of Nekounam, (Session 263)
Mystical wayfaring represents a profound voyage into the boundless depths of Divine knowledge, wherein the seeker, relying upon the stages of trust (tawakkul) and delegation (tafw), unfurls the wings of their being towards the summits of Divine proximity like a light-winged bird. Tafw constitutes a lofty station in which the wayfarer entrusts all of their affairs to the Almighty God, irrespective of external causes or carnal constraints. This station, which is characterised by a finer delicacy and purity in comparison with trust (tawakkul), shines like a rare jewel within the treasury of spiritual wayfaring. This treatise, the lectures of Nekounam, , undertakes a scholarly, mystical, and philosophical examination of the stages of tafw. The central focus of Session 263 is the Noble Verse: And I entrust my affair to God. Indeed, God is Seeing of [His] servants
(Ghafir 40:44, ), spoken by the believer from Pharaohs people. This verse manifests his courage, knowledge, and absolute surrender to the Divine Will. In this session, the second stage of tafw, namely muyanat al-iirr (the witnessing of compulsion), is critically examined. Emphasising the negation of fatalism and compulsion, tafw is elucidated as an attribute of perfection and Divine love. The present text elucidates the distinctions between tafw and tawakkul, critiques deterministic perspectives, underscores Divine mercy, and highlights the seekers requisite emergence in the mystical path.
Tafwthe complete delegation of affairs to God without interference from the self or apparent causesis mentioned explicitly in the Quran only once in the form of the verb in the Noble Verse: And I entrust my affair to God. Indeed, God is Seeing of [His] servants
(Ghafir 40:44). This rarity, like the brilliance of a singular star in the firmament of knowledge, indicates the greatness and difficulty of this station, which requires courage, insight, and absolute submission. The believer from Pharaohs people, who utters this statement before Pharaohan emblem of arrogance and rebellionportrays a distinguished exemplar of this station. This delegation is not born from weakness but from awareness of Divine insight and wisdom.
Key Note: The Rarity of Tafw in the Quran
The term tafw appears only once in the Quran in the verb form, underscoring the exceptional and arduous nature of this station within mystical wayfaring. This rarity is comparable to the attribute amad in Surah Al-Ikhl. Tafw flows as a pure current, liberated from the constraints of causality and conditions, inviting the seeker to disregard apparent causes and entrust affairs to the Absolute Owner. The aforementioned verse, by emphasising Divine insight, links this delegation to a profound cognition that liberates the seeker from self-centeredness and causality fixation.
The believer from Pharaohs people, introduced in the Quran as alladh man (the one who believed), speaks under perilous circumstances. Pharaoh, with his claims to lordship and rebellion, suppresses all opposition; yet this believer courageously and without dissimulation professes faith and entrusts his affairs to God. He calls his people towards the path of growth and states: O my people, why do I call you to salvation while you call me to the Fire?
(Ghafir 40:41, translation). This call, like a luminous torch, demonstrates his mission to guide others. By selecting the term musrifn (transgressors or wasteful ones) instead of coercive terms such as kfirn (disbelievers) or jabbrn (tyrants), he reveals wisdom and gentleness in his invitation. Isrf here denotes the wasting of life and Divine opportunities, inviting his people to contemplate their behaviour. This choice distances his appeal from harshness and approximates it to benevolent admonition.
Key Note: The Wisdom in the Believer of Pharaohs Invitation
By employing the term musrifn rather than kfirn or jabbrn, the believer guides his people with delicacy and wisdom towards the truth, reflecting the depth of his knowledge and ethical faith. God protected him from the cunning of Pharaohs people and afflicted Pharaohs house with punishment: So God protected him from the evil of what they plotted, and evil punishment befell the people of Pharaoh.
(Ghafir 40:45, translation). This protection is the reward of his delegation and surrender, placing him under Divine guardianship.
Tafw, as an exceptional station in mystical wayfaring, bears a special status marked by its rarity in the Quran and embodiment in the speech of the believer of Pharaohs people. This station, accompanied by courage, knowledge, and absolute submission, calls the seeker to a complete delegation of affairs to God. The believer of Pharaohs people exemplifies this station with a wise invitation and subtle language.
Tafw, compared to tawakkul, possesses greater delicacy and purity, for tawakkul may involve a certain analogy between the servant and God, whereas tafw negates such analogy. In tawakkul, the servant regards God as their agent, a representation that can lead to resemblance between the agent and principal. This resemblance, due to human limitations, introduces a deficiency in the station of tawakkul. However, in tafw, the servant presumes no resemblance and entrusts all affairs entirely to the Absolute Owner.
Key Note: The Structural Difference Between Tawakkul and Tafw
In tawakkul, the servant perceives causes and delegates authority to God, whereas in tafw, the servant disregards causes and wholly entrusts affairs to God, a purity that draws tafw closer to the annihilation in God (fan f Allh). Tafw resembles the act of entrusting the ship of existence to the boundless sea of Divine will, liberating the servant from the bonds of causality and conditionality. The verse And I entrust my affair to God
emphasises this freedom, while verses such as And rely upon God if you are believers
(Midah 5:23, translation) link tawakkul to causes and effort.
Agency is limited by conditions such as acceptance of the agency and the possibility of dismissal. These restrictions reduce agency to a legal relationship. In contrast, tafw is free from these limitations, as the servant entrusts affairs entirely to God. This delegation is not out of incapacity but from recognition of Divine absolute ownership. God is neither agent nor principal but the Owner with Glory and Power. Describing God as agent or principal, due to analogy with human attributes, introduces deficiencies in understanding. Yet, the Quran permits servants to employ such terms, e.g., Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper
(Anfal 8:40, translation), which serve to approximate Divine greatness to human comprehension.
Key Note: Divine Absolute Ownership
God is neither agent nor principal but the Owner with Majesty and Power. Tafw, by entrusting affairs to this Absolute Owner, transcends the deficiencies inherent in agency. Tafw, like entrusting the essence of existence to the hands of the Wise Divine, liberates the servant from the confines of agency and guides them towards absolute surrender.
In agency, the servant appoints an agent for their benefit and may dismiss the agent if benefit fails to materialise. This conditionality renders agency a limited and contingent relation. However, in tafw, the wayfarer entrusts affairs completely to God, who cannot be dismissed as the Absolute Owner. Yet, the wayfarer may fall from this station if unable to endure hardship or loss. This fall is not a dismissal of God but a return to lower stations such as tawakkul or even deviation from faith.
Some commentators, in explicating the secondary level of tafw, assert that no act can be deemed salvific and no sin truly mortal, on the premise that all affairs are consigned solely to God. This perspective culminates in a negation of the causative efficacy of action and a gravitation toward determinism, for every act intrinsically embodies good or evil, and the salik (spiritual wayfarer) is accountable for its manifestation. The Qurn emphatically stresses the efficacy of deeds in the verse:
Denying the effect of action contradicts Divine Justice. For instance, the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), due to a singular erroneous actstriking a man which inadvertently led to his deathwas assigned shepherding duties for years. This exemplifies the inherent efficacy of acts. Even presuming the salik to be in the station of tafw, sin (e.g., the killing of a Prophet) disqualifies and renders the salik spiritually corrupt.
This critique liberates tafw from irresponsibility and determinism, affirming the saliks accountability for the manifestation of their deeds.
Certain commentators, arguing that God is the sole Hmil (Bearer) and Fil (Doer), deny any causative agent other than God. This view leads to the negation of causality and a deterministic stance. Causes are the manifestation of Divine causation, and the salik is, by necessity, the effect. Denial of causes negates the saliks manifestation, whereas tafw affirms this manifestation as an expression of Divine action. The Qurn underscores Divine ownership and power in the verse:
There is no power and no strength except with God. (Al-Kahf: 39)
This Divine sovereignty does not negate the saliks manifested causality, who moves necessarily like a wave upon the Divine Ocean, with causation and blessing emanating solely from God.
This critique frees tafw from negating causes and elevates it to a sublime station wherein the salik bears responsibility for their inherent causative implication.
Within tafw, the salik is necessarily manifest in movement, action, and knowledge. This necessitation is neither deterministic nor coercive but rather the expression of Divine action. The saliks movement is intrinsically their own, while its causality and blessing derive from God. This perspective emancipates the salik from passivity and inactivity, holding them responsible for their manifestation. For instance, the salik acts, labours, and moves in everyday life, yet these acts necessarily express Divine will. Denial of this necessitation results in determinism, reducing the salik to an involuntary instrument. Tafw, akin to a loving dance before Divine will, preserves this necessitation and leads the salik towards deeper epistemic awareness.
This view transforms tafw into a dynamic and responsible station in which the salik advances with love and knowledge upon the path of Divine proximity.
The hadith attributed to The beginning of knowledge is the recognition of the Compeller (al-Jabbr), and the end of knowledge is tafw of the matter unto Him has been critically examined. Initiating Divine knowledge with the attribute al-Jabbr, a secondary name, is inappropriate. Al-Jabbr ranks beneath merciful names such as ar-Ramn and ar-Ram, and may lead to coercive and harsh conceptions of God. Divine knowledge must commence with merciful names, as the Qurn emphasises in the Opening Chapter (Al-Ftiah):
In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. (Al-Ftiah: 1)
Tafw signifies entrusting affairs to God the Merciful, Compassionate, Generous, and Loving not to the Compeller. This entrusting arises from knowledge of Divine beauty attributes, guiding the servant towards love and submission.
Cultures of violence and subjugation distort Divine knowledge by emphasising coercive attributes like al-Jabbr rather than mercy. Historically oppressed societies may incline towards these coercive traits, hindering comprehension of Divine gentleness and mercy. This tendency was also apparent in the early Islamic Revolution through expressions such as Qsim al-Jabbrn, which focused on Divine coercion instead of mercy. The Qurn highlights expansive Divine mercy in verses such as:
