Spiritual Experiences - The Exoteric Da`wat and the Esoteric Da`wat
The Exoteric Da`wat and the Esoteric Da`wat
Tags: Opposites, Pairs, Da`wat, Unas, Nad`u
1. In the wise Qur'an and the religion of Islam, even numbers have very great importance after the odd numbers, because God has created all things according to the law of pairs or opposites. For this you can see the following places in the Qur'an: (11:40), (13:3), (23:27), (36:36), (51:49) and (55:52). You will come to know His great wisdom that God is the absolute pure one and His created things (creatures) are in pairs.
2. It is said in (51:49): "We have made pairs (zawjayn) of all things so that you may reflect" = We have made two types of everything so that you may adhere to guidance. The examples of zawjayn (pairs) are as follows:
- husband and wife
- male and female
- opposites: this world and the hereafter, heaven and earth, good and evil, existence and non-existence, heaven and hell, space and spaceless, light and dark, body and soul, knowledge and ignorance, closeness and distance, possible and impossible, justice and injustice etc.
3. Similarly, the Qur'an has an exoteric aspect (zahir) and an esoteric aspect (batin). That is, it has a tanzil and a ta'wil. The custodian of tanzil is the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) and the custodians of ta'wil are his successors, that is, the pure Imams. Thus, the da`wat of Islam is of two types: the exoteric da`wat and the esoteric da`wat. It is because of this that every prophet has a legatee who is called the wazir (minister) (25:35) who continues to execute the esoteric and ta'wili da`wat of the true religion.
4. Every noble verse of the Qur'an and every saying of the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) about the glory of Hazrat-i Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him), is for the sake of the esoteric da`wat. There are many such verses and ahadith so that the root and foundation of the esoteric da`wat may be strengthened, because it is due to this esoteric da`wat, that Islam prevails over the religions of the world every time. The noble verse which is related to the prevailing of the true religion over all religions is repeated in three places: (9:33), (48:28) and (61:9). Thus, in the time of every Imam, a spiritual resurrection takes place, which is also a spiritual war and the final da`wat of the true religion, as a result of which Islam prevails over all other religions. However, people cannot see this great miracle.
5. It is said in (17:71): "The day when We shall summon people (unas = people of the time) through their Imam". Here from the word "unas" (people of the time) we come to know that just as there is a chain of Imamat, so there is also a chain of resurrections, because they are inseparable.
6. Do not forget the law of religion, that great things are in pairs, such as, the Pen and the Tablet, the Throne and the Pedestal, the Universal Intellect and the Universal Soul, natiq and asas, Imam and bab, hujjat and da`i etc. In another example, the natiq and wasi (wazir = Imam) are like the sun and moon, and the sun and the moon have 3 ta'wils: natiq and asas, asas and Imam, Imam and bab.
7. As mentioned above, Resurrection is the final da`wat of the religion of Islam, because God has said "nad`u" (we will do da`wat = we will call). Thus, God's call is nothing but religious da`wat, rather this da`wat for people will be by force, as mentioned in (3:83): "All people of the heaven and the earth are obedient to God, either willingly (taw`an ) or by force (karhan) and will return to Him". Here, "karhan" (by force) implies esoteric resurrection, which is a spiritual war and the final da`wat of the true religion.
8. It is said in (20:108): "That day all people will accept the da`wat of such a da`i who knows all the languages". Here, ad-da`i (the one who invites) is the Imam, and through the Imam, God calls people (17:71). It is the exalted Imam (May peace be through him) who knows the languages of all the creatures. This shows that the call of resurrection and spirituality is possible in every language. Praise be to the Allah for His benevolence and favour!
Islamabad, 12th June 1997
Thursday, 6 Safaru'l-muzaffar 1418 A.H
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