Continued from the previous session
Verily, such a being would assuredly partake of body, and place, and direction, and the consequence thereof would be limitation, and subjection to change; and thus, from the summit of being the Necessary Existent, it would fall and be numbered amongst the contingent.
It is here that the delicate expressions of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), in the sentences afore-recited, shine forth like the sun and the moon, casting their radiance upon the countenance of truths, and effacing and annihilating false and superstitious beliefs, and bestowing upon us the most precise, and beautiful, and eloquent lesson in the Oneness of God, and the knowledge of His attributes.
Forasmuch as there ever doth appear, in opposition to every faction that doth exceed due bounds, a company that doth fall short thereof, a certain folk, contrary to the persuasion of those who do liken God unto created things, even degrading Him to the level of body and corporeal substance, have trod the path of negation (ta'til), holding it altogether impossible to know God, neither the essence of His Being, nor His attributes; and that we apprehend naught of the divine attributes save negative conceptions. When we say of Him that He is Knowing, we understand no more than that He is not ignorant. Yet, His very Being Knowing is utterly beyond our comprehension; and thus do they consign the greatest glory of humankind, which is the knowledge of God (ma'rifat Allah) and the recognition of Him, to oblivion, and step upon a path that is all darkness and obscurity, and contrary to the established teachings of the Glorious Quran, which hath unfolded unto us the way to the knowledge of God.
Let us conclude this discourse with another resonant utterance from the Nahj al-Balagha, wherein it is said:
«لَمْ یُطْلِعِ الْعُقُولَ عَلَى تَحْدِیدِ صِفَتِهِ وَ لَمْ یَحْجُبْهَا عَنْ وَاجِبِ مَعْرِفَتِهِ فَهُوَ الَّذِی تَشْهَدُ لَهُ أَعْلَامُ الْوُجُودِ عَلَى إِقْرَارِ قَلْبِ ذِی الْجُحُودِ تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا یَقُولُ الْمُشَبِّهُونَ بِهِ وَ الْجَاحِدُونَ لَهُ عُلُوّاً کَبِیراً» -
"Intellects are not made aware of the defining of His attributes, yet He has not veiled them from the necessary knowledge of Him. He is the One for whom the signs of existence bear witness, compelling the heart of the denier to acknowledge Him. Exalted be Allah far above what those who liken Him to His creatures and those who deny Him say, a great exaltation." (1)
The most excellent expression for finding the straight path of the knowledge and recognition of God, which lieth betwixt excess and deficiency (anthropomorphism and negation), is that which hath been uttered above.
Concerning the manner of the attributes of God, and the true path to their knowledge, most eloquent and clear expressions, at a very high level, are to be found in other sermons of the Nahj al-Balagha, which do complete that which hath been set forth in the sermon under present consideration; and, by the will of God, their exposition shall come in its appointed place.
3-The Negation of Essential and Temporal Origination from His Pure Essence
From the expressions that are contained in this passage, it is understood that His Pure Essence possesseth neither essential origination nor temporal origination. By temporal origination is meant that a thing cometh into being within the expanse of time, or, in other words, a time doth pass when it was not, and thereafter it doth come to be. This conception doth arise after the creation of the material world, for with the creation of the material world, time doth come into being, and temporal origination and non-existence become meaningful.
By essential origination is meant that, irrespective of the coming into being of the material world, something is originated within His very Essence, or, in other words, its existence doth not spring forth from within its own Being, but rather is dependent upon and an effect of another existence. And it is assured that neither of these two kinds of origination hath any place in the Pure Essence of God, who is the Necessary Existent, and hath ever been and ever shall be, nay, whose very Being is existence itself. (Mark this well.)
1- Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 49.
4-Whether the Term "Existent" May Be Applied to God
May the term "existent" (mawjud) be applied unto God? The outward purport of the above expression, which saith: "Existent, not from non-existence; He existeth, yet not in the sense that He had a prior state of non-being," is that there is no impediment to the application of this term unto His Pure Essence. Yet, assuredly, the primary meaning of this word, which is a passive participle and doth signify that another hath bestowed existence upon it, doth not hold true with respect to His Being; and "existent" here doth bear another meaning, and doth signify the possessor of existence, even as it hath been explicitly stated in certain commentaries upon the Nahj al-Balagha that "existent" is sometimes applied unto possible essences that have taken unto themselves the attribute of existence, and sometimes "existent" is said, and the intended meaning is existence itself. (1) This term ("existent") hath also appeared in certain narrations of the Usul al-Kafi. (2)
1- Miftah al-Sa'ada fi Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 139.
2- Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, Bab Adna al-Ma'rifa, Hadith 1, and also vol. 1, Bab an-Nahy 'an as-Sifa, Hadith 1, and also vol. 1, Bab Jawami' at-Tawhid, Hadith 4.
Part the Fourth
Allusion
أَنْشَأَ الْخَلْقَ إِنْشَاءً وَ ابْتَدَأَهُ ابْتِدَاءً بِلَا رَوِیَّةٍ أَجَالَهَا وَ لَا تَجْرِبَةٍ اسْتَفَادَهَا وَ لَا حَرَکَةٍ أَحْدَثَهَا وَ لَا هَمَامَةِ نَفْسٍ اضْطَرَبَ فِیهَا أَحَالَ الْأَشْیَاءَ لِأَوْقَاتِهَا وَ لَأَمَ بَیْنَ مُخْتَلِفَاتِهَا وَ غَرَّزَ غَرَائِزَهَا وَ أَلْزَمَهَا أَشْبَاحَهَا عَالِماً بِهَا قَبْلَ ابْتِدَائِهَا مُحِیطاً بِحُدُودِهَا وَ انْتِهَائِهَا عَارِفاً بِقَرَائِنِهَا وَ أَحْنَائِهَا.
Translation
He originated creation in a manner of origination, and commenced it in a manner of commencement, without any deliberation He turned over in His mind, nor any experience He benefited from, nor any movement He brought about, nor any aspiration of the soul that agitated Him. He assigned things to their times, and reconciled their differences, and implanted their instincts, and accompanied them with their forms, knowing them before their commencement, encompassing their limits and their ends, aware of their accompaniments and their inner aspects.
Explanation and Commentary
The Beginning of Discourse Concerning the Creation of the World
That which hath thus far passed in this most weighty sermon were precise and significant allusions concerning the knowledge and recognition of God, and His diverse attributes, which is the primal stage of human understanding; and from this passage onward, the discourse doth turn to the creation of the world, and the manner of the commencement of being, and the marvels of the heavens and the earth, albeit that from one perspective, it is a completion of the foregoing discussion touching upon the attributes of God.
At the very outset, He saith: "He originated creation in a manner of origination, and commenced it in a manner of commencement, without any deliberation He turned over in His Pure Essence, nor any experience He benefited from, nor any movement He brought about, nor any aspiration of the soul that agitated Him" (Ansha'a al-khalqa insha'an wa ibtada'ahu ibtida'an bi la ru'yatin ajalaha wa la tajribatin istafadahha wa la harakatin ahdathaha wa la hamamati nafsin idtaraba fiha).
Herein, the Imam (peace be upon him) doth utterly sever the Divine Creation from the works of created beings.
For whenas a man doth purpose to perform a deed, if it be without precedent, he doth ponder thereon, and with his own ingenuity doth set about it; and if it hath a precedent, he doth avail himself of the experiences of others, or of his own; and at times, within the confines of his mind, a vast stirring of thoughts doth arise, he doth reflect upon the premises of the matter, and from them doth proceed unto the conclusions; and sometimes he doth remain in doubt and wavering, until at length choosing one course, he doth advance.
None of these four conditions doth reside within the Pure Essence of God, nor at the moment of the creation of things; neither the need for thought and reflection, nor former experience, nor mental movement over premises and conclusions, nor wavering and agitation in the making of decisions. His willing is the same as the coming into being of creatures:
(﴿إِنَّما أَمْرُهُ إِذا أَرادَ شَیْئاً أَنْ یَقُولَ لَهُ کُنْ فَیَکُونُ﴾) -
"His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, 'Be,' and it is." (1)
In other words, these four states pertain unto the deliberation of those whose knowledge and power are limited, and the necessity thereof is the need for thought, or the experiences of others, or agitation and doubt. But He whose knowledge is boundless and whose power is unlimited shall have none of these conditions at the time of creation.
From that which hath been said above, it is well understood that the intended meaning of "movement" in the aforementioned expression is the very motion of thought within the soul.
Yet, this possibility hath also been put forth by certain commentators, that the intended meaning is external physical movement, which is a necessity of bodies, and that God is higher and more exalted than body and corporeal substance.
However, the former meaning doth seem the more fitting, for the other three conditions, which in the aforementioned expression do precede and follow it, all pertain unto decision-making and thought and reflection ere the performance of a deed.
In brief, the actions of God are utterly distinct from the actions of servants, for He, with knowledge of the benefits and harms of things, and awareness of the most perfect order of creation, and with complete and perfect power over all things, doth will with decisiveness, and without any wavering, doubt, thought, or
1- Surah Ya-Sin, verse 82.
experience, doth clothe creatures with the garment of existence. Even so it is at the very commencement of creation, and even so in its continuation.
Then, alluding unto the manner of the creation of beings, and the Divine Governance in the coming forth of things according to a precise and orderly plan, and a calculated arrangement, He saith: "He assigned things to their times (for His creation was gradual, and according to a timed plan, that the greatness of His governance and His peerless power might be more clearly manifest)" (Ahala al-ashya'a li awqatiha).
After the matter of the timing of the creation of beings, alluding unto their specific internal and composite system, He saith: "and reconciled their differences, and established harmony between contrary things" (Wa lama bayna mukhtalifatiha).
This is amongst the marvels of the world of creation, that God hath so joined and harmonized diverse things and beings that it is as if they were all one. He hath harmonized cold and heat, darkness and light, death and life, and water and fire. In the green tree He hath created fire, and He hath created the existence of man and beast and plant from a composition of utterly different substances, with diverse natures; and even betwixt the spirit and the body—which are from two different realms, one immaterial and luminous and exceedingly subtle, and the other material and dark and coarse—He hath established a profound connection.
Then He addeth: "and implanted their instincts and natures within them, and bestowed upon each a particular nature and a unique instinct" (Wa gharraza ghara'iziha).
This, in very truth, is one of the sublime wisdoms of God, that whatsoever is expected of each being hath been created within it naturally and spontaneously, so that without the need for another mover, it doth proceed in that path, and from within its own essence is guided towards its particular purpose; for if these intrinsic motives were not within beings, the effects of things would not endure, and disorder and chaos would hold sway over them.
In these present times, concerning the inherent dispositions of man or other beings, two different terms are employed. At times, the term fitra (innate disposition) is used, and it is said that the knowledge of God is innate in man; and at times, the term ghariza (instinct), as when it is said that man possesseth a sexual instinct, or that the movements of animals are generally of an instinctive nature. This, in sooth, is a terminology established by men of learning. The one is used concerning dispositions that have an intellectual aspect (fitra), and the other concerning those that have a non-intellectual or emotional aspect (ghariza). Yet, in their very root meaning, both do signify creation and origination.
In the final sentence of the passage under consideration, He saith: "and accompanied them with their forms" (Wa alzamaha ashbaha'ha). (2)
The commentators upon the Nahj al-Balagha have set forth two differing interpretations of this sentence. A company,
1- Gharraza, from the root gharz (rhyming with qarz), doth originally signify to thrust in a needle, or to plant, place, and insert; then it hath been applied unto the natures that have been placed within man or other living beings, as if these natures and instincts were saplings planted in the soil of man's existence.
2- Ashbah is the plural of shabah; according to the explicit declaration of many masters of language, it doth originally signify a person, and it hath also come to signify something that is apparent, manifest, and visible; and the fact that in present usage, a semi-visible being that suddenly appears is called a shabah is due to this association.
A company such as Ibn Abi al-Hadid, do hold that the aforementioned sentence doth allude unto the fact that God hath placed these instincts firmly and permanently within beings (wherefore the pronoun alzamaha doth refer unto ghara'iz); consequently, the sentence aforesaid is an affirmation of the fixed nature of the instincts of beings.
Yet, others have said that the intended meaning is the existence of specific individual characteristics for every being, that is to say, God bestowed upon every being particularities, and after they had a universal aspect in God's knowledge, they did come forth in the external world as particulars and individuals (according to this interpretation, the pronoun alzamaha doth refer unto ashya' - things); and some have mentioned both interpretations as two possibilities.
However, inasmuch as in the former interpretation the harmony of the pronouns is not preserved, and moreover, the sentence doth take on an aspect of affirmation rather than setting forth a new point, the latter interpretation doth seem the more correct.
The explanation is this: God bestowed upon every being two kinds of characteristics; characteristics that are within their very essence, which the Imam (peace be upon him) did term instincts; and characteristics that are in the outward aspects and particularities, such as time and place and other details, which He did term alzamaha ashbaha'ha; and thus, in accordance with His sublime wisdom, He did determine intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics for every being, so that each of the beings might perform its particular function and be recognized from other beings.
A Note: The Innate and Cosmic Guidance of All Beings in the World
That which hath come in the sentences above from the words of the Master (peace be upon him) doth allude unto a weighty point, which in the Glorious Quran hath also been repeatedly affirmed, and that is that all beings of the world of creation and matter possess a specific timing, and notwithstanding the existence of contradiction and difference within them, they have harmony with one another and do complete each other, and they are evermore guided with an intrinsic and extrinsic order, and do move towards the ultimate goal as a harmonious and synchronized caravan, not deviating from their path and proceeding precisely towards their destination.
The leaves and fruits of trees in the seasons of spring and summer, their withering and dryness in autumn and winter, the movement of the sun in the twelve constellations, the manner of the system of night and day and the earth's rotation upon itself, as well as the inward and outward powers of man, all do bear witness unto this Divine Cosmic Guidance, even as the Quran doth say from the tongue of Moses (peace be upon him):
(﴿رَبُّنَا الَّذِی أَعْطی کُلَّ شَیْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدی﴾) -
"Our Lord is He who gave to each thing its form and then guided [it]." (1) And it also saith:
(﴿فِطْرَتَ اللّهِ الَّتِی فَطَرَ النّاسَ عَلَیْها﴾) -
"[Adhere to] the fitra of Allah upon which He has created [all] people." (2) And it also saith:
(﴿وَ إِنْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ إِلَّا عِنْدَنا خَزائِنُهُ وَ ما نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَعْلُومٍ﴾) -
"And there is not a thing but that with Us are its depositories, and We do not send it down except according to a known measure." (3)
This, in very truth, is one of the significant signs of God in the world of being, that the more man doth ponder thereon, and the more attention he doth pay unto the matter of
Whether it be existent or non-existent? Some have doubted, and certain do hold that even as time doth arise after the coming into being of creatures and their motion (for time is the very measure of motion), so also place doth arise after the emergence of diverse bodies and their comparison one with another. Whereas it is exceeding difficult for us to conceive that when the first body came into being, place did not exist at all.
When we do erect a building of several stories, even as it doth require a location upon the earth, so also it doth occupy a space above the earth; and if we do erect a larger building, it doth demand a greater space.
In any case, we do accept the outward purport of the words of the Imam (peace be upon him), wherein he saith that space and its environs and its layers are the creation of God, and we do postpone further discourse concerning this matter unto its proper place.
A Note: Whether the Material World is Created in Time
Concerning the question of whether the material world is created in time or is eternal and uncreated, there is discourse amongst the learned and the philosophers. Some do deem it eternal and uncreated, and a great number do consider it created in time; and with regard to the proofs that say that the eternal and everlasting is but one thing, and that is the Pure Essence of God, whatsoever is other than Him is created in time and originated, and dependent upon His Pure Essence.
The proponents of the belief in the temporal creation of the world have sometimes cited philosophical reasons therefor, and sometimes have availed themselves of scientific proofs.
The argument from motion and rest is amongst the well-known philosophical arguments, which doth state that the material world is perpetually subject to motion and rest, and motion and rest are amongst "originated matters" (umur-e-haditha), and whatsoever is subject to originated matters is itself originated. Moreover motion and rest are temporary and need force and everything which is temporary and in need cannot be permanent.
This argument can be stated in a more expansive manner, namely that the material world is perpetually in a state of change, and change and transformation are signs of origination; for if it were eternal, and yet perpetually subject to changes and events, there would be a conjunction of origination and eternity, meaning that we would have to deem changes, which are originated matters, to be eternal, and this is a manifest contradiction.
This argument is rendered more apparent and clear with the acceptance of substantial motion (harakat-e-jawhari), which doth state that motion is inherent in the very essence of things, nay, is the very essence thereof; for the existence of motion, which is an originated matter, hath no meaning in eternity. (Mark this well.) This argument is subject to criticisms and examinations, the proper place for which is in philosophical discussions.
But the scientific proof is a proof that doth state that the universe is perpetually in a state of decay and "entropy," and numerous scientific proofs have established this perpetual decay; the planets, the fixed stars, the galaxies, the earth, and whatsoever is upon the earth are subject to this law. This continuous decay is proof that the material world hath an end and a termination; for decay cannot continue unto infinity, and when we accept that it hath an end, we must also accept that it hath a beginning; for if something is not eternal, it is assuredly not uncreated in time either. For eternity doth signify being without end, and whatsoever is without end is unlimited, and the unlimited hath no beginning; therefore, whatsoever is not eternal shall not be uncreated in time either.
This matter can be expressed in another way, namely that if the universe were uncreated in time and in a state of decay, this decay would have brought the life of the universe to an end, for infinite decay is equivalent to non-existence.
Again, in other words, according to the latest scientific theories, the material world is moving towards uniformity. Atoms are gradually disintegrating and being converted into energy, and energies are moving towards uniformity (just as if we light a flame in a room, the combustible material is converted into heat, and the heat gradually spreads throughout the room, becoming uniform and undifferentiated).
If infinite time had passed over the universe, this state—the conversion of all matter into energy, and the conversion of active energies into uniform and inert energy—would have been attained.
But in any case, the meaning of this discourse is not that there was a time when God had no creatures, and His effusive bessings in His Pure Essence was without effusion of blessings; rather, on the contrary, it can be said that God hath ever had creatures, but these creatures have been perpetually in change and transformation, and the totality of these creatures hath been dependent upon His Pure Essence, or, in other words, these creatures hath possessed essential origination, not temporal origination. For temporal origination is not conceivable for the totality. (Mark this well.)
As it hath come in the traditions: «کان اللّه و لا شیء معه» -
"God was, and there was naught anything with Him" (1) - the intended meaning is that there was naught anything with His Pure Essence, but rather that His creatures were. (Mark this well.)
1- Tawhid al-Saduq, p. 66. Similar content is also found on pp. 145 and 226.
Part the Sixth
Allusion
فَأَجْرَى فِیهَا مَاءً مُتَلَاطِماً تَیَّارُهُ مُتَرَاكِماً زَخَّارُهُ حَمَلَهُ عَلَى مَتْنِ الرِّیحِ الْعَاصِفَةِ وَ الزَّعْزَعِ الْقَاصِفَةِ فَأَمَرَهَا بِرَدِّهِ وَ سَلَّطَهَا عَلَى شِدَّتِهِ وَ قَرَنَهَا إِلَى حَدِّهِ الْهَوَاءُ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا فَتِیقٌ وَ الْمَاءُ مِنْ فَوْقِهَا دَفِیقٌ
Translation
Then He caused to flow therein (in that vast space) water whose currents surged and whose waves were piled high and roaring; He laid it upon the back of the violent wind and the tempestuous, shattering blast; then He commanded it to return its waves, and gave it dominion over its vehemence, and confined it within its bounds; the air was rent open beneath it, and the water above it was in swift motion.
Explanation and Commentary
The First Creation Was Water
That which is understood from the words of the Master of the Believers, Ali (peace be upon him), in this section of his discourse and the section to follow, in explanation of the manner of the world's coming into being, is that God, in the beginning, created water—or, in other words, a fluid state resembling water—and laid it upon the back of a violent wind; this wind was charged with the task of completely preserving that fluid state, and preventing its dispersion, and confining it within its limits and boundaries.
Then He stirred up another violent wind, whose task it was to create waves in that vast and extensive fluid state; and that violent wind made the mighty waves of water (or fluid state resembling water) mightier and struck it repeatedly; then the waves rose so high that they were successively flung into space, and from them the seven heavens came into being.
It is self-evident that words such as water, and wind, and tempest, and the like—in that day when there was neither water, nor wind and tempest, nor even a day—are metaphors for beings resembling the water and wind and air that we see today, for the originators of language established these words for these things, and never established a word for that which occurred at the beginning of the world.
With a little reflection, that which hath come in the words of the Master of the believers (peace be upon him) can be interpreted in accordance with the latest hypotheses that the scientists of today have put forth; we do not say that this is assuredly the intention of the Master of the believers, but rather we say that such an interpretation is also scientifically possible to be offered for it.
The explanation is this: the latest hypotheses of today concerning the coming into being of the world are that in the beginning, the entire universe was in the form of a very vast mass of compressed gas, which resembled a liquid, and could also be termed "dukhan" (smoke); or, in other words, in the higher regions it was smoke, and the closer it became to the center of the universe, the more compressed it became and took on the form of a liquid.
That which held this extraordinarily vast mass together was the very force of gravity, which exists amongst all the particles of the universe; this force of gravity had dominion over this liquid-like gas, and held it firmly together, not allowing it to go beyond its boundaries.
Then this vast mass began its rotary motion around itself (or it had been rotating around itself from the very beginning); at this point, the centrifugal force came into being. (1)
This centrifugal force caused vast masses of this compressed gas to be flung into empty space.
1- Everything that rotates around itself, under a mysterious force, tends to flee from that center, just like a fire whirl that we rotate with our hand; if we suddenly release it, it is flung to a distant point; this is the very centrifugal force, and the stronger it is, the more forceful the outward projection becomes.
In the words of the Nahj al-Balagha, to send the waves of this sea in every direction, or, in other words, to send forth the foam that had appeared upon its surface, and raise it into the open air and the vast atmosphere (these very expressions come in the sentences to follow in this sermon), and from it the systems and the galaxies and the small and large spheres of the upper world—or, in the words of the Quran and the Nahj al-Balagha, the seven (many) heavens—came into being.
Without insisting that we apply the aforementioned expressions to these theories, we say this much: that within the horizon of the current scientific theories and hypotheses concerning the coming into being of the heavens and the systems and the galaxies and the earth, the sentences that have come in the words of the Master of the believers (peace be upon him) are perfectly comprehensible.
Now, let us hearken unto the precise and subtle expressions that have come in the words of the Imam:
First, He saith: "Then God caused to flow therein (in that vast space which He had previously created) water whose currents surged and whose waves were in violent motion" (Fa'ajra fiha ma'an mutalatiman tayyaruh).
"Mulatatim" signifies the clashing of waves against one another, and "tayyar" signifies any kind of wave, especially waves that fling water outwards.
Is this surging and turbulent water the very primal liquid-like compressed gas that constitutes the primary matter of the universe according to the theories of the scientists of today?
Then, with further emphasis upon the surging and turbulence of this water, He saith:
"This was while waves were rising from this roaring sea and mounting one upon another"
1- Mulatatim is originally from the root latm (rhyming with khatm), which signifies striking the face with the palm of the hand; then it has been used to signify the clashing of waves against one another.
2- Tayyar originally signifies waves of the sea that fling water outwards; some have applied it to any kind of wave (Maqayis al-Lugha and Lisan al-'Arab).
(Mutarakiman zakhkharuh). (2)
Then He addeth: "He laid this water upon the back of the violent wind and the tempestuous, shattering blast" (Hamilahu 'ala matn ar-rih al-'asifa wa az-za'za' al-qasifa). (3, 4, 5)
"'Asif" signifies striking and shattering, "za'za'" signifies agitated and violent, and "qasif" also signifies shattering; and all of these are successive emphases to express the power of that violent wind and its intensity and vastness.
"This mighty and terrifying tempest was charged with the task of preserving the waves of water and joining its parts together and keeping them within its confines" (Fa'amaraha bi raddihi wa sallataha 'ala shiddatihi wa qaranaha ila haddihi). (6)
Is this mighty and violent tempest an allusion to the waves of gravity that God hath made dominant over all the particles of the material world.
.....
1- Mutarakim is from the root rakam (rhyming with razm), which signifies the piling up of something and the casting of some of it upon other parts; it is applied to clouds, sands, waters, and even dense and crowded human beings gathered together in one place (Mufradat, Lisan al-'Arab, and Maqayis al-Lugha).
2- Zakhkhar is from the root zakhr and zukhur, which originally signify rising high; it is also applied to the filling of the sea and their rising (Lisan al-'Arab and Maqayis al-Lugha).
3- 'Asifa is from the root 'asf (rhyming with 'asr), which originally signifies lightness and speed; hence, the husks of grains and broken pieces of straw that are scattered rapidly are called 'asf; and 'asif and mu'asif are said of that which crushes and strikes and softens things (Mufradat, Lisan al-'Arab, and Maqayis al-Lugha).
4- Za'za' (rhyming with zamzam) originally signifies movement and agitation and vibration; it is also used to signify "violent" (Maqayis al-Lugha and Lisan al-'Arab).
5- Qasifa is from the root qasf (rhyming with hazf), which originally signifies the breaking of something; hence, violent storms that break ships at sea, as well as violent and shattering thunder and lightning, are called qasif (Mufradat, Lisan al-'Arab, and Maqayis al-Lugha).
6- Shidd (rhyming with madd) originally signifies the strength and power of something; hence, strong individuals (especially strong in war) are called shadid; this word is also used for tying a knot firmly and for solidity—whether in the body or in inward and spiritual forces, or in calamity and torment (Lisan al-'Arab, Mufradat, and Maqayis al-Lugha).
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It causes the cohesion of its parts and prevents the dispersion of its particles, controlling all and keeping them within its confines? What expression could be found to describe the mighty waves of gravity in those conditions better than a violent and controlling tempest?
"All this was while the air beneath it was rent open and the water (that liquid-like compressed gas) above it was in swift motion" (Al-hawa'u min tahtiha fatiqun wa al-ma'u min fawqiha dafiq). (1, 2)
"Fatiq" is from the root fatq, whose meaning was given in the preceding passage, and "dafiq" is from the root dafq and signifies swift motion.
Yea, these roaring waves were restrained by that violent wind and prevented from transgressing their bounds.
Here the question arises: with the existence of this controlling and restraining violent wind, how did those roaring waves come into being upon the surface of the water? Usually, waves are caused by the movement of winds and tempests, whereas here the tempest had a restraining role and controlled the waves; so what factor caused the waves to be in motion?
It seems that the factor in the coming into being of these waves was something within them that perpetually stirred and agitated the water; what this factor was is not precisely clear to us, but it is perfectly consistent with the theories of the scientists of today, for they say that within the primal liquid-like gases, successive nuclear explosions occurred, the very explosions that are even now occurring within the heart of our sun. These mighty explosions perpetually disturbed the tranquility of this liquid-like gas and created a vast turbulence in its roaring waves.
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1- Fatiq is from the root fatq, whose meaning was given in the preceding passage.
2- Dafiq is from the root dafq (rhyming with dafn), which originally signifies driving something forward, and it is also used to signify speed. A swift camel is called adfaq.
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To complete this passage, we must follow its continuation in the passage to follow and obtain a precise depiction of the coming into being of the world from the viewpoint of the Master of the believers (peace be upon him).
Verily, this is amongst the most significant signs of God in the world of being, that the more a man doth meditate thereupon, and the more heed he doth give unto the matter of cosmic guidance, and order, and the timing of events, and the concord amidst diverse things, the more familiar he shall become with the profound depths of this matter.
Then He addeth: "knowing them before their commencement, encompassing their limits and their ends, aware of their accompaniments and their inner aspects".
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1- Surah Ta-Ha, verse 50.
2- Surah Ar-Rum, verse 30.
3- Surah Al-Hijr, verse 21.
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('Aliman biha qabla ibtida'iha muhitan bi hududiha wa intihaiha 'arifan bi qara'iniha wa ahna'iha). (3)
These three sentences are in very deed a reason, or an exposition, for the sentences that have gone before; for whosoever doth purpose to bring forth every being at its fitting time, and to harmonize diverse things one with another, and to establish intrinsic instincts and extrinsic necessities, each in its proper place, doth need, upon the one hand, a knowledge complete and comprehensive, and upon the other hand, an encompassing and power wholly perfect.
Wherefore He saith: "God was aware of all things before He commenced their creation, and He knew their limits and their ends, and He had the power over them all" ('Aliman biha qabla ibtida'iha...). Not only was He aware of them themselves, and their beginning and their end, but He knew also their necessities, and their aspects, and their causes, and their effects. Assuredly, whosoever is aware of all these matters, and hath the power and the ability to perform them, can precisely place each in its appointed station, and bestow upon each whatsoever it doth require, and guide it in the path of its being and its life, and bring it unto its desired perfection.
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1- Qara'in is the plural of qarina, which doth signify companion, associate, and friend; and the wife of a man is called qarina for this very reason (Sahah, Qamus, and other lexicons). Certain commentators, such as Ibn Abi al-Hadid, do deem qara'in to be the plural of qaruna (rhyming with ma'una), signifying the self; yet, considering the other expressions that are contained in the sentences above, the former meaning doth seem the more fitting.
2- Ahna' is the plural of hanw (rhyming with fil) and hanw (rhyming with harf); according to the Maqayis al-Lugha and the Lisan al-'Arab, it is said of whatsoever doth possess crookedness and curvature, such as the bone of the chin and the ribs; thereafter it hath also come to signify the sides (for the sides and environs of things do often possess curvature).
3- Mark well that the pronouns in these several sentences do refer unto "things" (ashya') and not unto "instincts" (ghara'iz), as certain commentators upon the Nahj al-Balagha have supposed; for the latter supposition doth not accord well with the content of the sentences.
Certain Considerations
1-Whether the Name "Knowing" May Be Applied unto God
Certain commentators upon the Nahj al-Balagha have expressed doubt concerning this matter, whether it be permissible to describe God as "Knowing" ('arif).
The very source of this doubt doth lie in two matters:
First, that according to Raghib in his Mufradat, ma'rifa and 'irfan do signify the apprehension of a thing through reflection and contemplation upon its effects; or, in other words, ma'rifa is said of a knowledge that is limited and is attained through reflection; and it is assured that the knowledge of God is not thus.
Secondly, that a tradition hath been narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), wherein he saith:
«إِنَّ لَهُ (تَعَالَى) تِسْعَةً وَ تِسْعِینَ اسْماً مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ» -
"Verily, unto Him (the Exalted) are ninety-nine names; whosoever doth enumerate them (and hold faith and knowledge thereof) shall enter Paradise";
There is consensus amongst the learned that the name 'arif is not amongst these ninety-nine names. (1)
Yet, a cursory examination doth reveal that this very word hath been applied unto God many times in Islamic traditions, and in addition to the Nahj al-Balagha, wherein it doth occur here in the form of a description, and elsewhere in the form of a verb, it hath also been used repeatedly in the Usul al-Kafi. (2)
This doth indicate that the word ma'rifa, albeit that in its origin it did bear the meaning of limitation or the need for reflection and contemplation, did thereafter, through frequent usage, acquire a wider meaning, which is said of every kind of knowledge and awareness, even though it be not the fruit of reflection and thought.
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1- Ibn Maytham doth raise this matter as a difficulty, and thereafter doth offer a response, stating that the names of God are more numerous than this count, and doth cite proofs thereof (Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, Ibn Maytham, vol. 1, p. 137). It must be noted that the tradition above hath been narrated in al-Durr al-Manthur from the Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim, and the Musnad Ahmad, and the Sunan al-Tirmidhi, and numerous other well-known books - al-Durr al-Manthur, vol. 3, p. 147 (Payam-e-Quran, vol. 4, p. 46).
2- Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 91, Bab an-Nisba, Hadith 2 and p. 113, Bab Huduth al-Asma', Hadith 2.
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And as for the tradition concerning the ninety-nine names of God, it must be said that it is never inferred from this tradition that the divine names are limited unto ninety-nine; rather, these are in very truth the most prominent attributes and the most beautiful names of God, and for this very reason, in certain traditions, one thousand names are mentioned for God; and what greater proof than that Ali (peace be upon him), who is himself the most knowing of the names and attributes of God, hath, according to the narration of the Nahj al-Balagha, employed this name or its derivatives with respect to God.
2-The Manner of God's Knowledge of Beings Before Their Creation
One of the most intricate matters of philosophy and belief is the question of "God's knowledge of beings before their creation." Upon the one hand, we know that God is aware of future events, and this is repeatedly alluded to in the verses of the Quran, and is also mentioned in the passage above.
Upon the other hand, the knowledge of God is not, in technical terms, "acquisitive knowledge" ('ilm-e-husuli), meaning that the mental image and form of things is not reflected in His Essence, for He doth not possess a "formal mind" like created beings, and His knowledge is not through the reflection of the forms of existents; rather, His knowledge is "presential knowledge" ('ilm-e-huduri), meaning that the very being of creatures is present unto Him; and we know that presential knowledge concerning things that have not yet come into being hath no meaning; indeed, this difficulty can even be raised concerning beings that have perished and been annihilated in the past; for if we are aware of them, it is due to the mental images and memories that are imprinted within our souls; but He who hath no formal mind like that of creatures, nor memory, nor inward imprints, and whose Pure Essence is not the locus of events, how can He be aware and informed of them? For example, the form of Pharaoh and his companions hath disintegrated, and their history hath passed; we can only bring an image of them into our minds, but God, whose knowledge is not like this, how doth He have awareness of them?
Can it be said that He is not aware of the past? Or that He hath no knowledge of the future? Never!
Then, if He is aware, how doth He possess this awareness? This intricate matter hath greatly exercised the minds of philosophers and theologians, and they have conceived numerous answers thereto, to which we may make passing allusions in this discourse:
1-God hath ever been and is aware of His Pure Essence, which is the cause of all things; and in other words, His Essence hath unto His Essence the most sublime presence, and this knowledge of His own Essence is a comprehensive knowledge of all events and beings of the world, before their creation and after their creation.
The explanation is this: if we possess precise knowledge of the cause of things, this knowledge shall necessitate knowledge of their effect and consequence; for every cause doth possess all the perfections of its effect, and more besides; and inasmuch as God is the cause of all things, and hath knowledge of His own Essence, He hath knowledge of all things as well, and this is in very truth a kind of detailed unveiling, with respect to all of them, through comprehensive knowledge.
This matter can be explained in another way, by saying that past events are never completely annihilated, and their effects do exist within the heart of present events; likewise, future events are not separate from present events, but are precisely connected therewith, and do spring forth therefrom; and in this manner, past, present, and future do constitute a chain-like series of cause and effect, wherein awareness of any one of its links doth signify awareness of the links before and after it.
For example, if we were to know precisely the state of the atmosphere of the entire globe, and the factors that cause the present weather, and were aware of all the details and the cause-and-effect relationships thereof, we could know precisely the state of the weather thousands of years ago or thousands of years hence.
For the record of the past and the future is present in the now. Today is precisely a reflection of yesterday, and tomorrow a reflection of today; and complete awareness of all the details of today is equivalent to complete awareness of past and future events.
Now, if we attend unto this truth, that God is the primal source of all events of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and that He hath knowledge of His Pure Essence, we must needs acknowledge that He is also aware of future, past, and present events. Of course, every being hath every effect by His leave and command, but His way hath been established that He doth bestow effects and properties upon beings, and whenever He doth will, He doth withdraw them. (1)
2-Another path that is taken to answer this question is that yesterday, today, and tomorrow are conceived with respect to our knowledge and awareness, for we are beings of limited existence; but with respect to God, whose Essence is unlimited, yesterday, today, and tomorrow have no meaning; rather, all things and events, in their own vessel, with all their particularities and details, are present unto Him.
This subtle and precise matter can be made clear by the mention of an example:
Suppose a person is imprisoned in a small room that has only a small aperture to the outside. While a train of camels passes before this aperture, he first observes the head and neck of one camel, then its hump, then its feet and tail, and likewise the other camels in the train.
This smallness of the window of vision causes him to construct for himself a past and a future, a bygone and a yet-to-be; but for one who is outside this small room, and standing upon the roof, in the open air, looking out over the entire desert, the matter is otherwise; he sees the entire train of camels all at once, moving along. (Mark this well.)
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1- Those who have resorted to this answer to resolve the aforementioned difficulty are faced with this question: that the necessary consequence of this statement is that God did not have awareness of the multiplicity of beings with the attribute of multiplicity before their existence, for multiplicity is never within His Essence; or, in other words, His knowledge of beings before their existence and after their existence is different: previously it is in the form of comprehensive knowledge, and afterwards in the form of detailed knowledge; and wondrously, some of them have acknowledged this difference.
Part the Fifth
Allusion
ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَ- سُبْحَانَهُ- فَتْقَ الْأَجْوَاءِ وَ شَقَّ الْأَرْجَاءِ وَ سَکَائِکَ الْهَوَاءِ
Translation
Then God, the Exalted, created the expanse of the atmospheres, and clove asunder their confines, and brought into being the empty spaces of the air!
Explanation and Commentary
How the Creation of the World Began
In the very first sentence of the passage under consideration, He doth turn unto the beginning of creation, and alluding unto the creation of space, He saith: "Then God, the Exalted, created the expanse of the atmospheres, and brought into being space" (Thumma ansha'a subhanahu fatqa (1) al-ajwa' (2)).
"And clove asunder its confines" (Wa shaqqa (3) al-arja' (4)).
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1- Fatq (rhyming with mashq) doth originally signify the opening and the space between two things, the opposite of ratq (even as Raghib hath stated in his Mufradat); and the morning is called fatiq because it doth cleave the horizon and appear; and according to the Lisan al-'Arab, eloquent and articulate individuals are called fatiq al-lisan because they possess a fluent tongue.
2- Ajwa' is the plural of jaww; according to the Mufradat and the Lisan al-'Arab, it doth signify the air and the space that is between the earth and the sky.
3- Shaqq doth signify a cleft in something, and for this very reason, the differences that occur amongst a people and separate them are called shiqaq.
4- Arja' is the plural of raja' (without hamza); according to the Maqayis al-Lugha, it doth signify the environs of a well or the environs of anything; and when raja' (with hamza) is said, it doth signify hope. Certain scholars, such as the author of al-Tahqiq, do hold that the original meaning is that which is hoped for in the sides and environs, and these sides and environs that are the object of hope are called raja' (without hamza).
"And likewise brought into being the layers of space and air" (Wa saka'ika (1) al-hawa' (2)).
In the first part, there is an allusion unto the opening of space; in the second part, unto the creation of its environs and confines; and in the third part, unto its layers.
All these sentences do indicate that the primal creation in the material world was the creation of the space of the universe, a space that possessed the capacity to receive the celestial spheres and the systems and the galaxies, just like a vast sheet of paper that a skilled painter doth first prepare for the drawing of a design.
From this it doth become clear that the word thumma (then) in this place doth not signify a developmental order, but rather an order and delay in exposition; for in the preceding sentences, there was an allusion unto the creation of various beings and the cosmos, and assuredly the creation of space and then the celestial spheres and the earth cannot be after that. In very truth, in the preceding passage there was a general discussion concerning the creation of beings, and in this part, a fresh explanation and detail thereof is set forth.
In any case, the outward purport of these expressions is that space is one of the creations, or the very first creation, in the material world. Yet, certain philosophers and theologians have expressed doubt as to whether space is an
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1- Saka'ik is the plural of sakaka (rhyming with khalasa); according to the Lisan al-'Arab, it doth signify the air and the space that is situated between the heaven and the earth; and according to Ibn Abi al-Hadid, it is the upper parts of space.
2- Hawa' doth originally signify emptiness and falling; and therefore every empty thing is called hawa', including the space between the earth and the sky; and the fact that sensual desires of the soul are called hawa' is because they are the cause of man's downfall in this world and the next world. (Maqayis al-Lugha, Mufradat al-Raghib, Lisan al-'Arab). It would seem that the widespread use of this word for the invisible gas composed of "oxygen" and "nitrogen" that fills our surroundings is a recent usage, which also has a connection with the original meaning, for it appears as a kind of empty space (although in certain traditions it has also appeared in this meaning).
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existent or a non-existent thing, and some do hold that just as time doth come into being after the emergence of beings and their movement (for time is the very measurement of movement), so also place doth come into being after the emergence of various bodies and their comparison with one another; whereas it is very difficult for us to conceive that when the first body came into being, place did not exist at all.
When we construct a multi-story building, just as it requires a location upon the earth, so also it occupies a space above the earth; and if we construct a larger building, it demands a larger space.
In any case, we do accept the outward meaning of the words of the Imam (peace be upon him), wherein he saith that space and its environs and its layers are the creation of God, and we do postpone further discussion concerning this matter to its proper place.
A Note: Whether the Material World is Created in Time
Concerning the question of whether the material world is created in time or is eternal and uncreated, there is discourse amongst scholars and philosophers. Some do deem it eternal and uncreated, and a great number do consider it created in time; and with regard to the proofs that say that the eternal and everlasting is but one thing, and that is the Pure
Part the Seventh
Allusion
ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَ سُبْحَانَهُ رِیحاً اعْتَقَمَ مَهَبُّهَا وَ أَدَامَ مُرَبَّهَا وَ أَعْصَفَ مَجْرَاهَا وَ أَبْعَدَ مَنْشَأَهَا فَأَمَرَهَا بِتَصْفِیقِ الْمَاءِ الزَّخَّارِ وَ إِثَارَةِ مَوْجِ الْبِحَارِ فَمَخَضَتْهُ مَخْضَ السِّقَاءِ وَ عَصَفَتْ بِهِ عَصْفَهَا بِالْفَضَاءِ تَرُدُّ أَوَّلَهُ إِلَى آخِرِهِ وَ سَاجِیَهُ إِلَى مَائِرِهِ حَتَّى عَبَّ عُبَابُهُ وَ رَمَى بِالزَّبَدِ رُکَامَهُ فَرَفَعَهُ فِی هَوَاءٍ مُنْفَتِقٍ وَ جَوٍّ مُنْفَهِقٍ فَسَوَّى مِنْهُ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ جَعَلَ سُفْلَاهُنَّ مَوْجاً مَکْفُوفاً وَ عُلْیَاهُنَّ سَقْفاً مَحْفُوظاً وَ سَمْکاً مَرْفُوعاً بِغَیْرِ عَمَدٍ یَدْعَمُهَا وَ لَا دِسَارٍ یَنْظِمُهَا ثُمَّ زَیَّنَهَا بِزِینَةِ الْکَوَاکِبِ وَ ضِیَاءِ الثَّوَاقِبِ وَ أَجْرَى فِیهَا سِرَاجاً مُسْتَطِیراً وَ قَمَراً مُنِیراً فِی فَلَکٍ دَائِرٍ وَ سَقْفٍ سَائِرٍ وَ رَقِیمٍ مَائِرٍ
Translation
Then God, the Exalted, brought forth a wind, barren its blowing, enduring its abiding, violent its course, and distant its source. And He commanded it to churn the surging waters, and to stir up the waves of the seas. And it churned it as the skin of the water-carrier is churned, and it swept through it as it sweeps through the vastness of space. It returned its beginning to its end, and its still waters to its moving waves, until its foam rose high and cast forth its gathered froth. Then He lifted it into the open air and the boundless expanse, and fashioned therefrom seven heavens. He made the lowest thereof a contained wave, and the highest a guarded and lofty canopy, without pillars to support it, nor cords to bind it. Then He adorned it with the adornment of the stars, and the light of the piercing luminaries, and set therein a radiant lamp and a shining moon, in an orbit revolving, and a roof moving, and a tablet flowing.
Explanation and Commentary
The Role of Tempests in the Beginning of Creation
This section of the Master of the believers's discourse—as hath been previously alluded to—is a continuation and completion of the former section.
Again, in this place, we first turn unto the understanding of the most precise and profound expressions that have come in the words of the Imam—without any prejudice—and then we shall speak concerning the manner of its conformity with the opinions of the scientists of today regarding the question of the world's creation.
The Master of the believers's, in this section of his discourse, doth allude unto several stages:
First, he saith: "Then God, the Exalted, brought forth another wind and tempest (which possessed four characteristics that set it apart from the ordinary winds and tempests of our earthly sphere). It was a barren wind" (Thumma ansha'a subhanahu rihan a'taqama (1) mahabbuha (2)), having neither cloud to join it and bring rain, nor flower to fertilize. "A wind that was attendant upon and inseparable from the water" (Wa adama murabbuha (3)), unlike ordinary winds that are not constant, sometimes blowing and sometimes still.
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1- A'taqama is from the root 'aqm (rhyming with qufl), signifying dryness that prevents the acceptance of effect, and 'aqim is said of a woman who is barren and does not accept the sperm of a man; it also signifies narrowness and constriction. (Mufradat, Lisan al-'Arab, and Maqayis al-Lugha).
2- Mahabb is from the root hubub (rhyming with sujud), signifying awakening and the setting in motion of a sword, and generally, becoming agitated; hence, it is also applied to the blowing of the wind.
3- Murabb is from the word rabb, which originally signifies nurturing, and the nurturer, owner, and creator are also called rabb (it is a verbal noun with an active meaning); and whenever it comes in the if'al form (irbab), it signifies continuity and adherence (for nurturing is not possible without continuity). Therefore, murabb, which is a mim-form noun, signifies permanence and abiding.
"A wind whose current was most strong and powerful (differing greatly from ordinary winds and tempests)" (Wa a'safa (1) majraha).
"A wind that originated from distant points (not like ordinary winds that often have sources near to themselves)" (Wa ab'ada mansha'aha).
In the second stage, he alludes to the mission of this wind, saying: "And He commanded it to continuously churn that deep and accumulated water" (Fa'amaraha bi tasfiq (2) al-ma' az-zakhkhar).
"And to set in motion the waves of those oceans in every direction" (Wa atharata mawj al-bihar).
"This mighty tempest churned that water as the water-carriers' skin is churned" (Famakhadathu (3) makhd as-siqa'). "And it violently lifted it towards space" (Wa 'asafat bihi 'asfaha bil-fada').
"This tempest cast the beginning of this water upon its end, and carried the still parts towards the moving parts" (Taruddu awwalahu ila akhirih wa sajiya (4) ila ma'irih (5)).
In the third stage, he saith: "The waters became piled up and rose high" (Hatta
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1- A'safa is from the root 'asf (rhyming with 'asr), as we have said, signifying speed and motion and intensity.
2- Tasfiq is from the root safq (rhyming with saqf), signifying the striking of one thing against another in such a way that a sound arises therefrom; hence, clapping the hands is called tasfiq, and here it signifies the shaking and striking of waters against one another (Lisan al-'Arab, Maqayis al-Lugha, Sharh 'Abduh).
3- Makhd is from the root makhaḍ (rhyming with qarḍ), originally signifying the moving and shaking of liquids in their vessels; hence, when yogurt is shaken in a skin to separate the butter from it, this expression is used.
4- Saji is from the root sajw (rhyming with sahw), signifying stillness and tranquility.
5- Ma'ir is from the root mawr (rhyming with fawr), originally signifying rapid flow; this word is also applied to a "highway" because people are in motion and traffic upon it.
'abba 'babuh (1)). "And the accumulated parts of the water cast forth froth from themselves" (Wa rama biz-zubdi rukamuh (2)).
Finally, in the fourth stage: "God lifted this froth into the vast expanse above and the open and boundless atmosphere" (Farafa'ahu fi hawa'in munfatiqin wa jawwin munfahiqin (3)).
"And from it He fashioned and ordered the seven heavens" (Fasawwa minhu sab'a samawat).
This was while He made its lower parts like a contained wave.
"And He made its upper parts like a guarded and lofty canopy" (Ja'ala suflahunna mawjan makfufan (4) wa 'ulyahunna saqfan mahfuzan wa samkan (5) marfu'a).
"While there was no pillar to support it, nor nail or rope to bind it in order and restraint" (Bi ghayri 'amadin (6) yad'amuha (7) wa la disarin yanzimuha (8)).
Finally, the fifth and last stage arrived: "Then God adorned the heavens with the adornment of the stars and the light of the radiant luminaries" (Thumma zayyanaha bi zinat al-kawakib wa ḍiya' ath-thawaqib (9)).
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1- 'Abab is from the root 'abb, signifying drinking water rapidly and without pause; hence, abundant water, heavy rain, and a mighty flood are called 'abab, and here it signifies the piling up of waters one upon another.
2- Rukam signifies accumulated, as was previously mentioned.
3- Munfahiq is from the root fahaq (rhyming with faraq), signifying vastness and expanse; hence, the wide part of a valley and a full vessel of water are called munfahiq.
4- Makfuf is from the root kaff (rhyming with sadd), signifying contraction and gathering something together. The lower part of the hand is called kaff because contraction and gathering occur by means of it, and a blind person is called makfuf because his eye is contracted and closed.
5- Samk originally signifies height and elevation, and the roof of a house is called samk because it is elevated.
6- 'Amad (rhyming with sabad) and 'umud (rhyming with jamal) are both plurals of 'amud, signifying pillar.
7- Yad'am is from the root da'm (rhyming with fahm), signifying holding something upright, and da'am and da'ama signify the beams by means of which scaffolding is erected, and it is also applied to any thing or person that holds something upright.
8- Disar signifies nail and also the rope by which something is firmly bound.
9- Thawaqib is from the root thaqb (rhyming with saqf), signifying piercing, tearing, and penetrating something; and the radiant stars are called thawaqib for this reason, as if their light pierces the eye and penetrates it, or because their light passes through the heavens and reaches us.
"And He set therein a radiant and luminous lamp (the shining sun) and an illuminating moon in a revolving orbit, and a moving canopy, and a flowing tablet" (Wa ajra fiha sirajan mustatiran (1) wa qamaran muniran fi falakin da'irin wa saqfin sa'irin wa raqimin (2) ma'ir).
Considerations
1-A General Application of This Discourse to Modern Opinions
The scientists of today have theories concerning the coming into being of the world which do not exceed the bounds of hypotheses, for no one existed billions of years ago to observe the manner of the world's genesis. But in any case, there are indications at hand that precisely confirm some of these hypotheses.
The expressions that have come in the words of the Master of the believers are perfectly applicable to the well-known hypotheses, which are presented below for the esteemed readers, without intending to claim that these are assuredly the Master of the believer's meaning.
As we brought forth in the explanation and commentary of the preceding discussions, the world in the beginning was a compressed mass of dense gases that bore a great resemblance to liquids, concerning which both the expression "ma''" (water) was correct, and also the expression "dukhan" (smoke) that has come in the verses of the Quran.
The Creator of the world made two mighty forces dominant over it, which are expressed in the discourse above as two winds:
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1- Mustatir is from the root tayr, originally signifying the lightness of something in the air; then it has come to mean anything swift, as well as birds; and mustatir signifies scattered and widespread. This word is also applied to the rising of the dawn when its light spreads across the horizon.
2- Raqim is from the root raqm (rhyming with razm), originally signifying line and writing, and raqim signifies book. The surface of the sky is also called raqim because it is like a page of a book filled with the designs of the stars (Maqayis al-Lugha, Mufradat, and Lisan al-'Arab).
The force of gravity, which held it together and preserved it from disintegration, and the repulsive force, which, as a result of its rotary motion around itself and the coming into being of centrifugal force, pulled it outwards, and this was the very second violent wind and tempest.
Whenever we accept that the primal rotary motion of the world possessed oscillation, sometimes becoming more intense and sometimes more gentle, it is natural that mighty and tremendous waves would have come into being in that liquid-like gaseous mass, waves constantly piling up and then collapsing.
Finally, the parts that were lighter and possessed a lower specific gravity—and which are expressed in the Master of the believer's discourse as froth—were flung into outer space.
(Do not forget that "zubd" is said both of the froth upon water and of the fats and butter that, due to their lightness, appear upon the contents within a skin.)
Thus, the rotary motion intensified, vast sections of this great mass separated and were flung into space. Those that possessed greater intensity went to higher points, and those that possessed lesser intensity remained at lower points.
But those that went to more distant points were again unable to completely escape due to the force of gravity and became a guarded canopy, and the lower sections were waves of lesser pressure, which he described as a contained wave.
The seven heavens (concerning which we shall speak later) appeared in this vast space, without any pillar being seen amongst them, nor nail or rope holding them, but only the balance of the forces of gravity and repulsion kept these in their places and set them in motion in their orbits.
At that time, space was filled with small and large spheres, and the scattered fragments of these waves, flung outwards, gradually, the smaller fragments, by the decree of gravity, were drawn towards the larger spheres, and space was swept clean, and the stars began to shine, and the luminaries became adornments, the sun radiated light, and the moon began to illuminate, and each moved in its own orbit.
In some hypotheses concerning the coming into being of the world, it is stated that the factor in the separation of the systems and the galaxies and the celestial spheres from the primal mass was a vast internal explosion, the precise cause of which is not known to anyone. This explosion flung vast sections of the primal liquid-like gaseous mass into the surrounding space and formed the spheres and the systems.
It is possible that the expression that has come in the words of the Master of the believers (peace be upon him), that "another violent wind and tempest began to blow, whose source was a distant point, and it violently churned that water until froth appeared upon it," is an allusion to this very vast explosion that originated from the depths of the primal matter.
But in any case, as was said above, the aim is to clarify the conformity of the expressions of this sermon with the existing hypotheses concerning the coming into being of the world, and not to make a definitive judgment or assessment concerning it.
2-How the World Came into Being
Amongst the most intricate questions that scientists and thinkers face is the question of how this world came into being, a question that goes back billions of years and perhaps cannot be contained within the thought of any human being. For this very reason, the great scientists, with all the hypotheses that they have put forth concerning this matter and the arduous studies that they have conducted because of this question, have reached no definitive conclusion, and all express their helplessness before it.
But the inquisitive spirit of man does not allow him to sit silent and not speak concerning this matter. Indeed, the unspoken language of the scientists is this: although we are incapable and powerless to reach the very essence of this matter, we are desirous of drawing a semblance of it in our minds, and of somewhat quenching our thirsty and inquisitive spirits.
In the verses of the Quran and the Islamic traditions, only compressed allusions are seen with respect to this matter, which also draw nothing more than a semi-clear semblance in the mind, and the nature of the matter itself necessitates this.
In any case, that which has come in this noble sermon concerning the coming into being of the world is in harmony with that which we read in Sermon 211, wherein he saith:
«وَ کَانَ مِنْ اقْتِدَارِ جَبَرُوتِهِ وَ بَدِیعِ لَطَائِفِ صَنْعَتِهِ أَنْ جَعَلَ مِنْ مَاءِ الْبَحْرِ الزَّاخِرِ الْمُتَرَاكِمِ الْمُتَقَاصِفِ یَبَساً جَامِداً ثُمَّ فَطَرَ مِنْهُ أَطْبَاقاً فَفَتَقَهَا سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ بَعْدَ ارْتِتَاقِهَا» -
"And it was from the might of His dominion and the wondrous subtleties of His creation that He made from the water of the surging, accumulated, and clashing sea a solid dryness; then He fashioned therefrom layers and clove them asunder, making seven heavens after they were joined together."
In the Islamic narrations, many a discourse is seen concerning this matter, and the greater part of these narrations are in accord with that which hath come in this sermon of the Nahj al-Balagha, save for the difference that in many of them it is stated that first, froth appeared upon that water, and from that froth arose vapour or smoke, and the heavens came into being. (1)
Yet, even as it hath been said, these expressions are not contradictory. For the primal matter was in all likelihood a compressed gas of a liquid-like nature, and expressions such as water, and vapour, and dukhan (smoke) were true with regard to its diverse stages.
This point, too, doth merit attention, that there is no contradiction between those narrations that say the first thing.
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1- For further knowledge of these narrations, you may refer to volumes 3, 10, and 57 of Bihar al-Anwar (Beirut edition). The greater part of these ahadith is in volume 57.
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that God created was water, or that the first thing that God created was the light of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) or intellect. For some of these narrations pertain to the creation of the material world, and some pertain to the creation of the world of immaterial beings and spirits.
From that which hath been said above, it is clear that there is no contradiction between these narrations and that which hath come in verse 11 of Surah Fussilat in the Glorious Quran, wherein He saith:
«ثُمَّ اسْتَوی إِلَی السَّماءِ وَ هِیَ دُخانٌ» -
"Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke."
3-Existing Hypotheses in the Age of the Quran's Revelation Concerning the Genesis of the World
Amongst the interesting points is that in the environment of the Quran's revelation—or, to speak more accurately, in the age when the Quran was revealed—two well-known theories existed concerning the genesis of the world. One was the Ptolemaic system, which had cast its shadow over the scientific circles of the world for about fifteen centuries and continued until the late Middle Ages. According to this hypothesis, the earth was the center of the universe, and nine spheres revolved around it.
These spheres, like the layers of an onion, were transparent, crystalline, and one upon the other. The wandering stars (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) each had their place in a sphere, and the moon and sun also each possessed a sphere. In addition to these seven spheres, there was a sphere pertaining to the fixed stars (the fixed stars being groups of stars that rise and set together and do not change their place in the sky, unlike the five stars mentioned at the beginning). After the eighth sphere, that of the fixed stars, was the ninth, the primum mobile, a sphere that had no stars and whose function was to rotate the entire upper world around the earth, and its other name was the sphere of spheres.
The other hypothesis was the theory of the ten intellects, which also took assistance from the Ptolemaic hypothesis, which pertained to the world of nature.
According to this theory, which was put forth by a group of Greek philosophers, God in the beginning created nothing more than one thing, and that was the first intellect (an angel or a great and immaterial spirit whose name they gave as the first intellect). This intellect created two things: the second intellect and the ninth sphere. Then the second intellect created the third intellect and the eighth sphere, and in this manner, ten intellects and nine spheres were created, and the tenth intellect brought into being the beings of this world.
This hypothetical hierarchy, in reality, had no proof, just as the Ptolemaic hypothesis also lacked sufficient proof, yet whatever it was, it held sway over thoughts for long centuries.
But the Quran and the Islamic narrations accepted neither the first hypothesis nor the second, for in the well-known verses and narrations—especially in the Nahj al-Balagha—no trace of them is found, and this itself is among the proofs of the greatness and independence of the Quran and the Islamic traditions and their origin from the source of revelation and not from human thoughts, otherwise they would have taken on their colour. (1)
You have observed the manner of the genesis of the universe in the words of Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him), which is in harmony with many other narrations.
That which is seen in the Quranic verses and the Islamic narrations is the matter of the seven heavens, not the nine spheres and not the ten intellects, and the interpretation of the seven heavens will come in the discussion to follow.
But unfortunately, a group of the ancient commentators of the Nahj al-Balagha—who were influenced by the hypothesis of the ten intellects and the Ptolemaic theory in the genesis of the world—have drawn it into the commentary
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1- Rather, some verses of the Quran allude to the motion of the earth, such as verse 88 of Surah An-Naml and verse 25 of Surah Al-Mursalat according to some interpretations, and some indicate the floating of the sun and moon in the space of the upper world, such as verse 40 of Surah Ya-Sin. For explanation, refer to Tafsir-e-Namunah.
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of the Nahj al-Balagha and have tried to conform the above sermon to it, an insistence that had no necessity or requirement, for both were hypotheses, hypotheses whose falsehood has been proven today.
The scientific observations of today and the experiences of astronomical scientists have clearly proven that a sphere in the sense that Ptolemy imagined does not exist, and the fixed and wandering stars, whose number is far greater than the ancients imagined, revolve in empty space (the planets around the sun, not around the earth, and the fixed stars around other axes), and the earth is not only not the center of the universe but is a small planet among the planets of the solar system, which in turn is a small system among the millions and billions of systems of the upper world.
But the proponents of the ten intellects, in addition to having taken one basis of their hypothesis from the Ptolemaic system—whose falsehood is among the certainties of today—have placed the other basis upon some rational principles (the principle of "from the one, only one proceeds"), the explanation of which is not appropriate here.
Since this principle, in the view of many scholars, lacks sufficient proof, its other basis will also be invalid. (Pay close attention.) (1)
4-What is Meant by the Seven Heavens?
Not only in the sermon under discussion and some other sermons of the Nahj al-Balagha (Sermon 211), but also in the text of the Glorious Quran, mention is made of "samawat sab'" (the seven heavens).
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1- The late Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi, in Tajrid al-I'tiqad, alludes to the five proofs of the hypothesis of the ten intellects and deems them all incorrect, and in a short sentence says: "Wa adillatu wujudihi madkhulah" - "And the proofs of its existence are flawed." For further explanation, refer to the words of Khwaja and the words of Allamah Hilli in its commentary.
(1)
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Among the ancient and modern scholars, diverse interpretations are seen for the seven heavens, the discussion of all of which is not appropriate here, and among them, this interpretation appears to be the most correct: that what is meant by the seven heavens is the very real meaning of the word, heaven in the sense of a collection of stars and luminaries of the upper world, and what is meant by the number seven is the well-known number, not a number of multiplication meaning many. However, it is understood from other verses of the Quran that what we see of fixed and wandering stars and galaxies all pertains to the collection of the first heaven.
Therefore, beyond this vast collection, there are six other vast collections that form the six heavens, which have thus far remained beyond the reach of human knowledge.
Verse 6 of Surah As-Saffat is evidence for this meaning:
«إِنّا زَیَّنَّا السَّماءَ الدُّنْیا بِزِینَةٍ الْکَواکِبِ» -
"Indeed, We have adorned the nearest heaven with an adornment of stars."
The same meaning has come in verse 12 of Surah Fussilat:
«وَ زَیَّنَّا السَّماءَ الدُّنْیا بِمَصابِیحَ» -
"And We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps."
And in verse 5 of Surah Al-Mulk we read:
«وَ لَقَدْ زَیَّنَّا السَّماءَ الدُّنْیا بِمَصابِیحَ» -
"And We have certainly adorned the nearest heaven with lamps."
Interestingly, the late Allamah Majlisi also mentioned this interpretation in Bihar al-Anwar as a possibility that had occurred to him, or in today's terms, an understanding that he had from the verses and narrations. (2)
It is true that today's scientific instruments have not yet lifted the veil from these six worlds, but in reality, there is no reason to negate them from the viewpoint of modern science either, and perhaps in the future
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1- Interestingly, in seven verses of the Quran, mention has been made of "samawat sab'" (the seven heavens) (Al-Baqarah, verse 29; Al-Isra, verse 44; Al-Mu'minun, verse 86; Fussilat, verse 12; At-Talaq, verse 12; Al-Mulk, verse 3; and Nuh, verse 15). In some verses, it has also been alluded to with other expressions.
2- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 55, p. 78.
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the mystery of this enigma will be unravelled. Nay, from the discoveries of some astronomical scientists, it appears that distant shadows concerning the existence of other worlds are visible. For example, in some space magazines, it has been stated on the authority of the well-known Palomar Observatory: "With the telescope of the Palomar Observatory, millions of new galaxies have been discovered, some of which are a thousand million light-years distant from us."
"But after a distance of a thousand million light-years, a vast, terrifying, and dark space is visible in which nothing is seen. But without doubt, in that terrifying and dark space, there are hundreds of millions of galaxies, by whose gravity the world on our side is held. The entire vast world that appears to us and contains hundreds of thousands of millions of galaxies is nothing but a small and insignificant particle of a greater world, and we are not yet certain whether beyond that second world there is not another world." (1)
Therefore, the worlds that have thus far been discovered by mankind, with all their dazzling and astonishing grandeur, are but a small corner of this great universe, and perhaps the other six worlds will also become clear to mankind in the future.
5-How the Imam (peace be upon him) Was Aware of These Matters
It is noteworthy that the expressions that Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him) uses above concerning the genesis of the universe are never in the form of a hypothesis or probability. Rather, he speaks with certainty, like someone who was present and observing, and this is proof that he received his knowledge from the treasury of divine unseen or from the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny)—which also originated from the source of revelation. And according to Ibn Abi al-Hadid, these indicate that Ali (peace be upon him) possessed all sciences, and this meaning is not far-fetched given his virtues and merits. (1)
How could it not be so, while in another place he himself saith:
«انّا بطرق السّماء اعلم منّی بطرق الارض» -
"Verily, I am more knowledgeable of the paths of heaven than of the paths of earth." (2)
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1- Sharh Nahj al-Balagha by Ibn Abi al-Hadid, vol. 1, p. 80.
2- Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 189.
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Part the Eighth
Allusion
ثُمَّ فَتَقَ مَا بَیْنَ السَّمَاوَاتِ الْعُلَا فَمَلَأَهُنَّ أَطْوَاراً مِنْ مَلَائِکَتِهِ مِنْهُمْ سُجُودٌ لَا یَرْکَعُونَ وَ رُکُوعٌ لَا یَنْتَصِبُونَ وَ صَافُّونَ لَا یَتَزَایَلُونَ وَ مُسَبِّحُونَ لَا یَسْأَمُونَ لَا یَغْشَاهُمْ نَوْمُ الْعُیُونِ وَ لَا سَهْوُ الْعُقُولِ وَ لَا فَتْرَةُ الْأَبْدَانِ وَ لَا غَفْلَةُ النِّسْیَانِ وَ مِنْهُمْ أُمَنَاءُ عَلَی وَحْیِهِ وَ أَلْسِنَةٌ إِلَی رُسُلِهِ وَ مُخْتَلِفُونَ بِقَضَائِهِ وَ أَمْرِهِ وَ مِنْهُمُ الْحَفَظَةُ لِعِبَادِهِ وَ السَّدَنَةُ لِأَبْوَابِ جِنَانِهِ وَ مِنْهُمُ الثَّابِتَةُ فِی الْأَرَضِینَ السُّفْلَی أَقْدَامُهُمْ وَ الْمَارِقَةُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ الْعُلْیَا أَعْنَاقُهُمْ وَ الْخَارِجَةُ مِنَ الْأَقْطَارِ أَرْکَانُهُمْ وَ الْمُنَاسِبَةُ لِقَوَائِمِ الْعَرْشِ أَکْتَافُهُمْ نَاکِسَةٌ دُونَهُ أَبْصَارُهُمْ مُتَلَفِّعُونَ تَحْتَهُ بِأَجْنِحَتِهِمْ مَضْرُوبَةٌ بَیْنَهُمْ وَ بَیْنَ مَنْ دُونِهِمْ حُجُبُ الْعِزَّةِ وَ أَسْتَارُ الْقُدْرَةِ لَا یَتَوَهَّمُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالتَّصْوِیرِ وَ لَا یَجْرُونَ عَلَیْهِ صِفَاتِ الْمَصْنُوعِینَ وَ لَا یَحُدُّونَهُ بِالْأَمَاکِنِ وَ لَا یُشِیرُونَ إِلَیْهِ بِالنَّظَائِرِ
Translation
Then He clove asunder that which was between the lofty heavens, and filled them with diverse hosts of His angels. Among them are those who are ever in prostration, never bowing; and those who are ever bowing, never rising; and those who stand in ranks that never break, and those who glorify Him without weariness.
The sleep of eyes doth not overtake them, nor the error of minds, nor the languor of bodies, nor the heedlessness of forgetfulness doth befall them.
And among them are the trustees of His revelation, and tongues unto His messengers, and those who constantly attend upon His decree and command. And among them are the guardians of His servants and the keepers of the gates of His Paradise.
And among them are those whose feet are fixed in the lowest earths, and whose necks have passed beyond the highest heavens, and whose pillars extend beyond the regions, and whose shoulders are suited to the legs of the Throne, their eyes cast down beneath it, enveloped beneath it with their wings, between them and those below them are drawn veils of glory and curtains of power. They do not imagine their Lord in the form of an image, nor do they ascribe unto Him the attributes of the created, nor do they limit Him to places, nor do they point unto Him with similitudes.
Explanation and Commentary
Concerning the World of Angels
Following the discourse that came in the preceding sections of this sermon concerning the creation of the heavens and the manner of the world's genesis, the Imam (peace be upon him) in this section turns to the creation of the beings of the heavens and the angels of the upper world, and in short and eloquent expressions speaks of the kinds of angels and their attributes and characteristics, and their programs and actions. He also discusses the greatness of the structure of their being and the loftiness of their level of knowledge, and in reality, this section pertains to the introduction of the angels in their diverse dimensions, as he saith:
"Then God clove asunder that which was between the lofty heavens" (Thumma fataqa ma bayn as-samawat al-'ula). (1)
From this expression, it is well understood that between the heavens there are distances
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1- Al-'ula is the plural of 'ulya, the feminine of a'la, meaning high and most noble.
that were at first joined together and then were separated, and this is precisely contrary to that which the Ptolemaic system said, that the heavens, like the layers of an onion's skin, are one upon the other and there is no distance between them.
Then the Imam (peace be upon him) adds: "God filled these distances with diverse hosts of His angels" (Famala'ahunna atwaran (1) min mala'ikatih (2)).
In the Sermon of the Phantoms (Sermon 91), we also read:
«وَ مَلَأَ بِهِمْ فُرُوجَ فِجَاجِهَا وَ حَشَا بِهِمْ فُتُوقَ أَجْوَائِهَا»
"And He filled with them the open spaces of its broad paths, and crammed with them the breaches of its atmosphere."
In another sentence from the same sermon, we read:
«وَ لَیْسَ فِی أَطْبَاقِ السَّمَاءِ مَوْضِعُ إِهَابٍ إِلَّا وَ عَلَیْهِ مَلَکٌ سَاجِدٌ أَوْ سَاعٍ حَافِدٌ» -
"And there is not in the layers of the heaven the space of a hide but that upon it is an angel prostrating or a diligent worker hastening."
Then, turning to the kinds and hosts, or in other words, the diverse states of the angels, he divides them into four groups:
First, he doth make mention of the angels whose duty it is to worship, and these he doth divide into several companies: "A company of them are ever in prostration, and do not bow" (Minhum sujudun la yar-ka'un). (3)
"And a company who are ever bowing, and do not rise up" (Wa ruku'un la yantasibun).
"And a company who are ever standing in ranks, and never depart from this state"
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1- Atwar is the plural of tawr (rhyming with qawl), meaning kind, and it also signifies limit and state.
2- It is true that the apparent meaning of the expression is that the pronoun hunna returns to the heavens, but by the evidence of "thumma fataqa..." and the fa of consequence in "famala'ahunna", what is meant are the distances between the heavens.
3- Sujud is the plural of sajid (one who prostrates), just as ruku' is the plural of raki' (one who bows).
(Wa saffun (1) la yatazayyalun).
Some have taken "saffun" here to mean "drawn up in ranks for worship," and others to mean wings spread out in the heavens (by the evidence of the expression that hath come in the Quran concerning birds, wherein He saith:
«أَ وَ لَمْ یَرَوْا إِلَی الطَّیْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَافَّاتٍ» -
"Have they not seen the birds above them, spreading their wings?"). (2)
This possibility also exists, that what is meant is standing in orderly ranks, ready to obey command and perform orders.
But the first possibility hath a greater harmony with the sentences before and after. In reality, just as our acts of worship have three principal states—standing, bowing, and prostration—so too, each of their companies is immersed in one of these three acts of devotion.
The expression "saffun" either alludes to the orderly ranks of the angels or to the orderly standing of each one. Just as it hath come in the Sermon of Hammam concerning the God-fearing, wherein he saith:
"As for the night, they stand with their feet aligned, reciting the parts of the Quran" (Amma al-layl fa saffuna aqdamahum talina li ajza' al-Qur'an). (3)
"And another company who are ever glorifying God, and never grow weary" (Wa musabbihuna la yas'amun).
The apparent meaning of this sentence is that they are another company besides the three companies who are in prostration, bowing, and standing (although some commentators of the Nahj al-Balagha have suggested that the glorifiers are the same as the preceding companies, and from some narrations their words can be confirmed. For in a narration it hath come that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) was asked about the prayer
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1- Saffun is the plural of saff (rhyming with hadd), from the root saff, meaning equality, and it is originally taken from safsaf, which means level ground.
2- Surah Al-Mulk, verse 19.
3- Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 193.
of the angels. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said nothing until Gabriel descended and said to him:
«أنّ اهل السّماء الدّنیا سجود الی یوم القیامة یقولون سبحان ذی الملک و الملکوت و اهل السّماء الثّانیة رکوع الی یوم القیامة یقولون سبحان ذی العزّة و الجبروت و اهل السّماء الثّالثة قیام الی یوم القیامة یقولون سبحان الحیّ الّذی لا یموت» -
"Verily, the inhabitants of the lowest heaven are in prostration until the Day of Resurrection, saying, 'Glory be to Him Who possesses dominion and sovereignty.' And the inhabitants of the second heaven are in bowing until the Day of Resurrection, saying, 'Glory be to Him Who possesses might and majesty.' And the inhabitants of the third heaven are in standing until the Day of Resurrection, saying, 'Glory be to the Living One Who does not die.'" (1)
Concerning whether what is meant by prostration, bowing, and standing are actions such as our prostration, bowing, and standing, or allusions to the stages of the angels' humility and worship according to their ranks and stations, there is discourse. If we consider the angels to possess bodies (subtle bodies) and to have hands, feet, faces, and foreheads, the first meaning is more appropriate. And if we do not ascribe bodies to them, or if we consider them to have bodies, but not bodies like ours, the second meaning will be more appropriate. (We shall speak concerning this matter in the discussion of the points.)
In any case, the work of this company is all worship and glorification and sanctification of the Great God, as if they have no other task and cherish nothing but devotion. In reality, they are among the signs of God's greatness and the sublimity of His station and His lack of need for the worship of worshippers. In other words, the philosophy of their creation is probably that humans should not become proud of their own worship and should know that if, hypothetically, He had need of worship, the angels of the upper world are everywhere engaged in devotion, so that the earthly servants should not imagine that their worshipping or not worshipping has any effect on His majesty, and if all of them were to disbelieve, no dust would settle upon
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1- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 59, p. 198.
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the skirt of His majesty:
«إِنْ تَکْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللّهَ غَنِیٌّ عَنْکُمْ» -
"If you disbelieve - indeed, Allah is free of need of you." (1)
Then, turning to the attributes of this company of angels, he saith:
"The sleep of eyes doth not overtake them, nor the error of minds, nor the languor of bodies, nor the heedlessness of forgetfulness doth befall them" (La yaghshahum nawm al-'uyun wa la sahw al-'uqul wa la fatrat al-abdan wa la ghaflat an-nisyan).
Contrary to humans, who, if they repeat a program of worship, gradually fall into these states, little by little sleep overcomes their eyes, their bodies weaken,and forgetfulness doth steal upon them. But the worshipping angels are never thus afflicted.
So enamoured are they of devotion, so immersed in supplication and glorification, that neither sleep nor heedlessness nor languor doth ever approach them.
In other words, shortcoming in the performance of this great duty springeth from matters none of which exist in these angels. Sometimes the source is weariness, sometimes the sleep of eyes, sometimes the error of minds, sometimes the weakness of bodies, and sometimes heedlessness and forgetfulness. And since none of these matters are in them, they never show slowness in the worship of their Lord.
Then, turning to the second company of angels, he saith: "And among them are the trustees of God's revelation, and His eloquent tongues unto the messengers, and they are ever coming and going with His decree and command
" (Wa منهم امناء علی وحیه و السنة الی رسله و مختلفون بقضائه و امره).
In truth, they are the intermediaries between the Lord and the prophets, and the interpreters of His revelation.
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1- Surah Az-Zumar, verse 7.
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From this expression, it is understood that it is not only Gabriel (peace be upon him) who is the messenger of God's revelation. He is in truth the chief of the divine messengers.
In the verses of the Quran also, mention hath been made of this company of angels. Sometimes He saith:
«قُلْ نَزَّلَهُ رُوحُ الْقُدُسِ مِنْ رَبِّکَ بِالْحَقِّ» -
"Say, [O Muhammad], the Holy Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth." (1)
In another place He saith:
«قُلْ مَنْ کانَ عَدُوًّا لِجِبْرِیلَ فَإِنَّهُ نَزَّلَهُ عَلی قَلْبِکَ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ» -
"Say, 'Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel - it is he who has brought it down upon your heart, [O Muhammad], by permission of Allah.'" (2)
Sometimes, alluding to the company of angels who bear revelation, He saith:
«یُنَزِّلُ الْمَلائِکَةَ بِالرُّوحِ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلی مَنْ یَشاءُ مِنْ عِبادِهِ» -
"He sends down the angels with the Spirit by His command upon whom He wills of His servants." (3)
In the Islamic narrations and some other sermons of the Nahj al-Balagha, this meaning hath also been alluded to.
It must be noted that what is meant by divine decree and command in the sentences under discussion are the very religious and legal commands and instructions, not the creative decree and command that some commentators of the Nahj al-Balagha have suggested, for it doth not accord with the preceding sentences—wherein the matter of the trustees of revelation hath been raised—and "mukhtalifun" from the root ikhtilaf in this context meaneth coming and going.
Then, turning to the third company of angels, he saith:
"And among them are the guardians of His servants and the keepers of His paradises"
(Wa منهم الحفظة لعباده و السّدنة (4) li abwab jinanih).
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1- Surah An-Nahl, verse 102.
2- Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 97.
3- Surah An-Nahl, verse 2.
4- Sadana is the plural of sadin, meaning servant and doorkeeper.
....
Hafazah is the plural of hafiz, meaning guardian, and in this place, it can have two meanings: one, guardians over the servants who watch over their deeds and record them, as it hath been alluded to in verse 4 of Surah At-Tariq:
«إِنْ کُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمّا عَلَیْها حافِظٌ» -
"There is no soul but that [has] over it a guardian."
Also, in verses 10 and 11 of Surah Al-Infitar, we read:
«وَ إِنَّ عَلَیْکُمْ لَحافِظِینَ کِراماً کاتِبِینَ» -
"And indeed, [appointed] over you are keepers, noble recorders."
The second meaning is guardians of the servants who protect them from afflictions and calamities and various events, for if they were not, humans would be constantly exposed to destruction.
Just as it hath come in verse 11 of Surah Ar-Ra'd, wherein He saith:
«لَهُ مُعَقِّباتٌ مِنْ بَیْنِ یَدَیْهِ وَ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ یَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللّهِ» -
"For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah."
But the first meaning hath a greater accord with the preceding sentences, wherein the discourse was of revelation and religious obligations, and the sentence that followeth, which alludeth to Paradise and the recompense of deeds, although the combination of the two meanings is not far from the purport of the expression.
Sadana is the plural of sadin, meaning doorkeeper, and jinan (rhyming with kitab) is the plural of jannah, meaning Paradise. And from this expression, it is understood that God hath many paradises, and some commentators of the Nahj al-Balagha consider their number to be eight, which are named in the Glorious Quran as: Jannat an-Na'im, Jannat al-Firdaws, Jannat al-Khuld, Jannat al-Ma'wa, Jannat 'Adn, Dar as-Salam, Dar al-Qarar, and Jannat 'ardhuha as-samawat wa al-ard. (1)
Concerning what benefit there is in the existence of angels who guard deeds, it is sometimes said that their benefit is that humans feel a greater responsibility and closer watchfulness
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1- Sharh Nahj al-Balagha by Ibn Maytham, vol. 1, p. 158, and Sharh Nahj al-Balagha by the late Mirza Habib Allah Kho'i, vol. 2, p. 26.
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and are more vigilant in their actions and behaviour. For the aim of all this is the training of man and the prevention of his deviation and evil deeds.
Then, turning to the fourth company of the great angels who are the bearers of the Divine Throne, he saith: "And among them are those whose feet are fixed in the lowest earths, and whose necks have passed beyond the highest heavens, and whose pillars of being and body extend beyond the regions of the world, and whose shoulders are suited and proportionate to the legs of the Throne of God"
(Wa منهم الثّابتة فی الارضین السّفلی اقدامهم و المارقة من السّماء العلیا اعناقهم و الخارجة من الاقطار ارکانهم و المناسبة لقوائم العرش اکتافهم).
Then, stating some of their attributes, he addeth:
"Their eyes are cast down before His Throne, and beneath it they are enveloped with their wings, and between them and those who are in lower ranks are drawn veils of glory and curtains of power" (Nakisat (1) dunahu absaruhum mutalaffi'un (2) tahtahu bi ajnihatihim
مضروبة بینهم و بین من دونهم حجب العزّة و استار القدرة).
Then, giving further description, he saith:
"(The level of their knowledge and understanding is so high that) they never imagine their Lord by the power of fancy, nor do they ascribe unto Him the attributes of the created. They never limit Him to a place, nor do they point unto Him with similitudes and examples"
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1- Nakisah is from the root naks (rhyming with 'aks), meaning to turn upside down and invert. Thus, a child born feet first is called mankus, and arrow shafts whose heads are cut off and turned end for end are called naks.
2- Mutalaffi'un is from the root lafa' (rhyming with naf'), meaning to encompass something and wrap around it. Hence, when a woman wraps her chador around herself, it is said talaffa'at al-mar'ah.
(La yatawahhamuna rabbahum bit-taswir wa la yajrun 'alayhi sifat al-masnu'in wa la yahuddunahu bil-amakin wa la yushiruna ilayhi bin-naza'ir (1)).
Yea, their power is not bodily strength, but they possess an extraordinary spiritual power that none can attain to their station, and for this reason, they have found the worthiness to bear the Divine Throne.
In truth, they have attained the highest station of divine unity, a station worthy of being an example for all the servants of God, especially the eminent among mankind. They ascribe no likeness, similitude, peer, or example to God, and they recognize no limitation concerning His pure essence and attributes. Nay, they deem Him beyond imagination, comparison, conjecture, and fancy, for whatever cometh into the imagination of man or angel is His creation, and God is far above being a creature.
Concerning what is meant by the "Throne," and what the bearers of the Divine Throne do, and what meaning the greatness that hath come in these sentences holds, matters will be discussed in the section of points.
Points
1-What are the Angels Like?!
In the verses of the Glorious Quran, many discourses are seen concerning the angels and their attributes, characteristics, actions, deeds, and various missions, which if collected would form a book.
In the Islamic narrations also, more discourse hath come concerning the angels and their actions, attributes, and stations, but perhaps no explicit discussion concerning the essence of the angels is seen in any of these. For this reason, there is discourse among the scholars concerning their essence.
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1- Naza'ir is the plural of nazir, meaning like.
The theologians, nay, the overwhelming majority of the scholars of Islam, consider them to be corporeal beings (of a subtle body). In some expressions, the word light hath come as the primary substance forming the angels, and in a well-known expression that hath come in many books, we read: "Al-malaku jismun nuriyyun..." - "The angel is a luminous body..."
The late Allamah Majlisi hath gone so far in this matter as to say: "The Imamiyyah, nay, all Muslims save a small group of philosophers...believe that angels exist, and they are subtle, luminous bodies, and they can appear in various forms...and the prophets and the infallible successors used to see them." (1)
In other words, the angels are luminous bodies, and the jinn are fiery bodies, and humans are dense (coarse) bodies.
Another view pertains to a group of philosophers who consider the angels to be immaterial and separate from corporeality, and believe that they possess attributes that cannot be contained in a body.
The late Sharh Kho'i has narrated other views in this regard in Minhaj al-Bara'ah, which in total amount to six views, but many of them have very few adherents.
Without doubt, the existence of angels—especially with those characteristics, stations, and actions that the Quran hath enumerated for them—is among the matters of the unseen, for whose proof with those attributes and characteristics there is no way other than the transmitted evidence.
The Glorious Quran enumerates for them certain characteristics:
1-They are intelligent and conscious beings.
2-All are obedient to God's command and never commit sin or disobedience.
3-They bear important and very diverse duties from God. A group are the bearers
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1- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 56, p. 202 (Bab Haqiqat al-Mala'ikah).
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of the Throne, a group are the regulators of affairs, a group are the angels of the قبض ارواح (qabd arwah - seizing of souls), a group are the watchers over the deeds of mankind, a group are the protectors of man from dangers, a group are the divine helpers for the believers in battles, a group are those charged with the torment and punishment of rebellious peoples, and a group are the messengers of revelation and the bringers of the divine message and heavenly books to the prophets.
4-The angels have different stations, and all are not on the same level.
5-They constantly perform the glorification and praise of God.
6-Sometimes they appear to the prophets or righteous individuals such as Mary (peace be upon her) in the form of a human or in another form.
And other attributes, the explanation of all of which doth not fit into this brief discourse.
Although this discussion of whether the essence of the angels is immaterial or not immaterial hath little effect, the apparent meaning of the verses and narrations—if we do not consider a specific interpretation and explanation for them—is that they are not of this dense and coarse elemental matter, but in any case, they are not absolutely immaterial either. For time, place, and other attributes that are necessary for body and corporeality have come for them in the verses and narrations.
The expressions that have come in the words of Mawla Ali (peace be upon him) in this very section of the sermon (and also in the Sermon of the Phantoms) confirm this view.
But in any case, belief in the existence of angels in general is among the matters that the Glorious Quran emphasizes, as He saith:
«آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِما أُنْزِلَ إِلَیْهِ» «مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ کُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَ مَلائِکَتِهِ وَ کُتُبِهِ وَ رُسُلِهِ» -
"The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers." (1)
This point is also noteworthy: that some ignorant individuals, in order to please those
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1- Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 285.
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who completely deny the unseen realms, have interpreted the angels as the powers and energies that exist in the nature of man and other beings, while a very brief study of the Quranic verses completely negates this way of thinking, for intellect, consciousness, faith, sincerity, and infallibility have been proven for the angels.
2-Kinds of Angels
The angels have many kinds and hosts, to which allusion hath been made in the verses and narrations, and their four main groups are the very ones that have come in the words of Mawla Ali (peace be upon him) in this sermon (the worshippers of the Lord, the guardians and keepers of the account of people's deeds, the messengers of the Lord to the prophets, and the bearers of the Throne).
But as we have said, in the verses, allusion hath also been made to other kinds of them, including those charged with the torment of unjust and rebellious nations, the helpers of the believers, the regulators of affairs, and the seizers of souls. But all of them can be summarized in the regulators of affairs, who are the managers of the world's affairs.
The divine tradition hath been established upon this, that in order to show His power and greatness and other aims and purposes, He manages the affairs of the universe through angels who are obedient to His command and have no weakness, languor, error, forgetfulness, or slowness in obedience, and each of their kinds hath a specific and orderly program and are the agents of the boundless realm of truth.
When man thinketh about the kinds and hosts of angels and their vast and extensive works and programs, he feeleth humility and smallness within himself: that in this wide world, full of the agents of truth and the ranks of God's hosts and His obedient servants, what am I?
If obedience and worship are what they perform, what is my obedience and worship? And if power and ability are what they possess, what value hath our power? In short, from one side he becometh acquainted with the greatness of this world and its Creator, and from the other side with the insignificance and smallness of man and his programs, and this itself is one of the philosophies of the existence of angels.
3-The Throne and the Bearers of the Divine Throne
In the verses of the Glorious Quran, allusion hath been made to the Divine Throne about twenty times, and in the Islamic narrations, more discourse is seen concerning it. According to some narrations, the greatness of God's Throne is so immense that it cannot be contained in human imagination, to the extent that we read:
All the heavens and the earths and whatever is in them, in comparison to the Throne, are like a ring in a vast desert.
Also, from some narrations, it is understood that the greatest of God's angels, even if they were to fly with speed until the Day of Resurrection, would not reach the leg of His Throne.
And it hath also come that God created a thousand tongues for the Throne, and the forms of all of God's creatures in the land and the sea are there.
It hath also come that when the Throne was created, God commanded the angels to bear it, but they were unable. He created more and more angels, but all remained powerless. God held it by His own power. Then He said to the eight angels who were commissioned to bear the Throne, "Lift it up." They said, "Where all those angels were helpless, what can we do?" At this point, the command was given to seek help from the name of God and the remembrance of
«و لا حول و لا قوّة الاّ باللّه العلیّ العظیم» -
"And there is no might nor power except in Allah, the Exalted, the Great" - and blessings upon Muhammad and his progeny.
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