A003
Surah: 070 - Ayah: 003
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70:3
Shariat, tariqat, haqiqat and marifat each have many sub-destinations, and therefore, it cannot be strange if these ranks are the same rungs, in order to climb which, the angels and souls need fifty thousand years of time (70:3-4), but God through His perfect power can also fold up this immense vastness of time and space.
To elaborate this further, it is said in the Qur’an “On the Day of Resurrection, the whole earth will be in His handful and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand”. This verse reveals the reality that the entire universe, (all things) are created from one single Pearl and all things are going to be ultimately annihilated back into it. It should be kept in mind that all things in the universe are in grades and these grades are compared with stairs (ma’arij) in the Qur’an (70:3). Thus no creature can be annihilated in the supreme rank-the Pearl of Intellect –without climbing the stairs of God, finally adopting the human form from which it becomes annihilated in the Pearls of Intellect.
Fana (Annihilation, death, spiritual death)
O my dears! There is no doubt that the Imam of the time is your pure soul (or Holy Spirit). Thus, you should try to attain this pure soul by being annihilated in him through ardent love, knowledge and true obedience, so that you may be liberated from the torment of ignorance. You have heard and seen time and again that the soul of minerals is vegetable and the additional soul of vegetables is animal and the conscious soul (rational soul) of animals is the human soul and the Holy Spirit of all human beings is the Imam of the time, because in order to go to God's presence, there are the ladders of spiritual progress (70:3).
Macarij (Ladders)
In verse (70:3) it is indicated that natiq, asas, imam, hujjat and dai are the ladders of God.
The subtle existence of Adam and man is a unique thing. Even if you use all the similitudes of the world to explain whatever is unique, they will still fall short. As water does not have a fixed form of its own, therefore it will have as many different forms as the different pots in which it is poured. Thus, one of the innumerable examples of man is a ladder. That is, the Perfect Man in actuality and every ordinary human being potentially, are like a ladder, which is set up to climb to the heaven of spirituality. Certainly in this sense it is said that God, the Blessed, the Exalted, is the Lord of the ladders (70:3). This becomes known to a salik, only when he attains the practical recognition of the three annihilations (i.e. annihilation in the murshid, annihilation in the Prophet and annihilation in God).
Strolling in this rose garden of conversation, we have somewhat gone away from the main place, although the direction of the conversation is towards the main subject. Anyhow, after the mention of the above examples, we have to explain that, although the real and spiritual quake with its miraculous effects, is on an extremely high place, yet according to the Divine law, with every height, there is an ascending ladder also (70:3). That is, you should do different exercises of quake and shivering readily and without feeling ashamed: sometimes shake your hands and sometimes your feet. You can also do this exercise, with the shoulders and the knees. And in this exercise, always continue to breathe the soul of Divine remembrance, so that you may ascend step by step. God willing, you will have success.
Secondly, in the case of not holding fast to the rope of god. There is always the danger of falling down in the lowness of bestiality, therefore it is said: You should hold fast to the rope of God so that you may be elevated to the height of angelicity from the lowness of animality. This is because one special meaning of the rope of God and ladder is that it stretches from the height of the world of angelicity to the lowness of the world of humanity. In other words, the example of holding fast to the rope of god (i.e. the Quraan and the light of Imamat) is like a ladder which is fixed to ascend from the lower world to the higher world, as God says: “From Allah, the lord of ladders.” (70:3). The meaning of ladder is obvious for a wise person. Thus it is evident that the rope of God is also His ladder, because the canter of Divine guidance is the one, but its names and examples are countless.
Q334 Would you kindly explain why God, may He be exalted, is called Dhi’l-macarij (the Lord of ladders) in verse (70:3)?
A334
- Macarij, which is the plural of micrij, means ladders or ranks.
- They are the hudud-i din of every cycle, namely, the Universal Intellect, the Universal Soul, natiq, asas, Imam, bab, hujjat, daci, ma’dhun and mustajib.
- These hudud-i din are the ranks, sometimes called the straight path, sometimes the rope of God and sometimes the ladder.
- All these hudud are gathered together in the Imam-i mubin, whose recognition is in the personal world.
This verse has been referred 8 times.