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Qur'anic Minarets - Some Qur'anic Names of the Exalted Imam (May peace be through him) Part 1

Some Qur'anic Names of the Exalted Imam (May peace be through him) Part 1

Tags: Dhurriyyat, Dhikr, Ahl-i Dhikr, A`raf, Kawthar, Bab-i Hittah, Gate of Repentance, Hazrat Saul

Imamu'l-muttaqin (The Imam of the righteous, 25:74): "And those who pray: O our Lord! Grant us of our wives and our offspring (dhurriyyat) coolness of our eyes and make us the Imam of the righteous ones." This prayer is specific to the Imams. In the language of wisdom it is said in it that the chain of Imamat started from the time of Adam (May peace be through him) and is going to continue and last until the Resurrection of resurrections. This is because the story of the righteous ones has continued from the inception of religion; read the story of Hazrat-i Habil (May peace be through him) (5:27). From it we have to understand the allusion that the word offspring (dhurriyyat) is not only related to the future, in fact there is the mention too of how the present Imam was also the Imam in the past. Thus, this is the reason mentioned in verses (3:33-34 ) that the Prophets are the offspring (dhurriyyat) of one another. See the example below:
Ahl-i Dhikr (The People of Dhikr, 16:43): Dhikr is one of the names of the holy Prophet (65:10-11 ), dhikr is also the Qur'an (15:9), dhikr is also the Supreme Name (7:180), dhikr is also advice or counsel (nasihat), and dhikr also means 'to remember'. Thus, Ahl-i dhikr means the holy Imams from the House of the holy Prophet (ahl-i bayt) in whom is hidden the Supreme Name and the spirituality of the Qur'an. It is they who are the fountainhead of guidance and the means of advice and remembrance. Thus, indicating to all these meanings, it is said (16:43): "(O Messenger!) We did not send before you (messengers) but men, to whom We used to send revelation, (so tell the people) if you yourselves do not know, ask the ahl-i dhikr (the people of the Prophet's House, the Imams), (because it is they who from the very beginning have continued in their spirituality to adhere to the light of Prophethood), and in the personal world are the means of recognition (ma`rifat) of the renewal of similitudes for every `arif.
Nafs-i Rasul (The Soul of the Prophet (3:61)): You may have correct information about the event of mutual imprecation (mubahalah). Nafs-i Rasul means Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him). In this noble verse (3:61) you can see that Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him) is the holy Prophet's soul because in Arabic, the word 'nafs' means 'soul'. However, here we are confronted by a core point, which is that since the holy Prophet was entirely light, how can an ordinary person be his soul, whereas the indication here is towards both the belovedness and unity, therefore here the word 'nafs' is used in the sense of light, as it is said satisfied soul (nafs-i mutma'innah), Single Soul (nafs-i wahidah), Universal Soul (nafs-i kulli), etc. Here this 'nafs' is in the sense of light. Thus, here nafs in the sense of light indicates the unity of the light of Prophethood and that of Imamat.
Ashab-i A`raf (7:46): A`raf is the name of the exalted place where all recognitions (ma`rifats) are gathered. This is the intellectual rank of the true Imam in the personal world, where he recognises all people by their faces. This is an indication that every kind of recognition (ma`rifat) is related to the face including the most exalted recognition (ma`rifat).
Yawmu'l-Akhir (the Last Day (2:4): The six natiqs, who are the lords of shari`at, are the six days of Allah and Hazrat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him), who is the seventh day, i.e., Saturday is the last day, as mentioned in verse (2:1-4 ): "Alif-Lam-Mim (Light of Imamat which is the Speaking Book (23:62)) is such a Book in which there is no doubt, there is only the certainty, it is the guide of the righteous ones, who by observations of spirituality believe in the spiritual world, and they establish salat (that is, they perform the da`wat-i haqq), and spend out of what We have given them (that is, they teach spiritual knowledge), they are those (who see and knowingly) believe in that which is revealed to you and that which was revealed before you, and they have certainty in the Hereafter, that is, they have attained the spiritual and intellectual recognition (ma`rifat) of Hazrat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him) because all that is mentioned above is due to him." Remember that the fountainhead of certainty is Hazrat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him), therefore it is said: "And they have certainty in the hereafter" (2:4). Thus, the rule that all those names of the resurrection mentioned in the wise Qur'an are the names and appellations of Hazrat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him) has to be remembered well.
Kawthar (108:1): Kawthar means abundant good and the man who has numerous children, i.e., Hazrat-i `Ali (May peace be through him). The pool of Kawthar (hawz-i kawthar) also in the form of Hazrat-i Qa'imu'l-qiyamat (May peace be through him) is Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him), and the cup-bearer (saqi) of Kawthar too. Kawthar is the knowledge of the Hidden Book. All this is wisdom and the abundant good.
Mu'minun (Believers 9:105): There are several ranks of faith, from the very initial to the end. Thus, every Imam is at the perfect level of faith, and in this sense, one of the titles of the pure Imams is mu'minun, as God says: "And (O Messenger) say: 'Allah beholds your deeds and so does His Messenger and the believers' (9:105). It is clear from this command that after Allah and His Messenger, the Imams see the deeds of the people because God has made them witnesses over the people (11:7; 50:21). This is the reason that on the day of resurrection, the people of the time will be invited with their Imam (17:71).
Shahid (11:17), Shahid (50:21), Shuhada' (2:143): Where God Himself and the angels testify to tawhid and His being worthy of worship, there the people of knowledge (3:18) also testify to this. Who are these possessors of knowledge? They are the ones who after Allah Himself, testify to His exaltedness with the Angel of the Pen, the Angel of the Tablet, the Bearers of the Throne, `Izra'il, Israfil, Mika'il and Jibra'il (May peace be through them) in the light of intellect and recognition. Can a testimony be valid without seeing and recognising? No, not at all. Those who have reached the peak of the knowledge of tawhid and recognition of God, are the Prophets and the Imams who uphold justice (3:18).
Warith-i Qur'an (The heir of the Qur'an, (35:32): In this verse, it is stated: "Then from among Our servants We specially made the heir of the Qur'an those whom We (gave ability) and chose them." These are the Imams of guidance and they are the Treasurers of the wise Qur'an. This means that the spirit and spirituality (5:15) and the light and luminosity (42:52) of the glorious Qur'an are in the Imam of the time, and it is in this sense that he is the Speaking Qur'an (45:29). Praise belongs to Allah!
Ummu'l-Kitab, Kitab (43:4; 78:29): Ummu'l-kitab means the Asas and the kitab means the Imam because the light of Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) is the Pen and that of `Ali (May peace be through him) is the Guarded Tablet and the same is the Ummu'l-kitab as well. Where the Qur'an is in this living and luminous Ummu'l-kitab, it is very exalted and full of wisdom (43:4) and it is in this same Guarded Tablet that the glorious Qur'an is preserved (85:21-22 ). Since every Imam after Hazrat-i `Ali (May peace be through him) is the same light, it is said (78:29): "And We have confined everything in a Book." This is an allusion to that act of God, by which He, the Omnipotent, enfolds the entire universe in His hand and He performs this act in the blessed personality of the Imam (May peace be through him) of the time. Therefore, it is said (36:12): "And We have enclosed everything in a manifest Imam."
Hazrat-i Harun (May peace be through him)'s Equivalent (20:29-34 ): The holy Prophet said to Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him): "You are to me as Harun was to Musa." This means that Hazrat-i `Ali (May peace be through him) was Hazrat-i Harun (May peace be through him)'s equivalent and all those virtues of the latter mentioned in the Qur'an are also in Hazrat-i `Ali (May peace be through him), except prophethood. In the way of wisdom, this Hadith includes all those wisdoms of the story of Hazrat-i Harun (May peace be through him) in the subject of Imamat. Indeed, this is so because Hazrat-i Harun (May peace be through him) was Imam-i asas as was Mawlana `Ali (May peace be through him).
Bab-i Hittah (The Gate of Repentance and seeking forgiveness, 2:58): It is mentioned in books such as Kawkab-i Durri, Arjahu'l-matalib, etc., that the holy Prophet said: "`Ali is the gate of hittah.", that is, `Ali is the gate of repentance and seeking forgiveness. With utmost humility, I would like to say here that the law of wisdom of the Qur'an and the Hadith is such that one symbolised (mamthul, i.e., an object) has several examples. Therefore, from Mawlana `Ali (May peace be through him)'s several examples, one is the example of the door, such as the gate of the holy Prophet's city of knowledge, the door of the Prophet's wisdom, the door of repentance, the gate of heaven, the gate of paradise, etc.
Malik (King, 2:247): Study deeply the story of Saul (May peace be through him) in the wise Qur'an and then solve the following questions:
1. Were these chiefs of the children of Israel religious or worldly?
2. Why did they not arrange the jihad themselves?
3. When God and the Prophet made Saul (May peace be through him) their King, was he too granted a great spiritual power or not?
4. He who is appointed King, would he be called a religious King or worldly?
5. If there is a need in religion for such a King whom only God and the Prophet choose, who was such a chosen person in the time of the holy Prophet, whom God and His Prophet had granted a Kingdom? The comprehensive answer is Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him).
6. What is the Qur'anic proof of this fact?
Answer: See the following:

First proof: God has granted the progeny of Ibrahim (May peace be through him) and the progeny of Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) a great kingdom in addition to many other great bounties. As long as the Qur'an lasts, this kingdom continues (4:54).

Second proof: Whether it is this world or the world of religion, nothing is greater than order (hukm) and command (amr) because every kingdom and government depends on it. Thus, God and the holy Prophet granting them the position of the bearers of the command (ulu'l-amr) have appointed the pure Imams King over the people (4:59), so that people by merging in them through real obedience and love may become kings, which is promised in the Qur'an and the Hadith.

Tuesday, 7 Rabi` II 1410 AH/7th November, 1989 AD

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