Caskets of Pearls Vol. 1 - Casket of Pearls 13
Casket of Pearls 13
Tags: Ranks, Ladder, Jihad, Word and Deed, Carnal Soul, Straight Path, Iron, Treasures, Hazrat Solomon, Gog Magog, Dabbatu'l-arz
Q121 You have said that in God's Kingdom on the one hand there is the law of ranks and on the other that of equality. Now, please tell us on what grounds does one deserve a rank? Please also give us an example of ranks?
A121 Allah confers ranks upon the people according to their knowledge and good deeds. An example of ranks is a ladder, which is climbed step by step up to the roof. Thus, from the ranks and the ladder it is evident that in the special words of the glorious Qur'an there is an allusion to the spiritual mi`raj such as: iman (faith), taqwa (piety), `ilm (knowledge), `amal (good deed), hidayat (guidance), `ibadat (worship), etc.
Q122 It is said in verse (35:10): "To Him ascends the good word and the good deed uplifts it." Please explain its wisdom.
A122 As a salik attains the rank of fana' fi'llah, his word and deed also attain the same rank and become the word and deed of God. This is a very great secret of ma`rifat.
Q123 It is said in a hadith: "We have returned from the minor jihad to the major jihad".27 Here the important question is: Does the mu'min mujahid kill his own carnal soul in the major jihad? Why does he kill his carnal soul? Does the spiritual resurrection take place due to this voluntary death?
A123 Yes, the real success of the major jihad lies in that the mujahid should kill his carnal soul by special riyazat (spiritual exercise), so that he may attain Divine pleasure in which there is everything. Yes, the spiritual resurrection takes place by the major jihad or the voluntary death.
Q124 According to some `ulama', there are three kinds of jihad: (1) Jihad against the external enemy i.e. unbelievers; (2) Jihad against satan and (3) Jihad against the carnal soul. But reflecting upon the meaning of the major jihad one comes to the conclusion that the jihad against satan and the carnal soul is the same. What are your views about it? Please also tell us where in the holy Qur'an there is the mention of or allusion to the major jihad.
A124 It is true that the jihad against satan or the carnal soul is the same and that it is the major jihad. However, there is the paramount necessity of true knowledge, without which it is not possible to accomplish the major (spiritual) jihad. The two places in the holy Qur'an where the major jihad is mentioned are the two verses (22:78; 29:69).
Q125 It is mentioned in a hadith: "Your worst enemy is your carnal soul which is between your two sides".28 Why is the carnal soul the most dangerous enemy?
A125 It is the most dangerous because this enemy is hidden. Also it is an enemy who appears to be a friend. It is the representative of satan and works like poison mixed with honey.
Q126 It is mentioned in verse (16:9): "And unto God leads straight the way, but there are ways that turn aside." Please explain the wisdom of this.
A126 This is an exegesis of the straight path. It is obvious that it is a sacred journey in which the travellers with Islamic knowledge and good deeds travel towards God and can reach Him. However, some people have deviated from this path and have made their own ways, which are crooked and cannot reach God. This is called deviation.
Q127 It is said in verse (11:56): "Verily my Lord is on the straight path." Please explain this verse.
A127 Allah's being on the straight path means that the Imam, who is the mazhar of the light of guidance after the holy Prophet, is the straight path in his luminosity, because whatever belongs to God is in the form of an angel and the Perfect Man. Therefore, he who is the true guide is the straight path and the way of God, just as the Prophet [in his time] was the speaking Qur'an, embodied Islam and light in a human form (nur-i mushakkal).
Q128 In verse (36:68), it is said: "And to whomsoever We give [endless] long life, we turn him upside down [from the world of command] to [the world of] creation. Do they not understand?" What does this mean?
A128 The endless life that is mentioned here is on the supreme circle (da'irah-yi a`zam), which encompasses both the world of creation and the world of command. Thus, while descending from the higher to the lower world the kamils have to turn upside down each time. This is the same law of nature according to which children are born upside down, which is not a defect at all.
Q129 You had once said that in reality there is no line of demarcation between matter and soul, except externally and figuratively. Could you kindly present a proof from the noble Qur'an, which will show that matter and soul are two different dimensions of the same reality?
A129 In verse (57:25) God says that He sent down iron. That is, the soul of iron was sent down in a place where it turned into a mine of iron. You can now say with certainty that iron in one place is soul and in another it is matter. Thus, the same thing has two different forms, the spiritual and the material. In this connection the universal law or the law of treasures is in verse (15:21), which says decisively that God reveals everything from His treasures, which are of light and soul.
Q130 Regarding the death of Hazrat Solomon (May peace be through him) mentioned in verse (34:14), a very difficult question arises whether his death was physical or spiritual? What is meant by dabbatu'l-arz in this verse and what is the ta'wil of the staff?
A130 Hazrat Solomon (May peace be through him)'s spiritual death is mentioned in this verse, during which the Gog and Magog attack the body of the salik and eat it to some extent and the salik lies down on seeing the portents of death. By dabbatu'l-arz, which is both singular and plural, are meant Gog and Magog. The ta'wil of the staff is the body by the support of which man can walk.
27 Muhammad Ghazali, Ihya'u `ulumi'd-din (Beirut, n.d.), III, 7.
28 Ibid., III, 4.
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