Spiritual Honey = The Knowledge of Ta'wil
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1. The most marvellous and wonderful, and the most delicious and exquisite of all external and physical bounties is honey, which is the most nutritious food as well as the most beneficial medicine. Not only can you read about the properties and characteristics of honey in the authentic books of medicine, but it is also the best remedy according to the sacred medicine of the Qur'an and Hadith. The process by which the honeybees produce honey under the control of Divine power is extremely amazing and unique. The whole system of honeybees is rare, extraordinary, astonishing and unparalleled for the reason that it is an example of a great spiritual miracle, and that is the greatest miracle of making spiritual honey.
2. The miracle of tanzil belongs to Natiq, and the miracle of ta'wil belongs to Asas, for he is the hujjat of Natiq. Imam also has this miracle [of ta'wil] because he is the hujjat of Asas, and Bab too has this miracle because he is the hujjat of Imam, so that the door of knowledge and wisdom may never be closed. Thus, the honeybee mentioned in surah-yi Nahl (16:68-69) symbolises the above-mentioned hierarchs (hudud). However, the entire service of making the honey of ta'wil in spirituality is performed by the souls of mu'min men and women, just like the system of physical honeybees. This shows that the true mu'mins are externally and internally connected to ta'wil in such a way that they can never be separated from it.
3. Translation of the verses (16:68-69): "And your Lord inspired the honeybee, saying: 'Make your houses in the mountains and in the trees and in tall habitations which they (i.e., human beings) make. Then eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your lord, which have been made easy (for you). There comes forth from their bellies a drink of diverse hues, in which is healing for humankind. Indeed, therein is a sign for those who ponder".
4. Ta'wil: Your Lord inspired the Asas to make his dwelling place in the mountains, trees and roofs of the Sacred Sanctuary for the sake of ta'wili wisdom. Then eat of every fruit of knowledge and wisdom, and after becoming the fountainhead of ta'yidi knowledge of your Lord, follow His ways. From the batin [i.e., intellect] of the master of ta'wil manifest various ta'wils, in which there is a universal cure for [all] spiritual diseases of humankind. Surely there is a great miracle in it for those who reflect.
5. Question: Why is it necessary to turn to the Sacred Sanctuary for the knowledge of ta'wil? Answer: Because it is cIlliyyin, in it are the Divine treasures, the Throne and the Dais, the Pen and the Tablet, the book of everything (kullu shay'). The whole universe is enfolded in it, and in it God enfolds and unfolds. It is the place of the Truth of Certainty (haqqu'l-yaqin), it is the paradise that has been brought nearer, in it is the single Light (nur-i wahid) of the Universal Intellect, Universal Soul, Natiq and Asas. It is the place where the pure tree always bears fruits. In it are the hidden book, the hidden treasure, the secrets of azal and abad, the pure tree, the lote tree (sidrah), the olive tree (zaytun), the Sublime Similitude (mathalu'l-acla), the Divine word, the Divine vision, and the merging in Allah.
6. In it are the higher world, Monoreality, the mount of Tur, the mount of Intellect, the demonstration of the Pearl of Intellect, and the world of Oneness. In it are the Mother of the Book (Ummu'l-kitab), the world of command, the ancient house (baytu'l-catiq), and the prosperous house (baytu'l-macmur). It is the place (maqam) of Ibrahim and the place of micraj. In it are the vision and recognition of Allah's countenance, the unprecedented generosity of God's hand, the mirror of the spirit of the Qur'an, the treasure of the secrets of the Furqan, the pre-eminence of the light of Muhammad, and the reality of the light of cAli. There is the city of knowledge, the house of wisdom, the centre of the personal world, the station of "Am I not?". In short, this is a very succinct exegesis of how everything is encompassed in the manifest Imam.
7. This chest of rare gems is a gift for all friends. The friend who loves spiritual knowledge the most will be the happiest with this precious chest. May God create in everyone the love for knowledge, may it awaken everyone, make them restless and yearn for it, and may it finally be everybody's good fortune [to attain it], Amin, Ya Rabba'l-calamin!
Karachi 9 September 1998
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