A Commentary on the Hamd Surah - Part 4

As we all know that the coiner who has coined “fire”‌ he has thought of fire””the worldly fire and all. What made him think of such fire in fact was the ordinary fire, because he was lack acknowledge about “The fire kind led by God which rises above the Hereafter. Nevertheless this causes no means of limiting the fact as “fire”‌ points to the quality of the fire, not the coirer wanted to abstract the conception, this seems odd and far from the issue. Rather we say the terms clarify the conception for which they have been coined, being lack of any limitation. In fact, there exist no exception in this case, and the more the conception is free from the aliens the nearer to the truth it will be and more away from the shortcomings of allegory. For instance the term “light”‌ that is the subject, is being coined for being manifest  by  itself  and  for  manifestation  the  other,  though applying it for the accidental and mundane lights is not away from the truth, since by applying it for them the limits and the mixing with darkness are not meant, and in this case the manifestation and the manifestativeness are meant, but applying it for the heavenly lights the appearances of which are more complete, closer to the horizon of the intricacy and more mighty in manifestativeness both in quality and quantity, their mixture with darkness and blemishes is less, closer to the truth and applying them for the lights of majesty is, for the mentioned reason, nearer to the truth, and applying it for the sacred essence of God, the most high, who is the light of the lights and free from all aspects of darkness, and is more pure light, is the very pure and absolute truth. Rather it can be said that if “light”‌ has been coined for the apparent by itself and manifesting the other applying it for other than God the exalted is a reality is a reality to the partial understanding, but to the knowledgeable supported and to the learned it is allegorical, and it is really when applied for God only. Similarly are the terms that have been coined for the meaning of completion, such as conceptions like existence and perfection.

Therefore, we say that in “beneficent”? “merciful”? compassionate “kind”? and similar to them there is an aspect of perfection and completeness, and an aspect of emotion and shortcoming, and these words have been devised for that of perfection, which is the origin of that truth. As regards the emotional aspects, which are of the requisites of the growth and odd and alien things of the truth, which after the descent of these truths in the places of possibility and the law mundane realm, are concomitant and entangled with them””take the darkness that when mixes with light in the descending growth have nothing to do with conception of the issue. Therefore, applying it for a being who enjoys the absolute perfection, and who is innocent of all aspects is the mere truth, and the pure truth. And this subject with such description, in addition to its apt to the conscience of the people of literalism as well.

Therefore, it is obvious that such attributes of perfection, which have by descending in some growth been mixed interrelated with another issue””of which the sacred essence of God as innocent””are not allegorical to God, the exalted in their absolute meaning. And God is the Guide.

He utters “al-hamdulillah”‌ conveys the whole forms of praise acceptingly for the divine sacred essence. Be aware oh dear that under this Holy term is the mystery of the especial tawhid, or rather the most special one. And, indeed that the entire forms of praise that the praises offer, exceptionally belong to God, the exalted is quite clear, by reason, to the learned men and the well-versed in high philosophy, since it is confirmed that the whole house of realization is the expanded shadow of God and his following emanation, and the entire the apparent and covered grace whoever the donor might be, as it seems as the ordinary people think, are God’s and no being participate with Him. Even the preparatory taking share in this respect is the view of the ordinary people’s philosophy and not remarkable philosophy. Therefore, as praise is offered for blessing, gifts and beneficence, and there exists no benefactor in the house of realization but God the entire praises belong to Him. Similarly there exist no comely and beauty save for his beauty and him, all praises goes to Him.
In other words, every praise is due to a grace and perfection on the other side, in order to the place and the occasion of the grace and the perfection that abates and limit these, they are lack of share in the praise and extolment rather they are irreconcilable and incongruous. Therefore, the entire praises and extolments goes back to the part of divinity being perfection and beauty, no that of the creature, being insufficiency and limitation.

In other words, eulogizing the perfect and obliging and praising the benefactor are of the God-given dispositions, being in  the  uncountable  the  entire  beings.  Among  other  divine inclinations is the feeling of abhorrence with shortcomings, defect and what lessens the blessing. The absolute grace and the absolute beauty and limit them, not that they extend and support them. Therefore, the whole people are obliged to appreciate and praise the sacred essence of God and ignore the other beings, but those beings who, accordance with their travel through territory of perfection and the city of affection, have been defaced in the Glorious Essence of God, because loving them and praising them one the very loving of God and praising Him. “Loving God’s blessings loves God.”‌

Sofar we have described the stage of the common people being still within the cover of multiplicity and have not yet got rid of all sorts of covered and deeply covered, polytheism, nor have they reached the perfect degree of sincerity and purity. But accordance with knowledge of those whose heart having been defaced in certain stages the entire blessings and all perfection, beauty and glorious are the form of the manifestation of the Essence, and the praises as a whole and all thanks belong to the sacred Essence of God, or, another praise and thanks are for Himself, as is referred to by the connection of In the Name of God to “al-hamd.”‌

Be aware that the spiritual wayfarer, the striver in the way of God, must not be satisfied with scientific limit of this knowledge spending his entire life investiture which is cover, or rather the greatest cover for covering this distance with “wooden legs”‌ or even by the “bird of Solomon”‌ it seems impossible. It is the of the holy men and stages of the humble without taking off the shoes3 of loving rank, honor, women children, and, unless he gives up dependence and inclination towards other than God he won’t be able to go forward in the sacred valley, which is the abode of sincere followers and the godly men. If the spiritual wayfarer out his foot in this valley with the truths of sincerity. Kicking off multiplicity and this realm ”which are fancy upon fancy” must there be in him any remnants of selfishness, a hand from the unseen realm would help him and his maintain of I-ness would be smashed by the divine manifestation and he would endure a condition of “senselessness”‌ and “annihilation”‌. These

state in the hard hearts””being lack of share and information except concerning this realm, and which know nothing but the Satanic  egotism””seem  abnormal  and  eccentric  and  they describe them fantasies, despite the fact that the abolition which we possess in nature and his realm is odd and more amazing than abolition which the people of mystic and wayfarer claim. We are unaware of all the unseen realms which from the entire aspects, are more vivid than this realm, or, rather of the Essence  and  attributes  of  the  Sacred  Essence  to  whom appearance merely belong, while to confirm those realms and sacred Essence of God the Glorious, we cling to affirmation and induction. Bewilderment upon bewilderment comes from this story; the swoon of the elite is the meanest.

If the term “akhass”‌ is written with letter “sad”‌ it is not so bewildered, for the abolition of the imperfect in the perfect is natural and conforms with the divine letter “sin”‌ as this swoon and the abolition are happening to all of us. Our ears and eyes are so absorbed and defaced in nature that we are completely unknown of the unseen realm.

Adapted from: "A Commentary on the Chapter of ‘Praise’" by: "Ayatullah Khomeini (R.A)"