A260
Surah: 002 - Ayah: 260
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2:260
Four Birds of Hazrat Ibrahim
Q. 91. If the ta'wil of bird is soul, as you have explained in the answer to Q. 50, what is the ta'wil of the four birds of Hazrat Ibrahim (2:260)? Further, what is the importance of the number four?
A. The four birds of Hazrat Ibrahim, which came to life and came to him, are the souls of his four closest hujjats (hujjatan-i muqarrab). The same four souls were his Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil and Izra'il, as we have already said, bird in the language of ta'wil, signifies soul or angel. The importance of the number four is because of the fact that the closest angels are four, as well as the huzuri hujjats (the ones who are in the spiritual presence of the Imam) are also four, as mentioned above.
Whether it is a mustajib or a ma'dhun. potentially, he is a bird (soul=angel). Hazrat Ibrahim, by the command of God, selected four such ranks and took convenant for special upbringing and giving of spiritual secrets. This is the ta'wil of the slaughtering of the four birds by Hazrat Ibrahim. To cut and to beat means to try in knowledge and spirituality. To place on the mountain symbolises spiritual elevation. After doing all this, when Hazrat Ibrahim called them in his spirituality, they presented themselves, for his spiritual help, in the above mentioned four ranks. This miracle of God, that He resurrects the mu'mins from the death of negligence and ignorance and grants them the life of the closest angels on the heights of spirituality, is far greater than to resurrect someone after physical death.
Here we need to mention a Qur'anic example, which shows that faith initially means belief and trust and the same faith after progressing through the stages of knowledge and practice, is also called certainty and recognition, for there is the direct observation of realities in the stage of the vision of certainty. That example is: “And when Ibrahim said (unto his Lord): My Lord! Show me how You give life to the dead, He said: Do you not believe (awa lam tu'min)? He said: Yea, but (I ask) in order that my heart may be satisfied (li-yatma'inna).” (2:260). This shows that, although from the beginning to the final stage, there is nothing but faith (iman), it has several stages, in which the first is firm faith and the last is certainty and recognition, as it is said about the certainty of Hazrat Ibrahim, may peace be on him: “And thus We continue to show Ibrahim the (spiritual) kingdom of the heavens and the earth that he may be of those who possess certainty (muqinin = `arifin)” (6:75). Thus, this is a bright (Qur'anic) proof that firm belief is the basic faith and the perfect faith is both perfect certainty and recognition.
Four Birds of Khalil (Ibrahim, 2:260): In the four birds of Hazrat Ibrahim, may peace be upon him, there are the examples of the power of Jibra'il, the power of Mika'il, the power of Israfil and the power of `Izra’il of the personal world. Thus, when by the help of God, the Holy, four birds of the carnal soul are slaughtered these four powers are awakened and come alive.
This verse has been referred 6 times.