Two Questions from America
Tags:
My very dear Noordin, may K̲h̲udāwand grant you honor in both worlds!
With true love of the heart and soul, I say Yā `Alī Madad to you and other cazīzān and pray abundantly as a darwīs̲h̲. May the Lord accept them, Āmīn!
I wish to be sacrificed numerous times after witnessing you cazīzān progressing spiritually and in knowledge in a short period in a country like America with its tempestuous material progress. My humble heart says that the holy and pure Imām is very happy with you; the various signs of it are obvious. For example:
You are granted a special feeling and awareness that you should endeavor more and more for knowledge and cibādat and to progress further using humility and modesty. You have been successful in every aspect in the search for means of knowledge, and now the only thing left is to store the wealth of knowledge. Divine favor has bestowed upon you [the ability] to perform the best service which you have been performing. You have become a devoted friend and helper of those who spread the light of true knowledge on this earth and who are such friends that they love you like their own soul or even more. With each day, your interest in knowledge and cibādat is increasing and you await all the time to receive a fresh fruit or flower of knowledge and wisdom or such a letter, article or book in which there are the secrets of the exalted Imām. You have received Divine favor in the form of love for religion and an eagerness to attend the house of the holy Lord and to take advantage of the great wisdoms of the communal soul. In addition, remain connected to the sources of special knowledge. Praise belongs to Allāh, all these characteristics are
found within you.
My dear Noordin, the dream which you mentioned to my very dear cAzīz Muḥammad, President of cĀrif, is a luminous dream which alludes to the beginning of spiritual progress because spiritual ascension is based on the four souls: vegetative, animal, human and the holy Spirit. Yes indeed, the observation of spiritual progress begins with the vegetative soul. Related to this destination, the wise Qur'ān mentions about Ḥaz̤rat-i Maryam: "And He made her grow with a graceful growth." (3:37).
The ta'wīl of this is that during her initial progress in baytu'l-k̲h̲ayāl, she used to see beautiful things such as gardens and flower beds growing in her dream and thoughts. This is a sign of traversing the destination of the vegetative soul. However, one thing to remember is that such scenes can be seen in future as well because things initially appear in an order and then everything is observed as desired, which is the law of paradise (50:35).
In this regard, I am sending you my cazīzān a copy of another article "Five Questions from London", which I may not have sent you previously, so that you may take advantage of this as well. Among these questions, one is asked by my dear cAbdu'r-Raḥmān about a luminous dream which is similar to yours. I hope you cazīzān will be happy by Divine mercy.
I have received another question from you which is about the verse (2:28): "How can you disbelieve in God, when you were dead, then He gave you life. Then He causes you to die, then He shall again give you life, then unto Him you will be returned?"
The above question is not complete because, as far as I understand, the fundamental question is indeed hidden in "kuntum amwātᵃⁿ" meaning 'you were dead.' What is the wisdom in saying 'you were dead', although generally it is deemed that a human being was nothing before the present life? Had this concept been correct, the wise Qur'ān would have said 'you were nothing. However, when the word 'kuntum' which is 'you were' is mentioned in a wisdom-
filled book like the Qur'ān, it becomes incumbent to reflect upon and ask about it because the Arabic language and that of the wise Qur'ān have no kind of constraint in the expression of meanings. We can express this question in this way as well, that when a man dies physically, people say 'so-and-so died', or they say 'he died'. This is exactly like "kuntum amwātᵃⁿ," meaning "you were dead" because when a human being dies, concerning his original existence he is both 'dead' and 'was' because the proof of death is the body which perishes in the future and that of 'is' or 'was' is the soul which exists but is separated from the body.
However, the answer to this question is that human beings always travel without a beginning or an end between merging and surviving in such a way that, at times, they are called dead and sometimes alive. These two statements are correct in many senses. However, in this statement, death and merging do not mean absolute 'nothingness;' in fact, there is a fixed timespan for the life of every living creature. Similarly, for human life and survival, there is also a limit. Thus, if someone is below this limit, he is dead in the sense of being an animal, and if he has advanced beyond this limit, he is dead in the sense of becoming an angel, as it is said in [a Ḥadīs̱ ]: "Die before death." Moreover, in verses (55:26-28) merging in God (fanā' fi'llāh) and survival in God (baqā' bi'llāh) is mentioned. Thus, the death mentioned in "kuntum amwātᵃⁿ" was not absolute death but rather such a life of the world of Command in which there is soul but no knowledge.
There is another ta'wīlī aspect to this noble verse which is "Oh mu'mins, how can you be ungrateful to Allāh even though you did not have the soul of remembrance, worship and the knowledge of true religion. Then He gave you this soul and revived you. Then will come to you the destination of cIzrā'īl, in which there is the death of the [carnal] soul. He will revive you by the light of knowledge and wisdom, and then as a result, you will reach God."
Dear Noordin, please convey my Yā `Alī Madad to your dear friends. I hope this letter related to knowledge will be read in the circle of friends. Also, its copies will be sent to the headquarters and all the
branches of K̲h̲ānah-yi Ḥikmat and cĀrif. It is our principle that our letter is in the form of an article related to knowledge, therefore some time has been spent on it and it is written with responsibility. Eventually, these very letters will become a part of a permanent book. Hence, this letter is related to knowledge and is historical.
Praying for you, Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai
Sūrah of Qiyāmat (Resurrection)
By the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Nay, I swear by the Day of Resurrection (i.e., spirituality); 2) and nay, I swear by the censuring soul (that inᵐbicās̱ is true). 3) Does a human being think We shall not put his bones together (after decaying)? Bones mean the subtle particles which, by being together, become the subtle body (jism-i mis̱ ālī). 4) Indeed, We can remold his phalanges. There are twenty-eight phalanges in both hands, which represent twenty-eight Ḥujjats. Four phalanges of the two thumbs are examples of the four closest Ḥujjats. The remaining twenty-four phalanges exemplify the remaining twenty-four Ḥujjats of day and night to whom the twelve islands belong because the relationship of the human spiritual life, survival and individual resurrection is with the subtle particles, Ḥujjats of day and night and the exalted Imām.
5) Yet, a human being wishes to do evil during the time in front of him. 6) He asks: When will the day of resurrection be? 7) So when the eyes will be dazzled. That is, the eyes will be dazzled by the intense light of spirituality. 8) The moon will be eclipsed, that is, the position of the spiritual traveler, which had started to shine like the full moon, will be dimmed once again, as has already been mentioned that first there is spiritual birth, then the death of the carnal soul and finally there is inᵐbicās̱ . 9) And the sun and the moon will be brought together, that is that, at that time, the 'I' of the spiritual traveler (sālik) will merge in the holy and pure Imām, having reached the supreme Ḥujjat on the ladder of the hierarchs of religion. The very same is his inᵐbicās̱ . 10) On that day, a human being will say: "Where to flee?" That is to say, inᵐbicās̱ is related to the soul and 'I'; however, as long as the body is alive, it has to undergo severe kinds of difficulties, the example of which can be found in the pure lives of the Prophets(ṣ). 11) No, indeed, [there will be] no refuge. 12) On that day, recourse shall be to your Lord. That
is, temporary salvation from physical calamities and afflictions in this life and lasting salvation after death can be attained in the presence of God.
13) On that day man will be told of what he has sent before and left behind. 14) Nay, man will be aware of his own state, that is, in conscious resurrection, everything will be divulged from the record of deeds, which is the speaking Book. In this sense, man can see all of his states with his inner eye. 15) Even though he may offer his excuses.
16) (O Prophet), do not move your tongue with it, [i.e., the revelation to memorize it quickly] to hasten it. In this verse there is also guidance about the holy Prophet's ism-i acẓam and remembrance of the heart. 17) Indeed, its collection and recitation [in your heart] is Our responsibility. That is, the holy Prophet(ṣ) recited ism-i acẓam with his spiritual tongue, not the physical one, and this tongue in reality is the angelic tongue in which the Qur'an was revealed to him. 18) So, when We recite it with Jibrā'īl's tongue, follow its recitation. 19) Then the explanation of [its ta'wīl] is also Our responsibility. That is, in every age there will continue to be the Teacher of the Qur'ān who will be the mu'awwil (= one who does ta'wīl) on behalf of God and the Prophet(ṣ).
20 & 21) Nay, but you love this fleeting life and leave the hereafter. That is, neglect the principle of spirituality. 22 & 23) On that day, faces will be resplendent looking towards their Lord. That is their greatest happiness because of the fact that, in a way, they will be able to see their Lord of Honor and recognize Him. 24) And on that day, faces will be scowling. 25) Thinking that some back-breaking calamity will be inflicted upon them. This alludes to the indigence in knowledge and recognition.
26 & 27) Nay, when it reaches the throat, and it is said, who is an enchanter? 28) And he thinks that it is the parting. This [verse] mentions both the spiritual and physical deaths. 29 & 30) And due to the agony of death, one leg is intertwined with the other, and on that day unto your Lord shall be the driving.
31) For he neither affirmed (the Book of God) nor prayed. Affirmation is through the most truthful one (Asās = `Alī), and affirmation means to follow the ta'wīl of the Asās and the ta'wīl of namāz is the relationship with the pure Imāms, 32 & 33) but he denied and flaunted the faith, and he arrogantly went to his household. 34 &35) Yes, woe to you! Again, woe unto you, yes, woe! 36) Does man think that he will be left to wander aimlessly? That is, even if a person is destroyed in the fire of ignorance, the law of mercy will still revive him. 37 & 38) Was he not an emitted drop of sperm? Then he was a clot of blood, then He created and perfected him. This verse not only mentions physical creation but also spiritual completion. 39) and then He made of him a pair of male and female. That is, from the same one light, He originated the Universal Intellect and Universal Soul. Also, from the same light Nāṭiq and the Asās were brought into existence. 40) Is He not able to revive every kind of dead? That is, it is certain that God will revive all the intellectual, spiritual and physical dead because He is omnipotent, Almighty Allāh.
Explanation: The wise Qur'ān frequently mentions such a resurrection which, on the one hand, is individual and on the other collective, because consciously it is the resurrection of one individual and unconsciously that of everyone. This means that resurrection takes place in the world of particles, where there is an extremely tremendous gathering in the form of particles of all the dead and the living ones. However, people are unaware of this [event] as mentioned in the Qur'an (6:94): "And indeed you have come to Us one by one as We created you at the first." In this wisdom-filled verse, leaving aside the collective resurrection, the individual resurrection is mentioned, and it is substantiated that as people come to this world one by one, similarly, they return to Almighty Allāh one by one at the highest level. A bright example is evident by the coming and returning of the Prophets and Imams at different times, one by one and separately. Peace.
5th April, 1984
| Chapter Index |