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Book of Healing - Healing Through Knowledge - Possible Progress and a Lesson of High Ambition

Possible Progress and a Lesson of High Ambition

Tags: High Ambition, Habil, Qabil, Hazrat Maryam, Heavenly Rope, Heavenly Ladder

1. Have you reflected with complete attention and depth on the universal law of Divine favours mentioned in verse (14:34)? If not, let us do so now. By understanding the wisdom-filled allusions of this greatest universal law of its own kind, it can be evident what favours the true servants of God can attain from His innumerable bounties. What are those bounties which, despite His mercy and favour, cannot be attained due to some reasons? The verse runs like this: "And He has given you of all that you asked Him; and if you count God's favours, you will not be able to number them; most surely man is very unjust, very ungrateful". Explanation: Whatever you have asked Him with the tongue of speech or with mute expression, He has given you all of that actually and potentially. The favours of your Lord, which are conditional on knowledge and actions are so numerous that you cannot count them. Then is it not a great injustice and ingratitude that man remains neglectful of and far away from these attainable, abundant spiritual and intellectual bounties?

2. The first lesson of high ambition of the wise Qur'an is this: "Guide us on the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have showered favours" (1:5-6). This prayer, in whose comprehensiveness and wisdom all bounties are sought, is very eminent. For in it the luminous guidance of God is sought, so that the people of faith, who are the Friends of God, may follow the footsteps of the Prophets, observing with their inner eyes all their bounties in the light of gnosis and pass through the stages of spirituality until they attain the rank of annihilation in God (fana' fi'llah). For the meanings of guidance reach the Supreme Paradise traversing even the stages of Resurrection.

3. In order to receive luminous guidance, one specific condition is mujahadah (spiritual excercise, self-mortification) as indicated in verse (29:69): "And those who strive hard (jihad) for us, We will indeed guide them in Our ways; and God indeed is with those who do good deeds". This spiritual and luminous guidance of God is possible through the Revealed Light (5:15), namely the holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad, and the paths of the Divine secrets are in malakut (the world of angels), jabarut (the world of Divine attributes) and lahut (the world of Divinity). Further, the meaning of luminous guidance reaches azal and abad, for it is beyond and above the limits of time and space.

4. The microcosm is also called the personal world. Thus potentially you are a world. If you accept the real spirit of Islam (8:24), you save your personal world from the death of ignorance and by Divine ta'yid you bring it to life from potentiality to actuality. The example of this feat is as though someone rescued the entire people of the world from an atomic destruction. Why is this feat so important and so great? It is so, because of the fact that the people of the entire world live in the personal world. It is in this sense that Qabil assassinated and destroyed the inner world with all the people of the entire world of Habil, who was a personal world.

5. Read the story of Habil and Qabil in the Qur'an in verses (5:27-31) and then see verse (5:32): "For this reason (i.e. the assassination of Habil and Qabil) did We prescribe to the children of Israel that whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he slew all men, and whoever brings it to life, it is as though he brought all men to life". This is a Qur'anic proof about the importance and excellence of the personal world, in which all the people of the world live in the form of spiritual particles. All these are, in reality, parts of your soul.

6. The familiar and unfamiliar people whom you see in your imagination and dream, have always been there in your personal world. For every subtle world is contained in yourself and there is nothing outside this togetherness. It is God's earth and His vicegerency (39:10; 24:55) and also the mulk (physical kingdom) and malakut (spiritual kingdom) (3:26; 7:185). It should be remembered that Hazrat Ibrahim had seen the malakut of the heavens and the earth in his own self i.e. personal world (6:75).

7. If a mu'min, due to the light of faith, were not made the possessor of a specific ability and had there not been a miracle of God in him, then it would not have been said: "O you who believe! Be the helpers of God" (61:14). Certainly this means to help religion. Nonetheless the meaning of this command cannot be limited, for a mu'min has numerous responsibilities. He has to go further on the straight path until he attains the rank of annihilation in God, as it is said: "O you who believe! If you help God, He will help you and make firm your feet" (47:7). The revolutionary progress of mu'mins and their access to the ultimate destination are mentioned in this verse.

8. The chosen servants of God, through the help of the light of guidance, can reach the stations of fana' fi'llah and baqa' bi'llah (survival in God). In the same way, it is also possible that their word and act may be annihilated in God's word and act. And this is evident from the following proofs:

  1. To be coloured in the colour of God (2:138). This is like fire and iron. When iron takes the colour of fire, it becomes red hot like fire, externally and internally, and loses its own colour.
  2. "Blessed is whoever is in the fire and whatever is around it" (27:8).
  3. "To Him do ascend the good words; and the good deeds lift them up" (35:10) until the word and act of the believing and sincere servant reach and merge in the word and act of God.

9. Hazrat Maryam, may peace be upon her, was a siddiqah (truthful = walayyah) (5:75). A clear mention of her selection, spiritual status, heavenly help (ta'yid) and the spiritual guidance of God through angels is found in verses (3:42-47; 19:16-26). This bright fact sheds light on the spiritual conditions of the siddiqin, namely, the awliya' (4:69) that they are aware of the secrets of revelation and the stations of ma`rifat. This is further substantiated by the title "siddiq" of Hazrat Yusuf that, a Siddiq is truthful not only in external matters, but by the ta'yid of God, the Knowing, the Wise, also explains the inner realities truthfully and affirms the truthfulness of the Prophets in the light of ma`rifat.

10. The holy Prophet says: "Fear the insight of the mu'min, because he sees by the light of God". (Tirmidhi, II, 484) Who can such mu'mins be who can see by the light of God? It is the awliya', who can see with the light of God and after them, it is also possible for the mu'mins of the first rank. But this point should be remembered that the special and exalted purpose of this luminous sight is to observe the realities and gnoses of malakut (7:185). In order to be enriched with this everlasting and spiritual wealth, it is extremely necessary to be annihilated in the True Murshid, so that one may attain the supreme bliss of annihilation in the Messenger and annihilation in God. In short, not only in this article, but in the entire book, the main purpose has been to draw attention to the spiritual nourishments and medicines of the wise Qur'an. May God, the Exalted, make it useful to all! Amin!

18 Dhi'l-qa'dah 1408
23 June, 1988

The spiritual journey and the intended destination are hidden within yourself. How great is Allah's benevolence and favour that He has created you a living universe.

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