Chapter Six: On the Ranks of Souls and Spirits

Al-Bāb al-sādis fī marātib al-nufūs wa-al-arwāḥ

Ammā ʻalá raʼy al-falāsifah fa-al-ūlá hiya al-nafs al-nabātīyah wa-hiya allatī fī al-ashjār wa-al-zurūʻ . wa-hiya jismānīyah ay qūwah qāʼimah bi-jism wa-ʻamaluhā tanmiyah al-nabāt ilá an yablugh ḥadd kamālihi al-nāfiʻ . thumma al-ḥayawānīyah al-bahīmīyah wa-hiya ayḍ jismānīyah wa-ʻamaluhā al-tanmiyah al-madhkūrah maʻa al-ḥarakah al-ikhtiyārīyah fī taḥṣīl al-maqāṣid al-ʻājilah wa-ka-dhālika bi-qaḍāʼ al-shahwah wa-dafʻ al-alam lā li-kamāl ajall aw nafʻ amal fa-al-ḥimār yaʼkul lā li-yaqwá ʻalá ḥaml al-thaqīl . wa-yamshī fī al-ṭarīq lā li-nafʻ al-ṣāḥib wa-lākin harab min al-ḍarb wa-ṭalab li-waḍʻ al-ḥiml al-thaqīl min al-ẓahr . wa-al-insān yaʼkul li-yaqwá ʻalá ḥaml aʻbāʼ al-takālīf wa-yaqdir ʻalá ʻibādah Allāh wa-yamshī li-nafʻ al-rafīq .

Thumma baʻda hādhihi al-nafs al-nāṭiqah allatī dhakarnāhā wa-hiya laysat bi-jism wa-lā jismānīyah wa-ʻamaluhā al-tanmiyah al-madhkūrah wa-al-ḥarakah al-ikhtiyārīyah al-mawṣūfah maʻa ziyādah amr wa-huwa nayl al-kamāl wa-aqṣad ilá al-khayr wa-lam yuthbitū fī al-samāʼ nafs nāmiyah nabātīyah wa-athbatū nafs ḥayawānīyah ʻamaluhā taḥṣīl al-maqāṣid al-ʻājilah wa-lākin li-al-tashabbuh lā bi-al-tashahhī wa-athbatū nafs mujarradah ʻamaluhā nayl al-kamāl .

Wa-ammā al-arwāḥ allatī fī al-ʻuqūl fa-al-mashhūr ʻindahum annahā ʻasharah baʻda kull malak ʻaql wa-ziyādah wāḥid lā malak maʻahu .

Wa-ammā madhhab al-ʻulamāʼ fī tartīb al-nufūs wa-al-arwāḥ fa-naqūl hādhā al-tartīb ʻalá wajhayn tartīb fī al-nawʻ wa-tartīb fī aḥwāl al-shakhṣ al-wāḥid .

Ammā tartīb al-nawʻ fa-naqūl nafs ka-al-nabātīyah wa-lākin fī al-nuṭfah ilá an yaṣīr ʻaẓm wa-yuksá laḥm fa-innā naqūl bi-an li-al-janīn nafs manfūsah idhā anshaʼa Allāh khalq ⟨...⟩khar taʻallaqat bihi nafs bahīmīyah wa-hātān nawʻān mukhtalifān . thumma yataʻallaq bihi al-nafs al-insānīyah allatī qulnā annahā jism laṭīf nūrānī wa-al-ẓāhir annahā tukhālif al-ūlayayn fī al-ḥaqīqah thumma inna nufūs al-nās lā takhtalif bi-al-nawʻ wa-innamā takhtalif bi-al-waṣf fa-nufūs al-atqiyāʼ fī al-ḥaqīqah ka-nufūs al-ashqiyāʼ ghayr anna al-taqī nafsuhu anārat wa-aḍāʼat wa-nafs al-shaqī aẓlamat wa-asāʼat . wa-qāla baʻḍ al-mutaʼakhkhirīn yuḥtamal an takūn mukhtalifah al-ḥaqāyiq fa-takūn nafs al-Nabī ﷺ mukhālifah li-nafs Abī Jahl fī al-ḥaqīqah .

Thumma nufūs al-malāʼikah wa-lā adrī annahā mukhtalifah al-ḥaqāyiq aw nawʻ wāḥid fīhi afrād ka-nafs al-insān wa-nafs ukhrá hiya muqābalah nufūs al-malāʼikah ʻalá al-taḍādd wa-hiya nufūs al-shayāṭīn wa-ka-dhālika lā adrī annahā mukhtalifah al-anwāʻ am muttaḥidah al-nawʻ mukhtalifah al-afrād .

Fa-ṣārat anwāʻ al-nufūs khamsah . al-nafs al-nabātīyah . wa-al-nafs al-bahīmīyah . wa-al-nafs al-insānīyah . wa-ashraf minhā al-nafs al-malakīyah . wa-akhass al-nufūs fī fiʻlihā nafs al-shayāṭīn .

Wa-ammā al-tartīb fī aḥwāl nafs al-insān fa-naqūl nafs al-insān in lam taʻlam wa-lā taʻmal fa-hiya ka-al-nabātīyah wa-hiya adná martabah wa-lākinnahā aslam wa-in ʻamilat al-khayr wa-lā taʻlam fa-hiya ka-al-bahīmīyah fa-hiya fī al-salāmah aqwá wa-fī al-martabah aʻlá . fa-al-ʻābid alladhī yuṣallī wa-yaṣūm wa-lā yaʻlam al-ṣawm wa-al-ṣalwah wa-lā yaʻrif Allāh fa-huwa ka-al-ḥimār al-ʻammāl wa-in ʻalimat wa-ʻamilat fa-in shāba al-khayr bi-al-sharr maʻa karāhah al-sharr wa-irādah al-khayr fa-hiya lawwāmah . wa-in shāba al-sharr bi-al-khayr maʻa karāhah al-khayr wa-irādah al-sharr fa-hiya al-nafs al-ammārah wa-in arāda al-khayr tārah wa-al-sharr ukhrá fa-huwa nafs mutaqallibah hiya fī ḥālah lawwāmah wa-fī ukhrá ammārah wa-in maḥaḍat al-khayr fa-hiya al-muṭmaʼinnah al-malakīyah wa-in maḥaḍat al-sharr fa-hiya al-shayṭānīyah wa-lahā marātib .

Fa-al-muṭmaʼinnah fī al-awliyāʼ yajūz ʻalayhā al-ʻiṣyān wa-lākin ʻalá buʻd fa-inna al-Shayṭān lā sulṭān lahu ʻalayhim fa-lā yataṣarraf fīhim kayfa shāʼa fa-inna mashīʼah al-Shayṭān an yakfur al-insān wa-lā yazāl fī al-ṭughyān wa-lākin jāza an yaʼtiyahum al-Shayṭān ʻalá khalsah ka-al-sāriq alladhī yasriq māl al-malik lā yuqāl annahu qadara ʻalá al-malik wa-anna lahu ʻalá al-sulṭān sulṭān ka-dhālika al-Shayṭān yaʼmur al-taqī bi-al-ʻiṣyān wa-lā yuqāl anna lahu ʻalayhi sulṭān . fa-inna al-sulṭān huwa al-qudrah al-tāmmah wa-atá fī al-anbiyāʼ lā yajūz ʻalayhā al-ʻiṣyān wa-lākin rubbamā yamīl qalbuhu ilá ladhdhah jismīyah muḥarramah wa-lākin lā taṣdur minhu kamā qāla taʻālá [ la-qad kidta tarkan ilayhim shayʼ qalīl lawlā an thabbatnāka ] wa-qul taʻālá li-nabīhi ﷺ [ qul innamā anā bashar mithlukum ] wa-hādhā al-imtināʻ lam yaḥṣul illā bi-ʻiṣmah Allāh taʻālá . wa-fawqahā martabah lā yabqá maʻahā mayl al-qalb wa-hiya martabah al-abrār fī al-jannah ashāra ilayhā Allāh taʻālá bi-qawlihi ( wa-nazaʻnā mā fī ṣudūrihim min ghill ) wa-lā adrī anna al-anbiyāʼ yablughūn hādhihi al-rutbah fī al-dunyā am hiya martabah lā taḥṣul illā fī al-ākhirah .

Wa-ammā arbāb al-khalawāt fa-jaʻalū marātib al-nafs ʻashr marātib fī al-ūlá lā tudrik al-khayr wa-lā tamīl ilayhi waṣl [١] fa-hiya ammā bahīmīyah wa-ammā shayṭān fī al-maʻná li-annahu in lam yudrik al-sharr ayḍ wa-lā māla ilayhi fa-huwa ka-al-anʻām . wa-in adraka al-sharr wa-māla ilayhi fa-huwa aḍall min al-anʻām wa-huwa ka-al-Shayṭān wa-nafsuhu hiya al-ammārah bi-al-sūʼ wa-fī al-thāniyah tudrik al-khayr wa-tamīl ilayhi wa-lākin taʻūquhā al-ashghāl al-ḥayawānīyah wa-al-aʻmāl al-shahwānīyah wa-hiya al-nafs al-lawwāmah . fa-idhā rāḍahā ṣāḥibuhā wa-qaṭaʻa ʻanhā al-maʼlūf ، wa-azāla al-ʻāʼiq fa-hiya nafs zāhid fa-tatabaddal baʻda dhālika al-aʻmāl al-shahwānīyah bi-al-ʻibādāt al-insānīyah fa-taṣīr nafs ʻābid . thumma fī al-imʻān fī al-ʻibādah yaẓhar lahu ʻilm al-ḥaqq fa-taṣīr nafs ʻārif . thumma al-ʻārifūn ʻalá khams marātib fī al-ūlá huwa muḥibb thumma mushtāq ḥazīn thumma muqarrab wa-masrūr thumma huwa ḥabīb mashkūr thumma huwa shafīʻ mushaffaʻ wa-bayān hādhā anna man ʻarafa Allāh wa-Allāh jamīl muḥtāj ilayhi wa-kull aḥad idhā aṭṭalaʻa ʻalá jamāl jamīl wa-ʻarafa ḥājatahu ilayhi aḥabbahu . lākin qad yakūn bi-shayʼ ākhar mashghūl fa-lā yaḥzan ʻalá faqdihi fa-idhā ʻalima annahu lā budda minhu wa-lā badīl lahu ʻanhu ṣāra mushtāq tarāhu tafīḍ ʻaynuhu min al-damʻ ḥazan ʻalá faqd āthārihi fa-inna al-ʻārif talmaʻ lahu burūq min jānib al-ḥaqq fa-yaltadhdh bihi wa-fī al-awwal rubbamā yanqaṭiʻ ʻanhu wa-lā yaḥzan wa-fī al-thānī kullamā inqaṭaʻa ʻanhu yaḥzan thumma yaṣīr bi-ḥaythu kullamā arāda dhālika kullamā saṭaʻa wa-kullamā iltafata ilá jānib al-ḥaqq aṭṭalaʻa wa-ḥīnaʼidh yakūn muqarrab masrūr ka-alladhī lā yuḥjab ʻan al-malik fī awqāt majīʼihi thumma yaṣīr ḥabīb lā yatawaqqaf al-amr ʻalá ṭalabihi bal yaṭlubuhu rabbuhu ka-al-malik alladhī yaṭlub man yuḥibbuhu wa-in kāna al-maṭlūb qāʻid fī baytihi laysa fī ʻazmihi al-dhihāb ilá al-bāb thumma yaṣīr bi-ḥaythu yataḥaqqaq murāduhu wa-huwa al-shafīʻ al-mushaffaʻ wa-Allāh taʻālá aʻlam .

— al-ḥawāshī —

[23] (١) hākadhā wa-laʻallahu aṣl