Qur'anic Minarets - Questions of the `Azizan of America
Questions of the `Azizan of America
Tags: Nine Hundred Thousand, Thirty, Jews and Christians, Human groups, Ranks of Paradise, Hazrat Nuh, Resurrection, Forty-nine
Chairman Noordin Rajpari and Adviser Shams al-Din Jooma are among the staunch mu'mins of the first rank. These two chosen students and faithful friends have come here from a faraway country like America (which is on the other side of the earth) to ask questions related to knowledge. From this you can estimate, may God be hallowed! how intensely they and those who study together with them in America and other countries feel the necessity of knowledge about Imamat and to what extent they are the lovers of recognition (ma`rifat). Is it not the excellence of these courageous wise mu'mins' religious zeal that they are diligently rendering service to knowledge in a country like America where there is a strong storm of every kind of material progress? Do they not have worldly difficulties and obstacles? They have many, but when mu'mins, due to their azali bliss, walk on the straight path, in the illumination of the light of guidance, they forget every kind of worldly difficulty considering it to be transitory. All of you pray that the difficulties of every servant of religion and knowledge be eased gradually and come to an end! Amin!
These are their questions:
Q.1 In the book "What is Soul?" in answer to question 57, alluding to a secret you have mentioned "nun, sin, lam". Would you kindly shed some light on it?
A.1 The secret which is in verse (36:51) still remains a secret, however, I will verbally convey it to you secretly on the condition that you put aside for a while pen and paper and also stop the recording button on your devices.
Q.2 Concerning verse (7:11): "Verily We created you, then We made your form, then We said to the angels: prostrate yourselves to Adam." In the order of this verse, why is the physical creation mentioned first? Where there is the place of prostration to Adam (May peace be through him), why are so many other people present? Further, when a `arif passes by the event of Adam, why does the shaytan face him? Is it necessary to be so? Why?
A.2 Each and everything related to knowledge and recognition and every wisdom-filled example is in the exalted personality of the manifest Imam (36:12). Therefore, the Imam (May peace be through him) of the time is certainly the model of Adam (May peace be through him) as well. Thus, by observing the blessed personality of the True Guide, we come to know that the creation of Adam (May peace be through him) starting with the physical creation completed in the spiritual and intellectual state. The second part of the answer: People are created anew in the personal world of every Adam (May peace be through him) therefore where the angels prostrate to him, they are present unconsciously. Third part: If shaytan is removed from the event of Adam (May peace be through him), how can such an event and its recognition be correct and complete while shaytan, in reality, is a part of it?
Q.3 With reference to verse (7:13): It is said to shaytan: "Go down from here. It is not for you to show pride here, so get out." Which is the place from where shaytan was commanded to go down and to get out from?
A.3 This is the supreme paradise (the place of intellect) of the personal world, from where shaytan fell down on the ground of the soul, then he got out from there, because the first command is to 'go down from here' and the second command is 'get out'. Remember that these are two different commands, one is going down from a height and the second is getting out of a pure place.
Q.4 The period of nine months is assigned for physical birth of a human being, is there such a time assigned for spiritual birth? If it is, what type of and how much is that time?
A.4 Physical birth is beyond the control of a human being therefore its time is assigned. However, spiritual birth is within their control therefore it can be short as well as very long. Nonetheless, after the cessation of the respite of free will, there is also a time assigned for it, which is nine hundred thousand years, during which a human being experiences spiritual birth and weaning. The Qur'anic formula to understand this is:
A human being's time of bearing and weaning is completed in 30 months (46:15). An average month consists of 30 days. Thirty days multiplied by thirty months is equal to 900 days. Since one day of Allah is a thousand years (22:47), 900 x 1000 = 900,000 (Nine Hundred Thousand) years. As it is said:
Nuh sad hazaran sal shud ta qalibam ra sakhtand
It took 900,000 years until my body was created
Q.5 Kindly explain this Divine command (5:51): "O you who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians for friends."
A.5 Outward friendship is permissible with Jews and Christians, but cordial friendship is prohibited, as mentioned in verse (3:118): "O you who believe! Do not take intimates other than your own." Thus, in this command (5:51) intimate friendship is prohibited, which has been explained in verse (3:118).
Q.6 Regarding "Balance of Realities", p. 72: "… in addition to the human beings inhabiting this planet, there are eight other groups of human beings", that is, there are nine groups altogether. Can we give different names to these nine groups, which are created from different substances, according to order and the difference of bodies? What are these names? Where are those subtle bodies in the universe?
A.6 Human beings in the dense body are one group. Their group-wise ranks by the name of paradise are eight, which are related to different planets because each paradise is a subtle human group. Thus, the ranks of these spiritual entities are the same as assigned to the paradises, such as: Immortal home (Daru'l-khuld, 41:28), the Abode of peace (Daru's-salam, 6:127), Enduring home (Daru'l-qarar, 40:39), Gardens of everlasting bliss (Jannat-i `Adn, 9:72), Garden of Abode (Jannatu'l-ma'wa, 53:15), Garden of delight (Jannatu'n-na`im, 26:85), `Illiyyin (`Illiyyin, 83:18) and Gardens of Paradise (Firdaws, 18:107).
Q.7 On p. 73 of the same book, it is said: "The bodies of these eight kinds of spiritual entities (ruhaniyyun) can be of different substances, free from heat, cold, wetness and dryness." You have not included the ninth group among the spiritual entities, would you kindly shed some light on this?
A.7 In this statement one of the nine bodies is elemental, and the rest of the eight are subtle bodies, in such a case, how is it possible to include the dense body among the subtle bodies? That is, the present dense body cannot be called paradisal attire.
Q.8 Which of the seven groups apart from humankind and jinn, first recognising themselves recognised their Sustainer and the universe which He has created?
A.8 Since this question has arisen from the above-mentioned book "Balance of Realities", read the answer to this question on p. 73: "For their reality is the same. In the beginning, they were human beings and even now their features are (like) human beings. The only difference is that they have reached the highest stages of the subjugation of the universe." It is evident from this that although the Perfect Human Beings attain ma`rifat in this world, on the whole, it becomes complete on higher levels. And yes, those who are admitted in the first paradise, after the punishment of the hell of ignorance, their recognition starts from there.
Q.9 It is said that Hazrat-i Nuh (May peace be through him) lived for 900 years and according to a tradition he was also eight yards tall. What is the reason for this? Why do people today have comparatively short statures and why are their lives shorter? Is there any possibility of lives and statures increasing in any cycle?
A.9 Yes, Hazrat-i Nuh (May peace be through him) has the longest age in the history of prophets. According to a tradition he received Prophethood at the age of forty years and delivered sermons for 950 years. Then he lived for sixty years after the Deluge. On this account, his age spanned 1050 years. There are several wisdoms in this:
- His age was a Divine miracle
- It was to demonstrate forever for the people of the world that those who reject the True Mission (da`wat-i haqq) despite repeated exhortation for a long length of time, become such enemies that punishment befalls them.
- The numerous diseases which we have today, due to the continuous sins of people, did not exist in that time (30:41).
- If someone is yearning for a long life similar to that of Hazrat-i Nuh (May peace be through him), they should prepare themselves for the subtle body, the length of whose life can be estimated from how long life can be from conception to weaning, that is, 900,000 years (see Q&A 4 above). However, the most important point is in the sacred Hadith: "O the child of Adam! Obey me, I will make you like Myself, ever-living so that you will never die …."
Q.10 Concerning the article "Miracles of the night of Qadr", point 10, referring to verse (22:47), you have said: "The day of resurrection, which is Saturday comprises a thousand years with respect to decision and results. This will be the last of the seven major cycles." Could you please describe any specific characteristic of these thousand years? What will happen after this [cycle]? What will be the duration of the following cycle?
A.10 One resurrection was hidden in the personal world of the holy Prophet, one resurrection was together with him (asas = `Ali (May peace be through him)), every Imam is a resurrection, every seventh Imam is a big resurrection; three hundred years after the Prophet there was a big resurrection, a very great resurrection has taken place after 7x7 = 49. Now we have entered the cycle of resurrection. Now there will be revolutions after revolutions: first of all, spiritual revolution, then a revolution of knowledge, a revolution in science, a revolution in technology, etc. There is no room here for details.
19 Rajab 1410 AH/16th February 1990 AD
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