Precious Treasure - Samsam-i `Ilmi (Twenty Wisdoms)

Samsam-i `Ilmi (Twenty Wisdoms)

Tags: Samsam, Bayyinah, Jihad, Sultan, Similitude, Hazrat Musa, Hazrat Talut, Hazrat Sulayman, King

Samsam is an Arabic word which means a cutting sword, a sharp sword, a sword which does not bend. In some traditions, it is the name of one of Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him)'s swords.

Sam sam is also a name among the blessed names of the holy Prophet, mentioned in the Suhuf of Hazrat-i Shith (May peace be through him). In this article, it is used in the sense of "qatta` bi'l-hujjah" i.e., the one who cuts [with the sword of] proof and demonstration, the one who passes decisive judgement with proof and demonstration. Therefore, here by Sam sam is meant the sharp sword of knowledge, namely the sword of true or real knowledge, as true and truth are compared with a sharp sword in a Prophetic Tradition: "Truth is the sword of God, when it strikes a thing it does not leave without cutting." We want to explain some wisdoms regarding Sam sam in this sense:

The way the Prophet of Islam has presented the concept of jihad, the struggle, in the Tradition of Khasifu'n-na`l (the mender of the shoes, i.e., Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him)), it is clear that jihad in Islam is twofold, the jihad of tanzil (exoteric) and the jihad of ta'wil (esoteric). The master and chief of the tanzili jihad was the holy Prophet and for the ta'wili jihad, Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him) was appointed by God and the Prophet, as he was the waliyy-yi amr (the holder of the Command). Here, by Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him) is meant the entire chain of Imamat, for the ta'wili jihad is spread throughout the entire cycle, exoterically and esoterically.
The above-mentioned Tradition throws light on many realities. For instance, in Islam there is da`wat (mission) one after another, because Islam is the straight path to progress step by step and stage by stage. Another reality is that the Samsam or Dhu'l-Faqar of iron was meant for the external jihad whereas the Samsam or Dhu'l-Faqar of knowledge is meant for the internal jihad or the jihad of knowledge. In this jihad the exalted Imam is the commander of God's army and the mu'mins perform the various duties of the army in this jihad of knowledge. This jihad has two battlefields: the battlefield of spirituality (ruhaniyyat) and that of corporeality (jismaniyyat), for which God's army is divided into two sections: the heavenly army and the terrestrial army. The heavenly army means the souls of mu'mins and the terrestrial, their persons (48:4, 48:7).
The efficacy of true knowledge in Islam and the effectiveness of the swords of proofs can be properly assessed from this verse: "… that he who perishes may perish after a clear proof (bayyinah) and he who lives may live after a clear proof" (8:42). That is, if someone potentially perishes according to the law of intellect, then their living is useless and so they should perish in reality; whereas he who potentially survives according to this law should actually survive. It should also be noted here that the soul of the proofs of Islam is always the True Guide, the Imam of the time. This is why according to the Qur'an, one of the names of the holy Prophet is "al-Bayyinah (the Proof)", which also means the Imam of the time.
One of the loveliest words among the wisdom-filled words of the Qur'an is "sultan" which is mentioned in the Qur'an thirty-seven times. It means argument, proof, authority, overpowering, power and king and its ta'wil is the Imam of the time, for it is he who is the successor of the Prophet who was "al-Bayyinah" or "the Clear Proof" (98:1) in the time of prophethood. As God says: "O group of jinn and humankind, if you have power to penetrate the regions of the heavens and the earth, then penetrate them! You will never penetrate them save with the proof (sultan)" (55:33). That is, it is not possible for the jinns and human beings to transcend the material world through spirituality and knowledge and penetrate the higher and non-spatial world, except through the Imam of the time, who is the "sultan" with all the meanings mentioned above.
Reflect on this verse carefully: "As for My slaves, you have no power over them save those who follow you" (15:42). This means that Satan cannot mislead the mu'mins when the power of God (sultan, namely, the Imam of the time) is with them. But Satan can make someone his follower if he has deviated from the straight path, the True Guide and the guidance. For, since the real power is no longer with him, Satan can understandably have power over him.
The holy Qur'an has called all false guides 'idols' (asnam). Just as idols are carved by people themselves, so these guides are also appointed by the people themselves and given names like pir, murshid, imam, etc. They are not appointed by God, nor has He revealed any proof about them. On the contrary He has revealed the proof, namely, sultan, with all its lofty meanings in favour of the true Imams.
There can be no greater proof of the perfection of religion and the completion of favour than the fact that the blessed personality of the Imam with his exalted attributes is always present in this world after the true Prophet, as is said in the Qur'an about Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him) and Hazrat-i Harun (May peace be through him): "Then We sent Musa and his brother Harun with Our signs and a clear proof (sultan mubin) to Pharoah and his chiefs" (23:45-46 ). The main purpose of presenting the example of Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him) and Hazrat-i Harun (May peace be through him) in this verse and in many other Qur'anic verses is to show the mutual relationship of Prophethood and Imamat. Here, by a clear proof is meant knowledge and wisdom and the ta'wil after the tanzil, which is greater than sensory miracles.
It has already been said that jihad is of two kinds: the physical jihad and the jihad of knowledge. Similarly, there are two kinds of sword: the sword of iron and the sword of knowledge, and two kinds of migration (hijrat): the external and the internal. External migration is to leave one's home and familiar country for the sake of religion when necessary and the internal migration is to travel from the physical world to the spiritual world to strengthen religion. Therefore, this verse mentions two such forms [of jihad and migration]: "Verily those who believed and left their homes (externally or internally) and did jihad with their wealth (material possessions or the wealth of knowledge) and their souls in the path of God and those who took them in and helped them, these are protecting friends one of another" (8:72).
The purport of verse (29:69) is that God shows the paths of His knowledge and recognition and without doubt He is with those who do good deeds such as when people accomplish meritorious deeds like jihad in the service of His religion.
The importance, necessity, virtue and loftiness of true knowledge is mentioned in abundance in the holy Qur'an and by its command to know the higher realities, it is established that it is possible to reach the pinnacle of knowledge. See for instance: "And know that Allah comes between man and his own heart, and that to Him you will be gathered" (8:24). This wisdom-filled concept shows that man's heart is separate from his body and by this heart is meant, not the physical heart which is a lump of flesh, but the real heart which is the holy and pure Imam, who is the real heart and the 'higher I' (ana-yi `ulwi) of the mu'min, which has to be attained, if not today, then tomorrow.
The word 'qalb' (heart) which refers to the Imam in the above-mentioned verse has many meanings, such as heart, intellect, soul, the centre of an army, kernel, marrow, the purest or choicest part, essence, pith, core and noble. It is said that qalb is so called because it changes and turns. All these meanings befit the holy Imam. The Imam is the intellect and soul of the entire universe, he is the real intellect and soul of every mu'min, he is the centre of God's army and the quintessence of everything, he is noble from every aspect and he travels throughout the universe with the ibda`i or the subtle body. Therefore, one of his ta'wili names is 'qalb' (changing, turning).
All the similitudes mentioned in the Qur'an have the same principle and the same object, and this can be understood from the following verse: "As for these similitudes, We coin them for humankind, but none grasp their meaning save the people of knowledge (al-`alimun)" (29:43). This verse clearly shows that since the similitudes coined to make people understand are among the equivocal verses (mutashabihat), therefore they cannot understand them on their own. This indicates that to understand them, they should have recourse to such `ulama' who know the meaning (mamthul), i.e., the ta'wil of the similitude (mithal). Such `ulama' are the holy Imams only. Many wisdoms are revealed from this: First, all higher realities, which are beyond people's comprehension are described in the form of similitudes. Secondly, it is necessary to have recourse to the Imam of the time to understand these similitudes. Thirdly, all the Qur'anic similitudes come under this law. Fourth, so long as the Qur'an exists in this world and the people need to understand the secrets of its ta'wil, the chain of Imamat must exist and continue in this world. Fifth, these `ulama' are the ones on whom God has conferred the title of "rasikhun fi'l-`ilm (those who are firm in knowledge)" (3:7).
The special ta'wil of the Divine Throne (`arsh) is the light of Intellect. Therefore, the bearer of the light - the Imam of the time - alone is the Archangel who bears the Divine Throne in his time. However, from verse (69:17) "And eight will uphold the Throne of your Lord that day" it apparently seems that there are many great angels who together are holding it up. The reality is not related to the number of Imams, but to their chain and order. That is, from the seven Imams of a cycle, each Imam holds up the Throne of light in his respective time and after the seventh Imam, there is a Khalifah (successor) and [in this sense] together they become the eight angels (mentioned in this verse).
Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him) prayed to God: "Give me the strength to see You, that I may gaze upon You. He said: You will not see Me, but gaze upon the mountain. If it stands still in its place, then you will see Me. And when his Lord revealed (His) glory to the mountain He sent it crashing down. And Musa fell down unconscious" (7:143). For the sake of the great ta'wili wisdom of this verse it is appropriate to ask if it was an external and material mountain, how did a lifeless and irrational mountain accept the impact of the Divine light's manifestation and in what sense or how did it smash into pieces? The answer is that there were two mountains in front of Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him): one was the material and the other was spiritual and intellectual. The Lord had revealed Himself to the mountain of the intellect in the form of intellect and knowledge and not in any other form, because whenever 'Lord (rabb)' is mentioned in the holy Qur'an it means the upbringing and nourishing of the intellect and knowledge. Therefore, at this highest stage of Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him)'s spirituality, the Benevolent Lord through His wisdom-filled luminous manifestation, smashed the mountain of intellect into pieces intellectually and in the form of knowledge and scattered the pearls of great secrets. The ta'wil of Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him) falling down unconscious is that he was bewildered by this supreme, unprecedented and most comprehensive demonstration of knowledge and wisdom, and the ta'wil of coming to consciousness is that he gradually started to grasp the wisdom of the fountainhead of the light of Intellect.
There is no doubt that exoterically, surah-yi Fatihah is the Mother of the Book (Ummu'l-kitab) and esoterically, the asas, namely, Hazrat-i Murtaza `Ali (May peace be through him) (43:4). For he is the Face of God and the "Pearl-producing Ocean" (55:27). Indeed, this hidden pearl is itself the Hidden Book (56:78) and this sacred ocean is the mother of pearls.
The external and internal jihad can only be accomplished through the Prophet and the Imam, an example of which is in the story of Hazrat-i Talut (May peace be through him) (Saul) (2:246-251 ). Hazrat-i Talut (May peace be through him) was the Imam of his time, as it is said in the Quran: "He said: Verily Allah has chosen him above you (to rule over you), and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and body. Allah bestows His kingdom on who He wills. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing" (2:247). Twofold wisdom is hidden here in the word "zadahu (has increased)": One, that in comparison to the people of the world, the Imam is greater than all of them, for he has spiritual knowledge and the ibda`i body. The second is that the Imam becomes greater than his previous state when he is given the esoteric knowledge and the subtle body in addition to the exoteric knowledge and the dense body.
It is said in this story that God appointed Hazrat-i Talut (May peace be through him) as a king. This means that he was an Imam, since the notion of a worldly kingdom does not exist in God's religion. However, a religious kingdom does exist, and that is in the form of Prophethood and Imamat. This kingdom is in fact the kingdom of Allah, which He bestows on who He wills. It was His will as stated in the Qur'an (4:54) that this religious and spiritual kingdom should endure and continue in the progeny of Hazrat-i Ibrahim (May peace be through him) and in the progeny of Hazrat-i Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny).
Wise people universally accept that the entire kingdom of God works in favour of the one whom God and the Prophet have placed on the throne of religion. Such a king is the Imam of the time and everything in the heaven and the earth serves him by God's command. This is in the sense that the way this kingdom is affirmed is indeed an affirmation [of being wise], but the way it is rejected is also not devoid of wisdom. After all, the negative is necessary along with the positive in order to generate power and movement. This is the Divine law and the law of nature.
No human being can test and try the Imam on any set standard, because the Imam is the king and his is the law of standardization, so that he may establish a standard in keeping with the time and place and hence try the people, in which lies their well-being. Although the Imam has innumerable miracles and wonders it is an error to seek a miracle or karamat (wonder) from him to test him. However, it is necessary to seek insight or the inner eye, through the obedience of God, the Prophet and the sahib-i amr (holder of the Command), so that one may always see Divine miracles externally and internally. Although it is true that Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him), whose kingdom was the example of the spiritual kingdom of the Prophets and the Imams, was king both in a physical and spiritual sense, nevertheless the benefit of knowledge and awareness lies in understanding its real state. The reality is that he was more of a king in a spiritual than in a physical sense. His army, which consisted of jinn, humankind and birds (27:17) was in a spiritual form and whatever power or miracle is related to him was in a spiritual form. This means that like Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him), every Prophet and every Imam in his time is the master of the spiritual kingdom.
The greatest benefit for every mu'min lies in accepting the Imam of the time as his religious and spiritual king, and he should fill his heart and soul with the everlasting wealth of love for him. For, love for the Imam is love for the Prophet and love for the Prophet is love for God. Therefore, when the believing servant becomes God's friend, God too, will become his friend. This Divine friendship will be in the form of manifold bounties and favours of religion.

Praise be to God for his favours!
Karachi,
29th August, 1983.

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