Book of Healing - Healing Through Knowledge - Examples of the Secrets of Wahy Part Two

Examples of the Secrets of Wahy Part Two

Tags: Wahy, Man-like Animal, Three Categories of Men, Foot-prints of Prophets, ilham

1. The Heart of a Mu'min is the Throne of God: It is said in a sacred Hadith: "Neither my earth nor My heaven can contain Me, but the heart of my pious servant can contain Me" (Ahadith-i Mathnawi, p. 26). Who can such servants of God actually be? They are the Prophets and the awliya' (Siddiqin, the truthful, 4:69). Further, this most exalted rank is also attainable by every mu'min with high ambition. Thus, it should be known that in the personal world the heart is the Divine Throne, in which the theophanies (tajalliyat), namely, the Divine Vision and recognition of God are certain. The observation of miracles of revelation (wahy) and inspiration (ilham) are inevitable on the path of spirituality. This is because for a mu'min who walks on the spiritual path, there is only one path to progress on and reach the ultimate destination and that is the path of the Prophets, known as the straight path (4:69), at each stage of which the secrets of Prophethood are found. The purpose of these secrets, i.e. the renewals of wahy is that the mu'mins may attain ma`rifat, so that they may be in the companionship of the Prophets, the awliya', the martyrs and the righteous, in spirituality as well as in Paradise (4:69).

2. Foot-prints of Prophets: This world is contingent. Therefore, the foot-prints of a false guide cannot last long. Contrary to this, the path of spirituality and Divine miracles is such that, in it through tajaddud-i amthal the foot-prints of the Prophets (i.e. the speaking light) last forever, as Hazrat Musa prayed in the presence of God: "He said: They are close upon my track". (20:84) In this verse there are exoteric as well as esoteric meanings. That is, every important example of the spiritual journey of the Prophets and revelation to them is preserved so that, the stores and treasures of knowledge and gnosis may always remain available to those who travel on the spiritual path, and there may not be any scarcity of the real bounties in Islam.

3. An Extremely Difficult Question and its Answer: Is there any such allusion in the Qur'an which can assure us that the true mu'min or the Perfect Man, while living in the body, can to a lesser or greater extent become an angel? Yes, there are many such subtle allusions in the Qur'an. Nonetheless, in order to understand them it is necessary to know that after having been given the intellect and free will, man is kept above the animal and below the angel. Now it is up to man as to whether he wants to be an animal in the lowness of disobedience or an angel at the height of obedience. The example of this is in the following diagram:

4. Man-like Animal: Study verses (7:179; 25:44; 47:12) carefully and ask: Is there any doubt in the Qur'anic judgement that some people, despite being in a human form, have been included among cattle? If there is no doubt in it, then according to the law of progress and regress, it is also possible for a few people, namely the awliya', the Friends of God, to be angels despite being in a human form. This is a clear allusion which can be found in the above-mentioned verses.

5. Three Categories of Men: By looking at the diagram above, which is drawn in the light of the wise Qur'an, it will be easily evident that men are divided into three categories:

Those who physically live in the human world, but whose links related to soul, knowledge, gnosis, thinking and intellect are with the angelic world. They are therefore, like angels.
Those who live in the human world but have not been able to progress amply.
Those who apparently live in the human world, but in reality, have fallen or are falling down to the lowness of animality.

6. Difference between Man and Angel: In the external world it is not possible for the salik (wayfarer) of the spiritual path to hear the Divine speech together with the vision (tajalli), as long as he has not become an angel, for these two miracles simultaneously are only possible for an angel. For man, only the wahy-i tajalli, or ru'yat (vision), is possible, in which countless silent signs are hidden. Before this the speech from behind the veil is possible and before that wahy is possible through an angel. (Purport of the verse: 42:51).

7. Meaning of Ilham (Inspiration): The word ilham is used in the Qur'an both for good and evil, as it is said in verse (91:8): "And He inspired it (according to) its impiety and its piety". It is said in a Hadith: "Each one of you has a companion of jinn and a companion of angel". The jinn insinuates to man on the basis of his evil deeds and the angel inspires him due to his good deeds. If angelic inspiration is guarded and enhanced by spiritual excercise and hard work, it gradually becomes an example of the wahy of the awliya' (awliya'-yi wahy).

8. Perspicacity of the Mu'min: The holy Prophet has said: "Fear the perspicacity of the mu'min, who indeed sees by the light of God, the Exalted" (Ahadith-i Mathnawi, p. 14). The main secret in this Hadith is to see the treasures of the spirit, spirituality, knowledge and wisdom. That is, do not boast of your knowledge in front of the Friends of God, for they have the given knowledge. The secrets which they describe are those which are shown to them in the light of God. The very purpose of light is to see the spiritual world (malakut) of the heavens and the earth in the illumination of its radiance (6:75).

9. Observation of Malakut (Spiritual World): It is said in a Hadith: "Were the devils not hovering around the hearts of the children of Adam, they would have seen the malakut (i.e. the angels and secrets) of the heaven" (Ihya', III, 9). The wisdom of this blessed Hadith is that, although due to the devils, many people cannot see the malakut of the heaven, the Friends of God can see the angels and the great secrets of the heaven. This shows that the recognition of the secrets of wahy is possible.

10. Awliya'i Wahy or the Wahy of Heart: Hazrat Musa used to receive Prophetic wahy and the same was received by Hazrat Harun, not personally, but to witness and confirm his Prophethood and Messengership (28:34). For, Hazrat Musa alone, was the custodian of the Book and the shari`at, and in front of Hazrat Harun only the tajaddud-i amthal of every kind of wahy used to take place, so that he may confirm him (28:34), in the light of full observation and complete recognition. Thus, it can be said that the revelation to Hazrat Harun was a kind of awliya'i wahy or whhy-yi walayat and the same used to be received by Hazrat Maryam too. The venerated sufis, in order to hide this true wahy, call it the wahy of the heart. (See Mathnawi, IV, 245).

11. Hadith-i Taqarrub (proximity) and Recognition of Wahy: By the great radiance of the Hadith-i Qudsi, which is recorded in Bukhari (VIII, 337), all the darknessess of despondency vanish and a believing servant of God becomes completely certain that God becomes his ear, making him hear His Divine speech, becomes his eye and shows him His unprecendented theophany, becomes his hand and makes him hold the Hidden Book at the place of intellect, and becomes his foot and makes him stroll in the World of Command. From this perfect proof, it becomes clear that by following the footsteps of the holy Prophet, the recognition of wahy is possible.

N. N. Hunzai,
Friday 21 Dhu'l-Hijjah 1408
15th August, 1988.

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