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Precious Treasure - Ibda` and Inbi`ath

Ibda` and Inbi`ath

Tags: Ibda`, Inbi`ath, Sarabil, Flying Saucer, UFO

  1. The lexical meaning of ibda` is to originate, invent, devise, excogitate, innovate, make, do, produce, cause to be or to exist, bring into existence, newly, for the first time, not having been or existed before, and not as the similitude of anything pre-existing. The lexical meaning of inbi`ath is: to be sent out, be delegated, awaken, wake up, cause to rise, rise, appear quickly, walk quickly, resurrect. God willing, their ta'wil will be discussed in this article time and again.
  2. Regarding ibda` God says: "(It is He Who is) the originator (badi`) of the heavens and the earth and when a matter is complete, He but says to it 'Be' and it becomes" (2:117). Since according to the hadith "man `arafa nafsahu faqad `arafa rabbahu (s/he who recognizes their soul, recognizes God)", the main arena of acquiring recognition is the human soul, hence we must know that first and foremost whatever is said in this verse is related to the personal world.

    In this light, this humble servant who is less than the dust under the mu'mins' feet, seeks help and success from the luminous presence of the Holy Lord and with the hope of His help and aid is attempting to explain the above wisdom filled verse: The ta'wil of the above verse is that God, the Blessed and Exalted, originates ibda` in every Prophet and Imam's personal world as it ought to be originated. That is, God, the Knowing, the Wise, creates a world of command (`alam-i amr) in the blessed personality of the Perfect Man, which is entirely different from the world of creation. The world of command manifests in such a way that first, according to the law of nature, the physical creation of the Perfect Man's blessed personality is complete, then as a result of special dhikr-u `ibadat, knowledge and action his spiritual birth takes place, as mentioned in the wise Qur'an that Hazrat-i `Isa (May peace be through him), representing all Perfect Men, says: "And peace (salam) is upon me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I will be raised alive" (19:33). That is, 'I received light and Divine help when I was born and when the spiritual death (personal resurrection) will take place, I will have more spiritual wonders and marvels and when the inbi`ath (raising alive) occurs, I will receive the Divine help (ta'yid) of supreme miracles'. This reveals that (the creation) of the personal world of command of every Prophet and every Imam begins the day they are born spiritually and then as far as the conditions (umur) of knowledge and action are fulfilled, continue to be applied to him until the door of spiritual resurrection opens and the stages of spirituality continue to be traversed rapidly. This continues until the day the great miracle of inbi`ath appears in front of them. Thus, the Perfect Man undergoes five cycles:
    1. the cycle of the completion of physical creation,
    2. the cycle of spiritual birth,
    3. the cycle of the death of the animal soul (resurrection),
    4. the cycle of inbi`ath (raising alive) and
    5. the cycle of perfection (tamamiyyat), that is, the perfection and completion of light mentioned in the Qur'an (9:32; 61:8; 66:8).
    It is important to remember that the light gradually becomes perfect not only in the personal world, but also in the world of religion. Thus, the ta'wil of God being the Originator (badi`) of the heavens and earth is that He has created a world of command in the blessed personality of every Perfect Man and whose every action and everything happens under the law of "Be (kun)", although its complete and perfect manifestation takes place at the level of Intellect.
  3. It is said in verse (16:81): "And it is God Who made for you shadows of the things He has created and He made for you houses in the mountains, and He made shirts for you which will protect you from the heat and shirts which protect you from the violence of arms. Thus, God completes His favours so that you may surrender your 'I' (ana) to Him" (16:81).

    There is an infinite treasure of Divine favours in this verse. That is, God has created three shadows of all His creatures: physical, spiritual and intellectual. Thus, when you attain the recognition of the rank of intellect, it will be evident that the shadow of every person and everything is present there in the form of knowledge and wisdom for the sake of intellectual peace. Similarly, at the level of spirituality, the spiritual shadow of every person and everything works in different positions. There is also the subtle body, which as the third shadow, is (also) a great favour. The innermost meaning of this is that in the paradise of his personal world every mu'min becomes the king over the intellects, souls and subtle bodies. As for the houses in the mountain of Intellect, God has made them for all the human beings, since there is no difference and discrimination in His mercy, the difference being only due to their affirmation, obedience and recognition. Nonetheless, the law of Divine mercy will gradually work and as a result the entire humanity will be united and the planet earth will be illumined from the light of intellect, wisdom, science and technology (39:69).

    We should now discuss the shirts (sarabil) [mentioned at the beginning of this section]. What are they? They are the celestial shirts which are the miracles of ibda` of Hazrat-i Mubdi`. In the first kind of shirts there is protection from the external and internal heat (hell); in the second kind of shirts there is salvation and protection from every kind of war. How can these shirts made by the Eternal Tailor be devoid of spiritual and intellectual virtues? Therefore, from one aspect, they are like the Perfect Men and from the other like great angels. They are thus mentioned in many examples in the wise Qur'an. For instance, the aspect of lightning is prominent in the Divine miracle which is ordained to protect from heat (13:12; 30:24), therefore it will be right to say that this is the perfect new creation (ibda`) which is related to the soul. The other great miracle of Islam, which takes place through ibda` and whose purpose is spiritual jihad to end hostility and war in the world, is related to the astral body (jism-i falaki), which is the final ibda` of the subtle body.

    I believe U.F.Os are also the same shirts, in which there is divine mercy for humankind. The proof of this is found not only in the Qur'an, rather rational proofs can also be furnished. The Qur'anic proof is that as the minor or the major miracles take place in the external world, in the same way they also take place in the internal world or the personal world (41:53). Here a student may query if this is so, can there be things such as the inventions of science: television, wireless, telescope, radio, recorders, camera, film etc., in the human beings' internal world? The answer is yes. There can be such things, but there is a difference in the nature and the purpose of the two. Material instruments since they are material are used for the purpose of attaining benefits of this world, similarly the purpose of the internal instruments which are spiritual and religious, is to attain religion and recognition. Thus, these spiritual instruments will not be called radio, film etc., but they will be called internal senses or spirituality.

    Now regarding the U.F.Os, we have to prove rationally how human beings will be able to use them as shirts and in what sense war, ignorance, sickness and poverty in the world will come to an end. The rational proof is that there must be a useful result and a good purpose in the coming of so many astonishing U.F.Os to this world in this period of revolutionary science. Although at present the path of scientific research is not that of the rational soul (`irfani ruh), [scientists] have encountered the rudimentary soul. Soul has lower and higher levels. Thus, when human beings come to know the benefits of the rudimentary soul, they will progress further in its discovery, at least for worldly benefits and fame. Here it is important to point out that there is really no line of demarcation between soul and matter such that scientists would need to reach the end of their research of matter and be unable to go further. In fact, matter and spirit are one and the same thing and the same existence. However, it is true that where it is dead and dense it is called matter or body and where it is living and subtle it is called soul.

    Further, according to the heavenly programme it is also possible that U.F.Os or the Flying saucers may guide and help humankind or establish a reformative revolution to unite the nations of the world. In any case, there is no despondency for humankind. In fact, flying saucers are not simply flying objects, they are the miracle of the ibda` and of Hazrat-i Mubdi`, namely, the Qa'im al-qiyamat. Such things are subjugated to the people of paradise. In ancient times those who came as Adam from paradise or other planets had come in this ibda`i body. They started to live in different parts of the earth and gradually their bodies were transformed from subtle into dense.
  4. According to verse (23:12) God created man from the quintessence of wet clay (tin). This means that in the beginning, God created the soul from mu'mins, for it is they who are (wet) clay. This soul was a living and subtle human picture. Since everything comes from the treasures of God (15:21), it is necessary that the soul should also come from the same treasures. In the article entitled "The Divine Treasure" it has been mentioned that the soul comes to the mu'mins from those great treasures and then it spreads in the world of humanity, as God says: "Then We placed him as (a drop of) sperm in a receptacle secure (womb of the mother), then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then We made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; thereafter We produced him as another creature. So blessed be God, the Best of creators" (23:13-14). There are numerous wisdoms in these wisdom-filled verses. Their gist is that God mentions here that His attribute of creativity (khaliqiyyat) is the best and most exalted. It is obvious that this is an allusion to the best of the creatures and that is the ibda`i creature. Thus, three things are created from every person, whether a believer or a disbeliever, by the miracle of ibda`: intellectual shadow, spiritual picture and subtle body. None can know about this miracle except the people of recognition, the reason being that many people do not recognise the bounties of paradise.
  5. In verse (13:12), it is said: "It is He who shows you the lightning, for fear and yearning, and produces the heavy clouds." This is the same ibda`i miracle which takes place with lights. One of its names, as mentioned in the story of Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him), is the "chief of jinns". There is tremendous fear due to the greatness, awe and majesty of this magnificent miracle, and at the same time due to its wonders and marvels, there is a great yearning to see it again and again and to merge in it. The heavy clouds mean the fruits of knowledge which are related to this place and lightning means the open light and the rapidity of ibda`. In this connection, see also verse (30:24).
  6. When the didar (vision) of Hazrat-i Mubdi` takes place, it is said to the soul at peace (nafs-i mutma'innah): "O soul at peace, return to your Lord, well-pleased, well pleasing! Enter among My (selected) servants! Enter My Paradise!" (89:27-30).

    The final return takes place in the state of ru'yat (didar = vision) whose place is the inbi`ath and ibda`, namely the ultimate destination where the inbi`ath results in the form of ibda`. The reason for this is that the spiritual journey is in the form of a circle, therefore its end necessarily joins the beginning. Thus, the real ibda` is the result of inbi`ath.
  7. In verse (57:25) God says: "Indeed, We sent Our messengers with clear and bright miracles, and We sent down with them the Book and the Balance, so that men might uphold justice. And We sent down iron wherein is mighty war and many benefits for men, and so that God will know who helps Him and His messengers (while God and His messengers are) not in front of them. Surely, God is All-strong, Almighty". In this Qur'anic guidance and teaching which is full of wisdom, the Book means the rank of Imamat, namely, the Imam who is the spirit of tanzil, and by the Balance is meant the Asas, by whose ta'wil essential justice can be established among the people in the sense that the door of gradual guidance which is in the equivocal verses does not close, and iron means Hazrat- i Qa'im al-qiyamat, who is the mightiest in performing internal and spiritual jihad. As a result of his jihad all people will be united and people will gain many kinds of benefits by this international unity and integrity. The souls of those who are true mu'mins will participate in this jihad and help God and His Messengers in this sense.
  1. Verse (21:104) mentions the rolling up of the universe. One of the allusions of rolling up the universe is that the world of religion and the hudud gather in Hazrat-i Qa'im. At the same time to say: "As We originated the first creation, so We shall bring it back again (nu`iduh)" means that the inbi`ath results in the form of ibda` and the final manifestation of Hazrat-i Qa'im takes place in the rank of Hazrat-i Mubdic, and hence the world of religion gathers in Hazrat-i Qa'im al-qiyamat.

    Another ta'wil of "nuciduh" is: "We repeat it". Thus this (ibda` and inbi`ath) is a chain. For instance, each of the Prophets and Imams have [experienced] ibda` and inbi`ath. Since they are the models of the law of nature, it is therefore absolutely true to say that ibda` and inbi`ath always continue. Now at this place, the ta'wil of the above blessed verse will be: As We had done the ibda` and cinbi`ath of the previous Perfect Man, similarly We will repeat it. That is, just as the command of "Be (Kun)" namely, ibda` and inbi`ath is applicable to Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him), so it is equally applicable to Hazrat-i `Isa (May peace be through him) (3:59), although apparently it seems that humanity began with Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him).
  2. The final salvation and the eternal survival of a human being is in merging (fana') in God's Face. This merging is entirely different from that of worldly and material things and is extremely unique and miraculous. For it is attained through a supreme and magnificent vision (liqa', didar, ru'yat) and a significative (isharati) knowledge and recognition, as it is said in the beginning of the surah of Dahr: "Has there come on man a while of the dahr (in which) he was not a thing mentionable" (76:1). Dahr means the rank in which the Mubdic and the Qa'im are one and the same; by "a while from the dahr" is meant the while of ibda` and inbi`ath, in which man is merged in the vision of God's Face and he cannot say anything about himself, where he is and what he is. The ta'wili wisdoms of this extremely great miracle come gradually. The allusion of the above verse, which should not be forgotten, is that this extremely great miracle had also occurred to human beings in the past.
  3. The wisdom filled verses (3:76-77) allude that on the Day of Resurrection, the Benevolent Lord will speak to the righteous, look upon them with mercy and purify them. In the light of the wise Qur'an you know that one great rank of Divine Speech is (in the form of) the silent didar (42:51) and this kind of didar is obtained at the place of ibda` and inbi`ath.
  4. The sense in which the Imam is the Straight Path (sirat-i mustaqim), he is also a wide and strong bridge between corporeality and spirituality or the physical world and the spiritual world. As the two ends of the bridge, the Imam has both the aspects of humanity and angelicity. With respect to humanity, he is a human being and with respect to angelicity he is an angel. The Beneficent Lord has made this bridge for the purpose of enabling people to cross it and become angels, as is said in verses (56:60-61): "We have decreed among you death and We shall not be outstripped that We may change your likes (amthala-kum) and create you in a fashion you know not." Here there is an allusion to the death of the carnal soul and ibda` and inbi`ath as a result of which a person crosses the bridge of Imamat and becomes an angel.
  5. In the wisdom of the wise Qur'an, Queen Sheba is the veil for the hujjats of the night and Hazrat-i Maryam (May peace be through her), the veil of the hujjats of the day. In both examples, the miracle of ibda` and inbi`ath is working, but the great difference between the two examples is that in the case of Queen Sheba, the miracle takes place in an unconscious state and in the case of Hazrat-i Maryam (May peace be through her), it occurs in the light of practical spirituality and recognition. The luminous manifestation of the Imam, also known as the Divine Spirit, took place and which Hazrat-i Maryam (May peace be through her) saw. For the Divine law is not such that Jibra'il (May peace be through him) or any other angel may come to the people without the Prophet or the Imam. The main point is that the Imam is God's Command (amr) and in this sense, he is the Lord of the Command (sahib-i amr) also. That is, such miracles are related to the holy personality of the Imam which take place by the command 'kun' (Be) and 'kun' is the Imam who is God's living Command.
  6. "Command (amr)" is the greatest subject in the holy Qur'an. Thus, all those Qur'anic words which are derived from the root of alif-mim-ra' are related to this subject directly or indirectly. Furthermore, the Qur'an itself is the silent command of God (amr-i samit) (65:5) and the Imam is His speaking Command (amr-i natiq) (4:59). In both senses, the Lord of the Command is the exalted Imam. For the speaking command is the Lord of the Command as well as the Command itself.
  7. In God's godhead, the ibda`i power of the word of Command (kalimah-yi amr) is an extremely great power. The main source of this power is the Divine Pedestal (kursi), which is the Soul of souls or the Universal Soul, which has held the heavens and earth in its grip and whose preservation does not cause fatigue in him (2:255). All the Prophets' great miracles appeared through this power; the personal resurrection takes place by it and all favours and bounties of paradise are provided by this power.
  8. According to the following verses: "All that (creation) is on this earth is going to be annihilated, but will abide the Face of your Lord, majestic, bounteous" (55:26-27) and then God says: "Of which of your Lord's bounties will you deny (O the groups of jinn and humankind)?" (55:28). Some important questions arise here: What is the nature of this annihilation? Is it physical or spiritual? Or both? Can God's Face be included in the category of creatures? If not, then why is it included in "All that is on the earth" and then is excluded from them? Is it a merging for the sake of annihilation or merging for the sake of abiding? These questions are necessary so that every intelligent mu'min reflects well on the above verse, which speaks about the law of annihilation and its result. The answers to these questions are: Every kind of annihilation is included in this annihilation, but the most rewarding one, which can only be attained during one's lifetime is the result of ibda` and inbi`ath. God's Face is the Imam of the time and he has two aspects, human and angelic. Thus, from one aspect he is with human beings and from another with angels. It is because of this that with respect to the body, the Imam who represents God's Face is included among the creatures, but with respect to light he is considered immortal. This wisdom- filled verse alludes that all the people on the earth merge, very few of them in the light of recognition and the rest without recognition, and they gather and become encompassed in the sublime and exalted personality of the Imam, as stated in verse (36:12) that God has encompassed everything in the personality of the manifest Imam. Nonetheless, despite being in the Imam all people cannot be equal for the time being, as in the human body there are innumerable particles of soul (=cells) which are not equal with respect to feeling. For among them, those particles which are at the centre of the external and internal senses are more sensitive.
  9. Without any doubt and ambiguity and with great clarity the wise Qur'an teaches that everything comes from the Divine treasures (15:21). Now in this respect, it is necessary to understand the wisdoms of words like rujuc (return) in the holy Qur'an. If man has come to this world from a treasure of God, should he not return to the same treasure? Will not the same treasure be both the beginning (mabda') with respect to coming to this world and return (macad) with respect to returning there? Can there be any place other than the Divine treasures, which stand for the Divine court and His nearness (cindiyyat), while they are included in them? The answer to these questions is: Yes, man should return to the place from where he has come, for the beginning and the end are the same and His court and nearness are not separate from His treasures.
  10. The world of imagination and the world of dreams in the human personality are two such evidences with whose help everyone can understand the reality of ibda` and inbi`ath. For instance, let alone the moon but even the planet Mars can be reached in a person's imagination without any duration of time; he can conceive anything in the heaven and the earth; he can reach the past through a story or a memory; going towards the future, he can conceive of the Resurrection; if he wishes he can see any person he had seen in the past in the mirror of his imagination and he can make an imaginary picture of someone whom he has not seen but only heard about. Each of these actions takes place with great rapidity like the miracle of 'kun' (Be), namely, ibda` and inbi`ath. However, all these actions are potential and far from being actual therefore, there is no light of spirituality in them and without light, how is bliss possible? Nonetheless, it is necessary to understand the miracle of ibda` through these examples. It is also necessary to understand the law of nature that in God's kingdom everything is first potential, then it becomes actual. This means that in Paradise human beings will be able to do every action which they desired to do in this world and for which they were doing exercises in their imagination and dreams, as God says: "Therein (in Paradise) they shall have whatever they will; and with Us there is yet more" (50:35). Remember that there are many such verses in the holy Qur'an.

    Similarly, we get examples of ibda` and inbi`ath from everything in the world of dreams. There are glad tidings as well as warning in it; the example of paradise as well as hell; light as well as darkness; flight amongst the heights, as well as falling in the lowness. In short, the world of dreams is such that both happiness and sorrow are found in it. It is like the death of the carnal soul, resurrection, ibda` and inbi`ath. Therefore, we should ask ourselves how do human beings transfer into the world of dreams? Do they go into it with or without this body? From where does the world of dreams appear all of a sudden? When they awaken, where does the world of dreams go or where does it hide itself? Is it like the personal world? If there is no sleep in paradise, will the world of dreams come to an end or will both this world and the world of imagination be transformed into the personal world? Asking such questions necessitates thinking about the world of dreams, for dream is an example of both the physical death and the spiritual death (resurrection), as God says: "It is God that takes the souls (of men) at death (physically and spiritually); and those that do not die (He takes their souls) during their sleep: Those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but (the souls of) the rest He sends back for an appointed term. Verily, in this are signs for those who reflect" (39:42). Three great wisdoms are hidden in this verse: (a) To sleep and to get up from the world of dreams is like seeing the Hereafter and returning to this world, (b) The soul of the Perfect Man who dies spiritually has, in a sense, reached the Hereafter. (c) In another sense, having seen the Resurrection and the Hereafter, it has returned to this world.
  11. Despite the final merging, the survival of the individuality of the people of paradise is necessary, for there is expediency and wisdom in it. Nevertheless, due to merging (fana' fi'llah) in God and abiding in Him (baqa' bi'llah), mu'mins' will becomes one with God's will, about which there are many clear proofs in the holy Qur'an. For instance, (1) In verses (76:30; 81:29), addressing the higher ranks of the faith God has said: "But you will not, except as God wills". This is about the people who are at the highest rank of faith. (2) Free will or choice is granted by God, but when the time comes it is taken back. This means that finally it is God's will which becomes the believing servant's will, as said in verse (33:36): "It is not fitting for a believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by God and His Messenger, to have any choice in their matter." This is an allusion that God and the Messenger's choice appears at the place of Command, which the believing servant adopts and abandons his own. (3) To discard the heavy burden of choice or free will at the perfect rank of faith is called tawakkul (to make God one's wakil or advocate), as in verse (10:84): "And Musa said: O my people, if you (really) believe in God, in Him put your tawakkul (trust, i.e., make Him your wakil or advocate) if you are going to submit (your 'I' to Him)". Thus, it is evident that the righteous will have the Divine will in Paradise and this will work like the word 'Kun' (Be) in their personal world.
  12. By the permission of God, the True Omnipotent, the miracles which were shown by the Prophets of the Qur'an, were all by the ibda`i power. Although ibda` is mainly related to the world of command and it is working there constantly, nonetheless, its act as a miracle can also appear in the world of creation. Here it is also worth mentioning that there is only one wall between the world of command and the world of creation and it is erected between the external senses and internal senses, which in ta'wili wisdom is called the Wall of Dhu'l-Qarnayn. Thus, when the Perfect Man's personal resurrection begins to take place, the particles of Gog and Magog lick this wall made of animal soul and reduce it to nothing and as a result the two worlds become one, as also do the external and internal senses. Hence, the Imam means a perfect and complete man who is the practical model of the perfect example (uswah-yi hasanah) of the holy Prophet for human ascension and elevation. This wall which becomes a barrier between the external and the internal world is lifted from his holy personality and in all these meanings his holy personality encompasses everything.

London,
10th August, 1984.

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