Caskets of Pearls Vol. 1 - Casket of Pearls 31

Casket of Pearls 31

Tags: Torah, Hazrat Aaron, Hazrat Moses, Bay`at, Oath of Allegiance, Mazhar, Hazrat `Imran, Guidance

Q301 It is mentioned in verse (16:120): "Verily Abraham [alone] was an ummat (community), devotedly obedient to Allah, upright." Would you kindly tell us how Hazrat Abraham (May peace be through him) alone was a community?
A301

Hazrat Abraham (May peace be through him) was the best personal world in his own time, in whom all people were merged and became obedient.
Although every Perfect Man is alone, 70000 + 70000 = 140,000 angels are created in him.

Q302 In verse (71:26), it is said: "And Noah said: O my Lord, do not leave a single dweller from the disbelievers in the land." What is the nature of this prayer of Hazrat Noah (May peace be through him)? Did he pray for the physical destruction of the disbelievers, or is it for their spiritual death or for the death of the carnal soul of the personal world?
A302

This prayer of Hazrat Noah (May peace be through him) is full of wisdom.
This is the story of the spiritual deluge or resurrection, in which all people go to the personal world and are destroyed and merged there. This miracle is extremely beneficial for them.
In short, Islam becomes dominant and disbelief becomes extinct in the personal world of every Perfect Man.

Q303 Would you kindly explain some wisdoms of verse (47:7): "O you who believe, if you help Allah, He will help you and make your foothold firm."
A303

Allah has equated help to Himself with help to religion, thus granting extremely great eminence and honour to it.
He has promised that He will help those mu'mins who help Him.
He will grant them courage to walk on the straight path with firmness.
Allah's help can be individual as well as collective. There are many levels of heavenly help. Almighty Allah's help is a very great thing and also a very great secret.

Q304 It is mentioned in verse (6:91): "Say (O Muhammad!): Who sent down the Book which Moses brought, a light and a guidance to the people, but you make it into (separate) sheets of paper." Here it is evident that prior to its revelation, the heavenly Book is not on paper, rather it is a living soul, a light (angel) and a guidance for the people. Please explain to us where the Torah was in this state? How can the heavenly Book be a light and a guidance prior to being written on paper? Does God object to the writing of the Torah?
A304

Prior to being recorded on paper, the Torah was in the personal world of Hazrat Moses (May peace be through him) and Hazrat Aaron (May peace be through him) as a light and guidance.
A heavenly Book is in two forms: one is in the form of light and guidance and the other is in the form of writing. Therefore, the heavenly Book is both speaking and silent. There is no objection to the writing of the Torah, only to ignoring its spiritual light and the real (spiritual) guidance.

Q305 It is mentioned in verse (11:17): "Is he then [like unto him] who is on a clear proof from his Lord, and a witness from Him, follows him and before it was the Book of Moses an Imam and a mercy?" Who is on the clear proof from God? Who is a witness from Him? How was the Book of Hazrat Moses (May peace be through him) an Imam and a mercy for humankind?
A305

The holy Prophet is on a clear proof from his Lord.
Hazrat `Ali (May peace be through him) is his witness.
The Book of Hazrat Moses (May peace be through him), which was an Imam and a mercy, was Hazrat Aaron (May peace be through him), because it is the Imam who is the speaking Book in which there is mercy.

Q306 It is mentioned in verse (73:15): "Verily, We have sent a Messenger to you as a witness over you, as We had sent a Messenger to Pharaoh. What is the main secret in the resemblance of Hazrat Moses (May peace be through him) to the holy Prophet?
A306

Although the attributes and virtues of all the Prophets were gathered together in the holy Prophet Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny), yet in the story of the Qur'an, Hazrat Moses (May peace be through him) and Hazrat Aaron (May peace be through him) are the examples of the holy Prophet and Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him).
Al-manzilah means the place of descent, house, position and rank and the holy Prophet said about Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him): "Anta minni bi-manzilati Haruna min Musa illa annahu la nabiyya ba`di" (You are to me in the same position as Aaron was to Moses except that there is no Prophet after me).⁷⁷
This shows that as Hazrat Aaron (May peace be through him) was the place of descent of the light of Moses (May peace be through him), Hazrat `Ali (May peace be through him) was the place of descent of the light of the holy Prophet Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny).

Q307 Part of the verse of bay`at (48:10) is: "(O Prophet!) Verily those who give bay`at (oath of allegiance) to you, indeed, give bay`at to Allah, Allah's hand is above their hands." Please explain its essential wisdom to us.
A307

If bay`at to the holy Prophet is bay`at to Allah and his hand is Allah's hand, how is it possible to doubt the presence of the khalifah of Allah on the earth?
If in one time people attain the supreme bliss by doing bay`at to the khalifah of Allah, how is it possible that people in other ages should be deprived of it?
The holy Prophet has rightly said:
1. "He who did my didar, did Allah's didar."
2. "He who saw me in a dream, saw Allah";⁷⁸
3. "He who saw me in spirituality and luminosity, saw Allah".

Q308 Kindly give us some clear proofs of the continual presence of the mazhar of Allah on the surface of the earth.
A308

Study verse (24:35) carefully: The luminous lamp of the Divine light is in a niche, which is in a glass. The glass is like a luminous star. It should be noted that this is the praise of the mazhar of the light of Allah.
The same proof is in the verse of the revealed light (5:15).
The name "an-nur" (the Light) is His mazhar.
The name "az-zahir" of Allah is because He has a mazhar;
The luminous veil of Allah mentioned in verse (42:51) is His mazhar.
If the heart of a mu'min servant is the Throne of Allah, then the first and foremost mu'min is His mazhar.
If Allah has encompassed everything in the Imam-i mubin, then the rank of His mazhar is also included in him (36:12). In short, there are countless proofs of this fact.

Q309 It is mentioned in verse (3:33): "Verily, Allah selected Adam and Noah and the descendants of Abraham and the descendants of `Imran above all people." The questions here are: Were these Perfect Men only selected in their own times? What was the purpose of selecting them? Three `Imrans are mentioned in the Qur'an: the father of Moses (May peace be through him), the father of Maryam (May peace be through her) and the father of `Ali (May peace be through him). Which one is mentioned in this verse?
A309 Perfect Men are selected forever. The purpose in this selection was to provide guidance to the people of the world. The `Imran (May peace be through him) in this verse is the revered name of Hazrat Abu Talib (May peace be through him), from whose descendants the chain of Imamat continues forever as the khilafat of Adam (May peace be through him) (2:30), the essential shari`at of Noah (May peace be through him) (42:13) and the excellence of the descendants of Abraham (May peace be through him) (4:54) for always, even though all of them according to "light upon light" are different links in the same chain of guidance.

Q310 When God selected Adam (May peace be through him), Noah (May peace be through him), the descendants of Abraham (May peace be through him) and the descendants of `Imran (May peace be through him) from the people of the entire world, what did they, by the command of God, do for the people of the world?
A310 The overall purpose of this selection is guidance.

The sacred door of the supreme Name and the best names opened for the people of faith through Hazrat Adam (May peace be through him). Simultaneously with the spreading of the light of the science of names (`ilmu'l-asma'), the chain of the favours of the major and minor vicegerency started. Study the story of Hazrat Adam (May peace be through him) in the Qur'an with wisdom.
Hazrat Noah (May peace be through him) presented the example of the ark of salvation (kishti-yi najat) to the people. The world of humanity was filtered through the sieve of his personal world. As a result of the deluge of spirituality, he brought countless blessings for humanity (11:48). Further, he gave the concept of the laden ark and acted upon and demonstrated the essential shari`at.
The favours of the descendants of Abraham (May peace be through him) are also exceedingly great. The Book, wisdom and the very great kingdom (4:54) are kept in the world of religion or the personal world in the name of this holy family.
The descendants of `Imran (May peace be through him) are the descendants of Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny). Each of them underwent a resurrection (17:71), in order to make the people of their time enter into their personal world to eventually give them salvation and to make all of them enter paradise.

⁷⁷ Badi`u'z-Zaman Furuzanfar, Ahadith-i Mathnawi (Tehran, 1968), p. 29.
⁷⁸ Ibid., p. 63.

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