The Purpose of Creation: Al-Jīlī’s Divine Perfection in the Muhammadan Attributes

Below is a translation of the first chapter of al-Jīlī’s work, al-Kamālāt al-Ilāhiyyah fi-l-Ṣifāt al-Muḥammadiyyah ﷺ, that has been rendered from the original Arabic. The entire book may be a project undertaken as a future endeavor, but the first chapter has been published due to the praise ascribed and importance noted of the Messenger ﷺ.

To note, there are disagreements I myself have with the author in terms of the reports he cites, which is why I have taken the liberty of translating the most important footnotes as well from the edition of Maktabah Thaqāfah al-Dīniyyah, with the verification performed by Saʿīd ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ, as they contain the gradings of the reports used, thereby bringing in criticisms of the narrations and their degrees of authenticity. Whilst none of the reports contain problematic inclinations of meanings, per se, there are questions to be raised about their epistemic statuses nonetheless, and therefore an honest inquiry would require taking note thereof as well.

To provide a brief overview of the text, however, it is divided into four parts: the first, translated below, elaborates on Muḥammad ﷺ being the connection between the servant and his Lord; the second is an elaboration of the Divine Names; the third lays out the Muḥammadan ﷺ connection to those Names and Attributes; and the final one discusses how man may attain that degree of perfection.

Before continuing, it would be helpful to have a brief discussion on what the terminologies mean and their significance in this regard. The term kamāl (pl. kamālāt) refers to perfection, and returns to the completion or attainment of perfection of a certain thing. As for Divine Perfection (al-kamāl al-ilāhī) what is meant is not the perfection of the essence, and nor does it imply that one may attain knowledge of the Divine Essence, for it will, even in the highest stages of unveiling (kashf), be beyond reach. As the Messenger ﷺ said, “Do not contemplate the Essence of Allāh ﷻ.” What is meant here is rather perfection in the Names and Attributes which are manifestations of the Essence and appear in the actions of the Ṣūfīs (mutaṣawwif) and the People of Truth (aṣḥāb al-ḥaqāʾiq). Naturally, this intertwines with the Divine Names, their manifestations and degrees thereof, and how one may strive to perfect them within his own self, which is what the book in its entirety concerns, with the author guiding the reader to several of his other works that have further details in certain regards that he omitted for the sake of brevity.

Without further digressions, I shall let the reader carry on to the translation of the text. May the blessings of Allāh ﷻ be upon our master Muḥammad ﷺ, his family, and his companions.

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Allāh ﷻ said, “And we have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds.”¹ Know that this mercy is one that has been bestowed generally for all of existence, and this is referred to in the statement of Allāh ﷻ that “My Mercy extends over all things,”² meaning that Muḥammad ﷺ prevails over all, in both matters of reality (ḥaqqiyyah) and those of creation (khalqiyyah). Thus, Allāh ﷻ has said in another verse “And thus we have written for the God-fearing and the providers of the alms and those who believe in our signs.” [Elsewhere,] “Those who follow the unlettered Messenger…”³

It is an exhortation that the one who follows Muḥammad ﷺ in his station, unique from the rest of mankind, will succeed him [in attaining a part of that station], as the verse states: “And thus we will write it for the God-fearing…” It means that they will be [part of] the mercy [that the Messenger ﷺ was].

Know that Mercy is of two types: general and specific. The specific type is the one with which Allāh ﷻ envelops the servant in a particular moment; the general type is the Muḥammadan ﷺ reality, with which Allāh ﷻ has infused the realities of things (ḥaqāʾiq al-ashyāʾ) and manifested all in separate degrees in existence, and prepared existences for accepting [degrees of] emanation and perfection.

As such, what Allāh ﷻ has created first is the Soul of Muḥammad ﷺ, as was narrated in the report of Jābir, that through him ﷺ did Allāh ﷻ show mercy to existences and create them in his form, and manifested them in his image. He created the Throne from him ﷺ, as well as the stool, and all in the heavens and the earth so they may be shown mercy through him, as they attained their sublime states via creation in his form.

For this reason does the Mercy of Allāh ﷻ precede His Wrath as the entirety of the world is in the image of the Beloved ﷺ. The Beloved ﷺ is shown mercy, and therefore mercy upon all of creation is necessary whereas wrath is contingent, mercy being an Essential Attribute and Wrath being an Attribute of Justice, judgment being an action. (There is a significant difference between an Essential Attribute and an Active Attribute.)

This meaning is what leads Allāh ﷻ to be named the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful (al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm), and not the Wrathful (al-Ghaḍbān) or Most Wrathful (al-Ghuḍūb). It is thus permissible to say, “Allāh ﷻ is not in all circumstances Merciful,” whilst it is not permissible to say that “Allāh ﷻ is not in all circumstances Punishing,” or render the meaning of Punishment absolute to that effect. Mercy therefore precedes Wrath, for the presence of the Beloved is as a mirror for the form, or the attribute for the essence, or some parts for the whole, hence him being credited for the generalization of Mercy upon all of existence.

Apportioned have we the world through you, O best of Creation!

Thus the branches from their roots will yield.

You are the Beloved—all has been created for you!

And everything for the Beloved is itself loved.

Know that when Allāh ﷻ intended to unveil from the hidden treasure and loved to create this world, He did so to be known, as appears in the ḥadīth qudsī: “I was a hidden treasure and I loved to be known, so I created creation.”⁴

Existences persisted in their permanent forms in the Immutable Archetypes (al-aʿyān al-thābita). In the absence of a relationship between emergence and eternity [in terms of the contingent emerging from something eternal] they could not be known. Love is what leads to their unveiling until they are known, and from this love is the Beloved created, specified for the manifestations of the Essence, being the one from whom the world is created, and who raised awareness of the connection between Him ﷻ and creation so that He ﷻ may be known thereby. The world is a theater of manifestation of the Attributes, and the Beloved ﷺ is a manifestation of the Essence.

As the Attributes branch from the Essence, the world likewise branches from the Beloved ﷺ—he is the intermediary between Allāh ﷻ and the world. The evidence for what we have stated lies in his saying, “I am from Allāh ﷻ and the believers are from me.” Another piece of evidence may be found in the statement of Jābir, [may Allāh ﷻ be pleased with him, wherein he cites] the Messenger ﷺ saying, “Indeed, Allāh ﷻ created his Soul, then the Throne, the stool, and what is in the heavens and the earth from him.” These creations have been placed in different levels, as the report clarifies, and there is no confusion in any aspect of the matter. What further proves what we have said is his statement: “I was a Prophet when Ādam was [in a state] between water and clay.”⁵

He knew from then that he ﷺ was the intermediary between Allāh ﷻ and Ādam until Ādam [properly] manifested and his existence became complete. The Muḥammadan ﷺ Prophethood is strong in its legislative direction, and is the intermediary between Allāh ﷻ and his servants. The specification in the report by citing Ādam [upon him be peace] clarifies that the Messenger ﷺ was the intermediary between Allāh ﷻ and Ādam until Ādam was raised as a Prophet due to the prominence of the Muḥammadan ﷺ connection. If such was the case for Ādam and his status, what may be said about his descendants? It is thus only appropriate that Allāh ﷻ took a Covenant from His Prophets that they would believe in him and aid him. Allāh ﷻ said, “And [recall, O People of the Scripture], when Allāh ﷻ took the covenant of the prophets, [saying], “Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you [must] believe in him and support him.” [Allāh ﷻ] said, “Have you acknowledged and taken upon that My commitment?” They said, “We have acknowledged it.” He said, “Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.””⁶

The fact that the Messenger ﷺ was not named here was for the purpose of glorification, as agreed upon by the mufassirīn, not so that the virtue of Allāh ﷻ’s words over His Messengers may not be known. “You [must] believe in him” [in this context] is evidence that the Muḥammadan ﷺ perfection is not attained via unveiling (kashf) until it is for them witnessed (mashhūdah), the reason being that the branch does not [necessarily] provide a path to the root. Thus Allāh ﷻ took from them a Covenant from the depths of their own selves so that they may attain thereby [portions] in the degrees of perfection, attaching to them the knowledge that they would not attain what they had except through the intermediary of the Messenger ﷺ.

This portrays that he ﷺ is the manifestation of the [Divine] Essence, the Prophets are the manifestations of the Names and Attributes, and what remains of the heavens and the earth are the manifestations of the Names and Actions on a lower level than what the Saints (awliyā’) are meant to be manifestations of, for they are as the Prophets in being loci of the Names and Attributes due to the saying of the Messenger, “The scholars of my nation (ummah) are as the Prophets of the Children of Israel.”⁷ When you have learned that he is the connection between Allāh ﷻ and His Prophets, it should dawn upon you that he ﷺ is the connection between Allāh ﷻ and His Angels as well, as is the opinion the majority is inclined towards, for the best of the Children of Ādam are nobler than the best of Angels, as the Messenger ﷺ has verified. As such a relationship [exists] between Allāh ﷻ and the elites from mankind and the Angels, it is only appropriate that there be such between Allāh ﷻ and the masses, whereas the rest of creation falls under a lower category.

So we know from what we have cited that if he ﷺ did not exist, not only would any of creation be unable to cognize its Lord, but the world would not exist [to begin with] for Allāh ﷻ did not create the world except for Him ﷻ to be known. Had there been no means via which He could be cognized, gnosis of Him would not be attained, and from this follows that there must first be a connection via which cognition would arise—and were this connection to be absent, all [in existence] would likewise be so. This is indicated in a ḥadīth qudsī regarding the Prophet ﷺ: “Were it not for you I would not have created creation.”⁸

As he ﷺ is the cause of the existence of the world and the Mercy that has enveloped it, the intermediary between Allāh ﷻ and all else, he ﷺ occupies the position of intercession in the Hereafter as all of creation will intercede through him ﷺ, the possessor of intercession. We have discussed this matter in another one of our works, namely, By the Cave and the Tablet: A Commentary of “In the Name of Allāh ﷻ, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” (Bi-l-Kahf wa-l-Raqīm fī Sharḥ bi-sm-illāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm).⁹

This will suffice for this chapter. Allāh ﷻ has spoken the truth and to Him is our return and refuge.

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References:

1. al-Anbiyāʾ, 107 [↩]
2. al-Aʿrāf, 156 [↩]
3. Ibid. [↩]
4. Al-ʿAjlūnī cites this report in Kashf al-Khafāʾ with a slightly different wording: “I was an unknown treasure and loved to be known, and so I created creation so that they may know me.” Ibn Taymiyyah writes that these are not the words of the Prophet ﷺ and there is no chain to this effect. Al-Zarkashī, al-Suyūṭī, Ibn Ḥajar, and others followed him in this regard. Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī, however, writes that the meaning is correct and in accordance with the words of Allāh ﷻ: “I did not create Jinn and man except that they would worship me”—meaning, so that “they would know me,” as was interpreted by Ibn ʿAbbās. [↩]
5. Al-ʿAjlūnī cites the report in Kashf al-Khafāʾ, and said that the report does not end here but rather there is a further addition. There is another report with the following wording: “I was a Prophet when there was no Ādam, water, or clay.” Ibn Ḥajar considers the report weak, whereas Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī notes that the report is accurate on the basis of its meaning. Al-ʿAjlūnī cites yet another wording wherein the Messenger ﷺ says, “I was the first Prophet to be created and the last to be raised.” Abū Nuʿaym cites it in al-Dalāʾil. [↩]
6. Al-ʿImrān, 81 [↩]
7. Al-Suyūṭī, regarding this report, said in al-Durr al-Manthūr, “It has no basis.” Al-Sakhāwī cites Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī and al-ʿAsqalānī to this effect. Al-Damīrī and al-Zarkashīaccepted the report. Others added, “it is not known from our books.” Abū Nuʿaym considers the chain weak, tracing it back to Ibn ʿAbbās [↩]
8. Al-Ṣāghānī cites the report in his Mawḍūʿāt, noting that it is fabricated. Al-ʿAjlūnī cites it in Kashf al-Khafāʾ, 2123, as does al-Shawkānī in his Fawāʾid, 326. [↩]
9. There are two different prints for it from publishers in Cairo. [↩]