Hundred Questions - Some Symbols
Some Symbols
Q92 What is the ta'wil of these things:
- To do shah-didar,
- To pass the hand over the face after touching the ground with it,
- To say "hayy-u zindah" and "qayyum-u payindah" to the right and left sides,
- To burn an aloe stick,
- To keep a candle kindled?
A92 The ta'wil of parts (a), (b) and (May peace be through him) of your question have been explained in the answer to question No. 89; therefore, here we will try to explain only the ta'wil of burning an aloe stick and kindling a candle. The physical purpose of burning an aloe stick is that the environment of the Jama`at and the spiritual assembly should be made pleasant from its fragrance and the atmosphere of the House of God, which may have been disturbed and be displeasing should be turned into a pure, desirable and pleasant atmosphere. Its ta'wili wisdom is that the faithful servant should sacrifice his financial, physical and mental powers and provide ease and happiness for others, just as the aloe stick sacrifices its existence and refreshes and mellows the heart and mind of the people in the assembly.
Fragrance is a nice, useful and pleasant thing, which everybody likes. Most importantly the holy Prophet himself used to like it very much, because it implies sublime allusions of wisdom in addition to having physical comfort and pleasure. One of them is that although the substance of fragrance is not much, nonetheless it pleases many people. Similarly, a little good word and good deed of a mu'min pleases many people and their fragrance spreads and remains all over the world and never comes to an end.
Excellent work, progress and service, whether it is from a Jama`at or from individual members of the Jama`at, are like the fragrances of a garden and those who spread its fame are like the breeze, which carries and spreads them to the surroundings and perfumes the minds of those living there.
How many people can benefit from the little sacrifice of an insignificant aloe stick! The aloe stick becomes fana (annihilated) by burning down gradually, but the feeling and effect of its fragrance remain in many minds. The lesson of wisdom contained in this is that the annihilation (fana) of things does not mean that they absolutely become extinct and naught. Rather, it means that in the process of fana or annihilation, things change from one state into another state.
Similar allusions are also found in the burning and transforming of a candle into light. One of them is that just as only a few things can give fragrance or light in burning, in the same way it is only the true mu'mins whose sacrifices can prove to be acceptable and useful religiously and spiritually; and it is only such mu'mins who can annihilate their egos and transform them into luminosity, just as the candle annihilates and transforms itself into light.
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