A017
Surah: 069 - Ayah: 017
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69:17
If the ta'wil of the "Lamp verse" is hudud-i din, then their spiritual and intellectual forms are encompassed in the Imam-i mubin. In this magnificent and wisdom-filled example there is also an allusion to the unveiling of the secret of the non-spatial world, in the sense that the blessed Olive tree whose oil gives light is neither of the east, nor of the west. That is, it is not in the spatial world, but is in the non-spatial world. The arifs observe the unveiling of this great secret when God enfolds and annihilates the universe in the non-spatial state so that they know the extremely great secrets of the non-spatial world, as mentioned in verse (69:17); "And the angels shall be on the sides of the heaven (i.e. the boundary of the universe) and above them eight shall bear on that day your Lord's Throne." The secrets of the world of religion in their entirety are hidden in the personal world. Thus by the Throne is meant the absolute light and every Imam in his own time alone is the bearer of the Throne, because in his blessed forehead the light of Intellect works by the name of the Supreme Throne. When the cycle of the seven Imams becomes complete, a great Resurrection takes place secretly. Then the eighth angel of the collection of the souls of male and female mu'mins (majmu ah-yi arwah-i mu'minin-u mu'minat) is also included among them. The manifestation of the light in his forehead is mentioned in the verses (57; 12, 19, 28 and 66 :8). In short, the mamthul or the symbolised of the symbol of the tree of Olive in the non-spatial world is the Universal Soul.
The same one light in the similitude of the lamp has continued to burn in the inner house of the Prophets and the Imams, because each one of them in his time was the living house of God. And according to this unchangeable Divine law the present and living Imam is the sacred house of God, which He has commanded to be revered. And what a great mercy it is that the holy Jamaat-Kanah represents God's house and it is extremely blessed for the Ismaili Jamaat, for in it are hidden the great miracles of spirit and spirituality.
The supreme ta'wil of the Divine Throne (arsh) is the light of intellect. Thus the bearer of the light - the Imam of the time - in his time, he alone is the Archangel who bears the Divine Throne. Although apparently, from the verse (69:17) "And eight will uphold the Throne of thy Lord that day" because of the plural form of eight, it appears that there are many great angels who, together are upholding it. But the number is because of the order and sequence of the Imams. That is to say, that every Imam from the seven Imams of a cycle in his own time upholds the Throne of light and after the seventh Imam, there is a Khalifah (successor) and thus they altogether become eight angels (mentioned in this verse).
Throne and Pedestal: God says: "And eight will, that Day, bear the Throne of your Lord above them." (69:17). By these eight angels is meant the Single Soul (nafs-i wahidah), which is the Pedestal (kursi), and the Universal Soul also, in which there is the unity of the eight great angels. For, they, according to the law of "light upon light" are eight as well as one. They are Hazrat Adam, Hazrat Nuh, Hazrat Ibrahim, Hazrat Musa, Hazrat cIsa, Hazrat Muhammad, Hazrat Qa'im and Khalifah-i Qa'im (Qa'im's vicegerent).
Abwab al-jannah (Eight gates of paradise)
The above-mentioned eight living paradises are also the bearers of the Throne as mentioned in verse (69:17): "And eight (angels) will uphold the Throne of their Lord that day, above them." This verse shows that the Throne (light of intellect = Kingdom of God) is based on these eight great hudud and so they are the bearers of the Throne, as well as eight living paradises. Thus, there are eight gates of the collective paradise.
Thamaniyah (Eight)
It is said in verse (69:17): "And that day eight will bear the Throne (carsh) of your Lord." Here by the Throne is meant the light of intellect (nur-i caql), which is in the blessed forehead of the seven Imams of ahl-i bayt, and whenever a mu'min man or woman becomes annihilated in the Imam of the time through personal resurrection, then he or she also becomes the bearer of the light of the Throne, that is, the light of intellect (57:12, 19; 66:8).
This verse has been referred 7 times.