Lubb al-Lubab (The Kernels of Kernels) A Short Treatise on Wayfaring

Lubb al-Lubab (The Kernels of Kernels) A Short Treatise on Wayfaring66%

Lubb al-Lubab (The Kernels of Kernels) A Short Treatise on Wayfaring Author:
Translator: Ali Quli Qara'i
Publisher: ABWA Publishing and Printing Center
Category: Mysticism

Lubb al-Lubab (The Kernels of Kernels) A Short Treatise on Wayfaring
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Lubb al-Lubab (The Kernels of Kernels) A Short Treatise on Wayfaring

Lubb al-Lubab (The Kernels of Kernels) A Short Treatise on Wayfaring

Author:
Publisher: ABWA Publishing and Printing Center
English

A Brief Introduction and General Plan for Godward Wayfaring

بِسْمِ اللَهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَصَلَّي‌ اللَهُ عَلَي‌ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِهِ الطَّاهِرِينَ

ولَعْنَةُ اللَهِ عَلَي‌ أَعْدَائِهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

In the Name of Allah, the All‑Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

May God's blessings be upon Muhammad and his immaculate Household,

and may God's curse be upon all their enemies.

God, Exalted and Almighty, has said:

سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ فِي مِرْيَةٍ مِّن لِّقَاء رَبِّهِمْ أَلَا إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُّحِيطٌ

We shall show them Our signs in the horizons and in themselves, till it is clear to them that it is the truth. Suffices it not, by thy Lord, that He is witness over everything? Indeed they are in doubt about the meeting with their Lord. Indeed He encompasses everything. (41:53‑54)

چه‌ مبارك‌ سحري‌ بود وچه‌ فرخنده‌ شبي‌

آن‌ شب‌ قدر كه‌ اين‌ تازه‌ براتم‌ دادند

بي‌ خود از شعشعة‌ پرتو ذاتم‌ كردند

باده‌ از جام‌ تجلّي‌ صفاتم‌ دادند

A blessed dawn! An auspicious night!

The night of destiny, when I was granted this pardon.

I was made besides myself, by the beams of the lights of the Essence,

And offered the cup of the Attributes' revelation.

The materialistic human being dwells in the dark wilderness of materialism, helpless in the midst of the shoreless sea of appetites and pluralities. Every moment he is knocked around by the waves of material attachments. Before he can recover his balance and pull himself up after being struck down by a wave, he is knocked down by another, a more fearsome and terrible wave arising from attachment to wealth, money, wife and children. These waves, with their perpetual assaults, draw him into the dark depths of this fearsome ocean and his cries and laments are drowned in the uproar of its waves.

Wherever he looks around, he is threatened and intimidated by deprivation and regret, which are inalienable effects of transient matter.

In this midst, he is occasionally fondled by the draughts of an enlivening and refreshing breeze called jadhbah an attraction towards the Divine , and he feels as if this kindly breeze were trying to lead him in a certain direction and towards some goal. This breeze is not continuous; it comes only once in a while.

وَإنَّ لِرَبِّكُمْ فِي‌ أَيَّامِ دَهْرِكُمْ نَفَحَاتٍ أَلاَ فَتَعَرَّضُوا لَهَا وَلاَ تُعْرِضُوا عَنْهَا

Indeed, during the course of your life you will come across wafts of breeze from your Lord. (When they blow), expose yourself to them and do not avoid them.

In such moments, the seeker of God takes on a new life and, under the influence of that divine jadhbah, resolves to cross the world of plurality and to set out on this journey in any manner that he can and to rescue himself from this tormenting and perilous tumult. This journey is called wayfaring (sayr wa suluk) in the terminology of the gnostics (‘urafa').

Suluk means travelling along a path, and sayr means watching the spectacle and features of the stages and phases encountered on the way.

The provisions (zad) required for this spiritual journey consist of the efforts and austerities undertaken to discipline the soul. As it is very difficult to detach oneself from corporeal attachments, one can depart from the world of corporeal nature (‘alam al-tab) by gradually cutting off the binding chains of the world of plurality.

One has not yet recovered from the weariness of this journey when he enters the realm of barzakh, which is the world of psychic multiplicity (katharat al-anfusiyyah). Here, he clearly observes the riches stocked by matter and external pluralities within the precincts of his physical nature. These are the same imaginable psychic entities that came into being as a result of encounter with and attachment to external pluralities and they are considered part of their effects, products, and fruits.

These thoughts become an obstacle to his journey and they take away his peace of mind, and when the wayfarer (salik) wishes to take repose in the remembrance of God, all of a sudden they besiege him like a deluge that threatens to destroy him.

جان‌ همه‌ روز از لگد كوب‌ خيال‌

وز زيان‌ وسود واز بيم‌ زوال‌

ني‌ صفا مي ‌ماندش‌ ني‌ لطف‌ وفرّ

ني‌ به‌ سوي‌ آسمان‌ راه‌ سفر

The soul, trampled all day by thoughts,

Of fears of downfall, profit and loss,

And left neither with tranquillity, nor dignity, nor charm,

Nor of a heavenward journey any contrivance.

It is obvious that the harm and trouble caused by the psychic pluralities is stronger and more powerful than that of external pluralities. For one can save oneself from the disturbance and onslaught of external pluralities by exercising free will and through isolation and seclusion, but certainly one cannot avoid the trouble of nafsani thoughts1 by this means, as they accompany one closely and intimately.

The wayfarer on the path of God and the way of sincerity and servitude is not deterred by these enemies. He makes his resolve and with that sacred provision pursues the way to his destination, leaving behind the realm of thoughts arising from his psyche, which is called ‘Barzakh' (the intermediate realm).

However, the wayfarer must be very vigilant and careful lest there remain any of these thoughts in the corners of the heart. That is because it is characteristic of these imaginable entities to conceal themselves at the time of their expulsion in some hidden corner of the heart, so that the wayfarer imagines that he has got rid of their evil and has been relieved of all remnants of the realm of Barzakh.

But when the traveller reaches the spring of life in order to be appeasing his thirst from the waters of the fountains of wisdom, all of a sudden they assault him and finish him off with the weapons of oppression and tyranny.

The parable of such a wayfarer is that of one who has filled a pool in his house with water. And as he does not use it for some time, all the impurities and dirt that it contains settle down at the bottom. However, when the water becomes clear and he imagines its clarity and purity to be enduring, as soon he enters it or wishes to wash something in its water all the dirt and sediment soil the clear water again and its black spots reappear on the surface.

Therefore, the wayfarer must have obtained such mental poise through exercises and self‑discipline that the offspring of imagination are reduced to fossils and are unable to disturb his mind at the time of concentrating on the Worshipped One.

When the wayfarer passes through the realms of corporeal nature and Barzakh, he enters the world of the spirit, and then passes through certain stages whose detailed description will come later, God willing.

But to put it briefly, the wayfarer, with Divine succour, having witnessed his own self and the Divine Attributes and Names, gradually reaches the stage of total annihilation (fana' kulli) and, thereafter, the station of life in God (baqa'), whereat eternal life becomes established for him.

هرگز نميرد آنكه‌ دلش‌ زنده‌ شد به‌ عشق‌

ثبت‌ است‌ بر جريدة‌ عالم‌ دوام‌ ما

Never dies one whose hearts has been quickened by love,

Inscribed is our immortality on the world's tablet.

This principle is confirmed as a result of reflection and contemplation on the noble verses of the Qur'an. God says in one place in the Glorious Qur'an that the wayfarers martyred in God's way are immortal and that they never die:

وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاء عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ

Don't regard those who are killed in God's way as dead; nay, they are alive and they receive their sustenance near their Lord. (3:169)

Elsewhere He states that

… كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ …

Everything is fated to perish save the Face of the Lord (28:88)

And at another place He says:

مَا عِندَكُمْ يَنفَدُ وَمَا عِندَ اللّهِ بَاقٍ …

"Everything that is near the Lord is everlasting...” (16:96)

By putting these verses together side by side one comes to know that those who are alive and receive their sustenance and livelihood near their Lord are the ones referred to as the ‘Face of Allah', who, as affirmed by explicit Qur'anic verses, are not subject to destruction and dissolution.

Moreover, one comes to know from the noble verses of the Qur'an that that which is meant by the indestructible Face of God, the Exalted, are the Divine Names (asma'ullah).

To explain, in another verse this ‘Face of God,' which is imperishable and indestructible, has been interpreted as constituting the Divine Names, which are given the attributes of majesty and glory:

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

All that is in it shall perish, but the Face of thy Lord, possessing Glory and Majesty, shall endure. (55:26‑27)

All the exegetes of the Qur'an are unanimous that the word dhu (possessing) is the adjective for wajh (face). Accordingly, the verse means: ‘the Face of your Lord, which possesses Glory and Majesty, is everlasting.' As we know, the ‘face' of everything is that wherewith one comes to face towards it.

Hence the ‘face' of every thing is that which manifests it (mazhar), and the ‘manifestations' are the very Names of God wherewith all creatures face God. The conclusion that follows is that all existents are subject to annihilation and dissolution excepts the Names of Divine Majesty and Beauty. It follows from this that the wayfarers towards God who attain the felicitous station of ‘nay, they are alive, and they receive their sustenance near their Lord constitute the Names of Majesty and Beauty of the Lord, Almighty and Exalted.

From this, the meaning of the statement of the Immaculate Imams‑may God's Peace be upon them‑who declared ‘Nahnu asma'ullah' (‘We are the Names of God') becomes clear. Or else the exoteric station of outward authority over the community and their role of mediation in respect of the matters of the Shari'ah and the exoteric divine laws is not something that could be described by them in this manner.

Rather, it means the same f and' and annihilation in the Essence of the One (dhat‑a ahadiyyat), which is implied in their being the ‘wajhullah,' the ‘face' of God, and complete manifestation of His Attributes of Majesty and Beauty‑something which is not comparable to any station or office.

Essentials of Wayfaring and Suluk

One of the most important things which is one of the essentials of wayfaring and suluk is muraqabah, contemplative self‑vigilance.

From the first step that he takes on the Path until the last step, the wayfarer should not be devoid of muraqabah. This is one of the definite principles of wayfaring. It should be known that muraqabah consists of various degrees and levels. During the first stages the wayfarer has one kind of muraqabah while his muraqabah at the other stages is of another kind.

The further he advances towards perfection and traverses the stages and phases, his muraqabah becomes more precise and profound, so that if those degrees of muraqabah were to be imposed on a wayfarer in the initial stages, he would not be able to bear them and would abandon wayfaring all together, or he would be consumed or perish.

But gradually under the effect of the preliminary ‑degrees of muraqabah and gathering strength in wayfaring, he is enabled to carry out the high degrees of muraqabah in the later stages. In these stages, many of the things which were permissible and lawful for him in the early stages become unlawful and forbidden.

Under the effect of intense muraqabah and careful exercise of it the signs of love appear in the consciousness of the wayfarer, because the love of perfect beauty and perfection is innate in man (fitri) and incorporated in his make‑up and engraved in his being. However, attachment to multiplicity and love of material things become veils blocking this innate love which do not allow this eternal light to shine through.

Gradually, through muraqabah the veils become flimsy until ultimately they disappear altogether and that innate love manifests itself in one's consciousness, drawing it towards the Source of beauty and perfection. This muraqabah is referred to as ‘may' or ‘wine' in the terminology of the gnostics:

به‌ پير ميكده‌ گفتم‌ كه‌ چيست‌ راه‌ نجات‌

بخواست‌ جام‌ ((مي‌)) وگفت‌ راز پوشيدن‌

I asked the old man of the tavern, What's the way to salvation,

He called for a cup of wine and said, Secrets are to be kept secret!

راه‌ خلوتگه‌ خاصم‌ بنما تا پس‌ از اين‌

((مي‌)) خورم‌ با تو و ديگر غم‌ دنيا نخورم‌

Lead me into my solitary privacy, that,

Thereafter, I with Thee may drink sweet wine,

And think no more of the world's bitter woes.

When the wayfarer carefully maintains his muraqabah, God, the Exalted, out of His love and grace, makes certain lights shine upon him as the first glimmers. At the beginning, these lights appear like flashes of lightning and they disappear as suddenly as they shine. But these lights gradually become stronger, like a small star that grows in brilliance and then begins to shine like a moon and then like a sun, and, at times, appears like a candle or lantern. These lights are called ‘the gnostic sleep' (nawm‑e'irfani) in the jargon of the gnostic. These lights belong to the class of entities of the realm of Barzakh.

But when these phases of the wayfarer muraqabah become more intense and he observes it with precision, these lights become stronger and the wayfarer sees the whole heaven and earth, the east and the west, as one expanse of light. This light is the light of the spirit, which appears while passing through the world of Barzakh.

But in the first stages of passing, when the revelatory lights of the soul (tajalliyat al-nafs) are about to begin to shine, the wayfarer sees his soul in a material form. In other words, he might see himself standing before himself. This is the beginning stage of the immateriality of the soul (tajarrud al-nafs).

Our teacher, marhum Hajj Mirza Aqa Qadi‑may God be pleased with him‑used to say, "One day emerging from the room into the veranda, I saw myself standing silent by my side. I looked very carefully at my face, and observed a mole on it. On returning to my room when I looked into the mirror, I saw that there was a mole on my face that I had not noticed until then."

At times, the wayfarer finds that he has lost himself and however he may seek he does not find himself. It was mentioned that these experiences occur in the preliminary stages of the immateriality of the soul and are bound to space and time. But later on, with the help of God, the wayfarer can witness the entire reality of his, soul in its total immateriality.

An episode is related about marhum Hajj Mirza Jawad Aqa Maliki Tabrizi‑may God be pleased with him‑who for fourteen years was the pupil and disciple of the master of gnosis and tawhid, marham Akhund Mawla Husaynquli Hamadani‑may God be pleased with him.

He used to say, "One day the Master said to me, ‘The task of training so ­and‑so'‑a disciple of his-is up to you: This disciple had a lot of courage and a firm determination. He carried out austerities and muraqabah for six years until he reached a station of pure receptivity for the perception of the soul's immateriality. I wanted that this wayfarer of the way of felicity to receive this grace of at the hands of the Master and to be dressed by him in this divine garb. I took him to the Master's home, and after I had mentioned my purpose, the Master said, ‘It is nothing,' and all of sudden he made a gesture with his hands, saying, 'Immateriality is like this.' That pupil later told me, ‘All of a sudden I saw that I had separated from my body and there was someone like myself standing at my side.'

It should be known that the observation of the beings of Barzakh is not much of an excellence, rather excellence lies in experiencing the soul in its complete and perfect immateriality. Since the soul, at this point, appears in its total immaterial reality, it is seen as a being unlimited by time and space, or, rather, as encompassing the world's east and west, and, contrary to the experience of the preliminary stages of multiplicity, this observation is of the kind of cognition of universals.

An episode is related about marhum Aqa Sayyid Ahmad Karbalai‑may God be pleased with him‑who was one of the well‑known and outstanding pupils of the marhum Akhund. He said, "One day I was relaxing at some place when somebody woke me up and said, ‘If you want to see the nur al-isfahbod (lit. the commanding light), wake up!' When I opened my eyes I saw a boundless light covering the east and the west of the world.' “May God grant it to us to. This is the same as the stage of the soul's revelation (tajalli‑ye nafs) which is observed in this manner as a boundless light.

On crossing this stage, as a result of observing the muraqabah in a manner commensurate with those higher realms and the requirements of those stages and stations, the felicitous wayfarer succeeds in observing the Attributes of God, the Exalted, or the Attributes of His Holy Essence in the mode of universality.

At this stage, it may happen that the wayfarer suddenly observes all the world's existents as constituting a single act of knowledge, or he may find that there is no power except a single power. This is at the stage of witnessing (shuhad) the Attributes. But in the stage of witnessing (shuhud) the Names, which is still a higher one, the wayfarer observes that in all the worlds there is but one knower, and one powerful being, and one living being. And this phase of the stage of perception of Attributes, which appears at the plane of the heart, is nobler and more perfect:

لِانَّ السَّالِكَ يُصْبِحُ وَلَا يَرَى قادِراً وَلَا عالِمًا وَلَا حَيًاً سِوَى اللهِ تَعالَى

Because the wayfarer reaches a point where he does not see any power, knowledge, and life except those of God, the Exalted.

And this experience mostly occurs during the course of recitation of the Qur'an. It might happen that the reciter of the Qur'an finds that it is not he who is the reader but Someone Else. And it might happen that he finds that the hearer is also Someone Else.

It should be known that recitation of the Qur'an has a great role in the attainment of this station, and it behoves the wayfarer to recite the longer surahs (suwar‑e'aza'im) while performing the night prayer. Falling suddenly into prostration from the standing position is not without grace, and it has been proved by experience that the recitation of the blessed Surat Sad in the one‑rak'ah prayer (watirah) of the Friday's set of nightly prayers is very effective. The characteristics of this surah are known from the traditions narrated concerning its thawab.

When with Divine assistance the wayfarer covers these stages and succeeds in attaining these epiphanies, he is encircled by the Divine jadhabat, which bring him closer every moment to real annihilation, until, ultimately, he is encompassed with jadhbah, proceeding towards Absolute Perfection and Beauty, setting his own being and that of everything on fire, not seeing anything in front of the splendour of the Beloved:

كَانَ اللَهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مَعَهُ شَيْءٌ

God was, and there was nothing else besides Him.

And in this state the wayfarer leaves the valley of separation and is immersed in the boundless ocean of the epiphany of the Divine Essence.

It should not remain unsaid that the wayfarer's wayfaring does not preclude his life and existence in the world of matter. The realm of external plurality remains as it is, and the wayfarer finds unity while dwelling in plurality. And some of them have said, "For thirty years I have lived among the people, and they imagined that I was in their company and had constant intercourse with them, whereas throughout this period I have not seen, nor known, anybody except God."

This state is very important and significant, for in the beginning this state may appear for just a moment, but gradually it becomes more intense extending for ten minutes or more, and later on for an hour or more and still later on, with Divine grace, it might pass beyond being a state and become a station.

In the jargon of traditions and in the terminology of the sages, this state is referred to as ‘living in God,' baqa' bi ma'bud (lit. survival in the Worshipped One) and this degree of perfection cannot be attained except after attainment of total fana', annihilation, of the being of contingent existents in the Essence of the One. In this state the wayfarer sees nothing except the Sacred Divine Essence.

It has been written concerning one of the sages absorbed in Divine splendour (majdhubin), named Baba Farajullah Majdhub, who was captivated by the Divine jadhbah, that he was asked to describe the world, whereat he replied, "Since the time I have opened my eyes, I haven't seen the world that I might be able to describe it."2

At the beginning, when this shuhud (epiphany) has not yet become strong enough it is called hal (state). At this stage it is not a voluntarily condition for the wayfarer. But as a result of intense muraqabah and Divine assistance it passes from the stage of being a ‘state' to become a ‘station' (maqam). At this point it becomes voluntary.

It is obvious that a strong wayfarer is one who while witnessing these states also attends to the world of pluralities and who takes care of both the worlds. This rank is very sublime and elevated, and access to it very difficult. Perhaps it is exclusive to the prophets and the awliya' and whoever God wishes. While enjoying God's bounty described in the words :

أَنَما بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ لِي‌ مَعَ اللَهِ حَالاَتٌ لاَ يَسَعُهَا مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ

I have with God certain states which are beyond the capacity of any archangel,

Their outward appearance is a manifestation of:

… إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ …

I am only a mortal like you. (18:110)

Should anyone think that these stations are exclusive and attainment to this summit of Divine teaching is exclusively confined to the great prophets and infallible Imams, may God's benedictions and Peace be upon all of them, and that others, by no means whatsoever, have any access to it, the answer is that the office of prophethood and Imamate is something exclusive, but attainment to the station of absolute tawhid and fana' in the Essence of the One‑which is called wilayah‑is not at all exclusive. In fact, it is to this plane of perfection that the prophets and the Imams, may Peace be upon them, have summoned the community of believers.

The Noble Messenger, may God bless him and his family has summoned his ummah to reach a plane where he himself stands, and this summons implies the possibility of travelling towards that purpose. Otherwise it would mean that the invitation has been pointless:

لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيراً

And for you there is a good model to be emulated in the Messenger of Allah, for someone who seeks God and has faith in the Last Day and remembers God profusely. (33:21)

And it has been narrated through a chain of authorities in Sunni sources that the Prophet (S) said :

لَولاَ تَكْثِيرٌ فِي‌ كَلاَمِكُمْ، وَتَمْرِيجٌ في‌ قُلُوبِكُمْ لَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا أَرَي‌، وَلَسَمِعْتُمْ مَا أَسْمَعُ

And were it not for this loquacity of yours and this agitation and disturbance in your hearts, you would indeed see what I see and hear what I hear.

This statement of the Noble Messenger, may God bless him and his family, indicates clearly that the cause of one's failure to attain human perfection is the same false and satanic thoughts and meaningless and futile actions. And it has also been related through a Shin chain of authorities that he said,

لَولاَ أَنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ يَحُومُونَ حَوْلَ قُلُوبِ بَنِي‌ آدَمَ لَرَأَوْا مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَـاوَاتِ والاْرْضِ

And were it not for the fact that Satan besieges the hearts of the children of Adam, verily they would have witnessed the malakut of the heavens and the earth.

Among the effects of that sublime human station is universal comprehension of the divine worlds, in accordance with the contingent receptivity of the wayfarers , and the result of this comprehension is the knowledge of the past and the future and the ability to exercise power over the materials of the universe, for that which comprehends has total domination over that which is comprehended, accompanying everyone and present everywhere.

Shaykh ‘Abd al‑Karim Jili, one of the gnostics, in his book al‑insan al-­kamil, says, "I remember that once for a moment I went into a state wherein I found myself united with all existents so that they were all directly present for me, but this state did not last for more than a moment."

The Obstacle

Of course, the obstacle to the continuity and persistence of this state is preoccupation with the functions of the body, and the complete attainment of this rank can occur only after the soul's freedom from the management of the body. One of the Indian gnostics, Shaykh Waliullah Dehalawi, in his book Hama'at, says "I have been given the knowledge that relief from the effects of material life takes place five hundred years after crossing the world of matter and death." And this period corresponds to half of a divine ‘day' as mentioned by Him, Almighty:

… وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ

And verily a day with thy Lord is like a thousand years in accordance with what you reckon." (22:47)

Of course, it is obvious that the other degrees and graces of this world are unlimited and unbounded. The basis for verbal conventions is human need, although with the extension of these needs verbal conventions have become more multiple. Accordingly, a description of the immaterial realities and lights of the divine worlds through ordinary language is impossible, and everything that has been said about those realms does not go beyond hints, and that sublime reality cannot be brought down to the level of common understanding.

The corporeal human being lives in the world of matter, which, in accordance with the explicit text of traditions (anta fi azlami'l‑‘awalim) ‘You abide in the darkest of the worlds') is the darkest of the divine worlds. He coins words within the limits of his daily needs for whatever he sees with his eyes and touches with his corporal hands. However, he does not have any knowledge of the other worlds with its attachments, rays, lights, and spirits so as to be able to coin words for them too. Accordingly, in the all the vocabularies of world languages there are no words to describe those sublime meanings. So how can one describe those realities and express them with one's tongue?

مشكل‌ عشق‌ نه‌ در حوصلة‌ دانش‌ ماست‌

حلّ اين‌ نكته‌ بدين‌ فكر خطا نتوان‌ كرد

The problem of love is beyond the reach of our knowledge.

This puzzle cannot be solved with these erroneous thoughts.

Two groups have spoken about these realities.

First is the group of the noble prophets, may peace be upon them, and it is obvious that they had links with the worlds transcending the material realm. However, in accordance with the dictum,

نَحْنُ مَعَاشِرَ الاَنْبِيَاءِ أُمِرْنَا أَنْ نُكَلِّمَ النَّاسَ عَلَي‌ قَدْرِ عُقُولِهِمْ

We, prophets, have been commanded to speak to the people in accordance with the level of their intellects,

they were forced to express these ,realities in a way understandable for the common people. Accordingly, they abstained from describing the luminous realities and their extreme brilliance, refraining from describing something which has not even entered the heart of a mortal. They have spoken of such realities as

مَا لاَ عَيْنٌ رَأَتْ وَلاَ أُذُنٌ سَمِعَتْ وَلاَ خَطَرَ عَلَي‌ قَلْبِ بَشَرٍ

No eye has seen, nor any ear has heard, nor ever passed through a mortal's heart,

in such terms as ‘paradise,' ‘houris', ‘palaces,' and so on. And so they ultimately confessed that the description of the reality of those realms is not possible.

Second, there have been a series of persons who were honoured with the perception of these realities and who attained these graces, in accordance with their different capacities, by following the path of the prophets. They too have spoken about them under the veil of metaphors and similes.

The World of Khulus and Ikhlas

It should be known that these stations and degrees cannot be attained without attainment of sincerity (ikhlas; purity, freedom from any kind of taint) in the path of God. And until the wayfarer reaches the station of the Sincere (mukhlasin), he would not be able to discover reality as it should be.

It should be known that ikhlas or khulus is of two kinds. First, the ikhlas of one's faith in God, the Exalted, and obedience to Him. Second, the ikhlas i.e. making pure of one's own self for His sake. The first is referred to in the following noble verse:

وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ …

and they were not commanded but to serve God, making allegiance purely to Him. ..(98:5)

The second point is referred to in the noble verses,

إِلَّا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

. . except the sincere servants of God. (37:40, 74,128,160)

And the famous prophetic tradition:

مَنْ أَخْلَصَ لِلَّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ صَبَاحَاً ظَهَرَتْ يَنَابِيعُ الحِكْمَةِ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ إلَي‌ لِسَانِهِ،

Whoever dedicates himself purely to God for forty days, will find springs of wisdom flowing out of his heart toward his tongue,

refers to the second kind. That is, this stage is reached by someone who purifies himself for the sake of God To explain, God, the Exalted, has, in the Noble Qur'an, attributed salah (righteousness) in some places to one's actions, such as in His statement,

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا …

whoever acts righteously… (16:97)

or

…مَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا …

. whoever does righteous deeds. (25:70)

… الَّذِين آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ …

... those who believe and do righteous deeds. (2:25)

And in some places it has been attributed to the being of man, such as in His Statements:

إِنَّهُ مِنَ الصَّـالِحِينَ

Verily, he is of the righteous. (21:75),

وَصَـالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِين َ

... And the righteous of the believers. (66:4)

Similarly, ikhlas and khulus have been at times attributed to deeds, and at times to one's essence and being. Obviously, the realization of ikhlas at the plane of being depends on ikhlas at the plane of action; that is, until someone has ikhlas in each and every one of his actions and deeds, speech, movements, and pauses, he would not attain to the stage of ikhlas of essence. God, the Exalted, has said,

إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّـالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ

. . Towards Him ascends the pure speech and righteous action elevates it. (35:10)

By referring the pronoun pertaining to the active subject (fa'il) implied in yarfa'u (raises) to al‑‘amal as‑salih (righteous action), the meaning of this verse becomes: al‑‘amal as‑salih farfa'u kalim al‑tayyib (‘righteous action elevates pure speech'). It should be known that when someone reaches the stage of ikhlas of essence and attains to this mighty grace, he would come to posses properties and characteristics which others lack.

Firstly, in accordance with the text of the Noble Qur'an, Satan cannot, by any means whatsoever, have domination upon him:

فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لاَغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ إِلاَّ عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

By Thy honour, I shall seduce all of them save the mukhlasin among them of Thy servants. (38:83)

Evidently, this exception is not something consequent to a Divine instruction, but due to the essential authority of the Sincere at the station of tawhid, where Satan has no power and where he cannot find accesses to them due to his weakness and incapacity in this station. As the sincere have purged themselves for the sake of God, they see God in everything they behold. In whatever manner or form Satan may manifest himself for them they view that thing with a divine eye, arriving at a divine viewpoint.

Accordingly, from the very first, Satan confesses to his inability and impotence in relation to this group; otherwise, Satan's very being is for the seduction of mankind, and he is not someone who may have mercy on anyone and refrain from misleading him.

Secondly, this group will be excused and spared from reckoning on the day of universal summons and from presence on the scene of judgement. It is mentioned in the Noble Qur'an:

وَنُفِخَ فِي‌ الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَن‌ فِي‌ السَّمَـاواتِ وَ‌ الاْرْضِ إِلاَّ مَن‌ شَآءَ اللَهُ

And the Trumpet shall be blown, and whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth shall swoon, save whom God wills. (39:68)

That which is inferred from this verse is that there is a group which will be secure from the terrors of the day of resurrection and from swooning on that day. And when it is placed by the side another noble verse,

فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمُحْضَرُونَ إِلاَّ عِبَادَ اللَهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

Verily they would be made present save the sincere servants (mukhlasin) of God, (37:128)

it is known that the group which shall be saved from swooning on the day of resurrection consists of the sincere servants of God, the mukhlasin, because the sincere, in a sense, have no actions so as to be called for an accounting on the plain of resurrection.

They have been ‘killed' by the means of muraqabah, religious exercises, and inner jihad, attaining eternal life, crossing the stage of greater resurrection of the souls (qiyamat‑a ‘uzama‑ye anfusiyyeh), and their account has been scrutinized in the course of their spiritual struggle, mujahadah. And now, due to being killed in the way of God they have been dressed in the robes of eternal life in the Divine vicinity and enjoy a special sustenance from the Divine storehouse of bounty. God, the Exalted, says

وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي‌ سَبِيلِ اللَهِ أَمْوَ 'تًا بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ

Don't consider those who have been killed in the way of God as dead; rather they live, being nourished near their Lord. (3:169)

Furthermore, the summons implies not being present, whereas they have been present all along even before the dawn of resurrection and are aware of all circumstances and states, in accordance with the Divine statement, ‘inda rabbihim yurzaqun, ‘they are nourished near their Lord:

Thirdly, whatever reward and wages that everyone will receive on the day of resurrection will be in return for his deeds excepting this class of servants, for whom Divine munificence will have a form other than that of reward or wages:

وَمَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلاَّ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ إِلاَّ عِبَادَ اللَهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

. . and would you be rewarded save for what you used to do, except the sincere servants of God? (37:40)

Someone might say that the meaning of this verse is that the group to be punished will receive its punishment in accordance with its deeds and that the verse excludes God's virtuous servants from recompense, for their reward will not be in return for their works. They will be awarded by the generous Lord in accordance with His favour and bounty. Our answer is that the meaning of this verse is general; those who deserve punishment are not its sole addressees.

Moreover, the rewarding of creatures in accordance with grace and generosity does not preclude their being recompensed for their works. For the meaning of favour (fadl) is that that the generous Lord will grant a large reward in return for small deeds and in fact He will considers small deeds as large. Nevertheless, the reward will be in return for the deeds, whereas the meaning of the noble verse cited above is something else. It means that the sincere servants of God (mukhlasin) are basically not recompensed in return for their deeds. Also it is stated in another verse

لَهُم‌ مَّا يَشَآؤنَ فِيهَا وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيدٌ

There shall be for them whatever there wish, and there will be more with Us. (50:35)

That is, this group will receive whatever they desire and will, and they will receive from God over and above what they will and wish. Hence it is known that they will receive such gifts of Divine generosity as are over and above their desire and will and beyond the reaches of their thought and the flight of their will and volition, and this point deserves close and careful attention.

Fourthly, they have such a sublime station, such a high office and a position that is so great that they can praise God and thank the One as He is and as is worthy of that Sacred Being. God, the Exalted, has said

سُبْحَـانَ اللَهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ إِلاَّ عِبَادَ اللَهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

God is above what they attribute to Him, excepting the sincere servants of God. (37:160)

And this is ultimate perfection for a creature and the highest possible station that it can possess.

What has been said hitherto reveals what excellences and graces pertain to the ultimate stage of wayfaring which is the station of the mukhlasin. However, one should know that attainment of these excellences and the realization of these realities becomes feasible when the wayfarer is ‘killed' in the struggle (jihad) in the way of God.' He would come to partake of those Divine graces when he drinks the cup of martyrdom.

And that which is meant by ‘being killed' here is severance of the spirit's bondage to the body and all that accompanies it. In the same way that the martyr in the field of battle has his spirit liberated from attachment to the body with the outward sword, the wayfarer of the God's way cuts the chains that bind his spirit to the body and its accoutrements with the inner sword in the field of battle against the carnal self (nafs al-ammarah) with the assistance of the forces of Divine mercy.

At the beginning of the path, the God ward wayfarer, by acquiring the station of zuhd renunciation, abstinence, asceticism and contemplating the unworthiness of the world and the futility of attachment to it, should cut off the chains of attachment to the realm of pluralities. That is because the outcome of abstinence and zuhd is the absence of attachment to things, with the result that he is not delighted by events that bring material and mundane benefit and is not grieved by events that cause material harm and loss,

لِكَيْلاَ تَأْسَوْا عَلَى مَافَاتَكُمْ وَلاَ تَفْرَحُوا بِمَآ آتَيـاكُمْ

. . that you may not grieve over what you lose nor be joyous over what you obtain. (57:23)

This resignation and absence of desire is not contrary to feeling grief and delight for the sake of God, because this happiness does not pertain to the love of wealth and transient things and ends, but arises on account of his finding himself immersed in the ocean of Divine munificence and bounteousness.

After passing through this stage, the wayfarer will notice that he has an extreme attachment to his own being and loves himself to the point of extreme love (ishq). He will discover that whatever he does and whatever austerities he undertakes are all inspired by his extreme self‑love. This is because one of the characteristics of man is that he is of nature self‑seeking and self‑loving. He sacrifices all things for his own self and does not stop from destroying anything for his own survival.

Annihilation of this instinct is very difficult, and to fight this self‑seeking urge is the most difficult of tasks. And as long as this urge is not annihilated and until this instinct is killed, the light of God will not shine in one's heart. In other words, as long as the wayfarer does not transcend himself he will not reach God.

The wayfarer must weaken this tie of self‑love with the assistance of Divine grace and the consecutive relieves of Divine mercy and, after gradually weakening it, cut it off totally, forswearing this inner idol, which is the source of all vices, and consigning it to oblivion once and for all, so that a contemplative inner search reveals all his works to be for sake of the sacred Divine Being and his self‑love transformed into the love of God.

This takes place through mujahadah. After traversing this stage the wayfarer is librated from attachment to the body and its effects, and even from the bondage to his spirit, which is also severed. Now whatever he does is for sake of God. If he satisfies his hunger or works to obtain such means of livelihood as are necessary for his needs, that is because the Eternal Beloved desires his life; otherwise he would not take a single step for maintaining this life. However, this desire of his is one which is a continuation of the will of God, not one which is parallel to it.

For this very reason the wayfarer has no right to seek occult experiences and miraculous qualities, or to take any step for performing austerities or chanting invocations to obtain such powers as the ability to make miraculous journeys over land and sea (lay al‑ard), or to acquire the knowledge of occult matters, or of the secret thoughts of others or the power to control the materials of the universe, or to take any kind of step whatsoever for the sake enhancing his psychic powers, because one who does that does not move on the path of the Beloved's pleasure and his worship is not for the sake of God, nor will he be one of the mukhlasin.

Rather, in such a case, it is his own self that he worships and seeks to satisfy his own needs with the acts aimed to develop his powers, though he may not admit it by word of mouth and appear to perform all his worship for the sake of God. In accordance with the noble verse,

أَفَرَءأيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَـهَهُ هَوَاهُ

Haven't you seen him who has taken his desire to be his god? (25:43)

such a person will be one who has made his desire the object of his worship, worshipping as he does his own personal ambitions. The wayfarer should pass through this stage and shed his self and its egoism. We will have more to say about it later on, God, the Exalted, willing.

When at last the wayfarer reaches this station, gradually the love he had for himself for the sake of God, the Exalted, will also be forgotten. Now he no longer sees himself, not beholding anything that may absorb his attention except the Eternal Beauty. Gradually, he is submerged in that shoreless ocean without leaving any trace.

It should be known that the wayfarer should be careful in the battle against the carnal soul to rout the troops of Satan thoroughly and to wipe out completely the effects of the carnal soul (athar al-nafsaniyyah) and remove their roots from the hidden corners of the heart. For even if a particle of the love of wealth, glory and office, or of pride, ambition and self­ love should remain in him, he will never attain perfection.

Accordingly, it has often been seen that many of the Perfect (kummalin) do not attain to the perfections saught even after years of austerities and mujahadah and are defeated in the battle against the carnal soul (nafs). Its reason is that the roots of certain qualities still survive in their hearts while they imagine that they have been completely wiped out. Therefore, at the times of Divine tribulation and in temptations involving the carnal soul and manifestation of its effects, those roots suddenly send forth shoots which grow and finish off the wayfarer.

Success in overcoming the carnal soul and its drives depends on the special aid and grace of the Lord of lords, for it is not possible to traverse this stage without His special assistance and favour.

It is said that one day the pupils found marhum Sayyid Bahr al-’Ulum, may God be pleased him, smiling and in a joyous mood. When inquired about the reason for it, he replied, "After a mujhadah of twenty‑five years, now when I peer into myself I see no trace therein of ostentation (riya') and I have at last succeeded in wiping it out." These words call for serious reflection.

It should not remain unsaid that from the beginning of wayfaring to its final stage the wayfarer must abide by all the precepts of the luminous Shari’ah, not departing from it even to the smallest extent.

Hence should one come across anyone who claims to be a wayfarer without being committed to piety and abstinence from sin and who does not follow all the Divine laws of the Shari’ah and deviates, even to the smallest extent, from the straight path of the true Shari ah‑excepting that which may occur due to some error, of for an excuse or on account of forgetfulness‑ one should consider him to be a hypocrite.

And that which is heard from some people that the wayfarer is spared of shar'i obligations after attaining to the higher stations and reaching the Divine graces‑that is a big lie and slander. That is because the Noble Messenger (S) did abide by all the Divine precepts until the last moments of his life, although he was the noblest of all beings and the most noble of all creation.

Hence freedom from the obligations, in this sense, is a lie and a slander. Yes, one may interpret such a statement in another sense, which is, of course, not intended by its proponents. It is this: the performance of the rites of worship leads to the development of the human soul, and adherence to the rites of worship brings human capacities from potentiality to actuality.

Accordingly, for individuals who have not yet attained the stage of complete and all‑round actuality, the rites of worship, for them, are for the purpose of development. But for individuals who have attained complete actuality, the performance of worship for the sake of development and attainment to the station of Divine proximity is meaningless.

Rather, the worship of such persons has another meaning implied in their actualized perfection. Thus the Noble Messenger (S) was asked by ‘A'ishah why he took so many pains in worship when God had declared to him:

لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِن‌ ذَنبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ

. that God may forgive you former and future sins. (48:2)

The Prophet (S) replied: "Don't you want me to be God's grateful servant?"

From this it becomes clear that the performance of the rites of worship for some human souls is not for spiritual development but purely for the sake of expression of thankfulness and gratitude to God Almighty.

The states that befall the wayfarer as a result of muraqabah and mujahadah, and at times, off and on, he might have certain experiences and see certain lights‑all these are a preliminary to an enduring condition (malikah).

Because the sole occurrence of experiences and changes of state are not sufficient and, rather, the wayfarer must struggle through mujahadah to completely wipe out the traces of the lower world that lie hidden and concealed within his being. And as long as he does not attain some semblance to the pure ones of the higher world, it will not be possible to attain to their degree. In fact, the smallest lapse in wayfaring and spiritual jihad would bring him down again to the lower world, and it is to this subtle point that the following noble verse refers:

وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلاَّ رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن‌ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ أَفَإِن‌ مَاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَي‌ أَعْقَـابِكُمْ

And Muhammad is not but a Messenger and there have indeed been other Messengers before him. So if he should die or is killed, would you turn back on your heels? (3:144)

Hence the wayfarer must purge his inner and outer being once for all and remove all impurities from the nooks and corners of his heart so that he comes to partake of the company of immaculate spirits and the comradeship of the pure ones of the Higher Elite:

وَذَرُوا ظَـاهِرَ الإثْمِ وَبَاطِنَهُ

And get rid of sins that are outward and inward. (6:12)

On this basis he should cover completely the realms which are a preliminary to the world of khulus and its gist has been stated by God, Blessed and Exalted, in this blessed verse:

الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَـاهَدُوا فِي‌ سَبِيلِ اللَهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِندَ اللَهِ وَأُولَائِكَ هُمُ الْفَآئِزُونَ * يُبَشِّرُهُم‌ رَبُّهُم‌ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنْهُ وَرِضْوَ انٍ وجَنَّـاتٍ لَهُمْ فِيهَا نَعِيمٌ مُقِيمٌ * خَـالِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا إِنَّ اللَهَ عِندَهُ اَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ

Those who have believed, and migrated, and have struggled in the way of God with their possessions and their selves are mightier in rank with God; and those are the triumphant; their Lord gives them good tidings of mercy from Him and good pleasure; for them await gardens wherein is lasting bliss, therein to dwell forever and ever; surely with God is a mighty wage. (9:20‑22)

On the basis of this, there are four worlds that precede the world of khulus: first, Islam (submission); second, Iman (faith); third, hijrah (migration); four, jihad (struggle) in the way of God. And as the jihad of this traveller is the greater jihad, in accordance with the statement of the Messenger (S):

رَجَعْنَا مِنَ الجِهَادِ الاَصْغَرِ إلَي‌ الجِهَادِ الاَكْبَرِ

We have returned from the lesser jihad towards the greater jihad,

therefore, that which is required in this journey is that the Islam and Iman of the mujahid should be greater Islam and greater imam. It is after this that it is proper for the seeker to muster his resolution and set out on his migratory journey with the inner apostle and with the assistance of the outward Apostle or his successor (khalifah), and then enter the battlefield of mujahadah to attain the victory of martyrdom in the path of Allah.

But the wayfarer must be aware of this point that from the beginning of the journey to this stage of jihad there will be many obstacles, created by men and devils. But when he attains to the triumph of this martyrdom and passes beyond the worlds of greater Islam and greater Iman and succeeds in the mujahadah and is killed, he stands at the beginnings of the world of greatest Islam, greatest Iman, greatest hijrah and greatest jihad, and its obstacles are the greatest kufr (infidelity) and greatest nifaq (hypocrisy). The troops of Satan have no access to this valley and no power therein; rather, Satan himself, who is the ringleader of the devils, will intercept the wayfarer in his journey.

Accordingly, the wayfarer must never imagine that as he has passed these worlds he has been rescued from the perils and reached his destination. Rather, he must be aware that after traversing the preceding worlds should he fail to traverse these greatest worlds he would become a prey of Satan who will stop him from reaching his ultimate destination.

However, the wayfarer must have a lofty courage and determination, and he should not permit Satan to afflict him with the greatest kufr or the greatest nifaq. Rather, after traversing the stages of greatest Islam and greatest Iman he must carry out the greatest hijrah and, with the greatest mujahadah, pass through the plain of greatest resurrection of the souls (qiyamat al-’uzma‑ye anfusiyyah) to enter the valley of the mukhlasin. May it be granted to us by God, the Exalted, God willing.

Notes

1. Translators's Note: In his book Rah al-mujarrad, the author quotes the following explanation of his teacher, Sayyid Hashim Haddad, concerning the different kinds of thoughts:

"Thoughts are of four kinds.

"First, those which are divine and these are thoughts that turn one's attention away from oneself and towards God and summon one to Him.

"Second, those which are satanic, which are thoughts that make one oblivious of God, and cause anger, enmity, geed, and envy to grow in the heart.

"Third, the malakuti thoughts, which are those that lead the human being towards the worship of God and God wariness.

"Fourth, the nafsani thoughts, which are those which allure one towards the world's adornments and appetites.

"And the human being has a sublime faculty which can turn all satanic and nafsani thoughts into virtues, and employ all of them in the way of God, so that the earning of wealth, fulfilment of appetites, and the cultivation of adornments‑all are done for the sake of God, and not the self.

"He has also a faculty that is higher than that one, which can transform all those thoughts, including the spiritual thoughts, into divine thoughts, leading one to consider them and view them as ensuing from God, and encountering nothing at all save God"

2. The biographical account of Baba Faraj Majdhab is given in the Ta'rikh al-Hashri, written on accounts of the sages and gnostics of Tabriz. His sayings, including this one, have been mentioned in verse in that book:

كه‌ فرج‌ تا كه‌ ديده‌ بگشاده ست‌

چشم‌ اوبر جهان‌ نيفتاده‌ است‌

Since Faraj opened his eyes,

They never fell on the world.

Hafiz says something similar:

منم‌ كه‌ شهرة‌ شهرم‌ به‌ عشق‌ ورزيدن‌

منم‌ كه‌ ديده‌ نيالوده‌ام‌ به‌ بد ديدن‌

It is I who am famed in town for the philandering

I, whose eyes were never stained with dirty looks

And Ibn al‑Farid has said:

وحَيَاةِ أَشْوَاقِي‌ إلَيْكَ وَتُرْبَةِ الصَّبْرِ الجَمِيلِ

مَا اسْتَحْسَنَتْ عَيْنِي‌ سِوَاكَ وَلاَ صَبَوْتُ إلَي‌ خَلِيلِ

And Life, my longings of you,

And my grave, my patience fair,

Beyond you, my eyes behold no charm,

Nor any friend do I long for.

It is reported that he said, "I composed this couplet in a dream."

Section 1: Signs of Allah in Nature

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 1

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

المر تِلْكَ ءَايَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَالَّذِي اُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَبّـِكَ الْحَقُّ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

1. “Alif ‘A’, Lam ‘L’, Mim ‘M’, Ra ‘R’. These are the verses of the Book; and that which has been revealed to you from your Lord is the Truth, but most people do not believe.”

At the beginning of this Holy Surah, again we have the abbreviated letters which are found in 29 suras of the Qur’an. The abbreviated letters here are a combination of ‘Alif ’, ‘Lam’, and ‘Mim’, which has occurred at the beginning of several suras, while ‘Alif’ ‘Lam’ and ‘Ra’ are mentioned at the beginning of some other suras.

Thus, in fact, this Surah is the only Surah that begins with ‘Alif, ‘Lam’, ‘Mim’, and ‘Ra’.

In view of the fact that the particular abbreviated letters at the beginning of every Surah seem to have a direct connection with the content of that Surah, it is probable that the present combination of the abbreviated letters at the beginning of Surah Ar-Ra‘d indicate that the content of this Surah consists of the contents of both group of suras which begin with ‘Alif, Lam, Mim’ and ‘Alif, Lam, Ra’. A careful attention over the contents of these suras also testifies this idea.

Since there have been talked upon the abbreviated letters of the Qur’an stated at the beginning of suras Al-Baqarah, ‘Al-i-‘Imran and Al-’A‘raf, their repetition is not so necessary here again.

The first verse, on the dignity of the Qur’an, says:

“…These are the verses of the Book; and that which has been revealed to you from your Lord is the Truth…”

There is no room for any doubt to be seen in it, because it is the statement of the objective facts of the world of creation, and its relation with humankind.

It is a truth that the Qur’an has not been mixed with falsehood. That is why the signs of its legitimacy is found even in its appearance so that there in no need of further reasoning.

Yet, the ignorant and empty-headed persons, who form the majority of people, do not believe in the revelations.

It says:

“…but most people do not believe.”

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 2

اللَّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَي عَلَي الْعَرْشِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لأَجَلٍ مُسَمّي يُدَبّـِرُ الأَمْرَ يُفَصّـِلُ الاَيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُم بِلِقَآءِ رَبّـِكُمْ تُوقِنُونَ

2. “Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars which you (can) see, then He established Himself on ‘Arsh (the Throne of authority) and subjected the sun and the moon, each one runs unto an appointed term.

He directs the affair (of existence). He explains the signs (in detail) so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.

Here, in this verse, which is stated after the abbreviated letters, the Qur’an refers to an important part of the evidences of monotheism and the signs of Allah in the world of creation.

What a beautiful statement it is when it says:

“Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars which you (can) see…”

This verse unveils a scientific fact which was not manifest for anyone at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an. At that time the Ptolemaic system governed over the scientific centers and the thoughts of people. According to it, the planets and heavens were considered as the layers of an onion which were located over each other, and the earth was in the center.

About one thousand years after the revelation of these verses, the knowledge of humankind realized that the mentioned theory was utterly wrong and the reality is that the celestial planets each rotates on a fix axis in its own position, suspending and also invariable, without having anything to lean against.

The only factor which supports them to be fix in their own particular rotations is the equilibrium resulted from the attractive and repelling forces.

This equilibrium of the attractive and repelling forces, as an unseen pillar, keeps the celestial planets fix in their positions and orbits.

Then, the verse continues saying:

“…then He established Himself on ‘Arsh (the Throne of authority)…”

Next to the statement of creation of the heavens, and the existence of Allah’s authority over them all, it refers to the subjection of the sun and the moon which is under His control.

The verse says:

“…and subjected the sun and the moon…”

But the material system of the world is not eternal, and all the celestial bodies, such as the sun and the moon, will continue to rotate along their defined orbits until an appointed time.

The verse says:

“…each one runs unto an appointed term…”

Next to that, the Qur’an implies that these acts of to and fro are not undue and do not exist with no result, because it is Allah Who arranges everything. Then there is an account for every movement, and every account has been appointed for a particular aim.

The verse continues saying:

“…He directs the affair (of existence)…”

Then, it adds:

“…He explains the signs (in detail) so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.”

Explanations

1. There are some verses in the Qur’an which indicate that Allah maintains the heavens and the earth. Among them are the followings:

A. “Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars which you (can) see…” (The above mentioned verse).

B. “Verily Allah holds the heavens and the earth lest they come to naught; and if they come to naught none besides Him can hold them back…” (Surah Fatir, No. 35, verse 41)

C. “…And He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth…”

In Tafsir Al-Mizan, ‘Allamah Tabataba’i says that the purpose of the Qur’anic word /tafsil/ (explanation) is separation of the celestial planets and the earth from each other. The observation of this separation makes us aware of the separation of people in the Hereafter.

The Arabic word /‘amad/ is the plural form of /‘amūd/ which means ‘pillar’. However, when we do not see something, it cannot be taken as a reason for its inexistence.

Imam Rida (as) said:

“There are some pillars, but you do not see them”.1

There is a very attractive tradition in this field narrated from Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) who has said:

“These stars, which are in the sky, are some cities like the cities on the earth, every one of which is connected with another by means of a pillar of light.”2

Could there be found a more expressive and clearer meaning than ‘invisible pillar’ or ‘a pillar of light’ in the expansion of the literature of that time for mentioning the concept of ‘attractive force’ and its resulting equilibrium against the ‘repelling force’?

D. The creation of the world with no Resurrection is a vain action. The reference for Resurrection is the same reasoning of theism. The same One Who creates and directs the affairs of existence, can accomplish the Resurrection and Hereafter, too.

“…so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.”

Once Ali-ibn-Abi Talib (as) was asked how Allah reckons (the deeds of) all mankind in Hereafter. Then he answered:

“In the same way that He sustains all humankind.”3

The Subjection of the Sun and the Moon:

The above-mentioned verse indicates that Allah (s.w.t.) has subjected the sun and the moon. There are also many other verses in the Qur’an which denote that the entire celestial stars, all beings on the earth, the day and the night, and the like of them are wholly subjected to mankind.

In one occurrence, it says:

“…and He has made the rivers subservient to you.”4

By another statement in the same verse the holy Qur’an says:

“…and He has made the ships subservient to you…”5

In another occurrence, the Qur’an says:

“And He has made the night and the day, and the sun and the moon subservient to you…”6

In a holy verse, the Qur’an says:

“And He has made the constantly moving sun and the moon subservient to you…”7

The Qur’an also in another occurrence says:

“And He it is Who has made the sea subservient that you may eat fresh meat from it…”8

In another occurrence, the Qur’an questions:

“Do you not see that Allah has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the earth…?”9

And, finally, somewhere else the Qur’an says:

“And He has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, all, from Himself…”10

From the totality of these verses, it is well understood that: Man is the most complete being in the world of creation, and, from the view of Islam, he is so worthy and respected that Allah has made all other beings subservient to him; i.e., it is the Man who is the representative of Allah, and whose heart is the place fit for the Light of Allah.

However, it is evident that the Qur’anic word /tasxir/ (subjection), referred to in these verses, does not mean that man can bring all these things under his own command, but it implies that they are alongside his benefit and service. For example, the celestial planets reflect the light for him, or have some other advantages for him, which he may utilize.

No school of thought, other than Islam, has considered so much worth and high rank for Man, and in no other doctrine and philosophy Man has such an exalted position and personality. These are the specialties of the ideology of Islam which promote the value of man high as such.

Knowing this fact has a deep moral effect in man; because, when he mediates that Allah has bestowed upon him so much grandeur in a state that every thing; such as: the sun, the moon, the celestial sphere and all other things, are at his service, he will not tend to negligence and meanness so that he becomes as captive to lusts, wealth, ranks, and ungodly forces.

Such a man is the one who removes all barriers and promotes high and higher.

How can one says that the sun and the moon are not at the service of man while they illuminate and warm the scene of his life by their lights? Without sunshine, there will be no movement and development on the earth.

Moreover, by its gravity, the sun causes the earth to rotate on its orbit, the moon causes the low tides and the high tides appear in the seas, which are the source of many blessings and benefits for man.

The ships on the seas, the rivers, the day and the night, and the like of them, each serves and helps man in a particular way. A careful observation and contemplation over them, and over the regular order they have, makes it clear that they are some manifest evidences unto the Greatness, Power and Wisdom of the Creator.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 3

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَاراً وَمِن كُلّ‌ِ الثَّـمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ يُغْشِي الَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لاَيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

3. “And He it is Who spread the earth and placed mountains and streams in it and inserted in it two pairs of the each kind of fruit. He covers the day with the night. Certainly, there are signs in these matters for a people who reflect.”

This verse reveals the Divine signs in the upper universe and calls on man to meditate on the earth, the mountains, the streams the various kinds of fruits, and the dawn and sunset, saying that Allah spread the earth so as to make it ready for man to live in it and to grow plants and breed livestock in it.

The verse says:

“And He it is Who spread the earth…”

The Qur’an then goes on dealing with the issue of the emergence of mountains implying that Allah has placed mountains in the earth.

It continues saying:

“…and placed mountains and streams in it…”

These are the very same mountains which are referred to as /’aut ad/ meaning the nails of the earth.

Probably, it is because mountains are interconnected with each other from underneath and armour-like they have covered the face of the earth so as to counter-balance not only the internal pressure, which is being exerted from within the crust of the earth, but also to counteract the extraordinary gravity power of the moon and its ebb and tide from outside.

Therefore, they are meant to respond to the continuous earth tremors and earth quakes as well as the tensions which are brought about as a result of them, and to pave the way for calm and relaxation on the terrestrial globe for man to live in.

In the meantime, the verse, alluding to the rivers and the springs which are flowing on the earth, declares that there are streams placed therein.

The irrigation system of the earth supported by mountains and the interdependence of the mountains with the streams are noteworthy, for many of the mountains on the earth deposit water in the form of snow within the cracks of their valleys or on their tops.

This snow eventually and gradually melts and travels from higher altitude regions to the lower altitude regions owing to the natural law of gravitation. Sometimes also, there are lakes formed at the outskirts of the mountains.

Then, the Qur’an makes mention of foodstuffs and fruits which grow, as a result of the water and sunshine, from the earth and are best for human nutrition, implying that He has placed two pairs of each type of fruit in the earth. Here is allusion made to the fact that fruits are living beings that contain male and female cells which are fertilized through the process of cross - fertilization.

The verse says:

“…and inserted in it two pairs of the each kind of fruit…”

Although ‘Linet’, the Swedish famous botanist and scientist succeeded himself in the discovery of general and universal fertilization inside the world of plants in the mid eighteenth century, the Glorious Qur’an revealed this truth more than one thousand and four hundred years ago which can by itself be considered as one of its miracles, showing the magnitude of this great celestial Book.

As man’s life and that of all other beings, especially that of the plants and fruits, can not go on without an exact and an accurate system of the timing of the day and the night, the Qur’an refers to it in another part of the verse, indicating that He covers day with night and He veils it.

The verse says:

“…He covers the day with the night…”

The reason for this is that once the dark veil of night does not cover the light, continuous sunshine burns away all plants, and no trace of the fruits and, generally speaking, of living beings would be left on the face of the earth.

At the end of the verse, the Qur’an points out that, in the foregoing discussions, there are signs for those who meditate.

The verse says:

“…Certainly, there are signs in these matters for a people who reflect.”

Honestly speaking, those who contemplate can witness the power of the Omnipotence and unending Omniscience of the Creator very clearly.

Explanations

1. The previous verse dealt with the skies while this verse relates to the earth and earthly blessings.

2. The Arabic term /rawasi/ is the plural form of /rasiyah/ and it signifies ‘firmness’. That is why, mountains are alluded to as /rawasi/. The terms /zauj/ and /zaujan/ both mean male and female.

3. The male and female in plants are often in one tree and sometimes in one blossom and sometimes in two trees or two blossoms.11

4. The Qur’anic phrase /madd al ’ard/ probably refers to the emerging of the earth from under the water which has been mentioned in Islamic quotations as /dahw ul ’ard/. This probability is consonant with and compatible with the views of the contemporary geologists who claim that the earth has been originally covered with water. (Allah knows the best.)

5. The world of creation is based on a ‘pair system’.

The pairing system in plants:

“…and He puts for every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).”12

The pairing system in animals, where the Qur’an says:

“…He made mates for you from among yourself and mates of the cattle too…”13

Pairing in Human Beings:

“He created mates from your own kind for you.”14

Pairing in everything:

“And of everything We have created pairs…”15

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 4

وَفِي الأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُّتَجَاوِرَاتٌ وَجَنَّاتٌ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ يُسْقَي بِمَآءٍ وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضّـِلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَي بَعْضٍ فِي الأُكُلِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لاَيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

4. “And in the earth there are tracts, side by side, and gardens of (different) grapes and corn-fields and palm trees, like and unlike, watered through one irrigation system, and We made some of them excel in taste than others. Verily, there are signs in this for a people who understand.”

The Arabic term /sinw an/ contrary to its appearance, which is in the form of dual (referring to two), is the plural form of /sinw/ and means ‘a branch which stems out of the principal tree’. It refers here to being similar or identical.

In this noble verse, we are confronted a series of interesting geological and botanical issues which are all the signs of a predetermined system of creation. The Qur’an first mentions that there are different tracts side by side in the earth, and there are gardens and trees which have different kinds of grapes and different plantations, and palm trees as well.

The verse says:

“And in the earth there are tracts, side by side, and gardens of (different) grapes and corn-fields and palm trees…”

The amazing thing is that these trees and their various kinds take their roots from one basic stem on some occasion, and at other times they have their roots from different stems. The verse continues saying:

“…like and unlike, watered through one irrigation system…”

This sentence probably provides clues as to the issue of the potentialities of trees for grafting which is occasionally based on the grafting of several parts on the original stem, each of which develop and consequently a special kind of fruit will be delivered.

What is more amazing is that they are all watered with one type of water.

“Watered through one irrigation system”.

In spite of all this, Allah has excelled some of these trees over others in their type of fruit.

The verse says:

“…and We made some of them excel in taste than others…”

Does each of these clues not provide us with sufficient reasons as to the leadership which is unique in its origin and is knowledgeable in its system? It is here where, at the end of the verse, the Qur’an declares that there are signs in these matters as to the magnitude of Allah for those who contemplate.

The verse says:

“…Verily, there are signs in this for a people who understand.”

Explanation

The variety of fruits as to the colour, taste and smell and their different forms all have their origin in the Divine power, and are consonant with Allah’s will. Otherwise, one kind of water could not generate more than one type of fruit.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 5

وَإِن تَعْجَبْ فَعَجَبٌ قَوْلُهُمْ أَءِذَا كُنَّا تُرَاباً أَءِنَّا لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ اُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبّـِهِمْ وَاُوْلَئِكَ الأَغْلالُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَاُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

5. “And if you do wonder, then wondrous is their sayings: ‘ What, when we turn into dust, Will we then surly be in a new creation?’ They are those who disbelieve in their Lord and these shall have chains on their necks, and they are the people of the Fire, abiding therein for ever.’”

Addressing the Prophet (S), this verse implies that he should not be amazed at the denial of the prophecy by the people, for they are also astonished at Allah’s power in transforming the dead back into life and do not believe it.

The unbelievers in the Resurrection have not provided any proof for the impossibility of resurrection and they only consider its occurrence as remote. On the contrary, besides mentioning Allah’s Justice and Wisdom, which necessitates the existence of the Hereafter, the Qur’an has reiterated on many occasions and has provided answers to this denial.

The verse says:

“And if you do wonder, then wondrous is their sayings: ‘What, when we turn into dust, Will we then surly be in a new creation?’ They are those who disbelieve in their Lord and these shall have chains on their necks, and they are the people of the Fire, abiding therein for ever.’”

On one occasion it implies that if they were in doubt as to the advent of the Hereafter, they would remember their original creation and as to how Allah created them out of earth and sperm.16

Elsewhere, it commands the Prophet (S) to tell his people that: He Who originally created them will also recreate them in the Resurrection Day, and there is no room for any astonishment.17

Therefore, the denial and refutation of resurrection means the negation of Allah’s power, His Justice, as well as His Wisdom which implies profanity and paganism.

Such a person, who negates resurrection, will be involved with superstition and ignorance as his entire outlook centers around worldly aims and is entangled with material benefits and selfishness, and he will also be held in the chains of the Divine punishment in the Hereafter.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 6

وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالسَّيّـِئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِمُ الْمَثُلاتُ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَي ظُلْمِهِمْ وَإِنّ َرَبَّكَ لَشَديدُ الْعِقَابِ

6. “And they ask you to hasten on the evil (the chastisement) before the good while there have been exemplary punishments before them. And verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for people despite their injustice; and verily your Lord is strict in retribution.”

The Arabic term /maul at/ is the plural form of /maulah/ which denotes punishment and penalty that man will be inflicted upon. Sometimes, enmity and obstinacy reaches the point where one is inclined to desire death and not to accept the truth.

There are allusions made in the Glorious Qur’an to the examples of such moods and feelings. Among them one is that the pagans used to say:

“O’ Allah! It this (Qur’an) is indeed the Truth from You, then storm us with stone from the sky, or bring us a painful punishment…”18

Elsewhere, the Qur’an says:

“If We had sent down it to any of non-Arabs, and had he recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.”19

Or the people of the Book would tell the pagans and idol worshippers:

“…These are better guided on the way than those who have believed (in Islam).”20

While, the people of the Book among the disbelievers are closer to Islam than the pagans. They were kept away from expressing the truth because of their obstinacy.

In the meantime, the haste shown by some people in the descending of the Divine punishment then may be due to the following reasons:

The ignorance and oblivion due to the history of the predecessors and the lack of belief in the Divine punishment and considering it as remote matter.

Jealousy towards the possessions of others. As it is recorded in history, upon the accession of Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) to the Imamat, someone desired his own death for he could not tolerate the event. This event has been mentioned and alluded to on the occasion of the revelation of Surah Al-Ma‘ arij, verse No. 1.

The feelings of being cut off, depressed, and reaching complete deadlock.

Ridiculing and lack of acceptance, even at the expense of losing one’s life.

Therefore, the verse indicates that: instead of asking for Allah’s blessings, they requested hastening of His punishment.

The verse says:

“And they ask you to hasten on the evil (the chastisement) before the good while there have been exemplary punishments before them…”

Do they think that Allah’s punishment is mere deception, despite the fact that there were divine penalties which were sent down upon the previous rogue and unruly nations the news of which have been recorded on the pages of history and in the heart of the earth?

Then the verse adds implication that the Lord is forgiving towards the people though they are committing cruelty, and,at the same time, He is capable of inflicting severe punishment as well.

The verse says:

“…And Verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for people despite their injustice; and verily your Lord is strict in retribution.”

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 7

وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلآ اُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَةٌ مِن رَّبّـِهِ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ وَلِكُلّ‌ِ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ

7. “And those who disbelieve say: ‘Why has there not been sent down a sign to him from his Lord? (O’ Prophet!) You are only a Warner, and there is a guide for every people.”

Ibn Abbas has been quoted to say that the blissful Prophet (S) putting his hand on his chest, said: /’anal munŏir/ (I am the Warner), and then alluding to Ali-Ibn-Abi-Talib (as), he said:

“You are the guide, those who will be guided after me will be guided through you.”21

Here, the holy verse deals with one of the criticisms of the obstinate pagans concerning the prophecy, saying that Allah did not send the Prophet (S) with miracles or signs.

The verse says:

“And those who disbelieve say: ‘Why has there not been sent down a sign to him from his Lord?…”

It goes without saying that one of the functions of the Prophet (S) is to present miracles as documentation for his legitimacy and his actual interconnection with the Divine revelation.

However, the opponents of the prophets have not always been entertaining sound intentions. That is, they did not seek miracles for the sake of discovering the truth but, to show their arrogance and disobedience against the Truth, every time they asked for an odd miracle.

So, when facing such individuals, the Prophet (S), without accepting their desires, used to say that performing miracles is in Allah’s hands and it is by His commands that such things happen; then his duty was to guide and train people.

Therefore, in response to these vain requests, the Qur’an continues telling the Prophet (S) that he is only a Warner and to provide people with instructions and guidance.

The verse says:

“…(O’ Prophet!) You are only a Warner…”

In actual fact, the Qur’an implies that these pagans have forgotten the primary objective of the prophet which is the issue of admonition and calling of people towards Allah. They have wrong thought that his primary function has been to perform miracles.

It is interesting to note that the difference between the Qur’anic terms /’inŏar/ and /hid ayat/ is that, the former relates to the leading of the misled to the right path and providing them with self-awareness, while the latter deals with guiding people and directing them forward after they have adjusted their way in the right direction.

Therefore, in various quotations from the Prophet (S) in the books of Shi‘ite and Sunni people, it is quoted that he said: he provided admonitions and Ali was the leader, by whom the guided are guided.

We have it in 26 traditions that, the objective meaning of /h ad/ (guide) is the Immaculate Imams (as).

Notes

1. Bihar, vol. 60, p. 79, and Burhan, vol. 2, p. 278

2. Safinat-ul-Bihar, vol. 2, p. 574

3. Tafsir-ul-Kabir

4. Surah ‘Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 32

5. Ibid

6. Surah An-Nahl, No. 16, verse 12, and Surah ‘Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 33

7. Surah ‘Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 33

8. Surah An-Nahl, No. 16, verse 14

9. Surah Al-Hajj, No. 22, verse 65

10. Surah Al-J athiyah, No. 45, verse 13

11. Tafsir-ul-Furqan

12. Surah Al-Hajj, No. 22, verse 5

13. Surah Shur a, No. 42, verse 11

14. Surah Ar-Rūm, No. 30, verse 21

15. Surah Az-Zariyat, No. 51, verse 49

16. Surah Al-Hajj, No. 22, verse 5 says:

“O’ people! If you are in doubt about the raising, then surely We created you from dust, then from a small seed, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh, complete in make and incomplete, that We may make clear to you; and We cause what We please to stay in the wombs till an appointed time, then We bring you forth as babies, then that you may attain your maturity; and of you is he who is caused to die, and of you is he who is brought back to the worst part of life, so that after having knowledge he does not know anything; and you see the earth sterile land, but when We send down on it the water, it stirs and swells and brings forth of every kind a beautiful herbage.”

17. Surah Yasin, No. 36, verse 79

18. Surah Al-’Anf al, No. 8, verse 32

19. Surah Ash-Shu‘ar a, No. 26, verses 198, 199

20. Surah An-Nis a, No. 4, verse 51

21. Tafsir-ul-Kabir, vol. 19, p. 14, ’Ihq aq-ul-Haqq, vol. 3, p.87

Section 1: Signs of Allah in Nature

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 1

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

المر تِلْكَ ءَايَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَالَّذِي اُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَبّـِكَ الْحَقُّ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

1. “Alif ‘A’, Lam ‘L’, Mim ‘M’, Ra ‘R’. These are the verses of the Book; and that which has been revealed to you from your Lord is the Truth, but most people do not believe.”

At the beginning of this Holy Surah, again we have the abbreviated letters which are found in 29 suras of the Qur’an. The abbreviated letters here are a combination of ‘Alif ’, ‘Lam’, and ‘Mim’, which has occurred at the beginning of several suras, while ‘Alif’ ‘Lam’ and ‘Ra’ are mentioned at the beginning of some other suras.

Thus, in fact, this Surah is the only Surah that begins with ‘Alif, ‘Lam’, ‘Mim’, and ‘Ra’.

In view of the fact that the particular abbreviated letters at the beginning of every Surah seem to have a direct connection with the content of that Surah, it is probable that the present combination of the abbreviated letters at the beginning of Surah Ar-Ra‘d indicate that the content of this Surah consists of the contents of both group of suras which begin with ‘Alif, Lam, Mim’ and ‘Alif, Lam, Ra’. A careful attention over the contents of these suras also testifies this idea.

Since there have been talked upon the abbreviated letters of the Qur’an stated at the beginning of suras Al-Baqarah, ‘Al-i-‘Imran and Al-’A‘raf, their repetition is not so necessary here again.

The first verse, on the dignity of the Qur’an, says:

“…These are the verses of the Book; and that which has been revealed to you from your Lord is the Truth…”

There is no room for any doubt to be seen in it, because it is the statement of the objective facts of the world of creation, and its relation with humankind.

It is a truth that the Qur’an has not been mixed with falsehood. That is why the signs of its legitimacy is found even in its appearance so that there in no need of further reasoning.

Yet, the ignorant and empty-headed persons, who form the majority of people, do not believe in the revelations.

It says:

“…but most people do not believe.”

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 2

اللَّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَي عَلَي الْعَرْشِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لأَجَلٍ مُسَمّي يُدَبّـِرُ الأَمْرَ يُفَصّـِلُ الاَيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُم بِلِقَآءِ رَبّـِكُمْ تُوقِنُونَ

2. “Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars which you (can) see, then He established Himself on ‘Arsh (the Throne of authority) and subjected the sun and the moon, each one runs unto an appointed term.

He directs the affair (of existence). He explains the signs (in detail) so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.

Here, in this verse, which is stated after the abbreviated letters, the Qur’an refers to an important part of the evidences of monotheism and the signs of Allah in the world of creation.

What a beautiful statement it is when it says:

“Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars which you (can) see…”

This verse unveils a scientific fact which was not manifest for anyone at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an. At that time the Ptolemaic system governed over the scientific centers and the thoughts of people. According to it, the planets and heavens were considered as the layers of an onion which were located over each other, and the earth was in the center.

About one thousand years after the revelation of these verses, the knowledge of humankind realized that the mentioned theory was utterly wrong and the reality is that the celestial planets each rotates on a fix axis in its own position, suspending and also invariable, without having anything to lean against.

The only factor which supports them to be fix in their own particular rotations is the equilibrium resulted from the attractive and repelling forces.

This equilibrium of the attractive and repelling forces, as an unseen pillar, keeps the celestial planets fix in their positions and orbits.

Then, the verse continues saying:

“…then He established Himself on ‘Arsh (the Throne of authority)…”

Next to the statement of creation of the heavens, and the existence of Allah’s authority over them all, it refers to the subjection of the sun and the moon which is under His control.

The verse says:

“…and subjected the sun and the moon…”

But the material system of the world is not eternal, and all the celestial bodies, such as the sun and the moon, will continue to rotate along their defined orbits until an appointed time.

The verse says:

“…each one runs unto an appointed term…”

Next to that, the Qur’an implies that these acts of to and fro are not undue and do not exist with no result, because it is Allah Who arranges everything. Then there is an account for every movement, and every account has been appointed for a particular aim.

The verse continues saying:

“…He directs the affair (of existence)…”

Then, it adds:

“…He explains the signs (in detail) so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.”

Explanations

1. There are some verses in the Qur’an which indicate that Allah maintains the heavens and the earth. Among them are the followings:

A. “Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars which you (can) see…” (The above mentioned verse).

B. “Verily Allah holds the heavens and the earth lest they come to naught; and if they come to naught none besides Him can hold them back…” (Surah Fatir, No. 35, verse 41)

C. “…And He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth…”

In Tafsir Al-Mizan, ‘Allamah Tabataba’i says that the purpose of the Qur’anic word /tafsil/ (explanation) is separation of the celestial planets and the earth from each other. The observation of this separation makes us aware of the separation of people in the Hereafter.

The Arabic word /‘amad/ is the plural form of /‘amūd/ which means ‘pillar’. However, when we do not see something, it cannot be taken as a reason for its inexistence.

Imam Rida (as) said:

“There are some pillars, but you do not see them”.1

There is a very attractive tradition in this field narrated from Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) who has said:

“These stars, which are in the sky, are some cities like the cities on the earth, every one of which is connected with another by means of a pillar of light.”2

Could there be found a more expressive and clearer meaning than ‘invisible pillar’ or ‘a pillar of light’ in the expansion of the literature of that time for mentioning the concept of ‘attractive force’ and its resulting equilibrium against the ‘repelling force’?

D. The creation of the world with no Resurrection is a vain action. The reference for Resurrection is the same reasoning of theism. The same One Who creates and directs the affairs of existence, can accomplish the Resurrection and Hereafter, too.

“…so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.”

Once Ali-ibn-Abi Talib (as) was asked how Allah reckons (the deeds of) all mankind in Hereafter. Then he answered:

“In the same way that He sustains all humankind.”3

The Subjection of the Sun and the Moon:

The above-mentioned verse indicates that Allah (s.w.t.) has subjected the sun and the moon. There are also many other verses in the Qur’an which denote that the entire celestial stars, all beings on the earth, the day and the night, and the like of them are wholly subjected to mankind.

In one occurrence, it says:

“…and He has made the rivers subservient to you.”4

By another statement in the same verse the holy Qur’an says:

“…and He has made the ships subservient to you…”5

In another occurrence, the Qur’an says:

“And He has made the night and the day, and the sun and the moon subservient to you…”6

In a holy verse, the Qur’an says:

“And He has made the constantly moving sun and the moon subservient to you…”7

The Qur’an also in another occurrence says:

“And He it is Who has made the sea subservient that you may eat fresh meat from it…”8

In another occurrence, the Qur’an questions:

“Do you not see that Allah has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the earth…?”9

And, finally, somewhere else the Qur’an says:

“And He has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, all, from Himself…”10

From the totality of these verses, it is well understood that: Man is the most complete being in the world of creation, and, from the view of Islam, he is so worthy and respected that Allah has made all other beings subservient to him; i.e., it is the Man who is the representative of Allah, and whose heart is the place fit for the Light of Allah.

However, it is evident that the Qur’anic word /tasxir/ (subjection), referred to in these verses, does not mean that man can bring all these things under his own command, but it implies that they are alongside his benefit and service. For example, the celestial planets reflect the light for him, or have some other advantages for him, which he may utilize.

No school of thought, other than Islam, has considered so much worth and high rank for Man, and in no other doctrine and philosophy Man has such an exalted position and personality. These are the specialties of the ideology of Islam which promote the value of man high as such.

Knowing this fact has a deep moral effect in man; because, when he mediates that Allah has bestowed upon him so much grandeur in a state that every thing; such as: the sun, the moon, the celestial sphere and all other things, are at his service, he will not tend to negligence and meanness so that he becomes as captive to lusts, wealth, ranks, and ungodly forces.

Such a man is the one who removes all barriers and promotes high and higher.

How can one says that the sun and the moon are not at the service of man while they illuminate and warm the scene of his life by their lights? Without sunshine, there will be no movement and development on the earth.

Moreover, by its gravity, the sun causes the earth to rotate on its orbit, the moon causes the low tides and the high tides appear in the seas, which are the source of many blessings and benefits for man.

The ships on the seas, the rivers, the day and the night, and the like of them, each serves and helps man in a particular way. A careful observation and contemplation over them, and over the regular order they have, makes it clear that they are some manifest evidences unto the Greatness, Power and Wisdom of the Creator.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 3

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَاراً وَمِن كُلّ‌ِ الثَّـمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ يُغْشِي الَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لاَيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

3. “And He it is Who spread the earth and placed mountains and streams in it and inserted in it two pairs of the each kind of fruit. He covers the day with the night. Certainly, there are signs in these matters for a people who reflect.”

This verse reveals the Divine signs in the upper universe and calls on man to meditate on the earth, the mountains, the streams the various kinds of fruits, and the dawn and sunset, saying that Allah spread the earth so as to make it ready for man to live in it and to grow plants and breed livestock in it.

The verse says:

“And He it is Who spread the earth…”

The Qur’an then goes on dealing with the issue of the emergence of mountains implying that Allah has placed mountains in the earth.

It continues saying:

“…and placed mountains and streams in it…”

These are the very same mountains which are referred to as /’aut ad/ meaning the nails of the earth.

Probably, it is because mountains are interconnected with each other from underneath and armour-like they have covered the face of the earth so as to counter-balance not only the internal pressure, which is being exerted from within the crust of the earth, but also to counteract the extraordinary gravity power of the moon and its ebb and tide from outside.

Therefore, they are meant to respond to the continuous earth tremors and earth quakes as well as the tensions which are brought about as a result of them, and to pave the way for calm and relaxation on the terrestrial globe for man to live in.

In the meantime, the verse, alluding to the rivers and the springs which are flowing on the earth, declares that there are streams placed therein.

The irrigation system of the earth supported by mountains and the interdependence of the mountains with the streams are noteworthy, for many of the mountains on the earth deposit water in the form of snow within the cracks of their valleys or on their tops.

This snow eventually and gradually melts and travels from higher altitude regions to the lower altitude regions owing to the natural law of gravitation. Sometimes also, there are lakes formed at the outskirts of the mountains.

Then, the Qur’an makes mention of foodstuffs and fruits which grow, as a result of the water and sunshine, from the earth and are best for human nutrition, implying that He has placed two pairs of each type of fruit in the earth. Here is allusion made to the fact that fruits are living beings that contain male and female cells which are fertilized through the process of cross - fertilization.

The verse says:

“…and inserted in it two pairs of the each kind of fruit…”

Although ‘Linet’, the Swedish famous botanist and scientist succeeded himself in the discovery of general and universal fertilization inside the world of plants in the mid eighteenth century, the Glorious Qur’an revealed this truth more than one thousand and four hundred years ago which can by itself be considered as one of its miracles, showing the magnitude of this great celestial Book.

As man’s life and that of all other beings, especially that of the plants and fruits, can not go on without an exact and an accurate system of the timing of the day and the night, the Qur’an refers to it in another part of the verse, indicating that He covers day with night and He veils it.

The verse says:

“…He covers the day with the night…”

The reason for this is that once the dark veil of night does not cover the light, continuous sunshine burns away all plants, and no trace of the fruits and, generally speaking, of living beings would be left on the face of the earth.

At the end of the verse, the Qur’an points out that, in the foregoing discussions, there are signs for those who meditate.

The verse says:

“…Certainly, there are signs in these matters for a people who reflect.”

Honestly speaking, those who contemplate can witness the power of the Omnipotence and unending Omniscience of the Creator very clearly.

Explanations

1. The previous verse dealt with the skies while this verse relates to the earth and earthly blessings.

2. The Arabic term /rawasi/ is the plural form of /rasiyah/ and it signifies ‘firmness’. That is why, mountains are alluded to as /rawasi/. The terms /zauj/ and /zaujan/ both mean male and female.

3. The male and female in plants are often in one tree and sometimes in one blossom and sometimes in two trees or two blossoms.11

4. The Qur’anic phrase /madd al ’ard/ probably refers to the emerging of the earth from under the water which has been mentioned in Islamic quotations as /dahw ul ’ard/. This probability is consonant with and compatible with the views of the contemporary geologists who claim that the earth has been originally covered with water. (Allah knows the best.)

5. The world of creation is based on a ‘pair system’.

The pairing system in plants:

“…and He puts for every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).”12

The pairing system in animals, where the Qur’an says:

“…He made mates for you from among yourself and mates of the cattle too…”13

Pairing in Human Beings:

“He created mates from your own kind for you.”14

Pairing in everything:

“And of everything We have created pairs…”15

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 4

وَفِي الأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُّتَجَاوِرَاتٌ وَجَنَّاتٌ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ يُسْقَي بِمَآءٍ وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضّـِلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَي بَعْضٍ فِي الأُكُلِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لاَيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

4. “And in the earth there are tracts, side by side, and gardens of (different) grapes and corn-fields and palm trees, like and unlike, watered through one irrigation system, and We made some of them excel in taste than others. Verily, there are signs in this for a people who understand.”

The Arabic term /sinw an/ contrary to its appearance, which is in the form of dual (referring to two), is the plural form of /sinw/ and means ‘a branch which stems out of the principal tree’. It refers here to being similar or identical.

In this noble verse, we are confronted a series of interesting geological and botanical issues which are all the signs of a predetermined system of creation. The Qur’an first mentions that there are different tracts side by side in the earth, and there are gardens and trees which have different kinds of grapes and different plantations, and palm trees as well.

The verse says:

“And in the earth there are tracts, side by side, and gardens of (different) grapes and corn-fields and palm trees…”

The amazing thing is that these trees and their various kinds take their roots from one basic stem on some occasion, and at other times they have their roots from different stems. The verse continues saying:

“…like and unlike, watered through one irrigation system…”

This sentence probably provides clues as to the issue of the potentialities of trees for grafting which is occasionally based on the grafting of several parts on the original stem, each of which develop and consequently a special kind of fruit will be delivered.

What is more amazing is that they are all watered with one type of water.

“Watered through one irrigation system”.

In spite of all this, Allah has excelled some of these trees over others in their type of fruit.

The verse says:

“…and We made some of them excel in taste than others…”

Does each of these clues not provide us with sufficient reasons as to the leadership which is unique in its origin and is knowledgeable in its system? It is here where, at the end of the verse, the Qur’an declares that there are signs in these matters as to the magnitude of Allah for those who contemplate.

The verse says:

“…Verily, there are signs in this for a people who understand.”

Explanation

The variety of fruits as to the colour, taste and smell and their different forms all have their origin in the Divine power, and are consonant with Allah’s will. Otherwise, one kind of water could not generate more than one type of fruit.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 5

وَإِن تَعْجَبْ فَعَجَبٌ قَوْلُهُمْ أَءِذَا كُنَّا تُرَاباً أَءِنَّا لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ اُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبّـِهِمْ وَاُوْلَئِكَ الأَغْلالُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَاُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

5. “And if you do wonder, then wondrous is their sayings: ‘ What, when we turn into dust, Will we then surly be in a new creation?’ They are those who disbelieve in their Lord and these shall have chains on their necks, and they are the people of the Fire, abiding therein for ever.’”

Addressing the Prophet (S), this verse implies that he should not be amazed at the denial of the prophecy by the people, for they are also astonished at Allah’s power in transforming the dead back into life and do not believe it.

The unbelievers in the Resurrection have not provided any proof for the impossibility of resurrection and they only consider its occurrence as remote. On the contrary, besides mentioning Allah’s Justice and Wisdom, which necessitates the existence of the Hereafter, the Qur’an has reiterated on many occasions and has provided answers to this denial.

The verse says:

“And if you do wonder, then wondrous is their sayings: ‘What, when we turn into dust, Will we then surly be in a new creation?’ They are those who disbelieve in their Lord and these shall have chains on their necks, and they are the people of the Fire, abiding therein for ever.’”

On one occasion it implies that if they were in doubt as to the advent of the Hereafter, they would remember their original creation and as to how Allah created them out of earth and sperm.16

Elsewhere, it commands the Prophet (S) to tell his people that: He Who originally created them will also recreate them in the Resurrection Day, and there is no room for any astonishment.17

Therefore, the denial and refutation of resurrection means the negation of Allah’s power, His Justice, as well as His Wisdom which implies profanity and paganism.

Such a person, who negates resurrection, will be involved with superstition and ignorance as his entire outlook centers around worldly aims and is entangled with material benefits and selfishness, and he will also be held in the chains of the Divine punishment in the Hereafter.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 6

وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالسَّيّـِئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِمُ الْمَثُلاتُ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَي ظُلْمِهِمْ وَإِنّ َرَبَّكَ لَشَديدُ الْعِقَابِ

6. “And they ask you to hasten on the evil (the chastisement) before the good while there have been exemplary punishments before them. And verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for people despite their injustice; and verily your Lord is strict in retribution.”

The Arabic term /maul at/ is the plural form of /maulah/ which denotes punishment and penalty that man will be inflicted upon. Sometimes, enmity and obstinacy reaches the point where one is inclined to desire death and not to accept the truth.

There are allusions made in the Glorious Qur’an to the examples of such moods and feelings. Among them one is that the pagans used to say:

“O’ Allah! It this (Qur’an) is indeed the Truth from You, then storm us with stone from the sky, or bring us a painful punishment…”18

Elsewhere, the Qur’an says:

“If We had sent down it to any of non-Arabs, and had he recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.”19

Or the people of the Book would tell the pagans and idol worshippers:

“…These are better guided on the way than those who have believed (in Islam).”20

While, the people of the Book among the disbelievers are closer to Islam than the pagans. They were kept away from expressing the truth because of their obstinacy.

In the meantime, the haste shown by some people in the descending of the Divine punishment then may be due to the following reasons:

The ignorance and oblivion due to the history of the predecessors and the lack of belief in the Divine punishment and considering it as remote matter.

Jealousy towards the possessions of others. As it is recorded in history, upon the accession of Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) to the Imamat, someone desired his own death for he could not tolerate the event. This event has been mentioned and alluded to on the occasion of the revelation of Surah Al-Ma‘ arij, verse No. 1.

The feelings of being cut off, depressed, and reaching complete deadlock.

Ridiculing and lack of acceptance, even at the expense of losing one’s life.

Therefore, the verse indicates that: instead of asking for Allah’s blessings, they requested hastening of His punishment.

The verse says:

“And they ask you to hasten on the evil (the chastisement) before the good while there have been exemplary punishments before them…”

Do they think that Allah’s punishment is mere deception, despite the fact that there were divine penalties which were sent down upon the previous rogue and unruly nations the news of which have been recorded on the pages of history and in the heart of the earth?

Then the verse adds implication that the Lord is forgiving towards the people though they are committing cruelty, and,at the same time, He is capable of inflicting severe punishment as well.

The verse says:

“…And Verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for people despite their injustice; and verily your Lord is strict in retribution.”

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 7

وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلآ اُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَةٌ مِن رَّبّـِهِ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ وَلِكُلّ‌ِ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ

7. “And those who disbelieve say: ‘Why has there not been sent down a sign to him from his Lord? (O’ Prophet!) You are only a Warner, and there is a guide for every people.”

Ibn Abbas has been quoted to say that the blissful Prophet (S) putting his hand on his chest, said: /’anal munŏir/ (I am the Warner), and then alluding to Ali-Ibn-Abi-Talib (as), he said:

“You are the guide, those who will be guided after me will be guided through you.”21

Here, the holy verse deals with one of the criticisms of the obstinate pagans concerning the prophecy, saying that Allah did not send the Prophet (S) with miracles or signs.

The verse says:

“And those who disbelieve say: ‘Why has there not been sent down a sign to him from his Lord?…”

It goes without saying that one of the functions of the Prophet (S) is to present miracles as documentation for his legitimacy and his actual interconnection with the Divine revelation.

However, the opponents of the prophets have not always been entertaining sound intentions. That is, they did not seek miracles for the sake of discovering the truth but, to show their arrogance and disobedience against the Truth, every time they asked for an odd miracle.

So, when facing such individuals, the Prophet (S), without accepting their desires, used to say that performing miracles is in Allah’s hands and it is by His commands that such things happen; then his duty was to guide and train people.

Therefore, in response to these vain requests, the Qur’an continues telling the Prophet (S) that he is only a Warner and to provide people with instructions and guidance.

The verse says:

“…(O’ Prophet!) You are only a Warner…”

In actual fact, the Qur’an implies that these pagans have forgotten the primary objective of the prophet which is the issue of admonition and calling of people towards Allah. They have wrong thought that his primary function has been to perform miracles.

It is interesting to note that the difference between the Qur’anic terms /’inŏar/ and /hid ayat/ is that, the former relates to the leading of the misled to the right path and providing them with self-awareness, while the latter deals with guiding people and directing them forward after they have adjusted their way in the right direction.

Therefore, in various quotations from the Prophet (S) in the books of Shi‘ite and Sunni people, it is quoted that he said: he provided admonitions and Ali was the leader, by whom the guided are guided.

We have it in 26 traditions that, the objective meaning of /h ad/ (guide) is the Immaculate Imams (as).

Notes

1. Bihar, vol. 60, p. 79, and Burhan, vol. 2, p. 278

2. Safinat-ul-Bihar, vol. 2, p. 574

3. Tafsir-ul-Kabir

4. Surah ‘Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 32

5. Ibid

6. Surah An-Nahl, No. 16, verse 12, and Surah ‘Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 33

7. Surah ‘Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 33

8. Surah An-Nahl, No. 16, verse 14

9. Surah Al-Hajj, No. 22, verse 65

10. Surah Al-J athiyah, No. 45, verse 13

11. Tafsir-ul-Furqan

12. Surah Al-Hajj, No. 22, verse 5

13. Surah Shur a, No. 42, verse 11

14. Surah Ar-Rūm, No. 30, verse 21

15. Surah Az-Zariyat, No. 51, verse 49

16. Surah Al-Hajj, No. 22, verse 5 says:

“O’ people! If you are in doubt about the raising, then surely We created you from dust, then from a small seed, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh, complete in make and incomplete, that We may make clear to you; and We cause what We please to stay in the wombs till an appointed time, then We bring you forth as babies, then that you may attain your maturity; and of you is he who is caused to die, and of you is he who is brought back to the worst part of life, so that after having knowledge he does not know anything; and you see the earth sterile land, but when We send down on it the water, it stirs and swells and brings forth of every kind a beautiful herbage.”

17. Surah Yasin, No. 36, verse 79

18. Surah Al-’Anf al, No. 8, verse 32

19. Surah Ash-Shu‘ar a, No. 26, verses 198, 199

20. Surah An-Nis a, No. 4, verse 51

21. Tafsir-ul-Kabir, vol. 19, p. 14, ’Ihq aq-ul-Haqq, vol. 3, p.87

Section 1: Signs of Allah in Nature

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 1

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

المر تِلْكَ ءَايَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَالَّذِي اُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَبّـِكَ الْحَقُّ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

1. “Alif ‘A’, Lam ‘L’, Mim ‘M’, Ra ‘R’. These are the verses of the Book; and that which has been revealed to you from your Lord is the Truth, but most people do not believe.”

At the beginning of this Holy Surah, again we have the abbreviated letters which are found in 29 suras of the Qur’an. The abbreviated letters here are a combination of ‘Alif ’, ‘Lam’, and ‘Mim’, which has occurred at the beginning of several suras, while ‘Alif’ ‘Lam’ and ‘Ra’ are mentioned at the beginning of some other suras.

Thus, in fact, this Surah is the only Surah that begins with ‘Alif, ‘Lam’, ‘Mim’, and ‘Ra’.

In view of the fact that the particular abbreviated letters at the beginning of every Surah seem to have a direct connection with the content of that Surah, it is probable that the present combination of the abbreviated letters at the beginning of Surah Ar-Ra‘d indicate that the content of this Surah consists of the contents of both group of suras which begin with ‘Alif, Lam, Mim’ and ‘Alif, Lam, Ra’. A careful attention over the contents of these suras also testifies this idea.

Since there have been talked upon the abbreviated letters of the Qur’an stated at the beginning of suras Al-Baqarah, ‘Al-i-‘Imran and Al-’A‘raf, their repetition is not so necessary here again.

The first verse, on the dignity of the Qur’an, says:

“…These are the verses of the Book; and that which has been revealed to you from your Lord is the Truth…”

There is no room for any doubt to be seen in it, because it is the statement of the objective facts of the world of creation, and its relation with humankind.

It is a truth that the Qur’an has not been mixed with falsehood. That is why the signs of its legitimacy is found even in its appearance so that there in no need of further reasoning.

Yet, the ignorant and empty-headed persons, who form the majority of people, do not believe in the revelations.

It says:

“…but most people do not believe.”

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 2

اللَّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَي عَلَي الْعَرْشِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لأَجَلٍ مُسَمّي يُدَبّـِرُ الأَمْرَ يُفَصّـِلُ الاَيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُم بِلِقَآءِ رَبّـِكُمْ تُوقِنُونَ

2. “Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars which you (can) see, then He established Himself on ‘Arsh (the Throne of authority) and subjected the sun and the moon, each one runs unto an appointed term.

He directs the affair (of existence). He explains the signs (in detail) so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.

Here, in this verse, which is stated after the abbreviated letters, the Qur’an refers to an important part of the evidences of monotheism and the signs of Allah in the world of creation.

What a beautiful statement it is when it says:

“Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars which you (can) see…”

This verse unveils a scientific fact which was not manifest for anyone at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an. At that time the Ptolemaic system governed over the scientific centers and the thoughts of people. According to it, the planets and heavens were considered as the layers of an onion which were located over each other, and the earth was in the center.

About one thousand years after the revelation of these verses, the knowledge of humankind realized that the mentioned theory was utterly wrong and the reality is that the celestial planets each rotates on a fix axis in its own position, suspending and also invariable, without having anything to lean against.

The only factor which supports them to be fix in their own particular rotations is the equilibrium resulted from the attractive and repelling forces.

This equilibrium of the attractive and repelling forces, as an unseen pillar, keeps the celestial planets fix in their positions and orbits.

Then, the verse continues saying:

“…then He established Himself on ‘Arsh (the Throne of authority)…”

Next to the statement of creation of the heavens, and the existence of Allah’s authority over them all, it refers to the subjection of the sun and the moon which is under His control.

The verse says:

“…and subjected the sun and the moon…”

But the material system of the world is not eternal, and all the celestial bodies, such as the sun and the moon, will continue to rotate along their defined orbits until an appointed time.

The verse says:

“…each one runs unto an appointed term…”

Next to that, the Qur’an implies that these acts of to and fro are not undue and do not exist with no result, because it is Allah Who arranges everything. Then there is an account for every movement, and every account has been appointed for a particular aim.

The verse continues saying:

“…He directs the affair (of existence)…”

Then, it adds:

“…He explains the signs (in detail) so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.”

Explanations

1. There are some verses in the Qur’an which indicate that Allah maintains the heavens and the earth. Among them are the followings:

A. “Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars which you (can) see…” (The above mentioned verse).

B. “Verily Allah holds the heavens and the earth lest they come to naught; and if they come to naught none besides Him can hold them back…” (Surah Fatir, No. 35, verse 41)

C. “…And He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth…”

In Tafsir Al-Mizan, ‘Allamah Tabataba’i says that the purpose of the Qur’anic word /tafsil/ (explanation) is separation of the celestial planets and the earth from each other. The observation of this separation makes us aware of the separation of people in the Hereafter.

The Arabic word /‘amad/ is the plural form of /‘amūd/ which means ‘pillar’. However, when we do not see something, it cannot be taken as a reason for its inexistence.

Imam Rida (as) said:

“There are some pillars, but you do not see them”.1

There is a very attractive tradition in this field narrated from Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) who has said:

“These stars, which are in the sky, are some cities like the cities on the earth, every one of which is connected with another by means of a pillar of light.”2

Could there be found a more expressive and clearer meaning than ‘invisible pillar’ or ‘a pillar of light’ in the expansion of the literature of that time for mentioning the concept of ‘attractive force’ and its resulting equilibrium against the ‘repelling force’?

D. The creation of the world with no Resurrection is a vain action. The reference for Resurrection is the same reasoning of theism. The same One Who creates and directs the affairs of existence, can accomplish the Resurrection and Hereafter, too.

“…so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.”

Once Ali-ibn-Abi Talib (as) was asked how Allah reckons (the deeds of) all mankind in Hereafter. Then he answered:

“In the same way that He sustains all humankind.”3

The Subjection of the Sun and the Moon:

The above-mentioned verse indicates that Allah (s.w.t.) has subjected the sun and the moon. There are also many other verses in the Qur’an which denote that the entire celestial stars, all beings on the earth, the day and the night, and the like of them are wholly subjected to mankind.

In one occurrence, it says:

“…and He has made the rivers subservient to you.”4

By another statement in the same verse the holy Qur’an says:

“…and He has made the ships subservient to you…”5

In another occurrence, the Qur’an says:

“And He has made the night and the day, and the sun and the moon subservient to you…”6

In a holy verse, the Qur’an says:

“And He has made the constantly moving sun and the moon subservient to you…”7

The Qur’an also in another occurrence says:

“And He it is Who has made the sea subservient that you may eat fresh meat from it…”8

In another occurrence, the Qur’an questions:

“Do you not see that Allah has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the earth…?”9

And, finally, somewhere else the Qur’an says:

“And He has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, all, from Himself…”10

From the totality of these verses, it is well understood that: Man is the most complete being in the world of creation, and, from the view of Islam, he is so worthy and respected that Allah has made all other beings subservient to him; i.e., it is the Man who is the representative of Allah, and whose heart is the place fit for the Light of Allah.

However, it is evident that the Qur’anic word /tasxir/ (subjection), referred to in these verses, does not mean that man can bring all these things under his own command, but it implies that they are alongside his benefit and service. For example, the celestial planets reflect the light for him, or have some other advantages for him, which he may utilize.

No school of thought, other than Islam, has considered so much worth and high rank for Man, and in no other doctrine and philosophy Man has such an exalted position and personality. These are the specialties of the ideology of Islam which promote the value of man high as such.

Knowing this fact has a deep moral effect in man; because, when he mediates that Allah has bestowed upon him so much grandeur in a state that every thing; such as: the sun, the moon, the celestial sphere and all other things, are at his service, he will not tend to negligence and meanness so that he becomes as captive to lusts, wealth, ranks, and ungodly forces.

Such a man is the one who removes all barriers and promotes high and higher.

How can one says that the sun and the moon are not at the service of man while they illuminate and warm the scene of his life by their lights? Without sunshine, there will be no movement and development on the earth.

Moreover, by its gravity, the sun causes the earth to rotate on its orbit, the moon causes the low tides and the high tides appear in the seas, which are the source of many blessings and benefits for man.

The ships on the seas, the rivers, the day and the night, and the like of them, each serves and helps man in a particular way. A careful observation and contemplation over them, and over the regular order they have, makes it clear that they are some manifest evidences unto the Greatness, Power and Wisdom of the Creator.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 3

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَاراً وَمِن كُلّ‌ِ الثَّـمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ يُغْشِي الَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لاَيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

3. “And He it is Who spread the earth and placed mountains and streams in it and inserted in it two pairs of the each kind of fruit. He covers the day with the night. Certainly, there are signs in these matters for a people who reflect.”

This verse reveals the Divine signs in the upper universe and calls on man to meditate on the earth, the mountains, the streams the various kinds of fruits, and the dawn and sunset, saying that Allah spread the earth so as to make it ready for man to live in it and to grow plants and breed livestock in it.

The verse says:

“And He it is Who spread the earth…”

The Qur’an then goes on dealing with the issue of the emergence of mountains implying that Allah has placed mountains in the earth.

It continues saying:

“…and placed mountains and streams in it…”

These are the very same mountains which are referred to as /’aut ad/ meaning the nails of the earth.

Probably, it is because mountains are interconnected with each other from underneath and armour-like they have covered the face of the earth so as to counter-balance not only the internal pressure, which is being exerted from within the crust of the earth, but also to counteract the extraordinary gravity power of the moon and its ebb and tide from outside.

Therefore, they are meant to respond to the continuous earth tremors and earth quakes as well as the tensions which are brought about as a result of them, and to pave the way for calm and relaxation on the terrestrial globe for man to live in.

In the meantime, the verse, alluding to the rivers and the springs which are flowing on the earth, declares that there are streams placed therein.

The irrigation system of the earth supported by mountains and the interdependence of the mountains with the streams are noteworthy, for many of the mountains on the earth deposit water in the form of snow within the cracks of their valleys or on their tops.

This snow eventually and gradually melts and travels from higher altitude regions to the lower altitude regions owing to the natural law of gravitation. Sometimes also, there are lakes formed at the outskirts of the mountains.

Then, the Qur’an makes mention of foodstuffs and fruits which grow, as a result of the water and sunshine, from the earth and are best for human nutrition, implying that He has placed two pairs of each type of fruit in the earth. Here is allusion made to the fact that fruits are living beings that contain male and female cells which are fertilized through the process of cross - fertilization.

The verse says:

“…and inserted in it two pairs of the each kind of fruit…”

Although ‘Linet’, the Swedish famous botanist and scientist succeeded himself in the discovery of general and universal fertilization inside the world of plants in the mid eighteenth century, the Glorious Qur’an revealed this truth more than one thousand and four hundred years ago which can by itself be considered as one of its miracles, showing the magnitude of this great celestial Book.

As man’s life and that of all other beings, especially that of the plants and fruits, can not go on without an exact and an accurate system of the timing of the day and the night, the Qur’an refers to it in another part of the verse, indicating that He covers day with night and He veils it.

The verse says:

“…He covers the day with the night…”

The reason for this is that once the dark veil of night does not cover the light, continuous sunshine burns away all plants, and no trace of the fruits and, generally speaking, of living beings would be left on the face of the earth.

At the end of the verse, the Qur’an points out that, in the foregoing discussions, there are signs for those who meditate.

The verse says:

“…Certainly, there are signs in these matters for a people who reflect.”

Honestly speaking, those who contemplate can witness the power of the Omnipotence and unending Omniscience of the Creator very clearly.

Explanations

1. The previous verse dealt with the skies while this verse relates to the earth and earthly blessings.

2. The Arabic term /rawasi/ is the plural form of /rasiyah/ and it signifies ‘firmness’. That is why, mountains are alluded to as /rawasi/. The terms /zauj/ and /zaujan/ both mean male and female.

3. The male and female in plants are often in one tree and sometimes in one blossom and sometimes in two trees or two blossoms.11

4. The Qur’anic phrase /madd al ’ard/ probably refers to the emerging of the earth from under the water which has been mentioned in Islamic quotations as /dahw ul ’ard/. This probability is consonant with and compatible with the views of the contemporary geologists who claim that the earth has been originally covered with water. (Allah knows the best.)

5. The world of creation is based on a ‘pair system’.

The pairing system in plants:

“…and He puts for every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).”12

The pairing system in animals, where the Qur’an says:

“…He made mates for you from among yourself and mates of the cattle too…”13

Pairing in Human Beings:

“He created mates from your own kind for you.”14

Pairing in everything:

“And of everything We have created pairs…”15

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 4

وَفِي الأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُّتَجَاوِرَاتٌ وَجَنَّاتٌ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ يُسْقَي بِمَآءٍ وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضّـِلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَي بَعْضٍ فِي الأُكُلِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لاَيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

4. “And in the earth there are tracts, side by side, and gardens of (different) grapes and corn-fields and palm trees, like and unlike, watered through one irrigation system, and We made some of them excel in taste than others. Verily, there are signs in this for a people who understand.”

The Arabic term /sinw an/ contrary to its appearance, which is in the form of dual (referring to two), is the plural form of /sinw/ and means ‘a branch which stems out of the principal tree’. It refers here to being similar or identical.

In this noble verse, we are confronted a series of interesting geological and botanical issues which are all the signs of a predetermined system of creation. The Qur’an first mentions that there are different tracts side by side in the earth, and there are gardens and trees which have different kinds of grapes and different plantations, and palm trees as well.

The verse says:

“And in the earth there are tracts, side by side, and gardens of (different) grapes and corn-fields and palm trees…”

The amazing thing is that these trees and their various kinds take their roots from one basic stem on some occasion, and at other times they have their roots from different stems. The verse continues saying:

“…like and unlike, watered through one irrigation system…”

This sentence probably provides clues as to the issue of the potentialities of trees for grafting which is occasionally based on the grafting of several parts on the original stem, each of which develop and consequently a special kind of fruit will be delivered.

What is more amazing is that they are all watered with one type of water.

“Watered through one irrigation system”.

In spite of all this, Allah has excelled some of these trees over others in their type of fruit.

The verse says:

“…and We made some of them excel in taste than others…”

Does each of these clues not provide us with sufficient reasons as to the leadership which is unique in its origin and is knowledgeable in its system? It is here where, at the end of the verse, the Qur’an declares that there are signs in these matters as to the magnitude of Allah for those who contemplate.

The verse says:

“…Verily, there are signs in this for a people who understand.”

Explanation

The variety of fruits as to the colour, taste and smell and their different forms all have their origin in the Divine power, and are consonant with Allah’s will. Otherwise, one kind of water could not generate more than one type of fruit.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 5

وَإِن تَعْجَبْ فَعَجَبٌ قَوْلُهُمْ أَءِذَا كُنَّا تُرَاباً أَءِنَّا لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ اُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبّـِهِمْ وَاُوْلَئِكَ الأَغْلالُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَاُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

5. “And if you do wonder, then wondrous is their sayings: ‘ What, when we turn into dust, Will we then surly be in a new creation?’ They are those who disbelieve in their Lord and these shall have chains on their necks, and they are the people of the Fire, abiding therein for ever.’”

Addressing the Prophet (S), this verse implies that he should not be amazed at the denial of the prophecy by the people, for they are also astonished at Allah’s power in transforming the dead back into life and do not believe it.

The unbelievers in the Resurrection have not provided any proof for the impossibility of resurrection and they only consider its occurrence as remote. On the contrary, besides mentioning Allah’s Justice and Wisdom, which necessitates the existence of the Hereafter, the Qur’an has reiterated on many occasions and has provided answers to this denial.

The verse says:

“And if you do wonder, then wondrous is their sayings: ‘What, when we turn into dust, Will we then surly be in a new creation?’ They are those who disbelieve in their Lord and these shall have chains on their necks, and they are the people of the Fire, abiding therein for ever.’”

On one occasion it implies that if they were in doubt as to the advent of the Hereafter, they would remember their original creation and as to how Allah created them out of earth and sperm.16

Elsewhere, it commands the Prophet (S) to tell his people that: He Who originally created them will also recreate them in the Resurrection Day, and there is no room for any astonishment.17

Therefore, the denial and refutation of resurrection means the negation of Allah’s power, His Justice, as well as His Wisdom which implies profanity and paganism.

Such a person, who negates resurrection, will be involved with superstition and ignorance as his entire outlook centers around worldly aims and is entangled with material benefits and selfishness, and he will also be held in the chains of the Divine punishment in the Hereafter.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 6

وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالسَّيّـِئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِمُ الْمَثُلاتُ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَي ظُلْمِهِمْ وَإِنّ َرَبَّكَ لَشَديدُ الْعِقَابِ

6. “And they ask you to hasten on the evil (the chastisement) before the good while there have been exemplary punishments before them. And verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for people despite their injustice; and verily your Lord is strict in retribution.”

The Arabic term /maul at/ is the plural form of /maulah/ which denotes punishment and penalty that man will be inflicted upon. Sometimes, enmity and obstinacy reaches the point where one is inclined to desire death and not to accept the truth.

There are allusions made in the Glorious Qur’an to the examples of such moods and feelings. Among them one is that the pagans used to say:

“O’ Allah! It this (Qur’an) is indeed the Truth from You, then storm us with stone from the sky, or bring us a painful punishment…”18

Elsewhere, the Qur’an says:

“If We had sent down it to any of non-Arabs, and had he recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.”19

Or the people of the Book would tell the pagans and idol worshippers:

“…These are better guided on the way than those who have believed (in Islam).”20

While, the people of the Book among the disbelievers are closer to Islam than the pagans. They were kept away from expressing the truth because of their obstinacy.

In the meantime, the haste shown by some people in the descending of the Divine punishment then may be due to the following reasons:

The ignorance and oblivion due to the history of the predecessors and the lack of belief in the Divine punishment and considering it as remote matter.

Jealousy towards the possessions of others. As it is recorded in history, upon the accession of Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) to the Imamat, someone desired his own death for he could not tolerate the event. This event has been mentioned and alluded to on the occasion of the revelation of Surah Al-Ma‘ arij, verse No. 1.

The feelings of being cut off, depressed, and reaching complete deadlock.

Ridiculing and lack of acceptance, even at the expense of losing one’s life.

Therefore, the verse indicates that: instead of asking for Allah’s blessings, they requested hastening of His punishment.

The verse says:

“And they ask you to hasten on the evil (the chastisement) before the good while there have been exemplary punishments before them…”

Do they think that Allah’s punishment is mere deception, despite the fact that there were divine penalties which were sent down upon the previous rogue and unruly nations the news of which have been recorded on the pages of history and in the heart of the earth?

Then the verse adds implication that the Lord is forgiving towards the people though they are committing cruelty, and,at the same time, He is capable of inflicting severe punishment as well.

The verse says:

“…And Verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for people despite their injustice; and verily your Lord is strict in retribution.”

Surah Ar-Ra‘d - Verse 7

وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلآ اُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَةٌ مِن رَّبّـِهِ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ وَلِكُلّ‌ِ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ

7. “And those who disbelieve say: ‘Why has there not been sent down a sign to him from his Lord? (O’ Prophet!) You are only a Warner, and there is a guide for every people.”

Ibn Abbas has been quoted to say that the blissful Prophet (S) putting his hand on his chest, said: /’anal munŏir/ (I am the Warner), and then alluding to Ali-Ibn-Abi-Talib (as), he said:

“You are the guide, those who will be guided after me will be guided through you.”21

Here, the holy verse deals with one of the criticisms of the obstinate pagans concerning the prophecy, saying that Allah did not send the Prophet (S) with miracles or signs.

The verse says:

“And those who disbelieve say: ‘Why has there not been sent down a sign to him from his Lord?…”

It goes without saying that one of the functions of the Prophet (S) is to present miracles as documentation for his legitimacy and his actual interconnection with the Divine revelation.

However, the opponents of the prophets have not always been entertaining sound intentions. That is, they did not seek miracles for the sake of discovering the truth but, to show their arrogance and disobedience against the Truth, every time they asked for an odd miracle.

So, when facing such individuals, the Prophet (S), without accepting their desires, used to say that performing miracles is in Allah’s hands and it is by His commands that such things happen; then his duty was to guide and train people.

Therefore, in response to these vain requests, the Qur’an continues telling the Prophet (S) that he is only a Warner and to provide people with instructions and guidance.

The verse says:

“…(O’ Prophet!) You are only a Warner…”

In actual fact, the Qur’an implies that these pagans have forgotten the primary objective of the prophet which is the issue of admonition and calling of people towards Allah. They have wrong thought that his primary function has been to perform miracles.

It is interesting to note that the difference between the Qur’anic terms /’inŏar/ and /hid ayat/ is that, the former relates to the leading of the misled to the right path and providing them with self-awareness, while the latter deals with guiding people and directing them forward after they have adjusted their way in the right direction.

Therefore, in various quotations from the Prophet (S) in the books of Shi‘ite and Sunni people, it is quoted that he said: he provided admonitions and Ali was the leader, by whom the guided are guided.

We have it in 26 traditions that, the objective meaning of /h ad/ (guide) is the Immaculate Imams (as).

Notes

1. Bihar, vol. 60, p. 79, and Burhan, vol. 2, p. 278

2. Safinat-ul-Bihar, vol. 2, p. 574

3. Tafsir-ul-Kabir

4. Surah ‘Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 32

5. Ibid

6. Surah An-Nahl, No. 16, verse 12, and Surah ‘Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 33

7. Surah ‘Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 33

8. Surah An-Nahl, No. 16, verse 14

9. Surah Al-Hajj, No. 22, verse 65

10. Surah Al-J athiyah, No. 45, verse 13

11. Tafsir-ul-Furqan

12. Surah Al-Hajj, No. 22, verse 5

13. Surah Shur a, No. 42, verse 11

14. Surah Ar-Rūm, No. 30, verse 21

15. Surah Az-Zariyat, No. 51, verse 49

16. Surah Al-Hajj, No. 22, verse 5 says:

“O’ people! If you are in doubt about the raising, then surely We created you from dust, then from a small seed, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh, complete in make and incomplete, that We may make clear to you; and We cause what We please to stay in the wombs till an appointed time, then We bring you forth as babies, then that you may attain your maturity; and of you is he who is caused to die, and of you is he who is brought back to the worst part of life, so that after having knowledge he does not know anything; and you see the earth sterile land, but when We send down on it the water, it stirs and swells and brings forth of every kind a beautiful herbage.”

17. Surah Yasin, No. 36, verse 79

18. Surah Al-’Anf al, No. 8, verse 32

19. Surah Ash-Shu‘ar a, No. 26, verses 198, 199

20. Surah An-Nis a, No. 4, verse 51

21. Tafsir-ul-Kabir, vol. 19, p. 14, ’Ihq aq-ul-Haqq, vol. 3, p.87


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