Spiritual Experiences - Preface
Preface
Tags: Six Days, Personal World, Hajj, Ya`subu'l-Mu'minin, Lofty Ground
1. By the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. In verse (11:7) God, the Exalted, may His glory be glorified and His bounty be universal, says: The first translation of the verse: "And it is He Who created the heavens and the earth (of the World of Religion) in six days (six great cycles) and His throne appeared on the water, that He might test which of you is best in knowledge and deeds". The second translation: "And it is He Who created the heavens and the earth (of the personal world) in six days (six subsidiary cycles) and His throne (`arsh) appeared on the water so that He might test which of you is best in knowledge and deeds".
2. The six days (the six great cycles) in which the Holy Lord created the world of Religion are: the cycle of Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him), the cycle of Hazrat-i Nuh (May peace be through him), the cycle of Hazrat-i Ibrahim (May peace be through him), the cycle of Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him), the cycle of Hazrat-i `Isa (May peace be through him), and the cycle of Hazrat-i Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny). The day that the throne of God appeared on the water is the cycle of Hazrat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him) which is the Saturday of [the week of] Religion. This explanation is also true for the personal world according to the second translation except that the days (cycles) here are very short because the physical universe is enfolded in the personal world. Therefore, why would the ship–like throne on the sea of the personal world be empty? If it were a throne, there would be the king manifest on it. If it were a ship, its captain would be on it. If it means both the throne and the ship, its owner will also be in both senses.
3. It is said in verses (51:20-21): "And there are signs in the Universal Earth (the earth of the Universal Soul) for the people of certainty and (all these signs are) also within your personal world, so do you not see?" It becomes crystal clear from the above verse that God, the Knowing and the Wise has encompassed the physical universe, the spiritual universe and the world of Religion in the personal world, so that the mu'mins with certainty may observe and study all these miracles (ayat) for the sake of self-recognition and the recognition of God.
4. By the grace of God, the translation and esoteric explanation of the above verses is in the light of recognition of the Imam. It is true that when the throne is on the ocean of knowledge it is a ship-like throne and it is also true that such a miraculous throne or such a magnificent ship is not empty at all, rather, on it or in it is the vicegerent of God i.e., Hazrat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him), may the most excellent greetings and peace be upon him, because Allah, may He be purified, because He as such is not a body to sit on the throne. If this is considered without ta'wil, it is an insoluble knot. The translation of "arz" in (51:20) as the Universal earth or the earth of the Universal Soul is absolutely correct, because neither are all the Divine signs limited to the planet earth, nor can the earth on its own be equal to the microcosm (personal world) without the physical universe and the spiritual universe.
5. The name of this book: In order to draw attention toward the spiritual knowledge of the Exalted Imam (May peace be through him), this book is named Tajribat-i Ruhani (Spiritual Experiences). I am sure that our Scholars, Governors, `Ilmi Soldiers, Officers and members will all rejoice at this lovely name and God willing, the goodwill and prayers of our dear jama`at will also be obtained, in which there are a lot of blessings.
6. With the blessing of this service of knowledge, the number of pure personalities or pure souls that have gathered here are indeed angels of my personal world. They continue to come to the mirror of my imagination one by one. This wisdom-filled feeling and perception of the world of imagination is among Allah's bounties for me. It is an example of paradise for every person that he can see his friends in the mirror of his imagination. The power of imagination is a great gift of Allah for human beings. The abundance of Divine remembrance (zikr-i Ilahi) creates a stormy light in one's imagination to the extent that it takes the form of a universe. You should have a luminous imagination! This is possible through the pure love of Hazrat-i Imam (May peace be through him). Mawla's love is a very effective medicine for all moral, spiritual and intellectual diseases.
7. It is the holy service of the wise Qur'an and the Imam (May peace be through him) from the progeny of Hazrat-i Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) which is in fact the service of Islam. Praise be to the Lord! This same pure and favourite service is also for the jama`at at and humanity. Thus, all our fortunate and lucky friends are requested to thank God in the light of the knowledge of certainty and be happy. It is most appropriate that the happiness of this great bounty be in the form of expressing gratitude. It is not far from the mercy of the Lord that for this great service, our dear friends receive a very big reward such as the subjugation of the personal world, in which is hidden the secret of conquering the universe.
8. Benefits of spiritual experience: The holy Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) has said: "Indeed, Allah the Exalted has based His Religion on the example of His (physical) creation, so that the proof and the example of His Religion may be cited from His creation; and the proof of His Oneness may be sought from His Religion". When the original law of the world and that of religion are similar i.e., based on the law of nature, as mentioned in the above Hadith, then why shouldn't we accept the fact that the way all people are benefitting from the experiments of material science, similarly sooner or later numerous benefits will also be obtained from the experiments of Spiritual Science.
9. Hajj or the Da`wat of Qiyamat: It was the will of Allah, the Knowing, the Wise, to conceal the spiritual resurrections of the prophets and awliya' in different parables. Therefore, the example of the resurrection of Hazrat-i Ibrahim (May peace be through him) is hidden in the parable of Hajj (22:27-28). Thus, Allah said to His friend Ibrahim, (May peace be through him): "And call people unto Hajj" i.e., call the people of different continents of the world through Israfil so that they may all be present in your resurrection in the form of particles and witness their own benefits which are preserved in the Imam of their time, and as an expression of gratitude remember Allah's name in the known days (ayyam-i ma`lumat) that He made them benefit from the knowledge of the hudud-i din.
10. Resurrection is related to Imam-i zaman (May peace be through him): In verse (17:71) it is said that the resurrection of the people of the world takes place in the Imam of the time. It is for this reason that the hidden resurrection of people in the form of particles in the pure personality of Hazrat-i Ibrahim (May peace be through him) is mentioned in the parable of Hajj. It is necessary to know that the luminous manifestation of the Imam occurs in the spiritual rank (Hadd) of the Hudud-i din in whom resurrection takes place. Therefore, from one aspect resurrection occurs in the `Arif and from another aspect it occurs in the Imam.
11. Ya`subu'l-Mu'minin: It is narrated that the holy Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) had said to Hazrat-i Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him), "You are the king of the believers". Ya`sub (amiru'n-nahl) means the king or queen of honey-bees. According to this parable, Imam is Ya`sub and amiru'n-nahl and the souls of the believing men and women who are attached to spiritual knowledge and wisdom are the bees. Therefore, it is a great good fortune of those who, because of their service to knowledge, are with the Imam in spirituality.
12. Recognition of Favours and Appreciation: Here, there is the mention of some earthly angels, the pleasant mention of some pure and fortunate souls and the fond remembrance of those who are true lovers of pure Mawla, those who love the knowledge of the Imam, those who love gatherings of knowledge very dearly, those `azizan who are well aware of the spirit of giryah-u zari and supplication, those very dear friends who are very attached to Jama`at Khanah, those who consider jama`ti service a fortune in both the worlds for themselves, those courageous believing men and women who constantly struggle for spiritual upliftment, those elevated examples of humanity who are adorned with the ornaments of morality, that true army which, in the war of knowledge, is united and strong like a wall of lead (61:4).
13. Those tremendously brave soldiers of knowledge who undertake martial services for the Qur'an, Imam, Islam, and humanity, those respectable personalities who are enriched with the everlasting wealth of the knowledge of certainty; those friends of Allah who possess manifold treasures of knowledge, those true believing men and women who are spreading spiritual knowledge on this planet earth, those fortunate dear friends for whom the kingdom of the personal world is promised, those friends of knowledge who reside in Pakistan, U.K, France, U.S.A, Canada etc., I salute and thank them all a thousand times for their sacred religious love and devotion, pure service of knowledge and their altruistic zeal and sacrifice.
14. Those pious servants of Allah who prostrate gratefully while being intoxicated and merged in the love of Mawla, those people of faith who, like heavenly angels, wish well and pray for all human beings residing on this earth (42:5), those lovers of the ahl-i bayt who reflect upon the wisdom of the Hadith: "Al-khalqu `iyalu'llah" (the whole of creation is Allah's family), those of our respected friends who are building the house of God (Jama`at Khanah) in their pure foreheads (10:87), those fortunate believing men and women who are enamoured of and have ardent love for the sacred Farman of Mawla, those very dear companions whose greatest treasure of recognition (ma'rifat) is Monoreality, those fortunate students who are spreading the ta'wili knowledge of Hazrat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him) with the help of their beloved teacher, that army of knowledge of the `Ali (May peace be through him) of the time which is doing jihad against ignorance.
15. First New Dedication: Question: According to you the topic of the personal world is extremely important, rather it is the most beneficial. Please tell us the reason for this. Answer: Who am I to divide true knowledge into different levels except by looking to the wise Qur'an, noble Hadith and the sayings of the Imams from the progeny of Hazrat-i Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny). Thus, through this true guidance we come to know that all the miracles of self-recognition and the recognition of God are in the personal world.
16. Question: Who possesses the personal world? Does it belong to every human being or only to a mu'min? Where is the centre of the personal world? Answer: Every person is potentially a personal world, however every Prophet, every wali and every `Arif is an actual personal world. If anyone truly obeys God, the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) and the waliyy-i amr, they can certainly become an actual personal world. The centre of the personal world is the forehead, where there are astonishing miracles.
17. Question: You mentioned that in personal world, the forehead is the centre where there are astounding miracles. Please tell us the nature of those miracles and what those miracles are. Answer: Those miracles are spiritual, intellectual, `ilmi (related to knowledge), `irfani (related to recognition), allegorical, azali, abadi, non-spatial, etc. For example, there is the world of oneness (`alam-i wahdat), the reference to which is nafs-i wahidah (Single Soul) in the Qur'an (31:28), and it signifies the Perfect Man. Thus, in this great cycle, if one sees with the eye of recognition, every perfect man (nafs-i wahidah) from Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him) onwards has seen the world of oneness in the form of a human being in his forehead. In it, Throne (`arsh), Pedestal (kursi), Pen (qalam), Tablet (lawh), Qur'an, the Book, lote-tree (sidrah), name (ism), named one (musamma), angel, jinn, pari, absolutely each and everything is in a human form. Since all the things of the world of oneness were in a human form, they altogether became one.
18. After these few wisdoms, the new dedication is with regard to my very dear Muhammad `Abdul `Aziz, President `ARIF and second governor, whose living story of golden services and record of deeds is very long. He has spent a substantial part of his precious life for the progress and strength of the institution. Our renowned institution is recording all the services of our scholars and office bearers. God willing, we will record all the good deeds related to Danishgah yi Khanah-yi Hikmat in a ‘Golden History'. The well brought-up and angelic wife of President Muhammad, Yasmin Muhammad, record officer and second governor, has many moral and religious qualities. Her eternal fortune and fundamental virtue is that during Divine remembrance (zikr-i Ilahi) and supplication (munajat) her heart immediately melts and tears of love for Mawla flow very easily. This is the real reason that record officer Yasmin Muhammad is exemplary in all her services. The beloved son of Yasmin and Muhammad, Shehzad, 'Ilmi Lashkar is studying in America, their beloved daughter Selina is a third year MBBS student and another daughter Zahra is a student in grade 10.
19. The respected mother of President Muhammad, Shirin Khanu (Khanum), daughter of Shakur, was a very pious and religious lady. For approximately 30 years she selflessly served the pure Imam and the beloved jama`at as a lady volunteer, in particular during the Diamond Jubilee of Hazrat-i Mawlana Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah (May peace be through him). She possessed many medals for her various services. She passed away at the age of 72. The father of the President, `Abdul `Aziz, son of Qasim, was a very religious and pious person. For a long time, he offered sacred services to the exalted Imam as a jama`ati volunteer. He was the mukhi of a particular majlis and also participated in the band. He was very interested in religious knowledge and ginans. Mawla had also conferred the title of Huzur Mukhi on him.
20. Second New Dedication: It is said in surah-yi Mu'minin (23:50): "And We made the son of Maryam and his mother a sign (miracle), and We gave them a shelter on a lofty ground having meadows and springs". Tell us the wisdoms in this. First Wisdom: Allah made Hazrat-i `Isa (May peace be through him) and his mother Hazrat-i Maryam (May peace be through her) the compendium of all the miracles of the personal world. Second Wisdom: This lofty position is the forehead which is the mi`raj of the personal world. Third Wisdom: This is the final destination and thus the place to rest. Fourth Wisdom: Here is the everflowing spring of `ilm-i ladunni. Fifth Wisdom: All mu'min men and women can reach this lofty destination by purifying their soul (nafs), a wisdom-filled example of which is Hazrat-i Maryam (May peace be through her), who was not a prophet, yet her spiritual progress was no less than that of a prophet.
21. There is a question related to surah-yi Fussilat (41:21) that, at the rank of spirituality there is an abundance of miracles, where everything speaks to the extent that inanimate things also speak by the command of God. Could you tell us something about this? Answer: God willing. Indeed, there are many such miracles, like the brief conversation of the chirping of birds, the control of the Holy Spirit over air, water and other voices, that is, to make speech. These matters are related to the time of spiritual revolution. Once there was a lecture on a nearby loudspeaker in Chinese and the miraculous soul was changing it into Burushaski language. Similarly, the morning call of the cockerel was transforming into a word of invocation. One night I was doing zikr by myself when suddenly the four walls, ceiling and the floor of Jama`at Khanah started loud zikr (zikr-i jali) in the same way as I used to lead jama`at zikr. It was almost as though the Jama'at Khanah had recorded the zikr. Thus, there are many other such miracles.
22. As for the new dedication, I would like to say that the word 'Zahra' is the blessed title of Hazrat-i Fatima Sayyidah (May peace be through her). It is derived from zahara (which means the shining/glittering of lamp, moon or face) and as you know, in order to receive barakah and blessings, children are named after the holy names and titles of the pure ahl-i bayt. Thus, respected Ja`far `Ali and his wife Zarina Ja`far `Ali either received Divine guidance or received it from the holy Jama`at Khanah and thus these good-natured parents gave their fortunate new-born daughter the chosen name Zahra.
23. It is true that a human being's first school of humanity is the lap of their mother, then their home and then the environment. By the grace of God, Zarah received a very good moral and religious upbringing and as she grew, she offered her wisdom-filled services in Jama`at Khanah as a member of Junior guides, then girl guides, then senior guides and then water and shoe company. This made me think how useful the organisations set up by Hazrat-i Mawlana Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah (May peace be through him) were in teaching religious service. May my soul and the soul of my parents be sacrificed for him! Alas, I wish there was a proper book on the incomparable Imam of the cycle of qiyamat!
24. Since Zahra, daughter of Ja`far `Ali had a religious inclination from the beginning, she completed her Advanced Religious Education from the religious night school and started teaching there. In secular studies, she completed her Masters (in Persian). For the past 11 years, Zahra has been in deep love with the spiritual sciences of Danishgah yi Khanah-yi Hikmat. We will be extremely happy to soon be calling her ‘scholar Zahra'. She is very fond of true knowledge and keeps serving its cause all the time. She is a treasure of human, moral, religious and `ilmi values.
25. Zahra Ja`far `Ali has many designations and responsibilities: Personal Secretary, Chief Secretary, Proof Section In-charge, Record Officer, First Governor and Treasurer. With such heavy responsibilities, you can assess how brave and high aspiring a governor daughter Zahra is. Her parents are very pious and religious. It was the earnest prayer, desire, moral struggle and religious upbringing of these two earthly angels, due to which Zahra is today on par with both the great governors and the great scholars of Danishgah yi Khanah-yi Hikmat.
26. The Echo of Nur of Israfil in the Perfect Men: The real secret is that the resurrection of recognition can also occur to a mu'min of the first rank after the Prophet and Imam. Otherwise the recognition of one's own self and that of God (i.e., ma`rifat) would have been impossible, but this is not the case. In fact, recognition (ma`rifat) which contains everything is not possible without the individual resurrection. Indeed, it is recognition of God which is the only key through which the door of the secrets of the inner meaning (batin) of the wise Qur'an opens.
27. It is said that things such as soil, stone, minerals, etc., are inanimate, which are called the mineral kingdom. Externally it is true and we mostly do write like this, but the internal reality is the opposite, because in their respective times, the Perfect Men have gone through the experiment with certainty and recognition that when resurrection takes place by the blow of the Nur of Israfil (May peace be through him), the souls of all things from all over the universe gather in the personal world, and recite the tasbih of God, may He be hallowed. The souls of mountains and birds are included in these souls. For the explanation of this see verse (34:10): "We granted Dawud a great bounty and (We ordered) O mountains harmonize with him, (and We gave this order) to the birds as well. We made iron supple for him." Here, iron means knowledge because iron is very hard = knowledge is also very hard. One can heat iron and make something useful from it and likewise knowledge is acquired with great pain before it is used. Allah softened the iron for Hazrat-i Dawud (May peace be through him) = hard knowledge was made soft and easy in the form of given knowledge (`ilm-i ladunni).
Nasir al-Din Nasir (Hubb-i `Ali) Hunzai
Karachi, 20 August 1997
Wednesday, 15 Rabi` II 1418 A.H.
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