Muslims & The Straight Path [Published 2010]
Part - 2-E
SIGNS MANIFEST
You have seen what the longest of the
Quran’s chapters has to say. Now see what one of the widest read of the larger
chapters say. See Surah Yasin, which gives in detail the role of Manifest Self
and says that everything has been confined in a Manifesting Imam. Clearly,
there is something or some power in the chain, between the Manifest Self and
us. That power is the Noor or the Devatas, who are of two types:
they are extremely powerful when in Noor state and lived as human beings like
you and me when they came to live on earth.
Verse 8 onwards say:
Verily, We have put chains
in their necks, and these reach up to their chins, and their heads are forced
up stiffed.
And We have to set before
them a barrier and behind them a barrier, and We covered them over, so that
they see not.
And alike is it unto them
if thou warneth them not, for they will not believe.
Verily thou canst warn only
him who abideth by the Reminder and feareth the Beneficent (God) unseen; so
bear thou unto him the glad tidings of forgiveness and an honourable
recompense.
Verily We, (and) We (alone)
give life unto the dead, and We write down what they have sent before them and
(even) their footprints (which they leave behind them): And everthing have We
confined (recorded) into a Manifesting Imam (Guide).
Now see verse 30 onwards:
Alas! The servants (are
misled and yet) there cometh not unto them an apostle but they mock at him.
What! See they not how many
of the generation We did destroy before them? They will return not unto them.
And assuredly all, gathered
together, shall be brought before Us.
The word ‘Us’ confirms that the
Manifest Self comprise of more than one Noors (Devatas). This ‘Us’ can
never be reference to God; yet our learned scholars do not try to find the
truth.
See further verse 33 onward wherein
the discussion keeps on changing from First Person to Third Person and back:
And a sign unto them is the
dead earth; We give life to it and bring We forth from it grain of which they
eat.
And make We therein gardens
of date-palms and grapevines, and cause We to flow therein springs,
That they may eat of its
fruits, and made it not their hands; What! Will they not then be grateful?
Hallowed is He Who created
pairs (of) all things, of what growth the earth, of their selves and of what
they know not.
And a sign unto them, is
the night, We draw forth from it the day, and lo! They are in the dark,
And the sun travelleth unto
a resting-place fixed for it; That is the decree of the All-Mighty, the
All-Knowing.
And (as for) the moon, We
have fixed for it stages till it returneth to be bent like an old palm branch.
It is not (expedient) for
the sun that it should overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day;
and each (of these luminaries) rotate on in (its peculiar) sphere.
And a sign unto them is
that We bear their offspring in the laden
And that We have created
for them (the other conveyances) like it, on which ride they.
And if We only will, We can
drown them, then there shall not be any one to help them, nor shall they be
rescued,
Save (by) mercy from Us and
as an enjoyment for yet a awhile.
Hadees-e-Kisa had said that the sun, the
moon, the stars, the earth and all other things have been created in love of
the Ahlul-bayt. Quran confirms that it is the Ahlul-bayt, who are
the Devatas comprising the Manifest Self, who make the sun and moon to
travel. No wonder, Prophet Mohammad, as well as Ali, were able to bring back
the sun, after it had set. Not just they,
It is the Manifest Self
that causes the rain; gives live to dead earth; and, is responsible for all the
food that we eat. That is why the Upanishads refer to them as ‘Life’
Verse II.9 of Mundaka Upanishad says
the same, and confirms that Indra and Rudra too are names of Devatas.
Indra art thou, O Life (prana), by
thy valour; Rudra art thou as a protector. Thou movest in the atmosphere as the
sun, the lord of the lights.
Since Indra, Rudra and the Devi are
the favourite subject of the Vedas, we are justified in concluding that Rishi
Dayanand was wrong when he concluded that the Vedas do not talk about the
Devatas but about material things and rituals.
Subsequent verse clearly tells that
the rain that we get, the food that we eat, are courtesy these Devatas.
Moreover, Gita has talked of Indra's heaven where all the good-doers are
destined for. It is more essential for us to know who Indra is if we wish to be
part of his heaven after our death.
II.10. When thou pourest down rain,
then these creatures breathe (and) live in a state of bliss (thinking) that
there will be food according to their desire.
Hindus already accept that Indra
Devata is the lord of rain. Whenever there is shortage of rainfall, or
there is excessive rain, it is Indra to whom the prayers are addressed. Gita
talks of Indra's heaven as the ultimate destination, thereby giving a hint that
these Devatas have also a role to play in dispensing heaven and hell.
Moreover, earlier we gave a verse from Gita as per which it was clearly stated
that one who eats without giving a share to the Devatas, is a thief. The
same view has been echoed by Quran that we have given earlier in this
compilation.
It is clear now that the very tone of
Quran reveals presence of two distinct identities, viz. the Manifest Self
(Paramatma) who is talking in First Person and the Absolute God who is referred
to as Allah in Third Person. At times, the word ‘rab’ is used, which has
been used for the Manifest Self. You have also seen that wherever there is talk
of worship and supplication, ‘Allah’ in Third Person is used and wherever there
is talk of sending prophets, showing the way, creation of things, destruction
of villages, leading the good-doers to heaven and evil ones to hell or
formulating the codes of religion, ‘We’ in First Person has been used. Here
again, the word ‘Us’ is used in First Person and it is explicitly said that man
can hope for mercy only from the Manifest Self.
This is the true understanding of
Quran on the basis of concepts laid down in Gita and other Hindu scriptures.
Hindus, who misled by the utterance in First Person in Gita, coming as it is
apparently from Krishna’s mouth, too need to learn a lesson from Quran. Just as
the one who is talking in First Person in Quran is the Manifest Self
(Paramatma) and not Mohammad and Mohammad was merely the one on whom Quran was
revealed and from whose mouth the verses of Quran were made known to the rest
of the world, Krishna is the medium in human form whose piety and purity
elevated his body to the level that the Manifest Self used it for conveying its
message.
Let us see Chapter Al-e-Imran verse
18 and 19 which says that God is undoubtedly one and only one and all the rest
are creations of that One God. See:
God (Himself) witnessed
that there is no god but He, and (so do) the angels and those possessed of
knowledge, standing firm for justice; (there is) no god but He, the Mighty, the
Wise.
Verily the religion with
God is Islam (submission to God’s will); and those whom the Book had been given
did not differ but after the knowledge (of the Truth) had come unto them, out
of envy among themselves; and whosoever disbelieveth in the signs of God, then,
verily, God is quick in reckoning.
Verses 57 and 58 talk of God’s
punishment to the disbelievers and who do not do good deeds. The message
regarding God is being brought to us by the Manifest Self, ‘We’.
But to those who believe
and do good deeds, He will pay them in full their recompense; and God loveth
not the unjust.
This We recite unto them of
the signs and the Wise Reminder.
Verse 140 given below reveals that
our bad fortunes are because Manifest Self wishes to show God the sincerity of
the belief of His subjects, viz. us – the mortal human beings.
And these days (of varying
fortunes) We bring about among men by turns, And that God may know those who
have (sincerely) believed; and that He may take witnesses from among you; and
God loveth not the unjust.
We have referred to the Quran which
talks of the Ahlul-bayt as Just and Truthful. We have mentioned that Hadees-e-Kisa
(given a little later) says that that the sun, the moon, the stars and all
things have been created in love of these Ahlul-bayt. Quran here says that God does not love the
unjust. It is implied here that if He loves the Ahlul-bayt, they must be
just. If you see the lives of the Ahlul-bayt when they were living in
this world, they were the highest epitomes of truthfulness, piety and justice.
In fact, during Ali’s caliphate, a great majority of rich and powerful turned
away from Ali because their interests were not being met under the system of
complete justice that he initiated.
Let us now study Chapter An-Nisa (The
Women). Verse 26 says that it is the God’s desire to explain his ordinances. Thus,
Manifest Self is merely doing the executive work.
God desireth to explain to you (His
Ordinances) and to guide you in the ways of those (gone) before you and to turn
(mercifully) unto you; for God is All-knowing, All-Wise.
Verse 37 talks of First and Third
Person in the same verse and confirm that punishment to those who disbelieved
God will be given by the Manifest Self. See:
Those who are niggardly and
bid people niggardliness, and hide away what God of his bounty hath given them;
We have prepared for the disbelievers a torment ignominious.
Again same pattern is followed in
verse 47:
O ye, whom the Scripture hath been
given! Believe in what We have sent down confirming what is (already) with you,
ere We change their faces (features) and turn them towards their backs, or as
We cursed the people of Sabath; and (know ye, that) the Command of God is ever
executed.
And see verse 64:
We sent not an Apostle; but
to be obeyed by God’s leave; And if they, when they were unjust to themselves
(sinned), had only come unto thee and sought pardon of God and the Apostle
(also) had asked pardon for them, surely would they have found God
oft-returning and the Most Merciful.
And Manifest Self continues to talk
in verses 66 onward and confirms its role in guidance towards the Straight Path
leading to the Absolute God:
And (even) if We had
prescribed for them saying “Kill yourselves or go forth from your dwellings,
they would not have done it but a few of them; and if they had done what they
were exhorted (to do), it would certainly have been better for them and more
efficacious for strengthening (them in faith).
And then We would certainly
have given them of Our own accord a great recompense.
And certainly would We have
guided them on the Straight Path (to Absolute God).
Now see verse 74 which confirms our
viewpoint yet again. 'We' the Manifest Self shall grant a great recompense to
those who fight in the way of ‘God’, even if he is slain or gets victorious.
The same has been said in Gita through the mouth of
Let those then fight in the
way of God, who sell the life of this world for the hereafter; and to him who
fighteth in the way of God, be he slain or (be he) victorious; We shall grant
him a great recompense.
The same Chapter, while talking of
Moses says again that “We lifted up the Mountain over them at their covenant” and also says that Jesus will be a
witness against people of the book on the ‘Day of Resurrection’ and in verse
174-75 Noor is being talked about with a promise that guidance for the
Straight Way will soon come. The use of future tense when Mohammad had already
come with the teachings shows that the true guidance towards the
O mankind! Indeed hath come unto you
(an undeniable) proof from your Lord, and We have sent down unto you a manifest
light (Noor).
Then as for those who
believe in God and hold fast unto Him, soon will He admit them to Mercy from
Him and (His) Grace; and guide Them unto Himself (by) the
This Noor's relationship with
Manifest Self is exactly the relationship that Upanishad's talk of between Devatas
and Manifest Self; thus confirming that 'Devatas' are one and the same as
'Noor' - both meaning 'light' or something illuminated. As you read further,
you will find that people even prayed for Devatas to come down on earth
and Quran is saying in clear words that the Noor was sent down by the
Manifest Self.
Let us see Al-Bara’at (The Immunity)
which denies that Ezra or Jesus are the sons of God but confirm that the Light
(Noor) of God was perfected by none else but God, and it is this that the
infidels detest. This shows that the carriers of Noor need to be perfect
in all sense; that is why the confirmation of the infallibility of Ahlul-bayt
came in Quran; there remains no doubt now that Ahlul-bayt were the
carriers of that Noor.
The talk moves to Apostle Mohammad
and ends with saying that the polytheists detest the guidance and the religion
of truth that Mohammad brought, thereby suggesting link between Mohammad and
Noor. See verses 30-33:
And say the Jews: “Ezra is
the son of God;” and say the Christians: “Messiah is the son of God;” These are
the words of their mouths; (In this) they (only) imitate the saying of those
who disbelieveth before; God fighteth them; How they turn away!
Take they their divines and
monks as (their) lords besides God, and (also) Messiah son of Mary while they
were not commanded but that they (should) worship God the Only One; There is no
God but He; Pure is He and Exalted is he from what they associate (with Him).
Intend they that they put
out the Light of God with (the blow of) their mouths, and disdaineth God save
that He perfecteth His Light, though may detest it the infidels.
He it is Who sent His
Apostle with guidance and the religion of truth, that He may prevail it over
all other religions, though may detest it the polytheists.
This is an invitation to all those
Muslims who believe that by Noor the Angels are meant. If that is so,
they should explain how the infidels would be able to put out the Noor
of God with their mouths, and why the infidels detest when God perfecteth His
Light. They should remember that these perfect ones could be those alone who
are perfectly truthful, perfectly pure. We have shown earlier that God Himself
asked a question from the angels saying that if they are truthful, they should
give the reply. And the fact that angels could not answer is proof that they
are not perfect, as they are not truthful.
The answer to this verse may also be
given from the verse revealed at Ghadeer-e-Khum. Manifest Self said to
the Prophet to deliver what had been told and said that if he didn’t deliver,
it was as if the Prophet had not delivered ‘His’ (God’s) message; and confirms
that the Prophet will be protected from the mischief of the infidels.
Verse 5:67 of the Quran states:
(O’ Our Apostle Mohammad!) Deliver thou what hath
been sent down unto thee from Thy Lord; and if thou dost it not, then (it will
be as if) thou hast not delivered His message (at all); and surely will God
protect thee from (the mischief) of men; Verily, God guideth not an infidel people.
When verse 32 given above talks of God perfecting
His light, it is again said that the infidels will detest it. If we see this in
the light of Verse 5:67 revealed on the day Prophet Mohammad announced Ali as
his successor it also confirms the relationship between Ali and the Light of
God; with it is the promise that this knowledge will surely prevail over all
religions in the future. That will be the time for the Rule of God, as foretold
by Jesus.
See now a few
examples from Chapter Al-An’am (The Cattle). The Chapter starts with the praise
of God who created heavens and the earth and caused the darkness (zulmat) and
the light (Noor). It is unfortunate that while we believe the representatives
of zulmat – Satan – to be so powerful that he can misguide the entire humanity
at one point of time, we do not ascribe the same power to those who carried the
Noor. Instead, we didn't even cognize the Noor when it came down on earth in
human bodies and, as Quran says, tried to blow out the Noor. Noor coming down among
people is a Sign from God. That is why it is said in verse 4:
There came not unto them any sign from the signs
of their Lord but they turned away from it.
And that truth of
what they denied and mocked at will be known only later has been said in verse
5:
They have indeed
belied the truth when it came to them; therefore very soon the tidings will
come (be known) to them of what they mocked at.
And in next verse
onward, subject shifts to First Person and how those in the past have been
destroyed, how ‘We’ – the Manifest Self - who was in the form of Light or Noor
- causes rain and sends books. See:
See they not how many a generations before them
We have destroyed, whom We had established in the earth (to the extent to)
which We had not got established you (till now), and We sent the clouds to rain
abundantly upon them, and WE made the rivers flow beneath (their dwellings) and
yea We destroyed them for their sins and raised up after them another
generation.
And had We sent down unto thee a book written on
a paper, and they had touched it with their hands, surely those who disbelieved
had said, “This is not but obvious sorcery.”
And they say “Why has not an angel been sent down
unto him?” And had We sent down an angel the matter would certainly have been
decided (once for all) and then they would not have been respited,
And had We made him an Angel, We would have
certainly made him a man, and We would certainly have made confused to them
what they (now) make confused.
And certainly were mocked (many) apostles before
thee but that which they mocked at encompassed the scoffers among them.
In Upanishads, the
rain is clearly ascribed to the Devata Indra.
That Mohammad’s
description is there in all the revealed books is confirmed in verse 25:
Those whom We have given the Book recognise him
(Mohammad) as they recognise their (own) sons; (yet) those who have lost their
selves, they will not believe.
‘Lost their selves’
and hence are unable to cognize the Manifest Self. Did Gita too did not say the
same when it said: ‘Identify the Self with the self’.
Believers of All the
spurious goals are destined for punishment. See verse 22:
And on the day (of Judgment) We shall gather them
all together, then We shall say to those who associated others “Where are your
associate gods, whom ye used to conject?”
Even Surah An-Naba
talks of various things that this Noor does. The talk of creation of things and
sending of rains confirms that ‘Noor’ and ‘Devatas’ are one and the same. Is it
possible that Indra sends rain in Hindu country and the Noor sends it in Muslim
regions? See verses 6 onwards:
What! Made We not the earth a wide expanse?
And the mountains as bolts?
And We created you in pairs,
And cause your sleep a rest,
And caused the night a covering,
And caused the day for (your) seeking livelihood,
And We have created above you the seen strong
ones,
And We made therein a lamp burning,
And send We down from the clouds water in
torrents,
That We may bring forth by it, corn and herbs,
And gardens of thick foliage.
Verily the Day of Decision is a time appointed,
The Day when The Trumpet shall be blown,
And ye shall come forth in (huge) groups,
…. (Verily they) belied Our signs with a
(persistent) fabrication.
And everything have We recorded in a book
Taste ye then! And never will We increase for you
aught but chastisement.
The Manifest Self
has been referred to as Paramatma in Upanishads meaning the Supreme Spirit.
Verse 38 clarifies once again that spirit and angels are two different
entities. See:
On the day whereon shall stand the spirit and the
angels arranged they shall speak, they shall speak not save he whom the
Beneficent God giveth leave, who spoke (only) the Truth.
Again we remind you
of the earlier verse which confirmed that the angels were not truthful of the
level of perfection that God wishes to see. But there are also those, who
comprise the Supreme Spirit, who speak the Truth. This is the Manifest Self of
God, called Paramatma or (the Chief Spirit) in Vedas and Upanishads and the
Noors are emanations from the same Spirit. It was this Spirit about which Jesus
too foretold.
Let us now see
whether the same relationship of First Person and Third Person is maintained in
Surah Dahr as well.
Surely did come over Man to pass an occasion of
time when he was nothing, mentioned of?
Verily We created man from a (small
insignificant) life drop of inter-mingled life germ (of both sexes); in order
that We put him to trial, so We endowed him with hearing, seeing!
Verily have We shown him the (Right) Way, be he
grateful or ungrateful.
Verily have We prepared for the disbelievers
chains, and shackles and a flaming fire!
Verily, the righteous ones shall drink of a cup
tempered at the fountain ‘Kafoor’ (Camphor)
The fountain whereof shall drink the servants of
God (Third
Person and not ‘Us’), they shall cause it to flow a described flow.
What! Is he whose breast (heart) God hath opened
for Islam then he followeth the Light (Noor) from God (like unto hardhearted
one)? Nay! Woe unto those whose hearts are hard against the remembrance of God;
those are in a clear error.
And the Manifest
Self in Chapter An-Najm verse 23 is modest enough to confirm that guidance has
come from God. See this
verse together with the preceding verse and this confirms that ‘right guidance’
is in the form of ‘Light from God’:
And indeed hath come unto them from their Lord
the right guidance.
That guidance came
in the form of Noor who sent books and came to dwell in human bodies is
something that needs to be understood.
Verse 29 onwards reiterate that ‘We’ gave you the reminders
and if you turned your back, your Lord, the Almighty God, knows best who is
astray and who is the guided one and one need not assert the level of his
self’s purity:
Therefore turn thou aside from him who turneth
his back against Our reminder, and desireth not anything but the life of this
world;
That is the (last) reach of their knowledge;
Verily, Thy Lord knoweth best of him who is astray from His path and He knoweth
best of him who is guided aright.
And God’s is whatever is in the heavens and
whatever is in the earth, that He may recompense those who do evil for what
they did, and that He may recompense those who do good, with what is best.
Those who do avoid the great ones of the sin and shameful deeds save
accidentally verily, thy Lord is (the Lord of) vast forgiveness: He knoweth
best about you when He raised you from the earth and when ye are embryos in the
wombs of your mother; so assert ye not the purity of your selves;
He knoweth best of him who guardeth (himself
against evil).
Surah Mudassir (The
Covered One) is one about which Prophet talked of great benefits upon reciting
it. A very interesting example that supports our view perfectly is verse 11
onwards which is talking of the Day of Judgment and fate of disbelievers.
Leave Me (to deal with) him whom I created (bare
and) alone!
And unto whom I granted wealth in abundance!
And sons abiding in his presence!
And unto whom I made (life) adjustedly smooth!
And yet desireth he that I should further add!
Never (it shall be)! For unto Our signs he was a
foe.
Soon will I make him afflicted of a severe
punishment.
Verily, he thought and determined,
Again may be he ruined how he determined!
Then looked he around!
Then frowned he and scowled!
Then turned he his back and swelled in pride!
Then said he: “this is naught but sorcery from of
old!”
“This is naught but the word of a human being!”
Soon will I cast him into hell!
And what will make him realize what hell is?
Is leaveth not nor it spareth (aught)
It shrivelleth a human body!
Above it (guardians) are ninetine!
We have made not the guardians of the fire other
than angels, and We have made not the number save as a trial for those who
disbelieve, that certain may be those who have been given the book, and may
increase those who believe in (their) faith, and may doubt not those who have
been given the book and the believers, and that say those in whose hearts is a
distress and the disbelievers: “What meaneth God by this similitude?” Thus doth
God alloweth to stray whomsoever he willeth, and guideth He whom He willeth, And
knoweth not (any one) the hosts of God save He Himself; and this is naught but
a reminder unto mankind.
The same Chapter
also talks of people of the Right hand (who do good deeds) and people of the
Left hand (who commit sins). See verse 32 onwards:
Nay! By the moon!
And by the night when it retreateth!
And by the moon when it brighteneth!
Verily it (the Hell) is one of the grievous woes?
A warning (it is) unto mankind!
Unto him among you who desireth to go forward (in
goodness) or to remain behind.
Every soul, for what it earned, is held in
pledge!
Save the people of the Right hand.
In gardens shall they be, asking each other,
About the guilty ones,
‘What hath brought you into the hell!”
They shall say: “We were not of those who offered
the regular prayers (to God)!
And we used not to feed the poor!
And used we to take vanities with the vain
talkers!
And used we to belie the Day of Judgment!
Till came upon us the Certainty (death)!
So, shall avail them not the intercession of the
intercessors!
What hath happened then (unto them) that they
turn aside from the warning,
And if they were asses affrighted,
Fleeing from a lion,
Nay! But willeth everyone of them that he may be
given (the heavenly book) in open pages spread out,
Nay! But they fear not the hereafter!
Nay! Verily it is a Reminder!
So whosoever willeth may mind it,
They will mind it not unless God willeth; worthy
is he to be feared. And worthy is he to see refuge to.
Let us end with another similar description from
Chapter Az-Zukhruf (Ornaments of Gold), which clearly state that even those who
are calling themselves ‘We’ will have to return to their God and hence it is
wrong to assign a partnership of these ‘We’ with ‘God’ as they (referred to as
‘We’) are just the servants of ‘Absolute God’. It remains to be seen how
somebody denies this proof! See for yourself (verse 3 onwards):
Verily, We have made it an Arabic Quran that ye
may understand.
And verily it is in the Mother-Book (which is)
with Us, Most Exalted (it is), full of Wisdom.
What! Shall We then turn away from you the
Reminder wholly for ye are a person extravagant?
And how many did We send of Our prophets among
those gone before.
And there came not unto them a prophet but at him
they used to mock.
Then We did destroy those mightier than these in
strength, and hath gone (such) examples among those gone before.
And if thou shouldst ask them: “Who created the
heaven and the earth?” Certainly would they say:
“Created them the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing,
He Who made for you the earth (as) a cradle and
hath made therein ways for you that ye might be guided aright.
And He Who sendeth down water from the heavens in
a measure; then raise We with it a country which is dead (dried), even so shall
ye be brought forth (from your graves on the Day of Resurrection).
And He who created pairs in all things and made
for you of the ships and the cattle that ye may ride on,
That ye may mount on their backs, then remember
ye the bounty of your Lord, and when ye mount on it and say ye: Hallowed is He
Who subjected this unto us, and we (by ourselves) were not able to attain
this,”
And verily We, unto our Lord, shall return,
And (yet) they assign unto (some) of His servants
a partnership with Him; Verily man is an open ingrate!
If anybody requires
any more proves, then he is surely hell-bent on disbelieving the truth. It is
clearly being said that even the Manifest Self (‘We’) shall return to its Lord
– the Absolute God – and it is sinful for man to assign partnership of the
Manifest Self with God. In fact, the Manifest Self has called itself the
servant of God. Just ponder, where do we stand?
There are several verses in this
Chapter which confirm our view to the fullest. Verse 25 says:
So We did retribute them
and behold thou how was the end of those who belied (our apostles).
Verse 32 still confirms that the
Manifest Self enjoys a very high position:
“What! Do they distribute
the mercy of Thy Lord? (It is) We Who did distribute among them (even) their
livelihood in the life of this world, and We did raise some of them above the
others in rank, so that some of them may take the others in subjection; and the
mercy of thy Lord is better than whatever they hoard.
Jafar
Sadiq - the sixth Imam and one of the Ahlul-bayt. During his time,
It
is a well-known fact that one day prior to his death, when Ali - the Caliph of
the entire Muslim world - was presented with milk and salt to eat with bread,
Ali said to his daughter: ‘When have you seen me eating two things with bread?’
The daughter tried to remove the salt but Ali, wounded and on his death-bed,
asked her to leave the salt for eating with bread.
This is the life of those who comprised the ‘Noor’
when they came to live on earth. Each and every incident of their life gels
perfectly with the will of God and with the verses of revealed scriptures. This
was despite the fact that they, in their Noor state, had been given the power
even to distribute God’s mercy.
It is clearly said that ‘We’
distribute the mercy of ‘Thy Lord’. Unfortunately, we couldn’t understand till
now!
Verse 33-35 say:
And were it not that all
people had been of one (evil) way of life, We would certainly have provided
those who disbelieve in the Beneficent God, (To make) for their houses, roofs
of silver and the stairs on which they ascend,
And the doors of their
houses, and the couches on which they recline,
And ornaments of gold; But
all these are only the provisions of the life of this world;
And the hereafter unto thy
Lord is for the pious ones.
And verse 36 says:
And whosoever is blinded
against the remembrance of the Beneficent (God), for him We appoint a satan and
he shall be his close companion.
Manifest Self is even powerful over
Satan; this gives credence to our belief that even Satan has been created by
the Manifest Self for a particular purpose. If there would have been no Satan,
there would have been no Straight Path and no test for us all. Noor (or
Devatas) and Satan are torchbearers of two opposite paths, both created by the
Manifest Self.
Now see verse 37 onwards:
And verily (the satans)
turn them away from the (right) path, and deem they that they are guided
aright.
Until when cometh he unto Us,
he would say: “(O’ Satan!) would that between me and thee there were the
distance of two Easts!” (What) an evil companion is (Satan)
And never shall it profit
you on this day, since ye did injustice, that ye be partners in the
chastisement.
What! Canst thou then make the deaf hear or guide the blind and him who is
manifestly astray?
Even if We take thee away
then verily shall We exact retribution from them,
Or We shall show thee that
which We have promised them for verily We are over them (fully) Powerful.
Therefore, hold thou fast what hath been revealed unto thee, Verily, thou art
on the Right Path.
Verse 45 is even clearer:
And ask thou those of Our
apostles We sent before thee: Did We appoint besides the Beneficent God any
gods to be worshipped?
Can there be a better example? Why
couldn't we understand till now? Manifest Self sent the prophets and makes it
clear that it didn’t appoint any other god but the Beneficent God. But people
got astray?
Even Surah Ad-Dukhan (The Smoke)
propagates the same relationship. Verse 3 onwards says:
Verily We sent it down on a
Blessed Night – verily We have ever been warning –
Therein are made distinct
all wise affairs,
(Becoming) a command from
unto Us;
Verily, We are the senders
(of mercy and peace).
A mercy from Thy Lord;
Verily, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
The Lord of the heavens and
the earth and whatever is between them two, if ye be sure in faith.
There is no god but He; He
giveth life and causeth death; your Lord and the Lord of your fathers of yore.
Surah Al-Jasiyah (The Kneeling) even
confirms that those meant by ‘We’ were merely reciting the signs of God and
that these ‘signs’ have been there both in the heaven and on earth. Does
it not confirm the position of Noor (Devatas), both in heaven and
in human form on earth? See
verse 3 onwards:
Verily in the heavens and
the earth are Signs for the believers.
And in your (own) creation,
and what He scattered in the earth, of the animals, are signs for a people sure
in faith,
And in the alteration of
the night and the day, and what God sendeth down from heaven, of the
sustenance, and (in His) giving life thereby to the earth after its death, and
(in) the changing of the winds, are signs for a people who understand.
These are the signs of God
recite We unto thee with truth. Then in what (other) argument after (rejecting)
God and His signs, would they believe.
See verse 9-13:
And when he cometh to know
any of Our signs he taketh it in jest; These shall have a disgracing
chastisement.
Behind them is hell, and
shall avail them not aught of what they did earn, nor those whom they took as
guardians besides God, and for them shall be a grievous chastisement.
This (Quran) is guidance,
and those who disbelieve in the signs of their lord, for them shall be the most
painful chastisement.
God is He Who made
subservient unto you the sea that may traverse the ships therein by His
command, and that ye may seek of His grace and that ye may be thankful.
And made subservient unto
you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, all, on His
behalf: Verily in this are signs for people who reflect.
The
Manifest Self sent signs so that we may seek grace of God and be thankful to
Him.Unfortunately, we have ceased to
reflect!
Verse 20 says:
These are proofs for the
people and a guidance and a mercy unto a people who are sure in faith.
And the Chapter ends with telling the
sum total of all endeavours:
Therefore, God’s (alone) is
the praise, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, the Lord of the
worlds.
And His (only) is greatness
in the heavens and the earth; and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.
Hadees 684 of chapter 49 of
al-Kafi states that there was no knowledge that God had given to Prophet that
he did not share with Ali. See the narration:
Indeed (angel) Gabriel
brought two pomegranates to the Messenger of Allah (Mohammad) ate one of them;
then he broke the other into two, and ate one half himself and gave the other
half to ‘Ali to eat. Then the Messenger of Allah (Mohammad) said: ‘O my
brother! Do you know what these two pomegranates ere? He said: ‘No.’ He said:
‘The first was the prophethood and you have no part in it, but the other was
Knowledge and you are an (equal) partner with me in it.’ I said: ‘May Allah
make things well for you, how is this? How did he become a partner with him in
it?’ He said: ‘Allah did not teach Mohammad any knowledge, without commanding
him to teach it to Ali.
You will be interested to
know that a verse from Svetasvatara-Upanishad seems to be talking of the same
incident, when it describes two companions, having roots in the same Manifest
Self, one of whom eats the sweet fruit while the other looked on without
eating.
IV.6. Two birds, companions
(who are) always united, cling to the self-same tree. (Of these two) the one
eats the sweet fruit, and the other looks on without eating.
It is clearly stated that
in spite of the fact that the two had the same origin (cling to the self-same
tree), one ate the fruit of Prophethood, while the other looked on without
eating. This is exactly what happened in the real life of Prophet Mohammad and
Ali, one of whom was acknowledged as the greatest of all Prophets by the
Muslims, the other was even denied a chance to be the successor to Prophet
Mohammad by majority of Mohammad’s followers. Even here the word ‘self-same
tree’ is remarkable and suggests that the two were related to the same Self.
This is what Mohammad meant when he said that 'Ali and Myself are divisions of
the same Noor.’ You are also invited to note the word ‘tree’ as you will find
an inverted tree mentioned by
Is there any doubt that the
Upanishad above talks of Mohammad and Ali, who are described as always united
and who both are produced from the same Self? Keeping in consideration
Mohammad’s statement that all the Ahlul-bayt are same as Mohammad, this
verse too confirms their equality and unity.
Next verse even states
Ali’s position when caliphate was denied to him, which was rightfully his. In
spite of this, Ali is happy to see that an increasingly large number of people
are worshipping his lord – the Absolute God.
IV.7.
On the self-same
tree, a person immersed (in the sorrows of the world) is deluded and grieves on
account of his helplessness. When he sees the other, the Lord who is worshipped
and His greatness, he becomes freed from sorrow.
Prophet Mohammad has stated
the Prophets carried his Noor (light). Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad tells the
process that led to creation of first five of these ‘lights’. And Kitabul
Amana,
The highest seat and the
throne (arsh and kursi) from the Noor of Prophet 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
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.
When certain Upanishads
referred to these five as Earth, Sky, Fire, Water and Air, it was merely
symbolic and at no point it was reference to the 5 elements. Reason: first, all
these five are not elements, howsoever much the commentators try to prove it to
be. Sky
can never be considered an element. Moreover, science has proved beyond doubt
that the core elements are more than five. Secondly, they are joined
with Mahat (Intelligence) and Ego to take the number to seven
Life Breaths, who have no relationship with the other five. If this is not enough,
how will you justify the countless myths and descriptions of Agni Deva
(Fire), Vayu Deva (Air) and Indra Deva in the Vedas and Puranas? These
seven together are referred to as ‘Life’ and it is described as the biggest
secret that guarantees salvation. Is salvation a child’s play that the mere
belief that our body comprises these 7 elements shall be enough for salvation?
A quote from Jafar
(al-Sadiq) – the sixth Imam and the 8th of the Ahlul-bayt – given in
Chapter 53 of Al-Kafi even goes on to say that it were the Ahlul-bayt
who framed the rules and religious obligations. Surely, this can only be
expected from those who have been described in the Upanishads as the rulers of
our organs of action and senses, as per Paingala Upanishad. Upanishads even say
that the Devatas were the most extensive worshippers of the Absolute God
and their desire is to lead the entire humanity to the worship of God. The fact
that revelation of religious scriptures too has been ascribed to Devatas,
like Manu, it clearly reveals that the Upanishads and Jafar (al-Sadiq)
are of the same view that the rules and religious obligations were framed by
these divine personalities. What's more, you have already seen that in Quran,
all these acts are ascribed to the Manifest Self; we have already mentioned the
relationship of Manifest Self with the Devatas or Noor
(Ahlul-bayt).
See what Jafar (al-Sadiq),
the eighth of the fourteen and sixth Imam says in hadees no. 703:
It terminates in us with
what is halal (lawful) and what is haram (unlawful), but (as for) the
prophethood, no, (we have no part).
That Imams and Prophets are
the manifest proofs of God on earth can be seen from this saying of Jafar
(al-Sadiq) to Hasham:
God-Almighty has blessed
the human beings with two proofs:
One is apparent and the
other is hidden. The apparent proofs are Prophets and Imams, and the hidden
proof is the reason and intelligence within our existence.
Al-Kafi, vol. 1, p-16
The aforementioned verse is
very interesting as it talks of reason and intelligence being part of the
existence of Ahlul-bayt. Upanishads too are of the view that all the
creations are confined within the power of the Devatas and have emanated
from them. Without accepting our logic as true, is it possible for any Muslim
to tell how reason and intelligence fall within the existence of the Ahlul-bayt?
Describing the Masooms (Pure
and Infallible Ahlul-bayt), Pooya/Ali
Commentary states: “The Holy Prophet and the twelve holy Imams (alongwith
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