Spiritual Experiences - Merging in the Imam (May peace be through him)
Merging in the Imam (May peace be through him)
1. In reality, the law of merging is in the following order: merging in the Imam, merging in the Prophet and then merging in God. For, the holy Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) has said: "Everything has a door" and on another occasion he said: "I am the city of knowledge and `Ali is its gate" and he has also said: "I am the house of wisdom and `Ali is its door". Since Hazrat-i `Ali (May peace be through him) was the Imam of his time, therefore, in both the above-mentioned prophetic sayings, by the bab (door) is meant the Imam (May peace be through him) of the time.
2. Now it becomes perfectly clear that, in order to be merged in the city of knowledge and the house of wisdom (i.e., the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny)), it is first necessary to be merged in the door (Imam of the time), and before merging in Allah, it is necessary to be merged in the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny). This leads to a very important question: Has the Imam himself, in whom you wish to be merged, already merged in the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) and Allah or not? If the answer is in the negative, then what difference is there between you and such an Imam? If in the light of the knowledge of certainty you say that the Imam is the living exegesis of 'light upon light' (24:35), i.e., in him there is only one light in the meaning of the light of Allah, the light of the Prophet and the light of the Imam, then it obviously means that the Imam is already merged in the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) and Allah. Therefore, merging in the Imam is itself merging in the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) and merging in Allah.
3. All worlds are gathered in the sacred and pure personal world of the Imam. Look carefully into the heart of the Qur'an, Ya Sin (36:12): are all things related to spirit, to knowledge, intellect and recognition not present and contained in the Sacred Sanctuary (blessed forehead) of the manifest Imam? In reality, is this place not Allah's house and the Prosperous House? Is the vision of God outside this universal law and universal paradise? No, my `aziz, not at all!
4. The exalted rank of merging in the Imam is not possible without ardent love. This ardent love is reliant on that knowledge from which the unique qualities of Mawla are gradually discovered and become known. It is therefore the good fortune of those people who, in the light of the Qur'an and hadith, see the manifestation of their beloved in every direction. So why should there not be a state of love and merging, for it is said in verse (2:115): "Wherever you turn, there is the face of God". That is, the perfect `arif sees God everywhere.
Al-Hamdu li'llahi Rabbi'l-`alamin!
Zulfiqar Abad, Gilgit, 18th May 1997
Sunday, 10 Muharramu'l-Haram 1418 A.H
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