Ali, the “Pen of Love and Ecstasy”

🌻🔆🔆🌻
🌼🔆🌼Muhammadan Unity, the Manifestation of Alid Light🌼🔆🌼
🔹The Birth of Imam Ali (AS)
📅 Date: 1404/10/13 — 13 Rajab 1447
✨ Session: Meshkat-e Noor
🎤 Speaker: Master Ali Saei
📝 Some of the topics discussed in the session:
Who, truly, is Ali? 🖋

On the eve of the birth of the child born in the Kaaba, with certainty, the Commander of the Faithful, the possessor of Khidr, the possessor of the Inhabited House, the Raised Roof: Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). O master, Commander of the Faithful, this Seething Sea, the inward reality of the Sanctuary, the possessor of the Supreme Command, the Mother of the Book, the Decisive Word, the Chapter of Praise, the possessor of Mount Sinai, the inward joy, the safeguard from the fires, God’s proof to humankind and jinn, the father of the pure Imams, the father of the awaited Mahdi who will rise, the possessor of Maytham, the Greatest Discerner, the possessor of the returns, the Sovereign of sovereigns, the Victorious Lion of God, the Purified Master, the Triumphant Imam, the brave lion, the divider of bliss and Hellfire—O master, Commander of the Faithful, O master, Commander of the Faithful! “Nun وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ.” When people saw the Prophet of Islam, they would say, “This man is enamoured of Ali, mad for Ali.” “Nun وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ.” The station of our master, the Commander of the Faithful, is the station of the Divine Pen. Who, truly, is Ali? Who is he? He is the Nun of the Pen. The Nun is God’s vast sea, God’s flowing spring, God’s inkwell, God’s primordial fish, and God’s ink and inkwell. The Pen enters this sea, this ink, this inkwell, and turns, giving shape to creation. What beautiful calligraphy the primordial Calligrapher has made with this Pen! What wondrous vistas He has added to the world! Who, truly, is Ali? One of his stations is that of the Pen: he is God’s instrument of artistry. Ali al-Murtada—this universe is God’s book of art, and Mawla Ali is the pen of divine artistry. Indeed, its ink is the Muhammadan Light.

His Pen is the Light of Ali 🎨

And his Pen is the Light of Ali. Indeed, Allah, Lord of the Exalted, the All-Knowing Creator, has painted this universe with the Muhammadan Light and the Alid Wilayah. Yes, the unity of existence is true, but this unity is through Muhammadan Unity. The existence of which people speak is that very Light, that Muhammadan spring, that Muhammadan inkwell, that Sea of Being into which Allah dips His Pen, then draws it across His Tablet, giving shape to beings and the universe. That is, all the peoples of the world attain unity in the Muhammadan Light, while Allah is the Creator of Muhammad, the Creator of existence, and the Creator of all beings in the world. Thus, existence is an inkwell in which the primordial Calligrapher dips His Pen, then draws it across the Tablet of creation. Ali’s movement through these cycles, across this vast Tablet of God, gives shape to these galaxies and these heavens. What does God do with Ali—with this mighty instrument of His! How deeply the Creator loves Ali, whom He has chosen as His Pen! “Nun” is like God’s will, and the “Pen” is like His decree. “Nun وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ.” “Nun” is the name of the Messenger of God; “Nun” is that very name, while “Pen” is the name of the Commander of the Faithful—may God’s blessings be upon them both and upon their descendants. And the line continues: the extension of this Pen reaches the Imam Mahdi (AJ). Thus, the reality of Wilayah is the Pen writing upon the tablet of our souls. If Ali is God’s wali, if we are Ali’s Shi’a, then that Pen must turn within our hearts, and our hearts must become the centre of God’s wonders. This is the Pen: as it turns, the universe expands. God is the Calligrapher. What works of art this Calligrapher creates with His Pen!

The Pen was intoxicated for a thousand years by the command to write God’s Oneness 🌌

God, in a flash of light, brought the Tablet into being … and commanded it: “اُکتُب، بنویس توحید مرا. بنگار ای قلم من!” Yes, this Pen is God’s recorder of divine unity. Ali is God’s recorder of divine unity in this world of being.

When the Pen received the command to write—to write of divine unity, of God’s oneness … it was intoxicated for a thousand years by the command to inscribe God’s oneness. It heard the word of God; the Pen heard God speak, lost itself, and fell into a sacred intoxication that lasted a thousand years. And what came of that thousand years of intoxication? I do not know what state the Pen entered, or what became of it through those thousand years. God alone knows.

We can only surmise that the astonishing beauties of this world of being took shape then. Every state of intoxication, every beauty and enchantment in this world of being, may be understood as a shadow of those thousand years of sacred divine intoxication. The Pen that records God’s oneness, intoxicated by God’s word, writes with its ink and inkwell an intoxication into this world of being—an ardent longing for Allah—and brings sacred delights to fruition.

Yes, this world of being is steeped in that very intoxication of the Pen. The world turns with this longing; the atmosphere of that first intoxication has yet to fade. However much we say about Ali, it is never enough. Ali is the secret of perfection, the secret of expansion.

Abu Dharr relates that they were sitting with the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, in the mosque: “We were sitting with the Prophet when Ali entered.” When they saw him come in, the Prophet said to Abu Dharr: “Who is that man who has just entered?” I said, “It is Ali, O Messenger of God.” He said to me, “Abu Dharr, do you love him?” I replied, “By God, I love him, without the slightest doubt, O Messenger of God. I love Ali, and I love those who love Ali.” The Prophet then said, “Abu Dharr, be sure to love Ali and to love those who love him. For the love of Ali ibn Abi Talib is the veil between the servant and Allah, the Exalted.”

Ali is the sweet veil before the encounter 🔑

Ali—his love—is the veil between God’s servant and God. That is, Ali is the sweet veil before the encounter. In other words, Imam Ali (AS) and love for him are signs of nearness to God. This veil is no barrier; it is a means of arrival. Love for Ali is the veil between God’s servant and God: that is, it is the gateway to the threshold of the truth of nearness to God. Ali is the highest sign. Ali is God’s adornment. Ali is God’s supreme sign. Ali is God’s Greatest Name. Ali is God’s greatest invitation.

A fish in the sea of Ali 🐠

“Abu Dharr, love Ali sincerely. Whoever sincerely loves Ali and asks God for something—whatever they ask of God—God will grant it to them.” The condition is sincere love for Ali. We must neither fall short in our devotion to his authority nor go to excess. Ali is the Pen of divine unity; to love Ali in the spirit of divine unity is to attain all one’s needs. If you love him sincerely, Allah will answer whatever you ask.

It is truly astonishing! I said, “O Messenger of God …” Abu Dharr is overcome with joy. He says, “O Messenger of God, I feel my love for Ali in my soul, in my very heart, like cool water, or like honey from the honeybee. I experience my love for Ali as one of God’s signs. O Messenger of God, it is even more than that: to me, Ali is sweeter than honey.”

The Messenger of God said, “We are God’s pure tree, and all who love us are leaves of this blessed tree. Whoever wishes to enter Paradise must attach themselves to one of its branches, hold fast to it, so that they may reach Paradise.”

Yes, love for Ali purifies our souls and brings life to fruition in our hearts. It intensifies our being, for it is like God’s wholesome, cool, life-giving water. Ali is the sweetness of faith; love for him is honey, heavenly honey. By God, it is the secret of our connection to God’s revelation, to God’s word. The Shia of Ali remains forever connected to this supreme divine centre, never separated from it for even a moment. The Shia is always with Ali and cannot be parted from him. If separated from Ali, they die. They are a fish in the sea of Ali; if they leave it even for a moment, they die. By God, they die. Can a fish live out of water? No.

Who, truly, is Ali? What immense mysteries he held! The soul of that Pen is God’s mysteries. From that Pen flow all God’s secrets, hidden things, and treasures, encompassing all creation. And even now, the Pen continues to write. This sovereign of the world of being holds countless mysteries. Ali entered our land in disguise, and we did not recognise him.

What is the mystery of “سَلُونِی قَبْلَ أَنْ تَفْقِدُونِی”? 🧠

Had he appeared in all his majesty, without veil or covering, his majesty would have consumed everyone. But he had to come in disguise, so that a trial could take shape and it might become clear who had sealed hearts. Those whose hearts—and whose innate nature—were sealed failed to recognise Ali; they were left wretched, and made us wretched too. Ali had no need of us; we needed him. We should have held fast to him, not expected him to hold fast to us.

Who, truly, is Ali? What is he? And what is the measure of the being of his pure descendants, the Proofs of God? They live across many worlds, inhabiting several worlds in parallel. They have ranks and degrees; in every realm they are entrusted with God’s mission, and bring God’s command to its finest fulfilment. Alas for the people of this world, who lacked the worthiness to connect themselves to this supreme servant of God, this supreme means of God, and in an instant leap to the threshold of nearness to God, traversing the paths of perfection in a moment.

How can we awaken our dormant capacities? How? How can we draw upon transcendent, celestial intelligence and receive answers to all our questions? How can we? Had we been worthy of living under the guardianship of our master, the Commander of the Faithful, I would have been connected to that transcendent intelligence. I would have received an answer to every question I had; at every moment, I would have been a centre of God’s sublime miracles, because I would have felt Ali’s presence in my heart and drawn upon this vast storehouse of knowledge.

What is the secret of «سَلُونِی قَبْلَ أَنْ تَفْقِدُونِی»? Why did Ali cry out? Ali is a sign of God, God’s supreme sign. If every sign of God has an outward and an inward aspect—seven inner dimensions, allusions and expressions, and beyond the expression, allusions, subtleties and truths—what outward aspects does that supreme sign of God have? We imagine we have seen his outward appearance, but we have not seen even that, let alone his inward dimensions, allusions, subtleties and truths! Had he revealed himself from the very beginning, the trial would have…

Ali has disciples who are general, private and most intimate, as well as disciples who are hidden. They exist in every realm—not merely among the different levels of human beings, but among humans and jinn, minerals and plants, all creatures, the beings of the unseen realm and the cherubim, those of the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, and… Where do we stand in relation to Ali? From which spring of Ali have we drunk? All knowledge and wisdom are gathered in Ali’s very being, for he is the Manifest Imam, God’s vast supercomputer. If our paltry inner computer were connected to this supercomputer of God’s, it would gain access to all the information in existence and bring the universe under its command.

Our comfort lies in confinement ⛓️

We are dead, because we are cut off from this divine supercomputer, because we have separated ourselves from this Clear Book. When ʿAlī called out, «سَلُونِی قَبْلَ…», why did we not answer him? Surely, even in the world of the primordial covenant, ʿAlī’s call would have reached us. Even in our fathers’ loins, this call from God’s Proof would have reached us. We should have answered; we should have questioned him: “Ask me, inquire of me before you lose me, before you lose ʿAlī. Ask ʿAlī: I know the pathways of the heavens better than the pathways of the earth. Ask me before the trials emerge. Ask ʿAlī before the trials come, before they emerge, before they trample everything beneath their feet, before minds take flight. Ask me.”

Knock at the Gate of God. If you do not, the trials will come and minds will take flight; then it will all be over. We will be imprisoned in a cramped, dark dungeon. Our peace lies in imprisonment—in God, it lies in imprisonment. We have no comfort, by God, none. Our comfort lies in imprisonment; our economy lies in imprisonment; the whole planet lies in imprisonment. If we had asked, if we had held fast to him, it would all have been settled. Darkness would no longer have prevailed. We allowed it; we turned our backs on God’s light, turned our backs on God’s Gate, and darkness overcame us. We abandoned the path of ascent, fell, and landed in this cramped, dark pit. Our health lies in imprisonment. Everything we have on this whole planet—education, upbringing, beauty, our very life, our pulse—lies in imprisonment. Before long, it will all be over. It is over.

Our Master called out to us: «سَلُونِی… Ask me before you lose me.» Why do you not look at the sky and see how it has been raised? Why can I not see? Because I did not ask. To ask is to connect with ʿAlī—with this divine supercomputer, this transcendent intelligence of God. If I had connected, I would have seen with these very eyes; I would have pierced the horizons of the heavens. I would have surpassed those space telescopes, by God; I would have leapt wherever my heart desired.

Now I understand what it means. I may look, but I will not see. However powerful the telescopes I use, I will see no more than points of light. I should have observed not merely the lowest heaven or these stars, but all seven heavens. “Have they not looked at the sky above them—how We built it and adorned it, and that it has no cracks or flaws?” Now I understand how I might have observed the layers of the heavens and their beauty. If I had connected, if I had asked, this would have been the answer: he would have connected me to himself; I would have been linked to that limitless system. I should have looked and seen the dominion of the heavens and the earth; seen their roots and innermost depths; seen everything Allah created, from a particle to the galaxies and the heavens and all that exists—all the worlds, the parallel worlds, the worlds within worlds. I should have witnessed them all.

Why can I not see? Now I have found the answer: I did not answer ʿAlī. The trials came and veiled my heart; I became separated from ʿAlī. ʿAlī knows the pathways of the heavens better than the pathways of the earth. By God, he knows far more than that: he knows what preceded creation; God made him know. ʿAlī knows the pathways of the heavens before those pathways were brought into being; he knows what came before the heavens.

Creation is from absolute nothingness ⚛️

Do you want to put yourself to the test? Ali is Ali: God’s Proof, God’s Supreme Sign, the Eye of God, the Good of God, the Blood of God. What does that mean? He is the treasury of God’s knowledge. What does that mean? I do not want to show you the paths of heaven; I want to show you, through Ali’s eyes and in Ali’s words, a picture of the whole universe, from its beginning to its end. It is not simply that Ali speaks: had we been with Ali, he would have taken us back to before creation, led us through it, shown us its truths. He is Ali, the Gate of God, the Gate of the City of Knowledge, the Gate of the City of Wisdom.
He brought every philosopher in the world to a standstill with this passage: “He brought things into being from sheer nothingness, creating them in a manner befitting creation.” What do we know of how God brings things into being? It is beyond any question of how. “And He gave them a beginning, in a manner befitting a beginning.” He even originated beginning itself. Before God began, beginning had no meaning at all. Beginning itself is among God’s wondrous inventions. (Badaʿ means to bring into being.) He brought things into being without any pattern to follow, without any prior thought or experience to draw on. He made no trial of creation, no experiment in bringing things into being. Without trial, without time or place, without any pattern or movement—without any movement at all—He brought them forth. He brought them forth without the exertion of a soul, without agitation, without the slightest pause, without a breath of commotion, without movement or turning, without toil or unease. He joined things of diverse kinds and made them harmonious; gathered their scattered parts, ordered them and brought them into accord. He planted within them the instincts of their natures and their inward inclinations, setting the system of instinct within them. He bound forms to things and brought those forms into being. Before this, He said: “He assigned things their times, appointed them, threaded the cord of time through them, set each thing in its own time, and ordered their times.” Yet He knew them before they began; His knowledge encompassed them, their limits and their ends. For each of them He established an inner and outer order, giving them depth and height. He knew them before they began; His knowledge encompassed their bounds and their ends. He knew their associations and attendant conditions, their inner substance and hidden dimensions; He was acquainted with their secrets and qualities. Then the All-Glorious brought them into being… Then God, the All-Glorious, brought forth the cleaving of expanses and the opening of horizons and layers of air. This air is not the air we know. It precedes the creation of the earthly elements. This earthly air is not that air. The Imam is sketching the structure of creation for us, its first blueprint. How did space take shape? How did place take shape, and time? He speaks of the splitting of expanses. He split apart what had been joined together. What does that mean? Was it all one? A single thing? One particle? Did He split that one particle apart? How did He split it? This is not the Big Bang of our universe! This is the beginning of creation, before the creation of this world. He split open the expanses, parted the horizons, layered the strata and shells upon one another, and opened up the air. Ali is not speaking of the paths of heaven; he has taken us beyond the heavens. Then He set flowing through them water whose current spread out, whose tumult… This is not earthly water; it is primordial water. What is it made of? I do not know. God set flowing within it “ماءً متلاطماً”—a mighty, tumultuous surge, its waves dense and roaring, resounding with immense noise, boiling over… If only Ali would take us there and show us; then we could see it. He carried it upon the back of a fierce wind, a tempest that smote and shattered. This, too, is no earthly wind. It is the wind that came before the seven heavens. This “ريح عاصفه” is a vast current… It churns and roars until the universe takes shape. Then He commanded it to return and made it master of its compression, joining it to its boundary. Could these be the several forces—the immense forces, the indescribable gravities, the electromagnetic forces…? I do not know. Perhaps he is speaking of the fundamental forces. Again, I do not know. If only we could ask Ali, and have him explain.

He made the seven heavens level and even 🌃

Before the creation of the seven heavens, Allah, Glorified is He, brought forth a wind—a “ريح”… This “ريح” too was a vast system, preceding the system of the world we inhabit. He created a wind whose direction of blowing He made barren: He made its generative power barren, rendered it sterile. He fixed the direction and duration of its blowing, quickened its course, and made the place from which it rose remote. Then He commanded it to batter the surging water, that “ماء زخّار,” and stir up the waves of the seas. He churned it as one churns a waterskin, and drove it on with a force such as sweeps across the boundless expanse. What an astonishing description! He churns this whole universe like a waterskin, to draw from it its butter and cream. And He drives it on—He who knows how to drive it. He brings its beginning back to its end, and its still waters to its flowing, tumultuous waters. The alchemy of the universe takes shape. At last, the foam spilled over its surface; the mass of its waves foamed, yielding the cream of creation, the butter of the water. Then He lifted it into the cleft air and open expanse. After that, He formed the seven heavens, level and even: He made the lowest one a wave held in check, and raised the highest as a lofty, protected roof—without pillars to support them, or pegs to bind them together. Now we have reached the heaven of this world. Then He adorned them with the beauty of the stars. How grievously the people of Saqifah wronged us! Then He embellished it with the radiance of stars and shining planets, setting among them a widespread lamp and a luminous moon, in a revolving orbit—a moving roof, a roof in motion.

These are only a few words from the words of Ali.