Caskets of Pearls Vol. 1 - Casket of Pearls 15
Casket of Pearls 15
Tags: Ruhana, Tamaththala, Basharan Sawiyya, Hazrat Adam, Hazrat Abraham, Light upon light, Nurun `ala nur, Everlasting Word, Suratu'l-Fatihah, Ummu'l-Kitab, Spiritual Science, Mablagh, Ba', Allah, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Rabb, Maliki Yawmid-din, Malik, Yawm, Din, Islam, Submission, Hazrat Abraham, Qalb, Mirror, Spiritual Science, Wajhu'llah, Ranks of Knowledge
Q141 It is mentioned in verse (19:17): "Then We sent to her Our spirit, and he appeared (tamaththala) to her exactly like a sound human being." Would you kindly explain some of its secrets of recognition?
A141 Our spirit (ruhana) means light, angel, spirit of the Prophet, spirit of the Imam. Tamaththala means to take on the form, basharan sawiyya means a Perfect Man in every respect. Thus, he was the manifest angel or the manifestation of the Prophet or the Imam in the luminous body. The same is the body of similitude (jism-i mithali). There are many other secrets in it, but the main and necessary point is that it is one of the stages of spirituality, which is called the stage of ibda` (manzil-i ibda`), in which the Imam, salawatu'llahi `alayhi, manifests himself to a salik in the luminous body. That is, the Imam blesses him with his holy didar in the ibda`i body.
Q142 It is mentioned in verse (3:33-34): "Verily, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the descendants of Abraham and the descendants of `Imran above [all] people (for Prophethood and Imamat), offspring, one from the other; and Allah is hearing, knowing." According to these verses, since these dignitaries were chosen from the people of the entire world, does this mean that there were people in the time of Hazrat Adam (May peace be through him) also? Choice or selection is on the basis of certain virtues - what were their virtues? It is obvious that in the chain of this selection the forefathers of the holy Prophet are included as well, because it is they who are the descendants of Abraham (May peace be through him) specifically. Now, please tell us what religion were they following and what rank was granted to them by Allah?
A142 Yes, according to verse (3:33-34) there were people in the time of Hazrat Adam (May peace be through him), because they were the children of Adam (May peace be through him) in a true sense and according to verse (17:70) Allah has granted great honour to the children of Adam (May peace be through him). The forefathers of the holy Prophet were following the religion of Abraham (May peace be through him) (hanifiyyah). See verses (2:130, 2:135; 3:95; 4:125; 22:78) in the Qur'an that the same religion of Abraham (May peace be through him) is called "Islam" and the chain of the mustaqarr (permanent) Imams continued in the forefathers of the holy Prophet.
Q143 Please furnish us with a proof from the Qur'an, which is really outstanding, wisdom-filled, simple, concise, logical, decisive and amazing, which ascertains absolutely that the chain of light continues eternally.
A143 Such an unprecedented proof is "nurun `ala nur (light upon light)" in verse (24:35), which means that the links of the chain of light are joined with one another and this chain of the light of God continues from eternity. The same is also the firm luminous rope of Allah, which has to always be present among the people. I firmly believe that "light upon light" is also a wird or wazifah (to remember a word/phrase constantly) of reflection and knowledge. Therefore, read and reflect upon it time and again. God willing, this reflective `ibadat will never be fruitless.
Q144 It is mentioned in verse (4:54): "Or do they envy the people (i.e. the Imams) for what Allah has given them of His grace? Indeed, We have given to Abraham's descendants the Book and the wisdom and We have given them a great kingdom." Please explain the wisdom of this Qur'anic teaching and tell us who are the descendants of Abraham (May peace be through him) and how can they be recognised?
A144 First of all, without any doubt or dispute, the holy Prophet is his descendant and the Imams from his progeny are the descendants of Abraham (May peace be through him), due to their being from his family. The sign of their recognition is the inheritance of the Qur'an and wisdom and the spiritual kingdom. That is, as long as there is the wise Qur'an in this world, the chain of its inheritors will also continue (35:32) and together with the heavenly Book there is also always the revealed Light (5:15).
Q145 It is said in verse (43:28): "And he made it an everlasting word in his progeny so that they may return (to Allah)." Would you kindly tell us the ta'wili wisdom of this verse?
A145 The ta'wili wisdom of this verse is that Hazrat Abraham (May peace be through him) made the secret of recognition (sirr-i ma`rifat) the everlasting word (ism-i a`zam, supreme Name) in his progeny, so that people may always return to the recognition of God through the progeny of Abraham (May peace be through him). Here it is obvious that the chain of the descendants of Abraham (May peace be through him)/descendants of Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) always continues in this world, because the everlasting word is in this chain.
Q146 It is said in a hadith: "Indeed to look at the Imam is `ibadat (worship) and to look at the Mushaf (i.e. the Qur'an) is [also] `ibadat".35 What kind of looking at the Imam, i.e. the speaking Qur'an and the Mushaf, i.e. the silent Qur'an can be `ibadat? If someone is blessed to have the luminous didar of the Imam and the Qur'an, which kind of `ibadat would this be?
A146 For those who look at the true Imam and the noble Qur'an with devotion and love, it is their visual `ibadat. The `ibadat of the luminous didar of the Imam and the Qur'an is highly exalted. Since one of the names of the Imam is ayat (signs, miracles) and the Qur'an is also the compendium of ayat, thus according to the Divine promise: "Soon We will show them Our signs …" (41:53), people can see all the miracles of the exalted Imam and the mighty Qur'an within themselves.
Q147 Once referring to the Wajh-i Din, you had said that the ummu'l-kitab (the Mother of the Book) is exoterically the suratu'l-Fatihah and esoterically it is Hazrat `Ali (May peace be through him). Would you explain to us with examples and proofs in what sense is suratu'l-Fatihah the ummu'l-kitab? What is the proof of this fact from the Divine Law (sunnat-i ilahi)?
A147 God willing, this question can be answered in many parts. Some of them are:
- Part 1 The suratu'l-Fatihah is called ummu'l-kitab because of its utmost comprehensiveness. The proof of this is that all the wisdoms and pearls of the wise Qur'an are gathered together in it. The proof from the Divine law is that Allah is always the Enfolder (al-qabiz) and the Unfolder (al-basit), therefore, He always enfolds and unfolds the universe and in this act is hidden His tremendous wisdom. Thus, the first and foremost miracle of the wise Qur'an is that in accordance with His act, it is enfolded as well as unfolded.
- Part 2 According to a narration, the knowledge of all heavenly scriptures is in the Qur'an, the entire knowledge of which is in the suratu'l-Fatihah, that of the suratu'l-Fatihah is in bismi'llah and that of bismi'llah in bism, the essence of which is in ba' and the ancient and original name of 'Ba' is bayt (house), by which is meant the holy Prophet, who is the house of wisdom and Hazrat `Ali (May peace be through him) is its door. See the "Diagrams of Wisdom", one of my books, in which it is shown that the dot under the 'Ba' is the example of Hazrat `Ali (May peace be through him). Regarding the dot, note that the first thing that God created is the Intellect. When the `arifs saw it in its eternal (azali) form, they came to know that it is like a dot, i.e. a unique pearl, which is the hidden Book. It is God alone who can gather the knowledge and wisdom of the universe in the hidden pearl.
- Part 3 The holy Qur'an is the city of heavenly knowledge and al-Hamd, i.e. the suratu'l-Fatihah is the house of divine wisdom in this city. These two examples belong to the holy Prophet specifically and Hazrat Murtaza `Ali (May peace be through him) is both the gate of this city as well as the door of this house. As for the comprehensiveness of the surah of al-Hamd (al-Fatihah) or the ummu'l-kitab, there are countless things of the Qur'an, which are linked to each and every word of it (ummu'l-kitab). It has already been mentioned that there is a dot in the very beginning of al-Hamd. It is extremely amazing that not only with respect to the meaning, but also with respect to the external shape of the writing of the letters, the entire Qur'an is contained in the same one dot. That is, there are only letters in the external writing of the Qur'an and if we analyse them, we will come to know that they are only composed of dots.36 Thus, the unity of all these dots is in the dot of the ba' of the bismi'llah of al-Hamd and its multiplicity is in all those innumerable dots mentioned above. Thus, the example of the expansion of the Qur'an from its starting point and then its contraction in the same point is extremely amazing.
- Part 4 The first letter of the suratu'l-Fatihah is the letter ba' (ب), the original pronunciation of which is bayt, which means house and which comprises [the meanings] of all those sacred verses related to a house or houses. In this house first and foremost the houses of Allah, may He be exalted, are mentioned such as baytu'llah (house of God), al-masjidu'l-haram (the sacred mosque), the qiblah etc. and then the houses of people related to this world and the next, such as dar and diyar are mentioned. The soul-refreshing glad tiding in this description is that wherever the house of God is mentioned in the heaven and the earth and in this world or the next world, it means the Imam.
- Part 5 Then comes the mention of ism (name), which is derived from sumuw, meaning exaltedness, eminence and from the same root is sama' (heaven). As far as the name or names (asma') are concerned, they comprise all the Qur'anic verses. Thus, the meanings of bismi'llah comprise all the names of God and the Qur'anic exegesis of every name. Moreover, in bismi'llah there are great secrets of the science of names (`ilmu'l-asma'). The most important point is that in it there is an allusion to the living supreme Name of God, who is the Imam of the time. Reflect carefully: are not all the blessings of both worlds in the supreme Name? Further, you have to reflect upon the meanings of sama' (heaven) and samawat (heavens). Are not the external world and the internal world mentioned abundantly in their meaning? This shows that the treasure of the Qur'an is mentioned in the bismi'llah. Moreover, there is the great secret of countless universes one after the other in it.
- Part 6 There are different views regarding the derivation of the word "Allah". According to one view, it was originally "ilah" (إِلَٰهٌ), then its hamza is elided and added to the definite article al (ال) and used specifically for the Creator (bari), may He be exalted, in the sense of the Worshipped One (ma`bud). According to another view it is derived from aliha, i.e. he was bewildered, baffled. Thus, Allah means the One by the comprehension of Whose essence and attributes the human intellect is bewildered and baffled. According to a third view originally "ilah" was "wilah", in which the waw is replaced by hamzah. Waliha means to lose one's head, become mad with love. Since every creature is in rapt love with God, therefore He is called Allah, even though the love of some creatures is subjugatory. According to a fourth view the origin of Allah is laha yaluhu liyahan, which means to veil oneself, to conceal oneself. Since God is also veiled and concealed from the eyes, He is called Allah.
- Part 7 It should be known that the Divine Names have their mazahir (loci of manifestations). They are the Prophets and Imams in their respective times. It is they who, according to verse (7:180) are the asma'ul-husna (the most beautiful or the best names), because every Prophet and every Imam in his respective time is in the rank of the Supreme Name (ism-i a`zam). Thus, the mazhar (locus of manifestation) of the two names of universal mercy, the Compassionate, the Merciful (ar-rahman, ar-rahim), which are mentioned in tasmiyah and al-hamd, is the holy Prophet, the vivid proof of which is in verse (21:107): "And We did not send you but as a mercy for the worlds". In addition, there are certain names among the blessed names of the holy Prophet that show the same position of him being mazhar, such as the four names of God, the First, the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden mentioned in verse (57:3). These names are among the blessed names of the holy Prophet as well.
- Part 8 After the tasmiyah is mentioned "al-hamdu li'llahi rabbi'l-`alamin" = The praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Purport: the supreme praise (hamd = Universal Intellect) belongs to Allah Who sustains the personal worlds by the light of the Intellect, and in order to achieve this goal He appoints among the people the sustainer of the intellect so that they may have no argument against Him (4:165). Note carefully the most amazing wisdom of the wise Qur'an, that the eminence of all those verses in which the word "hamd" is mentioned is such that they are among the great secrets of the sacred Sanctuary, where there is the paradise of the rivers of the Universal Intellect, the Universal Soul, natiq and asas (47:15).
- Part 9 Each individual is a world and the people of an age are worlds. Thus, how many people or worlds have there been and will there be in the endless cycles of the past and the future! God is that Omnipotent Sustainer Who can spiritually and intellectually bring up all these people or worlds. Thus, "rabb" (sustainer of the soul and intellect) is such a pure, blessed and wisdom-filled name that most of the acceptable Qur'anic prayers begin with it. It is so effective in the removal of difficulty and fulfilment of desires, that even Iblis, when he was expelled from the rank of angelicity, prayed to Him by saying "Rabbi! (my Sustainer)" and sought respite till the Day of resurrection (15:36; 38:79).
- Part 10 Ar-rahman and ar-rahim have already been explained. Maliki yawmid-din, purport: He is the master of the day of judgement, the one vested with authority and the one who is king. This means that in this world people are given free choice but on the day of resurrection, nobody will have any choice. Now, let us examine the radical letters of "malik", which are mim, lam, kaf. The derivatives and the subjects from the same root in the holy Qur'an are really magnificent, such as mulk (kingdom of God, spiritual kingdom), malik (King, i.e. Allah), maliku'l-mulk (Master of kingdom), malik (king, i.e. the Imam), mulk-i `azim (great kingdom of paradise), al-muluk (kings, i.e. the pure Imams), muluk (those who have become kings by being merged in the pure Imam from the progeny of Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) in spirituality and paradise), malak (angel), mala'ikah (pl. of malak, angels), malakut (the world of souls and angels). It should be noted that in the noble Qur'an, the word malik is not used for any worldly king.
- Part 11 The word "yawm" in its different forms is used 474 times, most of which are used for the day of resurrection. Thus, the subject of resurrection is also spread throughout the Qur'an and all this is centred in the word "yawmid-din" (the day of resurrection). Although resurrection has many other names, our research is confined to the comprehensive words of the surah of ummu'l-kitab. Thus, in the wise Qur'an this word is used for an ordinary day, for a special day, for an age, for a cycle and for a great cycle as well. God also has living days.
- Part 12 The word "din" has several meanings: religion, faith, reward, recompense, obedience, law, decision and submission, as it is said in verse (3:19): "Indeed, the religion with Allah is Islam (submission)." Here the question is: submission of what or which thing? The answer is the submission of the face of the soul to the surat-i Rahman (Image of God). It is a long journey of knowledge and action, which has many stages. It is because of this that every traveller has defined this journey according to his extent/reach. Nonetheless, it is commanded that we should reflect upon the wise Qur'an again and again and thus we ask our hearts what did Allah say to Hazrat Abraham (May peace be through him). In verse (2:131) He said to him: "Aslim!" (submit!). What are the real meanings of this command? Since Hazrat Abraham (May peace be through him) had traversed many stages, therefore taking into consideration the context of the verse, try to estimate at what stage this command would have been made to Hazrat Abraham (May peace be through him), khalilu'llah! In short, this command is in the sense of attaining the spirit of Islam.
- Part 13 Then it is mentioned: "Iyyaka na`budu wa iyyaka nasta`in" (You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help).
- Purport: In this blessed verse there is an allusion to the recognition of God and His oneness (tawhid) and every individual is commanded to abandon taqlid (conformity) and to search for the truth, which is extremely important to act upon. Otherwise, it would be difficult, rather impossible to materialise the reality of "You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help". This is an `irfani exegesis of a magnificent representative verse. (See verse 8:24): You must know this greatest secret through true knowledge, self-recognition and the recognition of God that He comes between man and his heart (qalbih). Qalb is a lump of flesh, soul, intellect as well as the Imam from the progeny of Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny). In fact, it is the heart in the sense that the Imam is the mirror of the manifestations through which the recognition of God can be attained. It is this wisdom-filled allusion, which is mentioned in this blessed verse that, on the one hand there is the `arif, on the other there is the mirror of the heart and in between, i.e. in the mirror, is the surat-i Rahman.
- Part 14 Next comes the teaching through the Divine command: "Ihdina's-sirata'l-mustaqim" (Guide us on the right path). Purport: Make us progress on the straight path, until the final destination. Grant us the recognition of the mazhar of your light of guidance in order to accomplish that. If wise people reflect on this, by the grace of God, they will come to know that the greatest secret of the ummu'l-kitab is in this blessed prayer.
- Part 15 It is then said: "Sirata'lladhina an`amta `alayhim ghayri'l-maghzubi `alayhim wa-la'z-zallin" (The path of those upon whom You have bestowed Your bounties, not [the path] of those inflicted with Your wrath, nor [of those] gone astray).
- Purport: Make us progress on the path of those upon whom You have bestowed your bounties, not the path of those inflicted with Your wrath, nor of those gone astray. Those upon whom God has bestowed His bounties are the natiqs, asases, Imams and hujjats and those who obey Allah and the Prophet will be among the companions of those ranks (4:69).
Q148 You have great interest in spiritual science. Would you kindly tell us in the light of spiritual science, to what extent material science will progress?
A148 It can progress further up to the manifestation of spiritual science and that time is not very far away. Even now, behind material science there is the rule of spiritual science, as the Qur'an says in verse (21:33): "All move along swiftly in [their respective] circles." This is the mention of spiritual movement, due to which all material things are in rotation. It is a universal principle.
Q149 Would you kindly explain the universal realities and recognitions mentioned in verse (2:115): "Wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah."
A149 The ta'wili wisdom of this verse is that the light or luminous manifestation of the mazhar (locus of manifestation), whom He has granted the rank of "His face" (wajhu'llah), is everywhere. This is because in the kingdom of God, certain things are whole (kull), certain things are universals (kulliyyat) and one is the universal of universals (kull-i kulliyyat), just as the light of the sun is everywhere in the domain of its system and the light of God surrounds the heavens and the earth and is present everywhere and observes everything.
Q150 There is no verse of the wise Qur'an that is not full of the gems of knowledge and wisdom. However, perhaps it may be a miracle of Divine guidance that each time a particular verse attracts the heart. For instance, what is the meaning of "mablagh" in verse (53:30)?
A150 Mablagh is a mimi infinitive and a nomen vasis from bulugh (reaching).37 Thus, mablagh means extent, scope or range of reaching. That is, the place of the extent of knowledge, the rank of knowledge and a stage among the countless stages of the journey of knowledge of every individual. From this verse it is clearly evident that there are collective as well as individual ranks of people in religious knowledge, just as the nations of the world are not equal in material progress, nor are the people of a country equal in secular knowledge and skills.
35 Qazi Nu`man, Kitabu'l-Himmah, ed. M. K. Husayn (Cairo, 1948), p. 46.
36 `Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai, Balance of Realities (Karachi, 2001), pp. 33-34.
37 Zaynu'l-`Abidin, Qamusu'l-Qur'an (Karachi, 1978), p. 470.
| Chapter Index | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |