Book of Healing - Healing Through Knowledge - Examples of the Secrets of Wahy Part One
Examples of the Secrets of Wahy Part One
Tags: Wahy, Ba`th, Five Intermediaries, Holy Prophet, Veil
1. Dear friends and companions! come, let us do some `ibadat of knowledge and mental exercise, with the intention of curing many of our diseases. Seeking succour and help from God, may He be blessed and exalted, let us try to attain the recognition of the Prophets, may peace be on them and particularly, the seal of the Prophets, may the peace and salutation of God be on him and his progeny, so that we may have the practical experience of ardent love for him. Amin
2. Literal meaning of Wahy: Wahy literally means a fast indication or allusion (isharah-yi sari`ah). Thus a matter which is very fast is called amrun wahyun (a fast matter). Wahy, on the whole, is based on the symbols and signs related to the external and internal senses. For, it is such a bright and vast universe that, it gradually comprehends and comprises the external world as well as the personal world.
3. Preparation for Wahy: Spiritually and intellectually there is no change and alteration in the Divine law (sunnat, 17:77; 40:85), therefore, it is our firm conviction that, as God has granted the knowledge of Names (`ilmu'l-asma'), he has also granted the treasures of the knowledge of Names to other Prophets, particularly, our holy Prophet. The keys to the treasures are in the Supreme Name (ism-i a`zam). Thus the holy Prophet used to remember God and do his bandagi through the Supreme Name. Consequently, he received not only the satisfaction of the heart, but also started to see the magnificent lights of the colour of God (sibghatu'llah, 13:28; 2:138). This shows that, in connection with wahy the first thing which appears is an extremely bright world, whose intense and colourful light, dazzles the inner eye. However, this cannot be the Prophetic wahy, for that stage comes after the experience of spiritual death.
4. A Great Secret in the Word "Ba`th": Ba`th means to revive, to resurrect, to come to life, to send (Qamusu'l-Qur'an). Thus ba`atha means 'he revived, he sent'. Now note (in the Qur'an): "fa-ba`atha'llahu'n-nabiyyina (Then God brought the Prophets to life (after the spiritual death), 2:213). Another meaning of this great secret is 'He sent'. One can see clearly that a Messenger (who is sent by God) has to first pass through the experience of spiritual death. For, a precious treasure of spiritual secrets is hidden in this wisdom-filled experience.
5. Vocal Manifestation (sawti zuhur) of Four Angels: According to the above-mentioned experience, when the great miracle of the death before death starts to happen to a Messenger, this extremely honoured death takes place through the vocal manifestation of Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil and `Izra'il, may peace be upon them, and their combined work in which the chain of death and revival continues for several days. In this way the blessed heart of the holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammed, the seal of the Prophets, became linked with the malakut (world of angels) and was prepared for the Prophetic wahy.
6. Five Intermediaries: It is related in Az-Zinah (II, 144), that the holy Prophet used to receive wahy from Jibra'il, Jibrail from Mika'il, Mika'il from Israfil, Israfil from the Tablet (lawh) and the Tablet from the Pen (qalam). Thus, there were five intermediaries between the holy Prophet and the Sustainer of the world, as mentioned above. However, it can be said with certainty that this narration is definitely related to his early Prophethood and ordinary state, but the question of progress, elevation and attaining the special state is different. A bright example of this latter state is the event of "Ascent (mi`raj)".
7. Wahy in Dream: The Prophets also receive wahy in dreams. Such dreams are not only seen in the beginning, but also continue to be seen till the end. For, good dreams are among the miracles of Prophethood. However, we should never think that the sleep of the Prophets and awliya' is like ours.
8. Angel in the Form of Man: It is mentioned in the noble Hadith that sometimes the angel of wahy used to come to the Prophet in a human form and speak to him.
9. Jingling Sounds: One form of wahy is that, in the beginning the holy Prophet used to hear jingling sounds. This was certainly the example and indication of the opening of the doors of the heavens.
10. Silence of the Angel: The appearance of the angel in a human form and talking to the Messenger of God, is called open wahy (wahy-i jali), to make an indication by hand is the hidden wahy (wahy-i khafi) and to remain silent is the most hidden wahy (wahy-i akhfa).
11. Tajaddud-i Amthal of Miracles: When the holy Prophet entered the stage of `Izra'il, he saw in his world of particles the tajaddu-i amthal of all the miracles which belong to this stage of the Prophets prior to Hazrat Adam (15:29), the miracle of Hazrat Nuh's Deluge (23:27), the revival of the four birds of Hazrat Ibrahim (2:260), the parting of the sea for the community of Hazrat Musa (2:50), the recitation of the tasbih of God by the mountains and birds with Hzarat Dawud (21:79), the countless spiritual armies of Hazrat Sulayman, the making of birds (flying shirts) by Hazrat `Isa for his mu'mins and the entering of the entire world into his own mission based on insight or the inner eye (basirat) (48:28; 110:2).
12. The Centre of Prophethood and Messengership: Indeed, everything which is spread has a centre. Thus Prophethood and Messengership, which was spread among the chosen and favourite servants of God, also centred and gathered in the exalted personality of the holy Prophet, the mercy for the worlds and the pride of Adam and his children. The clear purport of this is that, all the spiritual and intellectual miracles of all Prophets gathered in the light of the holy Prophet, which reflects in the mirror of "Light upon Light". Note that among the Names of God He is both al-Qabid (Seizer) and al-Basit (Spreader) and this meaning is mentioned in the Qur'an as: "And it is God Who seizes and spreads." (2:245) (Mufradat pp. 43-44, 405). Does the Qur'an not comprise all the miracles of knowledge of the early Scriptures and much more? If there is no doubt in this, why should the custodian of the Qur'an, namely the holy Prophet, the leader of the Prophets, not comprise all the spiritual and intellectual miracles of the previous Prophets and even more miracles and marvels and wonders in his holy personality?
13. Two Aspects of the Perfection of Humanity: Since the holy Prophet was the Chief of the Perfect Men, therefore his holy and blessed personality had two aspects. One was human and the other angelic. Thus, first as the Perfect Man, then as an earthly angel, he received every kind of wahy from the beginning to the end. It is therefore, extremely necessary to mention here the higher ranks of wahy and speech (kalam).
14. Speech from behind the Veil: There are many veils and they are divided into three kinds: physical veils, spiritual veils and intellectual veils (i.e. the veils of knowledge). All these are shadows which are cast on man, but no shadow can be cast on God. Observe the example of the sun, which is untouched by shadow or darkness. Thus God speaks to the great Prophets, who are very close to Him, from behind the veil.
15. Wahy-i ru'yat or Wahy-i tajalli: Wahy means an indication, sign, as mentioned in the beginning, and the supreme wahy is the holy meeting with God, which is called the wahy-i ru'yat, wahy-i tajjali or wahy-i zuhur (wahy of vision or wahy of manifestation). This most significant and most wisdom-filled wahy, which is in the state of vision (didar), is the treasure of innumerable allusions of knowledge and gnosis. This Divine vision, which is the first and last treasure, was attained by the Prophet, both in the world of creation and the world of command (i.e. the mi'raj or Ascent). But the conspicuous difference between the two states is that, in the former he was a human being and in the latter, an angel. The latter is so high and so majestic and glorious that, let alone man, even an angel like Jibra'il cannot go there. Let us pray that may God, for the sake of His beloved Prophet, cure us all from every kind of disease!
Amin!
N. N. Hunzai,
Saturday, 15 Dhu'l-Hijjah 1408 / 30 July, 1988.
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