Relationship of Knowledge and Spirituality
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May the Lord grant success and eminence of both worlds to my very dear Naṣru'llāh, Vice President of K̲h̲ānah-yi Ḥikmat, and to my beloved daughter Amina!
I say Yā `Alī Madad to you from the depth of a heart which has seen innumerable wonders, marvels and countless miracles of the light of Islām. Both of you cazīzān are my God-given children.
One child hardly performs beneficial work for the religion and the world after thousands of hardships taken by its parents. Another child is granted by the infinite grace of the Sustainer of the world. Such a child is granted from the heaven without any hardship. According to me this concept is a solid fact because I uphold not only the relationship of souls, but also see their unity very closely.
In every skill and profession of this world, the teacher and the student are like father and son because the soul of the skill which is created in the student is derived from the teacher, particularly the soul of knowledge is a living reality. Therefore, undoubtedly a teacher and a student love each other like a father and a son. This relationship which is unbreakable is very dear.
Our spiritual relationship with the true Imām is the most supreme and unique and no other relationship can be compared with it. Nevertheless, in the beginning [of this relationship], minor things appear in which there is Divine expediency and wisdom.
The relationships which we, the murīds have with the light of Imāmat, are not all apparent today. Only some of them are apparent. Among them one special relationship is that the Imām is our light and soul (57:12, 17:85). The exalted Imām is the light of mu'mins in the sense Allāh has said: "Nūruhum" (57:12, i.e., the light of mu'mins). This is not a common relationship, rather it is a special
one, in order to understand which, it is necessary to reflect upon the above-mentioned noble verse. The Imām is our own soul because of the fact that this very light is the soul with which our relationship is mentioned. Further, the proof of the Imam being our own soul is that the vegetative soul is the soul of minerals, therefore it should be transferred to the vegetables. The higher soul of vegetables is the animal soul and therefore it is necessary to merge in the animals. The higher soul of an animal is the human soul and in order to merge in it, it is necessary for it to be sacrificed. The supreme soul of human beings is the Perfect Man, and in order to be merged in him, the two necessary things are true knowledge and good deeds.
According to the language of wisdom of the Qur'ān and the hidden knowledge of spirituality, the Imām is the heart of a mu'min. The heart means the soul and the Higher 'I'. Through this key concept, many secrets of the Qur'ān and ḥadīs̱ , can be disclosed which are special for mu'mins.
"They were the lovers of their own soul." These are the wisdom-filled words of a blessed farmān. This means that the Imām is the supreme soul of mu'mins. In this meaning, the love for the Imām by our dignitaries of religion was the love for themselves. As Pīr Nāṣir-i K̲h̲israw has said: "Pas-ū pīs̲h̲-ū nihān-ū ās̲h̲kār ūst S̲h̲ināsā-yi k̲h̲ẉud-ū parwardagār ūst"
He (the human reality) is the last, the first, the hidden and the manifest. He is the recognizer of himself and the recognized one."
24th April, 1984
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