Coolness of the eye - The Shirt of Yusuf or the Miraculous Shirt
The Shirt of Yusuf or the Miraculous Shirt
Tags: Shirt of Yusuf, Hazrat Yusuf, Imam-i Mustawda`, Hazrat Ya`qub, Flying sedan, Throne of Sulayman, Kingdom, Subtle Body
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Ya `Ali Madad!
Today I write an educational letter or an extremely desirable article in the quiet and peaceful environment of the early hours of the morning, to my beloved `azizan of pure Misgar (a village in Hunza, near the border of China). This special letter which is as a reward or a souvenir for excellent work, God willing, will be useful and a source of happiness in connection with fundamental wisdom. In accomplishing this by the will of the True Lord, the power of faith and the souls of the sincere jama`at of the village of Misgar are with me. For, the pure souls of that village under the luminous rain of heavenly love have been purified and are chosen by God, the Holy. Since they have rendered many services to and sacrifices for Khanah-yi Hikmat, I am sure that this sincere letter, which is not less than an address of welcome, will please, not only the `azizan of Misgar, but also the other `azizan of Pakistan and those of London, France, America and Canada. I hope after reading it in the majlis, they will keep a record of it.
This story, related to knowledge and ma`rifat is truly marvellous. Here I want to discuss a Prophetic miracle, by going into its depth, opens not only an important door of recognition or ma`rifat of the Prophets and Imams, but the knowledge of those universal miracles which are going to appear in this world on a large scale, can also be attained. And this wisdom-filled story is about the miraculous shirt of Hazrat Yusuf (May peace be through him). Thus, the shirt which he sent from Egypt to his father Hazrat Ya`qub (May peace be through him) in Canaan, was not made of any physical worldly cloth, but was the juththah-yi ibda`iyyah, which is full of God's pre-eternal and post-eternal miracles, and the commands of "Be! and it is" (kun fa-yakun). That is, it was the heavenly subtle body, which by Divine power is ever-reaching and all-embracing. Alas! many people are unaware of such secrets.
It should be remembered that Hazrat Yusuf (May peace be through him) was the mustawda` (entrusted) Imam in his time. He had received Imamat from his father in an unusual way, namely, before the usual time. For, in this also lies a great wisdom that sometimes the light of Imamat becomes transferred before the normal time.
It should also be remembered well that the sacred light has many different aspects. That is, the light is one, but it has many relationships. If this light is that of God, the Prophet and `Ali on the one hand, on the other, it is the light of the Imam of the time and his forefathers. Thus the light is sometimes called "son" and sometimes "father". This light of guidance in the blessed forehead of the Imam in the position of forefathers, describes the events and conditions of the past, and as the descendants of the Imam, also sheds light on matters of the future.
The brothers of Hazrat Yusuf (May peace be through him) in ta'wil are hudud-i din, who work in astral particles. And it is they who bring and take away the heavenly shirt of the exalted Imam. This is why Hazrat Yusuf (May peace be through him) told his brothers (i.e. the hudud-i din): "Take this my shirt and cast it on my father's face, he will become (again) a seer" (12:93). No worldly shirt is so miraculous that by it, eyes may gain the sight which they had lost, except a shirt which is made by the Divine hand, and in which the Divine miracle of "Be and it is", works. Such a shirt is only a heavenly shirt, for it is the fountainhead of all miracles. In the story of this shirt are hidden other ta'wili secrets too.
Hazrat Ya`qub sensed the fragrance of Hazrat Yusuf long before the shirt was despatched to him. When he disclosed this, the people of the house ridiculed him. This means that the blessed fragrance was of a spiritual nature and therefore was sensed by Hazrat Ya`qub only, otherwise the others would have equally shared this feeling. This shows that the astral or luminous body of the Imam is true.
Now we proceed further towards greater ta'wili subtleties. The Imam of the time, as the Perfect Man, is the name of a pure personality and a complete soul, which the Holy Qur'an calls the Single Soul (nafs-i wahidah, 6:98; 31:28). This great soul or light is there for the purpose that people may merge in it and become alive in the true sense. This clearly means that mu'mins must annihilate themselves in the blessed light of the pure Imam, so that they may be alive in his astral body. And this annihilation is hidden in real obedience to and true love for the Imam of the time.
On how mu'mins can be contained and become eternally alive in the astral body of the Imam, it is said in the Wise Qur'an: "And He made for you shirts to protect you from the heat and shirts to protect you from the war. Thus He completes His favour upon you so that you may be protected" (16:81).
Here the verse clearly means that it is addressed to believers and mu'mins and this special Divine favour also belongs to them. But physically speaking where is the shirt, which can protect us from every kind of heat and in this age which is the shirt that can protect us from nuclear war? Can a Muslim say (God forbid) that such teachings of the Qur'an have now become obsolete? Thus, from this explanation the ta'wili reality becomes clear that these miraculous shirts are subtle bodies which are affected neither by heat nor by any weapon. They are the miraculous shirts made by the Divine hand.
If someone wants to be blessed by listening to the ta'wili realities, then he has to accept the principle that the Wise Qur'an has explained one reality in manifold examples (17:89). Thus, about Hazrat Sulayman's spiritual kingdom, it is said that the wind was made subservient to him (38:36). By the wind is meant the subtle body, which is subtle and omnipresent like wind and is commonly called takht-i Sulayman or the flying sedan of Solomon. Now, the question arises whether this flying sedan was granted only to Hazrat Sulayman (May peace be through him)? If not, how can the mu'mins in general benefit from it? The answer to this question is given by the Qur'an itself: "And He has given you of all that you asked Him; and if you count Allah's favours, you will not be able to number them." (14:34). The meaning is absolutely clear that if mu'mins follow the footsteps of the Perfect Men, Divine mercy is going to favour them beyond their expectations and they are going to get the thrones (sedans) of the subtle bodies.
Reflect on this for a while and tell me what is the difference between Sulayman's throne and the throne of Paradise (which every mu'min will receive), or which of the two is superior, as mentioned in verse (76:13): "Reclining therein upon couches, they will find there neither (heat of) a sun nor bitter cold". You see that from this teaching also gleams the same reality which is hidden in the shirts which protect from heat and war (16:81). Now let us discuss Sulayman's throne. If it is accepted that it was the subtle body, living and adorned with the gems of intellect and knowledge, then it is the same throne of eternal Paradise. Otherwise, what is the value of a throne in this short-lived world, when today the people of the world also fly in the air in aeroplanes. In this connection, again we resort to the Qur'an and find there the saying of Hazrat Sulayman himself: "He (Sulayman) said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower (abundantly)" (38:35). This shows that in the eyes of Hazrat Sulayman, worldly sovereignty had no importance at all, therefore, he wanted an everlasting and eternal kingdom, which remains spiritually linked with him and which is not inherited by anybody else like a material throne and crown. At the end of this prayer, is mentioned the attributive name "Wahhab" or abundantly Bestower, in the presence of which it is not correct to suppose that Hazrat Sulayman did not wish that such a kingdom should be given to anybody else. Such a supposition does not accord with the exemplary manners of the noble Prophets.
Here it is necessary to know that in the religion of God, there is no room for a worldly kingdom, nor is it necessary. For, in religion, there is only the external and internal kingdom of God. You can see clearly in the Qur'an that during no Prophet's time was there such a king who ruled the religious law apart from the Prophethood or Imamat. For, the Divine vicegerency and heavenly sovereignty have always continued in this world, as it is said about the progeny of Ibrahim (May peace be through him): "For We bestowed upon the progeny of Ibrahim the Book and the Wisdom and We bestowed upon them a great Kingdom" (4:54). Another example of this spiritual kingdom can be found from Hazrat Talut (May peace be through him), who was the Imam before Hazrat Dawud. His spiritual knowledge and astral body are mentioned in the Qur'an as follows: "Indeed, Allah has chosen him above you, and has increased him extensively in knowledge and stature. Allah bestows His kingdom on whom He will. Allah is All-Embracing and All-Knowing" (2:47).
In this noble verse, with remarkable beauty, are mentioned two magnificent things of the rank of Imamat, which are granted by God, only to the Prophets and Imams. They are spiritual knowledge and the astral body. Thus, you can see in this verse that first is mentioned knowledge and then the body and it is also mentioned that both are increased extensively. A wise person knows that the physical body is not mentioned here, but that it is the description of the subtle body. God willing, we will discuss sometime in the future, U.F.O's also, for it is a burning question of the present time.
A humble slave of the Imam of the time,
Nasir Hunzai,
Misgar,
12th January, 1981.
London,
21st August, 1991.
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