Hello ,,
i am studying about ismailism from 1 year,,
i am looking for esoteric meaning of sharia practices,,
this are expressed in Tawil addaim by qazi noman but its not in english.
i also came to know about dis book wajh i deen of nasir khusraw,,
any1 having this book or notes about this topic help me,,,
my mail id [email protected]
thank you
Wajh i Deen
Re: Wajh i Deen
<BR><BR>I suggest you visit the following website which has many related books and articles in English which I hope will help <A href="http://www.iis.ac.uk">www.iis.ac.uk</A>Kanz52 wrote:Hello ,,<BR>i am studying about ismailism from 1 year,,<BR>i am looking for esoteric meaning of sharia practices,,<BR>this are expressed in Tawil addaim by qazi noman but its not in english.<BR>i also came to know about dis book wajh i deen of nasir khusraw,, <BR>any1 having this book or notes about this topic help me,,,<BR>my mail id [email protected]<BR>thank you
There is both the exoteric and the esoteric ! .."And WE have made everything in Pairs so that ye may haply reflect" !!!
The followers of the shariat do not know and realize the implications (or symbolism, ramz) of all commandments of Allah and HIS Messenger,the elements and the SUNNAH of Muhamad (saw)....these matters belong to thousand unutterable (mysteries) which God (khudÀwand) commanded should not be divulged to everyone as some are undeserving.
These are the advices which the Prophet has brought from the mi’rÀj for the followers of the Truth (ahl-i Haqiqat)....
And those advices which he brought to the followers of sharÄ’at were a thousand matters which had to be conveyed, and all have acquired knowledge of them....
But about this matter (guftar) no one has information except for the true unitarian believer.
The Prophet instructed the believers, bequeathing them not to divulge (such mysteries), but to keep them hidden from those who are undeserving, in the same way as he himself had concealed them.
And it is about that secret teaching that he said: "Consort in the assemblies of the Truth (majlis-i Haqiqa).....God has founded this religion of "Haqiqat" for those who live cleanly.
Surely, every one who can do so must realize the value of this matter, must follow his path, and must be firm in following the Imam e Zamana....This means that a man should be contented with what has been commanded by God, with his destiny and fate accepting it in full resignation (taslim).
The (real) believer (mu'min) is one who from the (observance of the rules of) sharia'at arrives at (the following of the rules of) Tariqqat, and from the latter to Haqiqat, which is the real inner meaning (batin) of sharia'at.
Sharia'at may be compared to a candle, Tariqat to the path, and
Haqiqat to the destination (manzil). One must strive to walk along the correct path, lit by the candle, and reach the abode (khana) of Haqiqat. The foundation of Haqiqat is to recognize the Imam e Zamana in his luminosity.
The purpose of everything is its inner meaning (batin), which forms its
(real) substance (jawhar), its essence and sweetness. Therefore the ultimate purpose of shari’at (introduced) by the Prophet was its inner meaning (batin), which was Haqiqat, i.e. the recognition of the Imam of the time...the master of Thaqlayn !
Many things the Prophet did was a product of his time !
Try and locate his "sunnah" in his spirit of generosity, love and tolerance....in the prophet's insistence on forgiving those who had persecuted and oppressed him...his respect and devotion he showed to the elderly; the children; the women and the marginalized in society...his concern for justice, equity and fair play...his dedication to inquiry, knowledge and criticism....
Has the great legacy of Islamic thought and learning come down to what one should wear and eat etc...a fetish for physical appearances coupled with an exclusive notion of purity entangled with medieval perceptions of "laws" ?....how pure is pure?
The "maddrassah" should become a "seat of learning" and not a hatchery of hate...it should produce men and women of education and not narrow minded bigots....and so if you succeed in NOT turning your own countries and homes into a hellish version of paradise, then you have successfully followed Shariat..
Therefore the man who proceeds along the path of the Truth, and attains the recognition of the Imam, which is a great blessing, must appreciate it, and guard it against loss.
Now many will even say that Ismailis do not follow Sharia....nothing is further from the truth ![/b]
The followers of the shariat do not know and realize the implications (or symbolism, ramz) of all commandments of Allah and HIS Messenger,the elements and the SUNNAH of Muhamad (saw)....these matters belong to thousand unutterable (mysteries) which God (khudÀwand) commanded should not be divulged to everyone as some are undeserving.
These are the advices which the Prophet has brought from the mi’rÀj for the followers of the Truth (ahl-i Haqiqat)....
And those advices which he brought to the followers of sharÄ’at were a thousand matters which had to be conveyed, and all have acquired knowledge of them....
But about this matter (guftar) no one has information except for the true unitarian believer.
The Prophet instructed the believers, bequeathing them not to divulge (such mysteries), but to keep them hidden from those who are undeserving, in the same way as he himself had concealed them.
And it is about that secret teaching that he said: "Consort in the assemblies of the Truth (majlis-i Haqiqa).....God has founded this religion of "Haqiqat" for those who live cleanly.
Surely, every one who can do so must realize the value of this matter, must follow his path, and must be firm in following the Imam e Zamana....This means that a man should be contented with what has been commanded by God, with his destiny and fate accepting it in full resignation (taslim).
The (real) believer (mu'min) is one who from the (observance of the rules of) sharia'at arrives at (the following of the rules of) Tariqqat, and from the latter to Haqiqat, which is the real inner meaning (batin) of sharia'at.
Sharia'at may be compared to a candle, Tariqat to the path, and
Haqiqat to the destination (manzil). One must strive to walk along the correct path, lit by the candle, and reach the abode (khana) of Haqiqat. The foundation of Haqiqat is to recognize the Imam e Zamana in his luminosity.
The purpose of everything is its inner meaning (batin), which forms its
(real) substance (jawhar), its essence and sweetness. Therefore the ultimate purpose of shari’at (introduced) by the Prophet was its inner meaning (batin), which was Haqiqat, i.e. the recognition of the Imam of the time...the master of Thaqlayn !
Many things the Prophet did was a product of his time !
Try and locate his "sunnah" in his spirit of generosity, love and tolerance....in the prophet's insistence on forgiving those who had persecuted and oppressed him...his respect and devotion he showed to the elderly; the children; the women and the marginalized in society...his concern for justice, equity and fair play...his dedication to inquiry, knowledge and criticism....
Has the great legacy of Islamic thought and learning come down to what one should wear and eat etc...a fetish for physical appearances coupled with an exclusive notion of purity entangled with medieval perceptions of "laws" ?....how pure is pure?
The "maddrassah" should become a "seat of learning" and not a hatchery of hate...it should produce men and women of education and not narrow minded bigots....and so if you succeed in NOT turning your own countries and homes into a hellish version of paradise, then you have successfully followed Shariat..
Therefore the man who proceeds along the path of the Truth, and attains the recognition of the Imam, which is a great blessing, must appreciate it, and guard it against loss.
Now many will even say that Ismailis do not follow Sharia....nothing is further from the truth ![/b]
The success of anything depends on certain variables !
For example the surface of the water does not distinctively reflect the rays of the moon if the water is disturbed...the human heart too is incapable of reflecting the rays of the Nooran Mubeen if it is not peaceful and tranquil...or if the heart is destitute of spirituality....
When the radiation from the "Maya" overwhelms the heart, it becomes sullied and its power dissipates....but the heart which is blessed and has enjoyed the intensity of ecstasy and has had the recognition of the Imam of his own being, it leads to an unfoldment of the innermost core within his or her heart...
And so many stand on the outer dimension of religion which is the Shariat but very few try to reach the inner dimensions and so barely a minority achieve the beyond...conversely one cannot achieve the beyond if the Shariat is unsound !
The Shariat is the relationship of the outer dimension with God as slave of the Lord and so Shariat is like travelling towards God "on foot" i.e. to say at a very slow speed.....and this is assuming that one is following the "laws" of Allah (swt) as prescribed and not given by theologians and bearded scholars....
To begin with Shariat must be full of Justice and Mercy.....Allah (swt) speaks of ADL & Qist in very strong terms, in the Quran and yet the majority do not even have this as a Pillar of faith ! Frankly baffling ! and so this is the flaw that I do perceive....
Muhamad (saw) was a MERCY to all mankind....and so the divine laws cannot contradict the Quran of God !!!
And so if all came up with the real and genuine sharia/sunnah as it belonged to the Prophet and brought by him, trust me.....almost the entire world will find it endearing !
And to know all this one needs to find and follow the Imam ! and not the bearded mullahs, if you will....the mullahs are offering everyone a "mixture" !...and they are clever too because the equate it to Religion itself...and any attempts to try and change or reform it is construed as trying to change the religion....and so these clerics who are deeply entrenched in power like "pontiffs' and control the lives of the poor ordinary muslims, make deafening roars.....
And so in the process certain practices have become quintessential symbols and as we know that veneration of such symbols stops people from actually thinking about what these symbols symbolize...and so they become married to an "unthinking veneration" of certain symbols that somehow they believe associates with religion due to brainwashing....and so then they become totalitarian.
Now Shariat is divided into TWO parts...namely religious and secular....Islam is a way of life and so Shariat is meant to be a complete code of conduct which covers the life of a muslim...but it must originate from where? And that is why Allah said in the Quran...
"Follow what I have sent down" !!!!...but what happened?
And when it is said to them: Follow what ALLAH has sent down, they say: "Not that! But we will follow what we found our fathers upon". What? Even though their fathers were void of wisdom and guidance? The parable of those who disbelieve is as the parable of one who calls; but they hear nothing, except a call and a cry. Deaf, dumb and blind, so they understand not". (The Holy Qur'an 2 Al- Baqarah 170-171).......
Allah says:
"Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran above all people- a line of descendants, one succeeding the other; and Allah heareth and knoweth all things." (Quran 3:33,34)...how many followed the Command of Allah (swt) ? Only a Minority !
Disobedience to such a command consciously is Polytheism ! It is Shirk !
To continue with the theme...
Quran is the source of Shariat...but all the injunctions of the law are not expounded or explained in the quran....I need not cite examples as there are many....and so then much of this requires to be explained and clarified by the Prophet (saw) and his ITRAT....(The Mutharoon)(as per the Quran)
After the passing away of the prophet the wars of conquest brought complexities and so the problems were resolved based on individual judgments of Jurists and rulers and so the later folks followed what they had done and included them in the body of the law, the Shariat....so wht did they include? whose laws?
Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Ibn Malik founded their respective schools of shariat and they are the founders of the sunni shariat....now they came almost a century after the prophet's death...and so the question then arises is which laws did the Khulafa e Rashdeen follow.....
The Sunni Imams had not even met the Sahabas...leave aside meeting the prophet !
Then there is a third school of Imam Shafi and then of Imam Ibn Hanbal is the fourth one.....each claims to be correct....their salat is not the same even....and so how does one absorb this divergence? and when we thus talk today of Shariat, whose shariat i.e. which school of thought are we talking about?
The Sh'ias maintain that nobody understands this law better than the ITRAT of Muhamad (saw).....are they wrong in this belief ? No !...frankly there is no room for qiyas or Ijma for the Sh'ias in this regard...it is strictly the Imam's prerogative and authority....as per Allah's command...."Obey the Olil Amr" !!!....the dai's and the Mullahs are sub servient to the Imam !
Salat is to awaken one's self and to meet the Lord...Zakat means to purify not only the self but also the food that one eats at home and feeds the children....
Saum means to refuse feeding the sensual desires....your mind is the prayer mat....your body is the mosque...your head is the dome....your raised hands are the minarets....your heart is the Qibla....and now who do you think will lead the prayer? figure this out !
God knows better what is best (for you). Therefore thou must take out from thy heart all baseless and frivolous thought...
The whole year you must fast, just and the meaning of this fast is austerity.
Control yourselves, keep yourselves away from bad qualities, evil and indecent actions and devilish acts, so that the mirror of your hearts may be gradually polished.
Also know that those thirty days during which the (orthodox) fast, the (real) fast lasts only one single day.
They fast thirty days only in order not to miss that single day, and this is also a symbol (ramz).
The entire Quran was downloaded into the Prophet's heart and being on the Night of lail tul Qadr during the Holy month of Ramadhan !!! It is in the quran....check !
And just as they keep on fasting for thirty days in order to fast on that particular day, so you must through the whole of your lives experience difficulties and suffering for the sake of the attainment of the vision of the Creator, you must be patient, persevering in austerities, and keeping your inner self fasting for as long as you live....
"And whichever way ye turn you will find MY Countenance.." !!
Here (I specify the parts of the fast of the inner self: the fast of the head means to treat one's own head with the same humility as the feet of other people, casting out from one's head the lust for superiority, greatness and pride, because greatness and superiority are only suitable to the all-great substance of the Truth (Haqq), who is eternal, and the King of the Authority.
The fasting of the eye means that one must keep away coveting looks from the women who are not lawful to one.
The fasting of the ear means that one should abstain from listening to
slander.
The fasting of the tongue means that one should keep one's tongue from uttering abuse or slander.
The fasting of the heart means to keep the heart free from doubt.
The fasting of the foot is to hold one's foot back from a wrong step.
The fasting of the hand is to keep all one's limbs away from treachery so that they may not do evil. This especially applies to one's tongue which must be kept from uttering lies.
And there is no greater lie than the denial of (the existence of) the Imam e Zamana, OR saying that he has disappeared OR is errant ....
God has cursed liars, who talk about such lies about the Imam e Zamana, and who make the ignorant people follow them in order to enjoy their short lived respect.
This tells you to be abstinent.
Repent of your sins, do not rely on anything (worldly), and do not take pride except in the bounty of the Imam of your time, because everything depends on his intercession...
All other things will become non-existent and dead except what is from HIS DHAT or essence.....do not get mixed up between what is from HIS Creative attribute versus what is from HIS Essence?
Therefore it is extremely stupid to seek anything, or to be proud of anything while the Imam is in the world.
Whomsoever you love in this world will be ultimately separated from you by death, causing you grief.
Therefore it is necessary for you to develop affection for some one who will be with you both in this world and in the hereafter, who never disappears, who is nearer to you than any one, nay, nearer even than your very self, and who is more kind to you than anyone else....and in the prescriptions of the paradise, they are the "immortal youths" (spiritual emanations) or "Houris"....if you pass the Sirat !!!!
Therefore do not be negligent even for a moment with regard to the Imam of your time and age....Allah will summon you thro' him....he will be your witness !
If you find the way to the Imam of your time, and if you are faithful and devout to him, be proud of this.
Other than this do not be proud of anything else in this world because all else will ultimately perish and cause you perish, too.
Consists of this: the believer must keep pure and clean both in his body and soul .
He must keep clean his dress, body, and heart, in order that the angels
may accompany him.
Because if his body and soul are defiled, and if he does not keep them clean, his associate and the one who shares his bed with him will be devils.... they also will take their place in his heart.
Therefore you must observe (ritual) purity .
Just as the (orthodox) do their ritual ablutions and wudzoo, do the internal ablution, which is the washing in truth ... which is necessary for the soul, let the followers of the truth (ahl-i Haqiqat) know this and follow this rule, if truly your desire is to understand Shariat ...
.
The ablution of the head means to keep oneself obedient to the Imam of the time.... The ablution of the hand is swearing allegiance (bay'at ) to the Imam of the time. ...
The ablution of the foot is to advance along the Imam's way in obedience to him....
The ablution of the heart is to keep
steady in affection for the Imam....
The ablution, of the tongue is to keep on continually
remembering (dhikr) ....
The ablution of the ear is to hear the words of the Imam....
The ablution of the eye is to have the chance of the "Nazar" of the Imam of the time.
The one who obeys the orders and words of the Imam has all his limbs purified, and he who has found the way to the Imam, and resigned, himself in obedience to his command, his soul becomes clean, and his spirit good.
But if one knows nothing of the Imam, or denies his existence, or does not accept the Imamat of the Imam, or nourishes doubt as to his Imamat, he will become like the one who is continuously in a state of ritual uncleanliness, or if a (woman) one who is continually "bleeding".
Therefore seek refuge with God from those who do not accept this, and believe in shari Ä’at which actually reduces (cleanliness) ...and so add this dimension to those outer ablutions whilst not overlooking the inner ablutions..... For both the body and the soul must be purified....