A088
Surah: 028 - Ayah: 088
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28:88
Wisdom 40: All those Qur'anic verses which are revealed under the title of "kull (whole, all, universal)" are universal laws, and it is necessary to reflect upon them again and again, as it is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an: "Everything is perishable save His countenance. His is the command, and to Him you shall all return." (28:88).
You see that this perishing is never like utter non¬existence, rather it is in the sense of the folding of everything of the universe in the hand of God, in which everything in front of God's countenance is annihilated unconsciously and it is only the arif who attains the greatest bliss of annihilation in God with consciousness and recognition. Dear friends! Let us pray together that may God grant us success and courage to render some service to the Glorious Qur'an! Amln!.
Here we would like to give an example of the numerical logic too. That in the number thousand there are three ciphers and one number ‘one’. The wisdom underlying this is that the numbers upto the thousand having been annihilated from their own form have become one with the number ‘thousand’, for the cypher symbolizes annihilation. That is to say that the world of numbers first annihilates in ten, then in hundred, then in thousand, and so on. Each time only the essence of ‘one’ is left. This is the tawil of “everything is perishable except His face” (28:88), and it is monorealism that the unity of all is the unity of one and the unity of one is the unity of all. The cipher depends on one and without which it alone is nothing. That is to say if it is separated from one, then it has no value at all. As Baba Sayyidna says:
“Za har kam kamtaram gar bi tu basham Za gaardun bartaram gar ba tu basham”
i.e. “I am less than nothing if I am without you; I am higher than heaven if I am with you.” That is to say that the example of monorealism is also evident from the laws of numbers, as in decimal numbers such as ten, hundred and thousand – all other numbers become annihilated and disappear and thus their unity becomes the unity of one and the unity of one becomes the unity of all.
When the Prophet implemented the concept of Islam and made his inner face, the vicegerent of the Face of God in the light of knowledge and gnosis, then God commanded him to explain his model of action to the people, in the light of wisdom, as He says: "And if they argue with thee, (0 Muhammad), say: I have surrendered my (Inner) face to God and (so have) those who follow me (i.e. the Imams of true guidance). In the excellent example of the prophet, had this indication of his surrendering his inner face to God, not been there, no Muslim would have hope of eternal life, where everything and every, person, except the Face of God, is perishable. (28:88; 55:27). For this is the great law of God that outside the paradise of His holy Face, nothing remains alive and safe. For this sublime reality reveals clearly, that the salamati of every mumin lies In the recognition of the Face of God and annihilation of himself in it.
As you know that in the end of some of the surahs of the Qur'an, great secrets are alluded to, for instance, the surah of Qasas (28), in which it ls said: "Everything ls perishable except His face. Command (hukm) is His and towards Him you will return" (28:88). That Is, where the universe and the existents are one light In the hand of God (39: 67) there everything has perished and the Divine vision (didar-i khudawandi) takes place here. As for the individual annihilation (fana) of a person, it is to observe this Inner reality. However, without tasting the death of the animal soul, it ls not possible to observe this reality in the life-time.
Mawlana Ali (a.s.) said: "I am Allah's face (wajhu'llah) in the heavens and the earth. Everything is perishable except His face." (28:88) (See Kawkab-i Durri, p. 232, Manqabat, 69). The remaining part of this saying is: "His is the sovereignty and to Him you will be made to return" (28:88). God has created the universe and everything in it for an extremely great purpose, and the annihilation of things is not possible without meaning and purpose. Everybody knows that minerals gradually perish and annihilate into vegetables, the vegetables into animals and the progress of animals lies in that they perish and annihilate for the sake of human beings. All the ranks of the world of humanity eventually either willingly or unwillingly are annihilated in the exalted personality of the True Guide, whom God has made the centre of guidance and the recourse for people. Here is completed one exegesis or tawil of the above-mentioned verse that everything perishes and becomes annihilated in the sense of changing from one state into another. But the Embodied Light whose name is "Wajhu'llah" or "Allah's face" in the sense of his eternal light is imperishable and everlasting.
Face of God: "Everything is perishable except His Face" (28:88). That ist the universe (21:104) and the sun (81:1) are enfolded and that the sun of the Intellect sets in the west of the Universal Soul (Face of God). And the mazhar of the Universal Soul is the Manifest Imam.
As God says: “Everything will perish except the Face of God. His is the command and to Him you will be brought back” (28:88).Another proof of this reality is: “Everyone that is on it (the physical earth and the spiritual earth) will perish: there remains but the Face of Your Lord of might and glory” (55:26-27). An exoteric example of this can be found in Hazrat Nuh, who was the Face of God in his time. The obedient mu’mins of his time, linked to him, became eternally alive in glory and honour, whilst the disobedient perished forever by their spiritual death. The wise know that the flood and perdition is not restricted to the time of Hazrat Nuh, but continues to come secretly in every age.
In verse (28:88), it is said: “Everything is perishable except His Face (i.e. the mazhar of light)”.and one special definition of this annihilation is that when the spiritual Resurrection of the Perfect Man (prophet or Imam) occurs, the subtle particles of all things, such as minerals, vegetable s, animals and human beings enter his personal world, as mentioned about Hazrat Nuh (a.s). During this, the sur of israfil blows consonantly in his personal world and everything becomes annihilated in him unconsciously, except for himself, although physically he is included among perishable things, yet in his luminous rank he is extremely exalted, close to and merged in God.
Every Prophet and every Imam in his respective time acts as the Face of God, a principle which is ordained by none other than God Himself. Thus Hazrat Nuh was the Face of God in his time. In the background of Hazrat Nuh‘s deluge there occurred a Resurrection in which not only did the disobedient people drown and perish, but according to verse (28:88), every creature and everything as well, except for the believers who were in physical and spiritual arks and all those spiritual particles which had entered the ark of wisdom (world of particles) of the Face of God (11:40; 23:27) who remained saved from every aspect. Since in the wisdom-filled sunnat which is full of the treasure of secrets, there is no change at all (17:77; 36:62), therefore, without exceptions, God continues to repeat it in every cycle and every time according to the law of spirit and spiritually.
Aslama (He submitted, he became obedient)
In verse (28:88) God says: "Everything is perishable except His Face (surat-i Rahman)". That is, when an cArif has the final didar (vision), it is the surat-i Rahman in which he merges and attains eternal life. In other words, this bliss is called fana' fi'llah and baqa' bi'llah. This is the meaning of submitting the spiritual face to God and in return attaining the everlasting treasure of surat-i Rahman.
Umm al-kitab (3) (The original book)
Mawla cAli has said: "I am the Face of God in the heavens and in the earth", as mentioned in verse (28:88): "Everything is perishable except His Face." (Kawkab, p. 206). This same Face of God, who is the manifest Imam, is also the ummu’l-kitab, the Guarded Tablet, as well as the Treasure of treasures.
Halik (Perishable, destructible)
O my dears! You should not forget the Qur'anic law that at the end of some surahs there are special gems, as in verse (28:88) at the end of the surah of Qasas: "Everything is perishable except His face."
Which knowledge and wisdom does not exist in the Qur’an? It is a Book, perfect and complete, which explains everything (16:89). Thus in verses (28:88; 5:27), there is the wisdom-filled allusion to annihilation in God (fana’ fi'llah). And it is true that the means of merging in the Absolute Light is the sufi` annihilation, which, besides these verses, is also mentioned in other verses of the holy Qur’an.
The ultimate aim of this subject is that, every mu'min should be sure of the miracle of annihilation in God (fana’ fi'llah) and attain this supreme rank progressing on the straight path, through knowledge and action, as it is said in verse (28:88): “Everything is perishable but His Face. To Him belongs the Command (Èukm) and to Him you shall be returned”. If someone says that the wood is burnt out but the heat of the fire remains, then everybody can easily understand this. Thus the above verse which is related first to the microcosm (personal world), says in the language of wisdom that, by true and ardent love, spirituality, vision and gnosis, which are in the Face of God, the status of annihilation in God is attained and after this annihilation is His Command, namely, the Word of Command and return.
The other point in this connection is that “Everything except the Divine Essence is perishable, that is to say that it comes to an end” (28:88). Here it is evident that knowledge also comes to an end [as it is included in everything]. However, it is a different matter that God repeatedly creates everything [and it is because of this that they seem to exist continuously]. For example, the succession of day and night, which in fact perish like all other things, seem infinite only because God creates them over and over again. Thus, it is because of this that the chain of day and night and time becomes infinite.
“Azal” apparently is a trilateral word, but in its reality is hidden Allah’s greatest treasure, in which all the pearls of marifat are gathered, just as everything is gathered in the form of coins, gold, gems and pearls in the supreme treasure of a king. Thus there is no secret superior to and higher than the secrets of azal, but the amazing thing is that all the words and terms there are for the Face of God and its numerous kinds of manifestations, because that is not a place where anything else can exist, except for the Face of God (28:88; 55:27). Thus azal (pre-eternity) abad (post-eternity) and dahr (immovable time) are the names of the reality of the perpetuity of the Face of God, in which man has to be annihilated in such a way that the name and sign of his humanity disappear and he does not remain a thing-mentioned (76:1).
In verse (28:88), God says: “Everything is perishable except His Face”. If by the Face of God is meant the vicegerent of God or the vicegerent of the Prophet, then both its exegesis and tawil will be correct. Otherwise, it would mean that everything is perishable, God forbid, including God’s organs, except His Face. But friends! How can such a view be correct? Also, if we mean by wajh the essence of God, then logically, it would mean that in addition to other things, God’s attributes would also perish. But again how can this belief be correct?
The Holy Qur'an says: "Everything is perishable save His Face. His is the authority, and to Him you shall all return." (28:88). According to the wise people, this wisdom-filled verse means that a mu'min can only become revived in his origin, namely the higher "I" (ana-i ulwi) and have the Divine vision (of the face of God) if everything of his existence is annihilated either by willing annihilation or unwilling annihilation (i.e. death), otherwise everything (such as body, soul and intellect) which is not purified and dissolved becomes a veil in front of him. Therefore, it is said: "Die (spiritually), before (physical) death", so that by voluntary annihilation you may merge in God.
Q155 It is mentioned in verse (28:88): “Everything is perishable save His face.” Please tell us how, according to this verse, the planet earth will perish together with its inhabitants?
A155 Read verses (18:7-8) carefully: “Verily We have made whatever is on the earth as an adornment of it, that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in action. Verily We will make whatever is in it barren ground.” This is the prophecy of the wise Qur’an according to which, the entire population of the planet earth will perish when the time comes. Prior to this, according to verses (23:18; 67:30), the stock of water will finish. However, God will not allow them to go to waste, rather according to the law of resurrection, He will gather their spiritual particles in the Imam (17:71). This is the meaning of the perishing of everything except the face of Allah (i.e. Imam) and the preservation of everything being confined and guarded in the manifest Imam (36:12) by Divine mercy.
This verse has been referred 23 times.