Spiritual Experiences - Mi`raj and Ma`arij
Mi`raj and Ma`arij
Tags: Mi`raj, Ma`arij, Fifty Thousand, Ba`asa, Hazrat Adam, Hazrat Idris, Siddiq, Hazrat Hud, Fatarani, Hazrat Salih, Amin, Hazrat Ibrahim
1. It is said in a noble Hadith, "The Qur'an is a tractable thing with many aspects, so interpret it according to the best aspect." The bright and shining light of prophethood in this Hadith, dazzles the eyes of the people of knowledge and wisdom. It also becomes completely clear that all the Qur'anic words and meanings are indeed like those precious pearls which bewilder the viewers through the brilliance of their numerous aspects.
2. The translation of the first four initial verses of (70:1-4): "A questioner asked (through the experience of recognition) about a penalty to befall the unbelievers, which there is none to ward off, (a penalty) from Allah, Lord of the ways of ascent, the angels and the spirit ascend unto Him in a day the measure whereof is (as) fifty thousand years". This is the veiled mention of spiritual resurrection, in which there are two aspects of mercy and punishment. The questioner is a mu'min-i salik or a true lover who is asking this question consciously or unconsciously and is living and dying for didar. One of God's attributes is "zi'l-ma`arij" which means "the owner of ladders". Since the word ma`arij is plural and mi`raj is singular, therefore the understandable meaning of zi'l-ma`arij is the Lord of ma`arij. That is, there are many mi`rajes of Prophets, awliya' and `arifs in God's kingdom.
3. Although every prophet's spiritual journey or personal resurrection is a ladder (mi`raj) of different rungs which reaches the Sacred Sanctuary, yet there is no doubt that the noble mi`raj of the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) is the chief of all the mi`rajes, because other prophets' excellence is in degrees and while undoubtedly he is the leader of all the prophets and the fountainhead of God's mercy for everybody. Thus, it is true that the mi`raj of the beloved of God [Prophet Muhammad ( (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny))] is the most excellent and the best of them for the purpose of practical recognition by following his footsteps. Thus, without this spiritual elevation, self-recognition and recognition of God is impossible.
4. In "angels and the Spirit ascend to Him", by the Spirit is meant the Perfect Man i.e., the Single Soul and by the angels are meant the subordinate souls. The very great miracle of the light of guidance is that from the destination of running (manzil-i sa`y) it takes every Perfect Man forward with great swiftness, and in a short space of time, the `arif reaches the Sacred Sanctuary, otherwise according to the Qur'an this path is a journey of fifty thousand years. This means that the ordinary people are 50,000 years behind the people of recognition. As Hafiz says: "No comparison is there between these two distances" (Bibin tafawut-i rah az kujast ta ba-kuja).
5. It is mentioned in verse (2:213), "Then Allah sent (ba`asa) the Prophets". If in this verse the meaning of "ba`asa" is to send, then where has God sent His prophets from? If the meaning here is to resurrect, then at which stage did this miracle take place? Answer: Both meanings are correct. They died at the destination of Hazrat-i `Izra'il (May peace be through him) and resurrected and this happened again at the stage of the Intellect. Thus, they were sent from the place of intellect (special nearness of Allah). Question: In the personal world, where is the place of intellect? Answer: In the blessed forehead of the Perfect Man.
6. It is said in verse (36:12) "Verily We revive the dead ones and We write down what they have sent before them; and inscribe their traces which they have left behind. And We have encompassed everything in the manifest Imam." God revives all kinds of dead people, but the biggest miracle of the death and life of the Perfect Men occurs at the destination of Hazrat-i `Izra'il (May peace be through him) and at the destination of the Intellect. Therefore, an important question arises: where are their records of deeds or traces when God revives the prophets and awliya'? The answer is not far away, it is in this very verse where He says: "We have encompassed everything in the manifest Imam".
7. From the above explanation we know that the status of the manifest Imam is the Sacred Sanctuary in which the spiritual universe is enfolded. Therefore, everything is in the manifest Imam, which includes the feats of the prophets and awliya' and their mi`rajes as well. This is the status of the Imam of every time. The reason for this is that God has made every true Imam the master of resurrection (17:71) and resurrection is that time in which all the people of the past, present and future gather together in the personal world of the Imam of the time (56:49-50). Thus, the resurrection is renewed in every Imam, as said in verse (3:140) "These are the [seven] days which we are rotating among the people". Thus, the day of resurrection is Saturday which has to come again and again.
8. Two testimonies of knowledge and recognition are presented here as the proof of Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him)'s mi`raj. The first testimony is that the place where God created Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him) in His Image, was the place of mi`raj, because this work can only take place in paradise and the place of mi`raj is a part of paradise. The second testimony is that things are in pairs, therefore the angels first prostrated to Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him) on the earth of the personal world. Then, when Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him) went to the heaven of the personal world and entered the Sacred Sanctuary, the angels did the second prostration. At this stage all the angels had become one angel because this was the place of mi`raj which is the place of unity.
9. There is a noble verse about the spiritual mi`raj of Hazrat-i Idris (May peace be through him) (19:57): "And We raised him to a lofty station (of spirituality)". Since people are unaware of the secrets of the personal world, therefore, they are searching for the secrets of the prophets and the awliya' in this material world. Hazrat-i Idris (May peace be through him) is mentioned with the title of Siddiq in the Qur'an (19:56). Siddiq is the custodian of ta'wil who confirms the heavenly book or books with his ta'wil. The confirmation of a book is the confirmation of the prophet whose book it is, and nobody knows the ta'wil of the heavenly book except the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny), the Imam and the Hujjat. An example of the Hujjat is Hazrat-i Maryam (May peace be through her). God willing, we shall also mention her mi`raj.
10. The allusion to the mi`raj of Hazrat-i Hud (May peace be through him) is in verse (11:51). "My reward depends only on He Who has created me". Here "Fatarani" means the intellectual birth of the Perfect Man in the Sacred Sanctuary, in which he is created in the Image of the Compassionate. Thus, this very verse is the proof of the mi`raj of Hazrat-i Hud (May peace be through him), as it is said: "(O Prophet at the place of Intellect), establish the face of your soul for religion as a Hanif (muwahhid)". God's (azali) creation is that in which He has created people (in azal). There is no change in (that) creation of God. This is the religion of Hazrat-i Qa'im (May peace be through him), but most people do not know this (30:30).
11. Hazrat-i Salih (May peace be through him) told the community of Samud (26:143) "I am indeed your trustworthy (amin) Prophet". Amin has three meanings: trustworthy, the one at peace, and respectable. The one who is called amin in the Qur'an is trustworthy of the secrets of mi`raj and knowledge and recognition. He is completely at peace and perfectly respectable. We say this because profound wisdom is hidden in every special word of the Qur'an. Such an elevated wisdom has reached the Throne, Pedestal, Pen, Tablet and kalimah-yi bari, and is touching the Hidden Book, because it has come from the height of the paradise of mi`raj. Thus, in the light of profound wisdoms, the people of recognition can point out the ma`arij of the Prophets and awliya' (Imams) because by the spiritual bounties of the religion of Islam are meant the bounties of recognition (31:20). Al-Hamdu li'llah!
12. In verse (21:71) regarding Hazrat-i Ibrahim (May peace be through him) and Hazrat-i Lot (May peace be through him) it is said: "And We gave salvation to Ibrahim and Lot by taking them to that earth, in which We have kept blessings for all personal worlds." Here by al-arz is meant the Universal Soul, which is earth in relation to the Universal Intellect and heaven in relation to the natiq, in which there are physical, spiritual and intellectual blessings for every personal world and the place of mi' raj is in the heaven of the Universal Soul.
13. God honoured and exalted Hazrat-i Ibrahim (May peace be through him) with high ranks such as Prophethood, Messengership, sincere friendship and Imamat. In the verse "inni wajjahtu" (6:79) there is the subtle allusion that after entering the paradise of mi`raj like his father Adam, he also had become the Image of the Compassionate. This is because it is the final stage of the recognition of God (ma'rifat). O the light of my eyes, always remember the law that the fundamental things of religion are in pairs. Therefore, Hazrat-i Ibrahim (May peace be through him) and Hazrat-i Isma`il (May peace be through him) (natiq and asas) were two. They had built two houses for God: one physically (in tahir) and one spiritually (in batin = forehead), as it is said in verse (2:125) "(We commanded to) take as your place of prayer Ibrahim's station (maqam-i Ibrahim)." That is, to progress by means of the natiq and the asas in the personal world and to make a house of God in your forehead. It is this which is the spiritual house of God and the station of Hazrat-i Ibrahim (May peace be through him). Establish prayers here and do the `ibadat of knowledge.
14. The verses (51:20-21) of surah-yi Zariyat express such wisdoms: "And there are many signs in the earth for the people of certitude (people of recognition) and within yourselves too. Do you then not see?" From this we know that there are two houses of God: one physically (zahir) and one spiritually (in batin = forehead). However, we who are its attendants, have to ascertain what condition this house of God is in? Is it potential or actual? Has it been cleaned or not? Are there not too many idols in it?
Karachi 7th July 1997
Monday, 1 Rabi` I, 1418 A.H
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