Spiritual Experiences - Recognition and Its Comprehensiveness
Recognition and Its Comprehensiveness
Tags: Recognition, Ma`rifat, Certainty, Rayba, Doubt, Denial, Shahid, Nur, Inner Eye, Liqa', Didar, Knowledge
1. No `aziz must ever think that the light of recognition works only for the eye and that is all. I would like to say that it is never the case. In fact, the light of recognition is a living light in which all the attributes of the Perfect Intellect, the Supreme Soul and the universal Subtle Body are gathered together. Therefore, this sacred light gives new life not only to the physical and spiritual senses of a mu'min-i salik but it also gives fresh souls and resurrecting efficiency to all the particles of his personality. Read carefully the article in "", in which the prayer of light is explained to appreciate the praise of the light of recognition.
2. Recognition is mentioned openly as well as hiddenly in the wise Qur'an. That is, it is mentioned both directly and indirectly. What I would like to say is that, in the eyes of the people of recognition, the subject of recognition is amazingly spread throughout the Qur'an. (God willing) here we will present some examples.
3. The root letters `ayn, ra', fa': Look at the different grammatical forms of these in the holy Qur'an. All of them mention recognition only, as in verse (47:6): "And He will admit them into that paradise which He has made them recognise (`arrafa)". Remember, that this is the universal recognition and nothing is outside of it because in paradise the greatest bounty is meeting with God and having His recognition. No recognition or bounty is greater than this.
4. The root letters nun, kaf, ra': In (12:58) it is said: "Thus, Yusuf recognised them and they could not recognise him." It is evident from this example that all the words of these root letters are contrary to recognition, such as, inkar (denial), munkir (atheist), munkirin (atheists) etc. Therefore, in all these words, recognition is mentioned indirectly. That is, a munkir (denier) is condemned because he is not an `Arif.
5. The root letters ya', qaf, nun: One synonym of recognition (ma`rifat) is certainty (yaqin), the root letters of which are ya', qaf, nun and in all its grammatical forms, recognition is mentioned directly, as in verse (6:75): "Thus did We show Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, so that he may be of those who possess certainty (yaqin)." That is, he may be from amongst the `Arifs.
6. The root letters ra', ya', ba': Doubt (rayba) is contrary to certainty as said in verse (2:1-2): "By Alif, Lam, Mim, i.e., the speaking Qur'an (Qur'an-i natiq), that book in which there is no doubt". When there is no doubt then there has to be only certainty. If there is certainty then it is perfect certainty, that is, the truth of certainty (recognition).
7. The root letters shin, ha, dal: The meanings of recognition are hidden in the words of these root letters, for instance shahid (spiritual martyr). He is the person who is killed in his major jihad against his carnal soul whilst he is alive. He was present in all the events of his resurrection and therefore, he is the eye-witness of these great miracles as well as an `arif. Such martyrs are also mentioned in verse (57:19).
8. The root letters `ayn, ya', nun: In the Hadith-i nawafil it is said that God becomes the eye of His chosen servants. This raises the people of wisdom's hope to a great extent to understand Qur'anic wisdom, in order to progress to the eye of certainty with the support of the knowledge of certainty. In short, here by the eye is meant the inner eye which is related to recognition.
9. The root letters nun, waw, ra': Light (nur) = intellect, knowledge, wisdom, true guide because all the meanings gather together in the manifest Imam (36:12). Through the Imam, God is granting the light of recognition to mu'mins by reviving them in the true spirit. With this light, they walk amongst the people in their personal world (6:122). By this is meant the kingdom of the personal world.
10. The root letters ra' hamzah ya': It is said in (25:45): "Have you not seen your Lord, how He has spread the shadow?" This is the mention of the holy didar which is granted to the `arif in the paradise of the Sacred Sanctuary after spiritual resurrection. The shadow is the night of azal.
11. Root letters 'ayn, mim, ya': In (17:72) it is said: "And whoso is blind in this world, will be blind in the hereafter, and most astray from the path". This is condemnation for not attaining the inner eye.
12. Root letters waw, jim, ha': It is mentioned in verse (28:88): "Everything is perishable except His face". The great secret of merging in Allah is mentioned in this verse that, when the salik reaches the higher stage of merging, everything of his perishes but he lasts in the Image of the Compassionate, who is the Imam.
13. Root letters fa', nun, ya': It is said in verses (55:26-27): "All those who are aboard those (boats) are going to perish, and only the face of your lord, the Glorious, the Bounteous, remains". Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him) has said "I am the face of God in the heavens and the earth" (Kawkab-i durri). Thus, the topic of wajhu'llah (Face of God), in particular, is a topic of recognition.
14. Root letters ba', sad, ra': Basiratun = heart's vision, eye of heart, inner eye. In (12:108) it is said: "Say that this is my path, I invite unto Allah. I and he (also) who has followed me are on basirat". This noble verse is about the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny), Hazrat-i Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him) and the Imams from the progeny of Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny).
15. Root letters lam, qaf, ya': Liqa' = meeting, didar. It is mentioned in verse (18:110): "Thus, whoever hopes for the meeting (didar) of his Lord, he should work righteously and in the worship of his Lord, he should not admit anyone else". Someone denying [his position] asked Hazrat-i Mawla `Ali (May peace be through him): "Have you seen your Lord that you may know him?" Hazrat-i Amir answered: "I did not worship the Lord until I saw Him". He asked again: "How did you see him?" Hazrat-i `Ali (May peace be through him) answered: "The [physical] eyes did not see Him, but the hearts [of the awliya] did see Him with the realities of recognition". (Kawkab-i durri)
16. Root letters ha', dal, ya': It is said in verse (24:35): "Light upon light, Allah guides to His light whomever He wants". Light upon light means that the chain of the bearers of light (Imams) has always continued. Here, it became evident that physical (zahiri) guidance, which is according to God's pleasure, [first] takes the people of faith to God's light, followed by the spiritual and luminous guidance which is in the personal world (batin), with its great miracles of knowledge at every step. Thus, guidance is of two kinds, physical and spiritual.
17. Root letters ha', kaf, mim: Hikmah = wisdom, intelligence, given knowledge, recognition of spiritual secrets. It is said in (2:269): "He grants wisdom to whoever He wishes and whoever has been granted wisdom he (has) been given abundant good and blessing". In this holy saying of God, the way heavenly wisdom is praised, why should it not be unique, since there is the lofty command that wisdom is abundant good.
18. Root letters `ayn, lam, mim: Knowledge encompasses everything and is also encompassed by everything. That is, it is a veil of everything and veiled in everything too. This law of knowledge is in the Qur'an, the book of the soul and the book of the universe. A magnificent example of it is that, when God manifested His theophany on Mount tur in front of Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him), it crumbled into pieces. In these words, there is knowledge which is both an example and a veil. Now, the knowledge which is veiled in this is amazing, in the sense that by tur (the mountain) is meant the blessed personality of Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him) on whom God cast his pure theophany at the destination of Israfil (May peace be through him), by which his personality broke into pieces in such a way that from its cells, unlimited and countless souls scattered. In this state, Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him) was seeing the tur of his personality and was also bewildered. Its final ta'wil is at the place of Intellect. In short, these are a few clear examples of the reality that in the Qur'an, the topic of recognition has very great importance. It is because of this that the people of wisdom see the secrets of recognition in other topics as well.
Karachi, 14th July 1997
Monday, 8 Rabi` I, 1418 A.H.
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