• View
• Edit
• History
• Print

Sublime Realities - Qur'anic Science of Numbers - Part I

Qur'anic Science of Numbers - Part I

Tags: Zero, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Ibda`, Single Soul, Mubdi`, Universal Intellect, Universal Soul, Hazrat Zakariyya, Hudud-i Din

ZERO:
In the order of numbers first comes zero. Although by itself it does not show any quantity, it is the starting point of every quantity and distance. See the following diagram:

Thus, according to Qur'ānic symbolism, zero is the sign of non-being. And according to the sages of religion, non-being means ibdā`, because it is free from everything and beyond comprehension, but by the will of the word "Be (kun)" its manifestations continue to take place and whatever the sovereign of "Be" wishes comes in front of him. Now to discuss how the zero stands for non-being or ibdā`, see verse (2:28): "You were lifeless, then He brought you to life." That is, in the state of ibdā` you were silent and without movement of life, just as when zero is alone it has no value. Then He brought you to life, as someone who wrote (in arabic) zero (٠) and elongated it downwards and made one (). Another name of ibdā` in the Wise Qur'ān is "ghayr shay'" (non-being) (52:35).

ONE:
Although the symbol of the number one can be used for God, He is that number which has no similitude. Thus He created the Single Soul and from it He created the rest in the sense that the ibdā` and inbi`āth of all of them happened in the same Single Soul (31:28), so that their personal worlds may be complete from every aspect. For, he who enters Paradise, is not alone. Rather, with him are his countless spiritual particles, in which there is a great world of people, just as when you enter the world of dreams, you cannot go alone.

Therefore, one is the sign of the Single Soul, because it unifies all with itself and it is the Universal Soul and Primordial Ādam. Also one is mubdi` (Originator), Qā'īm and Universal Intellect, in which is the unity of the world of intellects.

TWO:
After the law of unity comes the law of duality, which God Himself has made, as mentioned in verse (36:36) that God has created everything in pairs without any exception. Also in verse (43:12) there is a wisdom-filled allusion that God has created pairs of everything and made for you ships and cattle on which you ride (also in pairs physically and spiritually). Thus the meaning of two in the spiritual world is the Universal Intellect and the Universal Soul, in the cycle of Prophethood it stands for Natīq and Asās and in the cycle of Imamat for Imam and Hujjat, and with every zāhir there is a bātin.

THREE:
In the spiritual world, there are three highest ranks: the Divine Word, the Universal Intellect and the Universal Soul. In the physical world there are also three highest ranks: Natīq, Asās and Imam. The existents are of three kinds: intellectual, spiritual and physical and accordingly there are three kinds of darkness and light (39:6; 77:30). Hazrat Zakariyyā saw the miracle of not speaking to people despite sound health, in the world of intellect (19:10), in which he was ordered in the language of wisdom that he should not discuss the secrets of the Divine Word, the Pearl of Intellect and the Universal Soul, which are hidden like a silent night. At this place, he saw another miracle of not speaking to people for three days except by signs (3:41), which means he should talk to people by sign about Natīq, Asās and Imam who are manifest like the day.

FOUR:
There are four principles of religion: Universal Intellect, Universal Soul, Natīq and Asās to whom the number four indicates. God created the mountains of the world of religion in four days and filled them with blessings and powers. These four days are Hazrat Ibrāhīm, Hazrat Mūsā, Hazrat `Īsā and Hazrat Muhammad Mustafā, and the mountains are their Qur'ānic stories in which various kinds of blessings are hidden (41:10). In verse (35:1), it is mentioned that God makes the angels messengers with wings, two, three and four. In this verse the different ranks of the souls of mu'mins are mentioned, which are ordained on the basis of abundant remembrance and bandagī, good deeds and true knowledge.

FIVE:
There are five spiritual hudūd: The Pen, the Tablet, Isrāfīl, Mīka'īl and Jibrīl, and five physical hudūd: Natīq, Asās, Imam, Hujjat and Dā`ī. There are also five external and internal senses. It should be remembered that there are three examples of attaining spiritual knowledge by one of the hudūd-i dīn:

SIX:
In the Noble Qur'ān, it is mentioned that God created the heavens and the earth in six days (10:3; 11:7). It should be known that this ordinance is specifically related to the world of religion and the personal world, that six Natīqs including their cycles are the six days of the world of religion and in the personal world there are the six stages of spirituality as their examples, so that man may recognise God and His great Prophets in his personal world. There are six stages of the creation of the human body: quintessence, sperm, clot, lump of flesh, bones, flesh and in another creation is mentioned the perfection of spirituality. There are also six sharī`ats and six sides or directions.

SEVEN:
In verse (65:12) the Qur'ān says: "Allāh is He Who created seven heavens and as many earths." The seven heavens of the major cycle of the world of religion are: Hazrat Ādam, Hazrat Nūh, Hazrat Ibrāhīm, Hazrat Mūsā, Hazrat `Īsā and Hazrat Muhammad Mustafā and Hazrat Qā'īm, and the seven earths are the six Asāses and Hujjat of Qā'īm, and the seven heavens of the minor cycle are the seven Imams and the seven earths are their seven Bābs.

An important question: How are these seven heavens of spirituality placed? Are they separate like material things or are they united? If they are united, what can their example be?

A. They are not separate, because God has created them, one above the other and the example of their unity is "light upon light", which has been mentioned in the article of "Veil and Mazhar". Here another example is presented:

These are seven separate shapes of the number one, and if they are pushed forward in the direction of the arrow and placed (overlap) on top of the last one (67:3; 71:15), they will appear as one, such as this "1", which is one as well as seven. Its being one is obvious, but we need the proof of its being seven. The proof is that the law of unity has made seven one, as we have seen in the above example.

EIGHT:
You have read in the article of "Veil and Mazhar" that God also uses a veil. Thus this verse is in the veil of example: "And He revealed (anzala) for you eight pairs of cattle." (39:6). If you see the context of the entire verse and reflect upon the word "revealed (anzala)", you will be sure that the hudūd-i dīn are sent by God as mentioned in this verse. That is, their work together with the luminous rank of Natīq, Asās, Imam and Hujjat-i a`zam are both in zāhir and bātin, therefore they have eight pairs. See verses (6:142-144) and also read Wajh-i Dīn.

Study verse (28:27) which says that Hazrat Mūsā looked after goats for Hazrat Shu`ayb for eight to ten years. The ta'wīlī wisdom of this is that during that time he was also tending the goats of the particles of soul. See verses (18:9-26): the people of the cave were seven and the eighth was their dog. In the ta'wīl of this parable is hidden the extremely great secret that the luminous ranks of the Imam of the time are seven and every mu'min, who is a dog of the Imam in service, slavery and loyalty, is considered the eighth, and thus the people of the cave are eight. This happens in the personal world of the mu'mins, in which many capacities are dormant or potential. When the soul awakens completely, it becomes known that there is everything in the personal world, although it is not easy to believe it. Finally, we would like to mention that it is not without wisdom that some mu'mins are named Sag-i `Alī or Kalb-i `Alī (`Alī's dog).

Nasīr al-Dīn Nasīr Hunzā'ī,
London, 21st December, 1986.