Qur'ānic Mountain and Gems
Tags:
By the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Just as physical gems are hidden in the hearts of mountains of this material world, similarly, religious gems are hidden in the Qur'ānic and spiritual mountains. Qur'ānic mountains mean those which are mentioned in the wise Qur'ān and in reality, they are the mountains of religion and spirituality, as God says in verse (7:143): "Thus when God manifested [His] theophany on the mountain, it was smashed into smithereens and Moses fell down unconscious." Every word of the Divine speech comprises many meanings and here it should be understood that the spiritual life of a Perfect Human Being is a chain of spiritual and intellectual manifestations. However, these manifestations have two centers: the center of spirit and the center of intellect. Thus, first the Divine light manifested on the mountain of soul and fragmented the frozen soul and when the appropriate time came, the same light fragmented the mountain of intellect into pieces. Since the Intellect is indivisible, the meaning of its fragmenting is that although it is one, it can represent multiplicity in every way. Ḥaz̤rat-i Mūsā was extremely bewildered at both places, his bewilderment is likened to unconsciousness. According to its wisdom-filled habit, the Qur'ān mentions together the spiritual and intellectual manifestations. Also, note that in this world when an earthquake occurs in a mountain or a volcano erupts, it results in their breaking up and being demolished. Contrary to this, the fragmenting of the mountain of soul is a source of mercy, that as an example all souls are created from one soul and thus the personal world becomes prosperous. This same example is also that of the mountain of intellect where one intellect represents all intellects.
The holy Qur'ān repeatedly draws attention to the reality that nothing is without a pair. Thus, there is an external mountain, which is an example (mis̱ āl), and an internal mountain that is its reality (mams̱ ūl). Just as physically, there are two types of mountains:
one comparatively less beneficial and the other, very beneficial, similarly, internally there are two types of mountains: spiritual and intellectual. It is well known that the soul is better by many degrees than the body, and the intellect ranks higher than the soul.
One ta'wīl of the mountain is Ḥujjat, as said to Ḥaz̤rat-i Abraham in Sūrah of al-Baqarah, verse (2:260): "Take four birds and cause them to incline unto you (cut them up into pieces), and then place a part of them on each mountain and then call them; they will come to you running." The ta'wīl is for Ḥaz̤rat-i Abraham to exert influence upon all the Ḥujjats of all the islands through the collective spirituality of the four closest Ḥujjats, and for each of them [Ḥujjats of islands] to be present at the place [of resurrection] with the army of souls of every mountain. Thus here, the four birds mean four closest Ḥujjats and the mountains Ḥujjats of islands.
It is mentioned in the glorious Qur'ān that the mountain was suspended over the children of Israel (7:171, 2:63, 2:93, 4:154). This means the rising of the mountain of soul and intellect above their heads. However, it is not necessary for every individual of the children of Israel to see this inner miracle with their physical eye, because this event is related to spirituality and the world of particles in which all of the children of Israel were unconsciously present in the form of particles.
It is mentioned in Sūrah of Ḥas̲h̲r, verse (59:21): "Had We sent down this Qur'ān on a mountain, you would have certainly seen it humbled and rent asunder for fear of God. These examples are mentioned for people to reflect upon." The word "mutaṣaddic" means that which splits or divides in two. Thus, it is a fact and reality that the demonstration of the above-mentioned example of the light of the Qur'ān takes place on the mountain of the soul and intellect of the Perfect Man because practical ta'wīl is impossible without this.
In human existence, bones are like mountains, particularly the head, which is the highest part of the body is the mountain of the personal world. Thus, the bones of every Perfect Man during the individual
resurrection, i.e., spirituality, recite tasbīḥ, as mentioned about Ḥaz̤rat-i Dāwūd (21:79, 34:10, 38:18), that the mountains and birds were reciting tasbīḥ with him. Here, mountains mean bones, and birds are souls. With this magnificent echo and harmony, the Divine remembrance, which becomes automatic, rises towards the head.
It is mentioned in the wise Qur'ān in verse (16:81): "And God has made for you the shadows of all creatures and has made places to hide in the mountains and has made for you such shirts to protect you from the heat and such shirts to protect you from war." A mu'min's soul is not confined in the present body. It being simple (basīṭ) is everywhere, particularly those Ḥujjats of twelve islands, who are mountains where there are aknān for the mu'mins, i.e., places of refuge. Thus, the upper end, i.e., the Higher 'I,' of a mu'min's soul is in the Imām of the time and Qā'imu'l-Qiyāmat. The Imām of the time protects from the fire of ignorance and Ḥaz̤rat-i Qā'im safeguards from the spiritual war.
It is mentioned in Sūrah of Mursalāt, verses (77:25-27): "Have We not made the earth a receptacle for the living and the dead, and placed therein high mountains and given you sweet water therein to drink?" There are two types of people in the earth of spirituality: some of them have the soul of faith and some who do not. Similarly, some are alive and some are dead. The lofty mountains on earth mean the Ḥujjats of twelve islands, who live in astral body and are treasures of knowledge of Imāmat (15:21), the sweet water of knowledge of Imāmat comes from these same living mountains.
In Sūrah of Mu'minūn, verse (23:20), God says: "And (We created) a tree [of olive] that springs forth from Sinai that grows with oil and relish for the eaters." Ṭūr means a mountain, and Sayna' or Sīnīn mean beautiful, splendor. Therefore, Ṭūr-i Sīnā means beautiful and splendid mountain, which means the mount of Pearls which, being the Light of Intellect, is extremely beautiful and splendid. Further, the Olive tree is at this place, that is, the luminous body (paykar-i nūr) in the oil, whose Words (kalimāt), are the source of light and the complete nourishment of intellect and knowledge.
In Sūrah of Maryam, verse (19:52) God says: "And We called him [Moses] from the right side of the Mount (aṭ-ṭūru'l-ayman) and We made him closest for communion." Here, the word aṭ-ṭūru'l-ayman is polysemous, i.e., it has more than one meaning: 1) The mountain of the right side or the right side of the mountains. 2) The blessed mountain. Although here three mountains are mentioned together, i.e., the physical mountain, the blessed head of Ḥaz̤rat-i Mūsā, and the mount of Intellect, nonetheless in the true sense 'right side' cannot be applied to the physical mountain; it is rather used for the human head. Similarly, it is also true that the blessed is the Mount of Intellect whereas the physical mountain is simply an example.
Almighty God says in verse (50:1): "By Qāf (Mountain) and by the glorious Qur'ān." In this verse, the Lord of honor swears by the Mount of Intellect, which is the spiritual Mountain of Qāf, as well as the Qāf of the Pen. Then He swears by the Guarded Tablet, in which is the glorious Qur'ān, as mentioned in verses (85:21-22): "Nay! It is the glorious Qur'ān [written] on a Guarded Tablet." Another name for Pen is Universal Intellect, and the Universal Soul is the Guarded Tablet.
Just as the word Qāf means 'mountain', it is also the name of a letter: ق. Now, there should be a relationship between 'mountain' (Qāf) and the letter Qāf (ق). That relationship is at the place of the mountain of Qāf, i.e., the Mount of Intellect, all those words of the wise Qur'ān are mentioned which end with the letter Qāf such as: ḥaqq, ṣidq, falaq, raqq, zahūq, waraq, catīq, saḥīq, Isḥāq, sābiq, etc, and extremely great wisdoms are hidden in such words.
An example of the above-mentioned words is in verse (17:81): "And say: Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Verily, falsehood has to vanish." You can see in this wisdom-filled verse that the last letter of the word ḥaqq is 'Qāf' and on the other hand, the last letter of the word zahūq, which is a name of falsehood, is also 'Qāf.' Thus, having 'Qāf' at the end of these words alludes to the reality that the affirmation of the ḥaqqu'l-yaqīn i.e., the truth of certainty and the vanishing of falsehood, happens at the place of the Intellect, which can be observed today as well as tomorrow.
Another example is mentioned in verse (67:3): "Who (God) created the seven heavens corresponding one to another, you do not see any difference in the creation of the Compassionate (al-Raḥmān)." In this sacred verse, there are three words which end with the letter Qāf. From this allusion, it is clear that these are the seven heavens of the world of Intellect and they are like one another, none smaller or larger than the other. This means that they are one only, but the seven instantaneous (ibdācī) manifestations are the seven heavens. The correct meaning of the word ṭibāq is correspondence instead of one above the other.
A huge mountain and a small stone have the same meaning for the sake of analogy and parable of the world of intellect, because it is the place of true equity and oneness. Thus, in the time of Ḥaz̤rat-i Mūsā, the sacred stone from which twelve springs gushed forth is the mount of Intellect. This was Ḥaz̤rat-i Mūsā's greatest intellectual and spiritual miracle that by striking the mount of Intellect with the staff of the Supreme Name, he caused to flow the twelve ranks of springs of knowledge and wisdom, that is, his twelve Ḥujjats were the twelve springs of spiritual knowledge (2:60, 7:160, 26:63).
It is mentioned in Sūrah of Baqarah, verse (2:74): "Among rocks are those from which streams flow; and there are those which split asunder and water gushes forth; as well as those that fall down for fear of God." The Pearl of Intellect is addressed in three ways in this blessed verse. First, at the level of truth of certainty, from it (the Pearl of Intellect) flows the canals of paradise, which are controlled by the Divine Word. Secondly, at the level of the eye of certainty, spiritual knowledge is attained from the demonstration of this Pearl. Thirdly, in this physical world, every mu'min who harbors the fear of God in his heart is benefiting from the mount of Intellect in the form of the knowledge of certainty. A symbol of knowledge at this level is of precious gems tumbling from the mountain of gems.
What can be said about the universal grandeur and eminence of Intellect, which Almighty Allāh, by making it His Pen, appointed
it the fountainhead of Divine knowledge, oriented all the similes and parables of the wise Qur'ān towards it, spread its subject and discourse in the entire heavenly book (Qur'ān)! He made it the axis of the recognition of the oneness of God (tawḥīd), made it the standard of reality and the balance of justice. Thus, it is the Intellect which is the rotation of the heavens; the radiation of the sun, moon and stars; the final fruit of the effort of all human beings; the essence of the universe and existents; the unique Pearl of the unbounded ocean of existence.
Countless wisdoms are hidden at the sublimity of the spirit and spirituality and at the center of knowledge, and in a way in which the Intellect by Divine power manifests and the concept of the beginning and end of creation ceases by the repetition of its manifestations. The concept of the eternal circle becomes evident instead of azal and abad. There is nothing beyond this domain.
31st January, 1984
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