A213
Surah: 002 - Ayah: 213
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2:213
The wisdom-filled Divine law at the place of azal is both in His continuous speech (i.e. word of command) and constant act (i.e. His act of enfolding and unfolding the universe), and it is related to all His attributive names, which duly manifest through His speech and act. But it should always be remembered that the Divine law, with all its meanings, continues hidden within human beings, whose perfect recognition (ma'rifat) is in the personality of the Prophets and Imams. Thus, the Divine law or the eternal law, is applicable not only to Adam and his children, but also to those who were before them, as God, the Knowing, the Wise, says: "Kana'n-nasu ummatan wahidah (Before raising Prophets people used to hold onto one religion)" (2:213), and that religion, according to the Qur'an, was the religion of Qa'im (qayyim) (9:36). This means that before this great cycle, people also used to live in this world and that religion or the Divine law is continuing.
People before Adam
Q. 39. In this series of questions on the recognition of the soul, you have presented a very revolutionary concept that there were people even before Adam. Would it not be more appropriate if you were to kindly cite one more Qur'anic verse on this subject?
A. God says: "(Previously, all) people were one community, then God sent (unto them) Prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners, and revealed with them the Scriptures" (2:213). This shows that there were people before the period of prophecy and they had the same one path. Then began the period of prophecy in which God conferred the crown of vicegerency and prophecy, first of all, on Hazrat Adam.
The Holy Quraan says: “Humankind were one community (and are).” (2:213). That is, in the concept of azal (pre-eternity), abad (post-eternity) and the world of particles, all human beings were one community and they are going to be one (again) in the greatest Resurrection, but in the present cycle they differ in their opinions and views. The reason for this is that, externally they are given free will, due to which they are divided into groups and are scattered. However, internally it is the will of Almighty God, due to which they are united in the personal world of the Perfect Man.
Ummah (Community)
It is said in verse (2:213): "Mankind were one community, then Allah sent Prophets."
Question: According to verse (35:24): "Never was there a community but a warner has passed among them", where was this one community before the coming of the Prophets? And to which cycle does this belong?
Answer: Since the idea of creation is not linear but circular, there is no priority and posteriority on the universal circle. However, it is true that the higher world has priority of honour over the lower world, where all people were, are, and will be only one community in the luminous body.
Miraj (Rank of fana’ fi’llah (annihilation in God) and baqa’ bi’llah (survival by God), miraj of the Prophets)
O the light of my eyes! Always remember the great secret of recognition that by God's mercy and help, all Prophets were resurrected after being spiritually dead in this life, therefore, they attained the unique rank of fana’ fi’llah and baqa’ bi’llah. Also remember that it is not possible to attain such a supreme rank without undergoing the miracle of miraj. Now we will give the evidence of this from the wise Qur’an. It is said in verse (2:213): "Fa-bacatha’llahu’n-nabiyyin: (i) Then God revived the Prophets" (in the sense of fana’ fi’llah and baqa’ bi’llah). (ii) Then God sent the Prophets (as if from miraj). For, although the Prophets were apparently in this world, yet internally their pure soul had been to the higher world and the place of miraj and come back. It is in this sense that they were sent by God.
Miraj (Collective mention of mirajs )
O my azizan! We want to emphatically draw your attention to the blessed verse in which the mirajs of all Prophets is mentioned together, which is verse (2:213). One wisdom-filled word of this sacred verse is "bacatha", by analysing which an important door of the recognition of the Prophets opens, as explained above that God resurrects them in the sense of fana’ fi’llah and baqa’ bi’llah, because bacatha is the verb of bacth which means to resurrect, to revive, to raise up. See also in verses (22:5; 30:56) al-bacth and yawmu’l-bacth.
Miraj (Final destination, the fountainhead and centre of realities and recognitions )
In the above-mentioned verse (2:213) it is also mentioned that the Prophets were the bearers of good tidings and warners. This clearly means that in their spiritual journey of miraj'', they saw many things by the command of God, including the observation of paradise and hell, which was necessary. It is because of this that they were appointed as bearers of good tidings and warners in the real sense.
It is said in the Qur'an: “(In the beginning) all people were one community, then God sent (unto them) Prophets as the bearers of good tidings and as warners, and revealed therewith the Book with the truth that it might judge between humankind concerning that wherein they differed (2:213)”. Seen in the light of this verse it becomes clear that although apparently there are many heavenly books, but in its origin there is only one book, which is in different forms in different languages. With respect to the exoteric (tanzil) and esoteric (ta'wil) the same one book is common among all Prophets and Imams. It is quite clear that when the book of God, in reality, is one, and the goal of all the Prophets and Imams is one, the true religion too is also one, from the beginning to the end.
All people are one community (ummat) only in the personal world of the Perfect Man, as it is said in verse (2:213): "All people were (and are) one community." Initially, in the world of particles, all people are in the form of particles and finally in the world of Intellect, all of them become one individual (fard-i wahid), as it is said about Hazrat Ibrahim: "Indeed, Ibrahim was an ummat (Imam), obedient to God and a hanif (=muwahhid), believer in one God." (16:120). Since there is everything in the personal world, including Prophets, Messengers and also one community, therefore, here God has said to the Messengers: "Indeed, this your community (in reality) is one community and I am your (one) Lord, so fear Me." (23:52).
The words of both the Wise Qur'an and the sound Hadith are the most comprehensive words (jawamiu'l-kalim), which are all selected and homonyms (mushtaraku'l-mani). For instance, the word "bacth" which means to revive, to resurrect, to arouse, to send. Thus, bacatha means he revived, he sent. Now, let us take one related verse: "Then God sent the Prophets." (2:213) Exegesis: This is an account of every cycle without a universal beginning, that people were one community in the personal world, then they were born in this world and the Prophets were sent to them in the sense that every Prophet in his time died spiritually before the physical death and God revived him.
In verse (2:213) it is mentioned that before the chain of Prophets began, people were one community ( ummat) or were on one path, then Allah sent the Prophets. This proves that Hazrat Adam was created after those people and that he was the first Prophet in the chain of Prophets.
The Holy Quraan in verse (2:213), in its wisdom-filled way, alludes to and implies that before the advent of the Prophets all people were like one community. Whether this event happened in the personal world or on the planet earth or on any other planet, and whether this unity and integrity belongs to dense bodies or the subtle ones, it definitely belongs to the cycle of humanity.
Part 26
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
In the light of knowledge and recognition, it has become evident that in the spiritual cycle prior to Adam, people were one ummat (community) spiritually and internally (2:213), and this happens in every Single Soul too. Thus, Hazrat Abraham was the Imam or Single Soul or the summa or compendium of people and an obedient ummat (16:120). If you become successful in the sacred dhikr (remembrance) of the ism-i aczam granted by the Imam of the time, the entire humanity will gather in you and become one ummat through the spiritual resurrection, because every important event of macrifat is renewed, or in other words, everything is rotating on a circle (21:33; 36:40).
The souls are/were [in the form of] assembled armies and they will always continue to be like this. 19
All the people gather in a personal world in every spiritual resurrection. Thus, wherever the Qur’an mentions resurrection, the world of humanity is also mentioned. The world of humanity is also mentioned wherever the word insan (humankind) and the word nas (people) occur in the Qur’an. Further, the world of humanity is also alluded to wherever there is the mention of an attributive Name of Allah. For instance, the attributive Name rabb (sustainer) alludes to people as He is the sustainer of the personal worlds, the human beings.
This verse has been referred 17 times.