Tafsir Nahnu Wajh-Allah
(Commentary on the
Hadith `We are the Face of God')
TBA ms. 6006C, 69-72.
Shroud of Turin for
some depicting the `Face of God'.
Opening lines of
the Tafsir Nahnu Wajh Allah in TBA . ms. 6006C
IN PROGRESS AND CORRECTION
و اعلم ان عربا من العربا
من اھل البادية سئل عن علی ع عن وجه لله فی قوله تعالی
اينما تولوا فثم وجه لله
فقال اصبر الان اعرفك بالشھود فامر ان ياتوا بنار و حطب و يشعلوا فلمّا اشتعل
النار فی الحطب كلھا فقال ع للعرب ما وجه النار قال العرب كلھا و جه من كل
الجھات فقال نحن ھكذا وجه لله فانظر الان الی الشجرة و النار اذ باقترانھما و
ارتباطھما يظھر وجه النار فھكذا فی وجه لله لما خلق لله شجرة الاولی و خلق
النار من تلك الشجرة و رابط بينھما فاشتعل فظھر وجه النار فھو وجھه انظر فی
كلمة التوحيد ھی اثناعشر حرفا و اصولھا ثلثه احرف و ھو الالف مقام الشجرة و
اللام مقام الربط و الھاٌ مقام النار فبا الثلاثه ظھر التوحيد كما اشار الحجة
فی دعائه فی شھر رجب فبھم ملات سمائك و ارضك حتی ظھر ان لا اله الا انت و
الثلاثه محمد و علی و فاطمه صلوات لله عليھم و اشار الرّضا من قال لا اله الا
لله وجبت له الجنة بشرطھا و ھو التوحيد و شروطھا و ھو النبوة و انا من شروطھا و
ھو الولاية فافھم ان كنت ذی فھم و الا فاسلم تسلم
"And know thou
that an Arab among the Arabs of the Bedouin people (al-Badawa) asked [Imam]
`Alī [ibn Abī Ṭāblib (d. 40/661)] about the Wajh Allāh (the Face of God) as
indicated in His statement [in the Qur'an 2:115b]: "So wherever you turn
there is the Face of God!" [= Q. 2:115b]. So he replied, `Be patient!
for now I shall inform thee about the things witnessed (al-shuhūd). So he
commanded him to bring fire and firewood and proceed to ignite it. Then when
the fire was emblazoned in all of the wood he said unto the `Arab , `That is
the face [surface] of the fire'. The `Arab replied saying, `It is all the (wajh)
face from every direction'. So he [Imam `Ali] said, `Wherefore are We the
Wajh Allāh (the Face of God)."
So observe now the Tree and the Fire (al-shajarat wa'l-nār), the connection
between the two and the link between them through which was manifested the
the Face of the Fire. It was [manifest] in the Wajh Allāh (the Face of God)
for God created the Primal Tree (al-shajarat al-awwal) and He created the
Fire from that Tree and established a link between these two. Thus was it
set ablaze and there was manifested the Wajh Allāh (the Face of God) before
the Fire (al-nār). It is [indeed] His Face (wajh).
فبالثلاثة ظهر التوحيد كما اشار
الحجة فی دعائه + فی شهر رجب فبهم ملات سمائك وارضك حتی ظهر ان لا اله
الا انت والثلاثة محمد + وعلی وفاطمه + واشار الرضا + من قال لا اله
الا الله وجبت له الجنة بشطرها وهو التوحيد وشروطها وهو النبوة
So observe the Kalimat al-tawhid (Word of the Divine Unity) -- "There is no
God but God"! It is composed of twelve letters. Its basis is made up by
three letters (= "A"+ "L"+ "H"). The [letter] Alif ("A") which has the
station of the "Tree", the [letter] Lam ("L") which has the station of the
[intermediary] link (al-rabt) and the [letter] "H" (al-ha') which has the
station of the "Fire". Thus by means of these three the Tawḥīd ("the
Divine Unity") was manifested just as the Hujjat (the Proof) [the Imam] had
made allusion in his `Supplication for the Month of Rajab', "So through them
was Thy heaven and Thy earth filled up until there was made manifest
`No God is there save Thee'". So the three [foundational letters of the
kalimat al-tawhid] are Muhammad -- upon him be peace -- and `Ali -- upon him
be peace -- and Fatima -- upon her be peace -- as was alluded to by
[the eighth Imam `Ali] al-Riḍā' (d. c. 203 /818) when he said, " There
is no God but God, the ADD HERE
