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Qur'anic Minarets - Wisdom of Contraries
Wisdom of Contraries
Tags: Contraries, Pairs, Hands of God, Fatq, Ratq
- Example of Adam and Hawwa (May peace be through them) (39:6): Indeed, the secret of wisdom and the secret of exigency is that God created Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him), then He made Hazrat-i Hawwa (May peace be through her) from him and then He spread from them both multitudes of human beings. The law of pairs (53:45) started prominently from here. It should be noted carefully that this same law is the law of two contraries and nothing can be outside this principle, as God says in verse (36:36): "He is free (from every attribute of the creatures) Who created pairs of everything that grows from the earth and from themselves and those things which are not known." Duly study this wisdom-filled subject in the noble Qur'an.
- Simple Pair (juft-i basit): Universal Intellect and Universal Soul are called the simple pair, that is, a pair which surrounds the universe and under the influence of whose luminous waves all things have become pairs. This law applies not only to a pair of male and female but also to every pair of two contrary and conflicting things, such as day and night, life and death, heaven and earth and all other contrary things. Countless wisdoms are hidden in this law and all those wisdoms are reflected in the confluence of two oceans. This is the place where the Universal Intellect and the Universal Soul are together (18:60) and 'flow meeting together' (55:19).
- God's Two Hands: It is said in verse (5:64): "Rather both His Hands are open." That is, the Universal Intellect and the Universal Soul; from another aspect, natiq and asas and from a third, Imam and bab are the two hands of God, because His work manifests through the persona of manifestations such as the angel Pen, the angel Tablet and other angels and such as the holy Prophet who was the persona of the manifestation of God's hand, because God as such is free from and above the concept of organs and limbs. Thus, the Universal Intellect is the light of Prophethood and the Universal Soul is the light of Imamat. Both these hands of God always expand the personal world to the boundaries of the heavens and the earth of the universe and enfold it with the picture of the universe. This tremendous act in which there are countless wisdoms continues constantly so that the far-distant paradise and kingdom may be brought close.
- Two Contraries: Contraries are created from one another, such as a man and a woman who, concerning gender, are contrary to one another. It is because of this contrariety that the man becomes husband and the woman wife. These two designations start together without any priority or posteriority. Thus, the secret that Hazrat-i Hawwa (May peace be through her) was made from Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him) is known, but the secret that in creating husband and wife from one another Divine wisdom was equal on both sides, is known only to the chosen ones. The same is the case with the Universal Intellect and the Universal Soul, who are the Pen and the Guarded Tablet [and] that their practical existence is from one another.
- The Diagram of Contraries and the Renewal of Similitudes: Whatever may be other than God definitely has a contrary or opposite and in this are hidden very great wisdoms. For instance, study the following diagram carefully:
| The beginningless and endless interchange of contraries |
| Beginningless | Day of Azal | Night of Abad | Day of Azal | Night of Abad | Endless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ... | Azal | Abad | Azal | Abad | ... |
| ... | Universal Intellect | Universal Soul | Universal Intellect | Universal Soul | ... |
| ... | Natiq | Asas | Natiq | Asas | ... |
| ... | First | Last | First | Last | ... |
| ... | Manifest | Hidden | Manifest | Hidden | ... |
| ... | Space | Spaceless | Space | Spaceless | ... |
| ... | Survival | Merging | Survival | Merging | ... |
| ... | Multiplicity | Unity | Multiplicity | Unity | ... |
| ... | Expansion (2:245) | Contraction (2:245) | Expansion | Contraction | ... |
| ... | Torn apart (fatq) (21:30) | Joined together (ratq) (21:30) | Torn apart (fatq) | Joined together (ratq) | ... |
| ... | Creation (7:54) | Command (7:54) | Creation | Command | ... |
- Explanation of the Diagram of Contraries: According to verse (70:4) God also has such a day (cycle) which by the reckoning of people is equal to 50,000 years. Notwithstanding, it is possible that this lengthy duration may shrink at the station of the Intellect and become more or less five seconds. The first reason for this is that the immense distances of time and space are rolled up here (38:67). The second reason is that here the light of the staunch mu'mins starts to act with the speed of lightning (57:12). The third reason is that this is the abode of ibda` (instantaneous creation), where every act is accomplished directly by the Command of "Be" instantaneously without any delay (36:82). In short, the renewal of similitudes of azal and abad starts to take place in the personal world and from here is attained the recognition of the law of contraries. For example, why is the night of abad necessary with the day of azal? Look at the diagram and answer: Are not azal before abad and abad before azal? If you accept yes, they are so, it means that azal and abad, which are contrary to one another, came into being from one another and they are situated on a circle which has neither a beginning nor an end.
- Relationship of Qur'anic Realities and Recognitions: It is a fact that Qur'anic realities and recognitions are mostly related to the personal world. Thus, the esoteric aspect of the creation of the earth and the heaven, the manifestation of the Throne and Pedestal, the event of the Pen and Tablet, stories of the Prophets, the story of the people of the cave, Dhu'l-Qarnayn (May peace be through him)'s biography, etc. are related to the personal world. Every Perfect Human Being is a complete universe, whose spiritual journey is like a dial or a circle, whose spiritual journey starts from zero or the starting point and travels 180 degrees in darkness and 180 degrees in the light and reaches the same starting point whence he had begun the journey. Now, here his journey is 360 degrees, such as 360/0. The sun of the light of azal rises in his heart and mind and the renewal of similitudes of the realities and recognitions of azal and abad begins.
- Wisdoms of this Diagram: You can estimate well from the words and technical terms mentioned in this diagram that very many wisdoms are hidden in it. For instance, the question: What are the meanings of fatq and ratq? Why are they kept in this order here, while in verse (21:30) fatq is after ratq? Answer: Ratq means closed up, sewed and fatq means to open, to cleave asunder. It is mentioned in the Qur'an: "The heavens and the earth were closed up and We clove them asunder. (21:30)" That is, the two were one and then God separated them. From the above diagram, it is clear that He made them both one, [i.e., the heaven and the earth one]. By this heaven and earth are meant the heaven of the Universal Intellect and the earth of the Universal Soul, that the light of the Universal Intellect sets in the earth [of the Universal Soul] and rises again and this act continues forever. Since this is a key and principal wisdom, a revolution can occur in the usual views of a believer by understanding it. Now, tell me should 'ratq' be on the side of the Universal Soul and asas or not?
- The Paired Fruits of Paradise (13:3; 55:52): This same subject is discussed here in the Book of Healing (Healing through Knowledge) that the pairs of spiritual, luminous, `irfani and intellectual fruits are in pairs in the sense that each pair of fruit, like a male and a female, can give birth to innumerable fruits. Indeed, this depends on the desire and endeavour of the people of paradise to draw logical conclusions from the two premises. By Divine help, this work is easy in the supreme paradise.
- Fruits of the Qur'anic Paradise: The mighty Qur'an is the paradise (firdaws) of knowledge and wisdom. Therefore, all the bounties in it are in pairs too. For instance, the Book: Silent Book and Speaking Book; Light: Light of Prophethood and the light of Imamat; Knowledge: Exoteric knowledge and esoteric knowledge; Bounties: Spiritual bounties and intellectual bounties; Ship on water and ship of knowledge; Heaven: physical heaven and spiritual heaven; Earth: the external earth and the internal earth, etc., as God says in verse (31:20): "Have you not seen that whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth God has subjugated to you and has completed for you His bounties externally and internally." The direct relationship of this soul-nourishing and faith illumining Divine teaching is with the most comprehensive bounty, which was mentioned at the completion of religion ("Today I have completed My favour unto you…" 5:3). In short, the Qur'anic subject of the wisdom of contraries is a garden from amongst the gardens of the paradise of knowledge, whose unique bounties are eternal (azali and abadi) and you should always pray for good grace.
23 Rabi` II 1410 AH/23rd November, 1989 AD
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