Caskets of Pearls Vol. 2 - Casket of Pearls 68

Casket of Pearls 68

Tags: Personal World, `Alamin, Prosperous House, Kasr-i Nafsi, Camel

Q671 Reflecting carefully on the Verse of Alast (7:172) it becomes known that Allah took the off-spring of the children of Adam (May peace be through him) from their loins, but He did not take them from Adam's own loins, while there is no change in Allah's sunnat nor is there any contradiction in His word or action. Please tell us why there is this great difference in the spirituality of Adam (May peace be through him) and his children?
A671

It is our point of view that there have been countless Adams, therefore on the one hand every Adam is the child of an Adam and on the other he is Adam (May peace be through him).
Therefore not only is the question redundant but we have also come to know that in reality every Adam is also the child of Adam (May peace be through him).

Q672 In verse (14:36) of the wise Qur'an it is stated that Hazrat Ibrahim (May peace be through him) said: "Fa-man tabi`ani fa-innahu minni". Please tell us its wisdom.
A672

'Whoever follows me, he is surely of me'.
That is, the person who follows the Imam (May peace be through him) of the time up to the stage of merging, in reality becomes fana' fi'l-Imam. What more can such a person desire!

Q673 It is said in Surah-yi Yusuf (12:108): "Qul hadhihi sabili ad`u ila'llahi `ala basiratin ana wa mani'ttaba`ani". Please explain its wisdom to us.
A673

Translation: "Say (O Muhammad): 'This is my way, I invite unto Allah with insight, which I and he who follows me [possess]'."
The holy Prophet had seen all the states of batin with his inner eye and then he invited people on this path towards Allah and his follower (`Ali (May peace be through him)) too, with this insight invited people to the path. The Imams from `Ali (May peace be through him)'s progeny also fulfilled this duty of the da`wah.

Q674 How are `Ali (May peace be through him) and the Imams from his progeny mentioned in the above noble verse?
A674

In the above-mentioned verse it can be seen that there is a complete programme for Allah's religion: The Prophet's path (sirat-i mustaqim), invitation towards Allah, basirat (the revealed light), and true obedience of the Prophet (which was done by the Imams from his progeny). These are the four constituent parts of Islam.
The insight which Allah had granted His beloved Messenger is the revealed light (5:15), which is continuing in the chain of the Imams from his progeny. The Prophet's path is not separate from this, nor is the invitation to Allah.

Q675 Hazrat Mawlana Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah (May peace be through him) has praised the wisdoms of the Verse of Light (24:35) highly. Are you able to explain more about this in the light of his spiritual knowledge?
A675

The special relationship of Allah's light is with the world of religion, the complete example of which is the personal world.
Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth of the personal world, that is, from the beginning to the end there is the illumination of His sacred light in every stage of the personal world.
After every Prophet and every Imam, Allah's light rises in the personal world of the `arif, but through their mediation.

Q676 What according to you is the greatest praise of the personal world?
A676

The greatest praise of the personal world is that Allah is the light of its heavens and earth. The kingdom of Allah is in it.
The Throne, Pedestal, Pen and the Guarded Tablet are in the personal world. Where can the rope of Allah's sacred light (the chain of Prophets and Imams) be except in the personal world? Every heavenly Book was revealed in the personal world and this is one explanation of the universal law of Imam-i mubin. Al-hamdu li'llah!

Q677 Please tell us where is the first mention of the personal world in the wise Qur'an?
A677

The first mention of the personal world is in the very beginning of the Qur'an: al-hamdu li'llahi rabbi'l-`alamin = The praise is due to Allah, Who is the Sustainer of all the personal worlds (Surah-yi Fatihah).
The upbringing of the personal world is of the utmost importance for Allah because it is the upbringing of the human being and in the word hamd there is a special indication that Allah sustains [the personal world] from the treasure of intellect, which is praiseworthy.

Q678 In Surah-yi Tur (52:4) Allah says: "Wa'l-Bayti'l-ma`mur = By the Prosperous House." The question is what is this Prosperous House? Where is it? In what sense is it prosperous?
A678

This is Allah's sacred house which is in the heaven of the personal world.
It is prosperous in the sense that each and every thing of Allah is in it (36:12), especially His holy vision (didar), that is, all the miracles of the Image of the Compassionate (surat-i Rahman).
This clearly means that Allah's Prosperous House is the Imam-i mubin (36:12) and `arifs observe this reality in the Sacred Sanctuary, which is the heaven of ta'wil and the higher world.

Q679 A great and amazing question arises from Surah-yi A`raf (7:40), which is: That person who does not believe in the existence of Allah, will never say that Allah's signs are false, nor does he consider himself greater than Allah's signs. Since he does not believe in Allah he cannot discuss His attributes because it would be illogical to do so. What do you say about this?
A679 The answer to this is in the following saying of Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him): "I am the great signs of Allah, which He had shown to the Pharaoh and he was disobedient".¹⁷

Q680 The translation of the verse (7:40) about which the question above was asked is: "Verily those who belie Our signs and turn away in haughtiness from them, the gates of heaven shall not be opened for them, nor shall they enter the garden until the camel passes through the eye of the needle." Which heaven is this whose gates are closed for the disbelievers? Are the gates of the physical heaven locked? What is the wisdom in the passing of the camel through the needle's eye?
A680

This is the heaven of the personal world, not the physical heaven. The physical heaven does not have any gates and if it did, they are open today for any person who can reach it with the help of science.
The ta'wil of the camel here is arrogance and pride. The needle's eye stands for total humility (kasr-i nafsi), that is, to crush the carnal soul into particles.

¹⁷Kawkab-i Durri, Chapter 3, manqabat 90, p. 210.

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