A Key to Wisdom - Man's Travel in the Planets
Man's Travel in the Planets
Tags: Divine law, Honourable Scribes, Subtle Body, Hazrat Adam, Hazrat Ibrahim, Hazrat `Isa, Atomic body, Hazrat Yusuf, Mi`raj, Buraq, Paradise
The subsistence and permanence of human life depends on that chain of movements which continues constantly and incessantly in the internal and external senses of man and its total cessation results in his physical death. For instance, for the sake of experiment, if we stop the chain of movements of our words and deeds for a few moments and be silent, our silence and quietness cannot be absolute and real, because our respiration continues to work within us. Further, even if we are able to control our respiration for a few seconds, the movement of our heart is beyond our control, because it cannot be stopped without a sublime experience. Neither can we absolutely stop the train of thought and imagination of our heart and mind and undisciplined mental conversation without submitting them to the control of the luminous guidance and inspirational soul through the purification of soul. If we also submit ourselves to sleep in order to experience silence, even then we cannot keep silent and quiet, because some of our special senses, particularly the faculty of estimation (wāhimah) continues its own kind of train of word and deed in the world of dreams, greater than in the world of wakefulness.
It is established from this explanation that we cannot absolutely stop the chain of action (movement) of our internal and external senses, because the lamp of our life is lit by the means of our constant mental and physical movements. Just as a material lamp remains lit by means of the continuation of its wick and the constant flow of a certain quantity of oil to it and is extinguished if they cease, the lamp of our life also remains lit by the continuation of the wick of deeds and the oil of words, whether this continuation belongs to the internal senses or to the external senses. If this continuation ceases even for a second, then the lamp of our life is extinguished immediately. This means that in order to ameliorate the individual and collective life of mankind from moment to moment, the continuation of an endless chain of useful knowledge and good deeds related to religion and this world, is extremely important and an indispensable natural requirement.
It is because of this that God, the Wise, has not revealed the secrets of the universe all of a sudden through the heavenly Books, the Prophets and the Awliyā', but rather man is duty-bound to discover them gradually according to the requirements of time through these sacred means, so that through the continuity of human thought and action, the lamp of human life in its ascension and evolution of knowledge and art may be lit in such a way, that it is neither extinguished nor static, nor is it illumined all of a sudden in such a way that the eyes of the world are dazzled by it, rather its light should increase gradually. Thus, the best way of human life is that which is in complete accordance with Divine will.
If it is accepted that this endless chain of the present material evolution is exactly according to Divine law, how can we say that spiritual elevation is impossible, while it is a fact that numerous examples of spirituality have revealed in the form of scientific inventions and discoveries through which it has become easier to understand the word and deed of the universal spiritual power. For instance, if someone asks: How can we be sure that a complete record of our present life is written and recorded in spirituality?, the answer is that it continues to be written in the form of living film. To what is your attention drawn by this sentence in order to make spirituality understandable? It is an invention of science known by the name of television. You can now untie many knots for yourself through this key principle. For instance, the revered angels known as the "Honourable Scribes (kirāman kātibīn)", about whom we had previously understood that they write our history like scribes, now we know that their work is to film it spiritually. Further, it is wise to say that all external and internal human states are filmed automatically through spiritual powers known as the Honourable Scribes. This meaning is implied in the very name itself that they do not write by toiling as labourers, but with honour and knowledge as rulers.
We would now like to disclose a reality with the help of the wisdom of the Qur'ān and the spirit of Islam, through which it will be certain that science is hidden in religion and religion in science. That is, Divine law in its infinite generosity has endowed man with limitless powers and boundless bounties and in order to actualise and benefit from these, man on the whole, still has a lot to do. Further, he has to think about why, despite being the noblest of creatures and inventor and creator of amazing instruments (radio, television, rocket, etc.), he himself is not able to do the work which they do! One day it will occur to him that the only reason for this is that he has never paid any special attention to himself and to what his reality is.
At this point it would be realistic to say that the present body and mind of man are still immature and incomplete and that one day he has to attain the perfection of "another creation (khalq-i ākhar)". "Another creation" is the name of the subtle body which is free from the effects of heat, cold, dryness and wetness, because it is the atomic body and not the elemental one, without attaining which, man cannot dispense with all these external material instruments and appliances. Regarding its creation, God Himself praises His perfect power, as He says: "So blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators." (23:14). This verse reveals that it is the subtle body which demonstrates the creative attributes and miracles of the perfect Divine power, and what other creators have invented or are going to invent, is nothing in comparison to it, because it is an endless treasure of spiritual wonders and marvels.
In this connection, we would like to explain some realities related to the bodies of those early human beings by the name of Hazrat Ādam (a.s.), Hazrat Hawwā' (a.s.) and others, who had descended to the planet earth. They were not three or five individuals only, they were the population of an entire world. When they passed through a great cycle there (Paradise), i.e. an extremely prosperous planet, they had to be transferred to the planet earth willingly or unwillingly, as mentioned in the Holy Qur'ān: "Go down all of you from this" (2:38). Let us reflect on the gist of the verse "Go down all of you", from which it can first be deduced that the entire population of the planet had come down to the earth. Secondly, they were not lifted and transferred to the planet earth from the planet of Paradise by another power, rather they came down to it by the atomic flight of their subtle body, for the Divine command is to go down, and not to be brought down. Further, if they did not have the capacity of the flight of atomic vibration, God would not have told them: "Go down all of you", for according to verse (2:286), Allah does not impose on any soul a duty beyond its ability. If this subtle body is translated into a scientific term of today, it can be translated as "atomic body". Thus Hazrat Ādam, all his companions and others descended to the planet earth in their atomic bodies. However, as a result of the lack of rarefication, as well as eating, drinking and working on the earth, the physical body was created in them and the atomic body began to retreat from them. Hazrat Ādam, Hazrat Hawwā' and some other chosen companions were extremely grieved by this fatal blow and were anxious to do something to regain it. One day Hazrat Ādam received guidance to recite certain words with extreme humility and indigence. After some time, by the blessings of this special `ibādat, they were facilitated to meet the subtle body again.
Subsequent to this event, the atomic body of every male and female of the new generation used to become complete by the end of the years of innocence and then remained separate as a result of the first dream of the prime of their youth. However, special and general ways for the purification of the soul, etc. were also prescribed in order to recall it time and again, by which the human beings of the first rank not only controlled their subtle or atomic body, but the natural living hayūlā (atomic matter) also continued to be cast in their physical moulds which were adequately clean and pure, and it came out several times in the form of a subtle body.
The reality of the miraculous escape of Hazrat Ibrāhīm from the destructive effect of Nimrod's pyre is also the subtle body, in that when he was flung into it, in the very first jerk a wave of the lightning of fear ran from the centre of his heart to the surface of the body, which was an immediate and natural kind of purification of soul for him, in which the animal soul due to the fear of annihilation left its place for the subtle body and the subtle or atomic body, with the rapidity of its own, took its place instantly. Now since Hazrat Ibrāhīm was immersed in the atomic body, he was not only saved from the effect of this terrifying fire, but his heart and mind were also illumined more and more due to its luminosity, to the extent that the controlling power of his imagination showed him that terrifying fire in the form of a wonderful, lush and pleasant garden full of colour and fragrance.
The case of Hazrat `Īsā's crucifixion is the same, in which the subtle body helped him by the command of God. The only difference was that before it received any harm from the crucifixion, God had lifted his perfect soul to the fourth of the seven heavens, from which our planet earth and other six planets receive benefit. In that case the subtle body took the place of the elemental body in the twinkling of an eye and the unbelievers crucified only his elemental body, while the subtle body was ridiculing them, because they, by this barbaric act, were able to harm neither him, nor the subtle body.
Hazrat Yūsuf who was living in Egypt, sent his subtle body (luminous shirt) to his father, Hazrat Ya`qub, who was in Canaan. In short, the great secret of all the miracles of the Prophets and the Awliyā' is hidden in the subjugation of the subtle or atomic body, and among them there has not been a single one who was not satisfactorily helped by the atomic body according to the expediency of time and his need.
As for the Holy Prophet and some of those who were dear to him, they were the riders of this mount of lightning speed and horsemen of this race-course of spirituality. Thus, the name of the mount of the miracle of mi`rāj (ascension) of the Prophet is "Burāq", which is derived from barq, which means lightning. Lightning and atom are two names of the same substance. Thus it is evident that the mount of mi`rāj of the Prophet was the atomic body, whether it had adapted the shape of a particular animal, or that of the carpet of rafraf (green cloth), because it is the miracle of variegated colours. He did not use this universal miraculous power against his adversaries as he had to establish the best example for the entire world and the world of Islam through his pure sunnah.
The above explanation has a specific link with the following questions that, in his endless past, had this noblest of creatures called man, ever travelled on these countless planets as well? Or, will he be able to travel on them in the endless future? If the answer is positive, what is its proof? The answer to these questions is "yes". Man, on the whole, has travelled on these innumerable planets and even now is on most of them, except the sun which is neither a planet, nor are we discussing what it is. The affirmation of this cosmic travelling of man also lies in the gist of this explanation that, with respect to man's internal and external senses, there are two forms of the universe: one is of pain and the other is of ease. However, in this connection two important points are worth mentioning: one is "comfort-like pain" and the other is "pain-like comfort", but in both cases their likeness has no reality. Thus the "comfort-like pain" is in reality pain and similarly the "pain-like comfort" is in reality comfort. For instance, a criminal is apparently in comfort, but due to his misdeeds, his conscience always censures him severely, and if this feeling were to also gradually disappear, his soul would suffer the chastisement of the Divine law. Thus he is imprisoned and captive in a "comfort-like pain". Conversely, there is a pious man who apparently is suffering from pain, but due to his good deeds his conscience always praises him. He is grateful and his soul is going to enter the eternal mercy of God. Such a person is in a "pain-like comfort". Thus it is evident that, in reality, the logical division of pain and comfort is made with respect to man's internal and external senses.
Now it is possible to disclose the reality that Paradise is spread across the exterior and interior of the universe. That is, it is both in a spiritual form as well as a material form, in this life as well as after death, and in it there are ranks (darajāt) as well as equity (musāwāt). Note the proofs of each of these points. The Holy Qur'ān says that Paradise is as vast as the universe (57:21). And in another verse it alludes that the vastness of Paradise is the very vastness of the universe (3:133). Thus the materiality of Paradise is established by the proof of distance and quantity. Additionally, if the vastness of Paradise is the vastness of the universe, then the vastness of the universe is the vastness of Paradise. In this case the same one thing has two names, which is correct in that the universe has two forms. Thus the comfort of the universe which is according to Divine will, is the comfort of Paradise, which is necessary both in physical and spiritual forms. As for the physical ranks of this universe, its innumerable planets with respect to elevation and evolution are in innumerable ranks and the same is the position of the spiritual ranks. As for equity, it is in the sense that under the influence of the knowledge of oneness the concept of the difference and distinction of the people of Paradise will come to an end. For instance, if it is accepted that the existents move on a great circle, on which spiritual and physical ranks are also fixed, in this case he who has the knowledge of half the circle and does not have the knowledge of the other half, will sometimes consider himself inferior with respect to those who are ahead of him and sometimes will consider himself superior with respect to those who are behind him, but he who has the knowledge of the complete circle will be free from the feeling of inferiority and superiority and will be convinced that there is equal wisdom in everything. In addition, in the final rank, the people of Paradise will be in one place practically.
From the above elaboration, it is evident that, if through the way of knowledge, the wisdom is understood that the universe itself is Paradise and that man is within the universe, then he is within Paradise. This is because Hell (pain) is temporary and Paradise (comfort) is real. That is, if the temporary pain is removed through practical and spiritual logic, then for such a wise person there is only Paradise everywhere, as the division of pain and comfort depends on the logic of each individual's perception and feeling. If it is not possible for every individual to attain this place of feeling and perception, he should at least think that he, like Hazrat Ādam and his companions, has come out of Paradise for a fixed time, and that he has to attain it again. The proof of the temporariness of Hell is that it is a practical purgatory, which implies that people of the world should not do bad deeds, otherwise they will have the same consequences and will be deprived of Paradise. But on the other hand, Paradise says that man should do good deeds and enter it. Thus it is evident that Hell is a reformative prison of Divine law, just as a just government has a prison, the purpose of which is none other than to put an end to or reduce bad deeds. Then it is not surprising that in such a reformative government, bad deeds may come to an end and then obviously the prison of such a highly developed government will also come to an end.
In this connection an example is presented here. Suppose that there is a person with a luxurious life who has committed some mortal sins, and his heart is always overcast with the fear of imprisonment and captivity, then you should know that he, despite being far away from prison, in reality, is in prison. On the other hand, there is a righteous man who is kept in prison by some accident, but since he is a friend of God, he has neither grief for the past, nor fear of the future. The Qur'ān praises the friends of God in this way. This explanation results in the division of pain and comfort according to the logic of the perception and feeling of each individual. Thus man is always in Paradise if he considers temporary pain as non-existent. In that case, since one great bounty among the innumerable bounties of Paradise is indeed travelling, therefore, it can be said that man has already travelled in the planets and will continue to do so.
If it is asked: On the basis of what proof can it be said that man is so ancient that, on the whole, he has travelled in this grand and vast universe?, the answer is given in verse (95:4-5): "Indeed We created man in the best order, then We reversed him to the lowest of the low." By creating in the best order is meant that man reaches the highest elevation. Thus from this Qur'ānic wisdom it is clear that man has come to this planet after (reaching) the perfection of elevation and evolution (See: "Balance of Realities", p.44). If you study the Qur'ān with wisdom you will come to find such implications everywhere that the Divine law has countlessly passed over the universe and its inhabitants. No work is ever new for God and His command never awaits a new occasion. This law or habit of God is always like this, both in pre-eternity (azal) and post-eternity (abad). These are the precise meanings of the fact that God says: "Be (kun)" not for the creation of a thing (at its beginning), rather at its ultimate perfection.
Wa's-salām!
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