo XI: la sentencia que el gnóstico se dice a sí mismo ante lo adverso.

«just as when one who is feared and obeyed commands his servant to stand, the servant stands obediently» — el capítulo XI ilustra el reparto con el amo que manda y el siervo que se pone de pie; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«This [principle of triplicity] pervades to the existence of ideas arrived at by logical proofs. Thus, a proof arrived at by syllogism is made up of three parts in a particular way that inevitably yields a result» — el capítulo XI extiende la triplicidad al silogismo.

«since it came true in the crv by which God destroyed them, so that they became stricken down in their tents» — continuación: el grito que los derribó en sus tiendas; la capa de texto imprime *crv* por *cry*.

«By good I mean what is in consonance with his aim, in harmony with his nature and disposition, and by evil what is contrary to his aim and in conflict with his nature and disposition» — el capítulo XI define el bien y el mal por la consonancia con el propio fin y naturaleza.

«mand to do so belongs to the master, the standing being the servant's action and not that of the master» — continuación: la orden es del amo, la acción del siervo.

«The origin of all becoming is thus triplicity. For this reason the Wisdom of Salih, which God manifested in delaying the destruction» — el capítulo XI aplica la triplicidad a los tres días de plazo del pueblo de Salih; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«himself and realizes it releases himself from dependence on others and knows that good and evil come to him only from himself» — el capítulo XI libera de la dependencia de los demás a quien entiende esa Sabiduría.

«edge [vision] excuses all creatures regarding what they manifest, even though they themselves make no excuse, knowing as he does that all he undergoes is from himself, as we have mentioned previously to the effect that knowledge depends on what is known» — el capítulo XI excusa a todas las criaturas, porque todo lo padecido viene de uno mismo; el tramo arranca donde el impreso parte la palabra al cambiar de plana.

«Know that the Heart, by which I mean the Heart of the gnostic, derives from the Divine Mercy, while being more embracing than it, since the Heart encompasses the Reality, exalted be He, and the Mercy does not. This is alluded to and supported in Tradition» — arranque del capítulo XII, la palabra de Shu'aib: el Corazón abarca más que la Misericordia.

«The Reality is the subject and not the object of the Mercy, so that the latter has no determining power with respect to the Reality» — el capítulo XII niega poder determinante a la Misericordia sobre la Realidad.

«For Divinity [uluhiyyah] implies and requires that which depends on it, just as Lordship requires servanthood, since neither would have any existence or meaning otherwise» — el capítulo XII empareja Divinidad y dependencia como Señorío y servidumbre.

«The truth [in this matter] lies between the mutual dependency [implicit] in Lordship and the Self-sufficiency of the Essence. Indeed, the Lord is, in its reality and qualification, none other than this Essence» — el capítulo XII coloca la verdad entre la dependencia mutua y la autosuficiencia.

«The Reality first expressed the Breath, which is called the Breath of the Merciful, from Lordship by creating the Cosmos, which both Lordship and all the Names require by their very nature» — el capítulo XII hace salir el Aliento del Misericordioso del Señorío.

«Know that the Reality, as is confirmed by Tradition, in His Self-manifestation, transmutes Himself in the forms; know also that when the Heart embraces the Reality, it embraces none other than He, since it is as if the Reality fills the Heart. By this is meant that when the Heart contemplates the Reality in Its Self-manifestation to it, it is unable to contemplate anything else whatever» — el capítulo XII describe la transmutación de la Realidad en las formas y el llenado del Corazón; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«When the contingent is linked with the eternal there is nothing left of it» — el capítulo XII cita a Junayd; la nota del traductor da la edición de la epístola.

«This is opposed bv those who maintain that the Reality manifests Himself in accordance with the predisposition of the servant. This is, however, not the case, since the servant is manifest to the Reality according to the form in which the Reality manifests Himself to him» — el capítulo XII objeta la tesis contraria y la invierte; la capa de texto imprime *bv* por *by*.

«The solution of this question rests on the fact that God manifests Himself in two ways: an unseen manifestation and a sensible manifestation» — el capítulo XII reparte la manifestación no vista y la sensible.

«Then He raises the veil between Himself and the servant and the servant sees Him in the form of his belief; indeed, He is the very content of the belief» — el capítulo XII hace de la Realidad el contenido mismo de la creencia.

«Thus the eye sees only the credal Reality, and there are a great many beliefs» — el capítulo XII cierra el punto: el ojo solo ve la Realidad de la creencia.

«He who restricts the Reality [to his own belief] denies Him [when manifested] in other beliefs, affirming Him only when He is manifest in his own belief. He who does not restrict Him thus does not deny Him, but affirms His Reality in every formal transformation, worshiping Him in His infinite forms, since there is no limit to the forms in which He manifests Himself» — el capítulo XII opone el que restringe y el que afirma la Realidad en toda forma.

«When you consider His saying, "I am his foot with which he walks, his hand with which he strikes, and his tongue with which he speaks," 202 and all the other faculties and members in which they are situated, why do you make the distinction by saying it is all the Reality, or it is all created? It is all created in a certain sense, but it is also the Reality in another sense, the Essence being one» — el capítulo XII rechaza la disyuntiva entre todo creado y todo Realidad.

«Who is here and what there? Who is here is what is there. He who is universal is particular, And He Who is particular is universal. There is but one Essence, The light of the Essence being also darkness. He who heeds these words will not Fall into confusion. In truth, only he knows what we say Who is possessed of spiritual power [himmah]» — los versos del capítulo XII sobre lo universal y lo particular y sobre la luz que es también oscuridad.

«nor does He say, "for him who has an intellect." This is because the intellect restricts and seeks to define the truth within a particular qualification, while in fact the Reality does not admit of such limitation» — el capítulo XII explica por qué el versículo dice corazón y no intelecto.

«It is not a reminder to the intellectuals and mongers of doctrinal formulations who contradict one another and denounce each other» — el capítulo XII excluye del recordatorio a los fabricantes de fórmulas doctrinales.

«This is because the Reality has denied to the gods of credal formulations any possibility of rendering assistance, since each one is restricted to itself» — el capítulo XII niega auxilio a los dioses de las formulaciones credales.

«For the gnostic, the Reality is [always] known and not [ever] denied. Those who know in this world will know in the Hereafter» — el capítulo XII pone al gnóstico fuera de esa negación; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«He [God] is the one who knows, the one who understands and affirms in this particular form, just as He is also the ignorant one, the uncomprehending, the unknown in that [particular] form. This, then, is the lot of one who knows the Reality through His Self-manifestation and witnessing Him in the totality of formal possibilities» — el capítulo XII atribuye a la Realidad el saber y la ignorancia según la forma.

«that is, one who turns [toward the Reality] [taqlib] in all the diversity of the forms [in which He manifests Himself]» — el capítulo XII juega con la raíz árabe de *corazón*, que significa volverse; la nota del traductor lo declara.

«that you should worship God as if you saw Him» — el capítulo XII cita el dicho profético sobre adorar como si se viera; la nota remite a Bujari.

«As for its special connection with Shu'aib, it is because of its [innumerable] ramifications [tasha"ub\ since each and every creed is a [particular] path» — el capítulo XII ata el asunto al nombre del profeta por la raíz de las ramificaciones.

«Such a one is the Mu'tazilite, who believes that God will carry out His threat [to punish] the sinner who dies unrepentant. When he dies and is in fact granted mercy with God, since [divine] providence has already decreed that he should not be punished, the Mu'tazilite finds that God is Forgiving and Merciful, so there is manifest to him of God that which he had not considered in his belief» — el capítulo XII pone al mutazilí como caso de quien encuentra lo contrario de lo que creía; la nota del traductor describe la doctrina mutazilí.

«When however the knot [of belief] is loosened, belief ceases [to bind his heart] and he knows once more by [direct] contemplation. After his sight has been sharpened, his weak-sightedness does not recur» — el capítulo XII describe el paso de la creencia a la contemplación directa.

«Some servants [then] have God disclosed to them in various forms, other than those first seen, since [a particular] Self-manifestation is never repeated» — el capítulo XII niega repetición a la autorrevelación.

«We have discussed advancement in the divine sciences in our Book of Tbeopbanies, 211 where we talk of those of the Order we have met with in vision [kashf] and what we imparted to them on this question that they did not know already» — el capítulo XII remite al *Book of Theophanies*; la nota del traductor lo fecha en Alepo antes de 1209.

«The amazing thing is that such a one is always advancing, although he is not aware of it, by reason of the subtlety and fineness of the veil and the ambiguity of forms» — el capítulo XII describe el avance imperceptible tras el velo.

«That is because he who has attained to realization sees multiplicity in the One, just as he knows that essential oneness is implicit in the divine Names, even though their [individual] realities are various and multiple» — el capítulo XII sostiene la multiplicidad dentro del Uno.

«just as the Primal Substance is assumed in the case of every form, which, despite the multiplicity and variety of forms, springs in reality from a single substance, its primal substance» — el capítulo XII remite la variedad de formas a una sola sustancia primordial.

«He, therefore, who knows himself in this way knows his Lord, for He created him in His image, indeed, He is his very identity and reality» — el capítulo XII funda el conocimiento del Señor en el de sí mismo.

«It is because of this that none of the scholars have attained to knowledge of the self and its reality except those theosophists among the messengers and the Sufis» — el capítulo XII reserva a mensajeros y sufíes el conocimiento del alma; es el pasaje con que esta ficha adscribe la obra al sufismo.

«How wonderful are the words of God concerning the Cosmos and its transformation according to the Breaths» — el capítulo XII enuncia la renovación de la creación por Alientos; la nota da la sura L:15.

«The Ash'arites did indeed discover it for certain things, namely accidents, as did also the Sophists for the Cosmos as a whole. 221 However the speculative thinkers dismissed them all as ignorant. In fact, both the Ash'arites and the Sophists were mistaken» — el capítulo XII coloca a asharíes y sofistas a medio camino y objeta a los dos.

«As for the latter, although they speak of the transformation of the Cosmos, they fail to grasp the Unity of the Essence of the substance that assumes this form, that it cannot be created without it [form], while it [form] cannot be comprehended without it [substance]. Had they made that clear they would have realized the truth of the matter» — el capítulo XII señala qué les faltó a los sofistas.

«As for the Ash'arites, they did not realize that the whole Cosmos is a sum of accidents, so that it is transformed in every duration, since the accident does not last for more than one duration» — el capítulo XII señala qué les faltó a los asharíes.

«As for those to whom the higher worlds are disclosed, they see that God is manifest in every Breath and that no [particular] Self-manifestation is repeated. They also see that every Self-manifestation at once provides a [new] creation and annihilates another» — cierre del capítulo XII: cada autorrevelación crea y aniquila a la vez.

«for the Heart of the gnostic or the Perfect Man is as the setting of the stone of the ring, conforming to it in every way, being circular, square, or any other shape according to the shape of the stone itself, for the setting conforms to the stone and not otherwise» — el capítulo XII compara el Corazón con el engaste que se ajusta a la piedra, no al revés.

«It is because of this that he has no effect on his opponent's belief. Thus, also, his opponent derives no assistance from the god formulated in his own belief. . . . they have no helpers» — continuación: por eso ninguna creencia hace mella en la contraria.

«He who seeks to know it by theoretical speculation is flogging a dead horse. Such are certainly of those whose endeavor is awry in this world, but who consider that they do well» — el capítulo XII niega a la especulación teórica todo acceso a ese conocimiento.

«The god of one believer has no validity in respect to the god of» — el capítulo XII declara sin validez el dios de una creencia frente al de otra; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«one who believes something else. The supporter of a particular belief defends what he believes and champions it, while that which he believes in does not support him» — continuación: el creyente defiende lo que cree y aquello en que cree no lo defiende a él.

«Mastery implies force, and the master [of a thing] is one who is forceful and firm. One says, "I mastered the dough" when one makes it firm» — arranque del capítulo XIII, la palabra de Lot: la maestría como fuerza, con el ejemplo de la masa.

«My hand so mastered it that I made the gaping wound pour forth, So that one in front of it could see through to the other side» — el capítulo XIII cita el verso de Qais b. al-Khatim; la nota del traductor da la edición.

«This brings to mind God's saying concerning Lot, If only I had some power over you, or had recourse to some firm support» — el capítulo XIII trae el versículo de Lot que da nombre al capítulo; la nota da la sura XI:80.

«May God have mercy upon my brother Lot, seeing that he had recourse to a firm support» — el capítulo XIII cita el dicho del Apóstol sobre Lot; la nota remite a Bujari.

«By the words firm support Lot meant his tribe, and by the words, Would that I had some power he meant resistance, which here means that power of concentration peculiar to man» — el capítulo XIII lee el apoyo firme como la tribu y el poder como la concentración propia del hombre.

«It is God Who created you in weakness, as a fundamental characteristic, then He brought about strength after weakness. The strength occurs by the [divine] bringing about, being an accidental strength» — el capítulo XIII lee el versículo de la debilidad como característica fundamental; la nota da la sura XXX:54.

«No prophet has ever been sent until he has completed his fortieth year, at which time decrease and weakness begin to set in» — el capítulo XIII fija en los cuarenta años el envío de todo profeta.

«That is because gnosis allows such a power no room for maneuver, his power of concentration decreasing as his gnosis grew stronger» — el capítulo XIII explica por qué la gnosis achica la concentración.

«The first is his confirmation of the status of servanthood and his awareness of the original characteristic of his natural creation. The second is [the truth of the essential] unity of the One Who acts and that which is acted upon» — el capítulo XIII da las dos razones de esa merma.

«In such a state of perception he realized that his opponent had in no way deviated from his reality as it was in its state of essential latency and nonexistence» — el capítulo XIII declara que el adversario no se sale de su propia realidad.

«Calling his behavior "opposition" is merely of accidental import, seen thus only because of the veil that obscures the eyes of men» — el capítulo XIII llama accidental a la calificación de oposición.

«These and similar things restrain the gnostic from acting freely in the world» — el capítulo XIII cierra el punto: lo anterior retiene al gnóstico.

«Why do you not exert your power?" To which he replied, "I leave God to act for me as He wills» — el capítulo XIII recoge el diálogo entre dos shaikhs sobre el uso del poder; las notas del traductor los identifican.

«God was saying to him [in effect], "With regard to this matter that I have put into your charge and control, make Me your agent therein." So did Abu Su'ud obey the command of God and yielded the initiative to Him» — el capítulo XIII lee la respuesta como obediencia al mandato de tomar a Dios por agente.

«Indeed it is precisely this gnosis that prevents him from reaching such total concentration, since the true gnostic manifests his gnosis by weakness and lack of power» — el capítulo XIII hace de la debilidad la manifestación de la gnosis; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«We, however, have attained to that station of incapacity and weakness more completely» — el capítulo XIII reclama para sí esa estación de incapacidad.

«In this station the Apostle is governed by what is revealed to him, having nothing more than that. If it was revealed to him unequivocally that he should act, he acted, but if he was restrained, he held back. If he was given the choice, then he chose not to act, unless his gnosis was deficient» — el capítulo XIII describe al Apóstol gobernado por lo que se le revela.

«Fifteen years ago, God granted me the freedom to act, but I have not used it, thinking that it would seem an affectation." 241 This is pompous talk» — el capítulo XIII cita a Abu al-Su'ud y califica su explicación; la nota del traductor declara no haber podido rastrear la cita.

«We ourselves did not leave it aside for such a reason, which implies choice in the matter, but only because of perfect gnosis; for gnosis does not leave the matter to choice, since, when the gnostic acts in the world through his power of concentration, he does so only by divine command and compulsion, not by his own choice» — el capítulo XIII opone su propia razón: la gnosis no deja lugar a la elección.

«We have no doubt, however, but that the rank of Apostleship requires freedom of action in order to effect the acceptance of its mission. Thus there is evident in the apostle that which would confirm his veracity with his community and people, so that God's dispensation might become manifest. The same is not the case with the saint» — el capítulo XIII reserva la libertad de acción al rango de apóstol.

«The apostle realizes that when something miraculous is shown to a group of people, some will believe what they see; others, realizing what was happening, would reject it; while others would connect it with magic and trickery, so that it would not result in the desired confirmation» — el capítulo XIII reparte las tres reacciones ante el milagro.

«it became obvious that miraculous activity was useless» — el capítulo XIII declara inútil el milagro para la conversión.

«You will not guide those whom you wish to guide; rather it is God Who guides whom he wishes» — el capítulo XIII apoya el punto en el versículo dirigido al propio Apóstol; la nota da la sura XXVIII:56.

«although it could not effect the conversion of his uncle Abu Talib concerning whom the verses we have mentioned were revealed» — el capítulo XIII trae el caso de Abu Talib como prueba.

«that is, those who have given Him the knowledge of their guidance in their state of nonexistence through their latent essences» — el capítulo XIII invierte la dirección: son las esencias las que dan a conocer su guía.

«This confirms the fact that knowledge is dependent on what is known, since he who is a believer in his latent essentiality and in his state of nonexistence becomes manifest in that form in the state of existence. God has learned from him the fact that he would be thus» — el capítulo XIII repite que el conocimiento depende de lo conocido.

«It is not by Me that the word is changed 241 because what I say is determined by what I know of My creation, and, / do not wrong My servants 249, that is, I do not decree for them the infidelity that will damn them and then require of them what is not in their power to achieve. Indeed, We treat them only in accordance with what We know of them» — el capítulo XIII pone en boca de la Realidad la negativa a cambiar la palabra; las notas dan las suras.

«If there is any question of wrong, it is they who are the wrongdoers." Thus He says, It is they who wrong themselves. 249 It is not God Who has wronged them» — el capítulo XIII devuelve el agravio a quien lo comete; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«All is from Us and from them, It is learned from Us and from them. Even if they are not of Us, Most surely We are of them» — los versos del capítulo XIII sobre la pertenencia mutua.

«So realize, O friend, this Wisdom of mastery concerning the Word of Lot, for it is part of gnosis. The mystery is now clear to you, And the matter is well explained. For that which is called odd Is enshrined within the even» — cierre del capítulo XIII: lo impar guardado dentro de lo par.

«Now the white hair pertains to the bringing about, while the weakness is a regression to the original nature of His creation, as He says, Who created you in weakness 229 Thus does He return him to the state in which He created him, as He says, Then he is returned to a most ignoble state, so that, having enjoyed knowledge, he now knows nothing any» — el capítulo XIII lee la vejez como regreso a la debilidad original; el impreso parte *any- more* al final del renglón.

«We only say to them what Our Essence has» — el capítulo XIII cierra el discurso en primera persona del plural divino; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«given us to say to them, and Our Essence is too well known to Us in its reality to say one thing rather than another. We say only what We know We say, for the utterance is to Ourselves from Ourselves, and it is for them to comply or not once they have heard Us» — continuación: solo se dice lo que la Esencia da que decir, y toca a ellos acatar o no.

«When you have greeted Shaikh Abu Madyan, 239 ask him how it is» — el capítulo XIII abre la pregunta que un Sustituto manda transmitir a Abu Madyan; el tramo se corta al final de la plana y las notas del traductor identifican a los tres personajes.

«that while nothing is impossible for us and many things are impos» — continuación de la pregunta, cortada donde el impreso parte la palabra al final de la plana.

«sible for him, it is we who aspire to his station, while he does not aspire to ours» — cierre de la pregunta: los que todo lo pueden aspiran a la estación del que no puede.

«Know that the Decree [qada 1 ] is God's determination of things, which is limited to what He knows of them, in them, since His knowledge of things is dependent on what that which may be known gives to Him from what thev are [eternally] in themselves [essentially]» — arranque del capítulo XIV, la palabra de Esdras: el Decreto limitado por lo que Dios conoce de las cosas.

«Destiny [qadar] is the precise timing of [the manifestation and annihilation of] things as they are essentially» — el capítulo XIV define el Destino como el momento preciso de cada cosa.

«The thing determined, in strict accordance with its essential state, itself determines the Determiner to determine concerning it by that [which it is essentially], since every governor is itself governed by that in accordance with which it governs or determines, whoever or whatever the one governing may be» — el capítulo XIV invierte la determinación: lo determinado determina al Determinante; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Know that the apostles, as apostles and not as saints or gnostics, conform to the [spiritual] level of their communities. The knowledge with which they have been sent is according to the needs of their communities, no more nor less, since communities vary, some needing more than others» — el capítulo XIV ajusta el saber de cada apóstol al nivel de su comunidad.

«Thus the timing [of Destiny] ultimately belongs to that which is known, while the Decree, knowledge, Will and Wish depend on Destiny» — el capítulo XIV subordina Decreto, conocimiento, Voluntad y Deseo al Destino.

«Knowledge of this mystery brings both perfect repose and terrible torment, for it brings the opposites by which God has described Himself as Wrathful and Approving» — el capítulo XIV describe el efecto doble de ese conocimiento.

«Since, therefore, the prophets derive their knowledge only from a particular divine revelation, their Hearts are simple from the intellectual point of view, knowing as they do the deficiency of the intellect, in its discursive aspect, when it comes to the understanding of things as they really are» — el capítulo XIV llama simples de corazón a los profetas desde el punto de vista intelectual.

«Thus, perfect knowledge is to be had only through a divine Self-revelation or when God draws back the veils from Hearts and eyes so that they might perceive things, eternal and ephemeral, nonexistent and existent, impossible, necessary, or permissible, as they are in their eternal reality and essentiality» — el capítulo XIV reserva el conocimiento perfecto a la autorrevelación o al descorrer de los velos.

«It was because Ezra sought the special way that he incurred the condemnation related of him. Had he sought rather the divine inspiration we have mentioned, he would not have been condemned» — el capítulo XIV explica la condena de Esdras por haber pedido la vía especial.

«His character is summed up in this saying even as Abraham's character is summed up in his saying, Show me how you revive the dead» — el capítulo XIV empareja las dos preguntas, la de Esdras y la de Abraham.

«Behold the bones, how Wt have joined them together and then clothed them in flesh. 260 In this way he perceived directly how bodies grow forth, with immediate perception» — el capítulo XIV cita el versículo de los huesos como respuesta activa a Abraham; la capa de texto imprime *Wt* por *We*.

«He, however, had asked about Destiny, which can be known only by a revelation of things in their latent state and in their nonexistence. It was not accorded him, since such knowledge is the prerogative of divine awareness» — el capítulo XIV marca la diferencia entre lo que pidió Abraham y lo que pidió Esdras.

«seeing that it concerns the primordial keys, that is the keys of the Unseen, which none knows save He» — el capítulo XIV remite a las llaves de lo Oculto; la nota da la sura VI:59.

«Know that they are called keys to indicate a state of opening, which is the state in which the process of bringing into existence affects things, or, if you prefer, the state in which the capacity to come into existence attaches to what is destined to exist, a state of which only God may have any real experience. That is because the keys of the Unseen are never manifested or unveiled, since all capability and activity are God's particularly, Who has absolute being, unrestricted in any way» — el capítulo XIV explica el nombre de llaves y reserva esa experiencia al Ser absoluto.

«Unless you desist, I will surely erase your name from the register of prophets," He meant, "I will deprive you of the means to [divine] communication and present things to you as they are manifested, which will occur only in accordance with your own [eternal] predisposition, which is the means by which direct perception is experienced» — el capítulo XIV cita la advertencia divina a Esdras y su sentido.

«Know that Saintship is an all-inclusive and universal function that never comes to an end, dedicated as it is to the universal communication» — el capítulo XIV define la santidad como función universal que no termina.

«This statement is a terrible blow to the friends of God because it implies the cessation of the experience of total and perfect servanthood» — el capítulo XIV llama golpe terrible a esa clausura para los amigos de Dios.

«God Himself is not called by the names "prophet" or "apostle," but He does call Himself "friend," and is so described. He says, God is the friend of those who believe, 264 and, He is the Friend, the Praiseworthy» — el capítulo XIV señala que solo el nombre de amigo se dice de Dios y del siervo.

«God, however, is kind to His servants and has left for them the universal Prophecy, which brings no law with it. He has also left to them the power of legislation through the exercise of individual judgement [ijtihad] concerning rules and regulations. In addition, he has bequeathed to them the heritage of legislation in the tradition, "The learned are the heirs of the prophets." 266 This inheritance involves the use of individual judgment in certain rulings, which is a form of legislation» — el capítulo XIV enumera lo que queda tras la clausura: profecía universal, juicio individual y herencia de los sabios.

«If you hear any of the Folk saying or transmitting sayings from him to the effect that Saintship is higher than Prophecy, he means only what we have just said. Likewise, if he says that the saint is superior to the prophet and the apostle, he means only that this is so within one person» — el capítulo XIV acota la fórmula de que la santidad es superior a la profecía: vale dentro de una misma persona.

«It does not mean that any saint coming after him is higher than he, since one who follows cannot attain to the one who is followed, as regards that which he follows in him. Were he indeed to affect such a position, he would no longer be a follower; so understand» — el capítulo XIV cierra la acotación contra la lectura que pondría a un santo posterior por encima del profeta.

«Now the law imposes certain obligations to perform some things and forbids certain other things, all of which apply to this world, which will come to an end. Saintship, on the other hand, is not of that kind, since, were it to come to an end, it would end as such, as does the Apostleship» — el capítulo XIV opone la ley, que acaba con este mundo, a la santidad, que no.

«since Prophecy and Apostleship constitute certain degrees of Saint» — el capítulo XIV hace de la profecía y el apostolado grados de la santidad; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«He will send the best one of them as a prophet to the others to present a fire to them and say, "I am the messenger of the Reality to you» — el capítulo XIV narra el juicio de los que vivieron entre revelaciones, los niños y los dementes.

«Cast yourselves into this fire, for whichever of you obeys me will be saved and will enter the Garden, but whoever disobeys me and opposes my command will perish and become dwellers in the Fire» — sigue el relato: la prueba del fuego y sus dos desenlaces.

«Then, those who obey him and throw themselves into the fire will be blessed and gain their reward, finding the fire cool and safe, while those who disobey him will be worthy of punishment and will enter the fire, descending into it with their contentious deeds, so that justice might be done by God upon His servants» — cierre del relato: el fuego fresco para los que obedecen.

«This much legislation will remain in the Hereafter on the Day of Resurrection before the entry into Paradise and the Fire. We have therefore restricted our treatment of this subject. Praise be to God» — cierre del capítulo XIV.

«Therefore grasp this point, for Destiny is unknown only because of the intensity [immediacy] of its manifestation and, although greatly sought after and urgently pursued, it is seldom recognized [for what it is]» — el capítulo XIV explica por qué el Destino pasa inadvertido: por la intensidad de su manifestación.

«Provisions may be either spiritual, like learning, or sensible, like food, and the» — el capítulo XIV reparte las provisiones espirituales y sensibles; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«Reality sends it down only according to a known measure, to which a creature is entitled» — continuación: la provisión baja en la medida a que cada criatura tiene derecho.

«Know, O Ezra, that you may perceive only what you seek to perceive as your [eternal] predisposition per» — sigue el discurso puesto en boca de la Realidad: solo se percibe lo que la predisposición permite; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra al final de la plana.

«After him there will no longer be any law-bringing prophet or community to receive such, nor any apostle bringing divine law» — continuación: no habrá ya profeta legislador ni apóstol que traiga ley divina.

«so that his station as a knower [of truth] is more complete and perfect than that as an apostle or lawgiver» — continuación: la estación de conocedor es más completa que la de apóstol o legislador.

«just as certain servants found themselves unable to comply with God's command, like Abu Jahl and others» — continuación: el ejemplo de los que no pudieron acatar el mandato; la nota del traductor identifica a Abu Jahl.

«From the water of Mary or from the breath of Gabriel, In the form of a mortal fashioned of clay, The Spirit came into existence in an essence Purged of Nature's taint, which is called Sijjtn» — arranque del capítulo XV, la palabra de Jesús: los versos sobre el agua de María y el aliento de Gabriel; la nota del traductor identifica el nombre del Infierno.

«A spirit from none other than God, So that he might raise the dead and bring forth birds from clay» — sigue el verso del capítulo XV sobre la resurrección de los muertos y los pájaros de barro.

«God purified him in body and made him transcendent In the Spirit, making him like Himself in creating» — cierre de los versos del capítulo XV.

«Know that it is a particular characteristic of the spirits that everything on which they descend becomes alive, and life begins to pervade it» — el capítulo XV enuncia la propiedad de los espíritus: todo lo que tocan vive.

«Thus did al-Samiri arrogate [to himself] some of the influence of the messenger Gabriel, who is a spirit. 273 When he realized that it was Gabriel, and knowing that all he touched would come alive, al-SamirT snatched some of it (his power), either with his hand or with his fingertips. Then he transferred it to the [golden] calf, so that it bellowed, which is the sound cattle make» — el capítulo XV aplica esa propiedad al episodio coránico del becerro de al-Samiri; la nota da la sura XX:86-89.

«Had he fashioned it in some other form, it would have made the appropriate sound, such as the grumbling of the camel, the bleating of lambs and sheep, or the articulate speech of man» — el capítulo XV generaliza: la forma decide el sonido.

«Now the measure of life that pervades a creature is called divine, humanity being [preeminently] the locus in which the Spirit inheres. Thus humanity is called a spirit by virtue of that which inheres in it» — el capítulo XV llama divina la medida de vida que penetra a la criatura.

«Had he blown [his spirit] into her at that moment, Jesus would have turned out too surly for any to bear, because of his mother's state» — el capítulo XV hace depender el carácter de Jesús del estado de su madre en ese instante.

«Gabriel was, in fact, transmitting God's word to Mary, just as an apostle transmits His word to his community» — el capítulo XV equipara a Gabriel con un apóstol que transmite la palabra.

«Jesus came forth raising the dead because he was a divine spirit. In this the quickening was of God, while the blowing itself came from Jesus, just as the blowing was from Gabriel, while the Word was of God» — el capítulo XV reparte el soplo y la vivificación entre Jesús y Dios.

«His raising of the dead, however, was also notional, as coming from him, since, in truth, it came from God» — el capítulo XV llama nocional a la resurrección en cuanto viene de Jesús.

«Now that which relates to the words by Gods leave is it will become and not you will breathe» — el capítulo XV discute a qué se aplica el permiso divino en el versículo.

«This aspect [of his teaching] derives from his mother, since woman is lowly and humble, being under the man, both theoretically and physically» — el capítulo XV atribuye esa humildad a la madre y describe a la mujer como sujeta al varón.

«Had Gabriel not come in human form, but in some other, whether animal, plant or mineral, Jesus would have been able to quicken the dead only by taking that form to himself and appearing in it» — el capítulo XV ata la forma de la resurrección a la forma en que apareció Gabriel.

«It used to be said of him, when he revived the dead, "It is he and yet not he» — el capítulo XV recoge la fórmula con que se hablaba de Jesús al resucitar.

«The spectator would be utterly bewildered to see a mortal man performing divine acts» — el capítulo XV describe el desconcierto del espectador.

«This matter has led certain people to speak of incarnation and to say that, in reviving the dead, he is God. Therefore, they are called unbelievers [concealers], being a form of concealment, since they conceal God, Who in reality revives the dead, in the human form of Jesus» — el capítulo XV explica de dónde sale la doctrina de la encarnación y llama encubridores a quienes la sostienen.

«Thus they distinguished between the form and its determination, but did not make the form the same as the determining principle» — el capítulo XV acota lo que esas sectas sostienen en realidad.

«Considered in his [particular] mortal form, one might say that he is the son of Mary. Considered in his form of humanity, one might say that he is of Gabriel, while considered with respect to the revival of the dead, one might say that he is of God as Spirit» — el capítulo XV reparte los tres modos de considerar a Jesús.

«He is indeed according to that aspect [of his reality] which predominates in the one who considers him» — el capítulo XV hace depender la respuesta del aspecto que predomine en quien mira.

«Thus he is [at once] the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the slave of God, and such a [triple] manifestation in sensible form belongs to no other» — el capítulo XV reúne los tres títulos en Jesús y los declara únicos.

«God, when He perfected the human body, as He says, When I perfected him, 284 blew into him of His spirit, attributing all spirit in man's being and essence to Himself» — el capítulo XV atribuye a Dios todo espíritu en el hombre; la nota da la sura XV:29.

«All creatures are indeed words of God, which are inexhaustible, stemming as they do from [the command] Be, which is the Word of God» — el capítulo XV hace de toda criatura palabra de Dios.

«Now, can the Word be attributed to God as He is in Himself, so that its nature may never be known, or can God descend to the form of him who says Be, so that the word Be may be said to be the reality of the form to which He descends and in which He is manifest? Some gnostics support the former, some the latter, while others are confused and do not know what is the truth of the matter» — el capítulo XV plantea la disyuntiva sobre la Palabra y consigna que los gnósticos se dividen, sin arbitrar.

«This matter is one that can be known only by direct experience, as with Abu Yazld al-Bistaml when he blew on an ant he had killed and it came alive again. 286 At that very moment he knew Who it was that blew, so he blew r [into it]. In that respect he was like Jesus» — el capítulo XV apoya el punto en la hormiga revivida por al-Bistami.

«Anyone who revives a dead soul with the life of knowledge relating to some truth about God has thereby brought him to life, so that he has a light by which to walk among men; that is to say those that are formed like him» — el capítulo XV extiende la resurrección al orden del conocimiento; la nota da la sura VI:122.

«But for Him and but for us, That which has become would not be. We are servants in very truth, And it is God Who is our master» — los versos del capítulo XV sobre la dependencia recíproca.

«Be divine (in essence) and be a creature (in form), And you will be, by God, a compassionate one» — sigue el verso del capítulo XV con el mandato de ser divino y criatura.

«When the trusty spirit, which was Gabriel, presented itself to Mary as a perfectly formed human, she imagined that he was some ordinary man who desired to lie with her. Accordingly, she sought refuge from him in God, totally, so that He might rid her of his attentions, knowing that to be forbidden» — el capítulo XV narra la aparición de Gabriel y el refugio que María busca en Dios; la nota da la sura XIX:17-21.

«When he said to her, / am only a messenger of your Lord, come to give you a pure boy, 215 her anxiety subsided and she relaxed. It was at that moment that he blew Jesus into her» — el capítulo XV sitúa el soplo tras la frase que calma a María; la nota da la sura XIX:19, y el impreso abre la cita con una barra.

«since breath from the vital body is moist owing to the element of water in it» — continuación: el aliento del cuerpo vital es húmedo por el agua que contiene.

«If the one blowing does so without permission, then the coming into being of the bird is by His permission, in which case the word per» — el capítulo XV da la alternativa de lectura y no arbitra; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra al final de la plana.

«The humility of Jesus was such that his community was commanded that they should pay the poll-tax completely, humbling them» — el capítulo XV deriva de Jesús el mandato de la humildad; la nota da la sura IX:29 y el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«The real error and unbelief in the full sense of the word is not in their saying "He is God" nor "the son of Mary," but in their having turned aside from God by including [God in human form] in the matter of reviving the dead, in favor of a merely mortal form in their saying [He is] the son of Mary, albeit that he is the son» — el capítulo XV precisa en qué consiste el error, y no en decir Dios ni hijo de María; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«selves, 283 that if any one of them were struck on one cheek, he should offer also the other, and that he should not hit back or seek retribution» — continuación: ofrecer la otra mejilla y no buscar desquite.

«Therefore, the Divine Breath is receptive to cosmic forms, in relation to which it is like the Primordial Substance, being very Nature Herself» — el capítulo XV identifica el Aliento divino con la Sustancia Primordial y con la Naturaleza.

«It is for this reason that God has described them, that is the heavenly host, as being in conflict, Nature itself being self-contradictory» — el capítulo XV explica el conflicto de la hueste celestial por la contradicción de la Naturaleza.

«Indeed it is the Breath that has brought about the mutual conflict among the divine Names, which are relationships» — el capítulo XV atribuye al Aliento el conflicto entre los Nombres.

«Because of this the Cosmos has been set forth in the form of its Creator, which is nothing other than the divine Breath» — el capítulo XV hace del Cosmos la forma de su Creador, que es el Aliento.

«When He created him [Adam] with two hands He called him bashar [mortal, human] because of the direct connection [mubasharah] suggested by the two hands ascribed to Him» — el capítulo XV deriva el nombre coránico del hombre de la raíz del contacto directo.

«Man's only superiority over other creatures is in his being a bashar [mortal, human], for [in this respect] he is superior to all things created without that direct connection [mubasharah] [with the Divine Presence]» — el capítulo XV funda la superioridad del hombre en ese contacto directo.

«Thus man ranks above the terrestrial and celestial angels, while God has stipulated that the sublime (higher) angels are superior to mankind» — el capítulo XV coloca al hombre por encima de unos ángeles y por debajo de otros, según lo estipulado.

«the Cosmos is manifested in the divine Breath by which God relieved the divine Names from the distress they experienced by the nonmanifestation of their effects» — el capítulo XV explica el Aliento como alivio de la angustia de los Nombres.

«Indeed, the first effect of the Breath is experienced only in the divine Presence, after which it continues its descent by a universal [process of] release, down to the last thing to be created» — el capítulo XV traza el descenso del Aliento desde la Presencia divina.

«All is essentially in the Breath, As light is, in essence, in the dark before dawn. Knowledge [of this] by [intellectual] proof Is like the emergence of daylight to one half asleep» — los versos del capítulo XV sobre el Aliento y la luz antes del alba.

«It manifests itself to him who Comes seeking a coal [from its fire]. He sees it as fire, but it is A light to kings and nightfarers» — sigue el verso del capítulo XV con la alusión al fuego de Moisés.

«Had he [Moses] sought other than that [a fire], He would have seen it in it, and not inversely» — cierre del verso: lo que se busca decide lo que se ve.

«Did you say to the people, "Take me and my mother as gods rather than God» — el capítulo XV trae la pregunta que Dios dirige a Jesús; la nota da la sura V:116.

«Now courtesy requires that the questioner be given an answer, since when He reveals Himself to him in this station and this form, wisdom dictates that the answer be given from the standpoint of distinction [between speaker and the one spoken to], but with the reality of synthesis clearly in view» — el capítulo XV explica por qué la respuesta se da desde la distinción sin perder la síntesis.

«It is not for me, that is, for me rather than You, to say what I have no right to say, that is, what my identity [might] require, but not my [latent] essence» — el capítulo XV distingue en la respuesta la identidad de la esencia latente.

«You, therefore, are the tongue by which I speak; as the Apostle has told us of his Lord, with respect to divine communication, "I am his tongue by which he speaks» — el capítulo XV apoya la respuesta en la Tradición de la lengua; la nota remite a Bujari.

«Thus does He make His Identity the same as the tongue of the speaker, attributing the speech to the servant» — el capítulo XV reparte la Identidad y el habla.

«He denies knowledge to Jesus in his own identity, but not as speaker or as possessor of [creative] effect» — el capítulo XV acota qué conocimiento se le niega a Jesús.

«Thus [in his reply] he distinguishes and synthesizes, singularizes and pluralizes, broadens and narrows» — el capítulo XV enumera las operaciones que la respuesta hace a la vez.

«He uses the name Allah because of the variety of worshipers in their acts of worship and the different religious traditions. He does not use one of the particular names, but rather that Name which includes them all» — el capítulo XV explica por qué se usa el Nombre que abarca a todos.

«since it is certain that His relationship with one creature, as Lord, is not the same as with another. For that reason he makes the distinction between My Lord and your Lord, referring separately to the speaker and the one spoken to» — el capítulo XV funda en la relación particular la distinción entre mi Señor y vuestro Señor.

«Since the command descends according to the regime of ranks, everything manifested in a particular rank is affected by what is afforded it by the reality of that rank» — el capítulo XV hace que el mandato se tiña del rango por el que pasa.

«This is because the prophets bear witness concerning their communities while they are with them» — el capítulo XV limita el testimonio del profeta al tiempo en que está con los suyos.

«Man's consciousness of himself is indeed God's consciousness of him, but he [Jesus] has attributed this consciousness to the name, the Watcher, referring the consciousness to Him» — el capítulo XV identifica la consciencia de sí con la consciencia divina.

«Thus, in relation to himself, Jesus puts his people first, saying, concerning them a witness, while I am with them, 201 preferring them out of courtesy. He places them last, however, when speaking of God in saying, the Watcher over them, since the Lord is deserving of precedence» — el capítulo XV lee el orden de las palabras como cortesía.

«That is because He is the witness of everything that is witnessed, according as the reality of that thing dictates» — el capítulo XV extiende el testimonio divino a todo lo atestiguado.

«God speaks of a word of Jesus and a word of Muhammad. As for it being of Jesus, it is because it is the utterance by Jesus of God's communication concerning him in His Book. As for its being of Muhammad, it is because it happened to Muhammad in a particular place. He spent a whole night repeating it and nothing else, until the breaking of dawn» — el capítulo XV cuenta que Muhammad repitió toda la noche el mismo versículo.

«the absence veiling them from what is meant [by the gnostics] by "the witnessed One Who is present» — el capítulo XV lee el pronombre de ausencia como velo.

«There is no abasement greater than that of slaves, seeing they have no freedom of action with respect to themselves. Their lot is determined by what their Master wants with them, and He has no associate in what concerns them; as He says, Your servants, with the singular pronoun. By chastisement is meant their abasement, and there is none more abased than they because they are slaves» — el capítulo XV mide la abyección de la esclavitud.

«When God bestows this name on one of His servants, He Himself is called the Strengthener [al-muHzz], while the recipient is called the mighty [al- 'aziz\ Thus God, as Protector, guards against the wishes of God the Avenger, the Chastiser» — el capítulo XV reparte los Nombres del Fortalecedor y el Poderoso y los enfrenta al Vengador.

«It is said that when God likes the voice of His servant in his supplication to Him, He postpones the response, so that he might repeat it, not out of any aversion, but out of love for him» — el capítulo XV explica la demora de la respuesta por el gusto de oír la súplica.

«So He is called the Wise, and the Wise One is He Who apportions things to their proper places and does not deviate, concerning them, from what their realities, through their attributes, dictate and require» — el capítulo XV define al Sabio como el que pone cada cosa en su sitio.

«When God befits a servant to give expression to some matter, He does so only that He might respond to him and fulfill his need» — el capítulo XV ata la capacidad de pedir a la respuesta.

«Consider how the physician, when he wishes to prescribe a potion for a patient, looks first at the sedentation of the urine. When he sees that it is precipitating he knows maturation is complete and prescribes the medicine to accelerate the cure. It only precipitates because of its natural moisture and coldness» — el capítulo XV apoya la doctrina de las cualidades en la práctica del médico que mira el sedimento de la orina; el impreso escribe *sedentation*.

«God kneads this human clay in His two hands, which, although both are right hands, are nevertheless in opposition. There is no concealing the difference between them, even if it be only that they are two [separate] hands, since naught influences Nature except what conforms to her, and she is polarized; so He came forth with two hands» — el capítulo XV explica las dos Manos por la polaridad de la Naturaleza.

«When the servant prays, my Lord, forgive me!305 he is the commander, while the Reality is the commanded, for what God requires of His servant by His command is the same as that which the servant requires of the Reality by his command» — el capítulo XV invierte los papeles de mandante y mandado entre el siervo y la Realidad.

«For this reason [one might say] that every supplication is inevitably responded to, even if it be delayed. For instance, certain people under obligation, when commanded to pray, might not pray at that time, but postpone compliance by praying at another time, although they are quite capable of praying at the time. Thus, response is inevitable, even if only by intention» — el capítulo XV declara respondida toda súplica, aunque la respuesta se demore.

«If You chastise them, then they are Your servants, but if You forgive them, then You are the Mighty, the Wise» — el versículo que el capítulo XV pone en el centro; la nota da la sura V:118, y el mismo versículo se reimprime dos planas después, así que el ancla se alarga para quedarse en la primera.

«It, meaning the letter, isfrom Solomon, . . . and it, that is, the contents of the letter, are in the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful» — arranque del capítulo XVI, la palabra de Salomón: la carta a Bilqis; la nota del traductor remite al relato coránico, y el impreso pega dos palabras.

«Some have supposed that the name of Solomon is here given precedence over the name of God, but this is not so. They speak of it in a way that is not consonant with Solomon's gnosis of his Lord» — el capítulo XVI objeta la lectura de que Salomón antepusiera su nombre al de Dios.

«Perhaps they are prompted to say such things because Chosroes tore up the letter of the Apostle of God, although he did not do so until he had read the letter and acquainted himself with its contents» — el capítulo XVI explica esa lectura por el episodio de Cosroes y la carta rasgada; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Servants of this kind know well what part of themselves is the doer of the action, since human action is divided among eight members» — el capítulo XVI reparte la acción humana entre ocho miembros.

«Thus, when you see a creature, you are seeing the First and the Last, the Outer and the Inner» — el capítulo XVI reúne los cuatro Nombres en la vista de cualquier criatura.

«God gave Muhammad power over a demon that came to him by night to destroy him. He siezed it and tied it to a pillar of the mosque until morning, when the children of Madlnah played with it» — el capítulo XVI narra el demonio atado al pilar de la mezquita; la nota remite a Bujari.

«but whereas Solomon exercised that power outwardly, Muhammad did not» — el capítulo XVI marca la diferencia entre los dos: el mismo poder, manifiesto en uno y no en el otro.

«From this we may learn that what was denied to creatures after Solomon was the manifestation [of the dominion] in a universal way» — el capítulo XVI precisa qué fue lo negado a los posteriores: la manifestación universal de ese dominio.

«God binds [restricts] the Mercy of obligation and unleashes the Mercy of giving in His saying, My Mercy encompasses every thing» — el capítulo XVI extiende la Misericordia del don incluso a los Nombres divinos; la nota da la sura VII:156.

«On whom, therefore, does He bestow, seeing that there is only He» — la pregunta con que el capítulo XVI cierra el punto.

«This is because every part of the Cosmos is the totality of the Cosmos in that it is receptive to the realities of the disparate aspects of the Cosmos» — el capítulo XVI hace de cada parte del Cosmos la totalidad del Cosmos.

«Thus the fact that the Identity of God is the essence of Zaid and 'Amr does not contradict our saying that Zaid is less learned than 'Amr, since the Identity is more perfect and knowing in 'Amr than in Zaid, the divine Names being nothing other than the Reality, however much they may vary in merit» — el capítulo XVI concede la desigualdad de saber sin renunciar a la identidad.

«So, O friend, do not know 7 Him in one context and be ignorant of Him in another, nor affirm Him in one situation and deny Him in another, unless you affirm Him in an aspect in which He affirms Himself and deny Him in an aspect in which He denies Himself» — el capítulo XVI prohíbe conocer y desconocer a Dios por partes; la capa de texto mete un 7 dentro de la frase.

«There is always some living creature in the world hidden from the awareness of some men, which will be manifest in the Hereafter to all men, it being the Abode of the Living» — el capítulo XVI sostiene que hay vida oculta a la conciencia de algunos hombres.

«so do not be deceived by the manifest disparity [of created things] into gainsaying the one who asserts that creation is [none other than] the Identity of the Reality» — el capítulo XVI defiende la tesis de la identidad frente a la disparidad aparente.

«In her wisdom and sublime knowledge, Bilqls does not mention the person who sent her the letter, so that her advisers might know that she was in touch with things the course of which they did not perceive» — el capítulo XVI lee el silencio de Bilqis sobre el remitente como política de gobierno.

«This is the way of God in the matter of dominion, since if the means of information coming to a ruler remain unknown to others, the people of the kingdom are very cautious in exercising their free will and do not do so except in matters that have first been considered for them by their ruler, thus being safe from the possible evil consequences of such free action» — el capítulo XVI generaliza esa política al gobierno divino.

«As for the superiority of human over demonic [jinn] learning concerning the mysteries of disposition and the special nature of things, it may be known from the measure of time, since the perception of the eye330 is quicker than the action of one rising from his seat» — el capítulo XVI mide la superioridad del saber humano sobre el de los genios por el tiempo de la mirada.

«That is because the time it takes for perception to take place is the same as it takes to reach its object, no matter what the distance is between the perceiver and perceived, since it takes no more time for the eye to open than for its sight to reach the fixed stars, just as the closing of the eye takes no longer than the ceasing of perception» — el capítulo XVI iguala el tiempo de la percepción al del alcance de su objeto, por lejano que sea.

«Thus Asaf Ibn Barkhiyah proved better in this respect than the Jinn, since his utterance and his action took place in a single moment» — el capítulo XVI adjudica el traslado del trono a Asaf Ibn Barkhiyah.

«In that moment Solomon saw with his eye the throne of Bilqis firmly set before him, lest he should imagine that he was seeing it while it remained in its own place without being moved» — el capítulo XVI niega que el trono siguiera en su sitio.

«We do not know of instantaneous transference. Indeed the causing not to be and to be [of the throne] happened in a way unknown to any but He Who apprised us of it in His saying, Nay, they are confusion regarding a new creation» — el capítulo XVI niega el traslado instantáneo y lo explica por la creación renovada; la nota da la sura L:15.

«If it is as we have said, then the moment of its disappearance from its place is the same as its presence with Solomon, by virtue of the renewal of creation by breaths» — el capítulo XVI aplica la renovación por alientos al caso del trono.

«no one is aware of the fact in himself that, with each breath, he is not and yet comes into being again» — el capítulo XVI extiende la renovación a cada quien y a cada aliento.

«Therefore, do not say "then," which implies a lapse of time, for the word thumma in Arabic implies a process of cause and effect in specific situations, as the poet says, Like the quivering of the spear, then it shook» — el capítulo XVI discute la partícula árabe con un verso; la nota del traductor declara no haber podido rastrear ese verso.

«Similarly with the renewal of creation by breaths, the moment of the nonexistence of a thing is the very moment of the existence of its like, as with the renewal of accidents according to the Ash'arites» — el capítulo XVI empareja su doctrina con la renovación de accidentes de los asharíes.

«One who truly understands what we have said will realize that the throne covered no distance, that no land was folded up for it, nor was it penetrated» — el capítulo XVI niega que el trono recorriera distancia alguna.

«A gift is the bestowal of something as a favor by the giver, not a token of agreement or reward. Such a [divine] gift is the complete favor, the irrefutable argument, and the unmistakeable stamp» — el capítulo XVI define el don como favor y no como pago.

«David's knowledge was an acquired knowledge granted him [indirectly] by God, while Solomon's knowledge was God's own knowledge on the matter, He being the judge [in the matter] without intermediary, since Solomon was himself the exposition of God, of perfect veracity» — el capítulo XVI distingue el conocimiento adquirido de David del conocimiento propio de Dios en Salomón.

«Now this Community of Muhammad has been granted the rank of both Solomon and David in the matter of judgment. How fine a Community it is» — el capítulo XVI atribuye a la comunidad de Muhammad los dos rangos.

«When Bilqls saw her throne, knowing the great distance involved and the impossibility, in her view, of its being moved in such a short time, she said, It is as if it were it, 336 so confirming what we have said concerning the renewal of creation by similars» — el capítulo XVI lee la frase de Bilqis como apoyo de la creación por semejantes; la nota da la sura XXVII:42.

«Solomon's direction concerning the palace was characteristic of the perfection of his knowledge. She was told, Enter the palace, 331 which was paved in perfectly smooth glass. When she saw it she thought it was a deep lake, so she bared her legs, 338 so that the water should not reach her gown. He then explained to her that the seeing of her throne was after the same manner, which did more than justice to the matter» — el capítulo XVI lee el episodio del suelo de vidrio como lección sobre la misma cuestión.

«She was yielding to God, the Lord of the worlds, and not to Solomon himself, who is of the worlds» — el capítulo XVI precisa a quién se sometió Bilqis.

«She was not restricted in her yielding, no more than are the apostles in their belief in God, unlike Pharaoh who said, The Lord of Moses» — el capítulo XVI contrapone la sumisión de Bilqis a la de Faraón.

«That is because Pharaoh was subject to the pressure of the moment in saying, / believe in what the Children of Israel believe in, 342 so specifying his belief. He did so only because he heard the magicians say, concerning their faith in God, The Lord of Moses and Aaron» — el capítulo XVI explica por qué la fe de Faraón quedó especificada.

«In the same way, we are on the same Straight Path our Lord is on, our forelocks being in His grasp, nor is it possible that we should be separated from Him» — el capítulo XVI vuelve al Camino Recto y a los copetes en la mano divina.

«What singles Solomon out [from the rest of us], if you will only understand, is that he could effect such things by personal command alone, without the need for spiritual concentration or the exertion of spiritual power» — el capítulo XVI fija lo propio de Salomón: mandar sin concentración espiritual.

«Know, may God assist both you and us with his Spirit, that such a favor conferred on a servant does not affect any dominion he might enjoy in the Hereafter, nor is it counted against him, although Solomon asked for it from His Lord» — el capítulo XVI declara que ese favor no descuenta del dominio del Más Allá.

«Accordingly, he obeyed his Lord's command and was ever seeking more knowledge, so that when he was brought milk, he would regard it as a symbol of knowledge. He once dreamed that he had been given a bowl of milk, which he drank, giving what was left to 'Umar b. al-Khattab. On being asked how he interpreted it, he said that he saw it as knowledge» — el capítulo XVI vuelve al sueño de la leche y a su interpretación; la nota remite a Hanbal.

«Similarly, when he was taken on the Night Journey, the angel brought him a vessel containing milk and another wine. He drank the milk and the angel said to him, "You have attained to the primordial state [of innate spirituality]; may God bless your Community by you» — el capítulo XVI trae el episodio del Viaje Nocturno y las dos copas; la nota remite a Bujari.

«All becoming is an imagination, And in truth also a reality. Who truly comprehends this, Has attained the mysteries of the Way» — los versos del capítulo XVI sobre el devenir como imaginación y realidad a la vez.

«God has said, You have in the Apostle of God an excellent exemplar, 356 and what finer example is there for one who learns of God than this following by Muhammad» — el capítulo XVI pone al Apóstol como ejemplo del que pide lo que se le manda pedir; la nota da la sura XXXIII:21.

«Had we expounded the station of Solomon completely you would have encountered something awesome, for most of the learned of this Order are ignorant of the station of Solomon, nor is the matter as thev claim it to be» — cierre del capítulo XVI: declara que los doctores de la Orden desconocen la estación de Salomón; la capa de texto imprime *thev* por *they*.

«Solomon mentions two kinds of Mercy, the mercy of unobligating giving and the mercy of binding obligation, which are the Compassionate and the Merciful. As the Compassionate He gives freely, while as the Merciful He binds by obligation, although the latter proceeds from the former, the Merciful being implicit within the Compassionate» — el capítulo XVI reparte las dos Misericordias por los dos Nombres de la basmala.

«Now God has shown that He is [in reality] the identity of each of the members, so that He is the only true agent, the form alone belonging to the servant» — el capítulo XVI atribuye a Dios la identidad de cada miembro y al siervo solo la forma.

«This means that the scope of the divine Wish [iradah] falls short of the scope of the divine knowledge, which shows the comparative nature of the divine Attributes» — el capítulo XVI gradúa los Atributos divinos entre sí; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«We say this because we know that cosmic bodies are susceptible to the powers of souls raised to the sta» — el capítulo XVI concede que los cuerpos cósmicos ceden al poder de las almas; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Now when a request is made by divine command, the one who requests is fully re» — el capítulo XVI distingue la petición mandada de la iniciativa propia; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra al final de la plana.

«Had he made the request on his own initiative rather than at his Lord's command, He would have called him to account for it» — continuación: la petición por iniciativa propia sí se pide en cuenta.

«They were invested from the beginning, and in all or most of their states, by His name the Bestower» — el capítulo XVII coloca a los profetas bajo el Nombre del Dador.

«He says of David, We gave to David, of Ourselves, bounty, 360 not linking it with any notion of a return to be demanded of him, nor is there any suggestion that it was granted as a reward or recompense» — el capítulo XVII niega toda contrapartida al don hecho a David; la nota da la sura XXXIV:10.

«In David's case it is the granting of a favor and a boon, while in the case of his people a return is required, as He said, Give thanks, people of David, for so few of my servants are thankful» — el capítulo XVII reparte el don para David y la gratitud exigida a su pueblo.

«If the prophets gave thanks to God for his favor and gifts to them, it was not something required of them by God, but something that came voluntarily from themselves, as when the Apostle stood until his legs became swollen, giving thanks to God for forgiving him his early and later sins. When someone spoke to him on the matter, he said, "Shall I not be a grateful servant» — el capítulo XVII declara voluntaria la gratitud de los profetas, con el ejemplo del Apóstol de pie hasta hinchársele las piernas.

«The first favor granted by God to David was that He gave him a name, not one of the letters of which is a connecting letter, by which he cut him off from the world and informed us about him by his name alone, the letters being dal, alif and waw» — el capítulo XVII lee el nombre de David por sus letras no conectivas.

«He named Muhammad, on the other hand, with a name containing letters of connection and disconnection, by which He joined him to Himself and separated him from the world, so combining in his name both states» — el capítulo XVII opone el nombre de Muhammad, que une y separa a la vez; la nota del traductor describe el ejercicio de simbolismo de las letras.

«Finally, the greatest favor and degree by which God singled him out was that He attributed the vicegerency specifically to him, which He did not do for any other human, although there were regents among them» — el capítulo XVII declara única la atribución nominal de la vicerregencia.

«David, lie have appointed you a vicegerent in the Earth, so judge between men with truth andfollow not caprice," 365 meaning anything other than My inspiration that comes to your mind in exercising your judgment» — el capítulo XVII cita el versículo del nombramiento y lo glosa; la capa de texto imprime *lie* por *We* y la nota da la sura XXXVIII:26.

«He does not say, "If you stray from My way, you will be severely punished» — el capítulo XVII argumenta desde lo que el versículo no dice.

«Should it be pointed out that the vicegerency of Adam was also specified, we reply that it was not as specific as David's, since He said only, / am going to put a vicegerent on the Earth, not, / am going to make Adam a vicegerent in the Earth» — el capítulo XVII compara el caso de Adán y lo halla menos específico.

«Similarly, in the case of Abraham, the Friend, He says, I am going to make you a leader [imam] of men, 310 not a vicegerent» — el capítulo XVII distingue liderazgo de vicerregencia en el caso de Abraham; la nota da la sura II:124.

«A further specification of the vicegerency of David is that it is a vicegerency of judgment, which comes only from God, when He said, So judge between men with truth, 311 whereas Adam's vicegerency was probably not of this rank» — el capítulo XVII precisa que la vicerregencia de David es de juicio.

«God has, in the Earth, representatives appointed by Him, and they are the apostles. As for the vicegerency at the present time, it derives from the apostles and not from God [directly], since they judge only by what the Apostle has laid down for them and no more than that» — el capítulo XVII reserva a los apóstoles la representación directa.

«Among us, however, are those who derive it [directly] from God, who are vicegerents appointed by God in the same way and whose criteria come to them in the same way as to the Apostle himself» — el capítulo XVII admite vicerregentes que reciben los criterios como el propio Apóstol.

«Such people appear to follow the Apostle only because their judgment in no way contradicts him, as will be the case with Jesus when he will come down and judge, or as in the case of the Prophet in His saying, Those are they whom God has guided, so follow their guidance» — el capítulo XVII explica por qué esos vicerregentes parecen seguidores; la nota da la sura VI:90.

«Speaking esoterically, we would say of such a one that he is the vicegerent of God and, speaking exoterically, that he is a vicegerent of the Apostle of God» — el capítulo XVII reparte la fórmula esotérica y la exotérica para el mismo hombre.

«The Apostle died without appointing a successor, because he knew that someone would later on receive the vicegerency from his Lord and become a vicegerent appointed by God [directly], albeit in conformity with the revealed Law. Therefore, when he knew that, he did not seek to prejudge the matter» — el capítulo XVII explica por qué el Apóstol no designó sucesor.

«The vicegerent himself, however, is not open in this way, as he would be were he an apostle» — el capítulo XVII niega al vicerregente la revelación nueva.

«The vicegerency today is not of this kind, since only rulings arrived at by personal judgment may be limited or added to, not the Law promulgated on the lips of Muhammad» — el capítulo XVII marca el límite de la vicerregencia actual.

«For when he comes again, he will abolish many established rulings based on personal judgments, clarifying thereby the truth revealed to Muhammad, and not least in the case of community leaders contradicting each other on a single revelation» — el capítulo XVII anuncia que Jesús abolirá reglas de juicio personal al volver.

«As for the saying, "If allegiance is paid to two caliphs, then kill the second," this applies only to the outer viceregency, which wields the sword» — el capítulo XVII restringe la sentencia sobre los dos califas a la vicerregencia exterior; la nota remite a Muslim.

«must be inspired by the imagined possibility of two gods; If there were in them gods apart from God, they would bring about corruption, 374 even if they agreed together» — el capítulo XVII funda la regla del califato exterior en el versículo de los dos dioses; la nota da la sura XXI:22.

«When the divine Command appears to be contradicted by what is called "disobedience," it is because it is an indirect [through the medium of prophets or angels] command and not the Existential Command» — el capítulo XVII distingue el mandato indirecto del Mandato Existencial.

«In truth, the Will is concerned only to create the act itself and is not concerned with the agent. Thus, it would be absurd for it not to come into being» — el capítulo XVII acota el alcance de la Voluntad: crea el acto, no al agente.

«If then the matter is as we have said, then all creatures come eventually to felicity, of whatever kind it may be. This is explained by the fact that the Mercy embraces all things and takes precedence over His Wrath» — el capítulo XVII saca la consecuencia: toda criatura llega a la felicidad, por la precedencia de la Misericordia.

«Coming to it is inevitable, so that the attainment of Mercy and the separation from Wrath is also inevitable. The Mercy governs everything that encounters it, according as each thing's state dictates» — el capítulo XVII declara inevitable el encuentro con la Misericordia.

«Whoever understands, is witness to what we say, But he who does not is assailed by anxiety. There is naught but what we have mentioned, so trust, And be of our own state with respect to it. What we have experienced of it we have rehearsed to you, And you have from us what we have given you» — los versos del capítulo XVII sobre lo que se ha rehusado y lo que se ha dado.

«As for the "softening of iron," 376 it means that hardened hearts are softened by admonishment and warning, as iron is softened by fire. "Difficulty" refers to hearts harder than stone, stone being split and calcified, not softened by fire» — el capítulo XVII lee el hierro ablandado como los corazones endurecidos; la nota da la sura XXXIV:10.

«He softened the iron for him only so that he could work protective armor from it, as a sign from God. In other words, something may be protected against only by itself, so that one is protected from spears, swords, and knives by armor» — el capítulo XVII saca de la coraza la regla de que solo lo semejante protege.

«Thus in the dispensation of Muhammad, it is said, "I seek refuge from You in You," so understand. 377 This then is the mystery of the softening of iron, and He is the Avenger, the Merciful, the Giver of grace» — cierre del capítulo XVII con la fórmula de refugio; la nota da la sura IX:118.

«Know that since Prophecy and Apostleship are a special divine favor, there is no question of any aquisition [of merit]. I mean [particularly] the legislative Prophecy. His favors to them in this respect are pure gifts and not in any sense rewards for which any compensation will be asked of them, His bestowal on them being a matter of favor and selection» — arranque del capítulo XVII, la palabra de David: la profecía como don y no como mérito.

«Similarly, in the case of the birds, God granted him power and attributed it to him. He also granted him wisdom and the final say in affairs» — continuación: las aves, la sabiduría y la última palabra en los asuntos.

«Consider how the Jews believed in and confirmed Jesus so long as they thought that he had brought no more than Moses, as in the case of the regency today in relation to the Apostle. When, however, he enlarged on or abrogated a judgment established by Moses, Jesus being an apostle, they could not tolerate that, since he was contradicting their preconceptions about him» — el capítulo XVII lee el rechazo de Jesús como reacción a lo que añadía a Moisés.

«From this one may deduce that every ruling carried into effect in the world today is the decision of God, since it is only God's decisions that have any effect, in reality, even if it seems to go against the outer established ruling called the Law. That is because everything that happens in the Cosmos is according to the ruling of the divine Will and not [necessarily] in accordance with the rulings of established Law» — el capítulo XVII atribuye a la Voluntad divina todo lo que ocurre, aunque contradiga la Ley establecida.

«Know that this human creation, in all its spiritual, physical, and psychic perfection, was created by God in His own image, and that none but He has charge of its dissolution, whether by His hand, which is always the case, or by His command» — arranque del capítulo XVIII, la palabra de Jonás: la criatura humana hecha a imagen y su disolución reservada a Dios.

«Whoever takes it on himself without God's command wrongs his own soul, transgresses the bounds of God, and seeks the destruction of him whose proper functioning God has ordered» — el capítulo XVIII condena la destrucción de esa criatura por mano propia.

«Indeed, solicitude in caring for God's servants is better than [killing them from an excessive] zeal for God» — la sentencia del capítulo XVIII sobre el celo y el cuidado.

«David desired to build the Holy House and did so several times. However, every time he finished it, it fell down in ruins. When he complained of that to God, God revealed to him, "My House shall not be raised by the hand of one who has spilt blood» — el capítulo XVIII narra la negativa a que David levantara la Casa por haber derramado sangre; la nota del traductor remite a II Samuel.

«O Lord, was it not done in Your cause?" God said to him, "Indeed, but are they not My servants» — el diálogo que el capítulo XVIII pone en boca de David y de Dios.

«The moral here concerns the proper maintenance of this human creation, and that its raising up is better than its destruction» — el capítulo XVIII saca la moraleja del episodio.

«Have you not considered how God has ordained the poll tax and the truce for dealing with enemies of the Faith, so that He might spare them? He says, If they incline to peace, incline to it yourselves and trust in God» — el capítulo XVIII lee el tributo y la tregua como medios de preservar; la nota da la sura VIII:61.

«If he kills him, he is then no better than he» — el capítulo XVIII cita el dicho del Apóstol sobre el dueño de la correa; la nota remite a Muslim.

«referring to retaliation as an evil action, even though it is legal; but whoever forgives and does good, his reward is with God» — el capítulo XVIII llama mala acción a la represalia aunque sea legal; la nota da la sura XLII:40.

«This is because God is manifest in the name, the Outer, only through his existence, that whoever preserves him, preserves God» — el capítulo XVIII saca la consecuencia: quien preserva al hombre preserva a Dios.

«Man is not blameworthy in himself, but only because of the act that proceeds from him. This act is not the same as his [human] self, and it is of this that we are speaking» — el capítulo XVIII separa al hombre de su acto.

«To pronounce blame for one's own purpose is itself blameworthy in God's sight, since only that which the Law blames is truly blameworthy» — el capítulo XVIII restringe la censura legítima a la que la Ley declara.

«In retaliation there is life for you, you who are intelligent. 3 * 3 Such are the ones who perceive the essence of things and who have discovered the secrets of God's laws» — el capítulo XVIII lee el versículo de la represalia como preservación de la especie; la nota da la sura II:179.

«Shall I tell you of something much better than engaging the enemy, attacking them and being attacked by them; it is the remembrance of God» — el capítulo XVIII cita el dicho que antepone el recuerdo al combate; la nota remite a Nasa'i.

«This does not mean one who invokes Him with his tongue only, so that only the tongue perceives Him, which is not the same as the perception of the whole man» — el capítulo XVIII niega que la invocación de la lengua baste.

«Man is multiple and not single of essence, while God is single of Essence, but multiple with respect to the divine Names» — el capítulo XVIII opone la multiplicidad del hombre a la Esencia única.

«It is necessary that there should be some part of a man that is remembering God and with which God is present, so that the rest of him might survive by His care [for that one part» — el capítulo XVIII hace sobrevivir al hombre entero por la parte suya que recuerda; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«The Reality does not, as death, have charge of the destruction of this creation, since it is not a matter of extinction so much as one of severance» — el capítulo XVIII define la muerte como separación y no como extinción.

«As for the dwellers in the Fire, they will indeed eventually attain to felicity, but in the Fire itself, since, after the period of punishment, the Fire must needs become cool and safe, which is their felicity» — el capítulo XVIII promete felicidad dentro del Fuego mismo.

«Either one may say that God manifests Himself like that or that the Cosmos, being looked at and into, is like God in His Self-manifestation. It is various in the eye of the beholder according to the makeup of that beholder, or it is that the makeup of the beholder is various because of the variety of the manifestation» — el capítulo XVIII da las dos explicaciones posibles y declara posibles las dos.

«If it were the case that any dead or killed person did not return to God when he died, God would not bring about the death of anyone or command his execution. All is within His grasp, so that there can never be any [real] loss» — el capítulo XVIII funda el mandato de dar muerte en que nada se pierde.

«Know that the secret of life permeates water, which is itself the origin of the elements and the four supports. Thus did God make of water every living thing» — arranque del capítulo XIX, la palabra de Job: el secreto de la vida en el agua; la nota da la sura XXI:30.

«There is nothing, indeed, that is not living, just as there is nothing that does not sing God's praises, even if we do not understand its praises, except by divine disclosure. Only the living can offer praise. Therefore, everything is living and everything has its origin in water» — el capítulo XIX generaliza la vida a todo lo que existe.

«Have you not considered the Throne, how it rests on the water and derives from it? It floats on the water, which supports it from beneath» — el capítulo XIX pone el Trono sobre el agua.

«In the same way, after God had created man as a servant, he became arrogant and aspired to be above Him. In spite of this God supports this servant's "loftiness" from beneath, ignorant as he is of himself, alluded to in his [the Prophet's] saying, "Even if you let down a rope it will fall upon God» — el capítulo XIX sostiene a Dios por debajo del siervo altivo; la nota remite a al-Tirmidhi.

«Thus, the six directions are manifest only through man, who is in the image of the Merciful» — el capítulo XIX hace del hombre el lugar donde se manifiestan las seis direcciones.

«Were the Throne not on the water, its existence could not be maintained, since the living can be kept in being only by life. Consider how, when someone living dies a normal death, the various parts of his composition break down and his powers are extinguished» — el capítulo XIX ata el mantenimiento del Trono al agua y lo ilustra con la muerte natural.

«God said to Job, Urge with your foot, for this is a washing place 392 in other words "cool" water, because of the extreme heat of his pain, which God soothed with the coolness of the water» — el capítulo XIX lee el versículo del manantial como frescura contra el ardor del dolor; la nota da la sura XXXVIII:42.

«Thus, it is for medicine to lessen that which has increased and to increase that which has grown less, in order to achieve an equilibrium that, however, can be achieved only approximately» — el capítulo XIX define la medicina como búsqueda de equilibrio siempre aproximado.

«We say approximately because evidence of the realities indicates that the act of creation, which occurs with the breaths eternally, constitutes an imbalance in Nature that might be called a deviation or alteration» — el capítulo XIX declara que la creación por alientos rompe el equilibrio de la Naturaleza.

«We point this out for the benefit of anyone who might think that the people of the Fire suffer God's Wrath eternally and never enjoy His pleasure, which shows the validity of what we have said» — el capítulo XIX objeta la idea de una ira eterna sobre los del Fuego.

«Now wrath comes to an end with the alleviation of their pain, since the reality underlying pain is the same as the reality of anger, the angry one being a sufferer who is only trying to avenge himself on the object of his anger» — el capítulo XIX identifica la ira con el sufrimiento que busca descargarse.

«When one considers the Reality in His transcendence from the Cosmos, then He is far removed from such notions thus limited [by human experience» — el capítulo XIX acota esas nociones cuando se mira a la Realidad como trascendente.

«We are His outer form, while Identity is the directing spirit of that form. That direction can be only in Him and of Him, for He is the First, essentially, and the Last, formally» — el capítulo XIX reparte forma e Identidad entre el hombre y la Realidad.

«Everything perceived is close to the eye, even if it be physically remote, for the sight makes contact with it by perception, or else does not perceive it at all. Either that or the object itself makes contact with the sight. There is therefore a certain proximity between the perception and the perceived» — el capítulo XIX acorta la distancia entre perceptor y percibido.

«You know, of course, that distance and proximity are relative notions, having no existence in themselves, despite their quite definite effects on that which is distant and near» — el capítulo XIX declara relativas la distancia y la proximidad.

«The resorting of the servant to the One Who alleviates the hurt» — el capítulo XIX prefiere acudir al Causante antes que a una causa particular.

«Job, being a prophet, acted according to the wisdom of God, knowing as he did that patience, which most men regard as the restraining of the soul from complaint, is not limited, as we also know, to that, but is rather the restraining of the soul from complaint to what is other than God, not to God Himself» — el capítulo XIX redefine la paciencia: no quejarse ante lo que no es Dios.

«Most people are misled in their view that the one who complains detracts from his acceptance of destiny thereby. That is not the case, since it is not one's acceptance of destiny that is impaired by complaint to God or any other so much as one's acceptance of the thing predestined» — el capítulo XIX distingue la aceptación del destino de la aceptación de lo predestinado.

«God has, indeed, described Himself in terms of hurt when He says, those ivho would hurt God and His Apostle» — el capítulo XIX consigna que la propia Escritura habla de daño a Dios; la nota da la sura XXXIII:57.

«It is better that you approach Him with the sense of indigence, which is your true condition, since, by your asking Him to relieve you, the Reality Himself is relieved, you being His outer form» — el capítulo XIX hace del alivio del siervo un alivio para la Realidad.

«He made me hungry only that I might weep» — el capítulo XIX cita la respuesta del gnóstico hambriento.

«This way [of knowing] may be the privilege of only the discreet among God's servants, those worthy to be entrusted with the mysteries of God, for He has trusty servants whom only He knows and who know each other. Thus we have counseled you; so act and ask of Him, may He be exalted» — cierre del capítulo XIX: los siervos de confianza que solo Él conoce y que se conocen entre sí.

«Indeed, when there are many injured parties, one of whom is ready to accept payment» — el capítulo XVIII prefiere la voz que evita la ejecución cuando hay varias partes agraviadas; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«That is because, while a man still has life, he has the opportunity to achieve that perfection for which he was created, so that whoever tries to destroy him is seeking to prevent his achieving that for which he was made» — el capítulo XVIII funda el deber de preservar en la oportunidad de perfección.

«When God takes him to Himself, He fashions for him a composite body, not the physical body, of a kind appropriate to the realm to which he has been transferred, which is that of eternal life by virtue of the equilibrium there. There he will never die, nor will his parts be separated again» — el capítulo XVIII describe el cuerpo compuesto del más allá.

«The felicity of those in the Fire, after the fulfillment of certain rights [of punishment], is similar to that of Abraham when he was thrown into the fire. He was tortured by the sight of it and by what he was accustomed to think of it, being quite sure that it was something that would harm anything that came near it, being ignorant of God's purpose in it for him» — el capítulo XVIII empareja esa felicidad con el fuego de Abraham.

«Harmony and equilibrium are everywhere sought, but never [truly] achieved. We are thus denied the rule of equilibrium» — el capítulo XIX niega el equilibrio alcanzado.

«He is aware of everything and knows by direct perception, not by any deductive thought process, just as spiritual awareness is not achieved by thought. Such is true knowing, all else being guesswork and conjecture, and not knowledge in its true sense» — el capítulo XIX niega valor de conocimiento a lo obtenido por deducción.

«God commends Job for his patience, in spite of his supplication to Him to remove the hurt from him. Now, the supplication of a servant in no way detracts from his patience or his being a good servant, as He says, Surely he was repentant, 39 *3 meaning that he turned back to God and not to causes» — el capítulo XIX niega que la súplica reste paciencia; la nota da la sura XXXVIII:41-44.

«This is the wisdom of precedence with respect to names, since God names him Yahya [John], which is to say that the memory of Zakariah lives [yahya) on through him; And We did not name anyone before him with that name» — arranque del capítulo XX, la palabra de Juan: el nombre que dice que la memoria del padre vive; la nota da la sura XIX:7.

«He named him John [Yahya] and his [father's] name lives on like true knowledge, for Adam's memory lived on through Seth, Noah's through Shem, and likewise with other prophets» — el capítulo XX extiende la ley a Adán y Set, a Noé y Sem.

«However, God had never, before John, combined a self-explanatory name with the attribute, except from concern for Zakariah when he said, Give me from Yourself an heir» — el capítulo XX declara única la combinación de nombre y atributo en Juan; la nota da la sura XIX:5.

«Here he places God before his son, just as Asiyah mentions the "neighbor" [God] before the "house," saying, [0 my Lord, build for me] with You a dwelling in Paradise» — el capítulo XX empareja el orden de las palabras de Zacarías con el de la mujer de Faraón; la nota del traductor la nombra Asiyah.

«So God honored him by fulfilling his need and named him by His attribute so that his name became a reminder of what His prophet Zakariah had asked of Him, since he had stressed the continuance of the remembrance of God in his offspring, a son being the secret essence of his father» — el capítulo XX hace del hijo la esencia secreta del padre.

«If the [revealing] Spirit had said, Well-being be upon me the day I was born, the day I will die and the day I am brought forth living,*02 it would better have expressed the [state of] identity. It is, however, better in that it combines the notion of identity and belief, which is less susceptible to misinterpretation» — el capítulo XX compara la fórmula usada con la que habría expresado mejor la identidad, y prefiere la que evita el malentendido; la nota da la sura XIX:33.

«What was unusual and remarkable in the case of Jesus was his ability to speak [in the cradle], since, in making him articulate, God made his intelligence perfect and effective. It does not follow that everyone thus enabled to speak is sincere in what he says, except one who is attested, like John» — el capítulo XX acota el milagro del habla en la cuna: hablar no prueba veracidad.

«The divine well-being bestowed on John is less susceptible to ambiguity with respect to the divine concern for him than that of Jesus, which he pronounced on himself, even though the situation indicates his proximity to God and sincerity in the matter, since, in speaking in the cradle, he was seeking only to prove the innocence of his mother» — el capítulo XX explica por qué la bendición sobre Juan es menos ambigua; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Other evidence of this is the dried-up trunk of the palm tree that dropped fresh fruit without being fertilized by the male, just as Mary bore Jesus without the normal sexual union with a male» — el capítulo XX empareja el tronco seco de la palmera con el parto de María; la nota da la sura XIX:23-34.

«Were some prophet to say that his sign and miracle was that a certain wall should speak, and were that wall to say that he was a liar and that he was not the apostle of God, the sign by itself would be valid and would confirm his apostleship, no attention being paid to what the wall actually said» — el capítulo XX construye el caso del muro que habla para separar el signo de su contenido.

«Such evidence that he is the servant of God is necessary because of those that assert that he is the son of God, the speaking in the cradle being sufficient in itself» — el capítulo XX opone los que lo llaman hijo de Dios a los que lo llaman siervo.

«There will remain certain possibilities of misunderstanding until, in the future, his veracity with respect to all he uttered in the cradle will become clear; so realize what we have touched on here» — cierre del capítulo XX: el malentendido durará hasta que se aclare la veracidad de lo dicho en la cuna.

«Know that the Mercy of God encompasses everything existentially and in principle, and that the Wrath [of God] exists only by virtue of God's Mercy on it» — arranque del capítulo XXI, la palabra de Zacarías: la Misericordia abarca todo y la Ira existe por ella; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Since every [latent] essence has an existence that it seeks from God, His mercy must embrace every essence, for the Mercy by which He is Merciful accepts the desire of the essence for existence and so creates it» — el capítulo XXI hace de la Misericordia la que acepta el deseo de existir de cada esencia.

«The divine Names are "things" and stem from one essence» — el capítulo XXI llama cosas a los Nombres divinos; la nota del traductor acota que lo son en cuanto objetos de la Misericordia.

«The first object of God's all-encompassing Mercy is the thingness of that essence which creates the Mercy through the Mercy» — el capítulo XXI fija el primer objeto de la Misericordia.

«then the thingness of every created being, to infinity, whether of this world or the next, accidental or substantial, complex or simple, without any consideration of purpose or suitability, since the Divine Mercy embraces existentially the suitable and unsuitable alike» — el capítulo XXI extiende la Misericordia a todo lo creado sin mirar conveniencia.

«only that which is nonexistent exerts influence, and not that which is existent. 405 If the latter seems to exert an influence, it is only by the authority of that which is nonexistent» — el capítulo XXI remite a las Revelaciones de La Meca para la tesis de que solo lo inexistente influye.

«This knowledge is strange and the question [here considered] is rarely discussed. Only men of imagination may understand it through the spiritual sensitivity they possess, while those devoid of imagination are far from such an understanding» — el capítulo XXI reserva ese punto a los hombres de imaginación.

«The Mercy of God flows in [all] created beings, and courses through the selves and essences. The rank of Mercy is the epitome to those who perceive [directly] Sublime to those of discursive minds» — los versos del capítulo XXI sobre el rango de la Misericordia.

«Everything designated by the Mercy is fortunate; there is, however nothing that is not so designated. In designating things, the Mercy creates them, every created thing being the object of Mercy» — el capítulo XXI iguala designar y crear en la Misericordia.

«O friend, do not be distracted from grasping what we are saying by what you observe of afflicted people or what you may believe regarding the torments of the Hereafter which eternally afflict the condemned» — el capítulo XXI pide no dejarse distraer por el espectáculo de los afligidos.

«Know that Mercy is inherent in all creating, so that, by the mercy bestowed on pain, pain was created» — el capítulo XXI hace nacer el dolor de la misericordia sobre el dolor.

«Indeed, it beholds it in its latent state, so that it sees "the god created in belief as one of many latent potentialities on which it bestows mercy by bringing it into existence» — el capítulo XXI coloca al dios creado en la creencia entre las potencialidades latentes.

«Second, its effect [is] by petition, since the veiled ones, in their belief, ask God to have mercy on them, while the truly inspired ones ask that God's Mercy remain with them. They ask it in God's name, saying, kiO God, have mercy on us!"406 although it is only the remaining of the Mercy with them that is the mercy upon them» — el capítulo XXI distingue la petición de los velados de la de los inspirados.

«The determining power itself cannot be thought of as a creation, since it is something the [spiritual] concepts [of Name and attribute] require essentially. Indeed, the states (of the Names and attributes) cannot be said to be existent or nonexistent. In other words they are simply relationships, having no true existence» — el capítulo XXI reduce los estados de los Nombres a relaciones.

«Thus a knower is an essential reality attributed with knowledge. It is not that essence itself, nor the knowledge itself, there being in truth only knowledge and that essence in which the knowledge resides. Being a knower is a state of that essence brought about by its being attributed with this concept [of knowledge]. This attribution of knowledge happens to it, so that it is called a knower» — el capítulo XXI descompone la condición de conocedor; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«He Who causes it to exist in the recipient of Mercy does not bring it into existence to have mercy on the recipient by it, but only to have mercy by it on that which resides within it. God is not a locus for phenomena, nor yet a locus for the bringing of mercy into existence. He is the Merciful, and the Merciful is only such by the residing of Mercy within it. Thus is it confirmed that He is the very Mercy Itself» — el capítulo XXI identifica a la Realidad con la Misericordia misma.

«They therefore turn to this expression, which is quite a good one, although some other would have been closer to the mark and less ambiguous, to the effect that the attributes have no essential reality other than that of Him to Whom they are attributed. They are merely relationships and ascriptions relating the One to Whom they are ascribed with their intelligible essences» — el capítulo XXI concede que la fórmula es buena y propone una menos ambigua.

«Although the Mercy is universal, it is, in relation to each Divine Name, different, so that God is begged for Mercy by every one of His Names» — el capítulo XXI particulariza la Misericordia por cada Nombre.

«so that even in the case of the Name the Avenger, one seeking revenge might say, "O Avenging One, have mercy on me» — el capítulo XXI llega a pedir misericordia al Nombre del Vengador.

«In this connection Abu'l-Qasim b. Qissi408 said that every Name, despite its uniqueness, is named by all the other Names, so that when one gives a Name preference, one is qualifying it by all the Names, however many they are, or how various their realities» — el capítulo XXI vuelve a citar a Abu al-Qasim b. Qissi sobre los Nombres que se nombran unos a otros.

«not He, nor yet other than He. That is because they can neither deny them nor make them the same as Himself» — continuación: ni los niegan ni los identifican.

«or by divine Grace, which is unlike any [human] action, as in His saying, My Mercy encompasses everything, 410 so that He might forgive you your earlier and later sins, 411 and, "Do what you will, I have forgiven you» — cierre del capítulo XXI: la segunda vía, la Gracia, ajena a toda acción humana; la nota remite a Hanbal.

«There are those with no insight or attainment in this matter who dare not say either that He is the Mercy Itself or that He is the at» — el capítulo XXI consigna la reserva de los que no se atreven a identificar la Realidad con la Misericordia; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra al final de la plana.

«Mercy may be acquired in two ways, by obligation, as in His saying, / will ordain itfor those who are God-fearing and give alms» — el capítulo XXI da la primera vía de la Misericordia, la obligación; la nota da la sura VII:156, y el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Elias, who was Idris, had a vision in which he saw Mount Lebanon, which is from lubanah, meaning a need, splitting open to reveal a fiery horse with trappings of fire» — el capítulo XXII narra la visión del caballo de fuego y explica el nombre del monte por la raíz que dice necesidad.

«When he saw it he mounted it and felt all his lusts fall away from him. Thus be became an intellect without any lust, retaining no link with the strivings of the [lower] soul» — el capítulo XXII describe la pérdida de toda concupiscencia al montar.

«In him God was transcendent, so that he had half the gnosis of God. That is because the intellect, by itself, absorbing knowledge in its own way, knows only according to the transcendental and nothing of the immanental» — el capítulo XXII le concede media gnosis y explica por qué.

«It is only when God acquaints it with His Self-manifestation that its knowledge of God becomes complete, seeing Him as transcendent when appropriate, and as immanent when appropriate, and perceiving the diffusion of God in natural and elemental forms. Indeed, he sees the Essence of the Reality to be their essence» — el capítulo XXII fija en qué consiste la gnosis completa.

«For this reason fancies have greater power in this human makeup than the intellects, since the intelligent man, however mature his intellect, is never free of fancy and imagination in what he decides on» — el capítulo XXII da más poder a la fantasía que al intelecto en la hechura humana.

«By fancy they liken Him in making Him transcendent, and by the intellect they make Him transcendent in likening Him. Each is [inextricably] bound up with the other, so that transcendence cannot be unaffected by likening, or vice versa» — el capítulo XXII entrelaza trascendencia y semejanza en cada uno de los dos modos.

«Although the former verse is the greatest expression of transcendence, the word "like" shows that it is not unaffected [in principle] by likening. However, He knows Himself best, and this is the way He has expressed Himself» — el capítulo XXII señala que hasta el versículo más trascendente lleva dentro la palabra *como*.

«Indeed, God is never without an attribute in which He is manifest, as all Scripture attests and reveals» — el capítulo XXII niega que Dios quede sin atributo manifiesto.

«Once this is established we let down the covering and draw the veils over the eyes of the skeptic and the dogmatist, even though both are forms in which God manifests Himself» — el capítulo XXII declara formas de manifestación divina al escéptico y al dogmático por igual.

«He Who manifests Himself in a form does so only according to the degree of receptivity of that form, so that what is attributed to Him [by that form] is only such as its reality and inherent qualities dictate» — el capítulo XXII ajusta la manifestación a la receptividad de cada forma.

«Such is the case with someone who has a vision of God in his sleep and accepts it as being God Himself without reservation. In this case, the realities and inherent qualities of the form in which He is manifest in sleep pertain to the sleeper» — el capítulo XXII aplica la regla a la visión en sueños.

«If the one who interprets it is a man of insight and faith, then it need not necessarily be dismissed in favor of transcendence, since such a man can accord what was seen its due share of transcendence and of that in which He was manifest, since [the name] God is, in reality, but a [verbal] expression, for one who understands what I am talking about» — el capítulo XXII reparte a cada visión su parte de trascendencia y de manifestación.

«The spirit and essence of this wisdom is that everything may be divided into that which affects and that which is affected, both of which are denoted by certain expressions. That which affects in every way, in every instance, and in every situation is God, while that which is affected in every way, instance, and situation is the Cosmos» — el capítulo XXII reparte lo que afecta y lo afectado entre Dios y el Cosmos.

«just as the divine Love springs from the superogatory acts performed by His servant. This is an affect that occurs between that which affects and that which is affected, just as God is the hearing, sight, and powers of the servant by virtue of this Love» — el capítulo XXII ata el amor divino a los actos supererogatorios y a la Tradición de los miembros; el impreso escribe *superogatory*.

«As for one who is not a believer, he tries to overcome fancy with fancy, imagining, in his rational way, that he has invested God with what that Self-manifestation accorded to him in what he saw. In that case, unknown to him, the fancy will never leave him, being ignorant of himself» — el capítulo XXII describe al que combate fantasía con fantasía.

«for He does not answer unless there be one to call on Him, even though the essence of the suppliant and of Him Who answers is the same» — el capítulo XXII iguala la esencia del que pide y la del que responde; las notas dan las suras XL:60 y II:186.

«There is no real conflict implicit in the variety of forms. They are in fact twofold. All these forms are like the limbs of Zaid. It is quite clear that Zaid is a single personal reality, and that his hand does not look like his foot, head, eye, or eyebrow. In other words he is multiple and single, multiple in form and single in essence» — el capítulo XXII ilustra la unidad en la multiplicidad con los miembros de Zaid.

«If you are a believer, you will know that God will manifest Himself on the Day of Resurrection, initially in a recognizable form, then in a form unacceptable [to ordinary belief], and finally back into a form readily recognized» — el capítulo XXII anuncia las tres formas sucesivas del Día de la Resurrección.

«It is as if the single Essence were a mirror, so that when the observer sees in it the form of his belief about God, he recognizes and confirms it, but if he should see in it the doctrinal formulation of someone of another creed, he will reject it, as if he were seeing in the mirror His form and then that of another. The mirror is single, while the forms [it reveals] are various in the eye of the observer» — el capítulo XXII vuelve al espejo único y a las formas múltiples del que mira.

«None of the forms are in the mirror wholly, although the mirror has an effect on the forms in one way, and not in another. For instance, it may make the form look smaller, larger, taller, or broader. Thus it has an effect on their proportions, which is attributable to it, although such changes occur only due to the different proportions of the mirrors themselves» — el capítulo XXII mide el efecto del espejo sobre las proporciones.

«As being the divine Names, on the other hand, He is like mirrors [in the plural]. In which divine Name have you beheld yourself, or who is the one who beholds? It is only the reality of the Name that is manifest in the beholder» — el capítulo XXII pone los Nombres como muchos espejos.

«Do not distress yourself nor fear, for God loves courage, even if it be in killing a snake, which snake is nothing other than yourself» — el capítulo XXII identifica la serpiente que hay que matar con uno mismo.

«Even if the human form is corruptible physically, its [essential] character will maintain it, nor will the imagination desert it» — el capítulo XXII conserva la forma esencial pese a la corrupción del cuerpo.

«You did not shoot when you shot, but it was God Who shot. 420 The eye [of the observer] perceived only the form of Muhammad» — el capítulo XXII lee el versículo del disparo como negación y confirmación a la vez; la nota da la sura.

«An indication of the weakness of intellectual speculation is the notion that a cause cannot be [also] the effect of that to which it is a cause. Such is the judgment of the intellect, while in the science of divine Self-revelation it is known that a cause may be the effect of that for which it is a cause» — el capítulo XXII opone a la razón la ciencia de la autorrevelación en el punto de la causalidad.

«There have been none more intelligent than the apostles, God's blessings be on them, and what they brought [to us] derived from the divine Majesty. They indeed confirmed what the intellect confirms, but added more that the intellect is not capable of grasping» — el capítulo XXII concede al intelecto lo suyo y lo desborda con lo traído por los apóstoles.

«If he is a servant of his Lord, he refers his intelligence to Him, but if he is a servant of reason, he reduces God to its yardstick» — el capítulo XXII reparte los dos modos de servir.

«The gnostics appear in this world as if they were in worldly forms, by reason of its [apparent] effect on them, but God has transformed them inwardly into their other-worldly state, without a doubt» — el capítulo XXII describe a los gnósticos ya transformados por dentro.

«He lets him descend from the realm of his intellect to that of his lust until he becomes a pure animal, experiencing what every beast experiences, apart from the tzvo heavy ones421 [man and jinn]. Then he will know that he has realized his animality» — el capítulo XXII describe el descenso del intelecto a la animalidad como parte de la vía.

«Such a one may be recognized by two signs. The first is this revelation, so that he sees who is to be punished and who rewarded in the grave, and sees the dead man as living, the dumb speaking, and the sitting, walking» — el capítulo XXII da el primer signo de esa realización.

«The second sign is his dumbness, so that even if he wanted to speak of what he sees, he cannot do so. It is this that makes him realize [to the full] his animality» — el capítulo XXII da el segundo signo, la mudez.

«We once had a disciple who had such an experience, but he did not remain dumb and so did not fully realize his animality. When God established me in this station, I realized my animality to the full. I saw things and I wanted to express what I saw, but could not do so, being no different from those who cannot speak» — el capítulo XXII cuenta en primera persona su propia realización de ese estado, y la de un discípulo que no la completó.

«If he discovers that Nature is the same as the Breath of the Merciful, then he has received a great favor» — el capítulo XXII coloca el hallazgo de la Naturaleza como Aliento del Misericordioso en lo más alto.

«Thus, the gnostic sees things in principle and in forms, so being complete [in his knowing]. If, in addition to that, he sees the Breath [of the Merciful], he is perfect as well as complete [in his knowing]. He sees only God as being that which he sees, perceiving the seer to be the same as the seen» — cierre del capítulo XXII: completo el que ve en principio y en forma, perfecto el que además ve el Aliento.

«Should the deity wish for Himself sustenance, Then the whole of existence is food for Him» — arranque del capítulo XXIII, la palabra de Luqman: los versos del alimento.

«His Will is His Wish, so say, Of it that He has willed it, so it is what is willed. He wishes increase and He wishes decrease, But what He wills is naught but what is willed. There is this difference between them, so realize, Although from another view they are essentially the same» — sigue el verso del capítulo XXIII sobre Voluntad y Deseo.

«Now Wisdom may be expressed [in words] or may be unexpressed, as when Luqman said to his son, my son, consider this tiny mustard seed, which God would bring forth were it to be [hidden] in a rock, whether in heaven or earth» — el capítulo XXIII reparte la sabiduría dicha y la no dicha, con el consejo de Luqman sobre el grano de mostaza; la nota da la sura XXXI:16.

«As for the unexpressed wisdom, it is known by the circumstantial indications, the one for whom the seed is brought forth not being mentioned, since he did not say to his son, "God will bring it forth for you or for someone else." He made the bringing forth general and situated what was brought forth in the heavens or in the earth, to draw the attention of the hearer to His saying, He is God in the heavens and the earth» — el capítulo XXIII lee el silencio de Luqman sobre el destinatario como sabiduría no dicha.

«By what was expressed and what was unexpressed, Luqman realized that God is the essence of everything known, "the known" being a more general term than "the thing," being as indefinite as possible» — el capítulo XXIII saca la conclusión: Dios es la esencia de todo lo conocido.

«It is also of His grace and kindness that He is the essence of the thing, however named or defined, so that it is referred to by its name only by collusion and usage. Thus one speaks of the heaven, the earth, the rock, the tree, the animal, the angel, sustenance or food, the Essence of everything and in everything being One» — el capítulo XXIII hace de la gracia divina el ser esencia de cada cosa, cualquiera que sea su nombre.

«We say that it is nothing other than God, while the Ash'arites consider that what is called a substance, even if it is a reality, is not the Reality, which is what is meant by those who understand divine revelation and manifestation» — el capítulo XXIII marca la diferencia con los asharíes sin armonizarla.

«Then he [Luqman] describes Him as being "Experienced," which means knowing by experience, as in His saying, We will surely test you until We know, 428 indicating knowledge by immediate experience» — el capítulo XXIII lee el Nombre como conocimiento por experiencia; la nota da la sura XLVII:31.

«God, despite His knowledge of things as they are, speaks [here] of Himself as gaining knowledge, and we cannot deny what God has stipulated of Himself. Here God is distinguishing between knowledge acquired by direct [sensory] experience and absolute knowledge, direct experience being restricted to the faculties» — el capítulo XXIII consigna que el texto atribuye a Dios un conocimiento que se adquiere.

«Thus the essence of that which is called servant is God, which is not to say that the servant himself is [the same as] the master. That is because the attributions of the essence are differentiated, which is not true of that to which they refer» — el capítulo XXIII acota la identificación: la esencia del siervo es Dios, y el siervo no es el amo.

«It is of the Wisdom of Luqman in instructing his son that he used the two names the Gracious, the Experienced* 20 to describe God. This wisdom would have been more perfect had he used the word "is" to denote its being in existence. God relates Luqman's saying notionally, in the sense that he meant that nothing can add increase to Him» — el capítulo XXIII señala qué le habría faltado a la frase de Luqman para ser perfecta.

«As for his use of the diminutive of the word "son," it is a diminutive of mercy, seeing that he counsels him concerning things that will bring him felicity, provided he acts on them» — el capítulo XXIII lee el diminutivo como misericordia.

«As for the wisdom of his counsel prohibiting him from associating anything with God, for such association is a terrible wrong,* 3 * it is that the divine object of this wrong, which the polytheist describes as divided, is but One Essence. He is, in fact, associating with Him what is nothing other than His Essence, which is the height of ignorance» — el capítulo XXIII explica por qué asociar es ignorancia: se asocia a Dios lo que no es sino su Esencia.

«There is then no associate in reality, since each of them has something of its own, from which it is said that an association exists between them. The reason [for such an assertion] is general association. However, if it is truly general, then the independent activity of any particular part annuls that generality. Say: Call upon God, or call upon the Merciful*25 This is the spirit of the matter» — cierre del capítulo XXIII: no hay asociado real; la nota da la sura XVII:110.

«Elias is the same as Idrls, who was a prophet before Noah whom God had raised to a high rank» — arranque del capítulo XXII, la palabra de Elías: la identificación con Idris; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«That is, they describe Him only according as their intellects dictate. He therefore puts Himself beyond their insistence on His transcendence» — el capítulo XXII lee el versículo como puesta por encima de la insistencia en la trascendencia; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«The Ash'arites maintain that the Cosmos is substantially homogeneous, being one substance» — el capítulo XXIII recoge la tesis asharí de la sustancia única; la nota del traductor remite a Wolfson.

«Know that the existence of Aaron derived from the realm of the divine Mercy, according to His saying, We bestowed on him, meaning Moses, of our mercy, his brother Aaron, a prophet. 436 His Prophethood derived from the realm of the divine Mercy, since, while he was greater than Moses in age, Moses was greater than him in Prophethood» — arranque del capítulo XXIV, la palabra de Aarón: su profecía viene del ámbito de la Misericordia; la nota da la sura XIX:53.

«the reason being that Moses had not looked carefully enough at the tablets he had cast from his hands. Had he done so he would have found in them guidance and mercy, and they would have made clear to him how the affair that angered him had occurred and that Aaron was innocent of it» — el capítulo XXIV explica el enojo de Moisés por no haber mirado bien las tablas.

«Then Aaron said to Moses, Ifear lest you should accuse me of dividing the Children of Israel,*39 that is to say that you might make me the cause of their division, which was, in fact, the worship of the calf» — el capítulo XXIV recoge el temor de Aarón de que se le atribuya la división; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Moses, however, knew more of the matter than did Aaron, knowing what it was that the followers of the calf were [really] worshiping, being aware that God has ordained that none might be worshiped save Him alone, and that what God ordains surely happens» — el capítulo XXIV sostiene que Moisés sabía qué adoraban en realidad los del becerro.

«The gnostic is the one who sees God in everything, indeed, sees Him as the essence of everything» — la definición de gnóstico que da el capítulo XXIV.

«O Children of Israel, every man's heart is where his wealth is. Let, therefore, your wealth be in heaven so that your hearts may be there also» — el capítulo XXIV cita a Jesús sobre el corazón y el tesoro; la nota del traductor remite a Mateo VI:21.

«He only calls the wealth mal because it is something that by its very nature inclines [tumllu] hearts to its worship, being, by far, the most desired object by reason of the heart's need for it» — el capítulo XXIV explica la palabra árabe para riqueza por la raíz que dice inclinar; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«calling it a god to reinforce his instruction, knowing well that it was an aspect of divine manifestation» — el capítulo XXIV lee el que Moisés lo llame dios como enseñanza deliberada; la nota del traductor advierte que el versículo está mal citado.

«Human animality exercises a certain influence on that of the animal by virtue of the fact that God has subjected it to man, and not least because his [true] origin is not animal» — el capítulo XXIV funda el dominio del hombre sobre el animal en que su origen no es animal; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«A man is subject to another only in his animality, not in his humanity, since two similars are mutually exclusive» — el capítulo XXIV niega que un hombre pueda someter a otro en cuanto hombre.

«The superior man might subject another by status through wealth or reputation, that is to say by his humanity, but the other is subject to him, whether through fear or greed, only by his animality, and not by his humanity» — el capítulo XXIV precisa por dónde se somete a un hombre: por temor o codicia, en su animalidad.

«The second kind is subjection by circumstance, as with the subjection of a people to the king who orders their affairs, defending them, protecting them, fighting their enemies, and preserving their property and persons» — el capítulo XXIV da la segunda clase, la de la circunstancia.

«In the case of this subjection by circumstance, the subjects [in a way] subject their ruler. Properly speaking, it is called subjection by rank, which rank governs him. Some kings strive for their own ends, while others realize the truth of the matter and know that by rank they are [inevitably] in subjection to their own subjects, because they recognize their power and right [to their service]» — el capítulo XXIV invierte la sujeción: los súbditos sujetan al rey por el rango.

«Indeed, the whole Cosmos subjects, by circumstance, One Who cannot properly be called subjected, as He has said, Every day He is busy with some matter» — el capítulo XXIV extiende esa inversión al propio Dios; la nota da la sura LV:29.

«Aaron's lack of effective power to restrain the followers of the calf by gaining mastery over it, as Moses did, is a wisdom from God made manifest in the created world, so that He might be worshiped in every form» — el capítulo XXIV lee la impotencia de Aarón como sabiduría para que Dios sea adorado en toda forma.

«Nothing in the Cosmos is worshiped, however, except it assume for the worshiper a certain sublimity and enjoy a certain degree in his heart» — el capítulo XXIV exige sublimidad y grado para que algo sea adorado.

«Thus God is called The Lofty in degrees, 448 and not lofty in degree, since He has made many degrees in One Essence» — el capítulo XXIV argumenta desde el plural del Nombre; la nota da la sura XL:15.

«By the truth of passion, surely passion begets passion, And but for passion in the heart it would not be worshiped» — los versos del capítulo XXIV sobre la pasión.

«Indeed, even his worship of God is motivated by passion, since, had he no passion for the divine Holiness, which is the will to love, he would not worship God or prefer Him to another» — el capítulo XXIV extiende la pasión al culto del propio Dios.

«Thus those who have any awareness become confused because of the universality of this passion, indeed, the oneness of passion being the same in every worshiper» — el capítulo XXIV atribuye la confusión a la universalidad de la pasión.

«The perfect gnostic is one who regards every object of worship as a manifestation of God in which He is worshiped. They call it a god, although its proper name might be stone, wood, animal, man, star, or angel» — el capítulo XXIV define al gnóstico perfecto por su lectura de todo objeto de culto.

«In reality, this level is the Self-manifestation of God to the consciousness of the worshiper of the object in this particular mode of manifestation» — el capítulo XXIV explica qué es en realidad ese nivel de divinidad.

«They were not rejecting Him, but showed their amazement, being limited to a notion of multiple forms and the attribution of divinity to them» — el capítulo XXIV relee el asombro de los idólatras del Corán sin llamarlo rechazo.

«As for the gnostics, who know things as they really are, they display an attitude of rejection toward the worship of forms, because their degree of knowledge makes them aware that they are, by the authority of the apostle in whom they believe and through whom they are called, believers, subject to the rule of time. Thus, despite their awareness that the polytheists do not worship the forms themselves, but only God in them, by the dominance of the divine Self-manifestation they discern in them, they are nevertheless servants of [their] time» — el capítulo XXIV explica por qué los gnósticos rechazan el culto a las formas pese a saber lo que saben.

«Instead, he orders the polytheists to shun such forms whenever the apostle of the time does so. This they do, adhering to the apostle and seeking the love of God, as He says, Say: Ifyou love God, then follow me and God will love you» — el capítulo XXIV manda seguir al apóstol del tiempo; la nota da la sura III:31.

«He is summoning to a god who is eternally resorted to, universally known, but not seen. Sight cannot reach Him, 457 but, He reaches all sight, 458 by virtue of His subtlety and permeation in the essence of things» — el capítulo XXIV describe al dios al que se convoca: alcanzado por ninguna vista y que alcanza toda vista.

«He is the Subtle, the Experienced, 459 experience being immediate tasting, which is His Self-manifestation that is in the forms. Both they and He are necessary, just as one who sees Him through his passion, must worship Him if only you would comprehend; and to God does the path lead» — cierre del capítulo XXIV: la experiencia como gusto inmediato, y el culto por la pasión.

«It was because Aaron's Prophethood derived from the divine Mercy that Moses said to his brother, son of my mother, 437 addressing him by reference to his mother and not his father, since mercy pertains to the mother more than the father and is more profuse in its effect. But for this mercy, she would not have the patience to persevere in the rearing of her children» — el capítulo XXIV explica por qué Moisés lo llama hijo de su madre y no de su padre.

«Do not seize me by my beard nor my hair and do not give my enemies occasion to gloat over me» — el capítulo XXIV cita la súplica de Aarón; la nota da la sura VII:150.

«In his great zeal he burned it and cast the ashes of that form into the sea» — continuación: las cenizas arrojadas al mar.

«Subjection is of two kinds, the first being the subjection of the will to him who subjects by overpowering [the will of] the subjected one. This is like the subjection of the slave by his master» — el capítulo XXIV da la primera clase de sujeción, la de la voluntad; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«The greatest and most sublime of these is passion, as He says, Do you not consider him who has taken his passion as a god» — el capítulo XXIV coloca la pasión como el mayor objeto de culto; la nota da la sura XLV:23.

«It is, indeed, the greatest object of worship, since nothing can be worshiped without it, nor can it be worshiped without His Essence» — continuación: nada se adora sin pasión, y la pasión no se adora sin su Esencia.

«The wisdom of the slaughter of the male children because of Moses was that the life of each boy killed because of him might revert to him as strength, since each one was killed as being (potentially) Moses. There was no ignorance in the matter, since the life of each boy killed because of him had to revert to Moses, each life being pure and innocent, unsullied by selfish aims and in the state of Yea, indeed» — arranque del capítulo XXV, la palabra de Moisés: la vida de cada niño degollado revierte en él; la nota del traductor explica el estado primordial.

«Indeed, this is the first time I have spoken of such matters» — el capítulo XXV declara inédito lo que va a decir.

«All this demonstrates the action of the younger on the older by virtue of the power of his [spiritual] station, since the child's contact with his Lord is fairly recent, being a new creature. The older person, on the other hand, is more distant from that contact. One who is closer to God exerts power over one who is further from Him, just as the confidants of a king wield power over those further removed from his presence» — el capítulo XXV funda ese poder en la proximidad reciente al Señor.

«The Apostle of God would expose himself to the rain, uncovering his head to it, saying that the rain had come fresh from its Lord» — el capítulo XXV recoge la costumbre del Apóstol de descubrirse a la lluvia; la nota remite a Muslim.

«Even so, the rain had power over the best of humanity by virtue of its proximity to its Lord, like a divine emissary summoning him in his essence, in a silent way» — el capítulo XXV lee la lluvia como emisario divino.

«it is that the basket represents his humanity, while the waters represent the learning he acquired through the medium of his body, such as is obtained through the faculty of speculative thought, of sensation and imagination, all of which accrue to the human soul only through the existence of the elemental body» — el capítulo XXV interpreta la cesta y las aguas del relato de Moisés.

«The same is true of the Reality's direction of the Cosmos, since He directs it only by itself or by its form. This He does in the same way as the child depends on the engendering of the father, of effects on their causes, of agreements on their conditions, of attested things on their evidence, and of realizable things on their realities. All such things are of the Cosmos, being nothing other than the Reality's working in it, which He does only through it itself» — el capítulo XXV aplica lo mismo al gobierno del Cosmos.

«This He does in the same way as the child depends on the engendering of the father, of effects on their causes, of agreements on their conditions, of attested things on their evidence, and of realizable things on their realities. All such things are of the Cosmos, being nothing other than the Reality's working in it» — el capítulo XXV enumera las dependencias por las que la Realidad obra en el Cosmos.

«Surely, God created Adam in His Own image," 463 His image being nothing other than the divine Presence» — el capítulo XXV cita la tradición de la imagen y la identifica con la Presencia divina; la nota remite a Bujari.

«In this noble epitome, which is the Perfect Man, He created all the divine Names and realities, which issue forth from him into the macrocosm outside him» — el capítulo XXV hace del Hombre Perfecto el compendio del que salen los Nombres al macrocosmos.

«Whoever [truly] knows this is the Perfect Man, while whoever knows it not is the animal man» — el capítulo XXV reparte al Hombre Perfecto y al hombre animal por ese conocimiento.

«This pairing is the polarity inherent in all that is born or manifest from her. Similarly, the Being of God has a [certain] multiplicity and diversity of Names, because what is manifest of Him in the Cosmos innately requires the realities of the divine Names, so that by it [the Cosmos] and by its Creator the unity of multiplicity is confirmed» — el capítulo XXV lee el versículo de la tierra preñada como polaridad de todo lo que nace.

«In respect to its essence it is single, as the essence of primordial substance is single, but it is multiple in respect to the outer forms it bears within its essence. So it is with God in respect to the forms of His Self-manifestation. He is the theater of the forms of the Cosmos, taking into account His Unity» — el capítulo XXV hace de Dios el teatro de las formas del Cosmos.

«When Pharaoh and his people found him in the water by the tree, Pharaoh called him Moses [Musa], mu meaning water and sa meaning a tree, in Coptic» — el capítulo XXV explica el nombre de Moisés por dos palabras coptas.

«but his wife was inspired by divine words, seeing that God had created her for perfection, as our Prophet said when he attributed to her and to Mary the perfection usually reserved for males» — el capítulo XXV atribuye a la mujer de Faraón la perfección que suele reservarse a los varones.

«Pharoah's consolation was in the faith God endowed him with when he was [later] drowned. God took him to Himself spotless, pure and untainted by any taint, because He took him in the act of commitment, before he could commit any sin» — el capítulo XXV declara que Faraón murió en acto de fe y limpio de pecado; el impreso escribe *Pharoah's*.

«Thus, He made of him a symbol of the loving care He may bestow on whomsoever He wills, lest anyone should despair of the mercy of God, For, only the unfaithful people despair of the spirit of God» — el capítulo XXV hace de Faraón símbolo del cuidado amoroso contra la desesperación; la nota da la sura XII:87.

«Then God kept him from being suckled until he might be brought to his own mother's breast, so that He might make her pleasure in him complete» — el capítulo XXV explica el rechazo de las nodrizas.

«Thus, what is forbidden in one Law is permitted in another, from the formal standpoint. This does not mean that it has always been permitted, since the divine Command is [always] a new creation that is never repeated: so be alert» — el capítulo XXV explica la divergencia entre las leyes reveladas por la creación siempre nueva.

«This is because the real mother is the one who suckles the child, and not the one who bears hm. The mother who bears him carries him as a trust [from the father], and he comes into being in her and feeds on her menstrual blood, all of which happens involuntarily, so that she has no claim on him» — el capítulo XXV distingue la madre que pare de la que amamanta.

«The wet-nurse is not like that, for by her suckling she promotes his life and survival deliberately» — el capítulo XXV funda el derecho de la nodriza en lo deliberado de su acto.

«The first test was his killing of the Egyptian, which was inspired in him by God and deposited in his inmost heart, although he himself did not know it» — el capítulo XXV atribuye a inspiración divina la muerte del egipcio.

«That is because the prophet is inwardly protected, being unaware of something until God informs him of it» — el capítulo XXV declara al profeta protegido sin saberlo.

«Thus, when al-Khidr killed the youth in front of him, Moses disapproved of that, forgetting his own killing of the Egyptian. Then al-Khidr said, / did not do it on my own initiative» — el capítulo XXV empareja la reprobación de Moisés con su propio acto olvidado; la nota del traductor presenta a al-Khidr.

«He also showed to him the sinking of the vessel, which symbolized destruction outwardly, while inwardly it meant deliverance from the action of a plunderer. In this he was giving him a comparison with the basket by which he had been encompassed in the water, the outer aspect of which was destruction, deliverance being its inner significance» — el capítulo XXV empareja la nave hundida con la cesta.

«as the proverb goes, "What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve about» — el capítulo XXV cita el refrán al explicar por qué la madre echó al niño al agua.

«Thus she lived with this feeling, hope and despair jostling within her, so that, when she was inspired by God, she said to herself, "Perhaps this is the messenger at whose hands Pharaoh and the Egyptians will be destroyed." Thus she lived with this feeling and was content with it, it being also [a form of] knowledge» — el capítulo XXV describe la esperanza y la desesperación de la madre como forma de conocimiento.

«since all motivation springs from love, the observer being diverted from this by its other less important causes» — el capítulo XXV reduce toda motivación al amor.

«The movement that is the coming into existence of the Cosmos is a movement of love. This is shown by the Apostle of God in the saying, "I was an unknown treasure, and longed to be known,"474 so that, but for this longing, the Cosmos would not have become manifest in itself» — el capítulo XXV vuelve al tesoro escondido y hace del movimiento del Cosmos un movimiento de amor; la nota del traductor declara no haber podido rastrear la tradición.

«Perfection is loved for itself, so that God's knowledge of Himself, as being beyond all need of the worlds, is for Himself [alone]. There remains only the completion of the degree of Self-knowledge through knowledge of what is ephemeral, which stems from the essences of the Cosmos when they come into existence. The image of perfection is complete only with knowledge of both the ephemeral and the eternal, the rank of knowledge being perfected only by both aspects» — el capítulo XXV exige el conocimiento de lo efímero para completar la perfección.

«Consider, then, how He relieves the distress of the divine Names in the lack of the manifestation of their effects in the Cosmos. This is because God loves relief, which may be achieved only through formal being, whether high or low. So is it confirmed that movement is for love, there being no movement in existence except for love» — el capítulo XXV vuelve al alivio de la angustia de los Nombres.

«For the benefit of the many, the prophets express themselves on this matter in an outer fashion, limited as they are by the understanding of the hearer. This is because the apostles consider only the generality of men, being well aware of their level of understanding» — el capítulo XXV explica por qué los profetas hablan por fuera.

«I will give a certain man a gift, even though I may prefer another, lest God cast him into the Fire» — el capítulo XXV cita el dicho del Apóstol sobre los dones y la debilidad del entendimiento; la nota remite a Bujari.

«Thus, the knowledge they bring is couched in terms suitable for the lowest understanding, so that one who has no depth of understanding may go no further than the outward forms [of the message], wonder at its outer manifestation, and think that to be the [furthest] limit of knowledge» — el capítulo XXV describe al lector que se queda en la forma exterior.

«On the other hand, one of refined understanding, who would probe to the depths for the pearls of wisdom he deserves [to find], says, "This is the outer garment of a king." Thus he examines the quality of the garment and the fineness of its cloth and thereby learns the worth of the one whom it covers, so acquiring knowledge denied to the other, who understands nothing of this» — el capítulo XXV describe al otro lector con la imagen del manto del rey.

«For Moses, this was a special divine favor not bestowed on anyone before him» — el capítulo XXV declara ese favor único.

«Do you not see how the child acts on the older person in a special way, so that the older person comes down from his position of superiority, plays and chatters with him, and opens his mind to him. Thus, he is under the child's influence without realizing it» — el capítulo XXV describe el poder del niño sobre el adulto.

«[True] guidance means being guided to bewilderment, that he might know that the whole affair [of God] is perplexity, which means perturbation and flux, and flux is life» — el capítulo XXV identifica la guía verdadera con la perplejidad, y esta con el flujo y la vida.

«Thus Being is perfect, the whole movement of the Cosmos being the movement of love for perfection, so understand» — cierre del punto: todo el movimiento del Cosmos es movimiento de amor a la perfección.

«This, then, is the wisdom [implicit] in his [Moses'] saying, I fled from you when I feared you; 476 he did not say, "I fled from you from a desire for safety and well-being» — el capítulo XXV explica por qué Moisés dice que huyó por miedo y no por deseo de seguridad; la nota da la sura XXVI:21.

«Then he came to Madyan and found two maidens and obtained waterfor them, without any payment; then he went hack to the shade of God and said, Lord, I am in dire need of the good you sent down to me» — el capítulo XXV empareja el sacar agua sin paga con el bien recibido de Dios; la nota da la sura XXVIII:24.

«Al-Khidr showed to him the wall being rebuilt for nothing, and Moses chided him for that. He then reminded him of his obtaining water without payment and other things he did not mention, until Muhammad wished that Moses would keep quiet and not interfere until God had related their story to him, so that he might learn what Moses had attained to without being aware of it» — el capítulo XXV empareja el muro reconstruido sin paga con el episodio del pozo.

«Moses, however, was unaware of God's purification of al-Khidr and forgot the condition he had laid down if he were to follow him, which is a mercy for us who are [frequently] forgetful of God's command» — el capítulo XXV llama misericordia para los olvidadizos el olvido de Moisés.

«which is to say that he knew things of which Moses had no experience, as Moses knew things he did not know. Thus, he was just to Moses» — el capítulo XXV declara equitativo a al-Khidr con Moisés.

«At this Moses said and did nothing, demanding no more of his company, since he recognized the significance of the rank that had prompted him to deny him any further companionship. Moses therefore remained silent and they parted company» — el capítulo XXV describe el silencio de Moisés ante la separación.

«This concession to Moses' knowledge was by way of alleviating the irritation he had caused him by saying, How can you have patience with that of which you have no experience?482 while knowing the loftiness of his apostolic rank, which he himself did not enjoy» — el capítulo XXV lee la concesión de al-Khidr como alivio de la irritación causada; la nota da la sura XVIII:68.

«You have more experience [than I] of what needs to be done in this world," 483 although there is no doubt that knowledge of a thing is better than ignorance of it. God, therefore, extols Himself as being knowledgeable about all things. Thus, the Apostle recognized that his companions were more knowledgeable about the things of this world, of which he had no experience, since such things are a matter of experience and direct contact, and Muhammad had no time for such knowledge, being concerned with more important matters» — el capítulo XXV trae el episodio de la polinización de las palmeras.

«This is because the vicegerent bears the sword and is one who dismisses and appoints governors, whereas the apostle is not such, his only charge being to communicate the message with which he is sent» — el capítulo XXV distingue al vicerregente del apóstol por la espada.

«As for the wisdom implicit in Pharaoh's question regarding the nature of God, 485 it lies in the fact that it was not asked out of any ignorance on his part, but from experience, to see how consonant his answer would be with his claim to be the Lord's apostle. Pharaoh knew well the rank of apostle through his knowledge [of God], and he duly inferred from Moses' answer the veracity of his claim» — el capítulo XXV sostiene que Faraón preguntó a sabiendas, para probar; la nota da el versículo de la pregunta.

«He asked the question in a misleading way, to acquaint those present, without their knowing it, of what he himself was aware of in asking the question. When, therefore, Moses answered in the way of one who knows, Pharaoh, to preserve his position, pretended that Moses had not answered the question [properly], so that it might appear to those present, who were weak in understanding, that he knew more than Moses» — el capítulo XXV describe la maniobra de Faraón ante su corte.

«The question was a valid one, since the question "What?" is concerned with the reality of what is sought, which must be real in itself. As for the imposition of definitions involving genus and species, they are applicable to everything that admits of association» — el capítulo XXV defiende la validez de la pregunta.

«As for Him Who has no genus, His reality in Himself must be quite other than that in any other. Thus, the question is a valid one, according to the people of God, true learning, and sound intelligence, and the answer to it could only have been the one that Moses gave» — el capítulo XXV declara única la respuesta posible.

«It was as if he had said in answer to his question, And what is the Lord of the worlds?487 "He in Whom are manifest the forms of the worlds, both on high, which is the heavens, and down below, which is the earth, ifyou are certain, 488 or by which He is manifest» — el capítulo XXV reconstruye la respuesta de Moisés como manifestación en las formas de los mundos.

«Thus he said, Lord of the East and West, 489 so combining what is apparent with what is hidden, the outer and the inner and what is between them, as in His saying, He knows everything» — el capítulo XXV lee la segunda respuesta como suma de lo aparente y lo oculto; las notas dan las suras.

«The first part of the answer is for the "certain ones" who are the people of inspiration and [true] being» — el capítulo XXV reparte las dos partes de la respuesta entre los ciertos y los intelectuales.

«I have only informed you of what your inner witness and essential being have made you certain of. If you are not of this kind, but people of intellect, restriction, and limitation, then I answer you with the second part, for God is [also] present in your intellectual proofs» — sigue la reconstrucción: a los del intelecto se les responde con pruebas intelectuales.

«Pharaoh's rank demonstrated to Moses that he had power and influence over him because God in the outer form of the rank of Pharaoh had power over that rank in which Moses was manifest in that situation» — el capítulo XXV explica el poder de Faraón como poder de Dios en la forma de ese rango.

«That is because the intellect reaches a certain limit, beyond which it cannot go, while one possessed of inspiration and certainty can proceed beyond that limit» — el capítulo XXV fija el límite del intelecto frente a la certeza inspirada.

«Thus, the disobedience [of Pharaoh], which is evil, was changed into obedience, which is a good thing, as He says, God changed their evil deeds into good deeds» — el capítulo XXV lee el báculo vuelto serpiente como cambio de lo malo en bueno; la nota da la sura XXV:70.

«The magicians had strands, which are small threads, while Moses had none, which shows that their powers, in relation to Moses' power, was as that of strands to huge mountains» — el capítulo XXV mide la distancia entre los magos y Moisés.

«When the magicians saw that, they became aware of Moses' degree of knowledge, realizing that what they witnessed was not of mortal doing, or, if it were, it could only have come from one whose knowledge is free of all fancy and ambiguity» — el capítulo XXV explica la conversión de los magos.

«It was only because Pharaoh was in a position of power, the man of the moment and vicegerent by the sword, even though he had abused all legal norms, that he said / am your highest Lord!501 That is to say, "Even if all be Lords in a certain sense, I am higher by virtue of the rule I have been granted, outwardly, over you» — el capítulo XXV lee la frase de Faraón sobre ser el Señor más alto por su rango; la nota da la sura LXXIX:24.

«The magicians, realizing the truth of what he said, far from denying it, confirmed it, saying, You only judge in the things of this world; so pass judgment, for the state is yours» — el capítulo XXV consigna que los magos le dieron la razón en ese punto; la nota da la sura XX:72.

«By the divine Essence [within him], but in the form of falsehood, he cut off hands and feet and crucified people, so that ranks might be acquired that could be acquired only by such action» — el capítulo XXV atribuye a la Esencia divina, bajo forma de falsedad, los cortes y las crucifixiones de Faraón.

«Causes can never be canceled, because the latent essences make them necessary. They are manifest in existence only in some form or other according as their latent states dictate, there being no way of changing the words [logoi] of God, which are nothing other than the essences of created things» — el capítulo XXV declara incancelables las causas y las palabras de Dios.

«In respect of their latency [in aeternis], they are called permanent, while, in respect of their existence and manifestation, they are called ephemeral» — el capítulo XXV reparte lo permanente y lo efímero según latencia o manifestación.

«The Merciful only comes by Mercy, and whoever turns aside from it may expect the penalty, which is a lack of Mercy» — el capítulo XXV ata la pena a apartarse de la Misericordia.

«Thus, Pharaoh was taken [killed] despite his [sudden] faith, which would also have been the case if he had been certain of dying in that moment» — el capítulo XXV consigna la fe repentina de Faraón.

«He believed as the Children of Israel believed, although he was [falsely] certain that he would be saved [from destruction]. What he was certain of ocurred, but in a form other than that he had wished for» — el capítulo XXV explica en qué se equivocó la certeza de Faraón.

«It is clear from the Qur'an that Pharaoh was not of that kind. We say further, but God has the last word, that, although people think that he was damned, there is no text to support such a view» — el capítulo XXV declara que no hay texto que sostenga la condena de Faraón, contra lo que la gente piensa.

«Know that God does not take a man who is dying, unless he be a believer, insofar as the divine warning has reached him. For this reason sudden death and the killing of a man unawares are abhorred» — el capítulo XXV explica por qué se aborrece la muerte súbita.

«He will be gathered in the state he was in at death» — el capítulo XXV cita el dicho profético; la nota del traductor declara no haber podido rastrearlo.

«As for the divine Self-revelation and its speaking in the form of fire, it ocurred because of the desire of Moses. God revealed Himself [to him] in [the form of] his desire, so that he might approach and not turn away» — el capítulo XXV explica por qué Dios se reveló a Moisés bajo la forma de su deseo.

«As with the fire of Moses, he saw it as his very need, Unknown to him it was indeed the very God» — cierre del pasaje: el verso sobre el fuego que era Dios sin que él lo supiera.

«Al-Khidr, knowing that Moses was an apostle of God, paid careful attention to what he did and said, so that the proprieties» — el capítulo XXV explica el cuidado de al-Khidr por el rango apostólico; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«Now, the letter sin in the word sijn [prison] is a redundant letter» — el capítulo XXV juega con la raíz de la palabra árabe para prisión; el tramo se corta al final de la plana y la nota del traductor declara la derivación.

«It is only the ranks that divide the Essence [apparently], albeit that the Essence cannot [in reality] be divided or separated» — el capítulo XXV pone en boca de Faraón la distinción por rango dentro de una sola Esencia; el tramo cruza el corte de plana.

«God saved him from the punishment of the Hereafter in his soul, and also saved his body [corpse], as He says, Today We will save your body, so that you might be a sign to those that come after you, 50S lest his people should say that he had merely gone into hiding if his form had disappeared. Although dead, he was visible in his usual form, so that it might be known that it was he» — el capítulo XXV lee la conservación del cuerpo como signo; la nota da la sura X:92.

«The wisdom of Khalid b. Sinan resides in the fact that, in his mission, he manifested the Prophethood of the Isthmus» — arranque del capítulo XXVI, la palabra de Khalid: la profecía del Istmo.

«He claimed that he would reveal what was there [at the Isthmus] only after his death. It was therefore ordered that he be disinterred. When he was asked about the matter, he revealed that its regimen was in the form of this world, by which it may be known that what the apostles said in their wordly lives was true» — el capítulo XXVI cuenta la petición de ser desenterrado y lo que reveló; el impreso escribe *wordly*.

«It was Khalid's aim that the whole world should believe in what the apostles told them, so that divine Mercy should be available to all. He was ennobled by the proximity of his mission to that of Muhammad, knowing that God had sent him as a mercy to the worlds» — el capítulo XXVI declara el propósito de Khalid y su proximidad a la misión de Muhammad.

«A prophet does not speak of his people as failing, but rather as failing him, in that they did not enable him to fulfill his purpose» — el capítulo XXVI precisa la fórmula: el pueblo no falla, le falla a él.

«Did God, then, allow him to achieve the fulfillment of his wish? While there is no doubt that He did, there is doubt as to whether he attained to the object of his wish, which raises the question as to whether the wish for something to happen is the same as its happening or failing to happen» — el capítulo XXVI plantea la pregunta sobre el deseo y su cumplimiento.

«Thus, one who tries hard to attend the congregational prayer, but misses it, is rewarded as if he had attended it» — el capítulo XXVI trae el caso de quien pierde la oración en congregación.

«However, is the similarity in intention or in action, since they combine both intention and act? The Prophet did not pronounce on either one of them. Outwardly, they do not seem to be the same» — el capítulo XXVI deja la cuestión abierta y consigna que el Profeta no se pronunció.

«Thus, Khalid b. Sinan sought to attain both the wish and its fulfillment and thus reap two rewards; but God knows best» — cierre del capítulo XXVI, con la reserva final; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«His is the wisdom of singularity because he is the most perfect creation of this humankind, for which reason the whole affair [of creation] begins and ends with him» — arranque del capítulo XXVII, la palabra de Muhammad: la singularidad del más perfecto.

«He was a prophet when Adam was still between the water and the clay 512 and he is, by his elemental makeup, the Seal of the Prophets, first of the three singular ones, since all other singulars derive from it» — el capítulo XXVII vuelve al dicho de Adán entre el agua y el barro y lo liga a la triplicidad.

«Since, then, his reality was marked by primal singularity and his makeup by triplicity, he said concerning love, which is the origin of all existent being, "Three things have been made beloved to me in this world of yours," because of the triplicity inherent in him» — el capítulo XXVII funda el dicho de las tres cosas amadas en la triplicidad de quien lo dice.

«He begins by mentioning women and leaves prayer until last, because, in the manifestation of her essence, woman is a part of man» — el capítulo XXVII explica el orden de los tres términos.

«Now, man's knowledge of himself comes before his knowledge of his Lord, the latter being the result of the former, according to his saying, "Whoso knows himself, knows his Lord." From this one may understand either that one is not able to know and attain, which is one meaning, or that gnosis is possible. According to the first [interpretation] one cannot know oneself and cannot, therefore, know one's Lord, while, according to the second, one may know oneself and therefore one's Lord» — el capítulo XXVII da las dos lecturas posibles del dicho sobre conocerse a sí mismo, y no arbitra.

«Women were made beloved to him and he had great affection for them because the whole always is drawn toward its part» — el capítulo XXVII explica el amor por la mujer como atracción del todo hacia su parte.

«God describes Himself as having a deep longing for contact with man when He says to those who long [for Him], "O David, I long for them even more» — el capítulo XXVII atribuye a Dios el anhelo de encuentro; la nota del traductor declara no haber podido rastrear el dicho.

«Thus, God longs for those favored ones, seeing them and wishing that they could see Him, although their state does not permit that» — el capítulo XXVII describe el anhelo divino y el límite del estado humano.

«I do not hesitate in what I do as much as in taking the soul of My faithful servant. He hates death as much as I hate to hurt him; but he must meet Me» — el capítulo XXVII cita el Dicho de la Vacilación; la nota remite a Bujari.

«The Beloved longs to see me, And I long even more to see Him, The hearts beat fast, but destiny bars the way, I groan in complaint and so does He» — los versos del capítulo XXVII sobre el anhelo recíproco.

«Since He has explained that He breathed into man of His spirit, He is yearning [in reality] for Himself. Consider, then, how, because of His spirit, His creation is in His own image» — el capítulo XXVII concluye que el anhelo divino es por sí mismo.

«Then God drew forth from him a being in his own image, called woman, and because she appears in his own image, the man feels a deep longing for her, as something yearns for itself, while she feels longing for him as one longs for that place to which one belongs» — el capítulo XXVII reparte los dos anhelos, el del hombre y el de la mujer.

«That is because it is a syzygy that polarizes the being of the Reality, just as woman, by her coming into being, polarizes humanity, making of it a syzygy» — el capítulo XXVII llama sicigia a esa polarización.

«Thus we have a ternary, God, man, and woman, the man yearning for his Lord Who is his origin, as woman yearns for man» — el capítulo XXVII fija el ternario.

«Love arises only for that from which one has one's being, so that man loves that from which he has his being, which is the Reality, which is why he says, "were made beloved to me," 521 and not "I love," directly from himself. His love is for his Lord in Whose image he is, this being so even as regards his love for his wife, since he loves her through God's love for him, after the divine manner» — el capítulo XXVII explica por qué el dicho usa la pasiva *me fueron hechas amadas*.

«When a man loves a woman, he seeks union with her, that is to say the most complete union possible in love, and there is in the elemental sphere no greater union than that between the sexes» — el capítulo XXVII declara la unión de los sexos la mayor unión de la esfera elemental.

«It is [precisely] because such desire pervades all his parts that man is commanded to perform the major ablution. Thus the purification is total, just as his annihilation in her was total at the moment of consummation» — el capítulo XXVII explica la ablución mayor por la totalidad de la aniquilación.

«God is jealous of his servant that he should find pleasure in any but Him, so He purifies him by the ablution, so that he might once again behold Him in the one in whom he was annihilated, since it is none other than He Whom he sees in her» — cierre del pasaje: la ablución devuelve al siervo la visión de Él en aquella en quien se aniquiló.

«Thus, by his makeup man's spirit is a fire, because of which God spoke to Moses in the form of fire, in which He put what he wished for. Were his makeup [purely] natural, his spirit would be of light» — continuación: por eso Dios habló a Moisés bajo forma de fuego.

«He says further, in a saying on the Antichrist, "None of you will see his Lord until he dies» — el capítulo XXVII cita el dicho sobre el Anticristo; la nota remite a Muslim, y el ancla se alarga porque el dicho se reimprime unas líneas después.

«Since man's makeup is composed of the four elements or humors» — el capítulo XXVII arranca la explicación de por qué el espíritu es fuego; el tramo se corta al final de la plana.

«It is called "blowing" because it comes from the Breath of the Merciful» — el capítulo XXVII ata el soplo al Aliento del Misericordioso; el troceo reemite la marca de plana en mitad de la frase.

«When man contemplates the Reality in woman he beholds [Him] in a passive aspect, while when he contemplates Him in himself, as being that from which woman is manifest, he beholds Him in an active aspect. When, however, he contemplates Him in himself, without any regard to what has come from him, he beholds Him as passive to Himself directly» — el capítulo XXVII reparte los tres modos de contemplar la Realidad.

«Contemplation of the Reality without formal support is not possible, since God, in His Essence, is far beyond all need of the Cosmos. Since, therefore, some form of support is necessary, the best and most perfect kind is the contemplation of God in women» — el capítulo XXVII exige un soporte formal para toda contemplación.

«The greatest union is that between man and woman, corresponding as it does to the turning of God toward the one He has created in His own image, to make him His vicegerent, so that He might behold Himself in him» — el capítulo XXVII empareja la unión de los sexos con el volverse de Dios hacia su imagen.

«He calls them women [nisa\ a word that has no singular form. The Apostle therefore said, "Three things have been made beloved to me in this world, women . . .", 523 and not "woman," having regard to the fact that they came into being after him [man]. Indeed, the word nus'ah means "coming after» — el capítulo XXVII explica el plural sin singular por la raíz que dice venir después.

«He loves them only because of their [lower] rank and their being the repository of passivity. In relation to him they are as the Universal Nature is to God in which He revealed the forms of the Cosmos» — el capítulo XXVII empareja a la mujer con la Naturaleza Universal frente a Dios.

«Whoever loves women in this way loves with a divine love, while he whose love for them is limited to natural lust lacks all [true] knowledge of that desire» — el capítulo XXVII separa el amor divino del que se queda en la concupiscencia.

«For such a one she is mere form, devoid of spirit, and even though that form be indeed imbued with spirit, it is absent for one who approaches his wife or some other woman solely to have his pleasure of her, without realizing Whose the pleasure [really] is» — el capítulo XXVII describe al que no sabe de quién es el placer que toma.

«They are right in supposing that I am in love, Only they know not with whom I am in love» — el verso que el capítulo XXVII cita; la nota del traductor declara no haber podido rastrearlo.

«If he knew the truth, he would know Whom it is he is enjoying and Who it is Who is the enjoyer; then he would be perfected» — el capítulo XXVII fija qué le falta a ese amor para ser perfecto.

«The eternal essences are similarly distinguished according to their ranks, and the gnostic allots to everything its proper due» — el capítulo XXVII encarga al gnóstico dar a cada cosa lo suyo.

«In reality, Nature is the Breath of the Merciful in which are unfolded the forms of the higher and lower Cosmos, because of the pervasion of the expressed Breath in the primordial Substance, particularly in the realm of the celestial bodies, its flow being different in respect of the existence of the luminous spirits and accidents» — el capítulo XXVII identifica la Naturaleza con el Aliento del Misericordioso.

«Then the Apostle goes on to give precedence to the feminine over the masculine, intending to convey thereby a special concern with and experience of women. Thus he says thalath [three] and not thalathah, which is used for numbering masculine nouns» — el capítulo XXVII observa la forma femenina del numeral en el dicho.

«This is remarkable, in that he also mentions perfume, which is a masculine noun, and the Arabs usually make the masculine gender prevail. Thus one would say, "The Fatimahs and Zaid went out [using the third person masculine plural]," and not the third person feminine plural. In this way they give preference to the masculine noun, even if there is only one such noun together with several feminine nouns» — el capítulo XXVII contrasta esa forma con el uso corriente del árabe.

«He therefore gave precedence to the feminine over the masculine by saying thalath. How knowledgeable was the Apostle concerning [spiritual] realities and how great was his concern for proper precedence» — el capítulo XXVII atribuye esa precedencia al cuidado del Apóstol.

«He begins with "women" and ends with "prayer," both of which are feminine nouns, [the masculine noun] perfume coming in between them, as is the case with its existential being, since man is placed between the Essence [a feminine noun] from which he is manifested, and woman who is manifested from him. Thus he is between two feminine entities, the one substantively feminine, the other feminine in reality, women being feminine in reality, while prayer is not» — el capítulo XXVII coloca lo masculino entre dos femeninos y lo empareja con la posición del hombre.

«Perfume is placed between them as Adam is situated between the Essence, which is the source of all existence, and Eve, whose existence stems from him» — el capítulo XXVII empareja el perfume con Adán entre la Esencia y Eva.

«As for the wisdom of perfume and his putting it after "women," it is because of the aromas of generation in women, the most delightful of perfumes being [experienced] within the embrace of the beloved, as they say in the well-known saying» — el capítulo XXVII explica el orden del perfume por los aromas de la generación.

«It is the Throne that encompasses all things, while the Merciful is its occupant, by Whose reality Mercy permeates the Cosmos, as we have explained many times, both in this work and also in The Meccan Revelations [Al-Futuhat al-makkiyyah» — el capítulo XXVII remite a las Revelaciones de La Meca para la permeación de la Misericordia.

«Thus, He speaks of them as sweet smelling, since speaking implies breath, which is of the essence of aroma, coming forth [from the mouth] sweetly or offensively, according to its expression» — el capítulo XXVII liga el perfume al aliento del habla; la nota da la sura XXIV:26.

«However, being at source divine, it is all sweet smelling and good, but according as it is approved of [by separative attitudes] or disapproved of, it may be considered good or bad» — el capítulo XXVII declara bueno en origen todo aliento, y relativo el juicio.

«Of Garlic, Muhammad said, "It is a bush whose odor I detest"; 532 he did not say "I detest it." Thus, it is not the thing itself that is to be detested, but only that which issues from it» — el capítulo XXVII distingue la cosa de lo que de ella sale; la nota remite a Muslim.

«In a similar way, by its very nature, the dung beetle is offended by the odor of the rose, which, although it has [for us] a fine aroma, is malodorous to the dung beetle» — el capítulo XXVII invierte el juicio con el escarabajo y la rosa.

«Anyone who cannot tell the good from the bad has no perception» — la sentencia del capítulo XXVII sobre la percepción.

«We would say that there is not, since in the very source from which the Cosmos is manifested, which is the Real, we find aversion and love, the bad being that which is loathed, while the good is that which is loved» — el capítulo XXVII halla aversión y amor en la fuente misma.

«As for the idea that one might remove the bad from the Cosmos of created being, such a thing is not possible, since the Mercy of God inheres in both the good and the bad» — el capítulo XXVII declara imposible quitar lo malo del Cosmos.

«From its own standpoint the bad is good and the good bad. Indeed, there is nothing good, but seems, in some way, bad to some bad thing, and vice versa» — el capítulo XXVII relativiza los dos juicios uno contra otro.

«As for the third element by which the singularity is made complete, it is prayer. He said, "and my solace is in prayer," 535 because it is [a state of] contemplation, being an intimate discourse between God and His servant» — el capítulo XXVII presenta la oración como discurso íntimo entre Dios y el siervo.

«I have divided the prayer equally between Me and My servant, a half for Me and a half for My servant who may also have whatever he asks» — el capítulo XXVII cita la tradición del reparto de la oración; la nota remite a Muslim.

«Thus when the servant says [in reciting Al-Fatihah], In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful^ God is saying, "My servant is remembering Me» — el capítulo XXVII glosa versículo a versículo el reparto de la Fatiha.

«Then the servant says, Thee do we worship and Thee do we ask for help, and God says, "This is shared between Me and My servant; and for him is whatever he asks," thus introducing an element of participation into this verse» — el capítulo XXVII señala el versículo compartido.

«Being a discourse, it is also a remembrance, since whoever remembers God sits with God and God with him, as mentioned in the tradition, "I am the companion of him who remembers Me» — el capítulo XXVII hace de la oración recuerdo y compañía; la nota remite a Muslim.

«If he cannot see Him, then let him worship Him as if he saw Him, imagining Him to be in the quiblah during his discourse, and let him listen most carefully to what God might say to him in response [to his prayer]» — el capítulo XXVII da la instrucción para quien no alcanza la visión.

«However, the one who does not attain to contemplative vision in his prayer has not reached its summit and cannot find [true] solace in it, since he cannot see Him with Whom he has discourse. If also he cannot hear the Reality's response, he cannot be listening carefully enough. Indeed, he who is not present with His Lord in prayer, neither hearing nor seeing Him, is not really praying at all, since he does not listen and watch [for God]» — el capítulo XXVII niega que sea oración la que no ve ni oye.

«God has said, Surely, the prayer prevents much evil and sin, 543 seeing that the one praying is forbidden to occupy himself with anything else while he is engaged in it» — el capítulo XXVII lee el versículo por la exclusión de toda otra ocupación; la nota da la sura XXIX:45.

«This is because the word qurrah [solace] comes from the word istiqrar [fixing], so that the lover's eye might be fixed [on the Beloved] to the exclusion of all else» — el capítulo XXVII explica el término del dicho por la raíz que dice fijar.

«It is for this reason that looking around is not permitted in prayer, because in this way Satan seeks to steal something from the prayer of the servant, to deny to him the vision of his Beloved» — el capítulo XXVII prohíbe mirar alrededor durante la oración.

«Indeed, each man knows the false in himself from the true, since no one is (truly) ignorant of his own state, it being a matter of self-experience» — el capítulo XXVII declara que nadie ignora su propio estado; la nota da la sura LXXV:14.

«When it is God Who prays, He does so in His name the Last, as coming after the creation of the servant, being, indeed, the God the servant creates in himself (in his Heart), whether by his reason or through traditional learning» — el capítulo XXVII explica la oración de Dios por el Nombre el Último.

«The color of the water is the same as that of its container» — el capítulo XXVII cita a al-Junayd sobre el color del agua y el del vaso; la nota del traductor da la edición.

«However, his contemplation of the Reality in woman is the most complete and perfect, because in this way he contemplates the Reality in both active and passive mode, while by contemplating the Reality only in himself, he beholds Him in a passive mode particularly» — el capítulo XXVII declara la contemplación en la mujer la más completa por reunir los dos modos.

«Indeed, whatever school of thought you adhere to, you will find feminine terms prominent» — el capítulo XXVII extiende la observación a los términos de las escuelas.

«When Muhammad was created a pure servant, he had no ambition for leadership, but continued prostrating and standing [before his Lord], a passive creation, until God effected [His purpose] in him, when He conferred on him an active role in the realm of the Breaths, which are the excellent perfumes» — el capítulo XXVII describe el paso de la pasividad al papel activo en el reino de los Alientos.

«since the angels pray behind one who prays alone, as is stated by the tradition» — el capítulo XXVII hace imam a todo el que reza; la nota remite a Bujari.

«Thus, of the intelligible movement by which the Cosmos is transformed from nonexistence into existence, the prayer has all three phases, a vertical movement in which the one praying stands erect, a horizontal movement in which the praying one bows and a down» — el capítulo XXVII reparte los tres movimientos de la oración; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra al final de la plana.

«The movement of man is vertically, that of the animals is horizontally, that of the plants downward, while inanimate things have no real motion, since a stone moves only if some other thing moves it» — el capítulo XXVII empareja esos movimientos con los de los reinos de la naturaleza.

«prays for us. Also, when we pray, we bear the name the last, being in the same position as He Who properly has that name. That is because, to Him, we are only as our state dictates, and He sees us only in the form with which we provide Him, since the praying one always lags behind the leader on the race track» — el capítulo XXVII aplica al orante el Nombre del Último; el tramo arranca al principio de la plana, porque la frase viene de la anterior.

«Everyone of them knows its own way of prayer and exaltation, 550 which is to say its degree of tardiness in worshiping its Lord, as also its mode of exaltation by which it affirms God's transcendence according to its eternal predisposition» — el capítulo XXVII lee el versículo como grado de tardanza de cada cosa en adorar; el tramo se corta donde el impreso parte la palabra.

«Indeed, there is nothing that does not express its praise of its good and forgiving Lord. This why the worship of the Cosmos in detail, in each of its parts, is not understood» — el capítulo XXVII declara ininteligible para el hombre la adoración detallada del Cosmos.

«In another way, the pronoun (in the phrase, His praise) 551 may also refer to the exalting servant in His saying (by changing the way it is read), There is nothing, but He exalts its praise, meaning the praise of that thing. Thus, the pronoun in His praise returns to that thing by virtue of the praise uttered on Him in what is believed, since he is only praising the God of his belief whom he has bound to himself» — el capítulo XXVII propone la segunda lectura del versículo y la aplica al dios de la creencia; la nota del traductor da la sura y la lectura corriente.

«Similarly, the God of belief is made for the one who has regard for it, being his own production, so that his praise for that which he believes in is self-praise. That is why he rejects the [different] beliefs of someone else, although he would not do so if he were impartial» — el capítulo XXVII llama autoalabanza a la alabanza del dios propio y explica por eso el rechazo de las creencias ajenas.

«If he were to understand truly what Al-Junaid said regarding the color of the water being that of its container, he would allow to every believer his belief and would recognize God in every form and in every belief» — el capítulo XXVII saca del dicho de al-Junayd la consecuencia práctica: reconocer a Dios en toda creencia.

«I am in my servant's notion of Me," 552 that is to say that He is manifest to him only in the form of his belief, whether it be universal or particular in nature» — el capítulo XXVII cita la Tradición Santa sobre la creencia del siervo; la nota remite a Bujari.

«Indeed, one cannot say either that it encompasses Itself or that it does not do so; so understand! God speaks the truth and He is the [sole] Guide along the Way» — cierre del libro: la abstención sobre si la Esencia se abarca a sí misma.

«since the Absolute God cannot be contained by anything, being the very Essence of everything and of Itself» — continuación: el Dios Absoluto no cabe en nada porque es la Esencia de todo.

«THE CLASSICS OF WESTERN SPIRITUALITY A Library of the Great Spiritual Masters» — la portadilla de la serie declara su programa editorial: una biblioteca de los grandes maestros espirituales, y es la serie la que coloca este volumen bajo el rótulo *Western*.

«President and Publisher Kevin A. Lynch, C.S.P. EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Richard J. Payne» — la plana del comité editorial nombra al presidente y editor de la casa y al director editorial de la serie.

«Seyyed Hossein Nasr—Professor of Islamics, Department of Religion, Temple University» — entre los consultores editoriales de la serie figura un especialista en islam; el guion largo del impreso separa nombre y cargo.

«Other volumes in this series Julian of Norwich • SHOWINGS Jacob Boehme • THE WAY TO CHRIST» — la lista de volúmenes hermanos abre la serie con Juliana de Norwich y Jacob Boehme: el Fusus entra en un catálogo de místicos cristianos, judíos y musulmanes.

«Cover Art The artist, Gloria Ortiz, is a native of Cali, Colombia» — la plana de derechos acredita la portada a una artista radicada en Manhattan.

«Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 80-83892 ISBN: 0-8091-233 l-2(Paper) 0-8091-0313-3 (Cloth)» — la página de derechos imprime el número de catálogo y los dos ISBN, rústica y tela; la capa de texto parte el primero.

«RALPH AUSTIN was born in 1938 in Willerby, England. He holds an Honours degree in Classical Arabic and a Ph.D. in Islamic Mysticism, both from the University of London» — la solapa titulada *Editor of this Volume* da la formación del traductor: licenciatura en árabe clásico y doctorado en mística islámica por Londres. Es solapa editorial, no voz de la obra.

«Since 1963 he has taught Arabic and Islamic Studies in the School of Oriental Studies at the University of Durham, firstly as lecturer and currently as senior lecturer» — la misma solapa lo sitúa enseñando árabe y estudios islámicos en Durham.

«In 1971 he produced a translation of two of Ibn al-'Arabfs autobiographical works, together with introduction and notes, entitled Sufis of Andalusia, published by George Allen & Unwin» — la solapa registra su traducción anterior de dos obras autobiográficas de Ibn al-'Arabi bajo el título *Sufis of Andalusia*.

«TITUS BURCKHARDT, the son of the famous Swiss sculptor Carl Burckhardt, was born in 1908 in Florence» — la solapa titulada *Author of the Preface* presenta al prologuista como hijo del escultor suizo Carl Burckhardt.

«He translated several mystical works from Arabic into French [Ibn al-'Arabfs Wisdom of the Prophets, Abdul-Karlm al-JIlfs The Perfect Man, The Leters of a Sufi Master» — la solapa enumera sus traducciones al francés, entre ellas la versión parcial del propio Fusus; el impreso escribe *Leters* con una sola te.

«It may well be asked why anyone should enter a magic web to follow the train of thought which, since it is both mystical in nature and Arabic in style, will always remain very foreign to our own» — Titus Burckhardt abre su prefacio planteando la objeción que él mismo se hace: por qué un lector no arabista habría de entrar en este libro.

«the reply may be given: because ''truth is one" and it is spiritually comforting to discover it hidden under the most diverse appearances» — Burckhardt responde con la unidad de la verdad y el consuelo de hallarla bajo apariencias diversas; el entrecomillado interno es del impreso.

«The only books worth our attention are those which spring from the heart and in turn speak to the heart» — Burckhardt cita como dicho de los sufíes la regla sobre los libros que nacen del corazón.

«'Heart' can be understood as the very center of our psycho-physical being, as the meeting-place of soul and mind or, more precisely, as the focal point where the mind, which in itself is all knowledge or light, is reflected in the mirror of the soul» — Burckhardt precisa qué entiende por corazón: el centro del ser psicofísico, donde la mente se refleja en el espejo del alma.

«Ibn 'Arab! names some 27 prophets, all of whom are mentioned in the Koran» — Burckhardt anticipa la estructura del libro: veintisiete profetas, todos coránicos; el impreso corrompe el nombre del autor en *Ibn 'Arab!*.

«Water derives its color from the vessel that holds it," Sufi al-Junaid maintains» — Burckhardt atribuye a al-Junaid la sentencia del agua que toma el color del vaso, y la usa para la ley de la revelación que se ciñe a su receptáculo.

«according to the Koran, each prophet, including Christ, is a messenger sent by God to a particular people» — según Burckhardt, el Corán hace de cada profeta, Cristo incluido, un mensajero enviado a un pueblo.

«The Koran places the prophets outside history, within the framework of the unitarian message of Islam» — Burckhardt sostiene que el Corán saca a los profetas de la historia y los pone dentro del mensaje unitario del islam.

«The Bible stories linked to various prophets reappear in part in the Koran, but reduced to their essential features and, as it were, crystallized into symbolic accounts» — Burckhardt describe qué le pasa al relato bíblico al reaparecer en el Corán: reducido a lo esencial y cristalizado en cuento simbólico.

«It is of equal importance to Sufic spirituality in which different prophets correspond to various spiritual types and, consequently, to different avenues of approach to God» — Burckhardt enlaza el tema profético con la espiritualidad sufí, donde cada profeta corresponde a un tipo espiritual y a una vía de acceso.

«draw a comparison between Ibn 'Arabfs study of the prophets and the representations done by Christian sculptors on the portals of the Gothic cathedrals, notably the northern doorway of Chartres which dates from the same period as Bezels of Wisdom» — Burckhardt propone el cotejo con la escultura del portal norte de Chartres, contemporánea del libro.

«In Christianity especially, a prophet is one who foretells the future and, more exactly, announces the coming of Christ» — Burckhardt distingue el sentido cristiano de profeta, el que anuncia la venida de Cristo, del sentido coránico.

«since on the Christian side, the statues look to the central figure of Christ. Moreover, they are all located on the North side of the sanctuary so as to recall that their place is in the shadow of the Old Testament, before the rising of the spiritual Sun who is Christ» — Burckhardt marca la diferencia del cotejo con Chartres: allí las estatuas miran a Cristo y están del lado norte, a la sombra del Antiguo Testamento.

«Ibn 'Arabfs study of the prophets goes beyond the official theology of Islam and does not hesitate to shatter it with such ideas as absolute divinity, which is unattainable, on the one hand, and relative divinity on the other, which does not exist—since it is not of God outside the polarity between Creator and creature» — Burckhardt sostiene que el libro rebasa la teología oficial del islam con la pareja de divinidad absoluta inalcanzable y divinidad relativa; el impreso corrompe el nombre en *Ibn 'Arabfs*.

«His study also contains his theory of prototypes or unchanging essences, which have no existence in pure Being but nevertheless refract it in the form of innumerable possibilities» — Burckhardt resume la teoría de los prototipos o esencias inmutables: no existen en el Ser puro y sin embargo lo refractan.

«His thought has a special stamp and lacks a certain cohesion because it is a blending of intellectual speculation, in the true sense of the word speculate: to reflect on intellectual reality beyond the reach of the senses; this reflection is accompanied by ecstatic visions» — Burckhardt señala la falta de cohesión del conjunto y la explica por la mezcla de especulación intelectual y visión extática.

«Now speculation is answerable to objective knowledge, while ecstatic vision derives from subjective and mystical inspiration» — Burckhardt distingue las dos fuentes de conocimiento que se cruzan en el libro, y añade que la inspiración no es por ello irreal.

«This is true of the first chapter, dealing with Adam, in which the first sentence—very long with many interjections—summarizes the entire Sufic theory on God's manifestation in the world» — Burckhardt señala el capítulo de Adán, cuya primera frase condensa según él toda la teoría sufí de la manifestación.

«I was a hidden treasure who longed to be known; therefore I created the world» — Burckhardt traduce el dicho divino del tesoro escondido, que dice bien conocido en el esoterismo musulmán, y lo pone como base del arranque del libro.

«In order to avoid all misunderstanding we should point out that the works written by Muhyi al-Dln Ibn al-'Arabl do not have the unqualified approval of all Sufis or Moslem contemplatives» — Burckhardt consigna que la obra no cuenta con la aprobación unánime de los sufíes ni de los contemplativos musulmanes.

«there is a quality much like heady wine and certain Sufic masters are afraid of its effect on novices» — Burckhardt reporta el reparo de ciertos maestros sufíes ante el efecto de esos libros en los novicios.

«When I was 24 and living in Fez, in the old quarter where traditional style and clothing were still in evidence, I counted among my friends several members of the Sufic classes» — Burckhardt introduce su recuerdo personal de Fez a los veinticuatro años como testimonio de la recepción del libro entre sufíes.

«Both groups frequently spoke with great veneration of the writings of Ibn 'Arab! whom they called ash-Sheikh al-akbar [the supreme master» — Burckhardt reporta la veneración con que artesanos y letrados de al-Qarawiyin hablaban del autor bajo el título de maestro supremo.

«One day while browsing among the bookshops opposite the great mosque and university, I discovered a copy of the seven-volume work, Futuhat al-Mekkiyah [Revelations Received at Mecca], the greatest and most elaborate of the writings of Sheikh al-akbar» — Burckhardt narra el hallazgo de las Futuhat en siete volúmenes en las librerías frente a la gran mezquita de Fez.

«It is much too advanced for you. What you need is a primer [of the spiritual life]» — en la anécdota de Burckhardt, el derviche Mohammed ben Makhluf le niega el libro por avanzado y le receta una cartilla; el corchete es del traductor del prefacio.

«Whom was it written for then?" "For men who can see through walls but do not do so, nor even wish to» — el cierre de la anécdota de Burckhardt: el libro está escrito para quienes pueden ver a través de los muros y no lo hacen.

«The work was probably composed largely in Damascus where Ibn al-'Arabi spent most of the last ten years of his life. Fortunately, a manuscript copy of the work exists which bears his signature of approval» — R.W.J. Austin sitúa la composición en Damasco y consigna que existe una copia manuscrita con la firma de aprobación del autor.

«Being a synoptic work, the style is very concentrated and condensed, making it a peculiarly difficult work to translate into another language in a way which makes some sort of sense to the non-Arabic speaking and non-Muslim reader» — Austin declara el muro de su propia tarea: el estilo sinóptico y condensado vuelve la obra peculiarmente difícil de verter.

«brings together in a wonderful synthesis a multitude of spiritual traditions and esoteric lore, both Is» — Austin describe el libro como síntesis de una multitud de tradiciones espirituales y saberes esotéricos; el tramo se corta en el guion de fin de plana, y la palabra sigue en la plana 20.

«lamic and non-Islamic, and the influences of which have permeated deeply, not only into all subsequent Sufi thinking, but also into the fabric of Christian mysticism» — continuación del tramo anterior: Austin extiende la influencia del libro al sufismo posterior y a la mística cristiana.

«the Bezels of Wisdom can have few equals in the spiritual literature of the world» — cierre del prólogo de Austin, que coloca la obra entre las que casi no tienen par en la literatura espiritual.

«The author of the Fusus al-hikam or The Bezels of Wisdom was born on the twenty-seventh of Ramadan in AH. 560, or the seventh of August, AD. 1 165, in the township of Murcia in Spain» — Austin abre la introducción con la fecha y el lugar de nacimiento en doble cómputo, hijri y cristiano; la capa de texto imprime *AH.* y *AD.* sin puntos y parte la cifra del año.

«His full name was Muhammad b. 1 A1I b. Muhammad Ibn al-'Arabl al-Ta'T al-Hatiml, which indicates that he came of an ancient Arab lineage» — Austin da el nombre completo y lee en él un linaje árabe antiguo; los nombres se consignan tal cual los imprime la traducción.

«The family seems also to have been a strongly religious one, since three of his uncles became followers of the Sufi Way» — Austin registra tres tíos seguidores de la vía sufí como señal del ambiente familiar.

«Among the subjects he studied at this time were the Qur'an and its exegesis, the Traditions of the Prophet, Arabic grammar and composition, and Islamic Law» — Austin enumera la formación tradicional del joven en Sevilla: Corán y exégesis, tradiciones del Profeta, gramática y derecho.