Recognition of Imam Part III - Key 3 Direction of Every Group
Key 3 Direction of Every Group
Tags: qiblah
In verse (2:148) of the glorious Qur'ān, God says: “And everyone has a direction to which he turns.” This wisdom filled verse has several meanings. First: “And there is a direction fixed for every group, which they face [while worshipping].” Second: “And there is a law (shari`at) fixed for every nation, to which it heeds.” Third: “And there is a teacher for every individual, to whom he has recourse.” Fourth: “And every seeker of spirituality has a goal, for which he continues to search.” Fifth: “And for every religious rank, there is a higher rank for which he yearns.” Sixth: “And there is a qiblah for each of the stations of shari`at, tariqat, haqiqat and ma`rifat, to which the respective people turn their face.” That is, the qiblah of the people of shari`at is the Ka`bah, that of tariqat is pir or Murshid, that of the people of haqīqat is the Prophet or Imām and that of the people of ma`rifat is the light of God.
Then the verse continues: “So vie with one another in good works. Wheresoever you may be, God will bring you all together. Indeed, God is powerful over everything” (2:148). The allusions of the wisdom of this holy verse are [directed] not only to the religions of the world, but also to their individual followers. For, just as the respective states of groups are different in relation to the external qiblah, similarly the states of individuals differ in relation to their internal attention. Thus, the secret of focusing all the divergent views on the concept of the unity of God lies in that the Muslims and mu'mins should excel over the people of other religions in good deeds and become examples of doing good deeds in the whole world. The practical aspect of the mission of Islām may therefore be effective and as a result, the people of the world may realize that Islam is the religion of God and Hazrat-i Muhammad Mustafa, peace and salutation of God be upon him and his progeny, is His True Messenger and the Last Prophet.
The reason that the individual's attention is mentioned in describing the collective qiblah is that the guidance, which is revealed for various groups in the Qur'ān, is also for individuals. For example, if a person cannot concentrate during `ibadat and feels that various kinds of thoughts are created [in his mind], then in the light of this Qur'ānic wisdom, he should realize that the capacity of doing good deeds is diminishing in him. In such a case, he should create within himself the zeal to excel in good deeds and practice accordingly. He will see that consequently concentration in `ibadat and spiritual peace will be created in his heart.
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