Caskets of Pearls Vol. 1 - Casket of Pearls 24


Casket of Pearls 24

Tags: Khalifa, Vicegerent, Hazrat Luqman, Wisdom, Snake, Staff of Hazrat Moses, Wahdat-i kathrat-numa, Multiplicity-like unity

Q231 What is the ta'wil of verse (37:79): "Peace is on Noah among the [personal] worlds"?
A231 The ta'wil of this verse is that Hazrat Noah (May peace be through him) is alive and safe with his spiritual miracles in every personal world. Similarly, Hazrat Abraham (May peace be through him) (37:109), Hazrat Moses (May peace be through him) and Hazrat Aaron (May peace be through him) (37:120), Hazrat Al-i Ya-Sin (Al-i Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny), 37:130) and all Messengers (37:181) with their Prophetic miracles are alive and safe in each and every personal world, as are all the chosen servants of God (27:59).

Q232 What is the meaning of verse (21:18): "Nay, but We hurl the true against the false, and it does break its head and lo! It vanishes"?
A232 This verse indicates that falsehood is always false, but a secret is revealed after breaking it by means of the truth.

Q233 Please explain some wisdoms of these verses (3:190-191): "Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day, are signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and reclining and reflect and contemplate on the creation of the heavens and the earth, (say): 'Our Lord! You have not created (all) this in vain! Glory be to You! Save us from the torment of the Fire!'"
A233

  • The universe is the paradise of tomorrow to come.
  • There are subtle kingdoms on the stars.
  • There are thousands of allusions in the circle, which is created by the alternation of the night and the day.
  • An amazing virtue of the people of intellect is that they remember God standing, sitting and in a reclining position.

Q234 Please tell us some of the wisdoms of verse (24:55): "Allah has promised to appoint those of you who believe and do good deeds, khalifahs in the earth, as He had appointed those before them, and He shall certainly establish their religion (Islam) which He has chosen for them, and He will give them in exchange security after their fear. They shall worship Me and not associate anyone with Me; and whosoever disbelieves after this, then they are the wicked transgressors".
A234

  • This promise of Allah is to the people of recognition.
  • This earth on which we are living is not the only earth, rather Allah has countless earths, because every personal world is a universe.
  • Every individual is potentially a personal world and a universe. Every potential world that is actualised has numerous copies.
  • Divine vicegerency has many sublime meanings.
  • The Lord of the worlds bestows the crown of vicegerency on His servants.
  • Every Prophet and Imam is a vicegerent, but every vicegerent is not a Prophet or Imam.
  • We have already mentioned that in every resurrection the true religion becomes victorious.
  • The secret of worshipping without shirk (association with God) is in the recognition of the idea of monoreality.

Q235 It is said in verse (31:12): "And We gave wisdom to Luqman; (and said): 'Be grateful to Allah'. Whosoever is grateful, verily he is grateful for his soul; and whosoever is ungrateful then verily Allah is self-sufficient, owner of praise". What does this verse mean? Was Hazrat Luqman (May peace be through him) given Prophethood or Imamat? What is the inseparable link between wisdom and gratitude?
A235

  • Hazrat Luqman (May peace be through him) was a true lover of the light of Prophethood and the light of Imamat, due to which he attained that greatest treasure in which all treasures are contained.
  • Teaching and giving wisdom are two different things. It would take a voluminous book to praise and explain wisdom, because all bounties are gathered in the real meanings of wisdom. The whole world says that Luqman (May peace be through him) was a hakim (possessor of wisdom), but this is understood only in the sense of exoteric wisdom. However, only the `arifs know about his esoteric and spiritual wisdom. Wisdom is abundant good, therefore when one attains its extremely great treasure, it becomes incumbent to show gratitude to God.

Q236 What is the ta'wil of Hazrat Moses (May peace be through him)' staff? The tremendous and overpowering miracle of his staff used to take place in the form of hayyah (serpent, 20:20), thu`ban (dragon, 7:107; 26:32) and jann (tiny snake or jinn, 27:10; 28:31). What is its wisdom?
A236

  • Hazrat Moses (May peace be through him)' staff has several ta'wils: Basically it is the supreme Name, wazir, i.e. Hazrat Aaron (May peace be through him), personal world that swallows the entire universe, sacred Sanctuary that swallows the personal world, `ilm-i Imam (Imam's knowledge) that encompasses all sciences and the subtle body, which is a tremendous and overpowering jinn, which swallows up all false forces.
  • Among all animals the snake is famous for becoming round by coiling itself and long by stretching itself. This is an allusion to the power of God to enfold and unfold everything, including the universe. Dragon and jinn are the symbols of the inestimable and stupendous power of the staff's miracle.

Q237 "Multiplicity-like unity" (wahdat-i kathrat-numa) is one of your terms. What is its meaning and example?
A237 It means something that is unity internally, but multiplicity externally. A good example is man himself, in whose interior is unity, but his exterior is full of multiplicity, or the Single Soul (nafs-i wahidah), where all souls of people are gathered like one soul, but when they spread as a generation, they are in multiplicity. Another example is water, from the whole of which are created parts on the one hand, and on the other the parts return to the whole and become one. Thus, the state of water can be described as "multiplicity-like unity".

Q238 What is the ta'wili secret of the Qur'an's objection against those who consider angels to be women?
A238 There is no doubt that mu'mins (male and female) become angels by their spiritual progress in knowledge and `ibadat. However, when an angel for some reason appears as a woman in a dream, one should not consider that it is a woman. For instance, a mu'min, who was imprisoned by a certain government, saw one of his sisters whose name was Najat, in a dream. In reality this was an angel. An angel sometimes speaks and sometimes only alludes. Since "Najat" means deliverance, therefore coming in the guise of Bibi Najat was an allusion to that mu'min that very soon, he would be delivered from imprisonment. Qur'anic references: 17:40; 43:19, 53:27. Al-hamdu li'llah!

Q239 Please explain the ta'wili wisdom of verse (89:22): "And your Lord will come with angels, rank upon rank."
A239 In the personal representative resurrection of kamils and `arifs, this great event takes place twice: First in the personal world and second in the sacred Sanctuary. The truly amazing miracle of this event at both places is that in the sacred Sanctuary or the world of oneness there is only one universal mazhar (locus of manifestation), who continues to demonstrate all the realities and recognitions, as mentioned in verse (36:12).

Q240 This question is related to verse (22:46): What is the earth by travelling in which the hearts of people can understand, or their ears become capable of hearing the realities and recognitions? Are the blind according to the Qur'an, those who are physically blind or blind with respect to the eye of the heart?
A240

  • It is the earth of the personal world, by travelling spiritually in which the hearts attain intellect, understanding, knowledge and wisdom and the ears become capable of clearly hearing the realities and recognitions.
  • The wise Qur'an condemns those hearts which are blind with respect to the eye of the heart, as said in verse (17:72): "And whoever is blind in this world, will also be blind in the hereafter, and far astray from the way (of recognition)."
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