Recognition of Imam Part III - Key 22 Pairs of All Things

Key 22 Pairs of All Things

God, may He be exalted, says in verse (51:49): “And We created everything in pairs, so that you may remember.”

As was briefly mentioned in Key 9 all things are created in pairs. Here, the same theme is going to be explained in some detail. Everything has an opposite, for example man and woman, day and night, light and darkness, dryness and moisture, heaven and earth, spiritual and material, happiness and sorrow, affluence and poverty, this world and the hereafter, existence and non-existence, creation and command, etc.

It is extremely necessary to know that there are two kinds of pairs: In one, both its members can live together, such as man and woman; and in the other, its members are mutually exclusive such as day and night.

Similarly, if we consider the survival of this universe as the day and its annihilation as the night, they will also become a pair among the others mentioned above. However, it is necessary for the day and night of existence and nonexistence, that is, the survival and annihilation of the universe, to continue forever. Indeed, it is a fact that day and night are an infinite chain or succession (of events).

By observing with insight in the light of the abovementioned universal law, it becomes evident that the chain or succession of the existence and non-existence of the universe and its existents has neither a beginning nor an end. Rather, from this chain an extremely extensive circle of perpetuity is created, as in the example of day and night, the endless rotation of the survival and annihilation of the universe is established. Otherwise, if we accept that in the beginning there was nothing except God, and that this world came into existence by the command of God, and that again one day it will be annihilated, then this belief implies three things: first, non-existence, then existence and again non-existence. This belief will be without a pair, while according to the above-mentioned universal law, there has to be an existence after a non-existence and a nonexistence after an existence. For other than God, there cannot be anything without its pair.

Further, leaving aside existence, if we reflect on the state of non-existence, the same reality will appear clearly that nothing is exempt from the control of Divine Law. That is, the decree of “We created pairs” has to be equally applied to both the members of every pair. This means that just as existence is created by God, non-existence too is created by Him. When we accept that non-existence is not a thing or a condition which can be found by itself automatically without the control of the Divine Act, rather, whatever state or condition it may be in, it is created by God, then we have to also accept that non-existence is nothing but a transformed form of existence, just as night is a transformed form of day. Thus, the conclusion is that there is no non-existence which is not preceded by existence; and there is no existence that is not preceded by non-existence. Thus, in the holy Qur'ān, it is repeatedly said that, by the command of God, as the day is hidden in the night, the night is hidden in the day. In exactly the same way, existence is hidden in non-existence and non-existence in existence.

Some people believe that non-existence is a non-entity (lashay') and that it is only a name without a named (i.e., an entity), but the fact is to the contrary, as the holy Qur'ān says: “It is He Who created death and life, so that He may test you as to who among you does good deeds” (67:2). From this verse, it is clear that non-existence and existence are both among the creatures of God. Thus, it is evident that non-existence is (also) a kind of creature which God has created from existence.

We accept both the realities of negation and affirmation. That is, undoubtedly everything becomes annihilated, but from that very annihilation, the same thing is created, as God, may He be exalted, says: “How disbelieve you in God when you were dead and He gave life to you! Then He will give you death, then life again, and then unto Him you will be returned” (2:28).

If you reflect well with a clear mind about the wisdom of this blessed verse, you will come to know that the human soul is eternal. Its spiritual and physical life is endless. Thus, in the above verse it is alluded that humankind has repeatedly continued to pass through the experiences of life and death. At one time, he was in the Presence of God where there was the real paradise for him, but like Hazrat-i Ādam(`a), he too descended from there and came to this world due to some excuse and eventually he has to return there. Going to God's presence is not without paradise nor is paradise without God's presence.

The gist of this explanation is that all things are in pairs, and from each pair is created a circle, just as there is the circle of day and night. Similarly, there is the circle of the existence and non-existence of the universe, which is the greatest circle on which the existents and creatures continue to rotate, passing through life and death in turn.

Al-hamdu li'llahi `ala ihsanihi (Praise be to God for His favour)! All these maxims are in the treasures of the recognition of the manifest Imām and there is nothing outside this recognition. Therefore, it is necessary for a mu'min to be perfect in the recognition of the Imām and to study the books on the recognition of Imām regularly, so that the light of the secrets of Imāmat may be created in his heart.

Wa's-salām (Peace).

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