Recognition of Imam Part II - Luminous Book

Luminous Book

In verse (3:184) God says: “And if they belie you, then so did they belie the messengers before you, who came with clear signs (miracles), and scriptures, and the Luminous Book.” Here, the light is mentioned as the 'luminous Book', which means that the real and spiritual book is as the “One light” of the Prophet and the true Imam, called the Speaking Book. The light of this luminous Book, namely, the Perfect Man, is also called ta'wil or wisdom. (See Wajhi Din, First Part, Urdu translation, pp. 64-65). Ta'wil is called the luminous Book, in the sense that on the highest level of spirituality and in the world of unveiling and observation (mushahadah), it clearly shows and describes the realities and recognitions of the existents by illumining them. In other words, the same light which is in the holy personality of the exalted Imam, is the living and speaking soul of the holy Qur'an, which contains a living, spacious universe of the practical ta'wil of the wise Qur'an. As a result of the `ibadat and spiritual exercise taught to our illustrious pirs and luminaries [in their respective times] by the Imam of the time, they had attained complete observation and experience of this light (i.e., the Luminous Book) in their mind and heart and had come to know the living realities of both the worlds.

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