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A085

Surah: 017 - Ayah: 085

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17:85

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Wisdom 14: This universe, i.e. time and space, is like a prison, whereas the non-spatial and non-temporal world (pre-eternity) is the freedom of Paradise. Another name of the non-temporal world is the world of command and the human soul has come from this world (17:85), the upper end of which, as mentioned in the above, is the Permanent Soul. The real soul of a mu'min (male or female) in Paradise is a special model of the elegance and beauty of God, as mentioned in the sacred Hadith: O child of Adam! Obey me, so that I will make you a living and a luminous copy of me Thus, God has done this in the very pre-eternity.

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God says: "They will ask thee (O! Messenger) concerning the Spirit. Say: the Spirit (is not from the material world but) is from (the world of) command of my Lord, and of knowledge you have been vouchsafed but little (therefore, you do not understand the reality of the spirit)" (17:85).

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Martyrdom in the path of God is of two kinds: physical martyrdom and spiritual martyrdom, but the slaying or the death of the body or animal soul of a mumin does not mean that his real soul dies, because in the world of command it exists in the luminous sun and here in the body it is only like a reflection (17:85) in a mirror, just as the bright picture of the sun is in a mirror. Thus if someone wants to destroy this small sun which appears in the mirror, he cannot do so even though he can certainly break the mirror. This is the best answer to the question: Is death applicable to the body or to the soul?

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Since when does the Soul exist?

Q. 27. Since when does the soul exist and how long will it be able to last? In other words, when did God create the soul and for how long?
A. According to the Quranic verse (17:85), which has already been explained, the soul is from the world of command (i.e. it is not from the world of creation). This is the supreme attribute of God that, in His kingdom, there are things which are eternal. For, whatever belongs to the world of command is eternal and whatever to the world of creation is contingent.

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How many Times is the Word “Ruh” (mentioned in the Holy Quran)?

Q. 22. How many times is the word “ruh” (spirit) mentioned in the Quran? Which is the key verse among the verses related to the subject of “ruh”? Please explain, with proofs.
A. if we look into the Quran deeply, from the beginning to the end, it is full of the mention of ruh. In addition, apparently ruh has numerous synonyms also. However, since here the question is only about the word ruh, it is sufficient to say that the word ruh is mentioned 24 times in the Quran and the basic and key verse regarding it is: “(O Prophet!) They are asking you concerning the Spirit (ar-ruh). Say: the Spirit is from (the world of) command (amr) of my Lord and you have been vouchsafed very little knowledge” (17:85). Thus it should be known that concerning the ruh, this Quranic teaching is of fundamental and key importance. For, whatever the mode of this question, it is understood in the sense of the Supreme ruh, because the word “ar-ruh” (the spirit) is mentioned in it. Further, in order to indicate its realities and gnosis, the word “Be (kun)“ and the world of command are alluded to, so that the people of wisdom may have recourse to these means of the recognition of soul spiritually.

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Spiritual light is the light of God which was in the Holy Prophet and it is the light of the Prophet which is in the Imam. It is the world of the heart as well as the eye of the heart, it is soul as well as spirituality, it is the Hereafter as well as Paradise, it is the nourishment of the soul as well the comfort of the heart and mind. The soul, in reality, is everything, because it is from the command of God (17:85). In fact, at the exalted place of the manifestation and observation of spirituality, it is constantly represents the manifestations of “Be and it is”. That is, it becomes evident from the observations of spirit and spirituality how God gives luminous existence to everything by the command of “Be” and how through this word, things continue to always appear in the spiritual world.

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Soul is indivisible. That is, soul in itself does not have particles and parts, but through the mediation of subtle and dense body, it can appear in innumerable manifestations. The example of this reality is the sun, which in itself is not divisible, but becomes divisible where it reflects in pure and transparent things. This means that in the Supreme Soul or the Single Soul (nafs-i wahidah) there is only a single reality of all the human souls. Thus what Mawla-yi Rum says is absolutely true: “Who says we have come to this world! This existence of ours is only a shadow of the original existence.” He is quite right, for according to the Qur’an, the fountainhead of the sun of souls is in the world of command (17:85), but its countless luminous shadows continue to reflect in the mirrors of human existence. Thus, although the human soul in the physical body is like a shadow as mentioned above, at least unconsciously if not consciously, it is linked with its whole (i.e. the Universal Soul) and this link continues. In such a case it should not be surprising if a Perfect Guide transmits his voice to another human being through the mediation of the Universal Soul, just as the voice and picture of a television can be heard and seen in front of you through a satellite, despite being in a distant country.

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Criterion of Hazrat Musa: The place of the human soul is extremely high. Its upper end is in the world of command, where there is the sovereignty of the word “Be (kun)” (17:85). Thus the explanation of the rank of soul is very amazing and astonishing. Soul is a simple substance and a complete picture of the light of God like the world-illumining sun and its radiant reflection in a cleansed mirror. Although this reflection in comparison to the sun is an insignificant thing, nonetheless, it is not separate from the sun. Rather, by a little reflection it will reveal that to consider the reflection separate from the sun is an illusion. For there is nothing in the mirror, it only directs our sight towards the sun, which is in the sky.

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Question: Where has the human soul come from and when it is successful, where will it go? Answer: It has come from the world of command and the Word “Be (kun)” (17:85; 36:82) and it will return there. For it is the original abode as well as the stage of annihilation (fana’).

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Q9 From which world has the human soul come? How has it come: as a drop of rain, as a ray of the sun or as a rope, one end of which is in the higher world and the other on the earth?

A9

• The human soul has come from the world of command, as mentioned in verse (17:85): “Say: the spirit is from the command of my Lord.”
• It has come from there as the rays of the sun or as a rope, one end of which is in the world of command or the higher world and the other is on the earth.

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Q186 Would you kindly tell us a wisdom of verse (17:85): “They ask you [O Muhammad] about the soul: Say [to them only this much]: The soul is from the Command of my Lord and you have been given only a little knowledge [therefore how can we tell you the secrets of the soul].”

A186

• The soul has come from the world of Command as a luminous rope, the higher end of which is linked with the Word of Command (Be!) and the lower end with the Perfect Man.
• It is the mention of the Single Soul (nafs-i wahidah), from which the particular souls are created.
• See in the above-mentioned verse that the word is not “ruh” (a soul), but “ar-ruh” (the soul), which means that here the special soul is mentioned.
• In order to ask the holy Prophet the secrets of knowledge and wisdom, one has to enter through his luminous door, which is the light of Imamat.

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Q288 You have written a book in the form of questions and answers on the subject of soul. With reference to verse (17:85): “Say: The spirit is from the command of my Lord”. Would you kindly tell us in what sense the spirit is from the command of the Lord?

A288

• The special or original spirit is from the world of command.
• The higher end of the spirit is in the higher world.
• The everlasting link of the spirit is with the Word of Command, i.e. “Kun! (Be!)”, therefore there is always renewal in it.
• This is why the spirit in paradise is perpetually a new creation.
• The great soul is present everywhere.

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Now as for the question: “Where did light come from?”, the answer is that it is from the world of command, i.e. the spiritual world, which is eternal. Another name of light is spirit, which was breathed into Adam, the fountainhead of which is the world of command, as mentioned in the Quran: “And (O! Prophet) they ask you concerning the Spirit. Say: Spirit (is not from the world of creation, but) from (the world of) command of my Lord, and of knowledge you have been vouchsafed but little, (therefore, you cannot understand the reality of Spirit)” (17:85). This Qur'anic description of the spirit is that of the perfect Spirit, i.e. the Holy Spirit, due to which the angels had prostrated to Adam (15:29). It is this Spirit which is called the Spirit of God and it is because of this Spirit that Jesus is regarded as the Spirit of God (ruhu 'llah) (4:171) and it was this Divine Spirit which was working in the pure personality of the holy Prophet as the spirit of the Qur'an (ruh-i Qur'an) and the Divine Light (nur-i Yazdan) (42:52). Thus, the Spirit and the Light are one and the same reality, which is eternal. It has neither a beginning nor an end, for it is from the world of command.

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In the Wise Qur’ᾱn, where the question regarding the nature and reality of the spirit is mentioned, there is also a concise and comprehensive answer, as it is said: “They ask you concerning the Spirit, say: The spirit is from the Command of my Lord, and of knowledge you have been vouchsafed but little” (17:85). ’

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In this connection an example of Divine law and the Prophetic sunnat is that when a non-Muslim used to ask a question of the Holy Prophet, it used to be answered by the revelation of a verse or by the Prophet himself, but this answer used to be based on the principle of wisdom so that only the people of wisdom may benefit from the knowledge of it. For instance, when some jews asked the Holy prophet about the nature and reality of soul, God said: “They ask you (O Muhammad) about the spirit. Say: the spirit is from the command of my Lord, and you have been given of the knowledge but a little”. (17:85) there is apparently no detailed explanation of the reality of soul in this answer. Thus, those who asked this question without true obedience to the Holy prophet, received no knowledge from this answer. Conversely, by studying this verse a door of knowledge and recognition of soul opens for those who truly obey the Prophet and the true Imam. That is, with respect to annihilation or survival or permanence and transience, there are two worlds: one is called the world of command and the other is the world of creation and they are contrary to one another. The world of creation is contingent, finite, silent, unconscious, imperfect, lifeless and under time and space, whereas the world of command is eternal, infinite,speaking, conscious, perfect, living and above time and space.
Thus, in the verse “Say (O messenger): The spirit is from the command of my Lord”, is taught the principle that soul is from the world of command and not from the world of creation, and then on the basis of conversion many realities of soul can be understood from the things of the world of creation. In this verse it is also taught that wherever in the Quraan the word “command” is mentioned, by studying it minutely the realities of soul can be understood. It is established from this explanation that, in reality, to ask questions of the Prophet and the Imam of the time means to obey them, because their very characteristic is to impart knowledge to those obedient to them.

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Part 20

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

It is said in verse (17:85): “And they ask you [O Muhammad] about the spirit. Say: The spirit is from the [world of] command of my Lord, i.e. from the word “Be”, and you have been given the knowledge of it but a little.” Here, although the noun spirit is singular, in view of far-reaching wisdom it is also used in the plural. For, when this spirit is in the Perfect Man, it encompasses the entire world of humanity and is called the Single Soul. It is because of this that the hujjat of the qa’im, may peace be upon them both, has said: “The soul is only one”.¹¹

Only after being enriched with the everlasting wealth of ma^crifat, can an ^carif say that all people were spiritually with Hazrat Adam, Allah’s vicegerent. A clear allusion to this fact is found in verse (7:11). If you look into this verse with the inner eye, you will come to know that you were in Adam as well as among the angels. The most sublime secret is that you were created in the image of Rahman (surat-i Rahman) with Adam in the sacred Sanctuary, but you have forgotten this great miracle. However, it is true that it is recorded in the Guarded Tablet. You can see this today with the eye of ma^crifat and tomorrow virtually in paradise. You were with every Prophet, with every Imam and with every ^carif, because in every spiritual resurrection, according to the hadith: “The souls are assembled armies”,¹² all souls gather together.

It is said in Gulshan-i Raz:
Wa qad sa’alu wa qalu ma’n-nihayatu;
Fa-qila hiya’r-ruju^cu ila’l-bidayati
They asked and said: What is the end?
It was said that it is return to the beginning.¹³

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Part 99

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

It is mentioned in verse (17:85): “And they ask you about the spirit. Say: The spirit is from the [world of] command [i.e. the word `Be’] of my Lord, and you have been given the knowledge but a little [therefore, it is very difficult to understand the secrets of the spirit].”

The people had asked this question of the holy Prophet in order to test him. Therefore, by showing up the lack of their knowledge the secret of the soul is kept in a veil of wisdom. That is, the spirit is not from the world of creation, rather it is from the world of command, which means that the spirit is always under the miracle of Be (kun). The word ruh (spirit) is used in the singular in the wise Qur’an, but it is used in the plural in the sound hadith, such as “al-arwahu junudun mujannadah (the souls are assembled armies)”.¹¹⁵

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This verse has been referred 12 times.

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