A125
Surah: 002 - Ayah: 125
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2:125
God says: "And when We made the House a place of reward and peace for mankind (saying): Take as the place of prayer where Ibrahim stood." (2:125). The first ta'wil of this verse is that just as, by His command the Kabah, the House of God, is the place of reward and peace externally, so internally the Imam of the time as the House of God, is the means of every kind of reward and peace. This means that the Imam is the spiritual Qiblah, towards whom the attention of the heart is necessary in every good deed and that this is the way of attaining reward. You can see that the reward is mentioned first and then comes peace. The wisdom in this is that, the mu'mins cross the stages of reward and good first, by obeying the Holy Imam and then, as a result, they enter into the light of his spirituality. And it is he who is God's inner House in which there is only peace and no fear or danger of any kind. Just as in the external world, the station of Ibrahim is in a place where there is a stone, similarly in the internal world, in the luminosity of the Manifest Imam, there is a Pearl of Intellect, which we have been commanded to reach to attain the wisdoms of salat or namaz.
The second ta'wil is that, just as the Kabbah is the central House of God, similarly, Jamaat-khanah is the local House of God. Or in other words, just as the Kabah is the House of God at the level of Shariat, the Jama at-khanah is the House of God at the level of Haqiqat. Therefore, the virtues which are mentioned in the Qur'anic verse about the Kabah, the central House of God, are also true about this local House of God, which is called Jamaat-khanah. Thus according to Qur'anic wisdom and the Ismaili faith, Jamaat Khanah is the place of reward and peace. This means that the entire reward of all religious commands and prohibitions is centred on the Jamaat-khanah and this is also true for spiritual peace and satisfaction. Because this religious house of the Jamaat has double virtues. On the one hand, it is the representative of the Kabah and on the other hand, it is the symbol of the true Imam, because the Imam, in accordance with Divine Will, has given the Jamaat Khanah to his followers to represent his own personality and physical and spiritual closeness. Thus at the first stage, this is the station or place of Ibrahim for the Jamaat.
Maqam-I Ibrahim (Station of Ibrahim): the first meaning of maqam is the place of standing and the second meaning is the place of inbiath, which is the rank of Intellect where the miracle of ibda and inbiath appears. It is said that Hazrat Ibrahim stood on a stone to raise the walls of the Kabah, the House of God, during its rebuilding. By this is meant the Pearl of Intellect through which, in the personal world, is the renewal of similitudes of the construction of the House of God. In view of this possible progress, God commands: “And take you the station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer” (2:125). That is, you should progress spiritually to such an extent that the light of the Imam of the time may arise in your heart and in its illumination you will see with certainty the construction of the true Kaba and thus be able to reach al-baytu’l-atiq (22:29,33) and Station of Ibrahim (a.s.). Al-baytu’l-atiq means the ancient house, and also on the pattern of fail means emancipator. That is, the house by entering which people are emancipated from the fetters of taqlid (blind imitation) and ignorance.
Qiblah (House of God)
By the command of God, Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismail had constructed a spiritual qiblah, in addition to the physical Kabah and this is why God says in verse (2:125): "Take as your place of prayer the maqam-i Ibrahim (place of standing of Ibrahim)." That is, you should perform the spiritual prayer in the spiritual Ka'bah like Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.) did.
Q20 In verse (2:125) Almighty Allah has commanded us to take maqam-i Ibrahim (Abraham’s station) as musalla (place of prayer). Where is this place? In the Kacbah? In the sacred Sanctuary? Or is it the limit of [spiritual] progress that mu’mins can reach?
A20 The example of maqam-i Ibrahim is in the Kacbah and its reality (mamthul) is in the sacred Sanctuary, which is the destination of spiritual progress. The primary meaning of maqam is a station or place of standing. Its secondary meanings are the place of inbicath, which is the rank or stage of the Intellect, where the miracle of ibdac and inbicath appears. It is said that Hazrat Abraham(c) stood on a stone to raise the walls of the Kacbah. This stone means the Pearl of Intellect through which the renewal of the construction of the Kacbah takes place in the personal world. In view of this possible progress, God commanded us to take Abraham’s station as musalla (place of salat) (2:125). You should progress in spirituality to such an extent that the light of the Imam of the time may rise in your heart, in the illumination of which you will truly observe the construction of the real Kacbah and reach Abraham’s station which is in the sacred Sanctuary.
The Kabah = The House of God:
Question: In what sense is the Kabah regarded as the House of God, while it is a material building and God is above and free from space and spacelessness? What is the ta’wil of the turning of the face towards the Qiblah, i.e., the direction of the Kabah?
Answer: The Kabah is the House of God in the sense that in the Qur’an God Himself has said about it: “My House” (2:125; 22:26). Therefore, there is no doubt in its being the House of God.
Among all buildings, mosques and houses of worship are the most excellent and among them the Kabah is the most excellent, because God has specifically called it "My House" (2:125;22:26)
God says: "And when We made the House a place of reward and peace for mankind (saying): Take as the place of prayer where Ibrahim stood." (2:125).The first ta’wil of this verse is that just as, by His command the Ka cbah, the House of God, is the place of reward and peace externally, so internally the Imam of the time as the House of God, is the means of every kind of reward and peace. This means that the Imam is the spiritual Qiblah, towards whom the attention of heart is necessary in every good deed and that this is the way of attaining reward. You can see that the reward is mentioned first and then comes peace. The wisdom in this is that, the mu’mins cross the stages of reward and good first, by obeying the Holy Imam and then, as a result, they enter into the light of his spirituality. And it is he who is God’s inner House in which there is only peace and no fear or danger of any kind. Just as in the external world, the station of Ibrahim is in a place where there is a stone, similarly in the internal world, in the luminosity of the Manifest Imam, there is a Pearl of Intellect, which we have been commanded to reach to attain the wisdoms of salat or namaz.
The Kabah is the sacred and venerated house of God and the adequate proof of this is that He called it His house (2:125; 22:26; 106:3). Now, if someone, according to his particular intellect and defective logic, considers revering it as idolatry and does not believe in its ta'wili wisdoms, it will be his misunderstanding and great ignorance, because he does not at least believe that some wisdom and expediency of God is contained in it.
This verse has been referred 12 times.