Esoteric Invitation in the Story of Adam
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1. Extremely great secrets of the true mission (dacwat-i haqq) are hidden in the story of Hazrat-i Adam (the first natiq), as the wise Qur'an says: "And (remember that time) when your Lord said to the angels: 'Indeed I am going to appoint a vicegerent in the Earth'" (2:30). First Wisdom: This noble verse not only tells the story of the Adam of this cycle, but also alludes to all the Adams. Second Wisdom: "Arz" refers to the planet Earth as well as to the personal world, the universe, the Universal Soul, and the Universal Intellect. Third Wisdom: It is also an extremely great secret that the vicegerency of Adam was also in the heavens. God willing, we shall present its proof.
2. Since the eternal tradition of God remains the same and no change is ever possible in it, Divine vicegerency has to be eternal. It exists sometimes under the name of Prophethood (nubuwwat) and sometimes under the title of Imamat, but the chain of the great vicegerency continues forever in the world. The sign of its permanence is [hidden in the word] "arz", so as long as there is arz (earth, i.e., the world of humanity), the chain of the vicegerency of Adam will continue, because it [i.e., the vicegerency] means the light of guidance and people are always in dire need of guidance.
3. It is correct, as a first lesson, to consider the planet Earth as the sign of perpetuity and the limit of the vicegerency of Adam and his children. The teaching of the higher level is that God's earth as a whole is extremely vast, for every personal world, every planet, every star, the vast atmosphere, the universe, the Universal Soul and the Universal Intellect are all His earth and it is undoubtedly this very earth of God whose vast expanse is extolled in the wise Qur'an (29:56, 39:10). Thus, the great vicegerency is in reality God's own sovereignty, which is eternal, and in which lies a great trial of knowledge not only for human beings but also for angels.
4. The creation of Adam, as that of all other Perfect Men, took place in three stages: physical creation, spiritual creation, and intellectual creation. The last creation (i.e., intellectual creation) took place in the Sacred Sanctuary (hazirah-yi qudus), where God created him in the Image of the Compassionate and thus, he became the mirror of the Divine attributes. It was in this place that he taught the angels the knowledge of names (cilmu'l-asma'), and it was in this place that the angels prostrated themselves before him for the last time.
5. According to a prophetic tradition, it is a fact that the Qur'an has an exoteric aspect and an esoteric aspect. So why don't we first look for the esoteric aspect in the story of Adam, because that is where the invitation to the esoteric aspect begins? Every Natiq, every Asas, and every Imam is the Adam of his time, and God breathes into each of them His Spirit, just as He breathed His Spirit into the Adam of this cycle (15:29, 38:72). God's Spirit means His light. The same word (i.e., nafakha) is used [in the Qur'an] both for breathing of the spirit and for blowing the trumpet. The reason for this is that whenever the time comes for the breathing of the Holy Spirit in a Perfect Human Being, Hazrat-i Israfil blows the trumpet of resurrection. This is the greatest secret that is beyond the knowledge of the common people.
6. Four types of angels have been recognised: atomic angels, physical angels, spiritual angels, and universal angels (i.e., the celestial bodies). All these angels prostrated themselves in their own way before God's vicegerent Adam. Prostration actually means obedience. All angels prostrate themselves before every Prophet and Imam. This prostration is for the aforementioned Spirit, which is a living light. The greatest description of light is that it encompasses all the Divine attributes.
7. See surah-yi Al-cImran (3:33). God had chosen Adam, Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of cImran over all the people of the world. Here, this reality is evident, that even in the time of Adam there were people from whom he was chosen by God, and thus the case of the selection of Adam is like that of the other persons [mentioned in the verse]. Had there been no people at the time of Adam, the holy Qur'an would not have said this. The purpose of this selection was to ensure that the source of guidance, rectitude, knowledge and wisdom continues to exist for the people.
8. The invitation to the esoteric meaning in the story of Adam lies in the fact that the great vicegerency bestowed upon Hazrat-i Adam contained the secrets of the rank of Prophethood as well as those of the rank of Imamat. The prostration of the angels was in the sense of every kind of obedience and submission, and the angels who prostrated and obeyed were the mu'mins in particular. This shows that the secrets of the holy Prophet and the exalted Imam are hidden in the story of Adam.
9. Read carefully the subject of the Divine habit (sunnat-i Ilahi) in the wise Qur'an. See in particular the last verse of surah-yi Mu'min (40:85), so that you may know that God's tradition (habit) has continued unchanged and with the same glory in the personal worlds of His special servants. This means that the living realities and recognitions of Adam's vicegerency still exist today, and those believing men and women who wish to see them can see them in their own beings, that is, in their own personal worlds. This task is extremely difficult, but not impossible.
10. In ancient times, the worldly kings were called "zill-i Ilahi (God's shadow)", in which there was no reality. In fact, the reality is that every Prophet and every wali (i.e., Imam) is God's shadow in his time. However, it is important to remember that this shadow [of God] is luminous, for the sun does not have a shadow, but a reflection. Thus, God's shadow means the revealed light (nur-i munazzal, 5:15). You can see the noble verses related to God's shadow in surah-yi Furqan (25:45) and in surah-yi Nahl (16:81). Thus, the Perfect Human Being, who should really be called God's shadow (zill-i Ilahi), is the one who is also the locus of manifestation of Divine attributes as well as the mirror of His splendour.
11. It is certainly a great secret that the holy Lord had bestowed upon Hazrat-i Adam the vicegerency of the whole universe. This means that God enfolded all the heavens and the earth in the personal world of Hazrat-i Adam. This very act is also the subjugation of the universe (45:13). The Lord of the world had also taught him the knowledge of names (cilmu'l-asma'), in the light of which he saw how the attributive names [of God] did their work. For example, through the action of "al-Qabiz" the heavens and the earth unite and come together in God's fist, and through [the action of] "al-Basit" they return to their respective places to expand. This also reveals the secret of the joining together and the splitting apart (ratq-u fatq) of the heavens and the earth (21:30).
12. In the unique and eternal kingdom of God, there are two extremely astonishing things: the law of ranks (qanun-i darajat) and the law of equality (qanun-i musawat). Thus, whenever God enfolds the universe in the Sacred Sanctuary, everyone's equality (i.e., Monoreality) takes place in the Pearl of Intellect (gawhar-i caql), and when He unfolds it, infinite ranks are created. This shows that there are not only ranks in God's godhead, but also equality.
13. There are two kinds of Satans: Satans from among the human beings and Satans from among the jinns (6:112). God had made them the adversaries of every prophet, and there is great wisdom in this. The same law was also laid down for Hazrat-i Adam. Although the battle of Satans is extremely intense and full of mischief and wickedness, the friends of God are ultimately victorious.
14. One of several ta'wils of Adam, Hawwa and paradise is that the intellect and soul are the Adam and Hawwa in the personal world and the Sacred Sanctuary is the paradise. Now read the verse in the holy Qur'an: "And We said: 'O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in paradise, and eat freely thereof wherever you wish, but approach not this tree lest you be of the unjust'" (2:35).
15. You must have reflected on the cycle of water, that it is the "universal (kull)" of many of its particles. Moreover, one of the great characteristics of a whole or a universal is that it possesses a number of contrasting qualities. In the case of water, for example, it rises and yet falls at the same time. It is cold in one place and warm in another. It is both still and moving. It is frozen as well as flowing. It is a drop as well as a river. So, in the light of this evidence from the external world, I will say that Hazrat-i Adam came out of paradise with regard to the lower "I" (ana'-yi sufli), but remained in paradise with regard to the higher "I" (ana'-yi culwi). Remember! There is the greatest trial in the story of Adam.
Margala Towers, Islamabad Monday 14 Muharram al-Haram 1419 AH / 11 May 1998
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