A Prelude to the Deep Sea Known as Sahifa Sajjadiyya
The tome that doth lie before thee, without undue flourish, is among the most richly laden of books in the domain of Islamic mysticism and its manifold branches, and the paths of spiritual journeying unto Allah. It is a volume brought forth by the aid and fellowship of a company of learned minds from the seminaries, with heedful regard to the venerable sources of Islam. And its aim is this: amidst the teeming throng of false and misleading mysticisms, to strive to make plain the way of attainment unto the nearness of the Lord, by the most direct of paths, with the succour of the Glorious Quran and the guiding words of those nigh unto the Divine Threshold, and the lessons of reason (under the shadow of the exposition of Sahifa Sajjadiyya), for the seekers of this path and the lovers of Allah.
Know then, that Islamic mysticism hath two boughs:
The theoretical bough, which springeth from the knowing of the "Attributes of Beauty and Majesty Divine"; and the practical bough, which is gained through the refinement of souls, and self-edification, and the practical journeying and striving.
The great mystics of Islam, each in their time, have trod one of these two paths—and at times both—and have drawn forth precepts from the Islamic texts, which they have laid before the wayfarers. And the exposition of their weighty instructions is set forth in "this very volume," that by their teachings, they might guide the lovers unto the wellspring of eternity, and lead them to the station of "the Tranquil Soul" (النفس المطمئنه), and that they might step upon the carpet of nearness unto the Lord (رَاضِیَةً مَّرْضِيةً), content and pleasing [to Him], and be addressed by the words (فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِی): "Enter among My servants, and enter My Paradise."
Wondrous it is to note: that this Paradise is not solely in the hereafter, but even in this abode, a Paradise awaiteth them, where the diverse fruits of knowledge and the splendours of the peerless Beloved are manifest upon the laden branches of its trees. And morn and eve, by the decree (وَلَهُمْ رِزْقُهُمْ فِيهَا بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيّاً), they are encompassed by a fresh bestowal; nay, they are immersed in a realm where morn is not distinguished from eve.
Of night and day ask not of me, for I, with my Beloved,
Dwell in a place where morn and eve exist not.
Yet, against this company, a host of devils from among mankind and jinn sit in wait at the perilous passes of life, to bar the way of that peerless Beloved from the seekers of the path and the wayfarers, and to turn them aside from the Straight Path, and to cast them into a Hell whose searing fire, in accordance with (الَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الْأَفْئِدَةِ), "which looks down into the hearts," doth consume the spirit and the soul before the body.
These false paths, organized by these vile devils, often for the attainment of worldly aims and satanic desires, and at times for the sake of "sinister political ends," have, alas, engulfed a company of youths.
In this book, the most significant of these are discussed, and their characteristics examined, and the necessary warnings given.
In the concluding section of this book, the chains of transmission of Sahifa Sajjadiyya are comprehensively examined, and its history is elucidated. Moreover, a deeper acquaintance is made with its noble author, Imam Sajjad, Zayn al-Abidin, Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him. And the path for the exposition of the supplications of Sahifa Sajjadiyya and the extraction of its mystical, creedal, ethical, and social gems is smoothed. The supplications themselves commence from the second volume.
The entirety of the learned and the wise, who have scrutinized Sahifa Sajjadiyya, be they Shia or Sunni, and even those not of the Muslim faith, have confessed to its wondrous, miracle-like grandeur.
Among them was Allamah Tantawi, the Mufti of Alexandria in Egypt and the author of the renowned commentary Al-Jawahir fi Tafsir al-Quran (The Jewels in the Interpretation of the Quran). When Ayatollah Najafi Mar'ashi (may Allah have mercy upon him) sent him a copy of Sahifa Sajjadiyya along with a letter, he was exceedingly pleased with this precious gift. He lauded it exceedingly and wrote in reply to the late Ayatollah Najafi Mar'ashi thus:
"Your esteemed letter, along with the book Sahifa Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, Rayhanat al-Mustafa (the Fragrance of the Chosen One, peace be upon him and his progeny), arrived some time ago. I received the book with hands of reverence and found it to be a singular work, comprising sciences, knowledges, and wisdoms that are not to be found elsewhere. Verily, it is from our misfortune that we have until now been deprived of this precious, eternal work, which is from the inheritance of prophethood and the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). The more I study and ponder over it, the more I find it to be above the speech of the created and below the word of the Creator. Indeed, what a noble book it is! May Allah grant you the best of rewards for this excellent gift and make you successful and supported in the dissemination of knowledge and guidance. Another point is whether any of the scholars of Islam have written commentaries on this book, and are any of these commentaries to be found with you?"
In reply to the letter of Allamah Tantawi, the late Ayatollah Najafi Mar'ashi mentioned a number of commentaries on Sahifa Sajjadiyya and sent him, along with his letter, the book Riyadh al-Salikin (The Gardens of the Wayfarers), the well-known commentary by the late Sayyid Ali Khan. He, in turn, sent another interesting letter of gratitude to that divine scholar. (1)
Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, may his secret be sanctified, when he sent the book Sahifa Sajjadiyya as a gift to his grandson, wrote to him in a letter thus:
"The complete Sahifa Sajjadiyya... is from the greatest mystical supplications in the solitude of intimacy, the attainment of whose blessings is beyond our reach. It is a divine book that has sprung from the wellspring of the light of God and teaches the manner of conduct of the great saints and the noble successors to the companions of the divine solitude.
It is a noble book that expresses the style of the divine knowledges of the possessors of gnosis, like the style of the Glorious Quran, without artificiality of words, in the manner of supplication and intimate discourse for those thirsty for divine knowledges. This holy book, like the Glorious Quran, is a divine spread wherein every kind of bounty exists, and everyone benefits from it according to the measure of their spiritual appetite." (2)
1- The account of this correspondence is found in the introduction to the book Sahifa Sajjadiyya, with the introduction by Ayatollah Mar'ashi and the translation by the late Sayyid Sadr al-Din Balaghi, pp. 37 and 38.
2- Sahifa-yi Nur, vol. 21, p. 209.
Professor Annemarie Schimmel, a German scholar of Christian faith, upon gaining access to Sahifa Sajjadiyya, said thus:
"I myself always read the supplications, hadith, and Islamic narrations in their original Arabic. I have translated and published a small part of the blessed book Sahifa Sajjadiyya into German." (1)
Then, this author alluded to the significant impact of the translation of this book on a zealous Catholic woman, writing:
"This Catholic woman was grieved when she learned that I was translating Islamic supplications, asking if there was some deficiency in Christianity and in our own holy books that I turned to Islamic prayers. When my book was printed, I sent her a copy. A month later, she called and said: 'I sincerely thank you for the gift of this book, for every day I read it instead of my own prayers.'" (2)
In the Mawsu'at al-Firaq al-Muntasiba lil-Islam (Encyclopedia of Sects Attributed to Islam), which was written under the supervision of one of the great Sunni scholars, Sheikh Alawi bin Abdul Qadir al-Saqqaf (in vol. 6, p. 85), it is stated thus:
After the event of Karbala, where Imam Sajjad Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him, witnessed the most painful of occurrences on the day of Ashura, and was then taken in humiliating captivity to Damascus, he wept day and night to the extent that the title "Bakka'" (the great weeper) became his epithet.
1- Annemarie Schimmel, "The Western Woman Orientalist," p. 32.
2- Ibid.
In this state, it was natural that the constant sorrow that pressed upon the Imam's heart would manifest in his speeches and sermons, and that he would severely condemn the ruling Umayyad caliphate, the same caliphate that at that time still mentioned and reviled the name of his grandfather Ali, peace be upon him, from the pulpits after every prayer.
Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, compiled fifty-four supplications in a book that came to be known as the Prayers of Sahifa Sajjadiyya. Whoever reads these supplications becomes certain that the Imam, peace be upon him, never practiced dissimulation (taqiyya) in these prayers and subjected the Umayyad caliphate to his heavy blows.
These supplications are certainly revolutionary prayers, emanating from an Imam who witnessed the most significant Islamic revolution in terms of magnitude and the shortest in terms of time (namely, the event of Karbala). When the Imam could not water the revolution of Karbala with his blood, he participated with his tongue, which was like a sharp sword!
Yes, this is the same Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, who, when he went to visit the House of God, the pilgrims would make way for him out of respect and honour. But the caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik witnessed this while he himself was circumambulating among the people, and no one paid him any attention. The Imam, peace be upon him, also saw the caliph and paid him no heed. When Hisham saw this behaviour from the Imam, peace be upon him, and from the people, he asked his entourage, feigning ignorance: "مَن هذا؟" ("Who is this man?"), while pointing to Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him. And destiny so willed that the poet Farazdaq was present there. He extemporaneously (without prior study) recited his famous and significant ode, which caused Hisham to be ashamed.
Part of his verses are thus:
هَذا الذى تَعرِفُ البَطْحاءُ وَطأتَهُ *** وَالبَيْتُ يعْرِفُهُ وَالحِلُّ وَالحَرَمُ
Translation: This is he whose footprint the plains of Mecca know, and the House knows him, and the sacred territory and the inviolable precinct.
هذا ابنُ خَيرِ عِبادِ الله كُلّهِمُ *** هذا التقىّ النّقىّ الطَّاهِرُ العَلَمُ
Translation: This is the son of the best of all God's servants; this is the pious, the pure, the immaculate, the standard-bearer.
وَلَيْسَ قَوْلُكَ مَن هذا؟ بضائرِه *** العُرْبُ تَعرِفُ من أنكَرْتَ وَالعَجمُ
Translation: And your saying, "Who is this?" does not harm him; the Arabs know him whom you deny, and the non-Arabs as well.
These are but a small portion of the testimonies of the discerning.
Even as we see, the mystics regard it as a lesson in mysticism and a lofty guide to spiritual journeying; and the teachers of ethics, as a gushing spring of moral virtues; and the revolutionaries, as a great lesson in revolution and the continuation of the uprising of Ashura by Imam Husayn, and a crusher of the oppressive and tyrannical ruling regimes.
It is for thee to gaze upon it from whichever aperture thou wilt, and how much better that its splendours be beheld from every vantage point.
With a hundred thousand splendours didst Thou emerge, that I
Might gaze upon Thee with a hundred thousand eyes.
And I hope that we may, with contemporary language, present an exposition that befits the needs of this age and the Islamic and human societies. And we ask the esteemed readers that, after careful study of this volume, they send us any suggestions and opinions they may have.
O Lord, a great burden have we taken upon our shoulders; aid us in reaching its destination, for "إِنَّكَ خَيْرُ ناصِرٍ وَمُعِينٍ" ("Indeed, You are the best of helpers and assistants").
Here, we raise our hands in supplication to the Threshold of the Lord of Majesty, and with all our being, we beseech His Holy Presence: O Lord! Grant us the success to fully expound this precious work, and then guidance in its light, and the ability to act upon it. Amen, O Lord of the worlds.
A Hope-Inspiring Prospect
Within every human being resides an attraction towards the Originator of the universe, the Originator who has created all these wondrous designs upon the doors and walls of existence. And those who do not ponder upon Him are but like a design upon a wall. The Originator who has emerged with a hundred thousand splendours, that we might rise to behold Him with a hundred thousand eyes. The Originator who has placed a sun within the heart of every atom and has immersed the vast expanse of the mysterious creation in the light of His Being. The Originator whose praise and glorification all the beings of the world utter, and the cosmos is filled with the murmur of His oneness and His intimate converse, even though the ears of the uninitiated cannot bear to hear it (﴿وَانْ مِّنْ شَيْ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ﴾ - "And there is nothing except that it glorifies Him with His praise").
This is an attraction that draws the conscious towards Him every day, and at every moment, an ever-increasing thirst for the greater knowledge of that Origin of Light and a closer approach to Him descends upon their souls.
This attraction begins with a particular state of awakening, which the divine mystics call yaqẓa (vigilance). And man moves in its light towards that Origin of Light to such an extent that he reaches the stage of fana fi'llah (annihilation in God), that is, the forgetting of everything except His pure Essence—a journey that is very long and full of vitality, and at the same time, perilous!
Now, the question arises: From where do we begin this journey?
And with what program do we proceed?
Where do we tarry?
Where do we move swiftly?
Who is our guide on this journey?
And who are our forerunners in this spiritual journeying unto Allah, that we may follow them and take them as our models?
Let us draw inspiration from the Verse of Light and whisper to ourselves:
(﴿اللهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يوقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونِةٍ لَّا شَرْقِيةٍ وَلا غَرْبِيةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا ُيضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ يَهْدِى اللهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
﴾ - "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is knowing of all things").
Verily, we must illuminate the "lamp" of our being with the Divine Light and place it within the "niche of wilayah" (spiritual guardianship) to remain protected from the evil of devils and the tempest of events.
Let us kindle this Divine Lamp from the fruit of the Tree of Oneness, which is neither eastern nor western, but solely Divine. And let us advance so far in this spiritual journeying unto Allah that, in accordance with the purport of
(﴿يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا ُيضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ
﴾ - "whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire"),
we continue the path with such complete readiness that we hasten towards Him involuntarily, until we reach the stage of
(﴿نُورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ﴾ - "light upon light"),
and everything except Him vanishes from our sight, and we see nothing as existent except His pure Essence. And of course, unless there is a pull from the Beloved, the striving of the wretched lover will avail nothing!
Yes, it is thus that
يَهْدِى اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَ
شاء
Verily, it is thus, as the sacred words declare
(﴿يَهْدِى اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ﴾), "Allah guides to His light whom He wills,"
that the Divine Being doth lead whosoever He deemeth worthy towards the effulgence of His own Existence.
And again,
(﴿وَمَنْ لَّمْ يَجْعَلَ اللهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ نُّورِ﴾), "And whoever Allah has not granted light - for him there is no light."
Now, from whence shall we commence this celestial journey, that we may attain unto the very essence of mystical knowing?
Shall it be from theoretical mysticism, or from the practical pursuit? Nay, it shall be from the theoretical, yet let us not forget that our guides at the very outset are all the beings of the created world; they all attend us upon this path.
For assuredly:
The Beloved, unveiled, from door and wall,
In manifestation dwells, for those with seeing eyes.
Open thine eyes to the rose-garden, and behold
The pure water's gleam amidst the thorn and flower.
From colourless water, a hundred thousand hues,
Observe the tulip and the rose in this fair ground.
If thou attainest unto their secret, thou shalt know
That this indeed is the mystery of mysteries:
That One there is, and naught beside Him,
He is One, there is no god but He. (1)
At the dawning of spring and the burgeoning of blossoms, let us step forth from the darksome abode of the carnal soul, and gaze upon the world of nature, and lend the ear of our spirit to its murmuring of Divine Oneness. What a spiritual and wondrous journey and contemplation!
When morning's light and night's dark veil no difference show,
How sweet the desert's skirt, and spring's fair spectacle!
This wondrous design upon the doors and walls of being,
Whoso doth not ponder it, is but a design upon a wall!
Thereafter, from the journey of the horizons (safar-i afaqi), we proceed to the journey of the soul (safar-i anfusi), and from theoretical mysticism, we turn towards the practical. We engage in self-edification and the purification of the soul from vices and the unruly passions and desires, and we adorn it with virtues.
We bestow purity upon the spirit and strength upon the soul.
First, we awaken from the slumber of heedlessness, and this state, which we have called yaqẓa (vigilance), is the very commencement of our path.
1- Hatef Isfahani
Then, with the waters of repentance, we cleanse the rust of sin from our hearts, and thereafter, we take a firm covenant with ourselves not to deviate from the path of truth, which is called musharata (conditioning).
After this musharata, we engage in muraqaba (vigilance), ever watchful lest we stray from this divine path. And finally, we turn to muhasaba-yi a'mal (reckoning of deeds), and at every stage, we examine the outcome of our actions, and we offer a thousand thanks to God for the grace He has bestowed upon us. And if a transgression occurs from us, we hasten to make amends and wash it away with the waters of repentance.
We seek the aid of the saints of truth and follow their example. We strive to adopt their moral character, and this is our finest exemplar. And finally, in the light of their spiritual guardianship (wilayah), we continue upon the highway of guidance until we reach the destined abode.
Is a guide necessary upon this path? If so, who is he, and what are his attributes? Is there a specific program for each individual on this journey? Who formulates this program?
Are specific invocations (adhkar) to be repeated? What invocation? In what order?
Are austerities (riyadat) necessary? Which austerity? With what authority?
How shall we ensure that we do not step outside the bounds of divine law (*shar') and reason, and that we do not fall into the colourful snares of the devils from among mankind and jinn, who lie in ambush at every pass of this path, and that they do not lead us astray from the Straight Path?
Verily, these devils appear in diverse guises, even donning the sacred raiment of the mystic and the wayfarer, the better to deceive those newly embarked upon this path.
Alas, in our age, these devils have multiplied, and they have devised and invented even more colourful snares. At times, they even present themselves in the guise of highly virtuous individuals, with the claim of being a mystic who has attained the Truth. And sometimes, in addition to misleading God's creatures and leading them astray, they engage in abundant unlawful material gains and the satiation of their own desires.
But if we reflect rightly and pay heed, the signs of hypocrisy are manifest in their faces, their movements, and within the folds of their words. It is by these signs that we introduce them in this book under the titles of "False Mysticisms" and "False Pretenders to Mysticism."
The important matter is that our principal aim is to seek refuge under the shadow of the gracious favour of the Book and the Sunnah, and to traverse the Straight Path of Wilayah.
For this reason, we deemed the best means of salvation to be to journey under the soul-nurturing and path-opening prayers, filled with the light of guidance of Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, in the renowned Sahifa Sajjadiyya. And with the guidance of each sentence of these prayers, let us take a step forward and find our way to a new stage of perfection.
The present book seeks, by this very means, to answer all the questions we have posed and to aid the seekers of this path in embracing the Beloved and finding their principal lost one, and in reaching the destined abode by the nearest and safest of paths.
Chapter One: Pure Mysticism in Sahifa Sajjadiyya
After the martyrdom of the Chief of Martyrs, Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and his companions in Karbala, and after the event of Harra in Medina (in the year 63 AH, two years after the martyrdom of the martyrs of Karbala), where the people of the Prophet's city, peace be upon him and his progeny, were massacred and plundered, and their honour violated, and a general hatred for the Umayyad dynasty engulfed the entire Islamic land, the atmosphere of oppression reached its zenith. Anyone who uttered the slightest word about this vile and detested dynasty had gone to meet his own death.
Despite this, the family of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, especially the remaining Imam, the esteemed Imam Sajjad, Zayn al-Abidin, Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him, did not remain silent. They took other paths to express the teachings of Islam and the truths of this clear religion, lest the sedition of the Umayyads obliterate the traces of this faith.
Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, adopted the program of supplication and intimate discourse with Almighty God and bequeathed all the Islamic truths and teachings in the form of prayers.
Prayers befitting the days of the year and the sacred Islamic days, prayers according to the states of man, prayers for various social groups—in short, all the truths of Islam were expressed in the language of supplication and intimate converse with the Lord, and their collection was named Zabur Aal-i Muhammad (The Psalms of the Family of Muhammad), peace be upon them.
The issue of Islamic mysticism, in its full bloom and with all its branches, surges forth in these prayers, quenching the thirst of those journeying spiritually unto Allah and leading them towards the ultimate destination, which is the knowledge of Allah and nearness unto Allah.
For this reason, the best source for the elucidation of pure Islamic mysticism is the precious and peerless Sahifa Sajjadiyya, which we have chosen with great eagerness.
Assuredly, the seekers of this path will find their lost one therein, and all, with every level of knowledge, and thoughts, and even with every age, can benefit from it and, under its shadow, reach the destined abode.
Mysticism in Islamic Teachings
The words "irfan" (mysticism) and "ma'rifat" (gnosis, knowledge) linguistically signify every kind of knowing. According to Lisan al-Arab (The Tongue of the Arabs), their meaning is akin to the meaning of 'ilm (knowledge). Therefore, 'arifun (mystics, gnostics) mean the learned.
In the Glorious Quran and Islamic narrations, this word and its derivatives are used dozens of times in the same sense of knowledge and awareness: awareness of the truth, awareness of the bounties of the Lord, and awareness of His signs in the horizons and within the souls (the outer and inner worlds), and the like.
This word has been used many times in Islamic narrations regarding the knowledge of Allah (ma'rifat Allah), including in the famous hadith of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali, peace be upon him:
("عَرَفْتُ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ بِفَسْخِ الْعَزَائِمِ وَحَلٌ الْعُقُودِ وَنَقْضِ الْهِمَمِ"
- "I knew Allah, glory be to Him, through the dissolution of resolves, the annulment of covenants, and the breaking of aspirations"). (1)
And at the beginning of Sermon 195 of Nahj al-Balagha (The Peak of Eloquence), we read:
"الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَظْهَرَ مِنْ آثَارِ سُلْطَانِهِ وَجَلالِ كِبْرِيائِهِ مَا حَيرَ مُقَلَ الْعُقُولِ مِنْ عَجَائِبِ قُدْرَتِهِ وَرَدَعَ خَطَرَاتِ هَمَاهِمِ النُّفُوسِ عَنْ عِرْفَانِ كُنْهِ صِفَتِهِ"
- "Praise be to Allah, who has manifested from the signs of His sovereignty and the majesty of His grandeur that which has bewildered the eyes of intellects with the wonders of His power, and has restrained the fleeting thoughts of the whisperings of souls from the knowledge of the essence of His attributes."
1- Nahj al-Balagha, Wisdom 250.
And in the famous prophetic hadith, it is narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said:
"ما عَبَدْناكَ حَقَّ عِبادَتِكَ وما عَرَفْناكَ حَقَّ مَعْرِفَتِكَ"
- "We have not worshipped You as You deserve to be worshipped, nor have we known You as You deserve to be known." (1)
In addition to these, descriptions of the mystics have come in Islamic narrations that clarify the true meaning of it, including in a hadith from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, we read:
"لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَعْدِنٌ وَمَعْدِنُ التَّقْوَى قُلُوبُ الْعَارِفِينَ"
- "For everything there is a mine, and the mine of piety and God-consciousness is the hearts of the mystics." (2)
And in the supplication of Jawshan Kabir, which is narrated from Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, and he from his grandfather, the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, we read:
"يَا مَنْ هُوَ غَايَةٌ مُرَادِ الْمُرِيدِينَ يا مَنْ هُوَ مُنْتَهَى هِمَمِ الْعَارِفِين" -
"O He who is the ultimate desire of those who seek You, O He who is the final aim of the aspirations of the mystics!" (3)
And in another hadith from the Commander of the Faithful, Ali, peace be upon him, we read:
"الْخَوْفُ جِلْبَابُ الْعَارِفِينَ"
- "Fear (of divine punishment) is the garment of the mystics." (4)
And in another hadith from the same Imam, it is narrated:
"الْبُكَاءُ مِنْ خِيفَةِ اللَّهِ لِلْبُعْدِ عَنِ اللَّهِ عِبَادَةُ الْعَارِفِين"
- "Weeping out of fear of being distant from Allah is the worship of the mystics." (5)
And in the famous supplication of Kumayl, we read:
"یا غَايَةَ آمَالِ الْعَارِفِینَ" - "O He who is the ultimate hope of the mystics!"
1- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 68, p. 23.
2- Mishkat al-Anwar, p. 256.
3- Dua-yi Jawshan Kabir, section 99.
4- Ghurar al-Hikam, hadith 3710.
5- Ghurar al-Hikam, hadith 3729.
Mysticism in all these narrations signifies the knowledge of the Essence and Attributes of the Lord of the worlds, whether through the signs in the horizons and within the souls and the study of the wondrous order of the creation of the world and man, or through mystical unveilings.
Therefore, irfan (mysticism) and ma'rifat Allah (knowledge of Allah) are attainable through two paths: first, through journeying in the world of creation and the wondrous systems governing it, to which the Glorious Quran has alluded, saying:
(﴿سَنُرِيهِمْ آیاتِنا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ﴾) -
"We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that He is the Truth." (1)
And in many other verses, this same path is mentioned, and all Muslims are invited to study the divine signs in the expanse of creation and in the world of existence, both in the horizons and within the souls.
And elsewhere, it is said:
(﴿وَفِي الْأَرْضِ آياتٌ لِلْمُوقِنِينَ وَفِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَفَلا تُبْصِرُونَ﴾) -
"And on the earth are signs for those of assured faith, and within yourselves. Then will you not see?" (2)
Even Abraham, the Friend of God, peace be upon him, when he was encompassed by divine favour so that he might become of those with certain and unwavering faith, God showed him His signs in the heavens, saying:
(﴿وَكَذلِكَ نُرى إِبْراهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّماواتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلِيكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنين﴾)
- "And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the heavens and the earth and that he would be among those who are certain [in faith]." (3)
Then, in continuation of this verse, it mentions the signs related to the setting of the stars, the moon, and the sun, which are signs of their impermanence
1- Fussilat, verse 53.
2- Adh-Dhariyat, verses 20 and 21.
3- Al-An'am, verse 75.
and their lack of divinity, which is a clear proof that Abraham, peace be upon him, attained a station of certainty greater than what he had through the signs of God in the expanse of creation.
And the other path is through inner witnessing (shuhud-i batini), to which allusion has also been made in verses and narrations.
Among them is the explanation of the noble verse 53 of Surah Fussilat:
(﴿أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيد﴾) -
"But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?"
In the esteemed commentary Al-Mizan, this meaning is also confirmed. (1)
Likewise, regarding the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, we read in Surah An-Najm:
(﴿مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤادُ ما رَأى﴾) -
"The heart did not lie [in reporting] what it saw." (2)
In the verses before and after it, there are indications that show this vision was the inner witnessing.
In short, it is understood from the Islamic verses and narrations that after traversing the stages of perfection in knowledge and practice, man reaches a point where the veils are lifted from before the eye of his heart, and he sees realities with the eye of the soul that others do not see. And the expression of the aforementioned verse:
(﴿مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَيْ﴾) -
"The heart did not lie [in reporting] what it saw" -
is a clear allusion to this matter, because it attributes the vision to the heart of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: what he saw with his heart, his heart did not lie to him about it.
And following that, it says: Then do you dispute with him concerning what he saw? And do you not believe?
1- Al-Mizan, vol. 17, p. 405.
2- An-Najm, verse 11.
Likewise, the expression
(﴿وَكَذلِكَ نُرى إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّماواتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
﴾) - "And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the heavens and the earth" - doth signify that God bestowed upon Abraham, peace be upon him, another faculty of perception and vision, whereby he beheld the dominion of the heavens and the earth and the sovereignty of God over all of them with the eye of his heart.
(The expression "نُرى" - "nuri" - from the root "أرى" - "ara'a" - meaning "to show," stands as a witness and testament to this matter).
Of course, concerning the issue of the inner witnessing of God, we have abundant discourse, to which, by the grace of God, we shall attend hereafter.
Another evidence for this matter is the renowned hadith narrated from the Commander of the Faithful, Ali, peace be upon him, in response to Dhi'lib al-Yamani, who asked him:
"هل رايت ربك؟" -
"Have you seen your Lord?"
For Imam Ali, peace be upon him, replied:
"لا تُدْرِكُهُ الْعُيونُ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ الْعِيانِ وَلَكِنْ تُدْرِكُهُ الْقُلُوبُ بِحَقَائِقِ الْإِیمَان" -
"Eyes cannot perceive Him through sensory observation, but hearts perceive Him through the realities of faith." (1)
To further elucidate this matter, it must be noted that observation is of three kinds:
First, sensory observation, which occurs with the ordinary eye, and which can be aided by cameras and telescopes, enabling the eye to perceive vaster spaces.
Second, rational observation, which man attains through reasoning, and whereby he clearly apprehends truths. For example, when we behold the collected poems (diwan) of a distinguished poet, who lived centuries before us, from the contemplation of his eloquent and meaningful verses, replete with subtlety and beauty, we understand that they are the product of a skilled poetic nature, and we entertain no doubt whatsoever in this regard.
Third, the witnessing of the inner being and the heart (shuhud-i batin va darun), which is considered a kind of inner perception, not
1- Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 179.
argumentative. One beholds reality with the eye of the heart, without the need for reasoning. And the mystics say: this is a perception and a vision that is difficult to comprehend until one attains it.
In this regard, a remarkable hadith is also narrated from Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him. When two of his companions, Mu'awiya ibn Wahb and 'Abd al-Malik ibn A'yan, came into the presence of the Imam, peace be upon him, Mu'awiya ibn Wahb submitted:
"يا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ مَا تَقُولُ فِى الْخَبَرِ الَّذِى رُوى أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه و آله رَأَى رَبَّهُ عَلَى أَى صُورَةٍ رَآه؟" -
"O son of the Messenger of Allah! What do you say about the narration that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saw his Lord? In what form did he see God?"
And also concerning the hadith that has been narrated:
"أَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَرَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ فِى الْجَنَّةِ" -
"Verily, the believers will see their Lord in Paradise." In what form will they see Him?
The Imam, peace be upon him, smiled, then said:
"يا مُعَاوِيَةٌ مَا أَقْبَحَ بِالرَّجُلِ يَأْتِي عَلَيْهِ سَبْعُونَ سَنَةٌ أَوْ ثَمَانُونَ سَنَةٌ يَعِيشُ فِى مُلْكِ اللَّهِ وَيَأْكُلُ مِنْ نِعَمِهِ ثُمَّ لَا يَعْرِفُ اللَّهَ حَقٌّ مَعْرِفَتِهِ" -
"O Mu'awiya! How ugly it is for a man to reach seventy or eighty years of age, to live in God's dominion and partake of His bounties, and then not to know God as He truly deserves to be known."
Then he said:
"يا مُعَاوِيَةُ إِنَّ مُحَمَّد صلى الله عليه و آله لَمْ يرَ الرَّبَّ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى بِمُشَاهَدَةِ الْعِيانِ وَاِنَّ الرُّؤْيَةَ عَلَى وَجْهَينِ رُؤْيَةُ الْقَلْبِ وَرُؤْيَةُ الْبَصَرِ فَمَنْ عَنَى بِرُؤْيَةِ الْقَلْبِ فَهُوَ مُصِيبٌ وَمَنْ عَنَى بِرُؤْيَةِ الْبَصَرِ فَقَدْ كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ وَبِآيَاتِهِ"
- "O Mu'awiya! The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, never saw God, Blessed and Exalted, with the observation of the physical eye. Vision and observation are of two kinds: vision with the heart and vision with the eye. Whoever means vision with the heart, he has spoken rightly, and whoever means vision with the eye, he has indeed disbelieved in God and His signs."
Then he said: "For the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, has said:
مَنْ شَبَّهَ اللَّهَ بِخَلْقِهِ فَقَدْ كَفَر" -
"Whoever likens God to His creation has indeed disbelieved
(and seeing with the physical eye is always accompanied by likening to creation, for it involves body, place, and time, and God is pure and exalted above these)." (1)
The Effulgence of Mysticism in the Mirror of Quranic Verses
From the totality of what has passed, we have come to know that theoretical mysticism, in the sense of knowing God to the extent of human capacity, is sometimes attained through rational proofs, and sometimes through the heart and the inner being, which is achieved by the purification of the inner self, the removal of rust from the mirror of the heart, and the shining forth of the divine light therein. And if we add innate knowledge to this, we shall have three kinds of mysticism:
Innate Mysticism
Theoretical, Rational Mysticism
Heart-based and Intuitive Mysticism
When we traverse the rose-garden of Quranic verses and Islamic narrations, we find all three kinds of mysticism therein:
1- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 4, p. 54.
Innate Mysticism
Concerning innate mysticism, in addition to verse 30 of Surah Ar-Rum:
(﴿فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفاً فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيها لا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لا يعْلَمُون﴾) -
"So direct your face toward the correct religion, according to the innate nature that Allah has instilled in mankind. There should be no change in the creation of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most people do not know" -
its effulgence is observed during times of severe affliction. The Noble Quran states in this regard:
(﴿فَإِذا رَكِبُوا فِى الْفُلْكِ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّين﴾)
"And when they embark on a ship, they invoke Allah, sincere to Him in [their] religion." (1)
And in verse 22 of Surah Yunus, it is also stated:
(﴿هُوَ الَّذى يُسَيِّرُكُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ حَتَّى إِذا كُنتُمْ فِي الْفُلْكِ وَجَرَينَ بِهِمْ بِرِيحٍ طَيِّبَةٍ وَفَرِحُوا بِهَا جَاءَتْها ريحٌ عَاصِفٌ وَجَاءَهُمُ الْمَوْجُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَكانٍ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ أُحِيطَ بِهِمْ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّين﴾) -
"It is He who enables you to travel on land and sea until, when you are in ships and they sail with them by a favourable wind and they rejoice therein, there comes a rushing wind and the waves surge upon them from every place and they assume that they are overwhelmed, they call upon Allah, sincere to Him in [their] religion."
1- Al-'Ankabut, verse 65.
And in verse 32 of Surah Luqman, it is also stated:
(﴿وَاذَا غَشِيهُمْ مَوْجٌ كَالظُّلُلِ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّین﴾) -
"And when waves cover them like dark clouds, they invoke Allah, sincere to Him in [their] religion."
In truth, the dust that has settled upon that innate reality due to forgetfulness and heedlessness of God and immersion in the world is swept away by the tempest of dangers, and the divine nature becomes manifest. And just as the Quran has indicated in the three aforementioned verses, humans in these moments call upon God with sincere intention, and all else besides God vanishes from their sight.
In addition to these, the existence of worship in all periods of human life—by the confession of the great historians of the world—is another clear proof of the establishment of this innate mysticism.
Theoretical Mysticism
As for theoretical mysticism, which is the attainment of the knowledge of Allah (ma'rifat Allah), it is attainable through two paths: sometimes through arguments and rational and philosophical proofs, and sometimes through inner witnessing without the need for arguments. And the current usage of the mystics in theoretical mysticism is this very intuitive kind, which is attained through mystical unveiling (mukashafa), and its explanation will come in the future.
'Allamah Tabataba'i, in one of his discourses, says: "The mystic is one who worships God through love and affection, not in hope of reward or fear of punishment. And from here it becomes clear that mysticism should not be considered a religion in opposition to other religions, but rather mysticism is one of the paths of worship (worship through love, not through fear or hope) and a path for understanding the truths of religions, in contrast to the path of religious appearances and the path of rational thought." (1)
Ibn Sina, in Al-Isharat (The Pointers), in defining the mystic, says thus:
"و المنصرف بفكره الى قدس الجبروت مستديما لشروق نور الحق فى سرّه يخص باسم العارف" -
"And the one whose thought is completely directed towards the sanctity of the Divine Omnipotence, constantly finding the dawning of the light of truth within his inner being, is designated by the name of the mystic." (2)
1- Shi'a dar Islam (Shi'ism in Islam), p. 96, new edition.
2- Majmu'a-yi Asar-i 'Allamah Mutahhari (Collected Works of 'Allamah Mutahhari), vol. 7, p. 114.
In any case, theoretical-philosophical mysticism, whether through the argument of design (burhan-i nazm), which is extensively reflected in the verses of the Quran, or through the arguments of necessity and contingency, richness and poverty, and cause and effect, to which there are allusions in the Quranic verses, is among the clear paths that can lead man to God, just as it led Abraham, peace be upon him, to God
(﴿وَكَذلِكَ نُرى إِبْراهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّماواتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلِيكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ * فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ ...﴾). (1)
Regarding what we call the "argument of design," various groups of verses are seen in the Glorious Quran.
Sometimes it is alluded to in a general way, saying:
(﴿سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ﴾) -
"We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that He is the Truth." (2)
And sometimes it enters into further explanation, saying:
(﴿وفِى الأَرْضِ آياتٌ لِلْمُوقِنِينَ وَفِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَفَلا تُبْصِرُون﴾) -
"And on the earth are signs for those of assured faith, and within yourselves. Then will you not see?" (3)
And sometimes it expresses this matter in a much more detailed manner, and in every part of the world of existence, it explains the signs of the management, lordship, knowledge, and wisdom of God. For example, in verse 164 of Surah Al-Baqarah, it says:
(﴿إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّماواتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتى تَجْرِى فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا ينْفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِنْ مَاءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّياحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ
1- Al-An'am, verse 75.
2- Fussilat, verse 53.
3- Adh-Dhariyat, verses 20 and 21.
بَينَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ﴾) -
"Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day and the ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people and what Allah has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every kind of moving creature, and [in] the changing of the winds and clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use reason."
And in Surah Ar-Ra'd, verse 4, it says:
(﴿وَفِي الْأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُتَجاوِرات وَجَنَّاتٍ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَحْيل صِنْوانٌ وَغَيرُ صِنْوانٍ يشقى بِمَاءٍ واحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَى بَعْضٍ فِي الْأُكُلِ إِنَّ في ذلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ﴾) -
"And on the earth are adjoining tracts and gardens of grapevines and cultivated land and date-palms, [growing] singly or in pairs, watered by one [kind of] water; and We make some of them exceed others in [quality of] fruit. Indeed in that are signs for a people who reason."
And in verse 79 of Surah An-Nahl, we read:
(﴿أَلَمْ يَرَوْا اِلَی الطَّيْرِ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ فِي جَوِّ السَّماءِ ما يمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا اللَّهُ إِنَّ فى ذلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ﴾) -
"Have they not seen the birds controlled in the atmosphere of the sky? None holds them [aloft] except Allah. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe."
Of course, other than the argument of design, which has a very vast scope in the Glorious Quran, there are allusions to other philosophical arguments in the Quran as well, including the argument of poverty and richness, or cause and effect, which can be reckoned amongst these, for when he beheld all these things inconstant, he attained certainty that they belonged to the realm of the contingent, for change, motion, decline, and setting are the marks of contingent existences. And since contingent beings and creatures cannot exist without a Necessary Existent Creator, after observing all of them, he said:
(﴿إِنِّی وَجَهْتُ وَجْهِي لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّماواتِ وَالْأَرْضَ حَنِيفاً وَما أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكينَ﴾) -
"Indeed, I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allah." (1)
Theoretical Mysticism (A Path from Within): The renowned theoretical mysticism transcends the argumentative philosophical mysticism, for it is attained solely through inner witnessing and hath no need of proof or argument. Nay, man beholds God with the eye of the heart, and loveth Him, and boweth his head in reverence at His threshold.
When we wander through the rose-garden of Quranic verses, we find numerous verses that allude to this; among them is verse 53 of Surah Fussilat:
(﴿أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شهید﴾) -
"Is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?"
This verse deems the witnessing and presence of God everywhere sufficient for His knowledge.
In verse 115 of Surah Al-Baqarah, we read:
(﴿فَأَینَما تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾) -
"And to Allah belongs the east and the west. So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allah. Indeed, Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing."
And elsewhere He saith:
(﴿وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُم﴾) -
"And He is with you wherever you are." (2)
1- Al-An'am, verse 79.
2- Al-Hadid, verse 4.
And in verse 16 of Surah Qaf, He saith:
(﴿وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَريد﴾) -
"And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein."
Therefore, it is not only we who are in His presence; He is not merely with us, but He is within our very souls. Yet alas, the darkness of sin and the whisperings of devils prevent many from beholding Him with the eye of the heart:
The Beloved is nearer to me than myself,
A marvel 'tis that I am far from Him.
What shall I do, to whom can I say,
That the Friend is beside me, and I am estranged?
Elsewhere, God, with another striking expression, describes His relationship with His servants thus:
(﴿وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ ُيحُولُ بَينَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبه﴾) -
"And know that Allah comes in between a man and his heart." (1)
A wondrous expression indeed! Is there a space between man and his heart (man and himself) wherein the place of that true Beloved might be?
In short, whenever we grasp the truth of this verse, that whithersoever we turn, there is the Face of God, or perceive that He is nearer to us than ourselves, we shall behold Him with the eye of the heart and feel the joy of His presence with our whole being, provided that veils do not interpose between us and Him.
Yea, His pure Essence is a pearl beyond the shell of being and place, yet at the same time, He is nearer to us than ourselves. Since it is thus, why should we seek Him amongst the lost ones by the sea shore?
1- Al-Anfal, verse 24.
Without heart, in every state, God was with him,
He saw Him not, and from afar cried, "O God!"
A pearl that from the shell of being and place was out,
He sought from the lost ones by the sea shore. (1)
When wandering through the verses of the Glorious Quran, we encounter another group of verses that speak of the emergence of divine light within the soul of man when he treads the path of piety and knowledge.
A portion of these verses pertains to practical mysticism, the explanation of which shall come by the grace of God, but another portion bears a close relevance to theoretical mysticism in its specific sense. Among these verses is the Verse of Light, where He saith:
(﴿اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّماواتِ وَالْأَرْضِ﴾). (2)
We know that light is not something that requires another to make it manifest, and in the well-known expression: ẓahir fi nafsihi wa muẓhir li ghayrihi - "manifest in itself and manifesting others." Its essence is apparent, and it makes others apparent.
The Roar of Glorification Throughout the World
Another group of verses speaks of the universal glorification of all beings, and sometimes the glorification of a specific part of them.
Among these, in verse 44 of Surah Al-Isra', we read:
(﴿تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّماواتُ السَّبْعُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَنْ فيهِنَّ وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا ُيسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَكِنْ لا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبيحَهُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَليماً غَفُوراً﴾) -
"The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is within them exalt Him. And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Him] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever Forbearing and Forgiving."
1- Hafiz Shirazi.
2- An-Nur, verse 35.
And in verse 41 of Surah An-Nur, we read:
(﴿أَ لَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالطَّيرُ صَافَّاتٍ كُلّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ﴾) -
"Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whomever is within the heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings spread [in flight]? Each has known his [way of] prayer and exalting [Him]. And Allah is Knowing of what they do."
Whenever we take the glorification and praise of all beings in the world to mean a glorification and praise in the language of their state (zaban-i hal), and say that the secrets of their existence and the specific systems governing them are evidence of the infinite knowledge and power of their Creator, then these verses open a path to philosophical mysticism and the argument of design. And if it says: "but you do not understand their [way of] exalting," it is a reference to the fact that what you know of the secrets of creation is very little compared to what you do not know. Every day that science makes a new advance, a window is opened towards another part of the secrets of creation. Therefore, it can be said that we do not actually hear the murmur of the glorification of the beings of the world, and what we hear and know is very insignificant compared to what we do not hear and do not know.
And according to some famous Western scientists, what we know of the secrets of the world of creation compared to what we do not know is like a leaf from a thick book. And can someone who has understood only one leaf of a thick book be said to be aware of that book?
And whenever we take these verses to mean a spoken language (zaban-i qal of a specific kind), which perhaps their apparent meaning is mostly this, their implication is that all beings have a specific knowledge of the pure Essence of the Lord, without the need for proof or argument.
Is it possible that inanimate objects, plants, and animals all glorify Him and perceive Him with a kind of intuition, but not man?
Therefore, not only is inner intuition possible, but it is attainable for humans at a level higher than what exists in other beings of the world.
In other words, all particles and beings of the world, whether we consider them intelligent or inanimate and unintelligent, all possess a kind of perception and consciousness, and in their own realm, they glorify and praise God, even though we are not able to comprehend the manner of their perception and feeling, nor hear the murmur of their praise and glorification.
In the Noble Quran, we read:
(﴿وَإِنَّ مِنْها لَما يَهْبِطُ مِنْ خَشْية الله﴾) -
"And indeed, there are stones out of which rivers burst forth, and there are some of them that split open and water issues from them, and there are some of them that fall down for fear of Allah." (1)
And elsewhere He saith:
(﴿لَوْ أَنْزَلْنا هذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلى جَبَلٍ لَرَأَيْتَهُ خاشِعاً مُتَصَدِّعاً مِنْ خَشْية اللَّهِ﴾) -
"If We had sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and coming apart from fear of Allah." (2)
If it is thus, why should not humans be able to possess this perception and vision, even at a superior and higher level? (3)
Therefore, if the veils are lifted, this divine light will become manifest in the heart without the need for proof or argument. The meaningful similes that follow this verse are another witness and testament to this claim. In the narrations and supplications of the Infallible Ones, peace be upon them, numerous allusions are also seen. The Commander of the Faithful, Ali, peace be upon him, in the renowned Supplication of the Morning (Dua-yi Sabah), saith:
"يا مَنْ دَلَّ عَلَى ذَاتِهِ بِذَاتِهِ وَتَنَزَّهَ عَنْ مُجَانَسَةِ مَخْلُوقَاتِهِ وَجَلَّ عَنْ مُلائَمَةِ كَيفِياتِهِ يا مَنْ قَرُبَ مِنْ خَطَرَاتِ الظُّنُّونِ وَبَعْدَ عَنْ لَحَظَاتِ الْعُیون" -
"O He who has guided to His Essence by His Essence, and is far removed from any likeness to His creatures, and exalted above any conformity to their qualities! O He who is near to the fleeting thoughts of conjectures, and far from the glances of eyes!"
In the meaningful Supplication of 'Arafah, this meaning is presented in a more explicit manner.
1- Al-Baqarah, verse 74.
2- Al-Hashr, verse 21.
3- For further explanation, you may refer to Tafsir-i Nimuna (Exemplary Commentary) under verse 44 of Surah Al-Isra'.
The Lord of the Martyrs, peace be upon him, in this supplication, submits to God thus:
"مَتَى غِبْتَ حَتَّى تَحْتَاجَ إِلَى دَلِيلٍ يَدُلُّ عَلَيْكَ وَمَتَى بَعُدْتَ حَتَّى تَكُونَ الْآثَارُ هِي الَّتِي تُوصِلُ إِلَيْكَ عَمِيتْ عَينُ لا تَرَاكَ عَلَيْهَا رَقِيباً وَخَسِرَتْ صَفْقَةٌ عَبْدٍ لَمْ تَجْعَلْ لَهُ مِنْ حُبِّكَ نَصِيبا" -
"When did You ever go away, that we should need a guide to lead us to You? And when did You become distant, that Your works in the world of existence should be the means of reaching You? Blind be the eye that does not see You as its watchful guardian, and lost be the bargain of the servant to whom You have not allotted a share of Your love and affection."
The Persian poet, inspired by this luminous expression, saith thus:
When didst Thou depart from the heart, that I should crave Thee?
When didst Thou become hidden, that I should seek Thee?
Thou hast not been absent, that I should seek Thy presence,
Thou hast not been concealed, that I should make Thee manifest.
With a hundred thousand splendours Thou didst come forth, that I
With a hundred thousand eyes might gaze upon Thee. (1)
At the beginning of this utterance, the Imam, peace be upon him, has another striking expression wherein he negates the need for argumentative philosophical proofs, saying:
"کَیفَ یسْتَدَلُّ عَلَيْكَ بِمَا هُوَ فِي وُجُودِهِ مُفْتَقِرُ إِلَيكَ أَيكُونُ لِغَيرِكَ مِنَ الظُّهُورِ مَا لَيسَ لَكَ حَتَّى يَكُونَ هُوَ الْمُظْهِرَ لَكَ؟" -
"How can one argue for You by means of that which in its very existence is dependent upon You? Can there be for other than You a manifestation that is not Yours, so that it could make You manifest?"
There is no doubt that ordinary individuals, and even many philosophers, in order to know His pure Essence, are compelled to refer to the signs of His greatness in the vast expanse of the world of existence, and the Quran in many verses confirms this matter.
1- Furughi Bastami.
But the Imam, peace be upon him, submits: "O God! Place me at a level higher and beyond this, such that I have no need even for this," where he submits:
"إِلَهِی أَمَرْتَ بِالرُّجُوعِ إِلَى الْآثَارِ فَارْجِعْنِي إِلَيكَ بِكِسْوَةِ الْأَنْوَارِ وَهِدَايَةِ الاِسْتِبْصَارِ حَتَّى أَرْجِعَ إِلَيكَ مِنْهَا كَمَا دَخَلْتُ إِلَيكَ مِنْهَا مَصُونَ السِّرِّ عَنِ النَّظَرِ إِلَيهَا وَمَرْفُوعَ الْهِمَّةِ عَنِ الْإِعْتِمَادِ عَلَيْهَا" -
"O my God! You have commanded [us] to look to Your works in the world of existence, but I ask You to adorn me with inner lights and the guidance of inner insight, so that I may return to You from them, just as I came to You from them, with my inner being protected from looking at these works, and my aspiration elevated above reliance upon them."
In the Supplication of the Gnostics (Munajat al-'Arifin), from the fifteen supplications of Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, wondrous expressions are seen in this regard. Among them, he submits to the presence of Almighty God, that absolute Beloved:
"فَاجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ تَرَسَّخَتْ أَشْجَارُ الشَّوْقِ إِلَيْكَ فِي حَدَائِ-قِ صُدُورِهِمْ وَأَخَذَتْ لَوْعَةٌ مَحَبَّتِكَ بِمَجَامِعِ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ إِلَى أَوْكَارِ الْأَفْكَارِ يَأْوُونَ وَفِي رِياضِ الْقُرْبِ وَالْمُكَاشَفَةِ يَرْتَعُونَ وَمِنْ حِياضِ الْمَحَبَّةِ بِكَأْسِ الْمُلاطَفَةِ يَكْرَعُونَ وَشَرَائِع الْمُصَافَاةِ يردُّونَ" -
"O God! Make us of those whose trees of yearning for You have taken firm root in the gardens of their breasts, and the pangs of Your love have seized the very core of their hearts. Thus, they take refuge in the nests of [pure] thoughts, and graze in the meadows of nearness and unveiling, and drink from the pools of love with the cup of gentleness, and frequent the clear streams of sincere friendship."
Then, in continuation of this luminous discourse, he adds:
"قَدْ كُشِفَ الْغِطَاءُ عَنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَانْجَلَتْ ظُلْمَةُ الرَّيبِ عَنْ عَقَائِدِهِمْ مِنْ ضَمَائِرِهِمْ وَانْتَفَتْ مُخَالَجَةُ الشَّكٌ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَسَرَائِرِهِمْ وَانْشَرَحَتْ بِتَحْقِيقِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ صُدُورُهُم" -
"Indeed, the veil has been lifted from before the eyes of their hearts, and the darkness of doubt has been dispelled from their innermost beliefs, and the agitation of uncertainty has been completely removed from their hearts and inner beings, and their breasts have been expanded by the realization of knowledge."
And in the deeply meaningful Supplication of the Muridin (God-seekers), he submits thus:
"فَأَنْتَ لا غَيرُكَ مُرَادِى وَلَكَ لا لِسِوَاكَ سَهَرِى وَسُهَادِى وَلِقَاؤُكَ قُرَّةٌ عَيْنِي وَوَصْلُكَ مُنَى نَفْسِى وَإِلَيكَ شَوْقِي وَفِي مَحَبَّتِكَ وَلَهِي وَإِلَى هَوَاكَ
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