Quranic Sciences

 Know that the Greatest Spirit is the greatest creature among the angels of Allah, i.e. it is placed in the first rank of the angels of Allah, and is the greatest and most honourable of all. The immaterial (abstract) angels of Allah, confined to the world of power [alam-i jabarut], would not forsake their states, as for them ascending and descending, as done by the material bodies, is impossible, because the immaterial (abstract) is innocent of the material requisites. Therefore, their descending will be in heavenly or worldly resemblance [tamaththul], whether in the heart, the bosom and the common sense of the guardian [wali], or in edifices of the earth, in the ka bah, around the grave of the Messenger of Allah (SA), or in the Populous House [baytul ma mur]. Allah, the Exalted, concerning the descending of "The Faithful Spirit" to Mary (SA), says: "... it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man" [575] It is also possible for the holy men [auliya] and the perfect to assume heavenly resemblance and spiritual likeness of sovereignty. Therefore, the angels of Allah have the power and ability to enter the visible and invisible worlds assuming likenesses, and the perfect holy men [auliya] have the power to enter the heavenly world [malakut] and the world of power [jabarut] assuming spirituality, and to return from the exterior to the interior. To believe in this is quite easy for the one who understands the realities of the abstracts, whether heavenly and powerly abstracts or the rational souls, which are also abstracts of the worlds of jabarut and malakut, and who can imagine the stages of their existence and appearances, and the correlation [nisbat] of the outside to the inside, and the inside to the outside.

One must know that the assumption [tamaththul] of the "beings of jabarut" and the "beings of malakut" in the heart, bosom and sense of the human being is not possible except after his coming out of the apparel of humanity and being connected with those worlds. Otherwise, as long as the soul is engaged in the mundane preparations and is unaware of those worlds, it is impossible for it to witness those scenes or assumptions. Yet, it is sometimes possible that, with a gesture of a holy man, the soul comes out of this world, and, according to its deservedness, it may get a spiritual or formal [suri] understanding of the unseen world. And sometimes it happens that, due to some stupendous event, the soul is directed away from nature and perceives an example of the invisible world, such as the episode of that naive man who, on his pilgrimage, received an acquittance from the fire of Hell, as related by Avicenna. The gnostic Shaykh, Muhyiddin, also relates a story like this one. [576] Such stories are due to the souls turning away from the mulk to the malakut. It sometimes happens that the souls of the perfect holy men [auliya] after detachment from the worlds and witnessing the Greatest Spirit or other angels of Allah through the power of soul, come to themselves, keeping the power of witnessing the invisible and the visible. In such a case they simultaneously, and in all emergences (growths = nasha''at ), witness the truths of the beings of jabarut. It may also happen that the perfect wali, through his personal power, will be able to have the angels descend. And Allah is the Knower!

The third point is that since the night of qadr is the night of disclosure [mukashafah] to the Messenger of Allah (SA) and the Imams of guidance (AS), all the worldly affairs are uncovered by the unseen malakut to them, and the angels in charge of every affair appear to them in the invisible world and the world of the heart, and all the affairs which are prescribed for the creatures during the year in the high and low lauhs (tablets), appear to them, heavenly writ and covertly existed, in a disclosure. And it is a malakuti exposure [mukashafah] covering every particle of the world of nature, and no affair of the people''s is hidden from the wal''iyul amr. There is no discrepancy in their knowing, in a single night, the affairs of a whole year, or, in an instance, the entire affairs of the world, or, in a single moment, all the measured assignments [muqaddarat] of mulk and malakut. Also during the days of the year, all the daily affairs may gradually be disclosed to them, both in general and in details. For example, it is in the hadith, concerning the revelation of the Qur''an, that it was revealed in general (in the whole) in "The Populous House" [baytul ma mur], then it was revealed to the Messenger of Allah in details within twenty-three years. [577] And its revelation in "The Populous House" was a revelation to the Messenger of Allah (SA), too.

In short, sometimes the waliyul amr may become connected to the High Council [mala''-i ala], the High Pens and the abstract lauhs, where to him will be exposed all the beings, from the beginning to eternity. Sometimes the connection is with the low lauhs, and for a period he uncovers the assignments [muqaddarat)], and the whole page of the universe is present before his guardian-like presence, and whatsoever affair happens will pass before his eyes.

Some narratives refer to the exposition [ard] of the acts to waliyul amr. They are exposed every Thursday and Monday to the Messenger of Allah and the Imams of guidance (AS). Other narratives say that the acts are exposed every morning, or every morning and night. These exposures are also in general and in details, collectively and distinctly. In this respect, there are noble narratives from the infallible and pure Ahlul Bayt, mentioned in the books of exegeses, such as al-Burhan and as-Safi. [578]

His saying: "Peace it is till the break of the dawn" means that this blessed night is safe from Satanic evils, calamities and misfortunes till the break of the dawn. Or it is peace upon Allah''s friends [auliya''ullah] and the worshipping people [ahl-i taat]. Or the angels of Allah who meet Allah''s friends and the worshipping people greet them on the part of Allah, the Exalted, till the break of the dawn.

A Gnostic Note As it has formerly been said concerning the truth of "the night of qadr", the degrees of existence and the visible and invisible individuations [ta ayyunat] are regarded "night" because the sun of the truth has set in their horizon. Consequently, "The night of qadr"is the night in which the Haqq (Allah), the Exalted-according to all the affairs and the "Collective Oneness of the Names and Attributes", which are the truth of the "Greatest Name" - is veiled [muhtajib]. That is the individuation [taayyun] and the constitution [bunyah] of the perfect wali, who was the Messenger of Allah (SA) in his life, and then the Imams of guidance, one after another. Therefore, "the dawn" of "the night of qadr" is when the first rays of the rising sun of the truth shine from behind the veils [hujub] of the individuations [ta ayyunat]. The rise of the sun from the horizon of the individuations is "the dawn" of the Day of Resurrection, too. As from the time of the setting and veiling [ihtijab] of the sun of the truth in the horizon of the individuations of these perfect walis [auliya''], till the time of the break of the dawn, which is the period of "the night of qadr ", that night full of honour is absolutely safe from the Satanic intrusions, and since the sun rises as it had set, blemishless and free from the Satanic intrusion, thus, He says: "Peace it is till the break of the dawn". As to the other nights, they are either completely peaceless, such as the nights of the Umayyads and their like, or they have not peace in all its concepts, and these are the nights of the common people. Conclusion

From the gnostic statements and faithful revelations [mukashafat], which, with the help of the great walis (AS), dawned upon the luminous hearts of the "people of knowledge" [ahl-i marifat], it is obvious that if the noble surah of at-Tauhid is related to the Sacred Essence of Allah, the noble surah of al-Qadr is related to the great Ahlul Bayt, as is stated in the narratives concerning the miraj.

Muhammad ibn Ya''qub, on the authority of Abu Abdullah [as-Sadiq] (AS), concerning the performance of the Messenger of Allah (SA) his salat in the heaven, in the hadith of al-Isra'', said: "...Then Allah, the Most High, revealed to him: Read, O Muhammad, the lineage [nisbat] of your Lord, the Blessed and Most High: He is Allah, the One. He is Besought by all. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And none is comparable to Him.'' This is in the first rakah. Then, Allah, the Exalted and Most High, revealed to him: Read: All praise is for Allah: He read it as he did first. Then Allah revealed to him: Read: We revealed it'' which is your lineage [nisbat] and your offspring''s till the Day of Resurrection." [579]

The noble narratives concerning the merits of the blessed surah of al-Qadr are numerous. Among them is a narrative in the noble al-Kafi, from Imam al-Baqir (AS) who said: "Whoever recites We revealed it on The Night of Qadr'' openly (with a loud voice), he is like the one who unsheathes his swords for the sake of Allah. And whoever recites it secretly, is as if he rolls in his blood shed in the way of Allah, and Whoever recites it ten times, a thousand of his sins will be forgiven." [580]

In Khawassul Qur''an, the Messenger of Allah (SA) is quoted to have said : " Whoever recites this surah, he will have the reward of the one who has fasted the month of Ramadan , attaining " The night of qadr ", and he will have the reward of a fighter in the way of Allah." [581] Praise is for Allah, at the beginning and at the end.

An Apology

Despite the fact that the writer''s intention in this thesis was to refrain from referring to those gnostic topics unfamiliar to the common people, and keep only to the hearty disciplines of the salat, yet, I realize now that the pen has exceeded the proper bounds, and particularly in commenting on the noble surah I have surpassed my own decision. Now I have but to apologize to my brothers in religion and spiritual friends. At the same time, if they found in this thesis a subject not conforming with their taste, they may not unthoughtfully label it as false, because each knowledge has its people, and each road has its treaders. "May Allah have mercy on the person who knows his worth and does not go beyond his status." [582]

It is also possible that some neglect the reality of the condition, and, as they have no information of the Qur''anic knowledge and of the minute details of the divine laws, they take some matters of this thesis as to be interpretation according to one''s opinion. This is sheer mistake and a grave falsity, because:

Firstly, these knowledge [maarif] and subtleties [lata''if] are all taken from the noble Qur''an and hadiths, and they are proved through heard evidences, some of which have been referred to in the discussions, and most of them. were left out for brevity.

Secondly, all, or most of them, agree with the rational or gnostic proofs, and such a thing cannot be interpretation according to one''s opinion.

Thirdly, most of the subjects which we mentioned, or we relate in explaining the noble ayahs, are of the kinds of stating the "evidences of the concepts" [masadiq-i majahim]; and explaining the evidences and degrees of the facts has nothing to do with interpretation, let alone its being according to one''s opinion.

Fourthly, after all stages, we tried with utmost religious precaution - though unnecessarily - to relate any unnecessary subject by way of being possible and as one of the possibilities. It is clear that the door of possibility is not shut, and it can have no connection to interpretation on one''s opinion. Here there are other subjects which we refrain from mentioning, in our attempt to be short.

Notes:

[575]. Surah Maryam: 17.

[576]. Source unknown.

[577]. Usulul Kafi, vol. 4, p. 437, "The Book of the Merits of the Qur''an", ch. on "Rarities", hadith 6.

[578]. Biharul Anwar, vol. 23, pp. 338, 346 and 347. And as-Safi Exegesis.

[579]. Al-Burhan Exegesis, vol. 4, p. 487, "Suratul Qadr", hadith 22.

[580]. Usulul Kafi, vol. 4, p. 427, "The Book of the Merit of the Qur''an", ch. on "The Merit of the Qur''an", hadith 6.

[581]. Al-Burhan Exegesis, vol. 4, p. 480, "Suratul Qadr", hadith 1. From Khawassul Qur''an.

[582]. Ghurarul Hikam, ch. 3, letter R, hadith 1.