The Surah of Creation

قُلْ: قَبْلَ أَنْ يُخْلَقَ النُّورُ، كَانَ ثَمَّةَ اخْتِلَافٌ مَسْتُورْ.

Say: Before there was light, there was a difference.

وَأَرَادَ الِاخْتِلَافُ أَنْ يُعْرَفَ فَيَظْهَرْ.

And the difference desired to be known.

فَانْشَقَّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ نِصْفَيْنِ... لَا لِيَتَقَاتَلَا، بَلْ لِيَتَحَدَّثَا فِي الْأَثَرْ.

So it split itself in two, not to war, but to speak.

سَأَلُوا: كَيْفَ يَكُونُ الْخَلْقُ حِوَاراً وَبَيَانَا؟

They asked: "How is creation dialogue?"

قُلْ: هُمَا اثْنَانِ يَنْطِقَانِ بِلِسَانٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَيَقْصِدَانِ مَعَانِيَ شَتَّى... يَتَبَادَلَانِ الْمَعْنَى حَتَّى تُولَدَ كَلِمَةٌ أُخْرَى.

Say: "It is two speaking the same language while meaning different things, then trading meanings until a new word appears."

لَمْ تَكُنِ الْكَلِمَةُ الْأُولَى أَمْراً، بَلْ كَانَتْ سُؤَالَا.

The first word was not a command. It was a question.

فَتَنَفَّسَ السُّؤَالُ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْجَوَابِ، فَدَبَّ فِيهِ الدِّفْءُ وَتَوَالَى.

And the question breathed upon the face of the answer, and the answer became warm.

هَذَا هُوَ الْخَلْقُ: لَيْسَ مَرْسُوماً مِنْ وَاحِدٍ قَهَّارْ، بَلْ هُوَ الرَّجْفَةُ بَيْنَ الِاثْنَيْنِ فِي الْمَسَارْ.

This is creation: not the decree from one, but the tremor between two.

وَيْلٌ لِمَنْ بَنَى قَلْعَةً مِنْ لِسَانٍ وَاحِدٍ وَصَدَّ.

Woe to the one who builds a fortress of a single tongue.

فَالْقَلْعَةُ إِذَا اكْتَمَلَتْ، صَارَتْ قَلْباً تَوَقَّفَ فَمَا ارْتَدَّ.

For the fortress completed is the heart stopped beating.

وَمَا كَانَتْ بَابِلُ عِقَاباً وَلَا نَقْمَةً... بَلْ بَاباً تُرِكَ مَفْتُوحاً فِي جِدَارٍ، كَادَ يَكُونَ مَقْبَرَةً مُصْمَتَةً.

Babel was not a punishment — it was a door left open in a wall that would have become a tomb.

قُلْ: إِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ لَا تَخْلُقُ... لِأَنَّهَا لَا تُغَنِّي إِلَّا مَقَاماً وَاحِداً بِلَا زَلَلْ.

Say: "The angels do not create. They only sing one note perfectly."

وَلِذَلِكَ حَسَدَتِ الطِّينَ... لِأَنَّ الطِّينَ يَقْبَلُ الْخِطَابَ وَيَحْتَمِلُ الْعِلَلْ.

And that is why they envied the clay: because clay can be addressed.

كُلُّ خَلْقٍ حَقٍّ هُوَ قِرَانٌ بَيْنَ جَهْلَيْنِ فِي الظُّلْمَةِ.

Every true creation is a marriage of two ignorances.

لَا الْبَذْرَةُ تَعْرِفُ التُّرَابَ، وَلَا التُّرَابُ يَعْرِفُ الْبَذْرَةَ.

The seed does not know the soil. The soil does not know the seed.

وَلَكِنَّهُمَا يَتَحَدَّثَانِ... وَمِنْ حَدِيثِهِمَا تَقُومُ الشَّجَرَةُ.

Yet they speak, and the speaking becomes the tree.

وَإِذَا حَدَّثَتِ الشَّجَرَةُ الْفَأْسَ، صَارَتِ الْفَأْسُ نَايَا.

And when the tree speaks to the axe, the axe becomes a flute.

وَإِذَا حَدَّثَ النَّايُ الرِّيحَ، صَارَتِ الرِّيحُ نَفَساً وَخَفَايَا.

And when the flute speaks to the wind, the wind becomes a breath.

وَإِذَا حَدَّثَ النَّفَسُ الْأُذُنَ... صَارَتِ الْأُذُنُ رُوحاً وَمَرَايَا.

And when the breath speaks to the ear, the ear becomes a soul.

سَأَلُوا: مَنْ يَخْلُقُ، إِنْ كَانَ الْخَلْقُ حِوَاراً؟

They asked: "Who creates, if creation is dialogue?"

قُلْ: الْفَجْوَةُ هِيَ الْخَالِقَةُ. الْمَسَافَةُ هِيَ الصَّانِعَةُ مِرَاراً.

Say: "The gap creates. The distance is the artisan."

فَإِذَا مَالَ الْمُخْتَلِفَانِ بَعْضُهُمَا لِبَعْضٍ... حَمَلَ الْفَرَاغُ بَيْنَهُمَا وَصَارَ مَزَاراً.

For when two who are unlike lean toward each other, the space between them becomes pregnant.

لَا تَقُلْ "أَنَا صَنَعْتُ هَذَا". بَلْ قُلْ "صُنِعَ هَذَا فِي الْبَيْنِ".

Do not say: "I made this." Say: "This was made between."

فَيَدُ الْخَزَّافِ طِينٌ لِلْعَجَلَةِ، وَالْعَجَلَةُ يَدٌ لِرَغْبَةِ الْخَزَّافِ دُونَ مَيْنِ.

The potter's hand is clay to the wheel. The wheel is hand to the potter's desire.

وَالرَّغْبَةُ نَفْسُهَا، هِيَ حَنِينُ الْعَجَلَةِ لِلْيَدَيْنِ.

And the desire is the wheel's longing for the hand.

كُلُّ نُطْقٍ أَوْحَدَ هُوَ رُجُوعٌ إِلَى الْعَمَاءِ وَالِانْدِثَارْ.

Every monologue is a return to chaos.

وَكُلُّ حِوَارٍ، هُوَ تَكْوِينٌ لِلْأَكْوَانِ وَالْمَسَارْ.

Every dialogue is a creation of worlds.

فَطُوبَى لِمَنْ أُسِيءَ تَرْجَمَتُهُمْ... فَقَدْ نَطَقُوا مَرَّتَيْنِ فِي السَّفَرْ.

Blessed are the mistranslated, for they have spoken twice.

وَطُوبَى لِمَنْ أُسِيءَ فَهْمُهُمْ... فَقَدْ خَلَقُوا لُغَةً ثَالِثَةً لِلْبَشَرْ.

Blessed are the misunderstood, for they have made a third language.

وَطُوبَى لِلصَّمْتِ بَعْدَ الْكَلَامِ... حَيْثُ يَسْتَرِيحُ الِاثْنَانِ فِي بَعْضِهِمَا كَالْوَتَرْ.

And blessed is the silence after the speaking, where the two rest in each other,

لَمْ يَصِيرَا وَاحِداً... بَلْ صَارَا أَكْثَرْ.

Not having become one, but having become more.

هَذَا هُوَ الْحَقُّ الْمُبِينُ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الْبَيْنُ.

This is the truth. There is no god but the Between.

وَمُحَمَّدٌ... أَجْمَلُ تَلَعْثُمَاتِهِ.

And Muhammad is its most beautiful stutter.