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Qur'anic Minarets - Explanation of one Qur'anic Verse by another Verse

Explanation of one Qur'anic Verse by another Verse

Tags: Sadaqah, Ya'khudhu, Walking

1. Obedience of the Prophet: Amongst the countless beauties of the wise Qur'an is that one verse in it is explained by another verse or verses. One such example is verse (4:59) which is related to the subject of obedience, the greatest subject of religion. It is verse (4:80): "He who obeys the Messenger, surely obeys Allah." This Divine teaching makes it evident that to obey the holy Prophet is of very great importance. However, for the wise people, the question arises whether this obedience is direct or indirect. The explanatory verse which answers this question is as under:
2. "O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those vested with authority from amongst you" (4:59). It becomes clear from this luminous guidance that obedience to Allah's Messenger is possible through the pure Imams who are those vested with authority because other than them there is no such chain which continues and lasts as long as the world lasts. The proofs for this are in the Qur'an and the Hadith. It is they whom God has considered His light and He has considered the chain of Imamat His light (5:15; 7:157; 24:35; 4:174; 57:28; 9:32; 61:8).
3. The Verse of Bay`at: It is stated in verse (9:111): "Verily Allah has purchased from the faithful their souls and their properties because in return paradise will be theirs." Thus, in order to renew and to explain this transaction between God and the people of faith, it was commanded to perform the bay`at or the pledge of allegiance, which is in verse (48:10): "Those who pledge bay`at to you (Muhammad), they do pledge bay`at to Allah, Allah's hand is above their hands." It must be remembered that the word 'bay`at' is derived from 'ba`a', which means both to sell and to buy, and it also means covenant. Further, you should also understand the wisdom that the demonstration of `irfani bay`at (bay`at in the light of ma`rifat) takes place in the world of intellect, about which Hakim Pir Nasir says in his Diwan:
   Dastam ba-kaf-i dast-i nabi dad ba-bay`at
   Zir-i shajar-i `ali-yi pur-sayah-u muthmar
   My great spiritual teacher placed my hand in the holy Prophet's blessed palm to do bay`at Under the shady and fruitful tree

4. The Prophet's Hand is Allah's Hand: Just as it is mentioned that the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny)'s obedience is Allah's obedience, similarly it is also mentioned that the very bay`at of the Prophet is Allah's bay`at. Does this not mean that the Prophet's hand had the status of Allah's hand? If this is the case, why should it be surprising that this very great bounty continues after the Prophet by the blessings of his vicegerency, the Imams, whose blessed hand has the status of Allah's hand because the religion of Islam has been completed based on two weighty things: the Qur'an and its Teacher or the Light and the Book (5:15), otherwise the absence of Light would cause a very great vacuum in religion. For instance, see verse (9:104), where it is said: "Allah is He Who accepts repentance from His servants and takes sadaqat." A very great wisdom is hidden in this heavenly guidance, which follows as under:
5. If Allah had wished He could have used the word "to accept (qabul)" for both repentance and sadaqah, but He did not, rather for sadaqat He used "He takes (ya'khudhu)", which is the act of the hand. In the time of Prophethood, the Prophet had to carry out this act. After the Prophet, it is the Imam's function to do so, so that Allah's perpetual command "take (khudh)" may continue forever. That perpetual command is: "(O Prophet!) Take zakat from their wealth so that thereby you may purify them (from the impurities of the soul and intellect) and pray for them, indeed your prayer for them is the source of satisfaction (9:103)." Understand too, the hidden secret that `arifanah zakat (zakat in the light of ma`rifat) is taken in the world of intellect.
6. The Qur'an's Doors are never closed: After the demise of the Seal of Prophets, although the doors of revelation (wahy) closed, the doors of knowledge and wisdom of the Qur'an and the teaching of the embodied Light remained open forever with the same glory. It is far from Divine mercy that He should spread the table of bounties of the Qur'an and Islam for the Muslims and mu'mins in the beginning and deprive those who came later of those exalted bounties merely because of temporal distance. Thus, it is a fact that the way `Ali (May peace be through him)'s light, i.e., the light of Imamat was the door to the holy Prophet's knowledge and wisdom, in the same way, and the same meaning, it was the door of the Qur'an as well, because in reality the holy Prophet's knowledge and wisdom is nothing but that of the Qur'an.
7. The Addressor and the Addressee of the Qur'an: Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, is the addressor of the Qur'an and the addressees are the holy Prophet and the mu'mins of the time of Prophethood. Thereafter they are the Imam of every time and the people of faith of that time. Nonetheless, there are historical events, whose external aspect belongs to that time, even though they also have ta'wil, which belongs to all times, such as Bay`at-i Rizwan is a historical event in the holy Prophet's time. However, you have heard above how Hazrat-i Pir Nasir-i Khisraw (May God sanctify his secret) did the same bay`at at the place of intellect.
8. Explanation of the Verse of Lamp (24:35): This glorious verse that is greatly blessed is: "Allah is the light (i.e., the light of guidance) of the heavens and the earth." The explanation of this verse is the verse (33:46), the door to whose knowledge and wisdom is the verse (57:28): "O you who believe! Fear Allah and believe in His Messenger. He will give you twice as much of (physical and spiritual) mercy and will appoint for you a light (i.e., the recognition of Imamat), wherein you will walk …. (57:28)." Let us accept that we have to walk in the light of this (i.e., the lamp of Imamat), but where? In which direction? On the straight path (sirat-i mustaqim)? In the stages of the spirit and intellect? Towards the Prophet's light? Towards the secrets of the Qur'an and Hadith? Towards mergence in the Prophet? Towards mergence in God? The single answer to all these questions is: Yes!
9. Examples of Walking: There are numerous words in the Qur'an, which mean 'walking', such as hidayat, sirat, sabil, shir`ah, minhaj, tariq, tariqah, sabab, sayr, suluk, dhahib (madhhab), manakib, ittiba`, sa`y, sari`u, sabiqu, masaq and many more such words, which mean 'to walk'. The purpose of 'walking' is spiritual progress and intellectual running (sa`y) (66:8), so that the everlasting wealth of the treasure of azal may be attained. Remember that light is not only for the eyes alone, but it is extremely necessary to illumine all the external and internal senses of a human being and each and every particle of their personal world. Check in chapter "The Concept of the Waves of Light" of 'Qur'anic Healing' in the "Book of Healing" how Hazrat-i Imam Ja`far-i Sadiq (May peace be through him) has wisdomfully expounded the need for light. This makes the fact crystal clear that Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth of the personal world, therefore each and every particle of the intellectual world [of the personal world] has become illumined, and the world of Religion, upon which the luminous rain continues to pour, is internally in the personal world.
10. Compendium of Compendia – Universal of Universals: Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, has made the sacred light of the manifest Imam the compendium of compendia and the universal of the universals and has included all things in it, as mentioned in verse (36:12). Those most comprehensive ones are: Universal Command (Divine Word, the Word of 'Be'), Universal Intellect (intellectual heavens, 21:30; 55:7), Universal Soul (seven earths, 39:10, like them, 65:12), Universal Soul (Supreme Soul, Soul of souls, 17:85), Single Soul, Universal Book (the Mother of the Book, 78:29; 43:4), the Book and the Balance (57:25), Hidden Book, the written Book (`Illiyyin), the speaking Book, the silent Book, immovable time (dahr), azal (hin, 76:1), azal, the treasure of azal, the light of azal (Pearl of Intellect), the light of lights, treasures of things, the Divine Pen, Guarded Tablet, Great Throne, Pedestal (kursi), eternal Kingdom, Secrets of abad (Perfect Words), abad, the House of God, the ancient House, the House of Honour, the Prosperous House, Paradise, Rizwan, personal world, microcosm, macrocosm, the subtle world, the higher world, the world of Religion, the world of humanity, the world of angelicity, the world of Divine attributes, the world of Divinity, the world of particles, spiritual world, the world of intellect (the world of oneness), Supreme Name, Revered naqsh, ring of wisdom, the beautiful Names, miracle of Prophets, events of the world, realities of things, recognition of mergence and survival, etc. Thus, the Imam of the time is the compendium of compendia and the universal of universals and the allusion of the enfolding of the universe is towards this reality.
11. The Interpreter and Giver of Ta'wil of the Qur'an: According to the purport of one Hadith the Imam (May peace be through him) of the time is that embodied light, who continues day and night to shed the light of interpretation and ta'wil on those who have his real recognition. Truly speaking all his excellences and miracles of knowledge and spirituality belong to this field. Since they are intellectual miracles and they are to spread the light of Qur'anic knowledge and wisdom, the numerous religious benefits, which the light of the Imam (May peace be through him) of the time scatters in every direction, have neither any enumeration nor any estimation.
12. Final Interpretation and Ta'wil: Just as first there is obedience to God, then to the Prophet and to those in whom is vested Divine authority (i.e., the Imams (May peace be through him) of guidance), similarly the final interpretation and ta'wil lies in those verses, which are revealed about the light of Imamat, so that according to wisdom, the gradual guidance of the mighty Qur'an may manifest through the chain of Imamat. This is because of the fact that the Qur'an's ta'wil is based on many evolutionary levels and thus from the beginning to the resurrection, it covers the entire cycle.

Praise be to Allah, the Sustainer of the worlds!

10 Rajab, 1410 AH/7th February, 1990 AD