allamah hunzai - imam shinasi

8/3/2019 Allamah Hunzai - Imam Shinasi

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TheRecognition of the

IMAM


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The Recognition of the Imam Part One

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Q1 What will the study contain?

A1 It will contain the explanations and the ta'wils of the Qur'anic verses in which the subjectof Imam and Imamat is explicitly mentioned. The explanation of those verses in whichthe subject of Imam and Imamat is explicitly mentioned is extremely important, althoughimplicitly, no Qur'anic verse is devoid of this subject.

Q2 Please give us an example of a verse from the Quran?

A2 The verse (36:12) reveals that God has encompassed everything - intellectual, spiritualand physical - in the light of the most noble Imam. Then, according to the principles of the Qur'anic wisdom, it is clear that all subjects are contained in the subject of Imamatand all words in the word "Imam". Thus it was necessary and indispensable to explaintogether, in one place, the ta'wil of all those verses in which the words Imam or A'immah (pl. of Imam) are mentioned.

Q3 Who can observe the reality of the Imam?

A3 Those mu'mins whose eye of the heart has opened, can observe the reality that everythingof the universe and existents testifies that the Imam is ever-living and ever-present in this

world and there is nothing in the interior and exterior of the universe which does nottestify to it.

Q4 What is apparent in the verse 36:12?

A4 When it is apparent from the Qur'anic verse that everything is included and encompassedin the holy light of the manifest Imam, it is inevitable that everything may appear tingedwith the colour of the luminosity of the exalted Imam. And in fact, in addition to theworld of the Qur'an and the Prophetic Traditions, everything in the universe appears inthis way.

Q5 How can we relate our understanding to the tradition (Hadith) of Mawlana Ali?A5 If according to the Tradition: He who recognizes himself recognizes his Lord", it is

accepted that the fruit of the recognition of self ( khud-shinasi ) appears in the form of therecognition of God ( khuda-shinasi ), then the recognition of the Perfect Man (Imam)cannot be excluded from this subject. For without the recognition of the Perfect Man, therecognition of the imperfect man alone cannot be the example of the recognition of God.In fact, from the initial recognition of the Imam, is obtained the recognition of self andfrom his final recognition, the recognition of God.

Q6 Regarding the Quranic verse 28:88 what does it mean?

A6 In the verse (28:88) God says: "Everything is perishable except His face". It should beknown that by the face of Allah is meant His recognition, and the recognition of God isthat reality which is hidden in the recognition of the Imam. As Mawlana Ali says: "I amthe Face (recognition) of Allah in the heavens and the earth".

Q7 Are Divine sciences a means of recognition?

A7 When it is universally accepted that the recognition of the exalted Imam is therecognition of God, then there is no doubt that all Divine sciences are also gathered inthis recognition. This is why the Prophet said: "He who dies without the recognition of

Recongnition of the Imam - Page 1


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the Imam of the time, dies like a jahil (pagan) and the place of a jahil is the hell fire".That is to say that, he becomes deprived of the paradise of the Divine knowledge.(seeHadith references below 1.1)

Q8 What path can lead us to the recognition of God?

A8 The religion of Islam is the path which leads to God. This path is called the straight path(sirat-i mustaqim ). It has four stages, which are known as shari at , tariqat , haqiqat andma rifat . It is obvious that the desired destination and the ultimate stage is ma rifat , i.e.the recognition of God.

Q9 What more can you explain about these four stages?

A9 It is said that the shari at is like the night, tariqat like the light of the stars, haqiqat likethe light of the moon and ma rifat like the light of the sun. Thus it is the light of mcrifat ,in which the reality of everything is duly observed.

Q10 Can the term marifat be explained further?

A10 Ma rifat is also called yaqin (certainty). Certainty has three degrees: certainty of knowledge, certainty of vision and certainty of truth. Thus the initial recognition is in thecertainty of knowledge, the intermediary in the certainty of vision and the final in thecertainty of truth. This means that the initial recognition of the manifest Imam is in aknowledge which is above any doubt and is absolutely certain; intermediary recognitionis in a didar (vision) which is observed by the inner eye and the final recognition (of the

manifest Imam) is in the miraculous spiritual experience in which the self of a truemu'min disappears in the light of the Imam, as the darkness and blackness of a piece of coal disappears amidst the cinders of the fire.

Q11 Please elaborate further?

A11 Without the recognition of the Imam, the recognition of the light of the Prophet isimpossible and without the light of the Prophet, that of God. For the gate of Prophethoodis Imamat and that of Divinity is Prophethood.

Q12 Is the soul of the Imam the Holy spirit?

A12 The life of living existents has four stages: vegetative soul, animal soul, rational orhuman soul and the Holy Spirit. The recognition of God is in the Holy Spirit, which isthe blessed soul of the Perfect Man, namely, the Imam of the time.

Q13 Please describe more on the Holy spirit?

A13 If someone asks: If ma rifat means to see the Holy Spirit, namely, the light of the Imam,then why is it said: "He who recognizes his soul or self recognizes his Lord?" The answeris that the soul which belongs to the Imam in its actual form, also belongs to the mu'minin its potential form. That is to say that, the first soul of the mu'min is attained from the

vegetables, the second from the animals, the third from the human beings and the fourth,namely the Holy Spirit, from the Imam. It is necessary for a true mu'min to attain this lastsoul and to recognise it duly.

Q14 If we accept the existence of the four souls, how do they enter the human body?

A14 If it is accepted that there are four souls for a human being, then it has also to be acceptedthat for these souls there are also four entrances through which they enter the humanbody. The vegetative soul and the animal soul first enter through the navel and later on(i.e. after birth) through the mouth, and the rational soul and the Holy Spirit enter firstthrough the physical ears and then through the ears of understanding ( gush-i hush ).



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Q15 Please expand on these entrances?

A15 As it is absolutely impossible for the vegetative soul and the animal soul to enter thehuman body without material food, in the same way it is also absolutely impossible forthe rational soul and the Holy Spirit to enter the human mind and heart without spiritualfood. And spiritual food is the discourse of knowledge and wisdom.

Q16 How can one create the Holy Spirit in oneself?

A16 The way to create the Holy Spirit in oneself, by attaining the grace and blessings fromthe holy light of the Imam of the time, is to follow his holy farmans related to bothknowledge and practice and his pleasure must be given preference over everything.

Q17 What basic conditions are there to recognise the Imam?

A17 a) The basic condition of the recognition of the Imam is belief (

aqidah ), for the one whodoes not have the right belief cannot attain the recognition of the Imam and for thedevelopment of the correct belief, generally it is essential and necessary to have a properreligious environment during childhood.

b) The second condition of the recognition of the Imam is to have friendship and love(mahabbat ) for him. Love is the developed form of belief and its development lies in theobedience of the Imam of the time.

c) The third condition of the recognition of the Imam of the time is ardent love ( ishq )for him, which is the developed form of love. The development of this kind of lovedepends on knowing the external (physical) and internal (spiritual) beauties of the Imamof the time, for a person cannot love a thing until he sees or hears from a truthful personabout its beauty and goodness.

d). If the heart of mu'min is inflamed with the love of the Imam of the time, he will saywith the tongue of the state ( zaban-i hal ) and the tongue of speech ( zaban-i qal ) how hecan progress on the path of the recognition of the Imam of the time.

Q18 Can you encapsulate the points in this introduction?

A18 It has already been said that a mu'min loves the Imam of the time only when he sees hisincomparable beauties or hears about them from a truthful person. Thus the purpose of writing this book is that the true mu'mins may be aware of the knowledge, excellence,spirituality and luminosity of the exalted Imam of the time and thus may attain his sacredcishq or ardent love and through it, his recognition.

The total numbers of ayats that mention Imam in the Quran are 12, could you please give us adetailed answer and a perspective for each?

1.1 The original text of this hadith is in Arabic of which the ref is Lughat mi p. 102. Other references are

(Ibn Hanbal , IV, 96 and al -Mustadrak , I, 113), Wajh-i din , p. 280 , Extract form Da'aim alIslam (Book of Faith) page 29 paragraph 43, Urdu version page 51, Risala Dar Haqiqati Din under title

Imam 6 after no 35. Living branch of Islam page 3 (where all the references are mentioned)



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1. The Qur'anic Wisdom and the Semantic Extent of the Word Imam

The word "Imam", both in its singular and plural forms is mentioned altogether twelve times in

different places of the Wise Qur'an. If we study together all those holy verses in which the word"Imam" and its meaning and purport is mentioned, with intelligence and wisdom, we willcertainly come to know how comprehensively God has mentioned the realities of the recognitionof the Imam in His glorious Book, and what an unbounded semantic extensiveness He has keptin the subject of Imamat. In fact, it is within this subject of Imamat that the great universe of theQur'anic wisdom lies. For the holy light of the Exalted Imam is the Reality of realities, henceunder the exalted Reality of the Imam, are gathered the realities of all the existents. Thus, herewe are going to give some explanation of these twelve verses respectively, in whose meaningsand purports are hidden innumerable wisdoms of the name "Imam".

In the verse (2:124) God says: "And when His Lord tried Ibrahim with certain Words ( kalimat ),he fulfilled them. He said: Lo! I am going to appoint you the Imam (leader) of (the entire)mankind". Here it should be asked what kind of Words were those with which God had triedHazrat Ibrahim? Further, it should also be asked whether Hazrat Ibrahim was a Prophet or anImam? If it is answered that he held both these positions, then the question arises what was he atfirst, Prophet or Imam? If it is answered that first he was a Prophet and then he became an Imam,it requires explanation. Furthermore, it should be asked how Hazrat Ibrahim became the Imam of the entire mankind? That is to say, how did he convey (the Divine message) and invite the peopleto it, in all the continents of the planet earth, when the means of communication were limited at

that time?

It should be known that the words with which Hazrat Ibrahim was tried were the SupremeNames of God in the form of physical and spiritual hudud (hierarchy). For instance, the firstname contained the spirituality of Hazrat Adam; the second contained the spiritual examples of Hazrat Nuh; in the third light was shed on the past and future of Hazrat Ibrahim himself; in thefourth were shown all the spiritual events and experiences of Hazrat Musa; in the fifth wasrecorded the spiritual life of Hazrat Isa; in the sixth were shown the spiritual achievements of theHoly Prophet and in the seventh Name or Word were hidden the spiritual miracles of HazratQa'imu'l-Qiyamat (may the most excellent salutation and peace be upon him). Further, with eachof these names there were the spiritual examples of the realities of how miraculously theUniversal Intellect, Universal Soul, Jadd, Fath and Khayal convey the ta'yid (spiritual help) tothe Prophets and the Imams.

It should be known that Hazrat Ibrahim was first conferred with the great office of Prophethoodand Messengership and then with the exalted office of Imamat. Since the exalted Imamat hasseveral levels, some of them precede Prophethood and some of them follow it so that, the Imam,according to the expedience of the time, may manifest in one of these levels and remain presentin this world.

The appointment of Hazrat Ibrahim by God as the Imam of the entire mankind has severalmeanings: First, he was the Imam of the entire mankind in the past from the time of HazratAdam to his own time; secondly, he was the Imam of the entire mankind in his own time; thirdly,he became the Imam of the entire mankind in the future, through the continuation of his progeny.

He was the Imam in the past, in the sense that his spirituality was partaking in and working withthe spirituality of the Prophets and Imams of the cycles of Hazrat Adam and Hazrat Nuh, astheirs was partaking in and working in his. It is in this sense that it is said: "Lo! Ibrahim was anummat (nation) obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not among the polytheists"



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(16:120). Ummat means both Imam and ummat and here both of them befit Hazrat Ibrahim. Withrespect to guidance, he was the Imam and with respect to his being the combiner of the spirit andspirituality of the Prophets and Imams, he was a whole ummat (nation).

He was the Imam of the entire mankind of the whole world, in the present, i.e. in his own time,in the sense that the planet earth is divided into twelve regions ( jaza'ir, sing.jazirah ). In each of these regions, in addition to one hujjat-i shab (hujjat of night) and hujjat-i ruz (hujjat of day)there are always thirty da is . These hujjats in the twelve regions of the globe of the earth, receivemiraculous guidance from the centre of guidance, whether this centre of guidance be the Prophetor the Imam. Thus in this sense, Hazrat Ibrahim was the Imam of the mankind in his own time.Nonetheless, unless these realities are observed and unless there is the sway of spirituality in thisworld, it is beyond the capacity of the common people to believe in such miracles of the Prophetand the Imam.

It is said in the Wise Qur'an that the "sneaking whisperer ( khannas) ", the Satan, who is both inthe form of jinns and mankind, casts waswasah (disturbing thoughts) in the hearts of mankind.Thus if it is possible for the Satan to cast waswasah in the hearts of the people of near and farand lead them astray, then it is also possible for the Prophet and the Imam to convey the Divineguidance to the people without the distinction of near and far. For, since the Satan is mudill , theone who misleads, and the Prophet or Imam hadi , the one who leads on the straight path, if theDivine power had caused the voice of mudill to reach the people and would not have caused thevoice of the hadi to reach them in any way, then it would have been a great injustice, and on theDay of Judgement the people would have an argument against Allah, that He made the means of misleading ever-reaching in the world and the means of guidance limited. But the fact is not so.The fact is that the Prophet and the Imam convey the spiritual and luminous guidance to thehujjats of the twelve regions and the hujjats in turn, through their respective da is convey it(guidance) to the people.

Hazrat Ibrahim was the Imam of the entire mankind in the future in the sense that, as themiraculous spirituality of the Prophets and Imams of the past was present in His exaltedpersonality, his living spirituality was present in the succession of his progeny. As it is said in theQur'an that Hazrat Ibrahim prayed to God: "And appoint for me a tongue of truth ( lisan sidq ) in

the coming generations" (26:84). It is also said: "And he (Ibrahim) made it (i.e. Nubuwwat and Imamat ) a Word enduring in his progeny, that haply they may return (unto God)" (43:28).

Here, from the statement that Hazrat Ibrahim transferred his Prophethood and Imamat to hisprogeny in the form of and enduring Word, it is further substantiated that the Words with whichGod had tried Hazrat Ibrahim, were His living Names in the form of the Prophets, Imams and theangels.

Thus it became evident that Hazrat Ibrahim is the Imam of the people of the entire world, in thesense explained above. When it is accepted that the light of Imamat is always in this world, being

transferred from one personality to another, then it is also necessary to accept that from the samelight of Imamat all the hujjats of the world, which is divided into twelve regions, receiveguidance through spiritual help ( ta'yidi hidayat ).



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2. The Literal Meaning of the Word "Imam"

In the verse (9:12) it is said: "And if they break their pledges after their treaty (has been made

with you) and assail your religion, then fight the Imams ( a'immah , heads or leaders) of disbelief -Lo! they have no binding oaths in order that they desist".

This verse shows that a'immah , which is the plural of "Imam", is used for the leaders of disbelief also. Thus the literal meaning of the word "Imam" is a leader or head. By the leader or head of agroup is meant the foremost and greatest of them. If, for instance, it is said that so and so is thehead of the disbelievers, it means that there is no greater disbeliever than him; it is he who is thesource and means of disbelief and infidelity and responsible for the entire disobedience anddeviation of the disbelievers. Contrary to this, if it is said that so and so is the head of thebelievers and he truly is, then it means that there is no mu'min greater than him; it is he who isthe source and means of faith and the entire faith and guidance is due to him. And such a head of believers can only be the Imam of the time.

When it is established from the teaching of this verse that there are always heads of disbelief,without whom the darkness of disbelief cannot spread in the world, then, on the other hand, it isalso inevitable that there are always heads of religion and faith also, without whose existence andpresence, the light of religion and faith cannot continue with the time.

Another point of wisdom implied in this verse is that, all the Muslims all over the world should

be organized, agreed and united under the command of one existing and present leader or Imam.For it is said in the above-mentioned verse: "You (all Muslims) fight the Imams of disbelief"(9:12). And this Divine command cannot be accomplished unless there are leaders of faithagainst the leaders of disbelief, whose command the world of Islam accepts. If it is said that atpresent there is no such leader of faith who can organize all Muslims, this amounts to saying,God forbid, that He commands without rhyme or reason to do things which are impossible, orthat this command of jihad (holy war) is related and confined only to the time of the Prophet.But how is it possible that now God has removed the main means (Imam) of an important pillarlike that of jihad from the religion of Islam. Think well in the light of Divine justice and equity!

If not for the physical jihad , at least for the jihad of knowledge, the Muslims need a leader or anImam. Think about the miserable and helpless condition of all the Muslims of the planet earthand tell me the main reason for their present condition everywhere? What other reason will yougive except that the Muslims, who were united and in agreement during the time of the Prophet,are today divided and scattered into sects. Centuries have elapsed in this condition, despite thefact that God had given them a timely warning to avoid this dangerous disobedience bycommanding: "And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah, and do not be scatteredinto sects (for there is a danger that you may let go of this Rope from your hands)" (3:103). Theresponsibility of scattering into sects rests on the Muslims, not on the Rope of God, that it did notbring them together at one centre, by force. For here, God does not say: "O My Rope, keep allMuslim men and women attached to the recognition of yourself and do not let them be scatteredinto sects". On the contrary He says: (O the community of Muslims) hold fast, all of youtogether, to the Rope of Allah, and do not scatter into sects" (3:103).



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3. Can a Heavenly Book be the Imam?

In the verse (11:17) God says: "Is he who is on a clear proof from his Lord and follows him a witnessfrom him and before him the Book of Musa (Torah) which was an Imam and a mercy (for the people,testifies to him, is better or someone else)?"

According to this verse the Holy Prophet is on a clear proof from his Lord, that is to say, he is thetrue Prophet of Allah and Ali-i Murtaza, who is from him, follows him and is a witness of his truth.Another witness, in this connection, is the Book of Hazrat Musa before him, which was an Imam anda mercy for the people. All these realities are universally accepted, but a question arises regarding theBook of Musa, i.e. the Torah, in what position was it an Imam?

The answer to this question is that it is according to the rule of the Arabic language, that sometimes athing is called by the name of another thing which is most often associated with it. For instance, thecamel, which carries the skin of water, is called the waterskin. Besides Arabic, this rule can be foundin other languages as well. Thus the learned people know this fact that, in the Glorious Qur'an, theHoly Prophet is called dhikr (remembrance) (65:10-11), although dhikr is the name of the Qur'an.And in this sense the Holy Prophet is called the Qur'an. And it is correct to say so in many respects,of which some are external and some are internal. Thus, it is established that from the tawili point of view, the spiritual leader (the Prophet or Imam) is called the Divine or Heavenly Book and viceversa.

The other reason for calling the Book of Musa "an Imam" is that every Heavenly Book originally isin the position of a living light, that is, the soul of knowledge and wisdom, which in reality is thespirit of the Imam himself. Thus the Holy Spirit of Mawlana Harun was revealed to Hazrat Musa inthe form of a spiritual Book, then describing these spiritual states and events, to some extent, it waswritten in the physical form as Torah, but the real Torah was in the spiritual and luminous form. Thatis to say that, the real Torah was not separate from the light of the exalted Imam, as the Wise Qur'ansays: "Say, who revealed the Book which Musa brought, a light and a guidance for mankind, whichyou put on the sheets of paper which you show, but you hide much of it" (6:91).

The wisdom of this holy verse shows that the Torah was in two forms: In the first and original form it

was in the heart and mind of Hazrat Harun and Hazrat Musa as the miraculous light and all-embracing Holy Spirit of knowledge and wisdom, rectitude and guidance. From this miraculouslight, according to "a light and a guidance for mankind" (6:91), the people used to receive miraculousguidance in such a way that the hujjats of the regions used to receive the inspirational ( ilhami ) lightdirectly and they used to guide the people through their respective da is . The other form of the Torahis described in the above-mentioned verse.

Now from the explanation of this Qur'anic wisdom, it is established that the Torah was definitely anImam in its original and luminous state, by which is meant the sacred light of Hazrat MawlanaHarun. For further verification and corroboration of this reality, the following holy verse should bereflected upon. "And thus We have revealed unto you (this Book in the form of) a spirit from ourCommand. You knew not what is the Book, nor knew you what is the (ultimate perfection of) faith.But We made it (the spirit) a light whereby We guide whom We will of Our servants" (42:52). Thisverse shows that the Wise Qur'an also has a spiritual and luminous origin and reality, which is calledthe light of the Prophet and the Imam.

Now, despite the clear explanation of the above-mentioned realities and gnoses of the HeavenlyBook and the light of the Wise Quran, if someone still questions: How can the Heavenly Book be inthe light of the Prophet and the Imam? The detailed answer to this question will be given in the light



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of logic. For instance, when you write a letter to one of your dear ones, the information which youwrite in the letter does not leave your mind and become confined to the letter, as it happens in thecase of a material thing when it is poured from one container to another, it does not remain in the

former. Rather, the information which is written down in the letter remains in your heart and mind inthe original state; there is not the slightest decrease in it. As long as it is in the human mind, it doesnot have a written form, it is only in the form of spiritual knowledge and in a mental state. It is adifferent question whether a man, through his will power, can write something even in hisimagination ( khayal ). This example shows the reality that the miraculous light of Qur'anic knowledgeand wisdom, which had appeared in the holy personalities of Muhammad and Ali, could notdecrease by writing it down (in the physical form of) the Qur'an.

Further, if it is objected that the Qur'an was not written from the knowledge of the Holy Prophet andthe Imam, but that God had revealed it to the Holy Prophet from the Guarded Tablet, it will be

answered that, undoubtedly, the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet from the Guarded Tablet, but it isnecessary to know how it was revealed and what the Guarded Tablet is. Thus it should be known thatthe Qur'an was revealed to the blessed heart of the Prophet as a living spirit. The revelation of theQur'an is full of the description of spiritual secrets which require a separate treatise. In short,whatever is revealed to the heart takes the form of knowledgeable and intelligible things and itsscope expands gradually until it embraces the entire universe and the existents in it. Thus the spirit of the Qur'an which was revealed to the Holy Prophet had come to him in the form of the angelic world,or the world of angels. It was a luminous, living and wakeful world of knowledge and wisdom andunveiling of reality, the observations and experiences of which were expressed by the Holy Prophet

in the Arabic language and thus the Holy Qur'an was compiled in the written form. But the spirit orthe light of the Qur'an existed in his noble personality till the end, without the slightest decrease.

Now the question: How did this spirit or light come to Murtaza Ali? The answer is that according tothe verse "And We have encompassed everything in the manifest Imam" (36:12), the light of Ali isthe manifest Imam, the manifest Book, the Mother of the Book and the Guarded Tablet, whichcontains everything. And other than the light of the Imam, nothing can be the Guarded Tablet. For, if due to the literal concept of the Tablet, it is supposed that there is a huge Tablet of God on which iswritten everything, then it can be argued that the physical writing cannot contain everything, such asintelligence, consciousness, understanding, speech, discernment, happiness, grief, anger, knowledge,

forbearance and also intellects, souls, angels, everything in the universe and existents, time and itschanging conditions, etc, whereas in "everything" are included all these things. Thus it is clear thatthe Guarded Tablet is the name of the light of the Imam, which comprises and embraces the exteriorand interior of the universe and existents and thus it is this light which encompasses everything.

It should be known that the Universal Intellect is the living Pen of God and the Universal Soul, HisLiving Tablet. It should also be known that the Universal Intellect is the light of Muhammad and theUniversal Soul, that of Ali, and the Qur'an is written in spiritual writing, on the Tablet of theUniversal Soul with the Pen of the Universal Intellect. Now tell us, from where did the spiritualwritings or the Qur'an reveal to the Holy Prophet? From the light of the exalted Ali, which is knownas the Guarded Tablet. Further, although the light of the Holy Prophet was as the Divine Pen, but thePen in pre-eternity ( azal ), by the Command of God, has written everything on the Guarded Tabletand thus everything is now on the Guarded Tablet. Furthermore, it is clear that in order to write wehave recourse to the pen and to read, to the tablet. Thus it is evident that the Holy Prophet observedthe wisdom of the Divine writings on the "Mother of the Book" or the"Guarded Tablet" of the light of Ali, and it is from here that the Holy Qur'an has been received.



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4. Imam-i Mubin

In the verse (15:79), God says: "So We took revenge on them, and lo! they both (ruined towns) are on anopen highway ( imamin mubin )".

This verse is apparently about the community of Hazrat Lut and the community of Hazrat Shu cayb andtheir dwellings, which were destroyed by Divine chastisement as a result of their disbelief in theirProphets. The traces and marks of the destruction of the dwellings of the community of Lut, Sodom andothers and those of the community of Shu cayb, Madyan, are seen even today on the way from Arabia to

Syria.

It is clear that here the word "Imam" is literally used in the sense of "path". There is no doubt that withrespect to wisdom also, the word Imam means "path", such as, the straight path and the path of God. Pathhas other names also, such as madhhab , maslak , shari at , tariqat , minhaj , etc. and by all these words ismeant the exalted Imam. For, from the material and worldly point of view, path and guide are twoseparate things, but from the spiritual and religious point of view, the one light of guidance is both thepath and the guide. A bright proof of this reality from the Holy Qur'an is: "Certainly my Lord is on thestraight path" (11:56). That is to say that God is found in the light of the lamp of guidance and theillumination of the light of ma rifat . Or to express it in simple words, the holy light of the Imam is itself the straight path on which there is God; it is this path of light on which the true concept of God, Hisvision and recognition are certain for the servants of God and this path of light is forever.

Another of the wisdoms of this holy verse is that by the Imam-i mubin , as mentioned above, is meant thestraight path, which is the path of light. Thus when the true mu'mins continue to walk on the path of spirituality and luminosity of the Imam-i mubin , they see with their inner eyes, innumerable examples of previous communities, including the communities of Lut and Shu ayb and their dwellings.

Another wisdom in this verse is that according to the principles of number, "one" stands for the unity of God, then comes "two", which is between unity and multiplicity. That is to say that, the number "two" isintermediary between unity and multiplicity. One of the characteristics of this number is that it bringsmultiplicity closer to unity. Thus according to wisdom, the number "two" among the creatures andexistents, is fixed for the two creatures whose status is next to God in both the worlds, just as "two"

follows "one" in the numbers. These two creatures are the Universal Intellect and the Universal Soul.Thus in this respect, the tawil of " Wa innahuma la-bi-imamin mubin - and they both are with the Imam-imubin (the manifest Imam)" (15:79), is that the Universal Intellect and the Universal Soul are with themanifest Imam. For in this world and among the spiritual hudud , these are the two supreme angels.

Further, it should be known that, among the ranks of the universe, the two supreme things are the DivineThrone and the Divine Pedestal; in the world of Divine knowledge they are the Pen and the Tablet; in theworld of oneness they are Lordship ( rububiyyat ) and servantship ( ubudiyyat ); in the world of Islam theyare the Qur'an and the Hadith; among the physical hudud they are Natiq and Asas (Muhammad and Ali);in the circle of existence they are spirituality and corporeality; in the stations of teaching they are theconfluence of two oceans; in the domain of existence they are this world and the next, etc. Thus in thedual pronoun of " innahuma (Indeed they two)" allusion is made to these great things of the above-mentioned worlds, to which in reality, the number two is applicable. Thus it is clear that Imam-i mubin isthe name of the one from whose exalted personality, nothing is separate and far away.



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5. The Concept of the Perpetuality of the Imam

In the verse (17:71) God says: "On the day when we shall call together all human beings (of all

times) with their (respective) Imam". It should be borne in mind that this verse, with respect toits literal sense, is like: qad calima kullu unasin mashrabahum, (i.e. each tribe knew theirdrinking place) (2:60). Thus, in order to understand the wisdom of this noble verse, it isnecessary to understand the meaning of unas . Unas is the plural of anis and another form of itis unasi , which has been used in the Qur'an for division of small groups. For instance, the peopleof Hazrat Musa are called ummat-i Musa or qawm Musa. They can also be called nas withoutbeing related (to anybody), but they cannot be called unas . For unas in the Qur'an is used forsmall divisions of people. That is to say that, unas is used for each of the twelve tribes of HazratMusa. This means that it is in relation to the Imam of the time that the people are called unas ,

just as they are called ummat or qawm in relation to the Prophet. This is because of the fact thatin the cycle of every Natiq , there are many Imams and the people of the time of every Imam willbe called unas , not ummat or qawm .

The above realities reveal that the exalted Imam is always available and present among thepeople of this world. This is why on the Day of Resurrection, God, in His court, will call thepeople of every age with their respective Imam, because He made him the source of guidanceand the means of salvation for them, but they did not recognize him. Further, he is the witness of the deeds of the people and unless he witnesses their deeds, God will not judge the good and thebad deeds of the people.

It is necessary to know the principle that, certain attributes of God are due to their relation to theProphet and the Imam. In order to know such attributes, one should look into the hundred namesof God and then the hundred names of the Prophet and the hundred names of the Imam. Thoseattributive names of God which are also mentioned among the names of the Prophet and theImam, are His names in relation to the Prophet and the Imam. For instance, one of the attributivenames of God is al-hadi (the guide) and the same is that of the Prophet and the Imam. Thus,for the wise people, it is clear that God is the "guide" in the sense that He sent the Prophet for thesake of guidance and the Prophet is guide in the sense that he guided the people in his own timeand for their guidance in the future, he appointed the Imam from his progeny. Thus the work of

guidance becomes complete with the Imam.

Similarly, another such name among the names of God is ash-shahid (the witness), which isalso the name of the Prophet and the Imam. This means that God has sent the Prophet as witnessand the Prophet, according to the command of God, has made the Imam witness over the peoplein his own place. Thus the absolute witness over the deeds of the people is the exalted Imam.And this is the reason that God, on the Day of Resurrection, will call the people of every agewith their respective Imam.



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6. God Always Speaks to the Imam

In the verse (21:73) God says: And We made them the Imams (of the people) who guide by Our

command.

The wisdom of this verse shows that the true Imams are appointed by God Himself and theyguide the people according to His will and command. Further, this verse shows that, in order tocommand and guide, He always speaks to the pure Imams. This Divine Speech, whether we callit the special favour ( tawfiq-i khass ) or the luminous guidance ( nurani hidayat ), is received fromGod, always and afresh by the Imams according to the requirements and needs of the time andplace. Since the Divine command ( amr-i bari ) is their prerogative, i.e. on the one hand, theyreceive it and on the other, they convey it to the people, in this sense they are called ulu'l-amr (those who possess the Divine command).

Every wise person who believes in the existence of God can, reflecting for a while, understandthat in view of the law of the mercy of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful, it is absolutelyimpossible that He may remove at any time, His means of command and guidance (i.e. the Imamof the time) from among the people of the world. Again it is also absolutely impossible that thepeople of the world may dispense with the source of His guidance at any time. Thus it isnecessary and indispensable in every age that the Imam should always be alive and presentamong the people in the human attire, whether it is the cycle of Propehthood or the cycle of Imamat.

It should be clear that the time which has elapsed from Hazrat Adam till the Seal of the Prophets,i.e. the Holy Prophet Muhammad, is called the cycle of Prophethood and the time whichcontinues from him till the Resurrection is called the cycle of Imamat. The difference betweenthese two cycles is that during the cycle of Prophethood, by the command of God, some Imams,in addition to the function of Imamat, used to perform the duties of Prophethood also, whereas inthe cycle of Imamat, since it is the cycle of Resurrection, the pure Imams from the progeny of Muhammad perform the duties related only to the matters of Imamat.



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7. The Imam of the Righteous

In the verse (25:74) the word "Imam" is mentioned in this way: "And those who pray: Our Lord!vouchsafe us the joy of our eyes from our wives and our offspring ( dhurriyyat ) and make us theImam of the righteous".

One of the salient wisdoms of this verse is that this prayer is specially related to the most nobleImams, for it is their characteristic only to become Imam even in the position of their progenyand offspring.

From the prayer in this verse it is clear that the true Imam can be Imam even in the personalitiesof his children and grandchildren. Thus the doctrine of the Isma ilis to maintain that MawlanaAli is alive and present in the human attire of Mawlana Shah Karim al-Husayni is correct.

In the above-mentioned verse, for the wise people, it is mentioned in a wisdom-filled way thatthe chain of Imamat is infinite. That is to say that, according to this verse, not only in the past butalso in the present and in the future, every Imam will pray to his Lord to make him the Imam of the righteous in the position of his sons and the coming generations, in addition to his ownpersonality and this will continue forever without any end. And if after many ages the lifespan of the planet earth comes to an end, God will transfer the light of Imamat to another planet, as in thebeginning, it had descended here from another planet, which is called "the descent of Adam".

It should be known that, to be the Imam of the righteous, does not mean that before the existenceof the Imam, there were some righteous people and then the Imam came into existence. Ratherthis means that the people attain righteousness as a result of the guidance of the Imam and thenthe Imam being related to them is called the "Imam of the righteous". Or in other words, sincethe Imam is always here in this world, as a result, there are also the righteous and righteousness.

Another great wisdom in this verse is hidden in the word dhurriyyat . In fact, there are not onlyone, but innumerable wisdoms hidden in it, but we will confine ourselves to explain it briefly. Itshould be known that the words dhurriyyat and dharrah stem from the same root. Further, there

is a great difference between the dhurriyyat and the children ( awlad ). Dhurriyyat is the name of the particle or atom of soul ( dharrah-i ruh ) or the dot of soul ( nuqtah-i ruh ), which is in theblood and the cells of human beings and has not yet passed through the stages of procreation,whereas children are those particles of soul which have passed through the stages of procreation.A clear proof of the reality that the Qur'anic name of the innumerable particles of the life oranimal soul which are in the blood and cells of the human body is dhurriyyat , is in this verse:"And a miracle unto them is that We bore their dhurriyyat (i.e. the particles of their life) in theladen ship" (36:41). That is to say that, the particles of life ( dhurriyyat or dharrat ) of thoseunbelievers were in the blood and cells of the mu'mins who were in Hazrat Nuh's Ark during thedeluge.

Further it is also said in the Qur'an: "And when thy Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their loins their dhurriyyat (particles of soul)" (7:172). This verse shows that in thesouls which were brought forth from the loins of the children of Adam were included the souls of the people of the entire world. For, the purpose for which the sleeping souls were awakened fromthe sleep of negligence on that occasion, was not related only to some, but to all of them. In anycase, the gist of the above-mentioned three verses is that dhurriyyat is the name of thoseinnumerable souls which exist in the human blood and cells in a dormant state. From these soulsonly a few appear in the form of children according to the law of nature through procreation and



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the rest are transferred to relatives and aliens through the spiritual waves of imagination,attention, love and benediction etc. These points are also found in the above-mentioned prayer of the Imams, that according to them, the joy of eyes (i.e. children) is possible in two forms: the

physical and the spiritual. Thus in "from our wives ( min azwajina )" are mentioned sons,grandsons, great grandsons and the future generations, but in "from our dhurriyyat (mindhurriyyatina )" are mentioned not the physical children, but the spiritual children. And this is thereason that, in the prayer which is made for this kind of joy of the eyes (i.e. children), thephysical wives of the Imam are not included.



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9. The Imam is the Source of Guidance

In the verse (28:41) God says: "And We made them the Imams who invite unto the fire and onthe Day of Resurrection they will not be helped".

This verse reveals the wisdom that Pharoah and Haman and other disbelieving leaders were suchthat they used to invite and lead the people into the hell-fire. This clearly shows that evendisobedience, deviation and disbelief, although they are easy, are not possible without a chief ora leader. If this is so, then how can obedience, guidance and faith be possible without a guide oran Imam?

Further it should be known that, if it is necessary for the Divine law that there should always be aperson among the people to mislead and show them the path of hell, then in contrast to this, it ismore necessary that there should always be a person in the world who is able to guide the peopleon the straight path amd make them enter Paradise. And such a person is only the Imam of thetime.

When God makes a person the head of disbelief, then He does not make him a head merely inname, without means, rather, He gives him the external and material means of pomp and show,variety of riches and the formal knowledge and skill, only then can he succeed in leading thepeople astray from the true path and make them walk on the path of hell. As the Holy Qur'ansays: "And Musa said: Our Lord! Lo! Thou hast given Pharoah and his chiefs splendour andriches in the life of the world, Our Lord! that they may lead men astray from Thy way" (10:88).If this is the case, then it is also necessary for God to give some kind of riches to the head of faith, namely, the Imam, so that he may be able to guide the people. For by nature, people do notpay attention to someone who has nothing at all. Thus God has given the true Imam the spiritualwealth and kingdom which are in the form of knowledge and wisdom, due to which the people of intellect and wisdom turn towards him.

Among the wisdoms of the above verse, it is also said that on the Day of Resurrection, namely,

in the cycle of spirituality, the chiefs of disbelief will not be helped. This shows that contrary tothem, the heads of belief, the Imams, will be helped. That is to say victory, succour andpredominance will be granted to the holy Imams and their followers.



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10. Meaning of Patience and Certitude of the Imam

In the verse (32:24) God says: "And We made from among them Imams who guide according toOur command and they had certainty about Our signs (spiritual miracles)".

The explanation of this verse is that God made the Imams from among the Prophets, whoadopted patience in physical and spiritual trials. The external trials which the Prophets andImams undergo are known to all, but very few are aware of the internal trials with which they aretested. It should be known that the internal trials are purely spiritual, which are full of knowledge, wisdom, rectitude and guidance. Through these trials, the son of the Imam ascendsthe ranks of hudud-i din one by one, until he attains the rank of Imamat.

This verse also shows that the true Imam guides the people according to the command of God.This means that whatever guidance the Imam gives to the people, is in reality from God and thusthe command of God continues in this world.

It should be known that only the guidance which is according to the command of God is the rightguidance. It is this guidance which leads to the ultimate destination and has the correct answer toevery difficult question and the sure solutions of the problems created by time and place.

As for the certainty of the Imams, it should be known that there is a great difference betweenbelieving in the signs of God and having certainty about them. For, belief is both common andspecial, but certainty is only special. Thus in the above verse to say that the pure Imams havecertainty about the signs of God indicates that all the wisdoms and realities of the certainty of knowledge, the certainty of vision and the certainty of truth are manifest and evident to them andthere is no sign of God which is hidden from them.

All these matters are related to the recognition of the Imam, that is to say that they are usefulonly to those who believe in the doctrine of Imamat and have reached one or the other of thedegrees of the recognition of Imam.



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11. Everything is Encompassed in the Light of Imamat

In the verse (36:12) God says: "Lo! We it is Who bring the dead to life. We record that whichthey send before (them) and their traces. And all things (in the form of spirit and knowledge) Wehave encompassed in the manifest Imam".

The ta'wil of this verse is that to be revived in the spirit of knowledge and wisdom from thedeath of ignorance and to enjoy the bounties of this world and the next is possible only whensomeone attains the recognition of the Imam of the time. For in this verse, God has mentionedfirst the bringing of the dead to life and then the deeds which are sent to the next world and thetraces in this world and then has said that all these are gathered in the blessed personality of the

manifest Imam. Thus it is clear how the dead come to life and how benefit can be obtained fromthe deeds for the next world and the traces left in this world, all these can be observed in the lightof the recognition of the manifest Imam.

Imam-i mubin means the manifest Imam and the speaking Imam. That is the ever-living and theever-present Imam, whose holy light, in the form of the Universal Intellect and the UniversalSoul, has encompassed both the worlds within itself. In both the worlds there is everything andnothing is outside of them.

In the sense of mubin , the Imam is manifest and speaking in two forms, corporeal and luminous.

That is to say that he is manifest both in the human form and in the luminous form. Similarly, hespeaks in both the physical hudud as well as in the spiritual hudud .



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12. Light of Imamat is the Speaking Book of God

In the verse (46:12) God says: "And before it there was the Book of Musa, a guide (Imam) and amercy (for the people); and this is a Book confirming (it) in the Arabic language, that it maywarn those who do wrong and bring good tidings to the doers of good".

It should be known to the true mu'mins that it was the holy and blessed light of Mawlana Harunwhich was the real Book of Hazrat Musa. Since the heavenly Book, in the state of wahy (revelation), is a living light, in this sense it was a guide (Imam) and a mercy for the people andhow the Holy spirit or light of the exalted Imam, can be a Book, has already been discussed inthis booklet.

When studying the Ismaili literature on ta'wil , time and again you will find that in the languageof ta'wil , the Book stands for the Imam or the Asas . Thus the Asas of every Natiq is his luminousBook. Thus by the Book of Hazrat Musa is meant Hazrat Mawlana Harun, whose blessed lightwas called the Torah.

Contrary to this explanation, if we accept that before the Qur'an, the external Torah, (with theinterpolations made in it by the Jews) was a guide and a mercy for the people, it would betantamount to saying that there was the happiness, guidance and mercy of God even in theinterpolations which the Jews had made in the Book. But this is not true. For the Book (Torah) inthe verses of which, the people have made interpolations, cannot be an Imam and a mercy for thepeople, nor does the Qur'an confirm it.



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The Recognition of the Imam Part Two


Introduction

External light an example or symbol of the internal spiritual light.

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful! When it is universally accepted bythe select and the common people that, the material light or the light of the external(material) world is an example ( mithal ) of the light of the internal (spiritual) world, we

should first describe some characteristics of the material or external light, so thatthose who walk on the true path, may recognise the meaning ( mamthul ) of it byreflecting on the example.

Source of material light is, in reality, only one

Thus it is known to everyone that in this world, the source of material light is, inreality, only one, which is the sun. The other sources of light, such as the moon,stars, and all the other sources of light, are only the product of the sun. Therefore, it

is impossible for anything in this world to be a source of the material light or heat,without being sustained by the various powers of the sun. Additionally, the sun, inreality, is the Divine workshop, through whose creative action, the worlds of starsand planets of this huge universe come into being. Thus whatever exists materially ineach of them, is due to the sun.

Therefore also in the world of religion , the spiritual light only on e

Similarly, in the world of religion and the realm of reality, the spiritual light, from pre-eternity, is only one, through which all the Divine attributes continue to become

manifest and everything of the spiritual world comes into existence. For instance, it isthis light through which the holy command of God is continuously issued; it is thislight through which the Divine guidance is given continuously; it is this light, one ofwhose special forms, is intelligence and understanding and knowledge and wisdom;it is this light whose name is the eye of the heart or the inner eye; it is this light inwhich are hidden the secrets of the Divine marvels and wonders and signs ofrealities and gnosis; it is this light which is the source and fountainhead of miracles, itis this light which is called the Soul of souls and the perfect Intellect, or the Pedestaland the Throne; it is this light which is called the luminous Book and luminous ta'wil ;

it is this light which is called the higher world and the real Paradise; it is this light inwhich everything exists and everything is encompassed. In short, it is this spirituallight, which is the absolute light and it is everything.

Sun of the world of the Qur'an, which is the world of knowledge and wisdom

When it is clear from the above explanation that the physical world is governed bythe material light and the spiritual world by the spiritual light, let us now see the sunof the world of the Qur'an, which is the world of knowledge and wisdom. The exaltedImam has alluded that the sun of the world of Qur'an is the verse of misbah (24:35),



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the moon, the verse of siraj (33:46) and the stars are the other verses of light. It isnecessary to know that, all the verses related to light (i.e. the moon and the stars ofthe Qur'an) are linked with the verse of misbah , just as the physical moon and stars

are linked in their light with the sun. To give an example of this reality, at night, whenthe shining moon and the glittering stars are seen, the common people think that thelight of the moon and the stars is their own. But the people of insight have come toknow that this is not so. That is to say that, at this time if we fly to one of the brightworlds of the moon or the stars, there will be no night, rather, there will be a time ofthe day and if we look at the sky from there, we will be able to see the luminous sun.This means that, in reality, all the light of the moon and the stars, is the light of thesun.

The night of doubt and uncertainty about the unity of lights then disappears

Similarly, when we look at the verses of light in the Qur'an, from their exotericmeaning, at first glance we get the impression that there are many lights. That is tosay, at first glance, it appears that the heavenly Books, the Prophets, Imams anddignitaries in religion ( buzurgan-i din ) are separate and different lights. But, afterdeep thinking and research, when the concepts of a true mu'min reach the height ofthe meanings of these verses, then, all at once, he comes to know that they are one.The night of doubt and uncertainty about the unity of lights then disappears and theday of perfect certainty about their unity dawns. That is to say, after attaining ma rifat ,

the true mu'min comes to know that the light of the moon and the stars of the worldof religion, is in reality, the same light of the sun of the verse of misbah , i.e. the lightof God.

when a true mu'min reaches, spiritually, the heights of his inner light-

For example, in one of the verses of light, is mentioned " nuruhum (their light)", thatis, the light of the mu'mins. With respect to the exoteric meaning of this verse, it maybe thought that this light of the mu'mins is their own light separate from the absolutelight of God, just as the light of the moon and the stars can be thought to be their

own, separate from the light of the sun, whereas the sun being the only source of theunfathomable ocean of light, it is not true. The same is true of the light which isattributed to the moon and stars of the world of religion. That is to say, when a truemu'min reaches, spiritually, the heights of his inner light, he comes to know that hislight is, in reality, the very same absolute light mentioned in the verse of misbah :"Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth" (24:35). This means that for theinternal or spiritual aspect of the universe and the things in it, there is always andeverywhere, a unique, ever pervading, self-sufficient and all-inclusive light, in whosepresence, neither is there a need of, nor is there, in reality, room for another light.

God nourishes every world according to its requirements

From the above examples and proofs, it is as clear as broad daylight, that in thephysical, spiritual and Qur'anic worlds, the light has supreme rank and paramountimportance and its presence is extremely necessary. If, in each of these worlds, thelight exists and is present according to its requirements, how is it possible for theworld of humanity to be devoid of the permanent existence and presence of (its own)light? Had it been possible, then the meaning of " Rabbu'l alamin (Nourisher of theworlds)" would have lacked a special aspect. That is to say that, God nourishes



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every world according to its requirements, except the world of humanity, which Hedoes not provide with guidance and knowledge, according to the requirements of itsintellect and soul, as it ought to be. Obviously, this is impossible and is against His

mercy and guidance. Thus, it is evident, that the light of God always exists and ispresent in the world of humanity or the world of religion and that light exists and ispresent in the human attire of the true Imam, salawatu'llahi alayhi .

realities of the recognition of the Imam will be easy

When it is established that the exalted Imam is the mazhar of the absolute light, thenit is indispensable and necessary for us to explain some realities of the verses oflight, so that, by studying them in one place and in the light of their collectivewisdom, the realities of the recognition of the Imam will be easy and understandable

for every mu'min. God willing ( insha'a'llahu ta ala ).



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In relation to the last paragraph, we will now look at the verses of the light to therealities of the recognition of the Imam. These will be in two sections: A and B each

with 22 headings, Inshallah

Recognition of the Imam Part two Section A; 22 headings

The Word Light 1Real Light and Self-Made or Artificial Light 2

Light of Guidance and Darkness of Deviation 3Luminous Book 4Nur-i Mubin (The Manifest and Speaking Light) 5Light and Manifest Book 6Purpose of the Torah 7Purpose of the Gospel 8Purpose of the Qur'an 9Light versus Darknesses 10

Light and Guidance 11If Light is attained then Eternal Life is given 12Following the Light after the Prophet 13Abortive Attempt against the Divine Light 14Perfection of Light 15Luminous Oneness of the Sun and the Moon 16Darknesses and Light 17The Book, the Prophet and the Light 18

The Guide and the Light 19The Light of the Imam of the Time is the Luminous Book 20The Light of the Universe 21Brief Arguments in support of these Realities 22



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1. The Word Light:

Reflect well upon this great wisdom of God, may He be exalted, that the word light ismentioned forty-nine times in the Wise Qur'an and our celebrated and gloriouspresent Imam, Shah Karimu'l-Husayni, alayhi's-salatu wa's salam , is also the forty-ninth Imam in the holy succession of Imamat in the progeny of the Holy Prophet anddescendants of Mawlana Ali. Thus it is not impossible in the wisdom and power ofGod that, in this number of the word "light", the Holy Qur'an predicts that in theblessed age of the forty-ninth attire of the light of Imamat, both the world of religion

and the physical world, will be illumined by the spiritual and physical knowledge andwisdom. As is evident that, as a special sign, the atomic age has begun in theblessed age of the present Imam and man has hoisted the flag of victory andsuccess on the moon in order to conquer the universe.

Since we are sure of this prediction of the verses of light, that now, by the grace ofGod, both physically and spiritually, it is the age of light and its reign, let us givesome explanation of the forty-nine verses in which the light of Imamat is prominently

mentioned, in accordance with the wisdom-filled teachings of Hazrat Pir SayyidNasir-i Khusraw, may God sanctify his secret.

2. Real Light and Self-Made or Artificial Light:

The clear purport of the example of the real light and artificial light or the realguidance and the artificial guidance, given in the verse (2:17), is that, in the darknessof the night, two travellers have set out separately on a far distant journey. One ofthem has a unique, miraculous torch, which can neither be extinguished by wind orby rain. The other one has a match box. Now the one who has the miraculous torch,walks and advances towards his desired destination and reaches it with great peaceand satisfaction. The one with the match box, due to absence of light cannotadvance. He gets fed up of the darkness and with great difficulty, kindles a fire in thewilderness and wishes to traverse some of the distance in the light of it. But how farcan the light of a stationary fire reach! Finally, even that fire also becomes

extinguished and the traveller remains in the dark night.

The ta'wil of this example is that, for the people of salvation, the recognition ( ma c rifat )and the light of the living and present Imam, is that unique, miraculous torch, whichcan be extinguished neither by the wind of opposition and enmity, nor by the rain ofthe vicissitudes of the age. For, this holy and blessed light is the pre-eternal ( azali )and post-eternal ( abadi ) light of God, the Omnipotent, and that of His trueMessenger, which existed with every heavenly Book and with every Messenger and



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which, with the same glory, always continues to exist and is present also after theHoly Prophet, so that, the people may be guided on the straight path through it.Contrary to this, the example of any attempt which is made to attain guidance

without this real light, is mentioned in the language of wisdom, in the above verse(2:17).

3. Light of Guidance and Darkness of Deviation:

The gist of the purport of what God says in the verse (2:257), is that, if there is thedarkness of deviation always in the world, there is also always the light of guidance.

Otherwise, if the world was only overcast by the dark clouds of disbelief anddeviation, without the sun of faith and guidance, then this would have been a greatinjustice on the part of the Divine law towards the people of the world.

4. Luminous Book:

In the verse (3:184), the light is mentioned as the luminous Book ( al-kitabu'l munir ),

which means that the real and spiritual book is as the "One light" of the Prophet andthe true Imam, which is the Speaking Book ( kitab-i natiq ). This luminous Book,namely, the light of the Perfect Man, is also called ta'wil or hikmat (wisdom). (SeeWajh-i Din , First Part, Urdu translation, pp. 64-65). Ta'wil is called the luminousBook, in the sense that, on the highest level of spirituality and in the world ofunveiling and (spiritual) observation, it clearly demonstrates and describes therealities and gnoses of the existents, by illumining them. In other words, the samelight which is in the holy personality of the exalted Imam, is the living and speaking

soul of the Holy Qur'an, which contains a living, spacious universe of the practicalta'wil of the Wise Qur'an. Thus, our illustrious pirs and luminaries, as a result of theibadat and spiritual exercise taught to them by the Imam of the time, had attainedcomplete observation and experience of this light (i.e. the luminous Book) in theirmind and heart and had come to know the living realities of both the worlds.

5. Nur-i Mubin (The Manifest and Speaking Light):

In the verse (4:175) the word " nur-i mubin " is mentioned, which has two meanings:manifest light and speaking light. And in this verse, both these meanings areappropriate. As for the meaning of " mubin " as speaking, it is used in the verse(43:18). Thus the light of the holy Imam is both manifest and speaking, not only in aphysical form, but also miraculously manifests himself and speaks in the spiritualstate.



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Thus, in the above noble verse, God says: "O mankind! Verily there has come to youa proof and We have sent down unto you a manifest light". Here, the office ofProphethood is called proof and that of Imamat, is called manifest light. If someone

argues that by the proof is meant the Glorious Qur'an and by the light, the Prophet,even then one comes to the same conclusion. For, since the light of God isinextinguishable, therefore it is transferred from the Prophet to the chain of Imamatand thus, even today, it is manifest in the human attire of the living and presentImam and will remain manifest forever.

6. Light and Manifest Book:

In the verses (5:15-16), both the Prophet and the Imam are considered as one lightand the Qur'an as the manifest Book. Here, a question may be asked: Why is it thatsometimes light (i.e. the Prophet or Imam) and sometimes the Book is calledmanifest? The answer is that, it is the characteristic of both the light and the Qur'an,that from one aspect, they are manifest and from the other, they are hidden. That isto say that, the person of the light and the exoteric aspect ( tanzil ) of the Qur'an aremanifest, but the spirituality of the light and the esoteric aspect ( ta'wil ) of the Qur'anare hidden. Thus, where it is taught that the wisdom of the Qur'an should be seen inthe illumination of the light, there with respect to the person, the light is calledmanifest and where it is emphasized that the Imam should be recognised with thehelp of the Qur'an, there the Book, with respect to tanzil or the exoteric aspect, iscalled manifest.

7. Purpose of the Torah:

In the verse (5:44), God says: "Indeed We revealed the Torah, wherein is guidanceand a light, by which the Prophets who submitted themselves (unto Allah) judged theJews, and the rabbis and the priests (judged) by such of Allah's Book as they werebidden to observe, and thereunto were they witnessed."

The above mentioned verse clearly reveals that the purpose of the Torah wasguidance and light. That is to say that, by the Torah was meant a guidance whichmay lead to the path of the light of recognition, through which the recognition of the

Imam of the time, may be attained.

Further, this verse also reveals that there was the same purpose in the appointment,by God, of Prophets, Imams and ulama : that they may judge the people according tothe guidance of the Torah, so that, they may attain the recognition of the light, byfollowing this guidance.



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8. Purpose of the Gospel:

In the verse (5:46), God says: "And We bestowed on him ( Isa) the Gospel wherein isguidance and light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah - aguidance and an admonition unto those who are righteous."

This verse shows that the subject and purpose of the Gospel was the same as thatof the Torah: that is, the people should be guided to and taught such words anddeeds that they may observe the light of Imamat and recognise it.

The last part of the verse: "It is a guidance and an admonition unto those who arerighteous" is a bright proof of the fact that the guidance and the admonition of theGospel were followed only by those who warded off the carnal and worldly interests,so that they may be able to observe and recognise the light of Imamat. And this isthe purpose of every heavenly Book.

9. Purpose of the Qur'an:

In the verse (5:47), God says: "And unto thee have We revealed the Book with thetruth, confirming whatever Book was before it, and guarding it. So judge betweenthem by that which Allah has revealed".

Here the question arises: How does the Qur'an confirm the heavenly Books before itand in what sense does it guard them? The answer is that the purpose of the Qur'anis the same purpose of the heavenly Books before it, therefore the fundamentalsubjects and teachings of the Qur'an are the same as those of the Torah and theGospel. In this sense, the Holy Qur'an confirmed the heavenly Books before it, in

such a practical way that there cannot be a better confirmation than that.

Now we will explain in what sense the Qur'an is the guardian of the previousheavenly Books. It should be known that the realities and gnoses, which werementioned in the previous heavenly Books, are all guarded in the exoteric andesoteric aspects of the Qur'an and in this sense, the Qur'an is the guardian of theprevious heavenly Books. From the two statements that the Qur'an confirms theprevious heavenly Books and is their guardian, it can be concluded that, just as themain subjects of the Torah and the Gospel were the guidance and the light, so also

they are the main subjects of the Wise Qur'an. Reflect on this verse: "Allah guides toHis light whom He pleases." (24:35). This means that God makes the one whom Hepleases, recognise His blessed and holy light through the Qur'an, the Prophet andthe Imam of the time (as they are the means of His will and guidance). Thus it isclear that, like the Torah and the Gospel, the main subject and supreme purpose ofthe Qur'an are also the guidance and the light.



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10. Light versus Darknesses:

In the verse (6:1), God says: "Praise be to Allah, Who has created the heavens andthe earth and has appointed darknesses and light. Yet those who disbelieve ascriberivals unto their Lord".

In this verse, God is praised because He has created the heavens and under them,the earth and has created darknesses and against them, appointed the light. Thismeans that God created the world of religion, which also contains within itself theheavens, the earth, darknesses and light. The importance of the light is that withoutit, the world of religion will vanish, as it is a fact known to everyone that, without the

material sun in the centre of this material universe, it would perish, for thesubsistence and the order of the latter depend on the former. Similarly, thesubsistence and order of the world of religion depend on the light of Imamat, which isthe sun of the world of religion.

11. Light and Guidance:

In the verse (6:91), God says: "And they estimate not the power of Allah its trueestimation when they say: Allah has naught revealed unto human being. Say (untothe Jews who speak thus): Who revealed the Book which Musa brought, a light anda guidance for mankind that you have put on parchments which you show, but youhide much (of it)".

This verse contains numerous realities and wisdom concerning the living spirit of theheavenly Book. In order to understand them, it is essential and necessary to beaware of the reality and nature of revelation and inspiration. Thus the revelation

takes place in the form of a light of knowledge and a living spirit, which is called thedescent of the Holy Spirit ( ruhu'l-qudus ) or the Trustworthy Spirit ( ruhu'l-amin ). It isthis light of intellect and understanding or the spirit of knowledge and wisdom, whichabounds in countless wonders and miracles, which in true sense, is called theheavenly Book, even though it might not have come into the written form on thepaper, passing through the blessed tongue of the Prophet and the tip of the scribe'spen.

It should be remembered that the heavenly Book always remains in the gloriousspirituality of the Prophet, then in that of the Imam, in its original form and state,without any decrease, even after being written on paper. It is this heavenly or theesoteric Book which is called the living light and real guidance of the Imam of thetime.

It should be known that the subject of the esoteric Book is first, the light and then theguidance and that of the exoteric Book, is first the guidance and then the light. Thismeans that through the holy light of the Imam is found the path to the realities and



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gnoses of the Qur'an and through the guidance of the knowledge and wisdom of theQur'an, is attained the recognition of the light of Imamat.

12. If Light is attained then Eternal Life is given:

In the verse (6:122), God says: "Is he who was dead and We have revived him, andappointed for him a light wherewith he walks among men, as him whose similitude isin utter darkness whence he cannot emerge?"

The wisdom or ta'wil of this holy verse is that by the dead is meant ignorant ( jahil ); by

reviving, to give the true knowledge; by appointing a light (to provide the means of)the attainment of the recognition of the true Imam and his light, and by walkingamong the men with light, is meant to attain eternal life and to enter the spirituality ofthe people, etc.

13. Following the Light after the Prophet:

In the verse (7:157), God says: "Then those who believe in him and honour him andhelp him and follow the light which is sent down with him: they are the successful".

The wisdom of this holy verse, is that the mu'mins, in believing in the Prophet andhonouring and helping him, also believe in the Qur'an. For, his Messengership is inthe form of the Qur'an and not separate from it. As for the light, which the mu'minsfollow, it is the light of Imamat. For the Islamic cycle has two parts: the first part is theperiod of Prophethood, which is mostly related to the exoteric matters and thesecond is that of the Imamat, which is mostly related to the esoteric matters. This iswhy in the period of Prophethood, the mu'mins obey the Prophet and in the period ofImamat, they obey the Imam.

It should also be known that in the verse (7:157), the mention of "following the light ofImamat" after following the Prophet, it is predicted that after the Prophet, thedarkness of negligence and ignorance is going to spread, which only the light of theholy Imam can remove.

14. Abortive Attempt against the Divine Light:

In the verse (9:32), God says: "Fain would they extinguish the light of Allah with (theblows of) their mouths, but Allah disdains (aught) save that He shall perfect His light,however much the disbelievers are averse".

One of the wisdoms of this noble verse is that the abortive attempt to extinguish the



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light of Allah, is made by someone who does not recognise it and (due to ignorance)has enmity with it, for His light, like Hazrat cIsa and Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa,peace be upon them, is always manifest in front of the people in the human attire. In

short, the cause of the opposition and enmity with the Prophet and Imam is nothingbut blindness and ignorance. For, it is impossible to find a disbeliever in this world,who, first believes in God, then believes in someone as the light of God and thentries to extinguish it.

15. Perfection of Light:

Here arises an important question: How does God perfect His light? Is His light notcomplete and perfect pre-eternally and post-eternally? The answer is thatundoubtedly, the light of God is eternally perfect and complete and as such there isno imperfection in it. But, in the world of religion, in accordance with the contingencyof God, some cycles are fixed, in each of which, the blessed and holy light of God,unites with itself a great number of pure souls, through knowledge and good deeds.Thus it is in this respect of the illumination of the souls, it is said that He will perfectHis light.

16. Luminous Oneness of the Sun and the Moon:

In the verse (10:5), God says: "He it is Who appointed the sun a splendour ( diya' )and the moon a light ( nur ), and measured for her stages, that you might know thenumber of years and the reckoning".

The ta'wil of this verse is that, as the sun and the moon are two, with respect to bodyand one, with respect to light, similarly, the Prophet and the Imam are two withrespect to corporeality and one with respect to spirituality. Further, in the cycle ofImamat, the Imam and the Hujjat-i a zam (Bab ) are the sun and the moon of theworld of religion, who are separate physically, but one spiritually.

Another ta'wili wisdom of this verse is that, as the number and reckoning of theworldly years, months, weeks and days become known by the external sun and themoon, similarly, the times of religion are created and become known by the spiritual

sun and moon, which are the Prophet and the Imam or the Imam and the Bab (intheir respective time).

17. Darknesses and Light:

In the verse (13:16), God says: "Say: Is the blind man equal to the seer, or are



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darknesses equal to light?" Here the Wise Qur'an, in its special language of ta'wil draws the attention to the fact that, the one who is blind to the realities and gnoses ofreligion, is never equal to the one who is bestowed with the bounty of insight andinner eye; nor are the darknesses of disbelief and ignorance equal to the lights offaith and gnosis ( c irfan ).

It should be known that here blindness and sight are related to the heart, as it is saidin the verse (22:46): "For it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts, whichare within the chests, that grow blind".

Thus, it becomes evident that, as the spiritual blindness and sight are related to theheart, spiritual darkness and light are also related to the eyes of the heart and not tothe eyes of the head.

18. The Book, the Prophet and the Light:

It is the Divine habit and law that when He wills, He reveals the heavenly Book toone of His Prophets, that he may thereby bring the people to the light of therecognition of the Imam from the darkness of negligence and ignorance. Then theProphet, after himself, in his whole cycle, by the command of God, is guiding thepeople on the right path towards God, through this light, i.e. the Imam, as God saidto the Prophet: "(This is) a Book which We have revealed unto thee that thereby youmay bring forth mankind from darknesses unto light, by the permission of their Lord,unto the path of the Mighty, the Owner of the praise" (14:1).

19. The Guide and the Light:

It is said in the verse (14:5): "And We verily sent Musa with Our signs, saying: Bringthy people forth from darknesses unto light. And remind them of the days of Allah.Lo! therein are signs for everyone who is patient and grateful".

The wisdom hidden in this verse is that, if there is always the darkness of disbeliefand ignorance in this world, there is also always the light of faith and certitude. Butthe nature and habit of the people are such that they themselves cannot come out of

the darkness and enter the light, therefore, God appoints a guide with His signs, asthe Prophet or the Imam, so that, the people may recognise the guide of their ageand according to his guidance, they may be able to abandon the darkness and followthe path of the light.

Here, an important question should be asked: Why are the signs with which HazratMusa was sent, not common to everyone? Why are they confined to those who arepatient and grateful? The answer is that by patience and gratitude, the inner eye



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opens and then by the observation of His signs, His will is understood and His light,the Imam of the time, is recognised. Contrary to this, the one who has been a prey toselfishness, sensuality, impatience and ingratitude, his inner eye becomes covered

with the veil of negligence and he cannot see the signs of God, which are in theheavenly Book, or with the Prophet and the Imam.

20. The Light of the Imam of the Time is the Luminous Book:

In the verses (22:8-9), God says: "And among mankind is he who disputesconcerning God without knowledge or guidance or a luminous Book: Turning away in

pride to beguile (men) from the way of God".

The ta'wil of this verse is that nobody can debate and discuss about the recognitionof God without the recognition of the da c i , the hujjat and the Imam of the time. Forthe da c i is knowledge, the hujjat is guidance and the Imam is the luminous Book, asthey are on the levels of knowledge of certitude ( c ilmu'l-yaqin ), vision of certitude(c aynu'l-yaqin ) and truth of certitude ( haqqu'l-yaqin ), respectively.

This means that the da i , inviting the people through the knowledge of certitude,

hands them over to the hujjat , the hujjat guiding them through the vision of certitude,enables them to reach the luminous recognition of the Imam and the Imam showsthem clearly all the realities of the physical and spiritual existents, from the luminousBook of his light.

21. The Light of the Universe:

In the verse (24:35), God says: "Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; His lightis as a niche in which is a lamp, and the lamp is in a glass, the glass is as though itwere a glittering star; it is lit from a blessed tree, an Olive neither of the east nor of thewest, the oil of which would well-nigh give light though no fire touched it - light uponlight - Allah guides to His light whom He pleases and Allah strikes out parables for men;and Allah all things does know".

The wisdom and ta'wil of this verse is that the light of Allah exists in the form ofknowledge, wisdom, rectitude and guidance, externally and internally, which rising fromthe blessed personality of the living and present Imam, illumines the heavens of thespiritual hudud and the earths of the physical hudud . This light belongs to the house ofwisdom (i.e. the house of Prophethood or Imamat), the chosen members of which, arecalled ahl-i bayt (People of the House), who are like a niche for this light. The ancestralnobility of the Prophet and his position in knowledge are like a lamp, which is like aglittering star, in which the corporeality of the holy Imam is like the vessel of thismiraculous lamp and his spirituality like the oil of the Olive. By the Olive is meant thefamily of Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Muhammad. In the oil of this lamp the Universal



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Soul and the Universal Intellect, i.e. the Holy Spirit and the ever-pervading Intellect ofthe Imam, are like the wick and flame. By the fire is meant the miraculous ta'yid (help)and light upon light, means one Imam after the other.

Thus the light of guidance, which radiates from the flame of the Universal Intellect of theholy Imam, spreads in the interior and exterior of the universe and existents, throughthe spiritual and physical hudud , so that the means of the existence and subsistence ofthe heaven, the earth, elements, mineral kingdom, vegetative kingdom, animal kingdomand mankind, may continue and each of the existents and creatures may receive thisguidance according to its capacity and receptivity.

22. Brief Arguments in support of these Realities:

Allah has called Himself, the light of the heavens and the earth. This means thatAllah, may His glory be transcended, is the light of universal or all-inclusive guidanceof the heavens and the earth. In other words, His light has brought forth the heavens,the earth and everything from the darkness of non-existence into the light ofexistence. Nay, the main cause of the very motion and rest in the heavens, in theplanets and in the elements is the guidance of His light and also it controls all thegenerative, creative and protective forces of the universe.

The universal or all-inclusive light of God also means that, in the illumination of therecognition of this light, the secrets of the universe can be observed and studiedexternally and internally and the universe can be subjugated spiritually or physically.Thus it became evident that the light of God is in the form of intellect, understanding,knowledge, wisdom, rectitude and guidance and not in the state of any material light.

When it is not a blemish for God to let, in addition to the heavens, the earth with allsorts of animals and good and bad people dwelling in it, be immersed in His light,then why should there be any doubt in saying that the centre of His light is in theexalted personality of the holy Imam?

If the vision and recognition of the light of God were impossible, then He would nothave likened His light to a thing, which is a common object in front of the people. Butif He has likened His light to an external (physical) lamp, it means that His luminousvision and recognition are among the possibilities and this is possible only through

the holy Imam.

Again if the light of God were above and beyond close observation, externally andinternally, then His justice would have necessitated Him to liken it (His light) to thesun. But God did not do so, rather, He likened it to the lamp of a house. This showsthat His light is among the human beings in the human attire of the Perfect Man, i.e.the living and present Imam.

Further, if the light of God were not to change the physical attire and were to remain



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in the external world in one condition, like the sun, then again it would have beencompared with the sun and not with the lamp.

As there is the sun in the universe and a lamp in the house in order to remove thedarkness, similarly, in the world of humanity, there is the Perfect Man i.e. the Imamof the time, to remove its darkness.

If, in the view of intellect and understanding, ignorance is a kind of darkness andcontrary to it, knowledge and wisdom are light, then it is right to say that this light ofknowledge, wisdom, rectitude and guidance, in its most perfect form, is in the PerfectMan.

Religion, like the physical world, is also a world of its own. The sun of the physicalworld is material and without intelligence and soul, whereas the sun of the world ofreligion, is with intelligence and soul, who is the Imam.

It is almost universally accepted that man, as an

allamah hunzai - imam shinasi

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