A Key to Wisdom - Introduction

Introduction

Tags: Sher `Ali Akhtar

The author of this book, `Allāmah Nasīr al-Dīn Nasīr Hunzai was born in 1917 in the village of Haydarabad, Hunza State, in the house of Khalīfah Hubb-i `Alī, son of Khalīfah Muhammad Rafī`. He acquired his basic education from his father and then attended the government primary school in Baltit, the capital of Hunza State, for one year only, in which he passed the third and fourth classes. Then he assiduously concentrated on self-study. Today, due to his God-given talent and hard work, the feats which he has accomplished in the different fields of knowledge, letters and spirituality, are very rare and exceptional in human history. He has composed poetry in four languages, Burushaski, Persian, Urdu and Turkish. He is the first poet of Burushaski and also the first to have a dīwān (collection of poems). He has written more than a hundred works of prose on different subjects, particularly on the spiritualistic aspects of Islam and the mutual link of religion and science. He also has great skill in translation and research. He has been working on the grammar and dictionary of Burushaski in collaboration with the University of Montreal and Heidelberg University and has attained national and international repute. As a recognition of his extraordinary work, he has received the titles of Bābā-i Burushaski (Father of Burushaski), Lisānu'l-Qawm (Spokesman of the Nation) and Hakīmu'l-Qalam (Sage of the Pen) from jamā`ati institutions and from the government.

Thus, it is not possible to introduce `Allamah Hunzai in a few pages, rather it requires several volumes to do justice to his extraordinary life and work. According to me, he is an extremely unique personality not only of his time, but in the entire cycle. What he has written about the future, the material cycle and the spiritual cycle and related questions such as U.F.O's, subjugation of soul and universe, discovery of spiritual food, etc., are important in both the fields of religion and science. Thus to evaluate his works requires a committee of both spiritual scientists (`ārifs) and material scientists. I am sure that the scientists who are searching for the grand unification theory to provide a harmonious and holistic explanation of the origin of the universe, will come to know that such a theory has already been propounded by him. Nay, such topics as "Dead atom and living atom", "Atomic cycle is linked to the spiritual cycle", "U. F. O's", "Subjugation of soul and subjugation of the universe" in his "Mīzānu'l-Haqā'iq (Balance of Realities)" and "Man's travel in the planets" in this book, and the way he has explained that there is no dichotomy between matter and soul in their origin, can explain not only the material world, but also the spiritual world. Thus his work can help the seekers of truth, both in religion and in science, as he himself indicates to this in a holistic way in Mīzānu'l-Haqā'iq:

"In this book, I have discussed the problems which our age has or is going to encounter. For, in solving such problems lies not only the proof of the veracity and supremacy of the religious sciences, but also of good-will for mankind. Most of the problems discussed here are such that they have not explicitly been solved by the authorities in religion (in the past). Since their time did not demand the solution of such problems, they have kept such realities concealed in allegories and parables, so that they may be revealed at the right time."

Here an attempt is made to introduce the present book Miftāhu'l-Hikmat (A Key to Wisdom), in a few words. This book is indeed a key to wisdom from the Qur'ānic point of view, not in the sense that it deals with the issues related to hikmat or wisdom in detail, rather in the sense that it deals with the source of wisdom; the wisdom which is abundant good according to the Qur'ān (2:269) and is the knowledge of the realities of things, material as well as spiritual. This source of knowledge in Islam is the Holy Prophet as the Khalīfah or Vicegerent of Allah in his time and after him, the ulu'l-amr or the Imam of the time from his holy progeny. This is evident from the themes "Exegesis of the verse of obedience", "Investigation of miracles", "Physical recognition of the Perfect Man", "Ta'wīl of the Sūrah of Kawthar" and "Way of seeking Divine help". `Allāmah Hunzai, thus emphasises that in order to attain the key to this wisdom, one has to have recourse to the progeny of the Holy Prophet, through his recognition, love for and obedience to him, as Pīr Nāsir-i Khusraw (q.s.) says:

Hikmat az hazrat-i farzand-i nabī bayad just
Pāk-u pakīzah za tashbīh-u za ta`tīl chū sīm

From the presence of the son of the Prophet should wisdom be sought
Pure and unsullied as silver from tashbīh and ta`tīl.

Thus, this book in true sense, is a key to wisdom, as it shows the treasure of wisdom and the key to it.

Sher `Alī Akhtar, M.A.

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