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A Thousand Wisdoms - Chapter Alif

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Chapter Alif

Tags: Alif

1 - Atakum

He gave you:

God says in verse (14:34): "And He gave you of all that you asked Him." Asking God is by means of speech and also by mute expression. Similarly God’s giving is also an actual reality and a possibility. In any case, God has given countless bounties to His servants, which are impossible to enumerate.

2 - Adam (1)

The father of man:

The holy Prophet was asked: Was Adam a Prophet? He said: “Yes, God had spoken to him and created him with His own hand”. (Lughat, Nun, p. 4)

3 - Adam (2)

One of many Adams:

Qur'anic wisdom categorically establishes that angels are not created from anything other than human souls who are sufficiently advanced in knowledge and `ibadat. In this case no Adam, who has become the object of prostration of angels, can prove to be the first or primordial man. However, it is true that he can be the first man and the father of man with respect to his cycle only.

4 - Afaq wa anfus

The physical world and the spiritual world:

If the external signs of God are called material science, then His internal or spiritual signs can certainly be called spiritual science, because the external world and the spiritual world and the signs which appear in them, all belong to Him (41:53).

5 - Al Ibrahim

Progeny of Ibrahim:

God says in verse (4:54): "Indeed, We gave to Ibrahim's progeny the Book and wisdom and We gave them a great kingdom." The inheritance of the heavenly Book, the ta'wili wisdom and spiritual kingdom continue in this cycle in the holy chain of the Imams of the progeny of Muhammad (s.a.s.).

6 - Ayat (sing. ayah) (1)

Signs, miracles:

Approximately fourteen hundred years ago, the holy Qur’an had prophesied in clear and unequivocal language that soon Allah will start to show the signs of His power, both in the external world and in the internal world. Thus, without any doubt we can say that those signs of God have appeared today in front of people in the form of material science and its inventions and tomorrow the same signs are going to do their work astonishingly in the personal world in the form of spiritual science (41:53).

7 - Ayat (2)

Signs of Divine power:

It is mentioned in verses (51:20-21): "And there are signs (miracles) in the earth for the people of certitude (muqinin i.e. the people of recognition) and within yourselves (also). Will you not then see?" The second verse is the exegesis and the ta'wil of the first one, as well as a wisdom-filled invitation to the personal world. This is because the muqin or `arif is the one who first attains his own recognition and then the recognition of God which is hidden in the secrets of his own recognition.

8 - Ayat (3)

Imam, who is the compendium of all the signs of God:

Question: There are more numerous signs of God in the heaven in comparison to the earth, such as the sun, the moon, the stars, etc., so what then is the secret in alluding to the importance of His signs in the earth?

Answer: The secret is that every human being should recognise the compendium of the signs in the universe and the revealed light (5:15), who has descended on the earth for the sake of guiding him and is present here and he is the Imam-i mubin, the manifest Imam, in whose pure personality there is everything.

9 - Ayat (4)

Miracles of knowledge:

According to verse (36:12) God, by His perfect power, has encompassed every subtle and inner thing of His magnificent and unprecedented kingdom in the Imam-i mubin. These things are the quintessence of the universe and the existents and the compendium of His signs. Thus, alluding to this fountainhead of knowledge and wisdom and treasure of the secrets of recognition (i.e. the Imam-i mubin), it is said: "And there are signs (miracles) in the earth for the people of certitude and within yourselves (potentially). Will you not then see?" (51:20-21).

10 - Ayat (5)

The luminous personality of the Imam in which all signs are encompassed:

Mawla `Ali has said: "Ana ayatu'llahi wa aminu'llah, i.e. I am Allah's signs and I am the trustworthy of Allah." (Kawkab, p. 208). Ayat in the sense of the signs of Divine power or miracles, are in four places: (i) The higher world, (ii) the wise Qur’an, (iii) the external universe and (iv) the personal world, but according to the Qur'an (36:12) all these ayat are encompassed in the light of the Imam-i mubin. That is, his light is the higher world, he is the speaking Qur'an, the quintessence of the universe and a luminous personal world in true sense.

11 - Ayat bayyinat

Clear miracles:

It is said in verse (29:49): "Nay, it (the Qur'an) is (the sum of) clear miracles in the breasts of those who are granted knowledge." These blessed personalities in whose breasts the holy Qur’an is in luminous form are the holy Imams from the ahl-i bayt. (Da`a'im, I, 22)

12 - Abad (pl. ābād) (1)

Timelessness, haziratu’l-qudus:

The recognition of everything is in abad or the sacred Sanctuary (haziratu'l-qudus) of the personal world, because there the universe of knowledge and wisdom is gathered together and enfolded in the hand of God. Thus, wherever abad is mentioned in the Qur'an, azal is also mentioned at the same place. God willing, by the help of the Imam of the time, we will explain this below.

13 - Abad (2)

Timelessness, haziratu’l-qudus:

The sacred Sanctuary, i.e. the greatest treasure of secrets is in the light of the forehead of the manifest Imam, where God has gathered together all things related to intellect, knowledge, recognition and spirituality. The same sacred light also rises in the forehead of the perfect `arif for the sake of recognition. Thus, azal, abad and other realities are gathered together and centred in the enclosure of the light of the forehead.

14 - Abad (3)

Timelessness, haziratu’l-qudus:

Another wisdom-filled Qur'anic word in which azal and abad mean the same is dahr (76:1). Dahr means immovable time, which you can call azal from one aspect and abad from another, although in reality they both mean the same. O my dears! it is extremely useful to recognise dahr.

Note the wisdom of the word "maf`ul" in seven places of the holy Qur’an (4:47; 8:42, 8:44; 17:5, 17:108; 33:37; 73:18), which is that every work of God is accomplished and every promise fulfilled in the higher world. The people who are mentioned as being pre-eternally and post-eternally in paradise are there without any beginning and any end. Thus, this is an excellent definition of azal and abad.

15 - Ibda` (1)

Origination, to bring into existence a new thing:

Ibda` means to originate something by God through the command "Be". It becomes clear from the wise Qur’an that this act of God is continuous and perpetual. Study carefully those eleven places in the Qur'an where the word "Be" is mentioned.

16 - Ibda` (2)

Origination, to bring into existence a new thing:

Since the recognition of everything is in the personal world, then the recognition of ibda` and "Be" is also hidden in it. Thus, the meaning of the word "Be" in the personal world is in one’s own language in the most perfect form, because whatever is said in the Qur'an is applicable to the personal world, which is a complete universe and an everlasting kingdom hidden in everybody.

17 - Ibrahim (a.s.)

Ibrahim (a.s.), Imam, Single Soul:

God by His perfect power gathers everything in the Perfect Man, as mentioned in verse (16:120): "Verily, Ibrahim was an ummat (in his personal world), obedient to God and inclined only towards Him." Such a perfect and consummate person is called the Single Soul, who unites all human souls and this is an extremely great favour of God upon the people.

18 - Absar (sing. basar)

Eyes:

By eyes is meant the asas, because it is he through whom spirituality can be observed. Reflect carefully upon verse (32:9).

19 - Abu Talib (a.s.)

Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.):

He has said about the holy Prophet:

20 - Abawa'l-mu'minin

Parents of the mu'mins:

The holy Prophet has said: "I and you, O `Ali, are the (spiritual) parents of mu'mins." That is, natiq and asas are the spiritual parents of mu'mins, then asas and Imam, then Imam and hujjat and in the cycle of resurrection, the Imam himself is both the spiritual father and mother of the mu'mins (male and female). (al-Majalis, I, 27).

21 - Abwab al-jannah (1)

The doors of collective paradise:

It is said in a Hadith: "The gates of paradise are eight." (al-Mu`jamu’l-mufahras, I, p. 302; Muslim, I, 57). Since there are eight paradises: 6 natiqs, qa'im and khalifah of qa'im, therefore their abwab (sing. bab), i.e. gates too, are eight. These eight paradises are with respect to the major cycle. With respect to the minor cycle, they are: 6 imams, mutimm (the Imam who completes a cycle) and (his) khalifah and their abwab are also eight. (Regarding appointing khalifahs, see verse 24:55).

22 - Abwab al-jannah (2)

Eight gates of paradise:

The above-mentioned eight living paradises are also the bearers of the Throne as mentioned in verse (69:17): "And eight (angels) will uphold the Throne of their Lord that day, above them." This verse shows that the Throne (light of intellect = Kingdom of God) is based on these eight great hudud and so they are the bearers of the Throne, as well as eight living paradises. Thus, there are eight gates of the collective paradise.

23 - Abwab al-jannah (3)

Eight hudud-i din, the eight ranks of religion:

The Throne is based on eight ranks: Kursi and seven heavens. They are the same eight bearers of the Throne as well as the eight paradises, whose gates are called abwabu's-sama' (gates of the heavens), namely the gates of paradise, as mentioned in verse (7:40): "Verily, those who belie Our signs and turn away in haughtiness from them, the gates of heaven shall not be opened for them, nor shall they enter paradise until the camel passes through the eye of the needle."

24 - Abwab al-jannah (4)

The eight gates of paradise:

God says in verse (78:12): "And We have built above you seven strong (heavens)." According to us these seven strong heavens are spiritual heavens which, due to being with the Holy Spirit and the Perfect Intellect, are also the seven paradises, and when paradise is created in the personal world of the salik, together they become eight paradises.

25 - Abwab al-jannah (5)

Gates of paradise:

Hazrat Adam, Hazrat Nuh, Hazrat Ibrahim, Hazrat Musa, Hazrat `Isa, Hazrat Muhammad and Hazrat Qa'im are the seven spiritual heavens and the seven paradises. In the sense of heaven and paradise they are above all people, therefore the spiritual journey of their recognition, though not impossible, is extremely difficult and arduous. Thus, when the salik attains the treasure of recognition (hidden treasure), then together with it the paradise of deeds (jannatu'l-a`mal) is created in his personal world. Thus, in this respect there are eight paradises and their gates, too, are eight.

26 - Abwab al-jannah (6)

The eight gates of paradise:

O the light of my eyes! Study carefully verse (55:33) in which is mentioned the journey of the spiritual heavens and earth. This journey although it is extremely difficult, is not impossible. You can accomplish this journey through "sultan". "Sultan" means guide, proof, power, overpowering, authority or king, namely the Imam, in whom all useful meanings are encompassed. That is to say that, it is the luminous recognition of the Imam which encompasses everything.

27 - Ajnihah (sing. janah)

Wing, arm:

See verse (35:1): "Praise belongs to Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels with wings, two, three and four." Here it is important to note that the wings of angels are not like those of birds. Rather, they fly by (the power of) Divine remembrance (dhikr-i ilahi). Therefore, the two names of dhikr are called two wings, three names, three wings and four names, four wings. However, it should be remembered that the dhikr of angels is automatic. That is, the dhikr of the supreme Name (ism-i a`zam) continues automatically in their hearts and souls.

28 - Ahsana

He made it beautiful:

It is mentioned in verse (40:64): "He (God) made your form and made it beautiful and provided you with good things (tayyibat, fragrances)." That is, first He created you in the human form, then He will create you in the form of jinns, who are beautiful and handsome and your nourishment will be in the form of fragrances.

29 - Ahsan (1)

The very best:

O my dears! Remember that "ahsan" is one of the magnificent subjects of the Qur'an. Those who truly love the Book of Allah must reflect on such subjects. It should also be remembered that every ruku` of the Qur'an has a separate heading. Thus, the beginning of the third ruku` of the surah of Zumur is related to Divine remembrance (39:22-23). The purport of this is that He expands the breasts of those who remember Him with effacement and annihilation and makes them the place of the light of knowledge and wisdom. It is also said that there is perdition for those who, due to callousness of the heart, are deprived of the countless benefits of Divine remembrance.

30 - Ahsan (2)

The very best:

In verse (39:23) there is the praise of the holy Qur’an externally and of the ism-i a`zam internally, because the chosen ones of God remember Him by His ism-i a`zam, which is "ahsanu'l-hadith (the best speech)”, and is from God. It is a book full of ta'wil which is read repeatedly and by its regular dhikr, the bodies of those who fear God tremble, then their bodies and hearts become tender and tend to the miraculous dhikr of Allah.

31 - Ahsan (3)

The very best:

It is very amazing that the bodies shake under the influence of the dhikr of the ism-i a`zam or supreme Name. That is, the state of spiritual quake occurs to them. This shows that one of the adhkar (pl. of dhikr) is called bodily dhikr (dhikr-i badani). However, a question arises: What is in the body? The answer is that the body is composed of cells. Further, what is in the cells? The answer is that there are countless souls. The last question is: whose souls are they? The answer is that they are the souls of the people of the earth, in which all of us are included.

32 - Ahsa (1)

He has encompassed them:

One should reflect upon verses (19:93-95) with love and yearning in order to understand the extremely great secret of secrets of how God encompasses all creatures of the heavens and the earth at the place of Intellect, and grants them the integrity and unity of one number and makes them one individual, so that they may have recourse to His unity.

33 - Ahsa (2)

He has encompassed them:

It is said in verse (78:29): "And We have encompassed everything in (the form of) a book." The meaning of everything cannot be complete without intellects and souls, nor can a merely silent book possess all intellectual and spiritual (moving) things. Therefore, it is true to say that this is a description of the speaking book, i.e. the Imam-i mubin.

34 - Ahsa (3)

He counted:

"And He has counted everything in a (special) number." (72:28) That is, He has encompassed everything in a single number.

35 - Adhdhin

Call!:

"And call to pilgrimage among the people (an-nas)." (22:27). The spiritual revolution (personal resurrection) of Hazrat Ibrahim was the major pilgrimage (hajj-i akbar) for all people. Here the word "an-nas" is used for the people of the entire world. All spiritual powers did their respective work in his personal world, by the command of God, and the power of Hazrat Israfil invited the representative particles of the people of the entire world to it (22:27).

36 - Ara'ik (sing. arikah) (1)

Thrones:

Verse (36:56) says: "They and their wives, will be in pleasant shades reclining on (decorated and bedecked royal) thrones." By these thrones are meant the subtle bodies which are enriched with the everlasting wealth of the Holy Spirit and Perfect Intellect and they can fly like the spiritual royal throne of Hazrat Sulayman. Reclining on the royal thrones has three meanings: (i) to depend on the subtle body for cosmic flights, (ii) to depend on the Holy Spirit for spiritual bounties, (iii) to have recourse to the Perfect Intellect for intellectual bounties.

37 - Ara'ik (2)

Royal thrones:

Ara'ik are mentioned in five places of the wise Qur’an. Since the supreme bounty for the people of paradise is the great kingdom, therefore to translate them as "Royal thrones" is quite correct. Further, there are other blessed verses which testify that there is a great kingdom in paradise for the souls of the first rank.

38 - Araba`in (1)

Forty, chillah, i`tikaf:

It is said in verse (7:142): "And when We did appoint for Musa thirty nights (of solitude) and added to them ten, and he completed the whole time of forty nights appointed by his Lord." On this occasion although Hazrat Musa had done the `ibadat of forty days and nights, but in the mention of nights only, there can be many wisdoms. One wisdom, according to the Qur'an (73:6) is that the vigil of the night is most effective in crushing the carnal soul and in acquiring good speech. The `ibadat of the above-mentioned time is both chillah as well as i`tikaf.

39 - Araba`in (2)

Forty, forty days `ibadat, chillah, i`tikaf:

The holy Prophet has said in a Hadith: "Whoever worships God sincerely for forty days, God opens his heart, expands his chest and loosens his tongue to speak with wisdom even though he may be very weak in speaking and understanding”. (Jami`ah, pp. 28-29; Ahadith-i Mathnawi, p. 196)

40 - Araba`in (3)

Forty, forty mornings:

It is said in a sacred Hadith: "I kneaded the clay of Adam for forty mornings with both My hands." This sacred Hadith is about the inner and spiritual creation of Hazrat Adam. By this is meant that special i`tikaf and chillah of Hazrat Adam in which he was born intellectually, because the Perfect Man is internally born twice: first at the place of soul and then at the place of intellect.

41 - Arba`ina hadda

Forty hudud (ranks) of religion:

When the holy Prophet completed forty years of age, he received revelation, as alluded in verse (46:15). The extremely great wisdom of this number is mentioned in the Sara'ir (p. 83), as follows: The first natiq, his wasi and six Imams together are eight, and this law continues in the case of every natiq. Thus there were forty great hudud of the five natiqs from Hazrat Adam up to the advent of the holy Prophet. This was the reason why the holy Prophet was granted Prophethood after forty years. That is, when the forty hudud of religion had worked for the purpose of his advent.

42 - Arz

Earth, countless earths of God:

In verse (7:128) God says: "Musa said to his people: Seek the help of Allah and have patience. Verily the earth belongs to Allah. He gives it for an inheritance to whom He wills among His servants. And the good end is (only) for the righteous ones”. The earth does not mean only the planet on which man lives, rather the extremely vast earth of paradise consists of the personal worlds, the external world and the internal world. It is because of this that the vast earth of God is praised in the wise Qur’an (29:56; 39:10).

43 - al-Arz al-muqaddasah (1)

Holy land/earth:

It is said in verse (5:21): "(Musa said:) O my people! Enter the holy land which Allah has assigned to you." By this land is meant the personal world which can be conquered by absolute obedience to the Imam of the time and through spiritual jihad.

44 - al-Arz al-muqaddasah (2)

Holy land/earth

The observations of the inner light and the personal world include the precious treasures of the sacred recognition of the Prophets and Imams. Reflect upon the wisdom-filled words of verse (5:20): "When He made Prophets from among you, and made you kings."

45 - al-Arz al-muqaddasah (3)

Holy land/earth:

How wondrous is this great secret that the luminous manifestation of all Prophets and Imams takes place in the personal world. And it is because of this that it is called the holy land, in which lie innumerable blessings for the mu'mins and it is from here that they become kings (5:20).

46 - al-Arz al-muqaddasah (4)

Holy land/earth:

One of the Qur'anic names of the true Imam is malik (pl. muluk, 5:20) meaning "king", and the mu'mins who become annihilated in the Imam (fana' fi'l-imam), through obedience to and ardent love for him, also become kings in spirituality and in paradise.

47 - al-Arz al-muqaddasah (5)

Holy land/earth:

It is said in a Hadith: “O the children of `Abdu'l-Muttalib, obey me so that you may become the kings and rulers of the earth”. (Da`a’im, I, pp. 15-16). This Hadith clearly means that those who obey the holy Prophet can attain the everlasting kingdom in the personal world and paradise.

48 - Arwah (sing. ruh) (1)

Souls, souls of every kind of martyrs:

The holy Prophet has said about the souls of martyrs: “The souls of martyrs live in the bodies of green birds, who have lanterns suspended from the Throne. They roam about in paradise wherever they want and come back to their lanterns.” (Muslim, III, 1502)

This Hadith is like a key to the gates of the wisdom that this great bliss is attainable not only to the external (physical) martyrs, but also to the internal (spiritual) martyrs. Further every mu'min also has the status of a martyr. Thus, it is a special favour of God to mu'mins that, after their martyrdom or a death similar to it, they are granted the subtle body, the code name of which is “bird”.

49 - Arwah (2)

Souls, subtle persons:

Bird, subtle body, angel, a believing jinn, paradisiacal attire, ibda`i body, astral body, celestial body, etc., are all names belonging to the same one thing and that is the subtle man as mentioned in verse (36:81): "Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth able to create the likes of them (subtle bodies)?"

50 - Arwah (3)

Souls, soul at its original place, the upper end of the thread of soul:

Those luminous and wisdom-filled lamps which are suspended from the supreme Throne are the manifestations of knowledge and the recognition of the light of Intellect. These are the supreme bounties of paradise with which the people of faith have an azali and abadi link. The purport of one of the faramin of the exalted Imam is that every mu'min should look towards his original abode. So, my dears! Continue to pray to the Lord of Honour that may He grant you the inner eye. Amin!

51 - Arwah (4)

Souls:

It is mentioned in a Hadith: "The souls were (and are) (in the form of) assembled armies." (Muslim, IV, 2031-32; Lughat, Jim, p. 111). This Hadith is an exegesis of verse (48:4): "Allah's are the armies of the heavens and the earth." Where there is the mention of war, resurrection and true da`wat (da`wat-i haqq) in spirituality, there too, are the armies of souls and their chief.

52 - Arwah (5)

Souls:

It is said in a Hadith: "Souls of mu'mins in a garden (of paradise) are like the forms of (their) bodies." (Lughat, Ra’, p. 147). This Hadith shows that the soul of mu’mins in paradise is in the form of a young body, but it is unprecedented in beauty and elegance.

53 - Arwah (6)

Souls, paradisiacal attires which are with intellect and soul:

By the grace of God, when mu'min men and women will enter paradise, they will be greatly surprised to see that the copies of their subtle personality adorned with intellect and soul, are already in paradise. These living and speaking copies are paradisiacal attires, because the essential beauty of paradise is that everything in it has pure life and perfect intellect. Therefore, it speaks and scatters the gems of knowledge and wisdom.

54 - Arwah (7)

Collective soul, Perfect Man:

In verse (29:64), God says: "This life of the world is not more than sport and play and the abode of the real life is the abode of the hereafter, if they but knew." In this verse there is a special word "al-hayawan" which Hakim Pir Nasir-i Khusraw has read in the sense of "living". This means that paradise is in the form of a perfect rational animal, i.e. man, who is the Perfect Man. (See Wajh, p. 41).

55 - Arikah (pl. ara'ik)

Adorned and embellished throne:

God says in verse (36:56): "They and their wives, will be in pleasant shades, reclining on (decorated and bedecked royal) thrones." No throne in paradise is without intellect and soul, therefore, by these thrones are meant astral bodies, each of which in itself is a subtle personal world.

56 - Uzlifat (1)

It is brought near:

O my dears! According to the Qur'an, the length and width of paradise is like that of the universe. However, in the personal world where the resurrection takes place, it is brought near, as mentioned in verse (50:31): "And paradise shall be brought near to the righteous ones, not far off." That is, true paradise is in the Universal Intellect and the Universal Soul, with whom the personal world has a link when the resurrection takes place.

57 - Uzlifat (2)

It is brought near:

When paradise is brought near, spatial and temporal distance come to an end, the infinite time being created by the vast universe and its movement is shrunk and the past and future are assimilated in the present. In this state all the miracles of the Prophets are also brought near. Now imagine which bounty is lacking in paradise! If some of the people of paradise want to observe the unique beauty of the miracle of mi`raj of the holy Prophet, would it be possible or not?

58 - Azwaj (sing. zawj)

Pairs:

Other than God, nothing is single, therefore all things are in pairs. Thus man also is a pair within himself. That is, he is in paradise as well as outside paradise. (36:36; 55:52; 11:40; 51:49).

59 - Azwaj mutahharah

Purified wives:

Mutahharah (purified) is the past participle of the infinitive tathir (to purify). It should be noted that in paradise there are three types of purification: the replacement of the dense body by the subtle body, the blessings of the satisfied soul and those of the perfect intellect. In short, men and women are all purified in paradise (2:25; 3:15; 4:57).

60 - Aslama (1)

He submitted, he became obedient:

Islam primarily means: "to submit to someone". The religion of Islam is so called because of the fact that whoever accepts it, surrenders himself to God and obeys His commands. So to say that Islam is the name of obedience to God is correct. (Qamus, p. 56). For instance, aslama wajhahu li'llahi (He submitted his (spiritual) face to God, 4:125). Indeed, this act is in the sense of annihilation and monoreality, as explained in the following:

61 - Aslama (2)

He submitted, he became obedient:

In verse (4:125) God says: "And who is better in religion than he who has submitted his (spiritual) face to God, and is righteous and follows the way of Ibrahim, the hanif (one who scorns the false creeds surrounding him and professes the true religion). And God took Ibrahim for (His chosen) friend."

Thus, the greatest secret of the religion of Islam is in submitting one’s (spiritual) face to God, the example of which is in fana' fi'llah (annihilation in God) and baqa' bi'llah (survival in God) or monoreality. For instance, God creates Hazrat Adam in His Image (surat-i Rahman). This Image belonged to Him, but He granted it to Hazrat Adam as well. Hazrat Adam submitted it to God. That is, he merged in his origin (asl se wasil). It is this act of submission which is the religion of Islam for everyone.

62 - Aslama (3)

He submitted, he became obedient:

In verse (28:88) God says: "Everything is perishable except His Face (surat-i Rahman)". That is, when an `arif has the final didar (vision), it is the surat-i Rahman in which he merges and attains eternal life. In other words, this bliss is called fana' fi'llah and baqa' bi'llah. This is the meaning of submitting the spiritual face to God and in return attaining the everlasting treasure of surat-i Rahman.

63 - Ism Adam

Name of Adam:

His proper name was Takhum b. Bijlah b. Qawamah b. Waraqatu’r-Ruyadi (Sara'ir, p. 31).

64 - Ism a`zam

Supreme Name of God:

Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq has said: "Allah has concealed one name, i.e. the supreme Name and He has 360 names." (Lughat, Sin, p.175). The supreme Name or the great secret is in two forms: as a word and as a person. As a word, it is "al-hayyu'l-qayyum" (the Everliving, the Everlasting) (2:255; 3:2) and as a person it is the True Guide, i.e. the Prophet and the Imam of the time (see Wajh, p. 124-29).

65 - Asma' (sing. ism) (1)

Names of God:

It is mentioned in a Hadith: "Indeed, Allah has ninety-nine names. He who memorises their number (and recites them), enters paradise." (Sara’ir, p. 69).

It is not possible to understand the meaning of this Hadith without ta'wil, and the ta'wil is that all other names of God are encompassed in His supreme Name and that supreme Name is the Imam of the time. A mu’min who knows this enters paradise, because this knowledge is tantamount to enumerating His ninety-nine names.

66 - Asma' (2)

Names, blessed names of God:

It is mentioned in the Qur'anic story of Hazrat Adam in verse (2:31): "And He (God) taught all (His great) names to Adam." The blessed personality of the holy Imam is the key supreme Name of God adorned with all His exalted attributes. In three places of the Qur'an there is the wisdom-filled mention of the asma’u’l-husna. Thus, the Imam of the time taught Hazrat Adam his representative supreme Name in which all other beautiful names were hidden.

67 - Uswah hasanah (1)

Example, pattern, worthy of imitation, that which gives consolation:

It is mentioned in verse (60:4): "There is indeed an excellent pattern for you in Ibrahim and those with him." This clearly means that every mu'min who walks on the spiritual path can reach its ultimate destination by following the True Guide and that destination is indeed the Divine vision during mi`raj (spiritual ascent). Read also verse (33:21) about the ideal pattern of the holy Prophet.

68 - Uswah hasanah (2)

Excellent pattern:

In verse (33:21) God says: "Verily in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent pattern for him who has hope in Allah and the last day and remembers Allah abundantly." The wisdom of this verse shows that following the Prophet’s excellent example continues upto mi`raj, where it comes to an end and therefore this is a special good news for the people of recognition.

69 - Ashaddu hubban li'llah (1)

The strongest in love for God:

In verse (2:165) God praises the intensity of the love of mu’mins for Allah by saying “They are strongest in love for God”. Such mu'mins are in fact the true and ardent lovers of God. Further in the same surah, in verse (2:200) the mu’mins are commanded to remember God as they remember their fathers, rather more intensely (aw ashadda dhikra). There are many ways in which to accomplish this fruitful and extremely useful act. One most effective way is giryah-u zari, i.e. weeping and shedding tears with humility, which melts the carnal soul very easily and results in remembrance of God and intense and ardent love for Him.

70 - Ashaddu hubban li'llah (2)

The strongest in love for God:

God says in verse (2:165): "And those who believe are the strongest in love for God." This strongest love for God is termed Divine love (`ishq-i ilahi).

71 - Ashrar (sing. sharir)

The wicked people:

In verses (38:62-63) it is said: "And they (people of hell) shall say: What has happened to us that We do not see the men we counted as wicked. Was it that we took them (wrongly) for mockery, or is it that our eyes turned away from them." How lucky are those who are wrongly considered among the wicked, but, in reality they are good and hence enter paradise and no trace of them is found in hell. (see Wajh, p. 28).

72 - Ashab al-kahf (1)

The people of the cave:

This represents the spiritual miracle of the personal world, in which the spirituality and recognition of the seven major cycles and the seven minor cycles (18:9) is gathered together.

73 - Ashab al-kahf (2)

The people of the cave:

Just as God has encompassed all things in the manifest Imam, similarly He renews this act in the personal world. Thus the ta'wili wisdom of the people of the cave is also renewed in the personal world according to this universal law.

74 - Istafa (1)

He chose:

It is mentioned in verses (3:33-34): "Verily, Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of `Imran above all people." The chain of the descendants of Ibrahim continues through Muhammad (s.a.s.) and his descendants.

75 - Istafa (2)

He chose, he selected:

It is mentioned in verses (3:33-34): "Verily, Allah chose Adam (i.e. He chose him for Prophethood and Imamat from among the people of the time) and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of `Imran above the people of the world (or the personal worlds), offspring, one of the other."

76 - Ita`ah

Obedience to God, the Prophet and the Imam:

The holy Prophet said to Hazrat `Ali: "He who obeys me, indeed obeys Allah and he who disobeys me, indeed disobeys Allah and he who obeys you, indeed obeys me and he who disobeys you, indeed disobeys me." (al-Mustadrak, III, 121). This Hadith is an exegesis of verse (4:59) about obedience.

77 - Ati`ni

Obey me:

It is said in a Hadith-i qudsi: "O My servant! Obey me, I will make you like My Image (mithal = surat-i Rahman) ever-living that you will never die, mighty that you will never be humiliated and rich that you will never be needy." (Arba` rasa'il Isma`iliyyah, p. 15). This is the teaching of the paradise of knowledge and the greatest glad news.

78 - A`ma

Blind, blind of heart:

It is mentioned in verse (17:72): "And he who is blind in this (world) will also be blind in the hereafter, and far astray from the (right) way." That is, whoever does not follow the True Guide, becomes benighted and he does not have insight (inner eye) in this world and the next.

79 - Af'idah (sing. fu'ad)

Hearts:

The light of the hearts of mu'mins is Hazrat qa'im, therefore it is this light which is the real heart (32:9) and God favours them by giving them such a heart.

80 - Uqtulu (1)

Kill, slay!:

History and exegesis are a different matter and to discover the reality is altogether a different matter from them. Thus, the success of a salik lies in his experience of the spiritual death prior to the physical death, as it is mentioned in numerous verses of the noble Qur’an, such as verse (2:54): "So turn to your Creator (practically) and slay your (carnal) soul (through the essential spiritual exercise, riyazat).” Try to reflect on the wisdom of this verse and to understand its meaning.

81 - Uqtulu (2)

Kill, slay!:

Another verse in this connection is: "And if We had prescribed for them: Slay your (carnal) soul (through essential spiritual exercise), or go forth from your dwellings, they would not have done it, except a few of them: and if they had done what they were exhorted (to do), it would certainly have been better for them, and more effective for their steadfastness." (4:66)

Qatl kun Fir`awn-i nafs-i khwish ra
Dar zaman Musa-yi `Imranat kunam

Kill the Pharoah of your carnal soul
I will instantly make you Musa, the son of `Imran.

82 - Aknan (sing. kinn, kann)

Hiding places:

It is mentioned in verse (16:81): "And He has made hiding places in the mountains." That is, the Divine Word and the mountain of Intellect allude that your all-inclusive and universal life is hidden, which you will come to know only through recognition about where you have been, are and will be.

83 - Albab (sing. lubb) (1)

Pure intellects:

The possessors of pure intellects (ulu'l-albab) are praised in sixteen places of the wise Qur’an. The wise Qur’an is a paradise of the marvels and wonders of knowledge and wisdom from one end to the other. Therefore, the soul-nourishing scene of the garden and meadow of the possessors of pure intellects cannot be an ordinary scene! So try to fathom the depth of the meaning of all these verses.

84 - Albab (2)

Pure intellects:

In verses (3:190-191) God says: "Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, are signs for the possessors of pure intellects, who remember Allah, standing, sitting and reclining, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth..."

85 - Albab (3)

Pure intellects:

If a fortunate mu'min wants to elevate his soul by the bounties of constant Divine remembrance, and to see how rapidly and accurately the intellect works by the help and power of Divine remembrance, he should act upon the above-mentioned teaching of the Qur'an with purity of heart and high ambition so that he may be among the possessors of pure intellects.

86 - Alastu? (1)

Am I not?:

God says in verse (7:172): "Am I not your Lord?" This is indeed the event of the personal world. When a mu'min-i salik reaches the rank of the truth of certainty by Divine guidance and providence and he is given all those bounties and favours which are kept in grades and degrees in the stages of spirituality and intellectuality, then God asks him and others like him: "Am I not your Lord?" That is, have I not brought you up spiritually and intellectually? They will testify in their respective times and say: O Bounteous Lord, why not?

87 - Alastu? (2)

Covenant of "Am I not?":

Although apparently all people are called the children of Adam, in reality, it is not so, because the inheritance of vicegerency (khilafat) is implied in this wisdom-filled word. Therefore, only the Prophets and the Imams are his real children and inheritors of his knowledge and it is also possible for those who follow their footsteps to be his children and reach the covenant of "Am I not?"

88 - Alastu? (3)

Place of vision and recognition:

The external and internal journey of the higher world which is the world of unity, is not possible in the disturbance and noise of multiplicity, therefore, God separated the world of particles (`alam-i dharr) of the dhurriyyat (progeny, off-spring) of the Perfect Man from his loins which in due time annihilated in him and became one with him. Then God made him to be present at the upper end of his soul and made him observe and see it and made him a witness of this great miracle. All these meanings are contained in "wa ashhadahum `ala anfusihim" (7:172). Not only that, but it also alludes to His holy vision and supreme recognition. Thus the verse of the covenant of "Am I not?" embraces all spiritual and intellectual events.

89 - Alastu? (4)

Covenant of "Am I not?":

The children of Adam, namely the Perfect Men were not in a particular time, rather their chain always continues in this world. Thus the extremely great miracle of "Am I not?" continues to take place in every age, according to the "Renewal of similitudes". And it is a fact that God always and continuously creates personal worlds. Thus, it is evident that the covenant of "Am I not?" is renewed in the personal world of every Perfect Man.

90 - Alastu? (5)

Verse of "Am I not?" (7:172):

Question: In verse (7:172) the children of Adam are mentioned but not Adam himself. What is the secret in this? Is Adam exempt from this rule or is there any other wisdom hidden in not mentioning his name?
Answer: In the verse under discussion, the Adam of the cycle is also mentioned, because with respect to the previous cycle, he is a son of Adam and with respect to the present he is Adam and the father of human beings.

91 - Alastu? (6)

(a) Treasure of vision, after fana’ fi’llah and baqa’ bi’llah;

(b) Vision is both before and after fana’ (annihilation):

As mentioned in the above, great spiritual secrets are hidden in "wa ashhadahum `ala anfusihim" (7:172). That is, it indicates the sacred vision of the Soul of souls. And it is a crystal clear fact that the Supreme Soul or the Soul of souls is the one by annihilating in which we can receive the highest life. Thus, O the light of my eyes! try to make a habit of thinking universally, that God did not say "Am I not your Lord?" except after granting universes full of everlasting bounties, and the soul of all bounties is the vision of God.

92 - Allah

God:

"If you want the hereafter (paradise), then keep your soul in the love of God, you should always think about Him and never forget Him even for a moment." (Blessed farman of Hazrat Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah, salawatu’llahi `alayhi). It is only by following the luminous guidance of the Imam of the time in this world, that people can reach God.

93 - Allahu yatawaffa

God takes (the souls):

God says: “God takes the souls at the time of their death, and that which has not yet died, in its sleep." (39:42). Man is a complete universe in which there are innumerable vegetative, animal and rational souls, which constantly undergo the process of partial death and resurrection.

94 - Ilham

Inspiration in the heart by God:

It is said in verse (91:8): "And He inspired it of its perversity and its righteousness." This inspiration is also possible through the two companions which are near the two ears of the heart. This shows that inspiration is possible, but it can be on different levels.

95 - Umm al-kitab (1)

The original book:

Ummu'l-kitab is mentioned in verses (13:39; 43:4). According to some scholars it is the Guarded Tablet, and according to others it is Mawla `Ali. We hold the second view, because the supreme Pen is the light of Muhammad (s.a.s.) and the Guarded Tablet is the light of `Ali (a.s.), as Mawla `Ali says: "I am the Guarded Tablet". Thus, it is Mawla `Ali who is the ummu'l-kitab (Kawkab, p. 197, Wajh, p. 165).

96 - Umm al-kitab (2)

The original book:

The importance and value of this treasure of knowledge and wisdom, mentioned in verse (13:39) is inestimable: "Allah effaces and He establishes whatsoever He wills, while the original Book is with Him." That is, when during every resurrection God encompasses the entire universe in the personal world of the manifest Imam, everything other than the Face of God (the Imam) is effaced and obliterated. This is the meaning of effacing everything except the writings of the ummu'l-kitab.

97 - Umm al-kitab (3)

The original book:

Mawla `Ali has said: "I am the Face of God in the heavens and in the earth", as mentioned in verse (28:88): "Everything is perishable except His Face." (Kawkab, p. 206). This same Face of God, who is the manifest Imam, is also the ummu’l-kitab, the Guarded Tablet, as well as the Treasure of treasures.

98 - Imam (pl. a’immah) (1)

Guide:

In verse (2:124) God says: "And (remember) when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words and he fulfilled them. He said: Verily, I make you an Imam for mankind." Question: What were these words? Answer: They were the supreme Names of God and His perfect words.

99 - Imam (2)

Guide:

According to the will of God, although the light of Imamat was always manifest in the world of religion, He made it prominent in the great personality of Hazrat Ibrahim. If this verse is observed with insight, one becomes absolutely sure that "Imamat is the wisdom-filled fruit of the tree of Prophethood (14:24-25)".

100 - Imam (3)

Guide:

See verse (21:73): "And We made them Imams." It is in this sense that the Imam is the proof of God over the people of the time.

101 - Imam (4)

Guide:

Verse (17:71) says: "The day when We will summon every people with their Imam." Reflect carefully: Can some people be exempted from the universal principle of "every people"? Never. Thus the chain of Imamat continues from the time of Adam till the Resurrection of resurrections.

102 - Imam (5)

Guide:

The light of Imamat is the same from the beginning to the end, but the physical attires are changed according to the time. In this sense if Hazrat Ibrahim is called the Imam of the first and the last ones, this would be a fact with respect to the one light, and this is the attribute of every Imam.

103 - Imam (6)

Guide:

A special prayer of the Imams is mentioned in verse (25:74) which is: "And those who say: O our Lord! Grant us of our wives and our offspring that which refreshes our eyes and make us Imam of the righteous ones." The wisdom of this verse is that those who pray in this way are the Imams, because it is they who pray to become Imams in the chain of their holy offspring (dhurriyyat).

104 - Imam (7)

Guide:

By dhurriyyat are meant the particles (dharrat) of soul. In verse (36:41) God says: “And a sign unto them is that We bore their dhurriyyat in the laden ark.” This means that the spiritual particles or offspring of each individual were in the past and will be in the future as well. Thus, it is a clear fact that with respect to his dhurriyyat, light and luminosity, every Imam is not only the Imam of the present and the future, but has also been that of the past. This is not transmigration at all, rather it can be called the renewal of similitudes (tajaddud-i amthal).

105 - Imam (8)

Guide:

The ta'wili wisdom of the verse (11:17) “Musa's Book was an Imam and a mercy” is that Hazrat Harun was the speaking Torah. And according to this verse Mawla `Ali also, was the speaking Qur'an as the witness of the Prophet, because God has encompassed all sublime things and all miracles in the manifest Imam (36:12).

106 - Imam (9)

Guide:

The following Hadith is about the virtues of the Qur'an: "Indeed, everything has a heart and the heart of the Qur'an is Ya-Sin (36)” (Tirmidhi, V, 162). One main reason for this title of Ya-Sin is that the Treasure of the treasures of God is mentioned in it, which is: "And We have encompassed everything in the manifest Imam." (36:12). That is, God enfolds the universe in the living and present Imam and also unfolds it from him.

107 - Imam (10)

Guide:

There is no doubt that the Omnipotent God can revive every kind of dead, but the greatest miracle in this connection is to see how He revives in the Holy Spirit those who die (by spiritual discipline) before the physical death. Rest assured that the phrase "Verily We revive the dead ones" in the beginning of the verse regarding the principle of Imamat is a special allusion to this miracle, as follows:

108 - Imam (11)

Guide:

The principle of Imamat is: "Verily We revive the dead ones and We write down what they have sent before them; and their traces which they have left behind. And We have encompassed every (abstract and subtle) thing in the manifest Imam." (36:12). In this wisdom-filled verse, there is first the mention of "the reviving of the dead", which is an extremely important subject: the subject of the annihilation in the Imam, annihilation in the Prophet and annihilation in God. These three annihilations or, in reality, one annihilation is in the pure love for the Imam of the time.

109 - Imam (12)

Guide:

Reflect duly and carefully upon this wisdom-filled saying of Mawla `Ali:

"And you think that you are a tiny body,
while the great universe is enfolded in you".

The above-mentioned state of human beings is in two ways: potentially and actually. Potentially, the external world is enfolded in every individual. Actually, it is the personal world of the manifest Imam in which God has encompassed the great world, and as such, no subtle thing, such as the Throne, the Pedestal, the Pen or the Tablet, is excluded from it. In short, the great world is centred and confined within the manifest Imam consummately and completely.

110 - Imam al-Waqt

The Imam of the time:

It is said in a Hadith: "He who dies without the recognition of the Imam of the time, dies the death of ignorance and the ignorant is in the Fire (Hell)". (Wajh, p. 280). The wisdom in this is that after God and the Prophet, obedience to the ulu'l-amr (the Imam of the time) is obligatory in order to attain the precious treasure of knowledge and recognition.

111 - Imam az-Zaman (1)

Obedience to the Imam of the time:

It is said in a Hadith: “He who obeys me, indeed obeys God and he who disobeys me, indeed disobeys God, and he who obeys the Imam, indeed obeys me and he who disobeys the Imam, indeed disobeys me.” (Ibn Majah, II, 954)

112 - Imam az-Zaman (2)

Recognition of the Imam of the time:

It is stated in a Hadith: “He who dies and does not recognise the Imam of the time, dies in the manner of the death of ignorance.” (Lughat, Mim, p. 102)

113 - Imam az-Zaman (3)

Recognition of the Imam of the time:

It is mentioned in a Hadith: “He who dies without (obedience to) the Imam, dies in the manner of the death of ignorance.” (Ibn Hanbal, IV, 96 and al-Mustadrak, I, 113).

114 - Imam az-Zaman (4)

Recognition of the Imam of the time:

It is said in a Hadith: “He who dies and does not recognise the Imam of the time, dies in the manner of the death of ignorance and the ignorant is in the fire.” (Wajh, p. 280). That is, paradise is where there is the city of knowledge and the house of wisdom, whose door is the `Ali of the time (i.e. the Imam of the time). And he who dies without the recognition of the Imam of his time dies in the manner of the death of the age of ignorance and the ignorant is trapped in the fire of ignorance.

115 - Imam az-Zaman (5)

Recognition of the Imam of the time:

It is said in a Hadith: “He who dies without the recognition of the Imam of his time (dahr), dies in the manner of the death of ignorance.” Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq was asked about the “Imam of the time”. He said that by the Imam of the time is meant the living Imam. (Da`a’im, I, 25, 27).

116 - Imam az-Zaman (6)

Imam of the time and resurrection:

The same Imam said about verse (17:71): “The day when We shall summon every people with their Imam.” By the Imam is meant the Imam of every age. (Da`a’im, I, 27).

117 - Ummah (1)

Community:

It is said in verse (2:213): "Mankind were one community, then Allah sent Prophets."

Question: According to verse (35:24): "Never was there a community but a warner has passed among them", where was this one community before the coming of the Prophets? And to which cycle does this belong?

Answer: Since the idea of creation is not linear but circular, there is no priority and posteriority on the universal circle. However, it is true that the higher world has priority of honour over the lower world, where all people were, are, and will be only one community in the luminous body.

118 - Ummah (2)

Community:

All people are one community in the world of particles (`alam-i dharr), and the same is true in the Single Soul and the subtle body. You can read the example of Hazrat Ibrahim in verse (16:120): “Verily Hazrat Ibrahim was an ummah (community), obedient to God and a chosen believer in one God (muwahhid)."

119 - Amthal (sing. mathal) (1)

Parables, likes, transformation of likes:

Those who had become revived after dying, had come to know that after death the real life is only in the subtle body, because the present body is not created for paradise. It is suitable only for this worldly life, as it is alluded in verses (56:60-61): "And We are not to be frustrated from changing your likes (amthal) and creating you in a form you do not know." That is, after death you are going to receive the subtle body which you do not know at all.

120 - Amthal (2)

Parables, likes, transformation of likes:

In the wisdom-filled verse (76:28) it is said: "We created them, and We have made their joints strong, and when We will, We will change their likes (amthal)." That is, We will change them from the dense into the subtle body. This convinces us that the dense body is not suitable for paradise, because it has many weaknesses and defects.

121 - Amthal (3)

Parables, likes, transformation of likes:

"And when We will, We will change their likes." (76:28). By this “like” is meant the subtle body.

122 - Amr

The word "Be", command, the world of command:

It is mentioned in verse (13:2): "He continues to command one after the other so that the ayat (signs) may remain separate one from the other."

The secret of the soul is that it has come from the world of command, not by being disconnected, but like the rays of the sun, or like running water or like the luminous rope or like an electric current as mentioned in verse (17:85). That is, the fountainhead of the soul and its upper end is in the world of "Be!" from where the stream of life flows perpetually.

123 - Amr Allah

Command of God, act of God:

It is said in verse (33:37): "And the (eternal) command of God has been accomplished." That is, He does not have any new action to perform. It is only the chain of the renewal of similitudes which continues without any beginning or end and which has to be so.

124 - Anbiya' (sing. nabiyy) (1)

Prophets:

It is said in a Hadith: "There are one hundred and twenty-four thousand Prophets, of whom three hundred and thirteen are Messengers (mursalun)". (Lughat, Nun, p. 4)

125 - Anbiya' (2)

Categories of Prophets:

Hazrat Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq said: There are four categories of Prophets: (i) Those who inform themselves and nobody else, (ii) Those who see in dreams and hear voice, but they see nothing in wakefulness nor are they sent to a nation, (iii) Those who see in dreams and hear voices and also do the same in wakefulness. They are the ulu'l-`azm. (iv) Those who see and hear in dreams and see the angel. (Lughat, Nun, p. 4, see also al-Kafi, I, 326)

126 - Anbiya' (3)

Prophets:

It is mentioned in a Hadith: "Indeed, there are one hundred and twenty-four thousand Prophets of God from the children of Adam till the qa'im." (Sara'ir, p. 200).

127 - Insan (1)

Mankind, human being:

When an `arif attains the vision of God at the place of dahr (immovable time), then, in reality, he becomes fana' fi'llah, and in this respect he has no trace at all (76:1). God, according to His law of creation, has created every human being from a drop of mingled sperm (76:2).

128 - Insan (2)

Adam, man:

By reflecting adequately upon the wisdom-filled way in which God has mentioned man in the Qur'an, it can be understood that God has made man the fountainhead and treasure of His beginningless and endless miracles and wonders. In origin he is one individual, but in ramification he appears in the form of innumerable individuals. If you see him in the world of unity, he is one individual, but if you see him in the world of multiplicity, it is filled with him in the form of individuals. He can be jinn, angel and paradisiacal attire being transformed from dense into subtle by the command of God and if God wills he can go even higher.

129 - Insan (3)

Human being:

In order to understand how the Universal Soul of man is spread throughout the universe, the best example is the circle of the universality of water. Water in its centre is known by the name of "ocean". From this centre it becomes subtle and evaporates as steam or vapour, and when it rises into the atmosphere, it is called cloud, when it comes down it is known as snow or rain. The storage of ice on the peaks of mountains, glacier, spring, rivulet, brook, canal, pond, well, lake, river, etc., are all the names of the different aspects of the same water. Similarly, the world of humanity is that pearl-producing ocean from whose universality, neither jinns nor angels are excluded.

130 - Anfus (sing. nafs)

Personal world, personal worlds:

The people of the world have so many amenities which are beyond description, due to the blessings of material science. Imagine what great benefits they will receive when spiritual science will appear in their personal world! (41:53).

131 - Awwah

Compassionate person, one who shows pity by frequently sighing, one who prays:

In verse (9:114), it is mentioned: "Indeed, Ibrahim was most tender hearted (i.e. he used to sigh and groan)." The purpose of this blessed Divine teaching is that mu'mins must follow the footprints of Hazrat Ibrahim so that they may attain spiritual progress and nearness of God.

132 - Awrathna al-kitab

We made inheritors of the Book, i.e. the Qur'an:

It is said in verse (35:32): "Then We gave the Book as inheritance to those whom We chose from among Our servants." Thus, as long as the Book, i.e. the Qur'an is in this world, its inheritor is also present, and he is the Imam of the time.

Question: What is the proof that only the Imam of the time is its inheritor? Answer: The proof is that there cannot be found any other example of the way God has granted the Imam the luminosity and ta’wil of the Qur'an. Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the worlds!

133 - Ulu'l-amr (1)

The custodians of the Divine command, the true Imams:

Verse (4:59) says: "O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and the ulu'l-amr from amongst you." That is, in addition to obedience to Allah and the Prophet, obedience to the Imam from the progeny of the Prophet, whose Imamat is established from the Qur'an and Hadith, is obligatory. Contrary to this, worldly kings and rulers cannot be the ulu'l-amr, nor is any example of them found in the age of Prophethood, the ideal age of Islam. In the same surah in verse (4:54) there is the mention of the giving of the Book, the wisdom and a great kingdom to the progeny of Ibrahim and here, according to the context of the subject, by the progeny of Ibrahim are meant to be Muhammad (s.a.s.) and his progeny.

134 - Ulu'l-amr (2)

The Imams from the progeny of Muhammad (s.a.s.):

The remainder of verse (4:59) says: "And then if you quarrel concerning any matter (about their recognition), refer it to Allah and the Messenger (i.e. refer again to the Qur'an and the Hadith) if you believe in Allah and in the last day, this is best and fairest (way) with respect to ta'wil”.

135 - Uli'l-aydi

Possessors of hands:

It is mentioned in verse (38:45): "And (O Prophet) remember Our servants, Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya`qub, the possessors of hands and eyes." That is, they had attained the great rank of the hand of God (yadu'llah) and the eye of God (`aynu'llah). This is among the secrets of the world of oneness.

136 - Uli ba's

The fighters:

"The terrible fighters" (17:5), are the spiritual army which is also mentioned in verse (5:54) and this ideal army is also called Gog and Magog. The spiritual army features prominently in many places in the noble Qur’an.

137 - Awliya' Allah (1)

Chosen friends of God:

In verse (10:62) God says about His friends: "Lo! verily for the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve." These friends of God are the progeny of the holy Prophet whom God has exalted by granting them the ta'wili miracles of the glorious Qur’an, because the greatest miracle of the holy Prophet which is intellectual, permanent and in the form of knowledge, is indeed the wise Qur’an. The Qur'an has two aspects: tanzil and ta'wil. Tanzil or exoteric aspect is conveyed to the people by the Prophet himself and for ta'wil or esoteric aspect, he appoints his successor.

138 - Awliya’ Allah (2)

Chosen friends of God:

"Lo! Verily, for the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve." (10:62). It should be remembered that fear is related to the future and grief is related to the past. For instance, an ordinary person fears the coming of illness and death (which is related to the future) and is disheartened by the decline of the beauties of youth (which is related to the past). Contrary to this the friends of God are well satisfied in the light of knowledge and recognition. This is because although they are in this world with respect to the body, with respect to the soul and the intellect, they are in paradise.

139 - Awliya’ Allah (3)

Chosen friends of God:

God says in verses (10:63-64): “They are the ones who used to believe and fear (God), for them is glad tidings in the life of this world and in the hereafter, there is no changing in the words of God. That is the supreme triumph.”

Questions: How is the glad tidings of paradise given to the friends of God? Since everything exists in paradise, what additional glad tidings is given to them in paradise (akhirah)? What is the wisdom in the words of God, which are mentioned here?

140 - Awliya’ Allah (4)

Chosen friends of God:

Answer: The practical glad tidings of paradise is the personal resurrection and perfect spirituality. Paradise itself is glad tidings of endless paradises. In the perfect words are hidden the secrets of the eternal kingdom of God.

141 - Awliya' Allah (5)

Friends of God:

Friends of God are mentioned in verses (10:62-64): "Lo! Verily the friends of God have no fear, nor shall they grieve. They are the ones who used to believe truly and were fearing (God). For them there is glad tidings in the life of this world and in the hereafter, there is no changing in the words of God. That is the supreme triumph."

142 - Awliya' Allah (6)

Imams of ahl-i bayt:

Questions: Who are those chosen friends of God? What is their additional recognition? Why do they not have fear or grief? What is the glad tidings? And what are the words?

Answer: They are the Imams from the ahl-i bayt, whose additional recognition is in the Qur'anic verses and the Prophetic Traditions about the walayat of Imam `Ali; the law of fear and grief continues till the resurrection, but since they undergo the experience of the personal resurrection in this life, their fear and grief come to an end; the glad tidings is received in the form of personal resurrection, and by words are meant the perfect words of Allah which contain examples of knowledge and wisdom and the real glad tidings.

143 - Awliya' Allah (7)

Mu'mins like Salman-i Farsi:

Question: Is it the will of God, the Prophet and the true Imams that the friends of God should be from one family?

Answer: No, never. The Imams are the example of guidance, the straight path and the door to the Prophet and therefore whoever is annihilated in them through love and devotion like Salman-i Farsi will be among the chosen friends of God.

144 - Ahl al-bayt (1)

The people of the house of Muhammad (s.a.s.):

It is mentioned in verse (33:33): "O you the people of the house (of the Prophet)! Verily Allah intends but to keep off from you (every kind of) uncleanness and purify you with a thorough purification." By the people of the house or ahl-i bayt are meant the holy Prophet himself, Hazrat `Ali, Hazrat Fatimah, Hazrat Hasan and Hazrat Husayn. (Muslim, IV, 1883; Tirmidhi, V, 663)

145 - Ahl al-bayt (2)

The ahl-i bayt of the Prophet:

The holy Prophet had two houses: one was physical and the other was spiritual, which was the house of luminosity. Thus, in the above-mentioned verse is mentioned the house of luminosity, for which the Prophet had used the name "daru'l-hikmah or the house of wisdom".

146 - Ahl al-bayt (3)

The ahl-i bayt of the Prophet:

All the Imams from the progeny of the holy Prophet are included in the house of spirituality and luminosity, therefore, every Imam is called the ahl-i bayt of the Prophet. In particular, when a true mu'min like Salman-i Farsi can be included in the Prophet's ahl-i bayt, how can there be a shred of doubt in the pure Imams (the bearers of light) being included in it?

147 - Ahl al-bayt (4)

Muhammad (s.a.s.) and the progeny of Muhammad (s.a.s.):

In the Ismaili faith, there is a confidential term called baytu'l-khayal, i.e. the luminous house of khayal or imagination, in order to enter which, the special `ibadat of ism-i a`zam is practised. This house of spirituality and luminosity is in fact the house of the holy Prophet and his progeny, and whoever enters it, is included in the ahl-i bayt like Salman-i Farsi, about whom Hazrat Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah, salawatu’llahi `alayhi, has given the following teachings:

148 - Ahl al-bayt (5)

Salman al-khayr, Salman-i Farsi:

"You have no knowledge of how exalted is your place. Salman-i Farsi who was from ahl-i bayt was like you. The holy Prophet used to say: “Salman was as good as ahl-i bayt.” He had reached his original abode. Salman-i Farsi was a man like you. You can be like Salman-i Farsi by doing `ibadat. If you do `ibadat you can be like Pir Sadru'd-Din." (Jamnagar, 6/4/1900)

149 - Ahl al-bayt (6)

Salman-i Farsi:

"See Murtaza `Ali's companions were like Salman-i Farsi. He was an Iranian, despite that he attained the rank of ahl-i bayt through `ibadat. If you have the same aspiration, there is no reason that you cannot be like him. It is only lack of aspiration, you should have aspiration in your heart." (Farman of Hazrat Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah (a.s.), 19/10/1903)

150 - Ahl al-bayt (7)

Ahl-i bayt of the Prophet:

It is mentioned in verse (10:87): "And We revealed to Musa and his brother: Provide houses for your people in misr (city=personal world), and make your houses qiblah (places of worship) (i.e. then give them the status of the house of God by enhancing them spiritually), and establish prayer, and give glad tidings to the believers."

The wisdom-filled allusion of this is that God has commanded our Prophet and the `Ali of the time to prepare baytu'l-khayal, the luminous house of khayal in the hearts of mu'mins.

151 - Ahl al-bayt (8)

The progeny of Muhammad (s.a.s.), the people of the cloak:

It is reported by Umm Salmah that the holy Prophet covered Hasan, Husayn, `Ali and Fatimah (a.s.) with a cloak and prayed: “O Allah! These are my ahl-i bayt and the chosen ones. Keep away the uncleanness from them and duly purify them." Umm Salmah requested him: Am I with them (O the Prophet of God)! The Prophet said: "You are in your own place and you are good to me." (Tirmidhi, IV, 663)

152 - Ahl al-bayt (9)

Ahl-i bayt of the Prophet:

It is said in verse (3:61): "And say to him who disputes with you therein (i.e. about Hazrat `Isa) after the knowledge has come to you (O Muhammad): Come, let us summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and then let us humbly pray and invoke the curse of Allah on the liars." When this verse was revealed, the holy Prophet invited Hazrat `Ali, Hazrat Fatimah, Hazrat Hasan and Hazrat Husayn and said: O Allah! these are the people of my house." (Muslim, IV, 1870)

153 - Ahl adh-dhikr (1)

The people of dhikr, the Imams from the progeny of Muhammad (s.a.s.):

It is said in verse (21:7): "And We sent not before you, but men to whom We revealed, so ask the people of the dhikr if you do not know."

Question: Who are the people of dhikr, who by being aware of all the secrets of Prophethood and messengership are able to answer every question about the Prophets? Answer: They are the Imams from the progeny of the holy Prophet, whose holy chain continues till the Resurrection of resurrections.

154 - Ahl adh-dhikr (2)

The pure Imams:

Dhikr is one of the names of the holy Prophet (65:10-11). The people of dhikr therefore, are the family of the holy Prophet. Dhikr is also one of the names of the Qur'an (21:50), and so the people of dhikr, are the people of the Qur'an. Dhikr is also the ism-i a`zam (supreme Name), i.e. the asma'u'l-husna (the beautiful Names) and therefore, the people of dhikr are the people of ism-i a`zam, the pure Imams. Thus, by the people of dhikr are meant the Imams who guide the people and are enriched with the given knowledge (`ilm-i laduni), and therefore, they are able to answer every difficult question related to knowledge.

155 - Ahl adh-dhikr (3)

The true Imams:

Here the method of questioning is not ordinary, but special. That is, you should attain full benefit from the knowledge of certainty and `ibadat, and then enter the spiritual university of the mazhar of the light of God (the Imam of the time). This is only possible through the stringent spiritual exercise of ism-i a`zam. If you are fortunately successful, this itself will amount to a unique question of knowledge which contains thousands of questions. If not, it amounts to failing to ask any question of knowledge of the people of dhikr, which was enjoined according to the Divine law.

156 - Ahillah (sing. hilal) (1)

New moons:

It is said in verse (2:189): "They ask you about the new moons. Say: They are times fixed for men, and for pilgrimage."

Some of the wisdoms of this verse are:

1. The sun is the example of the light of azal and the new moon is the luminous birth of its mazhar of the time.
2. The sun is the symbol of the holy Prophet and the moon is the symbol of the Imam of the time.
3. Everything has a renewal, but the renewal of the moon is very conspicuous.

157 - Ahillah (2)

Wisdom of new moons:

4. The sun with its mute expression (zaban-i hal) says that as a whole there is no change in the law (sunnat) of God, whereas the new moon says that under this law there is a new mode everyday.
5. The sun testifies to the fact that one kingdom of God is sufficient and complete, while the new moon shows that there is a copy of the universal kingdom of God in every personal world.
6. The physical creation took place once like the sun, but the spiritual creation is a chain which has neither a beginning nor an end, like the new moons.

158 - Ahillah (3)

Wisdom of new moons:

7. In the material world there are two means of material light, the sun during the day time and the moon during the night. Similarly, in religion there are two sources of the light of guidance: externally the Prophet and internally the Imam of the time.
8. First, the natiq is the sun and the asas the moon, then the Imam is the sun and the bab is the moon.
9. When the new moon of the light of a mu'min at the rank of intellect becomes the full moon, he is blessed with the holy vision (didar-i aqdas) and the supreme pilgrimage (hajj-i akbar). This is alluded to in the words "mawaqit (times)" and "hajj (pilgrimage)" in verse (2:189) mentioned above.

159 - Ahillah (4)

Wisdom of new moons:

10. “Thos gatu jo mayn shuro jo” i.e. “(O Lord!) Grant (me) new attire and grant (me) old sustenance)”. This was a prayer at the appearance of a new moon from the old times. A ruhani recited it repeatedly in a special way and drew attention towards its great wisdoms.
11. For instance, the moon wears a new attire everytime, but its work is the same. Similarly, the Imam changes his human attire in every age, but he has the same old knowledge.
12. In this prayer are sought the freshness of the body and soul and the intellectual bounties.

160 - Ayyam Allah (1)

Days of God:

The days of God are seven, which are six natiqs and the qa'im, whose spirituality and luminosity can be seen in the personal world of the `arifs and the kamils (the perfect ones), as mentioned in verse (14:5): "And remind them of the (living and luminous) days of God (in whom happened the miracles of knowledge and wisdom)."

161 - Ayyam Allah (2)

Days of God:

"Verily, in this are signs (miracles) for every patient and grateful person." (14:5) Patient (sabbar) is the one who has the courage of having patience during stern trials and tribulations in the path of spirituality, and grateful (shakur) is the one who appreciates the spiritual and intellectual bounties through (acquiring) knowledge and (doing) good deeds.

162 - Ayyadahum

He helped them:

In verse (58:22) God says: "For such Allah has inscribed faith in their hearts, and has helped them with a (special) spirit of Himself." Read the whole verse as well as the preceding one.

Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq says: There is no mu'min except that within him his heart has two ears: one is that in which the sneaking whisperer whispers and the other is that in which the angel inspires and God helps the mu'min through the angel, as He says: "And He helped them with a (special) spirit of Him." (58:22) (al-Kafi, III, 395; al-Mizan, XIX, 198)

163 - Iman

Faith:

It is said in a Hadith: "Faith is from Yaman and wisdom is also from Yaman." (Lughat, Ya', p. 69). One ta'wil of this is that iman or faith is the source of blessing, and wisdom is an additional source of blessing. Thus faith and wisdom are both necessary.

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