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Sublime Realities - Non-Spatial World

Non-Spatial World

Tags: Non-spatial World, Non-temporal World, Sun, Creation within creation

1. Among the two worlds one is the spatial or physical world which has three dimensions: length, width and depth and the other is non-spatial or spiritual world, which in many characteristics is opposite to the physical world, because it is immaterial, non-spatial and subtle. Therefore, in reality, no question which is related to body or to space or time, can arise about it, such as: Where is the non-spatial world? This question is incorrect and illogical, because space or place is negated in the non-spatial world. It is also incorrect to ask: When did it come into existence? or: Since when does it exist?, because such questions are related to physical things in which time is involved. However, metaphorically such expressions, parables and similes are permissible.
2. If we close our eyes for a while and conceive of the extinction and annihilation of the universe, then together with this the concept of the existence of time will also come to an end, because time on the whole comes into being as a result of the rotation of the heaven and planets, and without which day, night, month and year cannot be conceived. Thus, it is obvious that as this world is body, space and time, the other world is soul, space-less and time-less. It is neither a place of materiality, nor are there past, present and future in it. However, there is undoubtedly "dahr" which is immovable time.
3. After dawn when the sun appears, people habitually say that the sun has risen and in the evening when it disappears, they say that it has set, while the reality is something else. In reality, the sun neither rises, nor sets, because it remains in its own place. It is the earth which rotates, and day, night and other times are determined by its rotation. Thus concerning realities and recognitions, people have two kinds of views, one of which is according to habit, tradition, custom and the physical eye and the other is according to the actual state of reality. Thus the Wise Qur'ān in a wisdom-filled way has adopted the first as mithāl (parable, allegory) and the other as the mamthūl (reality, meaning), as verse (55:5) says: "The sun and the moon (move) according to a calculation." It is obvious that the physical sun does not move as the moon moves. The sun and the moon of the physical world are an example of the three levels of the world of religion. The sun and the moon of the first level are the Universal Intellect and the Universal Soul, those of the second are Natīq and Asās and those of the third are the Imam and the Bāb (Hujjat-i a`zam), since there are three places for the sun and the moon of the world of religion: the spiritual world, the cycle of Prophethood and the cycle of Imamat.
4. Just as the recognition of the soul (self or personal world) is the single means of the recognition of God, it is also the means of the recognition of the secrets of the non-spatial world. Thus without the mention of the personal world, it is difficult, rather impossible, to duly understand and explain the realities and recognitions of the non-spatial and non-temporal world. In order to explain this extremely important subject, we have to necessarily refer to the personal world in which all the signs of God, the great miracles and the secrets of azal and abad are hidden (41:53; 51:21). In this connection there is an excellent subject of "`ālamīn" which is mentioned 73 times in the Qur'ān and by which, according to Imam Ja`far as-Sādiq, are meant human beings, because every individual in his own self (soul) is an independent world, in which, if seen with the real eye, there is everything of the Divine kingdom in the states of knowledge, intellect and soul. Thus there is nothing in the universe and existents whose pattern is not found in it.
5. Now we can say with perfect certainty that man's intellect and soul are the non-spatial world which is above time and space. One common example of the non-spatial world is the world of imagination and the world of dreams, which have neither space nor time like that of the physical world. Indeed both imagination and dream are both clear examples of the non-spatial and non-temporal world, because they both merge in the rank of spirituality if the condition of knowledge and good deeds is fulfilled, such as the imagination and dream of Prophets. Had the spirituality of the Holy Spirit not been possible in these states, the Prophets would not have received any heavenly allusion.
6. It should be remembered that the fundamental law of Islam is Allāh's sunnat, one of its special explanations being that He does "creation within creation" (39:6)². It is this Divine law which the Wise Qur'ān calls fitrat (30:30). Whether you call it fitrata'llāh (30:30) or sunnata'llāh (17:77), in any case, the perfection of both the body and the soul of the Prophets who were sent by God, was according to the sunnat of "creation within creation" (17:77). If an `azīz is not sure, he should seriously study the related verses, so that he will not have any difficulty in understanding the realities and recognitions which are going to be explained on this basis.
7. Whether it is the physical world or the world of religion or the personal world, or the world of creation or the world of command³, everyone comes under the law of fitrat or nature and the act of "creation within creation" continues in it, due to which vastness of various kinds is created in it, such as events and knowledge, as the Holy Qur'ān says: "We built the heaven with Our hand and indeed We are extenders." (51:47). In this wisdom-filled verse very many secrets of the personal world and the universe are hidden. One of them is that due to "creation within creation" spiritual vastness and vastness of knowledge are created, just as the world of religion was created in the time of Hazrat Ādam and its creation continues by the sharī`ats of other Natīqs also. Thus with the sacred manifestation of the Holy Prophet, there was "creation within creation" six times in the world of religion, about which it is said that Allāh created the heavens and the earth in six days (7:54; 10:3; 11:7; 25:59; 32:4; 50:38; 57:4).
8. God granted the Holy Prophet not only the everlasting wealth of the Glorious Qur'ān, but also the sab`-i mathānī, seven repeatable ones (15:87), so that his true da`wat may continue till the Resurrection. These seven repeatable ones are in addition to the Holy Qur'ān, and they are the pure Imams from his progeny, who by the command of God, continue to create minor cycles of seven Imams each in their chain⁴. Thus by the knowledge and wisdom of the Holy Prophet, the door to which is the rank of Imamat, the world of religion was created the last time. Since the Holy Prophet is the centre of the Prophets and Imams and his cycle comprises all the cycles of the past and future, it is designated as the supreme cycle. In this respect, his world of religion which extends from the time of Hazrat Ādam to the Resurrection, became complete in eight days, as mentioned in verses (41:9-12).
9. The sharī`ats of Hazrat Ādam and Hazrat Nūh are examples of those two days in which the earth of the world of religion was created. The sharī`ats of Hazrat Ibrāhim, Hazrat Mūsā and Hazrat `Īsā and Hazrat Muhammad (s.a.s.) are examples of those four days in which the mountains of the earth of the world of religion were created, and blessings and the means of sustenance of many kinds were kept in them. The ranks of Imamat and Resurrection are those two days in which the seven heavens of spirituality came into existence.
10. The perfect model of the personal world is the Perfect Man, whose blessed existence has two aspects: With respect to body and corporeality he is under time and space, but with respect to spirit and spirituality he is non-spatial and non-temporal, so that he may act like a bridge between the spatial world and the non-spatial world and as a staircase between the higher and lower worlds. All Perfect Men from the beginning till today belong to different ages physically, but with respect to intellect and soul, the place where all spatial and temporal distances come to an end, they become one Single Soul (31:28).
11. It will be a realistic statement if it is said that at the place of azal all human beings were merged in the original face in the form of a luminous person, then countless pictures of that face were made and brought to this world. Yet, it is also important to know that nothing decreases in the original through photography or by the drawing of pictures. Therefore, in the rank of azal people are still as united and in the form of a single person, just as they were before coming to this world. This point can be easily understood by those who are able to do so. In short, man's return to his origin is possible only in the form of knowledge and recognition, and this is included in the subject of the recognition of one's own self.
12. For us it is the first lesson to say that the Universal Soul came into existence from the Universal Intellect, it is the second lesson to say that they are created from one another and it is the third and last lesson that neither is created from the other, because creation is only in the world of creation and not in the world of command. Therefore, what is observable there is only a luminous demonstration which is shown for the sake of recognition and in which are gathered examples of all realities and recognitions. It should also be remembered here that in this circular wisdom (hikmat-i mudawwar) sometimes God's act appears first, sometimes the Pearl of Intellect and sometimes the word "Be". The cause of this is the circle of circles⁵ on which those manifestations appear constantly and in which if viewed as a whole, there is no anteriority or posteriority, because all these are the demonstrations of the non-spatial and non-temporal world.

Nasīr al-Dīn Nasīr Hunzā'ī,
London, 2nd December, 1986.

Notes:
^1. In this article are provided many answers to many extremely difficult questions. Praise be to Allāh, for His gracious bestowal and favours.

^2. Creation after creation (39:6). See also, first creation:

^3. In the world of command there is only the demonstration of "creation within creation".

^4. In the minor cycles, each one consists of seven Imams.

^5. Circle of circles or the final circle is the one in which all cycles are included, and which is created by the perpetual act of the circular wisdom.