Qur'anic Minarets - Great Wisdoms of the People of the Cave

Great Wisdoms of the People of the Cave

Tags: People of the Cave, Raqim, Ashab Al-kahf, Dog

The people of faith are certain that Qur'anic stories are absolutely different and distinct from worldly stories because every verse of the Qur'an is brimful of the precious pearls of knowledge and wisdom and esoteric ta'wil. Therefore, it is the first and foremost duty of prudent believers to continue to endeavour as much as possible for the ta'wili wisdoms of the wise Qur'an, so that they may attain the recognition of the light of the Qur'an and the spirit of Islam.
The People of the Cave (18:9): There are three caves in the spiritual path of the people of precautionary secrecy (taqiyyah) and the people of esoteric teachings who are attached to the Supreme Name and hidden worship. They are:
First: The cave of tariqat
Second: The cave of haqiqat
Third: The cave of ma`rifat
These stages are also called the knowledge of certainty, the eye of certainty and the truth of certainty. Thus, being adorned with every kind of obedience and knowledge of certainty to enter the cave of kar-i buzurg (literally the great work, i.e., the hidden worship of the supreme Name) is as if hiding in the first cave. If the door of spirituality opens to a fortunate believer in this cave, indeed he enters the second cave. The third cave due to being on the extreme height is extremely difficult because it is the cave of the Prophets and Imams. Nonetheless, it is not impossible, while by Divine providence the light of guidance is always there. The third cave is the cave of intellectuality (i.e., dal-mim). Thus, in real sense, the people of the cave are those who are hidden in the cave of Intellect. Reflect on the verse (16:81): "And of the mountains, He has made places of refuge for you", which alludes to the caves of intellect in the personal world.
What is "Raqim"? (18:9): The literal meaning of the word "raqim" is 'inscription'. It means here the spiritual writing which appears in connection with the spiritual marvels and inner observations. This raqim is in the spiritual destinations as well as in the intellectual stages. The mount Qaf, which is in the world of Intellect and which is as clear and transparent as luminous paper, has [written on] it such luminous words that the letter Qaf is at the end of every word. Perhaps it is because of this that this place is given the name mount Qaf. It should also be well understood that the highest raqim is the Divine Word because the people of the cave and raqim are among the [Divine] signs of power and wisdom.
The Entering of Some Youth in the Cave (18:10): By the permission of the Imam (May peace be through him) of the time, to have recourse to special worship, Divine remembrance and spirituality by some such capable and courageous youth means that they have become young not only in a physical sense, but they have prime of youth for worship and religious awareness. Spirituality comes into being from none other than by crushing the desires of the young carnal soul. This is the reason that according to the Qur'an, Perfect Human Beings are enriched with spiritual and intellectual wealth in their very youth.
Prayer for Given Mercy and Rectitude and Guidance (18:10): They prayed for the given mercy (i.e., special Divine mercy) and sought rectitude and guidance to attain success in religion and this world. It is evident from the wisdom of this prayer that the people of the cave have to live amongst people and their intention is not to run away from the field of trial and to hide somewhere forever.
Sealing up of the Ears (18:11): This means the miraculous attention in remembrance and worship by the ceasing of insinuations, and the beginning of revolutionary spiritual progress, in which is found detachment and unawareness of the world similar to the world of dream. This is due to Israfil (May peace be through him)'s sur in which from one side there is extreme intensity and on the other extreme sweetness. Such a state is like sleep in which an individual is detached from the external world to some extent or a great extent so that effacement and merging may be attained.
God Revived them (18:12): ("Then We revived them"). This is the description of the destination of `Izra'il (May peace be through him), in which there is the miracle of the seizing of the soul and reviving it so that it should become evident who from the two groups of the people of exoteric teachings and the people of Divine help (ta'yid), can correctly assess the duration of their stay in the cave. This is an allusion that at that place, time can be minimum as well as maximum because in spirituality the Divine hand can enfold and unfold time as He wills and He can also enclose countless things in a small number.
The Rank of the Truth of Certainty (Haqqu'l-yaqin) (18:13): This story reaches the climax of spirituality where there is the Truth of certainty. It was at this place that the people of the cave were enriched with the wealth of faith and guidance in their very youth, and when their personal resurrection was taking place (idh qamu, 18:14), God granted them patience and endurance, because this trial was not an easy event, then they were granted the knowledge of the secrets of tawhid and recognition (ma`rifat) (18:14). Now, they were transferred from the cave of spirituality to the cave of intellectuality, where they could obtain the everlasting providence and mercy as spacious as the universe (that is, the vision (didar) of the Universal Soul and the hearing of the Command (sama`at-i amr, 18:16)), that is, a personal universe and its kingdom was sought.
The Desired Destination and the Rising of the Sun of Intellect (18:17): 'O salik (traveller on the path of spirituality), you see the sun of Intellect when it rises, inclines away from their cave to the right and when it sets, turns away from them to the left, while they are in a spacious place of the cave (18:17).' It is imperative that to understand this wisdom you must study the description of the light of believers in (57:12; 66:8). The people of cave, ascending beyond the unbounded distance of space and time had become non-spatial and non-temporal. In this state, they studied the secrets of azal and abad together. Nonetheless, reflection and pondering on this was a long process.
The Morning of Azal and the Evening of Abad (18:17): When the sun (Light of lights) rose over the people of the intellectual cave, it was the morning of azal and as it set, it was the evening of abad. In this way, they saw countless azals and abads. Nonetheless, the azal of azals and the abad of abads did not appear anywhere. Perhaps these two words were in the sense of beginningless and endless. There are numerous allusions to the sun rising and setting at this place. For example, see the following diagram:

Renewal of Azal

Rising	Setting
Azal	Abad
Universal Intellect	Universal Soul
Natiq	Asas
Day	Night
First	Last
Zahir	Batin
Light	Darkness
Baqa' (survival)	Fana' (merging)
Book	Wisdom
Multiplicity	Unity
Tanzil	Ta'wil
The Pen	The Tablet
Creation	Command
`Arsh (Throne)	Kursi (Pedestal)
Adam	Hawwa
Heaven	Earth
Fatq (21:30)	Ratq (21:30)
Everything (36:12)	Ihsa (calculation, 36:12)
Hand of God	Face of God
Expansion	Contraction

This World is Sleep, Hereafter is Wakefulness (18:18): 'O salik! You deem them to be awake though they are asleep, that is, in comparison to future awareness the present awareness is like sleeping. God continues to turn them sometimes outwards (right) and sometimes inwards (left) and their dog stretching out both his paws sitting at their threshold (i.e., the person who was attached to the people of the cave …). O salik! If you would have observed them in the cave of Intellect or the cave of Soul, you would have retraced your steps and run away and you would have been filled with awe (18:18).' This is because according to wisdom, one aspect of spirituality is fear and the other peace.
[Their] Inmbi`ath in the Cave of Intellect (18:19): Now their intellectual and recognitive inmbi`ath takes place and they are revived in a real sense so that they may attain every kind of recognition and continue the discussion of questions and answers amongst themselves … They sent one of their companions to the city with their coin (wariq) of spiritual knowledge, so that he may gauge which individual or individuals of pure nature (azka ta`aman) is/are worthy of receiving this knowledge. Simultaneously they were anxious that the secret be divulged because if the people learnt about the da`wat-i haqq, they would become jealous and inimical and stone them with questions or they would impose their point of view (18:20). Nevertheless, there was great wisdom in divulging their secret, which is that the people of the cave are an example of resurrection. Thus, those who became convinced of the grandeur and eminence of the people of the cave started to discuss amongst themselves whether they should build as a monument an ordinary building or a mosque on the site of the cave. This debate alludes to [their discussion about] the rank in which they should accept the people of the cave: as subsidiary hudud or the Imam? However, the greater weight and power were in those arguments which upheld that the reality and spirituality of the story related to the exalted Imam. Therefore, it was accepted that in this story too, the secrets of the Imam were hidden as they were in the story of Dhu'l-qarnayn (May peace be through him). Thus, the mosque is an example of the Imam because he is the House of God.
How many were the people of the cave? (18:22): Their correct number is the one mentioned after "rajman bi'l-gayb" (Guessing the unseen). That is, they were seven and their eighth is the dog. These are the seven spiritual (batini) ranks of the Imam (May peace be through him) of the time, which are the seven heavens of spirituality. Their dog is every mu'min who endures all kinds of insults in obedience, love, service and loyalty to the True Imam and always remains attached to his sacred threshold, until this dog, according to the Qur'an, merges in his Lord and finds himself in him.

12 Rabi` II 1410 AH/12th November, 1989 AD

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