HINDUS, BUDDHISTS, JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS

Hashim Ali wrote in the midst of a discussion‘whether the same divinities described in Quran (and also in the Vedas) have also been described in the Old Testament?’

In response, Mohammad Alvi wrote back: “Hashim Ali, as regards to your question, yes it is true that the same divinities described in Quran (and also in the Vedas) have also been described in the Old Testament. As I repeatedly say, there is only one God and only one path to reach Him. All of us have erred from the path and created our respective religions. Kindly respond to my question from Quran first before I proceed with the answer. Who are the people referred to as 'Aalin' in Quran when God tells Satan whether he has become one of the Aalin? Do you agree that whoever these 'Aalin' were, they were of such eminence that God talked about them to Satan when he refused to supplicate in front of Adam? And when certain beings were living on earth, God in Quran refers to them as 'perfectly pure' and it was clear reference to Mohammad and certain people of his household. Whereas Mohammad said repeatedly that 'my Noor was created even when Adam was in the midst of sand and water'. From this it can be inferred that Mohammad was claiming that his Noor or light existed even at the time of Adam's creation and before that.”

In response, Hashim Ali wrote back: “Mr. Mohammad Alvi pl tel more about 'Aalin'. If Quran has talked about them, they surely must be very important people. Who are they? Ahlebayt are clearly defined in Quran. They are the pure ones. They are of Noor. There is no denying this. But Ahlebayt and Aalin are same, how can you prove?”

Mohammad Alvi writes from here:

Kindly read attentively keeping the doors of your wisdom and intellect open. Then only you will reach stark conclusions.

I invite you to read the following narration from Nahjul Balagha [a compilation of speeches and quotes of Ali] wherein Ali while talking of the description of the creation of Adam says: “Then Allah asked the angels to fulfil His promise with them and to accomplish the pledge of His injunction to them by acknowledging Him through prostration to Him and submission to His honoured position. So Allah said:

“Be prostrate towards Adam and they prostrated except Iblis (Satan).” (Quran, 2:34; 7:11; 17:61; 18:50; 20:116)

Self-importance withheld him and vice overcame him. So that he took pride in his own creation with fire and treated contemptuously the creation of clay. So Allah allowed him time in order to let him fully deserve His wrath, and to complete (man’s) test and to fulfil the promise (He had made to Satan). Thus, He said:

“Verily you have been allowed time till the known Day.” (Quran, 15:38; 38:81)

Thereafter, Allah inhabited Adam in a house where He made his life and his stay safe, and He cautioned him of Iblis and his enmity. Then his enemy (Iblis) envied his abiding in Paradise and his contacts with the VIRTUOUS. So he changed his conviction into wavering determination into weakness. He thus converted his happiness into fear and his prestige into shame. Then Allah offered to Adam the chance to repent, taught him words of His Mercy, promised him return to His Paradise and sent him down to the place of trial and procreation of progeny.”

Ali is talking of Adam’s contacts with ‘virtuous’ during his stay in heaven. This was something that envied Satan (Iblis). Question is that when it was God who had asked Adam to stay in paradise, who were the virtuous beings about whom Ali is referring to. Clearly, they were not the angels because as per narrations Satan had already stayed with them prior to creation of Adam and thus there was no cause to become envious of their presence. Let us see whether Quran sheds any light on these ‘virtuous’ ones that Ali is referring to.

Quran says: When Allah decided to create Adam, he informed the angels about his decision by saying “I am appointing a vicegerent in the earth.”

The words are clearly stating that man was created for this world. Even the angels knew that man was created for the world, which can be seen from their question that is given in the Quran. The angels asked God whether He would create someone who would cause violence and bloodshed on earth.

This question itself tells that even angels had been witness to the struggle and conflict which caused bloodshed and destruction to the previous creations on earth. Many Islamic religious schools confirm that there were semi-men, jinn and demons (afrit) before the advent of Adam, on the earth. According to some traditions they were living beings of furious nature and fiery temperament, devoid of intellect, reasoning and contemplation, fighting each other for survival. Our view is that we are saying so because we believe that we are far superior to the earlier creations who have become extinct. And that we are not that violent by nature! But if this creation is terminated by God, which is eventually going to happen in the near future, and is replaced by another Adam and his progeny, they too are most likely to use similar words about us. After all, are we not of ferocious nature and fiery temperament, devoid of intellect, reasoning and contemplation, fighting each other for small temporary benefits? Are we not killing each other? Have we not led ourselves on the verge of extinction by producing weapons of mass destruction, which have the capacity to destroy this world several times over?

It appears from this argument that this earth itself has seen several creations of Adam who were all killed due to their own deeds. This explains the reason why scientists keep unearthing human fossils dating back to millions of years while the age of this creation, from Adam onwards, as per Old Testament and Quran, appears to be few thousand years. When someone asked Ali what was prior to Adam, he said ‘Adam’, and prior to that, he again said ‘Adam’, and as per tradition, said ‘Adam’ seventy times, till the questioner stopped asking. Ali’s answer is elaborated by Veda which says that each Divine Day has 1000 creations and this is the 994^th creation of this Divine Day and goes on to give the names by which the divinities (virtuous ones) were known as, in the previous 7 creations. This also shows that after this mankind is exterminated or it exterminates itself, there will be 6 more Adams on this world, one after another, before the Cosmos converges and the Divine Night commences, whose period, as per Veda, is equal to the Divine Day of 1000 Adams.

This is a point to introspect. As per Bible, it is just about 15,000 years since this Adam. If merely few thousand years of evolution has made us achieve all round advancements, just imagine where would man had been if he had not succumbed to his ferocious nature and fiery temperament, he had used his intellect, reasoning and contemplation, and had assisted each other peacefully and lovingly instead of fighting and killing. That is why Krishna says in Gita that it is our sins that are leading to the decay of this world.

God as well as the angels knew fully well that man had been created for earth. But making him stay in the paradise was with a purpose. Adam and Eve were made to live with the virtuous (devas of Vedas) so that they learn the manners related to purpose of life and how to worship God. This was the Force of Light guiding and preparing them for life on earth. Adam and Eve’s education got completed the day Force of Darkness (with Iblis or Satan as its manifest form) misguided Adam from the path. They were sent on the earth and only coming on the path of virtuous would then make man attain moksha or salvation and thus lead him back to paradise where he was kept initially. Satan knows this well and is therefore creating stumbling blocks in the path of man; the most deviations are carried out related to the knowledge about the virtuous because it is they who are the guides, either as Devas (in Noor state) or as Ahlul-bayt (when the Noor would descend in human bodies).

Islamic traditions contain several incidents as per which the Ahlul-bayt had a role to play even prior to creation of Adam. Here, we give a few of them.

 Verse 2:31 of Quran says that certain names were taught to Adam at the time of his creation.

“And He taught Adam all the names, then presented them to the angels; then He said: Tell me the names of those if you are right.”

Pooya/Ali commentary of Quran states: “The hum of aradahum does not refer to the “names” but to the “named”, and as a plural term cannot be used for Allah, therefore, it cancels the possibility of interpreting these names as the names of Allah. When reference is made in Arabic to several objects of inanimate nature, a singular feminine pronoun is used, but when the objects are conscious beings, a plural masculine pronoun is used, as done here through aradahum, to point out the “named ones”. If the object referred to is inanimate, the singular feminine pronoun, tilka or hadhihi should have been used. Here the personal demonstrative pronoun refers to the conscious beings of a superior-most status, knowledge of whose names entitled Adam to the vicegerency of Allah. Thus the existence of the beings of the highest status has been established.”

Pooya/Ali further writes that these beings are the highest beings, the most perfect and the most blessed beings. See what the commentary says: “Due to the affinity between Adam and these highest beings (Aalin), he was capable to function as the medium of their manifestation. Verse 4 of Chapter Al-Tin says that the status of man, in the order of creation, is the highest in excellence. The Aalin, the highest beings, referred to in this verse, are the most perfect and the most blessed human beings, for whose manifestation in the arc of ascent, Adam was chosen. Till then the names of the highest beings along with the insight and vision of their realities, their latent qualities and inherent endowments were unknown to the angels.” The Purushottam of Gita is actually description of the qualities possessed by the Devas when the Noor will come in human bodies.

Now see verses 2:32 and 33 from Quran.

“They said: Glory be to Thee! we have no knowledge but that which Thou hast taught us; surely Thou art the Knowing, the Wise.

He said: O Adam! Inform them of their names. Then when he had informed them of their names, He said: Did I not say to you that I surely know what is non-manifest in the heavens and the earth and (that) I know what you manifest and what you hide?”

Through Adam the angels became acquainted with the glory of the glorious beings. When Adam, at the command of Allah, stated the names, qualities and symbols of those highest beings whose collective and comprehensive status can be termed as wisdom personified, the angels witnessed the glory of the infinite power and wisdom of the Lord that could create such perfect beings of the highest calibre, in substance as well as in style, like of whom they did not know till then.

In Durr Manthur, Jalaluddin Sayuti says that the Holy Prophet had said:

“The objects shown to the angels were five lights [Noor]. Allah informed the angels pointing to each of the lights respectively:

(i)   This is Muhammad, the most praised, derived from My name, the praised one.

(ii)   This is Ali, the high, derived from My name, the highest.

(iii) This is Fatima, the original, derived from my name, the originator of the heavens and the earth.

(iv) This is Hasan, the bountiful, derived from My name, the benefactor.

(v) This is Husain, the good, derived from My name, the good in origin.

O angels! It is in love of these five that I have created the universe.”

I can give several examples from various Upanishads and Vedas which are talking about creation of five bodies. They are called Panjetan by Muslims. Hindus too were unable to understand their true role. They called them Panch-tatva. At several places they are described as Five Bodies. At places, Upanishads have said that the entire Life is courtesy these five. The fact that the names of the five too have been given at places, which include the names like Indra and Siva, prove that the five bodies were the first five creations of Noor [Light; word Deva has origin in ‘divya’ or light]. This is another proof that the Ahlul-bayt of Quran are the same as the Devas or Manus of the Vedas.

Coming back to Muslim sources, it becomes a logical conclusion from Quran and the tradition of Holy Prophet that God had created these five lights even prior to the creation of Adam. Moreover, it is evident that God had showed these five lights of glory to Adam, and recognition of them meant that he had been appointed as the khalifa (vicegerent) of God, and through these lights God’s light had been destined to be manifested. It was these names through which mankind could reach and understand God. That is why all the Messengers of God, including Krishna, Moses and Jesus, confirmed their stature; Krishna even said that it is not possible to attain salvation without recognizing the Manifest Self of God, which can be reached through these Divine Guides.

As God is aware of all the “unseen” in the universe, He knew that the angels secretly thought themselves more deserving than Adam to be chosen as God’s khalifa, as they had the honour of being created prior to the creation of Adam. Moreover, it is evident that God told the names to Adam and then showed the Noors (lights) so that he could recognize them. Only when he was able to recognize them truly, the angels bowed down from their demand and recognized the superiority of man. It shows that it was not only essential for the vicegerent of Allah to know these divine persons, but on this knowledge alone depended his vicegerency.

The saddest chapter of history is that while the true knowledge of these names was necessary for vicegerency and claiming superiority over angels, those persons themselves were denied the vicegerency on earth [after the death of the Prophet Mohammad] and even to this day Muslims in general keep portraying usurpers of their position as the rightfully elected caliphs.

We request you to read the Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad, which categorically states at one place that five selfs were created and at other place refers to certain names being taken, through which the demons were defeated. In the Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad, you will read that Udgitha (or letter Aum) was chanted to defeat the demons. I have proved elsewhere that syllable ‘Aum’ signifies the fourteen Devas, whose light or self was created prior to the creation of mankind.

According to verse 75 of Chapter Sad in Quran, Allah has created Adam with His two hands, matter and spirit, which gives man the distinctive power of expression, termed as ‘biyan’ by the Quran. In Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad, this speech has been named ‘bhan’. Is there much difference?

Muslims know nothing about the constitution of spirit mentioned in Sad. The spirit mentioned here is nothing but the Divine Spirit (Paramatma) or the Manifest Self created by God as an intermediary between man and the Absolute Non-Manifest God. Upanishads and Vedas have dwelled extensively on highlighting this relationship between man and God through the Divine Spirit. If the Muslims too come to the same conclusion that the spirit talked about in Sad is actually the Paramatma or the Manifest Self of the Upanishads, Vedas and Gita, then they will have no problem in understanding the Quranic verses which talk of God being nearer to us than the artery in our neck. After all, there are several Upanishads who have described the relationship of the Manifest Self or Divine Spirit to the self and spirit inside us, and Quran too is referring to the spirit that was used in the creation of Adam. Quran is also talking of Spirit standing in obedience in front of God, thereby confirming that spirit is a creation of God. And not God! But has a very important role. Unfortunately, Muslims wrongly interpret ‘spirit’ to be Gabriel, but have no idea as to what is Gabriel.

See how the Force of Darkness created confusion. Hindus elaborated and talked greatly of Paramatma (Manifest Self) but have not much idea about the Absolute God or Ishwar, which is the creator of Paramatma, even though their books shed light on both. Likewise, Muslims talk of Absolute God who is invisible but have no idea of Manifest Self or Paramatma, though their book too talk of both. And thus, the two appear to be divergent paths so much so that Pandit Mahendra Pal Arya uses terms as ‘our Paramatma’ and ‘their Allah’.

Clearly, stay on earth was a test, with both Force of Darkness and Force of Light pulling us in different direction. Man needed Divinely Appointed guides so that he get to know what is desired of us. Force of Darkness led us astray from the teachings of the guides appointed by Force of Light. They guided us even in Noor state and when certain men’s self became elevated and pure to a certain extent, a link got created between Noor and that man [in other words, between self and Manifest Self of God] and the man’s body became office of Paramatma on earth. Such men were called Prophets or Avatars. This is the true concept of Prophet or Avatar.

The importance of having an intermediary between us and God is that it endows man with vast potentialities and scope for progress and development. It is this relationship of man with God through the 14 Devas or Prophet Mohammad and rest of Ahlul-bayt that gives the man the power to progress and become one like them. They are the manifest proofs of God on earth and very much in our reach. In fact, it is possible for us to copy them, to take lessons from their acts and lifestyle and try to upgrade us to their level. This is the reason why Gita says that those who are able to recognize this Self truly, their character starts showing the characteristics of God’s personality. Only such men are Purushottama [the best among men or the Absolute Man, as per Gita] and Ashraful Makhlooqat [the best among creations, as per Quran].

The Absolute Man of Gita is not reference to these Devas and Avatars of God alone, but all of us possess the capability to acquire Absolutist powers that may be called supernatural or spiritual powers by you. As man progresses on his path to spirituality, he continues to acquire these powers, which are boundless and limitless. This is the reason why we should not cast doubt over statements in the Upanishads that describe ordinary men gaining the power of flight, the power to walk on water, extraordinary strength or any similar superhuman power.

Vicegerents of God are thus the Divinely Appointed Guides, who have a direct link with the Divine Spirits. It has been proved from Vedas and Upanishads that 14 Manu or 14 Noor (from initial 5) were eventually created. There are 14 Ahlul-bayt as well. It is this reason why Adam was taught the names; this knowledge was essential for his vicegerency. This position of Vicegerent was even superior to that of prophethood as we have shown earlier, and it was dependent on a special link between vicegerent and the Divine Spirit, which consisted of Mohammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain.

Isn’t it unfortunate that the people who were superior to all other vicegerents appointed by God and upon whose knowledge depended their vicegerency, were denied vicegerency after the Prophet’s death? Can there be a greater irony than this?

We are sure some Muslims are going to find it hard to digest that a relationship existed between the spirit that was used for creation of Adam and the Ahlul-bayt as Divine Spirit. Jesus gave the answer to this when he referred to the future Prophet as the spirit of truth.

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another to be your advocate, who will be with forever - the spirit of truth. Your advocate will teach you everything, and will call to mind all that I have told you.”

John 14: 16 and 26

And see this:

“It is for your good that I am leaving you. If I do not go, your advocate will not come. When he comes, he will confute the world, and show where wrong and right and judgment lie.

There is still much that I could say to you, but the burden would be too great for you now.

However, when he comes who is the spirit of truth, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but will tell only what he hears; and he will make known to you the things that are coming.”

John 16: 7-14

Are there greater proofs required? Gita and Upanishads say that the higher self inside us is directly related to consciousness. Consciousness is the realization of truth. Who else but the ‘spirit of truth’ can be responsible for bringing about this consciousness?

X X X X X X X

GREATER LESSONS FROM ADAM’S STAY IN PARADISE

Once the process of Adam’s creation was complete, he was asked to stay in heaven along with Hawwa (Eve). Quran says:

“And We said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the garden and eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you wish and do not approach this tree, for then you will be of the unjust.”

With his opposite and complementary companion Eve (the woman), Adam (the man) was given the garden to dwell in, unrestrained. Only a tree was out of bounds.

Scholars say that this out of bound tree is the symbol of temptation, covetousness, envy and greed. Imam Ali bin Musa Raza (the Eight Imam) says:

It stimulates desire for things which are not necessary for life.

Imam Ali bin Husain (the fourth Imam) says:

It stimulates desires for the worldly possessions as the ultimate object of life.

The command of Allah was not to go near the tree. Eating the fruit of the tree was not definitely forbidden.

Verse 2:36 is as follows

But the Shaytan made them both fall from it, and caused them to depart from that (state) in which they were; and We said: Get forth, some of you being the enemies of others, and there is for you in the earth an abode and a provision for a time.

Adam was endowed with infinite potentiality to reach the ultimate through rational thinking and be able to discriminate and choose. Shaytan (Satan), the furious and the fiery, obstinate and perverse, devoid of iman (faith), became an enemy of Adam. The stimulating warning of the divine command “not to go near the tree”, in a way, apparently gave Shaytan the opportunity to use his guile and rebellious energy in order to take advantage of the situation and get even with his adversary who caused his downfall. Adam and Hawwa slipped out of the condition of peace and contentment into the realm of struggle where peace and conflict, love and hate, and such opposites are at full play. Thereafter the two opposite groups faced each other. It was a conflict between good and evil, right and wrong. Ihbitu, also used in verse 61 of al Baqarah, means a change from the easy life of joy and happiness to the life of toil, suffering and misery.

Now see the next verse (Q. 2:37):

“Then Adam received (some) words from his Lord, so He turned to him mercifully; surely He is Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful.”

There was no chance of going back to the dwelling of joy and happiness. They were at the mercy of the Lord. They turned repentant unto Allah. The merciful and oft-forgiving Lord blessed Adam with the most extraordinary words of prayer through which Adam, and after him any one in his progeny (mankind), could invoke the mercy of the Lord. These were the holy names of those highest beings that Allah had already introduced to Adam. So the oft-forgiving merciful Lord took Adam and his wife under His mercy when they invoked Him through these names.

2:38 “We said: Go forth from this (state) all; so surely there will come to you a guidance from Me, then whoever follows My guidance, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.”

Pooya/Ali commentary of Quran states: “Now to enter the paradise, going back to the land of eternal bliss, man must use his intelligence, and make a choice of the right path shown by Allah through the guidance He has made available to man in this world of opposite forces. This guidance was already shown to Adam in the form of names that had been taught to him, which when he disclosed to the angels, prostrated themselves immediately, but Shaytan (Satan) refused to follow it. He is here, till the human beings dwell in this world, to lead man astray from the true guidance Allah has made available through His last Prophet Mohammad and the divinely commissioned Imams. Those who follow these divinely chosen guides or Ahlul-bayt shall walk on the right path, will be safe from fear and grief, and earn the right to enter the heavenly garden.”

“And (as to) those who disbelieve in and reject My signs, they are the inmates of the fire, in it they shall abide.”

Quran, 2:39

The literal meaning of ayat is sign. Every verse of the Quran is a sign (ayat) because it draws the attention of the reader to its meaning. But God’s signs, in the perfect sense, are those beings whose holy personalities draw the attention of the human beings to the glory of God. Every prophet, during his time, was a sign of God, and the Devas [the Ahlul-bayt] are the conclusive signs of God. A clear warning has been given; disbelieving in them or getting astray from their path will mean fire of hell.

It was such important Divine Role that the Devas [Noor] were bestowed with because of which they were introduced with almost same intensity in major civilizations of the world through their attributes and role in Divine Plan related to man. And when Noor was present on earth in a human body and was called Mohammad, he said:

“I was a prophet when Adam was yet amidst water and clay. “

There were various other indications like this given, like saying that ‘Ali and myself (Mohammad) are the two halves of the same noor (light)’, or saying that Fatima is the leader of women in heavens, or Hasan and Husain are leader of all the youths in heaven. Yet, it seems that the Muslims in general never believed in these statements, though they could not have denied them. We are grateful to Upanishads and the Vedas for making us understand the true role of Mohammad and rest of the Ahlul-bayt. Not only this, they have enabled us to unearth the great mystery of why we were actually created.

At some other stage, we will prove further from Muslim traditions that these fourteen Ahlul-bayt (People of the House) had a direct relationship with Manifest Self [Paramatma], which was created as Light right at the beginning of the cosmos, and all the Messengers who came had some relationship with this Light or Self, as per the Upanishads. They all came with only one express purpose - to lead us on the right path that leads to God.

Quran aptly sums up the teachings of all the Messengers of God, be it Jesus, Rama, Krishna, Moses, Buddha or Mohammad. Verse 3:51 of Quran states:

“Surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path.”

Aren’t the things clearer now than before? Imam Ali bin Musa Raza (the Eighth Imam) and Imam Ali bin Husain (the fourth Imam) have shown the way by telling us that the forbidden tree stimulates desires for worldly possessions as the ultimate object of life and for things that are not necessary. The command was not to go near this tree. This signifies that the command was not to succumb to desires for worldly possessions as the ultimate object of life and for things that are not necessary. Even Adam was not spared when he succumbed to temptation. How can we, who are fully immersed in material pursuits, think of being spared?

There is one and one relief only. When Adam was made to leave the heaven, it were those names alone that comforted him. This is perhaps the reason why the first thing that Adam did upon coming on earth was to erect a small structure in remembrance of the House of Allah, wherein dwelt the Ahlul-bayt. Adam was told that following their path would ensure that he would again come to heaven for a permanent stay and Adam never wanted to forget this even for a moment.

There is one more question that remains unanswered. It is clearly stated that Adam was created as a vicegerent for earth. Then why was he made to stay in heaven, albeit for a short while? The situation is the same that I appoint somebody to work in my office at Mumbai but retain him at the head office in Bangalore. And when the person commits a serious mistake or act of disobedience, I send him to Mumbai, the place for where he had been originally recruited.

There is only one answer. Adam had been retained at the headquarters for training. We have already shown that the ‘Virtuous Ones’ or Alin were present somewhere in heaven at the time when Adam was created. There, Adam was able to see how they lived, how they worshipped and all other virtuous acts that they committed in God’s obedience. He had seen all but didn’t know how people could be misled by Satan. He never knew that Satan comes in the disguise of desires. Once this aspect of the training too got completed, Adam was sent to earth with an assurance that following the path of the Virtuous Ones would lead him back to the Paradise, from where he had been sent to earth.

X X X X X X X

Section of Muslims who believe in Noor descending on earth is wrongly of the opinion that the Noor that was placed inside Adam kept passing in progeny (perhaps through DNA or semen) till it reached Mohammad. This is incorrect. This is not understanding the real purpose of Noor’s creation and its role. Prophet Mohammad’s statement itself is refuting this claim, when he said:

Allah selected Adam in preference to all other creatures; from among the descendants of Adam, He selected Nuh; from among the descendants of Nuh, He selected Ibrahim; from among the descendants of Ibrahim, He selected Ismael; from among the Quraish, He selected Hashim. All of them carried my noor. It passed through Abd al Muttalib to Abdullah and Abu Talib. I am from Abdullah and Ali is from Abu Talib. Ali and I are one and the same noor.

See how Prophet Mohammad has stated the Prophets carried his noor (light). Kitabul Amana, Bihar al-Anwar too states that the world was created from the noor (light-heat) of the Panjetan (the Five Persons). See what it says:

The highest seat and the throne (arsh and kursi) from the noor of Mohammad

Angels and the book and pen (malaika and loh-o-qalam) from the noor of Ali.

Earth and sky (zameen-o-aasman) from the noor of Fatima

Moon and Sun (chand-o-sooraj) from the noor of Hasan

Heaven and the apsaras of heaven (jannat and hoorane-jannat) from the noor of Husain.

And Upanishad says that all LIFE is courtesy these five bodies. In fact, they alone are LIFE. At the same time, a very authentic tradition attributed to Fatima says that the sun, the moon, the earth, and all things were created in love of the Ahlul-bayt (Devas).

Prophet Mohammad referred to the same on another occasion, when he said:

“I and Ali are from “one and same” divine light.”

“The first of us is Mohammad,

the middle of us is Mohammad,

the last of us is Mohammad,

every one of us is Mohammad.”

[Thus all 14 similar and same. Upanishad describes how the first Light divided and became two, which were exactly same as the one from which they divided. Then they became five, which were also exactly same to the first one from where division started. And then they became 14, which too were exactly same to the One Noor or Light created by God as Manifest Self or Paramatma.

It is interesting to note that both the Upanishads and the traditions of the Prophet have equated the Ahlul-bayt to the rope from Allah. Even Gita has referred to the rope but we will be addressing it at an appropriate time.

Quran says:

“Hold fast, all of you together, to the cord of Allah.”

It gives a mental impression that a rope is hanging from the heaven so that those who are below on the ground (earth) may climb up, by holding it, and reach the presence of the Lord to seek His nearness.

Abu Sa-id Khudri reports that he heard the Holy Prophet saying:

“I leave behind me, among you, two ropes. If my people hold fast to these two ropes, after me, they shall not go astray. They are the book of Allah, hung from the heaven unto the earth, and my Ahlul-bayt. One of them is greater than the other. Be it known that these two shall never be separated from each other; and joined together, they shall meet me at the spring of Kausar.”

Tafsir Kabir and Durr al Manthur

In another similar declaration, known as Hadees-e-Saqalain, the Prophet stated:

“My Ahlul-bayt, among you, are like the ark of Nooh (Noah). He who sails on it will be safe, but he who holds back shall perish.”

The Holy Prophet has said:

“Verily the Quran has been revealed in seven letters. There is no letter which has not an evident and a latent meaning; and verily Ali knows the evident as well as the latent.”

Itiqan-Sahih Bukhari

X X X X X X X

PROOF THAT THE SAME DIVINITIES ARE DESCRIBED IN OLD TESTAMENT AS WELL

This said and done, it is time to identify the original question as per which whether the same divinities described in Vedas and Quran have been described in the Old Testament too [which is held dear by Christians and Jews; I have been showing that the path of Buddha was not an iota different from the path of Krishna and Rama].

Quran says that when Satan refused to supplicate in front of Adam, as per Divine Will, God said to Satan ‘have you become one of Aalin’. This shows that the Satan was fully in knowledge of the presence of ‘Aalin’ (certain divinities, described elsewhere as ‘virtuous ones’). Satan had no issue whatsoever regarding worshipping God and His command despite knowing of the existence of these Divine Beings. Satan’s only problem was supplication in front of Adam. The fact that God took a test through telling the names, both to angels and Adam, and showing to angels that the man was higher than them, or at least had the potential to become higher than them. This is also evident from God’s faith on man, when He told angels, regarding man: “You know not (about him) that I know.” Remember, this confidence was on man (minus Alin, who were to be guides and were separate from man at the time) and it is this man who will finally find and turn to the Straight and True Path to God.

You read Ali’s quote earlier in this post wherein he said that Adam and Eve were in contact with the ‘virtuous ones’, which became the cause of Satan’s jealousy. It is out of this jealousy that, Genesis [Old Testament] says that Satan told Eve she has been asked not to eat the fruit because eating it would make Adam and Eve like the divinities. Thus it is apparent that the Old Testament too is talking of the same divine beings.

Read, Genesis, part 3:

¹ Now, the snake was the most subtle of all the wild animals that Yahweh God had made. It asked the woman, 'Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?'
² The woman answered the snake, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden.
³ But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, "You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death." '
⁴ Then the snake said to the woman, 'No! You will not die!
⁵ God knows in fact that the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods (divinities), knowing good from evil.'
⁶ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was enticing for the wisdom that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.
⁸ The man and his wife heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
⁹ But Yahweh God called to the man. 'Where are you?' he asked.
¹⁰ 'I heard the sound of you in the garden,' he replied. 'I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.'
¹¹ 'Who told you that you were naked?' he asked. 'Have you been eating from the tree I forbade you to eat?'
¹² The man replied, 'It was the woman you put with me; she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.'
¹³ Then Yahweh God said to the woman, 'Why did you do that?' The woman replied, 'The snake tempted me and I ate.'

Did you see, word ‘gods’ has been used as meaning for the Hebrew word which was used for the virtuous ones? You must keep in mind that neither the Jews nor the Christians have any concept of ‘gods’ or ‘divinities’ other than God. This proves that the Jews and Christians too are yet to know the true nature and character of the ‘virtuous ones’.