tret wrote:Then how do you come to conclusion that Imam is Allah/The Transcendent?
If we say that 'Mr X has skills and knowledge of a teacher manifest in him' and if we say 'Mr X is a teacher'. From a practical standpoint what would be the difference?
Similarly if we say the ''qualities' of God (Essence) are manifested in the Imam' and if we say 'Imam is God (Essence)'. Is there any difference?
Nasir Khusraw has said in Kalame Pir: "The Imam is the Hujjat or Proof of God and it is for this reason some Imams have said, "What is said about God refers also to us.".
I hope the notion of Mazhar is now clarified.
tret wrote:
Please do not try to avoid the question I asked.
- Is your assetion of "Imam is Allah", in-line with MHI's guidance according to Surah-khlas???
- Do you understand the meaning of Surah-Ikhlas??
Yes it is. In Ismailism Ikhas is something to be realized. It is not an idle speculation. From an ordinary standpoint God is beyond comprehension, understanding, without partners etc etc. This notion is common to all Muslims. From a standpoint of a person who has become Fanna, he/she is one with God. It is a relative concept.
Imam is a perfect Realized being and hence he is God, the Transcendant. I explained this when I mentioned how a person becomes one in Gnosis.Ikhlas without the means of realizing Oneness is meaningless. Hence the notion of the Imam as the Mazhar of the Essence is vital. He cannot be a guide if he himself is not God
tret wrote:
kmaherali wrote:
Irrespective of whether it is the same or different we need to adhere to the latest exposition which is consistent with the current intellectual climate.
In the same chapter the Imam says:
"The Shias have therefore always held that after the Prophet's death, Divine power, guidance and leadership manifested themselves in Hazrat Ali as the first Imam or spiritual chief of the devout."
I hope the above statement is self explanatory about the status of Ali.
kmaherali - I asked you where does the Farmaan of MSMS implies that Imam is Allah, and you are saying totally something else. I don't see any relevance of this Farmaan in the context of our discussion. I asked you how mono-reality implies that Imam is Allah, and you are trying to prove the status of Imam Ali. Don't avoid the question.][/quote]MSMS explains the concept very beautifully and there is nothing more that needs to be said. This is not a Farman, it is the statement of Imam in the same chapter which clearly states that he is the Mazhar.
tret wrote:
Please put it here. I can't find'em!
I am reposting what I mentioned in my previous post to Mazhar.
As you are a staunch Ismaili and who follows the Farman of the Imam, consider the following Farmans:
"I would like any spiritual child who is here present, who attends religious night school, to answer to Me what is the meaning of Malikin naas. You know the Sura which says Kul A 'uzu bir Rabin naas,Elahin naas. What does Malikin naas mean? Which is the spiritual child here who can tell Me the meaning of Malikin naas?
(One spiritual child gave the meaning of "Malikin naas Master of the People The Imam "; Hazar Imam was very pleased )
Good, very good."
If the Imam himself says that he is Malikin naas, does it not imply from the Quranic Ayat that he is also Rabin naas (the Lord of the People) and Elahin naas (God of the People)?
In another Farman explaining the notion of Esoteric Islam (Sufism) MHI said:
"Do you know who was Al Hallaj? Which is the spiritual child here who can tell Me who was Al Hallaj?
(One spiritual child answered, Mansoor Al Hallaj ) Hazar Imam asked
"What was his main aim in life?"
(The same spiritual child replied, To be one with Allah and further added that Mansoor achieved the status of Fanna fillah and said An al Haq )
My beloved spiritual children,
The question I asked was difficult. It was a very difficult question because it did not concern our history, but it concerned a concept. A concept of the practice of Islam which is close to our concept, which is the concept of spirituality and Al Hallaj became a martyr because he believed that he had elevated his soul, that he had sufficiently eliminated all worldly matters, so that his soul should be identified with the Oneness with the Universal Unity, and he claimed publicly, An al Haq which means I am the Truth, and the Muslims of the time treated him as a heretic and he was put to death as a heretic. The reason I asked this question is that I want My spiritual children in the years ahead to understand the two concepts of Islam; the spiritual concept which is ours, and those of certain other branches of Islam, namely those who say no, there is no esoteric form to Islam, there is but an exoteric form. This is why I asked who was Al Hallaj, and I am very happy and I congratulate the spiritual child who knew who was Al Hallaj. Khanavadan"
If Mansur could elevate himself and become one with Allah, don't you think that the Imam whom we consider as the Pure in our Dua would not be one with Allah as well? Try to understand Sufism, then you will realize the status of the Imam.
tret wrote:
kmaherali wrote:
So you think I am a lier!
I never said that! I simply implied to ask for any evidence, besides your words.
And what kind of evidence would that be? Do you expect this to be documented?
tret wrote:
kmaherali wrote:
Mowlana has used the word infidelty to convey a message that he is not following the norm of the time, i.e, he was considering Shams as God the Transendant! I have quoted the verses of the Diwan in this thread. Please go through the thread.
Please put the verse here. I can't find it. These threads grow so quickly, we lose track of the replies. Please once more, post it here,
with vers#, page#, chapter#, whether it's from Divan-e-Shams or Masnavi...
I am reposting it here....
Rumi was very clear and empahtic about calling Shams God although it was considered as a shirk by others.Following is an excerpt from Annemarie Schimmel's book:
It is not meet that I should call you banda ['servant', human]
But I am afraid to call you God, khuda!(D 2768)
Such verses understandably enraged the people of Konya. But for Maulana there was no doubt:
Shamsulhaqq [Sun of Divine Truth], if I see in your clear mirror
Aught but God, I am worse than an infidel!(D 1027)
And he knows his difficult position and yet calls out:
Whether it be infidelity or Islam, listen:
You are either the light of God or God, khuda!(D 2711)
And he qualified this statement in the lines:
You are that light which said to Moses:
I am God, I am God, I am God! (D 1526)