Caskets of Pearls Vol. 1 - Casket of Pearls 10
Casket of Pearls 10
Tags: Tazarru`, Giryah-u zari, Supplication, Dhikr-i Nafsi, Dhikr-i Qalbi, Hazrat Abraham, Fitrah, Religion of Nature, Heaven's Skin, Personal World, Didar, Purified Spouses, Purity, Paradisal Attire, Subtle Body, Bounty of children, Treasures, Hell, Ignorance
Q91 Dhikr-i nafsi, dhikr-i qalbi (remembrance within the soul or heart) is specifically mentioned in verse (7:205). Would you kindly give us some explanation of it?
A91 The verse is: "And remember your Lord in your soul, with humility and with fear, not loud of voice, at morn and eventide. Be not among the heedless." There is no doubt that everybody remembers God according to the access of his knowledge, however, according to the `arifs, remembering God in the heart means to remember didar and its secrets. Tazarru`, which is giryah-u zari, is return to (God) as well as supplication, fear of God as well as expression of gratitude and heavenly love. At this exalted place the extremely great benefit of tazarru` and fear of God is that by these means there are more discoveries in the recognition of secrets.
Q92 It is mentioned in the story of Hazrat Abraham (May peace be through him) that he said: "Then whosoever follows me belongs to me." (14:36) Would you kindly tell us its wisdom? How can a follower of Hazrat Abraham (May peace be through him) khalilu'llah, be his son or a part of him? Is there such a possibility either physically or spiritually?
A92 The one who follows the Prophet perfectly, indeed reaches the ultimate destination and becomes one with him. In such a case every successful follower becomes the spiritual child of his Prophet and when he is merged in him, he can spiritually be much more than a child.
Q93 In what sense is Islam the religion of nature (fitrah)? In which hadith is Islam called "fitrah"?
A93 Since Islam is according to the law of nature, or rather, is itself the "law of nature", therefore it is sometimes called the religion of nature or simply nature. The hadith in which Islam is called "fitrah" is: "Every child is born according to nature (i.e. Islam), then it is his parents who make him a Jew, or Christian or Magian".20
Q94 In verse (81:11), it is said: "And when the heaven will be skinned." Does the heaven have a skin? If not, what is its ta'wili wisdom? Which heaven is mentioned here?
A94 The external world is the skin and the veil in which the internal world is the hidden kernel. Thus, when the `arif dies spiritually, the veils of realities and recognitions are lifted for him. This means that the external world is the skin or husk and the personal world is its fruit and kernel.
Q95 Why is the subject of the personal world so important and necessary according to you, and that you discuss it so frequently? Is there any proof of its importance in the Qur'an and the hadith?
A95 The personal world alone is the living and conscious world whose Creator, Master and Sustainer is Almighty Allah. It is mentioned in 73 places of the great Qur'an as "`alamin (sing. `alam, worlds). In addition, it is implied in the word "insan (human being)", which is mentioned 65 times and "nas (humankind)", which is mentioned 240 times. In short, Prophet, wali, mu'min and infidel are all personal worlds and there is no part of the wise Qur'an in which it is not mentioned. The most important thing is that the treasures of ma`rifat cannot be found anywhere else except in the personal world, as it is clear from the hadith: "He who recognises his soul, recognises his Lord."21
Q96 The holy Prophet said: "He among you who has a greater recognition of his soul, has greater recognition of his Lord".22 Is this hadith a perfect proof of the paramount importance and necessity [of the recognition] of the personal world?
A96 Yes it is, because according to this hadith, the only place of the recognition of the Lord is the human soul, and nowhere else. Further, we have to consider that recognition is not possible without didar (vision) and where there is didar, nothing is left out of it: the Throne, kursi (Dais), the Pen, the Tablet, angels, paradise, non-spatial world, treasures, azal, abad, secrets, the sacred Sanctuary, `Illiyyin, etc.
Q97 In verses (2:25; 3:15; 4:57) of the wise Qur'an, it is mentioned that there are purified spouses for mu'mins in paradise. Who has purified them and how? How many kinds of purity are there in this world? Will the husbands of the houris of paradise also be subtle and handsome?
A97 The Omnipotent God grants the subtle body to the women and men of paradise, which is luminous and due to which they become purified. The subtle body can also be called the paradisal attire. Those who are kamils in this world have five kinds of purity: bodily purity, ethical purity, ideological purity, spiritual purity and intellectual purity. Yes, the husbands of the houris of paradise will also be subtle and handsome.
Q98 A description of paradise is a part of the Qur'an and iman, and since the recognition of its bounties can first be attained in the light of the knowledge of certainty (`ilmu'l-yaqin), therefore, please tell us how the bounty of children will be available among the countless and unending bounties of paradise?
A98 The Imams from the progeny of Muhammad (May peace be through him) are the treasures of Allah from whom everything, including children, is available to the people of the world. Thus, those mu'mins who have been merged in the Imam of the time and become treasures [in this world] will see its marvels and wonders in paradise, including the fact that they had become the Single Soul (31:28). Thus, they will see their numerous sons and daughters in paradise and be extremely happy.
Q99 Where is hell? Is it visible or invisible? Permanent or transitory?
A99 Hell is in this very world. It is ignorance. It is visible both externally and internally and is transitory and not permanent, as the Qur'an says: "No, indeed, if you knew the knowledge of certainty, you would surely have seen hell (i.e. ignorance). Again, you would surely have seen it with the eye of certainty." (102:5-7). This is addressed to mu'mins and saliks: When you will have the knowledge of certainty, you will come to know what hell is, i.e. ignorance. Then you will also see it at the place of the eye of certainty and enter paradise, because [prior to reaching paradise] you have to pass through hell (19:71).
Q100 This is a unique way of explaining knowledge through questions and answers, but what name should we give them? Hypothetical questions, educational questions, possible questions, questions of knowledge, practical questions, representative questions, unasked questions, questions of the heart, questions of circumstantial language, symbolic questions, silent questions?
A100 All these names are beautiful, but I will call them wisdom-filled questions and attribute them to my students, who are extremely dear to me, because it is they who are the angels of my heart and mind. It is they who ask the questions and who also answer them. And this is a spiritual secret.
The service which my students (`azizan) have rendered on behalf of their jama`at, for the glorious Qur'an, the Imam of the time, the religion of Islam and humanity, can, God willing, be unique and unprecedented. There are many unique things here, which will become known slowly and gradually and it will be known what beneficial work has been accomplished for all human beings.
O dear friends! Come, let us express our gratitude with humility for these great bounties of God and do giryah-u zari and also do the same pleasant act individually, because we are afraid of becoming ungrateful and unappreciative of these bounties. You should progress more in `ibadat and always pray that may the Holy Lord, for the sake of Muhammad (May peace be through him) and the Imams from his progeny, not close the door of the bounties of knowledge to us. May God [send] blessings through him and them.
20 Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, ed. A. al-Nuri et al (Beirut, 1998), III, pp. 17, 127, 433, hadith 7181, 7698, 9091; see also A Thousand Wisdoms, .
21 Al-Mu'ayyad fi'd-Din Shirazi, al-Majalisu'l-Mu'ayyadiyyah, ed. H. Hamid al-Din (Bombay, 1975), I, 26, 28.
22 Nasir-i Khusraw (Pir), Zadu'l-Musafirin, ed. Badhlu'r-Rahman (Berlin, 1923), p. 185;
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