A081
Surah: 016 - Ayah: 081
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16:81
It is said in the verse (16:81): "And it is God Who made for you shades of the things and He made for you houses in the mountains, and He made shirts for you which will protect you from the heat and the shirts which protect you from the violence of arms. Thus God completes His favours so that you may surrender your "I (ana)" to Him" (16:81).
There is an infinite treasure of the Divine favours in this verse. That is to say, God has created three shadows of all His creatures: physical, spiritual and intellectual. Thus when you attain the marifat of the rank of Intellect, you will come to know that there, for the sake of intellectual peace, there is the shadow of every person and everything in the form of knowledge and wisdom. Similarly, at the level of spirituality, the spiritual shadow of every person and everything works in different positions. Also, there Is the subtle body which as the third shadow, is (also) a great favour. The innermost meaning of this is that, every mumin in the paradise of his personal world becomes the king over the intellects, souls and subtle bodies.
As for the houses, God has made them In the mountain of Intellect for all human beings, for there ls no difference and discrimination In His mercy; the difference is only due to the affirmation, obedience and recognition. Nonetheless, the law of Divine mercy will gradually work and as a result, the entire humanity will be united and the planet earth will be Illumined from the light of intellect, wisdom, science and technology (39:69).
Now the shirts (sarabil) should be discussed. What are they? They are the celestial shirts which are the miracles of the ibda of Hazrat Mubdi. In the first kind of shirts, is protection from the external and internal heat (hell); in the second kind of shirts, there is salvation and protection from every kind of war. These shirts which are made by the Eternal Tailor (khayyat-i azal) cannot be devoid of the spiritual and intellectual virtues, therefore, from one aspect, they are like the Perfect Men and from the other like great angels.
Thus in the Wise Qur'an, they are mentioned in many examples. In any case, in the Divine miracle which is ordained to protect from the heat, the aspect of lightning is prominent, (13:12; 30:24), therefore, it will be right to say that this is a perfect new creation (lbtida) which is related to the soul. The other great miracle of Islam, which takes place through ibda and whose purpose is spiritual jihad and to bring to an end, the hostile war of the world, is related to the astral body, (jism-i falaki), which is the last ibda of the subtle body.
Wisdom of Shadow: The Holy Qur'an says:"And Allah has made for you of what He has created shadows." (16:81). This means that whether in Paradise or in this world, there is nothing which does not have a shadow. But shadows are in degrees, such as the shadow of the sun, the moon and is called a reflection which is not dark, but bright. Thus man also is the shadow of his higher I (ana-i ulwi). Similarly, in this world sacred music is the shadow of the Divine melody of Paradise.
Q. You say that God has created man as a universe, and that therefore he contains everything in himself. If this is true, where are the Pen, the Tablet, Israfil, Mika'il and Jibra'il in him?
A. Yes, it is true that man is a universe in himself. But the pre-requisite of recognising this is that you should traverse all those spiritual stations between potentiality and actuality, so that you duly recognise yourself and are certain that in your own personal world, the intellect, soul, faculty of love, faculty of understanding and the faculty of imagination are respectively the Pen, the Tablet, Israfil, Mika'il and Jibra'il. As God says: "And Allah has made for you, of what He has created, shadows" (16:81). That is, in your personal world there is the living shadow (mazhar) of everything, particularly the shadows (mazahir) of the five spiritual hudud and the five physical hudnd, who are respectively the Pen, the Tablet, Jadd, Fath, Khayal and Natiq, Asas, Imam, Hujjat and Dai.
The ibdai body (juththah-i ibdaiyyah) is related to the darus-salam (abode of peace), therefore, it is always alive and safe and has nothing to do with physical death, because it is from the invisible world which is the world of command. Therefore, it can be both present and absent, just as lightning in the sky flashes and disappears, (or) just as the world-illumining sun always does its work with its rising and setting. Just as lightning and the sun are free from any danger from any other creature, so is the ibddi shirt, in which there are the miracles of "kunfa-yakun (Be and it is). It should be noted here that, in physical death a person dies either because of illness, or by an accident or by a weapon, etc., but for the ibdai shirt or Paradisiacal attire (subtle body) there is neither illness nor accident, nor can any weapon harm it. Because it is to protect from every kind of harm or injury (16:81).
In short, regardless of how many countless people enter paradise, there will be no lack of Paradisiacal shirts. That is, every individual in Paradise will receive an ibdai body, in which is the spiritual kingdom, because potentially every individual in himself, has an universal kingdom. Or, in other words, every individual in reality is a spiritual and luminous copy of the image of Adam, rather the image of Rahman (Compassionate). With regard to the image or copy, according to the Wise Qur'an, everything has a copy, which in Quranic language, is called zill (pi. zilal, shadows, 16:81).
By the House of God is meant the Prophets and Imams in their respective times. Hazrat Nuh's Deluge is an example of the spiritual revolution and the personal resurrection. The ta'wil of lifting the Kabah to the heaven, is the ascension of the ibdai shirt of every Prophet and every Imam, to the stage of Izra'il. By every day is meant every Prophet and every Imam, and seventy thousand angels, who enter the real Kabah every day, are those living shirts which God creates, for the people of faith, from the sacred and pure light of every Prophet and every Imam in the stage of Izra'il (16:81).
Flying Saucer
Q. 67. What type of a creature is a flying saucer? Is it developed man from another planet, or an angel, or a jinn? What is the purpose of its coming to the earth? Please furnish us with some useful information in this connection.
A. Nowadays in the west, a flying saucer is called UFO, namely, Unidentified Flying Object, which means a flying object which has not yet been recognized. Whatever we have written in answer to Q. 47 can furnish you with enough information in this connection. Also see one of my books "Balance of Realities" pp. 43-46.
I believe that flying saucers are the same supernatural living shirts to subjugate the world, which are mentioned in the Qur'an (16:81): "And Allah made for you shade out of the things He created and made for you caves from the mountains and made for you shirts to protect you from heat and (also such) shirts which protect you from (the damage of the weapons of) war. Thus He perfects His favour unto you in order that you may surrender (unto Him)".
We can also call this mysterious living shirt, celestial body, subtle body, juththah-i ibda'iyyah. astral body and also a developed man from another planet, angel, jinn etc., for this is the place of ibda. They come to the earth by the command of God, to bring about a spiritual revolution in the world and to unite the nations of the world.
Celestial Body
Q. 47. In many places of your writings, you have mentioned the names, such as, jism-i falaki (celestial body), jism-i la[if (subtle body), juththah-i ibda tiyyah (ibda-i body), astral body, etc. etc. What do you mean by this body? Is such a thing mentioned in the Qur'an, or is it confined to secular knowledge? If such a thing does really exist, please explain how?
A. By celestial body is meant a body whose substance is different from the elements of the planet earth, for it is celestial substance. The subtle body also is the same celestial body, which is distinguished from the terrestrial or physical body, owing to its subtlety and purity. Astral body is also the same thing. As for the juththah-i ibda-iyyah, essentially it is the same thing, but its meaning is greater and higher. For juththah means body and ibda'iyyah means pertaining to ibda (instantaneous manifestation), which is the result of the word "kun (Be)!" Thus, by the juththah-i ibdaiyyah is meant such a miraculous body, in which there is the rule of "kun fa-yakun (Be! and it is)" and the kingdom of the world of command. It is the throne of paradise and is everything.
Yes, it is mentioned in the Qur'an in many ways. The Qur'an says that, for the survival of man, in addition to this body, there are some other bodies also. For instance, let us reflect on this Qur'anic verse carefully: "And He made for you shirts which protect you from the heat and shirts which protect you from the attack of weapons" (16:81). These are certainly not the shirts of this world, which are made by man of cloth or of any other material. It is also absolutely impossible that such external material shirts would protect us from all kinds of heat and from the consequences of all kinds of war, except the subtle bodies, which are spiritual shirts and which God, may He be exalted, has made with His powerful Hand.
A. (a) The Holy Quraan indicates that everything has a shadow (16:81; 25:45). Thus, man’s higher “I” like shadow i.e. reflection.
(b) The Quraan wisdom says that soul is not a limited thing, but an all-reaching and all-embracing reality, therefore, it should simultaneously be in both the worlds
(c) The Prophets and Imams, due to these two “I’s”, can see both the spiritual word and this attribute of theirs shows that everybody has two “I’s”.
(d) In the spatial world, it is not so. Yet, as an example it is permissible to say that this “I” can ascend and that “I” can descend, so that they may be one.\\
Aknan (Hiding places)
It is mentioned in verse (16:81): "And He has made hiding places in the mountains." That is, the Divine Word and the mountain of Intellect allude that your all-inclusive and universal life is hidden, which you will come to know only through recognition about where you have been, are and will be.
Sarabil (Shirts)
"And He has made shirts for you to protect you from the heat, and shirts to protect you in your fighting." (16:81). These miraculous shirts are such that they are affected neither by heat, nor by cold, nor can they be destroyed by war. These subtle cosmic shirts are not lifeless, rather they are living souls and the Supreme Soul in them encompasses all of us. This means that we live on the stars even now in the ibdaci body which is our higher "I".
Zilal -1 (sing - zill) (Shadows)
God has created shadows of all sacred things of the world of religion in the personal world, particularly those of the Universal Intellect, the Universal Soul, natiq, asas, as well as of jadd, fath, khayal, imam, hujjat and daci. (16:81; 25:45).
Zilal - 2 (sing - zill) (Shadows)
God says: "And God has made shadows for you of what He has created." (16:81). In this verse there is also the wisdom-filled allusion that man is always in the higher world and his shadow is sent to the lower world. According to this proof it is a fact that each individual has two "I's" (higher "I" and lower "I").
Zilal - 3 (sing - zill) (Shadows)
"And Allah has made for you the shadows of what He has created." (16:81). The beautiful spiritual and intellectual shadows of all things are in the personal world.
Kullu shay'in (Everything, all things)
"God says in verse (16:81): "And God has made for you the shadows of that which He has created." This is the mention of the supreme favour of God. Therefore, here it is not the mention of small things, rather the great wisdom in this verse is the mention of the fact that the shadow (living image) of every higher thing exists in the personal world. Those great treasures whose shadows reflect in the personal world are: the Word "Be", Supreme Pen, Guarded Tablet, the manifest Imam, etc.
Among the wonders and marvels and tremendous things of the universe is the subtle body, which is also called the body of similitude (jism-i mithali) (19:17, 17:99, 36:81). This is the ibda`i shirt (16:81), through which Paradise is brought closer.
In verse (16:81) God says: “And God has made for you shadows from His creature (of azal)”. That is, He has created for each one of you a personal world and in this personal world, an image of His living light, so that when the time comes this hidden treasure may prove itself to be the “higher I (ana-yi `ulwi)” of the mu'min who recognises God. The proofs of this reality are:
(a) First of all, it is necessary to know that the people of faith are addressed in this noble verse, therefore, the favour which is mentioned here is not common but special, for God, the Knowing, the Wise, does not speak of a thing as a favour given to believers, in which the unbelievers and animals also share.
(b) Although every creature has a shadow, there are higher and lower grades of creatures, and therefore, the most useful shadow for the Muslims is the one which is related to the highest creature, which is the light of azal.
(c) Although from one aspect, we can say that minerals, vegetables and animals, etc. are also creatures, but the Absolute Creator praises Himself (23:14) only when He creates a thing on the perfect level of creation. Because, He has created such a thing in true sense and as the first and last creature. This means that the creature in whose shadow of affection, the intellect and the soul find peace and comfort, is the most perfect and the supreme and also the means of absolute healing.
The devils from among humankind and jinn do not only throw stones, but also spread all kinds of diseases. Thus, in order to protect mu'mins from this battle and these diseases, God has taught His Prophets and Friends (awliya') the art of making the attire of spirituality and knowledge (16:81; 21:80).
Paradisiacal attire: In verse (16:81) two kinds of shirts are mentioned which are for the protection of mu'mins from heat and war. These are celestial bodies and like U.F.O.'s, they are not affected by heat, coldness, dryness, wetness and war. These are the same living forts, and their innumerable armies of souls which were prepared for Hazrat Sulayman (34:13). These are the heavenly and earthly armies of God (48:4), and these are also the silken attire of Paradise, namely the subtle bodies, which are adorned with attributes of intellect and soul.
Part 89
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the merciful
Paradisal bounties for the world of humanity: Sarabil (Shirts, 16:81), luminous bodies, paradisal attire, subtle bodies, garments (21:80), birds (5:110), ibdact bodies, a new creation, bodies of similitude, celestial bodies, believing jinns.101
Study the subject of subjugation in the wise Qur’an. All the above-mentioned things are the bounties of paradise. Try to recognise paradise in this world. The initial recognition of everything can be acquired by the knowledge of certainty (cilmu’l-yaqin). Therefore, the knowledge of certainty is extremely necessary for all people.
Subsequent to entering paradise in luminous body, you can travel throughout the universe, you can acquire knowledge of the secrets of the universe, you can see yourself and all other human beings in the luminous movie of Adam, God’s vicegerent. No bounty is impossible in paradise, particularly the cogent answers to questions related to knowledge and history. In short, every bounty, every treasure and every miracle is available in paradise.
Q343 Please tell us what is the nature of the lightning shirt and where is it mentioned in the holy Qur’an?
A343
- This great bounty is mentioned in verse (16:81) by the name of sarabil. Study its description with happiness and gratitude and be sure with soul and heart of the promise of the Compassionate God.
- The lightning-shirt has many names, such as Joseph(c)’s shirt, Jesus(c)’ bird, king of jinns, angel, subtle body, subtle world, subtle creature, subtle human being, celestial body, body of similitude, ibdaci body, astral body, paradisal body, luminous body, Sulaymanian throne, subtle fortress of the personal world, essence of the universe, universal body, all-inclusive body, new creation, flying saucer, etc.
Q390 This question is related to a significant verse (16:81). What are the shadows of the creature by creating which Allah has favoured mu’mins? Where are they? What does the Divine shadow (25:45) mean? What does the extended shadow mean (56:30)?
A390
- The higher world is the luminous creature of God and all its things are also luminous. Thus, the Word “Be” is light, the Pen is light, the Tablet is light, the Throne is light, the Dais (kursi) is light, etc., etc. Their shadows mean their mazahir [loci of manifestation], which are both in the world of religion and in the personal world. These shadows are luminous and brilliant like the reflection of the sun.
- The Divine shadow is the Imam of the time who is the mazhar of the light of God on earth.
- The extended shadow means those subtle bounties of paradise, which are extended from the spiritual world to the physical world.
Sarabil (Shirts, 16:81): Why should the great bounties of God not be gratefully and repeatedly mentioned in that He, the Omnipotent, has created two kinds of living shirts, namely, subtle bodies, for the people of faith. One is for Paradise and the other in order to spread Islam in this world. In the living or subtle shirt which is for Paradise, the higher “I” (ana-i `ulwi) or the higher end of the mu'min lives even now in Paradise, about which it is said in a Prophetic Hadith: “The soul of the mu'min is a bird which is attached to the tree of Paradise.” (al-Mu`jam, VI, 433; Ibn Majah, II, 1428) If the bird of soul is attached to the tree of Paradise, then it should be remembered that the tree is not without soul and intellect. That is, the tree is a Perfect Man as well as a Supreme Angel.
This verse has been referred 37 times.