A008
Surah: 091 - Ayah: 008
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91:8
Telepathy
Q. 71. What is your belief regarding telepathy or illumination (ishraq) Is it possible that it will progress in the future? Is it related to religion or to science?
A. I have full conviction in telepathy or illumination, for Allah has endowed man with many higher qualities. If they are developed and used, man can perform many astonishing deeds. In the future, the progress of telepathy is certain. I believe in the mingling of proto religion and proto science. Telepathy is common to both.
Today the wall which stands between religion and science is of words, terms and language. Alas! if only the scientists had known the language of the Qur'anic wisdom and had understood spirituality! Alas! if we were able to utter what is in our heart! Alas! if all the people knew the secrets of the Perfect Men!
Reflect on this wisdom-filled verse: "He inspired it (soul) with its debauchery and its righteousness" (91:8). But the ta'wili wisdom of this verse is that God did not do this work Himself, for He is free from and above teaching someone sinfulness and debauchery. Therefore this work was done by the mudill (misleading Satan) who is the source of evil. Again, God is also free from and above teaching righteousness, standing in opposition to the mudill (misleader). Therefore, He, the Absolute King, gave this power to the True Guide, to be the source of good and to inspire the people with righteousness.
Ilham (Inspiration in the heart by God)
It is said in verse (91:8): "And He inspired it of its perversity and its righteousness." This inspiration is also possible through the two companions which are near the two ears of the heart. This shows that inspiration is possible, but it can be on different levels.
Malakayn (Two angels, two companions)
Read verse (91:8): “And inspired it of its lewdness and god-fearing.” This means that the human heart is controlled by good or evil as a result of good deeds or bad deeds and then accordingly the two angels inspire people, so that they may be rewarded in accordance with the law of choice (qanun-i ikhtiyar) and injustice is not done to anybody.
Just as water is found in several different forms, such as oceans, vapour, clouds, snow, rain, dew, ice, spring, well, subterranean canals, canals, streams, rivers, etc., similarly, angel or soul has many different conditions and ranks. For instance, it is an intellectual light, it is a Divine (rahmani) image, it is a most comprehensive word, it is a luminous voice, it is a light, it is a subtle human manifestation, it is a bolt of lightning (sa’iqah), it is thunder (ra’d), it is lightning (barq), it is a collection of particles, it is a kind of electricity, it is a world of knowledge, it is a Paradise, and the least realisation of its rays can be in the form of good success, good thoughts, and inventive and technical understanding, for as the Holy Qur’an says: "And inspired it of its evil and of its good" (91:8). Everyone knows that bad thoughts are from Satan, so we have to accept that good thoughts are through angel. From this we can conclude that whatever has been discovered and given to the people of the world by scientists is in reality from the Divine treasures, which God has sent down through angels and souls and that scientists have obtained it from them albeit unconsciously. The angels and souls related to all matters descend in the blessed night of power (shab-i qadr) which comes in every year in the month of Ramadan, but what is brought and what is given, nobody understands. This night is a symbol and an example (mithal) and its meaning and object (mamthul) is the "cyclical shab-i qadr" which is extremely great. If it is accepted that the blessed night has already come and that the angels and souls have also already come, then has God made it necessary that everyone should know about this event, while the ta’wil of the night is hiddenness (batin), concealment, and spirituality? And the angels were to come down in a veil of clouds (2:210, 25:25)? It is true however, that in this time of great spiritual revolution those matters related to the external world continue to appear and which in their physical form are known as scientific inventions.
Q246 In wisdom 690 of “A Thousand Wisdoms” the following hadith is mentioned: “There is none among you except that he has a companion from among jinns and a companion from among angels.” Is there any allusion to this hadith in the wise Qur’an?
A246 One allusion to it is in verse (91:8): “And inspired it to its lewdness and God-fearing.” This means that God has appointed a jinn and an angel over man, so that these two companions may have an eye on the state of his heart and do their respective work. These two companions are also mentioned or alluded to in verse (43:36): “Whosoever is blind to the remembrance of God (ar-Rahman), We appoint for him a devil as a close companion.” This alludes to the fact that there is a devil (jinn) and an angel appointed by God with every human being from the very beginning.
This verse has been referred 10 times.