A041
Surah: 036 - Ayah: 041
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36:41
Wisdom 31: It is said in verses (36:41-42): "And a sign for them is that We have their dhuriyyat (particles of souls) in the loaded Ark and We have created for them similar arks on which they ride." Hazrat Nuh had two loaded Arks: one physical and the other spiritual. By the spiritual ark is meant the blessed personality of the true Imam who is in every age, as mentioned in verse (36:42) that God has also created arks similar to Hazrat Nuh's ark after him. That is, the ark of Imamat of which the world is never devoid, is the ark of salvation as mentioned in the Hadith: "The place of my ahl al-bayt among you is like the Ark of Nuh (a.s), whoever embarks on it is saved and whoever lags behind is drowned."
Wisdom of the Word “Dhurriyyat”
Q. 36. We would like to have some deeper knowledge about the word “dhurriyyat”, as it is mentioned in the verse (36:41). There are two different translations of the word in this verse. Could you tell us which one is correct? (a) “And a sign for them is that We bore their children (dhurriyyat) in the laden ship” (36:41); and (b) “And a sign for them is that We bore their ancestors (dhurriyyat) in the laden ship (of Nuh)” (36:41).
A. Dhurriyyat here means neither children nor ancestors, for the ship which is mentioned here is the Ark of Hazrat Nuh. Thus, how could the children of the people of the tme of the Prophet be carried there? Again, it is also not true to say that dhurriyat means ancestors. Rather, in reality dhurriyat here means dharrat-I ruh, i.e. the particles or atoms of the soul. That is to say that, the spiritual particles of these people were contained in the loins of the mumins carried in the Ark of Hazrat Nuh. It is a sign, i.e. miracle of God, that these people were there (i.e. in the Ark) in the form of particles and were observing the dreadful scene of the deluge. For further elaboration on spiritual particles, see recognition of Imam, Part One, under the heading “The Imam of the righteous”.
Imam (7) (Guide)
By dhurriyyat are meant the particles (dharrat) of soul. In verse (36:41) God says: “And a sign unto them is that We bore their dhurriyyat in the laden ark.” This means that the spiritual particles or offspring of each individual were in the past and will be in the future as well. Thus, it is a clear fact that with respect to his dhurriyyat, light and luminosity, every Imam is not only the Imam of the present and the future, but has also been that of the past. This is not transmigration at all, rather it can be called the renewal of similitudes (tajaddud-i amthal).
Fulk (Boat, ship, the personal world of the manifest Imam)
The Imam of the time is Nuh's Ark, just as mentioned in verses (36:41-42): "A sign unto them is that We bore their spiritual particles (dhurriyyat) in (his) laden ark and We have created for them the like of it whereupon they ride." The blessed personal world of the true Imam has continued to be the inner ark in which there is the world of particles, so that the particles of all things and all human beings may be preserved in it.
The All-knowing Creator created the personal world (microcosm) in six days, i.e. six minor cycles. Then, there appeared the arsh (ship-like throne) on water in the luminous dream of the arif. In this dream the water was the symbol of the ocean of knowledge and the ship-like throne or the laden ship (36:41) was the symbol of a luminous personality in whom all people were already annihilated.(ta’wili purport of 11:7).
It is mentioned in a Hadith: "Indeed, the Qur'an has an exoteric aspect and an esoteric aspect and each esoteric aspect has another esoteric aspect till seven esoteric aspects." (Ahadith-i Mathnawi, p. 83).
Hazrat Nuh's physical ark was a symbol (mithal) and the spiritual ark was the meaning or reality of the symbol (mamthul). Thus, just as we were with every Prophet in the form of particles, we were borne in Hazrat Nuh's ark also, as mentioned in verse (36:41): "And a sign unto them is that We bore their (spiritual) particles in the laden ark." A point of wisdom here is that if the ark was already laden, how was place made for any additional embarkers? The fact is that all these representative particles had become annihilated in the Lord of the ark. This is the fact alluded to here.
A key wisdom about how particles of souls are attached to the hudud-i din, is in verse (36:41) which says: "And a sign for them is that We carried their dhurriyat, (i.e. their soul’s particles), in the laden ship, and We have created for them the like of it whereupon they ride." (36:41-42). This verse shows that the particles of all souls were borne in the Ark of Hazrat Nuh. This ark is always made of spirituality and is always created from the spirituality of the true Imam and his hudud, to which people are attached either consciously or unconsciously.
Part 94
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The parable of the Divine Throne on water (ocean) is among the highest parables of the personal world, as mentioned in Part 93 and indeed, the same Throne is the “laden ark” (36:41), also called “al-jariyah” (floating ark) (69:11), namely the ark of salvation.
In verse (69:11), it is said: “Verily, when the water rose high We bore you in the floating ark.” That is, when the flood of minor resurrection started in your time, We bore you in the ark of salvation or the ark of ahl-i bayt.
This ark of salvation is the Throne of the ocean of knowledge also. And the Lord of the Throne is that majestic and august personality, in whom the people of the ark have to be annihilated and attain eternal life. It is because of this that in the laden ark nobody except God’s Face (55:26-27) appears, as all others have been annihilated and merged in him.107
This verse has been referred 14 times.