The Ta'wili Secrets of Surah-yi Tin
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The translation of surah-yi Tin: "By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. By the fig and the olive. By Mount Sinai. And by this peaceful city. We did indeed create man in the best of stature (taqwim). Then We sent him back to the lowest of the low. Save those who (truly) believe and do good deeds (in the light of knowledge); for them is an everlasting reward. So, who henceforth will give the lie to you about the (day of) judgment? Is not Allah the wisest of all judges?" (95:1-8).
Ta'wil: There are three stages of ta'wil: The knowledge of certainty (cilmu'l-yaqin), the eye of certainty (caynu'l-yaqin), and the truth of certainty (haqqu'l-yaqin). Continue to acquire the knowledge of certainty from the precious books of the dignitaries of religion. It is the initial and key ta'wil. An extremely great treasure of the knowledge of ta'wil is called "Wajh-i Din". The four things by which God has sworn at the beginning of this surah are: Universal Intellect, Universal Soul, Natiq, and Asas. For details, see Wajh-i Din, chapter 11.
A special key wisdom of this magnificent surah is hidden in the word "taqwim". The literal translation of taqwim is: to make straight, to fix, to set in order. But a little reflection in the fifth verse: "Then We turned him back to the lowest of the low", shows that the meaning of taqwim is the ladder of ascension. It means that the spiritual creation of the Perfect Man takes place on the best ladder of ascent, because God is the Master of the spiritual ladders (70:3) and the Chief of the Prophets, Hazrat-i Muhammad, is the lord of micraj.
It is extremely important to understand the wisdom of the verse in surah-yi Ahzab (33:21), about the excellent example of the holy Prophet. One of the translations of this verse is: "Verily, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent pattern for the one who has hope in Allah and the last day, and remembers Allah abundantly" (33:21). The exegesis of this wisdom-filled verse is the hadith-i nawafil, because it mentions the spiritual creation of the Perfect Human Beings on the ladder of ascent, and the excellent model of the Prophet of Islam is for the same purpose. On the night of micraj, the holy Prophet attained the exalted rank of merging in Allah, which means that he was granted the Image of the Compassionate (surat-i Rahman) in the [world of] spacelessness (la-makan), despite which he returned to earth in the physical sense. Thus, in luminosity he was in the heavens and in corporeality on the earth.
You must think correctly in the light of the Qur'an, the prophetic traditions, intellect, and logic, what would be the state of spiritual elevation of those who attain the rank of merging in the Imam, merging in the Prophet and merging in Allah? Don't they enter the Sacred Sanctuary after ascending the ladder of ascent? Aren't they granted the Image of the Compassionate? Don't forget the hadith-i nawafil, and also conceive that God is the hidden treasure in which there are but secrets. If you become in the Image of the Compassionate after reaching the paradise of the forehead, would this event take place within the limits of time and space, or would it transcend them? This question is necessary because if the Image of the Compassionate is to be bestowed upon you in the [world of] spacelessness, it is one of the secrets of azal and the eternal secret.
During the personal and spiritual resurrection of every Perfect Man, God raises all souls on the ladder of ascension and asks them to confess His lordship (rububiyyat): "Am I not your Lord?" (7:172). These are things of the kingdom of the personal world and are preserved, but all human beings are physically sent back to the lower world (calam-i sufli) because this world is the tillage for the hereafter.
Read again the previous article (i.e., Human Reality and its Shadow). The true reality of a human being is indeed in the higher world (calam-i culwi), and its shadow is on the earth. This concept may help to understand the wisdom of surah-yi Tin. Therefore, my sincere suggestion to all beloved friends is to derive maximum benefit from the knowledge of certainty, for in it are the secrets of the truth of certainty. Therefore, continue to acquire the gems of the truth of certainty through the knowledge of certainty. What a great trial it is that some people run away from this knowledge!
Karachi Friday 5 Jumada al-Awwal 1419 AH / 28 August 1998
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