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Spiritual Experiences - Ta'wili Questions

Ta'wili Questions

Tags: Nine Miracles, Hazrat Musa, Staff of Hazrat Moses, White Hand, Serpent, Hazrat Yunus, Fish, `Arsh, Bearers Of Throne, Holy Word, Holy Tree, Ibda`i Body, Qur'an, Earth

1. Q. In (17:101) it is said: "God granted Hazrat-i Musa nine clear miracles". Please tell us what these miracles were? A: According to the Qur'an, those miracles are: the staff (7:107), the white hand (7:108), famine, dearth of fruits (7:130), the flood, locusts, lice, frogs and blood (7:133).

2. Q. What does Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him)'s staff exemplify? What is the ta'wil of the white hand? What is meant by famine and dearth of fruits? How can flood, locusts, lice, frogs and blood be counted among miracles? A: The staff shows four things at the same time: the asas, who was Hazrat-i Harun (May peace be through him), ism-i a`zam, spirituality and knowledge. The white hand is the miracle of the Pearl of Intellect, which every Prophet and every wali receives in their own time. The allusion of famine and the dearth of fruit is that those people who do not believe in the true guide are afflicted with spiritual famine. Remember that miracles are of two types: miracle of mercy and miracle of punishment. Therefore, in some of Hazrat-i Musa's miracles there was punishment to scare the infidels.

3. Q. The staff of Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him) used to become a serpent or a huge snake. What secret is there in this? Excluding the rest of animals, what particular quality does the snake have? A: To become a long, living serpent from a long lifeless stick is a very great miracle of similarity. The way the serpent glides on its belly by extending itself and the way it coils up for resting is its distinctive quality. Therefore, in this miracle attention is drawn to the following wisdoms:

  1. In the beginning, the ism-i a`zam is without sensation and movement like Hazrat-i Musa (May peace be through him)'s staff. Then, with knowledge, action and arduous discipline it becomes like a serpent, such that it may swallow disasters, calamities, oppositions and enmities.
  2. Ism-i a`zam crawls on its belly like a serpent too (24:45), that is, it moves in the heart.
  3. When the serpent of spirituality and knowledge moves, it becomes extremely long, but when it coils up to rest it becomes confined (madad).
  4. The serpent of the knowledge of ism-i a`zam swallows all the knowledge of the people of the world and its personal world swallows even the universe itself.

4. Q. Is the recognition of the miracles of the prophets of the Qur'an possible or impossible? If it is possible, what is the method of attaining it? If it is impossible what is the reason? A: This recognition is possible and the method of attaining it is the same method as defined for the recognition of self and that of God. Therefore, in his personal world, the `Arif sees the miracles of the prophets and affirms them and this is the meaning of becoming the companion of the natiqs, asases, Imams and Hujjats (4:69).

5. Q. Please explain the ta'wil of the miracle of the white hand. A: This is related to the extreme secret that every prophet and behind him, every wali and following his footsteps every 'Arif, takes the intended pearl, that is the Pearl of Intellect, in his hand. This is the meaning of touching the Hidden Book, performing the miracle of the white hand etc. Now, the knowledge of such a Perfect Man will be extraordinary. Thus, there are two meanings of Hazrat-i Musa's miracle of the white hand. Spiritually it is the taking of the Pearl of Intellect in one's hands, which has countless meanings, and physically it is the explaining of extraordinary knowledge.

6. Q. The question is about the story of Hazrat-i Yunus (May peace be through him), does it have any spiritual aspect as well? If it does, please explain it. A: Indeed, it has a ta'wili aspect, and that is that Hazrat-i Yunus (May peace be through him) was swallowed by the biggest fish of spirituality. This is the reason that in the Qur'an, fish is used as a proper noun, that is, an-nun (21:87), al-hat (37:142). It was this fish which spat him out at the highest station of the personal world and here he had mi`raj.

7. Q. In (3:59) it is said: "Verily, the likeness of `Isa in Allah's sight is as the likeness of Adam: He created him out of dust, then He said to him - Be and he became instantly". What is the wisdom of this? A: God continues to try people both in action as well as in knowledge so that He may raise them in their ranks. Thus, the fact is that just as Hazrat-i `Isa (May peace be through him) had parents, so Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him) also had parents. The physical birth of Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him) and Hazrat-i `Isa (May peace be through him) was not extraordinary. God had created them from dust just like other people and afterwards their spiritual creation started like the prophets and the awliya' and completed at the stage of Intellect where Kun (Be) is applied.

8. Q. Explain some wisdoms of the following verse: "That day eight (angels) will bear the `arsh (throne) of your Lord above them" (69:17). A: Here `arsh means the light of Intellect, which is the fountainhead of knowledge and wisdom. This light, which is the throne of God's knowledge and wisdom, is initially established on the unity of seven Imams. However, when an `arif's personal resurrection takes place, he also unites with that unity. It is in this way that the bearers of the throne become eight. This is a story of the personal world.

9. Q. In verse (14:24) are mentioned a holy word and a holy tree. What are they? A: The holy word is the light of the Imam of the time which works in the personal world in the form of beautiful names and perfect words, and the [meaning of the] pure tree are Prophet Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) and the Imams from his progeny. The root of this pure tree, which is firm in the earth of the world of religion, is Prophet Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) and the branch, which has reached the higher world, is the Imam of the time. You may be aware of the great secret that the personal higher world is in one's forehead.

10. Q. It is said in (25:30): "And the Prophet says: O my Lord! Verily my people hold to this Qur'an as a useless thing". There is a disagreement among the `ulama' about the exegesis of this verse. Some say that this complaint of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) to his Lord is about the infidels, whereas some others say that this noble verse is about Muslims. What do you say in this regard? A: The Qur'an is the unique speech of God. It is overflowing with heavenly wisdoms. It is full of the Divine secrets. It is that deep ocean of spirituality and intellectuality which is full of precious pearls and therefore, without the revealed light (5:15) it is impossible to do justice to the rights and prerogatives of the Qur'an.

11. Q. Have you seen the ibda`i body? If so, what is it like? Explain some of its characteristics. A: Indeed, I have seen the ibda`i body. It is the manifestation of the wonders and marvels of God. In reality, it is many things, rather it is everything. It is the compendium of the secrets of recognition. It is visible and invisible, it is jinn and humankind and angel too, because it is the extract and quintessence of the universe. If you take the quintessence of one thing, then it has one characteristic. If it is the quintessence of a few things, then it possesses a few characteristics. However, where there is the quintessence of the universe, what is lacking there? Thus, in one subtle existence, what doubt can there be of the presence of insan-i kabir, insan-i sagir, soul, souls, jinn (pari), angel, spiritual army, etc.

12. Q. In al-Ittiqan, part one, there are 55 names of the holy Qur'an. Some of these names are mubin, mubarak, light, soul, zikr and shifa'. Please tell us the wisdom of these names of the Qur'an. A: Mubin means manifest, evident, the one who explains, but its necessary condition is the luminosity of the revealed light (5:15), because God's light and the Qur'an are together with one another. Mubarak means a thing in which there are many blessings from God. This is an attribute of the Qur'an. The Qur'an was light in the holy and pure personality of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny) himself and accordingly it was light in the chain of the pure Imams, the progeny of Muhammad (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny), and this light still continues in this chain. Similarly, the Qur'an is also a living soul in the true guide, which is not separate from the meaning of light. The meaning of zikr is advice, remembrance of Allah, the Prophet (May Allah send blessings and peace through him and his progeny), the people of zikr. Thus, the Qur'an is with all these meanings and since the Qur'an is with light, it is therefore especially healing and a remedy for all the diseases of the soul and intellect. Al-Hamduli'llahi Rabbi'l-`alamin!

13. Q. There is disagreement in the exegesis of verses (19:71-72). Some `ulama' say that the believers have to pass over the bridge which is above hell and some say that it is a law that everybody has to go down to hell once. What is your view about this? A: If you read these two verses carefully, word by word, then you will know that Divine expediency and wisdom is in the fact that, everybody has to go down (warid) to hell once. Then some will get salvation quickly and for some there is a delay.

14. Q. There is a question with respect to verse (2:30). Is the earth in which God made Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him) his vicegerent (deputy) this land on which we live? Or is there any other earth as well? For instance, the earth of the world of religion? The earth of the stars? The universal macro-cosmic earth? The earth of the personal world or microcosm (`alam-i sagir)? The earth of the Universal Soul? A: This is the earth of the Universal Soul in which not only is every earth included but also every heaven too, because it is God's Kursi (Pedestal). As it is said in verse (2:255): "His Kursi (Pedestal) has enfolded (in itself) the heavens and the earth". Thus, glorified God had given Hazrat-i Adam (May peace be through him) the vicegerency of His entire Godhead.

Karachi, 25th August 1997
Monday, 20 Rabi` II, 1418 A.H.

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