Du`a – Essence of `Ibadat Part Six - Sciences (ma`arif) of the Surah of Ikhlas (Purity, Sincerity)

Sciences (ma`arif) of the Surah of Ikhlas (Purity, Sincerity)

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

“Qul huwa'llahu ahad = Say (O Muhammad)! Allah is One (Monoreal);” Allahu's-samad = Allah (Monoreal) in His physical and spiritual manifestations of His attributes is everything; “Lam yalid = He has not begotten”. For the Monoreal Himself is an eternal and ever-pervading reality, therefore, He does not need children. Children are the need of an existent, which is mortal and not ever-reaching. That is, Monoreal does not give birth to another monoreal.

“Wa-lam yulad = And He has not been begotten”. For the Monoreal Himself is eternal. That is, He has always been there and will last forever. Therefore, it is impossible to think that this Monoreal has been created by anybody else. “Wa-lam yaku'l-lahu kufuwan ahad = And there is none equal to Him”. For this Monoreal in His essential attributes, diverse manifestations and colourful splendours, is extremely consummate and perfect.

In order to elucidate this, let us present a mathematical example. If we accept that all numbers are the manifestation of the number “one”, then it is true to say that in the world of numbers, number “one” is everything, for there is no number, which does not depend on number one for its existence. Thus it is evident that in counting and reckoning, the number “one” in reality does not depend on any other number. Nor has there been in reality any other number created from number “one”. Nor has the number “one” been created from any other number. Nor is there any other number equal to number “one”. For all numbers, in reality, are the different forms of number “one”. Thus the different examples of this number or Monoreal are described in the entire Qur'an, such as: “Wherever you turn there is Allah's essence (wajh)” (2:115). This all-embracing reality applies not only to directions, but also to the essence of things, as there is a manifestation of this reality in the essence of everything. For this wisdom-filled verse alludes to the infinity of the Monoreal and the word “wherever (ayn)” indicates infinite time, spacious universe and the essence of innumerable existents. Further, the “one who turns his face (mutawajjih)” is also related to time, space and the one who resides in the space. This means that there is a special manifestation of unity in the essence of everything. In other words the name of the essence of essences is Monoreal (wahdatu’l-wujud) or Allah.

This reality can be further elucidated by what the Qur'an says: “Everything is perishable except His essence” (28:88). Here what we have to reflect on is the use of the particle “except (illa)”, which is used in a sentence when someone wants to exempt one thing from the things of the same genus. That is, the thing because of its homogeneity is counted among other things, but because of its specific characteristic is exempt from the rest. This is the example of the essence of God or Monoreal that it is not separated from the inner subsistence of things, but their external annihilation cannot be applicable to it, therefore it is exempt from them. Nor do things perish at the same time and even the things that do perish, their luminous form and eternal figure abides in the Monoreality. Therefore, nothing decreases in this Monoreality at all. However, contrary to this, if we believe that in azal there was the essence of God, but there were no creatures, this would mean that there was a Creator, but without any creation and after billions of years, He created the creatures. In this case God would be contingent. That is, He changed from one state to another. That is, first He created nothing, then He created so many creatures. But this is impossible and untrue. That is, God is everything in His essence and attributes. This is the explanation of “huwa'l-kull” and “hamah ust” (He is everything) instead of which, here we have used “Monoreality (wahdat-i wujud)”. Thus “Qul huwa'llahu ahad” alludes to Monoreality, not to the individuality of a separate essence (from other existents). For in reality, the creation of multiplicity from the pure oneness (wahdat-i mahdh) is impossible. As Hadhrat Hakim Nasir-i Khusraw (may God sanctify his secret) says:

Makun dar sun`-i masnu`at rah gum
Za jaw jaw ruyad-u gandum za gandum

In the search of the reality of creatures do not lose the path;
(and remember the principle) that from barley grows barley and from wheat grows wheat.

This means that, in reality, multiplicity is not created from oneness or unity, but it is accepted only in a metaphorical sense. Nor does the question of the creation of anything else arise after accepting Monoreality as an eternal reality, except to accept the fact that it is the Monoreality, which is a multiplicity-like unity, just as water is the name of the unity of ocean, clouds, rain, stream, spring and every kind of wetness. Whether this wetness is in the air, or in vegetables, or in animals, yet in name, attribute, property, colour and taste of water, all are the same. If there is a difference in their acts it is because of their quantitative decrease and increase. Thus if the ocean through its clouds can pour down rain on the entire earth, whereas a drop cannot do this, it is because of the immense quantity of the ocean in which numerous drops work together. This is an example of the monoreality of water which is in the form of a circle and which is multiplicity-like unity.

“Allahumma bi-haqqi Muhammadini'l-Mustafa wa `Aliyyini'l-Murtadha wa-Fatimata'z-Zahra'i wa'l-Hasani wa'l Husayn; Allahumma bi-haqqi mawlana `Aliyy, mawlana’l Husayn, mawlana Zayni'l-`Abidin, mawlana Muhammadini'l-Baqir, mawlana Ja`farini's-Sadiq, mawlana Isma`il, mawlana Muhammadi'bni Isma`il, mawlana Wafiyy Ahmad, mawlana Taqiyy Muhammad, mawlana Radhiyyi'd-Dini `Abdi'llah, mawlana Muhammadini'l-Mahdiyy, mawlana'l-Qa'im, mawlana'l-Mansur, mawlana'l-Mu`izz, mawlana'l-`Aziz, mawlana'l-Hakimi bi-amri'llah, mawlana'z-Zahir, mawlana'l-Mustansiri bi'llah, mawlana Nizar, mawlana'l-Hadi, mawlana'l-Muhtadi, mawlana'l-Qahir, mawlana `Ala dhikrihi's-salam, mawlana A`la Muhammad, mawlana Jalali'd Dini Hasan, mawlana `Ala'i'd-Dini Muhammad, mawlana Rukni'd-Dini Khayr Shah, mawlana Shamsi'd-Dini Muhammad, mawlana Qasim Shah, mawlana Islam Shah, mawlana Muhammadi'bni Islam Shah, mawlana'l-Mustansiri bi'llah, mawlana `Abdi's-Salam, mawlana Gharib Mirza, mawlana Abi Dharr `Aliyy, mawlana Murad Mirza, mawlana Dhi'l-faqar `Aliyy, mawlana Nuri'd-Din `Aliyy, mawlana Khalili'llahi `Aliyy, mawlana Nizar, mawlana's-Sayyid `Aliyy, mawlana Hasan `Aliyy, mawlana Qasim `Aliyy, mawlana Abi'l-Hasan `Aliyy, mawlana Khalili'llahi `Aliyy, mawlana Shah Hasan `Aliyy, mawlana Shah `Aliyy Shah, mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah

Wa-bihaqqi mawlana wa-imamina'l-hadhiri'l-mawjudi Shah Karimi'l-Husayni irhamna wa'ghfir lana innaka `ala kulli shay'in qadir. Wa'l-hamdu li'llahi rabbi'l-`alamin = O Allah! for the sake of the chosen Muhammad, the selected `Ali, the radiant Fatimah, (Imam) Hasan and (Imam) Husayn; O Allah! for the sake of our lord `Ali (the names of Imams up to the present Imam) and for the sake of our lord and Imam, Shah Karim al-Husayni, have mercy on us and forgive us. Indeed, You are powerful over everything. And praise be to Allah, the Sustainer of the worlds”. “Allahumma laka sujudi wa-ta`ati = O Allah! my prostration and obedience is for You”.

28 Safar 1386 A.H. / 18 June 1966 A.D.

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