A068
Surah: 036 - Ayah: 068
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36:68
Nucammiru (We grant long life)
It is said in verse (36:68): "And whomsoever We grant long life, We turn him upside down (from the world of command to the world of creation). Do they not understand?" One esoteric ta'wil of this verse is: "Thala(k) thala(k) thala(k) ni + Thala(k) thala(k) thala(k) zu", that is, hundred lacs, hundred lacs, hundred lacs go + hundred lacs, hundred lacs, hundred lacs come.
The Qur'anic verse (36:68): “And he whom We grant long life We cause him to turn upside down (from the world of command to the world of creation)” implies that whoever is given a long life in the spiritual world is sent to this world for a very great feat. It should be known that when God grants long life to someone, it is long according to His standard, therefore it is very vast according to the calculation of this world. And the wisdom of the phrase “upside down” is that the world of command or the spiritual world and the world of creation or the physical world are like two half circles [see the diagram below], which together present the concept of a complete circle, in which the upper half circle is the world of command and the lower half circle is the world of creation. In this example, the one who goes from the physical world to the summit of the spiritual world, his head will be turned upwards and when he comes from there to this world, his head will be turned down.
Q128 In verse (36:68), it is said: “And to whomsoever We give [endless] long life, we turn him upside down [from the world of command] to [the world of] creation. Do they not understand?” What does this mean?
A128 The endless life that is mentioned here is on the supreme circle (da’irah-yi aczam), which encompasses both the world of creation and the world of command. Thus, while descending from the higher to the lower world the kamils have to turn upside down each time. This is the same law of nature according to which children are born upside down, which is not a defect at all.
The great miracles that took place during the days of Yarqand by the grace and generosity of the Lord of resurrection(c) should be mentioned again and again so that we may be able to express gratitude by recounting His favours (tahdith-i nicmat), as God says: “And as for your Lord’s bounties, recount them.” (93:11)
Indeed there are many junctions (sangam hi sangam) in the luminous ta’wil of all those miracles, such as the “reverse manifestation” (tajalli-yi mackus, 36:68). That is, in their everlasting cosmic paradise those fortunate souls who merge in Hazrat qa’im and become eternally alive, will be this world as well as the next, because the cosmic paradise is the junction of this world and the next.
This verse has been referred 3 times.