Spiritual Experiences - Questions and Answers Related to Recognition
Questions and Answers Related to Recognition
Tags: Speech of Birds, Hazrat Sulayman, Spiritual Army, `Arsh, Ants, Valley of Ants, Ba`uzah
Question 1: It is said in verse (27:16): "And Sulayman said: O people: (by the grace of God) we have been taught the speech of birds, and we have been given of everything". What is meant by the speech of birds and what is meant by everything i.e., all things? Are they external or internal or both?
Answer: The miracle of the birds' speech is true, but brief and limited. Therefore, the real allusion is towards the souls and angels whose speech is known to all the Prophets and Imams, as indicated in verse (4:54): "And Sulayman became Dawud's heir". This shows that everything or all things belonging to Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him) were spiritual and batini which were granted as the inheritance of Hazrat-i Ibrahim (May peace be through him)'s progeny.
Question 2: "And for Sulayman were gathered the army of jinn and humans and birds" (27:17). Here, in the verb hushira, is there also any mention of, or allusion to Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him)'s personal resurrection or is it only an external story?
Answer: In this, there are both the external story as well as the internal resurrection, because the verb hushira has literal and technical meanings. Technically it is used for resurrection. You can see at least one example in the Qur'an (20:125).
Question 3: When it is said "spiritual army", it cannot be known what grades of souls can be included in it, because every kind of vegetation has its own kind of souls, animals, insects and germs also have souls, so please tell us what kind of souls does the spiritual army consist of?
Answer: This army consists of jinns, humans and angels. An example of it is Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him)'s army (27:17), in which by the birds are meant angels.
Question 4: What are the meanings of `arshun `azim in the story of the Queen of Sheba and what is the wisdom in taking it to Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him)?
Answer: `Arsh has many meanings. Check it in the Lugatu'l-Qur'an etc. Here, we will content ourselves with only three of them: Royal throne, kingdom, face of intellect. Thus, there are some wisdoms in taking Bilqis' throne to Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him). For example, every false kingship and government of this world is overpowered by spiritual power and becomes a part of the spiritual kingdom of the exalted Imam. The Qur'an says that God has many spiritual war-gains (4:94, 48:20). Since [according to the Qur'an] spiritual war and the victory of Islam are a certain reality, then its pleasant results and fruits are also certain.
Question 5: Where is the valley of the ants? Read verses 18 and 19 of suratu'n-Naml and tell us what the ant exemplifies? What amazed Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him)?
Answer: One example of souls is ants, such as the world of particles. Among these souls there is a da`i also, whose voice is so small, subtle and faint that the listener is greatly amazed by it. The substance of this voice is the ringing of the ear, and the valley of the ants symbolises the human ear which is the common path and the station of souls.
Question 6: Most people do not give any importance to the sound of the ringing of the ear. What is your spiritual information about it?
Answer: This is one of the Divine signs in the human soul towards which the holy Qur'an draws attention repeatedly. Thus, with the continuous ringing of the ear begins the blowing of the trumpet of resurrection. It is this sound which is called 'ba`uzah' (2:26) and Mawla `Ali has said: 'I am that ba`uzah'. Furthermore, the da`i of resurrection starts the work of da`wat with this voice (20:108). It is this voice with which the caller starts calling (50:41). Also reflect on the wisdom that when Hazrat-i `Isa (May peace be through him) spoke in a childlike tone in the spiritual cradle, it was also in this subtle voice (3:46, 5:110, 19:29). Further the two companions near your heart (one jinn and one angel) also continue to speak or debate in this kind of voice.
Question 7: It is said that Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him) had a miraculous ring in which the secret of his physical and spiritual empire was hidden. Is this tradition true?
Answer: It is only an example and its actual reality is ism-i a`zam, one of whose manifestations is like an extremely precious gem. The ism-i a`zam is mentioned in the holy Qur'an in numerous ways. One beneficial mention is in (7:180) [as beautiful Names]. For in the beginning, only one ism-i a`zam is given. If someone succeeds in its `ibadat, then he is granted many more beautiful names. Further it is extremely important to know that every Perfect Man has an ism-i a`zam.
Question 8: In the holy Qur'an, the word kursi (pedestal) is mentioned only twice: firstly, in ayatu'l-kursi (2:255) as the kursi of al-hayyu'l-qayyum and later in verse (38:34) as the kursi of Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him). Can you tell us what is meant by the first kursi and what is the second kursi?
Answer: God's kursi mentioned in ayatu'l-kursi (2:255) is the Universal Soul (i.e., the Soul of souls), and the kursi of Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him) mentioned in (38:34) is also not physical but rather spiritual. Thus, it is the soul of every Perfect Man.
Question 9: With regard to the kursi of Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him) it is said: "Verily, We did try Sulayman and cast upon his kursi a body, then he returned" (38:34). What kind of body was cast on the kursi of Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him)?
Answer: It was the initial testing subtle body which was cast on Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him)'s spiritual kursi, because it is the law of spirituality that darkness comes before light, fear before peace, ugly before beautiful, stench before fragrance and the animal-like subtle body is before the angel-like subtle body.
Question 10: What is the reality of the wind which was subdued to Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him) (21:81, 34:12, 38:36). Was it a material throne?
Answer: This wind was in fact the sound of the trumpet of Israfil (May peace be through him). Sound consists of air. This was not a material throne, but rather it was the miracle of jadd (Israfil (May peace be through him)) which works as a spiritual throne, which is subjugated to the Prophets and Imams, due to which their spiritual flight becomes very easy.
Question 11: Which is the land in which God has kept blessings for all the worlds? Is it the land of Syria (baytu'l muqaddas)?
Answer: that blessed land is the Universal Soul who is the source of the blessings of the entire universe because he is the earth as well as the heaven. Thus, the spiritual flight of the Prophets and Imams reaches till there (21:71).
Question 12: God had subjugated such satans (jinn) to Hazrat-i Sulayman (May peace be through him) that they were working [for him] as architects and divers (38:37). Is there any ta'wili wisdom in this? If there is, please explain.
Answer: Yes, there is a great ta'wili wisdom hidden in it that when the Perfect Man becomes successful in the major jihad and his personal resurrection takes place, the satans being overpowered become obedient to him. They perform the services of diving in the ocean of spirituality and work as architects in his personal world.
Question 13: Is it correct that the Qur'an never uses the word malik (king) for the Pharaoh? [If so] can we deduce from this that the holy Qur'an has rejected the false kings of infidels?
Answer: Yes, it is a fact that in the story of Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him) and Pharaoh in the Qur'an, Pharaoh's name is mentioned 74 times, but in the entire story, which is the longest, the word malik has never been used in any way for him. This shows that any infidel who considers himself a king, it is only his opinion and claim, but not the reality.
Question 14: This is a great problem, for [the elucidation of] which more questions and answers are required. Therefore, please tell us who is the king who is mentioned five times in surah-yi Yusuf? Who are the kings who are mentioned in verse (27:34)? Who is the malik mentioned in verse (18:79)?
Answer: From a ta'wili point of view, the malik mentioned in surah-yi Yusuf, is the Permanent Imam (Imam-i mustaqarr), in whose time Hazrat-i Yusuf (May peace be through him) was the Entrusted Imam (Imam-i mustawda` ). In such a context, the Imam-i mustaqarr remains silent. In verse (27:34), it is said about the Imams that they conquer the personal world of their lovers. In verse (18:79) as well, there is the mention of the exalted Imam, who sometimes uses the spiritual ark of the hujjats himself and sometimes gives it to them. The masakin (those who grant peace) are the hujjats. It is a great felicity for the person whose ark is taken in order to build the throne on water.
Al-hamdu li'llahi Rabbi'l-`alamin!
Karachi, 1st August 1997
Friday, 26 Rabi` I, 1418 A.H.
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